Cook to impress: Raffa's Tiramisu

Hey foodies! Sorry for my absence once again but I have been out and about for work with a van called the FIGHTVAN! And what happens in the Fightvan, stays in the Fightvan!!! So no can say, nor reveal any other information on where, how and what we did :) But it was FUUUUNNNN, and... I got a tan.

In the meantime, I gave Chef Cathinka the assignment to post her one person pizza on the blog, yet she has been too busy as well I guess to do so which means we all left you hanging for a couple of days without any recipes. I am truely sorry for that. Thank god we have a new Chef that has sent in something highly postable to make up for it....

I present to you: Chef Raffaela!!! She will get the colour bright pink as she and her sister Sabrina (they come as a unit :) ) are the most pretty, fashionable and amazing ladies out there! So whenever you want to find one of her recipes, just look for the pinkness.
She is introducing herself with a good Italian classic: TIRAMISU!!! Yeah baby... prepare your running shoes for after; you'll need to be working off the whole tray of the yumminess, as you won't be able to stop after one serving!

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 60gr Sugar
• 1 pack of vanilla sugar - vanillina
• 200gr of Mascarpone
• 6 espresso cups of coffee
• 28 savoiardi (finger cookies... the long light cookies)
• pure dark cacao

How to make it:

Prepare the coffee and cool it down in a big cup.

Separate the egg whites from the yolks. To the egg whites you add the sugar and the vanilla sugar, and then you start beating it up until you get a nice fluffly foam. At this point, you add the mascarpone to the foam and continue beating it in order to get a silky and thick cream (hmm sounds like a poem...).

Now you are ready to start the layering process of the Tiramisu into a rectangular tray.

Spread a first layer of the cream into a rectangular tray, on top of which you gently place the cookies that have been soaked one by one into the coffee. Don't soak them too much or they will crumble into the coffee. On top of the cookies you spread another layer of cream and you finish the layer off by dusting it generously with the dark cacao. 

Create another layer like this and finish it off with lots of cacao again.

Cool in the fridge until you serve.

Chef's tip: the number of cookies depends on the tray you are using, but seen the fact the tray shouldn't be too big, you would need a pack of cookies more or less.

Outcome: HEAVEN

Tiramisu

Baci 

Chef Raffaela

Cook to Impress: old school English Poached Eggs; the real deal

As mentioned before, I do not tend to give up easily. 
As seen on this very blog, my muffins went from scrunchy misshaped little things (yet always tasty) to beautiful american style fluffy popping on the top little cakes...  and to confirm that I did really learn from my mistakes, this weekend I made Lemon Muffins and I have witnesses that they turned out yum! Keep tuned for recipes...

OK enough with the cakes and back to the eggs. So poached eggs in the Hamilton family used to be done using the magic pan right? Well, as it isn't really what they serve in England, we decided to change our way of cooking it, and try to make the real deal. Quite a bit of a challenge.... but....
So on the famous easter-skype-date night when my family had the salmon, asparagus and eggs recipe, they tried (with me live on skype) to make real poached eggs. And it worked!!!!!!!
So I followed the tips my sis gathered this weekend, and guess what: it worked again. So on sunday I had breakfast in bed with freshly poached eggs, strawberry crackers and home made cappuccino. A smile appears on my face when thinking of it again, and I am secretly wishing of the days to fast forward to the weekend....

Ingredients:

• super fresh room temperature biological eggs
• 2 tablespoons of vinegar (white wine)
• pinch of salt to taste

How to make it:

The true secret is to use super fresh eggs - preferably biological, and to take them out of the fridge 15 minutes or so before cooking them in order for them to get to room temperature.

Heat up a pan of water until boiling and when it boils, turn off the heat so that the the water returns to 90 degrees Celcius circa --> how the hell do you know when it's 90 degrees? When all the bubbles have disappeared!

Add the vinegar to the water and stir firmly with a spoon so that the water keeps turning.

Break the egg into a big soup spoon and then let it slip into the water gently. Make sure it falls into the water from a couple of cm's and not more. Because the water is turning, the egg white should twist and remain around the egg yolk. 

Let it stay/cook for 4-5 minutes.

If you like your egg slightly more well done than the usual runny poached egg: turn on the heat again at minute nr 2, but make sure it doesn't start boiling again.

Once it's done, take the egg out with a sieve spoon thing.

Outcome: your own real old school english poached egg!!! I still can't believe it!!!!! Next step is to serve it on fresh toasted scones with bacon and sauce hollandaise - just to keep you teased until next time... 

Poached Eggs

Cheers

The Hamilton Chefs

Summer is Magic.... with a Greek Salad

After a hangover... it's time for recovery with a touch of health for the body and mind, and especially a touch of freshness, and what better to do that than with a good old Greek Salad.

A greek salad for me = sun, beach & fun!
Where before I would only have it on the beach on holidays, nowadays I have to admit it has become a weekly meal during the summer months. That tradition came into my life by a certain someone who didn't like many many many things except for this salad... so yeah, there wasn't a lot of choice there! But I have grown to love the routine a little touch of greece during my boring weekdays, I guess it's all about give & take.... ;)

The main trick of a good Greek Salad is to use fresh produce! Pop by the market and get firm plum dark red tomatoes, some cucumbers and fresh black olives and you're good to go.

Ingredients: serves 2

• 2 big firm tomatoes
• 1 big cucumber - peeled
• 1 red onion
• 150 gr feta cheese
• 50gr black olives (or green ones)
• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil extra vergine
• 2 teaspoons Origano

How to make it:

It's a salad, so there's ZERO cooking involved - how convenient.

Slice up the tomatoes, cucumber and red onion in thin slices or cubes - depending on your taste.

Chop the feta in cubes of 1cm.

Toss all together in a bowl with the olives.

Sprinkle the olive oil and Origano on top.

Outcome: 2 minutes and you're done! Even a person with 2 left hands can make this one work. Serve with dark brown bread or a nice and tasty focaccia works well as wel - but makes it less healthy   

You can also add a drop of good quality Balsamic Vinegar if you like it. 

Greek Salad

Buon Appetito

Chef Steph

Happy Easter Everyone: Classic Buttery Asparagus, Eggs & Salmon

Happy Easter to all of you!
It's friday which means it's almost weekend, thank god! And it's a long weekend... one that we haven't had in a while now. So while everyone is going home to their families and is gaining at least a couple of kilo's worth of chocolate, eggs and lamb, I will be home alone! :( Eh, that's the downside of living abroad I guess. But it's fine, my weekend will be full of cooking, running, watching movies and some dancing! Doesn't sound all too bad to me.

Do you already know what to make this weekend? If not, let me help you with that by giving the easiest recipe ever. What is more easterly than asparagus?? Ok lamb and artichokes... but you will have to wait another day for those recipes. Last night I had an easter dinner with my dear roommate Chiara and we had the traditional (in my family it's considered traditional anyways) green asparagus, eggs, salmon and a butter vinaigrette; it turned out simple & super tasteful.

Ingredients: serving 2

• 400 gr green asparagus
• 200 gr smoked salmon
• 2 eggs
• 50 gr butter
• chive

How to make it:

Get two pans with water boiling. One should be really tall in order that the asparagus fit in, and the other one is for the eggs so a smaller one is fine. Once the water gets boiling, add the asparagus and eggs to cook.

Asparagus take circa 10 minutes.

Eggs to your choice:

- soft = 5-6 minutes

- medium = 7-9 minutes

- hard = 9-10 minutes

While they are cooking, melt the butter in a little pan and add the chive once it's all liquid.

Now all your ingredients are ready to place them on a plate. Drizzle the butter sauce over the eggs and asparagus and you're done.

Outcome: HAPPY & DELICIOUS EASTER!!!!!!! 

Easter Dinner: Asparagus, Eggs & Salmon

Buon Appetito

Chef Steph

Classic: Whole Weat Choc Chip Cookies

Chef Stephanie ..... I made em!!!!!! After 3 batches... they finally turned out good! Still not Chocolate Chip Perfection, but heck Rome wasn't built in a day right??? Guess it's going wrong in the substitution of normal flour with whole weat flour, but it's what I had at home at the moment of baking.
As they say here : 'eh beh pazienza'! aka: 'ah well, be patient!' This international Cooking Club might even become a language cooking school... ouh not to bad of an idea actually!!! What do you think??
Original recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookies Take Two


Ingredients:

• 125gr all purpose flour (I used whole weat flour)
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 113gr Cream Butter
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 165 gr Light Brown Sugar
• 1 egg
• 200gr Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 60gr chopped Walnuts

How to make it:

Blend flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.

Cream butter with vanilla extract.  Add brown sugar and continue to blend.  Add egg and blend thoroughly.  Then add dry mixture gradually.

Fold in semi-sweet chocolate chips and walnuts.  Drop by Tablespoonfulls onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake in a pre-heated 190° degree oven for 12-14 minutes, or until golden brown. WARNING: DO NOT KEEP THEM ANY LONGER AS THEY WILL GET CRISPY WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OUT!!! 

Let rest on pan after removed from oven for 1-2 minutes. Transfer to wax paper or wire rack to cool.  ENJOY!!

Here is the outcome of my version of Steph's Beauties

'Healthy' Chocolate Chip Cookies

ENJOY

Chef Stephanie & Steph

Classic: American Corn Chowder anyone???

A first contribution by our American Chef Stephanie! With many others to follow... 


Feeling just *this much* better about the winter weather after supper tonight. I made one of my favorite comfort foods. Corn Chowder.
Now the original recipe has been around since my Grandma was first married. My mother made a second draft of it, which is the bacon-grease spattered index card that I have currently in my possession (Grandma's recipe card is still in the family recipe box.)
Here's the recipe.....


Ingredients:

• 4 cups potatoes diced = 
• 2 cups Water boiling =
• 1/4 lb Bacon
• 1/4 cups Onion, chopped
• 2 cups whole Kernel Corn
• 2 cups Milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon Parsley

How To Make It:

Cook potatoes in water for 15 minutes. Drain. Set aside.

Fry Bacon with onions in stock pot. Add potatoes and all remaining ingredients.

Bring to boil. Reduce to simmer. 

ENJOY!

Outcome: What I do differently... I don't measure. I hardly ever measure (except when baking). So for me to give you my recipe... well I can't exactly. What I can do is tell you that I dice up about 4 potatoes, chop 1 medium sweet yellow onion, dice 1/2 package bacon and throw it all in my soup pot. I fry that all up and then I eyeball what looks to be enough corn and enough milk. I season to taste with fresh ground pepper, coarse sea salt, and garlic powder. Then I serve with a sprinkling of paprika and parsley flakes with toast or crackers on the side :). Makes enough to feed this family of four with some leftovers.

Corn Chowder

Enjoy!

Chef Stephanie from Stephanie Evers Writes

Classic: Delicious Quiche alla Steph

Quiche alla Steph

This lovely and most of all tasteful quiche is unfortunately not all for my credits...as it has been based on a recipe I found in one of the Dutch Delicious's magazines. Think it was somewhere last year but can't give you a source on this one....However the addings of the different cheeses and the use of this pastry instead of puff pastry are 100% mine! :)

Ingredients:

• one 'pasta brisee' - which is paste for a crusty pie in Italian
• one fennel bulb sliced in very thin slices
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 2 full hands of frozen peas
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg whites
• 75gr of feta cheese
• 50 gr of parmigiano or pecorino
• pinch of salt and pepper

What to do:

Heat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius.

Put the pastry in an oven shape for cakes or quiches and just let it set for 10 minutes.

Bake the sliced fennel in a tbsp of olive oil until soft yet still crispy.

Mix the eggs, eggwhites, feta cheese, parmigiano and the peas together in a bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Once the fennel is done, spread it evenly on your baking shape. 

Pour the egg mix over the fennel. 

Put the whole thing in the oven for 30-40 minutes. The crust needs to be golden brownish and the interior firm. To test whether your quiche is ready, stab a knife in the middle and it has to come out clean.

Outcome: Serve it with a nice salad with a balsamic vinaigrette, and voila, a wonderful dinner for your family, friends or loved ones. 

Buon Appetito

Chef Steph

Classic: Vitello Arrosto

On a friday night, after a long week of working I prepared this romantic dinner for my man as we had a little something to celebrate. Never having made a vitello arrosto before, I consulted my dear friend Ste asking how to prepare it easy, yummy and especially fast!!  He suggested slow cooking it in red wine... here we go!

Ingredients for 4 people:

• 500gr Vitello arrosto
• 2 tbsp olive oil (NOT extra vergine - for cooking you need regular pressed oil)
• 1 clove garlic
• salt
• pepper
• red cooking wine or use a nice chianti like I did

What to do:
Take a large and rather deep antiburning pan (how do you call these again?!), put on a big flame adding the 2 tbsp of olive oil and the clove of garlic chopped into small pieces. As the garlic is getting brownish, add the meat. Bake it golden brown on all sides for approximately 10 mins.
Then lower the flame and add the red wine untill half way of the vitello arrosto. Slow cook for 40-45 mins.It is done when you push it gently and it bounces back on its place.


Cut the meat into 1cm slices....
Add some (now yes..) Extra Vergine Olive oil of good quality...
Serve with a fresh green salad or grilled veggies and a tasteful red wine such as Barbera d'Asti - full of flavour and slightly dry

BUON APPETITO!

Chef Steph