caramel sauce

simple and yet most amazing snack idea: sesame sticks with homemade caramel sauce. or just caramel sauce. 

caramel sauce

1 cup sugar
½ cup water
100 g butter
120 ml cream
1 tbsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp fleur de sel

put the sugar and water in a heavy bottom pan on a low heat and make caramel: wait until the sugar dissolves and the liquid turns into brilliant amber shade – do not stir
add butter, the caramel might harden but it will dissolve, the mixture is bubbly and hot so watch out
add cream, vanilla and salt and cook until the sauce reach a desired consistency: check by dropping a bit of sauce onto a cool plate and waiting a few moments before it cools down (i prefer my sauce thick)
store in a sterilized jar – up to two weeks in a fridge

shortcake cookies with cardamom buttercream

shortcake cookies with cardamom buttercream

cookies
250 g flour
50 g potato starch
150 g soft butter
50 g powdered sugar
1 egg yolk
salt

cream butter and sugar, then add the egg yolk and mix in
add flour and starch with a pinch of salt and mix until it forms a ball of dough
chill for at least 3 hrs
bake for 10-12 min in 180C

cardamom buttercream
300 g butter
150 g powdered sugar
1 tbsp milk
1 egg yolk
3 cardamom pods, grounded

cream the butter until pale, add powdered sugar and milk and mix until dissolved
add egg yolk and cardamom and mix until soft and fluffy

gourmet sandwich

there i san ongoing search for the ultimate sandwich, and i realize i do not eat the fancy kind often enough. usually i end up with something simple, and more often i do not even eat sandwiches, and every time i end up in a nice café in front of an appetizing, colourful sandwich i ask myself why don’t i make those at home.

this open-faced sandwich is perfect while hosting guests, it takes a short time to prepare and isn’t messy while eating, yet looks compelling with the differencing colours and textures. i do not often use chicken breast as it is hard to get free range chicken breasts and i prefer not to buy meat from an unknown source. nevertheless, whenever i can i do prepare chicken sandwiches as the meat is easy to pair with other interesting ingredients. here i use my favourite cheese of all, pecorino toscano, but any hard sheep’s milk cheese of mild taste would do. the addition of my new favourite – cassis mustard – makes the taste unusual and refined. and the combination with anochvies and meat is one of my favourite in all possible versions. the bread used for the sandwich should preferably be rye, the dense and moist kind. altogether the food is easy to prepare and really worth giving a try.

gourmet sandwich

rye bread
sliced cooked chicken breast
basil leaves
anchovies
cassis mustard
grated pecorino cheese

cutting a nice shape out of bread and arranging the toppings to look interesting, with contrasting colours and textures makes this little sandwich perfect for an elegant snack 

gluten free buckwheat apple cake

whenever i make apple cake, i end up with something that should probably be called apples with cake instead. there doesn’t seem to be a point to making a big pan of cake with only three apples, so i use eight instead and love the results. this buckwheat cake is probably make 1/3 of apples, or maybe a bit more, and that makes it perfect, so please do not reduce the amount if it might seem superfluous. buckwheat flour can be substituted in 1:1 ratio for regular flour, yet it makes the cake more crumbly and above all drier. the apples compensate for the lacking moisture perfectly, and the addition of liqueur helps with that, too. the cake is basically one bowl, comforting and simple, but paired with a scoop of good quality, or better yet homemade, ice cream and some hot sauce would make it perfect even for a sophisticated event.

gluten free buckwheat apple cake

125 g butter
150 g sugar
4 eggs
275 g buckwheat flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
2 tbsp maraschino liqueur
6 medium apples (i used ones from my backyard, but you want ones that do not turn into applesauce when cooked / baked - i often use russet apples)

cream the butter with sugar until pale and fluffy
add eggs, one at time, mixing until well incorporated
add the flour sifted with baking powder and maraschino, mix well
peel the apples and dice, add to the batter and mix
transfer into a pan lined with parchment paper
bake in 170C for about an hour – check with toothpick if ready

gluten free layer cake

there i san easy trick to make a birthday cake gluten free, at least here in poland. we customary make a layer sponge cake with some kind of buttercream or mousse inside, and sometimes with addition of fruit, jams or some alcohol for soaking. it’s enough to prepare – instead of a regular sponge cake – gluten free one made with potato flour, a product widely available here. the sponge cake is more crumbly and denser than the regular one, but it raises nicer and cuts easier (substituting about 10% to 20% flour for potato flour in any sponge cake helps with the cutting a lot, especially in non-fat sponge cakes.) chocolate mousse and raspberries can’t go wrong, and overall the cake is moist, filling, comforting and perfect ,especially in late summer or autumn.

gluten free potato flour sponge layer cake with chocolate mousse and raspberries

sponge cake 

makes one 18cm / 7” cake

3 eggs
¾ cup sugar
1 ¼ cup potato flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
150 g melted butter / margarine

beat the eggs with sugar until white and fluffy, about 5 minutes
sift flour with baking powder and add to the eggs, mix in delicately with spatula – do not use mixer
add cooled butter / margarine and mix thoroughly – the batter might be a bit more runny than regular sponge cake at this point
line the pan with parchment paper and pour the batter
bake for 50-60 min in oven preheated to 180C (check if it’s done with toothpick)
let cool down for 15 min in open oven, otherwise the cake might collapse (it will collapse a bit but not too much)

chocolate mousse
100 g milk chocolate 

100 g dark chocolate
1 egg
30 g sugar
200 ml whipping cream

melt the chocolate in water bath
beat the egg with sugar in water bath until pale, stiff and warm to touch
mix the egg into the chocolate with mixer, it will be thick, let cool until body temperature
whip the cream until very stiff
gradually add the whipped cream (in 5-6 portions), mixing the mousse thoroughly after each addition
cool in fridge for 3-4 hours until settled 

assemble
1 cake
1 portion mousse
a few handfuls of raspberries
soaking syrup (1/2 cup water, 2 tsbp sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract)

cut the cake in 3 layers, sprinkle each with syrup – not too much, you just want to add some moisture and not soak thoroughly
pipe the thickened mousse with big nozzle, toss some raspberries, repeat two more times
decorate with nice piping and pretties raspberries
store in fridge until serving

mini burgers

i made these mini burgers with buns made with leftover pizza dough from yesterday's dinner and leftover anchovy & parsley calamari stuffing, my favorite kind. it reminds me of each time my family made stuffed seafood on holidays by croatian seaside. the patties are tender and soft, with perfect salty hint of anchovies, balanced by the soft and neutral bun. the cheese i used was italian raw sheep milk one, unfortunately i do not remember its name. 

mini burgers

burger buns

i made these particular buns with jamie oliver’s pizza dough (http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pizza-recipes/pizza-dough) i had leftover from a dinner

anchovy & parsley patties

(makes 5 big ones or 15 mini ones)

1 bunch of chopped parsley (2-3 handfuls)

13-15 anchovies

1 big dry bun / 2 small dry buns

3 tbsp  breadcrumbs

2 eggs

salt, pepper

oil

soak the dry bun in cold water, the squeeze the liquid out

chop the anchovies in small pieces, combine with parsley, buns, breadcrumbs, eggs and mix thoroughly with your hands

with wet hands form patties

heat the oil and fry the patties for 2-3 minutes on each side

assembly

1 bun

1 patty

mustard

basil leaves

sliced cheese 

toast the bun

put the burger together to your liking and finish with a toothpick in the middle so it doesn’t fall apart

serve immediately, preferably with a nice salad

double frozen meringue

you might have realized i love meringue in all possible ways. this is the easiest frozen dessert ever: just toss a container filled with meringue into freezer, wait a few hours, and it's ready. i added some crushed meringue to get a double version, but it would be great with some nuts, fruit (maybe alcohol-soaked for adults), chocolate chip, sprinkles, anything you like. easily adaptable with spices, essences and perfect to turn into colorful treat for kids. 

double frozen meringue 

i use either this french meringue recipe or swiss meringue recipe
prepare the meringue up to the point of baking but do not bake (cool down if making the swiss, and make just the meringue without adding butter) and freeze for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight for best texture.

asian-style chicken ramen soup

i hardly ever make dinners with meat, but this has been the favourite family meal recently. and i love fish sauce.

asian-style chicken ramen soup
(makes 4 big portions)

1 chicken breast (around 400g)
2 carrots
2 onions
1 bag of spinach
200 g ramen
fish sauce
salt, pepper
chilli paste

bring to boil: the chicken breast in 800 ml water and 1 tbsp salt and simmer for 15-20 min, until the meat is all cooked, then take it out and let cool, then slice into small pieces
peel the carrot and slice, clean the onions and slice them thin, add both to the broth and simmer for 15 min
cook ramen according to package instructions
a few minutes before serving add the spinach and season the soup to taste with more salt, pepper, chilli paste and fish sauce
pour the soup over ramen, add chicken breast stripes, serve steaming hot

blueberry yogurt pancakes

pancakes are not part of my typical day. generally we do not make the fluffy, thick kind often in poland, we stick to crepes with jam or sweet curd cheese filling for dinner. i know i should make pancakes more often, as they are one of the bets things ever for a sunday breakfast, or just anytime you’re craving something sweet yet healthy. this particular recipe produces pancakes that are not very sweet, with a delicate tangy hint of yogurt that i love, and blueberries (so obvious in america, so rare around here) add sourness and a change in texture. those could be eaten with clone syrup, or maybe a chocolate one, but i prefer simplicity: another handful of sweet ripe fruit and it’s perfect.

blueberry yogurt pancakes
(for 2; makes 6 medium-sized)

1 egg
1 ½ tbsp sugar
4 tbsp flour
½ tsp baking powder
1 tbsp oil
3 tbsp yogurt
½ cup blueberries
salt
butter

beat the egg with sugar until creamy-coloured and fluffy (about 3 minutes), add oil and mix for 1 minute
add flour sifted with a bit of salt and baking powder, mix on low speed for a moment, then add yogurt and mix until incorporated
toss in the blueberries and mix in with spatula / spoon
melt about 1 tsp butter and fry the pancakes for about 2 minutes on each side, covered (it makes them cook quicker and more importantly stay moister)
serve warm with fresh blueberries, maybe whipped cream or maple syrup