Baked chicken pieces

Marinade: 1 peeled tomato 1 onion 4 cloves Garlic 2 Tbsp Yogurt 1 Lemon (juiced) 1/2 cup Olive oil 3 Tbsp tomato paste 1 tsp Harissa sauce 1 tsp Paprika 1 tsp Turmeric 1 tsp Black pepper 1 Tbsp Salt Salad: 1 large Onion (thinly sliced) 1/2 cup parsley 1-2 Tbsp Summac Olive oil Bread Blend all. Set aside a bit for the bread; marinate chicken in the mixture (3 hr). Thinly slice large onion, add summac & fresh parsley. Heat oven at 200C, middle rack. Cover chicken with wet baking paper, them seal on top w foil; let cook for 1 hour. After, open tray & let crisp until chicken becomes red. Paint bread, and oven bake until slight crispy.

Baked sushi

Rice: 2 cups sushis rice 2 Tbsp sushi vinegar 1 Tbsp Sesame oil Filling: 500gr Ceabsticks shredded/chopped 1 cup Kewpie mayonaise 3-4 Tbsp Cream cheese 1-2 Tbsp Soy sauce 1 Tbsp Furikake 1 Tbsp Sesame oil (optional) Green onions (optional) Fish roe (optional) Assembly: Even later of rice, add Furikake, add Crabstick mix. Broil in iven until desired color Toppings: Fish roe Siracha mayonaise Sliced mangoes Green onions

Banana chocolate chip cupcake

3 large bananas 2/3 cup granulated sugar 150gr 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 egg 1/3 cup vegetable oil 50gr 1 cup flour 145gr 1/2 cup cocoa powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional) 1/2 cup peanut butter chips (optional)

Scones JO

 

450gr Flour

40gr baking powder

150gr Butter (cold)

2 tsp Sugar (mountain)

2 Eggs

4Tbsp Milk

150gr Nuts & Apricot (previous soaked 30min in Orange juice)

Preheat oven at 180C.

Mix all ingredients together (except eggs). Incorporate eggs (without much folding). 

Refridgerate 30min.

Roll out to 2-3cm thickness & cut in shapes.

Bake for 12-15 min

Fasolia red beans

Red beans
1 onion (large)
8-10 Garlic cloves
1 small Tomato paste
2 lemons juice

Soak beans overnight. Precook in pressur exooker 20 min.

Sweat onion n garlic. Add tomato paste & water.
Mix w beans & pressure cook until done. Add lemon juice in the end.

Natillas (Spanish egg custard)

Natillas - Spanish egg custard

Ingredients:
- 50 ml Milk
- 2 Tbsp White sugar
- 6 Egg yolks
- 2 Tsp Vanilla extract

- 1 glass Milk (warm)
- 6-8 Maria/Butter cookies
- 1 splash Porto wine (or any other sweet fortified red wine)

- Cinnamon powder (about 1 Tbsp)

Instructions:
First, let us prepare the serving cups (about 6-8 depending on their size). I use glass yogurt/creme brulee cups.

Warm the milk on a deep plate, in the microwave, for about 30 seconds. You just need it to be warm (not boiling.. you're going to put your fingers in this).

Quickly soak the plain butter cookies into the milk (before they are too soft) and place the soaked cookies into the cups (1 cookie in each).

Natillas

Then (in true Spanish fashion), take your bottle of Porto wine, and splash a little onto the cookie that you now have inside the glass cups. (You just for it to soak up a little taste, not to let it swim in a pool of Port! ;) )

Now that we have that ready..

In a small pot, over medium heat (4/6), place the milk & sugar, whisk in well (, and bring to a boil.

Remove the pan from the heat, and lower the heat to medium-low (2/6).

On the pan, add eggs & vanilla and whisk in. Place back over the medium-low heat, and keep stirring while it cooks (otherwise it will burn).

When it all moves uniformly & foam has disappeared from the edges, it is done.

Pour into individual molds

Meghli (Lebanese dessert)



Meghli (cinnamon caraway rice pudding)

Well.. the now infamous recipe! I started writting this post in preparation for my 1st Lebanon trip :) over Xmass,, but when I actually got to make it, I poured the whole boiling thing over my thumb, and got a "fun" burn (be wiser than I was when holding the glasses to fill xD). The recipe is from my future aunt-in-law :)

So, Meghli is a traditional Lebanese dessert that is prepared to celebrate when a baby is born (including baby Jesus) and so typical of Christmas!

It is basicaly a sort of cinnamon-caraway spiced rice powder pudding, topped with nuts & coconut shavings.
When you first try it, it is a bit confusing flavorwise (at least for a European), as per its spices' flavour.

This is not an overwhelmingly sweet dessert (so no sugar syrup or butter oozing out!) that is fairly easy to prepare, and always gets thumbs up from d man of the house :) (as you know my toughest critic)

Ingredients:

- 1 cup Rice powder

- 1 1/2 cup Sugar (white; caster)

- 1 Tbsp Caraway powder

- 1 1/2 Tbsp Cinnamon powder

- 7 cup Water (6 in mix + 1 at boiling)

Additional, toppings: Coconut shavings (small), Almonds (non-salted), Walnuts, Pistachio

Please note that you will need a large pot for this one (and it will yield about 12 glasses/servings of dessert). You can half the recipe for about 6 servings :)

Firstly combine all dry ingredients with 6 cups of water in a large pot. (Keep the remaining 1 cup on the side).

Place the pot over medium-high heat, and keep stirring with a whisk* until the mix starts boiling. At this point you should be seeing that it is thickening-up.

Once it comes to a boil, add the 1 cup of water left to the mix and combine well. Keep on the fire, stirring constantly for about 20-30 min (until the mixture thickens enough, that it dollops (not pours) off a spoon).

Take off the fire, and set on the side to allow to cool for a couple of minutes only. Then pour into your glass (or heatproof) tins/glasses to individual serving portions.

Let cool down for a good 20 min.

Then cover with cling-wrap & refridgerate for at least 2 hours. It serves cold.

When you want to serve this, sprinkle with coconut shavings, and roasted non-salted nuts: walnuts, slivered almonds/pistachios, (and yellow dried raisins if you like.. we are not fans of these..).

Place the toppings decoratively and you will have a Lebanese style dessert! Bon apetit :)

*Regarding the whisk, I use a rubber-coated whisk, so as not to scratch my pan.


Mental note: Do not hold the glasses while you pour.. you might burn yourself



Thai Red chicken curry



Thai red chicken curry

I've honestly rarely ventured down d Asian food road.. just seeing all d specialty ingredients that I need to have gives me anxiety.. And my poor kitchen is already overwhelmed w Spanish & Arabic stuff!.. so when d man of d house mentioned an orange/red chicken curry I was hoping for something simple & accessible in d supermarket (as well as in d kitchen).

To my surprise Thai Red chicken curry was very easy! and full of taste (and not spicy! which was a relief).



3 specialty ingredients (should be coconout milk!)



You only need 3 specialty ingredients: thai red curry paste, fish sauce and a can of coconut milk. (Thank you food gods!) :D

Here is d wonderful, fast & easy recipe.

Ingredients:

- 1 Onion medium (halved & finely sliced)

- 1 Tbsp Vegetable oil

- 6 tsp Red Curry paste

- 500 gr Chicken breast (chopped in squares)

- 1 Tbsp Fish sauce

- 1 tsp Brown sugar

- 1 can Coconut milk (400mL)

- 20 gr Coriander

Sweat onions, add paste, lightly fry chicken
add coconut milk, let simmer 10-15 min

**Better eaten on top of plain white rice**

Heat oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sweat for 1-2 minutes (until translucent and soft).

Add d Curry paste and mix well for 1 minute (stirring constantly). Add the diced chicken and do the same (mix to coat everything, stirring for a minute).

Then add in d fish sauce, sugar, coconut milk and coriander. Combine together and let reach boiling point.

Simmering in low heat - Thai red curry

Once it bubbles, turn down the heat to medium-low (3/6) so it simmers for 10-15 minutes (do not cover the pan); stirring a bit every 5 min (so it doesn't stick).

Check that the chicken is cooked (it took me about 12 min because my chicken pieces were cut small).

To serve, plate hot over a bed of white rice!

Very easy, few ingredients, and tasty :)

* For the plain white rice (for 2 light eaters): place 1 cup of white rice + 2.5 cup water + 2 pinch salt in a medium pot. Cover with a lid, and place over medium heat (3 or 4/6) until rice is fully cooked (about 10-15 min).

Layali Lebnan (Nights of Lebanon)



Layali Lebnan (Nights of Lebanon)

This is provably the second Arabic/Lebanese dessert that I ever tried to make :) (Being d custard lover that I am) I fell in love with this rose/orange blossom scented semolina (eggless) custard!

Ah d joys of living in d Middle East! :)

My aunt-in-law (d in-law part eventually one day..) gave me d recipe, both including eggs, and d eggless version. (I personally like this eggless so nothing takes away from d Arabic scents :) ).

As with any Arabic dessert, this is not for d faint-hearted (will likely put you on sugar-coma)! but is it Oh so delicious! and custardy-like :)

Ingredients for d custard:

- 7 glass Milk

- 5 Tbsp Sugar

- 8 Tbsp Semolina

- 1.5 Tbsp Vanilla extract

- 3 Tbsp Rose water

- 3 Tbsp Orange blossom water

Additional ingredients/toppings:

- Bananas (ripe; sliced)

- Almonds (slivered)

- Pistachio (slivered)

- Walnuts (whole halves)

- Aatar (Arabic sugar syrup) **recipe below**

Place all custard ingredients over medium heat (4/6) and stirr constantly (I use a coated whisk) until it starts boiling (bubbling). Then lower the heat (3/6) and keep stirring for 4 minutes until the consistency is more thick/firm.

Remove from heat and pour into a glass bowl/tefal/containers. Let cool down.

(If you cooked it long enough the surface should not crack when cold).

In the meantime, you can prepare some Aatar (sugar syrup). Note that Aatar keeps for weeks up to a month in the fridge easily :)

Aatar:
- 2 cups Sugar
- 1 1/4 cups Water
- 1 Tbsp Lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp Rose water
- 1 Tbsp Orange blossom water

Place sugar & water on a pan over medium heat. Whisk until the sugar disolves, then let come to a boil.

Once boiling do not stirr!!, add the lemon juice, and lower the heat to let it simmer for 12 minutes.
Then add the rose & orange blossom water and let boil for additional 30 seconds.

Remove from the heat, and let cool down completly. Then place into a container, and keep in the fridge until use.

So, you have your custard, you have your sugar syrup; now let's put it together.

Serve your custard on the individual plates, and then you can place some whipped cream (if you want) and then sliced bananas, slivered pistachios, almonds, and walnuts... aaand drizle some Aatar syrup on top :) (I told you, this is not for the faint hearted!!)

Voila! a beautifuly scented, custard-like dessert with Arabic touch :) Enjoy!

PS: if you are keeping the custard in the fridge, make sure you cover the top with transparent film, or place a hermetic lid if you have over it, so it wont crack & dry out on the top.

Strawberry condensed milk mousse




Strawberry condensed milk mousse

Ah d joys of homesickness! :)

I actually almost forgot that my mum does this delicious, fresh mousse so well (if you have been on this blog before, you are provably aware that she's a pretty terrible cook.. except for crepes & flans.. and this mousse Lol).

She actually got the recipe off a Nestle condensed milk wrapping some years ago, and does it her way (without gelatin) slightly changing the proportions. I am not a fan of gelatin (or cuajada) textures, so I prefer the mousse this way, even if its a little runny.

*If you actually want something more 'composed' I would suggest you soak-up 2 gelatin sheets in cold water, drain them, and add them to the mix (prior to blending d whole thing).



This mousse is very light/flowy & kind of feels like a digestive dessert :) It is ridiculously easy to make with only 4 ingredients! (you can see the minimal-cooking family gene here..! Lol)

  


Ingredient steps - then blend

Ingredients:

- 500 gr Strawberries (fresh; chopped)

- 125 gr Yogurt (natural)

- 1 can Condensed milk (396 gr)

- 200 mL Whipping cream (cold)



Wash & dice the strawberries, and place in a large bowl.



Add the yogurt, condensed milk & whipping cream. With a blender wand blend everything together (you should let bubbles/air come into the mix to help it 'mousse-up' a bit).

Pour into little yogurt glasses & refridgerate at least 2-3 hours. Serve cold!

I actually like to top it with a little crunch from a Lotus/Speculoos cookie :)

Pumpkin cheesecake (swirled)




Pumpkin cheesecake

 I am on a baking spree! Maybe its the uncertainty of 2015, or being away from home this Xmass.. (Can you believe? the ONE year I don't fly 7'500 km to be home they have a 10 year highschool reunion!! How unfair Lol ..no 'nerd outcast rebirth' for me xD oh well, maybe in d 15 year reunion then Lol)

This cheesecake was so sunctuous and delicious that it barely survived 5 minutes in d office!!

It ranked top #1 (along with d carrot cake)!! so it is definitely a winner!

*Disclaimer: my cheesecake cracked a bit, so I have included some detailed steps to avoid craking :) 

Preparing base ingredients

Ingredients: 

Crust:

- 225 gr Speculoos cookies (powdered)

- 75 gr Pecan (powdered)

- 60 gr Butter (melted)

Cheesecake filling:

- 680 gr Philadelphia cheese (room temperature)

- 200 gr White sugar (caster)

- 2 Tbsp Cornstarch (or AP flour)

- 2 tsp Vanilla extract

- 4 Eggs (large; whole)

- 215 gr Pumpkin puree

- 2 tsp Cinammon (powder)

- 1 tsp Nutmeg (powder)

Butter a 9 or 10 inch round pan (all inside).

Pre-heat oven to 170 C (top & bottom), place a rack in the middle.


Making the cookie/pecan base

 To make the crust, in a blender powder the cookies & pecan together. 

Melt the butter in the microwave.



Then mix butter & cookie powder well together, and introduce into the greased baking pan. Press onto the bottom (and a little on d sides), and place into the oven to bake fo 6 minutes.



Once the 6 minutes are over remove from the oven and let cool down to room temperature (or place in the fridge to cool - of course over a heat-proof surface).

In the meantime, you can prepare the cheesecake filling:



Making d plain cheesecake



In a large bowl, place the Philadelphia cheese (room temperature!), white sugar, cornstarch and vanilla extract. Beat together until well creamed (2-3 min).

NOW, add the eggs and incorporate well with the lowest amount of beating/mixing possible.

The more you beat it, the more chances that your cheesecake will crack!!

Once it is well mixed, place 200-220 gr of the mix into a smaller bowl. To the small bowl, add the cinnamon, nutmeg and 215 gr of Pumpkin puree. AGAIN, incorporate with minimal amount of beating/mixing.



Split cheesecake, prepare pumpkin cheesecake mix



Remove the cold cookie crust from the fridge, and place half of the pumpkin mix onto the mold. Then, place the entire (plain) cheesecake mix on top. With a knife, swirl around a bit (without cutting into your cookie base).



Then, add the remaining pumpkin mix in spoonfuls over the top; and swirl with a knife. (See the picture for the swirling outcome).

Now you are ready to bake!

*So about craking:



A cheesecake cracks when the center reaches 65 Celsius.

The best way to bake the cheesecake is to do it "Bain Marie" (a.k.a. in a water bath). Unfortunately as you see I do not have a large enough pan to contain my 9 inch cake-pan.. Also if you line the tin with foil it will aid the no-cracking.




Filling pan by layering, and swirling

 

While baking do NOT open the oven.

So, after all that disclaimer :) ,, place the cake in the center of your middle oven rack, and bake for 55-60 min.

Once done, remove from the oven, wait a couple of minutes & pass a thin knife along the borders of the pan (to make sure it doesn't stick & crack while cooling down). Then, cover (not too tightly) with foil to let it cool down to room temperature.

Once at room temperature, place into the fridge and let refridgerate for a couple of hours.



After it refridgerated you can remove from the pan and serve as desired :)

.. a nice way would be with some Dulce de Leche drizzle & whipped cream :D


Pumpkin cheesecake - longside cut

 

Pumpkin cheesecake (slightly craked..)



Batata harra (Lebanese potatoes with garlic and coriander)

Batata harra - Lebanese

Can you feel the Holidays approaching?! I guess this year theres no way for me to contain my excitement :) 17 days to be on vacation, in Lebanon.

So in d spirit of Lebanese food, here is a simple mezze, crowd pleaser, apt for vegetarians & potato lovers :) (like the man of the house!)

Ingredients:

- 500 gr Potato* (diced medium)

- 1 handful Coriander (fresh; largely chopped)

- 6 Garlic cloves (diced small)

*First of all, let us talk potatoes. You want to get potatoes to use for "French fries" (yes, there are different potato kinds). You want your potatoes crispy outside (not soggy..). In Doha I have learnt to get the young/hard frying potatoes, light yellow color, smooth skin (they should be hard to the touch).*

So, once that is out of the way :)



Fried potato dices



Peel and dice your potatoes; rinse them with water and drain them.



Olive oil & chopped garlic



Set a platter with kitchen napkin (to soak off the excess oil - after frying).

Heat generous vegetable oil on a pan (at highest heat) and once hot, deep fry until golden. Remove from pan and place into platter to soak off some oil. Salt them.

On the same pan, heat some Olive oil (2-3 Tbsp), add the chopped garlic, and fry until it starts turning slightly yellow/golden. Then add the coarsely chopped coriander and fry until soft (just a minute or two).

If you fry it for too long it will turn brownish (you don't want that).

Once soft, add in the fried potato dices and toss/incorporate well.

Serve hot :)

For those that like spicy/hot food, you can add some chopped chilly peppers, or 1/4 tsp of Cayenne pepper (I would suggest, since you're going the Middle Eastern route, to add some Harissa paste to give it some hotness :) (just make sure you are aware how spicy Harissa paste really is.. )

Macarroni n cheese



Macarroni and cheese

One of the first American things that I taught myself to cook (on a "cold" 25 C Doha winter evening :P ) was mac&cheese. I think we all crave hearty comfort food (with a bit of a crunch/texture!) when the weather gets colder.. and knowing that 'cream-based sauces' are preferred at home, I gave this winner a try! It has evensince become a staple in my house :)

This is a really fast recipe is nice and creamy/moist (but not overwhelmingly heavy).

You can prepare this in provably 15-20 min if you don't intend to gratinate cheese & breadcrumbs on top.. (Gratinating takes about 15 min on its own,, but it is well worth the texture!!)

So here we go!

Ingredients:

- 75 gr Butter

- 75 gr Flour

- 1/3 tsp Salt

- 1/3 tsp Black pepper

- 1/8 tsp Nutmeg

- 1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper

- 1/4 tsp Garlic granules

- 0.75 cube Chicken stock (Maggi cubes)

- 600 gr Heavy cream (or light cream - depending how dense & heavy you want the sauce)

- 350 gr Very sharp Cheddar cheese (grated)

**Before you start I must say the "very sharp" for the cheddat cheese is what I suggest if you want to avoid the taste of boxed/artifical mac & cheese. The sharpness gives it a nice geniune flavour. (You will find sharp is a more dry looking cheese.)**

Place the macarroni to cook in a large pot. Once done, strain them and run through them cold water to stop cooking (to mushy).

Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat (4/6). Once melted, add the flour and mix together; keep stirring until butter looks golden color.

Add in all spices, and the heavy cream gradually; mix well (still over the medium heat) with a silicone-coated whisk (so you dont scratch your pan! :) ). Keep stirring constantly, making sure there are no lumps, until the mixture has thickened (~10 min).

Then remove from the heat, and whisk/mix in all the grated cheese, until well melted & combined.

(If you are having trouble with the cheese not melting, stirr it for 10 seconds over the heat until it does completly melt).

Mixed mac n cheese

In the large pan mix the macarroni and sauce together (straight after you finish preparing the sauce; so still warm). Then place into the desired pans.

**At this stage, the mac and cheese can refridgerate for a couple of days; or freeze for later use.**

- If you want to gratinate the top:

Sprinkle the top with cheddar/emmental cheese (or even parmesan), as well as some breadcrumb powder (this will be making it crunchy!).

Pre-heat the oven (top heat) at 240 C, then place the pan on the highest/er rack and let gratinate.

Keep an eye on it!



Ready for the oven (large or individual portions)



Serve hot! :)

Chocolate rice krispy treats

Chocolate rice krispy treats (packaged)

So this is d same as d "dragon glitter poo" recipe, but with regular Chocolate rice krispies :) and adjusted quantities to make it easier.

Took pictures along d way for you! (u can imagine d mess between stirring & photographing...

Ingredients:

50 gr Butter

30 gr Marshmallows

310 gr Choco krispies (full pack)

Grease spray a square pan (browney tin), set aside.

Melt butter at low-medium heat. Once fully melted, add d marshmallows, and stirr while melting them fully.

Melt butter, add marshmallows; melt completly (low heat)

Remove from hear and mix-in d choco-krispies until well combined.

Place into tin, and use a greased spatula to press the krispie mix into d tin. (If d spatula is not greased it will stick and u will struggle to press it down).

Add rice krispies, mix well; transfer to GREASED pan, press with GREASED spoon.

Let cool, then demold and cut into serving pieces.



Demolded chocolate rice krispies



Chocolate rice krispy treats







Doubletree cookie

Ingredients:

- 450 gr Butter

- 340 gr Castor Sugar

- 280 gr Brown sugar light

- 4 Eggs

- 2.5 tsp Vanilla essence

- 0.5 tsp Lemon juice

- 266 gr Flour

- 10 gr Baking soda

- 2.5 gr Cinnamon powder

- 75 gr Oats

- 2 tsp Salt

- 177.5 gr Walnuts (broken pieces)

- 900 gr Chocolate chips

Preheat oven at 170C (top & bottom).

Cream d butter and sugars together at medium speed (2 min).

Add eggs, vanilla and lemon juice; blend at low speed for 30 sec, then at medium speed until light and fluffy (2 min).

Add all dry ingredients, mix at low speed until just incorporated (45 sec).

Add chocolate chips and walnuts, blend at low speed until well incorporated (45 sec).

(Should make 48 cookies - each cookie ~52 gr).

Line each sheet with baking paper, and arrange cookies (they will expand greatly!). Place them in d freezer for 10-15 min to harden up a bit before baking.

Bake for 15-16 minutes (they should start being a big golden brown on d edges, and not crazy moist in the center).

(When baking more than one tray at a time, allow 9 cm space between oven shelves).

Let cookies cool down on the tray for at least 20 minutes (if not completely 1 ) before handling.

Red velvet cake w cream cheese frosting

Red velvet cake & cream cheese frosting

Ingredients:

- 312 gr Flour

- 250 gr Sugar

- 22.5 gr Cocoa

- 5 gr Salt

- 5 gr Baking soda

- 2 Eggs

- 350 gr Oil

- 240 gr Buttermilk (1cup milk + 1 tsp lemon juice)

- 15 gr White vinegar

- 6.25 gr Vanilla extract

- Red food coloring

Cream cheese frosting:

- 226 gr Cream cheese (softened)

- 100 gr Butter (softened)

- 10 gr Vanilla extact

- 1 kg Powder sugar

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and flour your baking pan (I used a 23 cm round; twice).

Beat eggs, oil, buttermilk, vinegar and food coloring. Add in dey ingredients.

Divide in two, and bake for 25 min each.

Brigadeiros

Brigadeiros

So the man of the house recently went on a business trip to Brazil (what can I say.. World Cup year means business) and brought me back a DELICIOUS box of Brazilian sweets called "Brigadeiros". They are creamy truffle-like cute melt-in-your-mouth kind of things so I just HAD to learn how to do them.. it couldn't be that hard (??)

It wasn't!! This is the most simple basic fast (and really good looking) dessert that you will ever make! and it is a crowd pleaser! :)

So if you have 20-30 min in your hands, this is a dessert to impress!

Ingredients:

- 1 can Condensed milk

- 2-4 Tbsp Cocoa powder

- 60 gr Butter

Put 30 gr in a pan and melt over medium-low heat. Add-in the cocoa powder (to taste). Add entire can of condensed milk, stirr in until well combined.

Keep stirring the mix for about 20-40 min (to prevent it from burning). It will be ready when you divide it in half it stays parted for a few seconds; or when you scoop some it holds for an instant to d spoon beforefalling down.

Let cool down for 10-30 min (until it is firm enough to roll balls; it is easier to handle when it is not entirely cold).

Colling down. Ready to roll Brigadeiros.

Butter your hands, then roll the mix into 1 teaspoon balls, and directly roll them into sprinkles. Set on little paper holders & refridgerate for15-20 min so the sprinkles and the whole thing really sets.

You can keep in the fridge for a couple of days, and then take out 20 min prior to being eaten (or taken to your friends' house :) ).

Brigadeiro center

Bon apetit!

Magdalenas

My mum is a cake lover.. Any flour cake, or thick flan/custard is high on her list! (Im more of a mousse, ice cream, light custard person :) ).. So when she came to me boasting about her Madeleines (last Xmass) i sort of refused to try them..

Magdalenas - Spanish madeleines

Im not one for dry cakes..

I gotta gove it to her for being so persistent, to d extent that she insisted to get me a jacket i was eyeing if i tried her cupcakes.. So i did.. (And the batch of 8 cupcakes misteriously vanished in a matter of hours!!). Obviously she was super-thrilled that i had actually liked them! And did a second batch.. (Which i had to restrain myself from...)

The ultimate trial is that this is the almost only recipe that d man of d house will eat!   And he is a picky eatter (he'd rather have salty food),, so it's REALLY that good.

I cut in half d butter content, because its just really very fatty.. And it doesnt compromise the taste :) 

They are soft, moist, buttery, and airy; having that crunch element from d baked sugar top! Deliciousness! 

Ingredients:

- 70 gr Butter (room temperature)

- 200 gr Sugar

- 3 Eggs

- 16 gr Baking powder

- 200 mL Whipping cream

- 125 gr Flour

Preheat oven at 180C (top & bottom).

Beat together butter and sugar. Add the eggs, then the dey ingredients and beat together until well combined.

Place in cupcake molds (fill 3/4), then sprinkle sugar over the top (im just dust-cover the surface, so it crunches up).

Bake for about 16 min or until toothpick comes out clean :)

Enjoy!!

**If you use just paper cupcake liners fill a bit less, as this tends to expand n spill..**