Haselnusshörnchen Hazelnut Crescents with Spelt and Potato
Tuesday, September 21, 2021This German-style nut pastry (Haselnusshörnchen) can be found in almost every bakery in Germany. It's very easy to make this at home and the result is just as delicious. You can use either hazelnut or almond, or a combination of two. They are fantastic to serve at the breakfast or in the afternoon with a pot of freshly brewed coffee. I have found the recipe in a local weekly magazine (Neue Post) and just tweaked a bit based on our taste and pantry stock.
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- Cover the potatoes with water in a saucepan. Bring the water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low. Cover the pot with a lid and let simmer until fork-tender, about 25 minutes. Drain potatoes and cool to room-temperature. Chill the potatoes overnight. Peel and weigh 250 grams for the recipe.
- Whisk together the spelt flour and baking powder together. Use a potato press to press the potato into the flour mixture.
- Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one by one, until combined. Add in flour-potato mixture. Mix until you have a firm and smooth dough. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
- Mix ground hazelnuts, coconut sugar, coconut milk and vanilla together until you have a thick paste. Preheat oven to 200C/400F. Grease and line two baking trays with baking paper. Roll out the dough into a 40cm circle. Spread the prepared hazelnut paste evenly on the circle. Cut the circle into 12 triangles/wedges. Roll up each triangle from the wide end to form a crescent.
- Place them on the prepared baking trays. Bake in the middle of hot oven for about 30 minutes until lightly golden brown. Dust with icing sugar and serve.
Easy Plum Tart
Saturday, September 18, 2021This party-worthy tart is a simple way to showcase the seasonal plums. You can easily substitute sliced apples or pears for the plums with great results. I used a basic sweet shortcrust, but you can definitely use store bought one. Chill your crust for at least 30 minutes. One of the reasons that fruit tarts have a soggy bottom is from the moisture of the fruit. The most effective way to prevent soggy crust is to blind bake the crust before filling with fruit. Another way to prevent the pastry crust from getting soggy is to sprinkle ground almonds (or breadcrumbs/graham cracker crumbs/crushed cornflakes, etc.) into the crust bottom, which helps soak up the juice released from the fruit during the baking. Slice the plums into even thin slices and try to keep the slices together so you can arrange them nicely into the crust without making a mess.
Sweet Shortcrust | Filling |
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- Sift spelt flours into a large bowl and stir in vanilla sugar and a pinch of salt. Cut in butter and lard. Rub together with your fingertips until moist clumps form. Press dough onto bottom and up sides of a 24cm-26cm tart pan with removable bottom. Prick the crust all over with a fork. Cover and chill for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven 190C/375F. Line pastry with baking paper and fill with pastry weights or beans. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove paper and weights. Bake for a further 8-10 minutes or until light golden. (This is called blind baking the crust, which is the most effective way to prevent soggy crust. If you are in a hurry, just sprinkle ground almond or breadcrumbs onto the crust. This too helps soak up the juice released from the fruit during the baking and keep the crust from getting soggy. )
- Remove the crust from the oven and sprinkle the ground almond onto the crust. Arrange the plum slices in clusters, alternating between horizontal and vertical. There’s no need to be too fussy – as long as they fit snugly next to each other, it will be just fine.
- Drizzle honey or maple syrup if using, thyme leaves, and dot with cubed butter. Bake for 30 minutes until the pastry edges are golden brown and the fruit is tender. Garnish with raw pistachios. Cool completely before slicing. Enjoy with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Sesame and Fennel Seed Bread
Thursday, September 16, 2021This flavour-packed bread is great with yoghurt cheese (labneh), air-dried ham and some olives. An ideal substitute for fennel seeds is anise seeds, as they have a similar flavour. However, the anise seeds are more pungent, so you might want to use slightly less. You can also substitute equal amounts of caraway or dill seeds. It is an excellent sharing bread for serving with soups or salads, and is really easy to make.
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- In the bowl of your mixer, add flour, salt, and crushed fennel seeds. Put the warm water in a measuring jug and crumble in the fresh yeast and sugar. Set aside for a few minutes until starting to froth.
- Pour the yeast mixture and olive oil into the flour. Mix on a slow speed until it starts to clump together, then increase the speed and knead it until it a smooth and elastic dough forms, about 6-8 minutes. Cover with a cling film and set aside in a warm place for 1-2 hours, until doubled in size.
- Beat the tahini and honey in a small mixing bowl until light and well-combined. Soak the sesame and caraway seeds together with water in a bowl. Melt the butter and cool to room-temperature.
- Turn the dough out onto on a lightly floured work surface, then shape it with a rolling pin into a large rectangle, about 1cm thick.
- Spread the tahini mixture over the surface of the bread, then roll up to enclose the filling inside a long sausage shape, making sure it’s an even thickness. Coil the dough into a spiral and tuck the end under the coil.
- Transfer to a parchment lined baking tray. Brush all over with melted butter, drain the sesame and caraway seeds and scatter all over the surface of the dough. Cover with cling film and set aside to prove for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 220C/430F. Bake for 20-25 minutes on the middle shelf until golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped underneath. Cool, then serve scattered with the chopped herbs, pistachio nut and labneh.
Thai Corn Fritters
Tuesday, September 14, 2021Make brunch for your family with these delicious corn fritters. With a light, crunchy crust and fluffy inside, these corn fritters are quick to make and sure to find favour with both the adults and the kids. Thai fish sauce and sweet chilli sauce give these tasty corn fritters a double dose of Asian flavour. Serve them while still warm for brunch or as a snack. You can buy sweet chilli sauce in Asian grocery stores or Amazon or make this typical Thai condiment at home.
Thai Corn Fritters
inspired by this recipe
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- Place the eggs, spelt flour, garlic, coconut sugar, fish sauce, half the corn kernels, salt and pepper in a food processor. Process to a puree. Add the chopped spring onions and the remaining corn kernels and stir well to combine. Heat the lard in a non-stick frypan over medium-high heat.
- Working in batches, drop tablespoons of corn batter into the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel. Keep warm while you make the remaining fritters.
- Arrange baby spinach and cherry radishes on plates if using and stack the fritters on salad, drizzle with sweet chilli sauce or serve at side as a dipping sauce.
Creamy Goat Cheese Soup with Dill and Macadamias
Sunday, September 12, 2021Tangy, earthy goat cheese, fresh dill and toasty macadamia nuts come together in beautiful harmony. Creamy, cheesy and full of flavour, this soup is a lovely combination of tangy, earthy fresh goat cheese, homemade broth and cream. Goat cheese and dill are such a classic culinary combination and compliment each other so well while rich toasty macadamia nuts add extra flavour and crunch to the soup. It makes an elegant appetizer or a light meal when paired with a couple of slices of keto garlic bread.
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- Peel and finely chop the shallots and garlic clove. In a large saucepan, saute chopped shallots and garlic in butter until tender. Pour in broth and bring it to a boil. Add in crumbled goat cheese and cream. Cook over mild heat until cheese is melted.
- Use an immersion stick and process the soup until smooth. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
- Divide the soup into two bowls. Top with chopped dill and chopped toasted macadamias.
Ground Beef Stuffed Butternut Squash
Friday, September 10, 2021One of the best things about stuffed winter squash is that you can customize it to your liking. Feel free to make the recipe your own with whatever you have in your pantry. Use any kind of ground meat you like. Chicken or pork would work great in this recipe! I have tried stuffed squashes, like hokkaido, acorn, buttercup and they were very delicious.