Very simple puff pastry apple tart recipe with minimum ingredients and maximum flavor. You don’t even need a mold for it. Sour apples work the best. I use brown sugar, it gives the apples that caramelized taste. Can be served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or cold with some powdered sugar on top.
Puff pastry apple tart
Ingredients
- 1 sheet all butter puff pastry
- 3-4 apples Granny Smith
- 1-2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 30 g unsalted butter
- confectioner’s sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 380 degrees F. Place the dough on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Poke all over with a fork.
- Peel the apples, core and cut into wedges. Slice the wedges thinly and arrange the slices on the pastry, overlapping as you go. Dot apple slices with butter.
- Fold the edges of the pastry.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the pastry is golden and apples are tender.
Salmon in Puff Pastry
Who says you need to make a special dough for amazing appetizers? Thank goodness for puff pastry! It is so easy to use and you can buy it in the freezer section at any grocery store. I want to introduce you to this delicious puff pastry packets that are filled with salmon, sour cream and herbs. And can be served with any green salad of your choice. It’s great for brunch, lunch, or light dinner. This will definitely be on my holiday table this year.
Salmon in Puff Pastry
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion
- 2 tbsp sour cream
- 200 g fresh salmon skinless, boneless
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Some fresh dill finely chopped
- 1 sheet all butter puff pastry
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add finely chopped onion cook and stir until tender.
- Cut salmon into small cubes. Season with salt and pepper, add sour cream, cooked onion and fresh dill. Gently mix.
- Preheat oven to 380 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Gently roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/2 cm. Using 8 cm round cookie cutter carefully cut out circles.
- Place pastry rounds on a flat surface, divide salmon mixture between them and spread one tea spoon over pastry, leaving a 1/2 cm border all around.
- Brush pastry borders with water. Top with pastry rounds and press edges together firmly to seal.
- Place the pastry packets on baking sheet and brush with egg yolk.
- Make a small hole in the middle of the top of each lid. Use a paring knife to score the top of the pastry as desired. Be careful not puncture through.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden.
Lemon Rosemary Salmon
Tasty, simple and beautiful looking dish for everyday or special occasions.
Lemon Rosemary Salmon
Ingredients
- 4 salmon fillets remove bone and skin
- 1 large lemon thinly sliced
- 8 spring fresh rosemary washed
- 8 Tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp paprika
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Add 4 Tbsp of olive oil to baking dish. Place one slice of lemon and one rosemary spring under each salmon fillet.
- Add salt, pepper and paprika evenly over salmon and place one slice of lemon and one rosemary spring on top of salmon.
- Drizzle 4 Tbsp of olive oil over salmon.
- Bake 25 minutes until salmon is flaky.
- Place salmon on serving platter and enjoy.
Chocolate Chip and Nut Cookies
Excellent Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies. I’ve tried a lot of different chocolate chip cookie recipes, and this one is the best one by far. They have the right balance of flavor and texture. My kids remove them from the oven as soon as the edges turn gold. They don’t look done when they are, so be carefully not to burn the bottoms.
Chocolate Chip and Nut Cookies
Ingredients
- 225 g butter softened
- 100 g brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla sugar (optional)
- 100 g sugar
- 330 g all purpose flour sifted
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 eggs
- 350 g chocolate chips
- 50 g walnuts
- 50 g hazelnuts
- 50 g almonds
- 50 g pumpkin seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 380 degrees F. Cover 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Beat together butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla sugar.
- Add eggs.
- Little by little add sifted flour ,mixed with salt and baking soda.
- Add chocolate chips and mix well.
- Spoon out the cookie dough using a cookie scoop(use your hand if you don’t have cookie spoon) and place on the parchment lined baking sheet. Divide the nuts and seeds on top of the each cookie and gently press down on the dough ball to flatten slightly.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the edges are set but the middle is still soft.
- Let cool cookies for few minutes then transfer them with a spatula to a rack to cool completely.
- Enjoy it with glass of milk or your favorite tea.
French Chocolate Macarons
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
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. 😉
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.
French Chocolate Cake
French chocolate cake with dark chocolate. Very elegant and light, incredibly simple to make. It became our family signature cake. I make it for breakfast, for unexpected guests, and even as a birthday cake.
If you are looking for gluten-free recipe, try our Flourless Chocolate Cake.
French Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 200 g dark chocolate chips
- 150 g unsalted butter
- 6 eggs
- 200 g sugar
- 2 Tbsp all purpose flour sifted
- 1/4 tsp powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Generously butter a baking pan, then dust with little flour and tap out the excess.
- Meanwhile melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave. Mix well.
- Whisk eggs with sugar until frothy and blended.
- Add eggs to the chocolate batter and whisk.
- Add sifted flour and whisk again.
- Pour into prepared cake pan and bake for 25- 30 minutes.
- Run the knife along to check if it is ready. Cake should be moist and not dry.
- Let it completely cool, remove the cake from the pan. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and serve.
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.
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.
Mouth Watering Venison Roast
This mouth watering venison roast recipe has become our family favorite. We all trying to eat healthy, and this deer meat is naturally low in fat and has no harmful hormones. It is not easy to shop for a deer meat, unless you know a good butcher shop near you, or your husband is a hunter like mine is.
Mouth Watering Venison Roast
Ingredients
- 3-4 lb venison cut into cubes
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 large onion diced
- 2 lemons sliced in quarters
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 3 bay leaves
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 1 Tbsp black pepper
Instructions
- Mix together 2 gallons of water and 6 Tbsp of salt in a large pot or any food container and place the deer meat in it, add some ice on top and cover with lid. Place it in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
- Preheat oven to 380 degrees F.
- Heat the oil in the roasting pan over medium heat. Add diced onion and sauté until nice and golden.
- Add lemon and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Place the venison into the roasting pan, add white wine and cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side.
- Remove from the heat. Add paprika, bay leaf, garlic, salt and pepper, and mix well with spatula.
- Place the roasting pan into preheated oven and cook for 2 1/2 hours.