CAKES AND FRUITS - PART II: Red Currant Meringue Cake

After featuring two recipes with Italian Plums yesterday, the second fruit that plays a starring role in my week-long series on “CAKES AND FRUITS” is meant as a celebration of one of the most intensely flavored and gloriously colored of all berries, the Red Currants. These berries are shiny looking , soak up the sun and reflect its light through their translucent, bright red skins.

The flavor of these fruits is tart but also intensely aromatic. And, of course, they are bursting with vitamin C, not to mention antioxidants and minerals. There are many reasons to love red currants. Currants are in season through July and August until the beginning of September. They can be frustratingly hard to find sometimes but whenever you do find them at a farmers´ market or store, make the most of them before they vanish for another year.

Recipe for Red Currant Meringue Cake (“Johannisbeer-Baiser Kuchen”)

Ingredients for the Cake

• 750 grams (1.5 pounds) red currants, washed and pulled off the stems with a fork, divided into thirds, you might want to keep a few sprigs for the eatable decoration 
• 7 eggs (L), organic or free rangs if possible
• 200 grams (2 sticks minus 2 tbsp) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus some more for buttering the baking dish
• 370 grams (1 ¾ cups plus 2 tbsp) super fine sugar
• 1 package pure vanilla extract
• one pinch of fine sea salt
• 300 grams (2 ½ cups) AP flour, plus some more for flouring the baking dish
• 60 grams (1/2 cup) potato starch
• 15 grams (3 tsp) baking powder
• 150 ml milk, room temperature 
• 4 tbsp confectioners´ sugar

Equipment

glass baking dish (9 by 13 inches)

Preparation

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius ( 350 degrees Fahrenheit).
2. Butter and flour your 9 by 13 inch glass baking dish.
3. Separate 4 eggs, put the egg yolks in a small bowl and put the egg whites in the fridge while proceeding with the cake batter.
4. In the bowl of your mixer, with the whisk attachment, whisk the butter, 170 grams (3/4 cup and 2 tbsp) of the sugar, vanilla sugar, and salt for about 8 minutes, until the mixture looks very light yellow and fluffy.
5. Add the four egg yolks and the 3 remaining whole eggs, beat for about 30 seconds after each addition.
6. In a bowl whisk together the flour, starch, and baking powder.
7. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk. Make sure to start and finish with the milk.
8. With an offset spatula, spread the dough in the baking pan and sprinkle 1/3 of the red currants over top.
9. Bake the cake for 20 minutes.
10. While the cake is baking for 20 minutes, beat the 4 egg whites in the bowl of your mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until they are foamy. Gradually add the 200 grams (1 cup) sugar, beating until the whites hold soft peaks. Take the cake out of the oven – careful, the baking dish is very hot!
11. With a rubber spatula carefully fold another third of the berries into the egg whites. Then, using an offset spatula, spread the meringue mixture over the top of the half-baked cake.
12. Sprinkle the last third of the currants on top of the meringue mixture, then, with using a small sieve, sprinkle the confectioners` over top and return the cake pan to the oven.
13. Continue to bake for another 20 minutes. Take the baking pan out of the oven and place it on a cooling rack. Let the cake cool completely, dust with some more confectioners` sugar, cut into rectangles or squares and serve with some red currants if you have some left over.

The meringue forms a sweet and soft layer over the cake. If you are not a red currant fan, try the cake with some raspberries, but you cannot substitute frozen fruits, this cake recipe will only turn out to be a success if  you use fresh fruit.

Red currants are tart and sweet at the same time. Other than contributing tremendous flavor to cakes, they can be eaten raw, when properly sun-ripened,  or they can be paired with other fruits, such as raspberries or strawberries. Such fruit combinations work really well in a sorbet or a granita, in a summer pudding, such “Rote Grütze” or in a homemade jam or jelly.  Red currants also make delicious and pretty additions to a fruit salad.

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CAKES AND FRUITS - PART I: Plum Torte and Sweet Dough Leaves with Plums

CAKES AND FRUITS - PART II: Red Currant Meringue Cake

CAKES AND FRUITS - PART III: Green Grape Tart - "Tarte mit grünen Trauben"

CAKES AND FRUITS - PART IV: Pear Bundt Cake with Dark Chocolate, Hazelnuts and Red Wine

CAKES AND FRUITS - PART V: Mirabelle Plum Tart with Honey Streusel

CAKES AND FRUITS - PART VI: Walnut Fig Cake

CAKES AND FRUITS - PART VII: Autumnal Cake with Vanilla Custard and Marzipan stuffed Apples

CAKES AND FRUITS - PART I: Plum Torte and Sweet Dough Leaves with Plums

As the first post for my week-long daily series on late summer and early fall desserts, I chose a classic, old-fashioned and well-known Plum Cake or Torte ("Pflaumenkuchen"), using the first Italian plums that have appeared in the markets. This cake is best eaten while still warm and with a healthy dollop of whipped cream ("Schlagsahne")...

…and Sweet Dough Plum Leaves ("Süsse Pflaumenblätter"), a somewhat more modern sweet plum dessert that is easy to serve in individual portions - one "leaf" per person - and can be enjoyed on its own, or maybe some vanilla ice cream.

Europeans eat a lot of plums. European plums are best for eating fresh because they are sweeter and less juicy than other types of plums. Some varieties, such as the flavorful, oval-shaped purple Italian Plums, are sweet enough to eat fresh right off the tree. But there are not only great for eating fresh but can also be used for cooking, baking and canning. Other varieties that are widely available in Europe include the green skinned Reine Claude Plums and the Mirabelle Plum, a small sweet yellow plum that will be featured in one of my up-coming recipes.


Recipe for Plum Cake ("Pflaumenkuchen")

Ingredients

• 125 grams (½ cup) unsalted butter, room temperature and some more for buttering the pan
• 150 grams (3/4 cup) super fine sugar
• 1 package of pure vanilla sugar (or use 2 tsp pure vanilla extract)
• 125 grams (1 cup) AP flour and some more for flouring the pan
• 1 tsp baking powder
• a pinch of fine sea salt
• 2 eggs (L), free range or organic if possible
• about 35 - 40 Italian plums, halved and pitted

For Sprinkling

3 tbsp sugar (I always use a less fine sugar for sprinkling than for baking)
1 tsp ground cinnamon, or more


Equipment

a 25 - 26 centimeters (9-or 10 inch) spring form pan
some parchment paper


For Serving (optional)

some confectioners´ sugar
whipped cream


Preparation

1. Preheat your oven to (180 degrees Celsius) 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Butter your spring form pan. Cut out a parchment paper round to fit your baking pan, place it in the bottom of the pan, butter and flour the pan and the parchment paper, shaking out any excess flour. Set aside.
3. With your electric mixer on medium speed, cream together the butter, super fine sugar, vanilla sugar (if using) the mixture is light and a bit fluffy.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
5. Add the eggs to the butter mixture (if using vanilla extract, add it now) and beat on medium high until incorporated.
6. Carefully add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat just until incorporated.
7. Spread the dough evenly in the pan (best done with a small offset spatula). Please note that there does not seem to be a lot of dough but it will rise around the plums.
8. Halve the plums, pit them and stick them in a circular pattern in the dough – the plums should “stand” in the dough with their tops sticking out and should be packed in as tightly as possible.
9. Mix the cinnamon with the remaining two tablespoons of sugar and sprinkle over the top of the fruit.
10. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or a bit longer, depending on the juiciness of your fruit.
11. Transfer to a rack to cool, carefully remove the sides of the spring form pan and let cool some more until lukewarm.
12. Just before serving, dust with some confectioners´ sugar. Serve with whipped cream.

Recipe for Sweet Pastry Dough Leaves (“Süsse Pflaumenblätter”)


Ingredients for the Dough

• 150 grams (1 ¼ cups) AP flour
• 25 grams (2 tbsp) super fine sugar
• a pinch of fine sea salt
• 100 grams (7 tbsp) cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 1 egg yolk (L), free range or organic if possible
• ½ tsp pure vanilla extract or 1 tsp pure vanilla sugar
• 1/2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 1/2 tbsp ice cold water

Ingredients for the Plum Topping

a few plums, depending on how many leaves you would like to bake – one plum per leaf ( I used Italian plums but feel free to use a different variety)
one egg yolk with 1 tbsp water (egg wash)
one tbsp sugar
one pinch of ground cinnamon
two tbsp ice cold butter


Equipment

a large leaf shaped cookie cutter
or trace a leaf on a piece of cardboard paper and cut out
parchment paper
baking sheets
a wooden skewer
oven-proof glass dishes (if you prefer for the leaves to have raised edges)


Preparation

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, vanilla sugar (if using) and salt.
2. Blend in the butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender (which is what I always use) until most of mixture resembles coarse oatmeal.
3. In a small bowl, stir together the yolk, vanilla extract (if using), lemon juice, and water with a fork. Stir into the flour mixture until combined well.
4. Gently knead with floured hands in bowl until a dough forms.
5. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and gently knead 4 or 5 times.
6. Form dough into a ball, then flatten into a disk and chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
7. Roll out the chilled dough to desired thickness and cut out or trace the leaves. Carefully transfer the cut-outs to two parchment lined cookie sheets and transfer them to the fridge. Reroll scraps, and cut out more leaves.
8. Keep the baking sheets in the fridge while the oven is pre-heating to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
9. One at a time, take the cookie sheets out of the fridge and, using a wooden skewer, draw some veins on the leaves.
10. Brush the leaves with some egg wash, place one pitted and quartered plum on each leaf. Dot each plum with a small piece of butter and sprinkle with a bit of cinnamon sugar.
11. Bake for about 15 minutes (depending on the thickness of your dough) or until golden and fragrant and the plums just begin to soften.
12. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks – the leaves are fragile, so carefully transfer them to a plate and serve one leaf per person with a dollop of softly whipped cream.


NOTE: if you would like to bake leaves that are not flat but have upturned or raised edges (that is the way I prefer them), you will have to place a piece of parchment paper in oven-proof wide glass dishes, put the leaves on top of the parchment paper and place the dishes on a baking sheet and then bake. Once the leaves have finished baking, be careful not to remove the leaves from the glass dishes before they have completely cooled otherwise the edges will crack and break off.

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CAKES AND FRUITS - PART I: Plum Torte and Sweet Dough Leaves with Plums

CAKES AND FRUITS - PART II: Red Currant Meringue Cake

CAKES AND FRUITS - PART III: Green Grape Tart - "Tarte mit grünen Trauben"

CAKES AND FRUITS - PART IV: Pear Bundt Cake with Dark Chocolate, Hazelnuts and Red Wine

CAKES AND FRUITS - PART V: Mirabelle Plum Tart with Honey Streusel

CAKES AND FRUITS - PART VI: Walnut Fig Cake

CAKES AND FRUITS - PART VII: Autumnal Cake with Vanilla Custard and Marzipan stuffed Apples

Butter Cookies with Caramel Filling - "Stroopkoeken"

Stroopkoeken have the same delicious gooey caramel-cinnamon filling as the well-known Stroopwafel. The Stroopwafel have a thin, chewy wafer exterior, for which you will need a special waffle iron. Stroopkoeken, on the other hand, can be baked in your oven, other than a cookies cutter (or a glass) there is no special equipment required to bake these.

The Stroopkoeken as well as the Stroopwafels are said to have originated in the late 18th century or early 19th century.

This recipe has been translated from an original Dutch recipe. Although I have converted the recipe to US measurements, you will probably get the best results using a kitchen scale and the metric measurements.


Recipe for Stroopkoeken

Ingredients for the Cookies:

240 grams (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
240 grams (1¼ cup) “witte basterdsuiker” (you can substitute super fine white sugar)
1 egg (L), beaten
450 grams (5 cups) “zeeuwse bloem” (you can substitute cake flour) sifted, and a little extra flour for the work surface
10 grams (2 ⅔ tsp) baking powder
one pinch of fine sea salt


Ingredients for the Caramel Filling:

200 grams (½ cup) “keukenstroop” (you can substitute treacle, golden syrup, maple syrup, light molasses or even honey)
125 grams (about ⅔ cup) “bruine basterdsuiker” (you can substitute light brown sugar)
100 grams (about 7 tbsp) unsalted butter
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Equipment needed

one 8 cm (3-inch) round cookie cutter or a glass

Preparation

1. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream the butter with the sugar until pale and fluffy.
2. Add egg and beat well.
3. In a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
4. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture, beating just until incorporated.
5. Shape the dough into two disks and wrap each in plastic wrap. Chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
6. Preheat your oven to 170 degrees Celsius (340 degrees Fahrenheit).
7. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat mats.
8. In a small saucepan, heat the syrup, butter and sugar and stir in the cinnamon. Cook on medium heat and stir occasionally until the syrup thickens. This will take about five minutes. Set aside and allow to cool to lukewarm, the syrup has to have a warm, spreadable consistency.
9. Roll out one dough disk on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper.
10. Using the cookie cutter or glass, cut cookie rounds from the dough and carefully place on the baking sheets. If the dough gets too soft, re-chill it. Repeat with the remaining disk.
11. Bake for about twelve minutes or until just golden.
12. Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks to cool for a few minutes. Then transfer the cookies to the racks to cool completely.
13. Spread a layer of syrup on the flat side of one cookie and sandwich together with a second cookie. Continue until you have used up all the cookies. If the caramel gets too sticky, just reheat it for a bit.


Serve the Stroopkoeken warm with coffee or tea and why not follow the absolutely wonderful Dutch tradition and place one cookie over your cup of coffee or tea for a minute or two so that the stroopkoek warms slightly and the caramel filling begins to soften.

NOTES:

“Basterdsuiker”:  a typical Dutch product, it is manufactured by adding invert sugar and other ingredients to fine white refined sugar, helping to keep your baked goods moist. It is available in three varieties, white, brown and dark brown.

“Zeeuwse bloem”:  a finely milled white Dutch cake flour, made from soft wheat, it is a flour rich in enzymes and low in gluten. What makes this flour different from regular cake flour, is the fact that it comes from an area with a sea climate, contains less starch, is more moist and has less thickening power.

“Keukenstroop”:  a molasses-colored syrup made from sugar syrup and glucose syrup. This syrup is often enjoyed with pancakes in the Netherlands instead of maple syrup.

Stroopkoeken can also be kept  in a cookie tin for a few days. If you plan on storing your cookies, do so in a cool place and between layers of parchment paper, so that they will not stick to each other.

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A NOTE TO MY BLOG READERS: inspired by all the wonderful produce I bought at a country fair we visited a few days ago, starting tomorrow, Sunday, September 2, 2012, I will be posting one late summer/early fall cake/dessert recipe every day, for one week, some old-fashioned, some more modern, most of them with a European twist - I sincerely  hope that you will enjoy my week-long series. I would like to hear from you what your favorite seasonal baked goods are...

PART I  on Sunday will be Sweet Dough Leaves with  Plums & Plum Torte

French Fridays with Dorie - Zucchini Tagliatelle with Cucumbers, Lemon and Parsley and Grilled Raddichio with Feta Dip

Today´s recipe for the French Fridays with Dorie group is Zucchini Tagliatelle with Mint, Cucumber, and Lemon, a very pretty salad that gets its name from long slices of zucchini that bear a striking resemblance to tagliatelle pasta.

The ingredients required for this recipe are few, namely, some zucchinis, English cucumber, sweet onion, lemon zest and juice, pistachio oil, freshly ground black pepper and a good salt. I substituted Italian parsley for the mint and added summer squash for color and taste to this salad.

Since we were having whole chickens for dinner, I prepared two side dishes, Dorie´s Zucchini Tagliatelle a.k.a. Courgette and Summer Squash Salad and Grilled Radicchio with a Feta Dip.

The preparation of the salad is simple, using a mandolin or a vegetable peeler, you slice the zucchini and summer squash lengthwise as thin as you can and then place the slices in a salad bowl, add some peeled, seeded and diced cucumber, chopped Italian parsley, and lemon peel. Then you whisk some freshly squeezed lemon juice, pistachio oil or good extra virgin olive oil, freshly ground black pepper and salt in a small bowl, pour it over the thinly sliced vegetables mixture and then toss carefully just to coat. After you refrigerated the Courgette and Summer Squash Salad for about an hour, test for seasoning and toss with chopped Italian parsley and plate the salad – it makes for a nice presentation if you can scatter the slices over a large plate.

Recipe for Grilled Radicchio with Feta Dip
(grill-pan method)

Feta Dip

Ingredients

150 grams (5.3 ounces) greek feta cheese
100 grams (3.5 ounces) natural yoghurt
½ tsp hot ground paprika (you can also use mild ground paprika or one of the smoked varieties if you prefer)
Italian parsley (small bunch)
some chives
juice of  ½ lemon
fine sea salt (go easy with the salt as feta can be rather salty, so it is best to add the salt at the end)
freshly ground pepper

Preparation

1. Put all the ingredients ,except herbs, in a blender and process until reasonably smooth (I do not mind some small chunks of feta  in my dip)
2. Wash and clean chives and parsley and chop finely.
3. Add chopped herbs to the dip.
4. Place dip in a fridge for about thirty minutes prior to serving.
Note: The dip can be prepared in advance and kept in the fridge but note that if you prepare this dip in advance, you might want to add the herbs thirty minutes before serving.

Grilled Radicchio Slices

Ingredients

2 large heads of radicchio (about 1 pound total)
olive oil
fine sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
juice of half a lime or lemon
basil (a few leaves)

Preparation

1. Wash the radicchio and remove any loose outer leaves, trim bases, leaving heads intact.
2. Halve through core end, cut each half into 3 wedges with some core still attached.
3. Place radicchio wedges in a large bowl with cold and well salted water.
4. Let the radicchio soak in the salty water for about ten minutes (if you follow this method, some of the bitterness will be drawn from the leaves).
5. Take the radicchio out of the water, place the slices on kitchen towels and dry off very carefully.
6. Heat a well-seasoned grill pan.
7. Brush radicchio lightly with some olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
8. Grill the radicchio in batches over moderate heat for a few minutes, turn and grill for another few minutes until the radicchio slices are browned and hearts are tender.
9. Transfer to a platter and keep warm.
10. Drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil, lime or lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.
11. Decorate with a few basil leaves.
12. Serve with the Feta Dip.

We enjoyed this Courgette and Summer Squash Salad tremendously, kids and adults alike, and the taste testers unanimously appreciated the presentation. A keeper, pure and simple. And a nice side dish to grilled chicken and alongside the grilled raddichio with feta dip.

To see how the other talented Doristas prepared this dish, please click here.

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A NOTE TO MY BLOG READERS: inspired by all the wonderful fruits and honey I bought at a country fair we visited a few days ago, starting tomorrow, Sunday, September 2, 2012, I will be posting one late summer/early fall cake/dessert recipe every day, for one week, some old-fashioned, some more modern, most of them with a European twist - I sincerely  hope that you will enjoy my week-long series. I would like to hear from you what your favorite seasonal baked goods are...

PART I  on Sunday will be Sweet Dough Leaves with  Plums & Plum Torte

Nutty Butter Cookies and Pieke Dassen

If you enjoy the taste of  nuts and butter in your cookies and if you are looking for a cookie recipe that contains your favorite nut butter with some added crunch from chopped nuts and oats,  you will certainly enjoy the taste of the Nutty Butter Cookies.

This recipe does not necessarily have to contain peanut butter. It can be adapted to a nut butter of your choice, I baked these cookies using almond butter and chopped almonds. The dough also contains oats that are toasted in butter before they are being mixed into the dough, that enhances the nutty flavor of the cookie and adds an extra bit of crunchiness.


Recipe for Nutty Butter Cookies
(as adapted from MSL, April 2012)

Ingredients

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, softened
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup plus 2 tbsp AP flour (you could also use whole wheat)
1 tsp baking soda
one pinch of fine sea salt
1/3 cup superfine sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 package pure vanilla sugar (you can also use 2 tsp pure vanilla extract)
1 egg (L)
1/2 cup almond nut butter (you can also use a different nut butter such as peanut butter)
1/2 cup chopped almonds  (you can also use different nuts such as peanuts but remember to stick with one type of nut/nut butter per cookie batch)

Preparation

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt one 1/2 stick butter then add the oats, and cook, stirring, until toasted, about five minutes.
2. Spread the oat mixture on a parchment-lined baking sheet and let cool for a few minutes.
3. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
5. With a mixer on medium high speed, beat together the remaining stick of butter, the sugars and the vanilla sugar until the butter mixture turns pale and fluffy.
6. Add the egg, and beat until combined., then add the nut butter of your choice, and beat on medium speed until well combined.
7. Add the oat mixture and  the chopped nuts of your choice, and beat on low speed until combined, then add the flour mixture, and beat until combined.
8. Roll dough into 1 1/2-inch balls or use an ice cream scoop and place cookie dough on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets.
9. Bake until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool completely on baking sheets before transferring to wire racks.

Note: These cookies keep well for about a week if stored in cookie tins.







I took these pictures of my cookies at the back of the tourist information centre in Maastricht, The Netherlands. The wall painting in my photos is dedicated to Pieke Dassen, a well-known Dutch actor, puppeteer, singer and painter, who was born in 1926 in Rotterdam, lived and worked in Maastricht until his death in 2007.

For more information:
Pieke Dassen: http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pieke_Dassen
Maastricht Tourist Information Centre: http://www.vvvmaastricht.nl/home.html

French Fridays with Dorie - Peach (Pêche) Melba with Pumpkin Seed Brittle

Today´s recipe for the French Fridays with Dorie group is Peach (Pêche) Melba.

The Peach Melba is a well-known French dessert, invented around 1893 by the French chef Auguste Escoffier (1846-1935) at the Savoy Hotel, London to honour the Australian soprano, Nellie Melba (1861-1931). The classic elements of this dessert are vanilla ice cream, poached peaches, raspberry coulis, and slithered almonds. Crème Chantilly was added later. The original recipe was published in the “Guide Culinare”. I took the liberty of leaving out the almonds and making some pumpkin seed brittle to serve with this dessert instead.

Pumpkin seed brittle is wonderful with this dessert - I have seen so many "Peach Melbas" on so many restaurant, café and ice-cream parlor menues, that this seemed like a welcome "twist".

This is a classic dessert, particularly good in summer time not only because of the cool ice cream but also because it combines two terrific sweet summer fruits. This recipe is all about delicious vanilla ice cream, raspberry coulis, ripe Spanish pink peaches poached with sugar, a real vanilla bean, organic lemon peel and a few leaves of my lemon verbena plant, I love using this herb for baking and infusing teas, it has a wonderful lemon scent and it is a wonderful ingredient in Dorie´s recipe for the poaching liquid.

Less known desserts that Auguste Escoffier created for some other very famous ladies are the “Fraises Sarah Bernardt” (strawberries with ice cream and pineapple puree), “Poires Mary Garden” (poached pears with raspberry coulis and cream), or “Coup Emma Calvé” (poached cherries with ice cream and raspberry coulis) – seemingly long forgotten creations of this famous French Chef.

To see all the other Doristas´ summery creation of the Peach Melba, please click here.
This is the 100th post for this group from the book “Around my French Table” by Dorie Greenspan.
Congratulations to all the Doristas that actually managed to prepare all the 100 dishes so far!

Recipe for Pumpkin Seed Brittle

Ingredients

125 grams (4.4 ounces) pumpkin seeds (depending on how much brittle you would like to have, just weigh the pumpkin seeds and double the amount of sugar you are using)
250 grams (8.8 ounces) white sugar

Preparation

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium-sized (dry) pan, lighty roast the pumpkin seeds until they smell nutty and aromatic, do not forget to stir while roasting, set aside.
3. To a medium sized sauce pan, medium heat, add the sugar and let it caramelize until it turns a light amber color.
4. Add the roasted pumpkin seeds to the pan and stir right away, a wooden spoon works best.
5. Take the pan off the heat.
6. Then immediately spread the caramel onto the prepared baking sheet  -  BE CAREFUL: this is extremly hot and it is therefore a very good idea to keep a bowl of ice water close by, in case you get some hot and extremly sticky caramel on your fingers - instead of spreading it out, you can also make about twenty or so tablespoon sized rounds.
7. Let the caramel cool completely on the baking sheet.
8. Break into odd sized chunks and keep in a cookie tin between layers of parchment paper (no humidity, or the brittle will "sweat" and stick like crazy).

First Day of School and Strawberry - Mascarpone Roulade - "Schultüten"

Today was the first day of school for our second youngest.

On their first day of school, German school children receive so-called “Schultüten” – big cardboard cones filled with sweets, fruits and small presents such as puzzles, coloring books, crayons etc. This is a tradition that dates back to the 19th century to Eastern Germany and, today, is popular across the country. In former days, the godparents would give these cones to their godchildren, today it is mostly the parents that craft or buy these cones, fill them and give them to their children on their first day of school.

So this morning our second youngest started school, carrying her cone with the unicorn design that she had previously chosen and her new school bag with the “forest/deer” design…every year, there are new designs for girls and boys and the kids just love their new schoolbags.

In order to celebrate her special day, she got to choose dessert too. And remembering Dorie´s Blueberry-Mascarpone Roulade that we made on July, Friday 13th, 2012 for the FFwD group, she asked that I “make that roulade but with strawberries, not blueberries”, and I gladly obliged using some late summer strawberries.

Dorie´s Roulade is equally delicious with strawberries as it is with blueberries, I think the kids liked it even better this way.

And I did add some mascarpone/whipped cream to the top of the roulade, decorated the outside with additional strawberry halves and served the remainder of the berries on the side!

This was a nice dessert for this special day!

Tuesdays with Dorie - Popovers

Today´s recipe for the Tuesdays with Dorie group is Popovers.

I had never made popovers before, let alone tasted them. Not really that popular around here and considering that “Popover is an American version of Yorkshire pudding “, that does not really come as a surprise. But Popovers are easy to make. For the dough, all you have to do is mix five ingredients together, namely milk, eggs, butter, flour and salt. Then you have to butter either a Popover pan (which I do not own) or bowl or even cups or mugs (which I used), bake in the oven and wait for them to pop over the rim. That is it!

They are quite fun to make and can be enjoyed at breakfast or tea time with butter and jam or at lunch or dinner time to mop up some wonderful sauce.

They have a wonderful appeal to them because of their puffed tops and their crusty outsides and soft insides. Let us not forget their taste, to me they can be considered comfort food, they are similar in taste to the Yorkshire pudding that I ate a few times, sans the roastbeef drippings.

Today´s gracious hosts are my seriously talented blogger friend Paula from Vintage Kitchen Notes and Amy of Bake with Amy.

The contributing baker is Marion Cunningham.

To see how the other members of the Tuesdays with Dorie group prepared the Popovers, please click here.

Let's call Yorkshire pudding

A fortunate blunder:

It's a sort of popover

That turned and popped under.

(Ogden Nash)