I Am Delicious

Creamy Vanilla Panna Cotta with Strawberry Sauce (in Polish: Waniliowa panna cotta w sosie truskawkowym)

Panna Cotta is one of the few truly great Italian desserts. Of course, set desserts made from milk and cream are common in many countries however I do believe its origins come from Italy. Panna Cotta is extreemely easy to prepare. If it takes you more than 10 minutes to put it together, you’re doing something wrong. So fill the air with the delicious aroma of fresh vanilla and your guests won't be able to wait to try your creamy and simply delicious panna cotta.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooling Time: at least 120 minutes

Ingredients:                                       

• 3 glasses (750 ml) heavy cream - 30% fat
• 100 g sugar you can also add vanilla sugar
• 2 tsp of vanilla extract or 1 vanilla stick 
• 4.5 tsp powdered gelatin
• 100 ml cold water 

For Sauce:

• 175 g sugar
• 175 ml water
• drop of strawberry liquer for a good taste
• 450 g strawberries

Method:

1. Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water in a medium-sized bowl and leave it for 5-10 minutes to soak well.

2. Pour cream, sugar and vanilla into a pan and bring to simmer. If you are using vanilla sticks, remember to add only inside of vanilla stick. Make sure sugar dissolves.

3. Add gelatin to the pan, mix well and take off the heat. Stir until all the ingredients are dissolved. Leave aside to cool down a bit.

4. For sauce, place the sugar, water and liquer into a pan. Bring to boil. Stir until the sugar dissolves.

5. Take the pan off the heat and add cut into slices strawberries. Leave 2-3 strawberries for decoration. Blend the sauce with a hand blender until it becomes smooth.

6. Cooled a bit panna cotta mixture pour into prepared cups (ramekins), then chill out until firm, which will take at least 120 minutes. But I let them stand for about 6 hours in a fridge. It also depends on your fridge - how cold it can be. It is good to prepare your dessert in the evening so it can be left in a fridge overnight.

7. Next day you can remove your panna cotta from the moulds by inserting a small knife between the panna cotta and the mould. Turn onto a serving plate and shake to release onto a serving plate.

8. Decorate and serve with prepared earlier strawberry sauce. Spoon over the sauce and decorate with strawberry slices and mint leaves. 

ENJOY!!! 

Delicious Beef Quiche (in Polish: Pyszna tarta z wolowina)

Again very easy to prepare, nutritious and simply delicious. Just try and you will see how delicious it is.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 35 - 40 minutes

Ingredients:                                       

• 400 g of minced beef
• 2 medium leeks
• 2 medium carrots
• 2 onions finely chopped
• 100 g Gruyere cheese - grated or simply mozzarella cheese
• 5-6 Tbsp milk
• 3 bigger eggs
• 300 g pastry for pies (at its most basic, it is a mixture of flour and fat bound with water to form a paste)
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 6-8 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground black, red and white pepper

Method:

1. Fry the onion with a bit of olive oil together with minced beef, salt and pepper. Set aside to cool down a bit.

2. Blanche chopped carrot and leeks in boiling water with a pinch of salt for about 5-7 minutes until they become soft.

 

3. Beat the eggs with milk and grated gruyere cheese with a pinch of freshly groud pepper.

4. Put the pastry into the baking dish and prick it with a fork. Put the meat and onion on the bottom of pastry. Add vegetables on the top of meat.

5. Pour cheese with milk and eggs on the top of vegetables. You can add some grated cheese on the top. Sprinkle pepper and nutmeg.

6. Bake it in the pre-heated oven to 185 C for about 35-40 minutes.  

ENJOY!!! 

Lemon - Cranberry Cupcakes (in Polish: Cytrynowo-zurawinowe babeczki)

Cupcakes also called muffins are easy and really quick to prepare. Best thing about it is that you can be really creative and you can bake your own recipe cupcakes. Lemon-cranberry ones here can be prepared almost very last minute when you expect sweets hungry visitors. You can be creative here and replace cranberries with anything else you wish, like chocolate chips, raisins or any other dry fruits. Remember only to soak them a bit in cold water so they will become soft and juicy. 

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients:                                       

• 250 g sugar
• 5 eggs
• 250 g plain flour
• 250 g butter
• 2.5 tsp baking powder
• 1 vanilla stick
• 20 g vanilla sugar
• the juice of 3 lemons - no seeds
• frosting (icing) sugar for decoration (any color you wish. I chose lime and rose)
• decorate your lemon-cranberry cupcakes as desired - be creative 

Method:

1. Soak the dried cranberries in cold water for minimum 2 hours. That way they will become tender inside your cupcakes.

2. Pre-heat the oven to 160 C (top and bottom heat).

3. Mix the eggs, sugar and vanilla sugar with soft butter.

4. Add inside of vanilla stick. Do not forget that we use only the inside of vanilla stick.

5. Mix the baking powder with the flour and add into eggs with sugar and butter.

6. Add lemon juice and keep mixing until you receive a smooth mixture.

7. Add soaked cranberries and stir carefully.

8. Fill the cupcake baking moulds to approx. 2/3 full. Do not overfill. Am using silicon moulds for that as I think they are best. Do not forget to springle some oil over the moulds so your cupcakes won't stick when baked.

9. Place the cupcakes into the center of a pre-heated oven and bake for approx. 20-25 minutes. 

10. Your cupcakes are ready when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

11. Cool 5 minutes then remove your cupcakes from the moulds and place on wire racks to cool completely.

12. If the muffins are not coming out, carefully move a blunt blade along the rim.

13. Frost and decorate your lemon-cranberry cupcakes as desired. Remember to be creative.

ENJOY!!!

 

Tomato Mozzarella Tart with Fresh Spinach (in Polish: Tarta z mozzarella, pomidorami i swiezym szpinakiem)

Easy and takes very little to prepare. No meat so perfect for vegetarians. Can be served as a main dish or a starter. I love it. It is simply Delicious.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:                                       

• 700 g puff pastry - best is fresh but you can look for a frozen one too
• 300 g fresh spinach leaves
• 2 large tomatoes
• 400 g smoked mozzarella cheese
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• 80 g parmesan cheese
• 150 ml extra-virgin olive oil
• freshly ground sea salt and pepper (red, white, green and black)
• 4 Tbsp fresh finely hashed rosemary

Method:

1.Pre-heat the oven to 200 C. Lay one puff pastry on a bottom of a flat baking dish filled with a parchment paper. Sprinkle the pastry with a little bit of olive oil, freshly ground salt and pepper and a little of hashed rosemary. Make sure the edges are well sprinkled with oil - otherwise they will start burning when you put the tart into the oven.

2. Repeat same sequence with a new layer of puff pastry until you have 3-4 layers. All have to be sprinkled with olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper. See picture below.

3. Place the pastry into thr pre-heated oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remember to watch it carefully if the pastry starts burning you need to lower the temperature.

4. In the meantime, you can prepare fresh spinach pesto. Take the spinach leaves and blend it well with some oil, salt, garlic and pepper. At the end add parmesan and blend for a moment.

5. Once the pastry is ready, take it out of the oven and spread the spinach pesto all over the pastry. Sprinkle the edges with some olive oil so you can avoid burning. Place sliced tomatoes and mozzarella on the top of pesto and sprinkle with a little bit of olive oil and freshly ground pepper. See picture below.

6. Place the pastry into the oven and bake for another 15 minutes or until mozzarella starts to melt.

7. Serve hot with green salad and good wine. Delicious!!!

ENJOY!!! 

 

Raffaello (in Polish: Ciasto kokosowe na zimno)

Prep Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:                                       

• 400 g sweet crackers type biscuits
• 300 g coconut shreds
• 600 ml milk 
• 3 yolks
• 2 Tbsp wheat flour
• 3 Tbsp potato flour
• 1 package vanilla sugar
• 250 g sugar
• 300 g sweet butter
• 50 ml vodka - any you like - optional

Method:         

1. Mix yolks in 100 ml of milk, add potato and wheat flour and blend well.

2. Bring to boil remaining 500 ml of milk with sugar and vanilla sugar.

3. Add mixed yolks with potato and wheat flour. Stir well and cook pudding type mixture for next 2-3 minutes. Set aside for cooling. 

4. Blend sweet butter in the mixing bowl. Add cooled pudding and keep mixing.

5. Add 250 g of coconut shreds and if you wish 50ml of vodka. Mix well again.  

6. Put the biscuits on the bottom of baking pan. Pour the coconut mixture on the biscuits and put another layer of biscuits. Continue until you make 4 biscuit layers with coconut mixture on the top.

7. Use remaining 50 g of coconut shreds for the topping.

8. Carefully cover the cake with the tin-foil (aluminium foil) and leave in the fridge for 3-4 hrs. After that your cake is ready. 

ENJOY!!!