Sunday menu

 Fried sage leaves, dipped in egg batter and bread crumbs.

Home made fettuccine...



this time with carbonara sauce.

And for dessert, we use the egg whites that have left over from the carbonara sauce to make these delicious meringues.

The meringue recipe is from this recommended cookbook.

Because peppers can get boring...

I did it again. I abandoned the blog. The truth is that I'm cooking a lot, but lately , I felt no very inspired to write and take photos. But someone has awakened  me from my lethargy with these magical words: I´m bored to look your peppers! When are you going to post something new? So, here I am with this incredibly easy Croissant dough recipe. I found it in Youtube and I use both to make croissants and pain au chocolat.

... and I have to admit one thing: I also was bored of seeing these peppers! Have a nice week!

Pecan and gorgonzola sourdough bread...

with confited peppers.
For the bread I used this recipe, but I used gorgonzola cheese instead of raisins.

Avocado butter and Zucchini risotto

 This can be a good Sunday menu.

AVOCADO BUTTER (adapted from epicurious)
1 ripe avocado
1/2 stick of butter, room temperature (no margarine)
1 T fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp white pepper
1/8 tsp Tabasco

Process all ingredients until very smooth. Put in container and seal with plastic wrap so that no air space is between the wrap and the avocado butter. Make shortly before serving or seal with Saran Wrap so the avocado doesn't have time to discolor.

ZUCCHINI RISOTTO

Ingredients



• about 3 cups Vegetable Stock
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup risotto rice
• 1/2zucchini, hinl sliced
• 2 tablespoon cream cheese

Bring the stock to a boil. Meanwhile, melt  the butter in another pan, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, thn add the zucchni and cook for another 5 minutes.
Stir in the rice and cook, stirring, until the grains are coated in butter. Add a ladleful of the hot stock and cook, stirring, until it has been absorbed. Continue adding the stock, a ladleful at a time, and stirring until each addition has been absorbed. This will take 18-20 minutes. About 5 minutes before the rice is cooked, stir in the cheese.

Basmati rice with Swiss chard, carrots, white sauce and fried leeks

A comfort food for those days of rain and cold. Cooked some basmati rice, steamed Swiss chard and carrots, and make a creamy white sauce.In a suitable bowl, put first a layer of rice, then the vegetables, and finally the bechamel. Grate some cheese and broil in the oven till golden brown.

Meanwhile, cut finely the leeks and fry in olive oil.Put the fried leeks on the top and...Bon appetit!

Have a nice weekend!

I admit...

this is not exactly a "balancedd diet"...  I know, but today has been  a very hard monday for me...

When I came home,I  had a famine that was  killing me, and I did not fancy cooking. So taking advantage of yesterday's batch, this has been my lunch today: a sandwich of cream cheese and mortadella and a assortment of golden syrup cookies with an Earl grey tea.

I took the cookies recipe from here and and I added some chocolate, almonds and whipped cream for garnish.


Tomorrow will be another day...

Breakfast for a rainy day

Listen  the rain hitting  the windows tightly, while you take a hot tea with a good cinnamon bun is for me one of the best ways to start the day.

Cinnamon Buns adapted from Peter Reinhart’s “The Bread Baker’s Apprentice”

•6 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
•1 teaspoon salt

•5 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
•1 large egg, slightly beaten

•1 teaspoon lemon extract or zest

•3 1/2 cups  unbleached bread or all-purpose flour

•2 teaspoons instant yeast

•1 1/8 to 1 1/4 cups  whole milk or buttermilk, room temperature
•1/2 cup cinnamon sugar (6 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar plus 1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon


1. In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the sugar, salt and butter on medium-high speed. Whip in the egg and lemon extract until smooth. Then add the flour, yeast, and milk. Mix on low speed until the dough forms a ball. Switch to the dough hook, and increase the speed to medium, mixing for approximately 10 minutes, or until the dough is tacky but not sticky. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to cover it with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap.
2. Ferment at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.

3. Mist the counter with spray oil, and transfer the dough to the counter. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin, lightly dusting the top of the dough with flour. Roll it into a rectangle about 30cm wide by 40 cm lon. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the surface of the dough, and roll the dough up into a log, creating a spiral as you roll. With the seam side down, cut the dough into 8 to 12 even pieces.
4. Line 1 or more sheet pans with baking parchmentand place the buns.
5. Proof at room temperature until the pieces have grown into one another and have nearly doubled in size.
6. Preheat the oven to 180ºC with the oven rack on the middle shelf.
7. Bake the buns for 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

8. Cool the buns in the pan for about 10 minutes, and then glaze the tops. Remove the buns from the pans, and place them on a cooling rack.

Saturday lunch

Foie gras, cream of asparagus, duck breast with grapefruit sauce, and apple and rhubarb crumble. Homemade bread and champagne.A perfect meal for the last saturday of october.

French Apple tart

From joy of baking again...

Another indispnsable dessert for a nice autumn afternoon. Have a good weekend!

Apple and rhubarb crumble pie

I love to enjoy with the simplest things, like  when I'm collecting rhubarb from my garden...

It's not easy to find rhubarb here in the Basque Country, but there is nothing imposible if you have good friends, and I'm so fortunately becouse I have the best friends anybody can have!

So, a good friend realized an acquaintance had rhubarb in his garden, she told him that I was desperate looking for rhubarb everywhere, and he gave him some plants for me.

The day this friend came up with rhubarb plants, I almost cried with excitement!and since then I look with more pride at my small but generous garden.

Now, I can make delicious desserts such as this, which I found while I was looking for recipes which combines rhubarb and apples, nice recipe and nice blog.

Have a good weekend!