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Feta and Watermelon Salad Stack

Friday, July 30, 2021

Salty and sweet, this refreshing stacked watermelon Feta salad with toasted pine nuts and raspberry balsamic syrup is almost too pretty to eat. It would make a great summer time appetizer, a fun snack, or a side dish in place of regular side salad that will please people of all ages. You can slice watermelon and Feta into rectangles, squares or hearts of any size you prefer.

1/2 Seedless watermelon
250 g Feta
1 tsp Extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper
2 tbsp Raspberry balsamic syrup
1 tbsp Pine nuts, toasted
Fresh parsley leaves, or arugula leaves
A handful of blueberries, optional
1 Lime, juiced

Cut the watermelon into four, and Feta into two 10x7x2cm rectangles (or rounds squares or even hearts). Drizzle watermelon with olive oil and season with a bit of salt and pepper.
Place a watermelon rectangle on a platter, then a slice of feta, followed by another piece of watermelon. Garnish with some parsley and blueberries if using.
Drizzle with the raspberry balsamic syrup. Sprinkle some chopped parsley and toasted pine nuts over. Squeeze some lime juice over the top and serve.

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Crispy Fried Onion Seed Bread

Wednesday, July 28, 2021

Onion bread not only makes an ideal accompaniment to soups, cheeses and salads, also makes great sandwiches plain or grilled with roast beef, or ham. This crisp onion bread is delightfully easy and simple to make and produce a fantastic golden crust and soft crumb. I used store-bought crisp fried onions in this recipe, but you can definitely make your own or use some leftover onion rings.

Starter	Dough
50 g Organic rye flour 60 ml Water	14 g Fresh yeast, crumbled (or 7 g Dried yeast) 1 tsp Coconut sugar (or raw brown sugar) 300 g Organic bread flour plus extra for dusting 210 ml Water, room-temperature 1/2 tsp Smoked salt (or herb salat or regular sea salt) 60 g A mixture of seeds (poppy, sesame, sunflower and linseeds) 5 tbsp Crispy fried onions

For the starter, whisk together the rye flour and water in a bowl. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and leave it on your kitchen counter overnight or up to 18 hours.
Mix crumbled fresh yeast with coconut sugar in a bowl and set aside for 10 minutes. In the mixing bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add in starter, flour, water, smoked salt, seeds, crisp onions and yeast mixture. Stir at slow speed until a dough roughly formed, about 5 minutes. Increase the speed and knead until smooth and elastic. Cover with a plastic wrap and set aside at a warm place for 50-60 minutes.
Dust a round 9-inch banneton basket thoroughly with flour. Alternatively, line a bowl with a non-terry kitchen towel dusted with flour. Turn out the dough and gently shape the dough into a round ball. Pinch seam togethe and transfer the dough to the prepared basket, seam-side up. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise 50-60 minutes.
Preheat oven with a bowl of water at the bottom rack and baking stone in the middle rack to 220C/425F for an hour. Turn the dough out onto a bread peel dusted with flour. Score the top with a lame or very sharp knife in any pattern you like.
Slide the bread onto the baking stone and bake for 35 minutes. Open the oven door and spray the bread with water and bake for a further 10 minutes till golden brown and crispy. Cool on a wire rack completely before slicing.

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Nectarine Pomegranate Salad with Soft Goat Cheese

Monday, July 26, 2021

Make salad less boring and more enjoyable with this vibrant bright summer salad tossed with sweet juicy nectarines, pomegranate seeds and soft goat cheese. Nectarines and peaches are actually the same species, but nectarines tend to have more flavour, aroma and have firmer flesh. You can swap one for the other. Nectarine's skin is safe to eat. In fact the skin has fiber, vitamins, and adds more flavour. So, removing the skin is optional and absolutely a personal choice. And use any mixed leaves you fancy.

Vinaigrette	Salad
1 tbsp Apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp White balsamico vinegar 3 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil Sea salt and black pepper	3 Ripe yet firm nectarines or peaches, peeled and cut into wedges 70 g Lettuce or other leafy greens 1 Small red onion, peeled and sliced into thin rings 1-2 Scallions, thinly sliced Seeds of 1/2 pomegranate 80 g Soft goat's cheese 1 tbsp Parsley, chopped

In a bowl, whisk ACV, balsamico vinegar, and olive oil. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Place nectarines or peaches in a large pot of boiling water for 10-15 seconds or until the skin splits. Remove with a slotted spoon. Immediately place in an ice water bath to cool the peaches and stop the cooking process. Use a paring knife to peel the skin. Halve the peeled nectarines, remove the pit and cut into wedges.
Wash the lettuce or any leafy greens, then spin-dry. Tear the leaves into bite-size pieces and place them in a salad bowl. Add in sliced red onion, sliced scallions, peach wedges and pomegranate seeds.
Drizzle the dressing over and gently toss together. Divide the salad into two plates. Top with soft goat cheese. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and a few grinds of black pepper.

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Pomegranate Apricot Brownies

Saturday, July 24, 2021

With chewy edges, gooey center, and so rich chocolate flavour, these gorgeous foolproof fruity chocolate brownies are guaranteed to disappear in no time. The pomegranate seeds and apricot cut through the sweetness, and a dollop of creme fraiche or a scoop of white chocolate ice cream would make this even more decadent. I baked them for about 38 minute and it came out really gooey and fudgy. If you like your brownies a little less 'wobbly', then bake for 3-5 more minutes.

200 g Salted butter, chopped
200 g 70% Dark chocolate, chopped
3 Eggs, medium
180 g Light brown sugar (or up to 250 g if you prefer it sweeter)
80 g White spelt flour
60 g Cocoa powder
120 g Pomegranate seeds
3 Ripe apricots, stoned and cut into pieces

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease and line a 22cm x 28cm pan with baking paper.
Place butter and chocolate in a medium saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and cool for 5 minutes.
Place eggs and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk until well combined. Sieve flour and cocoa over the egg mixture and gently fold to combine. Gradually pour in chocolate mixture, stirring to combine.
Pour the batter into prepared pan and scatter the top with pomegranate seeds and chopped apricots. Bake on the middle shelf for 35-40 minutes or until just cooked through. Set aside to cool completely. Cut into squares to serve.

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Chicken and Cucumber Salad with Carrot Top Pesto

Thursday, July 22, 2021

This hearty everyday salad is a lean-protein powerhouse thanks to chicken and kidney beans. You can also use black beans, chickpeas or edamame instead. Carrot top pesto can be made 1 day ahead. Carrot tops are high in vitamin C, vitamin K, and potassium. Use them as you would parsley, or in place of parsley in recipes. You might not need all the pesto, the rest will keep for a week in an airtight jar in the fridge.

Carrot Top Pesto	Salad
50 g Carrot top greens, stems removed 20 g Parsley 1 clove Garlic, roughly chopped Juice of 1/2 lemon 30 g Roasted macadamia nuts 30 g Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated 1/2 tsp Sea salt 1/3 tsp Freshly milled black pepper 120 ml Extra-virgin olive oil	1/2 Roasted chicken, shredded 3 Persian cucumbers, chopped 1 can / 400 g Kidney beans, drained and rinsed 1 tbsp Dill, chopped 100 g Arugula leaves 100 g Blueberries

Rinse the carrot top greens thoroughly and dry. Strip the leaves from the stems. Discard stems. Place the carrot tops greens, parsley, chopped garlic, lemon juice, roasted macadamia nuts, grated Parmesan, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Pulse several times, scraping sides as needed with a rubber spatula. While the food processor is running, slowly pour in the olive oil in a steady stream. Scrape the sides down with a rubber spatula. Pulse until smooth.
Stir together chicken, kidney beans, cucumber and dill in a large bowl. Add half of the pesto and toss to combine.
Divide the arugula and chicken salad into 3 plates. Sprinkle some blueberries over. Serve with the remaining pesto.

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Red Currant Pull Apart Bread

Tuesday, July 20, 2021

Get some fresh seasonal fruit flavours in your pull apart bread! Bursting with the summer flavours of red currants and vanilla butter, this gorgeous pull-apart loaf is a fabulous addition for any picnic hamper or the ideal solution for easy entertaining.
The best part about this recipe, is that you can use any other seasonal fruit if you can't find red currants. Strawberries, raspberries or plums are excellent substitutes. I am just topping this with a simple dust of powdered sugar, but if you want to attempt a more elevated and decadent topping, you could whip up a quick glaze with cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla.

Dough	Filling
250 ml Whole milk, lukewarm 20 g Fresh yeast (or 10 g active dried yeast) 60 g White sugar 2 Medium eggs, room-temperature and lightly beaten 60 g Butter, softened 600 g Plain flour A large pinch of salt	120 g Butter, softened 24 g Dr. Oetker Bourbon vanilla sugar (3 packs) 300 g Red currants Powdered sugar

Combine milk, yeast and 1 teaspoons of sugar, stir and set aside at room temperature for 10 minutes, untill is gets foamy.
In the bowl of your stand mixer, add in eggs (reserve 1 tablespoon for the topping), softened butter, remaining sugar, yeast mixture, flour and salt. Stir at slow speed for 5 minutes until the dough comes together. Increase the speed and knead until dough is smooth and elastic.
Turn out the dough and shape into a ball. Lightly grease the mixing bowl with a little bit of oil. Return the dough ball into the bowl. Cover with a plastic wrap and let it proof at room temperature for about an hour or until it almost doubles its size.
Grease and line a large loaf pan with parchment paper. Set aside. Mix the butter and vanilla sugar in a bowl until well combined. Rinse and pluck the currants off of the stems.
Lightly flour a work surface and roll out the dough into a rectangle, roughly 50cmx35cm. Brush the rectangle with vanilla butter. Sprinkle the currants over.
Cut the dough into 4 strips and each strip into 5 or 6 even pieces. Stack a few of pieces together and place into the prepared baking tin. Repeat with the rest. Depending on the length of your loaf pan you might even have a couple of pieces left. Simply roll them up into individual buns and place in muffin tins. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and leave to rest in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 190C/375F. Brush the top with the reserved egg and bake in the middle of the hot oven for about 30 minutes until nicely golden brown. Remove from the oven let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn out and dust with powdered sugar.