July 27, 2008

Ricotta apple streusel bars


Ricotta apple streusel bars

It's a quite delicious bars. I'm sure, you will make this recipe over and over again.

2 cups flour, 3/4 cup butter or margarine, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder
250 gramm ricotta cheese, 100 gramm sourcream, 2 large eggs, 2 large sheredded apples, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla extract

Make a streusel. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, and baking powder. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut in the butter until fine crumbs form. Remove 1/3 cup flour mixture; place in a small bowl.

In a separate bowl mix together ricotta, sourcream, sugar, vanilla extract, eggs and shredded apples.

Press rest of the dough evenly over the bottom of a buttered 9- by 9-inch baking pan. Spread ricotta-apple mixture evenly over dough. Crumble remaining dough evenly over ricotta mixture; pat lightly.
Bake in a 350F° oven until streusel is lightly browned, 45 to 50 minutes. Place pan on a rack to cool for about 10 minutes. While still warm, cut into bars. Let cool completely in pan.
Яблочные пирожные с крошкой из итальянского творога "рикотта"

2 чашки муки, 3/4 чашки сахара, 150 г сливочного масла, 1 ч.л. пекарского порошка 250 г рикотты, 100 г сметаны, 2 яйца, 2 крупных кисловатых яблока, 1/2 чашки сахара, ванильный экстракт

Просеять муку с пекарским порошком, размешать с сахаром. Сливочное масло нарезать небольшими кусочками, добавить в муку и перетереть пальцами, пока не получится крошка.

Протереть рикотту через сито, добавить сметану, сахар, ваниль и яйца, размешать. Яблоки разрезать на четвертинки, очистить от кожицы и семян, натереть на крупной тёрке. Смешать с рикоттой. Выстелить пекарской бумагой квадратную форму (9 inch square form), бортики смазать маслом. Выложить на дно 2/3 крошки, на неё - яблочную массу, разровнять и засыпать оставшейся крошкой. Выпекать 45-50 минут при температуре 350Ф.

July 25, 2008

Summer salad with healthy dressing for a longer life


Summer salad with healthy dressing for a longer life

Recently most dieticians raised a question about healthy dressings. How to make a healthy salad with dressing? This dilemma might be easily solved with exceptionally healthy ingredient such as YOGURT. Here’s what I found about yogurt:

Whole Foods specialists

WebMD specialists

Wikipedia specialists

Cucumbers and Radish Salad with Yougurt dressing
Serves 2

1 thinly sliced cucumber, 4-5 thinly sliced radishes, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, 2-3 tablespoons yogurt, salt and pepper by taste, sugar (optional), 2 tablespoons shopped dill.
In a small bowl, mix together yogurt, lemon juice, dill and sugar. In a medium bowl, combine sliced cucumbers and radishes. Pour yogurt mixture over vegetables and toss gently. Add salt and pepper by taste. Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes.


Летний салат из огурцов и редиски с заправкой из йогурта.

На 2 порции.

1 огурец, нарезанный на тонкие ломтики, 4-5 редисок, нарезанных на тонкие ломтики, 2 чайные ложки лимонного сока, 2-3 столовые ложки йогурта, 2 столовые ложки мелко порезанного укропа, соль и перец по вкусу, сахар (по желанию)
В небольшой посуде смешать йогурт, лимонный сок, укроп и сахар. Полить заправкой нарезанные огурцы и редиску. Посолить и поперчить. Поставить в холодильник на 30 минут.

July 23, 2008

Holidays are coming


We have some time to be prepared for the Holiday season.

How to find a good honey? It's not easy, but it's possible.

Please, visit Honey Locator

July 21, 2008

Ricotta raisin bread


Ricotta raisin bread

You will love this bread from the beginning. Simply speaking, it's delish....

Recipe came from Rose Levy Beranbaum's blog

I just rolled out the dough, sprinkled with raisins, baked and glaze with my universal lemon drizzle..

Universal Lemon drizzle: 1 tbsp margarine, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 c icing sugar Mix together completely softened margarine with 1 tbsp of lemon juice and the icing sugar.Make a thick paste, add more lemon juice to make a thickish but pourable drizzle.
Here's a reprinted recipe from Rose Levy Beranbum's blog
This recipe was adapted from one that came to me as a gift from Diego Mauricio Lopez G. of Pandora bakery in Columbia South America after the publication of The Cake Bible in 1988.


Equipment: A baking sheet lined with parchment, or sprinkled with flour or cornmeal. A baking stone or baking sheet.
If using active dry yeast proof it. To proof, dissolve it with a big pinch of the sugar in 2 tablespoons of the water warmed only to hot bath temperature, 110°F./43°C. Set it in a warm spot for 10 to 20 minutes. It should be full of bubbles. Add it when adding the ricotta.
Mix the Dough
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and instant yeast. Place it in a food processor with the dough blades. Add the ricotta, softened butter, egg, and salt and pulse about 15 times. With the motor running, add the cold water. Process 60 to 80 seconds but be careful not to allow the dough to get hot—i.e. not over 80°F/27°C. The dough should be soft but not sticky. If it is not soft, spray it with a little water and pulse it in. If it is sticky, transfer it to a counter and knead in a little flour at a time. After the first rise it will become firmer and difficult to shape if it is not soft. The dough will weigh about 2 pounds, 5 ounces/1048 grams.
Let the Dough Rise
Place the dough into a 4 quart or larger container, coated lightly with cooking spray or oil. Press down the dough and lightly spray or oil the top of the dough. Cover the container with a lid or plastic wrap. With a piece of tape mark on the side of the container approximately where double the height would be. Allow the dough to rise, ideally at 75 to 80°F./24 to 27°C., for about 2 hours or until doubled Preheat the oven to 375°F./190°C. at least 30 minutes before baking time. Have the oven shelf at the lowest level and place an oven stone or heavy baking sheet on it and a cast iron pan on the floor of the oven before preheating. (You can line it with foil to prevent rusting.)
Rolled out the dough, sprinkle with raisins and roll in shaping as a bread. Let the dough rise until doubled in bulk about 1 hour. Mist the dough with water and quickly but gently set the baking sheet on the hot baking stone or hot baking sheet. Toss 1/2 cup of ice cubes into the pan beneath. Immediately shut the door and bake 35 to 40 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean (A instant read thermometer inserted into the center will read about 200°F./93°C.). Halfway through baking, turn the pan around for even baking.

Transfer the loaf to a rack and brush with the drizzle if desired. Cool until barely warm—at least 1 hour.

In Season: Blueberries


Blueberry Health Benefits: From research labs all across the country and the world, there is growing evidence that blueberries are an important part of a healthy diet.

Chana Rubin about blueberries
Serious Eats about blueberries
Cheese blintzes with blueberry sauce

Blueberry Bonanza: Part 1
Blueberry Bonanza: Part 2
Blueberry Bonanza: Part 3


Blueberry Buns (Shritzlach)

Source: This recipe is adapted from the one used by Toronto's Open Window Bakery.
Yield: Makes 8 buns

For dough:
1 package active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
3 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. vegetable shortening
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla

For Filling:
2 cups (1 pint) fresh or thawed frozen blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp. corn starch dissolved in 1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp. salt
1 beaten egg plus 1 tsp. water for egg wash
Sugar for sprinkling

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Let stand until mixture begins to bubble, about 5 minutes.

Sift together flour, sugar, and salt. Place in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add shortening, yeast and water, eggs and vanilla and beat until dough is smooth. Let stand while preparing filling.

Mix filling ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and let cool.

On a well-floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8" thickness. Add flour whenever dough threatens to stick. Cut dough into pieces 5" square.

Place 1 tbsp. of filling in center of square, then fold dough over on top and pinch to close. Pinch ends closed. Cover buns with a towel and let stand 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Brush buns with egg wash and sprinkle tops with sugar. Bake until browned, about 16 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

July 16, 2008

July 14, 2008

I'm a winner again...


Finally another report was posted on www.yahoo.com. Who could believe that our Plymouth could be the BEST place to live? The best thing, I live in this area.

No 1: Plymouth, Minn.
Population: 70,100
Miles from Minneapolis: 10
Number of lakes: Eight
Rank of its main school district: Top three in the state
Pros: Plenty of green, great schools, close to the Twin Cities
Con: A long, cold winter

Please read full article

July 12, 2008

Honey-butter mini pear galettes



Honey-butter mini pear galettes

Serves 6
1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry, 4 Tbsp melted butter, 2 Tbsp honey, 3 pear, peeled, cored and sliced, icing sugar, to dust (optional)

Preheat the oven to moderately hot 200°C (400°F). Line a baking tray with baking paper. Cut the pastry into six even squares and place on the lined baking tray.

Mix together butter and honey.

Spread 1 tsp of the honey-butter mixture on each square, leaving a 1.5cm border. Arrange the sliced pear on the top and sprinkle with honey-butter mixture again. Repeat with rest of the pieces of dough. Place in a refriderator for 30-40 minutes. Take out of refrigerator and bake for 18 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and golden. Dust lightly with icing sugar and serve warm with thick cream or ice cream, if desired.

Открытый французский пирог (galette) с грушей.

На 6 порций.

Эти пироги обычно пекут летом, когда фрукты очень доступные и дешевые. Их называют французским словом "galette".

1 лист замороженного слоеного теста, 4 столовые ложки размяченного сливочного масла, 2 столовые ложки меда, 3 груши, сахарная пудра.
Разморозить тесто при комнатной температуре в течении 30 минут. Нагреть духовку до 400Ф. Груши очистить от шкурки и нарезать на продольные кусочки. Дечко устелить пекарской бумагой.

Смешать масло и мед.
Разделить тесто на 6 равных квадратов. Помазать смесью масла и меда тесто, выложить половину одной нарезанной груши, оставив свободными 1,5 см от края.
Аккуратно завернуть тесто на начинку. Смазать тесто смесью масла и меда, посыпать сахаром. Повторить всю процедуру с оставщимися частями теста. Выложить на деко и поставить в холодильник на 30-40 минут. Вынуть из холодильника и поставить в нагретую духовку. Печь в течении 18-20 минут, готовое тесто будет золотистого цвета. Вынуть из духовки, остудить и подавать с мороженым или со сливками.

There is a children’s song about galette:
“J’aime la galette, savez-vous comment ? Quand elle est bien faite, avec du beurre dedans.” (“I like galette, do you know how? When it is made well, with butter inside.”)


Everything about Puff pastry