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!
A spooky Halloween recipe – chocolate & meringue ghost cupcakes! Learn how to make these easy and fun decorated cupcakes with a meringue topping and make the spookiest treat of the season.
Super excited to be sharing this recipe with you, guys. I got a ton of requests last year when I posted them on Instagram in collaboration with Kenwood Slovenija. Back then, the recipe was posted in Slovene.
And now I get to share it in English, and I can’t wait to see you make it!
I’m always fascinated by beautiful Halloween designs, so I thought I’d try making meringue ghost cupcakes. We’re big fans of meringue in my family. Yeah, I know it’s too sweet, but to be honest, we don’t have it all that often!
We get to splurge every now and then, right?
You know I’m all about simple recipes, and this one is no exception. The sponge is made in one bowl, so you have minimal cleaning. You’re only left with a bowl where you beat the meringue and a few extras, and that’s it. I’ve been very lazy with my cleaning lately, so I’m trying to make recipes that require less cleaning.
The recipe makes 12 middle-sized ghost cupcakes, but I assure you they will be gone fast. So if you’re making it for a party, I suggest doubling or tripling the recipe.
Mix flour, hazelnuts, cocoa, cinnamon, and baking powder in a bowl.
Beat the eggs and sugar with a stand mixer for 1-2 minutes to get a fluffy batter.
Add milk and oil and mix again to get a uniform mixture.
Add the dry flour mixture and fold it with a spatula, just enough for the ingredients to combine.
Add chocolate chips and gently fold in.
Pour the batter into 12 muffin molds ¾ high and bake for 15-18 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean.
Leave to cool entirely before decorating.
Meringue Ghost Topping
Pour egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar into a heatproof bowl and place it over a pot with simmering water (a double boiler).
Whisk for 5 minutes until the mixture becomes frothy, and all sugar is dissolved.
Add the egg whites mixture to a clean and dry bowl of a stand mixer and whisk for 5-7 minutes to get stiff peaks, the mixture is silky, and all the sugar has dissolved.
Use a round piping nozzle to decorate cooled-down cupcakes in ghost shapes.
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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Make your home smell like Christmas with this flavorful vegan speculaas cake with candied oranges and caramel sauce.
I’m so excited to share this recipe today. I made it together with my dear friend Vita from Little Kitchen Vibes !!!
Vita and I have met at one of my workshops and we’ve been friends since then, sharing our love of food and photography. She’s been helping me with some of my projects and so I figured why not make a personal project together. And we came up with this delicious vegan speculaas cake that literally smells like Christmas.
If I had my smell completely back from Covid, it would be even more Christmasy, but even with that, it’s just incredible. So I invite you to try the recipe, even if you’re not vegan. The cake is absolutely soft and moist and most of all have that nice crumb a good cake should have.
If you’ve been here reading my posts before, you know how much I love simple recipes. Even though it seems like a lot of ingredients the process is in fact super simple and straightforward. Like with every other butter cake, you whip butter and sugar together, then mix apples, oat milk and coconut milk in a blender and mix it in the butter together with the rest of the ingredients.
Caramel is just as simple. Simply combine everything in a bowl and you’re good to go. This caramel, though!!! Best vegan caramel I’ve ever tried. It’s super sweet just like caramel should be (right?) and had a very deep rich flavor. So good!
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½TBSPcoconut milk (or more if the caramel is too thick)
Topping
200mlvegan whipping cream(coconut is the best)
Instructions
Vegan Speculaas Cake
Add vegan butter and sugar to a large bowl and whip it with an electric mixer until you get a fluffy and even cream.
To another large bowl, add all the dry ingredients – flour, salt, and spices. Mix well with a whisk.
Cut apples into pieces and blend them along with oat milk and coconut milk.
Now combine all the ingredients into an even batter. Fold in candied oranges.
Bake in a buttered long rectangular baking pan (usually used for bread loaves) and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 45 minutes.
Once your cake is baked well, let it cool down completely.
Vegan Caramel
While your cake is baking, make caramel sauce. Add all the ingredients for caramel sauce to a blender and blend well or add them to a bowl and mix with an electric mixer.
Finishing the cake
Whip your whipping cream in a tall bowl until it's firm and holds its shape.
Before you serve it, spread whipped cream on top and pour some caramel sauce over it. You can decorate it with fresh oranges, too.
Prepare to dazzle your guests with this savory gingerbread house shaped as a holiday cabin. Add it to your charcuterie board and it will be a perfect match!
The holidays are almost here! Can you believe it?
Every year, I’m dreaming about making a gingerbread house, but then there’s always so much candy and I don’t want to end up with waste. Because there’s no way we can eat all of it. And that’s why I decided that this year I’m gonna make a savory gingerbread house. Something small, that we can eat immediately.
Making a savory house is a bit different because creating savory icing that doesn’t contain water is very hard. When the icing has water it’s going to make the cookie (or in this case cracker) become soft after a while. That’s why this is a house that needs to be eaten within an hour of making it.
Why two differet kinds of crackers in the savory gingerbread house?
I made the house with two different types of crackers, simply for variety when people eat it. If you don’t feel like making two different crackers, don’t worry. You can make just one. Each of the two cracker recipes in this article is enough to make a house. This means that if you make two, you have enough crackers to make two houses!
I imagined a cabin made of stone with a wooden roof and that’s why I baked crackers with lots of seeds to mimic that stone appearance. And I used the regular rye crackers to make the door and the roof.
To make the house stand I used processed cheese and I used cream cheese to frost the roof to make the salty sticks adhere to the roof. I also used cream cheese to decorate the house. The same way as I would if I used royal icing – with a piping bag.
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cream cheese for frosting the roof and decorating the house
salty sticks
peanuts
olives
rosemary
transparent jelly
Instructions
Wholegrain Rye Crackers
Place all ingredients in a bowl and gently bring together. Do not knead too much or else the crackers won't be as crunchy.
Add more water if necessary. The dough should be pretty firm and not overly stiky.
Place the dough onto baking paper and roll out 3-4 mm thick.
Cut out the house using paper template (you can get the template below the recipe)
Make sure the cuts are pretty significant, but don't move any parts of the house. Everything should be close together to prevent the shapes to change.
Transfer the paper gently onto a baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for 20 minutes.
When the crackers are baked remove them from the oven but leave them on the baking tray to cool down completely, before transfering them off the tray. They will harden as they cook.
Wholegrain seed crackers
Mix flax seeds with water and leave them to soak for 30 minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients and bring them together in a dough. Don't overmix.
Place the dough onto baking paper and roll out 3-4 mm thick.
Cut out the house using a paper template (you can get the template below the recipe)
Make sure the cuts are pretty significant but don't move any parts of the house. Everything should be close together to prevent the shapes to change.
Transfer the paper gently onto a baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for 20 minutes.
When the crackers are baked remove them from the oven but leave them on the baking tray to cool down completely, before transfering them off the tray. They will harden as they cook.
Decorating the house
Use cream cheese to frost the roof and add salty sticks on top, to create a wooden look.
Once the roof is done use processed cheese to glue all the pieces of the house together.
Place the chimney on top.
Use cream cheese to pipe snow on the house and to decorate as you like.
You can use peanut halves to create a stone path, make firm jelly using water and gelatine to create icecubes, halve olives and add rosemary inside to create flower pots or use rosemary as decorations. Imagination is the limit. Be creative!
Feeling all cozy with a persimmon panna cotta – spiced panna cotta with a delicious a surprising persimmon jelly.
Time for a cozy and comforting dessert.
I find panna cotta to be such an easy dessert for whenever you have guests coming over and you don’t have much time to do some proper baking. Plus I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like panna cotta.
This one today is inspired by the cool autumn weather we are having these days. I added a bit of cinnamon and vanilla into panna cotta. And then topped the panna cotta with homemade persimmon jelly, which basically requires only two ingredients.
Did you know that persimmons contain very high amounts of pectin? This means that they can be used as a hardening agent for homemade jams and you can use this knowledge to create a persimmon jam. And you don’t need any gelatine or agar. The persimmon pulp will harden on its own. I have used this in one of my very old recipes for persimmon coffee pudding.
So I just added a bit of sugar to make the process of solidifying even more pronounced. And that’s it, a very simple homemade persimmon jelly.
One word of caution though. Make sure that the persimmons you are using are ripe otherwise the tannins in the fruit will make your mouth dry. And that’s not a pleasant thing to feel.
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Place gelatine leaves into a bowl with cold water to soften.
Place heavy cream, caster sugar, ground cinnamon and vanilla beans (or vanilla extract) into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. The mixture should not boil.
Remove from heat immediately and stir in the softened gelatine leaves and whisk to combine.
Pour the mixture into serving cups and keep refrigerated until it sets. This should take an hour or two.
Persimmon Jelly
Scoop out the flesh of the persimmon and discard the skin. Remove seeds, if any.
Place it in a food processor and add caster sugar.
Mix until smooth.
Pour over the chilled panna cotta.
Place into the fridge for an hour, which will let the pectin do its magic and create a jelly.
https://www.useyournoodles.eu/wp-content/uploads/persimmon_panna_cotta-22.jpg15001000Anja Burgarhttps://www.useyournoodles.eu/wp-content/uploads/logo_NEWW.pngAnja Burgar2021-11-24 10:42:492021-11-26 14:08:49Persimmon Panna Cotta
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
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
These delicious layers of crispy phyllo dough and the soft fragrant sauerkraut flavor of this sauerkraut börek are a perfect side dish or a meal on their own.
Today, I’m sharing a dish we’ve been making a lot this Winter. And it’s honoring the deliciousness of sauerkraut, which we have on the menu at least once a week during the cold months.
What is sauerkraut?
Sauerkraut is fermented cabbage, that is usually cut finely, but you can also get the whole cabbage heads. I’m not sure if these can be purchased everywhere, but they are quite common in the Balkans.
The name sauerkraut comes form German and means sour cabbage.
While sauerkraut is not a traditional filling for börek, we can’t stop making it after tasting the sauerkraut börek. It is created with very simple ingredients, and the process is straightforward.
This recipe also includes the recipe for homemade phyllo dough, although the storebought is just as fine. Whenever I use the storebought, I prefer finding phyllo dough that’s very thin. It creates a very crispy and flaky skin on the börek.
How do you make the homemade phyllo dough?
Although it might sound intimidating to make your own phyllo dough, it’s actually not that difficult. Take it from me, I’m by no means an expert. If you ever stop by YouTube and check the professionals, you might easily be discouraged, but it really only takes a gentle hand while stretching the dough.
The dough is basically just flour, water, and salt. Optionally you can a little oil for flavor. I used olive oil for this sauerkraut börek, however, I don’t even put oil every time I make phyllo dough. The dough is very soft and is very easy to knead by hand. It might stick a bit at first, but once you get the gluten going you’re good!
Then all it takes is to rest the dough in an oiled bowl, covered with some foil, so it doesn’t dry out. After you’ve left the dough to rest for at least 30 minutes, you roll the dough just a little bit, oil the surface, and let it rest covered for about 20 minutes. This lets the gluten relax. After that, the dough is ready to be stretched. Gently slide your fingers under the dough, right to the center, and gently stretch towards yourself. Move around the dough and stretch. Always make sure you stretch the thicker parts and not the parts that are already very thin.
Some people also use the rolling method, however, I don’t own a long thin rolling pin, so I use this method, which is very common for the Balkans anyway. Here’s a nice video to show you how this method works.
While you can stretch the entire dough in one go and get one huge piece of dough, I find it easier to divide my dough into smaller doughs right before resting and then stretch each one separately.
Time to fill the börek
After you’ve stretched the dough you can fill it with the most delicious sauerkraut filling. I have to be honest with you. The person who actually created the filling recipe for this sauerkraut börek is my husband with a bit of help of my son. I’m usually responsible for making the dough and they get to do the fillings when we make any kind of börek.
I know, you’re probably waiting anxiously for the recipe, so let’s just dive in! If you’re interested in making another similar dish with phyllo dough, I also have a recipe for Chicken Spanakopita.
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homemade phyllo dough (recipe below)or 500g store bought phyllo dough
1kgthinly cut sauerkraut
4bay leaves
1TBSPpaprika
1TBSPturmeric
crushed black pepper to taste
1/4tspanis seeds
1/4tspground carraway seeds
1shallot
2red onion
5garlic cloves
cooking oil for frying the filling, brushing the pan and top the börek
1 small egg + 1 tsp water for egg wash(optional)
Instructions
Finely slice shallots and red onions and fry them on a tablespoon of cooking oil for a few minutes until translucent.
Finely slice or crush the garlic. Add to the pan and fry for an extra two to three minutes.
Add all the spices and fry for another minute.
Drain the sauerkraut. Taste the sauerkraut to see how sour it is. If you find it too sour for your liking, you can wash it quickly under running water and then leave it to drain.
Add drained sauerkraut to the pan and fry on medium heat for about 20 minutes. It should become a bit dryer and softer.
Divide the filling phyllo dough into the same amount of parts as you have phyllo dough sheets.
Spread one part of the filling onto one sheet of phyllo dough, but cover only one third starting from the edge. Start rolling from the side, where he filling is, then roll it.
Shape it into a snail shape and continue filling another sheet of phyllo pastry. You can either add it to the snail, to ultimately create a large börek or create small separate böreks. If you create separate böreks, reduce baking time for 5-10 minutes.
Generously oil the pan you'll be using to bake and place the börek onto the pan.
Brush some oil on top of the börek. If you're doing an egg-wash, brush it over oiled börek.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for 30 minutes.
500ghigh protein white flour(all-purpose flour works as well)
300gwater
1tspsalt
2 TBSPolive oil(omit if you're using all-purpose flour)
Instructions
Sift flour into a large bowl.
Make a well and pour in the water. Add salt and oil to the water.
Start mixing from the center with your fingers. It will be sticky, but once it all comes together it will go off your hands easily.
Mix until you can see the dough coming together a bit, then you can start kneading to incorporate the flour in. Every flour needs a different amount of water, so you might end up adding more flour or leaving some flour in the bowl at the end.
When the dough starts to become uniform transfer (this will usually take somewhere from 3-4 minutes) it to the bench and continue kneading for another 8 minutes. The dough should be soft and uniform. It will stick to your hands just a little bit, that's okay. If it sticks too much add a little more flour and knead it in.
You can either leave the dough whole and end up creating a large piece of phyllo. I prefer dividing it into three parts, to make it easier when I'm stretching.
Whatever method you use. Place the dough into an oiled bowl (or three oiled bowls) brush a little oil over the dough and cover with plastic wrap right on the dough. Leave to rest for at least 30 minutes. You can prepare the dough a day before, and store it in the fridge, then take it out and leave it at room temperature for at least an hour before proceeding.
After resting, place a large sheet onto the table and generously sprinkle it with flour. Place the dough onto the floured sheet and roll it out a little bit. If I'm making one large dough I like to roll it out to about 40 cm (15 inches) or 20 cm (8 inches) if I divide the dough into three parts. The precise measurements don't really matter, just to give you a rough idea. Generously pour oil over the rolled dough and brush all over the surface. Be sure to cover the edges too. This will prevent the dough from drying out. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rest for 20 minutes so the gluten relaxes.
After that, you can start stretching. Make sure you cover a large area of the sheet with flour, so the dough will not stick.
Place your hands under the dough and gently pull towards yourself. You will immediately see stretching happening. Move around the dough and to the same. Make sure, that you don't stretch the parts that are already very thin and continue stretching the thicker parts. In the end, you will end with edges that are a little bit thicker. You can continue stretching them for as long as the dough can handle it.
Leave the dough to dry for a minute or two then you can start adding the filling.
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
A creamy and smokey radicchio risotto with bacon is a cozy winter dish that everyone will love! A traidtional Italian recipe with a twist!
Hi guys!
Today I’m sharing one of my favorite risotto recipes. I’ve cooked and improved it over the years. Although it has some pretty basic ingredients it has so much flavor and attitude.
It’s the season of radicchio and we eat it almost every day. Mostly in salads, but now and then we love to cook this creamy delicious risotto.
And in case you’re wondering if risotto is hard to make, because it needs to be of a specific consistency, it’s not hard, you just need to keep an eye on your risotto.
A perfect risotto should have be a bit on the ofter side of al dente and have a little bit of a creamy, not too runny, sauce.
Does radicchio risotto taste bitter?
It does, a little. Certainly far less than the raw radicchio. With cooking it looses a lot of its bitterness and the flavor is enhanced.
All other flavors that are in this risotto help elevate the flavor of radicchio and they also tame the bitterness. So you shouldn’t worry about the risotto being bitter, you probably won’t even notice it.
I have been making this risotto using bacon for ages. The traditional Italian version doesn’t include any meats and if you’re not a fan of bacon, you can substitute it with pancetta. You would still get the meaty flavor without the smokiness. Or you can omit the meat and get a rather traditional risotto, which is also very delicious.
In case you love risottos as much as I do, I have some other amazing recipes:
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150gradicchiocut into small pieces (2.5 cm / 1 inch)
2TBSPpine nuts
1/2cupred wine
4cupsvegetable brothsimmering
ground pepper
1TBSPbutter or olive oil for finishing
Instructions
Place bacon cubes into a frying pan and cook over medium-low heat until golden and crisp.
Continuing cooking over medium-high heat, add finely chopped onions and celery. Cook until translucent.
Add radicchio, pine nuts, and rice cook for a minute until the radicchio wilts a bit.
Add wine and wait until it evaporates. Season with some black pepper and continue cooking by adding one ladle of simmering broth at a time, waiting to completely absorb into rice before adding another ladle. When rice is on the soft side of al dente, the risotto is done.
Remove from the stove and add a tablespoon of butter or olive oil.
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.
If you’re craving a non-traditional Christmas dessert this gingerbread spiced tiramisu will be the perfect treat.
We’ve got our first snowfall of the season. And it’s already more than the previous season all-together. So I’m feeling happy.
Me and snow are big buddies, I turn into a kid when I see it. What about you?
My dream is to have a big closed terrace in my home one day and observe snow falling outside while I sip on a warm drink under a blankie. All calm and peaceful.
If I had a piece of this gingerbread spiced tiramisu, I definitely wouldn’t mind. Or the whole tray, while I’m at it 🙂
So I thought since Christmas is approaching I’d try and make tiramisu and add some spices to make it more seasonal. And it turned out to be such a good idea. We ate it a snap and I had to make another one again immediately the next day.
And that’s why I’m sharing it with you today.
What do you need to make this gingerbread spiced tiramisu?
Cookies
You need some ladyfinger cookies. I know some people make sponges for tiramisu, but I’ve never eaten one without the ladyfingers. Ladyfingers are the original cookies used in tiramisu and for a good reason. They turn into such delicious almost sponge-like goodness when you soak them. I used store-bought cookies since I’ve never tried making them at home (my mission for next time I make tiramisu!).
You also need some coffee. Typically you’d use espresso. I used Turkish-style coffee and strained the coffee afterward. I also tried cold brewing, but I felt like the taste was a bit too mild and sour for my liking. If you like that, then that’s also an option.
I can’t have caffeine and if you have the same issues, decaf is perfectly fine.
Spices
You also need gingerbread spices. I have a recipe for the mix down below, but if you have your own, go for it.
Cream
Italians traditionally make the cream with raw eggs and mascarpone.
I’ve made this cream many many times and it’s amazing. However, since we have a kid and in the midst of a pandemic I certainly don’t want anyone, let alone a kid, to get food poisoning, I decided to do a pasteurized version.
For my cream, you need egg yolks, mascarpone, and whipping cream. The cream is going to substitute the egg whites from the traditional recipe. I included the recipe for pasteurizing the egg yolks in the recipe below.
Dusting
Traditionally that’s cocoa. But I mixed it with some gingerbread spices to add more of the Christmasy feel.
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Mix all spice mix ingredients together. Set aside.
Cream
Place eggyolks in a heat-proof (non-metal) bowl and place it over a sausepan with simmering water.
Use a whisk to constantly stir the eggs. They should heat very slowly, so they don't get cooked. They are done when they reach 60°C (138°F). If you don't have a termometer, you can either use raw eggs and skip this step or see how you can troubleshoot in the notes.
Place the pasteurized eggs into a mixing bowl, add sugar and whip for 5 minutes, until slightly lighter (the pasteurized eggs don't get as fluffy as the raw eggs).
Add mascarpone and mix on medium speed.
In a separate bowl whip the whipping cream and fold it gently into the egg mixture.
Assembly
Pour room temperature coffee onto a soup plate. Add rum and 3/4 of the spice mix.
Soak ladyfinger cookies on both sides in the coffee and rum mix. Less if you want less soaked tiramisu and more if you want a more soaked tiramisu.
Place ladyfinger cookies in a serving dish in one layer, covering the entire dish.
Spread half of the cream over.
Add a second layer of ladyfinger cookies on top and then spread the remaining cream over the cookies.
In a small bowl mix the remaining 1/4 of the spice mix with cocoa and sprinkle it on top of the tiramisu.
Place in the fridge to set for a few hours.
Notes
No termometer?
You can substitute the egg yolks with a chocolate spread like Nutella. You can add 2-3 TBSP, but omit the sugar.