Easter Food Styling

The recipe for the Tzatziki can be found here

Easter is a few weeks away in Greece and all of my mum's salad decorations are with the Easter theme.
I will be adding more ideas as she will be making and sending them to me. I know the photos will be coming regularly as she loves hosting dinner parties for friends and her decorated salads are always featured on the table!



The recipe of the Greek Aubergine / Eggplant Salad can be found here

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Lemon Meringue Cupcakes ~ Cupcake με Λεμόνι και Μαρέγκα

One of my favourite ingredients is lemon! I have been craving lemon cupcakes for a while and knowing that my family will want to take advantage of my Baking skills I decided to wait and bake them when I would be in Greece.
Due to my love and trust in Hummingbird Bakery recipes I decided to look up for their version of lemon cupcakes. After searching when I saw the word meringue on the title I panicked as I know how high the chances for meringue failure are.  As I was going through the recipe I felt I was being asked to accept a bigger challenge since some of the details seemed wrong. I had to double and triple check online for meringue recipes and I realised that all of them were identical. The following recipe is the mixture of the recipes I looked into and I highly recommend it!

Ingredients :

For the cupcakes:
75gr unsalted butter
270gr sugar
250gr flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp Vanilla essence
Zest from 2 lemons
2 large eggs
250ml milk
Lemon curd

For the meringue:
100gr caster sugar
2 egg whites

We beat the butter and the sugar until we get a fluffy mixture. We add the eggs one by one and we continue beating in the mixer on high speed for about 5 minutes.
In a separate bowl we mix the flour, baking powder and salt.
We add into the butter mixture one quarter of the flour mixture and one quarter of the milk. We continue beating until all the ingredients mix well. We repeat the process for every quarter of flour mixture and milk. Finally we add the lemon Zest dn vanilla essence.
We pour the mixture in the muffin trays after we have laid cupcake cups.

We preheat the oven at 180 C and we bake for about 20-25 minutes or until golden.

Now onto the scary part. While the cupcakes are in the oven we prepare the meringue. We beat the eggs in the mixer on high speed until they turn into a solid meringue former. The mixer bowl we will use has to be clean and completely dry.
We pour the caster sugar in a separate pan and we just about cover it with water. We bring the mixture to boil and when it starts to thicken, being careful not to overboil it and let it get a brown colour as that will make it turn bitter, we switch on the mixer on high speed and as it is boiling hot we pour the caramel into the beaten egg whites. We continue beating until the mixture starts to cool down.

We remove the cupcakes from the oven and wait until they cool down. With a spoon we create a small hole on the top of the cupcake and we fill with 1/2tsp lemon curd. At the end we decorate with the meringue. Once decorated we place the cupcakes on the highest rack of the oven and having turned on the grill on maximum we wait until the top gets burned a bit and then we remove from the oven.

Our cupcakes are ready to enjoy!

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Light Olive Bread with Orange Juice ~ Νηστίσιμο Ελιόψωμο με ΧυμόΠορτοκαλιού

Another characteristic of Greek food culture is the great variety in vegetarian dishes due to long fasting periods within Greek orthodox culture. The ingredients that are allowed within fasting periods are very specific and exactly because Greeks are great lovers of good food many alternative recipes exist to substitute basic Greek food craves.

Right now we are going through the 40 days of orthodox lent and with my aunt we decided to try an Olive Bread recipe my aunt saw in a cooking show. I was surprised to see that with 3 simple ingredients for the dough and 3 simple ingredients for the filling you can get a full of taste lighter result that can very well substitute the common to all Olive Bread. I would recommend the recipe not only to those that are fasting but also to those that are either dieting or are not great fans of bread.

Ingredients
For the dough:
1 cup good quality olive oil
1 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 kg wholemeal flour
For the filling:
200gr olives
200gr onion
15gr fresh mint

In a bowl we mix the olive oil, orange juice and we slowly start to add the flour while we continue to mix. We add as much flour to create a workable dough. We leave the dough to rest in the fridge for an hour.

We chop the olives, onions and mint and mix them.

We divide the dough in three parts. On baking paper we work the dough into a 4mm rectangular shape. We divide the filling into three parts. With a spoon we spread one third of the mixture on the rectangular dough. With the help of the baking paper we roll the dough.

We oil a baking tray and after placing the Olive Breads we bake them in a 180 C preheated oven for an hour

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Salmon and Potato Tart

This is a recipe I have learned from my Aunt Eva. Ten years ago a habit started within the family that kept growing and has now been established as a family tradition. Every Wednesday the immediate family along with dear friends gather at my Aunt's and Uncle's house for ouzo and mezedes. The Ouzo Night started with the presence of my Aunt, Uncle, Parents and Sister and as the group started to slowly grow it can reach up to 25 people.
Feeding 12–25 people every Wednesday evening can be a bit of a challenge not only in relation to the amount of food but also to the variety and presentation of dishes.
From all the recipes and dishes that have been tried and tested the Salmon Tart has become on of the crowd's favourites. This week my Aunt suggested I make it so that I post it on my Baking and Cooking blog.
The recipe is very simple and the flavours of the different ingredients mix excellently giving a very light and refreshing dish.

Ingredients
4 medium potatoes
5 leaves of lettuce
1 spring onion
Some fresh dill
1 pack of Philadelphia cream cheese
6 slices of smoked salmon
Juice from one lemon
Zest from one lemon
Olive oil
Salt

We peel and boil the potatoes for about 10 minutes or until they are cooked without letting them get too soft. Drain them and with a fork smash them to get a puree. Do not use a food processor as the puree needs to have a rough consistency.
Cut the lettuce, dill and spring onions into small pieces and in a bowl mix them with oil, lemon juice and salt.
Place a medium sized springform pan on a plate and spread the potatoe puree as the first layer. Spread the lettuce mixture as the second layer and carefully spread the cream cheese as your third layer. Finally place evenly the salmon slices and decorated with some lettuce or dill. Sprinkle the lemon Zest on top.
Leave the Tart to cool for half an hour in the fridge. Before serving remove the springform carefully. If necessary use a knife to detach the Tart from the sides of the springform.

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Food Styling ~ Salads

For the Tzatziki recipe click here

Apart from the love towards well cooked food my Mum also taught me the huge role presentation plays for the appreciation of excellent cooking and baking skills. The love she puts in her cooking and baking, no matter how simple the dish is, is apparent before the first bite.
Since I was young she would decorate each of our meals with unique shapes, images and patterns using any ingredient she had available in the fridge and cupboards. Sometimes she would leave a sweet message through her food styling or would add a festive accent through the food styling to the table.

Her ideas are simple, easy to make and very impressive!

For the Greek Aubergine Salad recipe click here

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Kazandibi Recipe ~ Καζάν Ντιπί Συνταγή

Another favorite dessert is Kazandibi.
It is a traditional Turkish dessert that became popular in Northern Greece after the liberation of Greece from the ottoman Empire and the return of misplaced populations mainly in Thessaloniki.
http://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazandibi
It is a creamy dessert made from cornstarch and buffalo milk. It's very simple, refreshing and yet very tasty! The name means bottom of the pan as for this specific dessert you have to burn the bottom part of it.
There are a couple of variations in relation to the flavor. You can either make it with rosewater or Mastic. I prefer the one with the rosewater.
I have tried a couple of recipes but I was never happy with the outcome. For the following recipe I combined different elements and secrets I found in both Greek and Turkish websites.
I hope you try it out! It is very easy to make and so so tasty!
Ingredients:
1 litre Buffalo Milk
100 gr cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp rosewater
1/4 cup sugar
butter
sugar
Directions:
Grease the bottom of a 25x25 cm square pan with butter and sprinkle enough sugar. Place under the grill at 200 degrees Celsius. Cook until the sugar is caramelized.
Put it aside and in a bowl mix 250ml of the milk with the sugar, cornstarch, rosewater and vanilla essence until all the dry ingredients are well incorporated. Heat the 750 ml of the milk on medium heat and then add the mixture. Cook until it turns into a thick cream. Make sure you keep stirring to make sure you maintain the good consistency of the creme.
Once cooked set aside until it cools down. Preheat the oven on 180 degrees Celsius. Gently pour the creme in the pan making sure it doesn't get mixed with the caramelized sugar. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Once out of the oven let it cool. Cut the Kazandibi in square pieces and serve with the brown part on top.
http://kurkubinii.wix.com/kurkubini#!kazan-dibi/c1q83

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Pistachio and Chios Mastic Cupcakes - Φυστίκι Αιγίνης και Μαστίχα Χίου Cupcake

Cupcakes are one of my favourite sweet treats! I love the variety of the combinations and the flexibility they give you to customise them according to your taste and mood!

​In Greece cupcakes are not as famous due to the huge variety of traditional delicacies and desserts. I have tried to find cupcakes inspired by the Greek culture and Greek spices with no success. Thus I decided to experiment. The first attempt is with my favorite Greek dessert spice. Mastic http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mastic_(plant_resin). The taste is very particular and unfortunately can't be sustituted with any other spice. Fortunately even though it is only produced in Greece it can be found online

http://www.steenbergs.co.uk/product/1147/mastic-13g

​For the frosting I used the liqueur version which can also be odered online http://www.greekfoodshop.com/en/mastic-liqueur-homericon-500ml.html . The taste is the same so in the recipe I give both options.

In Greek desserts mastic is usually combined with pistachio thus in my first attempt I decided to combine the two.

​tip: keep your mastic crystals in the freezer. They are much easier to break and use

Cupcakes are one of my favourite sweet treats! I love the variety of the combinations and the flexibility they give you to customise them according to your taste and mood!

​In Greece cupcakes are not as famous due to the huge variety of traditional delicacies and desserts. I have tried to find cupcakes inspired by the Greek culture and Greek spices with no success. Thus I decided to experiment. The first attempt is with my favorite Greek dessert spice. Mastic http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mastic_(plant_resin). The taste is very particular and unfortunately can't be sustituted with any other spice. Fortunately even though it is only produced in Greece it can be found online

http://www.steenbergs.co.uk/product/1147/mastic-13g

​For the frosting I used the liqueur version which can also be odered online http://www.greekfoodshop.com/en/mastic-liqueur-homericon-500ml.html . The taste is the same so in the recipe I give both options.

​In Greek desserts mastic is usually combined with pistachio thus in my first attempt I decided to combine the two.

tip: keep your mastic crystals in the freezer. They are much easier to break and use

Ingredients:

120 gr all purpose flour 140 gr sugar
40 gr butter
130 ml milk
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp baking powder Vanilla essence pinch of salt 3-4 mastic crystals or 3 tbsp mastic liqueur
3 tbsp pistachios

​ For the frosting:​

370 gr icing sugar
110 gr butter
either 45 ml milk and 3 mastic crystals or 20 ml milk and 25 ml mastic liqueur
green food colouring
pistachios to decorate

Directions:

Preheat the oven in 170 C

​Mix in high speed the butter, egg and sugar for 5 minutes or until becomes a light yellow mixture.

In a bowl combine the flour with the salt and baking powder. Break the mastic crystals until they are in powder form and mix with the milk and vanilla essence. Add slowly slowly and in turns the flour mixture and the milk to the butter mixture. Keep mixing for 5-10 minutes. Cut the pistachios in small pieces and add in the mixture.

​In a cupcake baking cake divide the mixture in the cups and bake for around 20 minutes and until the cupcakes get a light brown colour.

While the cupcakes are in the oven prepare the frosting. Mix the butter with the icing sugar. In a bowl mix the milk with the mastic. Again break the crystals until they are in powder form. Add the milk to the mixture and beat until it becomes a fluffy frosting. Be careful not to over beat as the butter will start becoming too soft. At the end add a hint of green food colouring. Keep the frosting in the fridge until you use it.

Once the cupcakes are out of the oven let them cool. Once cool cover with the frosting. At the end break the pistachios and sprinkle the cupcakes.

recipe also available at: http://kurkubinii.wix.com/kurkubini#!pistachio-and-chios-mastic-cupcakes/c1auv

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Birthday Cake Recipes for Dear Friends - Rainbow Cake

The most special birthday present is a hand-baked birthday cake. I was looking for the most unexpected birthday cake recipe and I came across the rainbow cake by Martha Stewart http://www.marthastewart.com/256688/rainbow-cake

You can find plenty of nice ideas for birthday cake decorations and different flavors but I thought that a rainbow cake is a very nice surprise. My first rainbow cake was for a very dear and special friend of mine. We met at Uni and we became close like family! My first attempt as you can see from the photos above was not the best but it did the trick! The secret of the rainbow cake is to decorate it with white icing so that the rainbows pop out as a surprise after it is cut! Seeing the look on his face was very rewarding. The kids present at his birthday party loved it so much that their mother asked me to bake one for her daughter's birthday and pay me at least 50 pounds for it!

Here is the recipe :)

Ingredients

Vegetable shortening
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/3 cups sugar
5 large egg whites, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups milk, room temperature
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple gel food coloring

Lemony Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush six 9-inch-round cake pans (or as many 9-inch cake pans as you have, reusing them as necessary) with shortening. Line bottom of each cake pan with parchment paper; brush again and set aside.


2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar. Slowly add egg whites and mix until well combined. Add vanilla and mix until fully incorporated. Add flour mixture and milk in two alternating additions, beginning with the flour and ending with the milk. Mix until well combined.


3. Divide batter evenly between six medium bowls. Add enough of each color of food coloring to each bowl, whisking, until desired shade is reached. Transfer each color to an individual cake pan. Transfer to oven and bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean, about 15 minutes (working in batches if necessary).


4. Remove cakes from oven and transfer to a wire rack; let cool for 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto a wire rack; re-invert and let cool completely.


5. Using a serrated knife, trim tops of cakes to make level. Place four strips of parchment paper around perimeter of a serving plate or lazy Susan. Place the purple layer on the cake plate. Spread a scant 1 cup buttercream filling over the first layer with a small offset spatula so it extends just beyond edges. Repeat process with blue, green, yellow, and orange layers.


6. Place the remaining red layer on top, bottom-side up. Gently sweep away any loose crumbs with a pastry brush. Using an offset spatula, cover the top and sides with a thin layer of frosting (also use any of the excess frosting visible between the layers). Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.


7. Using an offset spatula, cover cake again with remaining frosting.

After my first attempt I realized that the secret of this recipe is in putting it in the fridge or freezer after adding every filling layer and letting it cool for half an hour. This way it manages to stay taller and maintain its nice shape.

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Perfect Crepe for a Perfect Morning ~ Recipe by Nigel Slater

image: http://jackpot-84.deviantart.com/art/Bigoudens-84317486

One of my favorite breakfast menus includes crepes. I have tried many recipes but all of them ended up a pancake/crepe hybrid. After extended research I have finally found a recipe for thin, moist and a bit crispy crepes. Nigel Slater seems to know his game and I will be forever grateful! http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2002/feb/24/foodanddrink.recipes

I know that most people prefer crepes with Nutella but my favorite sweet topping is lemon glazing. As for the savory I will have to go with feta, caramelized onions, tomato and olives!

I will definitely try his pancake recipe as well.

Makes about 12.

50g butter, plus more for cooking 
100g plain flour 
1 large egg 
1 large egg yolk 
350ml milk

Melt most of the butter in a small pan and leave it to cool slightly. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl with a good pinch of salt. Scoop a well in the centre of the flour, then drop in the egg and the egg yolk. You can beat them lightly first, but I'm not sure it makes much difference. Pour in the milk, whisking gently as you go, then whisk in the melted butter. Set the batter aside for about half an hour.

Melt some butter for frying. Heat an 18-20cm crepe pan and brush it with a little melted butter. Stir the batter - it should be the thickness of double cream - and pour 50-60ml into the pan. Working quickly, tilt the pan so that the batter runs all over the surface, making a neatish round. The base should be covered in batter, but not quite thin enough to see through.

Let the crepe cook for a minute or so until the underside is golden in patches and comes easily away from the pan. Lift one edge up with a palette knife and flip it gently over. The base should be cooked in 1 minute, maybe less - but it will only cook in patches, not as evenly as the first side. Tip it carefully on to a plate. Brush the pan with a little more melted butter and continue until you have used all the batter.

· For sweet pancakes, you can add 1 tbsp of caster sugar to the mixture and 2 tbsp of brandy. This will give a sweet, richer finish and is especially good for those who like their pancakes with cream or ice cream.


image: http://xibalbapiixan.deviantart.com/art/Ingredientes-para-crepes-206681202

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Apple crumble pie

These days the weather has been a bit gloomy and I was inclined for some cocooning and spending more time in the kitchen (other than heating frozen pies and pre-cooked meals What can I do, I do enjoy cooking, but efficiency and effectiveness come first :P).

Anyway, this is a very easy recipe to follow and I’m sure it’s going to be your favorite type of apple pie. The crumble part of the pie has a delicious texture and you can still taste the chunks of apple in your mouth. Miam!

Enjoy it devoted kurkubini readers!

For the crumble dough:

3 cups of white flour

1 cup white sugar

250g butter

1 egg

1 dose of baking powder

For the stuffing:

5-6 apples

Sugar (~half a cup)

Cinnamon

A handful of raisins

>>>>>>>>>>>

Mix the flour with the baking powder and the sugar. Put in the butter in little pieces, the egg and mix this so that it has a “crumble” texture.

Unpeel the apples and cut them into small slices. Sprinkle them with sugar, according to how sweet you want them to be. Sprinkle them with cinnamon and add the raisins.

Take a round baking pan and cover it with some butter. Put in half of the crumble dough, then the apples’ mixture and cover with the other half of the dough.

Bake in preheated oven for 40-50’ in 180 degrees Celsius.

Good luck!

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Jello Shots

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Christmas baking decorations!

 Snowmen and Holly Berries

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Cupcakes take II

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It's not Christmas...

... until you have baked and decorated the first cupcakes and cookies that you will give away along with the Christmas cards!

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