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Makes enough for a 27-28cm (10-11") pan or two 20cm (8") pans (preferably a spring-form). While the cheese and cream part of the cake is not baked, the crumbs and crust are baked. You can can use a shredded biscuits crust, if you want to omit baking completely. The crumb recipe is my go to pie crust. You can use another recipe you are used to make,just make sure to adjust the amounts. This recipe is much easier then I make it look with my limited writing ability. Crust: For crust and crumbs : 200g + 100g AP flour 90-100 g brown sugar (not dark brown) 1 teaspoon salt 180-200g cold, chopped butter Egg wash Optional jam Filling: 12g gelatin 50ml water 500ml whipping cream (I use regular cream, not heavy one) 500g fromage blanc (or any other soft, smooth, white and not too acidic fresh cheese, such as quarck or even ricotta) - 5% to 8% fat (not more, otherwise it will be to heavy) 250g cream cheese (reduced fat is acceptable, as long as it's flavorful and tart) 120g sugar (about half of a full cup) 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract To make the crust: Prepare oven safe cake pan, preferably spring-from. If using regular pan, cut a piece of parchment paper to the shape of a pan, but leave four "handles, extanding outside of the circular shape. Those handles will allow the release of the cake from the pan. Also, prepare another small baking sheet or pan to bake the crumbs in. In a food processor, combine 200g flour, sugar and salt. Add chopped butter and pulse until it form an even dough (it will be sandy at first, then start to form). Add remaining flour and pulse until the dough breaks into small pea sized crumbs. Remove slightly more then 1/3 of the dough, and gently spread on the second baking sheet/pan. Break any large chunks. Pulse remaining dough crumbs until it forms a rough dough. Remove from food processor and flatten to a rough disk shape. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate both it and the crumbs for about an hour or more. Preheat oven to 190 dC (375 dF). Roll dough disk so that it almost fills the cake pan. It will be very flaky and prone to brake. Take the rolled dough, in pieces if need be, and fit into the cake pan. Use your fingers to push the dough so that it fills the pan and sticks together. Try to make it somewhat evenly thick. Cover the crust in a thin layer of egg wash. This helps keep it crisp, and is not mandatory. Bake both the crumbs and crust until nicely browned and crisp (crumbs tend to be ready slightly sooner). Let chill completely. Store crumbs in a air tight container until ready to serve. Optionally, spread jam over the crust. To make the cheese filling: Pour the water into a small bowl and bloom the gelatin for 10 minutes. Heat the bloomed gelatin in the microwave for apx. 15 seconds until melting. Mix about 3 tablespoons of the cheese into the gelatin in order to make it blend in easier. In a large bowl, mix together cheeses, vanilla and the gelatin mix. Whisk cream and sugar until thick and airy. Fold a third of the cream into the cheese mixture. Fold the rest of the cream in the cheese mixture until even and light. Do not over mix. Pour onto cake crust. It's best to freeze the cake for 30 minutes in order to help it set faster and be more airy. Don't freeze for longer then that. (It's OK to skip this stage if you don't have free freezer space) Let chill for a minimum of 6 hours, preferably overnight. Use an air drier or a warm towel to slightly heat the pan walls. Release from pan and top with the crumbs (Make sure there are no large chunks). Slice with with a moist and warm knife for the cleanest cut.

This is a very classic recipe for cheesecake, which is often served in Shavuot holiday dinner. Makes enough for a 28cm (11") pan or two 20cm (8") pans (not a spring-form). 750ml fromage blanc (or any other soft, smooth, white and not too acidic fresh cheese, such as quarck or even ricotta) - 5% to 8% fat (not more, otherwise it will be to heavy) 200ml sour cream (reduced fat is accaptable) 6 eggs (size L) 220g sugar (about one full cup) 90g cornstrach (2/3 of a cup) 1-2 teaspoons of good vanilla extract Optionally, you may add some pre-saoked raisins (rum, brandy or ornage liquer are best, plain water also works) for topping (optional): 200ml sour cream 4-6 teaspoons of confectioners sugar (adjust by taste) optionally: 2-3 tablespoons of triple-sec (or cointreau or whatever liqueur you like. I can imagine creme de cassis being quite nice) Mix all topping ingredients together. Grease the pan well - bottom and sides. Place a pan or pot, with a few cups of water, on the bottom of the oven. Place a sheet pan in it's middle. Preheat to 170 dC (340 dF). Separate the eggs yolks from the whites (one by one, don't risk breaking a yolk into all the whites ). In a large bowl, mix the yolks, cheese, cream, starch, vanilla, half of the sugar, and the optional raisins. Using a mixer, whisk the egg whites until forming a foam. Gradually add remaining half of the sugar. Stop whisking when the egg foam is stable yet flexible (firm but not stiff peaks). Fold 1/3 of egg whites into the cheese mixture. Gently fold remaining foam until well combined. Do not over-mix as to not break the foam. Pour batter into greased pan and place onto the baking sheet, previously placed in the oven. The oven should be steamy from the pan at the bottom. Pour 2 cup of room-temp water onto the baking sheet, around the cake pan (you will now have two water baths - one around the cake and one bellow). Bake 10 minutes before reducing the oven thermostat to 140 dc (285 dF). The cake should have risen quite well by now. Continue baking for another 50 to 70 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the cakes middle should remain mist but clean. Remove from oven and let chill slightly. Spread cream cheese topping while the cake is lightly warm. Place the cake in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours before serving.

This makes one not very large cake in an "English cake" pan (26x6.5 cm / 10x2.5 inch). You may want to double up the recipe and make two FoOr variation, you can use any citrus, and add mixins such as poppy seeds, candied ginger, sumac, raspberries, etc. Please tell me if you make it, I really hope that you will like it! Lemon-mandarin pound cake Batter: 140g white flour 3/4 teaspoon baking powder (7 g) 190g white sugar 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon salt (1.5 g) 15-20g fine zest from a lemon and an orange/mandarin 160g labaneh or tart Greek yogurt or (5% fat or more) 2 large eggs 45g olive oil - aromatic, but not too vegetal, you can use natural oil if preferred 1 teaspoon vanilla extract For syrup: 25g sugar apx. 7-6 g of long and thin stripes of peel (zest) from a lemon and an orange/mandarin - see photo below for reference Apx. 45g lemon juice Method: Heat oven to 170 deg C (340 deg F). Grease one pan. Prepare 3 mixing bowl: one of them should be quite large and another should be a mixer bowl to beat the egg whites in. In the small bowl, measure flour and baking powder. In the large bowl, mix sugar, fine citrus zest and salt. Let it rest while you proceed. Separate eggs, placing egg whites in the empty mixer bowl and the yolks in the large bowl with the sugar and zest. Add yogurt, vanilla and oil to the bowl with the sugar and yolks. Beat egg whites to soft peaks. Beat yolk-sugar-yogurt mixture until smooth and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Fold the egg white foam into the yolk mixture, until smooth and almost uniform. Sieve flour and baking soda mixture over the liquids. Fold from the bottom up just until uniform. Do not over mix. Pour into greased pan. Bake for apx. 45 minutes. A skewer should go out cleanly. The cake should rise to fill the pan and get a tan color. Do not over bake. While the cake bakes, make the syrup: Mix together sugar and peel stripes (long zest). Mix well for the sugar to draw flavor from the peel. Add about the lemon juice and mix well until the sugar dissolves. If it doesn't, heat the syrup very briefly. When the cake is out of the oven, pierce it all over with a thin skewer or toothpick. Pour the syrup over the cake while it is still hot from the oven. Spread the remaining syrup soaked peel strips over the cake. Let chill and store in an airtight container, or wrapped in nylon. For variation, you may add candied orange peel, poppy seeds, mint, raspberries, etc.

Made with tahini paste (part of it wholemeal), butter, honey, vanilla, flour, cornstarch, some salt (no eggs). Topped with toasted almonds. Those has a strong nutty sesame flavor, the vanilla and honey round it with a floral note and just enough sweetness to feel like a treat. The salt gives a gentle kick. Texture wise, those are like a pate sablee, with slightly sandy melt-in-the-mouth creaminess. Those are some of my favorite cookies to eat, but I rarely make them. Makes 23-25 small cookies, can be doubled as long as it fits in your food processor. 135 g flour 40 g cornstarch (you can use finely ground almonds instead, if you do, reduce apx 10g tahini) 30 g sugar 1/8 teaspoon of salt 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 70 g cold butter, cut into cubes 40 g honey 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon butter extract (it's not a must, use if you have it on hand) 110 grams tahini paste (if you want, you can use part or wholemeal tahini. Whatever you do, make sure to choose a good tahini, with a strong nutty flavor, and a gentle sweetness, avoid tahini with notable bitterness) 1/2 tablespoon water 25 small toasted almonds (peeled or unpeeled) - You can also use toasted pistachios (tastier, but not as pretty) or spread toasted sesame seeds Preheat oven to 170 deg C. In a food processor mix together flour, cornstarch, sugar, salt and baking powder. Add butter, honey, vanilla and butter extract. Blend in pulses until the mixture is a slightly grainy powder and seems uniform. Add tahini and water. Process until dough begins to form. Transfer mixture to working surface or a wide bowl. Using hand or spatula, fold together once or twice to form a dough. Create small balls and place them on a baking pan lined with a baking sheet. Slightly flatten each ball to an apx 1/2 inch (1cm) height. The cookies will not flatten further during baking. Push an almond into the top of each cookie. (Alternatively, roll cookies in sesame seeds prior to flattening) Bake for about 18-20 minutes, until just very lightly golden. Let cool completely.

Oklahoma Baked Beans Cindy Alexander 1 lb pinto beans, soaked overnight and drained ½ small onion, separated into petals 4 large epazote leaves ½ lb bacon, preferably Trader Joe’s uncured ends and pieces 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped 1 14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes (or whole tomatoes, crushed in the pan) 1½ cups barbecue sauce, preferably Head Country® Original ½ cup brown sugar ¼ cup molasses 1 TB dry mustard, preferably freshly ground 3 tsp kosher salt, divided ⅛ tsp ground cloves, preferably freshly ground ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper ¼ tsp Aleppo pepper Preheat the oven to 250°F. Rinse and drain the beans. Put them in a Dutch oven along with the epazote, onion petals, and enough water to cover generously. Bring to a boil. Cover and place in the oven. After 40 minutes check the water level, adding boiling water if necessary. Add 1½ tsp kosher salt, stir gently and return to oven until just tender, about 30 more minutes. Drain the cooked beans, reserving one cup of the bean cooking liquid. Cook the bacon in the now empty Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it is well-browned but not crisp. Add the chopped onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft. Using a spoon remove the fat from the pan. Add all of the remaining ingredients except the cooked beans and bring to a vigorous boil, stirring occasionally. Add the beans. As soon as the pot returns to a boil, cover it and place in oven. Bake until thick and fragrant, at least 2 hours. If possible, make in advance and reheat for service.

Ingredients： 1-1/2 cup Honey Maid Graham Cracker Crumbs 3 Tbsp. sugar 1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted 4 pkg. (225 g each) Philadelphia Brick Cream Cheese (or 2 tubs (450 g each)), softened 1 cup sugar (I used 2/3 cup to make it less sweet) 1 Tbsp. vanilla 2 tbsp lime juice 1 tsp lime zest 4 eggs Directions： （1） Heat oven to 325°F. （2） Combine graham crumbs, 3 Tbsp. sugar and butter/margarine; Press crumbs over bottom of 9-inch non-stick springform pan. （3）Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, 1 cup sugar (i used 2/3 cup to make it less sweet), vanilla, lime zest and lime juice in large bowl until blended. The add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on LOW speed just until blended. Pour filling into crust. （4） Bake until outside 2 inches are set and center moves only slightly when pan is shaken, about 55 minutes. Remove from oven; turn off oven. （5） Let the cake cool before removing rim. Refrigerate cheesecake for at least 4 hours or overnight. （6） Decoration: Arrange lime half-slices around top edge of cheesecake

This recipe serves 2 1 onion 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 T fresh minced ginger Peanut or other cooking oil 12 ounces beef steak, cubed into 1/2" pieces 2 T ketjap manis 3 T passata Nutmeg salt pepper Use a frying pan big enough to just hold the meat in a single layer.Small dice the onion and cook in the oil until softened. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 2 minutes. Add the beef and cook until the raw colour is gone. Add the rest of the ingredients except the water and stir together. Add enough water to come halfway up the meat. Simmer, loosely covered, for about half an hour. The liquid should have reduced enough so that there is just enough for a sauce. If you wish, thicken the sauce a bit with a cornstarch slurry. Note: I used strip loin for this. If using a tougher cut of meat you may need to simmer it longer. I was given the recipe by Chef Jeroen Kerrebijn of the Fall River Restaurant in Mayberly, Ontario. I have made a couple of minor changes to it.

My ex-wife used to make these for parties, potlucks, and just plain good eatin' at home. I have a batch in the oven as I type in the recipe, and thought I'd post it here to eGullet. Truth is, I'm not even close to a baking expert, although over the last year I have been experimenting with one particular brownie recipe, but this one is not it. I'm just following the ex's recipe ... and everyone who has tried them comes away with a chocolate smile. Perhaps you'll enjoy them as well, or maybe even improve upon them. KAHLUA BROWNIES 1 1/2 Cups sifted all purpose flour 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 2/3 cup butter (Unsalted) 3 1-oz squares unsweetened chocolate 3 large eggs 1/4 cup Kahlua 2 cups sugar 3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans 1 Tbs. Kahlua for top of bars 　 Resift flour w/baking powder and salt. Melt butter w/chocolate. Beat eggs w/sugar until light. Stir in chocolate mixture and 1/4 cup Kahlua. Add flour mixture and mix well. Stir in nuts. Turn into greased 9" square pan, bottom lined w/greased parchment or foil. Bake in center of 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, until top springs back when touched lightly in center and edges begin to pull away from pan. Do Not Overbake! Remove from oven and cool in pan. Brush top with 1 Tbs Kahlua. Let stand until thoroughly cold. Cut into bars or squares. NOTE: It's alright to brush a little more Kahlua on the tops of the brownies. Remember: Nothing succeeds like excess!

Avocado Cucumber Salad Adapted by Cindy Alexander for The Recipe Table from a recipe posted at http://smittenkitchen.com serves 2-4 as a side 2 tablespoons mayonnaise Juice of half a medium lime, plus more to taste ½ tsp fine sea salt or table salt, plus more to taste ½ tsp Sriracha or your favorite hot sauce, plus more to taste 2 TB chopped cilantro OR flat-leaf parsley; OR 1 TB chopped tarragon 1 small spring onion or 2 scallions 1-3 seedless cucumbers, depending on size (¾-1 pound total) 1 large avocado In a medium bowl combine the mayonnaise, lime juice, salt and Sriracha. Stir in the chopped herbs. Thinly slice the bulb and light green parts of the onion. Add them to the bowl and stir to combine. Chop the cucumber into ½-inch cubes. Add them to the bowl and stir to combine. Cut the avocado into ½-inch cubes. Add them to the bowl and fold gently to combine. Let set at room temperature for 10 minutes, gently stir again. Taste and add more lime juice, salt, or hot sauce, if desired.

Raspberry porridge Today, I used the best part of my raspberry shopping for my summer second breakfast. I recommend it for those who only drink coffee in the morning. The rolled oats and chia seeds ensure that it satisfies our hunger very well, and the empty bowl means that you are sorry the dish was so small. The inspiration for this dish comes from "Smaki życia" ("Flavour of Life") by Agnieszka Maciąg. Ingredients: 100g of raspberries 3 teaspoons of honey 3 tablespoons of rolled oats 2 teaspoons of chia seeds decoration 3 teaspoons of natural yoghurt raspberries, blueberries, banana slices, cashews, sesame seeds Mix together the rolled oats with the chia seeds, pour in some hot water and leave for 20 minutes. Wash the raspberries and drain them. Leave a few nice bits of fruit for decoration. Blend the rest of the raspberries with the rolled oats, chia seeds and honey. Put it into a small bowl. Put the natural yoghurt on top. Decorate with the banana slices, blueberries, raspberries, sesame seeds and cashews.

Cheesecake muffins Ingredients (6 muffins) 1 lemon jelly 10 big strawberries 200g of vanilla fromage frais grated skin from half a lemon Dissolve the jelly in 250ml of hot water. Leave to cool down (not to set). Wash the strawberries, remove the shanks and blend them. Mix half of the jelly with the strawberries. Put it into the silicon pastry cases. Leave it to set in the fridge. Mix the rest of the jelly with the vanilla fromage frais. Put it on the strawberry jelly. Leave it to set in the fridge. Immerse the silicon pastry case in hot water for a while to get the dessert out of the dish. Enjoy your meal!

Herby mini tarts with broad beans and sausages All year long I wait impatiently for two summer treasures. The first are strawberries and the second are broad beans. I know that I can buy both of them frozen, but the flavour of fresh products is incomparable. We like cooked broad beans. Regardless of how many we cook, we are able to eat them all. My daughter also loves broad beans, but she used to eat a good deal more. Many times I have used broad beans in salads. Today I would like to share with you a recipe for shortbread mini tarts with broad beans and slices of sausages. The dish smells of rosemary and thyme and it is excellent as a not so substantial dinner or a slightly richer supper. Ingredients (for 3 people) dough 150g of flour 1 egg 75g of butter 1 tablespoon of minced rosemary 1 tablespoon of minced thyme a pinch of salt stuffing 100g of sausage 3 fistfuls of broad beans 10cm piece of leek 1 tablespoon of minced rosemary 2 tablespoons of minced thyme 1 tablespoon of butter 3 eggs 150ml of milk salt and pepper Mix the flour, salt, rosemary and thyme in a bowl. Add the butter and eggs and quickly knead into a smooth dough. Cover with a plastic wrap and leave in the fridge for half an hour. Prepare the ingredients of the stuffing. Cook the broad beans, drain and peel them. Slice the sausages and leek. Melt the butter in a pan. Lightly fry the leek. Mix the eggs and milk, rosemary and thyme in a separate bowl. Spice it up with salt and pepper. Heat the oven up to 180C. Smooth some small casserole dishes with butter. Cover them with the dough, leaving the edges slightly raised around the sides, prick them with a fork and cover with baking paper. Put some dried peas on top of the paper. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the paper and bake for another minute. Take the dishes out from the oven. Don't turn off the oven. Arrange the slices of sausage, leek and cooked broad beans on top of the mini tarts. Put the milk-egg mixture on the top. Bake for 25 minutes. Enjoy your meal!

Recently, I prepared another version of my most summery soup. Creamy cold radish soup with a hint of garlic and thyme was refreshing and very tasty and only takes a moment to prepare. It is the best with new potatoes liberally sprinkled with dill. It is an excellent dish for a quick and easy dinner on a hot summer day. And it is only a little bit pink ... The recipe comes from "Smaki życia" ("Flavour of Life") by Agnieszka Maciąg. Ingredients (for 4 people) 2 bunches of radishes 1l of natural yoghurt 2 cloves of garlic 2 tablespoons of minced thyme 4 tablespoons of minced chives salt and pepper Clean the radishes and grate them. Crush the garlic. Mix the radishes in with the garlic, chives and thyme. Add the natural yoghurt, spice it up with salt and pepper and mix it in. Serve with hot new potatoes with dill.

Ingredients (for 4 people): 3 long sticks of rhubarb 250g of strawberries 4 tablespoons of xylitol 4 tablespoons of butter 150g of desiccated coconut Heat the oven up to 180C. Wash the rhubarb, peel it and cut it into 1 cm pieces. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of xylitol, mix it in and leave for half an hour. Wash the strawberries, remove the shanks and cut them into small pieces. Drain the rhubarb from the juice and mix it in with the strawberries. Melt the butter. Mix the desiccated coconut with the rest of the xylitol and butter. Smooth some small casserole dishes with a bit of butter. Put the rhubarb and strawberries into them. Sprinkle with the desiccated coconut crumble topping. Bake for 15-17 minutes. Serve with strawberry or vanilla ice cream.

Today we had fresh fillets of red snapper on our table. Raw red snapper is light red, but after baking the meat is white and mild. I served it with green asparagus spears and an interesting tasting salsa with low-salt cucumbers. A big asset of this dish is its flavour, spectacular looks and that it only took 30 minutes to prepare. I like this kind of dish! Ingredients (for 4 people) 800g of red snapper fillets 6 sprigs of thyme 3 sprigs of rosemary 4 cloves of garlic (unpeeled) salt, white pepper salsa 4 low-salt cucumbers half a red pepper half a chili pepper 2 cloves of garlic (peeled) 4 tablespoons of minced chives 2 teaspoons of honey the juice from half a lemon other ingredients: 2 bunches of asparagus spears Firstly, prepare the salsa. Dice the low-salt cucumber and red pepper. Chop the garlic and chili pepper. Mix in the cucumbers, two kinds of pepper, garlic and chives. Spice it up with the lemon juice and honey. Leave in the fridge for 20 minutes. Heat the oven up to 180C. Cover a casserole dish with some baking paper. Sprinkle it with some olive oil. Cut the fillets of fish into pieces (whatever size suits you) and spice them up with salt and white pepper. Put them and the rosemary, garlic and thyme on the baking paper. Bake for 20 minutes. Wash the asparagus spears, remove the lignified parts and boil them al dente for 8-10 minutes in lightly salted water. Arrange the asparagus spears, two tablespoons of salsa and the pieces of fish on a plate. Decorate with a bit of salsa and the thyme sprigs.

Goulash soup – an excellent and satisfying meal You can prepare it with your favourite meat: beef and pork are perfect. I think that the one of kind of meat I don't use for goulash soup is chicken, but maybe I should think again? Recently I experimented and made this soup with turkey leg. It was excellent and cooked more quickly than with pork or beef. Ingredients (for 2 people) 500g of meat of turkey leg 1 onion 2 cloves of garlic 2 carrots 1 parsley root half a red pepper 5 potatoes 5 sprigs of rosemary 2 teaspoons of sweet paprika 1 teaspoon of hot paprika 2 tablespoons of flour 4 bay leaves 4 juniper beans oil salt and pepper Cut the meat into small pieces and spice them up with salt, pepper, sweet and hot paprika, and three chopped sprigs of rosemary. Sprinkle with flour and mix it in. Leave in the fridge for half an hour. Peel the potatoes and cube them. Peel the carrots and parsley roots and cut them into slices. Cut the red pepper into small pieces. Chop the onion and garlic. Fry the meat in the oil and put it into a saucepan. Don't clean the pan, and fry the onion and garlic in it. If necessary add a bit of oil. Put the onion and garlic in with the meat. Add the bay leaves and juniper beans and the rest of the rosemary. Pour enough water to cover the meat and boil for 30 minutes. Add the carrots, parsley root and boil for 15 minutes. Add the potatoes. If necessary pour in more water. Boil until the potatoes are soft. Spice the soup up with salt and pepper. Enjoy your meal!

I prepared two versions: the first one with desiccated coconut and blueberries and the second with dark chocolate and strawberries. Choose your favorite dessert or go crazy and make your own version. Bright dessert Ingredients (for 2 people) 200g of white chocolate 100g of blueberries 200ml of 30% sweet cream 200ml of mascarpone cheese 2 tablespoons of desiccated coconut Melt 150g of the white chocolate in a bain-marie. Draw six 8 cm circles on a sheet of baking paper. Put 2-3 tablespoons of chocolate on each of them and smear it around to cover the whole circle. Leave them at room temperature to congeal and then put them in the fridge for 2 hours. Melt the rest of the white chocolate in a bain-marie. Whisk the cream. Add the mascarpone cheese after whisking. Add the white chocolate and the desiccated coconut and stir thoroughly. Wash the blueberries and drain them. Put the first chocolate circles onto a plate, then a layer of the cream and a couple of blueberries and once again chocolate, cream and blueberries. Put the last chocolate circle on the top. Decorate with the rest of the cream, fruit and peppermint leaves. Serve chilled. Dark dessert Ingredients (for 2 people) 200g of dark chocolate 1 tablespoon of cocoa a couple of strawberries 200ml of 30% sweet cream 200ml of mascarpone cheese Melt 150g of the dark chocolate in a bain-marie. Draw six 8cm circles on a sheet of baking paper. Put 2-3 tablespoons of chocolate on each of them and smear it around to cover the whole circle. Leave them at room temperature to congeal and then put them in the fridge for 2 hours. Melt the rest of the dark chocolate in a bain-marie. Whisk the cream. Add the mascarpone cheese after whisking. Add the dark chocolate and the cocoa and stir thoroughly. Wash the strawberries and remove the shanks. Leave 3-4 nice bits of fruit for decoration, and cut the rest into small pieces. Put the first chocolate circles on a plate, then a layer of the cream and a couple of strawberry pieces and then once again chocolate, cream and strawberries. Put the last chocolate circle on the top. Decorate with the rest of the cream, fruit and peppermint leaves. Serve chilled.

I posted this recipe last year (or the year before?) in the dinner thread. I have been asked to re-post it here so it is easier to find. I'm glad so many people like it. Slow Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce 1/2 cup olive oil, divided 1 large red or yellow onion, diced 6 cloves garlic, minced 18 basil leaves, sliced plus 1/4 c. basil, sliced 1/8 t. red pepper flakes 50 (or more) cherry tomatoes 1 t. salt 2 t. sugar Preheat oven to 250. Heat 1/4 c.olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender - about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 18 basil leaves and red pepper flakes. Place cherry tomatoes in roasting pan large enough to hold tomatoes in a single layer. Sprinkle with sugar and 1 t. salt. Spoon onion mixture over tomatoes and drizzle with remaining 1/4 c. olive oil. Roast tomatoes in preheated oven 3 hours, stirring once. Serve toped with 1/4 cup basil leaves. (This recipe is wonderful but, I think, overly precise. Exactly 18 basil leaves? 50 tomatoes? I use what amount looks good. I also like it with a mix of different colored tomatoes.)

What should a Sunday dessert be like if it is to disappear as soon as it has been served? In my home we need two things: chocolate and fruit. These ingredients usually ensure my culinary success. Recently I used them to prepare muffins with blueberries and white chocolate. They were yummy, fluffy inside and crunchy outside, and it was possible to smell the sweet, chocolate fragrance in the corridor outside our flat. As usual, some of them were packed in boxes for my children's packed lunch. Ingredients (12 muffins) 300g of flour 3 tablespoons of cocoa 150g of butter 170ml of milk 160g of brown sugar 2 eggs 2 flat teaspoons of baking powder ½ teaspoon of baking soda 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence 12 bars of white chocolate blueberries Heat the oven up to 190C. Put some paper muffin moulds into the "dimples" of a baking pan for muffins. Melt the butter in a pan. Leave to cool down. Mix together the dry ingredients of the muffins: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa. Mix together the milk, vanilla essence and eggs in a separate bowl. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix them in. Add the melted butter and mix it in again. Put the dough into some paper muffin moulds up to 1/2 of their height, and put 3-4 blueberries and one piece of white chocolate on top. Add some dough on top. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Today I would like to share with you a recipe for a slightly different sandwich. Instead of traditional vegetables, I recommend strawberry salsa, and rather than a slice of ham – a golden grilled slice of Halloumi cheese. Only one thing is missing – a fresh and fragrant bread roll. Halloumi is a Cypriot cheese made with sheep's milk or a mixture of sheep's, goat's and cow's milk. It is semihard and so flexible that it is excellent for frying and barbecuing, and it is great fresh too. Ingredients (for two people) 2 fresh rolls of your choice 2 big lettuce leaves 4 slices of Halloumi cheese 2 teaspoons of butter salsa: 8 strawberries half a chili pepper 2 tablespoons of minced peppermint leaves ¼ a red onion 2 tablespoons of chopped almond without the skin 1 teaspoon of honey 2 tablespoons of lemon juice 2 tablespoons of balsamic sauce Start by preparing the salsa. Wash the strawberries, remove the shanks and cube them. Dice the onion and chili pepper. Mix the strawberries with the onion, chili pepper, peppermint and almonds. Spice it up with honey and lemon juice. Leave in the fridge for half an hour. Grill the slices of Halloumi cheese until they are golden. Cut the fresh rolls in half and spread them with butter. Put a lettuce leaf on each half of roll, then a slice of the Halloumi cheese, one tablespoon of salsa, another slice of cheese and two tablespoons of salsa. Spice it up with balsamic sauce. Cover with the other half of the roll. Prepare the second sandwich in the same way. Serve at once while the cheese is still hot. Enjoy your meal!

Strawberry dessert with chia seeds Ingredients (for 4 people) 300g of strawberries 300ml of milk (it may be coconut milk or whatever you prefer) honey or maple syrup 4 tablespoons of chia seeds fruit and peppermint leaves for decoration Clean the strawberries and remove the shanks. Add the milk and one tablespoon of honey or maple syrup. Blend it thoroughly. Try it and if necessary add a bit more honey. Add the chia seeds, mix them in and leave in the fridge for 4-5 hours. Stir once again. Put the dessert into a small bowl and decorate with the fruit and peppermint leaves. The inspiration for this dessert comes from "Smaki życia" ("Flavour of Life") by Agnieszka Maciąg

Plum tart with almonds Starting from the first half of August, in the shops and on stands appear the first domestic plums. In September there are so many of them that I have a problem deciding which kind I should choose. Small and big, round and more ovate, violet, red and yellow. You can eat them fresh or make a lot of preserves (jams, plum stew, stewed fruits, pickles, liqueurs, plum brandy). Our favorite are big and round greengage plums, or slightly firm violet plums. Plums have a lot of valuable attributes. They regulate digestion and protect us from free radicals. Dried plums are more valuable regarding vitamin and fiber content, but they have five times more calories than fresh fruits. Plums have quite a lot B vitamins, so for a long time they have been well regarded for having a soothing effect on the nervous system and improving our frame of mind. That's why you simply have to make a plum cake. Either now or when the dreary autumn days arrive. Their benign impact on the nerves could be a good excuse for putting another piece of cake on your plate. I don't like complicated cookery. In this recipe you will find a lot of ingredients, but even so, preparing this delicious cake is very simple. Ingredients: Dough: 250g of flour half a teaspoon of baking powder 8g of vanilla sugar 3 tablespoons of sugar 150ml of 18% cream 150g of butter Filling: 600g of plums 1 egg white 3 tablespoons of minced almonds 2 tablespoons of brown sugar 200g of plum stew 1 teaspoon of cinnamon Crumble topping: 50g of butter 3-4 tablespoons of flour 3 tablespoons of brown sugar 8g of vanilla sugar 1 egg yolk Mix together the dry ingredients for the dough: flour, baking powder, sugar and vanilla sugar. Add cream. Mince the butter and add it to the dry ingredients. Quickly knead into smooth dough. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in the fridge for half an hour. Heat the oven up to 200C. Cover a baking pan (e.g. for a tart) with the dough, leaving the edges slightly raised around the sides. Whisk the egg white and cover the dough with it. Sprinkle with the almonds and brown sugar. Bake for 14 minutes. Take it out of the oven. Don't turn off the oven. Make the crumble topping when the dough is in the oven. Melt the butter, cool it a bit then add the flour, sugar, vanilla sugar and egg yolk. Mix it with a fork until you have lumps. Clean the plums, cut them into halves and remove the stones. Cover the baked base with plum stew, add the plums and sprinkle with cinnamon and the crumble topping. Bake for 20 minutes.

Pineapple and coconut – the ideal couple Today, inspired by the recipes from the book "Zielone koktajle. 365 przepisów" ("Green cocktails. 365 recipes") I prepared a light coconut-pineapple dessert. You may make it without sugar if you have enough sweet fruit. If your pineapple isn't very ripe, add a bit of honey to your dessert. Ingredients (for 4 people)fruit mousse 1 pineapple 300ml of coconut milk 1 banana 150ml of orange juice 2 tablespoons of desiccated coconutdecoration 50g of butter 1 tablespoon of caster sugar 4 tablespoons of desiccated coconut 4 slices of orange fruit Blend all the ingredients of the fruit mousse. Put it into some glasses and leave in the fridge. Put the desiccated coconut, sugar and butter into a pan. Fry constantly, stirring on a low heat until the butter is melted. Leave to cool down a bit. Put 2-3 tablespoons of it on top of the desserts. Decorate with a slice of orange, fruit and some peppermint leaves before serving. Enjoy your meal!

Consider making this if you have some late tomatoes that need to be used, or live in a part of the world where it's summer. If you don't have ripe fresh tomatoes, canned ones work very well. In Israel, shakshuka is most popular as branch or breakfast, but it can also make a lovely dinner. This serves four. The sauce can be made ahead, portioned and kept refrigerated for a few days, or frozen. Base souce: a little oil (1/2 tablespoon) 700-750g ripe red bell peppers (3 large), cut to roughly 1cm (1/2") 650g of very ripe tomatoes (5 large), optionally peeled and roughly chopped (about 3cm, 1") 1-2 hot green chilies of your variety of choice (preferably vegetal and not bitter), thinly sliced into rings 3.5 teaspoons salt (to taste) about 1/2 teaspoon black pepper A few tablespoons of chopped parsley A couple of tablespoons of chopped cilantro (optional) Spice paste: about 2 tablespoons of good olive oil 8-9 cloves of garlic, minced 3 teaspoons of ground cumin (freshly ground if possible) 1/2 teaspoon of ground or whole caraway (optional) 2-2.5 tablespoons of Moroccan sweet paprika (more earthy and less sweet/herbal then hungarian. I think spanish style will be good as well) If you like extra hot, or if you don't use fresh chili, then sub hot paprika for some of the sweet paprika Tahini sauce (makes more then needed): 1/2 cup good tahini (seek one which is pale, nutty and naturally sweet) 1/2 cup very cold water 3 tablespoons lemon juice (+ more to taste) salt to taste 1-2 cloves of minced garlic (optional) -- Mix all of those, add more water if it is very thick. Can be kept up to 4 days. To finish: about 8 eggs (assuming 2 per serving) more salt and pepper, to season the eggs some more parsley about 2 tablespoons of the tahini sauce To serve along: A crusty bread with a soft crumb, unsliced (I usually opt for challah or french style bread) - make sure to slightly heat it in the oven so that it gets crisp and warm More of the tahini sauce Extra hot sauce - Filfel chuma is the best if you can buy, or make it (very easy to do so) Olives (or pickles) Process: Prepare the spice paste: in a small pan, heat oil, garlic, cumin, caraway - until aromatic and lightly sizzling, about 3 minutes. Add paprika and stir. Cook a minute or so and remove from heat. Prepare the sauce: In a shallow wide pot, or a deep pan, saute the bell peppers with a little oil over medium-high heat. Add a generous tablespoon of the spice paste and stir with the peppers. Cook until the peppers soften, roughly 10 minutes, being careful not to burn the spices. Add the tomatoes. Lower the heat to medium-low, and cook for another 30 minutes or so, until thickened slightly (it will get thicker with the eggs). Add remaining spice paste. Add salt, pepper and herbs. At this point, the sauce can be portioned and refrigerated. If portioned, transfer the sauce to a pan of suitable (smaler) size. Lower the heat. If cooking 4 eggs or more, break them ahead of time onto a plate. Using a spoon, create a shallow indentation in the sauce for each egg (this will keep them from sliding). Place an egg in each indentation. Gently stir the egg whites with the sauce around them, only a little - do not break the yolks. Season the top of the eggs with some salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and cook on a bare simmer, until the eggs are just barely cooked (like poached eggs) - consider that they will cook some further from the residual heat of the sauce. Sprinkle with parsley, drizzle with tahini. Shakshuka is served in the pan it was cooked in! If you eat alone (or comfortable with your companion), eat directly from the pan. Otherwise, gently transfer to a plate. The bread is best left unsliced, rather teared and dipped into the sauce and eggs (The Hebrew language has a term for tearing of bread - לבצוע Livtzo'a). Add more tahini and hot sauce as pleases you.

How to Make Rye Sourdough Bread I don't know what it is about bread, but it is my favorite thing to make and eat. A freshly baked loaf of bread solves a world of problems. I was lucky enough to get to be one of the main bakers when I worked at the Herbfarm. We baked Epi, Baguettes, Rolls, Pretzels and so much more. Rye Sourdough Wood Oven Baked Bread My fondest memory when I worked there was our field trip to the Bread Lab(wait something this cool came out of WSU, of course!) here in Washington. They grow thousands of varieties of wheat and have some pretty cool equipment to test gluten levels, protein, genetics and so on. I nerded out so hard. What came out of that trip was this bread. Now I can't recall the exact flour we got from them, but using a basic bread and rye will do the trick. We used to get a special flour for our 100 mile menu. This was where we were limited to only serving food from 100 miles away. So finding a wheat farm that made actual hulled wheat in 100 miles was a miracle. The year before...the thing we made, was closer to hard tack. Now if you don't have a starter, I recommend starting one! It is a great investment! Rye Sourdough 1000 g flour (60% Bread Flour, 40% Rye) 25 g salt 75 g of honey/molasses 200 g of Rye starter 650 g of water, cold Equipment Baker Scale (or other gram scale) Bench Cutter Bread Razor (you could also use one of those straight razors) Start by taking the cold water, yeast and Honey and mix together and let sit for 10-15 minutes I know, some of you just freaked out, cold water? Won't that kill the yeast. Nope, the yeast just needs to re hydrate. I prefer using cold water to slow the yeast down. That way the lactobacillus in the starter has a good amount of time to start making lactic acid, and really get to flavor town! While that is sitting, I mix the flour and the salt together(How many times I have forgotten to salt the bread). Now mix the two products with a kneading hook for 3-5 minutes, only until thoroughly mixed but not yet at the window pane stage of kneading. Instead, place into a bowl and set a timer for one hour. Then when that hour is up, push the dough down and fold all the corners in Repeat this step 2-3 more times, pending on the outside temperature. If you happen to have those cool bowls to shape round loafs! Awesome, use them. I would break the boules into 3 balls of about 333 grams If not then just put the dough in the fridge and do the steps below the next day. Once you have bouled the bread, can put it into the fridge and let it sit over night Again, this lets the bacteria, really get to work(misconception is the yeast adds the sour flavor, nope, think yogurt!) Now on the next day, heat up whatever form of oven you plan to use. We used a brick oven but if you just have a normal oven, that is fine. Crank it to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. If you have not bouled your bread yet, go back and watch the video and break the dough down into three balls of abut 333 grams. Then place the balls on a lightly greased sheet pan. Let sit for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. If you have used the fancy bowls then turn the the bread out on a lightly greased sheet pan, without the bowl and let temper for 15-30 minutes. If your oven is steam injected, build up a good blast of steam. If not, throw in a few ice cubes and close the door or put a bath of hot water inside. The steam is what creates the sexy crust! Let it build up for a few minutes! Right before you put the bread into the oven use a bread razor to slice the top of the bread. Place the dough balls into the oven and douse with another blast of steam or ice and close the oven. Let them bake for 13 minutes at 450 degrees. Then turn the loaves and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove when the crust is as dark as you want and the internal temperature exceeds 190 degrees Fahrenheit. Now pull out and make sure to let cool off of the sheet pan with room to breath underneath. You don't want your crust steaming! Now here is the hardest part, wait at least 20 minutes before getting into the bread. Also, cutting into bread to early really seems to come out poorly. I would rip the bread until 1-2 hours has passed. Now serve it with your favorite butter, goat butter or whipped duck fat!