A year in photographs and dishes

 We're in the last month of the year. It's been a year full of joy for me, in recognition as  professional in photography, as well as related to blog projects, and also a mention in Saveur magazine  which I am very proud.

I am nearly reaching a thousand regular readers and 8 thousand visitors a month. I'm very happy with your constant comments that greatly encourage me.

Piña colada to relax

Thanks all of you for this wonderful year.

And as Christmas and New Year are coming I have a suggestion  for you, these fresh strawberries and cherries squares may well be part of your Christmas table. They are delicious !!

Have a wonderful week

Ingredientes 200 g butter 40g almond meal 140g sugar 1 teaspoon almond extract 250g flour 1 pinch of salt 1 / 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 / 2 teaspoon baking soda Filling 1 cup jam or jelly berries 3 tablespoons water 1 cup chopped cherries 1/2 cup chopped strawberries Topping 200g almond paste 1 / 2 cup sliced ​​almonds ! cup of crust mass

Method: Combine jam with the water  mix well and reserve Preheat oven to 160° C Beat the butter with the sugar and almond flour until  had a creamy consistency  Add the essence and flour, mixed with baking powder, salt and baking soda.Mix well Reserve a cup of this mixture to topping Put the remaining dough into a rectangular pan (30 X 40 cm). Cover with softened jam.and sprinkle with the chopped berries Topping Put the content of the reserved cup in a bowl and mix with almond paste, half the almonds and a tablespoon of flour. Work the mixture well with your fingertips until a crumbly mixture Cover with the mixture above the previous preparation in small portions. Top with remaining almonds. Leave to the oven for 25 minutes. Cool and cut into bars Makes about 20 pieces

Chicken lemon with caramelized onions and an apple galette

Last week we had the pleasure of receiving a very special friend in our home .

A highly educated person  who likes art and aesthetics; he also loves gastronomy like me. He´s the kind of person who you spend hours talking and not even notice how the time goes on. The  evening was very nice in every ways.

Not knowing his tastes I decided to do something simple, with hints of country and nature. I cooked chicken with lemon , rosemary and wine with caramelized chives for the main dish.

I also cooked roasted potatoes  with mustard, honey and garlic, and a simple salad of cherry tomatoes, watercress and quail eggs.



I couldn´t take photos to the desert because there wasn´t any piece of it left, so I baked this apple galette to compensate. I hope you enjoy it and have a nice week

Ingredients 6 legs and thighs  boneless cuts to the middle 2 lemon juice 1 or two lemons sliced 1 l chicken broth 1 glass withe wine 1 grated onion 1 grated garlic clove 5 Tbsp olive oil 1 jar of canned onions or shallots Rosemary

Method:  In a large bowl place the wine, chicken stock, lemon juice, grated onion and garlic crumbs. Soak the chicken pieces. Cover with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for 4 hours or more. Put five tablespoons of oil in a large skillet and brown chicken on both sides. Remove and place in a roasting pan and place each piece of chicken with a slice of lemon over each piece and above a sprig of rosemary. Remove shallots vinegar, put them in a pan and sprinkled with sugar. Bring to a simmer to caramelize Remove the onions and put alongside. Fill the pan with  the marinade and bring to the oven for 45 minutes .

                                      Apple cardamom galette

Ingredients 225g flour 40g corn flour for polenta 140g of sugar 1 pinch of salt 125 g cold butter cut into cubes 2 tablespoons of cornstarch filling 4 Red Delicious apples, thinly sliced Juice of one lemon 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1 teaspoon ground cardamom or cardamom powder 1 beaten egg yolk for brushing

Method: Put sliced ​​apples in a large bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice Mix flour, salt, polenta, and corn starch Add the butter and mix until  have crumbs.Mix with two Tbsp ice water or more if necessary. Mix well Open the dough and cut out a circle of 34 cm in diameter and sprinkle with sugar. Remove the apple from lemon juice  Sprinkle with sugar, cornstarch and cardamom. Condition apples in half, leaving a distance of 5 cm from the edge. Lift the edges over apples   Put the galette with  the help of large spatula  on a pan dusted with cornmeal and brush the dough with the beaten egg Bake for 45 to 55 minutos.O until browned. Makes 6 servings

Walnut cake and a look into the country side

It was rainy last week, and only on Thursday the sun finally appeared. As my husband took a week off, we walked and ate out. So, I barely cooked.

On Saturday we were finally able to go to San Pedro, a trip that we had planned since the last week, but it was postponed because of the rain.

Before arriving to San Pedro we stopped at La Campiña in the country side. It´s an orange plantation, there are also other fruits and a small orchard. It belongs to a couple of TV news presenters, now retired.

The place is opened to the public every weekend with guided tours through the grove and orchard. It has also a very nice restaurant and a small shop that sells homemade marmalade, different kind of cheese and obviously boxes of oranges.

So, when we arrived we felt surrounded by the scent of orange blossom. It was a beautiful  sensation, it  was  a very interesting trip that we hope to repeat.

As I did not cook, I had only time to bake a cake, in fact, it is my favorite cake Walnuts,  filled with coconut milk, eggs and a topping with Italian meringue.

I made a half recipe, very tinny, just to give us  a bit of sugar. I hope you like it.

Have a wonderful week 

     
    Meringue walnut cake with coconut milk 
              and eggs filling 

Ingredients 12 eggs 500 g of sugar 6 tablespoons  bread crumbs 500 g ground walnuts For the filling 150 g of sugar 200 ml coconut milk 5 egg yolks 1 teaspoon  powdered cinnamon  For icing 2 cups sugar 1 cup water 3 egg whites whipped

Method: Preheat oven to 160 ° C Grease a round spring form and sprinkle with flour Separate the whites from the yolks. Put egg whites in a mixer and beat until foaming. Add sugar and continue beating until soft peaks form. Continue beating and put the egg yolks one at a time. Remove from mixer Mix bread crumbs with nuts and gently mix with the whipped eggs,stir thoroughly. Put the batten on the spring form  and keep the oven for 45 minutes, or until inserting a stick in the middle of the cake comes out clean Filling.   Make a syrup  with coconut milk and sugar until thick Remove from heat and allow to cool - when cold add the yolks passed through a sieve and mix well (that way take out the skin covering the yolk and take out the strong taste). Take again over medium heat until thickened, stirring always  Icing Make a syrup with water and sugar to the point of thread While the syrup is made beat the egg whites. Clear the hot syrup in thread and while whisking continuously. Beat until the bowl touching be cold Unmold the cake and cut to half  fill and put the icing Makes 12 servings

Patagonic fruit jam and almond paste bars

This weekend was a holiday. We had planned to go to San Pedro and visit a fruit farmer and  handmade jellies, preserves and dulce de leche. But the weather did not help us and we had to delay our visit for the day that the sun is on our side.

Still wanting to have some berries around, I got the idea to  bake some bars for breakfast. And, at least they could brighten the grey day. Baking them is always funny, fast and easy.

Last week I made macarons to give  as a gift to someone very loved for us and who I had promised them. I had a little extra almond flour  and to take advantage, I added it to the recipe, but it can perfectly be used just with sugar.

I also made a mix of red fruit's leftover  jelly  and mix all of them. A little of elderberry jelly, blackberries and raspberries.


I have to say that the mixture was very good, a fresh touch for an almond paste with a bit reminiscent of the taste of amarettis.

I hope you like today's suggestion and have a great week.

Ingredientes 200 g butter 40g almond meal 140g sugar 1 teaspoon almond extract 250g flour 1 pinch of salt 1 / 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 / 2 teaspoon baking soda Filling 1 cup jam or jelly berries 3 tablespoons water Topping 200g almond paste 1 / 2 cup sliced ​​almonds ! cup of crust mass

Method: Combine jam with the water  mix well and reserve Preheat oven to 160° C Beat the butter with the sugar and almond flour until  had a creamy consistency  Add the essence and flour, mixed with baking powder, salt and baking soda.Mix well Reserve a cup of this mixture to topping Put the remaining dough into a rectangular pan (30 X 40 cm). Cover with softened jam. Topping Put the content of the reserved cup in a bowl and mix with almond paste, half the almonds and a tablespoon of flour. Work the mixture well with your fingertips until a crumbly mixture Cover with the mixture above the previous preparation in small portions. Top with remaining almonds. Leave to the oven for 25 minutes. Cool and cut into bars Makes about 20 pieces

Spring muffins

And finally is coming. In a few days will be official :The begging of the Spring. The most colorful season of the year is almost, almost there. Yes!

And I  think in something sweet and colorful to mark its arrival. Something that I could remember the late winter and early spring. What better than chocolate and strawberries

It will be great to walk outside again, making pic nics in the field. and to have the house and garden full of flowers.
Not to mention that there are many more varieties of fruits and vegetables.

Chocolate muffins filled with strawberry and white chocolate

 But it's still fresh in the morning, always good to have something a little more heat to start the day with energy.

These muffins are delicious, a perfect combination of warmth with the freshness of the strawberries.

Hope you like and have a wonderful week

  

Ingredients 220g flour 25 g cocoa powder 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 / 2 teaspoon baking soda. 100g white chocolate chips 100g strawberries, washed and diced 2 large eggs, beaten 300ml sour cream 85 g demerara sugar 85 g melted butter

Method: Place 12 paper ramekins muffin on a pan. Spray  each ramekins with  butter spray  Preheat oven to 200 ° C In a bowl mix all dry ingredients. In another mix beaten eggs with sour cream and melted butter Add the liquid mixture to dry mixture and mix just should result in a lumpy batten. Put half the dough into the molds,  Then add the strawberries and place the remaining dough to make one quart mold. Take to the oven for 20 minutes, or until they have risen and are cooked,  orinsert a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool on rack or serve warm

Great flavors

 I bough the first freesias of the season. Were so cute and colorful that I have to share with you. Freesias are a clear sign that spring is very close

It is no secret to you, my preference for sour tastes. One of my  favorite combinations is combine a sour taste with chocolate
 I love strawberries with chocolate, lemon and passion fruit with chocolate too

After getting a passion fruit, which itself is not an easy task here, expected to mature, and finally
I could give the pleasure of drinking its delicious juice and  also made passion fruit mousse, one of my favorites, for its freshness.

With the mousse  leftovers I bake ​​a chocolate cake using this recipe and I put the mousse as a icing, which is the same recipe that you used for any fruit mousse. The only different thing to do is put the seeds of passion fruit in the blender with a little water and strain.

Another flavor I like, and much, is ginger, I use it a lot, both sweet and savory in. I have wanted to make some gingersnaps, which I tried on my very first time  in London. These are quite similar and are super easy to make

Hope you like it as much as we liked  here at home. Have a wonderful week.

Ingredients 350g flour 200g caster sugar 1 tablespoon ground ginger 1 teaspoon grated ginger 1 teaspoon baking soda 125 g butter 75 g corn syrup (Karo) 1 egg, beaten

Method: Line a flat pan and heat the oven In a bowl mix flour icing sugar, ginger and baking soda In a saucepan put the kero and butter, heat until butter is melted Add this mixture to the flour mixture to the beaten egg. Mix well Make small balls with pieces of dough and flatten Bake in oven at 160 ° C for 15 to 20 minutes. Makes 2 dozen medium cookies

Mousse milk chocolate cake

I love chocolate, but I do not eat much, because believe it or not, I vice, then  if I start, I want to eat more, especially if it is a chocolate bar.

But, in cakes the effect is not the same and I can eat a slice without having the need to eat another one.
 My dearest friend  Sil  from Sao Paulo who always bake these cake for her brthday's husband,
 I have to say beside being an engineer is an wonderful  cook and a dear friend that hold  me from my 20 years.

I miss them, though I saw less than six months.

Besides the cake I made a broccoli and cauliflower gratin, which had much success on my birthday. Super easy.

Just cook steamed vegetables, put them in a baking dish, cover with cream salt, pepper and grated Parmesan

Is a good wildcar as side dish for meat or fish.

I prepare these if I'm not eager to stay hours in the kitchen preparing complicated dishes.

Broccoli & cauliflower gratin 

Now, returning to the cake. The other day, visiting my in-laws, I found a small store who sells only  chocolates Fenix and  gourmet Fenix's ​​Salgado

  Phoenix was the first good brand of chocolate that I found when arrive here and always use in my recipes when I find it,So, now I'm not going to have more problems.

This cake and the gratin to accompany a bondiola with honey and rosemary was that I prepared to last night dinner for a dear couple who came here.

I hope you enjoy and have a very good week.

  

Ingredients 90 g milk chocolate 45g butter 2 eggs yolk 1/2 cup of sugar 2 eggs white 1/4 cup of sugar

Method: Melt chocolate with butter in double boiler Beat the egg yolks with sugar also in double boiler until warm. Remove from heat and continue beating until light and pale consistency. Beat egg whites with ¼ cup remaining sugar in double boiler until warm, remove continue beating until form firm peaks  Add the chocolate with the butter to the yolk mixture   Finally add the beaten egg whites and mix gently Grease a springform pan (18 cm in diameter) and put the mixture Bring to a medium oven for 20 minutes  Allow to Cool  Serves 4