Home-made Chicken Pate with Garlic and Cognac

This recipe is so easy, you wouldn't believe your eyes... You can have a slice of piping hot bread in the morning covered in this luscious pate made by your own two hands... ;)

What you need: 

- 200-300 gr chicken liver ( preferably from chicken grown in a nice farm, all healthy and fed naturally)
- 6-7 garlic cloves cut in slices ( you can put more if you prefer a stronger garlic flavor)
- a few good splashes of good quality cognac
- aprox 100 gr butter
- salt and pepper to taste

How to make it:

1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Put the chicken liver onto an oven tray covered with baking paper in one single layer and put all over them the slices of garlic.

2. Put some salt and pepper all over the liver and then pour all over some splashes of cognac.

3. Put the tray in the oven for aprox. 20 minutes. Please make sure that when you take the liver out it is slightly dark pinkish in the middle, meaning not over done.

4. After you take it out of the oven, put the chicken liver with the garlic and its sauces in a food processor, add the butter and blend until it becomes a pate. Taste and add salt and pepper according to your preference...

This is it... This will not have the fake pink color the supermarket pate has and you'll know you don't eat plastic when eating it...:D Put some nicely in a sweet jar and offer it to your friends...  ;)  

Slutty Brownies

I didn't named these brownies but I baked them and I can say that they are soooooo decadent and rich that you will remember them... Try them, they will be the winner brownie of this year ;) 

You will need:

For the Brownie layer:

• 10 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cups white sugar
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
For the Oreo layer:
• 1 package of Oreo 
For the Cookie Dough layer:
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (at room temp)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups AP flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 
  
• For the Brownie layer:
• 
  
• In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the sugar and cocoa powder once the butter is melted. Whisk to combine and remove from heat. Add the salt, vanilla and eggs and continuously whisk until the eggs are combined. Add the flour and continue to mix. Set batter aside.
• 
  
• For the Cookie Dough layer:
• 
  
• Cream together the butter and sugars in a mixer. Add the eggs and vanilla, making sure to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl. Add the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder and mix on low until everything is incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips. Set dough aside.
• 
  
• Assembly:
• 1. Pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Rub the bottom of a 20 by 20 cm baking pan with some butter and cover with baking paper and then rub the baking paper with some more butter. 
• 2. Layer the cookie dough on the bottom of the baking pan, pressing down to form the bottom of the slutty brownies.
• 3. Layer as many oreos that will fit on top of the cookie dough. No need to overlap. One single layer will do. 
• 3. Pour the brownie batter on top of the oreo layer and make sure it's evenly layers on top.
• 4. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Test with a knife to see if the center is done. If the knife comes out clean, let the brownies rest before serving. If the knife comes out with batter still on it, allow the brownies to bake about 5 minutes more.
• 5. Serve with ice cream while is warm or rewarm the brownie in a microwave and serve again with ice cream   :)

Fluffy American Pancakes

Sorry, I am postponing to write this post for a few days now... I made a promise and didn't kept it... Time...time... Is running away and I feel sometimes I can't get enough of it...

Anyway, here it is, the recipe for fluffy american pancakes to make your week-end mornings a bliss ;)

What you need: 

- 135 gr flour ( I used black flour, but if you want white pancakes, use the white one)

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 2 tblsp sugar

- 130 ml milk, full fat please! :D

- 1 large egg, lightly beaten

- 2 tblsp melted butter ( cooled slightly) or olive oil, plus extra for cooking

How to make it:

1. Sift the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar in a large bowl. In a separate bowl or jug whisk lightly together the milk and egg, then whisk in the melted butter. 

2. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture ad, using a fork, beat in until you have a smooth batter. Any lumps will disappear. Let the batter stand for a few minutes. 

3. Heat a non-stick pan over a medium heat fire and add a knob of butter.  When is melted add a small ladle of batter. t will seem very thick, but this is how it should be. Wait until the top of the pancake begins to bubble and then turn the pancake over and cook until both sides are golden and the pancake has risen to about 1 cm thick. 

4. Repeat until you finish the batter. You can keep the pancakes warm in a low oven, but they taste the best when they are fresh directly from the pan. 

5. Serve with maple syrup, honey or jam...chocolate or whipping cream, fruits, ice cream etc, etc.... endless possibilities ;) 

Pesche Dolci ( Pesche con Crema)

This gorgeous little creations will wow your friends and make you feel like you are the best baker ever :)...And nobody will guess how easy they are to make! Ok, unless they read it on my blog ... hahaha.. :D

The recipe will give you about 24 halves of peach, which means 12 full peaches.

What you need: 

For the Pastry Cream:

- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 vanilla bean ( you can use instead the zest of a lemon, cut into a long strip)
- 4 large egg yolks
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup flour

For the Dough:

- 3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tblsp baking powder
- 3 large egss
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup full fat milk
- 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
- grated zest of one lemon

For Assembling the Peaches:

- 1/2 cup light rum or 6 tblsp Italian maraschino liqueur
- 2 tblsp peach shnapps
- red and yellow food colouring
- 1 cup fine sugar, more if needed
- fresh leaves of clementines or peaches, if in season to decorate

How to make it: 

1. First make the pastry cream: In a large pan bring the milk to a boil together with the split vanilla bean ( take the seeds out and put them into the milk as well) or with the strip of the lemon zest. In the meanwhile, whisk the eggs and sugar together until thick and yellow. Add the flour and whisk until incorporated.

2. Take the vanilla pod out of the milk and slowly whisk the egg mixture into the milk. Put the pan back onto the fire and keep it on while mixing until it gets thick. Put the cream aside and let it cool to room temperature covered with a stretch film so it doesn't get a crust.

3. To make the dough: In a large bowl whisk together the flour and baking powder. In another bowl whisk the eggs and add the sugar and whisk until combined. Whisk in milk, melted butter and grated zest of lemon. Gradually add the flour mixture and mix with a fork until the dough becomes smooth and stiff. Let teh dough rest for about 5 minutes.

5. Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius and line two oven trays with baking paper and put aside.

6. Using a tablespoon take pieces of the dough and roll between your palms and put the balls on the prepared trays. They should be about the size of a walnut. Leave about 2 cm in between each ball. You should be careful that all balls are sort of uniform in size. Then, when you finished making balls out of the whole dough, flatten the balls slightly with your palm.

7. Transfer the trays to the oven and bake for about 15 minutes. It shouldn't brown on top.

8. Assembling the peaches: While the cookies are still warm, take a sharp knife and cut a circle on the bottom ( flat part) of the cookie. Use the tip of the knife to scrape out enough crumbs from inside the cookie to make a small hole.

9. Place rum or maraschino liqueur in a small bowl and add the peach shnapps. Add the red and yellow colouring according to your taste, but try it first on a peach. Don't make a too strong colour from the beggining.

10. Fill the holes of the cookies with the pastry cream and stick the halves together. Lay them on a tray, tucked into one another so they hold each other and they stay together. Be careful not to crack any of the cookies while filling them up.

11. With a pastry brush, brush the peaches with the coloured liqueur all over the sides. If the colour looks too pale, you can add more food colouring, but keep in mind that the colour will intensify slightly over time.

12. After you brush the peaches with the coloured liqueur, roll each peach in the fine sugar.

13. Transfer the peaches to an air-tight container and keep in the fridge over night. They taste better about two days after they are made ;)

14. When serving them, decorate them with a fresh clementine leaf or peach leaf to make them look real...

Enjoy the wows :D

Cream Cheese Pithivers

These are some lovely little pastries. They don't contain any meat, but, if you wish, you can add some crsipy pancetta cubes to the filling.
They are easy to make and yummy to eat and if you wish you can double or triple the recipe, prepare them until the very last step and wrap them in cling film and freeze them up to 3 months. When you feel like having some pithivers, just take them out of the freezer, brush them with beaten egg and bake them for about 40 minutes until golden brown.

What you need:

- 2 tblsp olive oil
- 1 small leek, finely sliced
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 200 gr frozen peas
- 140 gr carrots, cut into 1 cm chunks
- a small bunch of parsley or chives
- 3 spring onions ( green), finely chopped
- 280 gr cream cheese
- 50 gr Gruyere cheese, grated
- 500 gr pack store bought puff pastry
- 1 egg, beaten
- green salad, to serve ( optional)

How to make it:

1. Heat the oil in a pan, add the leek and onions and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add the peas and carrots and cook until tender, about another 10 minutes. Spoon the mixture in a bowl and leave to cool. Mix the parsley or chives , cream cheese and the grated Gruyere cheese and add salt and pepper to taste.

2. Heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Roll out the puff pastry as thinly as possible and then cut 4 x 15 cm circles and 4 x 16 cm circles. You may need to re-roll the pastry twice, but you should get 8 circles and some left overs.

3. Put the 15 cm circles on a baking tray covered with baking paper. Spoon 2 tblsp of the filling in the middle of the circle, leaving a margin of about 1 cm around the edge. Using a pastry brush, paint the margins with some beaten egg and then lay the bigger circles on top and press to seal.

4. Brush the pithivers with the rest of the egg and bake for 20-30 minutes, until golden. Serve them with a crisp green salad.

Mile High Apple Pie

This pie is maybe one of the best apple pies I ever tasted... It has this rustique look which makes you remember the days spent with the grandparents and the way it smells is simple heavenly...
A slice of this pie won't come out cut perfectly in your plate, the mile high apple tower may crumble, but believe me, the taste of it you will never forget... just pair it with a nice vanilla ice cream and your taste buds will be mile high for sure ;) I am posting this with one hand and with the other I am eating a slice of this pie... Oh, wow... Yes is good!!! :D

What you need:

For the deep-dish pate brisee dough:

• 3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 1/2 cups ( 340 grams) chilled butter cut in cubes
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup ice cold water

For the pie filling:

• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• about 14 apples ( if you can use two or three types of apples, like Granny Smiths, Empire etc would make the flavors richer)
• juice of 2 lemons
• 1 cup sugar and a little bit more for sprinkling the pie crust before baking
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 3 tblsp unsalted butter
• 1 egg ( to put over the pie crust before baking)

How to make it:

 Making the dough: 

1. Preheat the over to 180 degrees Celsius. Start preparing the dough as follows: in a food processor mix the dough ingredients. First put the flour, salt and sugar and mix them in the processor. Then put the cubed butter  inside and process all until it resembles coarse meal. Don't over process!!! 

2. Slowly by slowly, with the food processor running, start adding 1/2 cup of the ice water until the dough starts holding together. Try it with your fingers. If the dough doesn't hold, add a little bit more ice water. 

3. Take the dough out on a stretch film and wrap it well and put it in the fridge. 

Making the pie filling: 

1. Peel and core the apples and slice them in about half a centimeter slices. Put the slices in a big bowl and sprinkle with the lemon juice to prevent discoloration. 

2. In a small bowl mix the flour, sugar and cinnamon and put all of them on the apple slices. Mix the apples with a silicone spoon to prevent braking the apple slices. 

Putting the pie together:

1. Take less than half of the dough you prepared and roll it out on a floured surface in a thin layer. Transfer it to your deep-dish pie pan and arrange it slowly so it doesn't break. It has to come up to the sides of the pan. Wrap the pan afterwards with stretch film and put it in the fridge together with the remaining dough ( which you will use to cover the mile high apple slices ). 

2. After a few minutes, about like 5 or 10, take the pie dish out of the fridge and pour into it the whole bowl of apple slices, stacking them in a high pile. 

3. Roll out the rest of the dough from the fridge on a floury surface. It has to be big enough to cover your apple slices pile. 

4. After you roll the dough, arrange it over the pile of apple slices and crimp it on the sides underneath the bottom dough. You should have a rustique looking pie, like a dome. 

5. With a paring knife, poke 3-4 holes at the top of the pie, to let the steam free from it while baking. 

6. Beat the egg with 2 tblsp of water and egg wash your pie with it and then sprinkle it with some sugar. Put the pie in the oven at 180 degrees for about 15 minutes, until the crust becomes golden and then decrease the temperature to 170 degrees Celsius and bake the pie for another 40-45 minutes. 

Let it cool for about 5 minutes ( if you have the patience ;) ) and then cut a huuuuuge slice of it, top it with vanilla icecream and devour it.... with your family and friends...or alone if you don't like sharing :D... 

The success of the zuchinni and flax seeds muffins

Here is the living proof that the zuchinni and flax seed muffins that i baked last night are according to Tulia's taste :) ..