Alaska desert. On a stick

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Five years ago (it’s hard to imagine how many times my life has changed since then) there was a cafe called “Capuchin” in my home town. I have a lot of good memories about this place: we dined there often with my husband before we were married, a guy, who worked there was teaching my coffee loving husband to make right espresso, my learned to play chess there, and their chef gave me the best Tartar sauce recipe ever. And there in “Capuchin” they used to make a desert called Alchemist. This name suited it perfectly, it explained that desert for me. It was magic, otherwise how could it be: cold ice-cream inside and hot baked meringue outside. Much later I learned about a classic desert Alaska and how to make it. And today I am sharing this magic with you. And even make it a bit more tricky, ’cause we’re going to cook Alaska on a stick.

 

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Recipe: Continue reading →

Currants and tarragon Opera cake in Khokhloma design

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Though we are all very busy in Christmas season I continue to share my #chefs_battle recipes with you. This  one was made for a folk arts contest and I chose a traditional Russian ornament Khokhloma. The cake itself has nothing to do with Russian tradition as it is a recipe by famous Arnaud Delmontel. I found it in The New Patissiers by Olivier Dupon. The taste is fresh, smooth a bit tart and earthy with a good splash of fruity acidity. Won’t keep you for long with words, the recipe is just below.

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Cinnabons. The legendary yums

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I decided to post all my #chefs_battle recipes from Instagram to the blog. The last task in “Home baking” category was to make cinnabons.

When I was reading about what’s special about these cinnamon rolls, I found out we are actually the same age with cinnabons. They were invented in 1985 near Seattle by Ray Lindstrom and Jerilyn Brusseau. Their aim was to create the ideal cinnamon roll. So the original recipe is still a secret, but there are some facts about the rolls we know for sure. To make cinnabons strong flour is used. That means it contains more gluten in it which makes the dough elastic and porous. So I’ll start this recipe with how to make your own gluten.

 

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Gluten
2 tbsp  flour
2 tbsp water

Knead a lump of strong dough and rinse it under cold water till the white starchy substance is washed out and all that’s left is a yellowish mix very similar to a chewing gum.

Dough Continue reading →

Pavlova cake with mango and strawberry

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Everyone knows Christmas is a busy season, right? But the thing is – every season is busy now, busier than 10, 20 or 100 years ago. We have so many obligations and what’s worse – so many things we want to do. And it is so difficult to keep balance between all your plans and time you have. I’m always trapped like that: oh, tomorrow is a deadline of these three projects, I also need to write a new post for a blog and put the updates to facebook and it is a family dinner tomorrow and I am supposed to make a cake…

I believe there are people in the world- very organized and disciplined  who never allow this situation happen in their very organized lives. But I’m completely opposite kind of person and it happens to me all the time. For example I have only 3 days before the Christmas Fair, and I don’t have enough felted stuff in stock, so I need to be felting from sunrise to sunset, but oh, it’s my husband’s Birthday and oh, I need to make pics of my kids cooking for a magazine and oh, I’m going to attend a bloggers’ meet up.

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So this time it is about making something impressive for the celebration table, that doesn’t take much time and attention. Actually all you need is 15 minutes to make preparations and 1 minute to interrupt your work and turn off the timer and the oven. Oh, well, the next day you’ll spend 5 minuted to whisk cream and cut fruit. 21 minute of involved cooking is a good timing, isn’t it?

To make a Pavlova cake you need: Continue reading →

Chocolate mousse cake with cherry panna cotta

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Hi, my name is Irina and I am a chocoholic. The day without chocolate is a lost day. And on the contrary the more chocolate is in your day – the better it is. A bit of chocolate is good, a cup of thick hot chocolate is better, a chocolate desert is perfect and if it is a whole chocolate cake made – it is the best!

I sharewith you a recipe of the best day ever. Sorry, it’s a recipe of a choco cake only so far. It’s my improvisation on Black forest cake. With mousse, cherry panna cotta and a crispy  surprise inside.

From bottom to top on the picture: chocolate sponge (a proper one, no cheating with baking powder), cherry panna cotta with Morello cherries, almond daqoise and milk chocolate mousse.

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The sponge is particular pride, ’cause I could never manage to make a chocolate sponge without baking powder. The whites sank each time I added flour. But this time it worked: it is soft, tender, moist, springy and idealy foamy. It isnt  actually my great job, it is the genius of Pasquale Marigliano – I used his recipe.

 

Silk chocolate sponge  (square tin 22 cm)
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Christmas Eve table

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Celebration is the anticipation of celebration. I was told that when I was a little girl, and every year I discover new meaning in this phrase and find new proofs to it. Celebration is the awaiting of celebration. It is the preparing, the invites you sign, the cards you send to your friends, it is choosing gifts and menu, working over decoration – all that makes your heart leap, smile cross your face and improves your mood. Every year I feel it more and more clearly that anticipation is a part of celebration and feel joy just preparing to celebrate. And every year I begin to prepare a little earlier than last year ’cause it prolongs the festive feeling.Now when Halloween is not yet here, I check Christmas catalogues and look through the photos of previous years celebrating. And I just thought it might be interesting to you to look at our last year Christmas table setting and borrow couple of ideas maybe.

These are two options we used. Both with burlap, wood, Christmas tree branches and cinnamon.

The first:

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achristmaseve01 Continue reading →

Lavender Picnic in Hyde Park

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Did you feel quiet inspired after the last post about autumn picnics? I did. So I decided to gather my friends and friends’ friends for a picnic. Me and my friend Elena opted with a Rustic French theme and made some simple but still very beautiful decorations. Also the picturesque autumn in Hyde park was our main decoration. There were thirteen families on the picnic, and it looks like we’ve made some nice family portraits for all of them.

I won’t  be talking much, because I’ve got a lot of pics to share with you. Will be happy to hear if you like it or not. And a little bit of useful info at the bottom of the post.

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Autumn picinic inspiration

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There are things you can’t imagine a season without. Like you can’t imagine winter without Christmas (or without snow if you are from Russia, as I am), you don’t feel like spring without a big house cleaning and it’s certainly not summer if you’re not going on vacation. Well, the thing I can’t imagine autumn without  (besides yellow leaves and pumpkins) is a proper autumn picnic.

I am in love with flasks filled with hot rose hips tea or cocoa, with fleece blankets and oversized sweaters. I also love pumpkin pies or cupcakes (like the ones I gave you the recipe of) and pear jam and all kinds of deserts with nuts. And I like coloured leaves, clear sky, crispy air… And I can unite all of my favourites in one place – on the picnic.

So I gathered some pictures of autumn picnic and autumn styles to inspire you and myself to go on picnic!

largePhoto via stylemepretty.com

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Apple and cinnamon marshmallow

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Let’s say I’m not sure about if the word marshmallow really suits the recipe I want to give you today. In Russia we call it “zefir” and it is completely different from what you call “marshmallow” though the dictionary says it’s the same thing.

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Anyway, this is the taste of my childhood. Taste of those sweet summer days when you’re seating in your granny’s garden, eating all the deserts granny made for you, and the only thing that disturbs you is the wasp, which loves sweet as much as you do.

This marshmallow is very flavoury, has a stiff structure and is not dry at all – it is very tender inside though has a thin sugary crust on the outside.

My flavour for today is classic apple, but with a pinch of autumn in it.

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The ingredients are very simple and few, but the recipe demands some patience and attention.

You’ll need:

Continue reading →

Autumn is time for apples

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Autumn is a very special time of the year for. When all the world feels new life in spring, I feel like born again in autumn. I love breathing the crystal clear air with notes of dry leaves and smoke – even in the centre of the city, not only in parks. The colours are absolutely stunning, the weather is mild – not too cold and not too hot. Bright days are made for chilling in park and dull days are for being alone with your own thoughts… So that everything feels right in autumn, everything is in harmony.

I love going out for a picnic in autumn, and in grey rainy days before that I try myself with new recipes I’d like to bring with me on a picnic. And I’d say that most of those recipes are using apples. ‘Cause autumn is an apple time.

So, today I’m going to share some of these goodies with you. Hope they will help your autumn be more comfortable, warm and tasty.

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These are apple chips. You can easily make them by slicing some apples thinly and drying them in oven for couple of hours at 100 degrees C. Better to turn them once in an hour to dry evenly.

That is an ideal autumn snack for kids. My don’t stop until they eat all of them. I add a bit of sugar and cinnamon before putting into oven – that makes chips crispier and sweeter.

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