Tag Archives: food photo

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

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!

Autumn Pumpkin Roll

 October is a pumpkin harvesting month, and also a time for making delicious amber-color pumpkin dishes, like cream-soups and pies. And the Halloween is coming very soon! I love this time of the year, I believe autumn is the most beautiful season. Well, Emirati autumn is different, but let me pretend that it’s autumn here. 😀 It’s raining outside, and golden, brown and flame-colored laves are falling down from trees..
 In real the heat is becoming less intense and nature is waiting for the cool season to come.
And only one thing is on my mind – baking! This is one of quickest recipes, I swear! 😀 Especially, if you already have puff pastry in your fridge. So, you need cut pumpkin and apples, and saute it in butter, then mix with couscous and roll into puff pastry. That’s it! Since I prefer not very sugary bakes, I make the roll almost not sweet, the sweetness of pumpkin and apples is more than enough here. I slice the ready roll and serve warm with hot tea. 🙂 In case if you want sweeter, add more raisins and brown sugar! Anyway, the roll will be so delicious and comforting!
 It doesn’t matter what’s the weather outside, when your home is filled with amazing scent of dark brown sugar, cinnamon and baked veggies!
Autumn Roll

Autumn Pumpkin Roll

 I suggest to make own puff pastry, you can keep it in the freezer for several weeks, or if it’s store-bought, be sure that it made from butter not palm oil or margarine!
 You may vary the quantity of pumpkin and couscous to suit your taste.
Ingredients
250g butter puff pastry
150-200g pumpkin
1 small apple
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 Tbsp butter
50-60g couscous, cooked
30g raisins (black or golden)
1 Tbsp dark brown sugar (or increase for sweeter option)
1/3 tsp cinnamon
a pinch of salt
1 egg yolk
 
Method
  • Cut apple and pumpkin into small cubes, add to the pan with butter, drizzle with lemon juice and saute on medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes. Let the mixture cool.
  • Soak raisins in warm water or cognac for 10 minutes, then drain.
  • In a medium bowl combine pumpkin, apple, raisins with couscous. Add salt, sugar, cinnamon and give it a good stir.
  • Arrange the mixture on the puff pastry sheet. Make the roll, brush it with egg yolk.
  • Bake in preheated 180C/360F oven for 25 minutes.
Serve warm with tea in your favorite tea cup! 🙂
Happy autumn! ❤

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 Cutlets

Pozharsky kotleti - Russian chicken cutlets

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!!!

Jam Cake

 This cake is well-known in my home-country, and it’s quite popular among village people, or at least who prepare homemade jams. Oh, we love make jams in Russia! Nothing can beat a real homemade jam, jam for which you picked up fruits or berries yourself in the garden or forest during summer. And like everything is done at home the taste of every jam in every home is unique. When it is dark and dank outside, or even when it’s a snowstorm during cold Russian winters, it’s such a great pleasure to be at warm and cozy home, sip a hot herbal tea with a spoon of jam, or spread it thickly over a piece of bread.
 Many Russian grandmothers used to make this cake, mainly when was a cup of jam left, and nobody wanted to eat it up. Among such ladies was grandmother of my classmate, she used to make delicious cake with strawberry jam! 
 The cake recipe is very easy and quickly to prepare, you need only few ingredients and patience while it cooks, and the result is sweet and tasty cake! Ability to use any jam is excellent, every time you’re getting new-flavoured cake! Isn’t it cool? 

Jam Cake

Jam Cake

Ingredients
200ml jam, not watery (I used plum jam)
200ml full fat kefir
1 tsp baking soda
50-100g white sugar, depends how sweet is jam
1 big egg or 2 small
300-350g all-purpose flour
In a big bowl, mix jam and soda, leave it for 5 minutes. In another bowl, slightly beat eggs with sugar. 
Add kefir and beaten eggs into jam mixture, stir well. Add flour, and combine all ingredients.
The consistency of the batter should be little bit thicker than for pancakes.
Pour batter into greased pan, bake in preheated 180C/360F oven for 50-60 minutes.
Sprinkle with icing sugar and decorate with fruits or berries, if desired.
Enjoy!

Jam Cake with plums

Red currants ‘n’ cardamom Muffins

 Some time ago in Russia, small cakes-muffins-were called keksi, but since muffins’ popularization many people call them muffins! I think, almost all people like muffins, and may be some of you have a special recipe or ingredient. I do like experiment with flours and spices; I’ve bought soy flour recently and trying to use, I don’t see much difference with it so far.. If you know any good ways or recipes to use it, I would appreciate if you share it with me. 
Muffins
 So, about other additions to muffins batter, berries are one of my favorite. Raspberry is best-loved, but what about currants? I’ve seen in a blogosphere couple posts with it, and surprised, that it is not widely-grown and not quite  popular. Poor berries, if only they knew how underrated they are. When I lived in Russia, I ate lots of black, red and white currants. There were too many of blackcurrant bushes in parents garden, so I even dislike to pick them up.. Twigs of sour and bright redcurrants were easier to pick – straight away to my mouth! 😀 Blackcurrant in Russia is like blueberry in USA, has similar shape and taste, interchangeable berries.
 
 Today recipe combines Russian and Eastern flavours – red currants and cardamom. Enjoy!
Red currant

Red currants ‘n’ cardamom Muffins

  • Servings: 6-7 medium muffins
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients

70g plain flour/all-purpose
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 baking soda
a pinch of salt
1/2 tsp cardamom, finely crushed seeds
30g soy flour
25g wholemeal flour
30g ground flaxseed
1 egg
2 Tbsp sunflower oil
70g kefir (or sub with yogurt)
80-90g liquid honey (I used dark one)
120-140g red currants, or mix of red and black (or sub with blueberries)
 
Method
  • In a large bowl, beat egg and honey, add kefir, oil, and stir. Sift the flours, baking powder and soda, salt, add flaxseed and cardamom into egg mixture. Combine.
  • Lightly cover berries in a flour, then carefully fold them into the batter. If using frozen currants, don’t defreeze them, add to the batter straight from the freezer.
  • Fill muffin tins or one cake tin and bake in preheated 180C/350F oven for 20-25 minutes.
Red currant & cardamom Muffins
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