Rafaelo Cake

Creamy delights.



Ingredients:

For the base:

7 egg whites

7 table spoons of sugar

1x sachet baking powder

150g coconut

4 table spoons flour

For the filling:

7 egg yolks

6 table spoons of sugar

1x sachet vanilla sugar

Vanilla essence

350ml full cream milk

3 table spoons flour

250g softened butter

For the topping:

2 egg whites whisked with three table spoons of sugar

Method:

In a large bowl mix the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add sugar and mix until glossy and you can turn the bowl upside down without the mixture falling out. Add flour spoon by spoon, baking powder and the coconut and mix through. Pour in a medium sized baking dray lined with baking paper. Bake for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile whisk egg yolks until soft peak form and then add sugar spoon by spoon. The yolks should be fluffy and light yellow. Add flour and mix well. In a medium sized saucepan add milk and vanilla essence and then add the yolk mixture. Stir constantly on medium heat until the mixture thickens - should be a custard like texture but stickier.

In a separate bowl beat the softened butter with vanilla sugar until fluffy. Add the yolk mixture and combine well with electric mixer. Leave in the fridge to cool for a couple of hours.

Spread the above mixture on the base evenly and leave in fridge to cool overnight. Spread the beaten egg white mixture on top and decorate as desired. Cut into medium sized cubes and serve.

Happy Baking :)

Wafer Dessert - Oblande

Easy to make with no baking time required and always a favourite..

Ingredients:

1 packet wafer boards (you can get this from a local delicatessen)

150g dark chocolate

150g milk chocolate

150ml thickened cream

150g crushed pettit-beurre biscuits
150g Hazelnuts finely chopped

Method:

Melt chocolate with thickened cream in a steamer and add biscuits and hazelnuts once the chocolate is melted. You should get a fairly rich mixture. Leave to cool.

Spread over the wafer boards and layer, usually five layers is enough. Leave in the fridge overnight and cover with something heavy on top so that the chocolate filling sets.

Cut into long rectangular shapes as shown above. Then cut diagonally to get diamond like pieces.

Enjoy!





Chocolate Balls

Easy to make chocolate treats.

Ingredients:



150g dark chocolate

150g milk chocolate

150ml thickened cream

150g crushed pettit-beurre biscuits

Method:

Melt chocolate with thickened cream in a steamer and add biscuits once the chocolate is melted. You should get a fairly rich mixture. Cool.

Take small amounts and roll them into walnut size balls. Roll into blended hazelnuts and cool in the fridge.

Serve as desired.

Enjoy!



Crispy skin Salmon with capsicum-tomato salsa

Delicious crispy skin Salmon on a bed of flavoursome capsicum-tomato salsa.

Ingredients for the salsa:

2 red capsicums diced

1 tomato diced 

1 red onion finely chopped

Pinch of salt

Fresh Parsley

Salmon fillets de-boned and cut into strips like above

Sea salt and pepper

Parsley

Method:

In a medium saucepan add capsicum, tomato, onion and salt. Pour with water until covered. Bring to boil and simmer until the capsicum becomes softer. In a cup add half a tablespoon flour, and sweet paprika and add a few drops of water to make a paste. Add to the water and simmer for a bit longer. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the Salmon, mix sea salt, pepper and parsley with a bit of vegetable oil and rub onto the Salmon skin. Place skin side down on a hot non-stick frying pan until crispy. Sear the other sides gently and then place in the oven for another 6-7 minutes. Place lemon wedges in the oven with the Salmon to give it more flavour.

Place salsa on plate, top with crispy skin Salmon and sprinkle with fresh parsley.

Enjoy!

Plum Jam Rolls - Slatke Kiflice

Absolutely delicious - perfect for afternoon tea!

Ingredients:

250ml beer

400ml vegetable oil

1 tablespoon sugar

Flour

Plum Jam 

Method:

In a large bowl pour beer and oil. Add sugar and flour until you get a smooth dough. Separate in 5-6 medium sized balls of dough, wrap in cling wrap and leave to rest for a couple of hours.

With a rolling pin smooth out each piece of rested dough into thin 0.5cm thickness circles and cut into small triangles like you would a pizza.

Add a teaspoon of plum jam onto each little triangle and roll into shape.

Bake on 180C for about 35-40 minutes until golden.

Once they cool roll them into icing sugar until all covered. These rolls are very practical as they can last over a week and remain fresh.

Enjoy!





Dough Fritters - Ustipci

Dough fritters are usually made for dinner or afternoon tea and go well with cottage cheese and sour cream or if you like them sweet they go well with all kinds of jams or Nutella.



Ingredients:

1/2kg of flour

1 sachet dry yeast
Pinch of salt and sugar

1 egg (whisked)

Luke warm water

Method:

In a large bowl add flour and yeast and mix through. Add salt and sugar, egg and water until you get a dough like mixture. Leave to stand for about half an hour until the dough proves. Once the dough is doubled in size, pinch medium sized pieces of dough in any shape you like and place in a pan with a good amount of oil. Fry until just golden brown.

Place on paper towel to dry excess oil.

Serve as desired.

Enjoy!

Sarma

Sarma is the most traditional Slavic food and is prepared as a starter meal for all celebrations. It is usually served after soup and before the main.

Ingredients:

Pickled cabbage leaves (1 cabbage is usually enough)

750g mince meat (half beef - half pork)

2 handfuls Jasmine rice

1 red onion (finely chopped)

Pepper and salt

Vegeta

2 tablespoons sweet paprika

Half a garlic crushed

100g pancetta finely sliced  into small pieces

1 egg (whisked)

Couple of pinches chopped parsley

2 table spoons flour (mixed with a few drops of water to create a paste like texture)

Smoked pork belly or pork leg

Method:

Separate the cabbage leaves and cut off the hard part at the ends. If the outer leaves are too big half them so that your sarma's are not too big.

Place rice in a small saucepan and fill with water and leave for half an hour. Drain.

In a large pan pour a bit of oil and add red onion and garlic and mix on medium heat until the onion is translucent. Leave to cool.

In a large bowl, combine mince meat and all other ingredients except for the flour/sweet paprika mixture. Mix well until all combined and you can smell all the flavours throughout. Place mixture in the pan and lightly cook until just brown. Return back to bowl and add drained rice. Mix well.

In a very large saucepan (5L preferably) pour 2L of water, place a few leaves of the cabbage in the water and add some salt.

Add about a tablespoon of the mince mixture onto each cabbage leaf and fold shorter sides first and then horizontally so you get a nice spring roll like shape. Continue until all of the mixture is used up.

Add the sarma into the saucepan with water, add the smoked pork belly or leg (1 big piece - this is to infuse the smokey flavour into the broth). Add more water if you need to, the sarma should be covered in water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for about 1.5 hours.

In a cup combine flour and sweet paprika add some water until you get a smooth paste. Add to the saucepan with sarma. You can also add some pasta tomato sauce. Keep on simmer for another 45 minutes or so. Do not stir.

Enjoy!

Maringue kisses - Puslice

Crispy layer of maringue on the outside with a soft center.

Ingredients:

3-4 egg whites

3-4 tablespoons of sugar

2-3 drops of lemon juice

Method:

Whisk the egg whites in a bowl until soft peaks form. Add sugar spoon by spoon and lemon drops. The mixture needs to be glossy and when the bowl is turned upside down the mixture should stay in the bowl.

Fill a piping bag with the desired nozzle on the end with the egg white mixture and make little maringue kisses on the baking tray that is lined with baking paper.

Place in oven with oven door open ajar and let it dry for about 30-40 minutes on the lowest temperature.

You can eat these plain or drizzle a raspberry or strawberry sauce over it best to make this from fresh berries.

Enjoy!





Pljeskavice

Traditional street food in the Balkans.

For the meat patties:

500g beef mince

2 eggs whisked

100g breadcrumbs

Pepper and Salt

Chopped shallots

Vegeta

Chilli powder if you like them to be a bit chilli

To serve:

Pita bread or focaccia bread

Sour cream and Greek style yogurt combines

Shallots (finely chopped)

Method:

In a large bowl add mince and all ingredients and mix well. Make circles out of meat and form into large meat patties about 10cm in diameter. Barbecue the meat patties so they get the beautiful charcoal flavour. At the end also place the focaccia’s cut in half or the pita bread on the barbecue so they can soak up all the juices from the meat patties.

Place the meat patties inside the bread and fold the bread in half. Put a dollop of the sour cream/yogurt mixture on top and sprinkle over with finely chopped shallots.

Enjoy!

Poached Cinnamon Apple Cake - Kolac od jabuka

Light and spongy and perfect for winter days.

Ingredients:

4 eggs

4 table spoons of sugar

4 table spoons of flour

1 sachet baking powder

For the filling:

3-4 green apples

Cinnamon

100-150g tablespoons of sugar

Vanilla pudding (see note below)

Method:



In a large bowl which the egg whites first until soft peak form. Add sugar spoon by spoon until you get a glossy texture. Add the egg yolks one by one and then the flower spoon by spoon. Add the baking powder. Pour in a medium sized baking and bake on 180C for 20-25 minutes.

Meanwhile peel the apples and slice them. Use a medium sized pot and add 500ml of water, add sugar, apples and cinnamon to your liking. bring to the boil and then simmer until the apples are poached and soft.

Once your sponge base has cooled place apples on top and pour over the vanilla Pudding.

For the vanilla pudding - add 50ml of milk and dissolve in a measuring cup. Add that mixture to 200ml of boiling milk and stir constantly so that no lumps form. Your mixture needs to be fairy runny.

Once this has cooled decorate as desired, above I used cake icing mixture and chocolate icing to decorate. An alternative can be marzipan.

Happy baking :)

Note: Vanilla pudding can be purchased at your local Delicattesen it is similar to a custard texture but unlike custard it sets.

Pork Dumplings

Delicate and delicious!

Ingredients:

2 packs of gow-gee pastry (you can get this from your Asian grocer)

2 bunches of fresh chives

1 bunch of baby spinach

500g pork mince (alternatively you may use beef or chicken mince)

6-7 drops of sesame oil

1 table spoon vegetable oil

Pinch of salt and sugar

Method:

In a large bowl, finely chop spinach and chives. Add mince, sesame oil, oil, salt and pepper and the mince. Mix well until all the flavours combine - this mixture smells so fresh.

Take out each round of the gow-gee pastry and wet the edges with a little bit of water (have a small bowl of water handy), spoon out the mixture fold to centre and pinch the sides together. See step by step process below.

In a frying pan fry the dumplings just until they go slightly golden and then place in a bamboo steamer over boiling water. Serve with soy sauce or as desired.

Step by step process:



Enjoy!