alfajores

alfajores

3/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
salt
110 g butter
2 egg yolks
vanilla extract
½ can of dulce de leche
powdered sugar

mix the dry ingredients in a bowl
beat the butter with sugar until white and fluffy, then mix in the egg yolkd and a splash of vanilla extract
add the dry ingredients and mix in carefully until the dough is smooth
place in a fridge for 2 hours or in a freezer for half an hour
roll the dough into 1/2 cm (1/4”) thickness on lightly floured surface
ct out the cookies with round cutter (I used 4 cm (1,5”) diameter and got 28 cookies)
bake for 8-10 minutes on 180C, until the edges are starting to turn golden – the cookies should be pale, don’t overbake them

cool completely before filling with dulce de leche and dusting with powdered sugar

new york style cheesecake

new york style cheesecake

(makes one 18cm/7” round pan)

for gluten-free version: use any kind of gluten-free biscuits & substitute the flour with cornstarch or potato starch, otherwise follow the instructions below

crust

120 g plain butter biscuits

100 g sugar

100 g melted butter

cheese filling

550 g cream cheese (I used local brand)

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

5 egg yolks

3 tbsp flour

zest of one lemon

1 tsp vanilla extract

cherry sauce

500 g pitted cherries

150 g sugar

juice of half a lemon

lay out the pan with two layers of aluminum foil

make crust: crush the biscuits finely, add sugar and melted butter, mix well, press to the sides and the bottom of the pan. put into freezer to set.

make filling: mix the cheese with sugar, add the egg and yolks, one at time, mixing well each time, scraping the bowl after each addition to make the cheese incorporated

add the flour, lemon zest and vanilla, mix well, until there are no more lumps

pour into the crust

put into an oven preheated to 200C, bake for 45-50 minutes, until the sides are set and the middle is slightly wobbly when you move the pan

let cool down

let sit in fridge overnight for best effect

make the sauce: cook the cherries with sugar and lemon juice for 3 minutes, until slightly softened

take them out of the syrup and drain the remaining liquid

cook the syrup until it’s of the desired consistency (10-15 minutes)

serve chilled, preferably with a little bit of mint

lemon madeleines

Let's not talk about Proust.

lemon madeleines

100 g butter

2 eggs

120 g sugar

120 g flour

½ tsp baking powder

zest of a lemon

juice of half a lemon

melt the butter, set aside to cool down

beat the eggs with sugar until fluffy and creamy-coloured

sift the flour with baking powder

add butter and flour alternately to the eggs, in 3 portions, mixing well after each addition

add the lemon zest and juice, mix well

fill madeleine pan pouring the batter to 2/3 of the pan’s height

bake for 10 min in 220C

cool for 15 minutes before getting them out of the pan

optional: dust with powdered sugar or dip in simple lemon glaze (powdered sugar + lemon juice)

rose cupcakes with mint buttercream

rose cupcakes with mint buttercream

cupcakes (makes 24)

3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup warm water
2 tbsp rose water
3/4 cup oil
1 3/4 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder

beat the eggs with sugar until pale, fluffy and thick
add water mixed with rose water, oil and flour mixed with baking powder alternately, in 3 portions, mix well after each addition
line a cupcake pan with paper cases, fill them to 2/3 of their height
bake for 10-12 minutes in 180C, check with toothpick if ready
let it cool down and remove the cupcakes from the pan


mint buttercream

I prepared a batch of swiss meringue buttercream from this recipe  – with 2 egg whites, use the amount calculated for 3 egg whites if you like more frosting
& mix in peppermint essence to taste and some green coloring


decorate with fresh mint leaves, I used crushed Parma Violets to decorate, but it’ll be fine without them – they add nice crunch though

brownie with vanilla ice cream

brownie with vanilla ice cream

brownie

200 g margarine or butter

200 g dark chocolate 

200 g sugar 

4 eggs 

180 g flour 

1 tsp baking power 

candied orange peel

melt the butter in a pan with chocolate and sugar, cool down to room temperature 

add eggs, one at time, mix until the batter looks even 

add flour with baking sugar 

line a 20cm square pan (or equivalent) with parchment paper, pour the batter , sprinkle with the orange peel

bake for about 25 min in 180C – the sides should be baked, with toothpick coming out clean, but the middle should still be moist and slightly uncooked 

vanilla ice cream

400 ml full-fat cream

200 ml milk

15 egg yolks

250 g sugar

2 tbsp vanilla extract

1 vanilla pod

mix the yolks with sugar until pale and fluffy

bring the cream and milk, mixed, to boil, with seeds scraped from the vanilla pod

pour over the eggs, stirring constantly, put back on the stove and cook until it starts to thicken 

put the pan into a cold water to stop the cooking process and stir for a few moments, add vanilla extract

cool down, chill in a fridge and put into a freezer in an airtight container for at least 12 hours or prepare according to ice cream machine instructions

assembly:

cut out a piece of brownie, top with a scoop of ice cream and, optionally, fruit, whipped cream or sauce – I used cherry and some cherry sugar syrup

simple but fancy baked donuts

For Children's Day! :)

baked donuts

(makes about 20 medium sized ones + holes)

3/4 cup full-fat milk

2 tbsp butter

7 g dry yeast / 50 g fresh yeast

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg

3 cups flour

salt

heat the milk with butter and mix until the butter is dissolved

put the sugar and yeast in a small bowl, add 2 tbsp of lukewarm milk/butter mixture and let the yeast start working for 5 min

beat the egg

mix flour with salt in a bowl, then add the yeast mixture, rest of the milk and the egg

mix the dough until it comes together , put it on a flour-dusted counter and knead for 5 minutes

let the dough rise in a warm place for an hour

knead it again and roll into about 1,5 cm/1/2” thick, cut out the donuts

let he dough rise for half an hour

bake about 10 minutes into 180C, until tops are golden brown

my version: sliced in half, 'topped' with caramel sauce and strawberries inside and a simple milk glaze on the top