summery interlude: jasmine-lemon-vanilla-cookies

Good afternoon, cookery-addicts! How are you? Long time no see, I know.

Every six months I become kind of jittery, twitchy, in short: a bag of nerves. I am bustling around and giving off sentence-fragments like "too much", "can't do this" or "not going to pass"! It's exam-time at university! 

That's why you did not hear so much of me recently. However, by now I am so fed up with learning, that I decided to come back for a quick, sweet, consolatory interlude:

Here's what I have created between books and articles and essays and readers:

Jasmine-Lemon-Vanilla Cookies

The Cookies recipe is based on Martha Stuart, 

thanks to her cookbook I am able to survive right now ;-)

ingredients:

1/4 cup dried jasmine blossoms, finely ground or hashed

2 cups spelt-flour

1 cup butter, room temperature

2 eggs

1,5 cups cane sugar

3 teaspoons vanilla bean paste

2 lemons: zest

1 teaspoon baking soda

preparation:

1. Whisk butter, lemon zest, baking soda, sugar and vanilla bean paste

2. add flour, eggs and jasmine blossoms and form a dough

3. pur dough into the fridge for 30 minutes

4. prepare a plate with some cane sugar, form litlle bowls with the help of a tablespoon and roll in sugar, place on baking sheet

5. preheat oven on 180° and bake for 11 minutes

ENJOY summer and don't be stressed (for whatever reason)!

much-travelled food: a pinch of San Francisco

Good evening Spring-Lovers!

Today I could fully enjoy one of my privileges as a flight attendant's daughter! While I would never (okay, got me, let's say veeery rarely) buy a food which has left behind several thousand kilometres to get to Switzerland, I am nonetheless extremely happy when my Mom does travel that distance. For she never comes home from a foreign country empty-handed. This time she brought home a little San Francisco (thank you so much, universe, for providing us with different climate zones)! So, have a look at the beautiful spring-veggies that found their way to my little Swiss kitchen (with a little thanks to my Mom and the airplane):

Naturally, I just had to use them immediately!

So, at this point I should admit that what I created with all the ingredients is pretty time-consuming (for I could not decide on just one veggie to employ in my recipe). But you may also like to prepare only parts of it or look for some little helpers:

Soft Fish-Garlic-Burgers with Radish-Lemon-Dip and colourful Spring Veggies

ingredients (6 people)

3 bushels of young carrots

600 g of fresh peeled green peas (green peace, haha)

200 g young green aspargus

800 g baby potatoes

****

olive oil

1 whole garlic 

2 handful of rosemary

2 handful of lemon thyme

1 handful of origano

1 handful of basil

1 lemon

1 teaspoon cane sugar

****

1 kg of coalfish filets (or whatever you like)

1 egg

25 g of spelt flour

1 dl of olive oil

****

200 g of yoghurt

100 g of sour cream

3 radishes

salt, pepper

(Wow, quite a list, right?)

preparation:

1. put carrots and potatoes on two sepearate baking sheets, spread some olive oil on both

2. further, spread cane sugar, 1 handful rosemary, pepper and salt on carrots

3. mix yoghurt, sour cream, lemon zest, 1 handful of basil and finely hashed radish, refridgerate

4. finely slice one half of the lemon and add to the potatoes together with salt, pepper, 1 handful lemon thyme and 5 roughly sliced garlic cloves

5. finely mash fish filets in a cutter, use some olive oil to do so

6. Mix minced fish with 6 pressed garlic cloves, spelt flour, egg, juice of 1/2 lemon, salt and pepper

7. spread some flour on a chopping board, form fish-burgers and rotate them in the flour on the chopping board

8. preheat two pans with olive oil and the oven on 200°

9. put potatoes and carrots into the oven for 30-35 minutes

10. after about 20 minutes roast the green peas and the aspargus with pressed garlic cloves, origano, lemon thyme and rosemary while roasting the fish burgers in the other pan (about 3-4 minutes on each side)

Wow, Done!

 Be proud if you managed to finish everything at the same time and enjoy this wonderful spring-dinner!

Love, Florence

skinny temptation

Have you also got a sweet tooth like me?

Good afternoon, people!

As I told you some time ago, I have bought dried rose blossoms on the market in Freiburg, Germany. And today, they were finally employed!

Unfortunately, I belong to those people who are in posession of not only one, but even many sweet tooths! And as I am a fan of healthy nutrition as well, the challenge today was called:

Satisfy your sweet cravings in a healthy manner. (And do not forget to use the rose blossoms!)

Quite a task, but as I had a day off, and as my favorite man (who has got a bit too much free time to watch me, talk with me, short: to prevent me from anything at the moment) could be convinced to do some sport, time was not an issue. So I can proudly announce that the sweet little companion which came out is very recommendable:

Skinny rose-maple-orange-cupcake with cream cheese topping and a hint of vanilla

ingredients:

MUFFINS

300 g light spelt flour

125 g butter

2 dl milk

1 teaspoon baking soda

100 g cane sugar

100 g maple juice

1 orange, zest

3 tablespoons dried rose blossoms

*****

TOPPING

250 g cream cheese

60 g maple juice

1 tablespoons rose water

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

preparation:

1. mix flour, baking soda, orange zest and sugar

2. mix milk, butter and rose blossoms and heat in a pan until butter is molten, preheat the oven on 180 °

3. Add to flour together with maple juice and stir well, grease muffin tins

4. bake for about 20 minutes

5. mix cream cheese, rose water, 60 g maple juice and vanilla bean paste, put into the fridge for about 30 minutes

6. let the muffins cool down, then add topping and some rose blossoms

7. chill or enjoy immediately

See you, Love Florence

take it lightly

Good evening, my beloved cookery-fans!

You definitely do not want to know how much I have eaten during the Easter festivities. And I definitely do not want to shock you. I think it is enough to say that it was way too much. 

What I should admit at this point is that today, not even a week after this crapulence, we did something terrific and terrible at the same time. I cannot say whether it was an awesome or awful idea, however, we brought into being the first (is it the first?) "Banoffee-day" (Banoffee describes the cobination of banana, caramel and dark chocolate)!

Which means that me and my sisters prepared lots of so called "Banoffe-Sweets"; actually Banoffee-Cupcakes, Banoffe-Macaroons and a Banoffee-Pie! Hell that was decadent! 

But never fear, I am not going to post all this today. Contrariwise, after all those sweets we could use something fresh, healthy and salty! So the recipe I am posting today is what I made out of these three adjectives: (okay, got me, I did not make it out of the adjectives, but did use some edibles!

light Spring-Salad with lettuce, avocado, plums, balsamico-marinated aspargus and chicken with a garlic-orange-basil French-Dressing

ingredients (4 people):

400 g chicken

16 pieces of white aspargus

1 large lettuce

4 plums

2 avocadoes

4 garlic cloves

1 dl olive oil

0.3 dl vinegar

2 oranges, juice

1 handful basil

1 tablespoon mustard

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

4 tablespoons yoghurt

salt, pepper

2 tablespoons balsamico

1 tablespoon of dried thyme

1 pot full of bouillon or hot water

preparation:

1. bring pot with bouillon to a boil, meanwhile cut chicken and aspargus in fourth. As soon as water boils, put both into the pan and cook until they are cooked, then take out and marinate with dried thyme, salt and balsamico, put aside (you may also like to put it in the fridge over night)

2. finely slice plums and avocado, wash salad

3. mix yoghurt, mayonnaise, mustard, orange juice, hashed basil, pressed garlic cloves, vinegar and olive oil, salt and pepper

4. put all ingredients on a plate and top with dressing

ENJOY! See you!

take your pick(nick)!

Happy Easter and Hello everybody!

As I quickly told you yesterday, I have prepared a picknick for me and my family. One might not suspect it when looking out of the windows now, but: yesterday's weather was wonderful! So maybe you cannot use the picknick-ideas I am posting today very soon, but at least you will have them up your sleeve. For the weather has shown to change quickly at the moment. 

You know, I really do enjoy having some days off at University, just as I did the last few days. However there's one tiny, little, small problem: I just cannot pull myelf together and get back to work when I should, just like right NOW!

 There are like one hundred texts (at least!) wishfully longing for me to read them and I am still breaking their hearts, for I prefer hanging around and do something (what it is does not matter) else. Even now that the weather is bad, even now that I really do not have anything meaningful to do, I always find a way to avoid work. Terrible. But I really hope that you know that too and try out some of my recipes instead of working. And then tell me about it and distract me from work even more. Then I would have got an excuse, at least.

So, take your pick(nick):

herb-butter-bun with avocado-egg-peppercress-spread

ingredients (6 people)

1 kg of light spelt flour

40 g fresh yeast

120 g soft butter

2 dl water

3 dl milk

2 fresh eggs

0,5 tablespoons sugar

1,5 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons dried rosemary

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 avocado

4 boiled eggs

2 teaspoons lime juice

pepper

1 handful peppercress

salt

preparation

1. mix flour, salt and sugar, then mix milk, water and yeast

2. add butter in little flocks to flour, then add milk-water-yeast-mix and form an elastic dough, let rise for 1-2 hours

3. meanwhile, mash eggs and avocado with a fork, then add chopped peppercress, lime juice, salt and pepper, stir well and refridgerate

4. preheat the oven on 190°

5. cut the dough in halves and form a braid with each of them

6. sepearte egg yolk fromt the two fresh eggs and spread on the bread-braids, add some dried herbs and coarse salt

6. bake for 40-45 minutes

you may also like to spread some cream cheese on the finished braids and then add some smoked salmon, herbs and lime juice!

ENJOY your picknick (whenever the weather should allow you to do so!)

Fall in love with Spring

Hi there, favorite cooks! How are you?

I once again have to thank you so much! I am really glad how many people out there are reading (or watching?) my blog!

I haven't been cooking a lot lately, so I did not expect so many views when I got back on my blog yesterday! So I thought I am going to prepare something lovely and special for all the ones who are following my cookery-adventures!

Additionally, I have got a few days off at the moment and I will definitely spend them in front of my cooker. Or oven. Or fridge. Let's see what Spring brings next......

So, back to my newest creation. As a little thank-you-gift I will make you fall in love today! (Just in case you have not yet fallen in love with something else, which is quite probable considering the beautiful "primavera in anticipo" out there!)

Anyways, I really hope that my seductive recipe today will catch your attention for a while:

tender lavender-vanilla-lemon Sablés

ingredients:

3 tablespoons of dried lavender

1 lemon, zest and juice

250 g of soft butter

100 g of powdered sugar

300 g of flour

1 tablespoon of vanilla bean paste

preparation:

1. grind lavender in a mortar, then mix with butter, vanilla bean paste, lemon zest, lemon juice and powedered sugar with the help of a handheld electric mixer

2. add flour and form a dough, put into the fridge for 30 minutes

3. preheat the oven on 200 °

4. roll out dough 0.5 cm thick and cut out cookies of about 8 cm diameter

5. bake for about 10 minutes

Enjoy these beautiful days, people! 

Much Love, Florence.

green greens

Good morning everyone!

I have got something very healthy for you today! Something, which might not be very new for Hollywood, but which only arrived in poor slow Switzerland recently: The green-vegetable-smoothie.

I actually resisted it a long time and I was a bit sceptical due to the veggies.

 You must know that I can be quite picky when it comes to veggies and that they have to be prepared in an interesting way to make them palatable to me. So: Raw veggies in a smoothie? Really? Does that taste good?

Yes it does! However, only in combination with fruits. The veggies give it an interesting, refreshing touch, the fruits make it slightly sweet.

Have a look!

Green Smoothie 

with spinach, cucumber, apples, oranges, lemongrass and soy yoghurt

ingredients (2 people)

200 g of peeled cucumber

240 g of peeled apples

1/2 lemongrass stick, finely sliced

1 pinch of cinnamon

75 g of spinach

4 tablespoons of soy yoghurt

juice of 2 oranges

2 teaspoons agave syrup

3 ice cubes

preparation

Blend well all of the ingredients in a mixer, enjoy fresh!

Have a nice day, full of energy!