Eggnog Torte

                                                   Eggnog Torte

I love eggnog Torte. Unfortunately, you have to make the eggnog first since we add Alcohol in ours. So I will give you the recipe for that too. You can make that ahead of making the Torte.

This is what you need for the eggnog:

- 6 egg yolks

- 150 gr Vanilla sugar or 150 gr sugar and 1 Vanilla bean

- 300 ml heavy whip 

- 150 ml white Rum or Cognac

This is how you do it:

Put the eggs with the sugar in a bowl over a pot hot water and beat it until its nice and creamy. Then add the heavy cream and the Alcohol and keep beating it for like 4 min. over the Waterbath. Pour the Eggnog into bottles and place it in the fridge until cool.

This is what you need for the cake:

- 80 gr Sugar

- 80 gr Butter 

- 14 gr Vanilla sugar

- 5 eggs

- 200 gr ground Hazelnuts (Amazon has 2.2lbs for $20)

- 100 gr dark chocolate, finely grated

- 2 TSP Baking Powder

- 500 ml Heavy whip

- 1 Pack Whip it (or 1 TBSP Cornstarch)

- 1 TSP Sugar

This is how you do it:

Divide the egg whites and yolks. To the egg yolks, add the sugar and vanilla sugar and whisk until nice and creamy and bright yellow. Add the butter and the mix of Baking powder and Hazelnuts and stir carefully.  Do the same with the chocolate. Stir carefully. Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks. Carefully stir that into the batter to not kill the air bubbles.

Use a round, 26cm diameter Baking Form and lay down on the bottom Nonstick Baking Paper. Do not butter the sides of the baking form, the dough can not rise properly if you do. It will "slip". Add the batter to the Form and bake it in the preheated oven of 335 degrees for 60 min.. Remove the Form and let the cake cool completely before filling.

Whisk the Heavy whip with the sugar and whip it (or corn starch) until stiff. Cover the whole cake and the sides of the cake as well with the whipping cream. Leave some so you can set little dots around the outskirts of the cake to make a barrier for the eggnog. Add carefully the eggnog and let cool until set. If the eggnog is to liquid, add some Gelatin to it. I found this to be the best idea. Let it sit a moment to slightly getting thicker before you add it on top of the cake so it doesn't run down.

Decorate the sides of the cake with shaved dark chocolate. 

Guten Appetit

Bratapfel - Baked spiced Apple

 

               Bratapfel - Baked spiced Apple

Bratapfel is a common and popular dish for the Christmas. Because it's warm and spiced with Christmas spices. Easy to prepare and then just put in the oven. I made them in my Emeril Lagasse Air Fryer and it was perfect. Fast and easy. Give it a try, you will like it.

This is what you need: (for 2 Portions)

- 2 Apple per person

- 50 gr of softened Butter

- 2 TBSP raisins 

- 2 TBSP Almonds, sliced

- 1 TSP Cinnamon 

- 1 TBSP Honey

- 1 TBSP granulated Sugar or brown Sugar (I like the brown sugar better)

- just a dab of Lemon Juice

For the sauce:

- 150 ml Orange juice

- 1 TBSP Sugar

- 1 TBSP Lemon Juice

This is how you do it:

Take the apples and cut off the top. Don't throw it away though. With a sharp spoon, cut out the seeds. Be careful not to go to deep to pinch a hole in the bottom. Your filling with flood away then. Brush some Lemon Juice on the inside of the Apple so they don't turn brown.

Place the Almonds in a nonstick pan without oil and heat it for a couple of minutes until they are nice and toasted. Watch them, they burn fast. Let cool. In a bowl, mix together the Butter with the sugar, honey, cinnamon and Raisins. Add the cooled Almonds and stuff the Apples with the mixture. 

In a sauce pan, heat the Orange juice with the sugar and Lemon juice just until its boiling. Pour the Orange juice in an oven safe dish and place in the Apples without the lids. 

Bake them in a preheated 375 degree oven for Air fry or in a 400 degree regular oven for 25 min.. Then place the apple lids back on the apple and bake another 10 min.. 

Serve them warm on a plate with some of the juice and some Vanilla Ice cream and Whipped cream and enjoy.

Guten Appetit

KFC Chicken drums copycat

 

             KFC Chicken drums copycat

Like in the post before, I like Kentucky fried chicken. Here is the recipe for the chicken drums but made in an Air fryer. You can, of course, just regular fry in oil, but I was looking for a less fatty option. We liked it a lot and the chicken was nice moist. You will have to prepare ahead of time though.

This is what you need:

- Chicken drumsticks

- 1 Cup Buttermilk

- 2 Eggs

- 2 Cups of Flour

- 2/3 TSP Salt

-1/2 TSP Thyme

- 1/2 TSP Basil

- 1/3 TSP Oregano

- 1 TSP Celery Salt

- 2 TSP Garlic Salt

- 1 TSP Black Pepper

- 1 TSP ground Mustard

- 4 TSP Paprika

- 1 TSP ground Ginger

- 3 TSP white Pepper (if you like the spicy version. If you like original, don't add the Pepper)

This is how you do it:

Soak the chicken in the Buttermilk over night. 

In 1 bowl, whisk together the 2 eggs. In a separate bowl, add the Flour and all the spices and mix well. 

Prepare an oven and preheat to 390 degrees. Lay nonstick oven paper on the tray so the chicken don't stick to the bottom. 

Remove the chicken drums one at the time and drench it first in the flour, then in the egg and a second time in the flour. Place it on the oven tray. Spray them with Oil from a can. Air fry it for around 13-15 min and then turn them around, spray again with Oil and let fry another 13-15 min.. Internal Temp should be at least a 165 Fahrenheit.  

Guten Appetit

KFC Coleslaw copycat

 

                                      KFC Coleslaw copycat

I like Kentucky fried chicken. But sometimes they don't get the order right and our nearest is like 25 min away. So I had to come up with a solution. I found this recipes online and I think they come the original pretty close. So, don't look any further, just get this one here.

This is what you need:

- 1 Bag of pre-shredded Cabbage Carrot mix

- 1/2 cup Mayonnaise

- 1/4 cup Buttermilk

- 1/4 cup Milk

- 1/3 cup granulated Sugar (I used like half of the 1/3 cup)

- 1 TSP Salt

- 1/4 TSP ground black pepper

- 2 1/2 TBSP Lemon Juice

- 1 1/12 TBSP white vinegar or Apple cider vinegar

This is how you do it:

Stir all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and mix well. Then add the Cabbage and mix well. Let cool and set in the fridge for at least 30 min.. 

Enjoy

Guten Appetit

Huehnerfrikasse - Chicken Frikasse

                     Huehnerfrikasse 

                     Chicken Frikasse

This is as german as can be. I guess the whole country cooks this, not just regional. This is a fast dish, because you basically use left over chicken from a chicken soup or fried chicken. But you always just use the white meat and no skin. If you don't have left over chicken from a chicken broth, just cook the chicken breast in salt water until done and then, when its cooled down, cut them into small pieces.

This is what you need:

- 250 gr Chicken Meat

- 400 ml Chicken Broth

- 150 gr Carrots (i like the baby carrots from the can)

- 150 gr frozen peas (or from a can)

- 150 gr white mushrooms

- 25 gr Butter

- 25 gr Flour

- 100 ml heavy whip (or crema media for less fat)

- 1 TSP Lemon Juice

- Salt and Pepper to taste

This is how you do it:

Cut the Chicken in small pieces. Do the same with the mushrooms. 

In a bigger pot, let the Butter melt. Now add the Flour to make a Roux, stir constantly.

Add the Chicken Broth and stir until it starts thickening up. Now add the vegetables. Let everything simmer on medium heat for around 5 min.. Now add the Cream, Lemon juice and the chicken. Salt and Pepper everything to taste and let sit on low flame for another 5 min., just long enough to heat the meat back up without cooking it. 

You can serve it with Rice, but its also good without anything. Some people even put white asparagus in it, but my family doesn't like asparagus. 

Guten Appetit

I

Romanian white bean soup - Ciorba de Fasole

 Romanian white bean soup - Ciorba de Fasole 

A Romanian classic. Every Family has their own recipe. We really like that one a lot.

This is what you need:

- Smoked pork Belly 

- 3-4 cans of white Great Northern beans

- soup vegetables (2 Carrots, 2  Celery, 1 Parsnip, 1 big Onion)

- Tarragon (put in a glass with Vinegar to preserve) 

-  1 TBSP Tomato Paste

- Milk and a bit flour for a slurry 

- Salt and Pepper to taste

This is how you do it:

Take the biggest cooking pot you have. Add around 1 Liter of Water. Cut the Celery, Onion and Parsnip in big junks. Cut the Meat in mouth size pieces. Add everything to the water and let it simmer until the meat is nice soft. Around 30 min.. Then remove the Vegetables and add the carrots to it (however you want to cut it. Just has to be mouth size) and let simmer another 10 min.. Now add the beans (rinsed) Tomato Paste and the milk-flour slurry. Stir everything well and bring back to a simmer. Salt and pepper it to taste. Use around 3 forks full of your in vinegar preserved Tarragon and cut it slightly in smaller sizes. Add to the soup. 

Traditionally the soup is served with a side of hot, marinaded Pepperoni. We can't eat that spicy so we left that part out. Still a very hearty and good soup to eat it plain like this.

Guten Appetit 

Pofta buna 

Shrimps with Zucchini

                    Shrimp with Zucchini

This is a very quick but super delicious Shrimp Recipe. Try it, you will love it.

This is what you need:

- 2 Zucchini, julienned (means, cut in short, thin strips)

- Shrimps

- 2-3 gloves of Garlic

- Zest of 1 Lemon

- 1 TBSP Lemon juice

- salt, pepper, red pepper flakes

- spritz of white wine

- little bit of Butter

- Parsley for Garnish

This is how you do it:

Cut the Zucchini in the short, thin strips. Pan fry them in a bit of Olive oil, salt, pepper and red Pepper flakes until they are nice loose and a bit brown. Remove from pan and put on a serving Platter.

Same Pan, add a bit of Butter and fry the Shrimps until they are orange in color. Around 1 min each side. Press the Garlic through a Garlic masher, you don't even have to bother taking the skin off. It will come out just perfect. Season with salt, pepper and red Pepper flakes. Stir for a couple of sec., then cool down the pan with a Spritz of white wine (of your choice). Let the Alcohol cook out for a min.. Now add the Lemon juice and the Lemon zest. Pour the Shrimps over the Zucchini, garnish with Parsley. 

Serve immediately.