Tag Archives: food and recipes

Whirls with poached figs, nuts and spices

The arrival of autumn brings with it the longing to bake more pies, cook rich and hearty dishes, like stews and endless cakes. Spices are an ideal way to add extra aroma to everyday dishes. Add a depth of flavour to your favorite bake and spice up cookies with sweet cinnamon, aromatic nutmeg or mildly-sweet allspice!

The aroma of these gorgeous cookies tells you that autumn season is in the air! Fill your home and heart with wonderful fragrance and warmth!

First, I poached dried figs in cognac and sugar, and only then I chopped them and add to the cookie dough. You can substitute alcohol with water. Store figs with liquid in the fridge. You can serve such figs over the yogurt or cereal, alongside cakes and pancakes, or even add to the roasted chicken or pork.

Whirls with poached figs, nuts and spices

Ingredients

Poached dried figs

150g dried figs, remove stems

100ml water

1 Tbsp brown sugar (or more, depends on your taste)

100ml cognac or brendy

Whirls/Cookies dough. Yield 8 pieces approx.

4 medium poached figs, finely chopped

20g mix of walnuts and hazelnuts, chopped

75g butter, room temperature

3Tbsp brown sugar

1 egg, at room temperature

3 Tbsp sour cream

180g plain flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

2 all spice berries, finely ground

1/3 tsp ground cinnamon

a good pinch of freshly grated nutmeg or 1/4 tsp powder

a pinch of salt

Instruction

Poached dried figs

In a small saucepan add water and figs, bring to boil on medium-high heat. Add sugar and cognac. Figs should be lightly covered in a liquid, if it’s not enough add more hot water.
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until figs are tender. Turn figs once or twice so each side is poached evenly. Let it cool, then transfer to a small jar. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.

Whirls/Cookies dough

In a mixing bowl beat butter with sugar until pale. Add egg and gently mix. Then add sour cream and combine.
Combine flour with baking powder, salt and spices. Add it along with nuts and figs to the cookie dough.
Mix a soft dough. Cover, let rest in the fridge for 10 minutes.
Tear 2 small balls from the dough. On a lightly floured surface roll out each piece into rope-shape (I made the length 25cm each), spin around each other and join the ends.
Line the baking tray with baking paper. Bake in preheated 200C/400F oven for 20 minutes. Let it cool a bit for 5-10 minutes.
Sprinkle with icing sugar, if desired. Serve warm or cold with a glass of milk.

Enjoy!

milkandbun.com

I’m bringing these delicious and beautiful cookies to all lovely guests at Fiesta Friday party! Let’s eat, drink and have fun!

Midweek Raspberry Dessert

I made this dessert less than for 15 minutes! Needless to say, it’s a perfect treat for busy days. Don’t know about you, but I need something sweet after the main course! 😀 I really miss pies or danishes, if I don’t eat them at least once a week. Exactly the same situation was yesterday – the pantry was full of my fav dark chocolate, but I wanted a pie or cake!

I’m a huge fan of Jamie Oliver and even consider him as my virtual mentor! 🙂 Might you’ve seen food-videos with him and another young guy – Donal Skehan; they both provide inspirational ideas and recipes. I love raspberries! So, I chose this recipe, but adapted it, and made chocolate crust. And wow! Tartlets tasted soooo good! Reach chocolate crust along with tender berry filling gave the brilliant result! Yum!

Ingredients for two 11cm/4inch baking tins

85g plain flour

30g cocoa powder

30g fine sugar

60g butter, cold and cubed

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 Tbsp ice cold water

120g raspberries

50-60g strawberries, cut

130-150ml creme fraiche

1 tsp icing sugar

Method

In a bowl or food processor combine the flour, cocoa and baking powder, sugar and butter until it forms a dough.
Press the dough with your fingertips into baking tins. Put in a fridge for 30 minutes.
Mix together berries, creme fraiche and icing sugar; then spread over the dough.
Bake in preheated 210C/410F oven for 15 minutes. Then lower the heat to 150C/300F and bake for 20 minutes more.

Enjoy!

Prune Cookies

It’s autumn somewhere.. and time to harvest or buy beautiful apples, plums and pumpkins, make tasty preserves, and bake! Perhaps you will be surprised but I wish tomorrow (or even a whole month) would be grey and cheerless here! We I mean myself and some of my friends got a bit tired from burning sun this summer, and few days back a little miracle happened here – it was raining! Yay! But only for an hour or so. 😀 To be honest, when I lived in my hometown I didn’t like the beginning of autumn; rains were too often, boots and trousers caked with mud was a normal thing!

Autumn here is a totally different season! October is the beginning of a large influx of tourists amazing weather in Dubai, temperature goes down and days become cooler, people become happier; it’s a season of barbecue in parks, outdoor cafes and long walks. Not to mention the fact that I’m going to bake more cakes and pies, and fill my home and blog with quintessential autumn flavours. 🙂
This cookies recipe is super easy, tasty and suits autumn mood! The main secret ingredient is prunes (dried plums) soaked in a cognac, and I can easily say that these cookies become my favourite!

Prune Cookies

You can use dark chocolate with hazelnuts or plain milk chocolate, or even omit it.

Ingredients

8-9 prunes

50ml cognac

50-60ml water

1 Tbsp brown or muscovado sugar

50g butter, room temperature

2 Tbsp brown or dark muscovado sugar

1 egg

100g flour

1/3 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

40g dark chocolate (70-80% cacao), roughly chopped

40g roasted walnuts, finely chopped, optional

Method

Into small pan add prunes, sugar and water. Bring to boil, add cognac and boil for 5-7 minutes more. Remove from the hob and let cool. Roughly chop prunes.
In a mixing bowl, beat butter with sugar, then mix in egg. Add 2 tsp syrup from prunes.
Combine flour, baking powder and salt together. Add the mixture into batter and combine.
Carefully fold into batter dark chocolate, nuts and chopped prunes (without syrup).
Bake in preheated 180C oven for 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

The recipe adapted from Russina tv-show “Edim doma”

Pozharsky kotleti

Hey-hey! How is the weekend going on? I’m glad to join Fiesta Friday party this time! And share famous Russian recipe – Pozharsky kotleti, which are chicken cutlets, scrumptious and tender. Hope, you will love it and recreate at home! 🙂

Firstly, I’d like to tell you how the recipe became popular. It’s dating back to the late 18th or early 19th centuries. There are two history versions of the recipe. The first one says about Evdokim Pozharsky, who lived in small town Torzhok with his family; he was an ordinary person and owner of small tavern, but he bore the same family name with famous Russian imperial family Pozharsky. During that time the town was very important because it’s located on the highway from Moscow to St.Petersburg.

Dariya Pozharsky inherited the tavern from her father; she started to cook cutlets from chopped meat (chicken, turkey, hazel hens), and decided to add this dish to the menu. The legend says, that one day the Russian Emperor Nikolay I was passing by the town and stopped to have a rest and food. He tried cutlets and was so impressed by this dish, that immediately invited Ms.Dariya to St.Petersburg, where she became the lady of high society.

The other legend says, that Nikolay I decided to visit prince Pozharsky; the prince wasn’t expected to welcome such important guest and prepare chic dinner, so he/his chef cooked cutlets from chicken chopped meat and bread (the only meat which was available in the kitchen).

Pozharsky kotleti - Russian chicken cutlets

Servings: 4
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Ingredients

Chicken fillets 500-600g

Large onion 1

Fresh white bread or baguette 1

Warm water 80-100ml

Clarified butter or butter 50g (25g for onion frying + 25g for the meat)

+extra butter (or sunflower oil) for cutlets frying

Salt, pepper to taste

Method

Finely chop the onion and fry it in the butter until soft and pale (don’t brown it).
Cut off the crust from baguette, finely chop it and set aside.
Put 3-4 bread slices in a small bowl, soak in the water for few minutes, then squeeze a bit of water out.
Finely chop or mince chicken fillets, add soaked bread, butter, season with salt and pepper, and combine well. Cover and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Divide chicken mince into several cutlets (medium size) and coat with fresh breadcrumbs.
Heat butter or oil in cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Cook cutlets just until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer cutlets to a baking shit and bake in preheated 200C/400F oven for 7-8 minutes.
Serve with your favorite vegetables and/or boiled potatoes and sauerkraut.

Enjoy!!!

Scallops. Impress your guests!

Hey guys! Excluding this awesome, simple and yet satisfying recipe, I have a question for you. Have you ever gone out from your comfort zone? Are you doing anything unusual or off-limits during the week or month, that people usually don’t expect from you?

Can you take a bicycle instead of car and go to work? Or can you stop eating desserts just for a week? Or may be say ‘yes’ to green tea, even if you never drink it, instead of your fav coffee? Can you stop drinking cola (I hope you don’t drink it at all)?

Or may be to call a person, who is really dear to you, and you’ve been shy to speak to, and invite him/her for a dinner? 😉

Start from simple things, try out new recipe! Prepare this amazing and delicious appetizer! Impress yourself and only then others! 🙂

Scallops with avocado puree and strawberries

Servings: 2
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You can serve tender scallops with strawberries or just with sauce. A glass of bubbly or chilled white wine would be perfect here!

Ingredients

6 scallops

1 avocado

60-80g cream cheese

2 tsp lemon juice

8 strawberries

2 Tbsp finely chopped coriander

1-2 Tbsp olive oil, for frying

sea salt, white pepper

Sauce:

60-80ml dry white wine

1 tsp garlic puree (roasted garlic is great here)

1 tsp finely chopped coriander

1 Tbsp butter

Chop and blend avocado, add cream cheese, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.

Cut strawberries into small cubes, mix with fresh coriander.

Season scallops with salt and pepper, fry in the piping hot pan 2 minutes on each side.

In the middle of serving plate, arrange avocado puree, top with strawberries; then arrange scallops.

If you don’t like avocado, you can serve scallops simple as is with a sauce. In the same pan, where you fried scallops, add wine and deglaze the pan’s bottom. Add garlic, coriander, season to taste and bring to boil. Add butter, mix well and cook for few minutes more. Pour the sauce over the scallops.

Enjoy!

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