Monthly Archives: June 2014

Birthday trip

Hello my dear readers!

 I’ve been away from the blogging for some time, but I had a serious reason – it was by birthday and …  birthday trip!
 My beloved husband made me surprise and we went to Morocco. I can’t even describe how excited I was! Long time ago I watched one TV-series, where the main character lived for some time in Morocco and some action happened there also, and I had a great desire to visit this amazing country since then.
 Morocco had always seemed mysterious country to me, the country from cartoon Alla-din and the book ‘1000 and 1 night’..
The reality and impression about this place exceeded all my expectations. Magical places like Medina and various Souqs all over the major cities, the unique ambiance and atmosphere made Morocco indeed a one of its kind and worth to visit and see. I have got some pictures from the trip and going to share them with you very soon.
Rabat

Syrniki

 Syrniki are fried pancakes, which are made from cottage cheese and traditionally garnished with a sour cream. They are very popular and widely-cooked not only in Russia, also in Ukraine, Belarus and Poland. The word ‘syrniki’ is derived from Russian word ‘syr’ which means cheese.
 The main ingredients are cottage cheese, flour, eggs, sugar, sometimes raisins and vanilla. Commonly syrniki are eaten for freakfast, but could be served as a dessert.
 You can find a great variety of syrniki recipes, in one you should add one egg, in another three, in third just few spoons of flour or semolina flour, and etc. Finally, it doesn’t matter which recipe you’re using, just adjust it to suit your own taste.
TIPS:
Flour and sugar. One adds only few tablespoons of flour, in such option, might be difficult to shape syrniki and turn them over during frying, as they will be soft, but at the same time tender and creamy. Amount of sugar is totally depends on your preferences.
Filling. Raisins and vanilla are most popular ingredients for the syrniki filling, but you can go further – add cinnamon, dried apricots, plums or cherries, lemon or orange zest.
Dressing. Sour cream, jam and sweet condensed milk are the most favourite toppings for syrniki. If you neither like the one nor the other, make berry or chocolate sauce, or just dust it with icing sugar, or pour over some honey, add dulce de leche…
Syrniki-2
You can fry syrniki on a moderate heat in a frying pan for 5 minutes on each site or until golden-brown (using few tablespoons of sunflower oil). I propose you the recipe of an oven-baked syrniki, which is much better and healthier, as you don’t need to use oil.

Russian Syrniki

  • Servings: 3-4
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print
Ingredients:
Cottage cheese, 500g
Eggs, 2
Sugar, 2-4 Tbsp
Flour, 50-80g
a pinch of salt
Semolina, 2 Tbsp
Vanilla sugar or extract, 1 tsp, optional
Raisins/sultanas, 50g
Preparation:
  1. In a small bowl or mug, put raisins, cover with warm water and let it soak, meanwhile you do all below steps. Optionally, you can add a tablespoon of cognac, brandy or rum along with water for an extra flavor. Then pour the water out and wipe raisins.
  2. In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugar and vanilla together and beat well until pale color (use hand whisk or electric mixer).
  3. Add flour, semolina, salt, raisins, and combine well.
  4. Shape beautiful syrniki -about 5cm/2inch in diameter and 1cm/0.5inch wide.
  5. Arrange syrniki on a greased baking tray and bake in preheated 200C/400F oven for 20-25 minutes or until nice golden color.
  6. Serve warm with a dollop of sour cream.
  7. You can keep all remaining syrniki in a fridge, and reheat them next morning.

Syrniki are so delicious that I could eat them every other morning. Cooking of syrniki is highly recommended as alternative to regular pancakes! 🙂

Enjoy! ❤

Syrniki-1

Syrniki-4

Mini Appetizer: Goat Cheese Balls

 Goat cheese must be the most controversial cheese. One does like it, another hate. What about you, dear reader? Do you like goat cheese or its odour is too pungent for you?
 Whatever you goat cheese stance, I suggest you to try it! May be you will find you earthreal cheese! 🙂
 I couldn’t find a good goat cheese, when I lived in Russia, there was no any variety even in supermarkets. You could find the goat milk, which was sold by farmers in the countryside, but usually only milk, they didn’t produce any goat cheese. There were plenty of soft and hard farmer cheeses but made from cow milk. Thus many people haven’t try goat cheese. Of course the situation has changed now.
 I was amazed how many goat cheeses are sold in Dubai: fresh, soft and creamy, aged, etc, which are brought here from Europe (usually from France).
 Once I watch a food-show and chef made a salad with mini cheese balls, covered with parsley. I liked the idea.. After several days  I created my own appetizer to impress my guests.
 It looks like a gourmet appetizer, and it’s certainly good if you don’t want to hang around the kitchen for hours. 😉
Goat cheese starter

Mini Appetizer: Goat Cheese Balls

  • Servings: 5-6
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print
If you want to make it ahead of time, you can roll the balls and roast beetroots 1 to 2 days beforehand.
Ingredients:
150g soft goat cheese (I used honey-flavoured)
1 Tbsp cream cheese
a pinch of sea salt
1/3 tsp white or pink pepper, freshly ground
1-3 Tbsp walnuts, finely chopped
1-3 Tbsp fresh thyme, sage, flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1-2 small beetroots
1-2 small tomatoes
Dressing:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp wholegrain mustard
1/2 tsp liquid honey
Method:
  1. Wash and clean beets, cover with a foil and bake in preheated oven 200C/400F for 30-45 minutes, depends on the beets’ size.
  2. Cut the beets and tomatoes into equal circles, and arrange them on a serving plate.
  3. In a bowl combine goat and cream cheeses along with salt, pepper and walnuts. Spoon cheese mixture and form into balls (you can use table or teaspoon, depends on a size of your choice).
  4. Gentle roll the balls in herb mixture, coating well. Place onto vegetables.
  5. Serve immediately (with fresh arugula or young chard leaves, if desired), or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
  6. Optionally, you can make a dressing and pour over cheese balls and salad.
TIP: You can add 1-2 fresh or dried finely chopped figs into the cheese mixture.
I’m bringing this dish over to FF tonight! Hopefully, someone has brought a good bottle of wine.. 😉 And don’t forget to bring the good mood to the party!
 ENJOY!

Chocolate Cake with mascarpone cream

 I do like sponge cakes, they are easy, simple and scrumptious! 😀 This one is absolutely worth making, the base is flavoured with coffee and chocolate, which can be your favourite – dark, milk or cherry-flavoured, for en extra twist add vanilla. You can use only mascarpone for the cream, add cherries or some ganache into the filling. The possibilities are endless!
What can I say about the cake. A light, moist sponge bursting with juicy strawberries and a creamy filling – a perfect teatime treat! 😉
Choco_pie-2

Chocolate cake with mascarpone cream


 If you’re not coffee-lover just leave it out, and replace with water or juice. 
Ingredients for 20cm/8inch round cake pan
CAKE:
4 eggs, yolks and whites separated, at room temperature
100g white sugar (you can add 150-200g to suit your taste)
150g self-raising flour
pinch of salt
2 Tbsp non-sweeten cacao
3 Tbsp dark chocolate, chopped finely-almost powdered
40ml/2 Tbsp coffee, brewed and chilled (or coffee/chocolate liquor/amaretto)
1 tsp vanilla extract, optionally
50ml olive or sunflower oil
30ml/ 1 1/2 Tbsp water, cold
1/2 tsp lemon juice
CREAM:
120g whipping cream
50g icing sugar
80g mascarpone
50g hazelnuts or/and almonds, chopped finely 
30-50g chocolate, strawberry-flavoured/dark or milk
100g strawberries, chopped, optionally 
GANACHE:
100g dark chocolate, chopped coarsely
80-100ml cream, double or 20-30%
  1. Preheat oven to 355°F / 180°C. Butter cake pan, line it with baking paper and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients except for the sugar.
  3. In a small bowl, beat egg yolks with sugar until the mixture is pale. Add oil, coffee, water and stir well. Set aside.
  4. Incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry.
  5. Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt and lemon juice until soft peaks form.
  6. Slowly incorporate egg whites into batter until just combined.
  7. Pour into your greased dish and bake for 34-45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Coll completely. Cut cake into two layers.
  8. To make the cream, whip the cream and icing sugar for 3-4 minutes or until foamy (Be careful! Don’t overbeat!). Add mascarpone, chocolate and nuts, and combine. Optionally, you can stir in some fresh berries.
  9. Spread the cream evenly over one cake layer, top with the second one.
  10. To make the chocolate ganache, bring cream to the boil in small saucepan. Remove from the heat. Add the chocolate and stir until smooth.
  11. Spread the ganache over the cake, decorate with berries or chocolate.
  12. Refrigerate cake 3-4 hours or overnight before serving. 

Enjoy the cake! 🙂

Choco_pie-1

Blog at WordPress.com.