Lets try some tasty and healthy Greek salad. Tzatziki – The Greek cucumber salad!
Ingredients:
¼ cup full fat Greek (strained) yogurt
1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 minced garlic clove
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons olive oil
Freshly ground pepper
Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
3 medium cucumbers
Preparation:
Mix well all the ingredients except the cucumbers in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour. Slice the cucumbers very nicely and mix with the yogurt dressing, until all cucumbers are coated with the dressing. Garnish chopped fresh herbs and serve.
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In an award ceremony at Singapore, the Mirazur restaurant of France was awarded as the world’s No:1 restaurant. It is for the first time that Mirazur’s chef Mauro Colagreco and his dining room is achieving the first place. Previously the restaurant was having the third position.
The competition was organised by the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. The restaurant’s ‘salt-crusted beetroot with caviar cream’, is one among the world famous dishes, in which the vegetables are taken from its own garden. The restaurant is run by an Argentine chef.
Argentine chef Mauro Colagreco
The methodology of the awards, which started since 2002 has been questioned by some critics. The list of awards had been prepared on the basis of more than 1,000 culinary experts’s decisions.
Spain’s three restaurants had the top 10 positions. Restaurants of Denmark and Peru had two top 10 entries each.
William Reed Business Media, that published the World’s best 50 restaurants said that “Mirazur provided “the ultimate restaurant experience”.
They added that they are highly impressed by the “unrivalled views of the French Riviera, three levels of cascading vegetable gardens churning out the sweetest produce and a team of outrageously talented cooks and front-of-house staff”.
Reuters reports that Argentine chef Mauro Colagreco said that he felt like he “was in the sky”.
Check out the list of the top 10 restaurants:
Mirazur, Menton – France
Noma, Copenhagen -Denmark
Asador Etxebarri, Axpe -Spain
Gaggan, Bangkok -Thailand
Geranium, Copenhagen -Denmark
Central, Lima -Peru
Mugaritz, San Sebastián -Spain
Arpège, Paris -France
Disfrutar, Barcelona -Spain
Maido, Lima -Peru
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Melt the butter with olive oil in a pot on medium heat. Add onions and continually stir until tender and translucent. Do not brown the onions.
Add beef broth, sherry and thyme. Season it with salt and pepper, and simmer for 30 minutes. Heat the oven broiler.
Transfer the soup into bowls and place one slice of bread on top of each. Layer each slice of bread with a slice of provolone, 1/2 slice diced Swiss and 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese. Place bowls on cookie sheet and broil in the preheated oven until cheese bubbles and browns slightly.
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Place the clay pot in medium flame and heat the whole pot for about 10 minutes. Keep changing the position of pot to heat it evenly. Meanwhile, heat a pan and add the milk and water into it.
Once the milk start boiling, prepare the tea by adding ginger, cardamom, 1 tbsp tea powder and 2 tbsp sugar in it and boil it for 2-3 minutes in low flame. When the tea is ready , remove it from the stove and stain it.
Increase the flame to high and heat the clay pot properly. Use tongs for holding pot. Once the clay pot is heated properly, gently put the hot clay pot into a pan. Now, pour the prepared hot tea into all over the clay pot.
Now a nice, smoky flavored smell will come. Now, carefully take out the clay pot and transfer the tea into another cups, preferably a clay cup. Serve hot!
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Sift the cream of tartar, cocoa, and cornflour into a bowl and mix it well. Add a small pinch of salt into it. Mix it well and set aside. Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl with electric beaters until frothy.
Gently add the caster sugar, 1 tbs at a time, beating constantly. Make sure that the mixture is stiff and glossy. Add the balsamic and cocoa mixture to the meringue mixture and beat until well combined. Fold in the chocolate. Pour the mixture into a tray. Bake for 25 minutes, until it becomes firm and springs back when gently touched. Cool it for 5 minutes.
Slightly wet a towel with water. Grease a sheet of baking paper with oil and place it, oil-side down, over the sponge. Cover it with the tea towel. Gently invert the sponge (leaving the bottom layer of baking paper on the sponge) onto the baking paper and tea towel.
Slowly roll into a log from one long side using the tea towel. Set it aside for cooling. For filling, whisk mascarpone and cream until stiff peaks form. Add kirsch and sugar and mix well.
Slowly unroll the sponge. Gently remove the tea towel and top layer of baking paper. Spread cream mixture over the sponge and scatter three-quarters of the almonds on top. In a bowl, combine the berries and scatter three-quarters over the cream. Roll up tightly to enclose the filling, Peeling the sponge away from the bottom layer of baking paper.
Place it in a serving dish. Spread remaining cream mixture on top of the Roulade and top with remaining almonds and berries. Dust it with icing sugar before serving!
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In a large bowl, mix water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl and let sit for 10 minutes. In another bowl, beat the eggs, salt and evaporated milk. Add the egg mixture to the yeast mixture and combine it well. Measure out the bread flour in a separate bowl.
To the yeast mixture, add 3 cups of the flour and stir to combine. Add the shortening and continue to stir while adding the remaining flour. Remove the dough from the bowl. Put it on a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Apply nonstick spray in a bowl. Put dough into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Let rise in a warm place for at least 2 hours.
Preheat the oil in a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F. Add the confectioners’ sugar to a plastic bag and. Set it aside. Roll the dough into about 1/4-inch thickness and cut into 1-inch squares. Deep-fry it by flipping constantly until they become a golden color.
After the Beignets are fried, drain them for a few seconds on paper tissues. Toss them into the bag of confectioners’ sugar. Hold the bag closed and shake to spread it evenly.
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Mix 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt and flour in a food processor until combined. Add lard and pulse 12 times. Add 1/2 cup butter and pulse 7 or 8 times until pea-size.
After that add ice water through the feed tube until dough just comes together. Divide the prepared dough into balls and make the balls. Wrap in plastic wrap. Flatten it into discs. Refrigerate for about 1 hr.
Put it in the lowest level of oven. Place a baking sheet on rack and preheat to 425 F. Roll the dough portion into a 12-in. circle on a lightly floured surface. Press onto a 9-in. pie plate, then refrigerate. Roll remaining dough portion into a 13-in. circle. Place on a large plate and refrigerate.
In a large bowl, toss the apples with lemon juice. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large frying pan over medium. Add apples and cook, stirring, until liquid evaporates, 7 to 9 min. Transfer it to a baking sheet and set on a rack, turning occasionally, until cooled, 25 min. Stir 2/3 cup sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, cinnamon, 1/4 tsp salt and nutmeg in a bowl. Sprinkle over apples and toss to combine. Pour apples and any juices into chilled pie shell, spreading evenly.
Spread the remaining dough over apples, pressing edges of dough together. Trim the edges with scissors, if needed, leaving 1/2-in overhang. Fold top edge under bottom edge, then crimp together using index finger and thumb. Cut 3 to 5 steam vents on top. Brush with egg wash without touching the edges. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Put the pie on hot baking sheet and bake for 20 min. Reduce heat to 375 F, then rotate the pie. Continue baking until crust is deep golden brown and a paring knife can be easily inserted into apples, 20 to 25 min. Cover with foil if browning too quickly. Cool on rack for at least 2 hr.
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Italian plums ,cut into quarters, pits removed : 3 pounds
Warm milk : 1 cup
Dry active yeast : 1 1/2 tbsp
All-purpose flour : 4 cups
Sugar : 150 g
Salt : 1/2 tsp
Butter : 120 g
Eggs : 2 nos
Pure vanilla extract : 1 tsp
For the Streusel:
All-purpose flour : 1 cup
Sugar : 1 cup
Ground cinnamon : 1 tsp
Butter : 1/2 cup
Preparation:
Dissolve the yeast in 3/4 cup warm milk and keep it aside for about 5 to 10 minutes till it becomes frothy. Take a bowl and add into it the flour, sugar and salt. Add the yeast mixture, melted butter, eggs and vanilla extract into it.
Stir it initially for combining and then attach a dough hook and knead it on the bread setting (“2”) for 4-5 minutes, adding the remaining 1/4 cup milk as necessary. Loosely cover it with a plastic wrap. Keep it in a warm, draft free place to rise for an hour or until about doubled in size.
Butter well a German Backblech extended to full length or a large jelly roll pan. Spread the dough out across the full length of the pan, pressing it up against the sides. Put the plums in rows over the whole length of the dough on the sheet pan. Arrange the plums closely. Put the pan in a warm place and let it rise for up to another hour.
Making streusel:
Put all the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and set it all together. Combine it well till it forms a rough sand and clumpy texture. Sprinkle the streusel over the top of the cake. Bake the cake in a preheated oven (350 degrees for 30-35 minutes). Let the cake sit for about 10 minutes before slicing for the liquid to set. Slice it into square pieces and serve!
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Beat well the eggs and milk with a fork or beater. Add into it salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add the flour gently into it in small amounts and mix well with a fork. Add the whole flour till the mixture becomes thick and elastic. Let stand for 5 minutes while bringing a 3 qt pot filled with water to boil.
Add the prepared dough into a spatzle maker and press through. Let the dough hang into the water (be patient, it will fall off by itself, no need to cut it off).
When the noodles rise into the top, the recipe is ready. Strain it well. Transfer it into a bowl. Heat 1 tbsp butter in a large pan. Add chopped onions into it and simmer for 7 minutes. Add spatzle and sprinkle swiss cheese on top. Stir well until all cheese is melted. Garnish it with coriander leaves and serve hot.
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The yummy scene of White Witch’s ‘Turkish Delight’ is never forgettable by the ‘Narnia’ fans. The Chronicles of Narnia – The Lion, The Witch, The Wardrobe and of course, The ‘TURKISH DELIGHT’ ! Here comes the delicious recipe of ‘Turkish Delight’, from the evergreen movie ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’.
Ingredients:
Sugar : 2½ cups
Cornstarch : 1¼ cup
Water : 2¼ cups
Lemon juice : 3 tablespoons
Pistachios : 3½ oz.
Hazelnuts : 3½ oz.
Orange blossom water : 1 tablespoon
Rose water : 1 tablespoon
Liquid food coloring
Cornstarch : 1 cup
Icing sugar : 1 cup
Preparation:
Before the preparation of the dough itself, take two 6×6 inch molds or boxes with parchment paper (or wax paper). Brush the paper lightly with oil. Spread cornstarch at the bottom of each mold or box lined with parchment paper. Roast the pistachios and hazelnuts seperately for a few minutes in a hot pan. Put them aside.
Boil 1 cup of water and add into it the sugar and lemon juice. Keep a medium flame. wait till the foam forms. Continue cooking until the sugar mixture reduces and thickens but before it changes to a caramel color.
Check on the sugar syrup. The syrup should not cover the bottom of the pan back too quickly as it should not be too liquid. In a bowl, mix 1¼ cup of corn starch with 1¼ cup of cold water and stir well to completely dissolve the cornstarch in the water. Then add this mixture to the syrup prepared above. Reduce heat to low and stir constantly. The mixture will slowly thicken and become more difficult to mix. Stir continuously.
The preparation is ready when it is completely detached from the bottom of the pan. It can take between an hour and an hour and a half. Divide dough into two equal parts. In the first, add a tablespoon of orange blossom water, the roasted pistachios and desired coloring and stir well.
In the second, add a tablespoon of rosewater, roasted hazelnuts. Divide each dough into molds or boxes and smooth the surface as much as possible.
Cover with aluminum foil. Let it dry for 24 hours. Turn the dough over and cut into squares with a large smooth knife. To facilitate cutting, coat the knife with oil with a brush before each slicing.
Pour the small cups of powdered sugar and cornstarch in a dish and mix well. Roll each cut square in this mixture once, then again. You can also put the sugar and cornstarch mixture in a freezer bag and add the squares of Turkish delights in small quantities and mix well to coat completely. Since we are covering the Turkish with a mixture of icing sugar and cornstarch, the color will fade quite a bit. So adding a bit of color will be a good option.
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