Tag Archives: My Life

Winter Orange Cake

Hello everyone! Hope you had wonderful and joyful winter holidays! As you may know from my previous posts, me and my husband have been to Russia, and it was a memorable and great trip. We celebrated New Year and Christmas eves with the whole family, met with friends, and had lots of fun with a snow: throwing snowballs, rolling and tumbling around, and exploring virgin and deep snow on foot! Once we almost were frozen to the bones, because it was -30C/22F (and the phone told me it was felt like -40C in the night)! But wool socks, mittens, fur hats and thick coats do wonders! 😀

So, I was torn by what recipe to start 2015 with. I decided to warm up cold days with a superb and fantastically delicious winter dessert -an orange cake. Oranges and mandarins may not be the most obvious fruits in baking, but for me it symbolizes the winter season. The smell of mandarins rind always brings back my childhood memories, when my parents bought them for the New Year eve. The cake is moist, bright, tangy, and delightful in both taste and texture. It is also great any time of the year. 🙂

Winter Orange Cake

Servings: 6-8
Time: 1 1/2 hr+
Difficulty: moderate
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You can use fresh orange slices as is, or cook them in a sweet water (1 cup water+1/3 cup sugar) for about 20-30 minutes on a medium heat – it helps to get rid of orange bitterness.

Ingredients

2 small oranges or 1.5 medium size, sliced

3 Tbsp demerara sugar

160g butter softened

120-150g golden caster sugar, depends on your taste

3 heaped tbsp orange jam (or fine-cut marmalade)

3 eggs, beaten

160g plain flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/3 tsp baking powder

40g almond powder (ground almonds)

1.5 medium-size oranges or 2 mandarins, finely grated zest and juice

Glaze:

3 heaped tbsp orange jam/marmalade

1-2 tsp orange-flavoured liqueur (Grand Marnier or Cointreau), optional

Method

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease the 18cm loose-bottomed cake tin. Sprinkle the base with demerara sugar. Arrange orange slices on the base, making overlapping layer.
Beat the butter and caster sugar until pale, mix in marmelade and beaten eggs. Fold in flour, salt, baking powder, almonds, orange or mandarin zest and juice.
Pour the batter into tin. Bake in the oven for 45-55 minutes, until golden and firm to touch.
Allow to cool for a few minutes at room temperature.
Meanwhile, make a glaze by warming 3 Tbsp jam and liqueur (if using) in a small pan with a little water.
Carefully turn out the cake onto a serving plate, while it’s still warm. Prick holes in the cake. Spoon glaze over the cake.
Serve warm! Enjoy!

Adapted from Jamie Oliver magazine/issue 26

Merry Christmas

My winter holidays are just around the corner, and for the next two weeks I will be travelling to my home-country, socializing and eating, and thus not too much blogging. I’m sure you are in the midst of the Christmas preparations also, and before that I’d like to wish all of you my wonderful readers and blogging friends a Magical and Happy Holidays!

May this Christmas day will be a very merry, peaceful and delicious! I know not all of you celebrate this day (I will be celebrating Christmas on the 7th Jan) but do want to take a moment to thank every one of you for your comments, likes and support throughout the year. You have played an important role in my blogolife, without your posts I couldn’t be inspired to try out new recipes, without your comments I couldn’t improve my photography. Every time I come here-to my and yours blogs I feel like having a tea-time with some lovely friends. 😀

Looking forward to read more interesting posts and tasty recipes from you, guys! And I promise you to post a delicious recipe of one Russian pie soon, it has a fish shape and filling is fish, too. And another recipe of absolutely tasty orange cake, that almost screams – it’s a winter holiday! Stay turned! 🙂

Saffron buns

Hello guys! It’s not a secret that I love to bake! And I have to say even more – I’m addicted to pies! 😀 Every time when I stumble upon a new and interesting pie or cake recipe I’m anxious to prepare it! What does attract you in a recipe? An ingredient, a photo or may be a story behind it? For me an every part is captivating and intriguing! As I’ve already said I love to bake whatever it is, whether it’s a vegetarian or sweet thing, like comforting cabbage bake with farmer cheese or beautiful apple pie with semolina. A long time ago I was browsing the Internet and found one lovely recipe of saffron buns, but time has passed anf it got out of my mind until I bought saffron last week. I was glad to discover the story about these buns, because the story is truly magical and wintry.

Every year on the 13th of December people of Scandinavia countries (Norway, Denmark and Sweden) are celebrating the Day of St.Lucia. It’s believed she brings the light into the longest night of the year. Celebration include a procession of young girls in white dresses and red sashes carrying candles. One girl represented as Lucia – she wear a crown of candles on her head. Girls sing traditional and Christmas songs.

By another Sweden custom at home the eldest daughter arising early in the morning, wearing the Lucia’s costume, awaking the family and serving them coffee and saffron buns.*

After reading about Scandinavian traditions and stories I decided to make those delicious buns! and by coincidence I baked them exactly on the 13th. I made some research and finally created my own recipe. Buns turned out very fluffy, nicely buttery, with amazing aroma of saffron and not very sweet.

Saffron buns

Servings: 8 buns
Time: 3-4hr
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Ingredients

120ml full-fat milk

1/2-1/3 tsp saffron threads

45-50g butter, room temperature

250-300g plain flour

4g instant yeast

1/2 tsp salt

30-35g sugar

2-3 cardamom pods, ground, optional

a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg, optional

1 large egg

60ml sour cream

Preparation method

Heat milk with saffron (don’t boil) in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. The temperature of milk should be not over 40C/104F or should be able to easily hold a finger in it. Add butter, stir to combine.
In a mixing bowl sift the flour (250g, then add more if needed), add yeast, salt, sugar and spices if using. Mix.
Add lukewarm milk mixture to the flour. Stir to combine.
Add egg and sour cream. Mix ingredients until well incorporated.
Now on a flat surface knead the dough by hand (or use a hook of your standing mixer) for 10 minutes, until smooth and a little sticky to the touch.
Cover the dough and leave it to rise for 1 hour at room temperature or until it’s puffy. You can make the dough the day before, in which case after rising gently deflate the dough, cover and leave in the fridge overnight. Take out an hour or two before shaping, let it gets warm and rise again.
Gently deflate the dough, and divide into 8 equal sizes; each piece weight about 70g.
Roll each piece of dough at a time into a 38-40cm rope, then shape each rope into S-shape.
Place buns on the lined baking tray. Tuck in raisins. Cover with a towel and leave to prove for 30 minutes.
Brush with egg wash and in preheated 190C/375F for 15-20 minutes or until they’re golden brown.
Take buns from oven and let cool for 4-5 minutes before serving.
Serve warm with a glass of milk or tea.

Enjoy the winter season!

Vegetable bake with mozzarella and bacon

This simple, good-looking and so-delicious bake is a time-saving dish for busy week days, or when you’re tired but still want to prepare homey food. I love one-pot recipes, whether its made on a hob or in the oven, they are always comforting, full of flavor and tasty!
For this bake I used young potatoes, that can be substitute with regular, but make sure to slice it very thinly. Want better and quicker? Use boiled or roast potatoes! For the vegetarian option – omit the bacon.
Also the bake can be great and tasty work lunch, you can see it’s not difficult or time-intensive task. Homemade lunches are definitely healthier than any fast food, you know every single ingredient in it, also you can make it balanced, nutritious and satisfying. Beyond that, such home-packed meals is one of the simplest ways to trim your budget.

Vegetable bake with mozzarella and bacon

Servings: 2
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

6-7 small potatoes

1 leek, chopped

1-2 capsicum

3-4 bacon slices, smoked

70-100g mozzarella, or as much as you wish, cut into cubes

40-50g pecorino or parmesan cheese, grated

1 spring of fresh rosemary, or 1 tsp dried

1/3 tsp paprika

1/3 tsp turmeric

5-7 mix peppercorns (black, white, pink), crushed

fresh basil, few leaves, for garnish, optional

sea salt, to taste

2 Tbsp olive oil

Method

Preheat oven to 200C. Grease a baking dish with olive oil.
Slice and fry bacon (without any oil). Transfer to paper towel to absorb exsess fat. Set aside.
While the frying pan is still hot, add leek to it and saute on a medium heat for few minutes. Do not let it brown.
Throughly wash and rub potatoes, thinly slice. Roughly chop capsicums. Put vegetables in a bowl, add 1 Tbsp olive oil, spices, season with salt and stir well.
Spread leek on the baking dish. Add vegetables.
Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Add bacon, mozzarella and pecorino/parmesan, and bake for 5-10 minutes more. If you have grill, put the baking dish under the grill for 5 minutes.
Sprinkle with basil and extra pecorino/parmesan, if desired.
Serve with green salad.

Enjoy!

Veal with pink pepper and squash puree

Hey guys! What’s the autumn in your country/city? The weather here finally became amazing – only +29C! And in my home-city in Russia is -7C! Which weather do you like more?

I had the leftovers of squash in my fridge.. and I needed to come up with something to have for dinner. A very simple way to use it – make savory pancakes, but that idea seemed too boring for me. Further ‘excavations’ brought me a beet, a piece of pecorino cheese and a glass of red wine. And the idea came up! Give it up and just drink wine. 😀

So, the measurements in the recipe are given roughly, don’t be afraid to be an artist and make it to suit your own taste. The dish has a wonderful flavour, and this is a very simple way to cook. I served it over a bed of mashed squash and potatoes, and that was incredibly satisfying! Bright and slightly sweet squash and beet, mildly spicy pink pepper give that contented and warm-inside feeling which is what autumn cooking about.

Veal with pink pepper and squash puree

Servings: 1
Time: 20-30mins
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

100-150g veal, cut into cubes

5 pink peppercorns, crushed

few sage leaves

1-2 Tbsp dry red wine, optional

80-120g squash or pumpkin, cooked and mashed

1 Tbsp beet, cooked and cut into cubes

1 small potato, cooked and mashed, optional

1-2 Tbsp pecorino cheese, grated

sea salt, to taste

1 Tbsp olive oil

Method

In a bowl put veal cubes, pink pepper, some salt and chopped sage. Pour in wine and stir well. Cover and let marinate for 10-20 minutes.
Make vegetable puree for the garnish. Combine mashed squash, potato and cheese together. Season to taste.
Heat an oil in a frying pan over medium heat. When oil is hot, add meat and fry it. Turn occasionally until done as desired and browned on all sides.
Mix pan-fried veal with beet cubes.
Put the squash puree on a serving plate. Arrange veal on top. Sprinkle with sage and pecorino cheese, if desired.

Of course a great glass of red wine goes hand in hand with this delicious veal. 😉

Enjoy the dinner!

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