QUIZ IV (KOIKES)

I'd like you to tell me what this speciality is (click on the picture to enlarge), where it comes from, what it's made of, if it's savory or sweet and how it's eaten...

All I can say is that it's not from here and that it's not hard...

Will you find out. I'm looking forwards to your guesses!

BANANA CLAFOUTIS

Some time ago, I had written a post about an "Apricot Clafoutis" recipe (link here) that came from "The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion" cookbook. This time, I'm again going to speak about their clafoutis, but with another fruit combination...

I must admit that clafoutis is a very useful speciality that can be prepared in a multitude of ways, from scrap, and which holds a very important place in my everyday cuisine. Whether it be made as a savory dish or as a dessert, it is always delicious, fastly prepared and very satisfying as well as nourishing!

Whenever I don't know what to eat for supper and dont have much time to prepare anything big, I mostly choose to bake a clafoutis with whichever fruit I find in my kitchen. It never fails to be a real success as generally, nothing is left of it.

I particularly like this "The KIng Arthur Flour" (see their great site) recipe, because it is quite light, has a wonderful texture and a fine taste! It is smooth, very exotic and different from the nonetheless fine, but common clafoutis made with either cherries, berries, apricots or apples)...

I have to confess that I don't always like bananas in certain desserts, but thanks to the sour tinge of the lemon juice, this clafoutis just perfect!

~ Banana Clafoutis ~
Recipe by "The King Arthur Flour" and adapted by myself.

Ingredients:
3-4 Bananas (not too ripe), sliced
1 Lemon, juiced
1/4 Tsp Ground cinnamon
2 Tbs Light brown sugar
For the batter:
3/4 Cup (~85g) Plain white flour (unbleached all-purpose flour)
1/3 Cup (~67g) Castor sugar
1/2 Tsp Salt
3 Large eggs (~50g)
1 1/4 Cups (~285g) Milk
3/4 Tsp Vanilla extract
A few drops of lemon extract or the grated rind of one lemon

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).
2. Thouroughly butter a 22-25cm (10 inches) round pan or ovenproof skillet.
3. Mix together the sliced bananas, the lemon juice, the cinnamon and brown sugar, then arrange the mixture on the bottom of the pan.
4. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt.
5. In a separate small bowl or large mixing cup, combine the eggs, milk and vanilla/almond extract.
6. Beat until thouroughly combined, then whisk into the flour mixture, smoothing ou the lumps.
7. Pour the batter over the fruit in the prepared baking pan.
8. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
9. Serve.

Remarks:
Instead of using bananas, you can easily replace them by any fruit of your choice and take away the lemon juice from the recipe (unless the fruit used is very sweet and it's taste needs to be woken up!).
If you desire, you ca reduce the quantity of sugar in the batter (for ex.: 50g instead of 67g).
Regarding this Clafoutis' flavor, you can also use orange rind instead of lemon rind/extract if you wish to add a more "exotic" touch to the recipe.

Serving suggestions:
Eat warm or at room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream or mascarpone and why not accompany it by a scoop of ice cream.

WEEKEND CAT BLOGGING #97

This week, the magnificent Puddy at "A Byootiful Life" (Australia) are happy to announce that they are hosting Weekend Cat Blogging #96!

To submit your kitty picture(s), you can either leave a message in their blog's comment section (with your permalink) or contact them via e-mail without forgetting to give all the needed informations.

Since Spring has arrived, Fridolin is again "nasty" with Maruschka.
During the night, he chases her around the living room and attacks her!
He always rips off bunches of hairs that I can pick up every morning.
Because of his actings, Maruschka has now a kind of "dreadlock" on her back...
Every year, it's the same circus and we have to cut it away, otherwise it would grow bigger.
When he wants to be a pain in the a**, then he really knows how to be the biggest "idiot" on earth!!!

If you want to see Fridolin when he's feeling lazy (and looking rather sweet), then here's the link to a very cute video:

See Fridolin here.

APHRODISIAC THEME DINNER PARTY

Do you remember the last time that you ate waaaaayyyy too much and how it felt? Goddamn awful, heh! Well, that's exactly what happened to me on our last "Dinner Party" organized by Rachel (see her blog)...

On the 3rd of March, our congregation of foodaholics was invited to gather around the table for another of our memorable "foodathons" (a term used by Claudia) that lasted from 4pm till around 11pm. This time, we had to create dishes around the theme of "aphrodisiac food". Twelve people showed that day and the atmosphere was hotter than hell!!!

Boy, we ate so much that I thought I was going to faint! I have never felt so bad after having eaten and never had I swallowed so much good food in my whole life. Generally, I am reasonable, but here, I surpassed my limits! The leftover food turned my stomach which was already hurting, I felt slightly sick and I could not concentrate anymore. I guess that's the price to pay for all that shameless gluttony ...

It really keep on getting better and worse every time!!!

~ From left to right: Hedwig (Hal's Norwegian sister), Al, Maria and Claudia. ~

Here's what we ate:


Rachel (USA, see her blog "Ugly Fruit" for recipes and report) made wonderful "Brie Puffs" with phyllo pastry (starter) and they were all gone in a few seconds! She also made a very tasty "Tomato Soup" with cream and basil (starter). Delightful and aromatic! Another dish she made was "Oven-baked Green Asparagus" with garlic, lemon and olive oil (side dish). They were crunchy to please! Not to forget her gorgeous "Strawberry Cheesecake" (dessert) which's crackers (Mc Vites) and almond crust was exceptionally yummy. As usual, Rachel made gallons of her special "Raspberry Juice" from heaven!...

*******

Kiriel (Australia, see her blog "Papillon Pantry" for report) treated us with the most delicate steamed dish, a "Fish A La Chinese" which was marinaded in rice wine, soy sauce and ginger, and was served with fresh coriander leaves sprinkled over it's top. It was perfect, very light and succulent! The fish was not overcooked and the sauce was well-balanced. It was served with fragrant Thai "Jasmine Rice". She also brought cute "Ricotta Flans" (see recipe) which contained pistachio kernela and which were smothered in a sweet ginger sauce. Heavenly!

*******

Hal & Al (Norway & USA) made our tastebuds sing with their delightful "Sizzled Spicy Beef Steaks" that were firstly sizzled, and then cut into slices and dipped into a hot Asian-style ginger sauce. Wow, that was in-cre-dible! We also tasted their "Pasta With Arugula Pesto" with dried cranberries and pine nuts. Very fine! Hal & Al's "Banana Bread Pudding" wasn't bad either! With it's butter rum sauce, it was very comforting and scrumptious.

*******

Mélanie (France) made an "Indian-style Vegetable Curry" with cashew nuts, cauliflower, zucchinis, leeks, onions, tomatoes, bell peppers and a mix of spices. I really liked this light vegetarian dish as it was exotic and flavorful...

*******

I (Rosa) contributed with my beloved "Caribbean Jerk Chicken" (see recipe) that was a hammer and with Tish Boyle's incredible version of "Death By Chocolate" called "Chocolate Intensity" (see recipe) served with a "Chinese Five Spice Crème Anglaise"...

*******

Claudia (USA) could not cook as she was/is in the process of moving, but she nonetheless made our heads a little lighter with her fine Champaign and classy red wine!

*******

~ From left to right: Kiriel, Rachel and Hal holding one of Rai's cute kitties. ~

Now you can understand why we were all exploding, because we overloaded our plates a little too much and had too many second helpings (wink)! I know that on that evening I thought to myself, "Well, I don't want to eat as much food anymore! Never again!!!", but I know that it'll happen again and again as there will be other food odisseys in the future and the food will again be more scrumptious than the preceeding time...

Please stay tuned as I will soon post my report on the "Secret Theme Dinner Party" we had on the 31st of March(we will soon be attending another dinner party this month)! I will keep you updated anyway.

(Dinner Party -Pic by www.voutsadakis.com)

IN BLOOM

I love Spring. This season is so much synonymous of renewal, joy and happiness that it gives me wings and my good spirits come back!

For our biggest pleasure, winter's veil of dark has been lifted to reveal the brighter side of life...

Cumuluses over the Jura...
A beautiful cherry tree in bloom...
Colorful gardens and majestic sunsets...

GOLDEN BAGELS

Bagels ("Beygl" in Yiddish) are wonderful, dense and chewy boiled breads that are delicious when you make sandwiches with them...

There is nothing quite comparable to those bread rings, especially if they are accompanied by the best Bündner dry meat (see link) and cheese!


In case you'd like to learn more about "Bagels", I recommend you to have a look here and here (my recipe and article).

If you've never baked you own "Bagel" breads, then you'd better remedy to that situation as there is nothing quite like a fresh homemade "Bagel"!

HONEY CINNAMON GRAHAM COOKIES

I've always liked "digestive biscuits" (see infos), because, although they are quite basic and rustic, they never fail to please me as they are highly comforting in their simplicity...

Like their cousin, the American "Graham Crackers", those "Honey Cinnamon Graham Cookies" can be used to make a delicious pie or cheesecake crust. Of course, they are also very fine when eaten at any time of the day with a good cup of tea or coffee. In fact, it is a quality teatime treat!

Tish Boyle's (see link) cookies are wonderful thanks to the honey and the hint of cinnamon with which they are made. The addition of wholewheat (wholemeal) flour confers an interesting, round and nutty flavor as well as a satisfyingly flaky texture to those delightfully crunchy crackers.

This recipe is perfect as those "Honey Cinnamon Graham Cookies" are neither sickly, too sweet not overwhelmingly spicy. They are mild, well-balanced taste-wise and rather delicate considering their humble looks and the ordinary ingredients that compose them.

So, don't be influenced by their seemingly unsophisticated appearance. Those cookies deserve to be tested as they are healthy AND enjoyable!

~ Honey Cinnamon Graham Cookies ~
Recipe taken from "The Good Cookie" by Tish Boyle and adapted by myself.

Makes about 56 cookies.

Ingredients:
2 1/3 Cups (300g) Plain white flour
1/2 Cup (80g) Wholewheat/wholemeal flour
1 Tsp Baking soda
1 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Ground cinnamon
8 Tbs (120g) Unsalted butter
1/3 Cup (75g) Castor sugar
1/2 Cup (125ml) Light runny honey
1 Tsp Vanilla extract
1/3 Cup (83ml) Water

Method:
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, usig the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, honey and vanilla extract at medium speed until blended, about 1 minute.
3. At low speed, add the flour mixture and then the water, mixing just until blended.
4. Scrape the dough onto a work surface and, with floured hands, shape it into 2 disks.
5. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours, until chilled.
6. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 170° C (325° F).
7. Line a big baking tray with parchment paper.
8. Remove one of the dough disks from the refrigerator and place it on a floured work surface.
9. Dust it lightly with flour and, using a rolling pin, roll it out to a thickness of 4 mm (1/8 inch).
10. Using a 5 cm (2 inch) round cookie cutter, cut out as many cookies as possible from the dough.
11. Arrange them 2.5 cm (1 inch) apart on the prepared baking tray.
12. Gather up the scraps, wrap in plastic, and freeze for 10 minutes before rerolling.
13. Prick each cookie four times with a fork.
14. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown.
15. Transfer them to a wire rack and cool completely.
16. Repeat the procedure with the remaining dough.

Remarks:
The original recipe calls for 6 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening.
When shaping the dough, don't be afraid if it is sticky. That's normal!
If desired, the dough can be refrigerated up to three days.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days. I kept them for a week, without encounting any kind of problem

Serving suggestions:
To nibble at any time of the day!

WEEKEND CAT BLOGGING #96

This week, Sher, the fluffy Upsie and the cheeky Sundance at "What Did You Eat?" (USA) are happy to announce that they are hosting Weekend Cat Blogging #96!

To submit your kitty picture(s), you can either leave a message in their blog's comment section (with your permalink) or contact them via e-mail without forgetting to give all the needed informations.

After not being able to parade on the occasion of the last WCB event (due to computer problems), Maruschka is finally back!
She has been a very cheeky kitty lately.
Since Spring is back, our little black furry ball has again started to sing opera and perform yodel in front of our bedroom door in order to wake us up when we are trying to sleep a little longer.
Aaaaaarrrrrgggghhhh!!!
Her behaviour is so horrible as she gets you out of your sleep, very early in the morning, doesn't let you sleep and never stops her disharmonic yammering until you get out of bed grumbling and you give her the food that she's been asking for.
Our little sleep destroyer is a real devil with an angel's heart, therefore it is impossible to hate her although we love to curse her for being so nasty with us...

If you want to see Maruschka when she's eating like a vacuum cleaner, then here's the link to a very funny video:

See Maruschka's video here.

EASTER AND PESACH FOOD IDEAS

HAPPY EASTER AND PESACH!!!

For both the Christians (Easter) and the Jews (Pesach or Passover), this period of the year is an important time of prayer and celebration...

It is for that reason that I've decided to offer you a few helpful links to sites that contain useful recipes as well as links that will lead you to my own recipes. In that way, you might be able to find recipes for your menu without having to stress and while still keeping busy in the house.

Have a good time and eat well, my friends!!!

Easter recipe links:

• Alicias Recipes (see link)
• All Recipes (see link)
• Epicurious (see link)
• E*rsps (see link)
• Holidays.net (see link)
• Hookery Cookery (see link)
• Kaboose.com (see link)
• Razzledazzle Recipes (see link)
• Recipelink (see link)

Pesach recipe links:

• Apples For The Teacher (see link)
• Chabad.org (see link)
• Epicurious (see link)
• Holidays.net (see link)
• Jewish Food (see link)
• Kashrut.com (see link)
• Kosher Cooking (see link)
• Recipezaar (see link)
• Torah.org (see link)

My recipes for Easter or Pesach:

• Almond And Curry Bread (see recipe)
• Apple Latkes (see recipe)
• Bagels (see recipe)
• Brazilian Toasts (see recipe)
• Cantuccini (see recipe)
• Caribbean Salt Cod (see recipe)
• Challah Bread (see recipe)
• Chocolate Intensity Cake (see recipe)
• Chocolate Mousse (see recipe)
• Easter Lamb-Shaped Bread (see recipe)
• Feta And Fresh Herb Cake (see recipe)
• Five Spice Rhubarb Muffins (see recipe)
• Ham And Parmesan Cake (see recipe)
• Hawaiian Salmon Poke (see recipe)
• Italian Ricotta Cookies (see recipe)
• Italianesque Meatloaf (see recipe)
• Lemon Curd (see recipe)
• Massa Sovada Bread (see recipe)
• Moqueca Da Peixe (see recipe)
• Ostrich Steak Tartar (see recipe)
• Pain Au Lait Bread (see recipe)
• Panforte (see recipe)
• Pasta With Anchovy Pesto (see recipe)
• Pesto Muffins (see recipe)
• Potato Kugel (see recipe)
• Rhubarb Meringue Slices (see recipe)
• Rhubarb Salée (see recipe)
• Rhubarb Upside-Down Pudding (see recipe)
• Scones (see recipe)
• Stir-Fried Matzah Balls With Bell Peppers (see recipe)
• Tahini Cake (see recipe)
• Tasty Lam Roast (see recipe)

(Easter Lilly -Pic by http://sum1.onreact.com)
(Peter Rabbit -Pic by Beatrix Potter www.canberratheatre.org.au)
(Passover -Pic by http://maryblackchurch.heroindiaries.com)
(Easter Greeting -Pic by www.chez-nous.com)

COMPUTER PROBLEMS!

I'm sorry to have been silent lately, but I've been facing serious computer problems (crash)!

I'll be back very soon with lots of recipes and stuff, I promise...

Cheers,

Rosa