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Friday, March 31, 2017

Strawberry Tiramiu (sponsored)


Spring has finally arrived and with it a variety of seasonal produce. Apples and beets had to say goodbye and leave the stage for a variety of colourful fruits and veggies. It's a real pleasure to stroll around the local green markets and check out if the strawberries and rhubarb are as ripe as they should be.

With the time change, the days are longer. Nature spoils us with beautiful sceneries and smells of blooming flowers. To celebrate the season I gave my traditional Tiramisu recipe a seasonal twist. After the x-massy version with Speculoos, I now opted for the traditional recipe with a very berry extra. 


The Tiramisu recipe is my very first recipe I owned as a kid. I remember that one afternoon I went to see my neighbour who was preparing Tiramisu for her guests in the evening. I remember that it was the first time I heard about this dessert, and had absolutely no clue what to expect from it. Very carefully I dipped the ladyfingers into the coffee and lined them up into the glass dish. As indicated in the recipe we spread half of the mascarpone mixture over them. Then we repeated layers until done. 

As my neighbour saw how passionate I was about preparing the dessert she suggested that we make a little bowl for me as well. I was so happy and obviously agreed immediately. Before leaving her place, she wrote my down the recipe, which I treated as a precious gift ever since. I think I was 8 years old when we made this Tiramisu. Today I am 32 and I still have the original piece of paper. Even though I am digitalising the recipe right now, I will always keep my first recipe of my still growing collection. 


For about 4 cups you'll need:

500g mascarpone
4 egg yolks
100g sugar
250 ladyfingers
3 tsp Amaretto 
1 cup coffee

All the ingredients for the recipe can be purchased on the Auchan Drive website!


In a large bowl whisk together the sugar and the egg yolks until well combined. Beat in the mascarpone until you get an even creme. Pour in the Amaretto and mix again. 

Prepare one cup of coffee and let cool down a little bit. Hull and finely dice the strawberries. Leave one for each glass aside as decoration. 

Now dip one side of each ladyfinger in the coffee and line the bottom of dessert cups. Pour 3-4 tbsp of mascarpone creme evenly on top. Add a few tbsp of strawberries, then cover them with some more mascarpone creme. Repeat the process for each layer and finish off with a with a layer of mascarpone creme. 

Now slice the remaining strawberries to decorate the dessert cups. Crush one ladyfinger and sprinkle the crumbs on each cup. 

Enjoy!!!



Friday, March 17, 2017

Salmon Burger


Hands up who doesn't like a big flavourful burger? Hell yes! I thought so...! Burgers are pretty difficult to resist, aren't they? But from experience I can tell that a good burger is not only about the taste of the patty but also about the quality and the combination of the extras and condiments. 

I've been to quite a lot of burger restaurants over the last few years, and I can tell that all the best burgers spoilt my taste buds with genius combinations. Honey, chilli mango chutney or pineapple slices; to only name a few of the ingredients that really made a difference. 


Last year at the Christmas Market I had roasted salmon in a sandwich for the first time in my life. As far as I remember this is a typical Scandinavian recipe. I really liked the combination of warm and juicy salmon and a white honey mustard sauce on bread. Convinced at the first bite, I decided to develop a salmon burger recipe.  

For this recipe, I chose to include a healthy amount of spiciness, which I achieved through the wasabi mayonnaise, the onions and the arugula salad. In addition I wanted to round these flavours up and went for the avocado. Even though it might seem to lack taste next to all the other flavours, I must tell that it actually was a great decision. 


For 1 burger you'll need:
2 burger bun
2 handfull arugula salad
1 red onion
2 salmon filets
1/4 cucumber
3 tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 tsp wasabi
1/2 avocado
butter


Preheat the oven to 180°

Place the salmon filets into a buttered baking tin and roast for 20-25 minutes. 

Meanwhile, whisk together the mayonnaise and the wasabi to prepare your sauce. Then slice the cucumber and the onion. Peel the avocado and slice it lengthwise. 

Once the salmon filets are done, assemble the burgers with buns, salmon, wasabi mayonnaise, avocado, cucumber and red onion slices. 

Enjoy!!!



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