Appetiser with Prosciutto and Rocket Salad

I love prosciutto and I consider myself lucky as it is also one of my aunt's favourite ingredients for appetisers! What I also like is that she meets my daring side by being willing to experiment and try different taste combinations. This time she suggested with serve the prosciutto with rocket leaves. This appetiser is very simple to make, very delicious and it can be served with both beer and wine.

Tip: It's a bit salty so if you are not a fan of salty tastes I suggest you use a milder cheese or no cheese.

Ingredients:

16 slices of prosciutto
250 gr rocket leaves
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp grated parmesan
1/2 tbsp dijon mustard

In a bowl we mix the liquid ingredients with the mustard and we stir well. Add the cheese and keep stirring until we get a consistent mixture. We wash and add the rocket leaves.

Take 2 tsp of our mixture and place it on one end of the prosciutto slice. We roll it and pin it with a toothpick.

Repeat the process for all the slices.

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Chocolate Parfait Ice Cream a Recipe by Michele Volonaki ~ Παγωτό Παρφέ Σοκολάτα

Once you make home made ice cream and you realize how easy it is you suddenly stop being satisfied by what you find in the market and you end up trying to make different types and flavors  I have to admit that once more I set myself a challenge and decided to make Chocolate Parfait Ice Cream. The recipe is a bit more complicated but the result is definitely more sophisticated. I have realized that parfait is not a well known type of ice cream in the UK, so I had to explain it to my friends that tried it.
According to Wikipedia
"A parfait contains enough fat, sugar, alcohol and/or to a lesser extent air to allow it to be made by stirring infrequently while freezing, making it possible to create in a home kitchen without specialist equipment. The fat, sugar, alcohol or air interferes with the formation of water crystals, which would otherwise give the ice cream an uncomfortable texture in the mouth. The formation of ice crystals is managed in the making of regular ice cream by agitating the ice cream constantly while it freezes or chemically by adding glycerol. Neither should be necessary when making a high-quality parfait."

Despite the fact that they make it sound easier than the normal ice cream recipe as far as the freezing is concerned the baking process is actually more challenging.

This specific recipe is from a famous in Greece baker. Her name is Michele Volonaki and she is a French lady that got married to a Greek. Apart from her well known TV series she has written a few baking books as well as marketed a line of desserts both in stores and a bakery chain in Greece.
My aunt had the honor of meeting Michele Volonaki a few months ago and as they got to know each other my aunt showed her my blog. Michele Volonaki liked this blog and gave me permission to bake and publish her recipes. I was very excited with the feedback I got and I decided to start by trying her Chocolate Parfait Ice Cream recipe. I have to admit that the texture, sweetness and balance of chocolate in this recipe are amazing! Every single person that tried the ice cream commented on all of the above. What impressed them was that despite the fact that it is a creamy and velvety ice cream the taste of the chocolate stays strong in your mouth.

I definitely recommend it!

Ingredients:
5 eggs
250g sugar (200g + 50g)
250g milk
400g dark chocolate
750g double cream

In a mixer we beat 200g of sugar with the eggs until the mixture doubles and becomes light white. In a pan we boil the milk with 50g of sugar. We mix the egg mixture with the boiled milk in a heatproof pan or bowl that also has a handle. In another pan we boil water until it reaches the temperature of 70°. We place the heatproof pan in the boiling water being careful to keep the heatproof pan floating and not to let the bottoms of the pans touch each other. In baking this way of cooking is called bain–marie We let the egg mixture cook well and then removing it we place it in the mixer and beat it until it cools down.
In a bain-marie we melt the dark chocolate and we add 350g of it in our mixture. We then beat the final ingredient of our ice cream, the double cream, in the high speed of the mixer until it turns into whipped cream and add it in the ice cream mixture.

In a container we spoon half of the ice cream. We then pour the remaining 50g of the chocolate on top of it and finally spoon the rest of the ice cream on top. The dark chocolate will harden in the freezer giving the feel of real chocolate when eaten.

To make it more exciting when we spoon it in the container we can sprinkle nuts, glazed fruits or syrup! Enjoy and as always use your imagination while making it!

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Refreshing and Light Pavlova

Weather is getting warmer and sunnier and is setting the mood for BBQs! Best way to finish off a good BBQ is with a light, fruity and refreshing dessert. Pavlova not only tastes good but with all the berries and strawberries looks like a summer basket on your table.
I always thought that pavlova is a Russian dessert but my friend told me yesterday that it's indeed named after a Russian ballet dancer but was first made in Australia and New Zealand after the dancer's tour there.
I looked into many recipes and adapted them to make it as light and natural I could.

Hint: The only issue for me was that the meringue broke. It is normal but if I had decided on the dessert long before I could have avoided it. The trick is to separate and leave the egg whites in the fridge for two or three days before you make the dessert.

Ingredients:

7 egg whites
325g caster sugar
1/4tsp salt
1/4tsp vanilla essence

650g strawberries and other berries
300 ml double cream
250ml yogurt
2 tbsp sugar
1/2tsp vanilla essence

We preheat the oven at 150°.
Beat the egg whites on high speed until they become a fluffy and full of volume meringue. We turn the mixer down to medium speed and we start adding the salt and little by little the sugar. When it is all in we turn the mixer up on high speed, we add the vanilla essence and we continue beating for 5-6 minutes and until the meringue becomes glossy. Be careful to not let the meringue loose its volume and get all flat.

We spoon half of the meringue on a baking tray that we have covered with baking paper and form a round circle of about 3 fingers tall. Repeat the process for the other half on a separate baking tray. Keeping in mind that the meringue will rise and expand we can adjust the extent to which we spread according to the serving plate we want to use.
Bake for 1 hour and until it has risen and is slightly golden.

When we remove it from the oven we make the creme. Beat the double cream on a high speed and when it becomes thick add the yogurt. Keep beating and add the sugar and vanilla essence. When it is well combined the cream is ready.

We wash the fruit and cut 1/4 in halves and quarters. Placing one of the meringues on the serving plate we spoon 1/3 of the cream and add the halves and quarters of the fruit. We place the second meringue on top and pour the remaining cream. Decorate with the remaining whole fruit and enjoy!

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