Cranberry Cake

This homemade cranberry cake is perfect for the winter season. Its bright red color brings holiday spirit to your family dinner or friends party. Easy to make and delicious!

Cranberry Cake

Natalija
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 8 people

Ingredients
  

  • 4 eggs
  • 220 g granulated sugar
  • 115 g melted butter
  • 150 g all purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 cup fresh cranberries

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 380ºF. Grease and flour a cake pan.
  • Beat eggs and sugar with mixer until slightly thickened.
  • Add melted butter and mix well.
  • Stir in the flour and baking powder.
  • Add the cranberries and stir gently.
  • Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool. If desired, dust with confectioners sugar.
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Quick Almond Cake

This is very unique recipe. All you have to do is whisk all the ingredients together in the mixer bowl for 1-2 minutes, bake for 30 minutes and voilà, you can enjoy the cake with your favorite cup of tea.

Быстрый миндальный пирог

Quick Almond Cake

Natalija
You can use any cake pan you like or have. My favorite one is loaf pan, and I usually make it without the almonds on top. Easy to cut and easy to pack for lunch or picnic.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 190 g sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 100 g unsalted butter softened
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 100 g almond flour
  • 60 g all purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 Tbsp sliced almonds (optional)
  • 1 tsp confectioner’s sugar (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 380 degrees F. Grease a cake pan.
  • In a medium bowl whisk all the ingredients together until combined.
  • Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan. You can sprinkle with almonds if desire.
  • Bake in the oven for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
  • Remove your cake from the oven and allow it to cool. Transfer to a plater. Dust it with powdered sugar before serving.
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Flourless chocolate cake

The flourless chocolate cake is a delicate gluten free dessert that melts in your mouth. The recipe is absolutely simple without any flour! All you need is chocolate, butter, sugar and eggs.

My Cafe Gourmand

Flourless chocolate cake

Natalija
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 200 g chocolate chips (60%)
  • 150 g unsalted butter
  • 200 g sugar
  • 6 eggs
  • 2 pinches salt
  • 1/4 tbsp powdered sugar

Instructions
 

  • Melt the chocolate and butter on a water bath or in a microwave. Mix well.
  • Add sugar and mix well.
  • Separate yolks from egg whites.
  • Add yolks into the melted chocolate and mix.
  • Add salt to the egg whites, and beat into a thick foam.
  • Using a spatula carefully fold in whipped egg whites into chocolate mass.
  • Preheat oven to 380 degrees F. Generously butter a baking pan and pour the batter into the cake pan.
  • Bake in in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes. The exact time of baking depends on the oven, size and quality of the baking pan. Once the the cake is moist and not liquid inside (it’s not a lava cake) – it’s ready. Please, don’t overcook!
  • Let the cake cool then carefully remove it from the pan. Dust it with powdered sugar and serve.
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Puff Pastry-Wrapped Shrimps

The reason I love making Puff Pastry-Wrapped Shrimp so much is the simple ingredients. And because I almost always have frozen shrimp and puff pastry left in my freezer!

Mini-feuilletés à la crevette

Puff Pastry-Wrapped Shrimps

Natalija
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 32 minutes
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 20 medium peeled shrimps
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1/4 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
  • 1/2 sheet all butter puff pastry
  • 1 egg

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 380 degrees F. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Season shrimp with salt, pepper and seasoning.
  • Roll out the pastry dough and cut into 1 cm wide strips.
  • Starting at the top, wind one pastry strip around one shrimp, slightly overlapping the pastry and ending just before the tail. Repeat with each shrimp.
  • Place shrimp onto the baking sheet. Beat the egg in a small bowl with a fork, to make egg wash. Brush the shrimp pastry with egg wash.
  • Bake for about 12 min, or until golden brown. Do not overcook.
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Boursin™ Stuffed Mushrooms

Tasty and very easy recipe with only 2 main ingredients that you can find in every store: mushrooms and Boursin.

Boursin Stuffed Mushrooms

Natalija
The Boursin™ Garlic & Fine Herbs Cheese is aleredy salty enough so don’t add more salt. On the other end, if you like spicy food, season with pepper.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 30 small mushrooms (Cremini or Button Mushrooms)
  • 1 block Boursin™ Garlic & Fine Herbs Cheese
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • Some fresh herbs (cilantro, green onion, parsley) finely chopped

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400° F.
  • Wash and dry mushrooms. Remove stems. (You can use them for another recipe),
  • Place mushroom caps on a baking sheet. Season with pepper. Fill each mushroom’s hole with 1-2 tsps of Boursin™.
  • Bake about 25 minutes until mushrooms are golden and cooked through.
  • Sprinkle the baked mushrooms with fresh herbs and they’re ready to be served!
Keyword Appetizers, mushrooms
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Baked Feta (Psiti)

Baked Feta (Psiti) is a traditional Greek dish. It is very easy to prepare at home and will become one of your favorite appetizers.

Baked Feta (Feta Psiti)

Natalija
Prep Time 3 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 13 minutes
Servings 6 servngs

Ingredients
  

  • 200 g feta cheese (in one block)
  • 2 pinches oregano
  • Some chili pepper flakes
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400F.
  • Place the feta in an oven-proof dish. Add the oregano and chili pepper flakes followed by the olive oil.
  • Bake for 8-10 minutes.
  • Serve hot with fresh bread or pita.
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Duchess Potatoes

Duchess potatoes (Pommes de terre duchesse) are a French classic recipe made from mashed potatoes with butter and egg yolks. Using a pastry bag, mashed potatoes are formed into roses and baked in the oven until golden brown.

The dish looks very elegant and is served as a side dish for meat, fish or vegetables.

Duchess potatoes

Duchess Potatoes

Natalija
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 6 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 kg potatoes
  • 200 g butter
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • A little (on the tip of a knife) grated nutmeg (optional)
  • 4 egg yolks

Instructions
 

  • Peel the potatoes, cut into pieces and boil in salted water. Once the potatoes are cooked (pierce the potatoes with a knife or fork to check), immediately drain the water.
  • Mash hot potatoes into a puree, adding butter. Salt, pepper and add nutmeg.
  • Add egg yolks and mix very well. Puree should be soft and without lumps.
  • Preheat oven to 200C. Line a baking sheet with baking paper or a silicone mat.
  • Transfer the puree to a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe the roses of the desired size onto a baking sheet.
  • Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, for about 10 minutes.
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Vegetable Tian

This is not a ratatouille, it is a “tian!” I often have to correct my guests when they ask me if this is a ratatouille. 😉

Tian is a french recipe of baked vegetables made with alternating rows of sliced eggplant, tomato, onion and zucchini. A tian itself is an earthenware dish that goes from the oven to table. Everything baked in this dish is called tian.

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Vegetable Tian

To make the tian look more appealing, use vegetables with similar widths.
Course Main Dish
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Author Natalija

Ingredients

  • 2 onions
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 7 Tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 eggplant
  • 1-2 zucchini
  • 1-2 summer squash
  • 5 tomatoes
  • 1/2 tsp herbs de provence

Instructions

  • Peel and cut the onion into half moons. Peel and cut the garlic into 2-4 pieces.
  • In a medium skillet heat 2-3 Tbsp of olive oil until hot, add onion and sauté until tender, stirring frequently. Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.
  • Preheat the oven to 400℉. Spread the cooked onion on the bottom of a baking dish.
  • Cut zucchini and summer squash into 1/4 inch slices.
  • Cut the eggplant into 1/4 inch slices.
  • Core and cut tomatoes into 1/4 inch thick slices.
  • Arrange the zucchini, eggplant, squash and tomatoes in alternating rows. Continue until the baking dish is filled.
  • Sprinkle the vegetables with salt, pepper, Herbs de Provence and drizzle with the remaining olive oil.
  • Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and golden. If the vegetables are not ready, but the top is starting to burn, cover the tian with aluminum foil.

Easy Apple Cake

Delicate and full of apples easy to make cake. Recipe is very similar to famous Russian Apple Sharlotka but with a little of olive oil and baking powder.  Must try!

 

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Easy Apple Cake

Take sour apples for this recipe.
Course Dessert
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 8 servings
Author Natalija

Ingredients

  • 4 eggs
  • 200 g sugar
  • 150 g sifted flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 3 big apples Granny Smith
  • 1 tsp confectioner's sugar (facultatif)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 380 degrees F. Grease and flour a round cake pan or line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
  • Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar. Add flour and baking powder. Mix well, then add oil and mix last time.
  • Peel and dice apples into small pieces. Lay out the apples on the bottom of the pan.
  • Pour the batter over the apples.
  • Bake for about 45 minutes or until а knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
  • Let the cake cool then transfer to plate.
  • Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.

Vanilla Creme Brulee

Absolutely amazing what a little cream, a little sugar and couple of eggs can turn into….  Perfect restaurant quality dessert. A rich custard topped with a hard layer of caramel.  This Vanilla creme brulee is very easy to make if you follow all the steps correctly.

It will perfectly complete your  cafe gourmand if the crème brûlée is served in small ramekins.

Look at this short video ! 🙂

Vanilla Crème brûlée

Natalija
Use vanilla extract instead of vanilla bean, if you don’t have vanilla bean. You could add 2 Tbsp. of rum into the cream if desired. If you don’t own a blow torch, you can always use your broiler as well. You will need to move the top rack in your oven up as high as it will go.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 minute
Total Time 6 hours 11 minutes
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 8 egg yolks
  • 120 g granulated sugar
  • 1/2 vanilla bean
  • 640 ml whipping cream
  • 6 tsp granulated sugar

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Split the vanilla bean in half and scrape the seeds into the cream. In a medium bowl, combine together sugar, eggs yolks, vanilla and whisk.
  • Add the cream a little at a time and stir. Remove the scum with a tea spoon.
  • Strain the mixture through a fine sieve and pour it into the ramekins. Divide cream mixture among ramekins (about 6 ramekins).
  • Arrange the ramekins in a baking pan with deep sides. And carefully pour water around ramekins so that the water level must reach about 2/3 of the ramekins.
  • Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes. You will know its ready when the custard is wobbly and jiggle from side to side when nudged (it looks like jello).
  • Remove the custard from the water bath and let cool completely, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 6 hours (overnight).
  • Before serving, cover each cold creme brulee evenly with sugar (1 tsp). Caramelize using a propane torch. If you don’t have one propane torch, use the broiler: put the oven rack about 6 inches away from the broiler. Place the custards on the baking sheet and broil for about 3-5 minutes, or until sugar bubbles and turns golden brown. (Keep a close eye on them, they can burn quickly)

Notes

With remaining eggs white, you could make some Coconut cookies.

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