Lemon Bar - Μπαρίτσες Λεμονιού

There is a greek author that wrote many years ago some articles in a weekly magazine. Those articles were gathered and 3 or 4 books were made out of them. The name of the author is Elena Akrita and she had a great impact in the way i was writing my school essays. Anyway.. in one of the articles she said something that i found really funny… "What can you cook if the only thing you have in the fridge is one lemon" or was it half a lemon… Anyway.. I laughed everytime i opened the fridge and found my lemon in there. 

But then came David Lebovitz and my laughter turned into amassment. It seems that you can actually cook something with one lemon. Ofcourse Elen Akrita talked about having one lemon in the fridge but i guess she did not say anything about the pantry where i guess you can find a few eggs, some flour and sugar. Anyway! Take all of these, mix them up and you end up with a lovely cake or tart or something in between that is called a bar according to mr Lebovitz. 

A breeze to make, takes almost no time, makes a little mess, and it is sooooo tasty!!!  Even your 6 year old can make it with your help…

The great thing about it is that it uses all the lemon skin and all. So, make sure that your sole lemon is a good one preferably organic or from the neighbor's tree. We still have a lot of lemons left from the ones our friend Kostas gave us and so we are trying to do all we can and use them. Otherwise if you are not sure about the whereabouts of your lemon make sure that you wash it and dry it very well… 

Crust

1 cup (140g) flour (Make sure you weigh the flour for any recipe. Tapping and compacting the flour in the cup can make a big difference in the amount you use in the end.
1/4 cup (50g) sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (115g) melted unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used some coconut extract) 

Lemon Topping

1 lemon, organic or unsprayed
1 cup (200g) sugar
3 tablespoons (45ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 large eggs, room temperature
4 teaspoons corn starch
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons (45g) melted unsalted butter

Optional: powdered sugar, for serving

So… you take a 20 cm baking tray (20X20) or (16X25), (10X40), you get the idea and line it with aluminum foil.. 

Melt the butter for the crust, mix the dry ingredients and add the butter. Put the batter in the tray and bake it for 25 minutes or until golden in the one with a temperature of 180 c.  

For the topping, cut the lemon in half, remove the seeds, chop it in small pieces and put it in a food processor together with the sugar and extra lemon juice. Process till it is almost smooth. Add the cornstarch, salt, eggs and the butter. 

Lower the temp at 150 degrees.. Pour the lemon topping on the warm crust and bake if for 20 minutes or until the topping is just set…

Let it cool on a rack and and cut it in pieces. Put some powdered sugar on it after it is cold before serving.. And hear the mmmmm's from the mouths of the people that try it!!

Στα Ελληνικά! 

Την Έλενα Ακρίτα την ξέρετε.. Πριν από τη "Βέρα στο δεξί" και τη "Γόβα στιλέτο" υπήρξαν πολλά φεγγάρια που έγραφε στον Ταχυδρόμο κάθε εβδομάδα ένα χιουμοριστικό και πολλές φορές λυπητερό άρθρο… Μεγαλώνοντας μου είχαν κάνει μεγάλη εντύπωση αυτά τα άρθρα ιδίως όταν είχαν συγκεντρωθεί σε 3-4 βιβλία από τις εκδόσεις Κάκτος αν θυμάμαι καλά… 

Σε ένα από αυτά μιλούσε και αναρωτιόταν το τί μπορεί κανείς να μαγειρέψει όταν στο ψυγείο του υπάρχει μόνο ένα λεμόνι…

Ήρθε λοιπόν μετά ο David Lebovitz (Αμερικανός ζαχαροπλάστης που ζει στο Παρίσι) και με έστειλε με το τί μπορείς να κάνεις με ένα λεμόνι και μερικά ακόμα υλικά που έχεις στο ντουλάπι! Είναι κάτι ανάμεσα σε κέικ και τάρτα, και το ονομάζει bar όπως λέμε μια πλάκα σαπούνι ή μια πλάκα σοκολάτα γιατί όπως και αυτά το γλυκό μας κόβεται σε τετράγωνα ή παραλληλόγραμμα κομμάτια. 

Για τα υλικά εκτός από το λέμόνι που είπαμε που καλό θα είναι να είναι βιολογικό, από κήπο, από κάποιο θείο, ή δεν ξέρω και γω από που, θα χρειαστείτε:

Για τη ζύμη

1 κούπα (140g) Αλεύρι. Καλό θα είναι στη ζαχαροπλαστική τα υλικά σας να είναι ζυγισμένα για να υπάρχει ακρίβεια. Εκτός από το ότι όλοι μας δεν έχουμε τις ίδιες κούπες το πόσο γεμάτη έχετε την κούπα και το πόσο πακτωμένη μπορεί να παίξει σημαντικό ρόλο στο τελικό αποτέλεσμα..
1/4 κούπας (50g) ζάχαρη
1/4 κουτ.γλ. αλάτι
8 κουτ. σούπας (115g) λυωμένο βούτυρο
1/2 κουτ. γλ. εκχύλισμα βανίλιας (εγώ δεν είχα και έβαλα καρύδας)

Για το αποπάνω… :-)

1 Λεμόνι
1 κούπα (200g) ζάχαρη
3 κουτ.σούπας (45ml) έξτρα χυμό λεμονιού (εντάξει σας κορόιδεψα, θέλετε ενάμιση λεμόνι)!! :-)
3 αυγά σε θερμοκρασία δωματίου
4 κουτ. γλυκού κορνφλάουρ
1/4 κουτ. γλυκού αλάτι
3 κουτ. σούπας (45g) λυωμένο βούτυρο

Άχνη Ζάχαρη για πασπάλισμα στο σερβίρισμα αν θέλετε

Εκτέλεση

Για τη ζύμη:

Ανάψτε το φούρνο στους 180 βαθμούς. 

Σε μπωλ ανακατέψτε όλα τα στερεά και προσθέστε το λυωμένο βούτυρο. Κάντε μια ζύμη ανακατεύοντας καλά. Η ζύμη θα είναι μαλακή. 

Σε ένα ταψί 20Χ20 στρώστε αλουμινόχαρτο. Βάλτε τη ζύμη μέσα και ισιώστε τη με τα χέρια να έχει παντού το ίδιο πάχος.. 

Ψήστε τη σκέτη για 25 λεπτά ή μέχρι να πάρει ωραίο χρώμα… Χαμηλώστε  το φούρνο στους 160 βαθμούς.

Κόψτε το λεμόνι στα δύο και βγάλτε τα κουκούτσια… Ψιλοκόψτε το και βάλτε το στο μπλέντερ μαζί με τη άχαρη, τον έξτρα χυμό λεμονιού. Χτυπήστε και μετά τα αυγά, το αλάτι και το κορνφλάουρ και στο τέλος το βούτυρο. 

Τέλος, αδειάστε το μείγμα πάνω στην ψημένη βάση και ψήστε μέχρι να δέσει η κρέμα για 20 λεπτά. Βγάλτε το από το φούρνο και αφήστε το να κρυώσει. Το βγάζετε από το ταψάκι, κόβετε σε κομμάτια και σερβίρετε με λίγη άχνη ζάχαρη από πάνω… 

Φτιάξτε το και θα με θυμηθείτε!!!!

"περίπου" ρυζόγαλο... / Rice pudding with Matcha tea

With my little experience i have in cooking i have learned a few things... One of these is when you try a new recipe that has a few things in common with an old favorite please, please, please do not call it with the old name. Cause that will only provoke expectations that in most cases will not be met. And people will become frustrated and will not enjoy the "new" as they would be expecting the "old"... Has happened to me many times and i need to shape up and keep that in mind all the time... So... this recipe today will not call it rizogalo as it is known here in Greece and it is a very old and traditional desert. Cause a lot of things are different in it this rizogalo recipe from what we know.. First the addition of orange zest that gives it a nice fresh taste but mostly the addition of Matcha tea that makes it unique. Both in color as well as in taste and aroma.

Got the recipe from Chef Eddy Van Damme's website... This man is an inspiration in many of my journeys in tastes and smells. Took the liberty of changing it a bit as the desert became a bit too sweet for my taste. Also as i did not have any strawberries i used caramelized quince that i had in the fridge! Turned out great so you can use any kind of caramelized fruit as long as it is not too strong in flavor or use less quantity of it to balance the tastes... The game it is up to you.. 

Ingredients:
Water                              240g

Rice for soup rinsed         80g
Sugar (A)                         40g
Milk                               330g
Vanilla extract                   1tsp
Zest of half an orange
a pinch of salt
Matcha green tea powder  3g
Whipping cream             120g
Sugar (B)                          30g
Makes enough for 4-5 glasses

Easy to make..
Put the rice in the boiling water and slowly simmer covered for 5 minutes. Drain rice and discard water.
Boil the milk with Sugar (A), zest, salt and add the rice. Simmer till most of the liquid is gone. Be careful and watch it making sure it is not burned. Let it cool to room temperature. Add Vanilla extract and the tea dilluted in a little milk.
Beat the cream and sugar (B) lightly. Fold in the rice mixture.
Serve in glasses with some caramelized quinces some streusel or cookie crumble!!!
Enjoy!

Όχι ρυζόγαλο...

Από τα πράγματα που έχω μάθει τον καιρό που ασχολούμαι με την μαγειρική είναι ότι δεν είναι καλό να δίνουμε παλιά ονόματα σε νέες συνταγές. Γιατί όσο κοντινές και αν είναι με παλιές γεύσεις δημιουργούνται προσδοκίες που στο τέλος δεν επαληθεύονται και τελικά πάντοτε χαμένος βγαίνεις... Έτσι λοιπόν αυτό το γλυκό δεν θα το πω ρυζόγαλο ασχέτως και αν έχει και ρύζι και γάλα και ζάχαρη... Δεν έχει όμως κανέλα και έχει και άλλα πράγματα που θα έκαναν ένα τυπικό ελληνικό ρυζόγαλο να το βάλει στα πόδια τρέχοντας όπως ας πούμε ξύσμα πορτοκαλιού (αν και έχω δει συνταγές για τέτοιο) και σκόνη από πράσινο τσάι Μάτσα. Το τελικό αποτέλεσμα είναι πράσινο, λαμπερό και συνοδεύεται σε ποτήρι με γλυκό κυδώνι ή άλλο γλυκό κουταλιού αρκετά ουδέτερο όμως για να μην σκεπάζεται η ελαφριά και απαλή γεύση του τσαγιού...
Τη συνταγή τη βρήκα από το σάιτ του Σεφ Έντυ... Την πείραξα λίγο γιατί ήταν λίγο γλυκιά για το γούστο μου και σας δίνω τις μισές αναλογίες που βγάζουν λιγότερες μερίδες. Αν θέλετε μπορείτε εύκολα να τις διπλασιάσετε.

Υλικά

Νερό                                         240g

Ρύζι για σούπα πλυμένο          80g

Ζαχαρη (A)                                40g

Γάλα ελαφρύ                           330g

Βανίλια εκχύλισμα                 1κ.γλ.

Ξύσμα μισού πορτοκαλιού

Μια ιδέα αλάτι

Σκόνη τσαγιού Μάτσα             3g

Κρέμα γάλακτος                    120g

Ζάχαρη (B)                               30g

Κάνει ποσότητα αρκετή για 4-5 ποτήρια

Εκτέλεση

Βάζουμε το νερό να βράσει, προσθέτουμε το ρύζι και σιγοβράζουμε 5 λεπτά. Στραγγίζουμε. 

Βάζουμε το γάλα, τη ζάχαρη (Α), το ξύσμα και το αλάτι σε ένα κατσαρολάκι και όταν βράσει προσθέτουμε το ρύζι και σιγοβράζουμε μέχρι να απορροφηθούν τα περισσότερα υγρά. Εμένα μου πήρε 20 λεπτά για να ετοιμαστεί.. Αφήστε το να κρυώσει σε θερμοκρασία δωματίου και μετά προσθέστε τη βανίλια και το τσάι αναμεμιγμένο σε λίγο γάλα. 

Κάντε την κρέμα γάλακτος ελαφριά σαντιγύ μαζί με τη ζάχαρη (Β) και ενσωματώστε τη στο μείγμα του ρυζιού... 

Τοποθετήστε σε ποτήρια μαζί με γλυκό κυδώνι, ένα μπισκότο σε τρίμματα και λίγο ψιλοκομμένο κυδώνι από πάνω... 

About Lemons, Oranges, Tangerines and Matcha tea.../Περί εσπεριδοειδών και τσαγιού Μάτσα

Lot's of great news and want to share them with you!
Our friend Kostas brought us from his garden in Vraona a bundle of lemons, Oranges and Tangerines and i cannot wait to start making things with them.. Last years lemon marmalade with poppy seeds was a great success and people keep asking me for more... Also want to make some lemon cream butter and some orange preserves... So it seems like a busy weekend! And ofcourse if you have any ideas and recipes let me know!

On other news i got from my good friends in Tsaina tea store some Matcha tea... It is sooooo expensive!!! I payed 20 euro for some 60 grams but when i found out that it can take up to an hour to grind 30 grams of the tea then i realizes why... This is the tea that in Japan it is used for the tea ceremony and nowadays it is used to colour and give taste to various foods. I am dying to use this tea to make a rice pudding that i saw in Chef's Eddy website.
More in a few days!!!

Πολλά νέα και θέλω να τα μοιραστώ μαζί σας!
Ο φίλος μας ο Κώστας μας έφερε πολλά λεμόνια, πορτοκάλια και μανταρίνια από τον κήπο του στη Βραώνα και το πόσο θέλω να ξεκινήσω να φτιάχνω πράγματα με αυτά δεν λέγεται! Η περσινή μαρμελάδα λεμόνι με τον παπαρουνόσπορο χάλασε κόσμο και μου ζητάνε συνέχεια! Ακόμα θέλω να φτιάξω μια βουτυράτη κρέμα λεμονιού και γλυκό πορτοκάλι... Αν έχετε καμιά ιδέα πες τε μου!

Άλλα νέα.. Χτες πέρασα από το αγαπημένο μου Tsaina (ένα μαγαζί με τεράστια ποικιλία σε τσάγια που το έχουν δύο γλυκύτατες κυρίες). Ήθελα να πάρω λίγο τσάι για το πρωινό και σκέφτηκα να ρωτήσω αν έχουν τσάι Μάτσα. Είχαν φυσικά αλλά ήταν πανάκριβο το άτιμο! 20 ευρώ τα 60 γραμμάρια! Όταν έμαθα όμως ότι για να τρίψουν και να κάνουν σκόνη 30 γραμμάρια τσαγιού μπορεί να περάσει και μια ώρα κατάλαβα γιατί είναι τόσο ακριβό... Το χρησιμοποιούν για την τελετή του τσαγιού στην Ιαπωνία και χρησιμοποιείται πια πολύ στη ζαχαροπλαστική και δίνει άρωμα και γεύση σε γλυκίσματα. Είναι μια συνταγή του Σέφ Έντυ που θέλω να δοκιμάσω! Περισσότερα σε λίγες μέρες!

Pralines.. / Πραλίνες

 People that cook also invent... This is the way new recipes come out to the world. The whole thing about the molecular gastronomy is a lot to do about inventing and using new knowledge into the kitchen. 

New York times is a newspaper with a great food section and new recipes and techniques that first come out there. One of the people that writes there is HAROLD McGEE.. I got a recipe he had for pralines and tried it out... Came out great! But the increadible thing about it is that it is sooo quick to make. And also another reason why it is so great is that it uses something that most of us have at home to heat up some water or milk and defrost some meat. Talking about the microwave..

So.. here how it is.
Ingredients:

3 cups nuts (I used almonds and walnuts)

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup milk

1/3 cup salted butter (if you do not have any then use normal butter and add about 3/4 of a teaspoon of salt..

1 teaspoon vanilla extract


OK.. so what you do is take a glass container that can hold 4 litters of liquid. You add everything there apart from the nuts and the vanilla extract. Put the nuts in a pan and put them in the oven at 180C for 10-15 minutes..
The bowl with the sugars etc you put in the microwave and zap it in the max power for 5 minutes. Remove it from the microwave using mitts or towels as it will become VERY VERY hot. Stir it with a wooden spatula. Put it in the oven for another 5 minutes. Remove it in the same manner and add the nuts.. Zap it for another 5 minutes and after that check the temperature with a thermometer. It should be 115C. If it is not (as it was in my case) zap it for some more time till the temp reaches that. (took me 2 tries of 3 minutes). Then you remove it from the oven and let it sit for 30 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and stir quickly till it gets all cloudy...


Using 2 spoons put pieces of it on partchment paper and let it rest for another 30 minutes. After that time it is ready to eat...


Στα Ελληνικά!


Οι πραλίνες αυτές είναι πολύ εύκολες στην παρασκευή τους και δεν χρειάζονται πολλά σκεύη. Απαραίτητο είναι ένα γυάλινο μπολ που να χωράει 3-4 λίτρα υγρό. Πρέπει να είναι γυάλινο για να μην καεί από τις υψηλές θερμοκρασίες που θα αναπτυχθούν. Επίσης απαραίτητο είναι να βγάζουμε το μπολ από το φούρνο μικροκυμάτων με τη βοήθεια γαντιών ή πετσέτας κουζίνας.. Αλλιώς μπορείτε και καείτε άσχημα!!!

Το περίεργο με τη συνταγή αυτή είναι ότι γίνεται στο φούρνο μικροκυμάτων.. Και γι'αυτό τα γλυκάκια είναι έτοιμα τόσο γρήγορα..


Υλικά:


3 κούπες ξηροί καρποί

1 1/2 κούπες ζάχαρη λευκή

1 1/2 κούπες καστανή ζάχαρη

3/4 της κούπας κρέμα γάλακτος

1/3 της κούπας γάλα

1/3 της κούπας βούτυρο αλατισμένο. Ή απλό βούτυρο και προσθέτετε λίγο αλάτι.

1 κουταλάκι εκχύλισμα βανίλιας.

Εκτέλεση...

Βάζουμε τους ξηρους καρπούς σε ένα ταψάκι και τους καβουρδίζουμε στο φούρνο για 10-15 λεπτά στους 180 βαθμούς..

Όλα τα υπόλοιπα υλικά εκτός από τη βανίλια τα βάζουμε στο μπολ. Το μπόλ στο φούρνο μικροκυμάτων που τ βάζουμε στη μεγαλύτερη σκάλα και τα ψήνουμε για 5 λεπτά. Αφαιρούμε και ανακατεύουμε με ξύλινη κουτάλα. Τοποθετούμε ξανά και ψήνουμε για άλλα 5 λεπτά. Αφαιρούμε από το φούρνο, ανακατεύουμε και προσθέτουμε τους ξηρούς καρπούς. Στο φούρνο για μια τρίτη φορά πάλι για 5 λεπτά. Ελέγχουμε τη θερμοκρασία που πρέπει να είναι 115 βαθμούς. Αν δεν είναι ψήνουμε ακόμα λίγο μέχρι να φτάσει.. Σε μένα χρειάστηκε άλλες 2 φορές από 3 λεπτά...

Αφήνουμε να ξεκουραστεί για μισή ώρα. Προσθέτουμε τη βανίλια και ανακατεύουμε δυνατά... Μετά με δυο κουτάλια βάζουμε κομματάκια από το μείγμα πάνω σε ένα κομμάτι λαδόκολλα.. Βγαίνουν γύρω στα 40 κομμάτια.. 

Cheese rolls

Memories...

Eating is all about memories. You eat something and it reminds you of what your mother once made and you loved it. When you eat it some years afterwards it still rings the same bells. Memories come flooding in and even if the dish is not really great or even passable, for you it is, as you feed with the memories and not the actual food. 







My mother used to make this cheese stuffed bread rolls for us. She would buy dough from the bakery and she would stuff it with cheese and a few herbs, fry it in some olive oil and serve it as lunch or side dish for some legumes for dinner. And it goes even before her as her mother would make it and would have my uncle go and sell them in a textile factory opposite our house back in the 50's when Greece was starting to bloom again after war and people needed staple and easy food. So for me this food always had a big spot in my heart and belly. 

I like to bake. The magic that some flour, water and yeast can do when combined it is a great trick and even though it is considered by most people to be really hard or time consuming it really isn't. What it takes is just a little planning. And in this day and age the planning needs to be the most important aspect more than time itself. 


Anyway... Since my mother is gone and i do not exactly remember what she used in the filling i tried to do it many times but it never worked. The reason was that i was using an egg to bind the cheese together but what it did was to make the filling runny and spill out during frying making a whole mess in the kitchen and really i did not like that... So... today i tried it without the egg and it came out just great! In the days that my mother was making it she was using xinotiri a cheese we used to get from the village my father was born. Today i used some feta cheese together with a touch of katiki...


Preparation...


For the dough
500g bread or strong flour 
340 g tepid water.
7g of dried yeast
a teaspoon of sugar to feed the yeast
a teaspoon of salt for taste


for the filling
150g of Feta cheese
50g of Katiki (or any other soft/creamy cheese
some pepper
some herbs fresh or dried crushed in the cheese mixture.


Makes about 12 rolls.. 




How you make it...
The planning comes to play. Dough needs about an hour and a half to rise. So.. you have to plan ahead depending when you want to serve it cause it is better when it comes out of the pan. 
If you want to make it for breakfast it is advisable to prepare the dough the previous night and let it stay in the fridge covered in a bowl. It will continue to rise but not so much and will be ready and mature the next morning. If you want it for a late night snack you can prepare it when you are back from work but think that is the last thing you want to do... Anyway...
Making the dough is easy. A few things to keep in mind. A dough is a living thing and as such you have to respect its needs. So.. what is dough and why it increases it's size.. Well, the yeast you use is actually little bugs that eat and eat and eat and excriment. What do they eat? well, the easy thing for them to eat in the beginning is the sugar that you add. Then they start eating the maltose from the flour.. And why the dough builds in size? well it is because the little buggers create carbon dioxide as a byproduct of their metabolism and that gas is what makes the dough expand. 
Now, as a living organism the yeast needs some optimal conditions to grow. And by that i mean the temperature and food. If the water used is too hot it will kill the bugs.. if too cold it will not help the bugs grow well.. so, best have the water at body temp... 
Take the tepid water, add the sugar and the yeast and let it bubble for a bit. In another container have the flour and the salt... Add the water/sugar/yeast mixture and start kneading..  Knead for 10 minutes, knocking, banging bashing the dough. Dough must come out looking elastic and shiny and ready.. 
Many people think that kneading is hard. Well, kneading 500g or flour is not hard and it takes little time and it is VERY theraputic. Also do not worry about how to knead. It is something that it is almost inherited in our DNA and pretty soon you will feel so natural about it. Just let yourself go... Get in a trans state almost and enjoy it all.. After the dough is ready and it may need a spoonful or two of extra four but not so much more, store it until it doubles it's size for 40 minutes or so. After that put it in the fridge and let it there all night. it will continue to grow more slowly. 
Next day remove the dough from the fridge for 30 minutes before frying. 

In a bowl mix the cheese and the herbs and cut little pieces of dough, flatten them in your hand and put some cheese in them. Close them and make sure the seal is tight... Then fry them in olive oil or any other cooking oil you use turning them over till they are golden brown in color.. put them on some kitchen paper to remove the exes oil and you are good to go... 


In Greek
Τυρόπιτες με ζυμάρι ψωμιού


Υλικά
Για τη ζύμη
500γρ αλεύρι κίτρινο για ψωμί

340γρ. νερό χλιαρό

7γρ. μαγιά ξερή

ένα κουταλάκι του γλυκού ζάχαρη

ένα κουταλάκι του γλυκού αλάτι

για τη γέμιση

150γρ φέτα σε κομματάκια 

50γρ κατίκι

πιπέρι

μερικά βότανα όπως δυόσμος ή ότι άλλο σας φωτίσει η έμπνευσή σας

Παρασκευή

Ανακατεύουμε το χλιαρό νερό με τη ζάχαρη και την μαγιά.

Σε μπολ βάζουμε το αλεύρι με το αλάτι

Ανακατεύουμε το αλεύρι με το υγρό μείγμα και ζυμώνουμε για 10 λεπτά. Αφήνουμε σκεπασμένο σε ζεστό μέρος να διπλασιαστεί ο όγκος του. Βάζουμε στο ψυγείο τη ζύμη αν είναι να τις φτιάξουμε την επόμενη μέρα ή αφήνουμε τη ζύμη να ξεκουραστεί και να φουσκώσει ακόμα περισσότερο. Παίρνουμε κομμάτια της ζύμης, τα ανοίγουμε στο χέρι μας και βάζουμε με ένα κουτάλι από τη γέμιση. Τηγανίζουμε σε καυτό λάδι μέχρι να χρυσίσουν...

Καλή επιτυχία!

It's time for MONKEYBREAD!!!!

Monkey bread…

A lot of water under the bridge and many many times i have made this dessert. Almost a signature thing for me a desert not to be eaten after a heavy dinner but something to be enjoyed during a brunch or breakfast or just with a hot cup of milk. 

A desert easy to make but takes it's time, a desert for slow food, for people that can wait… 

Patience is not a virtue i hold. I want things and want them now. This in cooking is a big mistake that have payed dearly on many occasions. Especially for something like a monkeybread. 

First came across this recipe from one of my favorite blogs (smittenkitchen). Debs in a small apartment in NYC creates wonders and share them with us. Love her writing, her persistence, incredible person!

There i read about monkeybread for the first time and she was raving about it. And when Debs is raving about something then you better try it soon! She is on to something for sure there.. 

So.. I tried it and was smitten… And not just me. All the people that tried it really got hooked and kept talking about it afterwards. Monkeybread brought people together and even gave a name to a weekend. After that first try i have made it atleast a dozen times and always with success. 

So, apart from the fact that it is a dish that you need to have patience for it inorder to turn out great you also have to keep in mind the timing cause it is at it's best when it comes out of the oven for people to enjoy the most.

Here is what you have to do:

Monkeybread with cream cheese glaze

Ingredients:

Dough
60 grams unsalted butter, divided (30g melted and 30g soft)
1 cup milk, warm
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 package yeast (dried or fresh)
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface
2 teaspoons salt

Brown Sugar Coating
1,2 cups packed light brown sugar.Have also tried it with dark and it is fine as well for me but i like the strong taste of dark sugar…

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon (we love cinnamon in our house)
150g unsalted butter , mleted

Cream Cheese Glaze
100g cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons powdered sugar, plus extra if needed
4 tablespoons milk, plus extra if needed
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

OK! for the dough!

in the mixer with the paddle or hook mix the flour with salt. In a bowl mix the rest of the ingredients (only the 30g of melted butter though as the other 30 go for buttering the pan). 

Slowly incorporate the wet mixture in the mixer with the flour. Bear in mind a few things. When we say that milk and water have to be warm it means that we can stand the heat if we stick our fingers in. The yeast is a living thing and if the liquid is too hot it will kill the bugs that make it work. 

Another point to take into consideration when it comes to bread or this dough in particular is that as the mixer works, the dough gets less and less sticky. So you have to be patient and let it work for a long time till the dough becomes nice and silky.  If the worst comes to the worst and it is still wet after say 10 minutes in the mixer then add a bit of flour but no more than one or two spoonfuls.  

Let the dough rest in a warm place till it doubles in size (say an hour).

Prepare the coating. Melt the butter in a pan and mix the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. 

Put the dough on a floured working surface and spread it out a bit inorder to cut it in 64 pieces (8X8). You can use a knife or scraper for that. It is advisable to separate the little pieces as if you let them there they tend to stick back in with the rest of the dough.

Have your pan ready. Dip pieces of dough in the butter and then dump them in the sugar bowl and roll them in sugar. Do not use a slotted spoon or spatula for that as too much butter sticks to them and apart from the mess you will make you will also spend a lot of butter. Transfer the little dough balls in the pan… When you are finished and the whole kitchen smells of melted butter, dark sugar and cinnamon put the pan in a nice warm place to rise for a second time… 

After that you can leave it in the fridge all night where it will rise a bit more and it will be ready for the oven the next day or pop it in the oven then and there for 30-35 minutes in 180 celcious… Let it cool for 5 minutes and not more before turning it upside down on a platter. Leaving it in the pan for more time will make the caramel that has formed to stiffen and bond with the pan and so you will not be able to remove it afterwards… 

Let it cool for 10 minutes while you prepare the glaze. Soften the cream cheese, add the sugar, milk, and vanilla. As each cream cheese is different do not mix all of the milk at once as it may become too runny. So… you are looking for a glaze that can cover the desert but not run away from the top of it… 

Enjoy!

Baked Quinces with cream

Want to make a quick, easy and tasty desert with only 3 main ingredients and a few spices? A desert with no measurements and only one dish to wash up?

Take 2 quinces. Cut them in 8 slices. Core them and put them in a pan that goes in the oven. Add some cream to cover half of their height and some brown sugar. Spice the desert with a cinnamon stick, a couple of star anise, scrape the seeds of a vanilla bean, some orange peel. Feel free to omit any of the spices if you do not have them and in general try and see what combination works for you. 

Preheat the oven at 200C. Put the pan in the oven with a lid or some aluminum foil. Bake till the quince is nice and tender (30-45 minutes). Put slices of fruit in a bowl, scoop some of the cream and serve.. Serves 4…

If you want to go over the top sprinkle some dark sugar on the fruit that you have in the bowl and use a blow torch to make the sugar nice and caramelized. 

Bon appétit!

Pumpkin Crème brûlée

Sometimes you read a recipe and it just kicks you in the butt. Or just takes you from the shoulders and shakes you or shouts in your ear: "YOU HAVE TO MAKE ME"!! 

As if this recipe has a life and a mind of it's own, not to mention a will of it's own. 

This happened when i read a recipe for pumpkin creme brullee from Chef Eddy Van Damme. I had to make it and had to make it as soon as possible, possible tha same day.. Do not know what it was that really made this recipe for me to be so special. I mean i love pumpkin and it is pumpkin season and have blanced pieces in the freezer to make soups etc but the creme brulle is not my favorite desert. Too many eggs and cream and a cream custard is just a cream custard when it comes down to it. 

But the addition of the pumpkin and the pumpkin tuile take it all to a new level.. refined, airy and full of different textures and tastes… subtle, silky and yet with a distinct character that cannot go unnoticed.. 

So, let's get down to business…  but before i have to make a comment about the fact that the recipe asks for pumpkin puree. In USA it is easy to find canned puree and it has the right consistency and richness. Here in Greece we have to make our own. What i would suggest is take pumpkin, cut it in half, remove seeds and pulp and cover with aluminum foil. Bake in a preheated oven (170 C) for an hour or until tender. Scrape the "meat" and blend in a food processor. Now, in my case and since i had blanced pieces of pumpkin i put them in a pot and simmered in low heat till tender. Blended it and passed through a sieve. Since the puree was still runny i let it thick some more in a pot simmering in low heat for another 20 minutes… 

From now on i will be using the baked method for storing pumpkin in the freezer as it takes a lot less space and has a lot less water in it… 

The recipe of Cheff Eddy makes many many brulee but since i only use small 100ml ramekins i only made one third of the recipe.. With it i make 4 servings..

Ingredients:

3 egg yolks (60 gr)

70 g sugar

120g pumpkin puree

220g whipping cream

1,5g cinnamon

0,5g cardamon

0,5g ginger dried

1g salt

2g orange zest

Beat the eggs and sugar. Do not overbeat cause it makes a frothy layer on the brulee and it is not nice. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir. Put the mixture in the ramekins. Put the ramekins in a pan with high sides. Preheat the oven at 160C. Put the pan with the ramekins in the oven and add water in the pan to come up to 2/3 of the sides of the ramekin. Bake until the center is not wobbly. In my case it took 20-25 minutes. Cool and refrigerate. 30 minutes before serving take it out of the fridge and at the last minute you put some granulated sugar on top and caramelize it with a blow torch. 

Serve with a puking tuile… recipe for that follows

100g glucose

120g pumpkin puree

15g flour

150g powdered sugar

75g melted butter

Melt glucose in a saucepan but not boil. Add the puree and shift in the flour with the sugar. Finally incorporate the butter and add some spices like cinnamon, ginger etc. Spread the mixture as thin as possible on a baking sheet. Bake at 190C until edges start turning light brown. DO NOT overbake. Also it is a miracle watching the dough fluff up and then collapse and tiny holes start forming as sugar caramelizes… BEAUTY! Store in an airtight container but make only as many as you need. The rest of the batter can be frozen for later use…