STICKY APPLE & PUMPKIN BUNDT CAKE WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE RUM ICING

     Waking up today I only had one memory in mind. My first trip to France. The very first moment everything about my younger self changed. I was only 6 years old, when my parents took me and my brother to Paris to enjoy the city and have fun in the Disneyland park. Little did I know what this trip and the following ones that came would do to my priorities in life. I know everyone talks about quitting their corporate jobs and start travelling the world. I'm not going to say I encourage this, since I don't believe it's even close to reality. But I will say that one may keep their hard earned money to travel the word and let your mind make all the nice memories you will remember during the old times.

    Of course, I can't stop thinking about where to go next. There are so many places I haven't been to, especially outside of Europe and I want to visit them all (if I can). This Christmas, we will enjoy our time with some friends in Copenhagen, the happiest city in the world...or so they say. I can't wait to go there, back to the Scandinavian lands. Back in 2011 I lived in Stockholm for 3 months and I still remember how beautiful the city was and how magnificent the scenery appeared. I believe the same about Copenhagen and I can't wait for the time to come to explore it. Food wise I have some things on my mind I would like to eat and share with you on the blog. So be prepared!

     It's about time I shared with you a recipe I made last week. During fall and winter I tend to make a lot of different cake recipes and if there is one that I love is a classic bundt cake. This recipe, apart from delicious, it was also very exciting because I used two cake forms that I got from a special antique shop here in Zurich. Brockenhaus is a secret paradise if you love antique plates or furniture. On my last trip there I found some English porcelain, the two cake forms from porcelain and ceramic, two ceramic coffee cups and much more. These items probably came from someone who passed away or didn't need them anymore and I'm sure they have some great story to tell. Whatever it is, now it's part of my collection of items that I love!

     Apples and pumpkins are both in season right now, so making the best of these two ingredients should be your goal until the end of autumn. And who doesn't enjoy a slice of cake with their afternoon coffee or with their Sunday morning brunch? With simple ingredients and keeping up my mojo of using olive oil in my cake batters, this one experiment turned out to be so damn good!

     You can serve it without the icing of course, with just a dash of icing sugar or completely plain. That's how delicious it is and moist. But I do urge you to try this simple white chocolate and rum frosting on top. It will take your taste buds completely by surprise.

Apple & Pumpkin Bundt Cake with a White Chocolate & Rum Icing

ingredients

for the cake

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup oats

2 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 medium sized apples chopped

1/2 cup raisins

2/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

for the icing

100gr white chocolate

1/2 cup full fat milk

2 to 3 drops of rum essence

zest of one lemon

How do I make it?

1. Prepare your cake pan, preferably one for bundt cakes, by laying some butter at the bottom. In a bowl, whisk your eggs and olive oil well and then add the pumpkin puree. Whisk again until you have a nice mixture. Pour inside the vanilla, mix one more time and leave aside. 

2. Get a bigger bowl or the bowl of your standing mixer and pour inside the flour, sugar, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Stir well all the ingredients and start adding in small doses the liquid mixture. Mix well until everything is smooth. 3. Stop the mixer, if you're using an electric mixer to mix and add inside the apples and raisins. Start stirring with a wooden spatula. Turn your oven to 180C and while you wait, pour the cake batter into the prepared cake form. Bake your cake for 45 to 50 minutes. You will need to check by using a toothpick. If the toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean, then your cake is ready.

4. Take your cake out of the oven and let it cool off completely. When you want to make the icing, simply put the chocolate and milk in a bowl and use a microwave to heat up the chocolate. You will get a sort of watery mixture, but don't be scared, we don't want a very thick icing. Add inside the drops of rum and lemon zest and mix well. While the icing is still hot, pour it on top of the cake.

OATS, APPLE & RAISINS BREAKFAST SCONES WITH DULCE DE LECHE

      This post is dedicated to somebody special that didn't know what Internet probably is but would be happy to know that we will think of her for the rest of the days. 

     The week started overall well, but the weekend was even better. My best friend here in Zurich asked me to make her wedding cake in September and I was so, so happy of the proposal. As she wants a rather boho wedding, I thought of a naked cake would be the best choice. As any other professional cake maker (I totally am), I decided to make a cake testing with two flavours for her and her future husband to taste. Let me tell you, they loved both, but at the end of the day we had to decide on one flavour and go with it. You may have seen some of my posts on instagram with the cake. I sincerely fell in love with this mini version of a cake. And my friends did too.

     I also had the chance to go to the Limmatschwimmen! Zurich friends, HOW AMAZING was this? I thought it was going to be awkward, but in reality it was really fun and the river was full of people. Of course, many thanks to Stadt Zürich for organizing this event and let's hope next year's animal is a unicorn. For those of you you who don't know the event, it's basically swimming in the Limmat river for about 2km or 1,5 hours holding on to a floating animal. This ywar the animal was a sea horse. My friends also enjoyed the event, although one of the guys was unlucky that his animal got blown out and he was barely surviving on it.

      I apologise for not posting this recipe earlier, but some things got in the way with my new job and as I am an extremely, over the top anxious and responsible human being (as much as I hate it often), I had to devote some of my time to it. 

     Anyways, the recipe is finally being written in this post. Lately, I have been experiencing some nostalgia for Edinburgh or Great Britain in general. Maybe it's because I really am over summer and want fall to come. And what place or which country better represents fall than UK? The land of creamy porridge and buttery biscuits. It was no surprise that I was looking for recipes on healthier versions for biscuits, since I am making an effort to eat healthy as much as I can. And to me, a healthy breakfast sets the tone for the day. As so, I wanted to create biscuits that you could eat in the morning occasionally and not feel like you ate a cake or something. Plus, what better way to celebrate upcoming fall than an apple, cinnamon and raisin biscuit (drizzled with dulce de leche sauce if you feel fancy)? 

     Oats, Apple, Cinnamon and Raisins Breakfast Scones (with dulce de leche)

ingredients (for 12 scones)

1 cup oats

1 cup white flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup softened butter

1 cup buttermilk

1 medium apple cut in small pieces or grated

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 cup raisins

topping (optional): dulce de leche 

How do I make it?

1. Mix together the butter and sugar with an electrical mixer until the butter softens and the sugar has been incorporated. Then add the buttermilk and mix well again. In another bowl, mix together the oats, flours, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. When ready, start adding the mixture to the wet ingredients in 5 additions. 

2. Once everything is incorporated, stop the mixer and add the apple with raisins. Try to mix everything with a wooden spoon or your hands. In the end your dough might be slightly wet. Don't worry about this, the scones will be moist and not dry.

3. Preheat oven to 180 C. Use a round pan for cakes, place a baking paper and then transfer the dough in the pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until the scones are nicely brown. Let them cool for some minutes and then cut them into pieces, as you would cut a cake or a pizza.

4. If you wish, you can drizzle some premade dulce de leche sauce on top!

FRENCH TARTE TATIN (APPLE TART)

      How quickly time passes us? Not long ago, I was talking to my friends in Greece and planning what we're going to do during Christmas time in Athens, and now it's only 4 weeks until I go back for Christmas time. The best time of the year (after summer)! It just feels so cozy, so warm and so comforting being with friends and family. Your mum still treats you like a baby (although you are 28), your grandmother is thrilled to see you again (who treats you like you're a newborn and in need of attention). Everyone is happy, everyone is eating holiday cookies and all is jolly.

     Not so quickly...there are people that this year and maybe the previous as well, didn't have the chance to experience all this joyous time. I am talking about people that have lost their home due to some sort of devastating incident (recently a lot of people in Athens lost their homes due to floods) or other are all alone in this world. With this thought, I would like to say that instead of buying expensive things this holiday, and with Black Friday yesterday, give your money to help these people that need us. 

     On another note, I had an unending want the previous week to do something with all these apples I had at home. First thought was to make a simple apple tart or a pie, you call it how you want. But then I felt like challenging myself and decided to have a go at a tarte tatin, the french delicate reversed tart. The French love it and I have to give it to them, they are masters when it comes to tarts. And this reversed tart is no different. If you like experimenting and aren't afraid to make a mess in the kitchen, this one is for you.

     My boyfriend loved it, he said that it was better than he expected it to be and the apple slices were perfectly cooked. What I found was a bit strange is that around the internet everyone was doing it quite differently. For example, some would cook the apples while cooking the butter with sugar. Others (like this recipe), first cooked the butter with sugar to make a buttery sauce and then they would put the apple slices on top and cook immediately in the oven. I think this works the best, especially if you don't handle well the heat and aren't experienced in cooking sugar.

Classic French Tarte Tatin

ingredients (for 6 to 8 persons)

500gr pate brisée (buttery dough)

3 to 4 apples

150gr butter (cut in pieces)

170gr sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

how do I make it?

1. In a large pan pour the sugar and start heating it on medium heat. You will need to stir quite often in the beginning so that the sugar doesn't stick on the pan. You want the sugar to caramelise and become a golden liquid. This takes a few minutes. When the sugar has melted completely take off the heat. After a few seconds, pour in the butter and vanilla and start stirring quickly to combine the butter with the sugar syrup. Be quick, otherwise you might create a sticky mess on the pan. There should be a thick sauce on the pan, like a thickened syrup. 

2. Using a medium pan for the oven or a pan for tarts, pour inside the buttery sauce you have created in the previous step. Then, take your apples and start peeling them off. Cut in half and take out the cores. Try to cut them in thin slices (not too thin) and start placing them on top of the sauce on the pan. I tried to do it in a circling motion, placing every slice next to each other. You should have at least two layers of apple slices. If you wish to have more apples, it's up to you. I used 3 apples for 2 layers of slices.

3. When you are done, take your dough and on a clean surface try to shape it into a round shape. It should be about 1cm thick, but don't overstress about this. Just make sure it's not super thick. Once done, place the dough on top of the apple slices. If the dough exceeds the barriers of the pan, just use a knife to cut the exceeding dough. With your hands, press the dough at the sides of the pan, so that when the tart is baking there won't be juices coming from the sides.

4. Place your pan in the oven and bake for up to 40 minutes at 180C or until the dough is golden brown. Take out of the oven and let it cool for up to 10 minutes. When you wish to eat it, simply use a large plate, put on top of the pan and very carefully try to reverse the pan, so that the dough is on top of the plate. Be very careful with this step. You can sprinkle some powdered sugar on top if you want. 

OVERNIGHT APPLE OATS, WITH ALMOND BUTTER AND WARM BLUEBERRIES SAUCE

     Happy November everyone! We have finnaly arrived in the middle of autumn and I feel a bit excited/overwealmed. Shops are starting to bring out their Christmas decorations, almost everyone is drinking hot chocolate and Christmas plans are being finalized. With midterm exams coming in two weeks, to be honest I am in no mood to study. I want to explore what Swiss life has to offer me still (apart from fondue and a lot of chocolate). Last Sunday, we went to a small cafe called "Kafischnaps" to have branch and I was very pleased with my order. I had baked eggs with salmon, capers and parmesan creme. It was heavenly! This time I didn't have my camera with me, so there are no photos and post to show you. Next time I will definately photoshoot everything for you to see.

     Moving on, but still talking about food, I believe that I am not going to have any more overnight oats from now on. Don't be scared, I have not come to dislike them. It's just that the warm porridge season has been established now with the cold weather making its way into our lives. I am a big fan of porridge and I know a lot of people make awful faces when I talk about enjoying a hot cup of oats. But as with many things in life, I just don't care what people think. I enjoy them just perfect with some seasonal fruit and a lot of nutbutter. Speaking of nutbutters, I had the most fun and tasty experience with macadamia butter the other day. It was very creamy and buttery, not like the usual peanut and almond butters I eat. It paired very well with a toasted slice of bread and some nutella. Just so you know...

     Last week I had some blueberries and a few good apples hanging in my kitchen that I haven't touched. So, it came to my mind that I've been in Switzerland for about a month and a half. I had to make something a bit swiss, right? And you know what is swiss? Bircher muesli, or overnight soaked oats in apple sauce and grated apple. It was so good. The apple gave the oats a sweet and fruity taste 

Ingredients (for 4-5 persons)

for the muesli

2 cups rolled or quick oats
1 1/2 cups milk
¼ cup apple sauce
1 apple grated
1-2 tablespoons honey
1½ cups plain yogurt
A dash of cinnamon (optional)

for the warm blueberries

2 cups of fresh blueberries

2 tablespoons honey
To serve: almond butter

How do I make it?

1. The night before you want to have your oats, mix together the oats, milk, apple sauce, yogurt, honey and cinnamon. Blend well together and put into one big container or separate in smaller ones. Keep in the fridge overnight.

2. The next day, put your blueberries and honey in a pan over medium heat. Stir them well as they warm and their juices start to come out. Cook for up to 5 minutes. We want a sauce to start forming, but the fruit must be tender.

3. Take out your oats. Add a spoonful of almond butter for each serving. Then pour on top the warm blueberries. 

ΣΑΛΑΤΑ ΜΕ ΓΛΥΚΟΠΑΤΑΤΑ, ΠΡΑΣΙΝΟ ΜΗΛΟ ΚΑΙ ΤΥΡΙ PROVOLONE

     Κάθε αλλαγή στη ζωή μας πρέπει να μας γεμίζει με ενθουσιασμό, δύναμη και όρεξη να συνεχίσουμε με τα καινούργια δεδομένα που μας δίνονται προσπαθώντας να νιώθουμε ευτυχία και την επιτυχία των στόχων μας. Έτσι, αισθάνομαι και εγώ αυτές τις ημέρες που πλησιάζει το τέλος μιας εποχής στη δουλειά που ήμουν για 2 χρόνια εδώ στην Ελλάδα και αρχίζει κάτι νέο κάπου λίγο πιο μακριά, στη Ζυρίχη της Ελβετίας. Έχω καλό προαίσθημα, πως όλα θα έρθουν όπως πρέπει, γιατί μέχρι στιγμής αυτό ακριβώς έγινε. Ο χρόνος θα περάσει, το καλοκαίρι θα φύγει όμορφα μεν, γρήγορα δε, και από τέλη Αυγούστου θα βρίσκομαι σε μια πόλη που συνδυάζει το μοντέρνο με το παλιό, είναι καταπράσινη, έχει καιρό ανάλογο του Λονδίνου και όλοι μιλούν Γερμανικά (και Αγγλικά εντάξει). Θα πρέπει να ζοριστώ να μάθω μια άλλη γλώσσα, να γνωρίσω καινούργιους ανθρώπους και να ενταχθώ σε μια καινούργια πραγματικότητα που με ενθουσιάζει και με φοβίζει παράλληλα. Αυτό τελικά σημαίνει να ενηλικιώνεσαι...

     Πέρα από τις υπαρξιακές μου ανησυχίες που μοιράστηκα μαζί σας, έχω και μια συνταγή για σαλατούλα που μπορεί να σας συναρπάσει και να σας χορτάσει αρκετά. Το μαγικό (εάν θέλετε να το πείτε έτσι) συστατικό της είναι η ψημένη γλυκοπατάτα. Αυτό το λαχανικό πραγματικά νοστιμίζει κάθε πιάτο. Από διατροφικής άποψης μπορεί να ακούγεται σαν θερμιδική βόμβα, όμως, είναι πιο υγιεινή από την κλασική πατάτα καθώς περιέχει ανθεκτικό άμυλο που χορταίνει και δεν οδηγεί στην γρήγορη πτώση του σακχάρου του αίματος. Το πράσινο μήλο εξισορροπεί τη γλυκάδα της γλυκοπατάτας μαζί με το πικάντικο τυρί provolone που δίνει την απαραίτητη αλμυρή γεύση. 

Σαλάτα με ψητή γλυκοπατάτα, πράσινο μήλο και τυρί provolone

υλικά (για 2 μερίδες)

1 γλυκοπατάτα μεγάλη

4 κούπες ανάμεικτη σαλάτα πράσινη

1 πράσινο μήλο

50γρ τυρί provolone (πικάντικο ή κανονικό) σε κύβους

2 αυγά βραστά

2 κουταλιές σησαμέλαιο

2 κουταλιές σος σόγιας

χυμό από ένα λεμόνι

πώς θα το φτιάξω;

1. Ξεφλουδίστε την γλυκοπατάτα και κόψτε την σε μικρούς κύβους. Προθερμάνετε το φούρνο στους 180 C στο γκριλ και τοποθετήστε τους κύβους γλυκοπατάτας σε ένα ταψί με χαρτί ψησίματος. Ψήστε για 10-15 λεπτά.

2. Σε ένα μπολ προσθέστε την πράσινη σαλάτα. Κόψτε το πράσινο μήλο σε λεπτές φέτες (μην το ξεφλουδίσετε) και προσθέστε τες στη σαλάτα. Προσθέστε επίσης τη ψημένη γλυκοπατάτα και το τυρί provolone.

3. Αναμείξτε μαζί το σησαμέλαιο, το χυμό από λεμόνι και τη σος σόγιας. Περιχύστε τη σαλάτα με το μείγμα και ανακατέψτε καλά.

4. Μοιράστε τη σαλάτα σε 2 μπολ και προσθέστε σε κάθε μπολ τα βραστά αυγά κομμένα στη μέση.

PARFAIT ΓΙΑΟΥΡΤΙΟΥ ΜΕ ΚΑΡΑΜΕΛΩΜΕΝO ΠΡΑΣΙΝΟ ΜΗΛΟ ΚΑΙ GRANOLA

     Πάντα λέω πως τα ταξίδια ανανεώνουν τον άνθρωπο και τον κάνουν να αλλάζει τον τρόπο σκέψης του, ακόμη και την κοσμοθεωρία του. Δεν είναι απλά ότι ξεφεύγεις από την καθημερινότητα. Γνωρίζεις νέους ανθρώπους, μαθαίνεις να είσαι ανεξάρτητος και ευέλικτος, δοκιμάζεις διαφορετικές κουζίνες και ζεις κάθε ημέρα με άλλο τρόπο. Θα μπορούσα να πω ακόμη παραπάνω πράγματα, όμως, φιλάω μερικές από τις φιλοσοφίες μου για το post που θα κάνω για το πρόσφατο ταξιδάκι μου στην αιώνια πόλη, τη Ρώμη. Πολλές οι εμπειρίες, πολύ το φαγητό και αμέτρητες οι αναμνήσεις που μάζεψα μέσα σε πέντε ολόκληρες ημέρες. Γέμισα μπαταρίες όμως για να επιστρέψω δυναμικά εδώ στο blog και να μοιραστώ μαζί σας συνταγές και πολλές φωτογραφίες.

     Όποτε φτιάνω granola σαν αυτή παθαίνω ένα περίεργο πράγμα και θέλω να την συνδυάσω με πολλά άλλα υλικά που να είναι όμως περίεργα και όχι βαρετά, όπως το σκέτο γάλα. Έτσι, σκέφτηκα πως αφού ζέστανε και ο καιρός τι θα ήταν καλύτερο από ένα δροσερό στραγγιστό γιαούρτι μαζί με την αγαπημένη μου granola; Και πάλι όμως δεν έφτανε αυτό...ήθελα και κάτι γλυκό να τα συνοδέψω. Εδώ ήρθε η ιδέα! Πράσινο μήλο, άλλα όχι μόνο του, μαζί με μέλι και καστανή ζάχαρη (και λίγο βούτυρο) μέχρι να καραμελώσουν. Και μετά από αυτό έμεινα πλήρως ικανοποιημένη.

     Η συνταγή αυτή είναι πολύ εύκολη, ειδικά εάν έχετε ήδη έτοιμη την granola σας (παίρνει χρόνο στο ψήσιμο). Το μόνο που χρειάζεστε είναι καλής ποιότητας στραγγιστό γιαούρτι, ένα πράσινο μήλο και τα υπόλοιπα υλικά σίγουρα θα τα έχετε στην κουζίνα σας. Στην αρχή να ομολογήσω πως ήμουν σκεπτική για το πράσινο μήλο λόγω της όξινης γεύσης του και ήθελα να χρησιμοποιήσω κόκκινο. Παρόλα αυτά έκανα το πείραμά μου και τελικά το αποτέλεσμα ήταν πολύ εύγευστο. Η γλυκόξινη γεύση που προέκυψε ταίριαζε υπέροχα με το δροσερό γιαούρτι και ούτε που το κατάλαβα ότι χρησιμοποίησα ένα ξινό φρούτο. Πραγματικά σας το προτείνω να το δοκιμάσετε έστω μια φορά για αλλαγή. Ίσως σας εκπλήσσει...

Parfait γιαουρτιού με καραμελωμένο πράσινο μήλο και granola

υλικά (για 1 άτομο)

1 πράσινο μήλο σε λεπτές φέτες

1 κουταλιά μέλι

1 κουταλιά καστανή ζάχαρη ή κανονική

25 γρ βούρυτο ή 2 κουταλιές

λίγη ποσότητα granola (εδώ σας έχω μια συνταγή)

στραγγιστό γιαούρτι

πώς θα το φτιάξω;

1. Σε ένα κατσαρολάκι προσθέστε τις φέτες του μήλου, το μέλι, τη ζάχαρη και το βούτυρο και ζεστάνετε σε μέτρια φωτιά. Ανακατεύετε σταδιακά καθόλη τη διάρκεια του μαγειρέματος, για περίπου 5-8 λεπτά, για να μην σας αρπάξει η ζάχαρη. Παρατηρήστε εάν οι φέτες μήλου έχουν μαλακώσει και εάν έχει δημιουργηθεί μια ελαφρώς παχύρευστη σος. Μόλις είναι έτοιμο το μείγμα αποσύρετέ το από τη φωτιά.

2. Σε ένα ψηλό ποτήρι πρώτα προσθέστε μια μεγάλη ποσότητα γιαουρτιού φροντίζοντας να καλύψει όλη την επιφάνεια περιμετρικά του ποτηριού. Έπειτα, προσθέστε τη στρώση του καραμελωμένου μήλου, φροντίζοντας πάλι να έχει καλυφθεί όλη η επιφάνεια. Προσθέστε ακόμη μια στρώση γιαουρτιού και στο τέλος γαρνίρετε με τη στρώση από granola σε όση ποσότητα επιθυμείτε. Μπορείτε να προσθέσετε ό,τι άλλο σας αρέσει.