Nadine bakes

For yesterday’s dinner I made a salad with cooked spelt grains, cucumber, celery, julienned apple and shrimps and a wild garlic dressing.

Now that I’ve turned to eating more plant-based food I find I do not take animal products for granted anymore. Therefore, I take extra care when I prepare a fish or meat dish, making sure everything tastes as special as they deserve to be. I bought a packet of North Sea shrimps and went for a special dressing made from the wild garlic that I discovered was growing in our garden. To complete my dressing I also took some chives and parsley. Much tastier than a shop-bought dressing and, as it happens, a lot cheaper!

 

These directions are for one (hungry) person.

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Quantitive testing has proven that human beings are incapable of resisting these cookies. The sheer simplicity of the recipe means that baking them is already very rewarding. Though the ultimate reward is, of course, tasting one. Or two. Or three. 

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When life the supermarket gives you lemons… you make lemon macarons! 

Of course I could use this space to complain about supermarkets that do not offer single lemons, but I’d rather be optimistic and resourceful and well… I like making macarons. With four surplus lemons you can imagine that this recipe was born out of pure necessity. The macarons are filled with a homemade lemon curd buttercream, which uses up the leftover egg yolks from the meringue shells! Since I was short on ground almonds this recipe also uses ground hazelnuts, which gave the loveliest result. The combination of hazelnut and lemon turned out to be an absolute delight!

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I have made Sachertorte three times and every time it was received with rave reviews. The Sachertorte has become one of my favourite cakes to bake and eat. The recipe, however, was sadly lingering around in my drafts because all the photos I took were so-so. As much as I love baking I can’t bother to make another cake simply because I need a good photo. Heck, it should always be the other way round. How it tastes is, after all, more important than how it looks. 

The recipe I use is based on that of the Dutch baker Cees Holtkamp. I made some slight adaptations in that I added in some almond flour and substituted one layer of jam for ganache. 

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As I came downstairs yesterday my eyes were blinded by the whiteness of a snow-covered garden. Obsessed as I am I already started thinking about what wintery treat I would bake: perhaps coconut covered meringue snowmen? “I have to take a few photos before it is too late”, I told myself, so I put on a coat over my pajamas, slipped into my wellington boots and went for a walk in the park. Of course I took a few snapshots of the snow: it was truly Narnia-esque.

I continued my walk and suddenly it was like I had entered a children’s book. There I was in my pajamas, up close and personal with a red squirrel. The camera I brought with me unfortunately had no zoom option but I do have proof of my close encounter.

I spent a while following the squirrel around until my feet started to freeze. When I got home I decided I would honour my new friend with some squirrel-shaped cookies. 

Yet again my plans changed when my mother bought some filo pastry. For her, the sight of snow always conjures up fond memories of cross-country skiing in Austria, where she would eat warm apfelstrudel with vanilla sauce. Thus it was decided. I’d better start things rolling! 

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For 12 regular muffins or 24+ mini muffins

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I hope you all liked the look of the mini nut tarts I posted some days ago. I initially hesitated to post the recipe, as I was just baking these tarts from scratch. Since some of you might want to try them, here is my recipe for 12 tartlets (from memory!)

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My take on a stuffed zucchini: this time with healthy quinoa.

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Remember the green bell pepper from my last post? Well, it found its destiny in the shape of this quiche. (I really should stop writing in an affectionate way about my own vegetables, it might become an issue when I eat them.) Anyway: here is my recipe for a tasty quiche with filo pastry and smoked chicken.

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They are back, and they’re bigger and better

These cookies are chock-full healthy nutrients, all contributing to a nice, heartwarming snack.

Recipe

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What is better than fresh strawberries? Fresh strawberries and custard in crispy tart shells, made using spelt flour!

Recipe

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