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Monday, November 23, 2020

Vanillekipferl

 

It's the most wonderful time of the year! 

And yes, these little crescent shaped treats mark the beginning of the jolly season. It's only the beginning, and I can promise it's going to be delicious and festive on the blog this year!

We've hit the end of November, and it might sound a little cliché, but the current situation really screams for comforting Christmas bakes and quality time with our loved ones. It's definitely not always easy, and today's new restrictions (when living in Luxembourg) require yet more social distancing. So if you're living in shared flats or with your family make a group activity out of it and swing the mixer. If you're living alone, don't you worry, prepare them, take them to work and spoil your colleagues. Because we all know when it comes to food that happiness shared is happiness doubled. 


For around 40 Vanillekipferl you'll need:
225g flour
75g icing sugar
30g vanilla sugar
110g ground almonds
150g Butter
1 egg

For the vanilla sugar you'll need:
20g vanilla sugar
60g icing sugar

*****

Preheat the oven to 180° on top and bottom heat function.

In a large bowl whisk together flour, icing sugar, vanilla sugar, almonds and salt. Add the butter, then the egg and mix until you get an even dough. Wrap the dough into cling film and chill in the fridge for one hour. 

Meanwhile, mix the vanilla and icing sugar to prepare the vanilla dust. 

Once the dough is ready, roll into a 3cm wide dough roll and cut 1cm slices off. Shape these pieces into moon shaped crescents, then place on a tray lined with baking paper. Bake for 12 minutes. The Vanillekipferl should be nicely golden. 

Once they're done, let them sit for about a minute, then dip them into the vanilla dust. Let the cookies cool completely, then use a sifter to dust them. 

Enjoy!!!

Are you planning on making this recipe? Or have you already tried it?
Then show me your creations on Instagram: @passionmeetscreativity  I'm looking forward to your comments & suggestions :)

Sunday, November 15, 2020

Boxemännercher

Nobody says no to a good Boxemännchen this time of the year! From little children who truly believe in St Nicholas to adults who love to celebrate their favourite childhood holiday: we all love these brioche-like men. I have to admit that Kleeserchersdag, as we call it here in Luxembourg, ist still one of my favourite holidays of the year. I might be a grown-up now, but with all the lovely memories I have, I will always cherish this day. 

The first time I made them was a few years ago with my goddaughter. I found the recipe on the internet and thought it would be a fun activity as we both love baking. Their shape was perfect but the dough was a little too dry for my taste. So I promised her I'll work on a recipe that we can call our own. And after a few tests last year, I came up with one that I really love. My parents tested the different editions and happily approved this one. 

For 10 Boxemännercher you'll need:

500g flour

30g sugar

100g butter

20g active yeast

3 eggs (2 for baking, one for brushing)

255ml lukewarm milk

5g salt

*****

Preheat the oven to 180°

Pour some flour in a large bowl and mound it like a volcano. Crumble the yeast in the hole as well as 15g sugar, one egg and some lukewarm milk. Start kneading until you get a smooth mixture, which serves as sort of pre-dough. Add some more milk if necessary. Even though you could also prepare it with your hands, I strongly recommend you use a hand or stand mixer with dough hook. Once smooth and even, cover dough with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 15 minutes.

Add the second egg, the remaining sugar and milk and mix again. Add the butter and knead well until it's completely incorporated into the dough. Cover the dough again with your kitchen towel, then put it in a warm place and leave it for 20 minutes.  

* If you like your Boxemännercher a little sweeter, add an extra tablespoon of sugar. 

Before shaping the Boxemännercher, knead the dough well with your hands. Shape the Boxemännercher by starting with the body. Cut the main part lengthwise to shape their legs and slightly diagonal for the arms. Put them onto a baking tray lined with baking paper and let rest for another 20 minutes. 

Beat the remaining egg and brush each Boxemännchen. Bake for 25-30 minutes. 

Enjoy!!!

Sunday, October 25, 2020

Madeleines

Who would have known that these shell-shaped miniature cakes, dipped in tea would become one of French literature’s most powerful metaphors? When I was a teenager, our school organised a discovery day and I subscribed to a literature workshop where we were served home-baked Madeleines. It was sure not the first time in my life that I had Madeleines, but it was the first time I’ve heard that Proust made them famous as the trigger for nostalgia. Just like him a few hundred years back, we dipped them into lime-flower tea and enjoyed every bite of it. 

 

So here we are, a few centuries later, and they’re still worth sharing them with you on the blog. After devouring quite a number of Madeleines in every corner of France, I’ve decided to make another recipe of my own.  The honey Madeleines are on the blog for a few years now. But this is a variation of multiple tests I’ve made a few years back. Now, I wanted to develop a recipe that’s closer to the original. Which sounds easy today, was a journey with ups and downs. To get the perfect shape, the perfect color and the perfect texture led me through a rollercoaster of emotions. Either the color was good, but the shape was not. Or the taste and shape was ok but they were way too dry. But here we are with tasty Madeleines.

 


For 24 Madeleines you need:

125g butter

125g sugar

125g flour

3 medium eggs

40 ml vanilla rum or Amaretto

2 level tsp baking powder

 

******

 

Preheat the oven to 175°

 

In a large bowl whisk together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one by one, mix, then add the rum or Amaretto. In a separate bowl, mix the flour and baking powder, and then add to the liquid batter. 

 

 Grease the Madeleine molds and start adding 1 ½ tsp to every shell. Be careful not to add too much batter as it might impact the rising of your Madeleines. 

 

Bake for 12-15 minutes. Keep an eye on your Madeleines from minute 12 onwards. As all ovens are different, baking time might differ form one to another. Repeat until all the batter is gone.

 

Enjoy!!!


Are you planning on making this recipe? Or have you already tried it?
Then show me your creations on Instagram: @passionmeetscreativity  I'm looking forward to your comments & suggestions :)



Monday, June 8, 2020

Lemon Parmesan Orecchiette


When life gives you lemons... make sure to make loads of tasty recipes! My inner globetrotter is slightly excited by the news that slowly but surely all the borders are opening around us. Even though I am not yet sure how this summer will turn out, something I already know for sure is that it will be delicious. We have loads of international restaurants here in Luxembourg, and I brought back some very precious recipes from my last travels. No matter when and where I am going abroad, this blog will be filled with travel recipes and your culinary wanderlust will be satisfied, I promise.

So let's start with this very recipe. Lemon Parmesan Orecchiette. It's my friend Julie who cooked this on our first trip together. Such a delicious pasta recipe in the land of pasta was probably not a coincidence. But during the following trips to Portugal and the south of France we never missed a single opportunity to enjoy this recipe! I recreated the recipe just from memories, and I think I managed to bring all the goodness she spoilt us with to this dish. 


 For 4 portions you'll need:
500g orecchiette
70g freshly grated Parmesan + a bit more to serve
100ml olive oil 
juice of 2,5 lemons
sea salt
pepper



In a bowl combine the lemon juice and zest, the olive oil and the grated Parmesan. Mix until the cheese melts into the oil and juice. 

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Once it's done drain and save a little bit of pasta water if needed later on. Fold the pasta carefully into the lemon-parmesan sauce until everything is well combined. 

Serve immediately with as much Parmesan as desired. Season with salt and pepper on the spot. 

Enjoy!!!!

Are you planning on making this recipe? Or have you already tried it?
Then show me your creations on Instagram: @passionmeetscreativity  I'm looking forward to your comments & suggestions :)


Saturday, May 16, 2020

Bouneschlupp


Bouneschlupp -  or Luxembourg's favorite soup! This chunky green bean and potato soup lets local hearts beat a little lighter every time it's dished. I made mine with bacon lardons but when it comes to this traditional recipe, there is no right or wrong. I guess there are as many recipes as there are Luxembourgish households in the Grand-Duchy. And yet it's possible that there are more than one recipe in a household. 

I chose this special recipe for my blog event Passion meets World. As traveling has been banned for a while now, and we can't be sure when borders will open again, I thought it would be nice to create a Hashtag with the same name, to collect recipes from all over the world so the Passion meets Creativity can discover different dishes and cultures until free movement is back on the agenda again. 


For 4 people you need:
450g French beans
1 large potato
1 onion
250g bacon lardons
1 tsp summer savoury (Bounekräitchen)
1,5L vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
25g butter
4 tsp flour (more if necessary)
80 ml cream
salt & pepper

*****

Prepare all your veg before cooking your soup: wash and trim the beans, then cut them into little cubes (+/- 1 cm). Peel the potato and cut into middle sized cubes as well. Finely chop the onion. 

Now add the butter to a large frying pan, melt it, then add the onions and bacon lardons. Fry for a few minutes and add the flour. Fry for another minute and add the vegetable stock. Bring everything to a boil, throw in the beans and potatoes, then add the bay leave and summer savoury and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. 

Once the vegetables are cooked through, divide the soup between 4 plates. For those who like it add  a dash of cream to the soup.

Enjoy!!!


Sunday, April 26, 2020

Chocolate Banana Bread


Yet another banana bread, you think? 

Well first of all this one's a litte different. I pushed my original banana bread in a slightly different direction. The sweetness of the bananas and the tart of the raw cocoa powder gives the whole bread a little more texture and by keeping the nuts it can keep a little bite. 

I saw and tested many chocolate banana breads and most of them were really sweet and fudgy and just a little too much. Don't get me wrong. I love chocolate, I really do. And I love moist loaded chocolate cakes, but when it comes to banana bread, which I usually have in the morning with a good cup of tea or coffee, I just want it to be sweet enough to satisfy my sweet tooth, but not too much in order to avoid feeling stuffed. 

And why on earth everyone seems to make more and more banana breads, you wonder?

My theory is that this is the first opportunity in a long time that bananas and all the bakers around the world are ready (or ripe who knows ;) ) at the same time. I usually have bananas at home, but sometimes I jut don't have time to make a banana bread as my evenings are quite filled. And bananas don't always wait until the weekend, where there's plenty of time. Don't worry, I don't throw them away! I just freeze them for smoothies or have them on an almond butter toast.

Voilà! Now two very important questions as regards the quarantine-banana bread-saga are answered!


For one loaf you'll need:
260g spelt flour
50g cacao
380g mashed banana
60 ml milk of your choice
60ml maple syrup
80g butter or oil 
maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1tsp baking powder
1tsp baking soda (don't replace with another spoon of baking powder!)
1 pinch of salt
120g chopped walnuts

****
Preheat the oven to 180° (air circulation mode)

Start by mashing the bananas. In a large bowl whisk together maple syrup, milk, butter, banana mash and vanilla extract until well combined. Add the flour, cacao, baking powder and baking soda and mix until you get an even dough. Fold in the chopped walnuts. 

Pour the dough into a greased loaf pan and bake for about 60 -70 minutes (check after an hour, when toothpick comes out clean it is ready). 

Banana bread is very tricky as it's a moist cake and all ovens work differently. Depending on your oven, do not hesitate to bake it 70 minutes or more. If the bread crust is not too dark, you can even let it cool in the oven after switching it of. 

Enjoy!!!

Are you planning on making this recipe? Or have you already tried it?
Then show me your creations on Instagram: @passionmeetscreativity  I'm looking forward to your comments & suggestions :)

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Salmon Cheesecake


Easter is just around the corner and I think no one will forget the lockdown edition. But let's not focus on things we cannot change anyways, let's concentrate on the things that are in our hands. Like good food for example. No matter how we celebrate Easter this year, nothing prevents us from having a delicious meal. 

Over the last years, people chose to organise delicious brunches to reunite with their loved ones. I love brunches. I really do. The fact that you have a buffet full of yummy dishes and pastries, with all their different flavours and textures, excites me in forever new ways. And as it seems, I am not the only one. That's why we, the food bloggers of Luxembourg, teamed up to create a fine selection of seasonal brunch recipes. Scroll down to the recipe to discover them all. 


For one cheesecake you need:
200g Grissini
120g butter
200g salmon + 100g to decorate
330g cream cheese
270g quark cheese
2 eggs
juice of one lemon
chives to taste
pepper
salt

*****

Preheat the oven to 150°

Melt the butter and crush the Grissini. Pour the melted butter over the Grissini an mix briefly to combine. Season with salt. 

Line the bottom of a springform with baking paper, then put the crumbs onto the base. Press with a glass to get an even base. Refrigerate for at least 15min. 

Cut the salmon into small slices. Whisk together the cream cheese, quark cheese and salmon until you get an even mixture. Add the eggs, then the juice of one lemon. Mix again. Chop the chives and add them to the cheese cream. Season with salt and pepper. 

Pour the cream cheese mixture onto the crumbs and bake for 50 minutes in bain-marie. If you can't bake it in bain-marie but have an oven that has a steam shot function, put it on maximum for baking. After 50 minutes, turn off the oven and let the cheesecake cool inside. Then put it into the fridge for 12 hours to rest.

Before serving, decorate the cheesecake with the remaining salmon and some chives.

Enjoy!!!

*****

For more Easter brunch recipes check out the recipes from my fellow bloggers

Liebe mit Biss - Zucchini Pesto Pinwheel Bread
My picked food - Carrot Cake and Easter Nests
Kleines Kuliversum - Deviled eggs with beetroot

Monday, April 6, 2020

Beetoot Kniddelen

I haven't met many people in my life who don't like Kniddelen. I prepared Luxembourg's favourite dish when I lived in Aix-en-Provence for international food parties, or cozy dinners at home. Later on, when I moved to Belgrade I made them for my local friends, who loved them so much that the news spread quite quickly through the Balkans and when I was in Macedonia, I cooked them for my friend's family.

Conclusion: my traditional Kniddelen gained an international stamp of approval

For those who follow me a little bit longer know that I like to experiment with our national dumpling. Adding peas an cream for a spring/ summer twist or like this recipe, play with colours and flavours to enrich the basic recipe. I'm a huge fan of the beetroot version, and this not only because of its color (and no Neckel, that was not my first intention!) but also because of its flavour and texture. Slightly smoother than the original Kniddel, yet not chewy.



For 4 portions you need:
800g flour
4-5 eggs
250g milk
200ml beetroot juice
300g feta
juice of one lemon
2 garlic cloves
olive oil
chives

*****

Pour all the flour into a large bowl at once and mound it like a volcano. Add the eggs into the hole and start beating. Add the milk and beet juice little by little and keep mixing until you get a sticky dough. You might want to add a little more flour if the dough isn't sticky enough.

In a lare pot bring the water to the boil and add some salt. Now turn the temperature down to middle heat. With two tea spoons, form little dumplings and throw them into the hot water. The Kniddelen are ready when floating on the surface. Let them simmer for another 3-5 minutes until they're well done.

Crumble the feta in a bowl, juice the lemon and drizzle over the feta. Then chop the garlic and fry it in the olive oil over medium heat.

When the dumplings are done, pour the garlic oil over the dumplings. Divide onto four plates, then sprinkle over all the feta.

Enjoy!!!

Are you planning on making this recipe? Or have you already tried it?
Then show me your creations on Instagram: @passionmeetscreativity  I'm looking forward to your comments & suggestions :)

Saturday, March 28, 2020

Banana Bread

























If you're looking for the best banana bread recipe, your journey stops here.

I know, I know that's a daring statement to make, but once you've had your first slice you will definitely agree. I can tell that I've tried a few recipes before I could develop my own and come to this final result. I combined ingredients, recalculated proportions, tested all over again and am now happy to say that I've found a combination that suits me well.

So what makes this recipe so extraordinary? I hate to repeat myself but it's all about the ratio. I know, for those who are following me for a while now, this seems to be the key factor / solution for most of my recipes, but it's true. This time it's all about the sweetness-crunch-moistness ratio. The recipe has many bananas in it and is therefore rather moist. I've added some nuts for the crunch. The chocolate is optional and the bananas bring both sweet- and moistness.

Banana bread is an allrounder and that's why I love it so much. With no processed sugar , it can be devoured for breakfast with a bit of nut butter, a few slices of fresh banana and chia seeds on top or toasted with fresh butter. But there's more to it. Banana bread also perfectly fits as dessert or little afternoon snack. 


For one loaf you'll need:
260g spelt flour
380g mashed banana
60 ml milk of your choice
60ml maple syrup
80g butter or oil 
maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1tsp baking powder
1tsp baking soda (don't replace with another spoon of baking powder!)
1 pinch of salt
120g chopped walnuts
100g dark chocolate

****

Preheat the oven to 180° (air circulation mode)

Start by mashing the bananas. In a large bowl whisk together maple syrup, milk, butter, banana mash and vanilla extract until well combined. Add the flour, baking powder and baking soda and mix until you get an even dough. Fold in the chopped walnuts and dark chocolate. 

Pour the dough into a greased loaf pan and bake for about 60 -70 minutes (check after an hour, when toothpick comes out clean it is ready).

Banana bread is very tricky as it's a moist cake and all ovens work differently. Depending on your oven, do not hesitate to bake it 70 minutes or more. 

Enjoy!!!

Are you planning on making this recipe? Or have you already tried it?
Then show me your creations on Instagram: @passionmeetscreativity  I'm looking forward to your comments & suggestions :)


Friday, March 27, 2020

Blueberry Muffins




Let's get through this self isolation thing one bite at a time. These are definitely not the easiest days, but as we cannot change it anyways, we might look on the bright side of it all, and finally try all these recipes, reorganise our cupboards and exchange and do research on new recipes so once this is all over, we can have loads of tea parties, brunches and dinners and surprise our friends with all we've discovered during this period.

This recipe for instance is once I always made when my friends were coming over for brunch. Over the years I played with the ingredients, added or skipped flavours to come to this final result. Even though muffins and cupcakes seem to have lost their thrill to banana bread, I'm still a fan of these little cake wonders. I hope you'll like them as much as I do. Oh and by the way: making them with kids is also a good fun activity. 



For 15 muffins you need:
270g flour
130g sugar
115g butter
2 tbsp baking powder
2 medium eggs
225 ml milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract
230g blueberries




Preheat the oven to 180°

In a large bowl whisk together all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and if you are using solid vanilla extract, add it to the mix). Add the butter, then the eggs and mix until well combined. Now pour in the milk until you get an even dough. Fold in the blueberries.
Place your paper cups in the cupcake tin, pour the dough into the molds and bake for 25 minutes.
Enjoy!!!

Are you planning on making this recipe? Or have you already tried it?
Then show me your creations on Instagram: @passionmeetscreativity  I'm looking forward to your comments & suggestions :)




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