Coconut Macaroons / Kokosmakronen

These are very easy to prepare and are delicious...

Ingredients

3 egg whites
80 g of sugar
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
175 g grated coconut

Method

Beat the egg whites until very stiff. Gradually add the sugar, then stir in the lemon juice. In the end gently fold in the shredded coconut.

Use 2 teaspoons to put small heaps of the mass on a baking tray. I always use baking paper to line the tray.
Then place the macaroons in the preheated oven at 150 ° C. Bake for about 20 minutes. They should only get slightly brown.
After they are done, just let them cool down for a little while and...... enjoy!

And another great thing is, if you know someone who needs to avoid gluten, this is a perfect Christmas treat.....

Zucchini/ Courgettes and Feta Cake

About a couple of years ago I found a cookbook by Sophie Dudemaine “Sweet and Savoury Loaves” and really loved the concept.

Easy prepared cakes looking good and tasting even better…..

Here I found a cake made with Zucchini and adapted the recipe a bit to my liking.

Ingredients:

150g flour

1 sachet or 2 tbsp baking powder

3 eggs

80ml oil

125ml milk

½ tsp salt

½ freshly ground pepper

100g grated Cheese (a mature cheese would be great fro that, something like a Gruyere)

200g Feta Cheese, cut into cubes

1-2 Zucchini, cut into cubes

Method:

Thoroughly mix the flour with baking powder, eggs, oil, milk, salt and pepper.

Add the grated cheese, Feta and Zucchini.

Mix everything until well combined.

Use a non-greased loaf form.

Preheat the oven on 180°C and bake the cake for 45 minutes, until crispy brown and golden.

Gourmet Hot Dog with Sticky Onions and a Basil and Crème Fraîche Dressing

One of the magazines that I frequently read is the South African Food& Home Entertaining.....
Great recipes and wonderful photos.

Have a look here for their Homepage

In the most recent issue I found a recipe for a Gourmet Hot Dog and, looking for an idea for dinner, I instantly decided that I would love to give it a try.

Ingredients

4 Hot Dog Rolls
4 Hot Dog Saussages

Sticky Onions

3 Red Onions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp Brown soft sugar
1 tbsp  Honey
1tbsp dried Chilli Flakes
oil to fry the onions
Salt, freshly ground Black Pepper

Basil Crème fraîche Dressing

150g Crème fraîche
50g Basil leaves
a squeeze of Lemon juice
1tbsp Olive Oil
Salt, freshly ground Black Pepper 

Method

Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying

pan over high heat.

Add the onions, sugar, honey, dried

chilli flakes and seasoning. Lower the

heat and slowly cook the onions until

they are soft and sticky, about 20 minutes.

Remove from the heat and set aside.

For the basil Crème fraîche dressing,

put the Crème fraîche, olive oil, lemon juice

basil leaves and seasoning in a blender and blitz until the

basil has been incorporated.

Adjust the seasoning and set aside.

Heat a griddle pan over high heat and

grill the saussages for 5 minutes.

To serve, place a frankfurter in a

crispy heated roll, add a spoonful of

sweet and spicy onions and a good

dollop of basil Crème fraîche dressing.

Cheese and Onion Muffins

This is a recipe that is always a hit....
Easy to prepare and very versatile.
Add some crispy fried bacon or chopped olives, or...
Just use your imagination!

Ingredients for a 12 Muffin tin

190g flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ tsp salt
3 tablespoons onion, chopped
¼ teaspoon garlic, chopped
125 g of cheese, grated
60 ml of oil (corn oil or sunflower oil)
300 g butter milk
50 g cheese, grated, for sprinkling
fat for the form

Preheat the oven to 180 ° C. Grease the muffin tin.

Mix the dry ingredients – means the flour, baking powder, salt, onions, garlic and cheese - mix thoroughly.

Whisk the egg. Add the oil and buttermilk and mix well. Finally add the dry ingredients and gently fold in until they are moist.

Then fill the dough into the wells of the tin and sprinkle each muffin with some grated cheese.

Put in the hot oven and bake on middle rack for about 20-25 minutes.

Spring is in the air...

....a sure sign.... you are able to buy those delicious Asparagus everywhere.
I am always looking forward to that time of the year.
It means that winter has finally come to an end!



One of my favourite recipe

Asparagus Tartlets

Easy to made and yummy :-D

Ingredients for 2 servings

4 tartlet baking forms
ready made puff pastry
300g Crème fraiche or sour creme (without herbs! )
80g grated cheese
20g grated Parmesan
salt, pepper
2 eggs
12 pieces of Asparagus

Method

Line the tartlet baking forms with the puff pastry.
Mix the Crème fraiche with the eggs, the grated cheese, season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Preheat the oven at 200°C.
Cook the Asparagus for 5 minutes in salted water.
Use the tips of the Asparagus ( I use the rest for a salad the next day ....)

Fill the baking form with the mixture, place three tips of the Asparagus on top of each.
Place the forms in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Enjoy warm or cold!

From the oven: Tomatoes, Feta, Rosemary and Olive Oil

This title nearly says it all.
A very simple yet tasty weekday recipe.





Ingredients:

1 Person

5-6 cocktail tomatoes
100 g Feta cheese
1-2 tablespoons of good olive oil
1 twig of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Cut the tomatoes in half. Crumble the feta with your hands. Put altogether in a small overproof dish ( I use Tapas bowls), sprinkle generously with olive oil, black pepper and chopped rosemary. If you use salt, be careful the Feta is already quite salty.
Preheat the oven on 200°C and place the dish in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the tomatoes and Feta are soft.

Enjoy still warm with a piece of baguette.

Apple Focaccia

This is an easy to prepare and tasty recipe.
At first I thought: Sweet Focaccia?!....
But no, it's not sweet and the fresh Oregano adds that certain something.

Ingredients:

250 g flour
dry yeast
salt
5 tablespoons of olive oil
1-2 tart apples
3 tablespoons lemon juice
180g chanterelles or porcini or button mushroom
2 red onions (about 150g)
100g grated mature sheep's or cow's milk cheese
40g butter
salt
pepper
3-4 stalks fresh oregano

Method:

Mix the flour with 100ml water and the dried yeast. Add some salt and olive oil. Knead dough until smooth . Cover and let rise in a warm place, until the dough has doubled its volume.
Cut the apple into quarters and remove seeds. Divide it then into 12 equal pieces and sprinkle with lemon juice. Now cut the onions in half and split into 1/2- 1 cm pieces. Grade the cheese.
Heat the butter in a pan. Fry mushrooms and onions short on high heat, season with salt and pepper.
Roll out the dough into a rectangle about 40x30 cm .Place it on a baking tray and cover evenly with apple, onion and mushrooms.Sprinkle with cheese.
Preheat the oven, and bake on the lowest rail at 240 degrees Celsius (gas 4-5) for 10-15.
Remove from oven and sprinkle with plucked off oregano leaves.
Season with salt and pepper.

Ready!

Tomato Butter

A friend of mine gave me this recipe.
Tomato Butter, really easy to make and always a hit, whether eaten at a brunch or prepared for a party....

Ingredients:

250g butter
80 g tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon stock (chicken or vegetable)
2 garlic cloves
parsley
chives
Pepper
Salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika sweet
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon mild curry

Method:

Mix all ingredients well.
It's easier using butter at room temperature.
Serve with fresh baguette, focaccia, steak, etc....

Homemade Focaccia Bread

Bread is wonderful.
I love to eat it with a soup, a salad or to soak up a delicious sauce of a pot roast.
Finding a great bread is not that easy at all.
That is why I was so delighted to discover an easy to follow recipe for a Focaccia bread in the Basic Baking Cookbook and changed it to my liking.



I love my Focaccia with herbs and Olives.
Some of the Olives I use finely chopped for the dough and some of them whole on top of the bread.





It is not easy to safe the bread for the salad when you experience the smell the time it comes right from the oven.
By the way a salad is not necessarily needed.
A glass of Red, some really good Olive Oil and Fleur du Sel is well enough fo a nice evening....




Ingredients:

500 g Flour
1 tablespoon Salt
6 tablespoons Olive Oil
½ cube (ca. 21 g) of fresh Yeast or dry Yeast (preparation as shown on sachet)
some Rosemary twigs (4-5)
black Olives

Method:

Preheat the oven on 240°C

Mix the flour, salt and oil in a large bowl. Resolve the yeast in 250 ml warm water. Add it to the bowl and mix it well with the other ingredients.
Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for about 1 hour in a warm place without draught.
Now is the right time to knead in the rosemary and chopped olives.

Brush a baking plate with some olive oil,alternatively baking paper. Place the dough on the plate and spread out the dough until it is 1 cm thick.
Prick the dough several times with a fork .
Cover the dough again for another 20 minutes, and let it rise a second time.

The more patient you are the better the bread gets.

Sprinkle the dough with a bit of oil and some coarse sea salt. Press in the olives and bake for about 20 minutes.

You can add anything to the bread just as you wish.
Just keep in mind that the additional ingredients should not be too moist and only mix in the extra goodies after the first 1 hour, not right from the beginning!!!

I already tried it with rosemary, garlic, olives and roasted pine nuts; sundried tomatoes, garlic and thyme, or onions, bacon and roasted pine nuts.