Quasi Apple Clafutis

Turning on the oven this season may lead to quite sweaty baking sessions, it's a fact. But what if your sweet sweet love is back from chicago and you just want to tell him how much you missed him? he's a huge supporter of your cooking experiments, and that's another fact. and he's very handsome, by the way.

Therefore, let's talk about baking apples. How do you describe a clafoutis? Mh, let me see... it's creamy like a pudding, it involves fresh fruit and quite a few eggs. Whether you go the traditional way, cherries and less sugar, or prefer my sweeter version, it's the quality and taste of fruit that comes first and wins you over here. Good luck with your summer baking sessions!

Apple Milk Mattonella

Slice 4 big apples or 3 apples and one banana (yeah, the round darker spots in the picture are bananas, which fit quite well and add some extra creaminess), add some lemon juice and set aside. You can add few drops of vanilla essence, rhum, grappa, whatever you think it will bring up the flavors. Prepare the clafoutis by mixing together 4 eggs, 100gr sugar, 180gr flour, the zest of one lemon, and 500ml of milk. That's it. Now stir the fruit in the mixture and bake in a rectangular pan: one hour 220 degrees.

Cozy Apples

Upside-down Apple Muffins
(as i feel right now)

cut two apples in little dice and cook them with 40gr of butter, two spoons of brown sugar and the juice of one lemon until the liquid is reduced to a glaze (5 min). divide the apples upon muffin cups (around 10). mix together 3/4cup of flour, 1/2cup of buckwheat (or cornmeal), 1/3cup of caster sugar, baking powder and a pinch of salt. add 50gr of butter, one egg and 3/4cup of milk. whisk until combined. divide the batter among the muffin cups and bake in preheated oven at 180 degrees for 20 min. serve upside-down :)

Blueberries Are A Girl's Best Friend

i had the occasion to show my deep love for fresh blueberries here, with what i still consider The Best Blueberry Cake. on the other hand, i thought these little black pearls deserved to be mentioned once more... and there was no better occasion than this creamy and cinnamony precious blueberry love. it's perfect, i mean it.

the recipe can be found here, even though i made some major modifications such as using half of the butter (for the batter) and 125ml of cream instead of 80gr milk... which do make the difference. and i also used half caster and half white sugar. i'll just write the italian version, ok?

Torta ai Mirtilli

primo step: preparare la crosticina croccante finale, impastando velocemente con le mani 50gr di burro freddo, 40gr di farina, 60gr di zucchero di canna e un cucchiaino abbondante di cannella. il burro non si deve sciogliere completamente e l'impasto deve rimanere bello sabbioso. secondo step: ora preparare l'impasto sbattendo con il mixer 30gr di burro morbido e 100gr di zucchero (io ho fatto metà di canna e metà semolato). quando l'impasto è bello morbido, aggiungere un uovo e i semi di un baccello di vaniglia. ora aggiungere, alternando, 160gr di farina (e una bustina di lievito) e 120ml di panna. continuare con lo sbattitore elettrico fino a che l'impasto non risulta perfettamente amalgamato. terzo step: comporre la torta versando l'impasto in una tortiera. coprire con uno strato di mirtilli freschi (250gr) e concludere con l'impasto di burro e farina. cuocere in forno a 180 gradi per 45 minuti.

Very Pumpkin Muffins

i still don't know what went wrong and made them turn out so incredibly good! the fact is, they were not supposed to be muffins, since i followed this pumpkin whoopie pies recipe, and they're actually too sugary and buttery to be the kind of muffin i seek for. but definitely sugary and buttery enough to love them, whatever they are :)
i'm just reporting the italian translation of the recipe, identical to the english version link

Muffin Molto alla Zucca

lavorare 220gr di burro con 400gr di zucchero fino a che lo zucchero non inizia a sciogliersi. aggiungere 2 uova (una alla volta), i semi di una stecca di vaniglia e 400gr di purè di zucca. aggiungere gli ingredienti secchi: 380gr di farina, lievito, bicarbonato, zenzero secco, cannella in polvere, chiodi di garofano in polvere, un pizzico di sale. cuocere in forno preriscaldato a 180gradi per 10-12 minuti.

Lazy Holiday Bread

a bread for those cozy days when the last thing you want is taking off your pijama to go out. a bread for those who stay at home to study and couldn't think of a better way to spend their day. baking and studying, happily ever after...

Pane Pigro
(makes around 12 soft breadsticks)

sciogliere una bustina di lievito secco in 200gr di acqua e due cucchiaini di zucchero. aggiungere 400gr di farina e impastare. quando la farina è quasi tutta assorbita aggiungere un cucchiaino di sale. il sale impedisce al lievito di attivarsi, è importante quindi non farli entrare in diretto contatto (MAI aggiungere sale all'acqua dove avete sciolto il lievito!). continuare e impastare fino ad ottenere una palla omogenea e lasciare a riposare per un'ora e mezza. prendere un po' di pasta alla volta e dare al pane la forma di grissini ciccioni. lasciare a riposare su una teglia da forno per un'altra ora. infornare a 220 gradi per 10 minuti, fino a che la superficie inizia a dorarsi.

Lazy Bread

melt 2ogr of dried yeast in 200gr of water and two little spoons of sugar. add 400gr of flour and start kneading. when the water is almost absorbed, add one spoon of salt. since the salt prevents yeast from activating, you should be careful not to put the two in direct contact (do not add the salt directly to the water!). knead until you obtain a elastic and soft dough. let it rest for one hour and a half. now take single pieces of dough (each of them the size of an egg) and make some "fatty" breadsticks. let them rest for another hour on a baking tin and then bake in the oven for 10 minutes (until golden) at 220degrees.

The Softest Lemon Muffins

every time a post a recipe of soup, the weather is bright and sunny the day after. winter does not like the meals i prepare for the season. well, not so bad, actually.
let's make some soft and yellow little cakes, then... to scare the winter away :)

Ricotta and Lemon Cakes
(makes 12)

whisk one egg with 150gr of sugar until it melts. then stir in 150gr of ricotta cheese, 120gr of melted butter (i usually put 50gr), one lemon zest, one lemon juice and two drops of almond essence. well mix and finally add 200gr of sifted flour with the baking powder. bake in pre-heated oven 200degrees for 15 minutes, until golden.
for the icing (optional): melt 100gr of icing sugar with one/two spoons of lemon juice.
decorate with candied lemon peels

ecco l'ennesima ricetta tratta dal Cavoletto! ecco, insomma, non si puo' proprio dire che non le sia fedele ;) è che le ricette di Sigrid non solo hanno la garanzia di stupire al primo colpo, sono anche semplici da realizzare e riadattabili alle piu' diverse situazioni/ingredienti in stand-by nel tuo frigo. il link della ricetta in italiano è qui. li ho rifatti piu' e piu' volte, specialmente nella mia fase muffins-sperimentale di qualche mesetto fa, a volte usando lo yogurt greco al posto della ricotta, a volte l'olio al posto del burro. e allora grazie Cavoletto, perchè questa è decisamente una delle mie prime ricette di successo, di quelle che hanno contribuito alla mia crescita culinaria :)

The British Parenthesis: Sesame&Cinnamon Scones + Peach&Amaretti Jam

i dreamed of sandy thomas last night. i dreamed of her being part of a panel of japanese jazz music (...) and sitting on the stage, and of me standing up and simply telling her i don't give a damn about her telling me how to sit on my chair. mh, i'm afraid i still have to figure out some years of my past to solve my application-phobia before searching for an intership.
but anyway, that's not the point. the point is i made something very british today. and i'm sorry if you don't know who sandy thomas is. actually, you're lucky.

Peach and Amaretti Jam

i'm sorry, i made the jam a few months ago and i do not remember how many peaches you need to make 1lt of jam. i guess that would be around 1kg of peaches, 200gr of smashed amaretti and 500gr of sugar. let the jam cook and boil and cook for 30 minutes or more.
how to check if your jam is ready: drop one spoon on a cold plate, let cool and check for right consistency.
how to preserve in the jars: first thing is sterilising your jars. i wash them carefully and then sterilize them in the oven (110 degrees) for 30 min, with their tops just leaned. i pour the jam in them when they're still hot, then be careful that the top of your vase is well cleaned. close the jar and let it cool upside down, to prevent air from entering.

Cinnamon and Sesame Scones

knead 250gr of flour with 60gr of cold butter until you get a sandy mixture. then add 2 tablespoons of honey, one egg, cinnamon and sesame seeds as much as you like, and 100ml of cream. with the dough make some little balls and press a bit. bake in preheated oven 180degrees for 20 minutes.

-> ITALIAN VERSION AS SOON AS I COME BACK FROM SICILY!!!

More on Rice Flour: Cookies!

sexynerd is going to be mad at me when he sees this picture :) i'll go straight to the recipe, busybusy week, remember??

RiceFlour Cookies

knead 250gr of rice flour and 150gr of flour with 250gr of butter. then add 150gr of sugar, one egg and one yolk, vanilla flavoring, lemon zest, 2 spoons of orange liquor, a pinch of salt. now trasfer the batter (which should be very soft) in a pastry bag and let it rest in the fridge for 15 min. in the meantime, preheat the oven 180 degrees. using the pastry bag, create different snake-shapes for your cookies and bake for 15 min.

Frollini di Farina di Riso
(da Cucina Moderna Oro - crostate e biscotti)

impastare 250gr di farina di riso e 150gr di farina 00 con 250gr di burro morbido a pezzetti. aggiungere 150gr di zucchero, la scorza di un limone grattuggiata, una bustina di vanillina, 1 tuorlo e un uovo, due cucchiai di liquore all'arancia (io ho usato invece l'amaretto) e un pizzico di sale. trasferite il composto (molto morbido) in una tasca da pasticciere e fatelo riposare in frigo per 15 minuti. nel frattempo preriscaldate il forno a 180 gradi. con la tasca da pasticciere formate dei serpentelli dalla forma che preferite e cuocete in forno per 15 minuti. decorate con zucchero a velo.

Today's World Bread Day - My Soft Butter Bread

apparently, everyone is making bread in the blogsphere today. i read so many interesting bread recipes and now i just can't wait for the weekend to try at least a couple of them!

in the meanwhile, i though i could write my bread recipe, for some cute and soft little breads that make you smile right before yum them :) those in the picture have raisins, since i planned to eat them with butter and smoked salmon for a healthy fast food dinner.

Little Soft Breads

first phase: let 20gr of fresh yeast dissolve in 120gr of water. let it rest for 10 minutes, then add 200gr of white flour and knead. let the dough rest for one hour and a half, until doubled.
second phase: now add 300gr of flour, 30gr of butter at room temperature, 10gr of salt and 10gr of sugar, one dl of milk and one yolk. knead well for at least 15 minutes and let the dough rest for another hour.
third phase: have fun inventing shapes for your breads and bake in the oven 180degrees for around 20 minutes... check them since the baking time depends on the size and the shapes of your breads. you can brush your breads with a beaten yolk before baking, to embellish your little cute creations :)

Pineapple Saturday #1: I Heart Pineapple Cake

i got a beautiful pineapple from giulia last week, and i spent some time thinking about what to do with it... the result is these three exotic fruity posts :)

I Heart Pineapple Breakfast Cake
(please notice the little heart in the centre)

wisk three eggs with 150gr of cane sugar. add the seeds of a vanilla beam, 75gr of olive oil (i discovered olive oil in cakes and i just can't help it any more!) and two slices of fresh pineapple (cut in pieces, of course). at last add 250gr of flour and the baking powder. grease the baking tin with oil and put some pineapple decoration at the bottom of it (as in the picture). cover the pineapple with sugar, so that it will caramelize in the oven. add the batter and bake 180degrees for 50 minutes.

the result is a moist soft cozy cake, slurp

Versatile and Quick Yogurt Muffins

another versatile recipe you can adapt according to your mood. no butter but olive oil, which gives a different thickness and more bubbles than butter; and an aromatic scent, too. what else? yes, it's a quick recipe, too.
i made pear&chocolate sweet treats for my greedy probability group, for one of our working-evenings! and they enjoyed it :)

Quick Yogurt Muffins
(makes 12)

whisk one large egg and add one vase of flavored yogurt (see note below). clean the vase and use it as a measuring cup for the rest of the recipe. add one and a half vase of sugar and whisk well, until it is melted in the liquids. add half vase of olive oil (or other seeds oil, depending on the flavor you are searching for) and mix well again. at this point, i added 50gr of chocolate drops and a sliced pear (you can go for vanilla, lemon zest, etc). add 3 vases of flour (i also added 4 tablespoons of bitter cocoa). drop one spoon of dough in each muffin case and bake 180degrees for 20 minutes.

note on yogurt: change the flavor of yogurt according to the rest of the ingredients. try to use light colour yogurts, such as coconut or vanilla or cereals, to give your muffins a better coloration.

Dedicated to coffee-lovers: mocha coffee coffee cake

i already wrote about how i love breakfasts, but i probably omitted how many times coffee in the morning saved my day!
i took this recipe from what i think is the best baking blog in the blogosphere, i could spend entire days on joy's recipes and mouthwatering pictures. oops, actually, i did...
i will not post the recipe of this cake, since you can find it in english here. i just wanted to share the results of my bake... do you notice anything weird? eheh this cake is actually a three flavors cake (vanilla, chocolate and coffee) with vertical layers :)
so, yes, it is a funny cake, too... and it has cream in it. as you know, i love cream!

And from the archive... Blueberry Muffins

here they are... what can i say about blueberry muffins that was not said in history! they are a classic, and you know you will never get it wrong with a classic. sometimes i bake them just for their perfume; and they are a good gift for your boss, too :)

i think this recipe is one of those you should frame and keep with yourself forever; this is what i will do. cream, vanilla and blueberries. i'm in love!

Blueberry Muffins
(makes 15)

whisk 120gr of butter at room temperature with 100gr of white caster sugar until the butter becomes of a lighter colour. in another bowl, wisk 1 big egg (or 2 small) with 1,5dl of cream, vanilla seeds and a pinch of salt. add to the butter bowl. add 250gr of flour and the baking powder. mix until creamy, and then add 150gr of blueberries. bake in the oven 180degrees for 20 minutes, or until golden.

oh, my, they're so soft and comfy and fragrant...

Vintage Carrot Muffins

my favourite meal of the day is, undoubtedly, breakfast. i just feel confortable with my cup of green tea and some fresh muffins while reading the news of the day.
these muffins are just perfect to help you wake up from the night sleep, their delicate taste is a pleasant feeling. carrots and almonds are a consolidated couple, and give me some sense of 80s vintage childhood, as i'm getting ready to wear my blue pinafore and go to elementary school again! so thanks to La Dolcetteria for the morning treat!

Vintage Carrot Muffins
(makes 15)

beat 2 eggs with 190gr of sugar. add 80gr of minced almonds, 200gr of grated carrots, the vanilla extract, 80gr of olive oil and 3 tablespoons of milk. when mixed, add 230gr of flour and baking powder. fill the muffins liners for 2/3 and bake in the oven at 180degrees for 20 minutes.

'cause Geeks know how to treat themselves - Blueberry cake, Pierre Herme's inspired

geeks are a very lucky category. they can develop real passions and love what they do.

personally, i love baking and statistics, and i wake up every day thinking that there's a probability assignment waiting to be solved, and a fantastic (just baked by me) cake waiting to be eaten :)
yes, i am a happy person. and everyone can be happy, too, at the moment when they realize they have the right to choose. you can choose the music that makes you feel relaxed and listen to it for 4 minutes a day; you can go back to study and finally read that history book on the train while coming from work; you can learn more about your colleagues and maybe one day you will listen to them and help them; you can attend a gym course and love your body again. so you see, even if there is no way to radically change your life and become the astronaut you dreamed about when you were a kid, you can still find your passions and become a geek in your everyday life, even for just 5 minutes/day.

Blueberry, Lemon and Olive Oil Cake

Preheat the oven at 180 degrees. Sift 250gr of flour and the baking powder together, set aside. In the mixer, mix the zest of 2 lemons with 200gr of sugar and add 4 eggs, one at a time. Add 3 tablespoons of milk, the flour, the juice of half lemon, 100gr of melted butter, 185gr of olive oil and continue mixing until nice and smooth.
Now put half of the batter in the cake tin, and cover with 200gr of blueberries. Cover with the rest of the batter and bake for 35-40 minutes.

the secret of this cake lies in first quality ingredients: living next to italy, i can find very good quality olive oil at an accessible price. and thanks to my father, i can use and taste wild blueberries from the alps :)

My Breakfast Cookies

this lovely oat and sultana cookies are what i'm going to have for breakfast tomorrow, together with melon&ginger jam made last weekend (recipe will be posted soon).
the picture is not the best photo taken in history, but [it is very dark in my kitchen in the night and i had to use a flash. better picture will be uploaded tomorrow morning ;)] DONE!
the three main ingredients of these cookies, oat, sultana and vanilla get along very well together: oat and sultana tickle your teeth in a funny way, while vanilla and sultana flavors are softened by oat and form an interesting and fragrant combination.
The recipe was inspired by my personal cooking-bible-cavoletto.

Oat, sultana and vanilla cookies

100gr white sugar
80gr cane sugar
2 eggs
1oogr melted butter
1 vanilla beam
200gr flour
baking powder
a pinch of salt
50gr sultana
180gr oat

mix the 2 kinds of sugar together with the eggs until the sugar melts. then add the melted butter, the seeds of the vanilla beam, the flour, the baking powder and a pinch of salt. when the dough is well mixed, add the sultana and the oat. make the cookies by slightly flattening a spoon of dough for each cookie. bake for 15 minutes in pre-heated oven at 180degrees.

i forgot to say i will take them with me for lunch as well ;)