Skip to main content

Braised Beef Stew

This is the kind of dish you crave when winter really settles in — a proper braised beef stew that fills the house with the most wonderful smells. Ingredients For 6 people 1.5 kg stewing beef, cut into cubes. 150 g salt pork, cut into 2 thick slices. 1 large onion or 2 medium ones. 4 garlic cloves. 250 ml good quality red wine. 250 ml beef stock. 1 tablespoon tomato sofregit. 3 tablespoons flour. 18 small pearl onions. 50 ml red wine for cooking the onions. 500 g mushrooms. 50 g butter. Olive oil. Salt. 50 g sugar. Boiled rice to serve alongside.     Method Trim any rind from the salt pork and cut it into 2 or 3 pieces. Put it in your casserole with just a few drops of oil over medium heat, and let it render its fat. Remove the salt pork and set aside. In the fat it's left behind, brown the beef — but don't crowd the pot. Do it in two or three batches so you don't drop the temperature too much, which would make the meat release its ju...

Sara, Butter Cake


This is a wonderful cake that, around Easter time, makes a beautiful traditional mona cake.


Ingredients

for 8 people

for the sponge cake

  • 50g pastry flour.
  • 50g potato starch.
  • 150g sugar.
  • 4 eggs, separated.
  • 1 pinch of salt.
  • 1 tsp vanilla sugar.
  • 1 round cake pan, 24cm in diameter.
  • butter for greasing the pan.

for the sweet butter cream:

  • 500g butter at room temperature.
  • 400g water.
  • 500g sugar.

for the soaking syrup:

  • 150g sugar.
  • 150g water.
  • optional: 1 tablespoon of liqueur (Kirsch, rum, etc.).

you'll also need:

  • toasted sliced almonds.
  • powdered sugar for dusting (optional).

Preparation

First, we'll make the sponge cake: Heat your oven to 180°C.
Grease the cake pan with butter.
Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks with the pinch of salt.
In a separate bowl, beat the yolks with the sugar and vanilla sugar until they're fluffy and have doubled in volume. Fold in the sifted flour and potato starch, then gently add the beaten egg whites in two additions. Use your hand to fold them in with upward strokes — you don't want to deflate those whites.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Don't open the oven door or lower the temperature while it bakes.
Once it's done, take it out of the oven and turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
For the butter cream: Make a syrup at soft ball stage with the sugar and water. Let it cool completely at room temperature — not in the fridge.
Once the syrup is cold, mix it with the butter cut into small cubes and beat until everything is well combined. Set aside.
For the soaking syrup: Put the sugar, water, and liqueur in a small saucepan over heat and bring to a boil until the sugar dissolves.
For assembly: Slice the sponge cake into 3 layers. Place the first layer on the serving platter, brush it with the soaking syrup, then spread some butter cream over it.
Do the same with the second layer.
Place the third layer on top without soaking it, then spread butter cream over the top and around the sides.
Smooth the butter cream out nicely.
Press the sliced almonds onto the top and sides of the cake. Dust with powdered sugar if you like.


Enjoy this lovely sweet treat.
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Cod with Hazelnut Crust and Roasted Vegetables

  ingredients 4 pieces of desalted cod. flour for dusting the cod. 100g roasted hazelnuts, chopped. a small piece of orange peel. 2 sprigs of fresh parsley, chopped. 1 egg. salt. extra virgin olive oil. for the vegetables: 1 small zucchini. 1/2 red bell pepper. two onions. 2 garlic cloves. 5 or 6 pitted prunes, halved. two tablespoons of currants. 100ml white wine. salt. freshly ground black pepper. extra virgin olive oil. preparation First, you'll want to make the coating for the cod. Grind the hazelnuts with the piece of orange peel and chopped parsley, then stir in the beaten egg. Dust the cod pieces lightly with flour, then coat them with the hazelnut mixture. Put the currants and prunes in a small bowl with a bit of water to soak while you prepare the vegetables. Rinse the vegetables well and drain them thoroughly. Slice the onions and zucchini into rounds, dice the bell pepper, and mince the garlic. In a deep skillet, heat 4 tablespoons of oil and sauté the onion, bell peppe...
Read more

Beet Salad with Zucchini, Asparagus, and Pear

ingredients for 4 people 1 bunch of green asparagus. 2 medium zucchini. 2 pears, unpeeled. 1 or 2 ripe tomatoes. cooked black beans (or white beans work too). small chunks of cheese (whatever you fancy). toasted sliced almonds. for the dressing: juice of 1/2 lemon. freshly ground black pepper. salt. 1 tsp honey. 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. preparation Start by making your dressing. Whisk together all those ingredients until they're well blended and slightly thickened. Set it aside for now. Get your asparagus ready... and cook them in salted water once it comes to a boil. Let them cook for about 4 minutes, then pull them out and plunge them straight into plenty of cold water to stop the cooking. Set them aside. Now for the zucchini. Give them a good wash, then use a mandoline to slice them into thin ribbons like tagliatelle. If you don't have one, a vegetable peeler does the trick just fine... Drop those zucchini ribbons into boil...
Read more

Red Velvet Cream Cake with Currant Flavor

This is a cake that features a brilliant red sponge, and the contrast with the pure white cream makes it absolutely stunning! Ingredients for 8 to 10 servings 4 whole eggs 300g sugar 2 tablespoons cocoa powder 125g butter, at room temperature 280g all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 pinch of salt 2 tablespoons red food coloring 1 tablespoon white vinegar 1 teaspoon currant extract (optional) 240ml buttermilk for the buttermilk 240ml whole milk 1 tablespoon lemon juice to finish the cake 750g heavy cream (35% fat) 220g powdered sugar you'll also need a 22cm diameter cake pan butter for greasing the pan flour for dusting Preparation To make the buttermilk , pour the 240ml of milk into a saucepan over medium heat and bring it to a boil... add the lemon juice, stir well, and remove from the heat. The milk will look curdled — that's exactly what you want. Let it cool for about 5 minutes... mix i...
Read more