The best blueberry muffins - recipe

 Ingredients for 12 muffins:

• 200 grams of wheat flour
• 100 -150 grams of sugar according to your taste
• 2 tablespoons of baking powder
• zest from half of a lemon
• a bit of salt
• 60 grams of butter
• 60 milliliters of sunflower oil
• 240 grams of fresh cream
• 1 egg
• 200 grams of fresh blueberries

First, preheat the oven at 220 degrees Celsius.

Beat the butter at room temperature with the sugar, the egg, the sunflower oil and the fresh cream.

Over this mixture add the flour, the baking powder, the salt and the lemon zest, and mix well.

Clean the fresh blueberries and sprinkle a bit of flour over them. Then incorporate them in the mixture. 

Put the composition in a muffin tray and let it bake for about 8 minutes at 220 degrees Celsius and then lower the temperature at 175 degrees and let them bake for another 15 minutes.

When done, let them cool in the oven for 10 minutes with the door open.

Then take the muffins out of the muffin tray and let them cool on a rack.

When cooled, store them in the fridge in a glass box. They are excellent even after 2 days. 

The original recipe can be found here .

Homemade Drunken Babka

First of all, you have to know that it will take you the whole day to do it, because of the long resting time between steps. So, take a deep breath and let s start!

Ingredients for the dough of 1 babka

• 350 grams of wheat flour
• 110 grams of butter
• 70 grams of sugar
• 70 grams of eggs (1 big egg)
• 110 milliliters of milk
• 40 grams of egg yolks (2 egg yolks) 
• 25 grams of fresh yeast
• lemon zest from half of a lemon
• 1 tbsp vanilla sugar
• a bit of rum essence
• a pinch of salt

Ingredients for the filling

• 150 grams of ground walnut
• 50 grams of sugar
• 40 grams of cognac
• 30 grams of cocoa powder
• 2 egg whites

Ingredients for the syrup

• 160 grams of sugar
• 50 milliliters of water
• 50 milliliters of cognac
• a small vanilla stick

First of all make the dough

Take out the butter from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for later.

In a bowl, mix the fresh yeast with 50 milliliters of warm milk, 1 tbsp sugar and 30 grams of flour. Let it rest until it doubles the volume.

Meanwhile, beat the egg and the egg yolks with the remaining sugar, the salt, the rum essence, the lemon zest and vanilla sugar until they double the volume.

When the fresh yeast is ready, add it over the beaten eggs. 

Add the flour and the remaining cold milk and mix for a few minutes. 

The dough should be soft and sticky, but if needed add more milk or flour. This depends very much of the quality and type of the flour.

Incorporate the butter a bit at the time. If you have a mixer, use it. Now it s the time! If you don't, then prepare for a long mixing by hand.

We covered the bowl with 2 spoons with sunflower oil and we put it in the fridge for 90 minutes, covered with plastic foil.

Take out the dough from the fridge, mix it by hand just to take out the air, cover the bowl with another tablespoon of sunflower oil and put it back in the fridge for another 2-3 hours . 

Prepare the filling

While the dough rests, clean and crush the walnuts until they are almost a paste.

Add the sugar and the cocoa powder and mix until well incorporated.

Add the cognac and the 2 egg whites and mix. The filling is ready, put it aside for later.

After 2-3 hours in the fridge the dough is ready.

Spread the dough on the table, about 1 cm thick and add the filling, leaving the edges empty.

Roll the dough and put it in the freezer for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes in the freezer, take it out and with a sharp knife cut the roll in length in half.

Now weave the two pieces and put it in an oven tray covered with baking paper.

  

Put the tray in a plastic bag or cover it with a plastic foil and let it in the fridge for 8-10 hours.

Prepare the syrup

In a pan, add the sugar, the cognac, the water and the vanilla stick and boil the composition until the sugar is melted and the liquid thickens just a little bit and becomes sticky.

After the 8-10 hours have passed, put a medium pan with water on the fire. When it starts boiling, remove it from the fire and put it in the oven. Take out the dough from the fridge and put it in the oven next with the pot with water and let it rest for 30 minutes. The water vapour spreading in the oven will make your dough rise even more.

After 30 minutes, take out the pan with the water and let the dough bake at 165 Celsius degrees for 50 minutes. We baked it on the lowest shelf of the oven.

When done, take the babka out and let it cool in the tray for 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes take it out and put it in a bigger tray. Add the syrup and with a brush bathe the babka on all sides. We did this for a few minutes, but you will still have some syrup left. 

Put the babka back in its tray and let it at room temperature for 20 - 30 minutes, then cover it in plastic foil or in a plastic bag and let it at room temperature for another 2-3 hours or over night.

The next day it will be delicious!

Enjoy!

The recipe is taken from here

Chicken Masala , Dhaba Style - recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 chicken breast
• 400 grams of tomato paste
• 5 spoons with fresh cream or fat yogurt
• 4 green cardamon
• 3 onions
• 3 spoons of sunflower oil
• 2 spoons ginger - fresh turmeric -garlic paste
• 2 cloves
• 2 laurel leaves
• 1 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• a pinch of chili powder

First make the ginger ,turmeric, garlic paste.
Mix 5 cloves of garlic with a bit of fresh turmeric and a bit of ginger. According to your taste. Or if you have an Indian shop you can buy it.

Chop the chicken breast and mix it with 1 spoon of the ginger -garlic paste. Let it sit while we prepare the rest of the ingredients.

In a jar ground  the cardamon, the star anise, the cloves and the cinnamon stick.

Heat the sunflower oil and add the grounded spices. Fry them for half of a minute.

Mash the onions until you have a smooth composition and add it into the pan. Mix it with the spices and let it cook for a few minutes until it changes a bit the color.

Add the turmeric powder and mix.

Add the cumin  powder , the coriander powder and mix. Let it cook for a minute mixing from time to time.

Add the remaining ginger - garlic paste and let it cook for another minute.

Add the tomato paste and the chili and let it cook for a few minutes mixing from time to time.

Add the chicken and let it cook at slow fire until tender.

Add the garam masala and the fresh cream and let it cook for another 5 minutes.

You can serve it with boiled rice.
Enjoy!

The original recipe can be found here

Pumpkin soup - recipe (with photos)

Ingredients:

• 600 grams of cleaned pumpkin
• 500 milliliters of water or chicken broth
• 130 grams of potatoes
• 30 milliliters of white wine
• 20 grams butter
• 3 spoons of olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 onion
• a bit of nutmeg
• pepper
• a bit of salt

Additionally you will need:

• 40 grams of bacon
• a few leaves of parsley
• young onion leaves
• a few spoons with fresh cream

Clean and cut the pumpkin in medium cubes.
Add the olive oil and the honey on top of the pumpkin cubes and mix them until well covered.
 

Place the seasoned pumpkin on a baking paper in an oven tray and let it cook at 200 Celsius degrees until tender.
When done, take it out from the oven and reserve for later.

In a pan, add the butter and when melted add the chopped onion and the chopped garlic.
Let them simmer for a few minutes.

Add the cleaned chopped potatoes and let them cook for a minute.
Add the wine and let them cook for another minute.

Add the water and the baked pumpkin and let it boil in a covered pan until the potatoes are done.

When the vegetables are done, mash them until you have a smooth consistency (now use the salt, pepper and nutmeg).

You can decorate the plate with some crispy bacon, fresh cream , young onions and chopped parsley.
Enjoy!

The original recipe can be found here

Apricot jam and walnut cake - recipe (including photos)

 Ingredients for the dough

• 150 grams of butter
• 300 grams of flour
• 50 grams of sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 4 spoons of cold milk
• a pinch of salt

Ingredients for the filling

• 160 grams of ground walnuts
• 4 egg whites
• 1 jar of apricot jam
• a pinch of salt

First make the dough.

Mix the cold butter with the flour and the salt. Add the sugar, the egg yolks and the milk and make a non sticky dough.

Divide the dough in two parts. One can be bigger then the other. Put the smaller one in the freezer and the bigger one in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Prepare the filling.

Beat the egg whites with the salt until stiff peaks.

Add the ground walnuts and half of the apricot jam and mix slowly.

Take out the dough from the refrigerator and spread it on a baking paper.

Add the other half of the jam over it.

Spread the beaten egg whites composition and on top grate the frozen dough from the freezer.

Put it at 180 Celsius degrees on the middle rack of the oven for 35-45 minutes or until done.

Serve it with some powdered sugar above.

Enjoy!

The recipe is taken from here