This easy and quick festive prosciutto rolls recipe is what you’ll be making year after year for New Year’s Eve dinner.
We’re nearing the end of the year, and it’s always nice to have some easy finger food recipes on hand. Ever since I remember, my family has served prosciutto in one form or another for New Year’s Eve dinner. So let me know in the comments what is your family’s traditional food!
This recipe for the festive prosciutto rolls is super easy. I made these with my homemade phyllo dough, but if you’re in a hurry or don’t feel like making your own, a store-bought one works just as well. But I promise it is easier than it seems to make and always a fun activity for the kids and the entire family.
What is inside these festive prosciutto rolls?
Well, I don’t think I need to mention it, bis a layer of thinly sliced prosciutto accompanied by thinly sliced zucchinis, which add a lovely freshness to the rolls, and a generous amount of cheese. I’m using brie, but any other cheese that melts nicely is great too!
I can’t get over this delicious clementine Aperol spritz. It’s mixed with two parts Aperol, clementine juice, Prosecco and soda water.
Are you up for an amazing Winter cocktail?
I’m catching the last days of some fresh clementines, that are super delicious in cocktails. I’m a huge fan of citruses like grapefruit or oranges in cocktails. And I just realized I haven’t posted a cocktail recipe with clementines yet. So let’s do that!
Ready?
All you need is some Aperol, which is a bright orange, bittersweet low-alcohol liqueur. I’m changing the original recipe a bit and trust me, it’s worth it, even though I love the original as well. The original is just Aperol liqueur, Processo wine and sparkling water. The citrus flavor adds so much to this drink.
Can you make this clementine aperol spritz less alcoholic?
Yes, absolutely. Simply change a part of Prosecco with clementine juice or apple juice and your cocktail will be less boozy.
I don’t suggest replacing Prosecco with sparkling water, because the taste will be too diluted.
Are you ready to have a drink?
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This no-bake lemon cheesecake has the softest fluffiest cream cheese filling and the most delicious lemon curd on top.
Less than two weeks from Valentine’s day!!! Whoa! I feel like I’m saying this in every single post, but man does the time fly these days! Am I right?
Are you already planning your Valentine’s day dinner? We don’t really celebrate Valentine’s day, but a dessert is always welcome. There’s nothing like a sweet but delicate dessert to share with someone you love. OR just eat on your own. That’s perfectly fine too 🙂
I can’t think of any better dessert but this fluffy cheesecake with lemon curd. I guarantee it’s gonna be a hit!
So how does the lemon pie look like?
The filling for this cheesecake was modified from Sally of Sally’s Baking Addiction blog. She’s a goddess when it comes to dessert and this filling is truly one of the best – if not the best – cheesecake filling I’ve ever tasted. IT’s the softest and creamies, I can’t stress this enough 🙂
I’ve topped the filling with some homemade lemon curd, which is just a fantastic way to brighten up the filling. Actually, I love it so much, I can easily eat it on it’s own 😉
You might think it’s hard to make lemon curd. I feel like people are scared of it. But it’s super simple. I promise! Just make sure you cook it long enough, to make sure the yolk is done. I prefer to err on the side of overcooking here.
As for the crust, I like to use butter cookies, but you can easily swap this for any kind of cookies you like or graham crackers. It’s really a very forgiving crust. You can even add some spices to it! The sky is the limit.
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I love it when you can make the most chocolaty fudge brownie cake with the simplest of ingredients. And to top it all, make a simple and most delicious chocolate ganache.
Anyone else here dreaming about chocolate desserts now that it’s become moodier and cooler?
I’m not normally the one dreaming about anything chocolate (many desserts come before chocolate!) but this year I can’t help myself 🙂
So the other day I made a chocolate fudge brownie cake and it was utterly drool-worthy. It would be a shame not to share the recipe with you guys. And I actually added a simple chocolate ganache recipe to use on the cake. Because more chocolate is just better (again, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I guess times are changing!).
Here I used a bunch of fruits from the garden (I shot these a while ago when we still had some blueberries and raspberries in the garden). You can add any fruit you like such as banana, figs, pears and similar or just keep it a simple chocolate cake. Be creative!
Like I’ve said here probably a million times, the best recipes are simple ones that don’t require a bunch of ingredients and equipment. This is a recipe just like that. And that’s why I’m such a huge fan of brownies. So simple and everyone always likes them. Win-win!
If you’re not into fudgy brownies and prefer a cakier one, I have another amazing recipe here.
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Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and butter the sides and bottom of a 6-inch cake pan.
Place chocolate and butter in a heat-proof bowl and place it over a pan of simmering water. Stir often until chocolate and butter have melted completely.
Remove from the stove and add sugar and salt. Mix well.
Once the mixture is not anymore, add eggs one at a time and use a whisk to mix them in well. The mixture should not be too slimy.
Finally, add flour and mix it in to get a uniform batter.
Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 40-45 minutes. You can do a toothpick test, however you will see it be brown and sticky even when the cake is done. Just make sure the toothpick shows the sticky inside and not a runny inside.
Once the cake is baked, remove it from the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan.
Cool it to room temperature or keep in the fridge before decorating with chocolate ganache.
Chocolate ganache
While the cake is cooling, prepare the chocolate ganache.
Pour heavy cream into a pot and heat until steaming but DO NOT LET IT BOIL!
Pour the steaming hot heavy cream over the finely chopped chocolate and let it sit for 5-10 minutes or until the chocolate has completely melted. Stir with a spatula to create a smooth cream.
The cream will be pretty runny and it's okay to use it like this if you prefer.
To create a cream like in the photos, wait until the cream cools down to room temperature to become thicker and spreadable. If it still feels too runny, place it in the fridge until it gets the right consistency.
You can prepare the cream in advance and store it in the fridge, then take it out an hour before using it.
https://www.useyournoodles.eu/wp-content/uploads/Fudge_Brownie_Cake_Chocolate_Ganache-21.jpg15001000Anja Burgarhttps://www.useyournoodles.eu/wp-content/uploads/logo_NEWW.pngAnja Burgar2021-09-24 02:58:002021-10-07 13:47:41Fudge Brownie Cake with Chocolate Ganache
This deliciously rich white chocolate and matcha chia pudding with a homemade fig jam is such a wonderful dessert for late Summer.
Even though it has been around for a while, I’ve just recently discovered chia pudding. For whatever reason, I steered away from it for so long, even though I live chia seeds.
So during the lockdowns, we were making puddings in all shapes and sizes so I said why not try one with chia seeds. And it was amazing. The first one I made was with dark chocolate and peanut butter, which is also a recipe I need to share one day.
However this Summer I felt like making something just slightly brighter so I made a white chocolate and matcha chia pudding and some freshly made fig jam for that extra punch in flavor.
What I loved about pairing figs with chia pudding is the fact that they both have a crunch to them.
For me anything with small seeds paired with something very smooth is annoying (maybe that’s just me). But here both the pudding and the jam have actual seed in so it’s just a perfect combo texture-wise as well.
So we’re just enjoying the last days of Summer. It’s getting pretty cold here these days in the morning so I’m bringing my warm clothes out and dreaming about pumpkins and apple pies. Is this too soon?
Anyway, I hope you’ll enjoy this recipe. Let me know in the comments if you try it.
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2cupsplant-based milk (animal milk works okay too if you're not vegan)
100gvegan white chocolate(regular white chocolate works too, if you're not vegan)
1TBSPmatcha powder
chopped nuts
Fig jam
200gfresh ripe figs
3TBSPwhite sugar
1tspvanilla seeds or vanilla extract
2TBSPwater
1tsplemon juice
Instructions
Chia Pudding
Place a small pot over medium heat.
Chop white chocolate in small chunks and place them in a heat-proof bowl.
Place the bowl over the pot and stir the chocolate constantly and remove from heat as soon as it completely melts.
In a medium-size bowl mix milk, matcha powder and chia seeds using a whisk.
Pour in white chocolate slowly whisking quickly to incorporate it into the pudding mixture.
Place in the fridge for at least 5 hours, but preferably overnight, to set.
Fig jam
Remove hard parts of the fig stem and cut figs into small pieces.
Place them in a small pot and add all other jam ingredients.
Cook for five to ten minutes or until figs become really soft.
Move to a food processor and mix until you get a smooth jam.
Jam will become thicker when it sets.
Assembly
Once the jam and the pudding have set place the pudding into two glasses halfway up. Then add the jam and finish with the rest of the pudding. If you wish, you can add some fresh figs into the glass and on top and top everything with chopped nuts.
If you’re into pudding recipes you might also like:
A light Summer dessert with ton of flavor – honey poached apricots. This soft and tender desserts melts in your mouth.
Summer is perfect for light refreshing desserts, don’ you agree?
This year Summer came extremely late, we were already anxiously waiting for it. And it came with a ton of beautiful local apricots. It would be a shame not to make something sweet with them.
So for today I have a very simple recipe. It doesn’t require many ingredients, but when the flavors combine, the most delicious treat comes to life.
If you never tried poaching anything, then you are in luck because these are seriously amazing!
In order to poach these apricots, you need to find a quality dry wine. I like to cook the wine for 15 minutes to remove some of the alcohol before poaching the apricots. And after the apricots are done, I cook the sauce a little more to make it a bit more syrupy and sweet.
Once everything is nice and cooled down, you can serve it with some Greek-style yogurt or I sometimes add crème fraîche instead. And you can top everything with some chopped nuts, like pistachios.
And that’s it! Super easy, right? Not to mention how beautiful these poached apricots look!
If you are a fan of paoched fruits I have another delicious recipes – hibiscus poached pears.
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Combine wine, honey and thyme in a large pot and bring to simmer. Let simmer for 15 minutes (longer if you want more alcohol to evaporate).
Add halved and depitted apricots and cook for about 5 minutes or until just tender. The apricots shouldn't be too soft, so remove them when they are still holding their shape. Once they get tender remove them from the pot immediately onto a cool plate and let cool.
Cook the sauce for another 10-15 minutes until it slightly thickens.
Let cool to room temperature.
Serve the cooled apricots with some cooled sauce, a dollop of Greek-style yogurt and some chopped pistachios.
The best homemade chickpea tacos – filled with a creamy avocado spread, spicy roasted chickpeas and a vibrant fresh pineapple salsa.
Tacos are something I could eat every day. They are so versatile and you can make them extremely healthy. While we love tacos with some meat, we also change it up a notch every now and then. And these spicy pineapple roasted chickpea tacos are just the perfect recipe for these kinds of days.
I like to make our own taco shells, just because they are so easy to make and much better than the ones I can find in the stores here. But you know, if you’re in a hurry or feeling lazy, those are completely fine 🙂 If you feel like making your own, I have a recipe for them here.
Summer is just around the corner, although it’s feeling more like the beginning of Spring over here with a ton of rain, wind and temperature much lower than I’d like right now. But, I’m looking forward to warmer weather and I’m keeping my fingers crossed they come sooner rather than later. When they do I’m ready with these recipes.
We like to make really easy and quick dinners in the Summer because we tend to hang out outside most of the day and want to stay out as long as possible. And this recipe is extremely quick. While you’re roasting the chickpeas in the oven you can prepare the avocado spread takes a minute or two and then a few minutes to chop up pineapple, peppers, and onions, and parsley for the salsa.
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6taco shells(recipe to homemade tortillas in the description)
Spicy Roasted Chickpeas
1can(400g or 14 oz) cooked chickpeas
2tspsweet paprika
1tspground dried garlic
1tspcayenne pepper
1TBSPolive oil
Avocado Spread
1large avocado
juice of one lime
¼tspsalt
pepper to taste
Pineapple salsa
1cupfinelly diced pineapple
1/2cup finely diced red pepper
1/4cupfinelly diced red onions
1/4cupfinelly chopped parsley
juice of one lime
Instructions
Spicy Roasted Chickpeas
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
Drain the chickpeas and place them in a bowl, together with all other ingredients for the chickpea and mix well.
Place the marinated chickpeas onto a baking tray and roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until they get golden and crisp.
Avocado Spread
While the chickpeas are roasting peel and deseed avocado and place it in a bowl together with the rest of the ingredients for the spread. Use a fork to make a lumpy spread. You can make it as smooth or lumpy as you like.
Pineapple salsa
Dice pineapple, peppers and onions finely and chop the parsley nicely as well. Add the juice of one lime and mix well.
Serving
Once the chickpeas are done, heat the taco shells in a clean pan.
Fill the shells with avocado spread on the bottom, then add some roasted chickpeas and top with fresh pineapple salsa.
Learn this easy recipe for a fruity strawberry gin and tonic with homemade strawberry simple syrup. Only a few simple ingredients but so much flavor!
When it comes to cocktails nothing beats a good gin and tonic if you ask me. If you’ve scrolled through this page a bit, you’ve noticed I have a thing for this lovely refreshing cocktail. For further ideas, you can check my Pink Grapefruit Gin and Tonic or Elderflower And Passion Fruit Gin And Tonic. This time I have a delicious Spring gin and tonic with a homemade strawberry simple syrup.
Before trying to make my first homemade syrup, I was a bit scared to try, but these are extremely simple to make. Hence the name ‘simple’. Literally, just bring everything to a boil, let simmer for fifteen to twenty minutes, and chill. That’s it! You can really go crazy with flavors here and invent your new flavor combos.
Once you have the syrup, you can use it for this cocktail, some other cocktail, dilute it with water and drink like that, use in desserts or pour over your favorite ice cream. So many choices!
If you’re going to make this gin and tonic, you can mix the syrup with gin and a regular tonic or you can make it a bit extra and choose pink tonic water. It will really enhance the flavor of your gin and tonic and add a little more color as well.
Before we go on with the recipe, I want to give you an update on one of the projects me and my hubby are working on lately. It’s fermenting our own ginger beer. We’ve had lots of success and now we’re experimenting with different flavors. We’re gonna do a bit more experimanting and testing and then I will also share some recipes and tips about fermenting your own drinks. How would you like that?
Anyhoo, let’s make the cocktail!
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Place all syrup ingredients into a saucepan. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and let cook for 15-20 minutes until strawberries are very soft and the lliquid has become deep red.
Strain the syrup through a mesh sieve making sure not to press down the strawberries.
Leave the syrup to cool to room temperature then move to the fridge and wait at least an hour to chill. You can use the leftover strawberries as ice cream garnish.
Cocktail
Place 30 ml of the strawberry simple syrup into the bottom of a cocktail glass. Add a handful of ice. Then pour over the gin and finish with regular or pink tonic water.
Serve immediately.
https://www.useyournoodles.eu/wp-content/uploads/strawberry_gin_and_tonic-5.jpg15001000Anja Burgarhttps://www.useyournoodles.eu/wp-content/uploads/logo_NEWW.pngAnja Burgar2021-04-29 20:08:182021-04-29 20:10:04Strawberry Gin and Tonic
Enjoy these refreshing and delicious tofu spring rolls filled with crisp vegetables, creamy avocado, and flavorful marinated tofu.
When it comes to fresh veggies there’s nothing better than spring rolls. And what is more, I’m not focusing on anything too traditional here. And that’s the fun part because you can use whatever veggies you have on hand and whatever is in season.
For this recipe, I’ve joined forces with my dear friend Kristina from Story on a plate. I have provided the recipe and food and together we’ve created this beautiful scene and photos! So credit for those to her as well and if you’re not following her on IG yet, go ahead and do that right now.
Whenever I make spring rolls I make sure to use veggies of different colors because that’s how we get different vitamins, right? And it’s just so pretty to see a beautiful rainbow of colors.
We come to the best part of these tofu spring rolls and that’s the marinated tofu. This marinated tofu is gold and this is coming from not such a huge tofu fan. Once I tried tofu marinated like that, I was hooked. And from now on I’ll be experimenting with flavoring tofu heaps more. What about you? What’s your favorite tofu recipe? I really wanna know!
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1TBSPfresh or dried lemongrasschopped very finelly
1/2TBSPchili flakes
Rainbow Tofu Spring Rolls
350gmedium or firm tofudrained and thoroughly dried/pressed
8-10sheets of 22cm/8.5" round rice paper
8-10small letuce leaves
5-7radishes
1large carrot
1small piece red cabbage
1ripe avocado
juice of 1 lime for preventing avocado to brown
Dipping Sauce
2TBSPlow sodium soy sauce
1TBSPthai sweet soy sauce
1TBSPhoisin sauce
juice of 1 lime
1tspsesame oil
½tspsesame seeds
Instructions
Rainbow Tofu Spring Rolls
In a rather large bowl mix all tofu marinade ingredients.
After your tofu has beed drained and dried cut tofu into rectangles about 1 cm (0.5 inch wide).
Place the tofu into the marinade and carefully toss to coat all sides.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add a TBSP of cooking oil to the pan and cook tofu for 4-5 minutes or until all sides are golden.
Dipping Sauce
Bring all the ingredients together mix well to combine.
Rainbow Tofu Spring Rolls
Cut carrots into shin sticks (julienne) and red cabage into thin slices. Also thinly slice the radishes.
Thinly slice avocado and as soon as you cut it squeeze some lime juice over the avocado to prevent it from oxidizing.
Prepare your lettuce leaf and place some carrots, red cabbage and tofu inside and roll it into a tight roll.
Prepare a large bowl with cold water for 2-3 seconds then drain for a second and place it on the counter smooth side down.
Add the lettuce roll to the center of the soaked rice paper. Then add radishes in a row above the lettuce roll. This will be your outer side of the roll. Place some avocado on top of the radishes.
Begin rolling your spring rolls. First, bring in the left and right sides. Then bring in the bottom side of the rice paper and begin rolling while maintaining some pressure. Be sure not to be too firm, otherwise, the rice papers might break.
Serve immediately.
https://www.useyournoodles.eu/wp-content/uploads/vegan_rainbow_tofu_spring_rolls-2.jpg15001000Anja Burgarhttps://www.useyournoodles.eu/wp-content/uploads/logo_NEWW.pngAnja Burgar2021-04-16 10:22:502021-04-16 10:37:49Vegan Rainbow Tofu Spring Rolls
Brining Spring vibes with these delicious creamy peanut butter and strawberry ice pops. Super easy and super flavourful!
Are you just as excited about warmer weather as I am? Although I’m a big Winter person, I’m already dreaming about green meadows and walks across blooming fields. Being able to walk barefoot and eat a ton of strawberries!
With my mind already heading towards these warm days, I’m bringing this very simple strawberry ice pops recipe. I can’t wait for fresh homegrown strawberries. And I start craving them every March.
This ice pops are completely vegan and extremely easy to make. Plus, who doesn’t love ice pops. My son thinks they are the most fun form of ice cream there is.
What do you need for these peanut butter and strawberry ice pops?
All you need is some fresh strawberries, although frozen ones work too. I just prefer to use fresh ones if I can get them to be sweet and flavorful enough. Right now, they’re not in season so not all of them will be good. If you can’t get good fresh ones, then frozen are a better option. Frozen strawberries are frozen in their ripe state so they have plenty of flavor!
Next you need some quality peanut butter. I always make sure I get a 100% peanut butter and avoid using peanut butters with added palm oil, sugar or atrificial ingredients.
You will also need some form of a plant-based milk. I like my creamy oat milk, but you can use any that you like. Just keep in mind that if you use any milk that has very strong flavor, such as coconut milk, you will probably end up tasting it in the final ice pops.
You also need some Medjool dates to sweeten the ice pops and make them nice and creamy. I like to soak them in hot water before I blend them together with milk and peanut butter, because I find it a bit easier for a blender (especially a not-so-powerful one) to make a smooth purée.
If you feel like decorating your ice pops, you can add some melted vegan chocolate and a sprinkle of freeze-dried strawberries once they firm up in the freezer.
Let’s make them!
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Clean the strawberries and remove the greens. Cut into small chunks and place in a saucepan. add sugar and cook on medium heat for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the stove and leave to cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, soak de-pitted Medjool dates in hot water for 10-15 minutes, then drain and place in a blender. Add plant-based milk of choice and peanut butter and blend into a fine paste. Leave in the blender until the strawberries are cooled.
Add cooled strawberries to the blender and blend until smooth.
Divide into ice pop molds and pop a stick into each.
Place in the freezer until solid.
Once they are firm, take them out of the molds and sprinkle with melted chocolate and freeze-dried strawberries.
Once you’ve tasted these irresistibly soft and fluffy sourdough doughnuts, you’ll never try any other! This one-and-a-half-day recipe is well worth the time it takes.
Here in Slovenia, we’ve had our carnival festival these past few days. And there is no carnival without some soft and fluffy doughnuts. Just like last year, I’ve made my sourdough doughnuts. While the ones from last year were okay considering I made them just a month after making my first sourdough starter or ever baking anything sourdough. However, the ones that I made this year were to die for!
I’m not exaggerating. The perfect size, the perfect shape, the softerst texture and the sweetest flavor. So good!
Lessons I’ve learned about sourdough in a year have paid off.
So if this is the first time making sourdough doughnuts, my number one advice is to be patient. There’s a lot of waiting involved and it’s easy to get very excited and not leaving the dough to rest or rise long enough. You just wanna go in there and work, right? However, it is really important to just watch your dough and wait, without really looking at the clock. This is also the reason there’s no very specific time frame in my recipe. The fermentation works very differently at different temperatures.
I will share my times and temperatures just so you can have some ideas of how long you should really wait.
One more thing. Be gentle with your dough. The more gentle you’ll be the more air will stay inside your dough, creating the sof center.
And the second thing, make sure to create enough dough strength so it can hold its shape. This is especially important when you’re shaping doughnuts into small balls. Take your time!
Note: if you’re not the sourdough type, I also have a very delicious yeast doughnut recipe here.
Okay scroll down for my timetable 🙂
My sourdough doughnuts making timetable:
9 am – First Levain Feeding
9 am – 3 pm levain fermenting at a variable temperature from 23-25 °C until doubled in size
3 pm – Second Levain Feeding
3 pm – 8:30 pm levain fermenting at a variable temperature from 23-25 °C until doubled in size
8:30 pm – Making the dough (first mixing, resting, kneading, first coil fold)
9 pm – 10 pm – Bulk ferment at 23-25°C (I did a coil fold at 9:30 pm and 10 pm)
10 pm – Transfering the dough into the fridge (with around 8°C)
10 pm – 8 am – Bulk ferment in the fridge
8 am – Moving the dough back to room temperature
8 am – 11 am – Bulk ferment at 23-25°C (I waited for the dough to get to room temperature)
11 am – Shaping
11 am – 9 pm – Proofing at 23-26°C (I waited for the doughnuts to double in size!)
9pm – Frying and eating two hot doughnuts 🙂
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50gstrong white flour(all-purpose flour works as well)
10gsourdough starter (100% hydration)
10gwhite sugar
Sweet Levain – Second Feeding
40gwater at room temperature
90gstrong white flour
20gwhite sugar
Dough
400gstrong white flour
120gmilkroom temperature
2larger eggsroom temperature
70gwhite sugar
4gsalt
1tspvanilla seeds or vanilla extract
60gsoftened unsalted butterroom temperature
Instructions
Levain Feedings
First Feeding: Mix all ingredients for the first levain feeding. Mix just enough for all ingredients to bind. No need for kneading.
Let sit at room temperature until the levain doubles in size. Anywhere from 21-28°C or 60-82°F is okay, but keep in mind that the levain will mature quicker at higher temperatures. This stage should take anywhere from 3-10 hours.
Second Feeding: After the levain has doubled in size, it is time to feed it the second time. Add water to a bowl and shred in your levain. Mix a little to dissolve the levain. It won't dissolve entirely. Add all other feeding ingredients and knead just enough to make the levain come together in a dough.
Let sit at room temperature until the levain doubles in size. Anywhere from 21-28°C or 70-82°F is okay, but keep in mind that the levain will mature quicker at higher temperatures. This stage should take anywhere from 3-10 hours.
Dough
For the times and temperatures I used for this recipe, check the article!
Making the dough: After the levain has doubled in size the second time, it's time to mix our dough.
Dissolve the levain in milk.
Add flour, sugar, eggs and vanilla seeds or vanilla extract.
Using a stand mixer, mix the dough just enough to bring the ingredients together. Leave covered for 10-15 minutes.
After resting, add salt and knead the dough in a stand mixer for 8 minutes.
Then add softened butter and knead until the dough can pass the windowpane test (link to see how the windowpane test works in the recipe notes). The dough will separate at first, but will come back together quickly.
Bulk ferment: Transfer the dough to your bulk ferment container and do a coil fold (link to the coil fold method in the recipe notes).
Cover the container and leave to ferment until doubled in size. This should take anywhere from 4-10 hours at room temperature. You can do a part of the bulk ferment in the fridge to slow the ferment. Do a coil fold every 30 minutes for the first two hours.
Shaping: After the dough has risen about 50% in size, transfer it to your counter, but be very gentle to not release too much air from the dough.
Divide the dough into 50g pieces and roll them into small balls. Make sure to create enough tension on the balls so they keep a nice shape.
Proofing: Leave the doughnuts to rise at room temperature until doubled in size. This stage will take anywhere from 8-12 hours depending on the temperature.
Frying: After the doughnuts have doubled in size, prepare the oil for frying.
Use about 1 inch or 2.5 cm of oil and fry at a temperature between 160-170°C (320-340°F). A good indicator the temperature is perfect is to check with a wooden spoon. If little bubbles start to form around the spoon handle the oil is ready to go.
Place doughnuts top side down in hot oil, but prior to that brush away the flour. A lot of flour will burn your oil and it will not be re-usable. Fry the doughnuts for about 3 minutes covered. When they turn golden, turn them around away from yourself, so you don’t burn yourself! Fry for about 3 more minutes on the other side uncovered.
Transfer the doughnuts to a plate covered with paper towels to drain the excess oil. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool.
Fresh passion fruit and delicious floral elderflower syrup give this refreshing elderflower and passion fruit gin and tonic recipe a sweet valentine’s day twist.
Did you notice that Valentine’s day is next week!!!??
Luckily I have a lovely cocktail ready for a romantic dinner. Even though most of the world is still in one or another form of lockdown, we still deserve some splurging, right?
A nice dinner with the best dessert ever. And of course this elderflower and passion fruit gin and tonic!
I love gin and tonic because it’s so easy to make. Basically, all you need to do is add some ice in your cocktail glass, add all the ingredients and enjoy 🙂
This time, I’ve given it a bit sweeter twist with fresh passion fruit, which I absolutely love, and homemade elderflower syrup. However, if you don’t have a homemade one, a storebought is just as fine.
This combination of flavors and sweetness with the biterness of gin and tonic is in my opinion the biggest selling point of this cocktail.
If this floral flavor is not your jam, I have a more citrusy grapefruit gin and tonic recipe as well.
A good gin and tonic is made with quality gin and quality tonic as well. Keep in mind that your gin and tonic will only be as good as the ingredients put in. This doesn’t mean you need to go with the most expensive stuff. However, the cheapest plastic bottle drinks are probably lower quality than you want in a gin and tonic. So, I encourage you to explore, which flavors you like.
Most of simple gin and tonics include some amount of citrus flavor. For my Valentine’s day elderflower and passion fruit gin and tonic, I passed on adding citruses. I used my elderflower syrup that already included some lemons. Most elderflower syrups do.
Plus, I really wanted to create a more feminine floral/tropical cocktail. But, if you feel like adding a hint of citrus go ahead and squeeze in a bit of lemon juice!
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https://www.useyournoodles.eu/wp-content/uploads/passion_fruit_gin_tonic_anja_burgar-2.jpg15001000Anja Burgarhttps://www.useyournoodles.eu/wp-content/uploads/logo_NEWW.pngAnja Burgar2021-02-04 11:36:412021-02-04 11:56:37Elderflower And Passion Fruit Gin And Tonic
This dried fruits and chocolate chip bundt cake is packed with Winter flavors and rich chocolate, topped with a quick and simple glaze. It’s the most delicious Christmas bundt cake!
I tried not to bake too much this year, since we’re in a lockdown and we have no one to share the sweets with. But I couldn’t resist baking another Christmas bundt cake. Do you remember the chocolate hazelnut bundt cake from last year?
I had the idea of making a bundt cake and then my son insisted on us baking a cake. He’s not very friendly with bundt cakes, since they don’t usually include any cream filling. So I tried to find a way to make him love it. And found the perfect solution.
Adding lots of chocolate and dried fruits did the job. He’s a big fan of both! And I love how they made the cake a bit juicier and creamier. We also added some orange zest, because it’s almost Christmas and you can’t have Christmas without some orange zest, right? For me, it’s one of the most distinct flavors of Christmas.
It’s super easy to make this dried fruits and chocolate chip bundt cake!
One of the reasons I love bundt cakes is how easy they are to make and how well they usually last in terms of freshness. Definitely not in terms of not-eating them, because we finished it in a day!
All you need to do to make a perfect bundt cake is beat sugar and butter together. There’s not so much butter in this recipe, so don’t get scared if the mixture is not as fluffy as for example a buttercream. It still needs to get airy and brighter, though. You add the eggs one at a time and finish with flour and milk. At the very end, you add chocolate chips and dried fruits and pour it all in a bundt pan.
It’s a very simple cake and you can eat it as is or make a simple glaze with icing sugar and milk.
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Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F) and grease a 6-cup bundt cake pan with butter.
In a bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar for 3-4 minutes, until fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time, and make sure to incorporate the first fully, before adding the second.
Add vanilla and orange zest and mix quickly.
In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined. Then add 1/2 of the milk and mix on low speed. Continue with 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by 1/2 of the milk, and finishing with the remaining 1/3 of the flour mixture.
Add chocolate chips and dried fruits and use a spatula to gently incorporate them in the batter.
Pour the batter into a greased bundt cake pan and bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes. If you're doubling the recipe add 10-15 minutes to the bake.
The bundt cake is done when the toothpick comes out clean.
Wait for 10-15 minutes before removing the bundt cake from the pan.
Simple glaze
For the glaze mix together icing sugar and milk to get a smooth paste. First, start with 1 TBSP of milk and add more, little by little, until you get the consistency you like.
This delicious plum pie is made with fresh plums, a flaky pie pastry, and optional some spices for the cozy cooler days.
Okay, so I’m this crazy pie lady and I know it. I just love them so much, and late Summer/Autumn is for sure my favorite pie season. All because I get to make a ton of plum pies. Probably much more than I should, if there even is such a thing.
Plum pie is my absolute favorite. It has that perfect amount of sweetness, acidity, and creaminess. So it’s surprising to me that I’ve never posted a baked plum pie here, yet. I have a no-bake recipe and an apple pie with plum jam (YUM!) but no cozy baked pie. Until now!
So here it is!
I’ve tried a new kind of pastry that includes some baking powder and I love it. It’s a bit different from the pastry I normally use. The baking powder makes it a bit softer and just a bit cake-like. It’s amazing straight from the oven (because warm pie is YUMMY) but it gets even better the second day. So if can manage to keep your hands off for a few hours, then you’re in for a treat. I know it’s hard, but trust me, you’ll thank me later.
The filling is really simple, no fancy stuff, just simple plums, and a tiny bit of sugar. But if you have very tasty and sweet plums, you don’t even need that! Just plum with nothing on is amazing. I love simple pies!
So if you are ready to ride into Autumn with this delicious plum pie, here’s the recipe.
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½cupfine sugar(110g) You can use any kind (white, cane, coconut…) but make sure it's fine, not too coarse
2tspbaking powder
1/4 tspcinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
pinch ofsalt
1stick ofbutter(115g) cubed and chilled
1tspvanila extractor vanilla seeds
4-6TBSPcold milk or water(alternatively you can add two egg yolks and reduce the liquid)
500-600gplums
some sugar for dusting
Instructions
Add flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt to a food processor and mix shortly to combine all ingredients.
Add butter and pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand.
Add the liquid (water, milk, and/or egg yolks) one tablespoon at a time and vanilla extract (or seeds). Pulse until the pastry comes together.
Wrap the pastry in a plastic foil and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
In the meantime, cut plums in half (or into quarters for larger plums).
After 30 minutes divide the dough into 1/3 and 2/3. Use the bigger piece to roll out the bottom of the pie. I only cover the bottom, but you can cover the sides as well, only the crust will be a bit thinner.
Place plums on top so they cover the entire surface.
Use the remaining 1/3 of the pastry to decorate the top.
Sprinkle with a tablespoon or two of sugar.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (355°F) for 55-60 minutes.
https://www.useyournoodles.eu/wp-content/uploads/rustic_plum_pie-9.jpg15001000Anja Burgarhttps://www.useyournoodles.eu/wp-content/uploads/logo_NEWW.pngAnja Burgar2020-09-14 14:30:242020-09-14 14:35:58Simple Rustic Plum Pie
The best Summer berry pavlova is when fresh summer berries meet a crisp and chewy meringue and some fresh whipped cream.
We’re super excited here because of all the Summer berries. We only grow strawberries, blueberries, and red currants at home, but our family, friends, and neighbors have others as well, so we go pick them up almost on a daily basis. This year is a very good year for all kinds of berries. There are so so many of them everywhere and I’m not complaining 🙂
So last week I had this huge amount of all the colorful berries so I made pavlova. Because there’s no dessert that screams summer like a pavlova. Don’t you agree?
Although I really love a chocolate pavlova, Summer screams for a more refreshing version like this berry pavlova. Just a little bit of cream, fresh summer berries, and quick homemade berry syrup. I mean, aren’t berries and cream the best flavors of Summer?
This recipe makes more syrup than is necessary, because it’ very hard to make syrup from a very small amount of berries. But you can store it in the fridge and use on ice creams, fruit salads, coctails or simly make a refreshing drink by diluting it in some cold water 🙂
So is this berry pavlova hard to make?
The good thing about Pavlova is that it’s actually pretty easy to make, once you know a few basics:
Know your oven. I was baking it in my mom’s oven (since my oven is dying and the temps are all over the place). I almost never bake in her oven so I’m not used to it and the first pavlova came out too baked on the outside (brown). Nothing wrong with that actually, it still tastes good, but I wanted a nice snow-white pavlova (we ate the brown one too, of course)
Humidity. Very humid weather can mess with your pavlova. If your pavlova fails, this could be the reason.
Timing. Timing really depends on how thick your pavlova is and also the temperature you’re baking at. Since you shouldn’t open the oven while baking, you should do some research on timing or follow the recipe 🙂
Really beat in the sugar. The sugar needs to completely dissolve otherwise the eggwhites will turn liquid and you’ll end up with a weeping pavlova.
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1cupwhipping cream(250ml), use coconut cream for a non-dairy version
2cupsfresh Summer berries
Instructions
Meringue
Preheat the oven to 130°C. If you're using a fan oven, shut off the fan. Draw a 18cm circle on a baking paper and place it on a baking tray.
Beat eggwhites and a pinch of salt until stiff but not dry. Then add caster sugar a tablespoon at a time. At the end add the lemon juice or vinegar and cornstarch. Beat gently until thick and glossy. You can make a test if the meringue is done: place a bit of the meringue between two fingers and see if you can feel the sugar. If you can still feel some sugar, then you need to beat them a little longer until you can't feel the sugar no more.
Spread the meringue evenly into a circle, making the edge a little higher that the center. Alternatively, you can pipe the meringue onto the paper for a different look.
Move into the oven and reduce the temperature to 100°C. Bake for about 90 minutes. It should look crisp on top and feel dry, but when you press it you should feel soft in the centre.
Turn the oven off, open the door slightly and leave in the oven to cool overnight.
Berry Syrup
Place all ingredients in a saucepan and cook for 15-20 minutes until the syrup starts to thinken. Leave to cool completely, befor pouring it over pavlova. The syrup will thicken more as it cools down.
Assembling the cake
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment add the heavy whipping cream and whip until soft or stiff peaks form (depending on your taste).
Top the cooled meringue with cream right before serving. Top with berries and pour over a little berry syrup.
If you're not eating the entire pavlova at once, it's better to pour syrup on cut pieces separately, otherwise the pavlova will get soggy. If you store an assebled pavlova, take into consideration that it will get softer.
Store a non-assembled pavlove covered on the counter (not air-tight) for 1-2 days before assembilng.
