MEATLESS MONDAY: green gnocchi & blueberry tartelettes

Yesterday I went on a vintage shopping hunt on the flea market. I am currently very smitten with the idea of a vintage home bar - ideally neatly exposed on a vintage bar cart. Of course I need the suitable bar paraphernalia for that - and I start at zero (don't even have proper tumblers).

I love (mostly useless but whimsy) old gadgets and tools! I'm a firm believer that most things looked better in the good old times (yeah, call me gran...). But take for example a simple cocktail shaker; those old, silver ones that tell stories of the golden twenties' dimly lit, swinging parties and cocktail hours... well those sure are the objects i prefer to any ultra modern, simplistic tools that just about fulfill their task but don't have any patina and are to smooth to love.

So anyway, I went on a hunt for vintage bar tools. Actually, I had something quite particular in mind: a silver pineapple shaped ice cubes cooler bucket. Quite specific. But you know what? I actually found one! On the flea market in Zurich! How big is the chance of that, eh? I couldn't stop laughing when I laid my eyes on it and touched it. The seller must have thought I'm a bit a lot nuts. And probably thought about not selling the object of desire to me... Ehem.

But why am I telling you all this. Firstly: because I'm obviously a very lucky person! Luck strikes me, just like that, sometimes. And I appreciate it a lot. Thank you, luck (or fate, or universe, or whatever thing or person is responsible for that). Secondly: it's the hunt that is so endearing! In times of the online shopping a good physical, exhausting shopping hunt becomes redundant. You can google anything, track things down (even vintage finds) and buy it online within minutes, and it will be delivered conveniently to your doorstep, in no time. But is it fulfilling?

To me it felt like a lesson: things that take effort to track down, chase, find and keep... Well, those are the things we appreciate the most. It's what gives us a feeling of success in life. I herewith not only mean pineapple shaped ice cube cooler bucket, obviously. But also (smile). I mean life in general. To work hard for the things we want. It's fulfilling.

HERBED GREEN GNOCCHI W/ SPINACH

adapted from Donna Hay

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups ricotta
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• 2 cups fresh spinach leaves, washed (you can also used thawed spinach)
• 1 cup parsley leaves, cleaned, minced
• 1 handful mint leaves, cleaned, minced
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup semolina
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Olive oil
• Salt, pepper
• Pinch of musk

• 4 tbsp. butter
• 5 sage leaves, thinly sliced
• 10 g dried porcini, minced
• Pinch of musk
• Fleur de sel

METHOD

1. Note: you can also use thawed spinach but then you won't have to make this step. In a large saucepan, heat a bit of olive oil. Sweat the minced garlic for a few seconds, before adding the (whole) spinach leaves. Heat through until leaves are shrunk together. Remove from heat, let cool. Then pat dry with some kitchen paper and mince.
2. In a large bowl combine the ricotta, eggs, parmesan flour and semolina (be careful with the semolina, only use it to add firmness to the mix). Add the minced steamed spinach and the minced herbs. Combine well. Season with flour and salt and a pinch of musk.
3. Heat a large saucepan with salted water. Preheat the oven to low. Dust a work space with flour. Take 1/4 of the pastry and roll it into about 2cm thick ropes. Cut into thumb wide pieces. Cook the gnocchi in batches for 2 to 3 minutes, until they appear on the surface. Put in a oven proof pan, drizzle with olive oil and place in the warm oven. Proceed with the other batches.
4. When gnocchi are finished cooking, place all of them together in the oven for a few minutes to heat through (and also to dry out a bit; you will find they're much better like that).
5. Heat the butter in a small saucepan, slowly, on low heat, to make beurre noisette out of it. Add the porcini crumbs, sage, a pinch of fleur de sel, black pepper and musk, each. Serve.

For the blueberry tartelettes go here, please.

BREAKFAST CLUB: lemon ricotta pancakes with berry syrup

All was right with the world, as soon as the citric scent of fresh squeezed lemons tingled her nose; the mist dancing around her face and fragranced the air. Summer had arrived. 

I don't much quite like lemons you see, not for what it is. Then again, it must simply be a dressing. An accessory. A companion to those in need, like sauces and pestos and cakes. Ahh cakes. For some, nothing tops a guilt ridden slice of cold pizza in the morning. But for me, a chance to have cake before noon is an indulgence I don't see comparable in any way. The idea of squirting lemon into my morning cake batter though, was a concept as alien to me as putting chocolate chips in my iced coffee. As a self-nominated gourmand, I'm willing to try anything once, as foreign yet familiar as they may be.

Cheese on the other hand, well, there are not many things I wouldn't throw cheese into, on, or all over. Ricotta has just entered my life though, and taking a dive with lemony recipes while toying with a new dairy product was an adventure well worth it. Cooking and baking should be a visit to the unknown whenever possible anyway. Don't you think?

LEMONY RICOTTA PANCAKES

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup ricotta
• 1 freshly squeezed lemon and zest
• 3 eggs, seperated
• 3 tbs butter, melted
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 4 tbs sugar
• pinch of salt
• berries, optional

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to low.
2. Put the ricotta, lemon juice and zest, egg yolks, and half the butter in a bowl and beat until combined.
3. Sift in the flour, baking soda and salt and fold in. Whisk the egg whites in a seperate bowl with electric handheld whisk until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and whist until glossy and fm. Fold whites into the batter.
4. Use remainign butter to grease pan. Drop a heaping tablespoon of batter into the skillet and cook for two minutes on each side until cooked through. Keep pancakes warm in oven until done.
5. Serve with warm berry syrup (simply mix berries with a bit of sugar until desired consistency is achieved) and top with creme fraiche or maple syrup. Yum!

RECIPE 6: strawberry ricotta pain perdu

The imagery here does the blissful taste of this breakfast injustice. Just make this now and thank me later, mmkay!

Strawberry Ricotta Pain Perdu

INGREDIENTS

• loaf of stale bread (I only use challah or brioche)
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups strawberries
• 1/2 cup organic ricotta (Italian if you can find it)
• 1 tbs vanilla

From the pantry:

• pinch of salt
• cinnamon, optional
• butter or oil, for frying
• pure maple syrup, for serving

METHOD

1. Whisk together the eggs, vanilla, and optional spices in a small bowl. Do not over-whisk. Dip your pieces of bread and set aside. Sprinkle extra cinnamon on each side at this time if you desire.
2. In a small saucepan, melt about a tablespoon of butter until it sizzles. Brown each side of the bread pieces, and make sure not to flatten them. You want nice fluffly french toast. Repeat until all pieces are done.
3. In a small bowl, whip half the strawberries and ricotta until smooth. Spread on one side of a bread piece, then sandwich with another bread piece. Continue until you have all "sandwiches" done.
4. Top with remaining strawberries and maple syrup to serve. Voila!

MEATLESS MONDAY: truffled ravioli

Some time ago, I had dinner with a great man. You could perhaps call it a date. Anyway: I liked him, and I think he liked me, and even my blog, quite a bit. That is to say: until the very moment he learned two things about me* (*note: it's not like i hid them from him or anyone... it's just that... yeah, well, maybe somethings are not meant to be transparent about me, and that's okay, isn't it?). The first thing was: I truly love vegs (okay, I think he could live with that). The second thing being: I don't eat much meat at all. The conversation went something along this:

Me: "Well, I love vegs! I go crazy for vegs!"

Him: "Yes, I've seen that on your blog... You are a true vegs lover." (not very enthusiastic)

Me: "Hmm, I am..." (dreamy)

Him: "What else do you like?"

Me: "What do you mean?"

Him: "Well, like... I don't know... Ham! Or... Bacon!"

Me: "Uh no, no... I don't eat much meat, actually... And no pork, at all, really."

Him: "....WHAAT?! You are... A VEGETARIAN?!"

Me: "No, I'm not, actually. Just a vegs-lover who doesn't like meat too much."

Him: "So, a vegetarian. Basically." (even less enthusiastic)

Me: "Hmm. Sort of. I'd say I'm an almost-vegetarian."

Him: "Oh holy crap... You can never meet my (Spanish) family!"

Me: "Yeah... I know. Uhm... Sorry?" (blushing heavily at this point)

So you see: he never really got over the fact that I am an almost-vegetairan - although he tried hard to pretend he didn't care (well okay, not so hard, anyway...). I think it's hilarious how boys are always so shocked to find out that you're an (almost-)vegetarian.

Here's a dish though that would probably still be okay-ish, despite it's obvious meatless-ness. What do you think, would your hubbies or boyfriends (or dates, even) like it?

TRUFFLED RAVIOLI WITH BEURRE NOISETTE

INGREDIENTS

• 1 package fresh pasta dough, rolled out
• 250 g ricotta, drained
• 20 g minced black truffles, jarred
• 50 g grated parmesan cheese
• 2 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
• 2 oregano sprigs, leaves picked & minced
• 1 egg
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• egg-wash (1 egg white with 1/4 cup water)
• salt, black pepper, musk

• 50g organic butter
• 20g dried porcini, chopped
• handful sage leaves, cut in thin slices
• freshly grated musk
• salt, black pepper
• oregano sprig for decorating
• truffle oil

METHOD

1. If you want to make your own pasta dough (like I did), use 5 eggs and 500 g flour and combine, very slowly and steadily, by continually stirring with a fork. A store-bought dough is pretty perfect, too, though. Roll it out on a little flour. Prepare strips of twice 3 cms width. Cut with a ravioli roller.
2. For the filling, combine the ricotta, truffles, parmesan, herbs, garlic and egg in a bowl. Stir with a fork until homogeneous. Season with salt, pepper and some musk.
3. Place 1 teaspoon of the truffle-ricotta-mixture on the upper side of the dough stripe. Continue along the line, leaving out two finger widths between each new drop of filling. Now brush each corner of every raviolo field with egg wash.
4. Fold the dough over from the middle, on top of the filling. Press together top and bottom of the dough, creating separate fields. Make sure to press out all the excess air, as it will cause your ravioli to break during cooking. Cut along the borders of the ravioli with the ravioli roller. Continue until dough and / or filling are used up.
5. Dust with flour and put aside. Note: you can also freeze the ravioli with parchment paper in between layers of ravioli. Just throw them, still frozen, in the boiling water when needed (this will add a minute of cooking time).
6. Heat a large pot of salted water. When simmering (not cooking) add the ravioli to the water and let heat through until they appear on the surface of the water (after about 2-3 minutes). Don't overcook, i.e. don't let the water boil too much.
7. In the meantime, melt the butter in a small saucepan, on low heat. Add the minced dried porcini, sage, musk, a little salt and pepper. The secret to beurre noisette: the butter needs to develop the nutty taste and brown color, that can only be achieve with patience, low heat and a bit of time (it will take around 10 to 15 minutes, at least).
8. Drain, arrange on a plate, drizzle with truffle oil, pour the beurre noisette over the ravioli and arrange a sprig of oregano on top. Serve with a little extra grated parmesan cheese, if you like.

RECIPE: brown butter banana muffins

If fruit played the royalty game, banana would be king. Can you even name something that doesn't become infinitely better by its smooth, sweet, creamy presence? Healthy smoothies seem dessert-like, quickbreads become a tropical departure, and a banana caramel swirl gelato sweeps me off my feet every time. For all these reasons and more, a banana muffin staple recipe is a must. The flavor is subtle but the moist crumb is undeniable. The long shelf life from freshly picked to sweetly ripened, the easy peeling and ready to be devoured, the exotic aroma. My only hiccup in this fruit infatuation is that bananas are rarely domestic, so no luck scooping some up at your local farmer's market. Buy organic and fair trade when possible for ultimate pleasure and goody two shoe satisfaction.

BROWN BUTTER BANANA MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS

• 5 ripe bananas
• 1/3 cup organic local honey
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 large egg
• 1 3/4 cups self-rising flour
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract, optional

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper muffin liners.
2. Peel the bananas and add to a large bowl. Add the honey and mash the bananas with a fork until very liquefied but still a little lumpy.
3. Melt the butter in a small saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the milk solids have turned a nutty golden brown.
4. To the brown butter, add about 1 cup of the mashed banana mixture and whisk to combine. Cook for a few more minutes until a darker golden color is achieved. Add to the remaining mashed banana mixture and whisk to combine, then whisk in the egg and milk. Fold in the flour, in 2 batches, with a rubber spatula, until just combined; do not over mix. Evenly divide the batter among the muffin tin cups.
5. Bake in the center of the oven until golden brown and the tops spring back when pressed, about 25 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer the muffins to a rack to cool completely. Serve warm or at room temperature.

MEATLESS MONDAY: lemongrass risotto

Hello lovelies! I spent the weekend at a wonderful, romantic wedding in the heart of Switzerland, in Lucerne. It was an awesome feast of love, complete with a moving service, beautiful couple, great BBQ food, fun crowd, line dance sessions (eep! love line dance) and last but not least a breathtaking view of the lake and the cityscape at night. Short for: I'm completely wasted and exhausted, laugh.

Hence the short post today. I need some beauty sleep, and fast! I am kind of planning to just stay in bed for three days, please?

Here's a dish I cooked for my family last week: a lemongrass risotto with roasted vine tomatoes on branches, grilled haloumi (a greek cheese that tastes similar to feta but is very rubbery and nice and can actually be grilled very well) skewer and basil olive oil drizzle. They all loved it - me too.

LEMONGRASS RISOTTO W/ ROASTED VINE TOMATOES & HALOUMI SKEWER

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups of risotto rice
• 2 cups of white wine
• 1 liter of vegetable bouillon, kept simmering on the stove meanwhile
• 1 onion, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 4 lemongrass stalks, outer leaves removed, soft core minced
• 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 tbsp. mascarpone
• 1 tbsp. lemon zest
• 1/2 lemon, juice
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• salt, pepper

• 2 haloumi cheeses (or about 600 grams) + wooden skewers

• 4 vine tomato branches (with about 5 tomatoes per branch)

• drizzle olive oil
• salt, pepper
• 1 cup basil leaves
• 1 cup olive oil
• salt, pepper
• lime oil (for finishing touch)

METHOD

1. Start by heating the bouillon in a saucepan and keep heated. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan, Sweat the onion, garlic, lemongrass and rice in it for 2 minutes. Deglaze with the white wine. Add the lemon zest. Stir continually. When the wine is evaporated, continue to add liquid (now broth) and stir on. Whenever liquid is incorporated in the rice, add more liquid. Proceed until the rice is cooked al dente.
2. In the meantime: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the tomatoes (on the branches) in a oven proof pan, drizzle with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast for twenty or so minutes.
3. Next, cut the haloumi cheese into cubes and pull onto wooden skewers. Place on a baking pan lined with a parchment paper. Grill in the oven (one oven layer over tomatoes) for 15 minutes or until golden.
4. And: for the basil oil (note: i love a good pesto-like drizzle on almost any dish... it adds flavor and color). You can either quickly blanch the basil leaves in hot water for only 20 seconds, drain and pat them dry and finally puree them with the olive oil - OR you just puree them with the olive oil. On the blanching: the blanching isn't necessary, but it makes sure the green color stays and prevents bitterness (which can happen with basil, normally). In any way: add a generous pinch of salt and pepper.
5. Finally, the finishing touches to the risotto: Add the butter and mascarpone for creaminess, stir to combine. Same with the parmesan. Season only now with salt and pepper (since the parmesan adds a bit more saltiness, too, so only salt now). Now for the twist: add the lemon juice (only shortly before serving).
6. Assemble everything: place the risotto in the middle of the plate, place the tomato branches and the haloumi skewer on top, drizzle with the basil oil and finally with a few drops of the lime oil (if available). Serve & enjoy.

For the coconut chocolate marble cake (yuuuum!) please visit my blog. Cheers to a good week, lovelies! See you next Monday.

RECIPE 6: asparagus goat cheese tart

I totally made an alluring balsamic reduction that was drizzled (unsuccessfully mind you) over the top of this and can't remember how I did it. Will be back in a jiffy with full post update!

ASPARAGUS GOAT CHEESE TART

INGREDIENTS

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 2 cups organic goat cheese, crumbled
• 1 1/2 pounds medium asparagus
• 1 tbs olive oil 
• 3 tbs dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup balsamic reduction, to serve
• flour, for work surface
• salt and pepper, to taste

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry into a 16-by-10-inch rectangle. Trim uneven edges. Place pastry on a baking sheet. With a sharp knife, lightly score pastry dough 1 inch in from the edges to mark a rectangle. Using a fork, pierce dough inside the markings at 1/2-inch intervals. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes.
3. Remove pastry shell from oven, and sprinkle with cheese. Trim the bottoms of the asparagus spears to fit crosswise inside the tart shell (I started with one piece as a measure, and cut all others to the size of the first piece). Arrange in a single layer over cheese, alternating ends and tips if you wish or in the same way as I did. Brush with oil, and season with salt and pepper.
4. Bake until spears are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

MEATLESS MONDAY: baked polenta fries & homemade ketchup

My home currently has a lot in common with a construction site... There are several large buckets full of paint (black and elephant skin grey), rollers, tape, plastic covers, brushes. The smell of turpentine has started to fill the flat. Would I have the time (a week off would probably suffice), I'd start to redecorate immediately. So far, I've only managed to organize the paint (my uncle who is a fantastic painter advised me on the colors) and watch a video on YouTube. "How to paint a wall". I'm beginning to think that there simply isn't enough time for all my plans...

By the way: did I tell you I was going to London, all of September? To cook, no less! Eeeep! I will be helping in the kitchen of the beautiful restaurant The Modern Pantry. I am so lucky, so happy and grateful for this amazing chance to learn something new. I promise to come back with lots of new inspiration!

Today's recipe for baked polenta fries with home made ketchup and tsatsiki is one of the things I'd serve in my own bistro (one fine day). It's simple, but a good vegetarian alternative and a twist to conventional potato fries. My guest loved it.

POLENTA FRIES W/ KETCHUP & TSATSIKI

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup polenta grain (i took the finest one available)
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup parmesean cheese, freshly grated
• 2 tbsp. butter, plus more for greasing
• 2 sprigs thyme, leaves removed
• 2 sprigs oregano, leaves removed
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Fleur de sel
• black pepper, freshly ground
• zest of organic lemon

METHOD

1. Heat the milk and broth mixture in a large saucepan. When hot, cook the polenta in it according to directions on the packaging (mine took about two to three minutes), while stirring constantly.
2. Stir in the parmesan cheese and butter. Season with salt and pepper according to taste.
3. Grease a large form (a baking sheet or a gratin form) with some butter. Pour the polenta mix in the form and let cool completely.
4. When cooled, slice it in sticks. Spread them out on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Preheat the oven to 420 degrees F.
5. Combine the olive oil with the herbs, lemon zest and some salt and pepper. Brush each polenta stick with the oil mix.
6. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the fries are golden-brown around the edges.

Serve with home made ketchup (recipe can be found here on my blog) and tsatsiki (cucumber-yogurt mix).

SUNDAY SUPPERS: red pepper pesto pasta & zucchini cake

She fell into him like a slow motion paraglider descending into flight. Lifting wings, taking a breath, and realizing she'd never want to land.

Well, well. If it isn't little Miss Lola. She's all in love. Goodness. Get a room right. The only time other people want to hear about your love fest is when its about a new dark chocolate maker in Portland or something. You know, crap that can be shared with other people. But oh my, how I love him. And lots of good news I owe you thanks to him. So will you forgive me? I promise I didn't mean to be gone so long from this blog, but lots and lots of good things came my way, so time to savor it was in order. Its all about stopping to smell the daisies and lifting your head to the sun in gratitude. Which, as an organic farmer now, I do daily. Farming though, has brought me more than just ignorance shattering food knowledge (another story altogether). Its dropped bucket loads of wholesome, seasonal foods into my lap like a baby stork drops...well, babies.

As of late, this bounty has included summer squash (its summer, yay! oh right, what did you do on July 4? spill all your party details) as well as big beautiful bell peppers. Now, bell peppers have been a sneaky little devil for me to work with in the past. My momma likes them raw in salads, but I dare not acquire that palate. So I never quite figured out what to do with them while lacking a good recipe collection to model after. In hardworking farmer redundant fashion, I took a method I developed well and threw together what the land has provided me. Yes, more pesto my friends. But not just any pesto. Roasted red pepper pesto. Holy smokes! And to give healthy eating a knee slapper, I disguised my vegetables in the form of a caramel smothered chocolate cake. Because if you can't have your veggie cake and eat it too, what is there to live for? Oh yes, a guy who goes meandering through the woods to pick you two bouquets of summer florals. Ahhh, that is worth falling for.

ROASTED RED PEPPER PESTO PASTA

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 package angel hair pasta
• 6 oz black olives, cut in halves
• 2 red bell peppers, roasted (simply slice and place in oven at 400F and peel skin once cooled)
• 1/4 cup fresh basil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/3 cup pine nuts
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• salt and pepper, to taste

METHOD

1. Add red peppers, fresh basil, garlic, balsamic vinegar and pine nuts to food processor. Pulse until fine. Stream in olive oil while food processor is on. Add cheese and blend until combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.
2. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Taste occasionally for perfect al dente. About 12 minutes. Add pasta to large bowl. Add olives and pesto. Mix well to combine. Serve with salad and/or fresh bread.
   

CHOCOLATE SUMMER SQUASH CAKE

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ¼ cups organic all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup organic brown sugar (I used dark)
• 1/2 cup organic cane sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon minced crystallized ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup organic vegetable oil (I used neutral canola)
• 1/2 cup organic applesauce2 eggs
• 1 heaping cup shredded zucchini, pressed

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease your baking dish of choice and set aside. I used a quick release pan.

2. In a bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, crystallized ginger, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

3. In another bowl, combine oil, applesauce, eggs and sugars; add to dry ingredients and mix well. Add zucchini; stir until thoroughly combined. Pour into the prepared baking pan.

4. Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

For the Frosting As Pictured

1. Over a double broiler or in a nonstick pan, add about 1/3 cup heavy cream then about 1/2 cup chocolate chips and mix until melted.
2. Once cooled slightly, add in about 2 to 4 oz of caramel. Stir until just combined.
3. Frost cake with icing once completely cool. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt.

WHAT I LEARNED:

I like to stick with tradition, so add a bit of lemon juice to the pesto after the olive oil. Its a great acidic contrast. But skip the lemon zest as some pestos call for. You want to savor the sweet peppers, not muddle them. Also, I hate hate hate cold pasta. I always make my pasta last because dry pasta cooks so quickly. If you are anal like me, follow suit and always make your pasta al dente after everything else for your supper has been prepared. Then simply stir in your sauce, or in this case pesto. Saving pasta water is also another handy trick I've made habitual just this year.

For the cake, make sure to press the moisture out before adding to the batter or else your cake will be a bit more dense than desired. And most people crave a maple cream cheese frosting, but I am not most people. I was in the mood for a good artisanal sea salt dark chocolate bar, and instead made a zucchini cake since the store is a good hour drive away. So what's a girl to do but douse this cake with an herb garden caramel sauce courtesy of my dessert club, and then top it off with sea salt. Yum.

pictured above, me as photographed on the farm by my sweet

back to regular programming...

Ahh, have you missed me yet? Scarlett has been doing a killer job seducing you with meatless posts, but I should return don't you think. I know, I know. Every year I disappear and always come back with excuses, yet always bearing gifts. Well this time my excuse is that I am a farmer now. So yeah. I get a break for that one right? Also, I fell in love. Oh and writing a few recipe books to be published starting next year. So enough of that, let's get on to some previews of what's coming this week, because we know all you care about is the food. Hmmfff.

MEATLESS MONDAY: caviar d'aubergine & faux maccarons

Some decadencies in the form of delicacies surely warm our heart and our soul. And what better to splurge on than French food? I love all of it: steaks frites, baguettes, fromages, éclaires... So, from time to time I make sure to unnecessarily spoil myself with a bit of all of it. A french night in for me, myself and I should look exactly like this: a vegetarian version of steak tartare, namely a caviar d'aubergine (eggplant tartare), with crispy grilled baguette slices, and, bien sûr, an oversized faux chocolate maccaron with heavy cream and sweet berries in between. No more, no less.

CAVIAR D'AUBERGINES - EGGPLANT CAVIAR

INGREDIENTS

• 2 round eggplants, halved
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 fresh garlic cloves, minced
• 20 black olives, pitted and minced
• 3 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tbsp. fresh rosemary needles, minced
• 1 tbsp. ground cumin seeds
• 1 tsp. sweet pepper
• 1/2 tbsp. fleur de sel
• 5 black pepper corns, freshly ground
• 1/2 organic lemon, juice

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 450F with the grill function turned out.
2. Halve the eggplants, place them on a baking sheet and roast - with the face side up - for half an hour until the eggplant skins are slightly charred. Take out and let cool slightly.
3. Scratch the flesh of the eggplant out with a fork, leaving behind the charred skin. Mash it a bit more with the fork if needed.
4. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan. Stir-fry the eggplant flesh for two minutes, then add the garlic cloves, thyme, rosemary, cumin and pepper. Fry for another minute or two. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Drizzle with lemon juice and a bit more salt if necessary.
6. Serve with grilled slices of baguettes and some salted butter.

The very pretty and very simple, sweet, french maccarons can be found on my blog, here.

MEATLESS MONDAY: grilled corn with mexican spice butter & individual cheesecakes

Hello lovelies, I'm finally back from Belgium and ready for another Meatless Monday!

The week was fast, and I'm brimming with inspiration that I collected during my stay in Antwerp. Food in Belgium was okay(ish) surprisingly. But what did I expect? I only went out with guys (hey, I'm not complaining!) and they're main goal was to watch soccer all night long. Yup.

However, people and the city were amazing! Here's what I did (apart from working): I visited the MAS 'museum an de stroom' alone one evening. The view from the roof top terrace was incredible! I stood there for almost an hour and took it all in (one has to take advantage of the only few hours of sunshine, I reckoned). I like a proper view, as it gives you a good first overview of the city. Next, I discovered the city en pied for a few hours, shopped at foreign looking supermarkets and bakeries, bought a selection of snacks to nibble on in the hotel room, drank a cherry beer (seriously good stuff, can we have that in Switzerland, too, please?) outside in one of the many, many gloriously shabby looking pubs on my own while everyone was watching the soccer games. And I finished each day by reading in my hotel room until my lids fell closed.

My take away from the week away: It certainly feels good to discover a new city and to realize that you're actually more adventurous than you always thought. It's freeing! Guess we should all be a bit more adventurous in our everyday cities, nah?

This grilled corn recipe is a bit of an adventure, too, if you look at it first (what, butter AND lime, seriously?). But the flavors blended so easily that I quickly declared this to be my summer BBQ staple. And my brother made it a few days later and apparently they all loved it, too. So, fool-proof and family approved!

GRILLED CORN WITH MEXICAN SPICED BUTTER, LIME & CILANTRO

INGREDIENTS

• 4 fresh corns, leaves removed
• 100 grams organic butter
• 2 tbsp. sweet pepper
• 1 tbsp. hot pepper
• 1 tbsp. ground cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp. mild curry powder
• 2 tbsp. fleur de sel (corn will always need more salt than you'd think, in my opinion)
• 1 lime, juice
• 1 cup cilantro leaves, minced
• 2 limes, quartered, for decoration

METHOD

1. Prepare the grill or reheat the oven with the grill function turned on to 450F. (Note: I prefer the oven since the I don't like to clean grills...) Clean the corns from the leaves and the silk. Boil water in a large saucepan and salt it lightly. Cook the corns as a whole for 15 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly. When cool, cut each corn into three pieces. 
2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan, stir in the spices and remove from the flame. Add the lime juice to the butter-spice-mix.
3. Brush each piece of corn with the butter-spice-mix. Spare some of the mix for later use.
4. Put on the grill or in the oven and roast for 20 to 30 minutes. 
5. Remove the corn, brush with the remaining butter mix, sprinkle with the cilantro leaves, garnish with lime wedges and serve.

Recipe for the individual cheesecakes can be found over on my blog BIMH, here. See you next Meatless Monday! 

Love, Scarlett