Profiteroles

Choux Pastry


Ingredients:
1 cup water
125 gr butter
1 cup of flour
4 eggs

Method:

• Melt the butter with water in a saucepan.
• When it starts to boil add the flour and stir it quickly.
• Couple of minutes later it start look like a dough take it off the heat.
• When the dough starts to cool down a bit start adding 3 of the eggs one by one and keep string.
• With the 4th egg's yolk make an egg wash by lightly beating the yolk of the egg and adding some salt to it.
• Now you can either pipe or spoon the dough onto the baking tray covered with baking sheet, it's up to you.
• When all of the choux pastry on the baking tray it's time to put some egg wash on them and then you can put the tray into the oven for 30 - 40 minutes.
• When they're golden brown but not quit that brown:) you can take them out of the oven but be careful you don't wanna open the oven's door  before they're cooked or halfway, it will cause them to be flat rather than being fluffy:)

Custard Filling

Ingredients:

1 egg

500ml milk

2 tablespoon of cornflour

3 tablespoon of flour

1 vanilla bean

just a bit less then a cup of sugar

Method:

• Put all of the ingredients in a saucepan and start heating it up.
• Keep string till it becomes a custard.
• Take the vanilla bean out when it's ready.

Chocolate Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup of heavy cream

170gr semi-sweet chocolate

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Method:

• Chop the chocolate.
• Place all of the ingredients in a saucepan and turn the heat to low.
• Keep string until it turns into a silky sauce.

When the choux pastry is out of the oven and cooled down you can either cut the pastry in half and pipe or spoon the filling in or you can cut a small hole and pipe the custard filling into the pastry.

At last just put a spoon full of the chocolate sauce on top of the each profiterole and there you have it:)

Baked Parmesan Zucchini Sticks

Ingredients:


3 large zucchini
2 eggs
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried garlic powder
olive oil spray



Method:

• Preheat the oven 200C.
• Spray olive oil spray on a large baking sheet.
• Slice the zucchinis into long planks.
• Cut planks in half, then slice them long into sticks.
• In a large bowl, whisk 2 eggs together.
• In a dish combine breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, oregano and garlic powder.
• Dip the zucchini sticks to the egg wash and then the breadcrumb mixture.
• Place breaded zucchini stick onto baking sheet.
• Spray the zucchini sticks and cook both sides approximately 10 minutes in the oven until they're crispy and golden brown.

Bruschetta

Serves 4 - 6


Ingredients:


1 stick bread
2 cups of tomatoes
1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar
10 large leaves of basil
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 clove of garlic
1/4 teaspoon of chilli flakes
salt&pepper

Method:

• Put all of the ingredients (except the bread of course) in a bowl. Mix well and let it sit in the fridge while you're slicing your bread. You can warm your bread up in the oven or if you wish you can grill them, it gives you the crispy taste you want from your bruschetta. 
• Take the mixture out of the fridge, spread it on the slices evenly.

There you have it:)

Tiramisu

Serves 10 - 12 (slices)


Ingredients:


4 large eggs
1 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
454 gr mascarpone cheese
1 - 1/2 cups brewed coffee
1/2 cup coffee liqueur
40 - 45 ladyfingers
1 cup heavy cream
cocoa powder
bittersweet chocolate

Method:

• In a large bowl, beat egg yolks and cup of sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in mascarpone until incorporated.

• In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold in beaten egg whites into mascarpone mixture.

• In a small bowl combine coffee and coffee liqueur. Dip ladyfingers into coffee-liqueur mixture and lay in rows in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch dish. Spread half of the mascarpone cream on top. Make one more layer of ladyfingers and the remaining mascarpone cream.

• In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat heavy cream and tablespoon of sugar until stiff peaks form. Spread whipped cream on top.

• Dust with cocoa powder and garnish with grated and/or shaved bittersweet chocolate. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

Pide

2 Large Pides

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of active dry yeast

1 cup of warm milk

1 teaspoon of sugar

1 teaspoon of salt

1 egg

3 tablespoon of olive oil

3 cups of plain / all purpose flour 

Method:

•               Make sure the milk is really warm.

•               Put the milk in a medium size bowl.

•               Dissolve the yeast in the milk.

•               Add the egg, sugar, salt and oil.

•               Mix everything well and add the flour.

•               Kneed a nice, smooth dough.

•               Clean the bowl and spray some oil and place the dough into the bowl.

•               Cover the bowl with a tea towel.

•               Let it stand for 30 mins. I've actually preheat the oven at 100C and put the bowl into the oven and let it stand 30 mins but it's up to you room temperature should be alright as well.

While the dough is getting ready you will have time to prepare a topping or several toppings for your pides.
This was my first time and I've just made one type of topping and it was really yummy so I'll share that one with you but I've other ideas about the pide toppings so when I make them I will share them with you as well(of course:)).

Mince and Cheese Topping for the Pides

Ingredients:

250 - 300 gr of mince

2 brown onions (chopped)

3 - 4 cloves of garlic (minced/ chopped)

3 tablespoon of olive oil

1/2 teaspoon of cumin ( I didn't have cumin at home and I've obviously forgot when I was shopping so          I've used allspice instead. It give them a really different taste and smell and was a good experience. The original recipe is with cumin but if you wanna try new things you may wanna try allspice as well.) 

1 teaspoon of salt

1/4 tablespoon of black pepper

1/2 cup of curly parsley (chopped)

1/4 cup of fresh mint (chopped)

2 tablespoon of lemon juice

3 - 4 tomatoes (cubed)

2 cups of mozarella cheese

1 egg

Method:

•               Warm up the olive oil in a large pan.

•               Add the chopped onions and garlic.

•               Brown them.

•               Add the mince.

•               Cook them together for 10 mins, maybe less until the mince cooked.

•               While you're cooking the meat mixture add the salt, pepper and the cumin.

•               Place the cooked mince in a bowl and let it cool a bit.

•               Add the lemon juice, chopped mint and parsley to the meat mixture.

Preheat the oven at 200C.

Finishing up...

•               Once the dough is rested, it should double its previous size. Take out the dough to the floured surface, cut into two pieces. This way you will have two large Pides. 

•               Make round balls, set one aside and work with another one. Using a rolling pin, roll an 18 inch, thin oval. 

•               Transfer the oval dough on the baking sheet and pat the dough with just a little bit of starch. This will prevent the dough from getting soaked with the moisture of the filling. 

•               Evenly spread half of the meat topping on top of the dough. 

•               Place half of the cubed tomatoes on top of the meat topping and sprinkle half of the shredded mozzarella cheese on top.

•               Fold the sides of the Pide, creating a boat-like shape.

•               Beat one egg with a fork. Using a pastry brush, brush the sides of the Pide with the beaten egg. 

•               Place Pide in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes OR until golden brown.

 

Did someone say Breakfast?

I know it's been a while but Exchange Kitchen returns with some Breakfast ideas this time!

Everything is very simple, healthy and tasty!

Bacon and Egg on Toast with salad

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1 egg

1 piece of bread (wholemeal or wholegrain)

50gr bacon (without fat bits, sliced julian style)

1 tomato ( chopped)

some lettuce leaves

some olive oil

salt&pepper to taste

Method:

•               Put some olive oil to the pan before start cooking.

•               Grill julian style sliced bacon.

•               Cook the egg.

•               Toast the bread.

•               Serve egg and bacon with salad.

Scrambled eggs cooked with onion and tomatoes

Serves 1

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1 small or medium onion(finely sliced or chopped)

2 tomatoes(chopped)

1 piece of bread(wholemeal or wholegrain)

olive oil

sal&pepper

rocket leaves to serve

some lemon juice(optional)

Method:

•               Put some olive oil to the pain.

•               Add chopped/sliced onion.

•               Cook for approx 5 mins until tender.

•               Add chopped tomatoes and cook with onion for 2 mins.

•               Add 2 eggs.

•               Stir and cook them until eggs are ready.

•               Toast the bread.

•               Serve it with some rocket leaves.

•               Finish with some salt and pepper.

•               Optional---put some lemon juice to taste.

By the way if you have some left over mince(taco mince, bolognese sauce mince, plain mince) from last nights dinner you can put some when the onion is tender and continue to cook it someway it makes it tasty!