Life and coffee beans

Rata caramelizata / Caramelized duck

2012-02-12T18:26:00.000+02:00

Vremea din ultima perioada m-a indispus si m-a facut sa imi doresc sa hibernez. Dar a trebuit sa si traim cu ceva. Si am gasit solutia rapid. Ador mancarurile care se fac singure la cuptor! Unde mai pui ca se incalzeste toata casa, miroase minunat si in plus poti sta cu un ceai sau un pahar de vin si sa rasfoiesti o carte buna.
Asa ca am gasit solutia: o rata de la mama, niste vin si cateva ciuperci si gata masa!

The weather lately upset me and made me want to hibernate. But we had to live with something. And I found a solution quite quickly. I love dishes that are cooked in the oven! Not to mention that the house warms, it smells great and also you can stay with a tea or a glass of wine and a good book in you chair.
So I found the solution: a duck from my mother's yard, some wine and some mushrooms and the meal was ready!

Ce am folosit:

1 rata de cca 2 kg
4 linguri de miere
2 linguri de ulei
1 litru de apa
1 pahar de vin roze dulce
1 portocala

Garnitura

1 kg de ghebe
1.5 pahare de vin roze demisec
2 linguri de ulei
1 frunza de dafin

What I used:

a duck of about 2 kg
4 tablespoons of honey
2 tablespoons oil
1 liter of water
1 glass of fresh rosé wine
1 orange

Side dish

1 kg of honey mushrooms
1.5 glass of semi-dry rose wine
2 tablespoons oil
1 bay leaf

Rata se spala cu multa apa calda si se lasa la scurs timp de 20-30 de minute inainte de a fi pusa in cuptor.
Se pregateste o tava cu pereti mai inalti in care se pune hartie de copt si se toarna apa. Glazura se pregateste din timp omogenizand mierea cu uleiul.
Rata este asezata in tava si unsa cu ajutorul unei pensule de silicon cu glazura pregatita anterior. In interiorul acesteia se pune portocala spalata bine si nedecojita, intepata din loc in loc. Ea are rolul de a aroma carnea dar si de a mentine cavitatea, in cazul in care doriti ca prezentarea pe platou sa fie eleganta.

Wash the duck with plenty of hot water and leave to drain for 20-30 minutes before being placed in the oven.

Prepare a tray with taller walls in which is put baking paper and add water. Meanwhile prepare the glaze homogenizing honey with oil.

Duck is placed in the tray and greased with a silicone brush with glaze prepared previously. Inside it put the orange rinsed and hulled, stung from place to place.Orange is put to flavor the meat but also to maintain the cavity, if you want to elegantly present the food.

Apoi se acopera cu folie de aluminiu si se pune in cuptorul preincalzit, la foc mic. Vom intoarce rata de cel putin 3 ori pe fiecare parte, glazurand insa numai de doua ori, in rest stropindu-se cu sucul lasat in tava. La ultima glazurare amestecam glazura cu o parte din vin iar restul se pune in tava. Rata trebuie lasata in cuptor 3-4 ore, in functie de fragezimea carnii acesteia. In cazul in care este o rata de curte timpul va creste, ajungandu-se la 4.5-5 ore.

Then cover with aluminum foil and place in the preheated oven at low temperature. We turn duck on each side at least 3 times, but glazing only twice, but put with a spoon it's own juice left in the tray. At the last glaze the duck with a mixed glaze with some wine.The rest of wine is placed in the tray. Duck should be left in oven 3-4 hours, depending on how soft is the meat. If the the duck is from the farm the time will increase, leading to 4.5-5 hours.

Garnitura de ghebe se prepara simplu. Ciupercile sa calesc in ulei 2-3 minute dupa care se adauga vinul si frunza de dafin. Cand zeama s-a evaporat si ciupercile sunt fierte se stinge focul si se lasa la racit timp de 2-3 minute

Pieptul de rata se taie feli. Acestea si copanele se pun pe farfurii, alaturi de cateva linguri de sos si garnitura de ghebe.

Side dish will be prepared very simple. Mushrooms will be tempered in oil for 2-3 minutes then add wine and bay leaf. When the juice has evaporated and mushrooms are boiled turn off the heat and leave to cool off for 2-3 minutes.

Cut duck breast in slices. These and drumsticks are placed on plates, with a few tablespoons of sauce and garnish of mushrooms.

Sa tot gatim asa!:)
We should cook more often this way! ;)

Bon appétit! :)

Valentine's Cupcakes

2012-02-08T21:46:00.000+02:00

Briose, muffins, cupcakes, eu una le iubesc pe toate! :)
De data asta tot cu iubirea avem treaba. Ii iubim sau ne iubesc, sarbatorim pe 14 sau pe 24 februarie, e mai putin important. Ceea ce cred ca este intr-adevar important este sa le aratam inca o data ca a iubi este minunat :)
Imi plac aceste sarbatori. Pentru mine perioada care urmeaza dupa Craciun si Revelion este atat de mohorata si apasatoare incat numai putin roz si ceva dulce ma salveaza de la depresie sigura :))
Asa ca am hotarat sa ma pregatesc si anul acesta cum trebuie. Am pregatit niste cupcakes absolut delicioase!
Brioches, muffins, cupcakes, I love them all! :)
This time we'll have to deal again with our favorite subject, love. We love or they love us, we celebrate on 14th or 24th of February, is less important. What I think is really important is to show them again that the love is wonderful :)
I love the holidays. For me the period that comes after Christmas and New Year is so overwhelming that only some pink and something sweet will save me from depression :))
So I decided this year to prepare myself properly for this holiday. We baked some absolutely delicious cupcakes!

Ce am folosit?

- 6 oua

- 10 linguri de faina

- 6 linguri de zahar

- 50 g unt

- 100 ml lapte

- 10 g praf de copt

- vanilie

- 50 g picaturi de ciocolata neagra

- 150 g prune uscate

Crema

- 2 albusuri de ou

- 200 g zahar pudra

- 150 g unt

- vanilie sau extract de migdale

- 1 picatura de colorant rosu (optional)

What did I used?

- 6 eggs

- 10 tablespoons of flour

- 6 tablespoons of sugar

- 50 g butter

- 100 ml milk

- 10 g baking powder

- vanilla

- 50 g drops of dark chocolate

- 150 g dried plums

Frosting

- 2 egg whites

- 200 g powdered sugar

- 150 g butter

- vanilla or almond extract

- 1 drop of food pigment (optional)

Se bat ouale. Apoi adaugam unt moale, zaharul si laptele si omogenizam. Se adauga apoi faina in ploaie si se amesteca cu telul sau cu mixerul. Vanilia si praful de copt se pun la sfarsit si se amesteca bine.

Beat the eggs. Then add the soft butter, sugar and milk and mix. Add the flour and stir with whisk or mixer. Vanilla and baking powder will be put in the end and mixed well.

In final se taie prunele in bucatele mici si se adauga impreuna cu picaturile de ciocolata in compozitia de cupcakes.

Finally plums will be cut into small pieces and will be added along with drops of chocolate in the cupcakes composition.

Compozitia se pune in forme insa acestea se vor umple numai in proportie de 2/3 deoarece trebuie sa le lasam spatiu sa creasca.

Composition is poured in forms, but they will be filled only at a rate of 2/3 because you need to leave space to grow a little bit.

Cat timp coaceti cupcakes puteti pregati crema. Albusurile se bat spuma impreuna cu zaharul pudra. Cand spuma nu se mai desprinde de pe paletele mixerului adaugam untul moale (nu foarte moale si in nici un caz topit). Se mixeaza la viteza mare pana la obtinerea unei creme. Se pune extractul (eu am pus de migdale) si colorantul si se omogenizeaza.

While you bake cupcakes you can prepare the cream. Mix the egg whites with powdered sugar. When foam is not falling from the mixer blades add soft butter (not too soft or melted). Then mix at high speed to obtain a cream. Put the vanilla or almond extract (I used almonds) and coloring and mix.

Puneti crema cu o lingurita sau un pos si decorati cu bombonele sau cu ce doriti voi :)

Put the cream with a spoon or decorating bag and decorate with candies or what you want :)

Sper ca v-am dat o idee buna de cadou :)
Spor la treaba!
I hope I have given you a good idea for a gift :)
Good luck with your baking!

Frittata cu vinete si creier de porc (preparat filipinez) / Pig's brain and eggplants frittata (Filipino recipe)

2012-02-05T17:31:00.001+02:00

Am declarat inca de la inceputul anului razboi total caloriilor. Cu toate ca inca suntem in plin razboi eu m-am gandit sa flutur steagul alb cu ajutorul unei retete filipineze care mi-a atras atentia zilele trecute. Daca nu vreti sa o preparati acum puteti sa o puneti frumusel la pastrare pana cand aveti pofta de creier si sunteti deja satui de eternele retete de creier la capac, pane sau bulete.

Chiar daca nu-s un mare fan al creierului de porc (sau vita, etc) trebuie sa recunosc faptul ca reteta este interesanta si atragatoare si pentru din astia ca mine :)

Faceti lista de cumparaturi ghidandu-va dupa ingredientele de mai jos.

I declared war to calories since the beginning of the year. Although we are still in full war I thought I should bring and wave the white flag with a Filipino recipe that caught my attention few days ago. If you don't want to prepare it now you should put it nicely in storage until you're craving for some pork brain and you're tired of the eternal recipes.

Even if I'm not a big fan of pig brain (or beef, etc.) must recognize that recipe is interesting and attractive also for the ones like me :)

Make your shopping list after the ingredients below.

3 vinete potrivite
500 g creier proaspat de porc
3 oua

3-4 catei de usturoi
3 linguri de ulei
2 linguri de pasta de gogosari sau ardei gras rosu
patrunjel verde
sare
piper

3 medium eggplants
500 g fresh pig brain
3 eggs
3-4 cloves of garlic
3 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons bell pepper paste or red pepper
parsley
salt
pepper

Vinetele se taie in doua si se scobesc lasand un perete de 1-2 mm. Miezul vinetei se taie in cubulete mici. Acestea se pun intr-o tigaie in care aveam deja cele trei linguri de ulei.

Cubuletele de vinete se calesc la foc mic fara a adauga apa. Cand sunt moi si bine rumenite adaugam sarea si piperul si inchidem focul.

Cut eggplants in half and leave a hollow wall 1-2 mm. Cut eggplant's core into small cubes. They put them in a pan in which I added three tablespoons of oil.

Eggplant cubes are tempered at low heat without adding water. When they are soft and well browned add salt and pepper and close the fire.

Creierul se spala bine intr-o strecuratoare. Eu l-am pus sub jet de apa rece timp de cateva minute dupa care l-am oparit intr-o oala cu apa fierbinte si sare. L-am strecurat si l-am lasat sa se raceasca dupa care l-am mixat pentru a-l marunti.

Wash well the pig's brain in a colander. Put it under running cold water for several minutes after you've boiled it in a pot of hot water and salt. I slipped and I left to cool and after that I mixed it to obtain smaller pieces.

Intre timp s-au racit si cubuletele de vinete. Am amestecat creierul cu vinetele, am pus ouale, usturoiul pisat, pasta de gogosari si am umplut jumatatile de vinete cu ajutorul unei lingurite. Am pus vinetele intr-o tava tapetata cu hartie de copt si am dat-o la cuptor, la foc mic. A durat cam 45-50 de minute pana cand au fost gata. Calculati voi cam cat dureaza cu totul (preincalzirea cuptorului plus coacerea in sine).

Meanwhile eggplant cubes cooled off. I mixed the brain with eggplant, I put eggs, garlic, bell pepper paste and I filled eggplant halves with a teaspoon. I put the eggplant on a tray covered with baking paper and put it into the oven on low heat. It took about 45-50 minutes until they were ready.

Le-am servit caldute, presarate cu patrunjel verde tocat marunt. Tare gustoase !

Pofta buna !

I served them warm, sprinkled with chopped parsley. So tasty!

Bon appetite!

Salata cu eisberg, seminte de pin si creveti / Salad with eisberg lettuce, pine seeds and shrimps

2012-02-01T22:06:00.000+02:00

Este frig, mult mai frig decat as fi crezut ca va fi in iarna asta. Cu toate astea eu ma gandesc deja la primavara. Am avut grija sa ma inconjor de flori frumoase si timpurii, de primavara, mi-am pregatit un meniu usor, am inceput sa imi fac planuri pentru anotimpul ce va veni.

Asa ca am ales sa imi bazez meniul in urmatoarea perioada pe preparate cu peste si legume. Una dintre retetele care ne-au placut in mod deosebit este cea de salata cu seminte de pin, creveti, salata eisberg si salata verde.

Veti avea nevoie de urmatoarele ingrediente :

- 300 g creveti fierti

- 1 salata eisberg

- 1 salata verde

- 3 catei de usturoi

- 150 ml de vin alb

- 2 linguri de ulei

- 2 lingurite de pasta ardei iute

- 100g seminte de pin

- sare

It is cold, more cold than I thought it would be this winter. However I already think about spring. I took care to to have near me early beautiful flowers, spring flowers, I prepared a light menu, I began to make plans for the coming season.

So I have chosen to rely on the menu for the next period on dishes that contain with fish and vegetables. One of the recipes that we especially liked is the salad with pine seeds, shrimps, lettuce and eisberg lettuce.

You will need the following ingredients:

- 300 g boiled shrimp

- eisberg lettuce

- lettuce

- 3 cloves of garlic

- 150 ml of white wine

- 2 tablespoons of oil

- 2 teaspoons hot pepper paste

- 100g pine seeds

- salt

Modul de preparare este cat se poate de simplu.

Spalam si curatam salata dupa care o taiem in bucati de marime potrivita.

Preparation is very simple.

Lettuce will be washed and cleaned and after cut into pieces of medium size.

Punem semintele de pin intr-o tigaie cu strat antiaderent si le prajim pana devin aurii. Atentie – se ard foarte usor !

We will put the pine seeds in a pan coated with teflon layer and fry them until they get goldish. Warning - they burn very easily!

In final vom prepara dressingul. Pisam cateii de usturoi si-i punem intr-un castron. Apoi adaugam vinul, ardeiul iute si uleiul si amestecam.

Finally we will prepare the dressing. We will ground the cloves and we'll put them in a bowl. Then add wine, hot pepper paste and oil and stir gently.

Dressingul, sarea si semintele de pin se pun peste salata. Se amesteca bine. Crevetii ii punem fie deasupra, fie ii amestecam in salata. Se serveste imediat.

Dressing, salt and pine seeds will be put over the salad. Mix well. Shrimps will be put either on the cut salad or mix them in it. Serve immediately.

Este absolut delicioasa si foarte usoara.

Pofta buna !

It is absolutely delicious and very easy.

Enjoy your meal!

Prajitura Rumba / Rumba cake

2012-01-28T23:19:00.000+02:00

A fost o saptamana friguroasa, ciudata si care abia am asteptat sa se termine. Azi m-am trezit vesela si cu speranta ca saptamana ce urmeaza va fi mai buna si mai frumoasa.
Cele cateva raze de soare mi-au inseninat ziua chiar daca a fost frig. Am luat masina si am fost sa ma mai uit inca o data la locul unde sper ca anul viitor pe vremea asta va fi casuta noastra :) Copacii din padurea ce se intinde pe dealul de langa erau glazurati cu gheata si straluceau in soarele puternic. Cat de bine mi-a facut privelistea aceea!
Dupa ce m-am intors acasa m-am gandit sa postez o reteta pe care eu o ador. Este vorba de una din prajiturile mele preferate. Poate ca multi dintre voi o stiu sub denumirea de Rumba. Este cunoscuta in mai multe variante: cu nuca, rahat, alune, fructe uscate, stafide. Eu am sa va prezint varianta cu nuca si stafide pentru ca mi se pare cea mai gustoasa.

It was a cold week, even odd that I just expected to be completed. Today I woke up happy and with hope that the coming week will be better and more beautiful.
The few rays of sunshine brighten my day even if it was cold. I took the car and I went to watch again the place where I hope this time next year will be our house:) The trees of the forest which lies on the hill near were glazed with ice and shone in the sun. How good it felt to watch the view!
After I returned home I thought I should post a recipe that I adore. It's one of my favorite cakes. Perhaps many of you know this cake as Rumba. It is known in several variants: with nuts, Turkish delight, nuts, dried fruit, raisins. I present you the version with nuts and raisins because I find that is the best of all.

Aveti nevoie de urmatoarele ingrediente:

Blat
- 10 albusuri
- 10 linguri de faina
- 10 linguri de zahar
- 10 g praf de copt
- vanilie
- 1 cana de nuci
- 1 cana de stafide rehidratate
- rom
- 2 foi napolitane
Crema
- 7 galbenusuri
- 250 g unt
- 250 g zahar pudra
- esenta de cafea
Glazura
-150-200 g ciocolata neagra

You will need the following ingredients:
Spongecake
- 10 egg whites
- 10 tablespoons of flour
- 10 tablespoons of sugar
- 10 g of baking powder
- vanilla
- 1 teacup of walnuts (about 250g)
- 1 cup raisins rehydrated
- rum
- 2 sheets wafers
Cream
- 7 yolks
- 250 g butter
- 250 g powdered sugar
- coffee extract
Glaze
-150 - 200 g dark chocolate

Albusurile se bat spuma impreuna cu zaharul. Cand spuma este deja tare si nu curge de pe paletele mixerului se adauga vanilia, romul, praful de copt si faina. Apoi se mixeaza pana cand obtinem o compozitie cu o consistenta cremoasa.
Egg whites will be mixed with the sugar. When the meringue is ready we will add vanilla, rum, baking powder and flour. We will mix until we'll obtain a creamy composition.

Apoi punem nucile si stafidele rehidratate in apa minerala si rom. Amestecam cu o spatula sau cu mixerul.
Compozitia se pune intr-o tava tapetata cu hartie de copt si se baga in cuptorul preincalzit. Dureaza cam 15 minute pana se coace (intr-un cuptor clasic, la temperatura mica).
After that we will put the walnuts and the rehydrated raisins (in sparkling water and rum). We will stir with a spatula or mix with the mixer. The composition will be put in a tray in which we've put some baking paper first . The tray will be put in the preheated oven. It will take about 15 minutes until the spongecake is baked (in a classic oven, at low temperature).

Preparam crema care este extrem de simpla.
Intr-o cratita se pune apa la fiert. Cand apa incepe sa clocoteasca pregatim castronul (preferabil de inox) in care punem galbenusurile si zaharul pudra si le amestecam bine. Apoi castronul se pune peste cratita in care fierbe apa si se amesteca in continuu timp de 10 minute, pana cand galbenusurile vor incepe sa se deschida la culoare, moment in care vom lua castronul de pe cratita cu apa. Apoi adaugam esenta de cafea si lasam crema sa se racoreasca. Dupa 6-7 minute adaugam untul taiat bucatele si amestecam pana cand se incorporeaza in crema.
Crema se lasa la racit inainte de a umple foile.

Preparation of cream is extremely simple.
Put water to boil in a dish. When water begins to boil prepare the bowl (preferably stainless steel) in which we'll add yolks and powdered sugar and we'll mix them. Then place the bowl over boiling water dish and stir continuously for 10 minutes until the yolks begin to gain a lighter color. Then when we take aside the bowl from the saucepan with water. Add the coffee extract in cream and let cool. After 6-7 minutes add the chopped butter and stir until it's incorporated in the cream.
Let the cream to cool off before you fill the cake.

Blatul va fi pus intre cele doua foi de napolitana iar crema trebuie sa fie impartita in parti egale. Apoi prajitura se pune intr-o punga si se aseaza o carte sau un obiect greu cam de aceeasi forma si dimensiune deoarece astfel crema se distribuie uniform. Se lasa pana a doua zi cand se va topi ciocolata si se va pune glazura.
Aveti grija cand taiati. Pentru impiedicarea spargerii ciocolatei bagati cutitul in apa fierbinte inainte de taierea bucatelelor.

Spongecake will be placed between the two sheets of wafer and cream should be divided into equal parts. When you finish the filling place the cake in a plastic bag and place a book or heavy object about the same shape and size on it to distribute the cream evenly. Keep it like this until the next day when you'll melt chocolate and glaze it.
Be careful when you cut. To prevent breakage of chocolate put knife in hot water before cutting the pieces.

Pofta buna! :)

Bon appétit! :)

Placinta cu varza (Palaneţ cu varza) / Cabbage pie

2012-01-24T07:00:00.145+02:00

Cei ce locuiesc in zona Ardealului cunosc foarte bine aceasta reteta. Poate si ceilalti au avut ocazia sa guste in drumul lor prin tara acest preparat delicios.
In familia mea se pregatea destul de des atunci cand traia strabunica. Dupa moartea dumneaei insa nici una dintre noi nu am mai facut. Pana inainte de Craciun cand mi-am adus aminte de Buni si toate retetele minunate pe care ni le pregatea la fiecare sfarsit de saptamana cand o vizitam.
M-am apucat de treaba avand temerea ca nu va iesi atat de buna cum era cea facuta de Buni. Dar am respectat tot ceea ce mi-a spus cand inca eram o copila. Si a iesit atat de buna si pufoasa!

Aluat

500 ml apa calduta
50 g de drojdie
900 g faina
3 oua
50 g smantana
1 lingurita de zahar brun
4 linguri de ulei
sare

Umplutura

1.5 kg varza proaspata
1 ceapa
4 linguri ulei
sare
cimbru uscat
piper

Those who live in Transylvania area know very well this recipe. Maybe also the others have had the opportunity to taste this delicious dish on their trips through country.
In my family this recipe was prepared quite often when great grandmother lived. After her death none of us baked it anymore. Before Christmas I remembered the all the good and wonderful recipes that great grandma prepared us every weekend when we were visiting her. That's when I decided to prepare it.
I started working with fear that he will not get as good as it was when Buni baked it. But I respected what she told me when I was still a child. And it was so good and fluffy!

Dough

500 ml warm water
50 g of yeast
900 g flour
3 eggs
50 g sour cream
1 teaspoon brown sugar
4 tablespoons oil
salt

Filling

1.5 kg fresh cabbage
1 onion
4 tablespoons oil
salt
dried thyme
pepper

Se taie varza ca pentru salata, chiar mai mare. Daca varza este foarte fibroasa si tare este preferabil sa o taiati cat mai subtire.
Cut the cabbage as you cut it for a salad, even bigger. If the cabbage is very fibrous and hard it is preferable to cut as thin as you can.

Se taie si ceapa si se adauga in vasul in care am pus varza. Apoi adaugam uleiul si punem vasul la foc. Amestecam des deoarece vom cali varza fara a mai adauga apa. Are tendinta de a se prinde de fundul vasului asa ca trebuie sa fim atenti.
Cut the onion and add it to bowl where you put the cabbage. Then add oil and put the dish on the stove . Stir cabbage often because it has to temper without adding water. Tends to catch to dish's bottom so we must be careful.

Nu uitati sa adaugati sarea si piperul proaspat rasnit.
Don't forget to add the salt and fresh ground pepper.

Intr-un vas mare se pune drojdia faramitata, jumatate din cantitatea de apa calduta, sarea si zaharul. Apoi se cern cca 200 g de faina si se acopera vasul cu un prosop. Se lasa cam 15 minute intr-un loc ferit de frig si curent. In acest timp amestecul va incepe sa dospeasca. Apoi adaugam restul de apa, faina, ouale, smantana si framantam incet. Aluatul se framanta mult mai usor daca adaugam putin ulei si-l incorporam treptat.
Astfel dupa ce am incorporat cele 4 linguri de ulei aluatul va fi pus din nou la dospit pentru inca 15-20 de minute.

In a large bowl put the yeast crumble, half of the amount of warm water, salt and sugar. Then add about 200 g sieved flour and cover bowl with a towel. Allow about 15 minutes in a place away from cold. During this time the mixture will begin to yeast. Then add the remaining water, flour, eggs, cream and knead gently. The dough will be easier to knead if you add a little oil and incorporate it gradually.

So after I incorporated the 4 tablespoons of oil the dough was put in a warm place again for another 15-20 minutes.

Jumatate din aluat se intinde pe masa pudrata cu faina dupa care se transfera cu ajutorul unui sucitor intr-o forma de copt. Peste aluat vom intinde umplutura. Apoi vom pune cealalta bucata de aluat si il crestam cu un cutit pentru a permite umpluturii sa elimine aburul format.

Se pune la copt in cuptorul preincalzit, la temperatura medie. In cazul meu a durat cam 50 de minute.

Placinta se serveste calda sau rece, ca aperitiv sau fel principal.

Half of the dough is tretched on the table dusted with flour then transferred with a rolling pin into a baking form. The filling will be spred over the dough . Then we put the other piece of dough and cut some lines in the middle with a knife to allow the elimination of steam formed by the filling.

Place the dish in the preheated oven at and bake medium temperature. In my case it took about 50 minutes.

Serve the pie warm or cold as an appetizer or main dish.

Bon appétit! :)

Briose cu amaretti si martipan / Muffins with amaretti and marzipan

2012-01-21T21:36:00.003+02:00

La mine in familie sunt recunoscuta pentru doua lucruri: reciclez tot de prin frigider si tot ce imi place si nu pot manca pe la mama si bunica cer sa se puna la pachet :))

Nu transform o mancare in alta dar in mod sigur nu voi arunca mancarea pe care am cumparat-o. De aceea o mare parte din retetele mele sunt facute si din cauza ca nu m-a lasat inima sa arunc diverse ingrediente ramase in cantitati mai mici in frigider. Poate si voi sunteti in aceeasi situatie si aveti nevoie de o idee :)

De Craciun am facut tot felul de preparate pentru care am avut nevoie numai ( :) ) de galbenusuri. Asa ca am ramas cu multe albusuri. Am facut niste briose minunate cu ele. Iata reteta:

- 10 albusuri

- 11 linguri de faina
- 10 linguri de zahar

- cacao neagra (5-6 linguri)

- 100 ml smantana dulce

- 5 g praf de copt

- 50 g martzipan

- esenta de migdale

- amaretti (40 buc micute)

- 50 g ciocolata neagra (glazura)

In my family I'm well known for two things: for recycling all the rests of ingredients from the fridge and because everything I like and can not eat at my mother and grandmother I ask to be put in casseroles for home :))

I don't like to transform a dish in other but certainly will not throw the food that we bought. That's why many of my recipes are made because I didn't like to throw different ingredients left in small quantities in my refrigerator. Maybe you are in the same situation and you need an idea:)

For Christmas I made many recipes that needed only the yolks. So remained a lot of egg whites that were used to bake these wonderful muffins. Here's the recipe:

- 10 egg whites

- 11 tablespoons of flour
- 10 tablespoons of sugar

- black cocoa (5-6 tablespoons)

- 100 ml fresh cream

- 5 g baking powder

- 50 g marzipan

- almond extract

- amaretti (40 tiny pcs)

- 50 g dark chocolate (frosting)

Am mixat albusurile cu zaharul pana cand am obtinut o spuma tare. Am adaugat cacao, esenta de migdale si in final praful de copt si am mixat. Apoi am pus faina si smantana si am amestecat in continuare.

Compozitia este cremoasa, densa. Eu am pus bucatile de martipan in aceasta compozitie. Puteti sa le puneti si cand turnati compozitia in forme, nu este nici o diferenta.

I mixed the egg whites with sugar until I got a meringue. I added cocoa, almond extract and baking powder and finally I mixed well. Then I put the flour and cream and I stirred.

Composition is creamy, dense. I put pieces of marzipan in this mixture. You can put them and when you pour the composition in forms, there is no difference.

Hartiile pentru muffins au fost putin atipice. Nu am reusit sa gasesc forme sau tava care sa aiba cuiburi de aceasta dimensiune. Asa ca m-am descurcat cu formele de minitarte.

Am pus hartia, putina compozitie si 4 amaretti. Am vrut ca amaretti sa fie acoperiti de compozitie deoarece altfel s-ar fi ars.

Nu va ingrijorati ca partea superioara nu este uniforma, ea se va nivela in momentul in care incep sa se coaca.

Am pus formele intr-o tava mare si le-am bagat in cuptorul preincalzit. Le-am copt la temperatura medie cam 15 minute.

Papers for muffins were quite atypical. I was unable to find forms or tray which had nests for this size. So I did use the ones for mini pies.

I put the paper, some composition and 4 amaretti. I wanted amaretti to be covered with composition because otherwise they would be burned.

Do not worry if the top is not uniform, it will flatten when they begin to bake.

I put the forms in a large tray and I put it in the preheated oven. I cooked them at average temperature about 15 minutes.

Dupa ce s-au racit, am topit ciocolata neagra si am pus pe fiecare briosa. Le-am si decorat cu o floricica, sa ne mai treaca dorul de primavara! :)

After they cooled off, I melted the chocolate and I put some on each muffin. I decorated them with flowers, to pass our longing for spring! :)

Serviti cu o cafea buna, un lichior amaretto sau un ceai negru, aromat. Delicioase!

Serve them with a cup of good coffee, amaretto liqueur or black flavored tea. Delicious!

Bon appétit!

Miniplacinte cu somon afumat / Minipies with smoked salmon

2012-01-15T17:55:00.000+02:00

De curand am observat ca foarte multi dintre cititorii blogului meu cauta retete pentru aparatul de copt Pie&Co de la Moulinex. A inceput sa fie destul de popular pentru ca este usor de folosit si coace rapid o multime de bunatati.
De Anul Nou am pregatit o reteta simpla si gustoasa, in ton cu superstitia ca trebuie neaparat sa ai pe masa peste ca sa-ti mearga bine tot anul :)
Reteta? Tot timpul spun ca data viitoare fac miniplacinte cu aluat din comert. Ei bine nici de data asta nu am facut !
Iata de ce aveti nevoie:

Aluat
- 200 g unt
- 200 ml lapte
- 2 linguri pasta de gogosari, ardei rosu sau ardei iute
- 600-650 g faina

Umplutura
- 100 g somon afumat
- 200 g masline
- porumb

Recently I noticed that many of my blog readers look for baking recipes suitable for Pie & Co device, from Moulinex. It began to be quite popular because it is easy to use and it bakes quickly lots of goodies.
I prepared for New Year's Eve a simple and tasty recipe, in tone with the superstition that you absolutely must have on your table fish just to have luck all the next year:)
Recipe? I always said that next time I will bake minipies with dough bought from supermarket. Well I didn't use this time dought from supermarket!
Here's what you need:

Dough
- 200 g butter
- 200 ml milk
- 2 tbsp bell pepper paste, red pepper or paprika
- 600-650 g flour

Filling
- 100 g smoked salmon
- 200 g olive
- sweetcorn

Intr-un castron mare punem untul moale, cele doua linguri de gogosar si laptele caldut. Amestecam bine pana omogenizam compozitia dupa care adaugam faina si o incorporam. Framantam pana cand se obtine o coca elastica, destul de moale. Acoperim castronul cu folie de plastic si se pune in frigider 20 de minute.

In a large bowl put the soft butter, two tablespoons of minced bell pepper and warm milk. Mix well to blend the composition and then add flour and incorporate. Knead until you'll obtain an elastic and quite soft dough . Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

Apoi vom intinde cu un sucitor jumatate din coca pe masa dupa care vom decupa cu ajutorul formei mari din setul aparatului cosuletul placintei. Fiecare bucata decupata se aseaza intr-un cuib.

Then we spread with a rolling pin half of dough on the table and after we will cut with a large form from device's kit the "basket" of our mini pie. Each piece of dough is placed in a nest.

Punem apoi umplutura in fiecare cosulet. Intindem din nou coca pe masa cu ajutorul sucitorului dupa care vom decupa cu forma cea mica partea de sus a placintelor.
Daca vrei sa faceti aceste placinte in alt fel de tava si nu aveti kit pentru decupare puteti folosi doua forme rotunde cu diametre diferite (de ex. cu diametrul de 10 si de 8). Tineti cont de faptul ca avem nevoie de o grosime a aluatului de 3 mm, deci nu prea subtire.
Inchidem aparatul si coacem pana cand se aprinde beculetul verde.
Daca veti coace placintele in tava veti sti cand sunt gata. Ele trebuie sa fie rumenite deasupra. Nu uitati sa preincalziti cuptorul inainte si sa coaceti la temperatura medie.

Then fill each basket. Spread dough on the table again with the rolling pin and then we cut the small top of pie with the form from our kit.
If you want to make these pies in a tray and not with Pie&Co and and you don't have a cutting kit you can use two round shapes with different diameters (with a diameter of 10 and 8). Keep in mind that we need a dough thickness of 3 mm, so not too thin.
Close the machine and bake until green light appears and tells you that your pies are ready to be served.
If you bake pies in the tray you will know when they are ready. They should be browned on top. Do not forget to preheat the oven first and then bake at medium temperature.

Sunt aratoase, sunt usor de facut si tare bune. Deci trebuie neparat incercate!
Pofta buna!

They look gorgeous, are easy to bake and they are very good. So you must try them!
Bon appétit!

Cozonac / Romanian Sweet Bread

2012-01-12T22:07:00.000+02:00

De mult timp caut o reteta buna de cozonac. De fiecare data m-am lovit de faptul ca trebuie framantat mult timp, ba trebuie de cate 2-3 ori si nu mai putin de 30 de minute. Trebuie sa recunosc faptul ca nu imi place in mod deosebit sa framant si nici nu ma dau in vant dupa retete de genul celor de care v-am spus mai sus. Si dupa multa vreme am gasit o reteta de cozonac extraordinara. Cea a Gabrielei . Prima data cand am facut-o, anul acesta de Pasti, am avut o surpriza de proportii. Si nu exagerez. Mi-au crescut atat de mult cozonacii incat s-au unit in cuptor si mi s-a deschis si usa :) Pare greu de crezut dar este adevarat. Au iesit tare pufosi si nu au avut viata prea lunga, neavand nici macar o fotografie sa v-o pot arata. Asa ca de Craciun am repetat reteta. Multumesc, Gabriela!

Sa va spun ce ingrediente am folosit:

Aluat:

- 1 kg faina (GRANIA verde, pentru cozonac)
- 50g drojdie (pachetel galben BUDAFOK)
- 250g zahar
- 500 ml lapte de 3,5% grasime (+2, 3 linguri daca este necesar)
- 200 g unt topit
- 5 galbenusuri
- 1 lingurita rasa de sare
- coaja rasa de lamaie, portocala, esenta de rom, vanilie

Umplutura:

- 200 g nuca macinata

- 100 g crema de lapte

- stafide rehidratate

- rahat

I was looking for a long time for a good recipe of cozonac. Every time I found recipes that said I should knead the dough fora long time, even 2-3 times and no less than 30 minutes. I must admit that I do not particularly like to knead and I don't like recipes like the ones mentioned above. And after some time I found a great cozonac recipe. Gabriela's recipe. The first time I baked after this recipe on Easter, and I had a big surprise. And I don't exaggerate. My cake grown so much so the two separate cakes became one and they even opened my oven's door :)) It seems hard to believe but true. It was fluffy and didn't have a long life, so I don't even have a photo that I can show it to you. So I repeated this recipe for Christmas. Thanks, Gabriela!

Let me tell you what ingredients I used:

Dough:

- 1 kg flour

- 50g yeast

- 250g sugar

- 500 ml milk 3.5% fat (+2, 3 teaspoons if necessary)

- 200 g butter, melted

- 5 yolks

- 1 teaspoon salt

- Lemon zest, orange, rum essence, vanilla

Filling:

- 200 g ground walnuts

- 100 g milk cream

- rehydrated raisins

- turkish delight

Am cernut faina intr-un bol mare de doua ori si am incalzit putin laptele in care am dizolvat zaharul si vanilia.

Apoi o parte din faina impreuna cu drojdia si cateva linguri de lapte caldut le-am pus intr-un castron. Peste drojdie si lapte se presara cateva linguri de faina si se lasa la dospit.

I sifted the flour in a large bowl twice and I heated the milk and I dissolved the sugar and vanilla in it.

Then I put some flour with yeast and a few tablespoons of warm milk in a bowl. Sprinkle some flour over the yeast and milk and let the dough to yeast for some minutes.

Cand faina de deasupra a inceput sa crape adaugam restul de lapte, galbenusurile frecate cu sare si restul de vanilie si faina care ne-a mai ramas.

When the flour above began to "crack" add remaining milk, yolks mixed with salt and vanilla and the flour that left.

Framantam aluatul adaugand treptat untul topit. Am framantat in total vreo 15 minute dupa care am acoperit vasul cu un prosop de bucatarie si l-am pus intr-un loc unde stiam ca este caldut. Coca a fost lasata cam 45 de minute timp in care si-a dublat volumul.

Knead the dough adding gradually the melted butter. I have knead the dough a total of about 15 minutes and after that I covered the bowl with a kitchen towel and put it in a warm place. The dough was left about 45 minutes to yeast during which the volume doubled.

Intre timp am preparat crema din nuca macinata si crema de lapte. Stafidele fusesera rehidratate in apa minerala iar rahatul taiat in bucatele.

Cand coca a crescut am impartit-o in doua bucati. Fiecare bucata am impartit-o din nou in doua si le-am intins pe masa unsa cu ulei. Am pus crema de nuca, stafidele si rahatul si le-am rulat. Apoi cele doua rulouri le-am impletit si le-am pus in tava tapetata cu hartie de copt.

Meanwhile I prepared cream of cream milk and ground walnuts. I also rehydrated the raisins in sparkling water and I cut the Turkish delight in small pieces.

When dough has risen I divided it into two pieces. I divide each piece again in half and lay on the table greased with oil. I put the cream, raisins and Turkish delight and I rolled them. Then the two rolls were blended and put in baking tray in which I put some baking paper.

Fiecare cozonac va fi uns cu galbenus amestecat cu zahar sau apa cu zahar. Apoi se baga in cuptorul preincalzit si se coace la temperatura medie.

Each cozonac will be brushed with egg yolk mixed with sugar or with a syrup made of water and sugar. Then it will be put in the preheated oven, at medium temperature.

Cand cozonacul este gata va arata ca si cel din fotografiile de mai sus: rumenit frumos :)

When it's baked it will look just like the one in the pictures: goldish :)

Lasati-l sa se raceasca inainte de a-l taia.

Let it cool off before cutting the slices.

M-am gandit sa va invit macar virtual in casa mea, asa cum a fost ea de Craciun si Anul Nou, la un pahar de sampanie, rom sau lichior :)

I thought it would be nice to invite you virtually in my house, like it was for Christmas and New Year's Eve to drink a glass of champagne, rum or liqueur :)

Bon appétit!

Murătură iute / Spicy pickles

2012-01-10T20:49:00.001+02:00

V-am povestit zilele saptamana trecuta pe Facebook ca am gasit cateva retete din vara pe care am tot uitat sa le pun sau pur si simplu le-am amanat si le-a trecut sezonul. Daca mai pun la socoteala si retetele pe care le-am publicat pe Gustos atunci chiar am de recuperat.
Prima dintre aceste retete este cea de muratura iute - o varianta fara telina. Iata ce am folosit eu:
-1 kg kg de ceapa
- 1 kg de ardei iuti
- 1 kg morcovi
- 6-7 gogosari
- 3 L de apa
- 1/2 L de otet
- 3 linguri de zahar
- sare, piper, foi de dafin

I told you last week on Facebook that I found some recipes made last summer that I forgot to put on my blog or I simply delayed them too much and the season just passed. If I count the recipes that I published on Gustos.ro then I really have to recover much.
The first of these recipes is the hot pickle - a version without celery. Here's what I've used:
-1 kg of onions
- 1 kg of chilli pepper
- 1 kg carrots
- 6-7 red bell peppers
- 3 l of water
- 1 l of vinegar
- 3 tablespoons of sugar
- salt, pepper, bay leaves

Am avut niste ardei iuti de la prietena mea Simona, care anul trecut a avut o gradina absolut fabuloasa. Numai in reclamele de la TV am mai vazut asemenea legume si fructe cum am vazut in gradina ei! Si unde mai pui ca au fost crescute fara ingrasaminte, crescute cu mult drag.
M-am tot gandit cum sa pregatesc ardeii mai ales ca fiind rosii era absolut clar ca sunt extrem de iuti. Si mi-am adus aminte de o reteta de-a mamei pe care am modificat-o putin. Mi s-a parut ca merge mult mai bine aceasta muratura fara telina sau cel putin asa imi place mie mai mult.

I had some hot peppers from my friend Simona. She had last year an absolutely fabulous garden. Only in the TV ads I've seen such fruits and vegetables like in her garden! And I should mention that they were grown without any fertilizer, raised with much love.
I've been thinking how to prepare red peppers especially because it was absolutely clear that they were extremely hot. And I remembered one of my mother's recipes that was a little bit modified. I found that this pickle is much tasty without celery or it's just me who likes it that way.

Nu am fost eu prea curajoasa incat sa tai ardeiul iute cu un cutit. Am preferat sa-l tai cu ...o foarfeca! Si am taiat, si am taiat :)
Bineinteles ca trebuie sa-i si spalati; uitasem sa va spun...

I wasn't brave enough to use a knife to cut the chili peppers. I preferred to cut them...with scissors! An I cut, and I cut :)
Of course you'll have to wash them first; I forgot to mention that...

Apoi curatam ceapa si gogosarii si le taiem in bucatele de marime potrivita.
Urmeaza morcovii pe care-i curatam, ii spalam si ii razuim pe razatoarea mare.

Then clean the onion and red bell peppers and cut them into medium pieces.
We will peel and wash the carrots. After that we will grate them.

Amestecam bine legumele intr-un vas mare. Sub nici o forma cu mana. Nu ai o senzatie prea placuta dupa aceea :)
Apoi punem apa la fiert impreuna cu sarea si condimentele. Cand incepe sa fiarba adaugam zaharul si otetul si mai lasam sa fiarba 3-4 minute. Apoi turnati continutul oalei peste legume si acoperiti vasul. Cand amestecul s-a racit il vom pune in borcane. Se depoziteaza intr-un loc rece si intunecos.

We'll mix well the vegetables in a big dish. Under no circumstances with your hands. You won't have a nice sensation after that :)
Then put water to boil with salt and condiments. When water starts to boil add sugar and vinegar and let it boil for 3-4 minutes. Then pour the hot content over the vegetables and cover the dish. When the mixture is cooled we will put the spicy pickles in jars. Store them in a cool and dark place.

Folositi aceasta muratura iute pentru ciorbe sau orice alt fel de mancare :)
Pofta buna!

Use this hot and spicy pickle for soups or any other type of food :)
Bon appétit!

Cocoş cu sos de clementine si rubarba / Rooster with clementines and rhubarb sauce

2012-01-04T12:50:00.001+02:00

Am pregatit aceasta reteta de Craciun dar nu am avut cand sa o postez pe blog. Si azi i-a venit in sfarsit randul.
Cu ea am sa particip la provocarea lunii ianuarie de pe blogul Mitinitei. Luna aceasta provocarea are ca tema citricele si retete de detoxifiere. Eu am ales clementinele pentru ca imi plac extrem de mult si este sezonul lor.
Cocoşul este din curtea mamei si se pare ca a suparat-o destul de tare, fiind foarte violent si distrugator.

Iata ce ingrediente am folosit:

- pulpe si piept de cocoş
- 1.5 l vin alb
- 5-600 g clementine
- 200 g rubarba
- 50 g unt
- 50 ml apa
- 1 lingura de zahar brun
- 2-3 cuisoare

I prepared this recipe for Christmas but I haven't had time to post it. And now its turn finally came.
With this recipe I will attend the January's challenge on Mitinita's blog. This month the challenge's themes are citrus and detoxifying recipes. I chose the clementines because I like them very much and it is their season.
Rooster is from my mother's yard and it seems to have upset her a lot being very violent and destructive.

Here are the ingredients I used:

- rooster breast and legs
- 1.5 l white wine
- 500-600 g clementines
- 200 g rhubarb
- 50 g butter
- 50 ml water
- 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
- 2-3 cloves

Am spalat carnea de cocoş cu multa apa si am pus-o intr-un vas ceramic pentru copt. Apoi am adaugat vinul si am acoperit vasul cu aluminiu deoarece nu are capac. Apoi am pus vasul in cuptorul preincalzit. Prepararea carnii dureaza cam 2 ore, deoarece cuptorul a fost fixat pe temperatura medie. Am intors carnea de pe o parte pe alta de doua ori iar inainte cu 5 minute de a o scoate din cuptor am lasat vasul descoperit. Astfel carnea s-a rumenit frumos.

Rooster's meat was washed with plenty of water and put in a ceramic cooking dish. Then I added the wine and I covered the dish with aluminum because my dish doesn't have a lid. Then I put the dish in the preheated oven. Preparation of meat takes about 2 hours, as the oven temperature was set on medium. I turned the meat on one on both sides two times and 5 minutes before removing it from the oven I took off the aluminium. This way the meat browned nicely.

Inainte de servire am pregatit sosul. Am curatat clementinele si am separat feliile. Apoi le-am pus intr-o cratita dupa care am adaugat rubarba - a mea intr-un mare bulgare de gheata :)) Si in final am pus apa.
Cratita se pune la fiert si amestecam incet pana cand sosul va incepe sa fiarba. El va deveni o pasta destul de groasa care nu are o culoare tare placuta ochiului insa mirosul este minunat. Cand sosul este aproape gata se adauga zaharul brun si cuisoarele si se mai lasa 3-4 minute dupa care se ia deoparte. In final adaugam untul si amestecam pana la omogenizare.
Carnea de cocos se serveste cu piure de cartofi si sos sau pur si simplu cu sos. Combinatia de dulce-acrisor a sosului, aroma cuisoarelor dar si carnea preparata in vin sunt potrivite pentru perioada iernii.

I prepared the sauce before serving. I peeled and I separated slices of my clementines. Then put them in a pan and I added the rhubarb - mine in a large ice block :)) And in the end I put the water.
I put the saucepan to boil and stirred gently until the sauce begun to boil. It will become a paste thick enough. It doesn't have a color pleasing to the eye but the smell is wonderful. When sauce is almost ready, add brown sugar and cloves and let it 3-4 minutes to boil then take the pan aside Finally add the butter and stir until it will be homogeneous.
Rooster meat is served with mashed potatoes and sauce or simply with sauce. The combination of sweet and sour sauce, cloves and meat flavor in wine are suitable for winter.

Pofta buna!
Bon appétit!

Prajitura cu scortisoara si jeleu de mere / Cinnamon and apple jelly cake

2012-01-02T22:12:00.001+02:00

Iata ca Sarbatorile de Iarna se apropie de final. Ca in fiecare an am pregatit mai multe retete pe care abia acum reusesc sa le pun in ordine, fotorgafiile la fotografii, retetele la locul lor. Si este momentul sa incep sa va povestesc despre ce am mai gasit interesant, ce mi-a placut in mod deosebit.

Am sa incep cu o prajitura destul de interesanta ca gust si mai ales ca si textura. si spun acest lucru deoarece blatul este imbibat cu jeleu, prajitura fiind "umeda".

Ingredientele le gasiti mai jos.

Blat

- 8 oua

- 8 linguri de zahar

- 10 linguri de faina

- 20 g zahar Vanilla Bourbon

- 10 g praf de copt

- 1 lingura de ulei

- 3 linguri de scortisoara

Umplutura

- 200 g unt

- 100 g dulceata de gutui

- coaja rasa a unei lamai

Jeleu

- 500 ml suc de mere verzi

- 20 g gelatina

So the winter holidays almost ended. Like every year I have prepared several recipes that only now I managed to put in order, photos with the photos, recipes in their files. And now it's time to begin to tell you what I found interesting, what I liked in particular.

I will start with a cake that tastes quite interesting and has an especially texture. And I say this because the spongecake is soaked with jelly, cake being a little bit "wet".

The ingredients can be found below.

Spongecake

- 8 eggs

- 8 tablespoons of sugar

- 10 tablespoons of flour

- 20 g sugar Vanilla Bourbon

- 10 g baking powder

- 1 tablespoon of oil

- 3 tablespoons cinnamon

Filling

- 200 g butter

- 100 g quince jam

- grated peel of a lemon

Jelly

- 500 ml green apple juice

- 20 g gelatin

Separam albusurile si mixam la viteza mare. Adaugam apoi zaharul dupa care mixam in continuare pana obtinem o spuma tare, gen bezea.
Separate egg whites and mix at high speed. Add the sugar and continuemixing until you'll get a hard foam, like the meringue.

Galbenusurile se amesteca bine. Apoi adaugam scortisoara, vanilia, uleiul si omogenizam. Vom obtine o pasta destul de groasa pe care o vom pune peste spuma din albusuri.

Mix well the egg yolks. Then add cinnamon, vanilla, oil and homogenize. We will get a quite thick paste that will put in the bowl with meringue.

In final am pus faina si praful de copt si am omogenizat. Se pune coca in tava pudrata cu faina sau in care am pus hartie de copt.

Prajitura este coapta atunci cand partea superioara a prajiturii este frumos rumenita. De asemenea recomand sa incercati si cu o scobitoare.

In the end I put the flour and the baking powder and I homogenized. Dough will be put in the flour powdered tray or in which we put baking paper.
Cake is baked when the top is nicely browned. Is also advisable to try itwith a toothpick.

Cat timp blatul a fost la copt am preparat umplutura. Desi pare atat de banala si total neatractiva rezultatul final a fost mult peste asteptarile mele. Cine s-ar fi gandit ca eterna combinatie de unt/dulceata este atat de buna intr-o prajitura? Si totusi...Nu am facut crema cu blenderul pentru a avea o consistenta omogena ci am preferat sa amestec untul moale cu dulceata deoarece imi place sa simt bucatile de gutuie. Daca va place crema omogena folositi cu incredere un blender.

While I baked the spongecake I also prepared the filling. Although the filling seems so common and totally unattractive the final result was above my expectations. Who would have thought that the eternal combination of butter / jam is so good in a cake? And yet ... I didn't use a blender to get a homogeneous consistency of my cream. I preferred to mix the soft butter with jam because I like to feel the pieces of quince. If you like the cream to be homogeneous you should use a blender.

Blatul se taie in doua. Una dintre bucati se pune in tava in care am copt blatul. Apoi se pune crema si se pune cealalta bucata de blat.

Cut the spongecake in half. One of the pieces is put in the baking pan in which we baked the spongecake. Then add the cream and put the other piece of spongecake.

Intr-o cratita am pus sucul de mere (poate fi si nectar) iar intr-o cana am pus gelatina pe care am hidratat-o cu 3 linguri de suc. Sucul l-am pus la incalzit. Atentie nu trebuie sa fie fiarba si nici sa aiba mai mult de 50 de grade altfel gelatina se va distruge.

Cand sucul din cratita este caldut adaugam gelatina hidratata si amestecam pana cand se dizolva.

Apoi se toarna caldut peste prajitura asigurandu-ne ca sucul a ajuns pe toata suprafata prajitura in egala masura. Apoi acoperim tava cu folie alimentara sau folie de aluminiu si se lasa sa se raceasca cca o ora. Apoi se pune in frigider pana a doua zi.

I put in a pan the apple juice (can be nectar) and I put in a cup the gelatin that we hydrated it with 3 tablespoons of juice. I put the pan with juice on the stove . Attention should not be boiling the juice and have no more than 50 degrees because it will destroy the gelatin.

When the juice in the pan is warm add the hydrated gelatin and stir until it will be dissolved.

When is still warm pour over cake ensuring that juice will get all over the cake came in equal measure. Then cover the tray with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and let the cake cool for about an hour. Then put it in the refrigerator until the next day.

Decorati prajitura cum doriti si taiati-o in bucatele mici. Este tare buna!

Decorate cake as you wish and cut it into small pieces. It's delicious!

Sa aveti pofta!

Bon appétit!

Ultima reteta a anului 2011: Rasol de vita - varianta mea / Last recipe for 2011: Osso bucco - my style

2011-12-30T22:34:00.004+02:00

Daca inca nu v-ati hotarat ce sa pregatiti pentru Revelion am sa vin eu cu o idee. Putina carne de vita dupa atata porc nu strica!
Reteta nu este spectaculoasa si nici complicata. Este exact ceea ce-mi place cel mai mult: simplu si delicios.
De ce aveti nevoie? Pai nu de prea multe ingrediente. Pentru doua persoane va trebui sa aveti:

- 2 felii de rasol de vita cu os
- 1 lingura de ulei
- 1 litru de vin rose
- 500 g fasole verde
- hrean
- 300 g iaurt de oaie
- sare
- piper

If you haven't decided yet what to prepare for New Year's Eve I have an idea. A little beef after so much pork should be very suitable!
The recipe is not spectacular, nor complicated. This is exactly what I love most: simple and delicious.
What you'll need? Well, not too many ingredients. For two people you should have:
- 2 slices of osso bucco with bone
- 1 tablespoon of oil
- 1 liter of rose wine
- 500 g green beans
- horseradish
- 300 g sheep yogurt
- salt
- pepper

Feliile de rasol se spala si se scurg bine. Pregatim o tigaie pe care o vom unge cu ulei, de preferinta care sa aiba un strat antiaderent.

The slices of osso bucco will be washed and well drained. We will prepare a pan which will be greased with oil. The pan should have an non adherent layer.

Bucatile de carne se rumenesc pe ambele parti. Ele trebuie supravegheate atent pentru ca rumenirea sa se faca uniform.
Pieces of meat will be tempered on both sides. They should be closely monitored to temper uniformly on both sides.

Cand carnea s-a rumenit, tigaia se ia de pe foc si se adauga piper, sare si vinul. Apoi se acopera cu un capac si se pune la foc mic. Carnea va fierbe in vin dupa care se va carameliza usor cand acesta va scadea.
When the meat is tempered, the pas is taken aside and we will add pepper, salt and the wine. Then the pan is covered with a lid and put back on the stove at low heat. The meat will boil in wine and after that it will be caramelized when there's no more wine.

Apoi se prepara sosul de hrean. Se rade prin razatoarea mica si se amesteca bine cu iaurt pana cand devine cremos. Unii il prefera ca si sos cald, asemanator cu bechamel. Eu cred ca e mai potrivit sa il fac simplu, cu iaurt si sa renunt la smantana care este destul de grea.
Fasolea verde se fierbe cu putina sare si se scurge bine de apa. Daca va place puteti adauga putin ulei si sare sau alte condimente, insa nu foarte aromate. Gusturile pregnante trebuie sa fie cel al carnii si al sosului de hrean.
Apoi pregatim farfuriile pentru a servi mancarea cat este calda.

Then we'll prepare the horseradish sauce. Grate the horseradish to the small grater, add yogurt and mix well until it becomes creamy. Some prefer it as warm sauce, like bechamel. I think it's best to make it simple, with yogurt and not with sour cream which is quite heavy.
Green beans will be boiled with salt water and drained well. If you like you can add a some oil and salt or other spices, but not very flavorful. The powerful tastes should be that of meat and horseradish sauce.
Then prepare plates to serve the food warm.

Va multumesc pentru ca mi-ati fost alaturi si in anul 2011, chiar daca uneori nu am fost prezenta atat de mult pe cat mi-as fi dorit.
Sper ca anul ce vine sa va aduca multa sanatate, bucurie si liniste in suflete! La multi ani!

Thank you for being with me in 2011, even though sometimes I was not present here as much as I would have liked.
I hope that next year will bring you health, joy and peace in your souls! Happy New Year!

Tort pentru ziua de nastere a lui Cristian / Cristian's Birthday Cake

2011-12-27T15:33:00.000+02:00

Dupa un Craciun destul de linistit, tulburat numai de sinuzita mea care nu tine cont ca-s sarbatori, azi vin cu o noua reteta.
Va povesteam mai demult pe Facebook despre un tort cu blaturi din 30 de oua. Ei da, este vorba despre tortul pe care l-am facut pentru nepotelul meu scump Cristian care a implinit 1 an.
Cum tortul a iesit delicios m-am gandit ca poate va inspira pentru tortul pe care-l faceti de Revelion.
Eu am sa va scriu reteta pentru tortul pe care l-am facut eu dar voi puteti sa injumatatiti cantitatile deoarece este enorm pentru o familie.

Iata ingredientele:

Blat (am facut doua):

- 15 oua
- 15 linguri de zahar
- 16 linguri de faina
- 1 lingura de ulei
- 10 g praf de copt
- 20 g zahar Vanilla Bourbon

Crema banane:

- 4 banane coapte
- 390 g crema de lapte DeLatte

Crema zmeura:

- 1 kg zmeura de munte congelata
- 500 ml smantana dulce pentru frisca
- 100 g zahar pudra

Crema lamaie:

- 6 oua
- sucul de la doua lamai
- 6 linguri de zahar
- 2 linguri de amidon
- 100 g unt
- coaja unei jumatati de lamaie

Invelis unt:

- 500 g unt

- 100 g zahar pudra

- 20 g zahar vanilat

Pentru pasta de zahar va recomand sa folositi reteta de pe blogul lui Lily, una dintre cele mai bune. Eu am facut aceasta reteta dar pentru cantitati de 4 ori mai mari, datorita marimii tortului.

After a nice and quiet Christmas, disturbed only by my sinusitis that does not take into account that we're having holidays, today I come with a new recipe.

I was telling you earlier this month on Facebook about a cake made with spongecake from 30 eggs. Well, it's the cake I made for my cute grandson Cristian who turned 1 year.

The cake was delicious and I thought that maybe it will inspire you for the cake that you'll bake for New Year's Eve.

I will write the recipe for all the cake but you should use only half of the quantities because it was huge, so not suitable for a family.

Here are the ingredients:

Spongecake (I made two):

- 15 eggs

- 15 tablespoons of sugar

- 16 tablespoons of flour

- 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil

- 10 g baking powder

- 20 g sugar Vanilla Bourbon

Banana Cream:

- 4 ripe bananas

- 390 g of milk cream DeLatte

Raspberry Cream:

- 1 kg frozen raspberries

- 500 ml sweet cream for whipped cream

- 100 g powdered sugar

Lemon Cream:

- 6 eggs

- juice of two lemons

- 6 tablespoons of sugar

- 2 tablespoons of starch

- 100 g butter

- peel from half of lemon

Butter coating:

- 500 g butter

- 100 g powdered sugar

- 20 g vanilla sugar

For sugar paste recipe I recommend you use Lily's blog, one of the best. I made this recipe but 4 times bigger quantities due to the size of the cake.

Batem albusurile spuma dupa care adaugam zaharul.

We mix the egg whites and after that we'll add sugar.

Vom obtine o spuma densa care nu se desprinde de pe paletele mixerului.

We'll obtain a meringue that doesn't shed from mixer's blades.

Pregatim galbenusurile. Le amestecam impreuna cu uleiul si praful de copt.

We'll prepare the egg yolks. We'll mix them with the sunflower oil and the baking powder.

Adaugam zaharul cu Vanilla Bourbon.

We'll add the sugar with Vanilla Bourbon.

Punem amestecul de galbenusuri, ulei si praf de copt peste albusurile mixate si amestecam pana la omogenizare.

We'll put the mix of egg yolks, sunflower oil and baking powder in the bowl with meringue and we'll mix until we'll homogenize.

Am pus compozitia intr-un vas tapetat cu hartie de copt. Apoi l-am bagat in cuptorul preincalzit si am setat la o temperatura medie. Blatul este copt atunci cand pe scobitoare nu mai ramane compozitie lichida.

I put the composition in a pot in which I lay baking paper. Then I put in preheated oven and I set to a medium temperature. When the dough is baked on the toothpick we don't have any liquid composition.

Blaturile se lasa la racit dupa care le vom taia astfel incat sa obtinem 3 bucati.

Sponge cakes will be left to cool off and after that we will cut them so that we'll obtain 3 pieces.

Pregatim cremele. Crema de banane se face extrem de simplu, neavand nevoie de fierbere. Taiem bananele dupa care adaugam crema de lapte si mixam pana cand obtinem o crema suficient de densa.

Am preferat sa folosesc amestecuri simple si destul de fluide pentru a nu fi nevoita sa insiropez blaturile. Pasta de zahar care trebuia sa acopere tortul l-ar fi facut sa se faca praf sub greutatea ei.

Prepare creams. Banana cream is extremely simple, with no need for boiling. Cut bananas then add cream of milk and mix until we'll get a dense enough cream.
I preferred to use simple creams and quite fluid to avoid being forced to pour sugar syrup on the sponge cakes to soften them. Sugar paste that cover the cake would have made a real disaster with my cake under its weight.

Nu stiu ce s-a intamplat cu fotografiile facute in timpul prepararii celorlalte creme, insa nu am mai gasit nimic :(. Asa ca am sa va povestesc pur si simplu cum le-am facut.
Crema de zmeura se face relativ simplu. Mixam smantana pentru frisca pana cand obtinem o spuma. Apoi adaugam zaharul si mixam pana la obtinerea compozitii ferme. Vasul cu frisca se pune in frigider.
Urmeaza o operatie destul de delicata si care mie mi-a luat mult timp (adica vreo 30 de minute). Obtinerea unui piure de zmeura sau mai bine spus separarea samburilor de zmeura cu ajutorul unei strecuratori cu ochiuri mici. Am rezistat operatiunii insa nu fara a scrasni din dinti. Daca stiti alta metoda de obtinere a piurelului de zmeura va rog sa mi-o impartasiti! Dau o bere! :)
Am amestecat piureul cu frisca si am obtinut o crema omogena, absolut delicioasa.

Urmeaza crema de lamaie. Intr-o craticioara se pun ouale, sucul de lamaie, coaja de lamaie si zaharul. Se amesteca energic dupa care craticioara se va pune la foc. Se amesteca in continuu.
Dupa 5-6 minute trageti craticioara de pe foc si adaugati amidonul omogenizat cu 2 lingurite de apa. Amestecati in continuu. Apoi puneti-o inapoi pe foc si amestecati pana cand crema incepe sa se ingroase.
Crema se lasa 5 minute la racorit dupa care adaugam untul si amestecam bine pentru a omogeniza.

I do not know what happened to the photos taken during the preparation of other creams, but I could not find anything :(. So I just tell you how I did.
Raspberry cream is relatively simple. Mix the sweet cream for whipped cream until we'll get a foam. Then add sugar and mix until the composition will get firm. The pot with whipped cream will be placed in the refrigerator.
Then we'll have to do is a very delicate operation and that took me a long time (about 30 minutes). Obtaining a raspberry puree or better said the separation of raspberry seed with strainer with small holes. I survived the operation but not without gnashing. If you know another way to obtain raspberry puree please share it with me! I'll give a beer! :)
I mixed the puree with whipped cream and I got a homogeneous, absolutely delicious cream.
Lemon cream is next on my list. In a saucepan put the eggs, lemon juice, lemon peel and sugar. Mix vigorously and then put the pan on the stove. Stir continuously.
After 5-6 minutes take the pan aside and add cornstarch stirred with 2 tablespoons of water.Stir continuously. Then put it back on stove and stir until cream begins to thicken.
Let the cream to cool off for 5 minutes then add the butter and mix well to blend.

Acoperim tortul cu un film de unt moale amestecat cu zahar pudra si vanilie. Apoi se pune pasta de zahar. Eu am preferat sa o aranjez cu mana direct pe tort pentru a obtine un deal inzapezit :). Pentru mai multa precizie va recomand sa intindeti o foaie si apoi sa o asezati pe tort.

Am pus apoi figurinele cumparate de parintii micutului si gata! Tortul a fost pregatit pentru petrecere.

Cover the cake with soft butter mixed with powdered sugar and vanilla. Then put the sugar paste. I preferred to arrange by hand directly on the cake to get a snowy hill :). To be more accurately I recommend to lay a sheet of sugar paste on the table and then place it on the cake.

At last I put the sugar figurines bought by the little one's parents and the cake was ready for the party!

Tortul a fost apreciat de cei prezenti si i-a incantat pe cei mici. Poate ca nu a fost el atat de aratos ca si cele din cofetarii insa cu siguranta a fost facut cu toata dragostea si cu ingrediente de cea mai buna calitate!

The cake was appreciated by those that were at the party and made the little ones happy. Perhaps it wasn't so handsome as those made in bakeries but definitely was made with all the love and with best quality ingredients!

Craciun fercit! / Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T15:39:00.005+02:00

Rata pe varza / Duck on cabbage

2011-12-18T12:45:00.001+02:00

Nu stiu cat de potrivita vi se parea reteta aceasta pentru Craciun dar va asigur ca este o alternativa in cazul in care v-ati plictisit de clasicele feluri de fripturi de porc. In plus, este exact perioada in care veti putea gasi cu destul de mare usurinta rata in magazine.
In ultima vreme am constatat ca in tara nostra avem tendinta ca folosim numai carne de porc si pui pentru a gati. Mi se pare destul de limitat si monoton acest tip de meniu. De aceea imi propun sa va propun si tipuri de preparate care sa contina altfel de carne.
Iata de ce ingrediente avem nevoie:

- 1 rata de 2-3 kg
- 2-3 kg de varza
- 6 linguri de ulei
- mix de piper boabe
- cimbru uscat
- seminte de marar
- ardei iute uscat (fulgi)
- sare

I don't know how suitable you'll find this recipe for Christmas but I assure you that it's an good alternative if you are bored of the classic dishes of roast pork. In addition, it's the exact time when you can easily find ducks in stores.
Recently I realized that in our country we tend to use only pork and chicken to cook. I find this type of menu quite limited and monotonous . Therefore I intend to propose and types of dishes that contain other types of meat.
This is what we'll need:

- a duck of 2-3 kg
- 2-3 kg of cabbage
- 6 tablespoons of sunflower oil
- pepper mix
- dried thyme
- dill seeds
- dry chilli (flakes)
- salt

Pregatim o tava sau un vas cu peretii mai inalti. Daca aveti un vas cu peretii mai inalti decat ce se vede in fotografie folositi-l cu incredere. Cu ajutorul unei pensule ungem interiorul vasului cu 2 linguri de ulei.
Spalam rata si o curatam bine. Tamponam interiorul cu servetele abosorbante dupa care asezam rata in tava. Nu va faceti griji-chiar daca am pus numai 2 linguri de pielea ratei nu se va lipi de tava. Stim cu totii ca ratele au in general destul de multa grasime. Odata bagata rata in cuptor grasimea se va topi ramanand in tava.
Pentru inceput este bine sa o acoperim fie cu un capac, fie cu aluminiu. Cuptorul trebuie reglat la o temperatura medie, astfel incat carnea sa se patrunda cat mai bine.
Vom avea grija ca rata sa se rumeneasca pe toate partile motiv pentru care va trebui sa o intoarcem de cateva ori.

Prepare a tray or pot with taller walls. If you have a dish with taller walls than the ones you see in the picture use it with confidence. Using a brush we will grease the dish with 2 tablespoons of oil.
Clean and wash well the duck. Tampon the inside of the duck with absorbing napkins and then sit it in the tray. Do not worry-even if we put only 2 tablespoons of oil duck's skin will not stick to the pan. We all know that ducks are generally quite fat. Once we'll put the duck in the oven the fat will melt and it will remain in the pan.
First you should be a cover the duck with a lid or aluminum. The oven should be set to an average temperature so that meat to be tempered better.
We take care that the duck to be tempered on all sides which is why you have to roll it on each side several times.

Intre timp pregatim varza.
Vom folosi o cratita cu pereti inalti in care vom pune cele 4 linguri de ulei. Apoi taiem varza marunt si pisam piperul intr-un mojar. Nu folositi piper gata macinat deoarece nu va avea acelasi gust.
Cratita se pune pe foc pentru ca uleiul sa se incinga putin. Apoi adaugam treptat varza (in 4-5 reprize), cu pauze de 4-5 minute. De ce este nevoie sa facem acest lucru? E simplu. Astfel varza va apuca sa se caleasca si sa lase propriul suc si nu va fi necesar sa adaugam apa. Varza se va cali in putin ulei si propria-i zeama. Daca adaugam apa ea se va fierbe iar gustul nu va fi la fel.
In final adaugam cimbrul, sarea, ardeiul iute si semintele de marar.

Meanwhile, we'll prepare the cabbage.
We will use a pot with tall walls in which we put the 4 tablespoons of oil. Then finely cut the cabbage and grind pepper in a mortar. Do not use ready ground pepper as it will not have the same taste.
Pan will be put on the stove so the oil to heat up a bit. Then gradually add the cabbage (in 4-5 rounds), with breaks of 4-5 minutes. Why do we need to do this? It's simple. Thus cabbage will start to leave their juice and to temper so it won't be necessary to add water. Cabbage should be tempered in a little bit of oil and it's own juice. If you add water you'll boil the cabbage and it will not taste the same.
Finally add the thyme, salt, chilli and dill seeds.

Scoatem rata din cuptor si o umplem cu varza calita. Apoi o asezam intr-un vas in care am pus un pat de varza calita (nu acelasi in care am rumenit-o). Adaugam aproximativ 400 ml de apa si invelim vasul cu aluminiu. Se da la cuptor timp de 2 ore la foc mic. Atentie - fiecare cuptor este diferit. Folositi instructiunile date de producator pentru acest tip de gatire. Este posibil ca rata sa se faca mult mai repede intr-un cuptor performant. Al meu este clasic :)
Inainte de a scoate rata este bine sa o lasati 10 minute fara aluminiu pentru ca pielea sa se rumeneasca frumos si sa devina crocanta.
Daca va intrebati ce am facut cu grasimea lasata de rata va pot spune decat ca eu nu am pastrat-o. Marea majoritate a celor care gatesc rata o folosesc pentru a rumeni cartofi. Sunt intr-adevar deliciosi dar nu si in cazul in care aveti colesterolul ridicat sau probleme cu greutatea :)
Serviti rata si varza caldute, alaturi de un pahar de vin negru.

Take the duck out of the oven and fill it with cabbage. Then sit the duck in a dish in which we put a bed of cabbage (not the same dish where we tempered the duck). Add about 400 ml of water and wrap the dish with aluminum. Cook for 2 hours on low heat. Note - each oven is different. Use the instructions given by the manufacturer for this type of cooking. The duck is likely to cook much faster in an improved and new oven. Mine is classic:)
Before taking the duck out of the oven is better to leave 10 minutes without aluminum so the skin to brown and become crispy.
If you're wondering what I did with the fat left in the tray can only say that I didn't kept it. Most of those who cook duck use the fat to fry potatoes. They are really delicious but not if you have high cholesterol or weight problems:)
Serve the duck and the cabbage warm, with a glass of black (red) wine.

Pofta buna!
Bon appétit!

Tiramisu cu fructe de padure, compot de mango si Teacher's/ Tiramisu with berries, mango compote and Teacher's

2011-12-11T21:57:00.000+02:00

Anul acesta nu voi reusi sa imi fac pregatirile asa cum as fi vrut eu, adica sa incep cu mai multe zile inainte. Asa ca m-am gandit ca si unii dintre voi au aceeasi problema.
Cum timpul limitat ne pune cele mai mari probleme atunci cand alegem meniul, cred ca e bine sa va sugerez o reteta usoara, rapida si care va fi pe placul tuturor.
Am pregatit zilele trecute o reteta de tiramisu ceva mai speciala: cu fructe de padure, compot de mango si Teacher's. Puteti sa inlocuiti whiskey cu alt tip de bautura daca nu va place sau daca aveti copilasi.

Ingrediente:

- 36 de piscoturi (3 pachete)
- 500 g mascarpone
- 4 galbenusuri
- 4 linguri de zahar pudra
- vanilie
- 100 ml Teacher's
- 500 g fructe de padure
- 400 g compot de mango (1 cutie)

This year I will not be able to make my preparations as I would have liked, because I wanted to start several days before. So I thought that some of you have the same problem.
Because we have limited time the biggest problem is when we are choosing the menu, so I think it's better to suggest an easy recipe, fast and that everyone likes.
I prepared a recipe for tiramisu the other day, somehow special: with berries, mango compote and Teacher's. You can replace whiskey with another type of drink if you don't like it or if you have little children.

Ingredients:

- 36 Savioardi biscuits (3 packs)
- 500 g mascarpone
- 4 egg yolks
- 4 tablespoons powdered sugar
- vanilla
- 100 ml Teacher's
- 500 g berries
- 400 g mango compote (1 can)

Pentru inceput vom prepara crema. Cele patru galbenusuri se mixeaza impreuna cu zaharul pudra si vanilia pana cand obtinem o pasta deschisa la culoare. Apoi adaugam mascarpone si mixam in continuare pana la obtinerea unei creme omogene.

First we will prepare the cream. The four yolks will be mixed with powdered sugar and vanilla until we'll obtain a pale yellow paste. Then add the mascarpone and continue mixing until you'll have a homogeneous cream.

Ca sa terminam crema mai trebuie sa adaugam whiskey.

To finish the cream we only have to add the whiskey.

Dupa ce crema a fost pusa la frigider incepem sa ne ocupam de celelalte ingrediente.

Punem fructele de padure la scurs intr-o strecuratoare. Apoi desfacem cutia de compot de mango, scoatem fructele si pastram siropul intr-o farfurie adanca.

After the cream was made we will put it in the refrigerator and we will begin to deal with other ingredients.

We will put the berries in a colander to drain. Then open the box of mango compote, take out the fruits and put the syrup in a deep dish.

Pentru tiramisu stiti ca trebuie sa folosim un vas cu pereti inalti, nu? In mod normal se pune folie alimentara in vas pentru ca asezarea pe tava de prezentare sa fie mai usoara dar si pentru ca forma sa fie usor de modelat. Ei bine, eu am considerat ca e mai bine sa pun aluminiu. Sa nu faceti ca mine! Folositi folia de plastic pentru ca e mult mai practica. Aluminiul se rupe si este inestetic atunci cand ramane pe bucatile de prajitura ale invitatilor.

For tiramisu you know that we must use a dish with high walls, right? Normally I put tiramisu in plastic foil when placing in the dish because is easier to put the cake on the tray of presentation when is ready to be served but also because the shape can be easily molded. Well, I considered it's better to use aluminum. Don't do it! Use plastic wrap because it is more practical. Aluminum breaks and is so unpleasant to have pieces of aluminium left on guests' cakes.

Se aseaza piscoturi inmuiate in siropul de la compot. Peste piscoturi se pune jumatate din cantitatea de fructe de padure si crema. Nu lasati piscoturile sa absoarba prea mult sirop pentru ca se vor inmuia prea mult.

Put the savioardi soaked in syrup. Over the savioardis put half of the quantity of berries and cream. Don't let savioardi to absorb too much syrup because they will soften too much.

Continuam sa asezam piscoturi peste care adaugam fructele din compot si crema. Astfel vom proceda pana cand punem toate ingredientele rand pe rand, in straturi. Ultimul strat trebuie sa fie de crema.

Continue to arrange savioardi on which we'll put fruits from the compote and cream . We will proceed in the same manner until all the ingredients will be arranged in layers. The last layer should be cream.

Aranjam folia sau aluminiul, acoperim si partea superioara dupa care se pune la frigider pana a doua zi cand va putea fi servita. Atunci vom decora cu zahar pudra, figurine. bombonele sau ce mai vreti voi.

We will arrange the aluminum foil, we will put some foil also on the top and then we will put it in the refrigerator until the next day when it can be served. Then we decorate with powdered sugar, figurines, candies or whatever you want.

Spor la treaba! Veti termina mai repede decat credeti :)

You should do this cake! You will finish faster than you think:)

Gulas de porc / Pork goulash

2011-12-01T21:52:00.001+02:00

La multi, multi ani, Romania! Azi este Ziua Nationala a Romaniei, o zi incarcata de istorie pentru poporul roman.

Sper ca ati petrecut frumos si ca frigul nu v-a tinut in casa.

Ca si anul trecut, de 1 decembrie, incep seria retetelor de iarna si pentru Sarbatorile de iarna.

Prima reteta este de data aceasta una foarte populara: gulas de porc. Cunosc mai multe variante de gulas. Aceasta este cea pe care o facea strabunica mea si care mie imi place tare mult.

Ingrediente:

- 500 g carnat afumat de casa

- 500 g muschi de porc

- 2-3 linguri de ulei

- 3 cepe

- 3-4 ardei rosii sau 300 g pasta de ardei rosu

- 250 ml bulion de rosii

- boia dulce si iute

- foi de dafin

- piper boabe

- seminte de chimen

- 2 catei de usturoi

- 1 ardei iute (optional)

Happy, happy anniversary, Romania! Today is National Day of Romania, a day filled with history for the Romanian people.

I hope that you spent a wonderful time today and not you weren't kept in the house by the cold weather.

Like last year, in December 1, I begin the series of winter recipes and for winter holidays.

The first recipe is a very popular one: pork goulash. I know several versions of goulash. This is my grand-grandmother's and that I like very much.

Ingredients:

- 500 g homemade smoked sausage

- 500 g pork fillet

- 2-3 tablespoons of sunflower oil

- 3 onions

- 3-4 red pepper or 300 g red pepper paste

- 250 ml tomato paste

- sweet and hot paprika

- bay leaves

- pepper seeds

- seeds of cumin

- 2 cloves of garlic

- 1 hot pepper (optional)

Daca aveti carnat afumat de casa nu ezitati sa-l folositi! Gulasul va avea un gust exceptional. Nimic nu se compara cu un mezel traditional bine facut.

If you have homemade smoked sausage do not hesitate to use it! Goulash will taste great. Nothing compares with a well done traditional charcuterie.

Muschiul de porc nu trebuie sa fie cu prea multa grasime. Il vom taia bucatele mici pentru a se patrunde bine cand se caleste.

Pork muscle shouldn't have too much fat. We will cut it in small pieces in order to be cooked better when we will temper it.

Taiem carnatul in felii potrivite sau in bucati mai mari.

We will cut the sausage in medium size slices or in bigger pieces.

Tocam si ceapa marunt, marunt si o punem in cratita unde avem muschiul si feliile de carnat.

We'll chop the onion very finely and we'll put it in the pan where we have muscle pieces and sausage slices.

Adaugam uleiul si punem cratita pe foc. Calim muschiul, carnatul si ceapa timp de 10 minute la foc mediu, amestecand in continuu.

We'll add the oil in the pan and we'll put it on the stove. We'll temper the pork fillet, the sausage and onion for 10 minutes at medium heat, stirring constantly.

Cu 2-3 minute inainte de a lua cratita de pe foc vom adauga boia de ardei. Amestecam bine. Daca vom lasa la calit prea mult dupa ce am adaugat boia, amestecul va deveni amar.

With 2-3 minutes before taking the pan aside we'll add paprika. Stir well. If we let it temper too much after we've added paprika, the mixture will become bitter.

Adaugam ardeiul, piperul, cartofii si apa dupa care punem cratita inapoi pe foc si lasam sa fiarba. Cand cartofii sunt aproape fierti vom pune bulionul, foile de dafin, chimen, usturoiul tocat si ardeiul iute. Dupa ce gulasul a fiert se trage de pe foc si se lasa 10-15 minute pentru ca aromele sa se combine.

Apoi il servim cald, alaturi de muraturi asortate sau castraveti murati.

Add the red pepper, pepper grains, potatoes and water and then put the pan back on the stove and let it boil. When potatoes are almost cooked we put the tomato paste, bay leaves, cumin, chopped garlic and chili pepper. After cooking the goulash comes will be taken aside and we will allow 10-15 minutes for the flavors to combine.

Then serve it hot with assorted pickles or pickled cucumbers.

Mmm...delicios!

Mmm...delicious!

Tarta cu mere, nuci si bezea / Tart with apples, walnuts and meringue

2011-11-27T18:06:00.002+02:00

Am facut aceasta reteta acum cateva saptamani. V-am mai povestit ca mai am inca destule retete din toamna aceasta pe care inca nu am apucat sa le postez. Dar ma straduiesc sa o fac foarte curand.

Merele au fost de la mama din gradina. Din cauza ca nu am stropit pomii cu nimic, merele au trebuit sa fie consumate rapid. Si am facut sosuri, placinte, tarte si le-am impartit cu prietenii si familia.

Tarta aceasta a avut un succes neasteptat, soacra mea declarandu-se fan incontestabil. Asa ca m-am gandit ca poate vor mai fi si alti amatori.

Iata ce ingrediente am folosit:

Blat

- 250-300 g faina

- 5 galbenusuri

- 150 g unt

- 10 g praf de copt

Umplutura

-1.5 kg mere

- 100 g nuca macinata

- scortisoara pudra

- 2 linguri de ulei

- 3 linguri de zahar

Bezea

- 5 albusuri

- 7 linguri de zahar

I made this recipe a few weeks ago. I have told you that I still have plenty of recipes from this fall that I have not had time to post. But I'll try to do it very soon.

Apples were from my mother's garden. Because we didn't spray the trees with nothing, apples had to be consumed quickly. And I made sauces, pies, tarts and I shared with friends and family.

This tart had an unexpected success, my mother in law declaring herself an undeniable fan . So I thought that maybe there will be also other amateurs.

Here are the ingredients I used:

Crust

- 250-300 g flour

- 5 yolks

- 150 g butter

- 10 g baking powder

Filling

-1.5 kg apples

- 100 g ground walnuts

- cinnamon powder

- 2 tablespoons of oil

- 3 tablespoons sugar

Meringue

- 5 egg whites

- 7 tablespoons sugar

Merele se spala, se curata si se taie in bucatele. Apoi se pun intr-o cratita impreuna cu cele doua linguri de ulei, zaharul si scortisoara. Merele se calesc pana se inmoaie putin. Cand sunt gata cratita se ia de pe foc si merele se lasa sa se racoreasca.

Wash apples, peel them and cut into small pieces. Then put the apple pieces in a pan with two tablespoons of oil, sugar and cinnamon. Apples will be tempered until they will get soften. When they are ready take the pan aside and let the apples to cool off.

Untul moale se amesteca bine cu galbenusurile. Apoi se adauga praful de copt si in final faina. Atentie - faina se pune treptat si se framanta bine.

Soft butter will be mixed well with the yolks. Then add baking powder and finally the flour. Pay attention - put flour gradually and knead well.

Aluatul se modeleaza frumos intr-o forma de tarta. Apoi intepam din loc in loc aluatul cu o furculita.

Form the dough nicely into a tart form. Then prick the dough from place to place with a fork.

Asezam merele si le nivelam cu o lingura.

We'll put the apples and we'll arrange them with a tablespoon.

Preparam apoi bezeaua. Atunci cand este gata nu trebuie sa se desprinda de pe paletele mixerului. O vom lasa la frigider timp de 10 minute.

Then prepare the meringue. When it's ready it shouldn't be able to drop from the mixer blades. We will leave in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.

Intre timp presaram nuca macinata peste mere si o nivelam. In final o sa punem si bezeaua.

Meanwhile we'll sprinkle ground nuts over the apples and we'll level them. And finally we'll put the meringue.

Tarta se baga in cuptorul preincalzit. Se coace la foc mediu pana cand bezeaua devine aurie.

Tart is put in the preheated oven. It will be baked at medium heat until the meringue becomes golden.

Dupa ce s-a racit, tarta se va taia frumos si usor. Feliile trebuie sa fie tare generoase la cat de gustoasa este!

After the tart cooled off, it can be cut nice and easy. Slices should be generous because it's so tasty!

Ce mai ramane de spus? Decat...bon appétit! :)

What else should be said? Unless...bon appétit! :)

Crap oglinda la gratar cu garnitura de couscous si legume / Grilled mirror carp with couscous and vegetables garnish

2011-11-20T18:24:00.000+02:00

A trecut ceva vreme de cand nu am mai scris nimic pe aici! Dar am un motiv bine intemeiat. Acum cateva luni va povesteam ca sunt pe cale de a realiza cel mai important proiect al carierei mele de pana acum. Ei bine, am reusit! Sunt extrem de fericita! :)
Si ca sa vedeti ca oboseala nu ma poate determina sa stau deoparte de pasiunile mele, azi am sa va povestesc putin despre o reteta numai buna pentru zilele de post ce urmeaza: crap oglinda la gratar cu garnitura de couscous si legume.

It's been a while since I wrote anything here! But I have a good reason. A few months ago I was telling you that I'm about to achieve the most important project of my career so far. Well, I did it! I am extremely happy! :)
And to see that fatigue can't make stay away from my passions, today I'll tell you a little about a recipe so good for the days that will come: mirror carp grilled with couscous and vegetable garnish.

Ingrediente:

- 1 crap oglinda (aprox 1 kg)
- 300 g couscous
- 50 g unt
- 1 ceapa
- 1 gogosar
- 1 morcov mare
- 1 pastarnac
- 2 linguri de ulei
- 500 ml vin alb dulce

Ingredients:

- A mirror carp (approx 1 kg)
- 300 g couscous
- 50 g butter
- 1 onion
- 1 bell pepper
- 1 large carrot
- 1 parsnip
- 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil
- 500 ml sweet white wine

Se curata si se taie pestele. Daca va place borsul de peste nu aruncati capul; il veti putea folosi pentru a prepara bors delicios cu legume (in curand va fi postata reteta si aici, pe blog).

Clean and cut the fish. If you like fish borsch don't throw away the head; you will be able to use it to prepare delicious fish borsch with vegetables (recipe will soon be posted here on the blog).

Pregatim gratarul. Il ungem cu putin ulei si-l incingem. Apoi punem bucatile de peste. Nu va dura prea mult pana cand acestea vor fi gata - in cazul meu au fost suficiente 15 minute.

Prepare the grill. We will grease it with a little bit of oil and then we'll heat it. Then put the pieces of fish. It will not take too long before they will be ready - in my case 15 minutes were sufficient.

Apoi fierbem couscous folosind indicatiile de pe cutie. Sa va spun cum am facut eu? OK. Am pus la fiert cam 500 ml de apa cu un pic de sare si o lingurita de ulei. Cand apa a inceput sa clocoteasca, am tras cratita de pe foc si am adaugat couscous-ul. Apoi l-am lasat sa se umfle 3-4 minute. Dupa aceea am pus cratita din nou pe foc timp de 1-2 minute si am amestecat in continuu. Am stins focul dupa care am adaugat bucatica de unt si am amestecat incet. Couscous-ul se va umfla in continuare (este exact principiul orezului, al pastelor, etc).

Then prepare couscous using the instructions on the box. Do you want me to tell how I did? OK. I put about 500 ml of water with a little salt and a teaspoon of oil to boil in a pan. When the water began to boil, I took the pan aside and I added the couscous. Then I left to expand for 3-4 minutes. Then I put the pan back on stove for 1-2 minutes and I mixed continuously with a spatula. I took the pan aside and after that I added the piece of butter and I slowly mixed. Couscous will continue to expand (this is exactly the principle of rice, pasta, etc.).

Apoi preparam sosul de legume. Le curatam si le tocam sau le razuim (eu am razuit morcovul). Punem uleiul intr-o cratita si-l incingem putin. Adaugam apoi legumele si le sotam 3-4 minute.

Then prepare the vegetable sauce. We will peel and cut them or grate them (I grated carrots). Put oil in a pan and heat it. Add the vegetables and we will saute them 3-4 minutes.

Apoi vom adauga 500 ml de vin alb dulce si lasam sosul sa fiarba cam 20-25 de minute. Eu am avut Tamaioasa Romaneasca de la Cotnari.

Then we will add 500 ml of sweet white wine and we'll let the sauce to boil about 20-25 minutes. I had the Romanian Tamaioasa Cotnari wine.

Cand sosul este gata, asezam frumos pe o farfurie pestele si couscous. Peste couscous vom turna sos si legume. Serviti cu un pahar de vin alb.

When sauce is ready, we will put on a plate some fish and couscous. We will pour sauce over couscous and vegetables. Serve with a glass of white wine.

Bon appétit!

Sos picant cu mere si gogosari/Spicy sauce with apples and peppers

2011-11-06T18:51:00.001+02:00

Nu stiu daca mai gasiti prin piete gogosari dar eu am sa va spun oricum reteta de sos picant! Este de mult timp in plan sa va povestesc despre ea. Nu stiu daca ati observat ca in ultima vreme abia mai am timp sa trec sa raspund la comentarii. Va trece si asta. Incepand cu 18 noiembrie.
Cu aceasta reteta am sa particip si la Provocarea lunii-Dulcea Romanie a carei gazda este de data aceasta Xandrinne.
Deci scrieti asa:

- 2 kg de gogosari
- 2 kg de mere
- 2 ardei iuti
- 1 lingurita de sare

I don't know if you'll find peppers in the markets but I'll tell you this hot sauce recipe! I planned for a long time to tell you about it. I do not know if you noticed that lately I barely have time to respond to your comments. But it will pass. From 18 November.
With this recipe I also participate at this month's challenge - Sweet Romania; this time the host is Xandrinne.
You should write this:

- 2 kg of peppers
- 2 kg of apples
- 2 chili peppers
- 1 teaspoon salt

Am spalat si am curatat gogosarii dupa care i-am tocat marunt cu robotul.
I washed and cleaned the peppers and then I chopped them with the kitchen robot.

Pasta obtinuta am pus-o intr-un vas mare.
The obtained paste was put in a large recipient.

Desi am avut si mere rosii ele nu apar in fotografii. Am vrut sa am totul verzuliu aici! :)
Merele au fost spalate si curatate de coaja si cotor. Ardeii iuti au fost si ei spalati si curatati de cotor si seminte.

Although I had also red apples they do not appear in photos. I wanted to have everything green here! :)
Apples were washed, peeled and the stub was removed. Peppers were also washed and cleaned of their stubs and seeds.

Si acestea au fost tocate marunt cu robotul. Cel mai bun prieten al meu din aceasta toamna! :)
And they were chopped finely with the robot. My best friend of this fall! :)

Toate ingredientele au fost puse in vasul cel mare. Il punem la foc si fierbem sosul timp de 1.5-2 ore adica mai bine spus pana scade. Amestecati din cand in cand in vas ca sa nu se prinda sosul de fundul acestuia.
Dupa ce s-a fiert sosul se va pune in borcanase curate si uscate. Apoi se pun intr-o tava pe fundul careia am asezat hartie si adaugam apa. Tava se va baga in cuptor. Borcanele cu sos se vor steriliza timp de 50-60 de minute la o temperatura medie.

All the ingredients were put into the big recipient. I put it on the stove and I boiled the sauce for 1.5-2 hours or better said until it begun to drain. Stir from time to time in bowl just to be sure that the sauce doesn't stick to the recipient.
After the sauce was boiled we will put it in dry and clean jars. Then put them in a tray in which we put some paper and we add some water. We will put the tray in the oven and we will sterilize the jars with sauce for 50-60 minutes at medium temperature.

Borcanasele cu sos se vor lasa sa se raceasca in cuptor pana a doua zi. Apoi se pun in camara sau intr-un loc suficient de rece si unde stiti ca aveti temperatura constanta.
The jars with sauce will be left to cool off in the oven until the next day. Then put in the pantry or in a place cold enough where you know that you'll have constant temperature.

Placintele traditionale / Traditional minipies

2011-10-22T23:30:00.000+03:00

A trecut o perioada destul de lunga de cand nu am mai postat nimic. Inca mai am retete de conserve pe care le-am facut si vreau sa vi le arat. Se pare insa ca timpul nu a fost de partea mea si nu am reusit sa imi duc la capat planurile.
Azi am sa povestesc putin despre o reteta foarte simpla si gustoasa. Am cumparat un aparat Moulinex Pie&Co despre care am mai vorbit putin in vara; am promis ca revin cu noi idei si iata-ma!
De data aceasta am facut niste placintele traditionale care au avut mare succes in randul musafirilor mei.

Ingrediente aluat:

200 g unt
200 g telemea
3 linguri de smantana
2 oua
450 g faina alba
250 g faina integrala

Ingrediente umplutura:

150 cas afumat
2 bucati de carnat traditional
1 ardei verde
1 ardei kapia
cimbru

It's been a pretty long time since I haven't posted anything. I still have some preserves recipes that I wanted to show you. It seems though that the time was not on my side and I couldn't do all the things I planned.
Today I will talk a little bit about a very simple and tasty recipe. I bought a Moulinex Pie & Co. unit about which I've talked a little bit this summer; I promised to return with new ideas and here I am!
This time I baked some traditional pies that have had great success among my guests.

Ingredients for dough:

200 g butter
200 g feta cheese
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 eggs
450 g all purpose flour
250 g whole wheat flour

Ingredients for filling:

150 g smoked cheese
2 pieces of traditional sausage
1 green pepper
1 kapia pepper
thyme

Pentru pregatirea aluatului vom folosi untul moale, la temperatura camerei. Amestecam ouale cu untul, branza telemea si smantana. Apoi adaugam treptat faina si framantam bine. Vom obtine o coca elastica. Aceasta se inveleste in folie alimentara si se pune in frigider timp de 20 de minute.

To prepare dough we will use soft butter, at ambiental temperature. Mix eggs with butter, cream and cheese. Then add the flour and knead well. We will obtain an elastic dough. This will be wrapped in alimentary foil and put in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

Intre timp am taiat in bucatele mici carnaciorii motesti Alpin (pe care noi ii apreciem extrem de mult) si ardeii.

Meanwhile we will cut the Alpin sausages into small pieces (we appreciate them very much) and the pepper.

Casul afumat de Sibiu seamana ca si consistenta cu parmezanul. Gustul insa este diferit dar foarte bun.

L-am razuit cu razatoarea Moulinex in 2 timpi si 3 miscari.

Sibiu smoked cheese looks like parmesan. The taste is different but very good. I grated it very easily with my little Moulinex grater.

Scoatem aluatul din frigider si il intindem pe masa presarata cu faina. Nu trebuie sa fie foarte subtire. Apoi il taiem cu forma speciala a aparatului pentru a forma cosuletul.

Cei ce nu au un aparat Pie&Co pot sa decupeze cu o forma rotunda si sa cresteze aluatul dupa care il pot pune la copt in forme de mini tarte.

Remove dough from refrigerator and stretch it on the table spread with flour. It shouldn't be very thin. Then we'll cut the little basket with the unit's special form.

Those who do not have a Pie & Co. unit can cut with a round shape and bake the dough in mini tarts baking forms.

Punem aluatul in cuiburile incinse ale aparatului si adaugam celelalte ingrediente.

Put the dough in the Pie&Co's hot nests and add the other ingredients.

Adaugam coca de deasupra pe fiecare cosulet. Apoi se coace timp de cateva minute. In cazul in care trebuie sa coaceti placintelele in cuptor va trebui sa asteptati pana cand se rumenesc frumos deasupra.

We will add the piece of dough on each nest. Then we will bake them for few minutes. If you need to bake the mini pies in the oven you will have to wait until they are nicely browned on top.

Sper ca v-am dat o idee buna si ca va va fi de ajutor atunci cand pregatiti masa pentru prieteni sau familie.

Pofta buna!

I hope I have given you a good idea and that it will be helpful when preparing meals for friends and family.
Enjoy your meal!

Baclava / Baklava

2011-10-05T21:33:00.002+03:00

Nu imi aduc aminte exact cand am gustat prima data aceasta prajitura. Nu asta e important, ci faptul ca mi s-a parut extrem de dulce. Multa vreme am trait cu impresia ca toata lumea o face la fel.
De curand am vazut o reteta de baclava pe un site. Parea cu adevarat diferita fata de cea pe care o stiam eu. M-am inspirat un pic de acolo si am mai facut niste modificari - rezultatul? O prajitura absolut minunata, potrivit de dulce si cu multa nuca!

Ingrediente:

400 g foi de placinta (12 foi)
500 g nuci macinate
100 g unt topit
5 linguri de lapte

Ingrediente sirop:

10 g vanilie Bourbon
2 linguri de scortisoara pudra
5 linguri de miere
2 linguri de zahar brun
2 linguri de apa de flori de portocal
sucul de la 1/2 lamaie
200 ml de apa

I do not remember exactly when I first tasted this cake. That's not so important, but the fact that it seemed very sweet. I thought everyone bakes this cake the same.
Recently I saw a recipe for baklava on a site. It looked really different from the one I knew. I was inspired a little by that recipe and I made some changes - the result? An absolutely wonderful cake, moderately sweet and with plenty of nuts!

Ingredients:

400 g phyllo dough (12 sheets)
500 g grounded walnuts
100 g melted butter
5 tablespoons milk

Ingredients for syrup :

10 g Bourbon vanilla
2 tablespoons of cinnamon powder
5 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons orange flower water
juice from half of lemon
200 ml of water

Se desfac foile de coca. Intr-o tava de dimensiune potrivita in care am pus in prealabil hartie de copt se pune prima foaie.
Separate the phyllo dough sheets. In an appropriately-sized tray in which I put baking paper I put the first sheet of phyllo dough.

Foaia se unge cu ajutorul unei pensule de silicon inmuiate in unt topit. Apoi se aseaza urmatoarea foaie si se repeta operatia si tot asa. Eu am pus trei foi. Dupa ce am asezat-o pe fiecare dintre acestea le-am uns cu unt.

The sheet will be greased with a silicon brush dipped in melted butter. Then I placed the next sheet and I repeated the operation and so on. I put three sheets. After I placed it on each of these sheets I greased it with butter.

Am adaugat apoi o parte din nuca macinata. Eu nu am pus zahar in nuca. Daca va place mai dulce puteti sa puneti si zahar.
Am facut in asa fel incat sa am 4 straturi a cate 3 foi de coca si 3 straturi de nuca. Asa ca am pus cate o treime din cantitatea totala - adica aprox. 165 g.

I then I added some grounded nuts. I did not put sugar in grounded nuts. If you like it sweeter, you can add some sugar.

I calculated the ingredients in order to obtain 4 layers of 3 sheets of dough and 3 layers of grounded nuts. So I put one third of the total - that is approx. 165 g.

Dupa ce am asezat ultimele foi le-am uns cu unt topit si cele 5 linguri de lapte. In final se taie sub forma de romburi cu ajutorul unui cutit bine ascutit.

Apoi am pus tava in cuptorul preincalzit. Baclavaua se coace timp de 45-50 de minute, la foc mic (pana cand foile devin aurii).

After we I the last sheets I greased them with melted butter and the 5 tablespoons of milk. In the end I cut the cake with a sharp knife in rhomb shaped pieces.
Then I put the tray in the preheated oven. Baklava will be baked in 45-50 minutes at low heat (until the sheets will become golden).

Intre timp pregatim siropul. Intr-o craticioara se pune apa. Cand incepe sa fiarba adaugam toate ingredientele in afara de apa de flori de portocal si miere. Acestea se vor adauga decat atunci cand siropul este caldut (aprox. 40 de grade).

Meanwhile, we'll prepare the syrup. Put the water in a pan. When it starts to boil add all ingredients except for orange blossom water and honey. These will be added only when the syrup is warm (approx. 40 degrees).

Siropul se toarna peste prajitura proaspat scoasa din cuptor. Se lasa sa se raceasca dupa care se acopera si se da la rece pana a doua zi. Asteptarea este grea iar pofticiosii vor fi nerabdatori dar sa stiti ca se merita!

The syrup is poured over the fresh baked baklava. Allow it to cool off then cover it and put it in a cold place until the next day. The wait is hard and some of you will be eager to taste it but it worth!

Puteti sa o serviti asa cum este sau pudrata cu scortisoara. Yummy!

You can serve it just like it is or powdered with some cinnamon. Yummy!

Pofta buna!
Bon appétit!

Zacusca cu vinete si ciuperci / Zacusca (vegetables stew) with eggplants and mushrooms

2011-09-26T00:11:00.005+03:00

Acum cateva saptamani am vazut pe blogul Mayei o reteta interesanta de zacusca. Trebuia neaparat sa o incerc. Am modificat putin reteta astfel incat sa respecte doua reguli: sa nu contina mult ulei si sa nu fie foarte sarata. OK, am mai facut niste modificari insa nu semnificative.

Iata ce am folosit:

- 200 ml ulei

- 500 g ceapa (rosie sau galbena)

- 1 kg ardei kapia

- 2 kg gogosari

- 1.5 kg rosii

- 1 kg vinete (coapte si curatate)

- 1 kg ciuperci

- piper

- foi de dafin

- cimbru uscat

- 2 catei de usturoi

- 2 linguri de sare

In afara vinetelor toate legumele se cantaresc crude si curatate.

A few weeks ago I saw an interesting recipe of vegetable stew (zacusca) on Maya's blog . I had to try it. I modified the recipe slightly to meet the two most important rules: not to contain much oil and not to be too salty.OK, I've made some other changes but not significant.

Here's what I used:

200 ml oil
500 g onions (red or yellow)
1 kg Kapia sweet pepper
2 kg peppers
1.5 kg tomatoes
1 kg eggplant (baked and peeled)
1 kg mushrooms
pepper
bay leaves
dried savory
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons of salt
Besides eggplants, all vegetables will be weighted raw and peeled.

Spalam si curatam toate legumele. Unele din ele vor fi tocate cu robotul de bucatarie iar altele vor fi coapte. Vom incepe cu ceapa, apoi 1 kg de gogosari si rosiile - acestea se toaca pe rand cu robotul de bucatarie.

Wash and clean all the vegetables. Some of them will be minced in food processor and others will be cooked on grill. We will start with the onion, then 1 kg of peppers and tomatoes - chop them in the food processor.

Dupa ce am tocat ceapa, aceasta se pune in vasul in care facem zacusca impreuna cu uleiul. Se caleste pana cand devine translucida; la mine nu a durat decat 10 minute pentru ca imi place sa fie decat inabusita.

Apoi am adaugat pe rand gogosarii si rosiile tocate. Se amesteca bine si se lasa sa fiarba la foc mic.

A After chopping onions, it will be put int the dish in which we will cook the stew together with the oil and is placed on the stove. Fry until it becomes translucent; it took only 10 minutes because I like to be just a little bit tempered.

Then I added the chopped tomatoes and after that the peppers. Mix well and let them boil at low heat.

I Intre timp am copt ardeii kapia si 1 kg de gogosari. Vinetele le aveam coapte deja; aici am trisat un pic :)

Meanwhile I cooked the sweet peppers and 1 kg of peppers. I had already baked the eggplant, I cheated a bit here :)

Am curatat toate legumele coapte de pielite si le-am tocat cu robotul de bucatarie. Acum ca toate legumele erau pregatite pentru a fi puse in vas, a mai ramas sa curat ciupercile.

I cleaned all vegetables of their baked peels and I chopped them with the food processor. Now all the vegetables were ready to be put into the recipient, it only left to clean and peel the mushrooms.

Am folosit atat palarioarele cat si piciorusele ciupercilor. Eu le-am tocat cu robotul pentru prima portie; pentru a doua am preferat sa le tai in bucatele mai mari. Depinde numai de cum va place.

Am pus legumele coapte si ciupercile in vasul in care preparam zacusca si le-am lasat sa fiarba impreuna cu celelalte ingrediente.

I used the whole mushroom. I've chopped them with the food processor for the first portion, but for the second I cut them into medium pieces . Depends only on how you like them to be.

I put the cooked vegetables and mushrooms in the dish in which I prepared the vegetable stew and let them simmer together with the other ingredients.

Cu o jumatate de ora inainte de a lua vasul de pe foc se adauga foile de dafin, piperul, cimbrul, sarea si cateii de usturoi pisati.

A durat cam 1.5 - 2 ore pana cand zacusca a scazut suficient.

With half an hour before taking the vessel out of the stove add the bay leaves, pepper, dried thyme, salt and ground cloves.

It took about 1.5 - 2 hours until the vegetable stew was low enough.

Vasul se ia de pe foc. Zacusca se pune in borcane curate si uscate. Odata umplute si infiletate, borcanele se vor pune intr-un vas mare cu apa pe fundul caruia am pus hartie. Acesta se baga in cuptorul preincalzit. Se lasa la sterilizat timp de o ora, incepand cu momentul in care apa a inceput sa fiarba. Apoi lasati-le sa se raceasca treptat pana a doua zi, de preferat in cuptor.

The recipient will be taken aside. Zacusca will be put in clean and dried jars.Then they will be wrapped in paper and placed in a large pot. The pot will be put in the preheated oven. The jars with sauce will be sterilized for 1 hour, measured after the water began to boil.

Then leave them to cool gradually until the next day, preferably in the oven.

Daca veti folosi ciuperci de padure sau un alt tip decat Champignon, zacusca va fi cu mult mai aromata. Dar cum nu am gasit altceva, eu am sa ma multumesc si cu zacusca pe care am facut-o anul acesta.

If you use forest mushrooms or other types than Champignon, zacusca will be more aromatic. But as I didn't found something else, I think I'll have to remain with the zacusca cooked this year.

Bon appétit!

Gogosele americane/Doughnuts

2011-09-19T20:24:00.000+03:00

Acum ceva vreme am publicat pe un site culinar o reteta de gogosele. M-am gandit sa pastrez si aici aceasta reteta pentru ca poate pe unii dintre voi ii va interesa.

In urma cu mai mult timp am cumparat dintr-un supermarket un aparat de copt gogosele americane. Stiti de care gogosele vorbesc! Cele cu gaura pe mijloc. Nu puteam sa ma abtin si sa nu-l incerc! Daca nu aveti aparat pentru gogosele nu va faceti probleme. Au inceput sa se gaseasca si in magazinele romanesti un fel de tigai sau tavi pentru acestea.

Iata ce ingrediente am folosit:
260 g de faina
130 g de zahar
1 pliculet de vanilie Bourbon
250 ml de iaurt simplu
3 oua
3 linguri de ulei
10 g praf de copt

A while ago I published a recipe of doughnuts on a culinary site. I thought about keeping this recipe here because some of you might interested. Not long ago I bought a machine from a supermarket for baking American doughnuts. You know about what I'm talking! The ones with the hole in the middle. I could not help myself and not try it!
If you don't have a device for baking doughnuts don't worry. They can be found in stores some special pans or trays to bake them.

Here are the ingredients I used:

260 g flour

130 g sugar

1 sachet of Bourbon vanilla

250 ml plain yogurt

3 eggs

3 tablespoons oil

10 g baking powder

Se amesteca faina, zaharul, vanilia, iaurtul, ouale, uleiul si praful de copt pana cand obtinem un aluat omogen. Nu va ingrijorati daca este putin mai gros decat aluatul de clatite. Este normal. Si asta a fost tot! Mai ramane decat sa le coaceti!
Mix flour, sugar, vanilla, yogurt, eggs, oil and baking powder until you'll get a homogeneous dough. Do not worry if a little thicker than the pancake dough. It is normal. And that was it! You will only need to bake them!

Daca aveti aparat de copt gogoselele va trebui sa-l lasati cateva minute sa se incinga. Se vor unge apoi fiecare cuib cu o pensula de silicon inmuiata in ulei.
Apoi puneti aluatul cu ajutorul unui polonic sau al unei linguri. Se umple decat 2/3 din cuib pentru a-i permite gogoasei sa creasca. Se inchide apoi capacul aparatului si se coc cca 10 minute.

Daca folositi o tigaie/tava speciala pentru aceste gogosele va trebui sa procedati putin diferit. Se vor unge mai intai cuiburile, se pune aluatul dupa care se introduce tava in cuptorul preincalzit sau se pune tigaia pe ochiul aragazului. Gogoselele vor fi gata cand devin rumene.

If you have a baking device for doughnuts you will have to leave it for few minutes to heat up. Then coat each nest with a silicon brush dipped in oil.

Then put the dough with a ladle or a spoon. Fill only 2/3 of the nest to allow the doughnut to grow. Close device's cover and bake the doughnuts about 10 minutes.

If you're using a pan / tray you will need to proceed a little bit different. First you will grease the nests, place dough in pan and then insert it in the preheated oven or place pan on the stove. The doughnuts will be ready when they will have a nice goldish color.

Puteti sa le serviti pudrate cu zahar, simple, cu glazura, fructe sau cum am facut eu, cu bombonele si ciocolata neagra.

You can serve them with powdered sugar, simple, with icing, nuts or like I did with candies and dark chocolate.

Bon appétit!

Sos cu gogosari, kapia, rosii si busuioc/2 types of peppers, tomatoes and basil leaves preserved sauce

2011-09-11T21:34:00.000+03:00

Saptamana ce tocmai a trecut am fost foarte bolnava. Am racit foarte tare si nu am fost in stare de mai nimic. De gatit nici nu s-a pus problema.
Totusi mi-am facut curaj dupa ce am inceput sa ma simt mai bine si am preparat un sos pentru iarna absolut minunat. M-am gandit ca poate vreti si voi sa preparati asa ceva.
Luati ceva de scris si notati de ce aveti nevoie.

- 2 kg rosii
- 1.5 kg gogosari
- 1.5 kg ardei kapia
- frunze de busuioc
- 2 linguri de sare
-cimbru uscat

Last week I was very sick. I caught a cold and I wasn't able to do almost nothing. Cooking was not questioned.
But I took the plunge after I started feeling better and I prepared a preserved sauce for winter which is absolutely wonderful. I thought maybe you would like to prepare it.
Take a pen and note what you'll need.

- 2 kg tomatoes
- 1.5 kg peppers
- 1.5 kg kapia peppers
- basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons salt
-dried savory

Se spala rosiile si se curata de pielite. Ale mele erau tare coapte si s-au curatat usor. Bunica a avut niste rosii extraordinare anul asta.

Wash the tomatoes and peel the skin. Mine were very ripe and they cleaned easily. Grandma had some great tomatoes this year.

Apoi le-am taiat in felii si le-am pus in cuva robotului de bucatarie si le-am pasat. Nu am separat semintele pentru ca nu ma deranjeaza.
Piureul rezultat l-am pus intr-un vas mare, in care am si fiert sosul.

Then I cut them into slices and put them in food processor's bowl and I mashed. I didn't separate the seeds because they don't bother me.
I put mashed tomatoes in a large pot, in which I boiled the sauce.

Am repetat operatiunile de spalare/curatare/pasare si in cazul ardeilor de toate neamurile (a se intelege kapia si gogosari) dupa care sosul rezultat a fost si el pus in vasul in care aveam deja sosul de rosii.

I repeated the washing / cleaning / mashing operations for all kinds of peppers (to understand the ones from above) and then the resulting sauce was also put in the pot in which I had the tomatoes sauce.

Am pus apoi vasul cu sos la fiert, la foc mic. Se amesteca incet cam la 10 minute. Cand sosul incepe sa scada vom pune sarea si cimbrul uscat. Atentie-nu adaugati apa. Sosul va fierbe numai in suc propriu.

I put the bowl with the sauce to boil at low heat. You will have to stir slowly at every 10 minutes. When the sauce begins to fall we put the salt and dried savory. Attention- do not add water. The sauce will boil only in it's own juice.

Cu 10 minute inainte de a lua vasul cu sos de la fiert se pun frunzele de busuioc taiate marunt. Eu am fiert sosul cam o ora si jumatate in total; acest timp poate diferi un pic, in functie de cat suc au legumele folosite.
Sosul caldut se pune in borcanase spalate si uscate. Apoi acestea se invelesc in hartie si se pun intr-un vas mare. Dupa ce am aranjat toate borcanasele se adauga apa astfel incat sa fie acoperite.
Vasul se baga in cuptorul preincalzit. Borcanasele cu sos se vor steriliza timp de 50 de minute, timp cronometrat dupa ce apa ce le acopera a inceput sa fiarba.
Apoi se vor lasa sa se raceasca treptat pana a doua zi, preferabil in cuptor.

10 minutes before taking the pot with sauce out of the oven put the chopped basil leaves.
I cooked this sauce for about an hour and a half in total; this time can vary a bit depending on how much juice the vegetables that were used had.

Put the hot sauce in washed and dried jars. Then they will be wrapped in paper and placed in a large pot. After we have arranged all the little jars add water so that they are covered.
The pot will be put in the preheated oven. The jars with sauce will be sterilized for 50 minutes, measured after the water began to boil to cover.
Then leave them to cool gradually until the next day, preferably in the oven.

Acest sos il puteti folosi pentru multe tipuri de mancaruri. El se poate folosi si pentru a gati mancarea copilasilor, neavand un continut mare de sare.

This sauce can be used to cook many types of foods. It can be used to cook food for little children, not having a high salt content.

Tomate galbene umplute/Stuffed yellow tomatoes

2011-08-30T20:40:00.007+03:00

Probabil ca va intrebati pe unde umblu. Stiu, sunt destul de ocupata in aceasta perioada si nu am apucat sa postez atat de multe retete cate as fi vrut.
Azi este o zi speciala. Am atins pragul de 100 de membri care urmaresc blogul, pe Google. Ultimul membru venit, cel cu numarul 100, este Ioana. Lor li se mai adauga cei ce ma urmaresc de pe Networked Blogs, Facebook si Foodbuzz.
Va multumesc tuturor pentru ca imi apreciati munca! Am sa ma straduiesc sa nu va dezamagesc.

Probably you're wondering where I am. I know, I'm quite busy at this time and I didn't managed to post so many recipes as I wanted.
Today is a special day. We reached 100 members who follow the blog, on Google. Last member that came at number 100, is Ioana. To them I'll add the ones that follow me on Networked Blogs, Facebook and Foodbuzz.
Thank you all because you appreciate my work! I'll try not to disappoint you.

Azi am sa va povestesc putin despre o reteta extrem de simpla si tare gustoasa. Si cum este sezonul tomatelor m-am gandit ca probabil vreti si voi sa gatiti rosii/tomate umplute.
Iata ce am folosit:

- 10-12 tomate
- 500 g carne tocata amestec (vita si porc)
-2 oua
-cimbru
-frunze de busuioc
-sare
-piper

Today I'll tell you a little about a very simple and very tasty recipe. Because it's tomatoes' season I thought you probably want to cook stuffed tomatoes
Here's what I used:

- 10 to 12 tomatoes
- 500 g minced meat mixture (beef and pork)
-2 eggs
-thyme
-basil leaves
-salt
-pepper

Am primit de la prietena mea Simona niste tomate extraordinare. Sunt perfecte pentru umplut deoarece sunt carnoase insa miezul este destul de mic si nu trebuie scobite mult.
Veti mai auzi de minunata recolta a Simonei de anul acesta, chiar foarte curand!
I received from my friend Simona some great tomatoes. They are perfect for stuffing because they are flashy but the core is quite small and I didn't hollow so much.
You'll hear more about Simona's the wonderful harvest from this year, very soon!

Spalam bine rosiile, le taiem un capacel si scobim cu ajutorul unei lingurite.
We'll wash the tomatoes, we'll cut them a little cap and we'll hollow with a teaspoon.

Dupa ce am terminat de pregatit rosiile, ne apucam sa pregatim umplutura.
Carnea tocata se pune intr-o tigaie. Nu adaugati ulei deoarece carnea va lasa propriul suc si putina grasime.
After we finished preparing the tomatoes, we'll prepare the filling.
Minced meat will be placed in a pan. Do not add oil as the meat will leave its own juice and fat.

Adaugam cimbrul, frunzele de busuioc tocate si sarea. Amestecam compozitia si punem tigaia pe foc. Temperatura nu trebuie sa fie mare; vom fixa intensitatea flacarii la minim. Amestecam incet compozitia timp de 5-10 minute dupa care luam tigaia de pe foc.

Add thyme, chopped basil leaves and salt. Mix composition and put the pan on the stove. Temperature mustn't be very high; we set the flame at minimum. Mix gently the composition for 5-10 minutes and after take the pan off the stove.

Compozitia se lasa la racit timp de 15 minute. Apoi adaugam cele doua oua si omogenizam. In sfarsit ne putem apuca sa umplem rosiile!

The composition will be left to cool off for 15 minutes. Then add two eggs and blend. Finally we get to fill the tomatoes!

Rosiile umplute se asaza frumos intr-un vas termorezistent. Daca doriti puneti si capacelele pe care le-am decupat mai devreme.
Se adauga apa pana la jumatatea vasului si se acopera cu un capac. Apoi punem vasul in cuptor si lasam rosiile umplute sa fiarba la foc mic o ora si jumatate (sau mai putin-in functie de cuptor).

Stuffed tomatoes will be arranged nicely in a baking dish. If you want you can put the caps that we cut earlier on.
Add water to half of the dish and cover with a lid. Then put the dish in the oven and let the stuffed tomatoes to boil over low heat for an hour and a half (or less, depending on oven).

Cand sunt gata fie preparati un sos usor de rosii, ceapa si busuioc sau le serviti cu un pic de smantana, asa cum am facut si noi.
When our stuffed tomatoes are ready, prepare a light sauce with tomato, onion and basil or serve them with a little sour cream, as we did.

Daca va plac rosiile umplute, cele clasice cu orez, puteti sa modificati putin reteta. Insa nu renuntati la cimbru si busuioc-dau un gust atat de bun!
Pofta buna!

If you like the traditional stuffed tomatoes with rice, you can change the recipe a bit. But do not give up the thyme and basil, they give such a good taste!

Castraveciori la borcan - reteta bunicii mele/Pickled cucumbers - my grandma's recipe

2011-08-20T21:20:00.000+03:00

De cativa ani bunicii mei s-au apucat serios de treaba si pun muraturi pentru toata familia. A nu se intelege ca noi, restul, nu punem. Au o mica gradina si pe masura ce se fac legumele tot pun conserve.
Sotul meu este innebunit dupa castraveciorii murati ai bunicii. Si ca sa fiu sigura ca o sa tin reteta in familie (desi nu stiu de unde o are bunica) m-am gandit sa fac teste. Cum de prima testare au trecut, cred ca e cazul sa va povestesc si voua cum se fac.

Si ca sa va fie mai usor, am sa va dau "reteta" pentru un borcan de 800 ml:
- castraveciori (cati or intra acolo)
- 1 lingurita de sare pentru muraturi
- 2 lingurite de zahar
- 50 ml de otet de vin alb
- boabe de piper
- boabe de mustar
- foi de dafin
- marar uscat

For several years my grandparents have seriously started to make pickles for the whole family. Do not understand that the rest of us don't. They have a small garden and as the vegetables appear they start to can them.
My husband is crazy about my grandma's pickled cucumbers. And to be sure that I will keep this family recipe (although I do not know which is the provenience) I thought I should test it. How the first test passed, I think I should tell you how they can be prepared.

And it will be easier for you if I'll give you the "recipe" for a jar of 800 ml:
- baby cucumbers (as many as you can put in the jar)
- 1 teaspoon of salt for pickles
- 2 teaspoons of sugar
- 50 ml of white wine vinegar
- pepper grains
- mustard grains
- bay leaves
- dried dill

Spalam bine castravetii si le taiem coditele daca e cazul.
We will wash the cucumbers very well and we will cut the stalks if it's necessary.

Ne alegem borcanele (eu nu am avut de 800 ml dar am calculat cu grija proportiile), le spalam si punem piperul, mustarul, foile de dafin si mararul. Apoi incepem sa aranjam castraveciorii.

We choose the jars (I didn't had 800 ml jars but I carefully calculated the proportions), we'll wash them and put the pepper, the mustard,the bay leaves and dill. Then we'll begin to arrange the cucumbers.

Am pus si cateva felii de morcovi, pentru decor. Bunica nu pune dar eu am considerat ca arata bine si nu se schimba deloc gustul.

I put some sliced carrots for decoration. Grandma doesn't but I think that they look good and the taste doesn't change at all.

Dupa ce am terminat de aranjat castravetii si feliile de morcov am pus sarea, otetul si am completat cu apa rece.

After we finished arranging the slices of carrot and the cucumbers, I put salt, vinegar and I filled the rest of the jar with cold water.

Dupa indicatiile pretioase ale bunicii, am invelit borcanele intr-o hartie "numa buna" din teza de doctorat a sotului (varianta initiala de lucru) si le-am pus intr-o cratita mare de inox.

Am pus apa (cratita nu era chiar plina) si am pus borcanele sa se sterilizeze timp de 10-15 minute cu ochii pe ceas (dupa ce apa a inceput sa fiarba).

Borcanele se lasa sa se raceasca pana a doua zi dupa care se pun in camara, la depozitare.

Cred ca au sa va placa tare mult castraveciorii bunicii!

After the grandmother's precious instructions, I wrapped the jars in a paper "only good" from my husband's doctoral thesis (initial working version) and put them in a large saucepan of stainless steel.

I put water (pot was not full) and I put it on the stove to sterilize the jars for 10-15 minutes, watching the clock (after water began to boil).

Leave the jars to cool until the next day and after they will be put in a cool place, for storage.

I think you'll like my grandma's pickles very much!

Tarta cu pere si ciocolata/Pears and chocolate tart

2011-08-12T23:54:00.000+03:00

Sunt ultimele zile din concediul de vara aceasta. Au trecut atat de repede cele doua saptamani! Si cand ma gandesc la faptul ca nu am reusit sa plecam decat 3 zile la Sibiu (din mai multe motive) ma apuca brusc supararea.
Un singur lucru ma mai consoleaza. Faptul ca am revazut o parte dintre prietenii pe care-i intalnim mai rar.
Si cu o astfel de ocazie am pregatit un desert delicios: tarta cu pere si ciocolata. E prima oara cand fac dar cu siguranta se repeta!
Scrieti in caietelul cu retete de ce aveti nevoie.

Pentru aluat:

- 150 g unt moale
- 2 oua
- 3 linguri de zahar
- 2 linguri de smantana
- 450 g faina
- 5 g praf de copt (1/2 pliculet)
- vanilie

Pentru umplutura:

- pere
- 300 g ciocolata
- 50 g unt
- 2 linguri de smantana
- 2 oua

These are the last days of this year's summer annual leave. These two weeks passed so fast! And when I think that we couldn't leave the town more than the 3 days spent in Sibiu (for several reasons) I feel sad.
But one thing comforts me. The fact that we met again some of our friends that we get to meet so rarely. And for such an occasion I prepared a delicious dessert: pears and chocolate tart. It's the first time when I bake it but I will repeat it for sure!
Write in your little notebook what you need to bake this tart.

For dough:

- 150 g soft butter
- 2 eggs
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 450 g flour
- 5 g baking powder (1/2 sachet)
- vanilla

For filling:

- pears
- 300 g chocolate
- 50 g soft butter
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 eggs

Cum facem aluatul? Foarte simplu. Amestecam ouale, untul, smantana, praful de copt si vanilia. Apoi adaugam treptat faina. Dupa ce faina este incorporata am obtinut un aluat elastic. Poate ca vi se pare un pic prea lipicios. Nu va faceti griji - asa trebuie sa fie.

How we prepare the dough? Very simple. We'll mix the eggs, butter, sour cream, baking powder and vanilla. Then we'll add the flour gradually. After the flour is incorporated we got an elastic dough. Maybe the dough seems a little bit too sticky. Don't worry - it should be like this.

Coca se inveleste cu folie alimentara si se pune in frigider timp de 20 de minute.
The dough will be wrapped in alimentary plastic and it will be put in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Intre timp o sa curatam perele de coaja si de cotor dupa care se taie in bucatele.
Meanwhile we'll peel off the pears and we'll cut the stubs. Then we'll cut the pears in small pieces.

Scoatem aluatul din frigider si-l intindem pe masa, nu inainte de a o pudra cu putina faina. Foaia obtinuta se pune in forma de tarta si se decupeaza. Se inteapa din loc in loc cu furculita dupa care asezam perele.

We'll take the dough out of the fridge and we'll stretch it on the table, but not before spreading some flour on it. The sheet of dough that we obtained will be put in the tart form and cut out to fit. We will sting from place to place with a fork and then we'll put the pears.

Ciocolata se rupe in bucatele si se pune intr-un bol de inox. Ea va fi topita la bain marie. Dupa ce s-a topit, luam bolul de pe vasul cu apa in clocot si adaugam unutul si smantana si amestecam bine. La sfarsit adaugam cele doua oua si omogenizam. Crema de ciocolata este gata.

The chocolate is broken into small pieces and put in a stainless steel bowl. It will be melted in bain marie. Once melted, take the bowl from the pot with boiling water and add the butter and sour cream and mix well. Finally we'll add the two eggs and we'll blend. Chocolate cream is ready.

Punem crema de ciocolata peste pere si o nivelam.
We'll put the chocolate cream over the pears and we'll level it.

Decorati tarta asa cum doriti voi. Eu mai aveam niste coca pe care am folosit-o pentru un "gratar".
Puneti apoi tarta in cuptorul preincalzit. A mea s-a copt in cca 30 de minute la temperatura medie. Cum nu am o minunatie de cuptor, va recomand sa scoateti tarta cand devine aurie si sa nu va luati dupa timpul meu de coacere :)

Decorate the tart as you wish. I had some dough left and I used it to make a "grid".
Then place the tart in the preheated oven. Mine was cooked in about 30 minutes at a medium temperature. And because I don't have a wonderful oven, I recommend to remove the tart out of the oven when the tart has a nice goldish color and not take in account my time for baking :)

Iata ce a iesit!
Look what we have here!

Toata lumea a spus ca a fost delicioasa. Ultima bucata a plecat in urma cu o jumatate de ora impreuna cu soacra mea. In fond cui nu i-ar placea? Reteta din care m-am inspirat este dintr-o minunata carticica de retete de dulciuri belgiene.
Pofta buna!

Everybody said that the tart was delicious. The last piece of tart left half a hour ago with my mother in law. Anyway, who wouldn't like this tart? The original recipe that inspired this tart is from a wonderful little book of Belgian sweets.
Bon appétit!