Saffron Spelt Knots with Poolish
Sunday, October 02, 2022These saffron bread knots are made by plaiting together 4 strands of a soft, sweet enriched saffron dough - sprinkle the top with a mixture of white and black sesame seeds if desired. Saffron gives the knots a beautiful warm golden colour as well as a wonderful intense flavour and scent. I have used 0.3 g rams of saffron for the dough, which is a bit too much, 1 small sachet (0.1 gram) would be enough. I didn't fill the dough, but you can try to fill with nutella or nut cream for an even richer bread.
Rye Apple Crumble Bars
Friday, September 30, 2022These autumn-festive apple bars feature a buttery wholegrain shortbread base, perfectly spiced apple filling and finish off with a fantastic crumbled oat streusel, with the distinct earthy flavour of wholegrain rye. They are egg-free and sweetened with coconut sugar, so it's refined-sugar free too. The recipe is rather easy and very delicious, the best part is that you can customize it to your taste. Add some raisins, cranberries or pecans that you think compliment the apples and for an even nuttier and deeper caramelized flavour, replace the browned butter for regular one.
Bread Pudding with Blueberries and German Vanilla Sauce
Wednesday, September 28, 2022A comforting, lukewarm casserole made with stale bread, blueberries, cream, milk and eggs is a brunch attraction. Ideal for using up the bread from the day before. I used German Brötchen, but French baugette would be great too. Other than blueberries, you can use any other berries, cherries or raisins. If using frozen blueberries, mix in without thawing to avoid discoloring the mixture. The bread pudding is fantastic with the rich, silky vanilla sauce, but would also be amazing served with vanilla ice cream or simply homemade whipped cream.
Snow Peas with Butter and Pine Nuts
Monday, September 26, 2022This recipe is as simple as it is delicious. Unlike more rounded and puffier sugar snap peas, the pods of snow peas are flatter with tiny peas inside, making them ideal for fast stirfrying. The simple combination of butter and lemon zest really transforms this side dish into something really special. Although optional, the toasted pine nuts add a wonderful nutty crunch.
Buchteln with Blackberry Marmalade
Saturday, September 24, 2022Buchteln are sweet rolls made of enriched yeast dough and baked in a casserole dish. Depending on the region, they are also called "Wuchteln", "Rohrnudeln", or "Ofennudeln". Buchteln are particularly juicy and delicious if you prepare them with a fruity filling. Depending on the season, the Buchteln can be filled with berry, apricot or plum jam. You can bake them with or without filling. They are usually served vanilla sauce, powdered sugar or eaten plain and warm.
Originally, Buchteln come from Bohemian cuisine and are widespread in Bavaria, Austria and South Tyrol. The name comes from the Czech "buchtičky" or "buchta". In Bavaria, Buchteln are often prepared with sultanas or cranberries. Our favourite is poppy filling.
Grape Clafoutis
Thursday, September 22, 2022Clafoutis is a rustic dessert from the Limousin region in France, made with fruit that is covered with a custard batter, which is unlike a traditional custard, as it has flour in it that gives it more structure. Traditionally the fruit should be cherries, unpitted black cherries specifically. But when Autumn arrives, bake this desserts with plums, figs, grapes or use whatever fruit you have on hand. It comes together quickly with just a few ingredients, is equally as tasty warm, at room-temperatur, or chilled, and keeps well for several days.
Keto Fried Anchovies
Tuesday, September 20, 2022Anchovies are packed with essential vitamins and minerals, like vitamin A, selenium, potassium, iron, and omega-3 fatty acids that help reduce inflammation in the body, among many other nutrients. Unlike salmon or tuna, the anchovies are small fish and they are low on mercury.
This makes a delicious and budget appetizer with lemon wedges and / or aioli or even as a meal with some greens aside. It's rather quick and easy to prepare if you have anchovies cleaned in your fridge ready to go. Clean the inside of anchovies well, otherwise they will taste bitter. Removing innards of anchovies takes time, but you can ask your fishmonger to clean and gut your anchovies for you.
One Bowl Blackberry Upside-Down Cake
Sunday, September 18, 2022Baked with plain flour | Baked with plain flour and cornmeal |
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We are used to seeing upside-down cakes with pineapple dotted cherries but this recipe with blackberries is a delicious alternative take on the classic cake. You can make this easy and beautiful cake with ingredients you have on hand. Sweet and tart blackberries flavoured with fresh savoury (or thyme) sit atop a tender melt-and-mix cake - great to take to a party or picnic. Serve it with a dollop of fresh cream or Greek yoghurt asid, if desired. I used frozen blackberries, but you can use any other fresh or frozen fruit you have.
Oatmeal Breakfast Bowl with Coconut Milk and Cacao Nibs
Friday, September 16, 2022A bowl of oatmeal is one of the healthy ways to kick start your morning. It is easy, filling, delicious and healthy without added sugar. Oatmeal is packed with fiber, which can help to ease gut problems, and provides a wealth of vitamins and nutrients that we need for a healthy and nutritious start to the day. I used coconut milk to prepare the porridge, but any milk or even water would be just fine. It's naturally sweetened with fruits, but if you really have to add a sweetener besides fresh fruit, opt for a natural one like maple syrup or honey. A teaspoon is all you need.
Aubergine Dip with Caramelised Onion
Wednesday, September 14, 2022This delicious aubergine dip is a healthier alternative to packaged spreads from the store. The dip gets its extraordinary flavour from the caramelisation of the onions. The recipe is very simple and quick to prepare and is made with just a few ingredients. The dip can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Recycling Old Bread - Spelt Bread Rolls with Old Bread
Monday, September 12, 2022A downside of home-baked bread is that if you don't eat it or freeze it, then it will go stale through loss of moisture relatively quickly. And who likes stale bread? Not me. Freshly baked bread is a treasure, but a stale one is not a waste. You can easily revive them by misting the crust with some water and bake at 180C/350F for 10 minutes, or turning into one of my favourite kitchen staple - breadcrumbs (usign them to make meatloaf or meatballs), or turn them into a bread pudding or transform them into these fresh and delicious crusty rolls with this easy recipe from one of my favourite bakers Marcel Paa. The beauty is that because the leftovers are different, so every bread is amazingly versatile and has its own slightly different taste.
Baked Irish Potato Farls
Saturday, September 10, 2022A farl in Gaelic literally means "fourths". They are shaped into a circle of dough and then cut into quarters, and here refers to a quarter of a flatbread, which is more commonly pan-fried, made from mashed potatoes and spelt flour. Traditionally they were made with oatmeal, that would result a coaser substance and nuttier flavour, butter and potatoes – no flour, no leavening agents. The less flour and raising agent you use, the denser and moister the farl. Using more flour, and raising agents (baking powder and baking soda) and moistening the mixture with milk creates an wonderfully light and fluffy bread-like texture.
These baked quarters can be made with leftover mashed potatoes too. Potato farls are most often served as the breakfast or at teatime. But you can absolutely enjoy these with soups or salads as a lunch. Leave out the onions, rosemary and black pepper if you want to serve them with a dollop of homemade jam. Experiment with different herbs and spices, like chives, dills, spring onions, cumin, or caraway.