Yesterday I was in the mood to try some french classic dishes, such as oeuf en cocotte, blanquette de veau and Paris-Brest. The whole afternoon I spent in the kitchen, trying two times the choux pastry for the Paris-Brest for a better result, preparing everything for blanquette de veau, a real comforting veal stew. In the evening i ate alone, but the next day after a very satisfying walk at the Isar next to my house, some friends were coming, and we had a real festive lunch together with rosé wine and the leftover from the night before, which was even better the next day. The recipes i created in some trials, with the ideas of different cookbooks.

Blanquette de veau ( Veal Stew )

for four persons

• 550 g veal shoulder, cut in 3 cm cubes
• 2 onions
• 4 cloves
• 1 garlic clove, sliced
• 1 carrot , cut into cubes
• 1 stick celery ,sliced
• 1 leek, white part sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• some thyme, parsley and tarragon, bound together with a string
• 1/4 l white wine
• juice of half a lemon
• 150 g mushrooms
• 60 g butter
• 30 g flour
• 80 ml cream
• 1 egg yolk
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• chopped parsley to garnish

Bring enough water to cover the meat in a big pot to a boil, add the meat and cook for one minute ( skim any scum away ).Then slice one onion and pick the other with the cloves. Add to the pot together with the garlic, carrot, celery, leek, bay leaves, herbs and white wine. Season with salt and simmer for 1 1/4 hour, until the meat is tender.Then put the meat and vegetables out of the pot.

Melt 40 g of the butter in a saucepan, add the flour and whisk until everything is thickening. Add this mixture to the pot with the broth whisking until the broth starts to thicken.

Melt the remaining 20 g butter in a saucepan and cook the sliced mushrooms until tender and add some lemon juice. Put them in the big pot together with the meat and vegetables and warm again.

Mix together the cream with the egg yolk and remaining lemon juice.Take 2 tbsp of the broth and stir into the cream mixture, then whisk into the big pot . Don’t cook again because the egg yolk will curdle.

Season if necessary, garnish with parsley and serve with basmati rice

Paris-Brest

for the choux pastry

• 125 ml water
• 125 ml milk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 87 g butter
• 125 g  flour
• 4 eggs, lightly whisked
• 2 tbsp flaked almonds

Bring the water,milk, salt, sugar and butter to a boil. When the butter is melted, add the flour , whisking constantly . Take away from fire, add the half of the egg mixture and stir together. The same with the rest of the eggs, but leave a bit to brush the pastry after. Put the pastry in a piping bag which is 2,5 cm open and pipe for equal rings .Brush the remaining eggs on the rings and garnish with flaked almonds. Bake in the on 160° preheated oven for 45 minutes. Immediately cut the ring horizontally into two equal parts. Leave to cool.

for the praline buttercream

• 80 g praliné
• 360 ml milk
• 145 g softened butter
• 2 egg yolks
• 55 g sugar
• 25 g Maïzena

Heat the milk with half the sugar. Mix together the remaing sugar with the egg yolks and Maïzena. Stir 3 tbsp of the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture, put everything back to th milk and stir until the mixture is thickening. Leave to cool. With an electric mixer fold in the butter and then the praline. Put in the refrigerator. When ready to serve pipe the cream between the two parts of the choux pastry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

During my holidays in France I tried every evening a special selected restaurant. My intention was to find out which qualities are needed to go to a restaurant a second or even a third time. It’s not only the choice of product or the genius of the cook. Also atmosphere , combination of dishes and decoration are important.The first restaurant which impressed me most, was ‚Josephine chez Dumonet‘ in Paris Montparnasse. An authentic traditional french bistro with high quality food. And every dish gives you the illusion to be more than only food. Foie gras with roasted figue bread or a Grand marnier soufflé for example. The second one was a little Pop up restaurant in Médoc, which was run by the adorable , elegante and talented food blogger Mimi Thorisson, who’s blog I follow since two years.In her private house she gathered people from the whole world and every detail was amazing.

Since I was child I played at home what I have seen in my holidays, and also now I wanted to play restaurant in my appartement. So I cooked a first trial dinner. Of course with french inspiration and a little influence of Oktoberfest.

Daube de boeuf

( for 6 persons )

• 1,2 kg beef, cut in 2 cm cubes
• 8 tbsp olive oil
• 2 onions, roughly chopped
• 1 carotte, sliced
• 1 stick celery
• 1 bunch different herbs, such as thyme, persil, ysop, tarragon and savory, bound with kitchen string
• 2 slices pancetta
• 2 tbsp dried porcini
• 3 tbsp cognac
• 1 bottle good red wine
• 1 l beef broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 strips orange rind
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 4 tbsp cornstarch

Heat 3 tbsp of the olive oil in a big pot, cook the beef in it until slightly browned. Season with salt and put aside.Heat the 3 remaining tbsp olive oil in the same pot and cook the onions , carrots and celery for a few minutes. Give the beef back in the pot and all the other ingredients except the tomato puree and cornstarch. Leave everything to marinate overnight. The next day put it on the fire and let it slowly cook for about 4 hours, until the meat is really tender.Then put the meat and vegetables out of the pot, throw the herbs, bay leaf and orange rind away and reduce the liquid to about 500ml. Dissolve the cornstarch in enough broth and stir it into the sauce as well as the tomato puree. Put the meat and vegetables back into the pot, warm it again and season with salt and pepper as needed.

 

 

Tarte aux mirabelles 

• puff pastry
• 500 g mirabelles
• 30 g butter
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

To make individual tarts, cut pieces from the puff pastry and roll each very thinly. Cut the mirabelles into thin slices and put them regularly on the puff pastry . Cover them with small pieces of butter and sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on them. Bake in the oven for about 15 min. at 180°.

Burnt almond ice-cream

• 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
• 125 ml water
• 125 g sugar
• 5 egg yolks
• 400 ml cream
• 100 g ricotta
• 1oo g burnt almonds , cut in small pieces( from Oktoberfest )

Put the water with the sugar and the vanilla seeds in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Meanwhile beat the egg yolks until pale and creamy. Then put the syrup which is already cooking for several minutes to the egg yolks. Keep beating for further five minutes. Then fold in the cream and the ricotta. Cool the mixture overnight. The next day put it in an ice-cream maker. Just before completely frozen, fold in the burnt almonds.

 

 

I was so impatient to cook after my travel to Muscat/Oman, that I called my dinner“First Arabic night“, because I want to continue with more dinner parties like this. I don’t know if it’s going to become thousand and one, but some more I am sure. I had only one guest, my college and friend Julia, because I announced this dinner only the same day in the morning. I was too impatient . It was an arabic inspired simple and extremely delicious meal. To accompany the recipes I want to show you a collection of pictures of this very impressive country.

Oriental Salad

• 200 g green asparagus, cut into small pieces and cooked
• 1  cucumber, peeled and finely
• 1/2 red chili, seeded and finely diced
• 1 onion, finely chopped and marinated for one hour
• 1/4 tsp dried mint
• 1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tbsp chopped mint
• 1 tbsp golden raisins
• 1 tbsp dried barberries
• 1 tbsp toasted pistachios
• 1/2 tsp pomegranates molasses
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp hot turkish pepper paste
• salt

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.

 

My Lamb Shawarma

• 1 x 1kg leg of a small lamb

 

• 1/2 bunch of coriander
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• zest and juice of one lemon
• 50 ml olive oil
• 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1/8 tsp kashmir chili powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground fennel
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp ground pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice

Chop the coriander roughly and mix with the other ingredients to make a wet paste. With a strong knife make some slits through the meat to allow the marinade to seep in. Cover the meat all over with the marinade and leave overnight in the fridge.

Put your oven to the highest temperature. The lamb takes about one hour to cook medium rare. From time to time put some water into the dish with the meat to avoid the marinade to dry out. Leave to rest for 15 minutes before serving.

 

Flatbreads with onion and nigella seeds

(from Ottolenghi the Guardian)

• 3 1/2 tbsp olive oil, plus 1 tsp extra to oil the bowl
• 1 large onion, peeled and finely sliced
• 1 tsp nigella seeds
• 400 g strong bred flour
• 1/2 tsp caster sugar
• 1 sachet fast-action yeast
• salt
•  75 g ghee

Put  two tablespoons of oil in a medium saucepan on a medium heat.Once hot add the onion and fry gently for 20 minutes, stirring every four minutes until soft and caramelized . Stir in the nigella seeds, then spoon  on to a kitchen towel to absorb some of the oil. Tip into a small bowl and set aside.

Put the flour into a large bowl, add the sugar , yeast , the remaining oil, half a teaspoon salt and 250 ml warm water. Mix with your hands so the mixture comes together, then lift out of the bowl, place on a work surface and knead for eight minutes, dusting with flour as needed. Brush the inside of the bowl with a teaspoon of oil, then return the dough to the bowl, cover with cling-film, and set aside somewhere warm for an hour, until doubled in size.

Remove the dough from the bowl, flatten out slightly, then cover with the onion mix. Keep folding in the edges of the dough until the onion is mixed in. Return to the bowl and set aside for 30 minutes.

Remove the dough from the bowl again and roll into a long sausage. Cut into eight or more equal pieces and set aside. Take one piece of dough, sprinkle with a little flour and roll into a 14 cm-diameter rough circle. Sprinkle each side with a pinch of salt, and repeat with the remaining  dough.

Put a large, heavy frying pan on a medium-low heat and add two to three reasons of ghee. Once melted, lay in two or three flat breads and fry for three minutes on each side. remove from the pan and put on a kitchen towel to absorb any excess oil. Repeat with the remaining breads and serve while warm.

Serve everything together with hummus , aubergine salad and beetroot mutabal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Only when the day is fixed, the guests are invited, the ideas for the menu are coming. You have to jump into the water. And during the process of baking, preparing, looking at cookbooks, everything is changing again. The starting idea was only a package of 500g italian almonds.

With four guests of the orchestra of the opera the evening was a total success. Only the timing for a easter menu six days before easter sunday wasn’t perfect. But nobody cared about it, because we have a lot of work during easter.

Rosemary Focaccia

Recipe adapted from the Book “ Die venezianische Küche “ by Russell Norman

• 30 g fresh yeast
• 650 ml warm water
• 500 g flour Type 405
• 500 g 00 flour
• 2 tbsp salt
• olive oil, salt 
• sprigs of rosemary

Dissolve the yeast in the water in a large bowl. Add 500 g flour with an electric mixer. Cover and leave for about an hour until doubled in size. Knead in the rest of the flour and the salt for 5 minutes. Brush the bowl with oil and leave the dough for about two hours.Then form two equal loaves, put them on a baking tray an leave again for half an hour. Poke several wholes with oiled fingertips and put some salt and rosemary sprigs in them. Bake in the preheated oven ( 200° ) for about 45 – 60 min.

Tuscanian bean soup

• 300 g white beans
• 4 garlic cloves
• a handful sage leaves
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 white onion, chopped
• about 1 l vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• optional: 4 tbsp almond milk

The evening before cover the beans with a lot of water. The next day drain the beans, put them in a bowl with the sage leaves and 3 garlic cloves, cover with water and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 1 1/2 hours until tender. Puree without garlic cloves and with some of the sage leaves and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a large pot, add the onion and the fourth garlic clove until tender. Then add the vegetable stock and the tomato puree, bring to a boil and then fold in the bean puree and the almond milk. Season with salt and pepper.

 

Chicken in almond milk

Recipe adapted from the book „Die Küche Venedigs“by Katie & Giancarlo Caldesi (based on a medieval recipe)

• 3 chicken legs
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp ginger, freshly grated
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 650 ml homemade almond milk ( if you use a store-bought almond milk, add 5o g almond flour )
• 1/4 tsp saffron strands
• 5 medjool dates, chopped
• 1 handful almond sticks, roasted

Brown the chicken legs in 3 tbsp olive oil in a pan, season with salt and pepper and set aside. Heat the rest of the olive oil in a big pan with a lid and add the onion. When the onion is tender ( about 5 min. ),  add the ginger, garlic, bay leaves and spices and the chicken legs. Cover with the almond milk. Add the dates and saffron strand. Simmer for about an hour. Put the bones away and serve with the almond sticks.

Almond ice cream with rhubarb in Moscato d’Asti – Syrup and Amaretti

own creation

Rhubarb in Moscato d’Asti-Syrup

• 500 g rhubarb, cut in pieces of 4 cm
• 75 g Sugar
• 130 ml Moscato d’Asti wine or another dessert wine
• 1 piece of lemon rind

Mix together all the ingredients in an ovenproof dish und put in the preheated oven ( 200° ) for 20 min., until the rhubarb is tender. Set aside to cool.

Almond ice cream

• 300 ml almond milk
• 300 ml cream
• 125 g sugar
• 125 ml water
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 5 egg yolks

Bring the sugar, water and vanilla extract to a boil. Meanwhile whisk the egg yolks with an electric mixer, While mixing add the syrup , until the mixture cooles down. Then fold in the almond milk and the cream and leave to cool in the refrigerator. Put it into an ice cream maker.

Amaretti

• 40 g ground walnuts
• 60 g ground almonds
• 30 g roasted almonds, chopped
• 50 g flour
• 125 g icing sugar
• 2 egg whites
• 1 tsp hazelnut paste
• about 20 almonds

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Beat the egg whites until stiff and then add to the dry ingredients, as well the hazelnut paste. Form small balls, roll them in icing sugar, flat down a little and put an almond in it. Preheat the oven to 150° an bake for 14 minutes.

 

 

Der zweite Operadinnerclub-Abend ergab sich relativ spontan.Es hatte sich ein Gast zum Essen angemeldet, und da das ganze Projekt noch in der Entwicklung steckt, gibt es noch keine Regeln.Also waren wir nur zu zweit. In der Oper war eine Carmen-Probe.Aber das war in dem Fall nicht weiter relevant.Den ganzen Tag habe ich im Internet und in Kochbüchern gestöbert,bin  über den Viktualienmarkt spaziert auf der Suche nach einem frischen saisonalem Menü.Meine Hauptinspiration kam dabei von Yotam Ottolenghi, der frische Zutaten mit einem Hauch mittlerer Osten kombiniert.

Baba Ganoush

1 Aubergine
1/2 Knoblauchzehe gepresst
Saft von 1/4 Zitrone
1 1/2 EL Tahini
1 1/2 EL Joghurt
Fleur de Sel und frisch gemahlener Pfeffer

Die Aubergine auf der offenen Gasflamme rösten, aufschneiden und das Fleisch herausschaben.Zusammen mit den anderen Zutaten in einen Gefäss geben und mit dem Stabmixer kurz pürieren.

Carpaccio vom schwarzen Rettich mit Dattelsirup-Dressing und Salzzitrone

1 schwarzer Rettich, sehr dünne Scheiben

2 EL Zitronensaft
1/2 EL Dattelsirup
1/2 TL Zitronenschale
3/4 TL Dijonsenf
Olivenöl,Salz

kleingeschnittene Schale einer halben eingelegten Salzzitrone

Zitronensaft, Dattelsirup, Zitronenschale, Dijonsenf und Salz verrühren. Dann soviel Olivenöl dazugeben, dass es gut emulsioniert.Die schön verteilten Rettichscheiben damit beträufeln, und mit der Salzzitrone garnieren.

Kabeljau-Cakes mit Rote-Bete-Relish

250g Kabeljaufilet
Minze, Estragon und Dill
8g geriebener Ingwer
Schale einer halben Zitrone
1 Knoblauchzehe
1/2 Tl gemahlener Kreuzkümmel
1/4 TL Kurkuma
1 Ei
40g Panko-Brotbrösel
3/4 TL Salz
Pfeffer

Kabeljau sehr klein scheiden, mit den anderen Zutaten gut vermischen und vier flache Cakes daraus formen.In der Pfanne in etwas Öl 4 min.braten, dann im auf 200° vorgeheizten Ofen 8 min.fertiggaren.

150g gekochte Rote Bete , gerieben
25g Sauerrahm
1/4 TL Salz
1/4 TL Kreuzkümmel
1/2 EL Essig
1/4 TL ZUcker
1 EL Olivenöl
frisch geriebener Meerrettich

Alle Zutaten gut vermischen und kalt zu den warmen Fisch-Cakes servieren.


Rhabarber-Crumble

2-3 Stangen Rhabarber, in kleine Stücke geschnitten
Saft und Schale einer halben Orange
1/2 TL Zimt
35g Zucker
1/2 TL Vanilleextrakt

175g Mehl
60g Salzbutter
65g Butter
100g Cassonade
65g Buchweizenflocken

Die Teigzutaten zu groben Krümeln verkneten. Den Rhabarber mit den oben genannten Zutaten vermischen, auf kleine ofenfeste Schüsseln verteilen, das Crumble darübergeben und im 180° heissen Ofen ca. 40 min. backen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Am Abend des 6.3.2014 gab es das Ballett ‚La Bayadere‘.Ungefähr zehn Leute die ich einladen wollte, spielten an diesem Abend.Daher war die Besetzung meines ersten Abendessens einer gewissen Eigendymanik unterworfen.Wir waren letztendlich fünf Frauen.Und es hat wunderbar gepasst.

Am Tag zuvor hatte ich den Einkauf erledigt, und zwar im türkischen Supermarkt in der Goethestrasse, da mein Menü türkisch und persisch werden sollte.Die Rezeptinspirationen hatte ich hauptsächlich aus einem wunderschönen persischen Kochbuch von Greg Malouf. Die Persischen Süsszitronen habe ich im sizilianischen Bioladen in der Westenriederstrasse gefunden.

Granatapfel-Walnuss-Olivensalat

Kerne von einem Granatapfel
200g grüne Oliven, gehackt
70g Walnüsse, im Ofen geröstet
2 EL gehackte Petersilie
2 EL gehackter Koriander
2 Schalotten, gehackt

Saft einer halben persischen Süsszitrone
1 TL Granatapfelmelasse
2 EL Olivenöl
Salz und Pfeffer

Die Zutaten für den Salat und das Dressing jeweils vermischen, und das Dressing kurz vor dem Servieren unter den Salat mischen.

Lammragout mit getrockneten Pflaumen

800g Lammfleisch in kleinen Stücken
2 Zwiebeln
2 Knoblauchzehen
3 EL Olivenöl
1 TL gemahlener Ingwer
1 TL gemahlener Zimt
1 Tl süsser Paprika
1 l Hühnerbrühe
2 Lorbeerblätter
1 Zimtstange
einige Streifen Orangenschale
einige Safranfäden
1 EL Honig
200 g getrocknete Pflaumen

Das Fleisch in einer Pfanne mit 2 EL Olivenöl anbraten bis es braun ist, dann in einen grossen Topf geben.Zwiebeln und Knoblauch hacken, im restlichen Olivenöl in der Pfanne einige Minuten braten, dann die gemahlenen Gewürze zugeben und 2 Minuten mitbraten.Zum Fleisch in den Topf geben, die Hühnerbrühe hinzufügen, zum Kochen bringen, die restlichen Zutaten ausser den Pflaumen hineingeben, und alles 1 1/4 Stunden köcheln lassen. Dann die Pflaumen hinzufügen weitere 30 bis 45 min. köcheln lassen. Mit Salz und Pfeffer abschmecken und mit Basmatireis servieren.

Schoko-Haselnuss-Parfait

100g Zucker
3 EL Wasser
abgeriebene Schale einer Orange
8 Eigelb
80g Schokolade mit 70% Kakao
300ml Sahne
50g getrocknete Berberitzen
100g geröstete, gehackte Haselnüsse

100ml Dattelsirup
Saft einer Limette

80g des Zuckers, das Wasser und die Orangenschale zum Kochen bringen und auf 125° erhitzen. Währenddessen die Eigelbe mit dem restlichen Zucker weisslich schlagen, dann den Zuckersirup dazugeben und 5 min. weiterschlagen. Gleichzeitig die Schokolade in der Mikrowelle schmelzen und dann zur Eimischung dazurühren.Geschlagene Sahne und in heissem Wasser eingeweichte Berberitzen dazugeben. In eine Kastenform oder in individuelle Förmchen geben und gefrieren lassen.....Dattelsirup mit Limettensaft erhitzen und auskühlen lassen und zum Servieren über das Parfait geben.

Reismehl-Kardamom-Rosenwasserkekse

Das Rezept gibts demnächst auf   http://www.suessealchemie.com