Equipment: August 2015

Mosaic, recipe reminder!

Remember the recipe for mosaic? I have done it this weekend for my daughter that it's her favorite summer cake and I cannot describe you how much we love this classic recipe...
You have definitely to try it!

Improvement this time is that I have used a cute silicone mold that is great for this cake. No doubt I will continue to make in this one from now on :)

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Summer time cooking!

Do you have a crave for a bbq?

Summer is the perfect time to indulge yourself with meat cooked over charcoal and everything that accompanies such a treat.

Approaching 15 of August that is a holiday in several places, I suggest the typical greek combination of souvlakia and tzatziki, and why not a greek salad that is an old-time classic.

Add some grilled vegetables like zucchini and eggplants that will not pass unnoticed for sure.

Kali oreksi! (aka enjoy your meal in greek :)

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Banoffee pie, finally! (the almost easy way;)

If I ever had to make a top ten list with my favorite desserts, I would include on top my Tiramisu ;) and somewhere in the middle I would add the cheesecake, cannoli a la siciliana and of course the banoffee pie.
While I am trying to decide for the order, let's discover together a pie that is very popular and if you have never tried before, this is the moment to go ...
Banoffee stands for banana+toffee (caramel cream) and it's a pie that was invented or better evolved (as all recipes do) in the 70's, the period that all marvels have been born (like me :))))
There is lot's of discussion about what is the best way to do it on the web, especially concerning the toffee part that is called also "dulce con leche" or "confiture de lait" in french and you can get it even ready made at the supermarket! This is my favorite article that discusses about it.
Have I persuade you ? Let's go then!

Ingredients
Base:
100gr butter
250gr digestive biscuits, crushed
2 bananas, sliced
Toffee/caramel: (you can instead buy the ready-made one!)
100gr butter
100gr dark brown sugar
397gr can condensed milk (e.g., Nestle)
Topping:
300ml carton whipping cream (whipped)
cocoa powder to sprinkle
bananas to decorate (optional)

Procedure

Prepare the base mixing the crushed biscuits with the melted butter and spoon it in a 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin, greased making a layer like for a cheesecake.
Add a layer on top with the banana slices and put it in the fridge.

Prepare the toffee the easy way by melting the butter in a non-stick large saucepan, add the sugar and stir to melt too. Pour in the milk and let it boil for a minute stirring all the time to become a thick caramel.
Spread on the base, let it chill and fridge for an hour.

Whip the cream and add it on top. Put it back to the fridge for several hours. When you want to serve it, sprinkle some cocoa powder and optionally decorate with some extra bananas.

I am sure that you will die for it!

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Tabbouleh, the healthy and so fresh salad!

I have recently discovered "Tabbouleh" salad and the whole family seems to appreciate a lot especially when temperatures rise a lot.
I did not have time to play much with recipes but I will share a photo of one of my first attempts and I will give you the general idea, as for salads you need to add your personal touch in my humble opinion ;)

The general idea is to use as basic ingredient the bulgur
that you soak for 1-2 hours in the same amount of water
and then add your favorite ingredients for a fresh salad all chopped
like tomatoes, onions, cucumber, parsley (I like to add also some dried raisins).
Season with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and fresh mint.
Cover and refrigerate.
Serve with mint leaves on top.

Try it and I am sure that you will become addicted like we did!

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Playing with pastry or the "snail pie"

Want more ideas to play with the puff pastry? Here's one more ... the snail pie :)

Ingredients
1 round ready-made puff pastry
200gr feta cheese
3 eggs
some sesame seeds

Procedure