Terrace Heart Biscuits

21. December 2012
by troutandhawk
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Cakes + Cookies

My dear friend Mela sent me a recipe of her grandmother and a picture of herself (cute!) as an extra feature for this blog! I was so excited about the submission so I felt rather guilty for taking so long with the actualization of the blog post! Mela, I finally baked the terrace heart biscuits, so what do you think?

I must say, they were fingerlicking good!

 

The recipe (as seen above):

120g sugar
250g butter
peel of one lemon
1/2 vanilla pod
a pinch of salt
1 egg yolk
400g flour
some tablespoons of jam, I took raspberry because of the nice red colour, although the original recipe requests apricot
icing sugar

Prepare a short crust working together the sugar, butter, lemon peel, the inside of the vanilla pod, egg yolk and flour.
Let it sit in the fridge for 1/2 an hour.
Roll out the pastry with a rolling pin and cut out the biscuits with a heart shaped cookie cutter.
Bake on a tray at 180°C for about 15 minutes (until the pastry turns slightly golden).
Assemble the hearts using the jam as glue and dust with icing sugar.

 

 

 

Bon Appetit! Enjoy the terrace hearts on your terrace or elsewhere… if your terrace is currently frozen to -5°C like mine, a little bonfire and some mulled wine (bah!) will help your toes to stay alive.

 

making Advent wreathes

1. December 2012
by troutandhawk
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It has already become a great tradition that the day before first Advent my closest friends and I get together to turn fresh pine green, ivy, box, holly and laurel into the most beautiful Advent wreathes.


We make wreathes for our doors, for the windows, for the childrens’ school and the typical wreathes with four candles to be lighted one more every Advent Sunday.

I’m horribly untalented in tying together the wreathes. My part rather consists in decorating. I love using the hot glue machine to stick on crab apples, nuts, pinecones and apples. I love choosing ribbons, drinking coffee, chatting around and eating Christiane’s freshly baked waffles….

If you are interested in the recipe,  I’d be happy to request it for you. The only thing I know is that they are made with cream instead of butter. Just sublime!


When everybody had gone I stayed a moment longer to continue chatting with Christiane and, you won’t believe it, while talking, my fingers all by themselves had made that sweet little heart from the last twigs remaining on the table.

potatoes in pink & purple, best together with Gremolata

24. November 2012
by troutandhawk
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Dinner / Lunch

Lately  my organic vegetable provider asked me if I wanted him to add some pink and purple potatoes to my weekly order. I immediately agreed because 1.) I always love to try something new and 2.) Sophie Calle’s chromatic diet in mind, two difficult colours suddenly seemed to come within reach.

But before throwing myself again into the sophisticated Fine Arts of monochromatic cooking I went for a very quick and simple potato lunch: oven roasted wedges with  Gremolata using the last fresh herbs from my garden: rosemary, thyme, parsley and summer savory.

 

My Gremolata
1/3 cup olive oil
the zest of a small lemon, grated
1/2 ts grated orange zest (optional)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 ts red pepper flakes
2 tbs parsley, chopped
1 ts fresh rosemary, chopped
1 ts fresh thyme
1ts fresh summer savory

Whisk together 1/3 cup olive oil and the herbs, zests, garlic and red pepper. Set aside for at least half an hour.

 

 

“Salad Blue” potatoes

 

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Cut the potatoes into wedges. Toss the potatoes with the gremolata and add salt and pepper to taste. Spread the wedges out on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes.

The result: delicious taste with an avant-garde look!

 

my resolution for this winter: the outdoor hour

18. November 2012
by troutandhawk
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the outdoor hour (n.) to spend one hour daily outside

It’s easy when the weather is nice and sunny like yesterday, but the deal I made with myself is one outdoor hour, no matter how ugly the weather will be.



Hm, and here we are, first doubts on my overhasty winter resolution are lurking…  Today’s sky has been hanging grey and wet giving a foretaste of the never ending frozen Saxonian winters.



Grandma’s Classics: Weincreme

5. November 2012
by troutandhawk
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Sweets

Another delicacy is Weincreme . Life in a wine growing region ( Grandma is from Heidelberg )  requires  a well stocked fridge with open bottles of wine, and desserts like “Weincreme”  belong to the traditional repertoire of any housewife.
In very special occasions (baptism, wedding, famous guests) Grandma even replaces Chantilly  by Weincreme to accompany her homemade apple cake.


Weincreme (Sabayon)

yields 4 servings

8 tbs sugar ( Grandma takes 4-6)
4 whole eggs
1 tbs cornflower (Maizena)
2 cups of white wine (Grandma takes 3/4l)
a slice of lemon to be cooked with

Now the most difficult part: all ingredients have to be beaten continuously on slow heat until close to  boiling.  For this task you need a good eye and your full attention. Actually it could be easier to use a bain-marie, but of course not for a cook with the experience of Grandma!  Weincreme is ready when it turns from liquid to creamy.

Pour in glasses and cool.

Grandma’s Classics: Schinkenhörnchen

28. October 2012
by troutandhawk
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Snacks

Today I’m going to introduce a new feature: Grandma’s Classics.

Grandma does not experiment in the kitchen. No potions, no asian, no magic ingredients. No no… she is most fond of the traditional German recipes, which have been passed on for centuries and never fail to please.

The lady in fire engine red is Grandma.

#1 Schinkenhörnchen

The tiny croissants hold a lot of butter, the ham gives the right amount of saltiness.
Grandma loves to offer them especially as a complementary snack with champagne.

for the dough:

250g flour
250g Quark (fromage frais/ curd)
300g butter
1 ts baking powder

for the filling:

250g cooked ham (chopped)
250g smoked ham (chopped)

for the finish: 1 egg

Knead the dough quickly with your hands and let it repose in the fridge for half an hour.
Roll out the dough thinly with a rolling pin, cut it in triangles, fill them with ham and fold them into tiny croissants. Beat the egg and brush the croissants with it.
Bake them in the oven at 180° until they turn golden.


 

 

 














We prepared the original recipe but our drink of choice yesterday was a blue Margarita rather  than  champagne.