Category: Desert / Dessert

Cannelés de Bordeaux se afla printre preferatele mele si ale unei bune prietene, motiv pentru care le-am refacut cu drag. De data aceasta cu scortisoara. Mi s-a parut o alegere buna pentru aceasta perioada. Si intr-adevar, caramelul care se formeaza dupa coacere si scortisoara se combina minunat. Mmm, trebuie neaparat incercate! Nu or fi ele aspectuoase dar am reusit sa conving destui sa treaca peste acest amanunt.
Cannelés de Bordeaux are among my favorites and also of one of my good friends, and that’s why I baked them with so much joy. This time with cinnamon. I thought it’s a good choice for this time of year. And surely the caramel which is formed after the baking and the cinnamon are wonderful combined in this dessert. Mmm, they have to be tried!They might not be beautiful but I managed to convince a lot of people to pass over this detail.

Ingrediente:

– 700 ml lapte
– baton de vanilie
– 50 g unt moale
– 200 g zahar
– 70 g faina
– 30 g scortisoara
– 1 galbenus de ou
– 3 oua mari
– unt pentru forme

Ingredients:

– 700 ml milk
– vanilla stick 
– 50 g melted butter
– 200 g sugar
– 70 g flour
– 30 g cinnamon
– 1 egg yolk
– 3 big eggs
– butter for molds

 Intr-un bol se amesteca faina,scortisoara si ouale. Separat intr-o cratita se pun laptele, vanilia, untul si zaharul. Compozitia se amesteca si se pune la incalzit fara a se lasa la fiert. Ea trebuie sa fie calduta. Atentie – se amesteca in continuu.
Atunci cand compozitia s-a racit suficient (nu de tot) se adauga amestecul de oua cu faina si scortisoara si se amesteca bine. Odata omogenizata si racita, aceasta compozitie obtinuta va semana ca si consistenta cu acea compozitie de clatite.
Se acopera vasul si se baga in frigider. Se lasa cel putin 12 ore. Eu de obicei o las de pe o zi pe alta.
Apoi am pus cu ajutorul unui polonic in forme.
Cuptorul trebuie preincalzit la 200C-230C. Formele de silicon se pun in cuptor si se lasa cam 50-55 minute.
Cannelés  vor forma o crusta de caramel crocanta.
In a bowl we mix the eggs, cinnamon and flour.
Separately in a pot we will  put milk, vanilla, butter and sugar. The composition is mixed and put on the stove to warm without leaving it until it boils. It has to be warm. Pay attention – we have to mix continuously. 
When the composition is cold in off (not completely cold) we will add the mix of flour,cinnamon with eggs and we mix well. When the composition is homogeneous and completely cold, will look like the one made for pancakes. We will cover the pan and we’ll put it in the fridge.
We’ll leave it there for at least 12 hours. I usually leave it there until the next day.  After that I put the composition in the silicon molds with a ladle. The oven has to be preheated at 200C- 230C. Silicon molds will be put in the oven and left for 50-55 minutes. Cannelés will form a wonderful caramel crust.

Reteta originala o gasiti aici
You can find the original recipe here.

Imi doream ca toamna sa mai astepte putin. In fiecare an as vrea ca vara sa se prelungeasca la nesfarsit. Poate pana la Craciun, ca e sarbatoarea mea preferata 🙂 Si uite asa incerc sa-mi alin dorul de mare, soare si caldura prin toate mijloacele posibile.
Uneori cu flori, alteori cu fotografii, cu retete de vara sau cu toate odata.
Azi vreau sa-mi amintesc de vacanta, de Grecia. Asa ca am ales o reteta simpla si tare gustoasa.
I wished that autumn waited a little. Every year I wish that summer to be prolonged indefinitely. Maybe until Christmas, because it’s my favorite holiday 🙂 And so I try to ease my longing of sea, sun and heat every way that I can. 
Sometimes with flowers, other times with photos, with summer recipes or with all of them together. 
Today I want to remember about my holiday, about Greece. So I chose a simple and delicious recipe.

Ingrediente (pentru doua portii)
– 250g iaurt grecesc
-6 lingurite de miere poliflora sau de pin
-o portocala
-2 smochine mari
-nuci uscate

Ingredients (for two servings)
-250g Greek yogurt
-6 teaspoons of poly floral or pine honey
-an orange
-2 big figs
-dried walnuts

 Am stors portocala si am folosit sucul pentru a da smochinelor o aroma deosebita.
I squeezed the orange and I used the juice to give the figs a wonderful flavor.

Am taiat coditele si partea de jos a smochinelor si le-am pus intr-un vas impreuna cu sucul de portocale. Le-am fiert cateva minute, intorcandu-le pe toate partile.
I cut the upper and the bottom sides of figs and I put them in a pot with the orange juice. I boiled them for few minutes, rolling on all sides. 

Dupa ce smochinele s-au racit, le taiem in forma de floare.
Desertul se pune in cupe incepand cu miere, cateva nuci, iaurtul, smochina, si in final din nou nuci si miere.
After the figs were cooled off, we will cut them like flowers.
The dessert is put in cups starting with honey, walnuts, yogurt, the fig, and in the end walnuts and honey again.

 Acest desert este foarte simplu si de efect, aspectuos si cu putine ingrediente. Merita sa-l incercati.
Pofta buna!
This dessert is very simple and surprising, engaging and with few ingredients. It’s worth to try it.
Bon appetit!

In sfarsit ma pot declara multumita ca iarna s-a terminat! Astept de mult timp primavara. Sunt entuziasmata ca in curand vor fi multe flori, iarba si copacii vor fi verzi. Abia astept sa fiu mangaiata de soarele cald al primaverii!
Azi va aduc o reteta perfecta pentru un weekend de primavara. Nu aveti nevoie de multe ingrediente si timp pentru a prepara un desert delicios pentru familie inainte de a iesi la o plimbare – crema de ciocolata cu unt de cacao.
I am finally satisfied that winter is over! I have waited spring for long now. I am excited that soon there will be many flowers, grass and trees will be green. I can not wait to be caressed by the warm sun of spring! 
Today I bring you a recipe for a spring weekend. You don’t need many ingredients and time to prepare a delicious dessert for the family before going for a walk – chocolate cream with cocoa butter.

Ingrediente (pentru doua portii):

Sa aveti o primavara minunata, plina de soare si flori!

A inceput si ultima luna a acestui an. Nu stiu pentru voi cum a fost dar eu pot sa spun ca abia astept sa se termine. A fost un an greu si plin de dezamagiri dar sper ca noul an sa-mi aduca mult mai multa speranta si putere de munca. Nu e momentul sa fac bilanturi dar fiindca a inceput luna cadourilor si a celor mai iubite sarbatori am simtit nevoia de a incepe sa numar cate zile mai sunt pana la venirea noului an.
Lasand gandurile la o parte, am sa incerc sa ma concentrez pe retetele pe care le mai am pregatite pentru voi si sa pregatesc altele interesante pentru Sarbatori.
Acum cateva zile am fost in Bucuresti cu treburi si am trecut prin Obor. Am cumparat de acolo fistic pentru a pregati un desert absolut minunat – baclava cu fistic.
The last month of the year arrived. I don’t know how it was for you but I can say that I can’t wait to be over. It was a tough year, full of disappointments but I hope the new year will bring me much more hope and strength to work. It’s not the time to count the results but since it’s the beginning presents’ month and of the most loved holidays, I felt the need to begin to count how many days are left until the coming of the new year.
Leaving the thoughts aside, I’ll try to focus on recipes that I have prepared for you and other interesting ones to prepare for the Holidays.
A few days ago I was in Bucharest with business and went also to Obor. I bought from there pistachios to prepare an absolutely wonderful dessert – baklava with pistachio.

Ingrediente:
– 1 pachet de foi de placinta (500 g)
– 200 – 250 g fistic macinat (nesarat)
– 3 linguri de zahar
– coaja de portocala uscata si macinata
– 150 g unt

Ingrediente sirop:
– 300 ml apa
– 150 g zahar
– 2 linguri de miere
– zeama de la o lamaie

 Ingredients:
– 1 package phyllo sheets (500 g)
– 200 – 250 g ground pistachios (unsalted)
– 3 tablespoons of sugar
– dried and ground orange peel
– 150 g butter

Syrup ingredients:
– 300 ml of water
– 150 g sugar
– 2 tablespoons honey
– juice from one lemon

Am amestecat fisticul impreuna cu zaharul si coaja de portocala.
I mixed the pistachios with sugar and orange peel.

Apoi am uns tava cu unt si am asezat prima foaie.
Then I greased the pan with butter and I placed the first sheet.

Am uns fiecare foaie cu unt topit.
I greased each sheet with melted butter.

Dupa asezarea fiecarui grup de trei foi se presara putin fistic dupa care se continua punerea foilor.
After placing each group of three sheets, sprinkle some ground pistachios then continue putting sheets.

Dupa asezarea a jumatate din numarul de foi se pune umplutura de fistic. Nu uitati sa pastrati pentru a presara intre foi dar si pentru decor.
After placing half the number of sheets put the pistachio filling. Don’t forget to keep some to sprinkle between sheets but also for decoration.

Dupa ce am terminat de asezat foile am folosit un cutit foarte ascutit pentru a taia romburi. Am pus tava in cuptorul preincalzit la 180 de grade Celsius, pe programul cu ventilatie. Dureaza cam 25 de minute pana cand baclavaua devine aurie la suprafata.
After I finished the placing of sheets,  I used a very sharp knife to cut diamonds. I put the pan in the preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius, with the ventilation program. It takes about 25 minutes until baklava becomes golden on the surface.

Am preparat siropul in timp ce baclavaua era in cuptor. Am pus apa impreuna cu zaharul intr-o craticioara si am amestecat in continuu. Cand siropul a devenit vascos, am luat craticioara de pe foc si am adaugat mierea si zeama de lamaie. Am amestecat pana la omogenizare.
I prepared the syrup while the baklava was in the oven. I put the water with the sugar in a saucepan and I stirred continuously. When the syrup has become viscous I took the saucepan aside and I added the honey and lemon juice. I mixed until the syrup became homogenous.  Dupa ce am scos baclavaua din cuptor am pus imediat siropul cu ajutorul unui polonic. Am lasat-o sa se raceasca si am servit-o apoi frumos decorata cu fistic. Ideal este sa o lasati sa se odihneasca peste noapte. Daca pofta e mare puteti sa serviti cateva bucatele si mai devreme 😉
After I took the baklava out of the oven I immediately put the syrup with a ladle.
I left it to cool off and then I served it beautifully decorated with pistachios. Ideally is to leave it to rest overnight. If you’re craving you can serve some pieces earlier 😉

Bon appétit!

Acum cateva zile pofticiosul casei a dorit o prajitura sau un tort cu nuca si multa crema. Nu stiu daca lui i s-a parut suficienta crema dar in mod clar tortul a fost foarte gustos. Desi fotografiile nu ma multumesc pe deplin, fiind facute seara, am decis sa aleg totusi cateva si sa scriu reteta. E pacat sa nu profitati de nucile pe care le gasiti pe piata sau in curtile voastre.  A few days ago house’s wishful wanted a layered cake or a cake with walnuts and lots of cream. I don’t know if he thought that it had enough cream, but the cake was very tasty. Although I wasn’t happy enough with my photos, being taken in the evening, I decided to choose a few and write the recipe. It’s a shame not to take advantage of walnuts that you find on the market or in your backyards.

Ingrediente blat:

In primul rand m-am apucat sa fac blatul de tort.  Am cumparat cateva lamai micute si nu prea frumusele dar care nu erau date cu ceara. Le-am spalat cu apa fierbinte si un burete de vase. Apoi am razuit coaja pe razatoarea mica.

Am separat albusurile de galbenusuri si le-am mixat. Apoi am adaugat zaharul si am mixat pana am obtinut o spuma ferma, care nu se mai desprindea de pe paletele mixerului. In acel moment am adaugat galbenusurile, praful de copt, vanilia si extractul de migdale. Am mixat din nou pana la obtinerea unui amestec omogen.

In final am pus faina si nucile (prajite in tigaie si taiate cu un cutit). Am amestecat bine pana am omogenizat compozitia. Am pregatit forma de copt si am pudrat-o cu faina dupa care am pus compozitia.

Suportul de sticla poate parea cunoscut surorilor mele. That’s right, girls – e suportul de tort de la nunta parintilor nostri, din 1978! The glass stand may seem familiar to my sisters. That’s right, girls – it’s the cake stand from our parents’ wedding in 1978!

Deserturile au cam lipsit din meniul nostru de catva timp. A trecut vara cu toate fructele colorate si aromate, a venit toamna cu alte bunatati si in curand vom intra in anotimpul in care vom gusta mai mult citrice.
De ceva vreme si eu am renuntat la dulciuri (aproape complet) si am optat pentru mere sau alte fructe, insa in cantitate mai mica decat de obicei. Insa nu toata lumea si-a schimbat atat de radical meniul. Asa ca probabil in urmatoarea perioada veti vedea foarte multe retete cu ciocolata, nuci, alune si musai muuuuulttttaaa crema.
A cumpara cacao pudra este o aventura in magazinele romanesti, ori cel putin in orasul nostru. Nu neg faptul ca am gasit la tot pasul cacao dar in acelasi timp ma pot lauda cu nenumarate pungute de prafuri de culori ce variaza de la maro-galbui si pana la maro-mahon. Gustul? Vorba unui prieten din facultate: de caramida pisata cu ciocanul.
Daca ar fi sa sfatuiesc importatorii de cacao de la noi din tara si comerciantii, le-as spune cateva lucruri de bun simt, urmand ca ei sa traga concluziile.
Ceea ce gasim pe rafturile magazinelor poate fi considerata cacao de calitate indoielnica, ceva ce altii nu ar folosi in ruptul capului. Eu si altii ca mine ar cumpara in loc de 5 pachete cu cacao proasta si ieftina unul de cacao buna si mai scumpa. Daca ar aduce si ar comercializa cineva…
Gustul consumatorului se educa. Nu vor vinde niciodata produse de calitate si evident, mai scumpe, daca nu aduc nici macar doua pachete pentru un intreg magazin.
Exista cateva marci de cacao pe piata, aproape necunoscute. Cea mai cunoscuta de cumparatori pare a fi Dr. Oetker. Marcile consacrate de cacao lipsesc. Foarte rar veti gasi in magazine pudra de cacao pentru care toata lumea facuse obsesie in Romania acum 20 de ani – De Zaan.
Acestea fiind spuse, nici nu indraznesc sa ma gandesc la viitorul cand voi cumpara eu cacao pudra 100% din magazin! Deocamdata sunt in faza in care ii multumesc lui Dumnezeu ca mai vad din cand in care o punga de cacao De Zaan.
Acum probabil ca va intrebati de ce am cautat ca nebuna cacao. Pai consortul si-a dorit ceva dulce ciocolatos, musai cremos si aromat. Ce am facut? Pere aromate scaldate in sos de ciocolata.

Desserts missed in our menu for some time. It’s been the summer with colorful fruits and autumn came with other fragrant goodies and soon we’ll enter in winter when we taste more citruses.
For a while and I gave up sweets (almost completely) and I opted for apples and other fruits, but in smaller amounts than usual. Not everyone has changed the menu so radically. So perhaps in the next period you will see many recipes with chocolate, nuts and much butter cream.
To buy cocoa powder is an adventure in Romanian stores, or at least in our town. I do not deny that we can find everywhere cocoa but also I can show countless bags with powders with color ranging from yellowish brown to mahogany brown. And the taste? A friend from college once said: the taste of bricks crushed by hammer.
If I could advise the cocoa importers in our country and traders, I would tell them few things, of common sense, and following them to draw conclusions.
What you find on the shelves can be considered poor quality cocoa, something that others would not use. I and maybe others like me would buy 1 package of expensive and good cocoa instead of  5 packages  of some cheap and awful cocoa. If someone would bring and sell…
Educate the consumer’s taste. There will never sell quality products and obviously more expensive, if you can’t find even two packs for a full store.
There are several brands of cocoa on the market, almost unknown. The most famous of traders seems to be Dr. Oetker. Big cocoa brands are missing. Very rarely you will find in stores the cocoa powder that generated an obsession in Romania 20 years ago – De Zaan .
I don’t dare to think of the future when I’ll buy 100 % cocoa powder in the store ! For now I’m in the stage when I thank God when I see once in a while a bag of  De Zaan Cocoa .
Now you’re probably wondering why I looked for cocoa like crazy. Well, my consort wanted something sweet with chocolate, creamy and flavorful. What have I cooked ? Fragrant pears drenched in chocolate sauce.

Ingrediente:
-7-8 pere
– 5 linguri de zahar
– scortisoara
– cuisoare
– anason stelat
– 100 ml ciresata

Ingrediente sos de ciocolata:
– 50 g unt 82% grasime
– 3 lg zahar brun
– vanilie
– 5 lg cacao
– 250 ml lapte
– 50 ml lichior de portocale
Ingredients:
-7-8 pears
– 5 tablespoons sugar
– cinnamon
– cloves
– star anise
– 100 ml cherry

Chocolate sauce Ingredients:
– 50 g butter 82% fat
– 3 Tbs brown sugar
– vanilla
– 5 Tbs cocoa
– 250 ml of milk
– 50 ml orange liqueur

 Am curatat perele si le-am pus intr-o oala cu zahar, scortisoara, cuisoare si anason stelat. Am adaugat apa si le-am pus la fiert. Cand perele erau fierte, cu 5 minute inainte a lua oala de pe plita, am adaugat 100 ml de ciresata. Am lasat apoi perele sa se raceasca in oala pe care am acoperit-o cu un capac.

Cat timp perele erau puse sa se raceasca, am preparat sosul de ciocolata. Intr-o craticioara am pus zaharul, vanilia si untul. Am pus craticioara pe foc si am caramelizat zaharul impreuna cu untul supa care am adaugat laptele. Apoi am pus cacao si am amestecat in continuu cu un tel pentru a omogeniza compozitia. Atentie ca nu cumva sosul sa se prinda de fundul craticioarei. While pears were being left in the pot to cool off, I prepared the chocolate sauce. I put in a saucepan the sugar, vanilla and butter. I put the pan on stove and I caramelized sugar with butter and after that  I added milk. Then I put cocoa and I mixed continuously with a whisk to homogenize the composition. Careful – the sauce might stick to the pan’s bottom.