cakes and coffee, disaster in the kitchen

[cakesandcoffee 3] – Cardamom Coffee Affogato

From the special series #cakesandcoffee today we have a very special recipe, a combined dessert, ice cream and coffee. 🙂

Affogato is an Italian dessert, based on coffee, respectively a cup of vanilla ice cream “drowns” in a shot of hot espresso. Newer recipes combine the two ingredients with liqueur, but I think the basic version is enough to impress your guests. 🙂

At home, my grandmother drowned ice cream directly in a cup of coffee, at least that’s how I remember from childhood. :))

Today’s recipe is Indian-inspired, on which occasion I announce that a series of recipes with lots of cumin, cardamom and chilli will follow this summer. LOL.

First of all, we prepare a 200 ml cup of cardamom coffee. I boil the coffee on the stove and put a cup of water, a teaspoon of coffee and one or two cardamom beans. Another option is to prepare the coffee and add cardamom powder at the end.

Let it sit for a few minutes and prepare the ice cream: in four glasses put a large cup of vanilla ice cream. Divide the coffee evenly between the four glasses. For artistic impression, add some chopped pistachios.

I made it with vanilla and cherries ice cream. And I made another round with chocolate ice cream. And I’ll probably repeat with other ice cream. :)))))

It is disastrously simple and very effective. 🙂

The recipe is from Mowgli Street Food, a network of Indian restaurants in the UK.

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cookingbookclubEN, disaster in the kitchen

Special ep. [fromcommunism] – fake pate

To the disasters of the wide world, if you manage to cook and eat something like that, you have all my admiration. 🙂

As the theme of the month was the recipes from communism, today we have another one, also from Oana’s mother’s notebooks. Well maybe from the internet you have the impression that in communism only milk, honey and black caviar flowed, in monthly packages directly from the Headquarters of the Communist Party, but the reality in which I grew up was with rationalized food, with hot water from time to time and with homeworks made under the light of the lamp – this in the middle of the metropolis Brașov, not in I do not know what mountain peak… as a result creativity in the kitchen was absolutely mandatory.

This fake pate is more than creativity, because it doesn’t contain a gram of liver. Or meat. Or fat. 🙂

5-6 finely chopped onions boil in salted water and a glass of milk, in which you dissolved a yeast nut. Mix on the fire plus a few tablespoons of homemade breadcrumbs until a viscous mixture is obtained. After it has cooled, add 6-7 hard-boiled eggs, crushed with a fork (or grated) and greens (parsley). Keep cool and use instead of pate.

Whoever tells us what the role of yeast was in this recipe gets a Disaster Chef diploma! :)))))

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cookingbookclubEN, disaster in the kitchen

Special ep. [fromcommunism] – căcăuele

Well, but what are “căcăuele”? 🙂 They are small cakes with jam, cocoa and nuts, similar to muffins and cut with a glass, in the shape of a crescent. Hence the name in Romanian – the synonym for crescent is “semilună”.

The recipe comes from Oana’s mother’s notebook. 🙂 You need 3 eggs, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup oil, 3 tablespoons marmalade (doesn’t matter what kind), 1 tablespoon cocoa, 1 cup yogurt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 250-300 grams of flour, vanilla sugar, rum essence (a bit), 200 grams of chopped walnuts.

Whole eggs are beaten together with a cup of sugar and oil. Nowadays the mixer can be used. 🙂 In the composition add the marmalade mixed separately with cocoa, baking soda, vanilla sugar and rum essence. At the end, add the flour, with a spoon, stirring from the bottom up, so that the foamy dough does not collapse.

The composition is poured into a greased pan and lined with flour (or baking paper). Spread the chopped walnuts on top. Put in the hot oven. When it is noticed that it has risen, the fire subsides.

For muffin lovers, the cake is poured into the muffin tray. 🙂 And it comes out as in the picture above. 🙂

It’s ready when the toothpick comes out clean. Probably in about 30-45 minutes – depending on the oven.

Try not to burn it too hard!!! 🙂

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cookingbookclubEN, disaster in the kitchen

Cookingbookclub 9 | recipes from communism

As you remember, this year we are cooking from #321sourcesofinspiration, the proposal of the month being to search the archives for communist books, that maybe a recipe catches our eye.

From a 1962 salad book I found a recipe romantically titled “Vitamin Potato Salad.” At first I thought that as a dressing you pour some vitamins, but surprisingly, no. 🙂 You need 400g potatoes, 2 large carrots, 2 kohlrabi, 4 sour apples, 1/2 lemon, 2-3 tablespoons of oil, salt. I did without kohlrabi, because even though I sat for a good few minutes in front of the supermarket shelf, I left without buying them. 😀 Peeled potatoes, raw vegetables on a grater, large grated apples or thinly sliced. Add the dressing, mix, eat. Good, but it’s still a potato salad. 🙂

The next few days we have two more recipes, căcăuele (I bet you won’t guess what they are 😇) and a fake pate recipe. From Oana’s mother’s special recipe book. 🙂

The next virtual meeting of our club will be at the beginning of July.

Read all the #cookingbookclub articles here.

See here all the disasters in the kitchen.

disaster in the kitchen

Ep. 114 – bruschetta with tomatoes

This month we have a series of disastrously simple but super fancy recipes to impress your friends. 🙂

Bruschetta is an Italian appetizer with different toppings, from tomatoes with basil to vegetables, sausages or cheese.

Today we have the classic version, with four ingredients and 15 minutes of preparation. 🙂 But the end result, maaamaaaamiiiiiiaaaa, so, so goooooood…. 😀

Well, look for bread in the house, if it is old, it is very good, slice and toast it. Use the toaster, if you didn’t burned it like I did. :)))) If not, use the multifunctional bread and/ or eggplant board, if you have enough patience. Or toast it in the oven tray, in which case the slice will be burned only on one side, just crunchy on the other one… which is super ok.

Meanwhile, chop the cherry tomatoes and mix them with crushed/ chopped garlic, olive oil and freshly chopped basil (or dry, if you have nothing else).

When the bread is burned (yessss, you are free to burn it, you little disasters!!! :P), add the tomatoes on top and eat it. Be careful not to fry your tongue. :)))))))

This kind of vegan disasters usually end up on the buttocks (don’t say you didn’t know :D).

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first aid in the kitchen

[firstaidinthekitchen 2] – when you cut your finger julienne

Take care of your fingers when cutting, this is one of the first lessons in the kitchen. I was careful, but I still couldn’t get away without cutting my nails or fingers. :))))) And I still don’t know how to cut vegetables perfectly julienne… but I’ll grow up someday… 😛

The things you can cut yourself into are just about all the sharp kitchen utensils, knives of all sizes, can lids and even paper; including sharp edges of the stove or meat grinder or blender blades. I managed to cut myself in almost everything, fortunately without long-term consequences. 🙂

In order not to need first aid, it is recommended to store the knives in a special, protected place. If you keep them in the drawer, put them down with the blade. If you keep them in a vertical dryer, likewise, make sure the tip is down. Be careful how you use them, do not gesture while you have a sharp object in your hand and someone else is next to you, do not walk with them in your hand and if it is necessary, hold the tip down. Be careful where you recycle open cans.

If you cut yourself, first aid means stopping the bleeding as soon as possible and covering the wound. If it is a superficial cut, clean with water and cover with kitchen paper or a patch. If there is a deeper cut, clean with water and cover with a sterile compressive bandage – which aims to stop the bleeding – after which you bandage the wound. If you don’t have compresses, use a clean towel. If you have to help a friend, try using gloves or wash your hands quickly with soap and water before giving first aid. And if the friend is left with the knife in his hand… well, whatever you do, don’t take it out. 🙂 Immobilize it with some extra bandages and bandage around it. (Don’t know how? Go take a first aid course!!!)

To be ready, you also need a mini kitchen first aid kit that contains patches (including those that can be used in water), sterile compresses or bandages, disposable gloves.

If the wound is very deep or you can see your muscles/ bones/ tendons, or if you cut sensitive areas or when the bleeding does not stop, call the emergency services as soon as possible.

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As a general idea, at least once in your life you should take a practical first aid course at the Red Cross or elsewhere (ask beforehand if the course is only theoretical or has a practical part). Also, you should have a mini first aid kit on hand – you never know when you’ll need it. 🙂

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Bibliography: European First Aid Manual, 2006; International First Aid and Resuscitation Guidelines, IFRC, 2016.

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disaster in the kitchen

Ep. 113 – Transylvanian pizza

When we were kids, my mother learned this pizza recipe, I think, from a neighbor. A recipe she keeps on making even now, when we don’t feel like making the classic pizza dough. It’s disastrously good. 🙂 So good, that I preferred it on NYE, instead of stuffed eggs. Yup, familydisaster and not (too much) uptight. 😀

The pizza (I named it Transylvanian, to distinguish it from other types of pizza) is actually a kind of quiche, although it does not have a tart dough, but a liquid dough. It’s like a kind of salted sponge cake with salami, vegetables and cheese – for those new in the kitchen. 🙂

Dough: 4 eggs, 1 cup milk, baking powder, 1 tablespoon margarine (butter), 1 1/4 cup flour. Beat the eggs with the mixer, add the baking powder quenched with a little vinegar or lemon juice, then alternately pour the milk and the flour, finally add the fat.

Pour the dough into a tall, rectangular tray, greased with fat and lined with flour (or baking paper) and add what you want: salami/ ham/ cabanos or sausages, mushrooms, vegetables, etc. The mother sautés a little sausage or cabanos, mushrooms, onions and bell peppers and then puts them in the dough. Don’t forget the cheese or mozzarella cut into small pieces.

Well, you usually make the pizza with the leftovers from the fridge. 🙂

Before putting it in the oven, grate some cheese on top and cover with beaten eggs. As you see fit. 🙂

Eat it with ketchup or homemade sauce: chopped tomatoes with a little sugar, salt and other spices or one or two cans of tomatoes in broth, boiled until reduced and you have a thick sauce.

(Is it suitable to celebrate June 1st? It’s disastrously perfect for that. :D)

Eating it, you die slowly, like in Transylvania. 🙂

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cakes and coffee, disaster in the kitchen

[cakesandcoffee 2] – chocolate and amaretto cake

Well, I am pretty sure you’ll like the next cake very, very much !!! 😛 It is fluffy and it melts in your mouth, it is sweet and it is perfect for a cup of black coffee. 🙂

Ingredients: 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 250g soft butter, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, 4 large eggs at room temperature, 1 cup milk, 170g melted bitter chocolate, 1 vanilla sugar, 3 teaspoons almond essence, 4 tablespoons amaretto liqueur.

Logically, I changed the recipe and it didn’t came out a disaster. 🙂 I halved the amount of sugar and even so, it turned out super sweet. And because I didn’t have any almond essence, I just put amaretto.

How to make it: first melt the chocolate, in a bain-marie or in the microwave (be careful not to burn it: D). If you prefer the first option, put a pot of water to boil on the stove and in it you will put a second pot (eg a porcelain cup), in which there are broken chocolate pieces; turn on the heat slowly and mix lightly in the chocolate until it all melts. Remove from the heat and wait to cool for about 10 minutes.

In a bowl, mix the butter and sugar + vanilla sugar, then add the eggs one at a time, the liquid chocolate, and alternately the milk and flour with the baking powder. At the end the liqueur.

Bake in a large cake pan, on baking paper or lined with grease and flour. I had about three smaller trays. Bake at the medium temperature for about 45 minutes.

And disaster as you are, did you manage not to burn them? 😛 Only a bit, on the bottom. :))))) But I cut them nicely after they cooled down, as if nothing had happened. 😀

Well, you will have to wait for it to cool down completely, otherwise it will disintegrate and you will eat the cake with the teaspoon. :))))

The recipe is inspired by Magnolia Bakery, as well as the previous one in this series.

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disaster in the kitchen

Ep. 112 – broccoli cream soup

Well, if you haven’t learned anything new in lockdown, then you haven’t isolated yourself properly. 🙂 In my case, I learned that broccoli cream soup does not bite, which is the achievement of the year. :)))

In a pot put a carrot, some leeks, about 6 cloves of garlic, a parsnip, a medium potato, a white onion – cut into pieces, then sauté them with oil, salt, pepper, vegeta and add some broccoli flowers and chopped stem. Cover the vegetables with water or boiled broccoli soup and simmer over medium heat. When the vegetables are cooked, blend them.

(If you don’t understand what broccoli soup is, the broccoli flowers are boiled and used for pasta or garnish. We use everything. 🙂 )

Portion the soup and serve with bread croutons (toasted bread with spices and olive oil).

I basically ate a portion of soup and about three of croutons. :)))))

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disaster in the kitchen

Special [LesHalles] ep. – remoulade sauce with celery

A 450g celery cleaned, washed and julienned (first cut thin slices, then put them on top of each other and cut sticks). Sprinkle with lemon juice so it doesn’t oxidize and put it in a bowl. Add 100g of walnut kernels. Mix a quarter cup (60g) of mayonnaise with 2 tablespoons of mustard and a tablespoon of walnut oil (if you don’t have it, add sunflower oil), salt, black pepper. Mix the sauce with the celery and walnuts. For taste, you can add some lemon juice.

If you put apples, you would get a Waldorf salad, says Chef.

Well yes, but then it wouldn’t have been Bourdain’s recipe for celery remoulade, the one he used to make in Les Halles. 🙂

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