3. Day of December - Festive Pasta (Weihnachtspasta)

Today marks the third day of December and for today´s Advent Calendar post, I chose a less traditional recipe. As I was shopping for Christmas decorations, I came across some Christmassy fun shaped pasta that I knew the kids would enjoy at this time of year.

Christmas pasta with little Christmas trees, Santa Claus and shooting stars. The colors in the pasta are all natural, meaning that the manufacturer used tomato juice and spinach to color the different shapes of pasta.

I chose a very simple sauce here and kept the Christmas color theme – red, green and white with a very simple „sauce“ of oven-roasted cherry tomatoes (for the red), rocket and basil (for the green) and a good shaving of a hard goat cheese (for the white).

I like to roast the tomatoes on the vine with herbs from the garden (think rosemary and thyme), sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, garlic and a dusting of confectioners´ sugar. The rocket is not boiled, just added to the cooking water for a few seconds, that´s all. Served with some fresh bread, this made a nice quick Christmassy lunch for the kids.

It ia nice to try out different shapes of pasta every once in a while. Gives those simple dishes a special and festive touch. Make sure you buy your pasta from a reliable source and make sure the pasta is make with all natural ingredients. Then let your imagination be your guide...a quick and easy pasta dinner or lunch loaded with veggies might just be exactly what you and your family needs on a busy December day.

I really liked how the pasta held ist shape even after cooking – if you make sure to cook your pasta al dente, fun shape noodles should keep their fun shape even after having spent a few mminutes in fiercely boiling water.

Hope you enjoyed this rather light-hearted post – tomorrow it is back to some serious baking, so make sure to come back for a visit tomorrow when we will open our fourth special surprise in my virtual Advent Calendar!

2. Day of December - Marzipan Potatoes (Marzipankartoffeln)

Today marks the second day of December and for today´s Advent Calendar post, I chose traditional German marzipan potatoes, also known as Marzipankartoffeln in German. Marzipan Potatoes are a confection, not actual potatoes.

Marzipan potatoes can be made easily in the home as a little Advent treat. Basically, they are made from fine marzipan and covered in a thin coat of cacao. If you do not want to go through the trouble of making your own marzipan, you can also use pre-made, purchased marzipan, but not almond paste. Around here, marzipan potatoes are traditionally given to friends in little bags or placed on the Adventsteller (plate of goodies set out on Christmas Eve on December 24).

Making these adoradable treats is a two-step process, first you make the marzipan itself, which is not difficult at all. You need but four ingredients, namely, raw almonds (or pre-ground almond meal), confectioners´ sugar, rose water (I always get mine at a local pharmacy), also known as Rosenwasser in German and a few drops of natural almond extrat (optional).

Marzipan Potatoes

Ingredients for the Marzipan Potatoes
(this recipe makes a small batch, about 2 to 3 dozen marzipan potatoes, that are less than 2.5 cm (1 inch) in diameter)

• 125 grams (1 1/3 cups) ground almonds
• 125 grams (1 1/8 cups) confectioners' sugar
• 3 tbsp rose water (use very high quality from a pharmacy or your favorite spice merchant)
• a  few drops of natural almond extract (optional, go easy here)
• 4 tbsps Dutch process cocoa powder (really good quality one)
• 1 tsp Ceylon cinnamon

Preparation

1. Advance Preparation: You can buy ground almonds as almond flour, also known as almond meal. Or you can also blanch 2 cups of raw almonds, slip their skins off and grind them  in a food processor. Depending on your food processor, your resulting almond meal might be slightly coarser than the purchased almond meal.
2. If making your marzipan potatoes with purchased pre-made marzipan, chose a high-quality one, the best you can afford (such as Odense or Lübecker)
3. Making the potatoes: Mix together ground almonds, confectioners' sugar, rose water and natural almond extract in the food processor or by hand until well blended and sticky.
4. Remove from food processor.
5. Using 1 tbsp or less of the marzipan, form small potato-like balls. You can form perfectly smooth, round balls or go fort he potato shapes instead.
6. Mix the cocoa powder and cinnamon together in a bowl or use a zip-lock bag to toss the little balls of marzipan in.
7. Roll the balls in the cocoa and cinnamon and set apart on parchment paper to dry for a good 30 minutes. Store the Marzipan Potatoes in an airtight container with wax or parchment paper between the layers, in a cookie tin or wrap them in pretty cellophane bags or just munch away on them.

Try them, you might get addicted to these traditional German Christmas treats that are quick and easy to make and utterly irresistible!

If you are looking for more marzipan treats, do take a look at my Speculaas Muffins filled with Marzipan (here) or my Gevulde Speculaas (here) or you can make different marzipan fruits or vegetables and use them as decoration on my European-style Carrot Cake (here).

Please make sure to drop by again tomorrow when we will open our third special surprise in my virtual Advent Calendar!

1. Day of December - Speculaas Waffle Rolls (Spekulatius Eiserkuchen)

Today marks the first day of December – Advent season is special. That´s why I decided to post a virtual Advent Calendar on my blog this year, meaning that I will try to post 24 Christmas surprises and recipes (sweet and savory) and much more during the upcoming 24 days before Christmas. Make sure to visit often from now until Christmas.

That said, for the first post, I’ve had a go at a traditional German recipe, the crunchy waffle roll. The history of these traditional crispy waffles dates back to the 16. century when they were first made by monks in their convent kitchens. The traditional way to make these seems to be just with water, sugar, butter, eggs and flour. However, I remember that my beloved grand-mother always made these rolls at Christams time with dissolved rock sugar to make the waffles even crunchier. I tried the recipe both with brown rock sugar and white rock sugar – the taste was almost the same but if you are looking for darker wafflle rools, you are well advised to use the brown variety.

The dissolved rock sugar lends en incredible crunchiness to these waffles that keeps for weeks if stored in cookies tins. If you cannot get your hands on rock sugar, by all means use regular sugar instead – just replace the rock sugar in the recipe with the same amout of regular sugar (white or brown).

As I was prepraing to make these waffles on the weekend, I happened to glance at the jar of my fabulous Speculaas Spice Mix (recipe here) as I was rummaging in the baking cupboard, and thought it might be nice to add some of it to the waffle batter for some extra flavor. I think it is worth doing. It certainly adds a little extra something festive and utterly delicious to the final result – not to mention the lovely smell in the house while you bake these!

Speculaas Waffle Rolls

Ingredients for the Waffle Rolls

• 1/4 l water
• 250 grams rock sugar (white rock candy for a lighter colored waffle, brown rock candy for a darker colored waffle) or regular sugar (white or brown)
• 200 grams unsalted butter
• 2 eggs (L), organic or free-range whenever possible
• 1 pinch of fine sea salt
• 1 ½ tsps Speculaas Spice Mix (for the recipe, please visit my post here)
• ¼  tsp ground cinnamon (from Ceylon if possible)
• 1 package pure vanilla sugar (2 tsps) or homemade vanilla sugar.
• 250 grams AP (plain) flour
• NOTE: this recipe makes about 24 waffle rolls, depending on the size of your waffle maker

Preparation of the Waffle Rolls

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil, take the saucepan off the heat, add the rock sugar and stir carefully until it is completely dissolved.
2. Then add the butter to the sugar mixture and continue to stir until the butter has melted.
3. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool completely.
4. When ready to bake your waffle rolls, preheat your waffle maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
5. Transfer the cooled butter mixture to a mixing bowl.
6. To the butter mixture, add the eggs, salt, speculaas spice mix, cinnamon, vanilla sugar, and flour. Whisk the mixture until there are no lumps left.
7. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of batter in the center of your pre-heated waffle maker.
8. Bake for about a minute or two, then check for proper color.
9. Quickly remove the waffle from the waffle maker. Transfer onto a rack. Quickly make a roll or a cone. If the waffle is too hot to handle with your bare hands, use a cloth to help lift and roll the waffle.
10. Hold the waffle roll a few seconds to set its shape then place on the wire rack to cool completely.
11. Serve immediately (plain or with whipped cream) and store any leftover waffle rools in large cookie tins for up to a two weeks.

I´ve got a few tips for making these:

• The batter is meant to be thick but still runny, you are looking for a honey-like consistency here.
• Do not be tempted to add milk to the batter, as that will result in soft, not crispy waffles.
• The waffle rolls are meant to be really crispy.
• Should you have any leftover waffles, make sure to keep them in a cookie tin in a cool place, so that they stay crispy.
• Around here, you can find a really good specialty waffle roll maker from Cloer . In the US and Canada, you can find a similar waffle cone maker from Chef´s Choice (available through Williams Sonoma here).

My waffle recipe is wonderful even without the added speculaas spices, however, the real Christmas magic here comes from adding them, they will taste amazing!

Please make sure to drop by again tomorrow when we will open our second special surprise in my virtual Advent Calendar!

The Cottage Cooking Club - November Recipes

The month of November marks the nineteenth month of our international online cooking group, The Cottage Cooking Club. As a group, recipe by recipe, we are cooking and learning our way through a wonderful vegetable cookbook written in 2011 by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, entitled „River Cottage Everyday Veg".

One of the declared aims of our cooking group is to make a decided effort to use as much regional, organic and also seasonal produce as is reasonably possible.

This month I prepared six of the ten designated recipes, plus one extra. I will write about each dish in the order in which I prepared them.

My first recipe for this November post is the colorful Beetroot and walnut hummus (page 300) from the chapter "Mezze & Tapas“.

With toasted fresh walnuts, dry-fried and ground cumin seeds, bread crumbs, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and tahini (that versatile sesame seed paste) - to lend an extra layer of flavor – this was certainly a different kind of hummus.

I chosse to serve the Beetroot and walnut hummus as a starter, dip-style, with warmed tortilla triangles. If you are a beetroot lover and if you are looking for a different and eye-catching recipe to try, then this hummus is for you.

For the second recipe this month I chose the Celery, orange and pecans (page 116)  from the chapter "Raw Assemblies".

I decided to serve this dish on individual plates as I was thinking this would be a perfect fresh starter for a festive dinner. And I was not disappointed. I arranged a few slices of celery, bright orange segments and freshly cracked walunts (instead of the pecans) on the plates and added just a few drops of the „barely dressing“ (orange juice, zest, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper).

A very nice wintry combination of fresh, bright and slightly bitter flavors that works -  perhaps not only as a starter to a substantial meal but also as a in-between course, to re-frehen your taste buds. A great recipe to keep in your repertoire of elegant winter salads.

The third recipe that go my attention this month was the Kale speltotto with goat´s cheese (page 280), from the chapter „Pasta & Rice“.

This recipe requires a few steps more than some of the others but it is well worth it. First you prepare the pearled spelt or pearl barley (which is what I used). Then you prepare the onions (nice and translucent and soft). And stir it all together with some nice white wine (not unlike preparing a classic risotto, hence the name of this dish). You add the stock and cook and stir some more. Then you sweat the leeks and wilt your greens and once the barley is all cooked and creamy, you add the greens and the leeks to the dish.

Instead of adding the goat´s cheese on top as extra cheese, I decided to grate more for the finished dish and leave it at that – the cheese gave so much flavor to the dish, that it was not really necessary to add some more.

The fourth recipe was the one with the biggest fun factor. Roast new potatoes with two mojo sauces (page 358) from the chapter „Roast, Grill & Barbecue“, was the kids`  favorite this month, hands down. Mojo originated in the Canary Islands, where the main varieties are red mojo (mojo picante oder mojo picón) and green mojo (mojo verde).

In the Canary Islands, these sauces are served with small local potatoes, the papas arrugadas or are simply enjoyed with country-style white bread.

You start Hugh´s variation of the Mediterranean recipe by preparing the two sauces. The „mojo picón“  was up first – using dried chilies, roasted red peppers, lots of garlic, ground cumin, sweet smoked Spanish paprika, white wine vingar and olive oil – the resulting sauce was bright red and spicy and full of smokey flavor. While Hugh calls for a coriander version of the green mojo, I opted for an Italian parsley version instead – coriander being the one herb that he kids do not really enjoy. So, more garlic again, cumin, white wine vingar and a rather big handful of fresh Italian parsley plus some more olive oil turned into a bright green, garlicky sauce.

Once the sauces are done, it is a good idea to let them sit on the counter or fridge for a while – to allow the flavors to develop properly. And the right time to prepare those potatoes, lots of them – dipping is always received rather enthusiastically at our house and this recipe was no exception – we really enjoyed the big bold flavors of  the sauces that played so nicely against the crunchy, salty potatoes with their creamy interiors.

The fifth recipe was Parsnip and ginger soup (page 157) from the chapter "Hefty Soups". Another one of those wonderful soup recipes from this book that I so enjoy.

Creamy parsnips are abundant at this time of year and when paired with onion, garlic, fresh ginger, and lots of spices (cardamom, cumin, cayenne pepper) plus milk and vegetable stock (page 130) - make a lovely, velvety soup that is sure to warm you from the inside out – perfect after skating maybe…as a finish I added a few drops of lovely hazelnut oil from my local oil mill as well as slithered hazelnuts – perfect.

Recipe number six this month was Lentil and tomato salad (page 237) from the chapter „Store-cupboard suppers“.

This was my personal favorite this month – what is not to love about a lovely lentil salad made with French Puy lentils that keep their shape so well in a salad and some fabulous honey-roasted cherry tomatoes (page 343).

The nuttiness of the lentils, the sweetness of the roasted tomatoes, the tanginess of the dressing – this is my idea of a perefct hearty fall/winter salad – loved it!

As a little encore I made the Roasted parsnip chips (page 357) from the chapter of „Roast, Grill & Barbecue“ again that we made back in November 2014. Always such a delightful side dish, always much appreciated by the crowds – creamy, crunchy and very tasty.

In summary, another month full of wonderful vegetable dishes – this month we were delighted to enjoy a number of hearty fall recipes, main courses as well as side dishes or appetizer for lunch and dinner. What can possibly be better than to cook with seasonal ingredients even at this time of year.

Please note, that for copyright reasons, we do NOT publish the recipes. If you enjoy the recipes in our series, hopefully, the wonderfully talented and enthusiastic members of The Cottage Cooking Club and their wonderful posts can convince you to get a copy of this lovely book. Better yet, do make sure to join us in this cooking adventure.

To see how wonderful all the dishes from my fellow Cottage Cooking Club members turned out this month, please visit here. They would all appreciate a visit!

Chocolate Buttercake with Walnuts

Well, it has reached that time of year again, it feels as if Christmas is just around the corner. It’s that time when we tackle the various baking challenges that the festive period has to offer. For today´s festive bake, I’ve had a go at an alltime favorite of mine with a rather nice twist, a Chocolate Butter Cake with Walnuts. Think of this cake as basically a cross between a Dutch boterkoek and chocolate shortbread. Crunchy sides, soft, slightly chewy middle and incredibly rich and quite indulgent at this time of year.

To be honest, I don’t think you can properly enjoy the festive seasons if you don’t spend part of it in the kitchen with the aromas of spices and chocolate and citrus filling the air, using every pot, pan, bowl, whisk and sieve, not to mention all those cake molds, cookie cutters etc.

This is a nice cake to bake in a square cake pan or a round one if you prefer. With so few ingredients, it does require some good butter but also some high-quality cocoa powder for a really indulgent, chocolatey taste. So, for the best dark and velvety cocoa powder, try shops that specialize in fine chocolates or look out for your favorite good-quality brand - for the best tasting cake with a dark, rich color, I recommend you use Dutch process cocoa powder.

Chocolate Buttercake with Walnuts

Ingredients for the Cake

• 250 g butter, unsalted, room temperature (plus some to butter the cake pan)
• 250 g light brown sugar (such as Billington´s Light Muscovado Sugar or use Dutch "Lichte Basterd Suiker")
• 1 1/2 tsps pure vanilla sugar (homemade or use good-quality store bought)
• 2 eggs (L), organic or free range, divided 
• 210 g AP (plain) flour
• 40 g Dutch process cocoa powder (choose a very good-quality cocoa powder)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• a generous pinch of fine sea salt
• 80 g freshly cracked walnuts NOTE: you could use chopped hazelnuts instead of walnuts, though you should toast them first, then rub off their skins before using) OR use slithered almonds 
• serve alongeside: seasonal fruits, fruit salad, lemon curd, vanilla ice-cream, double cream or lightly whipped cream OR serve as is with or with a dusting of powdered sugar
• optional: if you are using slithered almonds in the cake, you can add a handful of sliced almonds on top (about 15 minutes into baking)

In Addition

• a square cake pan aka brownie pan (about 24 x24 cm/9.5 x 9.5 inches) OR use a springform cake pan 23 cm (9 inches) diameter
• baking parchment  

Preparation Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
2. Butter your cake pan, line the base and sides with baking parchment, then butter again.
3. Put the butter into the bowl of a food mixer, add the sugar and vanilla sugar and cream for a good 5 minutes until soft and fluffy. Please note: the brown sugar will not beat up as fluffy as white sugar.
4. Break one egg into a small bowl and beat lightly with a fork to combine (keep the small bowl for later). With the beater at a moderate speed, add the egg to the butter and sugar mixture.
5. In a separate bowl, sieve together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and sea salt.
6. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until thoroughly creamed.
7. Mix in the walnuts or other nuts you are using (this is best done with a wooden spoon as the dough is rather stiff at this point).
8. Transfer the mixture to the lined cake pan, gently smoothing the surface (this is best done with lighty floured hands).
9. In the same small bowl as above (remember), break up the other egg, mix with a fork and brush the surface of the cake.
10. Then score the surface with the tines of your fork (in a criss-cross pattern).
11. Put the cake pan in the pre-heated oven and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, or until the cake is firm to the touch but not completely firm, it should be a bit soft to the touch in the middle of the cake.
12. Transfer to a rack and leave to cool for 10 to 15 minutes before turning out and slicing. NOTE: this cake is best served on the day it was made, we love it when it is still a bit warm and although it might crumble a bit when you slice it, it is utterly delicious when warm,  Any leftover cake can be wrapped tightly in plastic and kept for up to 2 days.

The moistness of the cake will depend not just on the addition of all that good butter (this is a butter cake after all), but how long you bake it. Short of the delicate moment when you mix it all together, it is the baking time that is truly make or break. What you are looking for is the moment, somewhere between 35 and 40 minutes, when your cake is crispy round the edge, but still a bit soft in the center. When baking this cake, please remember that when it comes out of the oven the cake should still be moist - sticky even - in the middle. As it cools the crust will crisp.

My perfect moment for such buttery, chocolatey goodness is in the afternoon, around 4 pm, when a nice piece or slice goes perfectly with a small, strong coffee. It acts as a pick-me-up, a little zip of energy to get you through till lunch or dinner. Or perhaps just through till your next piece of chocolate cake.

Since it is the season not only for showing off all your baked goods, but all your festive decorations and ornaments as well, I decided to bake teeny tiny gingerbread houses and let the kids decorate them while I rummaged through countless boxes searching for my treasured handcrafted wooden set of Hänsel and Gretel and the witch.  As I happily retrieved my heirloom figurines from all that tissue paper that they were wrapped in, the kids had put their final touches to the houses and they loved how it all looked  - the cake, the gingerbread houses, the powdered sugar snow and the little fairy tale figurines – not a bad start to the festive season.