Trip to Chiavari, Italy, Liguria

It´s a big enough town, with many shops and narrow streets, but a bit dirty.

Fluffy kefir pancakes - recipe with step-by-step photos

Ingredients for 14 pancakes:

• 500 milliliters of kefir
• 150 grams of wheat flour
• 150 milliliters of milk
• 30 grams of butter
• 1 egg
• a bit of salt
• a bit of baking powder
• sunflower oil for frying

Beat the egg for a minute.

Meanwhile heat the kefir, add the butter and let it melt.

Mix the egg with the warm kefir/butter, the salt and the flour previously mixed with the baking powder.

Add the warm milk and mix.

Grease a pan with a bit of sunflower oil and start cooking the pancakes.

If needed add some sunflower oil after each pancake. Usually we grease the pan after every 3 pancakes.

Enjoy!

The inspiration for this recipe can be found here

Eating out - Restaurant Anema e Cozze, Naviglio Grande, Milano

The fish was decent and the service really fast. The price was more than decent.

Hotel review - Mercure Dijon Centre Clémenceau, France

The room was a bit smaller than usual Mercure standard, but the bed was comfortable.

Good breakfast, free internet and free parking places.

Trip to Varese Ligure, Liguria, Italy

It wasn´t so lively when we arrived, but it´s still worth a visit, we think.

The four seasons cake - recipe with step-by-step photos

Ingredients for the chocolate layer (25 cm diameter):

• 100 grams of flour
• 65 grams of butter at room temperature
• 50 grams of sugar
• 40 grams of fresh cream
• 30 grams of chocolate
• 3 spoons with cocoa powder
• 1 egg
• a bit of salt
• a bit of baking powder

Ingredients for the caramel layer (20 cm diameter):

• 100 grams of sugar
• 50 grams of salted butter
• 2 spoons with flour
• 2 eggs
• 2 spoons with cold water

Ingredients for the vanilla filling:

• 500 milliliters of milk
• 200 grams of fresh cream
• 50 grams of sugar
• 4 grams of gelatin 
• 3 egg yolks
• 50 grams of butter
• 3 spoons with flour
• half of a vanilla stick

Ingredients for the blueberry filling:

• 200 grams of frozen blueberries
• 200 grams of fresh cream
• 50 grams of sugar
• 4 grams of gelatin

Ingredients for the glaze:

• 200 grams of white chocolate
• 100 grams of fresh cream
• a bit of matcha powder

Prepare the chocolate layer:

Mix the flour with the cocoa powder, the salt and the baking powder.

In another bowl mix the butter at room temperature with the sugar. Beat the butter for 2-3 minutes until fluffy.

 Add the egg and beat for a minute.

Meanwhile melt the chocolate.

Add half of the flour / cocoa composition over the butter / egg composition and mix.

Add the melted cooled chocolate and the remaining flour / cocoa composition and mix until well incorporated.

To finish, add the fresh cream and mix until well incorporated.

Put the composition in an oven tray covered with baking paper.

Put it in the preheated oven at 180 Celsius degrees for 20 - 25 minutes.

Prepare the caramel layer:

Mix the eggs with the flour for 5 minutes.

In the meantime, mix the sugar with the water and put it at slow fire. Let it caramelize.

When ready add the butter and mix continuously while still on slow fire, until well incorporated.

Add it over the beaten eggs and mix well.

Put the composition in an oven tray covered with baking paper. Let it bake in the preheated oven at 180 Celsius degrees for about 20 minutes or until ready.

Prepare the vanilla filling:

Beat the egg yolks with the sugar for a few minutes. Add the flour and keep beating for anther minute.

Meanwhile, heat the milk with the vanilla stick.

When hot, but not boiling, add half of the milk over the eggs and mix well.

Incorporate the rest of the milk and let it boil at slow fire until thick like a pudding.

While still warm, add the hydrated gelatin sheet and mix until well incorporated.

When cold, add the butter at room temperature and beat the filling for a minute.

Beat the fresh cream until thick and add it over the mixture, then incorporate well into the filling.

Prepare the blueberry filling:

Beat the fresh cream with half of the sugar.

Boil the blueberries with the other half of the sugar for 5-10 minutes.

While still warm, incorporate the gelatin sheet and mix until well incorporated. Let it cool!

Strain the blueberry syrup over the cream and mix until well incorporated.

Assembling the cake:

On a plate, in a detachable circle, add the chocolate layer then the vanilla filling and let it in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Take out the plate, add the caramel layer and the blueberry filling above and put it again in the fridge over night.

Prepare the glaze:

Melt the chocolate together with the fresh cream. Let it cool for a few moments.

Mix the matcha powder with 2 spoons of the chocolate / crean mixture.

Pour the melted white chocolate above the cake and spread it with a knife with wide blade on the entire surface of the cake.

Immediately add on top the matcha/white chocolate composition and spread it in one way.

Refrigerate before serving!
Enjoy!

Pastries in Komotini, Greece

They were really good and fresh, but way too sweet for our taste. Such excess should happen twice in a lifetime, if you care about your health. Anyway, if you are in the area, check it out!

Hotel review - Holiday Inn Express Regensburg

The room was OK and the bed comfortable. The breakfast was just butter, bread and jam for us as the other things looked too low quality to eat.

There are a few free public parking places around the hotel and a paid underground parking.