Wachauer Marillenknödel

Try your hand at these traditional apricot dumplings, as made in the Lower Austrian Wachau Valley.

The mild climate and fertile soil of the Wachau Valley not only produce outstanding white wines; they are also perfect for fruit-growing. When the apricots are ripe, this Lower Austrian region becomes a dumpling paradise. The apricot dumpling, or Marillenknödel, is wholly emblematic of the Wachau region. And it is also a clear illustration of how theAustrian people are open to other cultures. For this delicacy combines what is originally a Chinese fruit (the apricot) with a plant from Polynesia (sugar) and an Upper Austrian way of preparing food (the dumpling). And the EU – as you might come to expect – likewise plays an official role in this particular dish. The GI certification of controlled origin “Wachauer Marille g.U.” guarantees that these fruits belong to the best of their kind.
 

Ingredients (makes approx. 10 dumplings):
300 g low-fat quark
200 g flour
Approx. 60 g butter, at room temperature
1 packet (8 g) vanilla sugar
1 egg
A pinch of salt
Approx. 10 small apricots
Approx. 10 sugar cubes

For the garnish:
Approx. 100 g breadcrumbs
Approx. 100 g butter
Cinnamon powder
Icing sugar

How to make them:

1. Mix the softened butter with the vanilla sugar and a small pinch of salt until creamed through. Stir in the egg with the quark and flour and work into a malleable dough. Form into a ball, wrap in film and leave in a cool place to rest for approx. 30 minutes.

2. Remove the stones from the apricots and place a sugar cube in their place.

3. On a floured work surface shape the dough into a roll of approx. 5 cm thickness. Cut off slices and gently press these flat between the hands. Place the apricot into the dough, press the dough around it and seal well. Apply some flour to the hands, form dumplings and place on a similarly-floured board.

4. Bring a generous amount of slightly-salted water to the boil in a large saucepan. Turn down the heat, place the apricot dumplings in the water and allow to simmer gently for 10–13 minutes. Stir carefully from time to time to prevent the dumplings from sticking to one another.

5. For the garnish, melt the butter in a pan. Add the breadcrumbs, flavour with cinnamon and fry until golden yellow in colour. Towards the end, add a generous quantity of sugar. Carefully remove the cooked dumplings and roll in the prepared sugared breadcrumbs. Arrange and dust with icing sugar.

To ensure that the dumplings do not fall apart, it is advisable to cook a test dumpling before filling with the fruit. If necessary, adjust the dough mix by adding more flour if too soft, or by adding butter if too firm.

Cooking time: 10–13 minutes

OUTSIDE SOURCE

Health Info & Remedies
Family
Family Canteen
Veianet Online Store
Love Crisis
Join Free and Earn Instantly

Yellowsaffron, Mimosa Cake - Italian Recipe

Yellowsaffron

Mimosa Cake - Italian Recipe

source: youtube

Hi GialloZafferano viewers and welcome to our kitchen. Today we'll be preparing a soft and creamy dessert: the Mimosa cake. This is a cake that's usually prepared for Women's' day -- the 8th of March and its name comes from the crumbled sponge cake on the top that looks like mimosa flowers. Let's see what we'll need:

For two 8 ½-inch (22 cm) round sponge cakes:

• Just over 1 cup (220 g) of sugar

• 4 whole eggs

• 8 egg yolks

• 1/3 cup (40 g) of potato starch

• 1 ½ cups (200 g) of flour

For the soaking syrup

• ¼ cup (50 g) of sugar

• just under ½ cup (100 ml) of water

• 3 ½ tbsp (50 ml) of liqueur - normally an orange liqueur For the sweetened cream

• less than 1 cup (200 ml) of heavy cream

• 2 ½ tbsp (20 g) of powdered sugar

For the custard

• 1 ¼ cups (300 ml) of heavy cream

• 1 ¼ cups (300 ml) of whole milk

• 8 egg yolks

• just under ½ cup (55 g) of flour

• 1 cup (200 g) of sugar

• ½ vanilla pod

Let's begin by making our 8 ½-inch cake bases: I'm putting all of the ingredients into the mixer at one time; you should halve the ingredients and make the 2 sponge cakes separately. Here I have the 4 eggs and the sugar in the mixer. Let it run for at least 10 minutes and when the mixture is aerated and firm, add the egg yolks and let the mixer run at high speed for another 5 minutes. Here's our soft and foamy mixture. If you don't have a stand mixer, you can use an electric hand mixer or even, if you have neither, take a fine metal whisk and with strength and patience beat the ingredients until you've achieved the same result. Now it's time to sift in the flour and the potato starch into this very foamy mixture which has practically quintupled in volume. With a spatula fold in the flour very gently moving the spatula from the bottom of the bowl to the top which will incorporate even more air into the mixture. And here are the cake pans of 8 ½ inches in diameter. I'm going to bake mine at the same time but if you don't have the room, simply bake one first and then the other: bake in static oven at 375°F (190°C) or in a fan oven at 345°F (175°C) for about 30 to 35 minutes. Now let's make our custard. In a saucepan, heat, not boil, the cream, the milk and the vanilla pod that you should slice in two to remove the inner seeds. Once the milk is warm, you can remove the pod and let it cool down a little. In a pot, mix up the egg yolks, the sugar and the flour. As you can see it's quite thick. Now add the vanilla-flavoured milk, and bring it slowly to a boil while stirring. Once the milk is completely mixed into the yolk mixture, leave it to heat up and thicken and then remove from the heat and let it cool. To cool your custard quickly, pour it into a wide oven dish; then cover with cling film letting the film touch the custard, and put in the freezer. Now, let's make the soaking syrup for the cakes. In a saucepan pour the water, the liqueur, and the sugar. Turn on the heat and mix until the sugar is completely dissolved. Then remove from the heat and leave it to cool. When the cakes have cooled, remove the golden crust on top. Divide the first cake into 3 discs of about ½ to ¾ of an inch (1 ½-2 cm) thick. As for the second cake, cut it into slices of about a ½-inch (1 cm) thick and then cut each slice into strips and then into cubes. These will be used to top the mimosa cake -- at this size they do look like mimosa flowers. And here's what we'll need to assemble our cake. First whip the cream until stiff, adding the powdered sugar. Save about 2 tablespoons and fold the rest into the custard delicately. Here's the liqueur syrup nice and cold. Now let's put it together. For a precise assembly, I'm using an adjustable ring. Obviously if you don't have one, you can do it without: the cake will be just as good but a bit more rustic looking. Put the first cake disc in the ring. Now brush with the soaking syrup. Add a thin layer of whipped cream. And now cover this layer with the custard... about a ¼ inch (½ cm) is good. Once you've spread out the custard, cover with the next sponge cake and repeat. And here's what the cake looks like out of the ring. Now all that's left is to cover the top and sides with the rest of the custard. And now cover with the cubed sponge cake, the custard will help them to stick. Take the cubes and spread them over the cake. Cover the sides like this picking up any bits that fall and cover the entire cake. And here's our wonderful mimosa cake. I've cut a slice so you can see how the layers look inside... delicious!

Health Info & Remedies
Family
Family Canteen
Veianet Online Store
Love Crisis
Join Free and Earn Instantly

Yellowsaffron, Magic Cake - Recipe

Yellowsaffron

Magic Cake - Recipe

source: youtube

Today we'll be making a very special cake recipe, the magic cake, that has been published on many websites and blogs, both Italian and foreign. It's called magic because with just one cake batter you get 3 layers with different textures. We'll make a vanilla cake, but you can flavour it in many different ways... let's get to work!

Ingredients for an 8-inch square baking pan

Magic cake

for 8-inch (20 cm) square baking pan

• 1 cup (115 g) of cake flour

• 4 medium eggs, room temperature

• 1 tbsp of ice cold water

• ¾ cup (150 g) of white sugar 

• ½ cup (125 g) of cooled, melted butter + as needed, for brushing the pan • 1 tbsp of vanilla extract

• 2 cups (500 ml) of warm fresh whole milk

• 1 tsp of lemon juice (or white wine vinegar)

• 1 pinch of salt

For sprinkling

• powdered sugar, to taste

Start the recipe by melting the butter, making sure it doesn't brown, then let it cool to room temperature. Then take the eggs, at room temperature too, and separate the yolks from the egg whites. Now combine the egg yolks and the sugar in a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment; beat until the mixture is pale and frothy, then beat in a tablespoon of cold water, the vanilla extract -- you can use vanilla powder or the seeds of a vanilla pod, in this case let them steep in the melted butter -- then add a pinch of salt and finally the butter, which should be cooled by now.

The mixture is well blended, now add the flour, that has been previously sifted; if you want to make a cocoa cake, reduce the amount of flour to ½ cup (65 g) and add just over ½ cup (50 g) of unsweetened cocoa powder. Now turn on the mixer and beat in the milk. Of course, you can do all these steps by hand. Beat for a minute to blend the ingredients, then we're ready.

And here's our mixture, as you can see it's thin and without lumps; if your mixture is a bit lumpy, strain through a fine strainer using the back of a spoon to remove any lumps. Now take the egg whites, at room temperature, place in a bowl -- I'm using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, but you can use an electric beater -- and beat the egg whites, until they turn white, then add a teaspoon of lemon juice or white wine vinegar, to stabilize the foam. Beat until stiff but not dry peaks form, which means that the egg whites should be stiff but still creamy.

Here we are, now fold the egg whites into the previous mixture... then carefully blend them together, using a spatula or, even better, a whisk. When the 2 mixtures are fully incorporated, we're ready to fill the pan.

That's it, now pour the batter into a baking pan, which has to be eight by eight inches, and quite deep. Brush it with butter and line with parchment paper, then fill with the batter, that is pretty thin, and bake the magic cake in a preheated static oven at 300°F (150°C) for about 80 minutes, until golden brown on top. After that, remove the cake from the oven, let it cool completely to room temperature, then cover the baking pan with cling film and place in the fridge to set for a couple of hours. I suggest that because this will make it easier to cut.

As you can see, our magic cake is ready. Now you can notice the 3 different textures: the bottom layer is thick and deep-yellow, the middle layer is creamy, whereas the top layer is spongy like sponge cake. You can sprinkle the top with powdered sugar to taste -- if you used cocoa, sprinkle with unsweetened cocoa powder, of course... then place on a cutting board or a flat plate, without raised edges, and cut into squares. You can wet a long, sharp knife with cold water to keep it from sticking to the cake, otherwise use a fishing line, stretched between your hands. Now all that's left is to enjoy our magic cake... see you next videorecipe!

Health Info & Remedies
Family
Family Canteen
Veianet Online Store
Love Crisis
Join Free and Earn Instantly

Veneziane Alla Crema (Sweet Brioche Buns)

Yellowsaffron

Veneziane alla crema (sweet brioche buns)

source: youtube

***

For the starter

• 1/3 cup (40 g) of cake flour

• ½ cup (60 g) of bread flour

• ¼ cup (65 g) of water

• ¼ tbsp (3 g) of active dry yeast

For the dough

• 2 ¼ cups (300 g) of bread flour

• just under 1 cup (100 g) of cake flour + about 3 tbsp (25 g) for the mixing bowl

• 3 medium eggs

• 1/5 cup (50 ml) of fresh whole milk

• 1 ½ sticks (175 g) of butter

• ½ cup (100 g) of sugar

• ¾ tbsp (15 g) of honey 

• the grated zest of an organic orange

• the grated zest of an organic lemon

• ½ vanilla pod

• ¼ tbsp (5 g) of table salt

For brushing

• 1 egg yolk

• 2 tbsp of heavy cream

For topping

• 3 tbsp (25 g) of cake flour or cornstarch

• 1 cup (250 ml) of milk

• 3 egg yolks

• ½ vanilla pod

• 1/3 cup (75 g) of white sugar

• pearl sugar, to taste

• powdered sugar, to taste

Combine the sifted bread and cake flour in a bowl, then dissolve the yeast in the water, mixing briefly, and add to the flours; knead until it forms a soft, yet smooth dough. Once the ingredients have come together, transfer to a work surface and knead with your hands. Place the resulting dough in the bowl, cover with cling film and let it rise at room temperature for at least 2 hours. The starter has risen, now prepare the main dough, to which we'll add the starter: in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, put the bread flour, the cake flour and the sugar; break the 3 eggs into a separate bowl, then add the honey, the grated orange and lemon zest, the milk and the vanilla seeds, scraping them out with a knife. Beat well with a fork, turn on the mixer and pour in the egg mixture. Beat until well blended. Scrape the dough off the paddle, insert the dough hook and add the starter to the dough. Beat until fully incorporated. You can stop the mixer, and turn the dough over. When the dough is well blended, beat in the butter and the salt, you can add the salt to the butter, the butter should be softened but not too soft, and add one piece at a time, beating constantly, waiting for each piece to be fully incorporated before adding the next, making sure the speed is not too high, speed 2 is fine. After adding all the butter, sprinkle in a little more flour to clear the sides of the bowl. When the dough is wrapped around the hook, pull it off the hook and knead for a few seconds on a pastry board. Stop the mixer, flour the pastry board and turn out the dough; don't add too much flour, just enough to avoid sticking. Knead briefly to shape the dough into a ball, a sort of loaf shape, bring in the edges while turning it; now dust a bowl with flour, cover with cling film and let it rise until doubled in size, it takes about 2-3 hours, depending on the temperature of the room. Here's our dough after 3 hours of rising, put it as it is in the fridge for at least 8 up to 12 hours. I've already made it, of course, and I'll show you how it looks. Take the dough, place on a work surface and knead to soften, as it will be pretty firm after cooling in the fridge. Roll into a log and divide into 12 equal portions, about 2,8 oz (80 g) each, or even smaller if you prefer, 2 oz (60 g) for example. You can weigh each piece for uniform size. Shape into balls by rolling with a circular motion, they should be nice and round and smooth, place on the work surface and continue until the dough is used up. After shaping, place the dough balls on a baking tray, space them out to allow room for rising, brush with the egg yolk, that has been beaten with a couple of tablespoons of cream, and allow to rise until doubled in size, it takes 2 or 3 hours, perhaps in the turned off oven with the light on. Here's the risen buns, they are doubled in size and topped with custard that you can make using the ingredients given in this recipe and following the videorecipe on the Yellowsaffron channel or on the Giallozafferano App. Put the custard in a pastry bag, pipe it on top of each bun in a spiral design, and sprinkle with pearl sugar. Bake the veneziane in a preheated static oven at 350°F (180°C) for about 25 minutes, until nice and golden brown. Our veneziane alla crema are ready; all you have to do is sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy; it's a time consuming recipe, I know, but it's really worth it... happy holidays!

Health Info & Remedies
Family
Family Canteen
Veianet Online Store
Love Crisis
Join Free and Earn Instantly

Liver And Rice

For the price of $1.30 and a cup of rice, my lunch is perfect!

I know some people are not fond of hearing the word "liver". People even say yuck as soon as the word jumps out of one's mouth, instantly visualizing it as a gross thing when in fact everyone on earth has it.  Well, I for sure is not one of them and love it! I grew up having Liver moment at home. Yesterday, I bought some from our local grocery and plan to make a lunch for me today. Just thinking about it brought memories from my childhood years and it was all good. So I got this little tab containing a few chicken livers for  the price of $1.30, enough for a meal or two, depending how much of the memories come back.

My saliva starts dribble inside my mouth and can't wait to have some although I don't really buy too often because of some concerns but whenever I miss home, it does help the homesickness feeling. My dad usually makes liver with onions but this time I decided to make it a little different. I use garlic instead of onions and it turned out good just like home.

Prepare rice - one cup of rice, 2 cup water and let it boil. As soon as it starts boiling, turn down the stove, letting it steamed until liquid disappears.  I am not an every rice eater so a rice cooker is out of my budget.

Next, wash the liver by running hot water through in a bowl and drain.

Ingredients:

3 Tbps vinegar

3 Tbps soy sauce

6 garlic cloves

3 Tbps olive oil for cooking

First, I heated the pan with the olive oil in it. I'm using a cast iron pan which I really enjoyed using. As soon as it starts heat up, grab the drained liver and transfer to the pan.  Stir them around, cooking each side at least 2 minutes, oil covering each of them. Then add the vinegar which will sizzle a bit, add the soy sauce and lastly the mince garlic. Garlic is a good antibiotic and the vinegar will cook the liver easier plus other benefits of vinegar. Mix them all up and cook a little bit more for 10-15 minutes, depending how you want it to be cook. The longer you let it cook, the liquid will turn stickier and liver drier.  And you're done.

Serve with rice. Yum!!!

Mung Beans with Brussels Sprout

 

My wood stove is calling. The heat is going pretty strong and there was nothing on top to cook. It took a second to remember Mung Beans would be best in this kind of given situation and make the most of it. The fire is going, heating the house and maybe cooking for free too. I got some bones to boil for the meat stock. I do not need a lot of meat in this dish as the Mung bean itself is so filling. I washed the Mung beans and add some water to the pot. The bone with little meat around it would be perfect to make my recipe tastes so good!

When the Mung bean opens up from rigorous boiling, it is time to add everything in it. Some people like to sauté the onions for desired aroma but I am trying to avoid oil this time. The bone itself will produce a little bit oil from whatever is attached to it, I'm sure and the stock made from boiling the bone will enhance the flavor of this recipe plus extra soup. I add the salt last to taste. The onions, garlic and salt, is something I enjoy personalizing by how I want the outcome of this recipe. In my case, onions and garlic are two of the few spices I always add when cooking. And a lot is what I want.

Since I only have Brussels sprout on hand, a few were thinly cut for the greens and added just before serving the dish. I like the taste of Brussels sprout cook swiftly less than a minute, sweet and the right crunch!

Ingredients:

2 cups Mung Beans

4 Cups Water

1 Whole Onion

1 Whole Garlic Cloves

1 Coconut Milk in can

Salt

Pork Bones/ Beef Bones 

Whole Wheat Rolls

Whole Wheat Rolls

Ingredients:

2 T yeast

1 cup hot water

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 c oil

1/2 cup honey

1 t salt

1/2 cup condensed milk (can)

3-4 cups Whole Wheat Flour

In a bowl, scoop 3-4 cups of the whole wheat flour, salt and add yeast. Prepare another bowl for the oil, honey, milk to mix and warm a bit by adding the hot water in it. I use a measuring cup to add all the liquid ingredients to minimize on washing. After all, everything is measured to 1/2 of oil, honey and milk. It was easy that way. I used a smaller measuring cup for the water. I drop the eggs into the already mixed liquid of honey, oil and milk and beat it with the rest. After mixing all the liquid smoothly, add to the dry ingredients. Mix all with spatula, kneading for about 15 minutes, enough to mix dry and liquid ingredients together. Let dough rest to rise until doubled. It took an hour for my dough to rise since the room temperature wasn't high enough to activate the yeast but the result was fine.

It came out moist, soft and delicious. The sweetness was not overwhelming and the softness, inviting, smooth to the throat. I'm loving it!!!

Health Info & Remedies
Family
Family Canteen
Veianet Online Store
Love Crisis
Join Free and Earn Instantly