Blattertorte

Hi, everyone!

Today’s recipe is more sophisticated and also more difficult to do. It’s the kind of dessert that might take the whole afternoon to make, but let me say it’s worth it.

It’s made of 5 layers of crunchy cookies separated with two fillings, one of strawberry and one of cream. A festive dessert for a New Year’s Day. It’s a german tart that will be a center piece at your table.

Delicious, with the side note that if you don’t like strawberry’s there’s a big probability that you won’t like this either.

Ingredients:

• For cookie layers:

120 gr of grated skinless almond

250 gr of plain-flour

200 gr of butter

120 gr of sugar

1 egg white (you might have to add a second one, depending on the size of the eggs)

• For the strawberry filling:
  

420 gr of strawberries

150 gr of sugar

40 gr of orange juice

30 of corn starch

• For the cream filling:
  

400 gr of cream (really cold)

Preparation:

• For the cookies:
  

1. Pre-heat the oven to 160ºC.
2. Pour the flour, the butter, the sugar and the egg white to the bowl and mix.
3. Divide the dough into 5 parts (about 140 gr each).
4. Roll one into a removable cake pan bottom (26 cm) and with a spatula detach it from it so it’s easy to take out after going to the oven.
5. Bake it for 15 min at 160ºC or until it’s golden.
6. With the help of a spatula take the layer to a clean surface and let it cool.
7. Repeat the same process for each of the individual dough parts.

• For the strawberry filling:

1. In a saucepan heat the strawberries, the sugar and the orange juice together  and finally add the corn starch a few minutes after.
2. In a food processor mash the previous mix until it’s soft. Let it cool.
3. Pour into a piping bag or just keep in a separate bowl.

• For the cream filling:

1. Beat the cream till it’s whipped.
2. Pour into a piping bag or just keep in a separate bowl.

• Assembling it together 🙂 :

1. Add in a plate the first layer (you can secure it with a bit of the strawberry filling)
2. Spread the strawberry filling and pour the cream one on top. .
3. Do this until you don’t have more cookie layers.
4. You can either top with caster sugar or like me who forgot one of the layers just with the whipped cream.

Serve!

Hope you enjoy and tell me how it went or any questions you might have in the comment box below. 

Lots of love,

Paradise of Words

 

Christmas Decorations!

Hi, everyone!

Christmas! It’s finally here and my house looks just appropriated for the day. From the festive tree to the little lighted houses all is a wonder of magic and happiness. Here are some photos to put you in the right mood and lift your spirit wherever you are today! Merry Christmas to all 😀

Lots of love and Merry Christmas to all!

Paradise of Words

Charles Dickens – 4 Christmas Stories Review

Hi, everyone!

With Christmas one day away, we start or have already began to read our favourite books about this festive time. For me I have to pick one that was my mother’s but now is shared by both of us. I’m not sure if this edition is still available, but I’ve found a website where you can read them online for free. (http://www.classicreader.com/author/17/) Just choose the book and read it!
Some more famous others less, the important thing is that all of them take us to the white snows, the windy and rainy days and the love and joy that we receive trough our loved ones in these magical days.

A Christmas Carol – Probably one of the most popular and known Christmas stories in the world. Ebenezer Scrooge is a men who lost the love and happiness for this time years ago. Now he is visited by 3 ghosts from the past, the present and the future, that remember and show him how to welcome Christmas again. It’s a beautiful story full of lessons that help us see what truly matters in these days trough the shadows of society. It took me 5 years, 2 different editions and 3 time readings to finish this book. The first times I thought that it was boring and with few direct speeches and I do believe that at the time I wasn’t old enough to fully understand that this was much more than a child’s story. It makes you learn and grow up. I advice you to read it if you haven’t, not only because is entertaining, but also because it’s one of those stories you can’t miss. Classic or not, it’s a timeless one.

Dr. Marigold’s Prescriptions – This is a sad and very moving story and I think that if this was adapted to the screen it would play more with your emotions than it does in the pages. Even though it’s really short, it contains more feelings and more personal heartbreak than most books have. In the other hand the story is told like one may tell a summary of a movie to another, never really getting to deep into descriptions or explanations.

A Holiday Romance – This was the first story of Dickens that I read and at the time I liked it a lot. I still do, but now I look at it differently. Even though it makes me remember of Jane Austen novels, it’s not your typical first love tale. But then it wouldn’t be Charles Dickens if it was, would it? We are talking about a woman who after waiting a long time and loosing all hope, she finally gets accepted by the love of her life, who himself has proposed to another woman and been rejected and mocked by others for his strange habits. Like I said not your usual romance.

The Seven Poor Travellers – Is spectacular. We are presented with seven travellers, one of them our story-teller. No connections between any of them and all different. And the thing is that the main story is not about any of them, they are only the listeners. It’s about a man who stayed in the same B&B where they are now for the night and what happened to him after. This is important for the reader, because after Christmas night, the seven travellers go their own ways and we are left guessing what happens next in their lives.

Lots of love and Merry Christmas!

Paradise of Words

Apple Crumble

Hi, everyone!

Today recipe is more me taking on someone else’s recipe than one of my own. Let me explain…

Probably like most of you (of course, you are reading this…) I search and look for new recipes on the Internet. So it happened that I was watching some YouTube when I came across a channel from someone who defends anti-bullying and is also apparently an amazing cook. Her name is Lindsay Atkin (www.youtube.com/user/liliesarelike) and you may know her as being the mother of YouTube sensation Charlie McDonnell, but today it’s all about her.

With a warm and nice personality that makes you feel invited to her home, she shows us how to make her own recipes trough videos made in her own kitchen. Now you might think that these are your typical low quality videos, but not at all. Whether is her son’s influence or her own pride on doing things right the videos are HD. Of course they have a bit of shaking, but nothing that affects the viewer immensely.

From those that she has, I choose one. The Apple Crumble.

I had never made ​​a crumble before, except a strawberry one. So it was a new experience in the kitchen.

From the original recipe I just change one thing: instead of using the lemon zest I used and orange one and it was also very good. It’s also tradition to use custard as a “garnish” but I didn’t and went the simple way as you can see on the photos. Of course this is your choice and you can add it after.

This dessert is amazing! It has de same crunchy topping and soft filling as an apple pie, but adds the flavour of spring and summer to it with the orange.

So here you have the recipe and I’ll link the video at the end.

Ingredients:

125 gr flour

100 gr sugar

100 gr butter

1 orange

5 apples

Preparation:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180º C

2. Peel and cut the apples and then place them into a pan with little water until they are cooked.

3. In a large bowl place the flour and the butter (preferably cold) and rub it with your fingers till it looks like bread crumbs.

4. Add the sugar and then orange zest and mix all together.

5. Place the fruit into a cake pan in order to cover the whole bottom and then sprinkle with a bit of sugar.

6. Pour the crumble mixture on top and bake it at 180º C for 25 min.

Serve!

Link for the video recipe:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iivRHA4XzZI

 

Hope you enjoy and tell me how it went or any questions you might have in the comment box below. 

Lots of love,

Paradise of Words

The Woman in White Review

The Woman in White by Wilkie  Collins is a great novel. Though its long extension and sometimes my lack of interest at some parts I was highly satisfied in the end. Like you will find if you read this book, and  like is usual in mystery books, the end and the unveil of the main or mains secrets are very important as a key of judgement to a brilliant or horrible novel.

 

““There, in the middle of the broad, bright high-road—there, as if it had that moment sprung out of the earth or dropped from the heaven—stood the figure of a solitary Woman, dressed from head to foot in white garments.”

Thus young Walter Hartright first meets the mysterious woman in white in what soon became one of the most popular novels of the nineteenth century. Secrets, mistaken identities, surprise revelations, amnesia, locked rooms and locked asylums, and an unorthodox villain made this mystery thriller an instant success when it first appeared in 1860, and it has continued to enthrall readers ever since. From the hero’s foreboding before his arrival at Limmeridge House to the nefarious plot concerning the beautiful Laura, the breathtaking tension of Collins’s narrative created a new literary genre of suspense fiction, which profoundly shaped the course of English popular writing.” Amazon.com description of Woman in White

 

The book is divided by chapters or parts, each written by a different character and his/her point of view. I found that this helped a lot for the reader to learn and get more familiar with their personalities and also to see the changes in those that are made trough the course of the events and the years. Still I would have liked the length of the pov’s to be smaller and more diverse, because sometimes it just got boring…

We are presented with some unusual characters, still very appropriate to their own time. Even though the story as almost nothing to do with Walter Hartright, a painting teacher is by him that we receive most of the information and developments. He first enters into this world of thriller when he first encounters the Woman in White, also know as Anne Catherick. I liked very much this character and wished that I had seen more of her, since the suspense surrounding her was so page-grabbing. Quite in the other hand was Laura Fairly, a sweet but very fragile young woman, who I was mad at more times that I would want  to. Even though she was naturally naive, she comes as childish sometimes and very dependent, specially on her loyal half-sister, Miss Halcombe, who herself is the image of a strong and fierce woman.

My favorite character even though strange my likeness for him is the evil and very genius Count Fosco, who for me is the most interesting person. Perhaps is his oddness with his pet animals or his fake niceness or even his own admiration for Miss Halcombe. Or more likely all the secrets that he has. He’s just a good character. And I do share his wish for a good life for Marian, and that’s why at some moments I wished that she would end up with Walter. Of course this didn’t happen and in the end she devotes her life to the aid of her sister and husband. In matters of how it ended and the explanations that were given to us, that was the only detail that didn’t work for me. I though that she should have moved on with her life and find someone who would make her happy, but again this is her personality. It wouldn’t make sense any way around.

Overall I give a 6 out of 10 and advice to those who like mystery books to read it.

 

Lots of love,

Paradise of Words

Pumpkin Tart

Hi, everyone!

It has been a month gone by since Halloween and there waiting in my freezer is the interior of my pumpkin, that I took out before starting my carvings for that spooky night. Now it’s time to use it for a more special and delicious purpose.

I’m not a big fan of pumpkin, let me start there. It has a strong smell and after a while it becomes a bit sickening for me. So I was happily surprised when tasting the cake I didn’t find it to “pumpkinish”. It has a soft crust, a delicious filling and a sweat topping covered with cocoa powder. You will love it!

Before I give you the recipe, some crucial tips (that would have saved me tons of time if I had known them from the start, but you do learn from this little things 🙂 ).

First, if you have your pumpkin frozen, like I did, be wise to take a portion that is over the amount you need to defreeze. This is because when the water is frozen it changes massively the weight. For example I took out 400 gr of frozen pumpkin that in the end was just a little over 300 gr. You can see how much time I lost defreezing more pumpkin… 😦

Secondly, when using the fresh cream be sure that it’s very cold and that the one that you are using can be transformed into whipped cream. (I advice you to use a brand that you are accustomed to or that you have a good reference of.) 

Ingredients:

• For the crust:

200 gr plain-flour

25 gr brown sugar

a pinch of salt

80 gr cold butter

40 gr water

• For the filling:
  

400 gr of pumpkin

120 gr brown sugar

2 eggs

40 gr vegetable oil

1 teaspoon of turmeric powder

a pinch of salt

a pinch of ginger powder

40 gr plain-flour

• For the topping:
  

3 sheets of neutral gelatine

water

200 gr fresh cream with or over 35% of fat and very cold

50 gr milk

50 gr brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon powder

1 egg

Cocoa powder or chocolate shavings and walnuts (for decoration)

Preparation:

• For the crust:
  

1.  Pre-heat the oven at 180ºC.
2. Mix all the ingredients (you can use a food processor or do it by hand).
3. Roll out the pastry and line the tin (24 cm)

• For the filling:

1. Mash the pumpkin with a the help of a food processor.
2. Once that is done add the sugar, the eggs, the vegetable oil, the turmeric powder, the salt and the ginger powder to the pumpkin and beat.
3. Add the flour and mix.
4. Pour the filling into the crust and bake it for 45 min at 180ºC. (After taking out of the oven let it cool down completely!).

• For the topping:

1. Place the sheets of gelatine in cold water so they can go all soft and jelly.
2. Beat the cream. (be carefull so you won’t beat too much, to the point that they will transform into butter)
3. In a pan in medium heat beat the milk , the sugar, the cinnamon powder and the egg.
4. Add the gelatine, after squeezing all the water and stir.
5. Add the whipped cream and involve.
6. Add the topping to the tart  and put it in the fridge for 4 hours or till it’s firm.
7. Sprinkle from high the cocoa powder and then add the walnuts. (Of course this is optional and you can easily use whatever you want to decorate.)

Serve!

Hope you enjoy and tell me how it went or any questions you might have in the comment box below. 🙂

Lots of love,

Paradise of Words