Nectarine tart

I really needed something sweet last Sunday. I had flour, nectarines and almonds at home, so...


















"Nectarine tart"

For the pastry:

- 200g flour
- 150g unsalted butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp sugar

Beat all together and chilled in a cool place for 30 min.

For the filling:

- 100g sugar
- 150g butter
- 2 eggs
- 150g almonds, ground
- 50g flour
- 2 nectarines

Whisk the butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, flour, almonds and mix together.

Roll out the pastry and line the tin. Prick all over with a fork. Bake for around 15-20 min in180 stC.
Spoon the filling into the pastry case, arrange the nectarines slices across the top and bake again for another 30 min.

Old fashion pumpkin soup

"Old fashion pumpkin soup"

- 2 spoons oil
- 1 onion, sliced
- 500g pumpkin, cut into cubes
- 400g potatoes, sliced
- 500 ml water
- 500 ml milk
- salt, pepper
- freshly grated nutmeg

Heat theoli and fry the onion for 3-4 min. Add the pumpkin and potatoes stir well and wait another 5 min. Add the water and milk, salt, pepper. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 15 min, add nutmeg.
Blend well and serve with a cream on a top for decoration or with a fresh herb.

Spicy corn Muffins

It is less calories than muffins made from a regular flour? ;)


















"Spicy corn muffins"

- 230g cornmeal
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 100g white flour
- 1/2 glass milk
- 2 eggs
- little can corn
- 1 chilli, chopped
- 50g grated yellow cheese
- fresh herbs like oregano or thyme


Mix together cornmeal, white flour, baking powder, add eggs, corn, milk, chili, cheese and herbs.
Spoon the mixture into the greased tin and bake around 20 min in 180C.

Mushroom soup with buckwheat

Mushroom soup with buckwheat 

Ooh... the fog! And humidity! Low temperatures in and of themselves are not that unpleasant, but this humidity that gets right to your bones? Nothing helps like hot soup at home. And mushroom soup with buckwheat brings the most pleasant associations to mind: a bit of Christmas, some flavoursome chops...











"Mushroom soup with buckwheat "


- a handful of dried forest mushrooms or 300 g fresh ones
- 1 chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 100g buckwheat 
- 4 glasses of clear bouillon or water 

Soak the mushrooms in water, wait and then cook. /Slice fresh mushrooms./ Fry  the onions in olive oil, add chopped garlic and mushrooms. Follow by buckwheat, fry all briefly and then put in the pot containing bouillon. Boil until soft, add salt and pepper to taste.  May be served with some soured cream. 

Apple pie for cloudy autumn

Apple pie for cloudy autumn


I may not have put up a new recipe for a week but it dies not mean I have been lazy. On the contrary. I hardly left the kitchen as I had a house full of  those I love the most... It also means that I was browsing well-tested and well-loved recipes. Only yesterday I found an almost forgotten recipe for a traditional apple pie :-) There are two kinds apparently: we either add cooked or fresh apples... so?










"Apple pie for cloudy autumn"

- 2.5 kilo sour apples 
- 4 glasses flour
- 250 g butter
- 4 yolks
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 glass sugar, almost full
- 4 tbsp soured cream

Prepare the dough: sprinkle your working surface with flour, add butter, baking powder, cream, sugar, and eggs. Blend ( I used a kitchen robot).  Wrap most of the dough in foil and put in the fridge. Wrap the rest and put in a freezer. In the meantime peel the apples and remove seeds, grate. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.
Flatten the dough  with a rolling pin and put in a greased and floured tin.  Puncture with a fork and bake for 10 minutes in the oven. Place grated apples on top and decorate with the rest of frozen dough, grated. Bake in 180 C for  ca. 40-45 minutes. 

Lazy pierogi

Lazy pierogi

The dish of my childhood and a treat for my children. It is called "lazy" because it is easy to eat and even easier to prepare... If you use little flour it may be considered "light". If you serve it fried it is heaven in the mouth but it's packed  with calories. 













"Lazy pierogi"

- 1/2 kilo white full-fat cheese 
- 2 eggs
- flour, as much as can be incorporated
- sugar to sprinkle

Press the cheese, using a fork. Add two eggs, stir. Add as much flour as to be able  to form long rolls. Not too much however, to avoid making the dough to hard. 
Form long rolls, flatten them slightly with your hand and cut into small pieces diagonally. 
Boil water with salt,  throw in the pierogi in portions. Once they surface, boil for 1-2 minutes. Take out with colander ladle, pour hot butter on top and sprinkle with sugar.

Oleksandra's Ukrainian borsch

Oleksandra's Ukrainian borsch


We had to do something with the beetroot. Oleksandra demanded carrots, root celery, leek, beans, and potatoes. I found all I needed on the local market. On our Sunday table a thick, Ukrainian borsch made our mouths water...











"Oleksandra's Ukrainian borsch"

- 5 beetroots
- root celery, some carrots, leek
- 4 potatoes 
- a generous handful of beans
- spare ribs or another piece of meat for broth


Cook beetroots until soft. Start simmering the meat. Soak the beans in water for a few hours, then cook until soft. Put the diced vegetables, except for leek, in the broth. add beans and diced potatoes. At the very end add grated beetroot for 2-3 minutes. Add a tablespoon of vinegar, add herbs and salt to taste. Serve with  a tablespoon of soured cream. 

Tom Kha Kai soup

Tom Kha Kai soup

Iwona is ambitious: she organised yet more cooking courses. Of course I subscribed. Especially that my daughter wanted to get some"insider knowledge" about cuisine. 
She came with me to "99", whose chef, Ernest, waited for us to share his Thai  experience. 
The recipe for this pleasantly spicy, warming soup was one of his finds...










"Tom Kha Kai soup"

-1/2 litre of chicken broth, cube or powder
- coconut milk - 0.75 litre
- 0.3 litre cream
- 100g Tom Yum paste 
-  4 blades of lemon grass ;)
- 1/2 piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped  
- 6 tbsp soy sauce
- 5 tbsp sugar

Heat olive oil, add curry paste, fry. Add coconut milk and cream after a while, then  lemon grass and ginger, boil, add the broth, followed by the remaining ingredients. A few herbs and the soup is ready!

Yeast croissants with jam

Yeast croissants with jam

I am afraid to bake them as it means  facing a strong temptation. One I cannot resist. I can resist a cake, I can resist a tart... but yeast croissants? With their scent, falsely modest size, and aromatic filling? No, that's too much for me. I do not even try to resist, there's no use. Fortunately, my daughter's boyfriend fell into the same trap and devoured half of them alone:-)!












"Yeast croissants with jam"


- 1 kilo wheat flour
- 1 glass sugar
- 60 g yeast
- 1 1/2 glass warm milk
- 2 eggs + 2 yolks
- 250 g butter or margarine
- home-made preserves or jam for filling

Dissolve the yeast in milk with a tsp sugar. When the mix starts to react pour it into a mixer and add eggs, egg yolks, and flour. Blend well and add 250 g melted butter/margarine towards the end. Put the mix in a bowl and wait for it to rise. 
Divide the dough into parts and form circles with a rolling pin.  Cut them into triangles. Place a tbsp of preserve on wider ends and roll, folding the edges to form crescents.  
Place in a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for about 15 minutes in  180 - 190 C.

Cheese tart with plums

Cheese tart with plums

A combination of delicate ricotta, mascarpone and plums... Can one think of anything nicer for an autumn afternoon? At least not as far as I am concerned:-)















"Cheese tart with plums"

Dough:

- 1and 2/3 glass wheat flour
- 60 g sugar
- 150g butter, cold, diced 
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp cream

Blend into dough and leave in the fridge for an hour. 

Filling:

- 250g mascarpone
- 300g ricotta
- 160g sugar
- 3 tbsp honey
- 3 eggs
- 0,5 kg large plums, stoned

Place the dough in a baking tin and bake in 180 C for ca. 20 minutes. Prepare the cheese filling while the dough cools down. 
Blend together the cheeses, sugar, and honey. Add the eggs and (optionally) 2 tbsp wheat flour. Spread the cheese mix on the tart, decorate with plums and bake for another 30 mins. 

Cheesy Leek Cakes

Easy and tasty cakes for breakfast... can be frozen too. Pop in the toaster and it will be ready!

















"Cheesy leek cakes"

- 250g self-raising flour
- 100g butter
-1 leek finally chopped
- 70 g cheddar grated
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp milk or more if needed
- a pinch of chilli powder

Put the flour and chilli into a large bowl. Add a cold butter, lightly rub it and add the leek, a cheese,  the beaten egg and milk.
Prepare  a floured surface. Roll the dough and cut out circles.
Heat a frying pan and cook the cakes  till golden on each side.

Beef in a good sauce

Beef in a good sauce

I bought some beef for my youngest. Ecological one. I nearly fainted at the cashiers when he claimed not to like those healthy meats. After his declaration my dislike of the raw pieces reached its peak, especially that I am not a fan of meat myself. Sill, I found in my notes a beef sauce that was called by the master chef (Kurt? Ernest?) a base sauce. If this one is basic, then what does the special one look like.:-)











"Beef in a good sauce"

- 1/2 kilo of good beef, diced
- oil
- 2 shredded onions
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 3 peppers of different colours cut into strips
- fresh cucumber cut into strips
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- 1/3 jar of Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp spirits
- 1/2 lemon
- 22% cream
- dill (optional)

Fry the beef briefly in a pan, put aside in a bowl. Heat the oil in the pan, add onions, garlic, peppers, and tomatoes. Cover.  After a while add the cucumber, mustard, spirits and juice of one lemon. Finally, pour in two cups of cream and dill. Put the meat in the sauce and braise. Really tasty!

"Power liqueur"

Bartletts are my favourite pears. Large, juicy, their juice running down your fingers. I used to love taking them to school as packed lunch, even if the risk of finding them squashed to a pulp was high...
It is just lovely to keep their flavour and aroma in a transparent bottle:-) Best soak them in spirits slightly diluted with water, but it is a bit too strong for me. I prefer to use pure vodka, possibly strengthened with spirits.













"Power liqueur"

- a few pears without stalks, but not peeled or seeded to make the aroma richer
- unflavoured vodka
- a vanilla stick cut in half
- sugar

Place the pears in a glass jar. Cover with alcohol up to 2 cm above the fruit. Add vanilla stick and close well. Leave in a warm, bright place for a few months, until spring if possible. Remove the alcohol and save it, mix the fruit with sugar and leave for two weeks and then mix the resulting juice with the alcohol you removed earlier. Filter into the bottles and wait till new pears ripen. It is worth it!
One more thing: cut the pears with a plastic or silver knife, this way they will not darken and your liqueur will retain a nice colour:-)

Simple yeast buns with cheese

Simple yeast buns with cheese

How to force a young person to eat some cheese, eggs, flour and some milk? The best way is to bake buns. Sunny, round, aromatic...he'll even take some to school without as much as a blinking of an eye. Pity I was left with the rest of them:)))

- 3 glasses wheat flour
- 1 glass milk
- 25g yeast
- 1 egg
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 butter, melted

Prepare the dough with warm milk, yeast, and 1 tbsp sugar. Place the remaining ingredients in a bowl or a mixer. Add the expanded dough, work till it does not glue to the hand. Then add butter and leave to rise.

The filling:

- 400 g minced cheese
- 1/2 glass sugar
- a few drops of vanilla flavour
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 soft butter

Whisk all together, preferably in a mixer. Roll the dough until 1 cm thick. Cut out circles, using a cup for example. Dimple each one and place some cheese in the middle with a spoon.
Place the buns in a baking tray lined with paper, wait for 20 minutes till they rise. Put into an oven preheated to 180 C and bake for ca. 20 minutes. 

Dessert raspberry cake

Dessert raspberry cake



Why "dessert"? Because it is best eaten warm and its consistence resembles pudding a bit... Theoretically other cakes are eaten at the end of a meal as well, but I am able to have them after, before, and sometimes if more and more rarely- instead:-)
By the way, instead of raspberries you may use blackberries or currants. 












"Raspberry cake"

- 3 eggs
- 1/3 glass brown or white sugar
- 1.5 glass milk
- 1/2 glass yogurt
- 1/2 glass wheat flour
- 1/2 kilo raspberries

Preheat the oven to 180-190 C. Line a small baking tray with baking paper. It is fairly important as the cake will be slightly liquid. 
Blend eggs wit sugar in a pot. In the other blend milk, yogurt, and flour. Add the fruit, stir. 
Pour the fruit mixture into the tin and pour the egg mix on top. Bake for circa 40 minutes with a fan so that the crust does not burn.