Who said that tarts are only for dessert? Fill a square of puff pastry with colorful mosaic of tomatoes, cheese, Dijon mustard, herbs de Provence. Then surprise your friends or family with this savory piece of artwork.
Tomato Tart
This mediterranean tart is a must make. You can make it with tomatoes of the same or different size, of different colors and different varieties. The most important thing is that they are ripe and flavorful. Perfect dish for small crowds.
Ingredients
- 1 sheet all butter puff pastry
- 1-2 Tblsp Dijion mustard
- 5-6 tomatoes
- 30 g shreaded cheese (parmesan)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- herbs de provence (optional)
- couple basil leaf (optional)
Instructions
- Cut tomatoes into thin (0.5 cm) slices. Put them in a single layer on paper towel. Pat dry with paper towel.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. On the floured piece of parchment paper roll out the puff pastry and poke all over with a fork, to release the steam while baking.
- Evenly spread with dijon mustard.
- Arrange the tomatoes on top. Fold the edges of dough.
- Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with cheese and herbs.
- Bake on the bottom rack of the oven for about 25-30 minutes until the tomatoes are cooked through and the cheese is softening and colouring at the edges.
- Cut the tart into quarters, garnish with fresh basil and serve.
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Puff Pastry Swirls With Smoked Salmon
What could be better with puff pastry than sour cream and smoked salmon? Kids and adults will really appreciate these savory small appetizers. The best part is, they are very simple to make. All it takes is spreading the filling onto the puff pastry, rolling it up, cutting it into rolls and bake.
Puff Pastry Swirls With Smoked Salmon
You can cut the puff pastry sheet in half and make two rolls, but this is only if you want to make them super tiny.
Ingredients
- 1 sheet all butter puff pastry
- 2 Tbsp sour cream
- A bit of dill fresh or dried
- ground black pepper to taste
- 200 g smoked salmon slices
Instructions
- Roll the puff pastry out with rolling pin into 1/2 inch thick square. Spread the sour cream on the top. Leave about 1cm around the edges. Sprinkle with tiny chopped dill.
- Arrange the smoked salmon evenly on top of the puff pastry sheet.
- Starting at one end, roll the pastry up as tightly as possible.
- Tightly cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes. It will be much easier to cut cold roll.
- Preheat the oven to 380 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. With a very sharp knife, cut the roll into 1 cm slices.
- Remove the plastic wrap and transfer them to the baking sheet.
- Bake for about 15 -20 minutes until the “snails” are puffed and golden.
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This post was posted in Appetizers, Puff Pastry
Hachis Parmentier
Hachis Parmentier is a delicious French casserole made with layers of mashed potatoes and ground beef.
The dish is named after Antoine Parmentier (1737-1813). He was a French pharmacist who made potatoes popular in Paris and northern France.
Hachis Parmentier
Ingrédients
- 1 kg large potatoes
- 100 g butter (50+30+20)
- 50 ml milk (heated)
- 1 large onion
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- 500 g ground beef
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 egg
- 30 g grated cheese
- Some seasonings or minced parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes and chop them into cubes. Boil in salted water until easily pricked with fork, about 20 minutes. Then drain water.
- Add 50 g of butter and mash. Add warmed milk and mash together to smooth consistency. Taste the puree, add more salt if needed.
- Peel and chop the onion and garlic.
- Melt 30 g of butter in a large pan and saute onion and garlic until soft.
- Add ground beef and cook until browned. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Take the pan off the fire and let cool down a little. Add a row egg.
- Process to finer texture by using a food processor, if desired.
- Preheat oven to 380F/190C. Grease baking dish.
- Add 1/2 of mashed potatoes in thin layer to the prepared dish. Then layer beef preparation on top of potatoes. You can also add your favorite seasonings at this point or some chopped parsley. (This time, I added paprika).
- Top with remaining potatoes. You can make some shapes on the top using the fork. Add remaining butter and dot on the potatoes. Sprinkle with grated cheese.
- Bake uncovered for about 25 minutes until the top is golden.
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This post was posted in Main Dish
Easy Walnut Cake
There are quite a few nut cake recipes; but this one, which my mother-in-law is preparing is a little different. With that easy walnut cake, you can really taste the taste of nuts thanks to the small pieces that crunch under your teeth!
Easy Walnut Cake
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 220 g sugar
- 100 ml milk
- 90 ml olive oil
- 200 g sifted flour
- 2 tsps baking powder
- 300 g walnuts
- 40 g butter
- Some confectioner’s sugar
- Few walnuts halves
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 a mixer, beat eggs with sugar.
- Add milk, olive oil, flour, and baking powder. Mix well.
- Place the walnuts in the zip-lock and cruch them using a pastry pin.
- Pour the batter in the cake pan (mould). Lay walnuts halves on top of the cake.
- Bake for 20 minutes. The cake should be well raised with a thin crust but not fully baked. Place the pieces of butter on top of the cake.
- Continue to cook for another 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven, allow to cool before removing it from the mold.
- Dust it with powdered sugar before serving.
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This post was posted in Desserts
Golden Baked Мashed Potatoes
If you find yourself with more left over potatoes than you can deal with, this recipe is for you!
Golden Baked Мashed Potatoes
While you can just simply reheat mashed potatoes, or make pancakes, my favorite way to serve leftover mashed potatoes is this Fluffy Baked Mashed Potatoes.
Ingredients
- 1,2 kg potatoes
- 90 g butter
- 100 ml heavy cream or milk (warm)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes. Chop the potatoes into cubes. Place them in a medium pot. Add salt to the water and cook for 15-20 minutes. When they are fork tender, strain the potatoes.
- Add butter and mash until smooth and creamy.
- Next, pour the warm heavy cream or milk. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Coat a baking dish with butter. Transfer potatoes to the prepared dish. You can make some shapes on the top.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake uncovered for about 15 minutes until the top is golden.
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This post was posted in Main Dish
Walnut Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Once baked, the walnuts get that gooey-caramel and crunchy coating. Your guests will love that Walnut Pineapple Upside-Down Cake.
Walnut Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Ingredients
- 7 rings pineapple slices drained
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup all purpose flour sifted
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup walnuts chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-10 inch round cake pan. Place pineapple slices on the bottom of the pan.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla on high speed for about 8 min. Slowly add flour. Using a spatula fold in gently. Continue until all of the flour mixture is incorporated.
- Add chopped walnuts.
- Carefully spoon mixture into a pan cake.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Cool for at list 10 minutes, then turn the pan over onto a serving plate. Wait 30 seconds then lift the pan off.
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This post was posted in Desserts
Russian Apple Cake Sharlotka
Apple Sharlotka cake is one of the most popular desserts that each Russian kid will remember from their childhood. The recipe is so simple that you don’t even need to write it down. It will be very easy to remember once you’ve made it: 3 apples, 3 eggs, 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of flour. That’s it, enjoy!
Russian Apple Cake Sharlotka
If the apples are too sweet, sprinkle with freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Ingredients
- 3 big apples (sour)
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp confectioner’s sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 380 degrees F. Grease and flour a round cake pan or line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
- Wash, peel and dice apples into 1-inch pieces. Lay out the diced apples on the bottom of the pan.
- Using a mixer beat eggs with sugar, until its two times in volume. Using a spatula carefully fold in sifted flour. Pour the batter over the apples.
- Bake for about 45 minutes or until а toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Once the cake cools off a little, transfer to plate.
- Dust it with powdered sugar before serving.
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This post was posted in Desserts
Easy Puff Pastry Cheese Sticks
These crispy, flaky, cheesy sticks require just a few ingredients and 15 minutes of your time. Very easy to put together with absolutely no experience needed. They go with dips, salads, soups, beer and yet, kids favorite crunchy snack.
More recipes with puff pastry on my cooking blog.
Easy Puff Pastry Cheese Sticks
Ingredients
- 1 sheet all butter puff pastry
- 1 egg yolk
- 50 g shredded cheese
- Some Herbes de Provence or any herbs of your choice
- freshly ground black pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. On a parchment paper roll out the puff pastry.
- Whisk the egg yolk and spread evenly over the puff pastry.
- Sprinkle cheese, herbs and pepper on top of the yolk mixture. Slice with a pizza cutter into 1 cm strips.
- Bake for 7-9 minutes.
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This post was posted in Appetizers, Puff Pastry
Easy Madeleines
Very light, fluffy and tasty French cookies. Classic small sponge cakes shaped like seashell, usually made with lemon zest. I love lemon, but I decided not to add any to my madeleines. I just like them plain.
You can find molds for mini-madeleines. That’s really nice and you can savor them for a cafe gourmand.
French Madeleines
To make an authentic madeleine, you will need a madeleine pan. But you can use a muffin pan or any cake pan.
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 200 g sugar
- 120 ml milk
- 200 g all purpose flour sifted
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch of salt
- 120 g unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- In a medium bowl combine eggs and sugar. Whip until light. Add milk and mix well.
- Carefully fold in the flour, baking powder and pinch of salt.
- Add melted butter and mix throughly until smooth. Let the batter rest in the fridge for about 15 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter madeleine pan. My pan makes 12 cookies at a time. From this receipe you’ll make 24 cookies.
- Spoon batter into the prepared molds, filling 3/4 full. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges are golden and the tops spring back. Remove the madeleines from the oven and let cool for 2 minutes.
- With a knife or fork carefully loosen the madeleines from the pan and then tip the whole pan out to a prepared plate.
- If you want to make it in a loaf pan, it will take much longer, about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake come out clean.
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This post was posted in Cafe gourmand, Desserts
Turkey Potato Casserole
“Without the potato, the balance of European power might never tilted north”. (Michael Pollan)
Turkey Potato Casserole is very personal, everyone makes theirs differently. I make my Turkey Potato Casserole with shredded potato.
Turkey Potato Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 large onion
- 1 1/2 pound lean ground turkey
- 6 medium russet potatoes
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 3 eggs
- 3 Tbsp water
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Dice onion as finely as you can.
- Mix together ground turkey with onion, add salt ant pepper to taste.
- Place the turkey mix in an even layer on the bottom of a 9×13 inches baking dish.
- Peel and shred potatoes.
- Spread the shredded potatoes evenly over turkey.
- In a small bowl, whisk together sour cream, eggs and water. Add 1/2 tsp of salt.
- Evenly pour the egg mixture over casserole and sprinkle with cheddar cheese.
- Bake uncovered for 55 minutes, or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
- Serve it hot with sour cream and cilantro.
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This post was posted in Main Dish