 Ingredients:
 Method: Peel the potatoes and boil them in a pan with water until soft. Make a soft mash using the butter once the potatoes are boiled. Set aside. Meanwhile, prepare the coating. Place your breadcrumbs/semolina and butter in a pan and fry until it has a nice golden colour. Take off the heat and incorporate the sugar, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla essence. Set aside in a shallow dish, ready to be used for coating. Return to the potatoes. Once cooled, add the egg and flour, and knead. If too sticky add more flour. Using your hands make balls from the dough (you can weigh in individual pieces or spread the dough, roll it into a log and cut individual pieces). Generously flour your hands and press the individual dough into a circle in your palm. Add the plum (pitted, and halved) inside and seal around it, then roll it between your palms. Place aside and repeat with all the dough and all the plums. Boil water in a large pot and add the dumplings to simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes (they will sink to the bottom initially but rise to the surface when ready). Use a spoon to take them out and roll them gently in the breadcrumbs/semolina coating. Serve hot or cold, with clotted cream or plain. ENJOY! 
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This August we were supposed to go to a wedding in Prague. However, that wedding got cancelled at the very last minute due to unforeseen circumstances. As it was too late to cancel our flights with Wizz Air and the bookings made on Booking.com, we decided to go anyway and extend our trip into Austria too, visiting Vienna for a few days. Such a great decision! We had the best time! Let's talk about Prague. This old city was a must travel on my list for some time. And it didn't disappoint at all. We stayed three nights at The White Lion, which was about a 20 minute walk to the centre. However, as the weather was hot, we took the tram for a few stops every day. The public transport is really cheap in Prague. A 24h ticket is only 1.70 euros. I found online the best 10 things to do in Prague and we guided ourselves through that (if you want to visit a city, you must have a plan). The first thing we did was walk to the old city square and have a cold coffee and cake. And right in the square, you will find the people with bus/ boats tours. We got a 48hour hop on hop off buss tour and a nice trip on the river with Prague Boats, just under an hour with drinks on board. The hop on hop off bus allowed us to see the city and also stop at the points where we wanted to visit. For example, Prague Castle. What a beauty. Be mindful that to get to the top there are quite a few stairs so not for everyone. That day was a very cold and rainy day so we ended up having a long break at the castle, visit the shops, the museum, the Cathedral, and even stopped for lunch. When the rain finally stopped in the afternoon, we went onto our boat trip and finished the night with dinner at one of our local restaurant. There were plenty of traditional restaurants and shops in a walking proximity to the hotel. Our last day in Prague, was spent on Charles' Bridge, we grabbed lunch at a beautiful little outdoor place and did a bit of shopping in the old streets. Such a wonderful place to visit. Late afternoon, we got the train from Prague to Vienna, just under 4 hours. Idyllic scenery, restaurant on board, first class was comfortable and with reasonable prices, we paid 78 euros for 2 people one way. Next destination : Vienna. I have always wanted to go visit this little gem in the heart of Austria. We stayed for 3 nights at a beautiful, new, art hotel, Bassena Hotel, just next to the underground, it only took us 20 minutes to get to central. Amazing breakfast, comfortable room, a bit small but beautifully decorated.
Of course I searched online and found the best things to do and see while in Vienna. I was impressed by how elegant the city looks. It has a Mozart vibe for sure! We visited the central St. Stephen's Cathedral and a few other churches for free, very beautiful and impressive. Found the Lindt store right in the Central Square so we had to try the famous marzipan chocolate. Delicious! A beautiful and must see place is the National Austrian Library, oh wow! It is just stunning, filled with old books and beautiful walls. Very close by, near the beautiful park of Hofburg Palace you will find a magical place, Schmetterlinghaus - The Butterfly House. Filled with luxurious plants, a waterfall, and gorgeous blue butterflies. A short walk from here, you will find a traditional place for sausages and pretzels. Also the Hop On Hop Off buses are close by, (we haven't used them in Vienna, it was more expensive than Prague, 24 hour ticket for one was 40 euros) so we ended up using the tram instead. It was only 4 euros for 24 hours. We had to try the famous Apple Strudel at the famous Café Central and it was just perfect. Definitely worth the queues outside. The next day we booked an entry at the beautiful Belvedere Palace. Such an amazing place, with beautiful rooms and paintings, big beautiful gardens to stroll and a little café where they make the best Chocolate cake-the famous Sacher Torte, and it was so indulgent and absolutely delicious! We ended the day with a walk on the shore of the Danube and had a great feast by the water at a traditional restaurant. We managed to see all that it was important, enjoyed some great food and such an amazing time. Overall, such a lovely city. However, I think I prefer Prague! I mean Vienna was more crowded, more expensive and less chilled than Prague. If you will travel/ travelled to either of these European cities, please comment and let me know what you think! Safe travels my friends!  Preparation time: 20 minutes. Baking time: 30 minutes. Serves: 16 slices INGREDIENTS: Cake sponge: 5 egg yolks 240 grams of white sugar 360 grams of flour 10 tablespoons of boiled water 1 teaspoon of baking powder Chocolate custard: 240 grams of sugar 375 ml of almond milk 3 tablespoons of flour 3 tablespoons of cacao powder 250 grams of butter 50 grams of dark chocolate Meringue: 5 egg whites 50 grams of sugar Pinch of salt  METHOD:
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius and line a 20-inch baking tray with baking paper. Separate the eggs and keep the whites in a bowl (we will use them for the meringue later). Add the sugar to the bowl with the egg yolks and using a hand mixer, beat until light pale in colour and fluffy (this process is meant to melt most of the sugar). Continue adding the boiled water and mix a bit more. Sift the flour, add the baking powder, and incorporate slowly, to create a nice, fluffy mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared baking tin and bake for 30 minutes or until golden in colour and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool down completely and cut the batter in half diagonally, ready to be filled with the custard. While the cake is in the oven, make the chocolate custard. Add the sugar, milk, flour, and cacao to a pot and let it simmer while stirring until it becomes thick, like a custard. Take the pot from the flame and add the butter - cut into small cubes, and incorporate, stirring slowly. Once done, add it to the cold cake layer and cover it with the top layer. Time to make the meringue. Using the Bain Marie technique – put a small pot with water on a flame and add a bowl on top (the bowl should not touch the boiling water), add the sugar and egg whites in the bowl and using a hand mixer, keep on mixing until you have a glossy, beautiful, stiff peaks meringue. Pour the meringue on top of the cake and using a spatula, create waves. If you have a cake torch, use it to create a beautiful burnt meringue definition. If not, grate some dark chocolate on top! Either way, it will be delicious! Enjoy!  I love cottage cheese and I love berries. I kept on seeing people making cottage cheese cake online so I made a version of my own, that turned out absolutely delicious. Is completely gluten free too. Serves 10. Preparation time:15 minutes. Baking time: 50 minutes. INGREDIENTS: - 2 eggs - 125 grams of brown sugar - 125 grams of cottage cheese - 100 ml of olive oil - 1 tbsp of vanilla essence - 250 grams gluten free flour - 1 tbsp gluten free baking powder - 125 grams of berries  METHOD: Preheat the oven at 180 ° Celsius and line a round baking tray with baking paper. Set aside. Using a mixer beat the eggs until doubled in size and fluffy. Add the sugar and mix again. Add all ingredients one by one carefully mixing in every time and leave the berries aside mixed with a bit of brown sugar. Pour your batter in the tin and sprinkle the berries on top. Bake for 50 minutes. It will be crumbly and delicious. Enjoy with cream, ice cream or on its own! Delicious!  Papanasi, a traditional Romanian dessert, is a giant doughnut covered in fresh sour cream and cherries & sour cherries jam! Is just so good! The doughnuts are crispy but soft, and the sweetness of the jam pairs beautifully with the sour cream! The word papanasi comes from the Latin word ‘papa’, which means food for children, but they are loved by adults equally! This is my grandma's recipe, it serves 8! I hope you will love it!  RECIPE Ingredients:
 METHOD: Add to a bowl, the cheese, eggs, salt, vanilla, and lemon zest. Mix them together and add the flour. Don’t overwork it, it should be a sticky dough at this point. We don’t add sugar as this causes the doughnuts to spread too much when they fry. Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to an hour. After that time, take the bowl out, sprinkle a bit of flour on your surface/table and with a rolling pin, roll your dough out and cut rounds with a cookie cutter (or a mug). Use a pipping nozzle to cut the small doughnuts. Preheat 500 ml vegetable/rapeseed oil in a deep pan to 170 Celsius. Fry your doughnuts. 2 minutes on each side should be enough. Cover while warm with sour cream and jam! Enjoy!   Strawberries are in season and I love it. This is one of my favourite cakes, is so moist, easy to make and very delicious. Serves 12. Preparation time: 30 minutes. Baking time: 30 minutes. INGREDIENTS: - 100 grams of sugar - 2 eggs - the zest of 1 lime - the juice of 2 lemons/100 ml - 50 ml olive oil - 150 grams of flour - 1 teaspoon of baking powder - 60 ml of almond milk - 300 grams fresh strawberries - 2 tablespoons of corn-starch  METHOD: Preheat your oven at 180 degrees Celsius, Line a 20 cm baking tin with baking paper. Set aside. Cut your strawberries in small pieces/slices. Add the corn-starch and mix them well. Set aside. Using a hand mixer, start by mixing your eggs and sugar until fluffy and pale in colour. Add one by one, the milk, oil, lime zest, lemon juice, flour and baking powder and mix well. Add the strawberries at the end and mix slowly. Pour the batter in your baking tin and bake for 30 minutes. Enjoy!   Serves 10. Preparation time: 15 minutes. Baking time: 40 minutes. INGREDIENTS: • 170 grams of digestive biscuits • 200 grams of flour • 150 grams of butter • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda • 60 grams of icing sugar • 1 tbsp of vanilla essence • 1/2 lemon- the zest and juice • pinch of salt • sprinkle of brown sugar • almond flakes • 1 jar of cherry jam  METHOD: Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius. Line a baking tray with baking paper. In a bowl, mix the lemon and cherry jam and set aside for later. In a separate bowl measure all the other ingredients and mix with your fingers until you have a breadcrumb consistency. Pour half of it on the baking tray and push it down with a spoon. Add the jam & lemon on top and the remaining composition as a top layer. Sprinkle the brown sugar and almond flakes on top. Bake for 40 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice-cream or cold with warm custard. Enjoy!   Serves 12. Preparation time: 30 minutes. Cooking time: 40 minutes. INGREDIENTS: Cake: • 3 eggs • 3 tbsp of rapeseed oil • 175 grams of sugar • 175 grams of flour • zest & juice of 1 lemon • 1 tsp baking powder • 1 tbsp vanilla essence Lemon curd: • 150 ml of milk • 2 tbsp of flour • 125 grams of sugar • 125 grams of butter • juice of 1 lemon • 1 egg yolk  Method: Preheat your oven at 180° Celsius. Line a 8 inch tray with baking paper and set aside. Using an electric mixer, mix the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the oil, vanilla essence, lemon juice and zest and mix again. Finally, add flour and baking powder and incorporate slowly. Pour your batter in the prepared tray and bake for 30 - 40 minutes until slightly golden. Once baked, let it cool completely before cutting in half and adding the lemon curd. While the cake is baking, you can make your lemon curd. Add all ingredients apart from the butter in a pan on a low heat. Keep mixing until it starts to thicken up. Take off the heat and incorporate the butter. Let it cool down before using it to fill up the cake. Once the cake is cooled and filled with the cream, sprinkle icing sugar on top and enjoy!   Serves 6. Preparation time: 15 minutes. Cooking time: 40 minutes. INGREDIENTS: Rhubarb: - 500 grams Rhubarb - 4 tablespoons white sugar Crumble: - 100 grams butter - 135 grams flour - 80 grams brown sugar - sprinkle of demerara sugar on top - chopped nuts (optional) - 1 tablespoon vanilla essence  METHOD Wash the rhubarb and cut in 2 cm slices. Add the sugar on top and give it a good stir. Butter up a pie dish and pour the rhubarb and sugar in a thin layer. Preheat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius. In a bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, vanilla and cold butter. Mix with your hands until it resembles bread crumbs. Pour on top of the rhubarb layer. Sprinkle demerara /dark sugar and if used chopped walnuts on top. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes until golden on top. Enjoy with ice-cream or cream!   I loved making this cozonac with my grandma when we were growing up in the countryside. She was the best cook. I have changed her recipe to my cooking style, and I use my stand mixer instead of kneading by hand but the essence of her cooking is still here with me. I miss her. Makes 1. Serves 10. Preparation time: 1 hour. Proving time: 3 hours. Cooking time: 1 hour. RECIPE: DOUGH : - 500 grams strong white flour - 250 ml almond milk/any milk - 1 teaspoon vanilla essence - 100 grams salted butter - 4 egg yolks - 25 grams dried yeast - zest of a lemon - pinch of salt - 150 grams brown sugar FILLING: - 4 egg whites - 100 grams Turkish delight - zest of an orange - 2 tablespoons cacao powder - 150 grams brown sugar - 100 grams walnuts (chopped finely) METHOD: Use a stand mixer. Add the egg yolks and sugar and beat until soft and fluffy. Add one by one, half of the butter(melted), lemon zest, pinch of salt and vanilla essence. Separately, warm up the milk, add the yeast and mix. Incorporate the yeast and milk to the egg mixture. Change the attachment on the stand mixer to the dough one. Add the flour and mix until a dough is formed. Melt the rest of the butter and add it to the dough slowly. Take it out of the mixer bowl and mould it to a round shape using your hands. Place in a bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and let it proof until doubled in size (about 2 hours) in a warm place. Meanwhile, make the filling. Using the stand mixer, beat the egg whites and sugar to soft peaks. Add the chopped walnuts, cacao, Turkish delight(cut in small pieces) and orange zest and incorporate slowly. Leave it aside until the dough has doubled in size. Once risen, add the filing to the dough while shaping it. I like to make it look like loose braids, but the bread loaf look works too. Place in a buttered loaf baking tin and let it proof again for another hour. Once risen, preheat your oven at 180 ° Celsius, beat an egg with a bit of almond milk (or your preferred milk) and brush the dough gently. Bake for 60 minutes/until nice and golden. Enjoy!  |
AuthorCristina is a photographer who loves baking, travelling and spending time with friends. 
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