French Chocolate Мacarons (Macarons au chocolat) – elegant french cookie made with almond flour. There are hundreds of different fillings, but the chocolate ganache is the most popular. This recipe is simple enough to make, but they sometimes crack or have imperfect “feet”. Don’t worry they’re still delicious, and don’t give up, only practice will make them flawless.
Perfect for a cafe gourmand!
French Chocolate Macarons
Please don’t eat your macarons right away, wait until they reach ambient temperature. Macarons can be stored in the refrigerator for 5 days. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving.
Ingredients
Almond cookies
- 75 g almond flour
- 110 g powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp cacao powder
- 2 large egg whites (about 70 g)
- 1 pinch of salt
- 50 g sugar
Chocolate ganache
- 100 ml heavy whipping cream ( 35%)
- 90 g chocolate chips (60%)
- 1 tsp sour cream
Instructions
Almond cookies
- Mix almond flour and powdered sugar in food processor (20-30 seconds).
- Add cacao powder to almond mixture and pass through a fine sieve.
- Add a pinch of salt to egg whites and beat until foamy.
- Slowly add sugar and beat until firm peaks form.
- Fold the dry mixture into the meringue, keep folding the batter until it reaches a honey-like consistency.
- Transfer the batter to the pastry bag.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. To make all macarons look the same size, print out a 2.5 cm macaron template, place under parchment paper and trace the outlines. You can also use a silicone mat.
- Holding the bag vertically and close to the baking sheet, pipe circles. Tap the baking sheet a few times on the counter to release any air bubbles, and to make them look round. Let them sit at room temperature for 30-45 minutes, until skin forms on the shells.
- Preheat the oven to 320 degrees F. Bake for 15 minutes (one sheet at a time). Each oven temperature is different so keep an eye on them. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet before removing them. Pair the cookies up according to size.
Chocolate ganache
- Add heavy cream to a small saucepan and heat on high heat. Pour the cream over the chocolate chips. Allow to stand for 1 minute to soften the chocolate.
- Stir briskly until smooth.
- Add the sour cream and stir again.
- Transfer ganache to the pastry bag or small ziplock bag. Allow to cool for about 2 hours at room temperature or 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
- Pipe the ganache filling in the middle of one shell (about 1 tsp).
- Sandwich it with empty shell. Store them in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours before serving. They’ll taste even better next day. 😉
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Beets and beef borscht
Borscht is a traditional Russian and Ukrainian hot soup that is made with beef, beets and cabbage. It is popular in many Eastern European countries, and each country has its own recipe. This recipe is how my grandma used to cook.
Check my other soups on this website!
Beets and beef borscht
Traditionally, Russian borscht is prepared with beef, but you can make it with any meat you like.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pound slice of bone-in beef shank (with a lot of meat)
- 1 bay leaf
- salt and pepper to taste
- 15 cups water cold
- 3 medium potatoes peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 2 medium carrots peeled and shredded
- 3 medium beets peeled and shredded
- 1/2 onion chopped
- 300 gr cabbage (about 1/2 small cabbage) shredded
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- In the large pot, add the beef, one bay leaf, 2 teaspoons of salt and cold water. Bring to a boil.
- Carefully remove the scum with a slotted spoon, or you can strain it and then start fresh with clean meat and clean water. Bring it to a boil one more time, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 50 minutes.
- While your meat is cooking, get your veggies ready.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add grated carrots along with onion and sauté until nice and golden.
- Add beets and cook for 4 minutes stirring. Then stir in the tomato paste and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Once the meat is ready, add potatoes. Allow to simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Add sliced cabbage into the stock and cook for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the sautéed vegetables and cook for 5 more minutes.
- Stir in parsley and sugar.
- Taste the borscht for flavor. Feel free to add more salt and pepper.
- Serve hot, with sour cream and bread.
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This post was posted in Soups
Meatballs Soup
This meatballs soup is one of the first soups I made right after I moved out from my parents house. I got this recipe from my mom over the phone. This meatball soup is very easy to make and will take no more than 30 minutes.
Meatballs Soup
I like to make meatballs and cut all the vegetables before boiling the water for soup.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1/2 lbs ground turkey
- 1/2 lbs ground beef
- 1/2 onion finely diced
- salt to taste
Soup
- 10 cups water
- 3 Tbsp chicken bouillon paste (optional)
- 5 medium potatoes cubed
- 1/2 medium onion finely diced
- 3 Tbsp rice (any)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 large carrot shredded
- 1/2 cup fresh dill and parsley chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place ground turkey and beef into a bowl. Add 1/2 chopped onion and salt. Mix well. Form a ball from the meat by rolling it in your hands.
- Add 10 cups of water to a medium pot over high heat. Add chopped potatoes (and chicken bouillon paste) to the soup pot.
- Bring to a boil. Toss the 1/2 onion and rice into the soup.
- Add one by one meatballs into the pot. Cook for 15 minutes or until meatballs are floating at the top.
- Meanwhile, heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add 2 Tbsp of olive oil and shredded carrot. Saute for about 2 minutes and add it to the pot.
- Boil for 3 more minutes. Add fresh dill or parsley at the end.
- Serve it with sour cream if desire.
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This post was posted in Soups
Coconut Cookies with Hazelnuts
Very light, melting in your mouth, make these coconut cookies with shredded coconut and crushed hazelnuts. Works perfectly for gluten free diet. You may want to double the recipe as one batch never seems to be enough. You can freeze the leftovers in a plastic container.
Coconut cookies with hazelnuts
You can use walnuts or pecans.
Ingredients
- 2 egg whites
- 1 pinch of salt
- 120 g sugar
- 150 g shredded coconut, unsweetened
- 50 g crushed hazelnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 340 degrees F.
- Combine egg whites and salt in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until soft peaks form. Add sugar, one tablespoon at a time, beating at high speed until stiff peaks form.
- Gently fold in coconut and hazelnut.
- Drop by rounded tablespoons, 2 inches apart, onto 2 baking sheets covered with parchment paper. Garnish each cookie with half hazelnut. I bake one baking sheet at a time, for 15-20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and try if the cookie is ready. Cool for about 3 minutes and transfer them onto the serving plate.
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Turkey and Cheese Quiche
Turkey and Cheese Quiche, this french recipe originally comes with tuna. Since my kids don’t like tuna, I substituted it with turkey; but if you don’t have either of those, you can make it with chicken. Combination of cheese, eggs and sour cream always turns out tasty.
Turkey and Cheese Quiche
Ingredients
- 1 sheet all butter puff pastry
- 350 g Natural white turkey breast in water (drain)
- 2 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 tsp mustard
- 100 ml sour cream
- 200 g cheddar cheese shredded
- Salt and pepper to taste to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Lay the puff pastry out on a baking sheet. Prick all over with fork.
- Pop in the oven for 10-12 minutes. Remove the pastry from the oven, pressing the center down with a fork, as it will have puffed up a bit.
- Meanwhile, using a fork mix turkey meat with mayonnaise. Season with salt and pepper.
- Spread the mustard across center.
- Spoon the turkey mix on top.
- Combine eggs with sour cream and mix together. Season with salt and pepper.
- Pour over turkey.
- Sprinkle with cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until quiche is golden brown.
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This post was posted in Main Dish, Puff Pastry
Delicious Tomato & Avocado Crostini
This Delicious Tomato & Avocado Crostini almost didn’t make it to the dinner table. I could eat them all day. Everyday.
Delicious Tomato & Avocado Crostini
You can use french baguette or any brad that you like or have in your pantry.
Servings 8 servings
Ingredients
- 8 large baguette slices diagonally cut
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 Tbsp cream cheese soft
- 2 large avocados fully ripe
- 1 avocado sliced
- 8 Cherry tomatoes sliced
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Position a rack in the upper third of an oven and preheat the broiler.
- Arrange bread slices on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.
- Broil turning the slices over once, until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side.
- Halve two avocados lengthwise and remove pit; scoop the flesh into a small bowl, add cream cheese, garlic, salt and pepper to taste.
- Gently mash with a fork until spreadable.
- Spread the avocado mixture on the crostini, dividing evenly.
- Top each crostini with avocado slices and cherry tomatoes slices. Garnish with fresh cilantro.
This post was posted in Appetizers
Fried Cabbage With Sausage
Fried cabbage with sausage is so simple but tasty, and the leftovers are tastier than it was the first day. When it comes to sausage, you can’t go wrong with this one. You can use any sausage you like: it can be Italian sausage, Polska kielbasa, smoked sausage, turkey or chicken sausages. Any of them will give a great taste to cabbage. My favorite is Frankfurter sausage.
Fried cabbage with sausage
Servings 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1/2 head cabbage
- 2 carrots large
- 1 onion large
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 5-6 sausages
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 bay leaf optional
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- Cut the cabbage into thick slices.
- Dice onion into the small squares, shred the carrots.
- Slice the sausages.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until lightly brown.
- Add shredded carrots and continue cooking for couple more minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add cabbage and stir well.
- In a few minutes add sausage. Bury the sausages under the cabbage, to get the brown color.
- When the sausages are lightly brown, add salt and pepper, bay leaf, and some water (about 100 ml), mix well. Reduce heat to low, cover the skillet with lid and simmer for about 10 minutes. Mix every 2-3 minutes.
- Once cooked, add fresh herbs and serve.
This post was posted in Main Dish
Baked Salmon with Leeks and Carrots
Carrots and leeks are the perfect combination of flavors for baked salmon. This is an easy recipe to prepare salmon and veggies in an aluminum foil.
Baked Salmon with Leeks and Carrots
Ingredients
- 4 salmon fillets
- 4 tsp mustard
- 1-2 leeks
- 2 carrots
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare 12×12 inch foil pieces for each fillet.
- Place salmon on prepared foil and spread mustard over each fillet. (I use traditional mustard “a l’ancienne”, but you can use any type).
- Wash the leeks and cut into thin slices.
- Shred the carrots.
- Top each salmon fillet with carrots and leeks, drizzle 4 Tbsp. of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Bring the long sides of the foil up the middle and fold the edges together.
- Bake for about 30 minutes or until salmon is cooked though.
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This post was posted in Main Dish
Oven Roasted Eggplant Cubes
It doesn’t take much time to roast an eggplant in the oven, all you have to do is: cut it, salt it, drizzle with some lemon juice and olive oil, toss it and mix it couple of times while it is cooking. You can serve it by itself or as a main dish, with meat or fish. It tastes even better next day: perfect for lunch or picnic.
Oven Roasted Eggplant Cubes
If you are not a garlic lover like I am, add only 2-3 garlic cloves instead of a whole garlic bulb.
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplant
- 1/2 lemon (juice only)
- 1 bulb garlic
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 6 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 bunch fresh parsley or cilantro finely chopped
Instructions
- Heat the oven to its hottest setting,typically around 500 degrees Fahrenheit, and turn on the broil. Cut the eggplant into 1-2 inch cubes. Transfer them to a baking sheet and spread out into a single layer.
- Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice.
- Peel garlic and smash it with a heavy knife.
- Add garlic and pepper, give it a good mix with spatula or your hand.
- Place a rack on top of your oven and cook the eggplant cubes for 10 minutes. Carefully take the eggplant out and stir it with a spatula. Return to the oven for 10 more minutes. Taste the eggplant. Cook for another 5 minutes if needed.
- Remove the eggplant from the oven. Garnish with fresh herbs and serve hot or room temperature.
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Oven Roasted Potatoes
The Oven Roasted Potatoes are crispy on the outside but soft and creamy on the inside! This simple side dish is everyone’s favorite.
Oven roasted potatoes
Ingredients
- 6 large Yukon Gold potatoes
- 2 tbsp barbecue sauce
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- fresh herbs to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into 4 pieces.
- In a large bowl, toss the potatoes with the barbecue sauce, mayonnaise, salt and pepper.
- Drizzle 4 tbsp of olive oil into baking pan.
- Spread the potatoes evenly on the bottom of prepared baking pan.
- Bake at 375°F for 65 minutes, or until potatoes are golden and tender.
- Garnish with fresh herbs and serve.
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This post was posted in Main Dish