gooseberry relish
(by Yotam Ottolenghi)
750g gooseberries or plums
180g sugar
1/2 orange (rind shaved in strips)
10g fresh root ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
1 cinnamon stick
Place the gooseberries, the sugar, the orange rind, ginger and cinnamon in a sauce pan and cook on medium-low heat for roughly 30 minutes, until a semi thick compote consistency has formed. Set aside to cool.
Enjoy with pancakes or waffles and whipped cream!
peach and lavender tart
4-6 peaches, stones removed and sliced
1-2 teaspoons lavender, fresh or dried
for the dough:
250g tart dough with almonds
for the icing:
50g icing sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Preheat oven to 190C.
Roll out the dough and fit it into the base and up the sides of your tart pan. Arrange the peach slices in a fan shape, slightly overlapping. Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes, until the rims turn golden brown.
While the tart is baking, make the icing. Whisk together the icing sugar and the lemon juice to get a light, pourable icing.
As soon as the tart comes out of the oven, brush the icing on top. Sprinkle over the lavender blossoms and leave to cool.
A Little Book of Language
David Crystal
food for thought
Phillip Day
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Der Pfau
Isabel Bogdan
The Power of Glamour
Virginia Postrel
Die Auferstehung
Karl-Heinz Ott
Selbstporträt
Helene Beltracchi und Wolfgang Beltracchi
11/22/63
Stephen King
photo by Casey Ho
There are days to be more sensible about the food we eat and days to indulge. Like everything – it’s all about balance. I made this tart for a Birthday party and it was split between many guests, which made it a sweet little treat with coffee.
Tarte au Chocolat et Crème Brûlée au Café
for the dough:
250g tart dough with almonds
for the crème brûlée au café:
500g cream
20g instant coffee powder
50g sugar
4 egg yolks
for the ganache au chocolat:
400g cream
350g dark chocolate
70g butter
for the nougatine au café:
100g soft butter
10g instant coffee powder
100g sugar
100g ground or chopped almonds
Preheat oven to 160°C.
Roll out the dough and fit it into the bas e and up the sides of your tart pan. Bake it for 15 minutes.
For the crème brûlée heat the cream in a sauce pan and add the coffee powder. In a bowl beat the egg yolks and the sugar, add the cream. Pour onto the tart bottom and bake it for 20 minutes. Let it cool down.
For the ganache au chocolat bring the cream to a boil. Remove it from the heat and add the chocolate broken into pieces. Stir the chocolate in and add the soft butter. Combine well. Pour the mixture onto the cold tart and let it cool down.
For the nougatine combine butter, sugar and coffee with an electric mixer. Finally add the ground or chopped almonds. Spread the mixture on a baking paper and put it into the oven until it turns brown. Let it cool down. Break the cold nougatine and decorate the tart.
Matcha literally means “powdered tea.” In Japan, originally it has been used to aid in the practice of meditation. Matcha is rich in a rare amino acid known as L-Theanine, which creates alpha waves in the brain – a state of relaxed alertness. This is about focus and attentiveness without the side effects of being over-caffeinated.
Another health benefit comes from a potent antioxidant called Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg) that exists in quantities up to 20 times that of other antioxidant-rich food.
Finally, matcha helps to lose weight as it increases the body’s at-rest metabolism.
matcha almond smoothie (basic recipe)
1 cup almond milk
2 teaspoons matcha powder
1 ripe banana, fresh or frozen
extra ingredients
2 dates or
1 tablespoon maple syrup (for additionaI sweetness)
1 peach (pairs perfectly with the flavours of matcha and banana)
a handful of spinach ( even more healthy and not bad at all)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (for additional sweetness and flavour)
Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.
foods that cleanse
lettuce, avocado and roasted nori salad
1 firm but ripe avocado
6 leaves lettuce
1 tablespoon finely cut roasted nori
for the vinaigrette:
1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
a pinch of freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons olive oil
Chop romaine lettuce and place on a plate. Slice avocado in bite-size pieces and arrange on the lettuce. Sprinkle with seaweed.
In a small bowl combine the ingredients for the vinaigrette and whisk until well blended.
Sprinkle a small amount of the vinaigrette on top of the salad. Enjoy!
You will have some dressing left over. Keep it in the fridge and enjoy another salad tomorrow!
Be prepared for a big luxury chocolate bomb! Again inspired by patissier Eric Kayser’s Tartes et Gourmandises. I must confess, I changed two minor details of the original chocolate filling: 200g sugar to no sugar and 500ml cream to 50ml cream instead. It’s still an indulgence, promised!
If someone is brave enough to try the original recipe let me know in the comments..
Tarte au Chocolat Noir et aux Noisettes
for the dough:
250g tart dough with almonds
for the chocolate filling:
50ml cream
100g butter
200g dark chocolate ( 85%)
200g milk chocolate (37%)
4 eggs
2 egg yolks
60g hazelnuts, chopped and roasted
chocolate topping:
150g cream
100g dark chocolate
Preheat the oven to 160°C.
Roll out the dough and fit it into the base and up the sides of your tart pan. Bake it for 20 minutes.
Melt the two chocolates, the butter and the cream in a bain-marie. Let it cool down to tepid. With an electric mixer beat in the eggs one by one, then add the egg yolks. Pour the mixture onto the baked tart base and bake for another 10 minutes.
For the topping melt the dark chocolate and the cream in a bain-marie and pour it onto the baked chocolate filling. Let it cool. Finally spread the hazelnuts on top.
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Oikos Nannion by Elous Telma. A captivating thriller on marine biology released in chapters. Elous Telma is a Greek scientist who spends some of his leisure time writing for pleasure and relaxation.
homemade granola
2 handful almonds
1 large handful dried mulberries (or dried apricots)
1 tablespoon coconut oil
8 Medjool dates
1 large handful dried goji berries
2 tablespoons honey
100g mixed seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
100g rolled oats
100ml water
Remove stones and hard ends from the dates and chop each into quarters. Place in a container along with the dried goji berries (if they are very dry and hard). Cover with the water leaving overnight or for a minimum of 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 150°C. Place the dates, the goji berries and the water in a mixing bowl. Coarsely chop the almonds and add them to the mixing bowl along with the mulberries, mixed seeds, oats and nutmeg. Gently combine.
Put the coconut oil and honey on a baking tray and place in the oven for 1 minute. Pour the granola mixture onto the baking tray, distribute evenly and and bake for 40 minutes, stirring part way through. Remove from the oven, allow to cool and store in an airtight container.
Best served with banana seed or almond milk.
mixed seed milk
1 tablespoon honey (or vegan sweetener)
100g mixed seeds
1 pinch Himalayan salt
200ml tap water
800ml filtered water
Soak the seeds in the tap water overnight or for a minimum of 6 hours.
Pour away the water and rinse the seeds. Place the seeds, filtered water, salt and honey into a blender and blend for 1-2 minutes. Pour the blended seed mixture through either a nut milk bag or a sieve and discard the pulp.
The seed milk will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Both recipes you find in Jason Vale’s app Super Fast Food.
Here’s how to make almond milk .
