the hungry expats

 The Bûche de Noël is a traditional dessert served at Christmas in France. As far as I can remember, my mother always made a variation of the usual chocolate/chestnut cream bûche , and it's not Christmas without it. I doubled the recipe this year, so that I could make a traditional bûche and individual ones as well. The directions below are for one single bûche . I also decided to create my own decorative mushrooms (best to start with these, you can even make them the day before!) MERINGUE MUSHROOMS 60 grams egg whites 1 pinch of salt 60 grams caster sugar 60 grams confectioner's sugar 50 grams dark chocolate cocoa powder  Prepare a double boiler by placing a bowl on top of a pan filled with one inch of water. In the bowl, place the egg whites and salt and beat with electric beaters until mixture turns white and foamy. Turn the heat on underneath the pan, and continue beating while gently pouring the sugars into the egg whites. When sugar has dissolved completely and meringue

After experimenting for years, trying to create the ultimate pineapple/coconut cake (Mark's favorite), with light and fluffy layers, separated by a rich, thick, creamy filling, I finally came up with something that ticks all the boxes! Ask Mark, he'll agree. CAKE 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1  teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 large eggs 2 cups caster sugar 3/4 cup vegetable oil 3/4 cup buttermilk zest of one lime 1 (8-ounce) can of crushed/sliced pineapple, drained (keep the juice), and pureed FILLING 1 1/2 (8-ounce) packs mascarpone (I used 375 grams) 2 cups heavy cream (at least 30% fat) 1/2 cup caster sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut TOPPING 1 1/2 cups coconut flakes, toasted Preheat oven at 350°F/180°C. Line 3 (9-inch) round cakepans with parchment paper; butter and flour sides and set aside. Mix dry ingredients tog

This recipe is a mash-up of 2 classics: the French-style tarte au citron with the topping of the chocolate silk pie. SHORTCRUST 2 cups all-purpose flour (250 grams) 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (150 grams), softened and diced 1/4 cup caster sugar (50 grams) 1/2 cup confectioner's/icing sugar (50 grams) 1 egg 1 pinch of salt LEMON CURD  3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon lemon juice from 3/4 lemons (200 ml) zest of one lemon 3/4 cup caster sugar (150 grams) 3 large eggs 1 tablespoon cornstarch 3/4 stick unsalted butter (75 grams), softened  CREAM TOPPING 10 oz PHILADELPHIA cream cheese, chilled 1 cup heavy cream (at least 30% fat), chilled 1/4 cup caster sugar (50 grams) 1 teaspoon almond extract 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted To make the crust, beat the egg with sugars and salt. Add flour all at once, kneading it with your fingers. Add softened butter, knead quickly until incorporated and form a ball with the dough. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at le

Soooo I had a craving for spinach and spanakopita is something I've always wanted to tackle. Mine is a little bit unorthodox because I substituted mint for dill which is normally used to flavor this delicious greek pastry. I loved the result, mint worked really well with the saltiness of the feta cheese. FILLING 16 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained 1 bunch of flat parsley, chopped 2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 tablesoons extra virgin olive oil 4 eggs 10.5 oz feta cheese, crumbled Freshly-ground black pepper CRUST 1 16 oz package of phyllo pastry (I used a package of 470 grams of fresh phyllo pastry) 1 cup extra virgin olive oil, more if needed Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Before you begin mixing the filling, make sure the spinach is very well drained, and squeeze out any excess liquid by hand. Make the filling: In a mixing bowl, add the spinach and the remaining fi

Ever since we discovered Mary Berry's quick rough puff pastry dough, this is the only way we make apple pie. The flaky crispy crust with the apples cooked in cinnamon and brown sugar syrup is a match made in heaven! Enjoyed as is or with a big dollop of fresh whipped cream or gelato on top. CRUST 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 50 grams (approx. a half stick) unsalted butter, refrigerated 120 grams (approx. 1 stick) unsalted butter, frozen 1 teaspoon salt 4 or 6 tablespoons of cold water (not ice cold) FILLING 3 apples of your choosing (I use Jonagold or Red Delicious), peeled, cored and sliced (thick slices) 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1/4 cup dark or light brown sugar 1/2 cup pecan nuts, chopped  1/4 cup raisins 1 tablespoon cinnamon 2 Tablespoons white sugar for sprinkling Mix the flour and salt together in a bowl. Rub in the chilled butter using your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Gradually add enough water to

There is nothing like the comfort of a delicious cinnamon roll. The original recipe has been slightly amended (I added orange zest to the dough and chopped pecan nuts to the filling) to please our palate even more. Makes 9-10 rolls (I placed 9 in a round baking pan and one in a single cupcake pan as an experiment). Dough   ¾ cup warm 2%-fat or whole milk 2 ¼ teaspoons active yeast (I used 20 grams of fresh yeast)   ¼ cup granulated sugar   1 egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature   ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted   3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting   3/4 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon orange zest (optional) Filling   2/3 cup dark or light brown sugar 1 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon   ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened   ½

Made with yeast instead of baking powder, these are my favorite waffles, and a speciality from the Belgian city of Liège. 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour 1 cup (23 cl) milk, warm 1 packet active yeast (1 used 10 grams of fresh yeast) 2 large eggs 1 packet of vanilla sugar (or 1 tsp of vanilla extract + 1 tablespoon caster sugar) 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp (150 g) unsalted butter, melted 1/2 cup (100 g) pearl sugar (can be tricky to find) 1 teaspoon salt   In a bowl, mix the flour with the vanilla sugar and the salt. Make a well and break the eggs in the center. Sprinkle the yeast over the warm milk and stir until dissolved. Pour yeasty milk over the egg-flour mixture and mix well with a tablespoon or spatula, the dough should be fairly compact. Cover with cling film and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Then add the melted butter and the pearl sugar, and mix until well incorporated. Cover again and let rise for at least 30 minutes before using (I gave it an hour an

This is by far the easiest way to make the best bread ever. Chewy on the inside, with the crunchiest crust on the outside, and still tasting fresh the next day! 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups hot water (not boiling) 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon yeast (I used 10 grams of fresh yeast)   In a big bowl mix the flour and salt together. Sprinkle yeast into the hot water (not too hot or it'll cook the yeast) and stir until dissolved. Pour yeasty water into the bowl and using a wooden spoon mix it until well incorporated.   Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit on your counter for 3 hours (until dough doubles or triples in volume) . Preheat oven to 450 °F/220°C degrees. Place your  cast iron pot in to the oven and let it heat up until the temperature in the oven reaches 450 °F/220°C. In the meantime, sprinkle a bit of flour over the dough and on your work surface. Punch down the dough, remove it from the bowl with a spatula and roughly shape it in

I always loved a good Sachertorte, but when it comes to making it, there are dozens of recipes on the web and I've tried a few of them without ever achieving the desired result. So I decided to go another route and made a layer cake that captures the essence of Sachertorte, and I must say I am quite happy with the outcome. I used very little flour in the cake, just enough to make sure it held together. And instead of a ganache filling, I made a light chocolate mousse.  CAKE 4 large eggs, separated 3/4 cup white sugar 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 teaspoon almond extract 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup almond meal 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 pinch of salt FILLING 1 pound of "fromage blanc" (7% fat), also known as "kwark" 200 grams of dark chocolate (at least 55% cocoa) 2 egg whites 1/4 cup white sugar 1 jar of apricot jam TOPPING 3/4 cup heavy cream (at least 30% fat) 100 grams of dark chocolate (at least

There's nothing like a great pound cake, and I have just the perfect enameled cast-iron bundt pan for that! The original recipe called for cherries, but they're not in season right now. Mind you, neither are blueberries, but somehow the Dutch seem to be able to grow them in greenhouses all year round! The cake came out great, dense and moist as it's supposed to.  Cake   1 ½ cup s ( 3 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature (I used 300 grams)   3 cup s granulated sugar   5 large eggs at room temperature   3 cup s all-purpose flour   ½ teaspoon baking powder Pinch of salt   1 ¼ cup s buttermilk at room temperature   2 teaspoon s almond extract   2 cups blueberries , fresh or frozen Frosting 8 ounce s cream cheese, softened   2 cup s powdered sugar   5 – 6 teaspoons heavy whipping cream or milk   1 large orange   ¼ teaspoon almond extract Pinch of salt Preheat the oven to 325°F (160-170°C). Prepare a generously greased

I've been looking at tiramisu recipes for a long time now, trying to find a way to replicate the amazing version that was served to me at a Sardinian restaurant last Summer. This is not it unfortunately, but it is a damn good classic tiramisu, slightly tweaked to please our palates. INGREDIENTS 4 large egg yolks   ½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar, divided   1 cup heavy cream (at 30% fat)   1 container (250 grams) mascarpone ½ teaspoon almond extract 1 cup espresso or very strong coffe   3 tablespoons Marsala wine (or rum or cognac)   3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder About 24 ladyfingers   Using an electric mixer in a medium bowl, whip together egg yolks and 1/4 cup (50 grams) sugar until