Vegan Strawberry Galette!

Despite all my sugary excesses I do try to make an effort to eat healthier. Recently I started adding super foods in my daily meals, like hemp seeds, cocoa nibs, and maca among others.

I´m not a vegan nor a vegetarian person, however I´m not a meat enthusiast either. Actually, I do remember, along with my siblings, asking mom to remove meat from many traditional dishes, and we were always happy with the result. Moreover, our Eastern Mediterranean diet features many scrumptious dishes that are entirely based on vegetables; that's why I have a natural penchant for vegetables, herbs and spices and could go through many days without eating a single piece of meat.

Though I won't become a vegan anytime soon, I am enjoying making vegan desserts knowing how hard it can be to give up on dairy products in baking. During the lent season, I challenged myself to have daily vegan meals and few desserts to keep me going. I was more than satisfied with the results. Vegan meals shouldn't compromise on taste but just be really healthy, comforting and delicious in equal measures.

One of my earlier vegan baking attempts was a vegan carrot cake in which I just needed to substitute the eggs with something else. However, with cakes that demand butter or for shortcrust pastry, things get a little bit trickier as butter substitutes rarely deliver in both texture and flavor. Luckily, a German shop selling premium quality coconut butter close to where I live. Now I no longer had an excuse not to make a vegan pie or galette!

Though I went with strawberries for the filling, you can use any fruit you like. It's strawberries season now and the fruits are at their prime so it was a natural choice for me.

Working with coconut butter is a new thing for me, therefore, I am confident that with time I will get better results. The dough was a bit tricky to handle, especially when cold, however, it tasted great and had the crumbly texture that I wanted.

I made two galettes, a big and a small one. I varied the fillings slightly between the two, but kept both really simple.

Now let's bake, vegan style!
For the crust you need:

• 300 g flour (I used cake flour)
• 165 g cold coconut butter 
• 30 g sugar
• ice cold kirsh, vodka or just water (about 4 to 5 tbsp)
• dash of salt

Combine all ingredients but the liquid, and process for few seconds, when you get a sandy texture start adding the liquid, one tbsp at a time, once you see the dough coming together, stop your processor. Now, line a clean working surface with cling film (or aluminum foil if you prefer), remove the dough from the food processor onto the cling film. Work the dough slightly with your hands so it comes together and shape it into a disk. 

Cover it with the cling film and place it in the fridge for at least an hour. It is better if you prepare the dough one day ahead, which is what I usually do.

The amount of water that you will add depends on the quality of the flour and the water contained in the butter. Don't be tempted to put more water as the dough might seem dry at first, but when it rests in the fridge, it comes together nicely and the butter is absorbed  by the flour.

Remove the pie dough from the fridge 20 to 25 min before you start working with it. I divided the dough into 2 parts,  With the big portion I got a 23 cm disk (6 mm thick) and with the smaller one a 15 cm disk.

For the filling: big galette

• Strawberries (the quantity depends on how you arrange them and to which thickness)
• 1 to 2 tbsp sour cherry jam
• lilac sugar (or vanilla sugar)

Spread the jam in the middle of the dough, leaving 3 cm from the edge and then arrange the strawberries. Fold the edges of the dough and sprinkle with sugar. You can brush the edges with vegan milk or cream.

        Small galette:

• strawberries
• 1 tbsp apple butter
• 1 tbsp ground almond
• cinnamon and sugar to sprinkle

Mix apple butter and almond and the spread in the middle of the dough, again leaving about 3 cm free. Arrange the strawberries, fold the edges, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

Bake the galettes, in a preheated oven (180C) for about 20 to 25 min, or until edges are golden.

Once the galettes are cooled a bit, give them a shower of powdered sugar and serve with the ice cream of your choice, preferably vegan but a regular ice cream would do. 

Enjoy!

Salted Caramel Candies, a Great Gift this Christmas!

With this post we will continue the series of festive recipes. However, this is a special recipe since it requires only 4 main ingredients to end up with something really impressive!

If you follow my blog you would know that I do love a good caramel. Added in the right amounts, caramel transforms ordinary sweets into spectacular ones. What if caramel is not one of the elements of a recipe but is the actual hero of it? Well that's what this caramel candies recipe is all about.

Following the recipe specified in this post you will get around 21 pieces of candy. I should specify that I used an 8 x 16 cm cake pan. I trimmed the edges of the caramel and cut it into 2 x 3 cm candies.
The only difficulty in this recipe is to get to the right temperature as to have a set caramel but that is not rock solid and to attain this temperature you do need a thermometer. It sounds a bit technical and it kind of is, but these cooking thermometers are widely available nowadays at fairly reasonable prices.

Now, let´s caramel:

• 200 g sugar
• 150 g cream (35%)
• 40 g cold butter
• 1/2 tsp sea salt or fleur de sel

In a heavy bottom pan add the sugar and let it melt over a gentle heat. Cook the sugar until you get an amber color and you can smell the distinctive caramel aroma. Slowly pour the cream taking extra care not to splatter any of the hot sugar on you.
Continue cooking the caramel for at least 10 minutes and over a gentle heat. The mixture needs to get to 125C (257 F) and when it does, turn off the heat and add the butter whisking well until it  is well combined. Finally add the salt and whisk again for a bit.

Pour the caramel in the parchment covered pan and leave it to cool. Place the pan in the fridge for an hour or two. 

Remove the pan from the fridge. Take the caramel out of the pan and cut it into 2 x 3 cm rectangles. For an extra hit of salt, you can sprinkle a touch of sea salt on the caramel pieces or over the caramel slab before you cut it.

Wrap the candies in wax paper or candy plastic wraps and share them with your loved ones as a special and homemade gift for Christmas. 

Chocolate Orange Crinckles and Crackles

After a long and hot summer, I can´t be happier with the arrival of autumn. The temperature are still rather high for this time of the year but not hot enough to prevent us for enjoying chocolate in all its baked goodness. Baking season is on again, and what better than chocolate cookies to start with?

The chocolate cookies recipe I chose will yield not only delicious but also very pretty cookies without any decoration effort. The cookie dough expands and cracks the white sugar layer creating a mosaic effect of black and white that is unique to each cookie.
These cookies have a soft and fudgy texture and can be made in no time. Kids and adults alike can enjoy them with a cup of milk or a cup of coffee.

Like always, recipes can be tweaked to suit your individual taste. The flavors I used to enhance and complement that of chocolate were orange and coffee. But you can add whatever flavor that goes well with chocolate or just enjoy the taste of pure chocolate. 

For  about 24 to 25 cookies you need

• 110 dark chocolate, melted
• 60 g soft butter
• 100 g brown sugar (you can use more if you like sweeter flavors)
• 100 g flour
• 25 g cocoa powder (unsweetened)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp baking powder (about 3 g)
• dash of salt
• 1/4 tsp instant coffee (optional)
• the zest of one small orange (about a tsp)
• 2 tbsp milk
• fine sugar and powdered sugar for coating 

First sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt then add the coffee if you are using it.

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar and orange zest. Once the mixture is creamy add the egg and whisk until combined, add the chocolate and mix again. When the mixture is homogeneous, and at the lowest speed, add half of the flour mixture mix then add the milk and finish with the second half of the flour mixture.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, either in the bowl, or transfer it to a small square container (about 16 x 16 cm). Once the dough is really cold, you can use a small ice cream scoop to form small balls or just use a spoon. If you left the dough in the square container, divide it into 24 small squares and roll them into balls.

First, roll the balls in the fine sugar then give it a good coating of powdered sugar. Be generous with the sugar to get a really elegant and beautiful result.

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the cookie balls on top and make sure you give them enough space to expand while baking. The recipe will be enough to fill 2 baking sheets so if you don't have 2 sheets, bake the first  batch while the remaining cookies still happily in the fridge.

Bake in a preheated oven (180C) for 12-14 min. Leave the cookies to cool for at least 5 min on the baking sheet before transferring them onto a cooling rack.

Enjoy a mouthful of melting chocolate cookies with a refreshing autumn flavor that will comfort you any time and every where.

Coffee and Cardamom Crème Brûlée

I am one of those people whose day cannot really start unless I drink a big cup of coffee. It´s a routine that I stick by no matter what, it's almost like a sacred act. Definitely making coffee and sitting quietly to sip it is on of my favorite moments of the day.

While drinking coffee is the most common way with which people appreciate this aromatic bean, coffee can and is used in so many sweet recipes and even in savory ones!

In baking, coffee adds a really unique, deep, complex and aromatic flavor that cannot be substituted by any other ingredient. Adding coffee to your recipes will definitely create a wow factor, of course if used properly.

Given how delicious coffee can make a recipe, I like to feature it from time to time in my recipes like I did in the extremely delicious coffee and hazelnut cake. I think it´s time for another sweet treat with coffee as the hero ingredient.

Cardamom is a spice I often use in my cooking and baking. It has a very deep, complex and somewhat citrusy flavor. I like to use it alone, but quite often in combination with other aromatic spices or ingredients. While the pairing of coffee and cardamom might seem strange to some, it is indeed quite a popular pairing in the Middle East and other parts of the world where cardamom pods are ground with coffee to add more complexity to the coffee brew.

These two intense aromatic ingredients always bring back childhood memories even though at that time I didn't drink coffee. However, I remember how delighted I was whenever the wafts released from roasting coffee reached my delicate nose especially if cardamom was added to the mix.

One of the best ways to enjoy this culinary duo is in a crème brûlée, the much beloved classic!

My take on this classic dessert will surely please as it adds a delightful twist to the traditional version we are used to.

To make 3 servings you need:

• 3 egg yolks; the ones I used weighed 52 g (note, do freeze the eggs whites if you can't find a way to use them immediately)
• 1 1/2 tsp of ground coffee (use the kind that you prefer; instant or freshly ground)
• 3 pods of cardamom (slightly break it to open up the pod)
• 35 g sugar
• 250 ml of cream (half of 35% and half of 18%)

Combine the cream with the coffee and cardamom pods. Gently heat, and let it simmer, for about 5 min. You will start smelling the cardamom and coffee after a few minutes of heating.
While the cream is heating, mix together the yolks with the sugar. You need to whisk until you get a creamy and pale mixture.
Slowly start adding the hot cream over the egg yolks while you keep whisking vigorously. 

Pour the cream, through a sieve, into the crème brûlée ramekins and arrange them over a tray. Preheat the oven at 150 degrees C (around 300 F).
Put the tray in the oven and add enough hot water to it to cover half or two thirds of the ramekins. Be careful not to spill water into the cream.

Bake the cream for about 40 min in the preheated oven. Do check on them from time to time. Gently shake one of the ramekins and if there's a slight wobble in the center it's time to take them out from the oven. Remember that the cream will continue to cook for a while after you take it out of the oven so you don't want to leave to set completely while in the oven. In addition, you need to keep in mind that the baking time will differ depending on the ramekins you used, the oven, the quantity of cream you pour into each pot and even the tray on top of which you have put the ramekins. I used a ceramic tray so if you are using a metallic one you might need to consider this factor as these trays heat differently. In all cases, check your pots after 25 min to be on the safe side.

Once the cream pots have cooled down, put them in the fridge for at least four hours or overnight.

When you are ready to serve, sprinkle a thin layer of light brown sugar over the cream, and with the help of a torch or under the grill of your oven, caramelize the sugar and serve immediately! Bon appetit!

Here you can try another recipe for crème brûlée I made last year