This heart-shaped Ice Cream will please your significant other without having to spend the whole day cooking. Ice cream in the shape of a heart served with a cloud of whipping cream dusted with grated chocolate. This icy dessert will melt hearts!
Heart-shaped Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 200 g chocolate ice cream (or another your favorite ice cream/sorbet )
- 50 ml heavy whipping cream ( 35%) very cold
- 1 tsp sugar
- Grated chocolate
- Few red berries (blueberry, raspberry…)
Instructions
- Take the ice cream out of the freezer and leave it out for 5 minutes to make it softer. Put the ice cream in a heart shaped mold. Cover with plastic wrap and put it back in the freezer for around 45 minutes.
- Submerge the mold under hot water for a couple seconds (wipe the water off of the mold with a towel so that the serving plate does not get wet).
- Remove the ice cream from the mold onto a plate. Put the plate into the freezer.
- Whip the heavy cream with the sugar until fluffy. Don’t over beat.
- When serving, put the whipping cream on the heart. Decorate with nuts, grated chocolate, and red berries. Serve right away.
Happy Valentine’s Day
Do you celebrate February 14th? I don’t. But it doesn’t mean that we don’t eat supper on this day 🙂
The most simple salad (for example, Potato salad) will make your table look romantic, if you will serve it in a heart shape dish.
Happy Valentine’s day everyone.
French Buckwheat Crepes with Mushrooms
Prepare buckwheat crepes and garnish them with this delicious, simple mushroom and sour cream combination. A French favorite!
Find other recipes on this site: the buckwheat crepes or the version with ham and cheese.
French Buckwheat Crepes with Mushrooms
Ingredients
Buckwheat Crepes (for 12 galettes)
- 250 g buckwheat flour
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 350 ml water
- 350 ml milk
- 2 eggs
- 50 g melted butter
Filling (4 servings)
- 1 onion peeled and minced
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 400 g mushrooms cleaned and sliced or 2 jars of canned sliced mushrooms
- 150 ml sour cream
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Mix buckwheat flour with salt, milk, water, and eggs together. Add melted butter and whisk until you get a smooth batter. Cover with plastic and and let rest for at least 2 hours. When you are ready to cook the crepes, stir the batter before frying each crepe.
- In a medium skillet, heat the oil add onion and sauté for 3-5 minutes.
- Add sliced mushrooms and sauté for another 5 minutes.
- Add the sour cream, mix well, and cook for another few minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
- Heat a lightly buttered nonstick skillet. Add 1/4 cupful batter to skillet and immediately tilt to fully cover the bottom of the pan with a thin layer. Cook for a few seconds until the surface isn’t liquid.
- Without flipping the crepe, place 2-3 Tbsps of mushroom’s filling in the center. A 10-15 seconds later, as the crepe seems to be ready, carefully lift the sides with a spatula and fold them to form a square, or triangle.
- Carrefully transfer the crepe from the pan to tha plate, and serve quickly.
King Cake (Galette des Rois)
This King Cake (Galette des Rois) is a very popular French pie. It celebrates the holiday of Epiphany, the day when 3 wise men came bearing gifts for newborn Jesus. The traditional way to bake this king cake is to place a porcelain figurine, a charm or “fève” into the center of the galette. The person who receives the slice with the charm is “King of the Day”. The lucky winner gets to wear a (paper) crown for the rest of the day!
King Cake (Galette des Rois)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (100 g) softened butter
- 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup (100 g) almond flour
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract (optional)
- 1 Tbsp rum (optional)
- 2 sheets ready-to-use puff pastry ( Puff Pastry Sheets)
- 1 egg yolk
Instructions
- Beat the softened butter and sugar together, then beat in the eggs. Stir in the almond powder. Add vanilla, rum and set it aside.
- Roll out one sheet of puff pastry. Poke holes with fork.
- Spread the almond filling over the center of the dough, leaving a 1 inch (1.2 cm) exposed border. If you wish, place a little porcelain figurine “fève” somewhere in the almond filling.
- Brush the edges of the pastry with water and cover with another circle of dough on top and press down to seal the edges.
- Brush with beaten yolk then use a paring knife to create a design on top of your galette, Poke 8-10 holes in the top, to allow steam to escape while baking.
- Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 380 degrees F. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. (Bake on the bottom rack of the oven).
Chocolate King Cake (Galette des Rois)
King Cake is a very popular French pie that celebrates the Epiphany, in early January. My children love this cake as well as chocolate so the Chocolate King Cake makes them twice as happy!
Chocolate King Cake (Galette des Rois)
Ingredients
- 100 ml heavy whipping cream
- 100 g dark chocolate (60-70% cacao)
- 50 g softened butter
- 50 g sugar
- 1 egg
- 50 g almond flour
- 2 sheets ready-to-use puff pastry
- 1 egg yolk
Instructions
- Bring the heavy whipping cream to a boil. Pour it on the chocolate, wait a few seconds then mix well until the mixture is homogeneous.
- Beat the softened butter and sugar together.
- Beat in the egg. Mix.
- Then, add the almond flour and mix well.
- Add the melted chocolate to the almond preparation and mix well. If this preparation is too thin (because it is still hot), leave to cool in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.
- Roll out one sheet of puff pastry. Spread the chocolate-almond filling over the center of the dough, leaving a 1 inch (1.2 cm) exposed border. If you wish, place a little porcelain figurine “fève” in the filling.
- Brush the edges of the pastry with water and cover with another circle of dough on top and press down to seal the edges.
- If you want, with a knife or just with your fingers, decorate the edges.
- Brush with beaten yolk. Place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 390F (190C).
- Brush with yolk one more time. Using a knife, create a design on top of your galette. Poke 3-5 holes, to allow steam to escape while baking.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.
Prosciutto Rolls Ups with Boursin™
A quick and simple appetizer recipe to accompany your aperitif drink. Your guests will love these Italian Prosciutto Ham rolls ups with Boursin™ Cheese. Add more or less cheese, depending on your taste. Or, cut the rolls in half if you want smaller portions.
Prosciutto Rolls Ups with Boursin™
Ingredients
- 12 slices Prosciutto ham
- 150 g Boursin™ (or any fresh cheese with herbs)
Instructions
- Spread the Boursin™ on about half of each slice of ham.
- Roll up the slice.
- Put on a nice dish and serve.
Almond Croissant
How do you transform a simple croissant into a delicious almond croissant? If you find that the croissants from your supermarket are not good enough or if you want to “revive” yesterday’s croissants, fill them with almond cream and put them in the oven. Here’s an easy way to enjoy almond croissants for breakfast at home.
Almond Croissant
Ingredients
- 4 croissants (not so fresh)
- 50 g softened butter
- 50 g sugar
- 1 egg
- 50 g almond flour
- 1/2 tsp liquid vanilla (or a little rum)
- A bit flaked almonds
- A bit icing sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190°C (400F).
- In a bowl, beat the softened butter and the sugar together, then beat in the egg.Stir in the almond powder. Add the vanilla (or rum) and set it aside.
- Cut the croissants lengthwise, without cutting them completely.
- Fill the croissants with the almond cream.
- Spread a little almond cream on the surface of the croissants.
- Finish by putting the flaked almonds on the top, so they will stick together.
- Place the croissants in the hot oven and let brown for 7-10 minutes.
- Let the croissants cool a little then sprinkle with icing sugar and serve.
Chickpea Salad with Feta Cheese
The chickpea Salad with Feta Cheese is a very simple salad, composed of canned chickpeas and feta. The tomatoes and bell peppers are not necessary, but provide more flavor and vitamins, as well as a vibrant color.
Chickpea Salad with Feta Cheese
Ingredients
- 400 g (1 can) garbanzo beans drained
- 150 g feta cheese cubed
- 15 cherry tomatoes, or 2 medium tomatoes sliced
- 1 bell pepper cored and sliced
- 1/2 red onion cut into thin slices
- 1 clove garlic pressed
- Fresh or dried herbs (cilantro, chive, dill) chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lemon (juice only)
- 3-4 Tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- In a salad bowl, mix the chickpea, feta, tomatos, bell pepper, onion, garlic, and herbs.
- Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with freshly pressed lemon juice and olive oil. Serve right away or keep it in the refrigerator.
Tabbouleh Salad
Tabbouleh salad has been a fundamental part of Middle Eastern cuisine for many years. The main ingredients are bulgur, parsley, lemon juice and olive oil, the rest ingredients are fresh or marinated vegetables, olives, raisins and spices. This salad is very flexible, fell free to add more or less of any spices of your choice.
Tabbouleh Salad
Ingredients
- 200 g couscous
- 200 ml boil water
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 4 tomatoes
- 1 english cucumber or 4 small ones
- 1 onion
- 1 bell pepper (any color) (I used 3 mini bell peppers)
- 1/4 bunch fresh parsley
- 1/4 bunch Fresh mint
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Few drops tabasco sauce (optional)
- 1 large lemon
- 6 Tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, bring the water and 1/4 tsp of salt to a boil. Stir in the couscous, cover tightly with a lid and remove from heat, let steam for 5 minutes. Cool it down.
- Cut tomatoes into small pieces.
- Peel and cut cucumber into small cubes.
- Peel and thinly chop onion.
- Remove seeds from bell pepper and cut into small cubes.
- Finely chop fresh parsley and mint.
- Place the chopped vegetables, herbs and bulgur in a mixing bowl. Add Tabasco sauce. Drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil. Mix gently. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper as needed.
- Transfer to a serving plater or serve it as a castle (using a ring)
- Or in a glass.
- Or as stuffed tomatoes.
Greek salad
This Greek salad is one of my favorite things. No matter how much I make, it seems to always disappear.
Greek salad
Ingredients
- 4 tomatoes
- 1-2 cucumbers
- 1 bell pepper (any color)
- 1/2 red onion
- salt and pepper
- 1/4 tsp dry oregano leaves
- 100 g greek Kalamata olives pitted
- 100 g feta cheese
- 1/2 lemon
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Cut the tomatoes in quarters.
- Slice the cucumbers in half long ways (remove seeds if desired) and cut 1/4 inch slices, starting at one end, so that you end up with bunch of half moon shapes or the letter “C”.
- Remove the core and seeds from the bell pepper and cut into strips.
- Peel the onion and cut into perfectly thin slices.
- Combine the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, bell pepper and olives in a bowl. Season with salt, pepper and dry oregano. Mix.
- Top it with sliced feta cheese. Squeeze the lemon on salad and drizzle with olive oil.
- If you like to serve your Greek Salad in individual cups, you can cut the vegetables into small cubes.
