King cake (Galette des rois in french)

Galette des rois is a traditional french cake that is made for Epiphany (6 of January). It celebrates the arrival of the Three Wise Men in Bethlehem to visit baby Jesus. 
It is composed of a puff pastry cake, and a small charm in china, the fève, is hidden inside. The person who finds it becomes the king or the queen of the day. It is usually filled with frangipane, a cream made from sweet almonds, butter, eggs and sugar but there are several other derivatives as well at modern times.
I would like to thank Vanille, a girl of my son's class that put a recipe in their class blog and I could not resist and did it! It is so easy to make actually, check it for yourselves...


Ingredients
2 ready-made disks of puff pastry 
125 gr softened butter
125 gr sugar
125 gr ground almond
1 vanilla
2 eggs 
1 beaten egg for the top

Procedure 

1. Preheat the oven at 220 degrees of Celsius and fan.
2. Prepare the "frangipane" cream by beating first butter with sugar to get fluffy and then add the rest and continue to beat until soften.
3. Put one of the puff pastry disk on a baking sheet and lay evenly the frangipane on it leaving 2cm of the edges. 
4. Add the charm ("feve"). It is very important not to forget this part!!! Otherwise kids will be disappointed
5. Cover with the second disk. Press the edges with a small fork to seal well. 
6. Using a knife, "draw" lightly patterns on the top. 
7. Brush the last egg on top to get a nice color.
8. Bake for about 20min or until it gets crispy and a nice golden color.

 

Enjoy! And let me know what you think if you try it :) 
Here's what was left a few hours later the same day ...

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Gravity cake

Happy birthday! 

My son just turned 10 and here's the best birthday cake that I decided to make that makes the buzz on the web and makes heads turn on it's sight... The GRAVITY cake!!!
My kids loved it, hubby thinks I'm a genius, friends were amazed and there were even people that took photos of it :))))
Special thanks to both of my children that helped me doing it, and my apologies to my daughter that I underestimated her capabilities as she has proved that often she is much better than me ! Kiss to hubby for the support, as always, to my crazy ideas.
So, let's get back to the cake. Procedure goes like this...

1. To start, you can use as a base, your favorite recipe for a cake. In my case, this was my chocolate cake recipe that I just love for birthday cakes. 
2. You can cover it with melted chocolate that you have added some fresh cream in it. 
3. Glue using chocolate, biscuits like the Cadbury fingers, almost all around it but leaving a small part uncovered. The most interesting part follows...
4. The magic is based on a hidden flexible straw that has m&m's on it, using melted chocolate as a glue. This is actually the most delicate part of the whole procedure. Start by covering one part of the straw, put it in the fridge (not the freezer!!! m&m's lose their color otherwise) and then repeat on the other side. 
5. Glue the rest of the m&m's simulating the falling part and finish by adapting the straw in a wooden skewer that you have put before in the center of the cake.
6. Cover the straw ending with the empty bag of the m&m's and let all overnight to harden.

The next day, just admire the result and feel proud under the envy look of the children and even adults around you :)  Isn't it great?

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Homemade all-purpose cleaner

What best to start the year than a recipe for a natural cleaner that apart from being natural thus environment-friendly, is fast, simple and cheap ?
Not to mention that might work better than store brands.
Your kids can make it easily too and use it, how about that???
Here it goes...


Ingredients
1.5 table spoons of baking soda
1 table spoon of white vinegar
1.5 table spoons of liquid castille soap
warm water
6 drops of essential oils like lemon or lavender (optionally, I do not use them and use with care only if you know how !)

Tools
1.5 lt bottle (water bottle might do, but glass opaque recipients are better)
funnel
table spoon
a glass

Procedure (respect the order!)

1.  Pour the soda in the bottle
2. Add some warm water and mix well
3. In the glass, mix well the vinegar with the essential oil of your choice or simply pour the vinegar in the bottle (in case that you do not want to use oils) and shake well
4. Add the soap
5. Fill the bottle with warm water, cover it and shake once again well

Use
Store in a dark place. Shake well before each use. Use it as is to clean surfaces such as shower, water-basin, table, etc or diluted to clean the floor (approximately 1 cup in one lt of warm water). No need to wash it out. 

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Happy New Year 2017 !

May this year is less violent than the previous one and people will smile more!

Let's all try to be more open-minded and try to find this little kid inside us...

Happy New Year 2017!

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Xmas Swiss roll (buche de Noel) with mascarpone

Merry Xmas with a swiss roll!

 

Not a classic one, with mascarpone cheese that is my favorite.
Actually, tiramisu is the most popular recipe in this blog thanks to this cheese, so why not to try one?
I would like to thank Raphael who inspired me with his traditional swiss roll that was a smash!
Thanks also to my daughter that made the final touch with her decoration *kiss*

Time is not money but rest in this festive period, so I will cut short and give you the details :)
 

All the best to you and your dear ones! May this period is restful and calm...

Ingredients (for a BIG roll! split in half otherwise)

Base (30x40cm):
4 eggs
100gr sugar
30gr flour
60gr corn flour
50gr cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
a grain of salt

Syrup:
Some syrup of canned fruits or make a light syrup to moisten the base cake

Cream:
500gr mascarpone cheese
4 spoonfuls of icy sugar
vanilla flavor
100ml of cream for chantilly
2-3 spoonfuls of milk

Decoration:
100gr of dark chocolate (grated)


Procedure

Base: Separate egg whites and yolks. Beat yolks with sugar to whiten. Beat whites until thicken. Mix all with the rest of the ingredients for the base smoothly. Pour eveny in a swallow oven dish of 30x40cm that you have cover with parchment paper. Bake at 220 degrees of Celsius and fan for 6 minutes. Take it out of the oven, bush it slightly with the syrup, cover it with a wet cloth and let it cool down.

Cream filling: Mix well the ingredients for the cream and when done, spread 2/3 of it, on the base cake. Sprinkle with the grated dark chocolate and roll slowly. 

Final touch: Cover the roll with the rest of the cream by spreading it on top and sprinkle again the chocolate on top. Let it stay overnight in the fridge and serve it cut in slices.
Enjoy!

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Happy St Nicholas day!

My dear son, all the best !

This blog exists thanks to you and the interesting discussions with you and your sister :)

Now, there is no problem on how you can share my small bloc-notes with recipes, when life will drive you away from me ... as I keep telling you, cooking is quality in life.

Enjoy the recipe that you asked as a cake for today
semolina pudding (halvas) and 
your favorite dish as a surprise chicken curry.
(Lots of spices that represent the warmth and generosity of your heart)

Made with lots, lots of love
    *kiss* Mum

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

French pear tart (Tarte bourdaloue ou tarte aux poires et frangipane)

My husband's favorite dessert is a french tart with pears and almond paste that in french is called "tarte aux poires et frangipane" or "tarte bourdaloue" or "tarte aux poires normande" as it's origon is Normandy in north of France.
I just made a great version of it and all family got excited ! As always, I will note it down in my blog to never miss it again :) As one thing is sure: I am going to make it again soon !
Here it goes...



Ingredients
Base: (or just buy the french short pastry called "pate sablee")
100 gr butter cut in small cubes
1 spoonful of sugar
1 cup of flour
a bit of salt
1 egg

Frangipan cream (almond paste): 
80 gr of ground almonds
80 gr of sugar
80 gr soften butter
1 egg
1 spoonful of flour
vanilla or few drops of almond extract

a big can with pears in syrop

Procedure

Mix well the ingredients for the base to make a small ball and leave it in the fridge for about an hour.

Take it out of the fridge and roll the pastry in a round dish for tarts to cover all the base and a bit the surroundings.

Preheat the oven at 175 degrees of Celsius and fan.

Beat well the ingredients for the frangipan cream and empty it on the pastry.

Put evenly the half pears on top and press a bit to the frangipan. Decorate if you wish with some sliced almonds.


Bake for 30min and let it cool down before serving.
Optionally, you can warm a bit of honey and jam and brush the pears to make them look shiny.

To hubby with love !!!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad