holiday special : the desserts

As I promised, my dear sweetypies, the last part of the holiday special, dessert !!

 

 

 

SAFFRON PEARS with PANNA COTTA
(for 4 pers., preparation: + - 45 min + and - 2h let harden.)

 

 

You need
For the Panna Cotta:
- 400 ml. cream
- 100 ml. milk
- 100 gr. granulated sugar
- 6 gr. gelatin
- Vanilla essence
For the pears:
- 4 pears
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 cloves
- 1 box of saffron (0.75 g.)
- 1 star anise
- 400 ml. white wine
- 120 gr. sugar
- 4 tbsp. pear syrup

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preparation:
Bring the cream with the sugar and a few drops of vanilla essence to the boil, lower the heat and let simmer for 10 min. Soak the gelatin in cold water for 5 min Warm the milk (you can in the microwave). Squeeze out the gelatine and dissolve in the milk. Add the milk to the cream and stir well. Divide the Panna cotta on slides and cook for 2 h. in the fridge. Bring the wine, sugar, saffron, cinnamon, clove and star anise to a boil. Peel the pears, put them in it and fill with water until covered. Allow 34 to 45 minutes on a low heat simmer until the pears are tender. Let them cool in the liquid. After they have cooled down let them drain. Warm pear syrup, arrange the drained pears on the plates and put also a glass of panna cotta on it. Spoon the hot syrup over the pears.

Tip:
Both the panna cotta and pears can be prepared 2 days in advance !

 

 

 

APPLE-CHERRY STRUDEL
(for 4-6 pers., preparation: + - 30 min, + - 2 hrs. to let it cool down, and 25 minutes in the oven.)

 

 

You need
- 3 apples, thinly sliced
- 600 gr. cherries in juice, well drained
- 100 gr. sugar
- 2 tbsp. Kirch
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 pinch of cinnamon
- 10 sheets of filo dough
- 60 gr. melted butter
- 100 gr. almond powder
- icing sugar
- 200 ml. cream (whipped)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 180 ° C. Mix the apple slices with the drained cherries, sugar, lemon juice, Kirch and cinnamon in a large bowl. Chill for 2 h. Lay the pastry on a clean work surface and brush it with melted butter. Lay a second sheet and brush it again with butter. Repeat until all the phyllo sheets are greased. Mix the almond powder through the fruit mix. Spoon the filling on the skins but leave a border of 6 cm. Make a large roll of it, coat the board with butter and place the strudel seam side down on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven. Sprinkle strudel with icing sugar and serve with whipped cream.

Tip:
Make sure you do not let dry out the filo dough otherwise it will break and you can not roll it up nicely. Keep them moist under a damp kitchen towel!

  

      

 

 

 

 

STUFFED OVENAPPLES with NUTS.
(For 4 pers., Preparation: + - 10 min, and + - 30 minutes in the oven.)

 

 

You need
- 4 large apples
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice or four-spice mix
- 50 gr. almond flakes
- 100 gr. cane sugar
- 75 gr. raisins
- 50 gr. butter, at room temperature
- 1 dl. orange juice [or whiskey for the adults ;-) ]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 180 ° C. Cut with a knife the caps of the apples. Remove the core with an apple corer, hollow the apples out something (attention: not too much!). Mix the filling with the remaining ingredients. Fill the apples with the mixture. Place the caps back on. Put them in the oven for 30 min. Let cool slightly and serve. Serve with vanilla ice cream or some yoghourt.

Variant:
Cut a handful of dried apricots into small pieces and mix with 2 tbsp. granulated sugar. Cut the tops of the apples. Take an apple corer to core the apples, scoop a bit out, fill them with the apricotpieces. Wrap the apples in ready-made puff pastry and bake for 30 minutes in a preheated oven.

        

 

 

 

 

 

CHRISTMAS CUPCAKES.
(6-pers., Preparation: + - 40 minutes, + - 20 minutes in the oven.)

 

 

You need
- 220 gr. butter
- 220 gr. caster sugar
- 220 gr. flower
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 4 eggs
- 1 roll red rollfondant
- 1 roll (beige) marzipan
- 1 roll white rollfondant

- ready to use eyes or little round sweets

– paper muffin cups

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 180 ° C. Beat the butter with the sugar in a mixing bowl until all granules are dissolved. Add the eggs 1 for 1 and stir until smooth. Sift the flour and baking powder over the bowl and fold in the flour and baking powder gently. Put 15 paper muffin cups in a muffin tray. Fill the wrappers for 2/3 with batter. Bake 17 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Let them cool. Roll out the marzipanroll to a thickness of 2 mm. Insert (by means of a glass) circles which are as large as the cakes. Use a garlic press to make fine threads of white rollfondant, this is for the hair, beard and mustache. Make a little red hat from the red rollfondant and top it off with a white pompom on the end. Make a nose with marzipan. Use ready-made eyes or make a mold of the marzipan for the whites of the eyes and place a small round sweet as iris in the marzipan-eye.     

 

 

 

 

 

WALNUT CAKE with MOCHA SAUCE.
(For 4 pers., Preparation: + - 15 min Preparation: + - 55 min)

 

 

You need
For the cake:
- 1 egg
- 220 gr. brown sugar
- 2 tbsp. butter, melted
- 250 ml. buttermilk
- 250 gr. flower
- 1 akje baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. sodabicaronaat
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 60 gr. chopped nuts
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 1 tbsp. flower
For the mocha sauce:
- 180 gr. Icing sugar
- 1 tbsp. Unsweetened cocoa powder
- 75 gr. soft butter
- 2 tbsp. strong (espresso) coffee
For the finish:
- 3 tbsp. Icing sugar
- 1 tbsp. chopped nuts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 180 ° C. Put, in advance, the soft butter in a bowl and set that bowl aside. Whisk in another large bowl the egg and gradually add the sugar and melted butter. Mix and add again little by little the buttermilk, add the flour, baking powder, sodium bicarbonate and salt. Note: The dough must not be liquid. Add the nuts to. Spoon the mixture into a buttered and floured baking tin and leave to bake for 45-55 minutes in the preheated oven (180 ° C.). Test if the dough is dry enough inside by stabbing a sharp object (knife or awl) in the dough, when it comes back out dry, the dough is cooked. Remove the cake from the oven and let it rest for + - 10 min before you remove it from the mold. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Mix the icing sugar and cocoa powder in a bowl. Now take the bowl with soft butter and add ,gradually, the mixture of powdered sugar and cocoa powder with the softened butter. Also add the coffee and mix well until you have a smooth paste. Serve this with the cooled pie that you've dusted with icing sugar and chopped nuts.

 

tip:
The taste of the nuts can be strengthen by adding a little real ahorniroop to them.

 

I wish you a pleasant and relaxing holiday season !! And .......... ENJOY !

Eat them,
The Veggi Lady
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