Mangoes are not cultivated in Greece but we only have imported ones and only in the past years they have started to become more popular. Since they are imported they are much more expensive than the fruit produced locally, which can be found in abundance, they are delicious and of course much cheaper.
As I read in Wikipedia there are about 1000 varieties of mangoes but I have only found this variety called Bras Mango and one day when I went to a big supermarket chain and saw the mangoes I put two in the cart not knowing what to do with them.
When Srivalli, of Cooking 4 all Seasons, announced the event Mango Mela, on My Recipes & Events I was really not sure what to make, so I decided to go on the safe side.
My first thought was to make a cream and add pureed cooked mangoes into the cream and make it into a mousse like I did in the strawberry mousse but then I changed my mind so instead of cooking the fruit, I just dipped them in the syrup for just a minute, which was enough to release some of its juices and flavour in the syrup.
Instead of making mango mousse, I combined the yoghurt with a panna cotta, since I have been using gelatine a lot lately. Panna cotta, which means cooked cream, is usually served in ramekins. The dessert is then inverted in a plate and served with fruit, sauces, caramel, chocolate etc. As I do not have any ramekins I served the dessert in glasses and when serving I added the fruit, syrup and nuts.
I made the dessert in the afternoon and by the time it set it was late. After dinner, we wanted to eat dessert, so I had to take pictures of the dessert during the evening. Unfortunately I do not have proper lightening for taking pictures inside and all pictures I have taken have a kind of yellowish colour. I tried using the flash but they turned out even worse. I hope this is one of the last bad photos I am sharing here as I am looking forward to getting my new camera which I ordered online a few days ago.
Mango Greek Yoghurt Panna cotta – Recipe by Ivy
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves: 5
|
Ingredients: |
||
|
250 |
Ml |
Heavy cream 35% |
|
1/4 |
Cup |
Sugar |
|
2 |
Tbsp |
Thyme honey |
|
1 |
Sachet |
Gelatine (1tablespoon) or 6 sheets |
|
½ |
Cup |
Cold water |
|
250 |
Grams |
Greek strained yoghurt |
|
½ |
Tsp |
Crashed cardamom |
|
For Mango Syrup |
||
|
¼ |
Cup |
Sugar |
|
4 |
Tbsp |
Water |
|
1 |
Tbsp |
Brandy or other liqueur |
|
1 |
|
Mango |
|
Directions: |
|
|
|
1. |
Soak the gelatine in cold water until soft. |
|
|
2. |
Place the cream, honey and sugar in a saucepan and heat the mixture over low heat (do not boil). Αdd the gelatine and mix until it dissolves. Allow to cool. |
|
|
3. |
Put the yogurt with the cardamom in a bowl and beat with a hand mixer for about 3 minutes until it is nice and smooth. |
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4. |
Pour the panacotta into the yoghurt and mix well. |
|
|
5. |
Divide into bowls, cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 3 hours, or until just set. |
|
|
6. |
In a non-stick frying pan add the sugar, liqueur and water. Bring to a boil mixing continuously, dip in the mangoes for 1 minute and remove from the syrup before they mash. |
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7. |
Serve mango and syrup on top of cream, adding some crushed walnuts. |
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Citygirl, of City Girl Lifestyle, has passed on to me the One Lovely Blog Award. Thank you so much, I wish I could pass it on to you as well.
As part of passing this award on, I am listing six reasons I am happy today:
1. As I said above I am expecting my new camera to arrive soon.
2. Tomorrow we will be visiting the new Acropolis Museum and will be having lunch on the roof garden of the museum (if we find free tables, as you cannot yet make an online reservation) but even if we don’t, we shall eat somewhere around the Acropolis and that by itself, is exciting
3. After lunch we are leaving for another long weekend….., relaxing, swimming, site seeing etc.
4. I have started acupuncture for my back problems and combined with swimming, loosing weight, spending less hours on the computer, exercising etc., I am feeling much better.
5. I am not on a strict diet but I am eating healthier and have lost a few kilos. I have stopped eating sugar and I am eating less salt as my doctor has suggested and eating smaller quantities of healthy food. Promise to post some healthier recipes soon.
6. There is another reason that I am very happy and has to be with our weekend getaways. I do not want to jinx it yet but hope to share the good news with you when this is over.
As City Girl says, the rules are not very clear, so as much as I would like to pass this award on to all of you, I want to pass it on to 10 new friends:
1. Angie, of Angie’s Recipes
2. Jen, of A2eatwrite
3. Yasmeen, of Health Nut
4. Natasha, of 5 Star Foodie
5. Poornima, of Tasty Treats
6. Reeni, of Cinnamon & Spice
7. Lisa, of Lisa is Cooking
8. Heni, of Simplicity by the Sea
9. Adam, of Baking with Dynamite
10. Parita, of Parita’s World
Now that it’s summer and very hot, it’s hard to stay at home, so I have been away during the weekend and we came back last evening. I’ve had too many other things to do, so I haven’t had time to visit friends but hope to do this soon.
After the Beef and Pork Galette, I decided to use the provencal pastry to make a cheese pie in the traditional way.
During Easter when we went to Sparti we planned to make this tyropita with maratho, which is a traditional recipe my mother in law used to make. Fennel grew everywhere in their villages so one way to use it was to make pies. However, they used fresh feta when making it, when it is still soft. Near my sister in law’s house is a family who have sheep and they make feta often, however, we did not get lucky as they were not making feta during Easter. When we came back to Athens I kept thinking of this recipe and one day coming back from the farmers’ market with lots of vegetables and herbs, including fennel fronds, I decided to make it. instead of using fresh feta I decided to make it with fresh myzithra. However, you can still make it using regular feta. If you use feta, be careful with the addition of salt as feta is salty and instead of graviera you may use halloumi.
Tyropita me Maratho – Recipe by Ivy
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Baking time: 1 hours
Serves: 12
|
Ingredients: |
||
|
For the dough: |
||
|
4 |
Cups |
All purpose or bread flour |
|
½ |
Cup |
Olive oil |
|
2 |
|
eggs |
|
1/2 |
Cup |
Tepid water plus 2 tablespoons |
|
½ |
Tsp |
Salt |
|
½ |
Cup |
Graviera Cheese |
|
Cheese filling: |
||
|
950 |
Grams |
Fresh myzithra or feta |
|
½ |
Cup |
Graviera Cheese (optional) |
|
3 |
|
eggs |
|
2 |
Medium |
Spring onions, white part and a little from the green part |
|
1 |
Cup |
Finely cut fennel |
|
2 |
Tbsp |
Fresh Mint |
|
|
|
Salt and freshly ground pepper |
|
|
|
Olive oil for brushing on top. |
|
Directions: |
||
|
1. |
Prepare dough according to instructions. Only 2/3 of dough will be used. |
|
|
2. |
Preheat oven at 180 degrees Centigrade. |
|
|
3. |
Crumble myzithra cheese and grate graviera in a big bowl. |
|
|
4. |
Add the remaining ingredients and mix. |
|
|
5. |
Roll our two sheets of phyllo. One should be bigger than the other as it will cover the sides of the baking tin. |
|
|
6. |
Oil a 26 cm. baking tin and place the biggest phyllo. Stretch with your hands if necessary. |
|
|
7. |
Put the cheese filling and arrange to be distributed evenly. |
|
|
8. |
Cover with the second phyllo and cut whatever pieces are not necessary. |
|
|
9. |
Taking both phyllos press them together to join. |
|
|
10. |
Brush with olive oil. |
|
|
11. |
With a sharp knife score the phyllo. |
|
|
12. |
Bake until golden brown, for about 1 hour. |
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There was some leftover dough and filling, so I made marathopitakia (small fennel pies). I added more herbs and had also bought Swiss chard, which I boiled for 5 minutes and drained. Instead of Swiss Chard you may also use spinach. You can fry them if you like but I preferred to bake them.
In Cyprus we would call these bourekia from the Turkish word borek and in Crete they are called kaltsounia, from the Italian Calzone.
Marathopitakia – Recipe by Ivy
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Baking time: 20 - 30 minutes
Yields: 16
|
Ingredients: |
||
|
Cheese filling: |
||
|
2 |
Cups |
Of above cheese filling |
|
1 |
|
egg |
|
3 |
Medium |
Spring onions, white part and a little from the green part |
|
1 |
Cup |
Swiss Chard, boiled for 5 minutes, finely cut |
|
½ |
Cup |
Dill, finely chopped |
|
2 |
Cups |
Finely cut fennel |
|
1 |
Cup |
Parsley, finely chopped |
|
¼ |
Cup |
Olive oil |
|
|
|
Salt and freshly ground pepper |
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|
|
|
|
Directions: |
||
|
1. |
The remaining dough will be used. |
|
|
2. |
Preheat oven at 180 degrees Centigrade. |
|
|
3. |
Add the egg and olive oil to the cheese mixture |
|
|
4. |
Add all the herbs and vegetables mix. Season with salt and pepper. |
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|
5. |
Roll our sheets of phyllo and cut into smaller pieces about 7 x 7 cm. Add a tablespoon of filling at the edge and cover with the remaining. Press with a fork to join the dough. |
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|
6. |
Oil a baking tin and place the patties next to each other. |
|
|
7. |
Bake until golden brown, for about 20 – 30 minutes. |
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Halloumi as you know is a quite salty cheese and it pairs well with something sweet, so in Cyprus during the summer we always eat Watermelon with halloumi. That day when I made the tyropita instead of making a usual salad, I remembered bookmarking a Watermelon salad, but instead of using feta I used halloumi which is a perfect combination with halloumi and mint.
The combination was heavenly, each bite was simultaneously sweet, salty, spicy, minty but mostly refreshing and delicious.
Watermelon & Halloumi Mint Salad – Recipe adapted from All Recipes
Preparation time: 10 minutes
|
Ingredients: |
||
|
1 |
kilo |
Watermelon |
|
1 |
Small |
Red onion |
|
½ |
Cup |
Fresh Mint |
|
1 |
Tbsp |
Olive oil |
|
1 |
|
Halloumi, cut into slices |
|
|
|
Freshly ground black pepper. |
|
Directions: |
|
|
|
1. |
Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and sauté halloumi on both sides. Set aside to cool down. |
|
|
2. |
Remove all seeds from the watermelon and cut into small cubes. |
|
|
3. |
Slice the onion and finely cut the fresh mint. Combine all the ingredients together. |
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Tags: dough, made with phyllo, phyllo, pies, pites, Salads, Tarts and Pies
I know that I always say that I wish I had an Ice Cream machine, whenever I comment on someone’s Ice cream post but although it doesn’t cost much, I have no space in my kitchen to add another gadget and even if I did, I am still thinking if I should buy one, as I know that I will be making ice cream every day, as the possibilities for creativity are limitless and it’s time to watch my weight!!
I based this recipe on an ice cream I made last year. It was mere coincidence that I made Dulce de Leche a few days before as well as the Cherry Compote. In the morning when I decided to make the ice cream I was debating with myself if I would make it with Dulce De Leche or with Cherry Compote or both. I asked that question on Facebook and some friends suggested that I should make them separately. My mind was tending towards using the Cherry Compote but before the final stage I tried the cream and it didn’t seem sweet enough, so that’s when I decided to add the Dulche De Leche in the cream. I added and tasted until it reached the desired sweetness and there was just a little bit left, so I used that as decoration.
I served it with Cherry Compote or Cherry Spoon Sweet and that was perfect with the ice cream but using any other Fruit Spreads also would be equally good.
Νo machine Ice cream with Dulce de Leche, Cherry Compote and Greek Yoghurt – Recipe by Ivy
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Total time until ready: About three hours
Yields: 1,5 litres ice cream
|
Ingredients: |
||
|
1 |
Can |
Dulce De Leche (if not used, increase the amount of sugar in the pastry cream) |
|
200 |
Grams |
Greek strained Yoghurt |
|
1 |
Tsp |
Vanilla essence |
|
½ |
Cup |
Cherry compote (without the syrup) |
|
Pastry cream: See instructions here |
||
|
1 |
Litre |
Milk |
|
3 |
|
Egg yolks |
|
5 |
Tbsp |
Sugar |
|
5 |
Tbsp |
Corn flour (Cornstarch) |
|
A |
Pinch |
Salt |
|
Whipping cream: See instructions here |
||
|
250 |
Ml |
Heavy cream (35%) |
|
1 |
Tbsp |
Icing sugar |
|
Directions: |
|
|
|
1. |
Prepare whipping cream and refrigerate. |
|
|
2. |
Prepare pastry cream, cover with cling film and set aside to cool. |
|
|
3. |
In a mixer bowl add pastry cream, whipped cream and yoghurt and beat for five minutes at full speed. |
|
|
4. |
Place in a container with lid and deep freeze. After about 1 hour check your ice cream and see if it has frozen near the edges. With a hand mixer beat well until all the crystals have become soft cream again. |
|
|
5. |
Repeat the same procedure two more times. |
|
|
6. |
Transfer the ice cream in the mixer bowl, add half of the dulce de leche and beat it well. |
|
|
7. |
Return the ice cream in the container and add the cherries scattering them here and there. |
|
|
8. |
Put the remaining dulce de leche in a piping bag and decorate. |
|
|
9. |
Remove from the deep freezer 15 minutes before serving and serve with cherry compote. |
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|
The Cherry Spoon Sweet and Cherry Compote I made have long finished but I suppose you will be seeing more recipes with cherries as this week I made some more.
I am sending this recipe to Ben, of What’s Cooking for his event Homemade #5: Ice Cream.
Tags: Desserts, Dulce de Leche, Food events, How to.., Ice cream, Pastry cream, whipping ceam
Thank you to all of you who’ve written to me over the past few days, either at the blog, facebook or by private e-mail, to express your sympathy and kind thoughts.
I am really grateful to have such good friends which I met through the internet.
Life, however, does go and time is the best healer of any traumatic event in our life. I have passed from many other bad situations in my life (death of both my parents, being fired from my job, having to shut down my own business later on), but after the first shock and grief, I always found that keeping myself otherwise busy, worked well for me and was very therapeutic.
My last recipe post was the provencal pastry and as I said then, I will be posting the galettes and pies mentioned in that post.
I had seen some posts of galettes in the past but did not know exactly what it was. I looked it up and according to wikipedia, it is a round and crusty cake but I am more inclined to think of it as a pie with a hole in the middle and instead of being cooked in a pie dish, it is folded up and around the filling, leaving it uncovered in the middle.
When I attempted to make the first galette, I had in mind a meat pie I make but the dough is really fussy, so I wanted to see how it would turn out using the provencal pastry.
To my surprise, the dough was really easy to make and easy to handle. The only mistake I made was that I divided the dough into four parts and only made four galettes, one for each one of us. Although it tasted great, the crust was too thick and although it was served as a main dish with a salad, it was too much to each.
Whichever you choose to make, they both tasted great and each one can be made with either with pork or beef.
Before going on to the recipe, here is a peek at a fruit galette I also made.
Meat (Beef) Galette – Recipe by Ivy
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Baking time: About 1 hour
Serves: 4 - 6
|
Ingredients: |
||
|
|
|
|
|
450 |
Grams |
Ground beef |
|
1/3 |
Cup |
Olive Oil (divided) |
|
2 |
|
Leeks, white part only, finely chopped |
|
1 |
Medium |
Onion, finely cut |
|
2 |
Cloves |
Garlic, finely cut (divided) |
|
10 |
|
Button, mushrooms, finely cut |
|
2 |
Tbsp |
Fresh oregano, finely cut (optional) |
|
2 |
Tbsp |
Fresh mint, finely cut |
|
2 |
|
Eggs |
|
2 |
Cups |
Graviera, grated |
|
|
|
Salt and freshly ground black pepper |
|
2 |
Tbsp |
Breadcrumbs |
|
Directions: |
|
|
|
1. |
Prepare dough as per instructions. |
|
|
2. |
In a non-stick frying pan sauté 1 clove of garlic in 2 tablespoons olive oil and then add the mushrooms. Sauté for a few minutes and set aside. |
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|
3. |
Boil leeks for ten minutes, drain and set aside. |
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|
4. |
Heat remaining olive oil in a skillet and sauté onion and garlic until translucent. |
|
|
5. |
Add the minced meat and sauté until the meat turns from pink to white. Add the drained leeks, mint and oregano. |
|
|
6. |
Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool. |
|
|
7. |
Add eggs, cheese and breadcrumbs and mix. |
|
|
8. |
After rolling out the dough, add some filling and mushrooms on top. |
|
|
9. |
Place on parchment paper and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C until golden brown. |
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|
|
|
|
The second time I made the galettes, I changed the ingredients, made them smaller and this time the crust was much thinner and they came out perfect. We had some leftover for the next day and they even tasted better the next day.
Meat (Pork) Galette – Recipe by Ivy
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Baking time: About 1 hour
Makes: 10 – 12 small galettes
|
Ingredients: |
||
|
|
|
Provencal Pastry |
|
600 |
Grams |
Minced Pork |
|
1/2 |
Cup |
Olive Oil |
|
4 |
|
Leeks, white part only, finely chopped |
|
2 |
Sprigs |
Celery, finely chopped |
|
3 |
Medium |
Carrots, grated |
|
2 |
Medium |
Onions, finely chopped |
|
2 |
Cloves |
Garlic, finely chopped |
|
2 |
Tbsp |
Fresh oregano, finely chopped (optional) |
|
2 |
Tbsp |
Fresh mint, finely chopped (optional) |
|
½ |
Cup |
Parsley, finely chopped |
|
2 |
|
Eggs |
|
2 |
Cups |
Graviera, grated, divided |
|
|
|
Salt and freshly ground black pepper |
|
2 |
Tbsp |
Breadcrumbs (optional) |
|
Directions: |
|
|
|
1. |
See instructions for dough here. (In this recipe I used bread flour). |
|
|
2. |
Heat olive oil in a large skillet and sauté leeks, onions, celery and garlic until translucent. |
|
|
3. |
Add the minced meat and sauté until the meat turns from pink to white. Add the grated carrots. |
|
|
4. |
Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool. |
|
|
5. |
Add eggs, cheese and herbs and mix. Add breadcrumbs, if needed. |
|
|
6. |
Divide dough into 10 - 12 equal parts and roll out each piece. It doesn’t matter if it isn’t perfectly round. Add some filling in the middle and fold. Sprinkle with some graviera cheese on top. |
|
|
7. |
Place on parchment paper and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C until golden brown. |
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|
|
|
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I have been told that there are still some problems with my blog and some people cannot download the page or leave a message. I have removed several plug-ins and widgets and do not know if that has improved the situation, so if it has please let me know.
Tags: galette, made with phyllo, meat pies, phyllo, pies, pites, Tarts and Pies
This is a very sad day for my family and me, and everyone that Lisa has touched.
The doctor has just informed us that she passed away. She had acute leukemia.
I’m totally devastated and not sure how I will get through this and how to tell my teenage daughter about this.
Thank you all for your support,
Ivy
When I saw this pastry at The Constanble’s Larder, I loved it immediately and knew immediately with to do with it. Check out Giff’s post to see a lovely vegetarian galette.
The first recipe I used this Provençal Pastry was to make a Meat Galette,
then another meat galette but with a different filling
I loved the simplicity of this pastry dough and how easy it is to roll out, that I have been using it to make pies, ever since. I have doubled the dose as we are a large family and the second time I added some graviera cheese in the dough, making it extra tasty.
In case graviera is not available where you live, I would substitute it with halloumi or any other cheese that does not melt, such kefalograviera, aged myzithra or pecorino and parmesan. Some of these cheeses are very salty, so reduce the amount of salt.
When I made it the second time, instead of using all purpose flour, I used bread flour, which I definitely prefer.
I have made a chicken pie,
and a cheese and fennel pie,
turnovers,
or fried, filled with cheese….
I have given some links below and I would certainly use this pastry to make, spanakopita, the classic tyropita with feta, Pepper Pie, Olive Pie or Pumpkin Pie.
I am so looking forward to trying to make something sweet as well.
In the next few days I shall be posting the above recipes but I would like to hear which one would be your favourite.
Making the Pastry
Provençal Pastry
from Richard Olney’s Simple French Food
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Resting time: ½ hour
Rolling out: 15 minutes
Baking tin: 28cm
|
Ingredients: |
||
|
4 |
Cups |
All purpose flour or Bread flour |
|
½ |
Cup |
Olive oil |
|
2 |
|
eggs |
|
1/2 |
Cup |
Tepid water (plus 2 tablespoons, if necessary) |
|
½ |
Tsp |
Salt |
|
½ |
Cup |
Graviera Cheese (my twist to the recipe, optional) |
|
Directions: |
||
|
1. |
In a big bowl add flour, salt and olive oil and rub with your hands until all the oil is absorbed. |
|
|
2. |
Add the cheese and eggs and mix. |
|
|
3. |
Add the water and mix until the dough does not stick on your hands or on the bowl. (Alternatively, the dough may be made in the mixer using the dough hook) |
|
|
4. |
Place in a zip bag or cover with cling film and leave the dough to rest. |
|
|
5. |
Knead the dough for 1 minute. |
|
|
6. |
Preheat oven at 180 degrees C. |
|
|
7. |
Divide the dough into two pieces, one of which should be slightly bigger, in order to cover the sides of the baking tin. Make two balls. |
|
|
8. |
Start from the bigger one, making sure to cover the other. Using a rolling pin try and shape the dough into a circle, rotating it each time. |
|
|
9. |
When the pastry sheet is bigger than your baking tin by an inch it is ready. |
|
|
10. |
Brush your baking tin with olive oil Roll the pastry sheet on the rolling pin and bring it over your baking tin. |
|
|
11. |
Then carefully unfold the pastry sheet in your tin. It can be easily stretched by pulling with your hands it to where you want. Cut off any bigger pieces. |
|
|
12. |
Add the filling and cover with the second sheet which should be the size of the baking tin. Take the two sheets of pastry and join together by pressing the edges, trying to make a uniform pattern if possible. |
|
|
13. |
Brush the pastry sheet with olive oil, score into slices and bake until golden brown. |
|
Other related posts:
See also other dough recipes:
Tags: galette, How to.., made with phyllo, pastry, phyllo, pies, pites, Tarts and Pies, Tips-cooking
Wow, these past few days were like hell. First of all my cat is not well. She has not been eating lately and we took her to the vet. He ran some tests and she had a tumour, which was removed. Thank God it did not spread to other organs. However, she also has some problems with her kidneys and a blood infection which they are working on.
Siamese cats are not very friendly so she is not co-operating with the doctors and they had to sedate her a few times but do not want to do this all the time. They have asked us to go to the clinic and help calm her down. She was always very selective with what she ate and now that they put her on a special diet she is still not eating at all. She is of course, getting food from the vein and today we gave her some of her favourite food but still she didn’t eat that either.
We are praying that she gets well.
As if that was not enough, yesterday afternoon I discovered that my account was suspended and none of my sites were operating. I exchanged several conversations with my host which is BLUE HOST and I think most of the times they didn’t know what they were talking about. One of them told me that I was hacked and they could restore the sites but could not guarantee about the content.
My son went back to Switzerland on Thursday and I e-mailed him explaining what happened but he was out and when he woke up this morning he looked into to problem. It seems that a plug-in I installed lately was consuming too much cpu, so that’s why they suspended the account. He told me to remove the plug-in and when I communicated again and told them that I removed it, they immediately restored the problem!!!!
Wow, it’s been horrible not being able to have my site and I even missed the hundreds of spam messages I get every day.
I shall rest for a while and maybe later today I shall prepare a post and visit all of you.
I really missued you all.
Tags: problems
As I already told you I have some guests staying with us, as well as our son who came from Switzerland again, as he had to be interviewed for his Master Degree, which he will start after September. The candidates are many and only a few will be accepted but the interview went well and he has good chances to be accepted. My son will be leaving on Thursday and the other guests on Friday.
I have finally managed to put this post together in the mornings when everybody is asleep and do not want to wake them up. I posted my version of Millefeuilles last year and as much as I love that dessert just like it is, now that my cooking and baking skills have improved a little bit, I wanted to try something new in order to use some of my Cherry Compote.
The basic recipe is the same with the addition of the Cherry Mousse Cream. I’ve made many desserts using gelatine, so I knew that in order to make the cherry mousse layer that I needed an equal amount of the pastry cream, so I needed to make about 1 litre cream. Having that in mind I used a 1 litre container in which I kept adding the ingredients. I could have used more syrup or more cherry compote or more heavy cream so as long as all these ingredients added up to 1 litre.
This elegant dessert is simple to prepare and tastes great. Everybody liked it and asked for more. It was light, not sweet at all and the cherry mousse with whole pieces of cherry compote in it, added additional taste to this already delicious dessert.
Cherry Mousse Millefeuilles – Recipe by Ivy
Preparation time: 2 hours (30 minutes to prepare creams and waiting time for the dessert to set)
Serves: 20
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Ingredients: |
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2 |
Packets |
Sfogliatine biscuits |
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Pastry cream: |
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1.125 |
Ml |
Milk |
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4 |
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Egg yolks |
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160 |
Grams |
(3/4 cup) sugar |
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60 |
Grams |
Flour |
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60 |
Grams |
Corn flour (Cornstarch) |
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A |
Pinch |
Salt |
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1 |
Tbsp |
Cherry brandy |
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Cherry Cream: |
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2 |
Sachets |
Gelatine (or 2 tbsp or 12 sheets) |
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1 |
Cup |
Cold water |
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1 |
Cup |
Cherry compote (without syrup) mashed |
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1 |
Cup |
Cherry compote syrup |
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250 |
Ml |
Heavy cream (35%) |
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½ |
Cup |
Cherry compote (cut into pieces) |
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Whipping cream: |
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250 |
Ml |
Heavy cream (35%) |
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1 |
Tbsp |
Icing sugar |
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1 |
Tsp |
Vanilla essence |
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Directions: |
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1. |
To make pastry cream see step by step instructions here. |
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2. |
Heat milk. In a saucepan add egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, flour, salt and ½ cup of milk and mix. Add milk and keep mixing with a whisk until the cream sets. Mix in cherry brandy liqueur and set aside to cool. |
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3. |
Dissolve gelatine with water and leave it for 5 minutes. |
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4. |
In a small saucepan heat the compote syrup together with the heavy cream and add the gelatine and mix but do not boil. Mix in the mashed cherries and the pieces of cherries and set aside to cool. |
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5. |
Whip the heavy cream with icing sugar and vanilla until peaks form and refrigerate. |
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6. |
To assemble the millefeuilles: Place one layer of biscuits in a rectangle bowl 32 x 22 cm and pour a layer of cream over it. Allow to cool and set. With a spoon carefully add the cherry cream, a spoonful at a time, on top. Allow to cool and refrigerate until it sets. Add a second layer of biscuits and top with the whipping cream. Crumble about two biscuits on top or collect the broken ones as they are very delicate and sprinkle some icing sugar and cinnamon on top. Refrigerate at least one hour before eating. |
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My Cherry Compote finished today after making some Dulce De Leche with Yoghurt & Cherries Ice Cream
As well as the most delicious Black Forrest Cake with Cherries infused in Rum and..
You will have to wait until next week for these recipes as I really have some delicious savory recipes I want to post….
Sorry if I am not able to visit you soon but I shall do my best…
Tags: chantilly, Cherries, Creams, Desserts, French, Pastry cream, whipping cream
Although making pies is not considered to be an easy job, pies are considered easy to eat and this bell pepper pie is both really easy to make and to eat.
Bell Peppers, also known as sweet peppers are native to Mexico and their seeds were carried to Spain during the 15th century and from there spread to other European and Asian countries. They are named bell peppers for their bell-like shape. They have a mild, sweet flavour and are so beautiful in many dishes because they are so colourful.
As I have said many times in Greece we make pies out of anything and there are mentions of pies in the plays of Aristophanes dating back to the 5th century BC. During the time of Aristophanes there were, of course, no bell peppers but the whole philosophy is to make pies out of ingredients which are available at home and need to be used.
In this pie I have used three different cheeses but if you can’t find any of these cheeses, feta is also perfect in this pie. I used fresh oregano and thyme from my pots but you can use dried and if you don’t have chives you can substitute it with a leek.
I am sending this recipe to Priya, of Priya’s Easy and Tasty who is hosting the event AFAM: Bell Peppers.
Bell Pepper Pie – Recipe by Ivy
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Baking time: 45 minutes - 1 hour
Makes: 12
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Ingredients: |
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2 |
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Red Bell Peppers, julienned |
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1 |
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Orange Bell Peppers, julienned |
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2 |
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Yellow Bell Peppers, julienned |
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1 |
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Green Bell Pepper, julienned |
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600 |
Grams |
Soft Myzithra cheese |
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100 |
Grams |
Graviera cheese, grated |
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100 |
Grams |
Halloumi, cheese grated |
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4 |
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Eggs |
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2 |
Sheets |
Puff Pastry (thawed) |
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1/4 |
Cup |
Olive Oil |
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2 |
Cups |
Chives, finely cut |
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1 |
Cup |
Parsley, finely cut |
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1 |
Small |
Onion, finely chopped |
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1 - 2 |
Cloves |
Garlic, finely chopped |
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1 |
Tbsp |
Fresh oregano and thyme or ½ tsp dried oregano and thyme |
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Salt and freshly ground black pepper |
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½ |
Tsp |
Sweet paprika |
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½ |
Tsp |
Cumin |
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1 |
Tbsp |
Sesame seeds for sprinkling on top |
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Directions: |
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1. |
Wash and cut the peppers julienne. |
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2. |
In a sautéing pan heat 3 tablespoons olive oil and sauté the onion and garlic, for 1 – 2 minutes, then add chives, fresh oregano and thyme, as well as the bell peppers and sauté for 5 – 10 minutes until soft. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. . |
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3. |
In a bowl mix all cheeses, eggs, spices and parsley. Mix in the peppers. |
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4. |
Brush a baking tin with olive oil and spread one puff pastry sheet. Add the filling on top and the second pastry sheet on top. Brush with olive oil and carve with a sharp knife into the amount of pieces you wish. Sprinkle some sesame seeds on top. |
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5. |
Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C until golden brown. |
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I am also sending this recipe to Konstantina, of Ehei Gousto, for her event Red Hot Chili Peppers, as any kinds of peppers and colours are acceptable. Konstantina, who is Greek, has a beautiful blog with lovely recipes and is blogging in Italian and Greek although she lives in Germany. So what are you waiting, go and check her out.
Tags: Bell Peppers, Food events, Greek cheese, Greek Herbs, made with phyllo, phyllo, pies, Savory Pies
I am on a cherry kick right now and try to make some desserts while there are cherries. I just made my first cherry compote and look at it, I just love that deep burgundy color of cherries.
So what’s the difference between spoon sweets or fruit spreads? To begin with spoon sweets are whole fruit preserved in a thick syrup and of course jams are mashed fruit preserved with sugar.
Compote is whole fruit which is cooked in a sugar syrup and due to its lower sugar content, its shelf life is substantially shorter than jams or spoon sweets. It can be served either warm or cold in fruit bowls with ice cream and whipped cream or Greek yoghurt or used as a base to make a lot of other desserts such as ice creams or mousse. Perfect on crepes or pancakes for breakfast.
The preparation is just like cherry spoon sweet but here the whole procedure is much simpler. You just pit the cherries, boil, remove froth and simmer for a shorter time. It can be flavoured with a liqueurs or with spices such as cinnamon and cloves etc. and voila, it is ready in no time.
Cherry compote – Recipe by Ivy
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Yields: 1 kilo compote
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Ingredients: |
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1 |
kilo |
Cherries, pitted |
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2 |
Cups |
Sugar |
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1 |
Cup |
Cherry Syrup (from spoon sweet) |
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1 |
Tbsp |
Cherry brandy (optional, since the spoon sweet syrup is already flavoured). |
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or |
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1 |
Kilo |
Cherries, Pitted |
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3 |
Cups |
Sugar |
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1 |
Cup |
Water |
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2 |
Tbsp |
Cherry brandy (or other liqueur) |
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1 |
Tsp |
Vanilla essence |
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Directions: |
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1. |
Wash cherries and drain and then remove pits. |
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2. |
Add all ingredients, except the liqueur, in a saucepan and bring to a boil. When foam starts to form, remove with a slotted ladle. |
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3. |
When foam is removed, lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add liqueur and mix. |
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4. |
Allow to cool and store in the refrigerator. |
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I have prepared a few desserts containing the cherry compote so until I post it here is one of them. Can you guess what it is?
I made this quick post now that everyone is having a nap, to thank you all for visiting my blog and I am sorry I haven’t been visiting you. Hope to visit you soon.
Tags: Cherries, Compotes, Jams and preserves
