Makka's kitchen

It's fig season – dessert in 5 minutes

noreply@blogger.com (Makka) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 08:58:00 +0000

FIGS WITH COFFEE GREEK YOGHURT

3 bigger figs

100 g greek yoghurt

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp coffee liqueur

a pinch of ground coffee

a couple of coffee beans to garnish

Wash figs carefully and cut off the stalks.
Cut them in four but not throgh to the bottom. Place them on a plate.
Cream the yoghurt along with syrup and liqueur, fill with this cream the opened figs. Sprinkle with ground coffee and garnish with coffee beans.

White chocolate and coffee liqueur

noreply@blogger.com (Makka) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 08:50:00 +0000

Last week there was an awful weather: rain and cold all day. I was craving for comfort foods.

HOT MILK WITH COFFE LIQUEUR

400 ml milk

4 pieces white chcocolate from a bar

1 tbsp coffee liqueur

12-15 little marshmallows

a pinch of ground coffee

Heat the milk in a little pan, melt in the chcocolate, stir well. Take off the heat the pan, stir in liqueur and foam it with a little froather.

This homemade liqueur strong as an espresso.

Pour in a bigger cup place on the top marshmallows and sprinkle with ground coffee.

Than enjoy! The best thing was that marshmallows absorbe the milky coffee and you can taste the cardamom and vanilla beside the coffee flavour.

Beetroot

noreply@blogger.com (Makka) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 08:33:00 +0000

I love beetroot as side dish, or pickled, or baked.

BAKED BEETROOT WITH SOUR CREAM AND FETA CHEESE

1 kg beetroots

1 red onion

5 cloves garlic

½ tsp coarse salt

4-5 tbsp grape seed oil

5-6 tbsp plum flavoured balsamic vinegar

¼ tsp coarsly milled green pepper

1 tbsp fresh oregano and lemon fragranced thyme leaves

100 g feta cheese

3-4 tbsp sour cream

1 tsp poppy seeds

Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Line a baking tray with alufolie.

Wash beetroots and peel them – do not worry peeling this amount will not colour your hands, you can wash. Cut beetroots into 3 or 4 pieces, place on the alufolie.

Peel onion and garlic cloves, cut into 8 pieces the onion and place along with whole garlic cloves among the beetroot pieces.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper and fresh green herbs as well.

Add oil and balsamic vinegar then make a little bag from the folie to keep in the juices and steam during cooking.

Place tray in the oven bake for 1 hour.

Take out and carefully open the bag.

Serve hot beetroot with sour cream, its own juice and sprinkled with crumbled feta and poppy seed.

Plum cake

noreply@blogger.com (Makka) — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 09:11:00 +0000

ALMOND PLUM CAKE

120 g butter

125 g cane sugar

125 g sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tsp almond essence

3 eggs

100 ml cream

250 ml yoghurt

275 g cake flour

1 tsp baking soda

500 g plums – pitted + 1-2 tbsp flour

50 g sliced almond

Preheat the oven to 170 °C.
Combine flour and baking soda.
Cream room temperature butter along with cane sugar, sugar and essences. Add eggs only one at a time and whisk together. Stir in cream and yoghurt.
Add flour and stir thoroughly avoiding lumps.
Cut plums into little cubes and combine with the flour. Stir in the batter.
Spread batter in a 24 cm spring form, sprinkle with almond, put in the oven and bake the cake for about 80 minutes.
Take off the oven and leave to cool then unmold cake, transfer on a plate and sprinkle with powder sugar.

Very chocolaty cake

noreply@blogger.com (Makka) — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 20:28:00 +0000

I think this is the best chocolate cake what I’ve ever made. It’s moist, melts in your mouth and surprisingly light but to be honest I can eat only a few bites of it. But these bites are pure pleasure.

COFFEE VANILLA CHOCOLATE CAKE

For the cake:

2 cups cake flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup cocoa

1 tsp ground cinnamon

375 g butter

2½ cups sugar

1 tsp vanilla paste

6 eggs

3 tsp instant coffee

3 tbsp hot water

1 cup buttermilk

For topping:

½ cup cream

200 g milk chocolate

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp vanilla paste

1 tsp instant coffee

Preheat the oven to 185 °C.
Sift flour and cocoa along with baking powder and baking soda together. Add cinnamon as well.
Cream butter and sugar with an electric whisk, add vanilla paste and eggs, only one at a time whisking after each addition.
Dissolve the instant coffee in the hot water then add to the buttermilk, stir well.
Add buttery cream to the flour mixture along with the coffee buttermilk and stir thorougly.
Pour batter in a 28 cm spring form and bake for 55-60 minutes.
Then take out leave to cool.
For the topping grate the chocolate, meanwhile heat the cream, do not boil. Stir in the vanilla paste and instant coffee, add cinnamon and stir well. Pour creamy mixture onto the grated chocolate and stir until completely dissolves. Leave to cool completely.
Unfold the cake, transfer on a plate and carefully pour on it the chocolate cream.

My favourite fish dish

noreply@blogger.com (Makka) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 08:34:00 +0000

SPICED PANGASIUS FILETS WITH BEAN AND TOMATO SALSA

For the fish:

4 bigger pangasius filets

3 cloves garlic

2 tsp coarse salt

3 cm piece of root ginger

grated zest 2 limes

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp roughly ground green pepper

3-4 tbsp light olive oil

1 bunch fresh coriander

For the salsa:

150 g red beans soaked overnight in twice their volume of cold water

700 g tomatoes

1 red chilli

1 bunch fresh coriander

1 medium red onion

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 lime’s juice

½ teaspoon salt

¼ tsp roughly ground green pepper

An hour before you want to grill the pangasius, make the spicy paste to season the filets.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper and spread light olive oil on it. Place fish filet on.
Then, with a pestle and mortar, crush the garlic cloves and sea salt together until you have a creamy purée. Now add the grated ginger, lime zest, cinnamon and cumin, green pepper, 1 tablespoon of the light olive oil and the finely chopped coriander. Mix everything together and spread a little of this mixture on each pangasius filet. Cover with clingfilm and set aside for the flavours to develop and permeate the fish.
To make the salsa, rinse the beans in plenty of cold water, put them in a saucepan with enough water to cover, bring to the boil cover and simmer for about 40-50 minutes until tender. Drain and allow them to cool completely in a bowl.
Add the skinned and finely chopped tomatoes along with the other ingredients: finely chopped onion, fresh coriander and chili. Season with salt, green pepper and lime juice, add olive oil and stir well.
Cover the bowl and place in the fridge to allow the flavours to develop.
Preheat the oven to 260 °C with air circulation and bake the fish 20 minutes until the edges become a little crispy.
Transfer to plates and serve immediately garnished with bean salsa.

The recipe was adapted from Delia Smith’s Winter Collection.

Poppy seed and sour cherry

noreply@blogger.com (Makka) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:19:00 +0000

There are some combinations with what you cannot make mistakes like strawberry and chocolate or lemon and poppy seed. But sour cherry and poppy seed also such a great combination.

SOUR CHERRY POPPY SEED CAKE WITH MERINGUE TOPPING

For the cake:

140 g ground poppy seeds

160 g cake flour

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp ground cardamom

½ tsp ground cinnamon

zest of 1 lemon

150 g butter

150 g cane sugar

1 tbsp Bourbon vanilla sugar

4 eggyolks

200 ml milk

250 g sour cherries – pitted

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 cup sour cherry jam

For the meringue:

4 eggwhites

100 g caster sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
Combine ground poppy seeds, flour, baking soda and spices.
In a bowl whisk butter and sugar along with vanilla sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggyolks and whisk together.
Combine sour cherries with the 3 tbsp flour so cherries won’t go down to the bottom of your cake.
Stir the spiced poppy and flour mixture into the buttery cream, add milk as well, after that add sour cherries. Combine thoroughly.
Spread cake mixture in a 20 x 30 cm nonstick spring form, bake for 30 minutes. Take out of the oven and spread jam on the top.
Make the meringue: place the egg whites along with salt in a large clean bowl and have the sugar measured and ready. Now whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks and you can turn the bowl upside down without them sliding out (it’s very important, though, not to over-whisk the egg whites because, if you do, they will start to collapse).
When they’re ready, pour in the lemon juice and start to whisk in the sugar, approximately 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking after each addition until all the sugar is in.
If the meringue is thick and shiny spread with a spatula on the top of the cake, put back in the oven and bake further 10 minutes, then switch off the oven and leave in the cake until completely cooled.
Unmold the cake and serve cut in rhombus shape.

Acacia and sour cherry

noreply@blogger.com (Makka) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:17:00 +0000

ACACIA SCENTED SOUR CHERRY JAM

5 kg sour cherries

2 kg preserving sugar

1 sack Haas Quittin 3:1

1 tbsp vanilla paste

300 ml acacia syrup

150 ml Maraschino

Wash cherries thoroughly take off the stalks and pit them. Place fruit in a bigger pot, add sugar, vanilla paste and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes then add pectine combined with 1 tbsp sugar. Boil at high temperature for 1-2 minutes. Take off the heat stir the liqueur in and pour the hot jam in little preserving jars. Close them tightly and stand upside down for 5 minutes.

Homemade coffee liqueur

noreply@blogger.com (Makka) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:10:00 +0000

COFFEE LIQUEUR

200 g freshly ground coffee

300 ml water

¼ tsp cardamom seeds

800 ml alcohol 42% (350 ml alcohol 96% + 450 ml water)

For the syrup:

800 g sugar

400 ml water

1 tk vanilla paste

Grind coffee (I used Lavazza Gran Creama Espresso) finely in a coffee grinder along with the cardamom seeds. Place the ground coffee in a pan add water and bring to a boil. Then take off the heat, put back and bring to a boil again. Repeat it for 3 times. Take care because it becomes really thick and will spit, stir constantly.

After that place the thick coffee in a bigger jar and add this syrup: dissolve the sugar in the water stirring at moderate heat, add vanilla paste and simmer 15 minutes to thicken it. Pour onto the coffee placed in the jar. Leave it cool completely then pour onto the alcohol, stir weel. Close the jar tightly and place in a dark place for a month. Shake it carefully sometimes.

After a month filter through a sieve placed double layer gaze in it and pour in three ½ litre bottles.

Serve the liqueur chilled or you can use it in desserts or cakes.

Pavlova knocks around the Black Forest

noreply@blogger.com (Makka) — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 07:04:00 +0000

My friends came to visit on last Friday and I promised them to make Pavlova cake. But the strawberry season is over for a while so I had to find out something else for topping the cake. Some other sharp fruit to counteract the sweetness of the meringue.

CHOCOLATE PAVLOVA WITH SOUR CHERRY

For the meringue:

4 egg whites

220 g sugar

30 g cocoa powder

For the cream:

500 g mascarpone

400 g cream

1 tbsp Bourbon vanilla sugar

1 tbsp sugar

For the topping:

500 g sour cherries – pitted

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp Bourbon vanilla sugar

2 pinch of freshly ground cardamom

100 ml dry red wine

3 gelatine sheets

Preheat the oven for 140 °C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and draw on it a circle about 24 cm diameter.

Place the egg whites in a large clean bowl and have the sugar measured and ready. Now whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks and you can turn the bowl upside down without them sliding out (it's very important, though, not to over-whisk the egg whites because, if you do, they will start to collapse).

When they're ready, start to whisk in the sugar, approximately 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking after each addition until all the sugar is in.

Sift the cocoa powder onto the meringue and fold in very carefully but thoroughly.

Then spoon the meringue mixture on the prepared baking sheet, place it in the oven and bake it for 1 hour. Turn off the heat immediately then leave the cake in the oven until it's completely cold. You can make the meringue on the previous evening and leave Pavlova in the oven overnight to dry out.

To serve the Pavlova, lift it from the baking sheet, peel off the paper and place it on a serving dish.

Then just before serving spread with your cream and topping.

For the cream stir in the sugar and vanilla sugar the mascarpone. Whisk the cream until holds peaks and fold in the mascarpone. Spread the cream on the Pavlova making the edges higher with your spoon.

For the topping in a saucepan bring to a boil the cherries along with the sugar, vanilla sugar, cardamom and wine. Take off the heat – do not overboil – and stir in the gelatine. Leave to cool completely.

Spoon the cherry topping on the Pavlova and sprinkle the cake with chocolate shavings.

Red post

noreply@blogger.com (Makka) — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 16:59:00 +0000

Making ajvar is more simple than it looks. Just take your time and a good book, sit on the terrace and start to grill.

AJVAR

15 kapia paprika

3 eggplants

5 cloves garlic

2 red chilis

150 ml extra virgin olive oil

1½ coarse salt

5 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tsp sugar

2 tbsp pesto rosso

2 tbsp sun dried tomato cream*

Grill paprikas and aubergines until their skin blister and turn black. Occasionally turn them with a tongs.
Place them in bigger glass bowl and cover, let them steam until you can handle them.
Peel off paprika and aubergines as well, discard all the seeds of the paprika.
Heat in a pot 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, add thinly sliced garlic and deseeded, finely chopped chili. Stir and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add roughly chopped paprika and aubergine, stir well, roast a couple of minutes. Add all the remain ingredients, pureé with a blender and bring to a boil.
Spoon in little sterilized jars.
Eat it spread on buttered toasts.

*Making the sun dried tomato cream is very easy: just put the sun dried tomato with the oil in a blender. You will get a deep and rich tomato flavour.

And how can you make sun dried tomatoes?

Take ripe and firm tomatoes, half them, deseed with a little spoon.

Line a tray with parchment paper place the halved tomatoes on it with skin down, sprinkle with some salt and put on a sunny place for about 5-6 days – bring back in the house for nights. When the tomatoes are ready, they should be darker in colour and slightly flexible or leathery and will not snap or break when pulled.

Put them in a little jar and fill up with olive oil.

Perfect breakfast

noreply@blogger.com (Makka) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 12:08:00 +0000

I’ve forgotten to pasteurize* the raw milk on Monday so it soured. But never mind, the curd has an incomperable flavour nothing like kefir or yoghurt. I use it making smoothies or quark.

*I usually just bring to a boil the raw milk, don’t make a big deal of it, it’s enough for a week prevent souring.

FRAGRANCED BLUEBERRY SMOOTHIE

600 ml curd – chilled

2 handfuls of blueberries

2 tbsp lavender honey

1 tbps fresh lavender flowers

¼ tsp vanilla extract

Place everything in a blender, push the button, then pour the smoothie in cocktail glasses. Serve sprinkled with white lavender flowers.

Tomato salad

noreply@blogger.com (Makka) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 08:21:00 +0000

This salad was inspired by Jamie. I liked the way as he just crushed the cherry tomatoes, seasoned and it was done.

„CRUSHED” TOMATO SALAD

500 g cherry tomatoes

1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 pinch himalaya salt

1 pinch smoked salt

freshly milled pepper

1 red chili

1 handful of green olives

1 tbsp capres

10-12 basil leaves

Wash tomatoes, push them with your fingers and place in a bowl. Add the other ingredients – chili finely chopped, olives crushed with your fingers too – and stir well.
Place in the fridge at least for ½ hour.

If you are really busy

noreply@blogger.com (Makka) — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 20:47:00 +0000

I was really busy today, a lot of work in the garden. There was a tree which I had to cut out so I haven’t got so much time making lunch. Fortunately I picked some tomatoes and swiss chard in the garden to make a really quick, delicious and colourful lunch today.

TOMATOES WITH POPPY SEEDS AND SWISS CHARD

600 g swiss chard

6 slices bacon

1 tbsp butter

2 cloves garlic

2 tbsp walnuts

freshly milled pepper

½ tbsp poppy seeds

12 cherry tomatoes

50 g gorgonzola piccante

Soak swiss chard in water to clean and drain, shake off the water.

Add roughly chopped walnut in a little saucepan and use a spatula or wooden spoon to stir while toasting. Toast until you can smell its fragrance, place on a little plate. Add poppy seeds and toast them too. They will toast very quickly.
In a bigger saucepan toast finely chopped bacon, when changes its colour, add butter and finely chopped garlic.
Increase the heat and add roughly chopped swiss chard stir well so that you coat it with garlicy butter and bacon. Cook until the chard completely wilted. At this point add toasted walnut and pepper and stir in.
Place swiss chard on a plate, put on to the top the tomatoes cut in four, sprinkle with roughly grated cheese and toasted poopy seeds.

Just simple – black fruits

noreply@blogger.com (Makka) — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 14:38:00 +0000

Yesterday I picked some elderberries and blackberries to make a little jam. Something really simple, only the fruits or adding something which only helps to make stronger their flavours.

ELDERBERRY AND BLACKBERRY JAM

1.4 kg blackberries

500 g elderberries

2½ cups sugar

1 tbsp vanilla paste

1½ sacks Haas Quittin 3:1

100 ml Crème de Cassis

Pick the elderberries off the stalks – if one or two doesn’t come off easily, don’t worry, they aren’t completely ripen, so just leave them – and place them in a colander along with blackberries and wash the fruits thoroughly but carefully and drain.

Put fruit in a pot, add 2 cups sugar and vanilla paste, start to boil. Cook for about 30 minutes then add the rest of the sugar combined the pectin and stir well. Cook for an other minute.

Take off the heat, stir in the liquer and spoon in little jars. After closing them tightly, put them upside down for 5 minutes.

This jam has a quite caramel-ish rich flavour because of the elderberries. I took out the fridge some brie and left stand for about 1 hour at room temperature after that with this jam was delicious.

Soup picante

noreply@blogger.com (Makka) — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 08:30:00 +0000

The following soup is one of my favourite, typical Saturday lunch followed by some simple cake, pie, muffin or crumble.

PICANTE TARRAGON VEAL SHANK SOUP

700-800 g veal shank – you can use lamb as well

2 onions

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

4 carrots

3 parnsip

½ celeriac

½ kohlrabi

100 g peas

2 medium potato

3-4 stalks tarragon

1 bay leaf

1 bunch parsley

1 tbsp flour

200 ml cream

juice of 1 lemon

salt and pepper

In a pot heat the oil and butter add finely chopped onion and sauté a couple of minutes. Add meat cut into little cubes and fry until changes color. Sprinkle with the ⅔ of finely chopped tarragon and pour onto 2½ litres water, add bay leaf and season with salt and pepper, put a lid on and cook it for about 50-60 minutes over moderate heat until the meat is really tender.
At this time add vegetables: peas, carrots and parnsip sliced, peeled potato, celeriac and kohlrabi cut into little cubes along with the half of the finely chopped parsley. When the vegetables are already tender – it takes for about 10 minutes, combine the cream with the flour using a whisk and add to the soup. Cook for further 5 minutes season with lemon juice and the rest of the finely chopped parsley and tarragon, serve hot.

A lovely sunny day

noreply@blogger.com (Makka) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:08:00 +0000

If you have such a wonderful sunny day like we had today, take a little electric grill, some eggplants, herbs, spices and a good book, sit at your table standing on the terrace and make a good lunch.

EGGPLANT CAVIAR

3 eggplants

2 cloves of garlic

4-5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

juice of ½ lemon

2 tsp dijon mustard

salt, pepper

Place the eggplants on the grill, turning them infrequently with tongs, until they're turned black on the outside and feel soft. Meanwhile you can read or just wonder how beautiful is everything.
When the aubergines cooled a bit cut them in half lengthwise and scarpe the pulp from the skins into a bowl or a food processor. I used for this recipe only a fork to mash the flesh of the eggplants.
Add the finely chopped or grated garlic, oil, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper, stir well and leave to cool a bit. Serve with toasts.

SMOKY AUBERGINE DIP

2 medium eggplants

2 cloves of garlic

½ tsp smoked hot paprika (Pimenton de la Vera Picante)

juice of ½ lemon

100-120 ml extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

2 tbsp fresh basil and mint leaves

The method to handle the eggplants like above but season an other way. Use this time a food processor to achive a smoother result. Place everything in it and push some times the pulse button. To serve spoon into a little bowl and make a little well with the spoon in the center, pour a bit of olive oil in it and sprinkle smoked hot paprika on top.
Serve with toasts, tortilla chips, tomatoes or with carrots.

You can bake the aubergines in the oven of course, place them on a baking sheet in to a preheated oven 200 °C and bake them for about 50-55 minutes until the aubergines are completely tender.

An old fashioned dish

noreply@blogger.com (Makka) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 09:31:00 +0000

May the besamel be old fashioned if we see the nutritional facts but I like it. And I love when a dish covered thickly with grated cheese and it melts and becomes golden brown and crunchy during the baking.

CHICKEN BREAST AND BROCCOLI GRATIN

2 big chicken breasts

1 kg broccoli florets

30 g butter

600 ml besamel sauce (60 g butter + 60 g flour + 600 ml milk)

salt, freshly milled pepper, ground nutmeg

200 g grated cheese

In a pan heat the butter and fry the chicken breasts cut into stripes and seasoned with salt. If they became golden brown place meat in a heatproof dish, put the broccoli florets on the top.
In the same pan which you fried the chicken melt butter for the besamel sauce add flour and when it starts bubbling pour in the cold milk, stirring with a whisk. Season with salt, pepper and ground nutmeg, stir while it's thickened and pour the hot sauce onto the broccoli and chicken.
Sprinkle the grated cheese on the top and bake it for 1 hour in your preheated oven on 175 °C.

Cake without baking

noreply@blogger.com (Makka) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 09:15:00 +0000

I've made this cake last week when it was really hot weather, now it's rather cool for a summer, only 20 °C and windy, our two big leanders and other plants always lie on the ground.

MASCARPONE CAKE WITH BLACKBERRIES

For the base:

80 g amaretti

150 g whole ground biscuits

150 g butter

2 ek Amaretto

For the cream:

2 eggs

2½ tbsp powdered sugar

½ tsp vanilla paste

250 g mascarpone

100 g white chocolate

1 sack Dr. Oetker Instant Gelatine Fix*

250 ml cream

On the top:

500 g blackberries

Place biscuits and amaretti in a blender making crumble. Add melted butter and Amaretto, stir well.
Place a cake ring on a plate, spoon onto the buttery crumbles and push down with the spoon evenly. Place in the refrigerator while you make the cream.
Melt the chocolate over a very low heat.
Separate the eggs, whisk the eggyolks and sugar along with vanilla in a bowl until pale yellow and creamy. Add mascarpone and combine well, add chocolate and stir in. Sprinkle on the gelatine, stir well with a whisk.
Beat egg whites until firm white peaks, ⅓ of it stir in the cream, ⅔ of it fold in carefully. Whip the cream and fold in too.
Take out the base of the fridge, spoon onto the mascarpone cream and place on the top the blackberries.
Return your cake into the fridge for 2 hours at least before you take off the cake ring and serve.

* This kind of gelatine you can add directly to the cold creams do not have to soak and heat to dissolve.

Further apricot recipes

noreply@blogger.com (Makka) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 08:40:00 +0000

It seems like I would be obsessed with apricot. It's not true but there is the apricot season and we bought almost 40 kg. Almost the all of it becoming to palinka, but I could spare some to make soup and ice cream.
And jams.

APRICOT JAM WITH AMARETTO

5 kg apricots

1,5 kg caster sugar

1 tbsp vanilla paste

3 sacks (75 g) Haas Quittin pectine 3:1

150 ml Amaretto

Wash apricots halve and pit, place in a pot add most of the sugar and start to boil. Cook for about 30 minutes then add the pectin combined with the rest of the sugar, boil vigorously for a further minute. Take off the heat and stir in the liquer. Pour in sterilized little jars close tightly and put upside down for 5 minutes.

APRICOT JAM WITH CARDAMOM AND CHOCOLATE

3 kg apricots

750 g sugar

250 g cane sugar

1½ tsp vanilla paste

1 tsp cardamom seeds

1½ sacks (37,5 g) Haas Quittin pectine 3:1

100 g Côte d’Or chocolate 86%

100 ml dark rum

After washing and pitting the apricot place in a pot, add sugar and spices – cardamom seeds crushed in a mortar – and start to boil. Cook for about 30 minutes, then add pectine combined with a little sugar, stir well and boil the jam for 1-2 minutes. Take off the heat, add chocolate broken into little pieces stir in and pour in the rum stir well.
Pour in sterilized jars close tightly and put upside down for 5 minutes.

Plum and spices

noreply@blogger.com (Makka) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 06:24:00 +0000

I love hot dishes or sauces and I make with plums a hot sauce – or ketchup – in every year, when on our plum tree the fruits have ripen.

SPICY PLUM KETCHUP

1 kg plums – measured after pitting

250 g red onions

2 cloves of garlic

80 g fresh ginger

125 ml dry red wine

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

4 red chilis

grated zest of 2 oranges

150 g brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg mace

¼ tsp ground clove

¼ tsp salt

Place plums in a saucepan along with the finely chopped onion, garlic, ginger, chili and other ingredients. Put a lid on and boil over medium heat for 15 minutes, than remove the cover and cook for further 30 minutes. Blend smooth with an electric mixer and pour in little sterilized jars.
Eat with games, fishes or cheeses.

Making ice cream without an ice-cream machine

noreply@blogger.com (Makka) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 05:28:00 +0000

... is not so easy but the result worth it. I make ice cream not so often and I'm glad that nobody could hear me while I stood beside the saucepan stirring the custard last week in the 40 °C.

MASCARPONE ICE CREAM WITH SPICED APRICOT

2 cups whole mlk

1 cup cream

1 tsp vanilla paste

¾ cup caster sugar

¼ cup cane sugar

4 eggyolks

250 g mascarpone

500 g apricots

1½ tbsp caster sugar

¼ tsp ground cardamom

freshly milled pepper to garnish

Place milk and cream in a saucepan. Add vanilla paste and stir well. Place the milk over a low heat and slowly bring it to a strong simmer then remove it from the heat. Leave to cool for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a large bowl until pale yellow and creamy. While whisking gradually add all the hot milk.
Pour back the mixture to the saucepan and place it over a low heat, cook gently while stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until it thickens and coats the back of the spoon. Be careful not to overheat the milk as you will end up with scrambled eggs. Remove it from the heat and leave it to cool.
Halve and pit apricots place them in a saucepan, add sugar and cardamom, bring to a boil and cook only 1-2 minutes. Blend with an electric mixer but not too smooth.
When the custard has cooled whisk in the mascarpone until well combined.
If you don't have an ice-cream machine place it in a freezer proof sealed container and place it in the freezer for 1 hour then remove it and whisk with an electric whisk, then do it in every 45 minutes for 4 times. At last stir in the apricot but not thoroughly.
Freeze until ready to serve. Sprinkle with freshly milled pepper.

Eat chilled

noreply@blogger.com (Makka) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 13:29:00 +0000

We’ve got a really hot summer, I try to make light and easy to make meals like fruit soups, today with apricot.

CHILLED APRICOT SOUP

8 tbsp caster sugar

750 ml water

1 stick of cinnamon

3 cardamom pods

¼ nutmeg

1 nutmeg mace

5-6 allspice
5-6 whole cloves

½ tsp vanilla paste

15 apricots, halved and pitted

750 ml milk

3-4 tbsp double cream

3½ tbsp cornstarch

freshly milled pepper to garnish

In a pot caramellize the sugar, drop in the spices and pour onto the water – take care, it’s very hot. Bring it to the boil stirring to dissolve the caramellized sugar, add vanilla and boil about 8-10 minutes on moderate heat.
Stir the starch into the milk with a whisk, add cream and stir well.
Add apricots to the soup, pour in the creamy milk and boil for about 2-3 minutes.
Place the pot in cold water to cool the soup, then put in the fridge.
Serve ice cold and sprinkled with freshly milled pepper – before serving take out the spices.

Zucchini salad

noreply@blogger.com (Makka) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 08:48:00 +0000

Last week I've tried to avoid cooking and baking because there was 40 °C so I made really simple and light meals.
I love raw vegetables in salads like baby zucchini. The zucchini has its own taste and a few spices make it alive.

ZUCCHINI SALAD WITH BASIL AND FETA

6 baby zucchini

20-25 leaves of basil

a pinch of salt

freshly milled pepper

1 tbsp finely chopped chives

4-5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp lemon juice

80 g feta cheese

Slice the zucchini place in a bowl. Add basil, chives, salt, pepper, oil, lemon juice and 50 g feta crumbled. Shake well together and use your fingers to stir. Put in the fridge for about 20 minutes,
Serve on a plate sprinkled with a little pepper and chives, drizzled with oil and sprinkle the crumbled cheese on top.

Swiss chard twice

noreply@blogger.com (Makka) — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 09:22:00 +0000

I have mentioned already that I have got a really kind neighbour, she has got a huge garden and this spring we planted a lot of vegetables together. Like swiss chard.

Swiss chard in „our” garden.

I like to use swiss chard instead of spinach though I love spinach as well. Swiss chard has a stronger taste and as side dish along with grilled meat and sauseges is great. Or as a quick and light lunch in the heat.

SWISS CHARD WITH CREAM AND PINE NUT

1 kg swiss chard

1 tbsp butter

3-4 clove of garlic

½ tsp coarse himalaya salt

freshly milled pepper

150 ml cream

2 tbsp pine nut

Soak swiss chard in water to clean and drain. Shake off the water and chop roughly. Heat butter in a saucepan add finely chopped garlic and swiss chard. Season with salt and pepper. Cook occassionally stirring until swiss chard completely wilted. Add cream and boil until thicken a little.
Menawhile an a little saucepan toast pine nut until golden brown.
Searve swiss cahrd hot sprinkled with pine nut.

SWISS CHARD WITH SUN DRIED TOMATOES AND GORGONZOLA

700 g swiss chard

1 tbsp butter

3 clove of garlic
8-10 sun dried tomatoes

½ tsp coarse himalya salt

freshly milled pepper

1 tbsp sesame seeds

60 g gorgonzola piccante

Soak swiss chard in water to clean and drain, shake off the water.
Add sesame seeds in a little saucepan and use a spatula or wooden spoon to stir while toasting. The seeds may make a popping noise and jump up, almost like popcorn. They will toast very quickly, so stir constantly until they begin to brown and smell like they are toasted. Remove from pan into a separate bowl as soon as they are done unless they may burn.
Heat butter add finely chopped garlic and when garlic begins to sizzle add roughly chopped swiss chard and the sun dried tomato cut into stripes. Season with salt and pepper.
Cook until there’s no liquid. Serve room temperature drizzled with the oil of the sun dried tomato and sprinkled with cheese and sesame seeds.