[{"content":"This recipe is another one of those healthy ones, since it skips refined sugars, refined flours and fats. The result is a fairly decent and tasty treat but, although it's fluffy, the texture is a little \"chewy\" for my taste and a bit moist, as tends to happen with recipes that include other vegetables (zucchini, carrot, etc.). All in all, for me this is a treat that works well for eating with less guilt and in a healthier way, but they're not the muffins I'd make for a special occasion or when I really want to treat myself or someone else.\nIngredients\n150 g (1.5 cups) ground oats250 g (1 cup) pumpkin purée150 g (2/3 cup) plain yogurt1 tablespoon honey6 dates (pre-soaked)2 eggs1.5 teaspoons baking powder1 teaspoon cinnamon1 pinch of salt2 tablespoons milk100 g (3.5 oz) 70% dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces Method\nPeel and chop the pumpkin into chunks and boil until soft. Drain and mash with a fork to make a purée.Preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F).Blitz the soaked dates in a food processor to make a paste. Add the pumpkin purée and blend again until you get a smooth mixture.In a bowl, combine the wet ingredients (eggs, honey, milk and the pumpkin-date purée).Separately, mix the dry ingredients (oats, salt, baking powder) and add them to the wet mixture.Mix well and fold in the chocolate pieces.Divide between muffin liners and bake for 25 minutes. PiC Tips\nYou can sprinkle some oat flakes or extra chocolate on top before baking.If you use silicone or metal molds, don't forget to grease them first. With paper liners they stick a bit (so they won't be the prettiest muffins you'll ever make).The best dates for sweetening are Medjool dates, which are meatier, but if you don't have any you can use regular ones. ","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/2020-10-30-muffins-de-calabaza-avena-y-chocolate/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis recipe is another one of those healthy ones, since it skips refined sugars, refined flours and fats. The result is a fairly decent and tasty treat but, although it's fluffy, the texture is a little \"chewy\" for my taste and a bit moist, as tends to happen with recipes that include other vegetables (zucchini, carrot, etc.). All in all, for me this is a treat that works well for eating with less guilt and in a healthier way, but they're not the \u003cem\u003emuffins\u003c/em\u003e I'd make for a special occasion or when I really want to treat myself or someone else.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Pumpkin, Oat and Chocolate Muffins"},{"content":"One day I woke up, saw this gorgeous brioche-style sweet bread on Claudia\u0026amp;Julia's Instagram, and knew I had to make it. In my case, I made two loaves, a medium one and a small one to give away. I really liked the texture, though I think I should have been more patient with the first proof of the dough so it would rise more and be fluffier. My taste-testers loved it; I'll have to make it again to truly enjoy it once my brain decides to start picking up the aroma and flavor of cinnamon again, after fully recovering from the aftereffects of damn COVID-19.\nIngredients\n330 g (2.6 cups) bread flour4 g (1.25 tsp) active dry yeast125 ml (1/2 cup) milk2 eggs75 g (6 tbsp) sugar1/2 teaspoon salt60 g (4 tbsp) butter (at room temperature)1 teaspoon ground cinnamon Method\nMix the bread flour and dry yeast in a bowl. Make a well in the center and add the lightly beaten eggs, the warm milk, 30 g (2 tbsp) of the sugar (reserve the rest), and the salt.Whisk the wet ingredients with a fork while gradually incorporating the flour and yeast mixture. Stir until the dough gets too stiff, then turn it out onto a clean work surface and knead for 10 minutes. You want to end up with a smooth dough.Next, add the butter, cut into small cubes, and keep kneading until it's fully incorporated.Grease a deep, roomy bowl with a touch of oil and let the dough rest inside it, covered with a clean dry kitchen towel, until it doubles in size (it'll depend on room temperature, but easily two hours).Once the first rise is done, punch it down by pressing with your fingers a few times. Roll the dough out with a rolling pin to about one centimeter (about 3/8 inch) thick.Sprinkle with the rest of the sugar and the ground cinnamon and press down with your hands or the rolling pin so it sticks well.Cut the dough into squares slightly narrower than the loaf pan you're going to bake it in. Don't worry if they're a bit uneven.Place the squares of dough vertically inside the previously greased loaf pan. Any sugar and cinnamon left on the counter from falling off the dough as you arranged it can be sprinkled over the top of the bread.Cover the pan with a clean dry kitchen towel and let it rise again for about 60 minutes, or until it nearly reaches the rim of the pan.Put the pan in the oven, preheated to 180°C (350°F) with top and bottom heat, and bake for 45-50 minutes. If you see it browning too much, cover with foil.Take it out of the oven and let it cool before unmolding and serving. PiC Tips\nBe patient with the proofing times — they depend on room temperature, so in winter it'll take longer, but not waiting long enough can completely ruin the recipe.If you don't like cinnamon, leave it out or swap it for something else. It won't be a cinnamon pull-apart bread anymore, but it'll be just as delicious. ","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/2020-10-30-pull-apart-bread-de-canela/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOne day I woke up, saw this gorgeous brioche-style sweet bread on Claudia\u0026amp;Julia's Instagram, and knew I had to make it. In my case, I made two loaves, a medium one and a small one to give away. I really liked the texture, though I think I should have been more patient with the first proof of the dough so it would rise more and be fluffier. My taste-testers loved it; I'll have to make it again to truly enjoy it once my brain decides to start picking up the aroma and flavor of cinnamon again, after fully recovering from the aftereffects of damn COVID-19.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread"},{"content":"A healthy loaf cake with a moist texture and a strong peanut butter flavor. Definitely not for everyone, but I'm crazy about it. These flavors are addictive for me and I can't really hold back. The good news is that the ingredients are healthy and, even though we can't really call it diet food — especially because of the peanut butter — we know it's a pretty moderate treat.\nI got the recipe from @petit_fit's Instagram profile, but I tweaked it a little. Here's my version. Hope you like it.\nIngredients\n3 ripe bananas50 g (1.75 oz) honey40 g (1.4 oz) extra virgin olive oil50 ml (3.5 tbsp) milk1 egg4 tablespoons peanut butter175 g (6 oz / about 1.75 cups) ground oats or oat flour50 g (1.75 oz) pure unsweetened cocoa powder5 g (1 tsp) baking powder (Royal-type)A pinch of saltA couple of squares of dark chocolate and some oat flakes (for topping) Method\nPreheat the oven to 180°C (355°F).Mash the bananas in a bowl with a fork and add the wet ingredients (honey, milk, oil and the lightly beaten egg).Stir until everything comes together.Add the dry ingredients (oats, cocoa, salt and baking powder) and mix well.Grab a loaf pan (plumcake-style) and grease it with a bit of oil.Pour half of the batter into the pan and drop two tablespoons of peanut butter on top. Then, using a knife, swirl the peanut butter into the batter to get a kind of marbled effect.Add the other half of the reserved batter and another two tablespoons of peanut butter. Repeat the marbling process.Finally, chop the chocolate into chunks and scatter them on top along with a few oat flakes.Bake for about 45-50 minutes and it's ready to enjoy (technically you should wait for it to cool… I never can). PiC Tips\nTry to use peanut butter that's 100% peanuts, with no added sugar, salt or weird stuff, because it doesn't need any of that. It's pretty easy to find this kind these days at Mercadona, Ahorramás or sports/nutrition supplement shops.Same goes for the cocoa. It's really easy to find pure 100% cocoa (I usually use Mercadona's store brand). Don't be fooled by advertising for \"intense\" cocoas because they tend to contain added sugars, sweeteners or even some kind of flour as a thickener.If you don't have oat flour but do have oat flakes, you can blitz them in a food processor or Thermomix. You can choose how fine you want them. In my case, I used roughly ground oats.As always, you can swap the honey for another sweetener of your choice, or for dates that have been soaked and blended into a paste. Also keep in mind that the riper the bananas, the more sweetness they'll add. ","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/2020-10-15-bizcocho-de-platano-cacao-y-mantequilla-de-cacahuete/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA healthy loaf cake with a moist texture and a strong peanut butter flavor. Definitely not for everyone, but I'm crazy about it. These flavors are addictive for me and I can't really hold back. The good news is that the ingredients are healthy and, even though we can't really call it diet food — especially because of the peanut butter — we know it's a pretty moderate treat.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI got the recipe from \u003ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://www.instagram.com/petit_fit/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e@petit_fit\u003c/a\u003e's Instagram profile, but I tweaked it a little. Here's my version. Hope you like it.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Banana, Cocoa and Peanut Butter Loaf"},{"content":"This time I wanted to make a chocolate cake that didn't have a super intense pure-chocolate flavor, since some of my taste-testers aren't huge fans of that level of intensity. The banana filling won me over as a way to balance out all that sweetness, and the crunchy layer adds a bit of joy to creamy desserts.\nThe recipe is from Ettore Cioccia, although I made several changes to the filling and decoration because I wanted to use up ingredients I had at home and try out some new things. So here's my version of this delicious cake — I hope you like it. It's not a complicated cake, but it does have several components and requires patience and planning to give yourself enough time, considering all the chilling/freezing times involved.\nIngredients\nCrunchy cereal layer\n60 g (2.1 oz) almond butter35 g (1.2 oz) chocolate20 g (0.7 oz) raw chopped hazelnuts15 g (0.5 oz) puffed rice15 g (0.5 oz) puffed quinoa Caramelized banana\n30 g (2 tbsp) sugar15 g (1 tbsp) butter3 bananas (210 g / 7.4 oz)Lemon juice2 g gelatin (1 sheet) Flourless chocolate sponge\n60 g (2.1 oz) 65% dark chocolate20 g (1.5 tbsp) unsalted butter2 egg whites at room temperature2 egg yolks20 g (1.5 tbsp) sugar Chocolate and caramel mousse\n200 g (7 oz) 65% chocolate6 g gelatin (3 sheets)60 g (1/4 cup) sugar100 ml (1/2 cup) heavy whipping cream4 egg yolks, beaten400 g (14 oz) heavy cream whipped to soft peaks Ferrero-style coating\n215 g (7.6 oz) 65% chocolate40 g (3 tbsp) sunflower oil45 g (1.6 oz) chopped almonds (almond brittle) Caramel mirror glaze\n300 g (1.5 cups) sugar300 g (1 cup) glucose syrup, slightly warmed in the microwave375 ml (1.5 cups) water200 g (7 oz) sweetened condensed milk300 g (10.6 oz) white couverture chocolate, finely chopped18 g gelatin, hydrated beforehand and then dissolved in 108 ml (about 1/2 cup) of hot water Method\nWe start by making the crunchy cereal layer. Melt the chocolate in the microwave in short bursts to keep it from burning. Next, add the almond butter and mix well. Finally, add the cereals and hazelnuts and mix again until everything comes together.Line the bottom of a 17 cm (6.7 in) springform ring or pan with plastic wrap and a strip of acetate around the edge. Pour in the chocolate mixture and smooth out the surface with a spoon. Pop it into the freezer.For the caramelized banana, hydrate the gelatin in a bowl of cold water.Cut the bananas into small dice and add a splash of lemon juice so they don't oxidize.Put the sugar in a saucepan and let it melt until it forms an amber-colored caramel. Add the butter, and once it's incorporated, add the banana. Cook for a few minutes over low heat, stirring frequently (the mixture is likely to get more liquid as the fruit releases its juice).Drain the gelatin well and stir it into the saucepan after turning off the heat. Stir well so it dissolves completely.Take the crunchy layer out of the freezer and pour the caramelized banana on top, forming another even layer. Put it back in the freezer.To make the chocolate sponge, preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F).Melt the chocolate and butter in short bursts in the microwave.In another bowl, whip the egg whites to stiff peaks with a pinch of salt and the sugar. Once they're firm, fold in the beaten yolks gently.Next, add the melted chocolate, also folding gently so it doesn't deflate, until you have a smooth batter.Spread it onto a parchment-lined baking sheet (it's not a lot of batter and it's not very runny) until it's about 1 cm (0.4 in) thick. The important thing is that you'll be able to cut a 17 cm (6.7 in) circle out of it later.Bake for 8 minutes.To make the chocolate and caramel mousse, hydrate the gelatin sheets in very cold water.Melt the chocolate in the microwave in short bursts and set aside.In a saucepan, melt the sugar and let it cook until you get a light caramel. Add 100 ml (1/2 cup) of cream (warmed in the microwave so there isn't a big temperature difference). Pour it in a little at a time, stirring constantly to keep crystals from forming, and very carefully so it doesn't splash you.Pour the mixture over the beaten egg yolks while stirring constantly, then return it to the heat until it reaches 82–84°C (180–183°F).Take it off the heat and add the well-drained gelatin, stirring until it dissolves.Next, blend with an immersion blender until smooth, and pour this hot cream over the melted chocolate. Mix well and let cool to 40–45°C (104–113°F).Finally, fold in a third of the soft-peak whipped cream and mix. Add the rest and fold gently again.For the assembly, take a 20 cm (8 in) springform pan (or ring) and line the edge with a strip of acetate and the bottom with plastic wrap.Now we're going to layer everything. First, spread a generous layer of chocolate and caramel mousse in the bottom and use a spatula to coat the sides too. Then unmold the banana and hazelnut crunch insert and place it on top of the mousse with the crunchy side facing up. Fill with more mousse, and finally lay down the chocolate sponge disc. Put the cake in the freezer for at least 3–4 hours (I leave it overnight and finish the decoration the next day).Now we're going to prepare the glazes. For the Ferrero-style coating, melt the chocolate in the microwave and then add the oil. Once it's well combined, add the chopped almonds. Set aside until it cools to 35°C (95°F).To make the caramel mirror glaze, hydrate the gelatin in a bowl of cold water. Heat the water, drain the gelatin, and dissolve it in this hot water. Set aside.In a saucepan, make a dry caramel using just the sugar — no water. When it turns a dark golden color, turn off the heat and pull the pan off the burner. Immediately and very carefully, slowly pour in the 375 ml (1.5 cups) of water while whisking. (Be very careful — it splatters and burns badly.)Then add the glucose, stir well until it dissolves, and next add the condensed milk and white chocolate, whisking until the chocolate dissolves and is fully incorporated.Finally, add the dissolved gelatin and mix until combined. Let it rest until the caramel cools to 25–30°C (77–86°F).All that's left is the final assembly. Take the frozen cake out of the freezer and remove the pan, the acetate strip, and the plastic wrap. Set the cake on top of a smaller mold or bowl so it's elevated and you can glaze it well. It's a good idea to put a plate or tray underneath to catch the drippings of glaze so you can reuse them.First we're going to glaze the sides with the Ferrero coating. The easiest way is to put the coating in a pitcher and pour it over the sides. Since the cake is frozen, the chocolate will set almost instantly. If you have any gaps, you can patch them up with the help of a spoon.Finally, pour the mirror glaze over the top of the cake. You want to use just the right amount so it only covers the top and doesn't drip down the sides. You can finish decorating it with broken hazelnuts and chocolate.Carefully transfer it to a flat plate and store in the fridge. Before serving, you'll need to give it 2 or 3 hours to defrost slowly. PiC tips\nThe amounts I give for the mirror glaze are enough to cover the entire cake (top and sides). In that case, you wouldn't need the Ferrero-style coating, and it would also look beautiful. Any leftover glaze (that hasn't been contaminated with other components of the cake) can be stored in the fridge for a few days, or longer in the freezer, and reheated whenever you want to glaze another dessert. In fact, that's what I did. This glaze had been frozen — it was leftover from a previous cake. You can also choose to halve the quantities.I used almond butter, but you can use any other nut butter or even praline like Ettore does in his original recipe. ","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/2020-10-14-tarta-de-chocolate-y-caramelo-con-platano-y-crujiente-de-cereales/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis time I wanted to make a chocolate cake that didn't have a super intense pure-chocolate flavor, since some of my taste-testers aren't huge fans of that level of intensity. The banana filling won me over as a way to balance out all that sweetness, and the crunchy layer adds a bit of joy to creamy desserts.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe recipe is from Ettore Cioccia, although I made several changes to the filling and decoration because I wanted to use up ingredients I had at home and try out some new things. So here's my version of this delicious cake — I hope you like it. It's not a complicated cake, but it does have several components and requires patience and planning to give yourself enough time, considering all the chilling/freezing times involved.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Chocolate and caramel cake with banana and crunchy cereal layer"},{"content":"This is a different way to make a pseudo quiche or savory tart, and it's also a great alternative for those who can't or don't want to eat gluten. Compared to a traditional quiche, it's missing the crunch of the shortcrust pastry, but on the upside it's less calorie-dense and adds a really pleasant hint of sweetness.\nIngredients\n1 large sweet potato4 eggs350 ml (1.5 cups) milk85 g (3 oz) fresh spinach100 g (3.5 oz) sun-dried tomatoes110 g (4 oz) goat cheeseA handful of chopped walnuts2 tablespoons cream cheese (I used Skyr)Salt, pepper, and extra virgin olive oil Method\nPreheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).Wash the sweet potato, make a few slits in the skin, and microwave it for a couple of minutes (you can skip this step, but it softens it up a bit and makes it easier to slice).Take the sweet potato out, careful not to burn yourself, peel it, and cut it into very thin slices (about 3 mm / 1/8 inch).In a bowl, toss the sweet potato slices with salt, pepper, and olive oil, then arrange them in an overlapping pattern in a round oven-safe pan, covering the bottom and the sides.Bake for about 20 minutes.Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a bowl, season with salt and pepper, add the cream cheese, milk, and sun-dried tomatoes, and mix well.Once the baking time is up and the sweet potato is soft, take the pan out, place the lightly chopped raw spinach over the sweet potato base, and pour the milk and egg mixture on top.Finally, scatter the chopped goat cheese and walnuts evenly across the surface.Bake for about 30 minutes and it's ready to enjoy. PiC Tips\nThe cream cheese isn't necessary — I threw it in to use up some that had been sitting in the fridge for a few days. If you want to use cream instead of milk like in traditional quiches, go for it; it'll come out a bit richer and creamier.When I say sun-dried tomatoes, I mean the ones that have been dehydrated and then rehydrated, usually packed in seasoned oil. If you only have plain dehydrated tomatoes and want to \"revive\" and season them yourself for any recipe, it's super easy. Bring 700 ml (3 cups) of water to a boil, then turn off the heat, add 50 ml (3.5 tablespoons) of white vinegar and the dehydrated tomatoes. Let them sit for half an hour. Then take the tomatoes out and pat them dry with paper towels. Transfer them to a jar with olive oil, garlic, and whatever herbs you like, and in a couple of days everything will have soaked up a delicious flavor. ","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/2020-10-08-pseudo-quiche-de-batata/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis is a different way to make a pseudo \u003cem\u003equiche\u003c/em\u003e or savory tart, and it's also a great alternative for those who can't or don't want to eat gluten. Compared to a traditional quiche, it's missing the crunch of the shortcrust pastry, but on the upside it's less calorie-dense and adds a really pleasant hint of sweetness.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cfigure\u003e\u003cimg src=\"/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/A0ED53FE-9037-4920-9954-F1393BB53277-960x959.jpeg\" alt=\"Pics and Cakes\"/\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"color:#c5a204\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIngredients\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e1 large sweet potato\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e4 eggs\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e350 ml (1.5 cups) milk\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e85 g (3 oz) fresh spinach\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e100 g (3.5 oz) sun-dried tomatoes\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e110 g (4 oz) goat cheese\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eA handful of chopped walnuts\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e2 tablespoons cream cheese (I used Skyr)\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eSalt, pepper, and extra virgin olive oil\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"color:#c5a204\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMethod\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sweet Potato Pseudo-Quiche"},{"content":"This recipe comes from Ettore Cioccia, who I call \"my master\" because I've followed several recipes from his blog Bavette and they all turn out amazing. On top of that, I had the luck of attending a pastry course he gave in Madrid and I couldn't have enjoyed it more. So if you feel like making a delicious dessert and spending a good while in the kitchen putting together different components, you can pick any of Ettore's recipes and you'll be guaranteed success. Today I'm sharing my version of his chocolate and mango-passion fruit roll cakes. The only thing I did differently from his recipe was the pionono sponge, since I used the one from another pastry great: Osvaldo Gross.\nIngredients\nFor the dark chocolate ganache\n100 g (3.5 oz) heavy cream (30-35% fat)100 g (3.5 oz) chocolate (66% cocoa)210 g (7.4 oz / about 1 cup) cold heavy cream For the pionono-style sponge\n5 eggs50 g (1.75 oz / about 1/4 cup) sugar50 g (1.75 oz / about 1/3 cup) flourA pinch of saltOne tablespoon of honey (about 25 g / 0.9 oz) For the exotic jam\n265 g (9.3 oz) mango purée85 g (3 oz) passion fruit purée70 g (2.5 oz / about 1/3 cup) granulated sugar13 g (0.5 oz) pectin For the Ferrero Rocher glaze\n250 g (8.8 oz) chocolate (60% cocoa)50 g (1.75 oz / about 1/4 cup) sunflower oil70 g (2.5 oz / about 1/2 cup) granulated almonds Method\nDark chocolate ganache\nIn a small saucepan, bring 100 g (3.5 oz) of cream to a boil. Pour the boiling cream over the chocolate (which we've previously melted in the microwave) in two or three additions, mixing well after each one.Then add the cold cream and mix until everything is well combined. Cover with cling film pressed against the surface and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours. For the pionono-style sponge\nPreheat the oven to 190ºC – 200ºC (375ºF – 390ºF).Put the eggs into the bowl of your stand mixer along with the sugar, salt, and honey, and whisk until you reach what's called \"ribbon stage\" (this is when you can lift a spoonful of batter and drizzle it over the rest, drawing lines on the surface that don't disappear right away). Since it takes a good while, it's best to use a stand mixer.Sift the flour and fold it in with the mixer at minimum speed. Bump the speed up to maximum for a few seconds.Using a spatula, fold everything together with gentle, sweeping motions.Prepare the oven tray with parchment paper greased with butter or margarine.Pour the batter onto the prepared tray and spread it out so the surface is level (we want a thin sponge, about 4-5 mm / 1/6 inch thick).Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until the surface is golden and the bottom is too — you can check by lifting it with the help of the paper (carefully, so you don't burn yourself). For the exotic jam\nMix the sugar with the pectin.Gently heat both fruit purées together to about 40ºC (105ºF) and add the sugar-pectin mixture. Bring to a boil for a few seconds.Remove from the heat and transfer the purée to a clean bowl.Let it cool to 36ºC (97ºF), stirring frequently.Finally, spread a thin, even layer of the jam over the sponge sheet. Chill in the fridge until the jam firms up a little. For the Ferrero Rocher glaze\nMelt the chocolate to about 50ºC (120ºF) in the microwave.Stir in the sunflower oil and mix well.Add the granulated almonds and mix again so they're evenly distributed.Let the coating cool down to 35ºC (95ºF). Assembling the dessert\nWith electric beaters, whip a little more than half of the chocolate ganache and keep the rest in the fridge. At medium speed, whip just until you get a creamy texture.Spread a thin, even layer of ganache over the jam we placed on the sponge. Let it firm up in the fridge.Cut the sponge — with its layers of jam and ganache — into strips. I made mine 5 cm (2 inches) wide.Roll up each strip with the filling on the inside, being careful not to tear the sponge.Freeze the rolls for about 10-15 minutes (or you can leave them in the freezer until you need them if you've prepared the recipe ahead).Take the rolls out of the freezer and dip each one into the chocolate coating we prepared, going about halfway up.Whip the rest of the ganache with electric beaters at medium speed until you get a medium-firm consistency.Using a piping bag fitted with a star tip, pipe little chocolate roses on top of each roll. You can decorate with cocoa nibs.Let them temper a bit and enjoy. PiC tips\nEven though I followed the exact proportions, my jam didn't set as much as I'd have liked (no idea why), so if you see it's too runny, you can add a bit more pectin (that's the ingredient that gels it). I'd also suggest not using all of the jam you make — pay attention to the thickness and aim for a thin layer over the sponge base.In his recipe, Ettore Cioccia makes 4 large roll cakes; I preferred bite-sized portions — or rather, two- or three-bite ones ;-). You can adjust this however you like when you cut the sponge. ","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/2020-09-30-roll-cakes-de-chocolate-y-mango-pasion/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis recipe comes from Ettore Cioccia, who I call \"my master\" because I've followed several recipes from his blog \u003ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://www.bavette.es/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eBavette\u003c/a\u003e and they all turn out amazing. On top of that, I had the luck of attending a pastry course he gave in Madrid and I couldn't have enjoyed it more. So if you feel like making a delicious dessert and spending a good while in the kitchen putting together different components, you can pick any of Ettore's recipes and you'll be guaranteed success. Today I'm sharing my version of his chocolate and mango-passion fruit roll cakes. The only thing I did differently from his recipe was the pionono sponge, since I used the one from another pastry great: Osvaldo Gross.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Chocolate and Mango-Passion Roll Cakes"},{"content":"At first I thought this would be one of those recipes that wasn't worth making at home, but how wrong I was. I felt like making the escabeche, seeing the method, and checking whether I could pull off that characteristic flavor. I liked it so much that I've repeated the process about three times this summer. They go a long way and keep for several days in the fridge, so there's no excuse not to have a really tasty homemade appetizer on hand.\nIngredients\n1 kg (2.2 lb) mussels300 ml (1.25 cups) olive oil100 ml (scant ½ cup) sherry vinegar50 ml (3 tbsp + 1 tsp) white vinegar (I used rice vinegar)100 ml (scant ½ cup) white wine1 head of garlic (cloves separated, unpeeled)1 large onion, julienned3 slices of fresh gingerWhole peppercorns (I used allspice)2-3 dried chili peppers3 bay leavesSalt2 teaspoons paprika (sweet, hot, or a mix) Method\nSteam the mussels just until they open but stay tender. Remove the shells and beards. Set aside.Heat the oil in a saucepan and add all the ingredients except the cooked mussels and the paprika.Let it simmer over medium heat for 30 minutes.Once the time is up, take it off the heat and add the paprika. Stir well and add the mussels.Put it back on the heat for a few seconds just to warm the mussels through.All that's left is to transfer everything to jars and they're ready to enjoy. Although it's better to leave them for a few hours so the flavors settle in nicely. PiC Tips\nYou can sterilize the jars beforehand by boiling them in water for 15-20 minutes.With this recipe we're not creating a true preserve since we haven't vacuum-sealed them or boiled them afterwards, so I recommend keeping them in the fridge. When you want to enjoy them, take them out of the fridge a bit ahead of time so they come to room temperature and the oil isn't so solid.You can add other herbs or spices to taste, depending on what you have in your pantry. ","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/2020-09-30-mejillones-en-escabeche/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAt first I thought this would be one of those recipes that wasn't worth making at home, but how wrong I was. I felt like making the escabeche, seeing the method, and checking whether I could pull off that characteristic flavor. I liked it so much that I've repeated the process about three times this summer. They go a long way and keep for several days in the fridge, so there's no excuse not to have a really tasty homemade appetizer on hand.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Pickled Mussels"},{"content":"I made this recipe following the exact steps from Kitchen Club, and honestly, if the ingredients promised to be a flavor bomb, the result was even better than expected. So many flavors that combined perfectly. If anything, the little fried egg would be a dispensable element, but the sauce was delicious and made all the tasters go back for seconds. Presentation-wise it didn't turn out anywhere near as spectacular as the original recipe, but the flavor was up to par.\nIngredients\n(Serves 6)\nMango huancaína sauce\n80 g (2.8 oz) fresh cheese (burgos-style)100 ml (scant ½ cup) evaporated milk60 ml (¼ cup) mango purée3 cracker or soda-style biscuits1 slice of sandwich bread soaked in milk2 tbsp chopped onion40 g (1.4 oz) walnuts3 tbsp ají amarillo paste (or to taste)½ tsp cuminsalt Tuna tartare\n300 g (10.5 oz) tunaZest of 1 lime1 tsp shichimi togarashi (I didn't have any and used harissa paste)1 tbsp sesame oil30 ml (2 tbsp) soy sauce50 ml (3.5 tbsp) olive oil Rest of the recipe\n400 g (14 oz) sushi rice2 ripe avocados6 quail eggs2 corn tortillasSalt, oil and sesame seeds Method\nStart by making the huancaína sauce. Sauté the onion in a pan with a little olive oil over high heat — it should be golden but still crunchy.In a food processor, add the onion and the rest of the ingredients, and blitz until you get a creamy sauce.Adjust the salt. Set aside.Chop the tuna into medium dice and dress it with lime zest, harissa, sesame oil, soy sauce and olive oil. Stir gently and set aside.Cut the avocados into medium dice and dress with salt and olive oil (you can leave the pits in until plating so they don't oxidize, or add a little lime juice).Cut the corn tortillas into strips and fry until crispy but not burnt (they brown pretty quickly and harden as they cool). Set aside.Fry the quail eggs with crispy edges.When it's time to plate, spoon a generous amount of sauce on each plate, then place the sushi rice on top without packing it down, add the dressed avocado, the tuna tartare, and finish with the quail egg and the corn tortilla strips.Garnish with fresh spring onion and sesame seeds. PiC Tips\nYou can easily find ají amarillo paste at Latin grocery stores. Same goes for mango purée, which they usually have frozen (a great option if it's not mango season or you can't find ripe ones).I haven't included how I made the sushi rice because I used the rice cooker and then cheated a bit by using a powdered mix that already comes with the salt, sugar and vinegar. I brought mine from Japan, but you can probably find something similar at Asian grocery stores.Remember to freeze the fish for at least 24 hours to avoid anisakis problems. ","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/2020-09-29-poke-de-atun-y-aguacate-con-huancaina-de-mango/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI made this recipe following the exact steps from Kitchen Club, and honestly, if the ingredients promised to be a flavor bomb, the result was even better than expected. So many flavors that combined perfectly. If anything, the little fried egg would be a dispensable element, but the sauce was delicious and made all the tasters go back for seconds. Presentation-wise it didn't turn out anywhere near as spectacular as the original recipe, but the flavor was up to par.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Tuna and Avocado Poke with Mango Huancaína"},{"content":"Dorayaki are a traditional Japanese sweet that you probably know as the favorite food of the cartoon character Doraemon. They're a type of pancake cooked in a pan and sandwiched together (kind of like a Codan shell, but a bit thicker). The traditional filling is anko, a sweet paste made from azuki beans and sugar. Anko is used in lots of Japanese desserts, so if you've never tried it, I encourage you to give it a chance — even if the words \"bean\" and \"sweet\" don't sound too tempting together in the same sentence.\nThis recipe comes from Masaharu Tada, the chef at the residence of the Japanese Ambassador in Spain.\nIngredients\nMakes 5 units (that is, 10 pancakes)\n1.5 g (¼ tsp) baking soda15 ml (1 tbsp) water2 eggs6 g (1 tsp) mirin (I didn't have any and substituted white wine)15 g (1 tbsp) honey80 g (⅔ cup) powdered sugar100 g (¾ cup) flour300 g (10.5 oz) anko for the filling Method\nMix the baking soda with the water until fully dissolved. It's better if the water is lukewarm to make this step easier.Beat the eggs in a bowl with a whisk and add the mirin, honey, and sugar, then whisk again.Once everything is combined, add the water and baking soda mixture and whisk again.Add the flour and whisk until you get a smooth, lump-free batter — but be careful not to overmix.To make sure the batter has no lumps at all, pass it through a strainer or sieve.Let the batter rest for 30 minutes so that the baking soda kicks in and you get a much fluffier, more homogeneous batter.Once the resting time is up, heat a pan, brush on a little vegetable oil, and pour a small amount of batter in the center — it'll spread on its own into a perfect circle.When bubbles appear on the surface, it's time to flip the pancake and cook the other side.Repeat with the rest of the batter.Once all the pancakes are done, all that's left is to pair them up and put the anko filling inside. The best way is to roll the anko into a ball, place it on one pancake, cover with its pair, and gently press them together so they close without breaking. PiC Tips\nIf you don't have or don't like anko, you can fill them with chocolate cream or pastry cream. Anko is the original version and, besides being delicious, it's easier to handle for this recipe since it's a more compact filling.The heat of the pan will depend on your stove. You need to keep an eye on them so the dorayaki turn out golden on the outside but well cooked on the inside. I made them on medium heat on an induction cooktop.It's a fairly sweet batter and since the anko is also sweet, I think you could get away with reducing the amount of powdered sugar a little. ","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/2020-09-28-dorayaki/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDorayaki\u003c/em\u003e are a traditional Japanese sweet that you probably know as the favorite food of the cartoon character Doraemon. They're a type of pancake cooked in a pan and sandwiched together (kind of like a Codan shell, but a bit thicker). The traditional filling is \u003cem\u003eanko\u003c/em\u003e, a sweet paste made from \u003cem\u003eazuki\u003c/em\u003e beans and sugar. \u003cem\u003eAnko\u003c/em\u003e is used in lots of Japanese desserts, so if you've never tried it, I encourage you to give it a chance — even if the words \"bean\" and \"sweet\" don't sound too tempting together in the same sentence.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Dorayaki"},{"content":"And this is the exact title of recipe number 1029 in the book «1080 Recetas» by Simone Ortega, a classic of Spanish kitchens. It really can't get any simpler or more delicious. There are loads of pancake variations out there, but let's start with the basics and just enjoy ;-).\nPancakes with dark chocolate and toasted coconut Ingredients\n200 g (1 ⅔ cups) flour½ teaspoon of salt (in Simone's words: «the mocha-spoon kind», so really tiny)3 teaspoons of Royal-type baking powder1 tablespoon of sugar1 tablespoon of olive oil2 eggs1 glass (a water glass) of cold milk (about 200 ml / ¾ cup + 1 tbsp) Method\nHere I'm not going to follow the traditional recipe, I'm going to make it way easier for you, so you can whip up some pancakes even before heading off to work.\nPut all the ingredients in a blender jug or bowl and blitz them with a hand blender or any kitchen robot until you get a smooth, even batter.Heat a pan and, when it's nice and hot, pour a bit of the batter in the center. It'll form a perfect circle. Cook it over medium heat.When you see bubbles forming all over the surface, that's the moment to flip it with a spatula and cook it for a similar time on the other side.Repeat with all the batter.Serve with syrup, jam, chocolate, fruit, or whatever you like best. PiC Tips\nIf you don't quite trust your pan's non-stick coating, you can add a little butter or oil to keep them from sticking.If the olive oil flavor is too strong for you, you can swap it for sunflower oil.If you don't want to make all the batter at once, you can keep the raw batter in the fridge and make the rest of the pancakes the next day (two days of guaranteed happiness). Or you can just halve the recipe directly (it divides easily). Pancakes with cherries and maple syrup ","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/2020-09-27-tortitas-americanas/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAnd this is the exact title of recipe number 1029 in the book «1080 Recetas» by Simone Ortega, a classic of Spanish kitchens. It really can't get any simpler or more delicious. There are loads of pancake variations out there, but let's start with the basics and just enjoy ;-).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cfigure\u003e\u003cimg src=\"/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/1CFE0834-8612-4813-9F26-269EDBC12116.jpeg\" alt=\"Pics and Cakes\"/\u003e\u003cfigcaption\u003e\u003cem\u003ePancakes with dark chocolate and toasted coconut\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"color:#c5a204\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIngredients\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e200 g (1 ⅔ cups) flour\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e½ teaspoon of salt (in Simone's words: «the mocha-spoon kind», so really tiny)\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e3 teaspoons of Royal-type baking powder\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e1 tablespoon of sugar\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e1 tablespoon of olive oil\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e2 eggs\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e1 glass (a water glass) of cold milk (about 200 ml / ¾ cup + 1 tbsp)\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"color:#c5a204\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMethod\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"American Pancakes"},{"content":"There are recipes you see and immediately you're dying to try at least once in your life. The results in the photos online look so perfect it seems impossible you'll ever get something even remotely similar. Well, that's exactly what happened to me with these incredible Swiss buns from María Lunarillos's blog, and I have to say I pulled it off: they came out simply spectacular. I'm sharing the recipe just as I made it, since the proofing times are quite different from the original. Be warned, this isn't one for when you're in a rush, but it's totally worth it\u0026#8230;\nWhat do we need? 500 g (4 cups) bread flour 250 g (1 cup) whole milk Two eggs 90 g (about 1/2 cup) sugar 5 g (1 tsp) salt 3 g (1 tsp) active dry yeast 80 g (about 1/3 cup) softened butter One beaten egg for glazing Sugar and water for decorating How do we make it? First, dissolve the yeast in 100 g (about 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp) of warm milk and add 100 g (about 3/4 cup) of bread flour. Mix well with a wooden spoon, cover the bowl, and let it ferment until you see bubbles forming. After the resting time, add all the other ingredients except the butter. Start mixing with the wooden spoon and finish with your hands. Let it rest for 10 minutes and knead again, simply pinching a bit of dough from the outside and folding it inward. Repeat this rest-and-quick-knead cycle two more times. You'll notice the dough becomes less sticky and more elastic. Add the softened butter and knead again. In my case I used the dough hooks on my mixer, but you can do it perfectly well by hand. You want to end up with a fairly smooth dough. Grease a clean bowl with a little sunflower oil and put the dough in, covered with plastic wrap. Let it rest until doubled in size. Since my kitchen was pretty cool, I left it overnight (about 20 hours of proofing in total). Once doubled, turn the dough out onto a floured countertop and press it down with your hands to release all the air. Form little balls of 60 g (about 2 oz) each. To get perfect balls, pinch them to form a sort of bundle and then roll them. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, you can see this technique in the video by María Lunarillos. Let the balls rest on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, covered with plastic wrap, until doubled in size. In my case, I left them for almost 4 hours and they didn't quite double, but it was enough. Preheat the oven to 210°C (410°F) and brush the buns with beaten egg, being careful not to flatten them. Brush them twice, leaving about 10 minutes between coats so the egg film dries slightly. With a very sharp serrated knife, make a deep cut down the center and sprinkle on sugar moistened with water (just like the kind we use for roscón de reyes). Place in the oven on the lowest rack (top and bottom heat, no fan), lower the temperature to 200°C (390°F), and bake for 12 minutes. Finish with 1 more minute with the fan turned on. Take them out and let them cool as long as your cravings to sink your teeth into one will let you. Tips: \u0026#8211; It's not a difficult recipe but it requires time and patience. It's better to trust the look of the dough than the times I give you, since depending on the room temperature and other factors they can vary considerably.\n\u0026#8211; In many recipes there are ingredients you can easily swap for others, but in this case, you cannot replace the bread flour with regular flour or the active dry yeast with baking powder.\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/2017-11-17-bollos-suizos/","summary":"\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eThere are recipes you see and immediately you're dying to try at least once in your life. The results in the photos online look so perfect it seems impossible you'll ever get something even remotely similar. Well, that's exactly what happened to me with these incredible Swiss buns from María Lunarillos's blog, and I have to say I pulled it off: they came out simply spectacular. I'm sharing the recipe just as I made it, since the proofing times are quite different from the original. Be warned, this isn't one for when you're in a rush, but it's totally worth it\u0026#8230;\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Swiss Buns"},{"content":"We're back at it after a long stretch of inactivity. It doesn't mean we stopped cooking tasty things during all those months, but laziness sometimes wreaks havoc... However, as a good friend once said, you have to defeat laziness. So, with the intention of picking up this little recipe collection again, Pics\u0026amp;Cakes is back in action. That said, since our official photographer is pretty busy these days, the photos might not do justice to the delicious things we'll be making. Apologies in advance.\nAnd without further ado, today a traditional and simple recipe for homemade meatballs.\nWhat do we need? 500 g (1.1 lb) ground beef 1 egg 2 garlic cloves 2 slices of whole wheat sandwich bread 100 ml (about 1/2 cup) milk Salt 1 tablespoon olive oil Flour and olive oil (for coating and frying, respectively) 2 onions 4 carrots 1/2 glass (about 120 ml / 1/2 cup) white wine 1 tablespoon flour Salt and Provençal herbs How do we make it? Place the ground beef in a bowl and add the bread (previously soaked in milk), the egg, the olive oil, the crushed garlic, and salt to taste. Mix well with your hands. Shape into balls the size of a ping-pong ball, or whatever size you prefer. Lightly coat with flour and set aside on a plate. For the sauce, chop the onions and carrots and sauté them in a pan with a little olive oil and salt. Once they get a bit of color, add the flour and the white wine. Stir and lower the heat. Let cook for about 20 minutes, adding water if needed. Heat oil in a pan and fry the meatballs until they're golden on the outside. They don't need to be fully cooked through, because we'll finish cooking them later in the sauce. Transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels and set aside. To finish, blend the sautéed vegetables with a hand blender or food processor so it comes together as a sauce. Add the meatballs and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle in Provençal herbs to taste and adjust the salt. Tips: \u0026#8211; You can make the sauce with any vegetables you like and have around in the fridge. In our case, we had a surplus of carrots...\n\u0026#8211; You can serve them with French fries. For those, I recommend frying them in two stages. First over low heat until they're soft on the inside (poke them with a kitchen needle) and transfer them to a plate. Set them aside until your meatballs and sauce are ready. Then, reheat the oil from the fries and brown them over high heat for a couple of minutes. They'll come out crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/2017-11-09-albondigas_en_salsa/","summary":"\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eWe're back at it after a long stretch of inactivity. It doesn't mean we stopped cooking tasty things during all those months, but laziness sometimes wreaks havoc... However, as a good friend once said, you have to defeat laziness. So, with the intention of picking up this little recipe collection again, Pics\u0026amp;Cakes is back in action. That said, since our official photographer is pretty busy these days, the photos might not do justice to the delicious things we'll be making. Apologies in advance.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Meatballs in Sauce"},{"content":"Just because summer is over doesn't mean we have to say goodbye to salads. Today, a super simple and quick recipe for a tasty, healthy chickpea salad. Since we're using pre-cooked chickpeas, it takes no more than 5 minutes to put together, so there's no excuse. Enjoy!\nWhat do we need? 1 can of cooked chickpeas 2 tomatoes 1/2 onion 1 small can of corn Mustard Herbes de Provence Salt and pepper Oil and vinegar How do we make it? First, drain the canned chickpeas and rinse them with cold water to get rid of that characteristic canned taste. Place them in a large bowl. Dice the tomatoes and onion and add them to the bowl with the chickpeas. Add the corn. In a glass jar, make a vinaigrette. The usual ratio is three parts oil to one part vinegar. For this salad, you can pour about two finger-widths of oil into the jar, a third of that in vinegar, 1 teaspoon of mustard, 1 teaspoon of herbes de Provence, and a pinch of salt. Close the jar tightly and shake vigorously until the mixture has emulsified. Taste and adjust with whatever ingredient suits your liking. Tips: \u0026#8211; As with all salads, more than a recipe, this is a suggestion. Feel free to add other ingredients or seasonings you have in the fridge.\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/2016-09-23-ensalada-de-garbanzos-con-vinagreta-de-mostaza/","summary":"\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eJust because summer is over doesn't mean we have to say goodbye to salads. Today, a super simple and quick recipe for a tasty, healthy chickpea salad. Since we're using pre-cooked chickpeas, it takes no more than 5 minutes to put together, so there's no excuse. Enjoy!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/IMG_7707.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1324\" src=\"/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/IMG_7707.jpg\" alt=\"ensalada garbanzos\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"/\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr/\u003e\n\u003cspan id=\"more-1323\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat do we need?\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e1 can of cooked chickpeas\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e2 tomatoes\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e1/2 onion\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e1 small can of corn\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMustard\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHerbes de Provence\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSalt and pepper\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOil and vinegar\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003e How do we make it?\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003col style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFirst, drain the canned chickpeas and rinse them with cold water to get rid of that characteristic canned taste. Place them in a large bowl.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDice the tomatoes and onion and add them to the bowl with the chickpeas.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAdd the corn.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIn a glass jar, make a vinaigrette. The usual ratio is three parts oil to one part vinegar. For this salad, you can pour about two finger-widths of oil into the jar, a third of that in vinegar, 1 teaspoon of mustard, 1 teaspoon of herbes de Provence, and a pinch of salt. Close the jar tightly and shake vigorously until the mixture has emulsified. Taste and adjust with whatever ingredient suits your liking.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003ch3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eTips:\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003e\u0026#8211; As with all salads, more than a recipe, this is a suggestion. Feel free to add other ingredients or seasonings you have in the fridge.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Chickpea Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette"},{"content":"A really simple recipe where all the originality comes down to a single ingredient: black garlic. Black garlic is just regular garlic that has gone through a specific slow-fermentation process, which transforms its look and texture and boosts its nutritional properties. For this burger we'll use it both to season the ground beef and for the accompanying sauce. The flavor is a little peculiar — feel like giving it a try?\nWhat do we need? 300 g (10.5 oz) ground beef 2 burger buns Lamb's lettuce (mâche) 1 head of black garlic 125 ml (1/2 cup) heavy cream Salt and pepper Butter (optional, for toasting the buns) How do we make it? Crush two cloves of black garlic and mix them into the ground beef. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide the meat in two and shape the patties, then let them rest for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, get the black garlic sauce going. Put the cream in a small saucepan with 5 or 6 peeled black garlic cloves. Let it simmer for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. You can blend the sauce with an immersion blender to make it perfectly smooth and uniform, or just use a fork or whisk and stir vigorously. Black garlic cloves are very soft and after cooking they break down with no trouble at all. Add salt to taste. Cook the patties in a pan to your liking. Toast the buns in a pan with a little butter and assemble the burger with a layer of lamb's lettuce, the patty, and the black garlic sauce. Tips: \u0026#8211; You can make some fries on the side — they always go great with any burger.\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/2016-09-08-hamburguesa-con-ajo-negro/","summary":"\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eA really simple recipe where all the originality comes down to a single ingredient: black garlic. Black garlic is just regular garlic that has gone through a specific slow-fermentation process, which transforms its look and texture and boosts its nutritional properties. For this burger we'll use it both to season the ground beef and for the accompanying sauce. The flavor is a little peculiar — feel like giving it a try?\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Black Garlic Burger"},{"content":"To kick off the weekend, the holidays, celebrate Madrid's La Paloma festivities\u0026#8230; any excuse is a good one to bake this wonderful, fluffy cocoa cake. I got this recipe from Alma Obregón's blog and only made a few small tweaks (Cesmm always tells me I'm incapable of following a recipe to the letter\u0026#8230; could it be true?). Made with pure cocoa instead of chocolate, it feels lighter, and the syrup on top is perfect for those who love bitter, not-too-sweet chocolate. Bundt cakes are those ring-shaped cakes with a hole in the middle. Technically, only Nordic Ware® brand cakes are bundt cakes, but the name is generally used for any cake of this shape. If you want to learn more about its history and even when its international day is celebrated, you can read about it here.\nWhat do we need? 125 g (4.4 oz / 1 stick + 1 tbsp) butter 2 eggs 250 ml (1 cup) milk 360 g (1¾ cups) white sugar 60 g (⅔ cup) unsweetened pure cocoa powder (I use the Valor brand) 260 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon baking powder 1 pinch of salt For the syrup:\n40 g (scant ½ cup) unsweetened pure cocoa powder 3 tablespoons white sugar 1 tablespoon cornstarch 3 tablespoons corn syrup 120 ml (½ cup) milk \u0026nbsp;\nHow do we make it? Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Melt the butter in the microwave and once fully melted, add the eggs and the milk and mix well. It's best if the milk is at room temperature so the butter doesn't solidify into little lumps (if it does, it's not a big deal, the cake will be just as delicious). In another bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together (sifted flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt). Then add the wet mixture to the dry one and stir well with a whisk until you have a smooth, lump-free batter. You don't need to use an electric mixer, a hand whisk works perfectly. Pour the batter into the previously greased pan (with a baking spray or with butter/margarine/sunflower oil) and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 45-50 minutes. You'll know it's done when a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let it rest for at least 20 minutes inside the pan while you prepare the syrup. For the syrup, mix all the dry ingredients in a small saucepan and then add the rest. Heat over low heat and stir constantly until it thickens and reaches the desired consistency. Once the resting time is up, unmold the cake and pour the syrup over the top. Enjoy! Tips: \u0026#8211; You can easily find corn syrup in creative baking shops, which are popping up in more and more places. One of the most common brands is Karo, which is what I used for this recipe.\n\u0026#8211; As tempting as it is to dig in straight out of the oven, it's really important to let it rest. Otherwise, the cake will fall apart. So, patience\u0026#8230;\n\u0026#8211; It's best to pour the syrup while it's still hot so it runs nicely down the sides of the cake, since it solidifies very quickly (it never goes completely hard, but it sets into a kind of gooey cream).\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/2016-08-12-bundt-cake-de-cacao-puro/","summary":"\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eTo kick off the weekend, the holidays, celebrate Madrid's La Paloma festivities\u0026#8230; any excuse is a good one to bake this wonderful, fluffy cocoa cake. I got this recipe from Alma Obregón's blog and only made a few small tweaks (Cesmm always tells me I'm incapable of following a recipe to the letter\u0026#8230; could it be true?). Made with pure cocoa instead of chocolate, it feels lighter, and the syrup on top is perfect for those who love bitter, not-too-sweet chocolate. \u003cem\u003eBundt cakes\u003c/em\u003e are those ring-shaped cakes with a hole in the middle. Technically, only Nordic Ware® brand cakes are bundt cakes, but the name is generally used for any cake of this shape. If you want to learn more about its history and even when its international day is celebrated, you can read about it \u003ca href=\"http://sweetmag.es/bundt-cake-el-bizcocho-perfecto/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Pure Cocoa Bundt Cake"},{"content":"Cicadas singing, getting into a car that's 46°C (115°F), sweating like a pig, and not being able to open more windows at night because your house simply doesn't have any — clear signs that summer has arrived and with a vengeance. So, faced with this heat, we're going to fight back with cool, refreshing meals to survive the summer season. Kicking off salad season, today we're bringing you a spinach salad. It's such a simple recipe that you couldn't even call it a recipe — just a suggested combination of ingredients to inspire your next salads.\n\u0026nbsp;\nWhat do we need? 1 bowl of fresh, washed spinach 1/2 red onion 1 tomato 1/2 cucumber 4 sun-dried tomatoes Poppy seeds Feta-style cheese Oil Vinegar Salt \u0026nbsp;\nHow do we make it? Slice the cucumber into rounds, julienne the onion, dice the tomatoes, and pile everything on top of the fresh spinach leaves (if they're very large, tear them with your hands). Add as much feta cheese as you like, crumbled by hand. Finally, sprinkle on the poppy seeds and dress to taste. \u0026nbsp;\nTips: \u0026#8211; You can whip up a vinaigrette by mixing 1 part vinegar with 3 parts oil and a pinch of salt. Pop it into a jar that seals tightly, shake it vigorously to emulsify, and it's ready to dress your salad. You can add any spice, herb, mustard, or whatever else you can think of to a vinaigrette.\n\u0026#8211; Watch out with the sun-dried tomatoes because they pack so much flavor that sometimes you can skip the salt altogether.\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/2016-07-28-ensalada-espinacas/","summary":"\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eCicadas singing, getting into a car that's 46°C (115°F), sweating like a pig, and not being able to open more windows at night because your house simply doesn't have any — clear signs that summer has arrived and with a vengeance. So, faced with this heat, we're going to fight back with cool, refreshing meals to survive the summer season. Kicking off salad season, today we're bringing you a spinach salad. It's such a simple recipe that you couldn't even call it a recipe — just a suggested combination of ingredients to inspire your next salads.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Spinach, Feta and Poppy Seed Salad"},{"content":"Everyone who visits Turkey says that the kebab there is nothing like the ones we eat in Spain, so at this point I'm not entirely sure what to call this. In any case, what I can promise you is that it's delicious and the preparation couldn't be simpler. We discovered this recipe thanks to the YouTube channel Recetas de Cocina, which is always worth a visit. Give these kebabs a try and let us know how it goes.\nWhat do we need? 400 g (14 oz) lamb leg chops 400 g (14 oz) chicken thighs 4 teaspoons garlic powder 4 tablespoons Ras el Hanout (a North African spice blend) Salt and pepper Lettuce (chopped or julienned) Sliced tomato Sliced or finely julienned onion Pita breads \u0026nbsp;\nFor the yogurt sauce:\n2 Greek yogurts 2 tablespoons mayonnaise Juice of 1/2 lemon 1 or 2 garlic cloves 3 teaspoons sugar 1 pinch of cumin Salt, pepper and fresh parsley \u0026nbsp;\nHow do we make it? Cut the lamb chops and chicken into bite-sized pieces. In a bowl, combine 6 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of Ras el Hanout and mix well. Add the chopped chicken, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle in two teaspoons of garlic powder. Mix well so all the meat is fully coated and let it marinate for at least 1 hour in the fridge (the longer it sits, the more flavor it will pick up). Repeat steps 2 and 3 with the chopped lamb. While the meat rests, let's prepare the yogurt sauce. Mix the yogurt with the mayonnaise. Then add the crushed garlic, the sugar, the cumin, salt, pepper, and finally the lemon juice and chopped fresh parsley. Mix everything thoroughly (no blender needed) and keep it in the fridge until you're ready to use it. Once the meat has had enough time to marinate, you have two options: cook it in the oven, or in a frying pan or on a griddle. a) For the first option, line a baking tray with parchment paper and spread the pieces of meat out separately. Bake at 200°C (390°F) until they look golden. When you take the meat off the tray, drain off any excess oil. b) If you prefer, you can sauté them in a pan or cook them on a griddle. There's no need to add oil since the marinade is enough. This option is faster since there's no oven preheating and the cooking time is shorter. All that's left is to assemble the kebabs. In a pita bread, layer meat, lettuce, tomato, onion and yogurt sauce to taste. Tips: \u0026#8211; You can adjust the yogurt sauce to taste, but it's better to go light than to overdo any one ingredient, especially garlic and salt, which are hard to fix once you've added too much. I recommend adding little by little and tasting as you go.\n\u0026#8211; It's better to cook the meats separately so people can choose whether they want their kebab with just one type of meat or mixed. Lamb tends to have a much stronger flavor than chicken, which not everyone enjoys.\n\u0026#8211; The meat quantities are just a guide. Adjust them depending on how many kebabs you want to make.\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/2015-06-11-kebab-de-pollo-y-cordero/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eEveryone who visits Turkey says that the kebab there is nothing like the ones we eat in Spain, so at this point I'm not entirely sure what to call this. In any case, what I can promise you is that it's delicious and the preparation couldn't be simpler. We discovered this recipe thanks to the YouTube channel Recetas de Cocina, which is always worth a visit. Give these kebabs a try and let us know how it goes.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Chicken and Lamb Kebab"},{"content":"For many of you, this is probably a childhood memory, and I bet that every once in a while you get tempted to buy them again and eat two in a row without your mom scolding you. Well, if I tell you that you can make them at home and that the size is up to you, I think you should already be on your way out to buy some good ripe strawberries.\nWhat do we need? 500 g (1.1 lb) strawberries 250 g (9 oz / about 1 cup) cream cheese (Philadelphia type) 100 g (about 1/2 cup) heavy whipping cream 150 g (3/4 cup) sugar 2 teaspoons powdered cuajada (rennet-based setting mix) \u0026nbsp;\nHow do we make it? First, wash the strawberries and remove the stems. Blend them well with a hand blender until you get a strawberry purée. In a small glass, put a bit of the strawberry purée and dissolve the cuajada in it. Set aside. Put the rest of the strawberry purée in a saucepan and heat it until it boils. Remove from the heat, add the portion of purée with the dissolved cuajada, and stir well. Put it back on the heat for about two minutes, stirring constantly. (BE CAREFUL at this step because if the heat is too high the strawberry purée can splatter and burn you. Trust me, the stuff is worse than water — being denser, it really sticks to you.) Let the purée cool down a little and then add the rest of the ingredients (sugar, cheese, and cream). Blend everything well with the hand blender and you'll see it has already taken on a lovely petit suisse color. All that's left is to pour it into whatever little glasses you want to serve it in and leave it in the fridge overnight. Tips: \u0026#8211; We used shot glasses — they look really cute and it's the perfect portion size, since we have to admit this is a pretty rich dessert (now I understand why our moms wouldn't let us eat too many… :-P). You can also use the little glass yogurt jars or any small cup you have around.\n\u0026#8211; I can't tell you for sure how long they'll keep in the fridge, but with these ingredients I'd estimate they'll last a week without any problem.\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/2015-06-04-petit-suisse-de-fresa/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eFor many of you, this is probably a childhood memory, and I bet that every once in a while you get tempted to buy them again and eat two in a row without your mom scolding you. Well, if I tell you that you can make them at home and that the size is up to you, I think you should already be on your way out to buy some good ripe strawberries.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Strawberry Petit Suisse"},{"content":"Today we\u0026rsquo;re bringing you a muffin recipe. Muffins are similar to Spanish magdalenas but, unlike those, they usually use butter instead of oil and the batter isn\u0026rsquo;t as smooth (you just mix the ingredients without having to beat them). Also, muffins can be either sweet or savory and they take a wide variety of \u0026ldquo;chunks\u0026rdquo; inside (chocolate chips, dried fruit, nuts, etc.). Don\u0026rsquo;t confuse them with the famous cupcakes that are so trendy these days, which are always sweet and decorated with buttercream or some other kind of frosting.\nWhat do we need? 230 g (1¾ cups) all-purpose flour\n150 g (¾ cup) sugar\n1 teaspoon baking powder\n1/4 teaspoon baking soda\n1/4 teaspoon salt\n1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)\n2 eggs\n110 g (½ cup) butter (room temperature)\n3 ripe bananas\n1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)\nHow do we make it? Preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F).\nIn a bowl, combine all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon).\nIn another bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until you get a purée. Add the lightly beaten eggs, the softened butter and the vanilla. Mix well.\nFold the banana mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Using a spatula, mix until the ingredients are just combined, but don\u0026rsquo;t overmix. The batter will be a bit thick and lumpy.\nDivide the batter into muffin molds, filling each one about 3/4 of the way since they\u0026rsquo;ll rise. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out completely clean.\nTips: You can add walnuts or chocolate chips to this recipe by mixing them in with the dry ingredients.\nThe riper the bananas, the better. You can even use those ones that have gone ugly and a bit brown.\nEven if you use paper liners, I recommend placing them in a metal muffin pan. Otherwise, the paper liners might not hold the weight and the batter will spill out.\n[English version] BANANA MUFFINS* Ingredients:-*\n230 g all-purpose flour\n150 g granulated sugar\n1 teaspoon baking powder\n1/4 teaspoon baking soda\n1/4 teaspoon salt\n1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)\n2 eggs\n110 g butter (soften)\n3 ripe bananas\n1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)\nPreheat oven to 180ºC.\nCombine all dry ingredients in a large bowl (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon).\nIn a different bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Add lightly beaten eggs, soften butter and vanilla. Mix well.\nWith a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, lightly fold he wet ingredients (banana mixture) into the dry ingredients just until combined and the batter is thick and chunky. The important thing is not to over mix the batter. You do not want it smooth.\nBake about 20 -25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.\nTips: - You can add nuts or chocolate chips when combining the dry ingredients. - The riper bananas the better. You can use even those ones that have turned brown. - When using paper liners, use a muffin pan too. Otherwise paper liners might not be strong enough to hold the butter and the muffin shape will be ruined.\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/muffins-de-platano/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday we\u0026rsquo;re bringing you a \u003cem\u003emuffin\u003c/em\u003e recipe. \u003cem\u003eMuffins\u003c/em\u003e are similar to Spanish magdalenas but, unlike those, they usually use butter instead of oil and the batter isn\u0026rsquo;t as smooth (you just mix the ingredients without having to beat them). Also, \u003cem\u003emuffins\u003c/em\u003e can be either sweet or savory and they take a wide variety of \u0026ldquo;chunks\u0026rdquo; inside (chocolate chips, dried fruit, nuts, etc.). Don\u0026rsquo;t confuse them with the famous \u003cem\u003ecupcakes\u003c/em\u003e that are so trendy these days, which are always sweet and decorated with buttercream or some other kind of frosting.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Banana Muffins"},{"content":"Believe it or not: we\u0026rsquo;re back! After months (literally) with our blog in some kind of hibernation, we\u0026rsquo;re back at it and hoping that this time our willpower won\u0026rsquo;t fade so fast. We\u0026rsquo;re returning with that recipe that\u0026rsquo;s been sitting at the top of the blog for so many days now, the one we know plenty of you have been dying to make: the Crispy Chicken. For lovers (or at least, frequenters) of fast food joints, the Crispy Chicken is a Burger King staple, a chicken burger with a spicy kick. But here we\u0026rsquo;re sharing the upgraded version. Meaning, the one we make with an actual chicken fillet and not some suspicious mystery patty pretending to be one.\nWhat do we need? 4 tablespoons of flour\n1 tablespoon of onion powder\n1 tablespoon of garlic powder\n1/2 tablespoon of paprika\nSalt\nBlack pepper\n2 eggs\nCornflakes\nA splash of white wine\n2 chicken breast fillets (not too thin)\n2 burger buns\n2 tomato slices\n2 lettuce leaves\nMayonnaise\nHow do we make it? First, we\u0026rsquo;ll prep the breading for the chicken. Mix the flour with the onion and garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper.\nIn another bowl, beat the eggs with a splash of white wine.\nIn a third bowl, add the cornflakes and crush them with your hand. Grab fistfuls and squeeze them little by little. We don\u0026rsquo;t want the pieces too small, so it won\u0026rsquo;t take much time.\nTake your chicken fillets and bread them in the same order as the bowls you prepared: flour, egg, and cornflakes. Let them rest while the oil heats up in a frying pan (or deep fryer).\nFry the breaded fillets until golden and transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels to soak up the excess oil.\nNow all that\u0026rsquo;s left is to assemble our \u0026lsquo;burger\u0026rsquo;. Spread a bit of mayo on each half of the bun, add a fillet, a tomato slice, and a lettuce leaf. Ready to eat.\nTips: Instead of onion powder, we used a packet of onion soup mix. A pretty curious ingredient that we\u0026rsquo;ll use in other recipes like COCA-COLA CHICKEN.\nThe fillets should be a bit thick so they stay juicy, but you have to be careful when frying them to nail the perfect point: golden on the outside and fully cooked on the inside. We recommend cranking up the heat at first and then turning it down a bit to make sure they cook through properly.\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/crispy_chicken/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eBelieve it or not: we\u0026rsquo;re back! After months (literally) with our blog in some kind of hibernation, we\u0026rsquo;re back at it and hoping that this time our willpower won\u0026rsquo;t fade so fast. We\u0026rsquo;re returning with that recipe that\u0026rsquo;s been sitting at the top of the blog for so many days now, the one we know plenty of you have been dying to make: the Crispy Chicken. For lovers (or at least, frequenters) of fast food joints, the Crispy Chicken is a Burger King staple, a chicken burger with a spicy kick. But here we\u0026rsquo;re sharing the upgraded version. Meaning, the one we make with an actual chicken fillet and not some suspicious mystery patty pretending to be one.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Crispy Chicken Burger"},{"content":"I know you\u0026rsquo;re not telling us, but I\u0026rsquo;m sure you\u0026rsquo;re thinking \u0026ldquo;OMG, what happened to the best cooking blog I know?! It\u0026rsquo;s been too long since they updated and now I don\u0026rsquo;t know what to make for lunch!\u0026rdquo; :p\nWell, so you don\u0026rsquo;t despair, here we are, back and with every intention of making sure this doesn\u0026rsquo;t happen again. After writing \u0026ldquo;I will not leave the blog without updating for more than 5 days\u0026rdquo; a hundred times on the blackboard, and to make the return to \u0026ldquo;work\u0026rdquo; easier, today we\u0026rsquo;re bringing you a simple recipe. Enjoy.\nWhat do we need? Green beans\nPeas\nCarrots\nMinced meat\nSalt\nHow do we make it? Peel, wash, and cut the potatoes, then put them in a pot to boil with salt.\nAfter they\u0026rsquo;ve been boiling for 5 minutes — depending on how big or small you cut them — add the carrots, green beans, and peas.\nLet them cook until they\u0026rsquo;re done to your liking. I say it like this because I always prefer everything a touch overcooked so it\u0026rsquo;s softer.\nWhile we take them off the heat and drain them in a colander, we heat a frying pan with a splash of oil.\nAdd the minced meat.\nOnce the meat is cooked, add all the well-drained ingredients and sauté everything together.\nServe and savor.\nTips: Depending on the size you cut the ingredients (potatoes and carrots), they\u0026rsquo;ll take a bit more or less time to cook. Keep that in mind.\nWe use frozen green beans and peas. If they\u0026rsquo;re fresh, they may take a little longer to cook.\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/menestra-de-verduras-con-carne/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI know you\u0026rsquo;re not telling us, but I\u0026rsquo;m sure you\u0026rsquo;re thinking \u0026ldquo;OMG, what happened to the best cooking blog I know?! It\u0026rsquo;s been too long since they updated and now I don\u0026rsquo;t know what to make for lunch!\u0026rdquo; :p\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWell, so you don\u0026rsquo;t despair, here we are, back and with every intention of making sure this doesn\u0026rsquo;t happen again. After writing \u0026ldquo;I will not leave the blog without updating for more than 5 days\u0026rdquo; a hundred times on the blackboard, and to make the return to \u0026ldquo;work\u0026rdquo; easier, today we\u0026rsquo;re bringing you a simple recipe. Enjoy.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Vegetable Stew with Minced Meat"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s not just that it seems like we haven\u0026rsquo;t published anything in ages — it\u0026rsquo;s actually true\u0026hellip; almost three months without any blog action on PiC! The summer has been a bit hectic but here we are, back and loaded with new finger-licking recipes. Today I\u0026rsquo;m bringing you a recipe that could be considered the Nordic roscón de Reyes, and some say its shape is reminiscent of pretzels and the dough is brioche-style. In short, a sweet wonder we pulled from a Thermomix magazine but made without one to prove that any recipe is adaptable.\nWhat do we need? For the dough:\n30 g (2 tbsp) sugar\nThe peel of 1/2 lemon (yellow part only)\n120 g (1/2 cup) milk\n30 g (2 tbsp) butter\n15 g fresh yeast\n1 egg yolk\n300 g (2.5 cups) bread flour\n**1 pinch of salt\nFor the filling:\n50 g (3.5 tbsp) butter (room temperature)\n60 g (1/4 cup) sugar\n2 tablespoons cinnamon\n50 g (1/2 cup) chopped walnuts\nFor the glaze:\n20 g egg white\n50 g (1/2 cup) confectioners\u0026rsquo; sugar\nHow do we make it? If we have an electric coffee grinder or a food processor, we put the sugar with the lemon peel and grind it well until the lemon is incorporated into the sugar and we get a sort of paste. If we don\u0026rsquo;t have one, we can just grate the lemon peel and mix it with the sugar.\nWe heat the milk a little in the microwave and add it to the bowl with the sugar and lemon peel.\nWe add the butter and the yeast and stir until everything comes together nicely.\nWe add the egg yolk and mix well again.\nFinally, we add the flour and the salt. We stir with a spoon or fork and then transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead by hand.\nWe form a ball with the dough and let it rest in the bowl covered with cling film until it doubles in size.\nIn the meantime, we prepare the filling. To do this, we mix the room-temperature butter with the sugar and the cinnamon.\nWe preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F).\nOnce the dough has doubled in size, we place it on a floured surface and roll it out with a rolling pin until we have a rectangle of about 40 x 50 cm (16 x 20 in).\nWe spread the filling cream over it and sprinkle the walnuts on top.\nWe roll up the dough (starting from the wider side).\nOnce we have a sort of thin Swiss roll, we cut the log lengthwise down the middle, leaving one of the ends joined. When we cut it, we should see the alternating layers of dough and filling.\nWe cross each piece of dough to form a kind of braid (always keeping the layered side facing up).\nOnce everything is \u0026lsquo;braided\u0026rsquo;, we form a wreath and place it on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.\nWe bake for about 20 minutes.\nWhile it\u0026rsquo;s baking, we prepare the glaze. To do this, we beat the egg whites a little with a fork and mix them with the confectioners\u0026rsquo; sugar.\nWhen we take the kringle out of the oven, we brush it with this glaze.\nTips: The lemon peel is optional. You can skip it or swap it for orange peel — for sure it\u0026rsquo;ll be delicious too.\nIf you want a whiter, thicker glaze, you can beat the egg whites with the sugar using an electric whisk. That\u0026rsquo;s how we made it, and that\u0026rsquo;s why the glaze looks like it does in the photo. If you beat it just with a fork, it\u0026rsquo;ll give the kringle a certain shine but it won\u0026rsquo;t be white and as thick.\nStarting from this base, you can fill the dough with other nuts or even jam.\n[English version] ESTONIAN KRINGLE* *Ingredients: For the dough:\n30 g sugar\n1/2 lemon peel (only the yellow part)\n120 g milk\n30 g butter\n15 g fresh yeast\n1 egg yolk\n300 g strength\n1 pinch of salt\nFor the filling:\n50 g de butter (room temperature)\n60 g de sugar\n2 tbsp cinnamon\n50 g chopped walnuts\nFor the icing:\n20 g egg white\n50 g confectioners\u0026rsquo; sugar\nIf you have a coffee grinder or food processor, place the sugar and the lemon peel on it and grind it until getting a sort of paste. If you don\u0026rsquo;t have a grinder, just mix sugar with grated lemon peel.\nHeat the milk in the microwave and pour over the sugar.\nAdd the butter and yeast and stir well.\nAdd egg yolk and stir well again.\nThen, add flour and salt. Mix with a spoon and fork and then knead the dough on a floury surface.\nMake a dough ball and leave to rise into the bowl covered with cling film (until the dough has doubled in volume).\nIn the meanwhile, prepare the filling. Mix butter (room temperature) with sugar and cinnamon.\nPreheat oven at 180º.\nWhen the dough has doubled in volume, place on a floury surface and roll it out with a rolling pin until getting a rectangle (40 x 50 cm aprox.)\nSpread the filling and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.\nRoll up the dough (starting by the wider side).\nCut the log in half length-wise leaving one edge uncut.\nStart braiding the two pieces, trying to keep the open layers exposed so the cut ends remain on top.\nPinch the ends together and form a wreath.\nBake for 20 minutes.\nPrepare the icing. Whisk white eggs with a fork and add confectioners\u0026rsquo; sugar. Mix well.\nOut of the oven, brush the kringle with the sugar icing.\n*Tips: - Lemon peel is optional. You can leave it out or use orange peel. For sure, it will be delicious too. - If you want a thicker and whiter sugar icing you can use an electric mixer with whisk attachment. The result will be more similar to our kringle shown in the picture. If you whisk only with fork you will have a lighter and clearer icing. - You can change the filling and use any nuts or jam you like. Comentarios zordor (2013-09-26 03:25:21):\nLooks amazing! If only I had an oven\u0026hellip; haha\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/kringle-estonia/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s not just that it seems like we haven\u0026rsquo;t published anything in ages — it\u0026rsquo;s actually true\u0026hellip; almost three months without any blog action on PiC! The summer has been a bit hectic but here we are, back and loaded with new finger-licking recipes. Today I\u0026rsquo;m bringing you a recipe that could be considered the Nordic \u003cem\u003eroscón de Reyes\u003c/em\u003e, and some say its shape is reminiscent of \u003cem\u003epretzels\u003c/em\u003e and the dough is brioche-style. In short, a sweet wonder we pulled from a Thermomix magazine but made without one to prove that any recipe is adaptable.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Estonian Kringle"},{"content":"They say good things come to those who wait, and it seems that\u0026rsquo;s exactly what we\u0026rsquo;ve been trying to do with this new recipe. But anyway, we\u0026rsquo;re finally back to posting, and we\u0026rsquo;re bringing you an easy, quick, and delicious appetizer suggestion, once again borrowed from La Receta de la Felicidad, who recommends it as a Christmas gift. But hey, when it comes to enjoying a good cheese, who cares if it\u0026rsquo;s Christmas, Easter, or the middle of August, right?\nWhat do we need? 1 Camembert cheese\nA handful of shelled walnuts\n100 g (1/2 cup) sugar\n2 tablespoons butter\nHow do we make it? Place the whole Camembert cheese on a plate and arrange the walnuts on top.\nIn a small saucepan or skillet, heat the sugar over medium heat and let it melt slowly without stirring (even if you feel tempted to).\nOnce the sugar has melted into a kind of thick, pale syrup, you can stir it and let it cook a little longer until it reaches a golden caramel color.\nTurn off the heat, add the two tablespoons of butter, and stir well.\nImmediately pour the caramel over the Camembert with walnuts, trying to make a thin layer or even caramel threads.\nTips: Be careful not to leave the caramel on the heat for too long, as it could burn and result in a very dark, bitter caramel.\nYou can cut the cheese into portions right after pouring on the caramel. Otherwise, once it solidifies it can get tricky (that\u0026rsquo;s another reason why the caramel layer should be thin).\n________________ [English version] CAMEMBERT CHEESE WITH NUTS AND CARAMEL* *Ingredients:\n1 Camembert cheese\nSeveral nuts\n100 g sugar\n2 tbsp butter\nPlace the cheese into a dish and put the nuts over it.\nPlace the sugar into a sauce pan and cook over medium low heat. Let it melt slowly.\nWhen the sugar is totally melt you can use a spoon to stir.\nKeep cooking until golden brown. Add the butter and stir well.\nPour immediately over the cheese with the nuts. Try to create a thin layer.\nTips:- Do not overcook the sugar or you\u0026rsquo;ll get a dark and bitter caramel.* - Cut the cheese into portions right after pouring the caramel. Otherwise, when caramel is hard it could be very difficult (that\u0026rsquo;s why you have to try to make a thin layer). Comentarios Silvia (2013-06-23 21:11:00):\nThis looks amazing!! Since it doesn\u0026rsquo;t involve the oven, I have to try it, even though my landlady won\u0026rsquo;t let me make caramel in the pan\u0026hellip;.XD\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/camembert-con-caramelo-y-nueces/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThey say good things come to those who wait, and it seems that\u0026rsquo;s exactly what we\u0026rsquo;ve been trying to do with this new recipe. But anyway, we\u0026rsquo;re finally back to posting, and we\u0026rsquo;re bringing you an easy, quick, and delicious appetizer suggestion, once again borrowed from \u003ca href=\"http://www.larecetadelafelicidad.com\"\u003eLa Receta de la Felicidad\u003c/a\u003e, who recommends it as a Christmas gift. But hey, when it comes to enjoying a good cheese, who cares if it\u0026rsquo;s Christmas, Easter, or the middle of August, right?\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Camembert with Caramel and Walnuts"},{"content":"BLT stands for Bacon Lettuce Tomato, which translates to a spectacular combo. Especially if you make the bacon the way we did. Want to know the secret? Keep reading.\nWhat do we need? 4 slices of bacon\n4 slices of bread\n2 tomatoes\nA couple of lettuce leaves\n2 tablespoons of sugar\nCayenne pepper\nMayonnaise\nHow do we make it? Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F).\nMeanwhile, wash the lettuce and tomato.\nOn a baking tray, lay out the bacon in a single layer on parchment paper. Grind the cayenne and sprinkle it over the bacon. Sprinkle the sugar on top too, and put it in the oven once it reaches temperature.\nLet it cook for about 15 minutes, until crispy and quite dark.\nWhile the bacon is cooking, slice the tomatoes into rounds and leave the lettuce in big leaves.\nToast the bread. Once it\u0026rsquo;s done to your liking, spread a bit of mayonnaise on it and assemble the sandwich.\nTips: You can add lots of things, even switch up the sauce. The base is the BLT trio. We added onion, but avocado works really well too.\nYou can make it with regular sandwich bread, but we recommend \u0026ldquo;long-life\u0026rdquo; bread (long live the king!!!!!). I think you can usually find it in supermarkets labeled as rustic bread (already sliced).\n[English version] BLT* *Ingredients:\n4 bacon slices\n4 bread slices\n2 tomatoes\n2 lettuce leaves\n2 tbsp sugar\n*Chili powder *\nMayonnaise\nPreheat oven at 200º C.\n*Wash lettuce and tomato. *\n*In a baking tray, place some baking paper and the bacon (in one layer). Sprinkle with sugar and chili powder. *\n*Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden and crispy. *\n*In the meanwhile, cut tomato into slices. *\n*Toast bread, spread some mayonnaise in each slice and make your sandwich with all the ingredients (tomato, lettuce and bacon). *\nTips:- You can add any other ingredient or sauce that you like. The essentials are Bacon Lettuce and Tomato. We added some fresh onion but avocado is also a perfect choice. **- You can prepare the sandwich with any kind of white sandwich bread but we like to prepare it with sliced bread. * Comentarios sil (2013-05-17 15:46:21):\nPan larga vida\u0026hellip; Larga vida al rey!!!(de los panes) Y dale con recetas al horno.,, pronpongo un tag de recetas al microwave!\ntía pi (2013-06-06 14:43:21):\nPinta muy bien. Lo voy a hacer\nConcha (2013-08-05 11:02:46):\n¡Tengo que probarlo!\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/blt/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eBLT stands for Bacon Lettuce Tomato, which translates to a spectacular combo. Especially if you make the bacon the way we did. Want to know the secret? Keep reading.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/blog/images/2013/03/IMG_723.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Pics and Cakes\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/blog/images/2013/03/IMG_723.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"what-do-we-need\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat do we need?\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e4 slices of bacon\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e4 slices of bread\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2 tomatoes\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA couple of lettuce leaves\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2 tablespoons of sugar\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCayenne pepper\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMayonnaise\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"how-do-we-make-it\"\u003eHow do we make it?\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePreheat the oven to 200°C (390°F).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMeanwhile, wash the lettuce and tomato.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"BLT"},{"content":"After a crushing victory by four votes, against the two for the Crispy Chicken (irony mode on), today we bring you a delicious recipe we\u0026rsquo;ve been making for a long time and that we\u0026rsquo;ve been in love with ever since we first tried it.\nWhat do we need? One chicken breast\nOne cup of rice\nHalf an onion\n200 ml (3/4 cup) heavy cream\nCurry powder to taste\nSalt\n2 garlic cloves\nHow do we make it? Pour a bit of oil into a small pot. Chop a garlic clove and add it. When the garlic is slightly golden, add the rice.\nStir-fry the rice for a moment and add twice as much water as rice. Add salt.\nWhen it starts to boil, lower the heat to medium-low and cover. It\u0026rsquo;ll be ready in 15-20 minutes.\nWhile the rice cooks, slice the onion into thin strips.\nPlace a frying pan with a splash of oil over the heat and add the onion.\nCut the chicken into strips and toss it into the pan.\nWhen the chicken is partly cooked, add a couple of tablespoons of curry powder.\nLet everything cook together for a bit and stir in the cream.\nBring to a boil and add more curry and salt to taste. You\u0026rsquo;ll have to keep tasting as you go.\nTips: If you want a nice presentation, you can fill half a glass with the cooked rice. Press it down a bit with a spoon so it packs together. Flip it onto the plate and you\u0026rsquo;ll have a little rice tower.\nThe first time Pastelera tried it, it was served with grilled peaches in syrup. Give it a try.\n[English version] CURRY CHICKEN WITH RICE* *Ingredients:\n1 chicken breast\n1 cup of rice\n1/2 onion\n200 ml cream\n*Curry *\nSalt\n2 garlic cloves\n*First prepare the rice. In a cooking pot, pour a bit of olive. Peel and chop the garlic cloves and stir fry. When it\u0026rsquo;s slightly golden brown, add the rice. *\n*Stir fry the rice and add 2 cups of water. Add some salt. *\nWhen the water boils, turn the heat down and cover with the lid. It will be ready in 15-20 minutes.\n*Now, slice the onion. *\n*Pour some olive into a frying pan and add the onion. *\n*Cut chicken breast into strips and add to the frying pan. *\n*After a few minutes, add a couple of tsp of curry. *\nStir fry again and add the cream.\n*Simmer for a while and add more curry and salt if needed. *\nTips:\n- You can have an easy and nice presentation just using a cup to create a rice tower. Fill a cup with cooked rice, press with a spoon and turn the cup upside down over the dish.\n- You can serve it with some canned peaches. Just grill them a bit and serve them as a garnish.\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/arroz-con-pollo-al-curry/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAfter a crushing victory by four votes, against the two for the Crispy Chicken (irony mode on), today we bring you a delicious recipe we\u0026rsquo;ve been making for a long time and that we\u0026rsquo;ve been in love with ever since we first tried it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/blog/images/2013/05/IMG_326.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Pics and Cakes\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/blog/images/2013/05/IMG_326.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"what-do-we-need\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat do we need?\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne chicken breast\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne cup of rice\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHalf an onion\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e200 ml (3/4 cup) heavy cream\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCurry powder to taste\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Curry Chicken with Rice"},{"content":"Even though putting the words \u0026lsquo;caramel\u0026rsquo; and \u0026lsquo;salted\u0026rsquo; together in the same phrase sounds weird, it\u0026rsquo;s a delicious combination that I tried for the first time thanks to French delicatessens. So as soon as I saw this recipe on La receta de la felicidad I couldn\u0026rsquo;t resist giving it a go, and I knew it\u0026rsquo;d be a guaranteed success. Even those weird beings who aren\u0026rsquo;t crazy about chocolate end up liking it, thanks to the crunchy bite of the crust and the creaminess of the filling. So what are you waiting for to try it?\nWhat do we need? For the special shortcrust pastry:\n250 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour\n30 g (1/4 cup) ground almonds\n150 g (2/3 cup) butter\n80 g (1/3 cup) sugar\n1 egg\n1 pinch of salt\n1 pinch of powdered vanilla\nFor the salted caramel sauce:\n70 g (1/3 cup) sugar\n70 ml (1/3 cup) heavy cream\n1 teaspoon butter\na pinch of salt\nFor the chocolate cream:\n500 ml (2 cups) heavy cream\n350 g (12 oz) dark chocolate\nFor the whipped cream:\n300 ml (1 1/4 cups) heavy whipping cream, very cold (at least 35% fat)\n2 heaping tablespoons of powdered sugar\nOptional: cocoa powder for dusting on top\nHow do we make it? We start by preparing the crust. Mix the very cold butter, cut into small cubes, with the rest of the ingredients. You can use the dough attachment on your mixer or use a spoon and finish kneading by hand. It\u0026rsquo;ll come out crumbly and you\u0026rsquo;ll have to keep squeezing the butter with your hands to incorporate everything well, but don\u0026rsquo;t despair. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for half an hour.\nMeanwhile, prepare a 24 to 26 cm (9.5 to 10 in) springform tin by lightly greasing it and placing a sheet of baking paper on the bottom.\nRoll out the dough on a floured surface or between two sheets of baking paper or plastic wrap (so it doesn\u0026rsquo;t stick) until it\u0026rsquo;s about 3 mm (1/8 in) thick.\nRoll the dough onto the rolling pin and unroll it over the tin. Press it well into the tin, patching any gaps with bits of dough. Trim the edges by running the rolling pin over the top of the tin and pressing down.\nPut the tin with the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes.\nPreheat the oven to 180°C (355°F).\nCover the bottom of the tart with baking paper and fill with dried chickpeas (just like when making quiches — this keeps the dough from rising in the oven). Bake the crust for about 25 minutes.\nTake it out and once it\u0026rsquo;s cooled, unmold and place on a plate or tray.\nNow we\u0026rsquo;ll prepare the salted caramel sauce. Have the cream and butter ready beforehand. Put the sugar in a saucepan over medium heat and wait without stirring until it turns into caramel (2 or 3 minutes). Once you have a golden caramel, lower the heat to minimum and add the butter, salt, and cream, stirring constantly until you get a smooth sauce. If any caramel lumps form, keep stirring vigorously over low-medium heat until they fully dissolve.\nOnce it\u0026rsquo;s cooled a bit, pour the caramel over the tart base and put it in the fridge for half an hour.\nNext we make the chocolate cream. Bring the cream to a boil in a saucepan while you chop the chocolate. When it boils, remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate. Let it sit for a few minutes and stir until you get a smooth cream. Once the chocolate cream has cooled a bit, pour it over the tart that you had reserved in the fridge and let it chill overnight.\nFinally, whip the cream. Beat the very cold cream with the sugar using a whisk until it reaches the desired consistency (be careful not to overdo it or it\u0026rsquo;ll turn into butter).\nPut the whipped cream into a piping bag with a round tip and pipe little mounds of cream over the tart. Using a sieve, dust with cocoa powder and keep in the fridge until ready to serve.\nTips: When whipping the cream you can use regular sugar, but store-bought powdered sugar will help keep the consistency longer since it usually contains a small amount of starch.\nIf you don\u0026rsquo;t want to even turn on the oven, you can swap the shortcrust base for a cookie base. Crush digestive-type cookies, for example, and mix with melted butter. Cover the tin pressing down well so it\u0026rsquo;s nice and compact, let it chill before pouring the caramel and you\u0026rsquo;re done.\nIf you don\u0026rsquo;t have a piping bag or tip, you can use a plastic bag (like a freezer bag) and snip a small hole in the corner.\n[English version] CHOCOLATE AND SALTED CARAMEL TART* *\nFor the crust:\n*250 g all purpose flour *\n*30 g powdered almonds *\n*150 g butter, cold, cut into cubes *\n*80 g sugar *\n1 egg\n1 pinch of salt\n1 pinch powdered vanilla\nFor the salted caramel sauce:\n*70 g sugar *\n*70 ml heavy cream *\n1 teaspoon butter\npinch of salt\nFor the chocolate cream:\n*500 ml heavy cream *\n*350 g dark chocolate *\nFor the whipped cream:\n300 ml heavy cream, very cold (1 cup aprox)\n2 tablespoons sugar\nOptional: unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting\n* * Prepare the crust. Whizz all the ingredients in a food processor to a dough and finish by hand until getting a homogeneous dough. Wrap the dough and chill for 30 minutes. Roll out the pastry and line a deep 24-26 cm tart tin with it; patch any holes if crumbly. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes.\nPreheat oven to 180 ºC. Prick the tart shell all over with a fork or use baking beans and bake about 25 minutes.\nTransfer to a rack and let cool.\nPrepare the caramel sauce. Place sugar a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Look for the caramel to turn a rich amber colour, then lower the heat and whisk in butter and cream (the mixture will bubble up, so be careful!). Pour caramel into cooled tart shell and let cool slightly; refrigerate 1/2 hour.\nPrepare the chocolate cream. Chop the chocolate. Bring heavy cream to boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Put chocolate into a medium bowl and pour in the hot cream. Let sit for a few minutes, then stir until smooth. Pour ganache evenly over tart and refrigerate 24 hours .\nBefore serving, prepare the whipped cream. In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the cream with the sugar until firm. Pipe the whipped cream on top of the pie and dust with some cocoa powdered if desired.\nTips:**- If you use confectioners\u0026rsquo; sugar when whipping the cream, you\u0026rsquo;ll get a firmer cream.\n- If you don\u0026rsquo;t want even to switch on the oven you can prepare the crust with biscuits. Just smash the biscuits and mix with melted butter. Cover the tart mold with it, pressing well with your fingers.Refrigerate before pouring the caramel sauce.\n- If you don\u0026rsquo;t have piping bag, you can use a plastic bag instead.\nComentarios la enana (2013-05-06 17:39:04):\nOOOOOh esta tarta es genial !!! Esta riquiiiisima !!!\nPalstelera (2013-05-07 13:19:35):\nLa primera fue especialmente para ti :-)\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/tarta-de-chocolate-y-caramelo-salado/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eEven though putting the words \u0026lsquo;caramel\u0026rsquo; and \u0026lsquo;salted\u0026rsquo; together in the same phrase sounds weird, it\u0026rsquo;s a delicious combination that I tried for the first time thanks to French delicatessens. So as soon as I saw this recipe on \u003ca href=\"http://www.larecetadelafelicidad.com/2012/02/tarta-de-chocolate-nata-y-caramelo-salado.html\"\u003eLa receta de la felicidad\u003c/a\u003e I couldn\u0026rsquo;t resist giving it a go, and I knew it\u0026rsquo;d be a guaranteed success. Even those weird beings who aren\u0026rsquo;t crazy about chocolate end up liking it, thanks to the crunchy bite of the crust and the creaminess of the filling. So what are you waiting for to try it?\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Chocolate and Salted Caramel Tart"},{"content":"As part of the campaign \u0026ldquo;No newly-independent young adult shall go hungry, even if they don\u0026rsquo;t like cooking,\u0026rdquo; here\u0026rsquo;s another easy recipe — one of those that almost everyone knows, but just in case, I don\u0026rsquo;t want to hear that you\u0026rsquo;re not eating well just because you couldn\u0026rsquo;t be bothered to do a couple of little things in the kitchen.\nWhat do we need? For the shortcrust pastry:\n200 g (1 ⅔ cups) flour\n100 g (7 tbsp) cold butter\n1 egg\nA pinch of salt\nA pinch of sugar\nFor the filling:\n200 g (7 oz) bacon\n100 g (3.5 oz) emmental cheese\n50 g (1.75 oz) mushrooms\n200 ml (¾ cup) heavy cream\n4 medium eggs\nHalf an onion\nSalt and pepper.\nHow do we make it? As you know, for the shortcrust pastry you can check here.\nWhile we\u0026rsquo;re making the dough, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).\nOnce the dough is ready, place it in a baking pan and pop it in the oven for about fifteen minutes. Before putting it in the oven, prick it with a fork so it doesn\u0026rsquo;t puff up.\nWith the pastry in the oven, heat a frying pan with a splash of oil. When it\u0026rsquo;s hot, add the onion and mushrooms, all sliced beforehand. Once they\u0026rsquo;ve softened a bit, add the bacon cut into strips and cook to your liking. Set aside.\nBeat the eggs in a large bowl and mix them with the cream. Season with salt and pepper.\nAdd the sautéed ingredients to the bowl.\nWhen the pastry is partially cooked, take it out of the oven and pour in the mixture. Spread it evenly across the surface and sprinkle the cheese on top.\nPut it back in the oven and bake for around half an hour.\nTips: Just like we mentioned here, you can pick any kind of cheese you like or whatever you have at home.\nShortcrust pastry isn\u0026rsquo;t hard to make, but if you\u0026rsquo;d rather, you can buy it pre-made at any supermarket. That way we make sure \u0026ldquo;No newly-independent young adult goes hungry, even if they don\u0026rsquo;t like cooking.\u0026rdquo;\n[English version] QUICHE LORRAINE* Ingredients: *Shortbread pastry:\n200 g flour\n1oo g cold butter\n1 egg\nA pinch of salt\nA pinch of sugar\nFilling:\n200 g bacon\n100 g emmental cheese\n50 g mushrooms\n200 ml cream\n4 eggs\n1/2 onion\nSalt and pepper\n*Prepare the shortbread pastry. You can see here our recipe. *\nPreheat oven at 180º C.\nRoll out the pastry and place into a baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes. If we bake directly with the filling on it, the pastry will be underdone. To avoid the pastry to \u0026lsquo;grow\u0026rsquo; in the oven, you can place a baking paper and fill up with baking beans. You can also pierce the pastry with a fork.\nWhile the pastry is baking in the oven, heat a bit of olive oil in a frying pan. Chop onion and mushrooms and place them into the hot frying pan. After a few minutes, add the bacon cut into strips and keep stir frying for a few extra minutes. Take it out from heat and set aside.\nIn a large bowl, beat eggs and cream together. Add salt and pepper.\nAdd the stir fried ingredients and mix well.\nThe pastry will be already slightly cooked, so take it out from oven and pour evenly the cream mix inside. Sprinkle with some cheese on the top.\nBake into the oven for around 30 minutes.\nTips:\n*- As we said before here you can choose any kind of cheese you like. *\n- Shortbread pastry is not a difficult task but you can also buy it in any supermarket.\nComments yolanda del pozo (2013-04-19 09:44:08):\nAll the recipes on this site are easy, cheap, quick and tasty — what more could you ask for? And the photos are amazing too, just looking at them makes you want to make the dish and, above all, eat it. Congrats, great work!\nsilvia (2015-01-14 20:34:14):\nThe other day I bought shortcrust pastry by mistake\u0026hellip; so checking out this great website, I\u0026rsquo;m bookmarking this recipe.\nJust one question: what\u0026rsquo;s that about pricking the pastry before baking\u0026hellip; do you have to pierce it? And what kind of pan works best? Like a non-stick one?\nKisses\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/quiche-lorraine/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAs part of the campaign \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;No newly-independent young adult shall go hungry, even if they don\u0026rsquo;t like cooking,\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e here\u0026rsquo;s another easy recipe — one of those that almost everyone knows, but just in case, I don\u0026rsquo;t want to hear that you\u0026rsquo;re not eating well just because you couldn\u0026rsquo;t be bothered to do a couple of little things in the kitchen.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/blog/images/2013/02/IMG_936.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Pics and Cakes\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/blog/images/2013/02/IMG_936.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"what-do-we-need\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat do we need?\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor the shortcrust pastry:\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Quiche Lorraine"},{"content":"As strange as it sounds, this recipe could pass as an express one, even though we have to make a custard cream. And the secret of today\u0026rsquo;s recipe lies precisely in making that cream fast, easy, delicious, and in just 10 minutes. The trick: the microwave, that great forgotten appliance we only ever bother with to heat up the morning milk.\nWhat do we need? For the cream:\n100 g (1/2 cup) sugar\n40 g (1/3 cup) cornstarch\n3 egg yolks\n1/2 liter (2 cups) milk\n1 tablespoon butter\nFor the tartlet:\n1 sheet of puff pastry\nSugar\nCinnamon\nHow do we make it? First we prepare the custard cream. Whisk the sugar and cornstarch together in one bowl, and the egg yolks with the milk in another.\nThen mix everything together and pop it in the microwave for 8 minutes at max power, stopping every 2 minutes to stir.\nOnce the 8 minutes are up, add the butter, stir, and you\u0026rsquo;re done.\nNext, roll the puff pastry sheet out a bit with a rolling pin and sprinkle it with sugar and cinnamon.\nRoll the dough into a log, pressing it with your fingers so it doesn\u0026rsquo;t end up too uniform.\nCut it into several pieces and flatten each one to form a sort of mini-pizza.\nUse a muffin tin (the kind with several holes, like little flan molds). Place each circle into one of the cavities and press it in to form a tartlet.\nPop it in the oven, preheated to 180°C (350°F), for about 12 minutes.\nKeep an eye on it and press the dough down every now and then to keep the hollow where the cream will go.\nOnce baked, fill them with the cream, sprinkle with sugar, and brown them in the oven or with a blowtorch.\nTips: Microwaves come in different wattages so the cooking time may vary. As you heat the cream, you\u0026rsquo;ll see it thicken until it reaches the consistency you want.\nIf you want to use the custard cream for another recipe that calls for a thinner cream, just cut down on the amount of cornstarch.\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/pasteles-de-crema/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAs strange as it sounds, this recipe could pass as an express one, even though we have to make a custard cream. And the secret of today\u0026rsquo;s recipe lies precisely in making that cream fast, easy, delicious, and in just 10 minutes. The trick: the microwave, that great forgotten appliance we only ever bother with to heat up the morning milk.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/blog/images/2013/02/IMG_204.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Pics and Cakes\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/blog/images/2013/02/IMG_204.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"what-do-we-need\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat do we need?\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor the cream:\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Custard Cream Tartlets"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;re back with a simple recipe, one of those everyone knows how to make, but that we wanted to share with you for two simple reasons: first and most important, it\u0026rsquo;s a really easy dish that you usually eat when you\u0026rsquo;re out for drinks but not at home (this is our way of encouraging you to make it yourself), and second because we\u0026rsquo;ve got a little tip about how to fry the potatoes. Want to know what it is? You\u0026rsquo;ll have to read the rest of the recipe.\nWhat do we need? Good quality cured ham\n3 large potatoes\n2 farm-fresh eggs\nOlive oil\nSalt\nHow do we make it? While we heat the oil in a pan (preferably a deep one), we separate or cut up the ham.\nPeel the potatoes and cut them into irregular bite-sized pieces.\nOnce the oil is nice and hot, lower it to medium heat and add the potatoes. Let them cook more than fry.\nWhen they\u0026rsquo;re soft, take them out and set aside on a plate. Turn the heat back up.\nFry the eggs and set them aside.\nNow with the heat high, put the potatoes back in to brown them. This way they\u0026rsquo;ll be crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.\nAfter draining them on a paper towel, arrange them on a plate or platter, add the ham and eggs, and enjoy.\n[English version] HUEVOS ROTOS (FRENCH FRIES WITH EGGS AND SPANISH HAM)* *Ingredients:\nSpanish cured ham\n3 potatoes\n2 free-range eggs\nOlive oil\nSalt\nHeat the olive oil in a deep saucepan. In the meanwhile, cut the ham into medium size pieces and the potatoes in irregular pieces the size of a mouthful.\n*When olive oil is very hot, reduce heat into medium and put the potatoes. Let them simmer. *\n*When the potatoes are cooked (soft but white), take them out of the pan. Increase heat again. *\nFry the eggs and set aside.\nWhen the heat is high again, fry again the potatoes until golden brown. They will be soft in the inside and crusty in the outside.\n*Take them out into a plate with kitchen paper to remove the extra oil. Place the potatoes into a large plate, the eggs and ham over them and enjoy! *\nComentarios Palstelera (2013-03-27 16:35:24):\nExactly, that\u0026rsquo;s the big secret, hehe. The great thing is that you can do the first stage at the start of cooking your meal, and brown them at the last minute so you eat them piping hot and freshly made. :-D\nPaloma (2013-03-25 12:17:27):\nOh, so that\u0026rsquo;s how they come out soft on the outside and crispy on the inside\u0026hellip; My eternal mystery. I\u0026rsquo;ll give it a try :-)\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/huevos-rotos/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re back with a simple recipe, one of those everyone knows how to make, but that we wanted to share with you for two simple reasons: first and most important, it\u0026rsquo;s a really easy dish that you usually eat when you\u0026rsquo;re out for drinks but not at home (this is our way of encouraging you to make it yourself), and second because we\u0026rsquo;ve got a little tip about how to fry the potatoes. Want to know what it is? You\u0026rsquo;ll have to read the rest of the recipe.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Broken Eggs (Huevos Rotos)"},{"content":"Maybe they don\u0026rsquo;t look exactly like a store-bought Oreo, but the flavor is, simply, incredible. In this case, I\u0026rsquo;d almost dare to say it\u0026rsquo;s even better than the original. It might seem a little laborious, but I promise neither the dough nor the cream is hard to make, so I\u0026rsquo;d encourage you to get started right away.\nWhat do we need? For the cookies:\n230 g (1 cup) butter\n150 g (3/4 cup) sugar\n1 tablespoon vanilla extract\n200 g (7 oz) couverture chocolate\n1 egg\n210 g (1 2/3 cups) flour\n90 g (3/4 cup) cocoa powder\n1 teaspoon salt\n1/2 tablespoon baking powder\nFor the cream:\n110 g (1/2 cup) butter\n200 g (1 2/3 cups) powdered sugar\n1 teaspoon vanilla extract\n1 tablespoon milk\n1 pinch of salt\nHow do we make it? Beat the butter with the sugar until you get a creamy mixture.\nAdd the melted chocolate and the vanilla extract. Add the egg and stir well.\nIn a separate bowl, mix the cocoa with the flour, the baking powder, and the salt.\nPour the flour mixture over the previous chocolate mixture and combine well. Use your hands if necessary.\nShape the dough into a cylinder and wrap it in plastic wrap.\nLet it rest in the fridge for a couple of hours.\nTake it out, remove the plastic wrap, and slice it into pieces about half a centimeter (1/4 inch) thick.\nBake on a tray lined with parchment paper for 12 minutes at 180°C (355°F).\nLet cool and set aside.\nFor the cream, beat the butter with the sugar.\nThen add the milk, the vanilla, and the pinch of salt.\nBeat well until you have a smooth cream.\nAssemble your Oreo cookies using two cookies and a little cream in the middle to stick them together. Take one cookie, add a bit of filling, and press down with the other so the filling spreads nicely.\nTips: For the chocolate, you can also use a mix of couverture chocolate and 70% dark chocolate. It\u0026rsquo;s a matter of taste, since some people don\u0026rsquo;t like such a bitter flavor.\nIf you cut the cookies this way, they\u0026rsquo;ll come out a bit \u0026ldquo;rustic\u0026rdquo; — meaning slightly uneven and more handmade-looking. If you prefer, you can roll out the dough with a rolling pin (placing it between two plastic sheets or two pieces of parchment paper), let it cool that way in the fridge, and then cut it with cookie cutters like when making butter cookies. They\u0026rsquo;ll come out more uniform and \u0026ldquo;perfect\u0026rdquo;.\nWhen baking these cookies, you have to be careful not to burn them, because since they\u0026rsquo;re almost black, the color won\u0026rsquo;t help you tell when they\u0026rsquo;re done. So there\u0026rsquo;s nothing to do but keep a close eye on them.\nI got the recipe from these two amazing blogs: El Monstruo de las Galletas and Seasaltwithfood. [English version] HOMEMADE OREO COOKIES* *Ingredients: For the cookies:\n230 g butter,\n150g granulated Sugar\n1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract\n*200g semisweet Chocolate *\n1 egg\n210g Unbleached All-Purpose Flour\n90g Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder\n1 tsp salt\n1/2 tsp Baking Soda\nFor the cream filling:\n110 g unsalted butter, at room temperature\n200 g Confectioners’ Sugar\n1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract\n1 Tbsp Milk\nPinch Salt\nIn a medium bowl, whisk together the butter and granulated sugar until well combined. Whisk in the vanilla and chocolate. Add the egg and whisk until thoroughly incorporated.* In another medium bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda until well mixed. Using a wooden spoon or a fork, stir the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture. You may find it easier to switch to mixing it with your hands until the dough comes together.\n*Transfer the dough to a 15-inch square sheet of parchment or waxed paper. Using your hands, shape the dough into a log about 10 inches long and 2 to 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Place the log at the edge of the paper and roll the paper around the log. With the log fully encased in paper, roll it into a smoother log no more than 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until firm. *\nPosition a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 180°C. Butter a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.\n*Slice the dough log into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place the slices about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet.Bake for 12 minutes, or until the cookies are firm to the touch. *\nUsing a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a handheld mixer or even a wooden spoon, beat the butter on low speed for about 30 seconds, or until completely smooth and soft.* *Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla and beat until the mixture is perfectly smooth. Add the milk and salt and beat until smooth. *\nTo assemble the sandwich cookies: Scoop about 1 rounded tablespoon of the filling onto the flat side of 1 cookie. Top with a second cookie, flat side down, then press the cookies together to spread the filling toward the edges. Repeat with the remaining cookies.\nTips: - You can use a mixture of different chocolates. I like using dark chocolate for desserts and bitter chocolate (70% cocoa). - You can use another method to shape your cookies. You can roll out the dough with the rolling pin. Place the dough between two plastic sheets or oven paper, roll it out and place in the fridge. Then use the cookie cutter to cut the shapes of your cookies. - When baking, be careful, because you can\u0026rsquo;t judge by colour given that the dough is almost black. So you\u0026rsquo;ll have to pay attention and avoid them to get burnt. Comments zordor (2013-03-12 01:25:14):\nWhat do you mean you\u0026rsquo;d \u0026ldquo;dare to say\u0026rdquo; the flavor is better than the original? It\u0026rsquo;s infinitely better than the originals, no question whatsoever. I\u0026rsquo;ve been lucky enough to try this recipe and I have to say without a doubt these are among the best cookies I\u0026rsquo;ve ever eaten in my life! They\u0026rsquo;re absolutely amazing!\nEsther (2013-03-16 15:46:02):\nHi Pics\u0026amp;Cakes,\nI want to make the cookies but I have an existential question: how do I make or where do I get the couverture chocolate? I have Valor drinking chocolate at home, not sure if that works.\nThanks so much!\nEPS\nPalstelera (2013-03-16 16:14:26):\nThe important thing is that it\u0026rsquo;s dark chocolate, not milk. It can be the so-called fondant chocolate, dessert chocolate, or couverture. Almost any of those would work. I don\u0026rsquo;t really like drinking chocolate for these recipes because the flavor isn\u0026rsquo;t as intense, in my opinion. Hope that helped.\nEsther (2013-03-16 18:29:22):\nIt helped a ton, yes! In a little bit I\u0026rsquo;m getting to work\u0026hellip; Thanks so much\nPalstelera (2013-06-29 13:22:37):\nWe\u0026rsquo;re so glad you made them and especially that you liked them. Answering your questions: if they came out a bit soft, it\u0026rsquo;s true that a little more time in the oven would have made them harder. That said, you did the right thing because since it\u0026rsquo;s a dark dough it\u0026rsquo;s hard to tell when they\u0026rsquo;re at their perfect point and when they\u0026rsquo;re starting to burn, and I think it\u0026rsquo;s better to enjoy a soft cookie than a scorched one. :-) In any case, I\u0026rsquo;m sure they\u0026rsquo;ll come out perfect the second time. As for the vanilla in the dough\u0026hellip; Oops! I forgot to include it so I have to fix the recipe (thanks!). In principle, it goes in along with the chocolate. Lastly, your question about the mixer. Mine is a regular mixer, the kind with detachable beaters. You could even mix it by hand, but with the mixer you save time and effort and you also get a smoother, fluffier mixture.\nHugs and thanks for following us. :-D\nsetitapili (2013-06-29 09:09:40):\nHi!!! I wanted to write to you to tell you how the cookies turned out\u0026hellip; Simply delicious! I took them to work and everyone was blown away\u0026hellip; But I had a couple of problems. The cookie part came out a bit soft, maybe a little more time in the oven would have helped, but I didn\u0026rsquo;t want to leave them too long because they harden a bit more when they cool. Another problem was that I didn\u0026rsquo;t know they grew in the oven, so they came out a bit big. And one question: the vanilla for the cookie, when do you add it? I didn\u0026rsquo;t see it in the recipe so I added it in the last step. Another question: I beat the cream with a whisk, but the dough with a regular mixer. Did I do it right? Conclusion: the cookies are amazing!! They\u0026rsquo;re my first cookies and everyone asked me for the recipe!!! You can be sure I\u0026rsquo;ll be making them again!!! Spectacular!!!\nPalstelera (2013-06-23 01:15:59):\nI think I\u0026rsquo;m late with the answer\u0026hellip; but cocoa powder is also easy to find, in any supermarket. I usually use the Valor brand, which is unsweetened. And as for the milk, any kind works. I used semi-skimmed because that\u0026rsquo;s what I had, and it came out perfect. Let us know how it goes. :-)\nsetitapili (2013-06-22 09:52:57):\nHi!!! I\u0026rsquo;m going to get started in the cookie world and this afternoon I want to make this recipe, but I have a couple of questions:\nwhat cocoa powder could I use for the dough? The couverture is easier because they sell it as is, but powder, no idea\u0026hellip; Another question, for the cream you use a tablespoon of milk, what type of milk? Sure they\u0026rsquo;re silly questions, but I hope you\u0026rsquo;ll let me know\u0026hellip; I\u0026rsquo;ll let you know how it went!! Thanks!!! ","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/galletas-oreo/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMaybe they don\u0026rsquo;t look exactly like a store-bought Oreo, but the flavor is, simply, incredible. In this case, I\u0026rsquo;d almost dare to say it\u0026rsquo;s even better than the original. It might seem a little laborious, but I promise neither the dough nor the cream is hard to make, so I\u0026rsquo;d encourage you to get started right away.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/blog/images/2013/03/IMG_664.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Pics and Cakes\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/blog/images/2013/03/IMG_664.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"what-do-we-need\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat do we need?\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor the cookies:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e230 g (1 cup) butter\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Oreo Cookies"},{"content":"This dish is a classic of Peruvian cuisine. I\u0026rsquo;m not claiming this recipe is the authentic or one true version — it\u0026rsquo;s simply the one my mother and her family have made all their lives. They brought this recipe with them from Peru and honestly, I love it. I\u0026rsquo;ve tried ají de gallina at several Peruvian restaurants and the recipe isn\u0026rsquo;t even the same in all of them. So, as the saying goes, \u0026ldquo;to each their own,\u0026rdquo; and here I\u0026rsquo;m offering you a finger-licking-good Peruvian ají de gallina.\nWhat do we need? 1 chicken\n4 onions\n4 slices of sandwich bread\nA splash of milk\nTurmeric\nGround ají paste (Peruvian hot pepper)\n4 potatoes\n4 eggs\nSalt\nHow do we make it? First, cook the chicken in a large pot with plenty of water and a bit of salt. Cook it until it\u0026rsquo;s nice and tender (you\u0026rsquo;ll know it\u0026rsquo;s done when the meat falls off the bone easily).\nTake the chicken out, strain the broth, and set it aside.\nOnce the chicken has cooled down a bit, remove the skin and bones and shred it. Set the shredded chicken aside.\nBoil the potatoes and eggs and set aside.\nMeanwhile, crumble the slices of sandwich bread and soak them in milk.\nChop the onions very finely and toss them into a pan with olive oil to sweat them down. Cook them over medium-low heat slowly so they soften without browning. We want them really soft, almost like a yellow paste.\nOnce the onion is ready, add the milk-soaked bread and stir well.\nSlowly add the chicken broth bit by bit, stirring continuously so it all comes together.\nAdd a couple of teaspoons of turmeric, which will give it that signature yellow color.\nAdd the shredded chicken and stir again. If it looks too thick, add a bit more chicken broth. The texture shouldn\u0026rsquo;t be like mashed potatoes, but not like soup either — somewhere in between.\nAdjust the salt and add a bit of heat (ground ají paste).\nOn the side, peel the potatoes and cut them into thick slices. Peel the eggs and cut them into quarters.\nAnd there you have it — your ají de gallina. All that\u0026rsquo;s left is to serve it alongside the boiled potatoes and hard-boiled eggs. Now dig in, nomás!\nTips: A whole chicken makes a pretty generous amount of ají de gallina, so if you\u0026rsquo;d like, you can use half of the cooked chicken for this recipe and save the other half for a delicious chicken and pineapple salad, for example. :-)\nAt some restaurants I\u0026rsquo;ve had this dish served with white rice instead of boiled potatoes.\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/aji-de-gallina/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis dish is a classic of Peruvian cuisine. I\u0026rsquo;m not claiming this recipe is the authentic or one true version — it\u0026rsquo;s simply the one my mother and her family have made all their lives. They brought this recipe with them from Peru and honestly, I love it. I\u0026rsquo;ve tried ají de gallina at several Peruvian restaurants and the recipe isn\u0026rsquo;t even the same in all of them. So, as the saying goes, \u0026ldquo;to each their own,\u0026rdquo; and here I\u0026rsquo;m offering you a finger-licking-good Peruvian ají de gallina.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Ají de Gallina"},{"content":"Today we bring you an adaptation of the fideuá from Spain\u0026rsquo;s eastern coast, which is mainly made with fish and seafood. Everyone knows my dislike for fish, so when my mom made this dish, swapping the fish for pork secreto, I jumped right on it.\nWhat do we need? 200 g (7 oz) pork secreto\n200 g (7 oz) fideuá pasta\nWater\nMushrooms\nSaffron\nSalt\nOlive oil\nPaprika\nGarlic\nParmesan cheese\nHow do we make it? Pour a splash of olive oil into a large pot, sauté the garlic, add the meat and mushrooms with a pinch of salt, and cook everything together. Add a bit of paprika.\nOnce it\u0026rsquo;s nicely sautéed, toss in the noodles and stir everything together so they pick up the flavor.\nAdd twice as much water as pasta (or a bit more if you want it slightly brothy).\nLet it cook for about 15-20 minutes, adding a pinch of saffron and a little more paprika along the way.\nWhen plating, shave a few slices of parmesan cheese and lay them on top.\nTips: We used shiitake mushrooms, but it turns out great with any kind of mushroom.\nIf you don\u0026rsquo;t have pork secreto, you can use any tender cut of pork.\nThe original recipe calls for ñoras (dried sweet red peppers), which are crushed and added to the sofrito. If you can find them (and don\u0026rsquo;t get scared off by the price), they give the dish a special touch.\n*[English version] FIDEUÁ ** *Ingredients:\n200 g (7 oz) pork meat\n200 g (7 oz) fideuá pasta\nWater\nMushrooms\nSaffron\nSalt\nOlive oil\nPaprika\nGarlic\nParmesan cheese\nGently fry the chopped garlic with a bit of olive oil in a cooking pot. Add meat and mushrooms, some salt, and cook. Add paprika.\nWhen it is slightly cooked, add the pasta and gently fry all the ingredients together to mix the flavors.\nAdd the water (twice the amount of pasta. For instance, if you used 2 cups of pasta, add 4 cups of water. You can add a bit of extra water if you like a soupy dish.)\nAdd some saffron and a bit more paprika and cook for around 15-20 minutes.\nSlice parmesan cheese and place it over the fideuá before serving.\nTips:\n- We used shiitake mushrooms, but any kind of mushroom will be delicious.\n- The original recipe uses \u0026lsquo;ñora\u0026rsquo; (dried red spicy pepper). You can use it if you like spicy flavors. Add it when slightly frying all the ingredients (step 1).\nComments la enana (2013-03-04 13:40:11):\nThe recipe was delicious! I made it the other day and we loved it! I used paprika instead of pimentón because I haven\u0026rsquo;t been able to find it around here, and although the result was very good, in my opinion the flavor pimentón gives is even better.\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/fideua/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday we bring you an adaptation of the fideuá from Spain\u0026rsquo;s eastern coast, which is mainly made with fish and seafood. Everyone knows my dislike for fish, so when my mom made this dish, swapping the fish for pork secreto, I jumped right on it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/blog/images/2011/07/IMG_151.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Pics and Cakes\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/blog/images/2011/07/IMG_151.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"what-do-we-need\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat do we need?\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e200 g (7 oz) pork secreto\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e200 g (7 oz) fideuá pasta\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWater\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMushrooms\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSaffron\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSalt\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOlive oil\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fideuá"},{"content":"You might be wondering about the name and why I\u0026rsquo;m not just calling it lemon tart or lemon pie. The thing is, I made this tart for my mom and for her it brought back childhood memories. Apparently, when they were kids in Peru they used to eat this tart and they called it \u0026ldquo;pay de limón.\u0026rdquo; If we already use more and more anglicisms in Spain, you can imagine how common they are in Latin American countries and the kind of Spanglish that reigns there. In any case, whether or not this is the authentic Peruvian recipe, and whether you call it tart, pie, or pay, this dessert turned out absolutely delicious.\nWhat do we need? 150 g (5.3 oz) ground digestive-style biscuits\n110 g (1/2 cup) butter\n400 g (14 oz) condensed milk\nHalf a cup of lemon juice\n4 egg yolks\n4 egg whites\n85 g (3/4 cup) powdered sugar\nHow do we make it? First, melt the butter in the microwave and mix it with the ground biscuits until you get a uniform paste. Put this mixture into a shallow oven-safe pie pan. Press with your fingers until you\u0026rsquo;ve covered the bottom and sides of the pan well.\nPop it in the oven (preheated to 180°C / 350°F) and bake for 15 minutes. Take it out and let it cool.\nTo prepare the filling, mix the condensed milk well with the lemon juice and egg yolks. Pour the mixture over the biscuit base in the pan and put it back in the oven for another 15 minutes. Take it out and let it cool.\nTo make the meringue, whip the egg whites to stiff peaks with a pinch of salt using a whisk (electric is better; it\u0026rsquo;ll save you time and sore arms). Gradually add the sugar until you get a firm consistency.\nNow all that\u0026rsquo;s left is to put the meringue on top of the lemon tart. You can use a piping bag or just spoon it on, forming peaks.\nFinally, when it\u0026rsquo;s completely covered, put it back in the oven for a few minutes so the meringue browns slightly.\nTips: If you don\u0026rsquo;t love the tangy lemon flavor, you can reduce the amount of juice.\nWhen you make the meringue, you need to get it really firm (you should even be able to flip the bowl upside down and have it stay put). It\u0026rsquo;s really important that neither the bowl nor the whisk have any grease on them so the whites whip up properly. Also, be careful in the oven because meringue burns really quickly, so never leave it unattended.\nIf you prefer, you can make a shortcrust pastry for the base.\n[English version] LEMON PIE* *Ingredients:\n*2 cups ground biscuits *\n1/2 cup butter\n400 g condensed milk\n1/2 cup lemon juice\n4 egg yolks\n4 egg whites\n3/4 confectioner\u0026rsquo;s sugar\n*First, melt butter in the microwave and stir well with ground biscuits. Put this mix into a pie mould using your fingers to press. Cover the bottom and the sides of the mould. *\nBake in preheated oven (to 180º) for 15 minutes.\n*For the filling, mix together condensed milk, lemon juice and egg yolks. Pour the lemon mixture into the baked biscuit pastry. Bake in oven for 15 minutes. *\n*Whip egg whites with a pinch of salt (use an electric whisk for better results and saving time). Add sugar gradually and keep whipping until getting a firm meringue. *\n*Pour the meringue over the lemon pie. You can use a piping bag or use a spoon to make peaks. *\n*Bake in oven for a few minutes until slightly golden brown. *\nTips:\n- If you don\u0026rsquo;t like strong lemon flavour, you can reduce the amount of lemon juice.\n- When making meringue you need a firm mixture (you could even put the mixing bowl upside down and it will keep there). To get good results, the mixing bowl has to be completely free of grease. Be careful when baking meringue because it get burnt very easily.\n- You can also make shortbread pastry instead of biscuit pastry.\nComments Marisa (2013-04-03 10:48:50):\nYum! I love this tart. Make it for me one day, please. :)\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/pay-de-limon/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYou might be wondering about the name and why I\u0026rsquo;m not just calling it lemon tart or lemon pie. The thing is, I made this tart for my mom and for her it brought back childhood memories. Apparently, when they were kids in Peru they used to eat this tart and they called it \u0026ldquo;pay de limón.\u0026rdquo; If we already use more and more anglicisms in Spain, you can imagine how common they are in Latin American countries and the kind of Spanglish that reigns there. In any case, whether or not this is the authentic Peruvian recipe, and whether you call it tart, pie, or pay, this dessert turned out absolutely delicious.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Lemon Pay"},{"content":"I know, we\u0026rsquo;ve gone ages without posting (as Palstelera would say), but we have an excuse: we were studying because we\u0026rsquo;re cultured people XD. That\u0026rsquo;s why today we\u0026rsquo;re going to introduce you to two new recipes so you can see that even though we\u0026rsquo;ve set the page aside a bit, we\u0026rsquo;re always ready and thinking about what new recipes we can share with you.\nWhat do we need? 4 cabbage leaves\n1 chicken breast\nHalf an onion\nHalf a green bell pepper\nOil\nSalt\nMoroccan spices\nFlour for coating\nHow do we make it? Separate the largest cabbage leaves and blanch them in boiling water with salt.\nAfter three minutes, take them out and lay them on paper towels to dry. Set aside.\nCut the onion into julienne strips and the bell pepper into small strips. Pour some oil into a frying pan and add the ingredients.\nCut the chicken into strips and season. Add to the pan.\nThrow in some Moroccan spices, for example Ras el hanout, into the mix.\nOnce the chicken is cooked, remove from the heat and set aside.\nSpread out the leaves and fill them with the mixture.\nCoat the rolls in flour and deep-fry them in plenty of oil.\nLeave them in for just a short time, turning them carefully so they don\u0026rsquo;t open up.\nTips: If you see the rolls opening up, you can use a toothpick to help — just remember to remove it before eating\u0026hellip; — or a piece of string to tie them up.\nYou can swap the chicken for ground meat.\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/rollitos-de-repollo/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI know, we\u0026rsquo;ve gone ages without posting (as Palstelera would say), but we have an excuse: we were studying because we\u0026rsquo;re cultured people XD. That\u0026rsquo;s why today we\u0026rsquo;re going to introduce you to two new recipes so you can see that even though we\u0026rsquo;ve set the page aside a bit, we\u0026rsquo;re always ready and thinking about what new recipes we can share with you.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Pics and Cakes\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/blog/images/2013/02/IMG_180.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"what-do-we-need\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat do we need?\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e4 cabbage leaves\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Cabbage Rolls"},{"content":"Whole Kitchen, in their Sweet Proposal for January, invites us to make a Scottish classic: Scones\nWe almost ran out of time with this recipe because — unusual for us — we made it the same day it was published. Luckily, it\u0026rsquo;s super easy and takes very little time. As usual, the baking time is what stretches the recipe out the most, but hey, the little wait is well worth it. We followed the recipe from www.joyofbaking.com\nWhat do we need? 260 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour\n50 g (¼ cup) sugar\n1 sachet of Royal baking powder\na pinch of salt\n75 g (5 tbsp) very cold butter, cubed\n1 beaten egg\n120 ml (½ cup) heavy cream\nHow do we make it? Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).\nIn a bowl, mix the flour with the sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the butter and rub it in with your fingertips — it should look like crumbs. Set aside.\nIn a separate bowl, mix the egg with the cream.\nCombine both mixtures until well integrated, but don\u0026rsquo;t overwork the dough.\nRoll out lightly until you have a fairly thick dough (about 1.5 cm / ½ inch). (Our first ones came out too thin.) Using a cookie cutter or a glass, cut out circles about 6 cm (2.5 inches) wide.\nPlace them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and brush with a little milk.\nBake for 15 to 18 minutes, until golden.\nTake them out of the oven and let them cool on a wire rack.\nTips: We forgot to brush the scones with milk and they still turned out delicious, so if you forget too, it\u0026rsquo;s not the end of the world.\nYou can add chocolate chips, nuts, raisins\u0026hellip; to the dough. This time we used dried cranberries.\nTo eat them, just split them in half and spread on butter and jam, whipped cream, lemon curd or anything else you fancy.\n[English version] SCONES* Ingredients: *\n260 g all-purpose flour\n50 g granulated white sugar\n*1 sachet baking powder *\n1/4 teaspoon salt\n75 g cold unsalted butter\n1 large egg\n120 ml milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream\n*Preheat oven to 190 degrees C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. *\nIn a large bowl, whisk or sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender, two knives, or with your fingertips. (The mixture should look like coarse crumbs.) In a small measuring cup whisk together the milk or cream and beaten egg. Add this mixture to the flour mixture. Stir just until combined. Do not over mix.\nTransfer to a lightly floured surface and knead the dough gently four or five times and then pat into a 1,5cm of thickness. Then, using a 6 cm round cookie cutter, cut the dough into rounds. Place the rounds on the prepared cookie sheet, spacing a few centimetres apart. Brush the tops of the scones with a little cream.(This helps to brown the tops of the scones during baking.)\n*Bake for about 15 -18 minutes or until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of a scone comes out clean. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. *\nTips:\n*- We forgot brushing the scones with milk before baking. The result was wonderful anyway, so in case you forget it too, don\u0026rsquo;t panic! *\n- You can add to the dough chocolate chips, nuts, raisins\u0026hellip; We used dried cranberries.\n*- You can serve them with butter and jam, marmalade, whipped cream, lemon curd or anything you like. *\nComments Marivi (2013-01-26 00:39:22):\nThey look fantastic, and with the filling I\u0026rsquo;m sure they were even better.\nCristina (2013-01-26 00:55:54):\nI really like your version, with cranberries they must be really good ;) and judging by the photos they look delicious!\nA kiss!\nPIlarHG (2013-01-26 00:59:03):\nThe same thing happened to me! I ended up making the recipe today too! Lucky it\u0026rsquo;s a quick one! They turned out great! ;)\nApfelstrudelkuchen (2013-01-26 01:55:06):\nHi!!!\nYeah, it\u0026rsquo;s true that nothing happens if you don\u0026rsquo;t brush them, because those scones look absolutely delicious.\nA little kiss, Sandra von Cake\nPalstelera (2013-01-26 12:48:42):\nThe truth is they were really tasty, and since I used the leftover cream to whip it up with a bit of sugar, even better. :-)\nPalstelera (2013-01-26 12:49:39):\nSo glad you like them. The cranberries were a last-minute decision and they worked out really well.\nPalstelera (2013-01-26 12:50:13):\nYes! Thank goodness they were quick :-)\nPalstelera (2013-01-26 12:51:02):\nAlthough now I\u0026rsquo;ll have to make them again to make them thicker and brushed with milk to see how they turn out :-)\nGri (2013-01-28 11:20:08):\nI love your scones\u0026hellip; they look fantastic!\nA hug Gri http://eltallerdelosviernes.blogspot.com.es/2013/01/hoy-toca-receta-del-cwk.html\nmara (2013-01-28 16:49:19):\nThey turned out so well and look so good with cranberries. I made mine plain because my daughters don\u0026rsquo;t like them. Here\u0026rsquo;s my version http://masdulcequesaladopuntocom.blogspot.com.es/2013/01/scones.html\nzordor (2013-01-30 05:45:23):\nThis had a rhyme to it, but honestly I can\u0026rsquo;t remember what it was right now\u0026hellip; :P\nguillus (2013-02-27 20:27:45):\nScones! Do we also have to explain how to eat them? :P\nguillus (2013-02-27 20:28:47):\nScones! Do we also have to explain how to eat them? :P And with clotted cream they\u0026rsquo;re even better\u0026hellip;\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/whole-kitchen-scones/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.wholekitchen.info/2013/01/cwk-propuesta-dulce-enero-2013-scone.html\"\u003eWhole Kitchen\u003c/a\u003e, in their Sweet Proposal for January, invites us to make a Scottish classic: Scones\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe almost ran out of time with this recipe because — unusual for us — we made it the same day it was published. Luckily, it\u0026rsquo;s super easy and takes very little time. As usual, the baking time is what stretches the recipe out the most, but hey, the little wait is well worth it. We followed the recipe from \u003ca href=\"http://www.joyofbaking.com/scones.html\"\u003ewww.joyofbaking.com\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Scones"},{"content":"Whole Kitchen, in their Savory Proposal for January, invites us to make a Chinese classic: sweet and sour pork.\n**For us, this is THE go-to dish whenever we have Chinese food, so it couldn\u0026rsquo;t be missing from our blog. To be honest, I don\u0026rsquo;t even know exactly where I got the recipe from, because I ended up mashing together a bunch of different websites and now I can\u0026rsquo;t recall the exact source. But hey, like with any dish, the trick is to give it a go, and if there\u0026rsquo;s something you don\u0026rsquo;t love, tweak it to your taste — that\u0026rsquo;s what your own kitchen is for.\nWhat do we need? 400 g (14 oz) lean pork\n1 large onion\n1 red bell pepper\n1 carrot\n4 pineapple slices\nOil\nSalt\nFor the batter:\n3 tablespoons all-purpose flour\n2 tablespoons cornstarch\n1 egg\n1 teaspoon baking powder\nWater\nFor the sweet and sour sauce:\n3/4 cup sugar\n1/3 cup apple cider vinegar\n2/3 cup water\n1/4 cup soy sauce\n2 tablespoons ketchup\n2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce\n2 tablespoons cornstarch\nHow do we make it? First, we make the sweet and sour sauce. Put all the ingredients except the cornstarch into a medium saucepan and cook over high heat so that everything mixes and dissolves well.\nLet it come to a boil and then simmer over medium heat for a few minutes so the sauce reduces and thickens. Dissolve the cornstarch in a cup with a little water and add it to the sauce. Once it has the consistency you want, take it off the heat.\nCut the onion and bell pepper into medium-sized squares (about 1.5 cm / 1/2 inch).\nSlice the carrot thinly on the diagonal.\nCut the pineapple into chunks.\nIn a pan with a little oil, stir-fry all the veggies (add the pineapple last). Don\u0026rsquo;t overcook them — we want them to stay crunchy.\nOnce they\u0026rsquo;re ready, take them out and add them to the saucepan with the sweet and sour sauce.\nCut the pork into bite-sized cubes (similar in size to the veggies) and season with salt.\nIn a bowl, mix the two flours and the baking powder, then add the egg and very cold water. The amount of water varies, so it\u0026rsquo;s better to add it little by little until you get the texture of a light béchamel.\nWhile the oil heats up in a frying pan, drop the pieces of pork into the bowl with the batter.\nOnce the oil is good and hot, fry the coated pieces one by one. When they\u0026rsquo;re golden, take them out onto a plate lined with paper towels.\nFinally, add the fried pork to the saucepan with the sweet and sour sauce and veggies. If the sauce has cooled down by now, warm it back up before adding the meat.\nServe with white rice, basmati rice, or three delights fried rice.\nTips: When making the sweet and sour sauce, I\u0026rsquo;d recommend not pouring in all the vinegar at once, as it can come out really strong. Better to add it bit by bit, to taste.\nIf the pineapple you used is canned (in its own juice), you can add that juice to the sweet and sour sauce.\nThe battered meat goes in right at the end so the coating stays crispy. That\u0026rsquo;s why I recommend serving and eating it right away.\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/cerdo-agridulce/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.wholekitchen.info\"\u003eWhole Kitchen\u003c/a\u003e, in their Savory Proposal for January, invites us to make a Chinese classic: sweet and sour pork.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e**For us, this is THE go-to dish whenever we have Chinese food, so it couldn\u0026rsquo;t be missing from our blog. To be honest, I don\u0026rsquo;t even know exactly where I got the recipe from, because I ended up mashing together a bunch of different websites and now I can\u0026rsquo;t recall the exact source. But hey, like with any dish, the trick is to give it a go, and if there\u0026rsquo;s something you don\u0026rsquo;t love, tweak it to your taste — that\u0026rsquo;s what your own kitchen is for.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sweet and Sour Pork"},{"content":"Thanks so much to everyone who took part. We already have a winner for the first Pics and Cakes giveaway. To prove there\u0026rsquo;s no funny business, as some wagging tongues out there have suggested :p, we recorded a video of the moment (and Santa Claus and the Guardian Angel were there too — and lying in front of them would be really uncool\u0026hellip;). To watch the video, click the link below:\nPiC Giveaway\nCongrats to Edu and thanks to everyone for taking part and following us. By the way, stay tuned because there\u0026rsquo;ll be more giveaways.\n;\nComentarios Titokitt (2013-01-07 19:38:52):\nSee, Lau? If there are more giveaways you\u0026rsquo;ll win one eventually\u0026hellip; ;-)\nEsther (2013-01-08 11:46:30):\nWow, what pros you\u0026rsquo;ve turned into, with video and everything\u0026hellip; Congrats to the winner! And above all, congrats to Picsandcakes for being so lovely!!!!!!\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/ganador-sorteo-pic/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThanks so much to everyone who took part. We already have a winner for the first Pics and Cakes giveaway. To prove there\u0026rsquo;s no funny business, as some wagging tongues out there have suggested :p, we recorded a video of the moment (and Santa Claus and the Guardian Angel were there too — and lying in front of them would be really uncool\u0026hellip;). To watch the video, click the link below:\u003c/p\u003e","title":"PiC Giveaway Winner"},{"content":"I made these croquettes for the first time as an appetizer for a New Year\u0026rsquo;s Eve dinner, and honestly, everyone loved them. Even the ones who wrinkled their noses a bit when they saw the muesli coating ended up enjoying the strong contrast between the crispy outside and the creamy filling. Whether for the holidays or any random day, we encourage you to give these a try because the recipe is absolutely worth it.\nWhat do we need? 4 tablespoons of flour\nHalf a liter of milk (about 2 cups)\n100g (3.5 oz) of gorgonzola cheese\n2 tablespoons of olive oil\n2 tablespoons of butter\nSalt\nBlack pepper\n2 eggs\nBreadcrumbs\nMuesli without fruit\nOlive oil for frying\nHow do we make it? First, we make the béchamel. To do this, put the oil and butter in a frying pan.\nOnce the butter has melted and the pan is good and hot, add the flour. Stir well and let it cook for a moment (so it doesn\u0026rsquo;t taste raw later).\nNext, gradually pour in the milk little by little, stirring constantly and energetically to prevent lumps from forming. We want a fairly thick béchamel since it\u0026rsquo;s going to be used for croquettes and will also have a very creamy cheese mixed in.\nToss in the cheese cut into chunks and keep stirring until it\u0026rsquo;s fully melted, then season with salt and pepper.\nPour the béchamel into a wide dish so it spreads out nicely. It needs to cool for at least two hours, finishing in the fridge so it firms up properly.\nOnce the mixture is cold, shape it into balls. Since the flavor is intense, try not to make them too big.\nRoll the balls in breadcrumbs.\nSet up three bowls: one with the beaten eggs, another with the muesli, and another with breadcrumbs. Pass each ball through the three bowls in this order (egg-muesli-breadcrumbs).\nHeat a frying pan with oil, and once it\u0026rsquo;s nice and hot, drop the croquettes in and fry them until golden brown.\nOnce they\u0026rsquo;re out, place them on a plate lined with paper towel to soak up the excess oil.\nTips: It\u0026rsquo;s best to fry them right before serving so the coating stays crispy and the filling stays creamy. If you want, you can prep them ahead of time and leave them in the fridge, or even freeze them and fry them whenever you fancy a bite.\nIf the béchamel gets the better of you and lumps end up forming, you can blitz them out with a hand blender before adding the cheese. It\u0026rsquo;s not the proper method, but hey, sometimes these things happen, and a well-timed blender can save you a lot of trouble :-)\nComentarios Marisa (2012-12-31 00:40:06):\nI was lucky enough to try these and they\u0026rsquo;re delicious!\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/croquetas-gorgonzola-muesli/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI made these croquettes for the first time as an appetizer for a New Year\u0026rsquo;s Eve dinner, and honestly, everyone loved them. Even the ones who wrinkled their noses a bit when they saw the muesli coating ended up enjoying the strong contrast between the crispy outside and the creamy filling. Whether for the holidays or any random day, we encourage you to give these a try because the recipe is absolutely worth it.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gorgonzola and Muesli Croquettes"},{"content":"6 months up and running, almost 100 comments, more than 300 visits, nearly 40 sweet and savory recipes\u0026hellip; For us those are more than enough reasons to celebrate, and what better way than holding a little giveaway among our readers.\nSo we\u0026rsquo;ve decided that to kick off the year right, we\u0026rsquo;d love for one of you to win the fabulous 2013 Pics\u0026amp;Cakes calendar in full color. (Limited edition)\nThe rules of our mini giveaway are as follows:\nTo enter you have to leave a comment on this post (wishing us happy holidays, telling us how wonderful we are, how nice the photos are, or how delicious everything looks). Whatever you write, you\u0026rsquo;ll have the same chances of winning, but it\u0026rsquo;ll make us happy to read it :-)\nWe\u0026rsquo;re asking for only one comment per person.\nSince we\u0026rsquo;re not exactly a big empire yet, the prize winner will have to pick it up in person. Unless, of course, the lucky winner is so excited about it that they\u0026rsquo;re willing to pay shipping costs (or negotiate with us).\nThe drawing will happen with the arrival of the Three Kings, so we\u0026rsquo;ll publish the result on the 6th.\nTo pick the winner we\u0026rsquo;ll use http://www.random.org/.\nComments monic (2012-12-27 12:30:57):\nmmmm, count me in for the giveaway!!! I really hope I win the calendar :) I wish you\u0026hellip; all the best for 2013, we won\u0026rsquo;t be getting out of the crisis but I hope we find a job that excites us.\nLots of kisses, tomorrow I\u0026rsquo;ll make the cookies again so I\u0026rsquo;ll let you know how it goes, this time\u0026hellip; I hope to have baking soda :)\na thousand kisses\nmonic\nAna (2012-12-27 12:40:06):\nHey!!! Of course I\u0026rsquo;m joining!!! With how much I love calendars hahaha I really like the page, you know that; so keep going with those great photos and dishes: us readers love them. A big kiss and Merry Christmas!\nAsun dr la Peña (2012-12-27 12:47:50):\nMerry Christmas and many congratulations on your humor and your excellent work.\nConcha (2012-12-27 12:49:44):\nHappy Holidays, Palstelera and Cesmm! You have a beautiful page and exquisite recipes that I hope keep growing in 2013. Long live Pics\u0026amp;Cakes! Lots of kisses\nAníbal Rodríguez Morales (2012-12-27 12:50:31):\nPics\u0026amp;Cakes Christmas and Pics\u0026amp;Cakes New Year!! Although I\u0026rsquo;ve only made two of the recipes (delicious, BTW), I admit they didn\u0026rsquo;t turn out as good as the originals\u0026hellip; But the best thing of all is how Pics\u0026amp;Cakes and lucky I feel for having met you! A huge hug and kiss!!!\nmaría (2012-12-27 13:01:33):\nOh my, the suspense!! I want the calendar :) well, well, well, what to say\u0026hellip; MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE!! For me Christmas-time is the time of year I love the most and even more so when sampling the wonderful dishes from \u0026ldquo;Pics\u0026amp;Cakes\u0026rdquo;, now I just need to convince Ramoncita to cook for me ;) I guess being the first will give me an advantage, right?? hehehe\nÁngel again (2012-12-27 13:02:28):\nI love all your recipes. This is the best website in the world. Kisses to everyone.\nmaría (2012-12-27 13:02:48):\noh no! you snuck in!! damn telefónica calling at the most inopportune moments\u0026hellip;\nSebas (2012-12-27 13:21:23):\nWhat a cool idea! I love your page, and what I love most is winning contests.\nSo good luck to me!!!!\nMon (2012-12-27 16:47:08):\nMerchandising woohoo! I want more delicious recipes and I wish you a happy new year. Kisses, gorgeous!\nGema (2012-12-27 19:17:37):\nI want that calendar!!!! Merry Christmas and happy new year to this sooooo cool page and especially for how delicious its recipes are!!!! :)\nIsaac (2012-12-27 20:36:23):\nI\u0026rsquo;m gonna see if I can swipe the calendar from Sebas\u0026hellip;\nAntz (2012-12-27 21:17:26):\nA calendar, awesome!!! Great idea and great recipes, especially the pineapple and chicken salad, already a classic in Madera\u0026hellip; That said, let\u0026rsquo;s see if I get lucky and Happy Holidays and Happy 2013 to everyone!!!!\nDiedadri (2012-12-27 21:29:07):\nTo the great giveaway!!! :-P delicious recipes, all that\u0026rsquo;s missing in my house is a good cook, haha. Merry Christmas and an even better 2013!! :-D\nTitokitt (2012-12-28 00:39:25):\nThe best page with the best recipes cooked by the best cooks. Does that work for you to give me the calendar? ;-) HAPPY NEW YEAR!!\nEsther (2012-12-28 04:28:23):\nMERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY 2013 full of desserts and tasty dishes proposed by pics\u0026amp;cakes!!!!!\nMay luck be with you, dear warriors!\nMarmotona (2012-12-28 08:18:01):\nWhat do you want me to say, that it\u0026rsquo;s the best of the best in its style and other styles Plus everything is tested and no animal has been mistreated. What more do you want, Baldomero. (Get Rajoy out)\nReimonStar (2012-12-28 21:20:11):\nEven though you sweeten my unemployed moments, I think I deserve, in order to organize my life and find a job, that wonderful calendar. I hope you appear enjoying a succulent dish made by your silky, greasy hands. If I shed my tears they should be rewarded with a delicious appetizer. We know that winning isn\u0026rsquo;t the important thing, but getting used to losing isn\u0026rsquo;t cool either. Sugar kisses.\nGermán (2012-12-31 21:37:41):\nKeep it up, guys. So much art on this page!\nJesús (2013-01-05 22:50:02):\nKeep it up, guys. So much art on this page!\nAnusky (2013-01-05 22:51:31):\nKeep it up, guys. So much art on this page!\nI love your little recipes and I want your calendar.\nEduardo (2013-01-05 22:56:12):\nI love your recipes. Happy new year.\nZordor (2013-01-06 04:04:19):\nThat calendar is mine!!! And this is the best website in the whole wide world!!!\nFranTasar (2013-01-06 04:16:35):\nI just got back from a little party with some friends to drop off some gifts and it seemed like the best moment \u0026ldquo;and the last\u0026rdquo; to wish you happy holidays and may you keep creating art. To enjoy by savoring or watching it.\nsil (2013-01-06 12:35:31):\nHappy Three Kings!!!!!! I hope 2013 brings lots of good things for everyone\u0026hellip;.muuuuah,,,\nPalstelera (2013-01-06 20:00:44):\nThanks to everyone for participating. We hope the Three Kings brought you lots of goodies and that you\u0026rsquo;re enjoying the last days of the holidays. We\u0026rsquo;re now closing the entry period for our first giveaway (any comment after this one won\u0026rsquo;t be entered). Good luck and we\u0026rsquo;ll announce the winner shortly.\nNadia (2013-01-06 20:37:28):\nooh, fixed!! :)\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/sorteo-picscakes/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e6 months up and running, almost 100 comments, more than 300 visits, nearly 40 sweet and savory recipes\u0026hellip; For us those are more than enough reasons to celebrate, and what better way than holding a little giveaway among our readers.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo we\u0026rsquo;ve decided that to kick off the year right, we\u0026rsquo;d love for one of you to win the fabulous \u003cstrong\u003e2013 Pics\u0026amp;Cakes calendar\u003c/strong\u003e in full color. (Limited edition)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/blog/images/2012/12/IMG_5778.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Pics and Cakes\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/blog/images/2012/12/IMG_5778.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Pics\u0026Cakes Giveaway"},{"content":"I have to admit we\u0026rsquo;re a bit like sponges — anything we see and like, we try to make at home. That\u0026rsquo;s exactly what happened with today\u0026rsquo;s recipe. A few years ago we went with friends to spend Easter week in Camposancos, a lovely little village in Pontevedra, and there Ana (with Germán\u0026rsquo;s help) made us some delicious stuffed potatoes that could have fed a regiment (well, maybe we weren\u0026rsquo;t quite that many\u0026hellip;). The thing is, we loved the idea and ever since it\u0026rsquo;s been part of our recipe book.\nWhat do we need? 4 medium potatoes\n5 slices of bacon\n1 onion\nCheese\nSalt\nPepper\nHow do we make it? Bake the potatoes in the oven. (You can check here if you\u0026rsquo;re not sure how to do it.)\nMeanwhile, chop the bacon and onion and sauté them in a pan with a little olive oil.\nWhen the potatoes are ready — you can check by poking them with a kitchen skewer — take them out of the oven and cut them in half.\nCarefully, with the help of a spoon, scoop out the halves, leaving the skin with a thin layer of potato.\nMix the scooped-out potato with the sautéed bacon and onion. Season with salt and pepper.\nFill the potato halves with the mixture, add a bit of cheese on top, and put them in the oven to broil.\nTips: Any kind of cheese works. We like it with Emmental (elementary, my dear Watson).\nIf you don\u0026rsquo;t feel like baking the potatoes, you can boil them instead, but we recommend at least broiling them with the cheese in the oven.\nThis is just our take on the filling. Feel free to adapt it to your taste.\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/patatas-rellenas/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI have to admit we\u0026rsquo;re a bit like sponges — anything we see and like, we try to make at home. That\u0026rsquo;s exactly what happened with today\u0026rsquo;s recipe. A few years ago we went with friends to spend Easter week in Camposancos, a lovely little village in Pontevedra, and there Ana (with Germán\u0026rsquo;s help) made us some delicious stuffed potatoes that could have fed a regiment (well, maybe we weren\u0026rsquo;t quite that many\u0026hellip;). The thing is, we loved the idea and ever since it\u0026rsquo;s been part of our recipe book.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Stuffed Potatoes"},{"content":"These cookies are typical of Belgium, France, and the Netherlands, and they\u0026rsquo;re known for their intense aroma and flavor packed with spices. That smell tends to take over Christmas markets, since traditionally it was Saint Nicholas who handed them out to the kids over there. Nowadays in Spain you can find them under the name \u0026ldquo;galletas caramelizadas\u0026rdquo; by the Lotus brand, but in France and Belgium, at least, you can find them in all sorts of shapes and from a ton of different brands. For example, if you ever get the chance, don\u0026rsquo;t miss out on trying speculoos spread (pâte à tartiner) or speculoos ice cream.\nWhat do we need? 250 g (2 cups) flour\n170 g (3/4 cup) brown sugar\n150 g (2/3 cup) butter\n1 teaspoon baking soda\n1 egg, lightly beaten\n1 pinch of salt\n2 teaspoons of spice mix*\nHow do we make it? In a bowl, add the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Stir a bit.\nIn another bowl, the room-temperature butter, the sugar, and the egg. Add all of this to the flour mix and combine well until you get a smooth, even dough. Pop it in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap, for at least two hours or overnight.\nPreheat the oven to 170°C (340°F).\nOnce you take it out of the fridge, roll the dough between two plastic sheets so it doesn\u0026rsquo;t stick, to about half a centimeter (1/5 inch) thick. Cut it out with whatever cookie cutters you like, or if you don\u0026rsquo;t have any, just make rectangles with a knife.\nBake for about 15 minutes.\nThe pre-made spice mix isn\u0026rsquo;t easy to find, so you can make your own with these proportions: 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, 5 grated cloves, 1 small tablespoon grated nutmeg, 1 teaspoon ground pepper, 1 small tablespoon ground ginger, and 3 grated cardamom seeds. Tips: Butter cookies are best baked when the dough is cold. Otherwise, they\u0026rsquo;ll spread too much in the oven and lose whatever shape you gave them. What you can do is put the rolled-out dough in the fridge, cut it without handling it too much, and straight into the oven.\nIf you go looking for speculoos cookie recipes, you\u0026rsquo;ll find tons, and they all vary in some way. In fact, Belgian and French recipes use kinds of sugar we don\u0026rsquo;t have here (vergeoise and cassonade), and we usually swap them out for brown sugar. My advice is to try out your recipe and tweak it to your taste.\nTraditional cookies were made using wooden molds, which is why they have stamped designs on them. I used some cookie stamps I bought in France, but you have to be careful because the dough is a bit sticky.\nComments La Enana (2012-12-19 11:20:58):\nWow!! So easy to make!!!! :) I love them!!!\nEsther (2012-12-29 14:21:45):\nThe dough is already in the fridge! In a few hours we\u0026rsquo;ll be tasting your recipe\u0026hellip; I can already tell you the dough is super yummy!!!!\nPalstelera (2012-12-30 21:09:47):\nHow did they turn out?\nEsther (2012-12-31 17:23:31):\nReally good\u0026hellip; they didn\u0026rsquo;t last long, honestly! The oven I put them in runs hot, and at 170 they got a bit scorched, so afterwards I dropped it down to 150. As for the spice mix, total success! HAPPY 2013, Picsandcakes!!!\nPalstelera (2013-01-05 00:17:16):\nSo glad to hear it!\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/galletas-speculoos/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThese cookies are typical of Belgium, France, and the Netherlands, and they\u0026rsquo;re known for their intense aroma and flavor packed with spices. That smell tends to take over Christmas markets, since traditionally it was Saint Nicholas who handed them out to the kids over there. Nowadays in Spain you can find them under the name \u0026ldquo;galletas caramelizadas\u0026rdquo; by the Lotus brand, but in France and Belgium, at least, you can find them in all sorts of shapes and from a ton of different brands. For example, if you ever get the chance, don\u0026rsquo;t miss out on trying speculoos spread (pâte à tartiner) or speculoos ice cream.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Speculoos Cookies"},{"content":"Good and freezing morning. Today we\u0026rsquo;re bringing you a really simple recipe, the kind that even Jesús will be able to pull off without having to call twenty times :p The thing is, I\u0026rsquo;m a huge fan of making burgers at home. They\u0026rsquo;re usually way better than the ones you eat out, plus you make them to your own taste and load them with the ingredients you like best. This time we made the burger with blue cheese mixed right into the patty.\nWhat do we need? (For each big-eater burger)\n200 g (7 oz) ground beef\n25-30 g (1 oz) blue cheese\n1 egg\nPepper\nSalt\nBreadcrumbs\nTomato\nLettuce\nOnion\nBurger bun\nHow do we make it? Take the ground beef and dump it into a large bowl, since you\u0026rsquo;re going to be getting your hands in there.\nAdd the egg, a bit of freshly ground pepper, salt to taste, and a little breadcrumbs to give the meat some consistency.\nMix everything together with your hands.\nOnce all the ingredients are well combined, add the blue cheese cut into cubes. Try to work it into the meat but without pressing too hard so the cheese doesn\u0026rsquo;t break apart.\nWrap in cling film and shape into a burger.\nLet the burger rest in the fridge for a couple of hours.\nWhen you\u0026rsquo;re ready to eat, put a frying pan with a splash of oil over the heat and, while it\u0026rsquo;s warming up, start chopping the rest of the ingredients.\nCut the onion into rings, the lettuce into fairly large leaves (that way it\u0026rsquo;s easier to eat), and the tomato into slices.\nOnce the oil is hot, lower the heat a bit so the burger doesn\u0026rsquo;t burn on the outside while staying raw inside. Cook it to your liking (I like mine rare).\nWhen it\u0026rsquo;s done, set it aside, wipe the pan clean with kitchen paper, and toast the bun for about half a minute.\nBuild your burger and enjoy.\nTips: If you\u0026rsquo;re not going to use all the ground beef you bought, you can keep the formed patties in the freezer.\nFor me, as I said, I really enjoy a good burger, so 150 to 200 grams (5-7 oz) of ground beef is the \u0026ldquo;standard\u0026rdquo; size. Yes, that\u0026rsquo;s on the generous side, but hey, it\u0026rsquo;s a burger. Obviously you can make it with less.\nIf you want, you can dust the patty in flour before cooking it.\nAs my dad says when we play tute, \u0026ldquo;side dish requested.\u0026rdquo; A good beer or a cold Coke with fries (homemade or store-bought) is a must.\n[English version] **Ingredients:\n(For each big hamburger)\n200 g de minced meat\n25-30 g de blue cheese\n1 egg\nPepper\nSalt\nBread crumbs\nTomato\nSalad\nOnion\nHamburger bun\nPlace minced meat into a large bowl and mix well with your hands.\nAdd the egg, a bit of salt and pepper and some bread crumbs.\nMix well all ingredients.\nThen chop blue cheese into small squares and add to the meat mix. Try to \u0026lsquo;knead\u0026rsquo; the mix integrating the cheese but keeping it into pieces.\nMake a ball, wrap in cling film and and flatten it with your hand to have hamburger shape.\nLeave for a couple of hours in fridge.\nThen, pour a bit of olive oil in the frying pan. Let it get warm and start preparing your fresh ingredients (onion, tomato and salad).\nCut onion into rings, tomato into slices and salad (lettuce) into big parts (it will be easier to eat).\nCook the hamburger according to your preferences (well done, medium or rare).\nWhen it\u0026rsquo;s ready take it out from the pan, clean the frying pan with kitchen paper and toat the bread bun.\nPrepare you hamburger sandwich with all the ingredients and enjoy it.\nTips:\nYou can freeze the prepared raw hamburgers and you will only need to defrost and cook in the pan whenever you need it.\nThis amount of minced meat is for a big hamburger but it\u0026rsquo;s up to you the size of your hamburger.\nYou can coat in flour the raw hamburger before cooking it.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s a must to serve the hamburger with a cold beer and chips or fries.\nComentarios zordor (2012-12-12 22:45:11):\nnyam nyam que buena pinta, da la casualidad de que hoy voy a comer una de las que dicen mejores hamburguesas qeu hacen en estados unidos, luego tendras qeu darme a probar esta y te dare mi veredicto :) Genial receta por cierto! Me encanta el queso azul y me ha gustado mucho la foto ultima, de anuncio total :)\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/hamburguesa-con-queso-azul/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGood and freezing morning. Today we\u0026rsquo;re bringing you a really simple recipe, the kind that even Jesús will be able to pull off without having to call twenty times :p The thing is, I\u0026rsquo;m a huge fan of making burgers at home. They\u0026rsquo;re usually way better than the ones you eat out, plus you make them to your own taste and load them with the ingredients you like best. This time we made the burger with blue cheese mixed right into the patty.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Blue Cheese Burger"},{"content":"This is one of those recipes that comes together almost without thinking, with just a few totally everyday ingredients. An easy way to put out an appetizer where you know exactly what\u0026rsquo;s in it and that\u0026rsquo;s bound to surprise more than one guest. We made it as part of a big buffet-style spread for a birthday. You can serve it already spread, piped into little tartlets, or, if you prefer, in a pretty bowl so everyone can help themselves.\nWhat do we need? 1 small tin of sardines in olive oil\n70 g (2.5 oz) cream cheese\n¼ spring onion\n60 ml (¼ cup) lemon juice\nChopped parsley\nSalt and black pepper\nHow do we make it? Drain the sardines and, with the help of a thin knife, remove the central bone (if they\u0026rsquo;re baby sardines, you probably won\u0026rsquo;t need to).\nFinely chop the spring onion.\nPut all the ingredients in a bowl and mix, mashing them with a fork (if you want to feel the chunks) or with a blender (if you\u0026rsquo;d rather have a smoother, finer pâté).\nRefrigerate for at least an hour so the flavors meld and it thickens up.\nTips: You can make it the day before — it\u0026rsquo;ll firm up nicely and you\u0026rsquo;ll get a head start on the kitchen work.\nFor those who like it, you can swap the parsley for cilantro.\n*[English version] SARDINE PÂTÉ\n**Ingredients: 1 small tin of sardines in olive oil\n70 g cream cheese\n¼ spring onion\n60 ml fresh lemon juice\nChopped parsley\nSalt and black pepper\nDrain sardines and remove the central bone with a sharp knive.\nFinely chop the spring onion.\nPut all the ingredients together into a bowl and mix smashing them with a fork (if you want to feel the ingredients) or with a mixer (if you prefer a thinner and smoother pâté).\nLeave cool in the fridge for at least 1 hour. It will unify flavours and become thicker.\nTips:\nYou can prepare it the day before. It will be tastier and you\u0026rsquo;ll save time in the kitchen.\nIf you like, you can use coriander instead of parsley.\nComments cris (2013-01-02 18:27:57):\nThis pâté is sooooo good! and super easy to make! we made it for New Year\u0026rsquo;s Eve and it was a hit. Don\u0026rsquo;t go thinking you\u0026rsquo;re about to eat a tin of sardines — between the onion, the bit of lemon and the cheese, it\u0026rsquo;s a super tasty mousse!!\nThanks so much to you both\nxx\nPalstelera (2013-01-05 00:16:37):\nSo glad you made it for New Year\u0026rsquo;s Eve and that you all enjoyed it\u0026hellip; :-D\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/pate-de-sardinas/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis is one of those recipes that comes together almost without thinking, with just a few totally everyday ingredients. An easy way to put out an appetizer where you know exactly what\u0026rsquo;s in it and that\u0026rsquo;s bound to surprise more than one guest. We made it as part of a big buffet-style spread for a birthday. You can serve it already spread, piped into little tartlets, or, if you prefer, in a pretty bowl so everyone can help themselves.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sardine pâté"},{"content":"Today we bring you another easy recipe you can make for any get-together. The recipe, taken from Directo al Paladar, is inspired by Italian cooking. Mozzarella, basil and tomato — a delicious combo that works not just in these little windmills but also in salads and, one of my favorites, on pizzas.\nWhat do we need? 1 sheet of puff pastry\n1 ball of mozzarella\n2 ripe tomatoes\nBasil\nOlive oil\nOregano\nHow do we make it? Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface.\nCut it into squares about 8-10 cm (3-4 inches) on each side.\nOnce you have the squares, make a cut along each diagonal, stopping before you reach the center, so you can fold the corners in toward the middle.\nSlice the mozzarella into strips and place a basil leaf and a piece of cheese on each of the \u0026ldquo;blades\u0026rdquo; formed by the puff pastry.\nWash the tomatoes and slice them into strips too, then place them on two of the blades.\nPreheat the oven to 180°C (355°F).\nSprinkle with a little oregano, drizzle with a bit of olive oil and put them in the oven.\nBake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.\nWhen you take them out of the oven, place them on a rack so they stay crispy.\nTips: This appetizer can be eaten warm or cold. If you decide to reheat it (in the oven or microwave) be careful not to let them get soft.\nIf you don\u0026rsquo;t like this \u0026ldquo;filling,\u0026rdquo; you can swap it for any other flavor — even sweet.\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/molinillos-caprese/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday we bring you another easy recipe you can make for any get-together. The recipe, taken from \u003ca href=\"http://www.directoalpaladar.com/recetas-de-aperitivos/receta-de-molinos-de-viento-caprese\"\u003eDirecto al Paladar\u003c/a\u003e, is inspired by Italian cooking. Mozzarella, basil and tomato — a delicious combo that works not just in these little windmills but also in salads and, one of my favorites, on pizzas.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/blog/images/2011/07/IMG_931.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Pics and Cakes\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/blog/images/2011/07/IMG_931.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"what-do-we-need\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat do we need?\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1 sheet of puff pastry\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1 ball of mozzarella\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2 ripe tomatoes\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Caprese Windmills"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;ve had this recipe pending for a few days now, but since in the meantime we published our Whole Kitchen challenges, it had to be pushed back to this week. And well, what better week for a birthday cake\u0026hellip; :-D I made the recipe following exactly the one @SandeeA did at La Receta de la Felicidad. So all credit for the explanation this time goes to her. My personal touch was just the little sugar bear.\nWhat do we need? For the sponge cake (to make a tall cake, we\u0026rsquo;ll need to bake two sponges like this one, so double the quantities):\n250 g (about 1 cup + 2 tbsp) butter, room temperature\n250 g (1 ¼ cups) sugar\n4 eggs\n225 g (1 ¾ cups) all-purpose flour\n25 g (about 3 tbsp) cornstarch\nhalf a packet of Royal-style baking powder (8 g, about 2 tsp)\nFor the chocolate buttercream:\n750 g (about 1 ⅔ lb) melting chocolate\n375 g (about 1 ⅔ cups) butter, room temperature\n100 g (about ¾ cup) powdered sugar\nHow do we make it? Preheat the oven to 180 ºC (355 ºF).\nPrepare a cake pan by greasing it with butter and dusting it lightly with flour.\nIn a large bowl, using a whisk or a spoon, mix the butter and sugar well until you get a smooth, creamy mixture.\nAdd the eggs one at a time, not adding the next one until the previous one is fully incorporated.\nAdd the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder and mix with a spatula or spoon until everything is well combined.\nPour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly.\nBake for 25-30 minutes at 180 ºC (355 ºF).\nTake it out of the oven and wait a few minutes before unmolding.\nRepeat these steps to make a second sponge cake just like the first one. (If you have two identical pans, you can make all the batter at once and divide it between both pans.)\nSlice each sponge into two layers, trying to make them as even as possible.\nNext, we start preparing the chocolate buttercream. First, we\u0026rsquo;ll melt the chocolate.\nChop it up and place it in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat it in 30-second intervals, stirring each time, until the chocolate is fully liquid. Let it cool for a few minutes.\nMeanwhile, in another large bowl, beat the butter and sugar at top speed with a whisk until you get a fluffy, pale, smooth mixture (about 5 minutes).\nCheck that the chocolate you melted earlier has cooled down, and add it to the butter mixture. Beat a bit more until fully combined, and then move on to filling and decorating the cake.\nPlace the first sponge layer — the least perfect of the ones you made — on the plate you\u0026rsquo;ll be serving on, covered with some strips of parchment paper or printer paper, so it doesn\u0026rsquo;t get stained and you can pull them out easily afterwards.\nPlace a couple of spoonfuls of filling on this sponge layer and spread it evenly — it\u0026rsquo;s fine if some spills over the sides.\nPlace another sponge layer on top, pressing down gently and making sure it\u0026rsquo;s well aligned with the layer below. Add another two spoonfuls of filling and proceed as before.\nContinue the same way with the rest of the layers. On top, place the most perfect sponge, with the bottom side facing up (it\u0026rsquo;s always the prettiest). If you don\u0026rsquo;t want the sponge layers to shift, since we\u0026rsquo;re about to cover and decorate the cake, you can stick a skewer down through the center of the cake, which you\u0026rsquo;ll remove once you\u0026rsquo;re done decorating.\nCover the cake with a first, very thin layer of chocolate buttercream — this is just to set things in place and hide any imperfections in the sponge layers.\nLeave the chocolate cake in the fridge for 15 minutes so this layer firms up.\nUsing a piping bag fitted with a medium-sized round tip, pipe dots of buttercream onto the cake, forming a vertical line (4 dots, in my case).\nPlace a spatula on top of each dot and slide it to the right in a single motion (or to the left if you\u0026rsquo;re left-handed). Wipe the spatula clean and continue doing the same with the rest of the dots, remembering to always wipe the spatula between strokes.\nEach time you finish a row of dots, grab the piping bag, create a new line of dots, and repeat the pattern across the whole cake. The spot where you finish the last row of petals will have some imperfections, and that should be the \u0026ldquo;back\u0026rdquo; of your cake.\nIf you\u0026rsquo;re not going to eat it the same day, store the chocolate cake preferably outside the fridge so the chocolate buttercream stays creamy, since the fridge tends to harden it.\nTips: To decorate it, you can make a stencil out of a sheet of paper, cutting out the number of years the birthday person is turning, and dust it with powdered sugar.\nI made this sugar bear out of modeling paste to crown the cake. I\u0026rsquo;ll do a tutorial soon so you can see how easy it is.\n[English version] PETALS CAKE* *Ingredients:\n*250 g butter, room temperature *\n*250 g sugar *\n4 eggs\n*225 g all purpose flour *\n*25 g corstarch *\n*8 g baking powder *\nFor the chocolate buttercream:\n750 g dark chocolate, melted\n*375 g butter, room temperature *\n*100 g confectioners\u0026rsquo; sugar *\nPreheat oven to 180ºC\nPrepare a cake pan (butter and flour the bottom and the sides of the pan).\nIn a large bowl, place butter and sugar, and mix well.\nAdd eggs one by one.\nAdd flour, cornstarch and baking powder, and beat until combined.\nPour batter into pan and bake for 25 minutes.\nLeave the cake in its pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes and then turn out to cool.\nRepeat the whole process to make another similar cake.\nNow we are going to prepare the chocolate buttercream.\nUsing and electric mixer, cream butter and sugar, until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Add melted chocolate, that shall be cool, and mix well. Now the buttercream is ready to use.\nFill the cake layers with chocolate buttercream, and then frost it with a thin layer of buttercream.\nPlace the cake in the fridge for 15 minutes to set.\nPlace the remaining chocolate buttercream on a piping bag fitted with a medium sized round tip.\nCreate a row of dots (vertical), as shown on the pictures.\nUsing a spatula, spread every dot to the right, in one motion (or to the left if you are left-handed). Clean the spatula between every swipe.\nOnce you have spread one row of dots, add another row of dots and repeat the pattern until the whole cake is covered with \u0026ldquo;petals\u0026rdquo;.\nIf you are not going to eat the cake on the same day, please avoid keeping it in the fridge if possible, so that the chocolate buttercream remains creamy.\nTips:\nYou can create a template showing the number of the age that the special person is turning and then sprinkle with confectioners\u0026rsquo; sugar.\nOn the top, I placed this sugar bear made by myself. Soon I will post a tutorial about how to make it with gum paste.\nComentarios La Enana (2012-12-03 23:08:58):\nSo cute!!! And it looks delicious!!!! The little bear came out perfect\u0026hellip; :)\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/tarta-de-petalos/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;ve had this recipe pending for a few days now, but since in the meantime we published our Whole Kitchen challenges, it had to be pushed back to this week. And well, what better week for a birthday cake\u0026hellip; :-D I made the recipe following exactly the one @SandeeA did at \u003ca href=\"http://www.larecetadelafelicidad.com/2012/03/tarta-de-cumpleanos-tarta-de-chocolate.html\"\u003eLa Receta de la Felicidad\u003c/a\u003e. So all credit for the explanation this time goes to her. My personal touch was just the little sugar bear.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Petal Cake"},{"content":"Whole kitchen, for their Sweet Proposal for the month of November, invites us to prepare a Persian classic: Baklava. Apparently this little pastry has its origins in ancient Mesopotamia, although several cultures and civilizations are still fighting over who actually invented it. Persian, Greek or Arab — it\u0026rsquo;s delicious. This time we\u0026rsquo;ve made two versions: one with dates and toasted almonds, and another with hazelnuts and chocolate. Filo pastry is a wonder of the kitchen that you really have to try, both for sweet and savory.\nWhat do we need? 1 package of filo pastry\n100 g (3.5 oz) butter\nFor the syrup:\n210 ml (scant 1 cup) water\n180 g (about 3/4 cup) sugar\n30 g (1 tbsp) honey\nJuice of half a lemon\nA cinnamon stick\nFor the filling:\n18 dates\n50 g (1.75 oz) toasted almonds\n50 g (1.75 oz) chocolate (drops or chips)\n50 g (1.75 oz) hazelnuts\nHow do we make it? We start by making the syrup. Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and, over high heat, bring to a boil. Lower the heat a bit and let it simmer for about 15 minutes so it thickens.\nPreheat the oven to 180°C (355°F).\nPrepare the filling: pit the dates and cut them into small pieces. Chop the almonds and hazelnuts as well. In one bowl mix the dates with the almonds, and in another mix the hazelnuts with the chocolate.\nMelt the butter for a few seconds in the microwave.\nGrease the baking dish you\u0026rsquo;re going to use with butter and cut all the filo sheets to the size of your tray.\nLay down a sheet of filo and, with a brush or your hands, smear it with butter on one side. Add another layer and brush it with butter again. Keep going until you have 8 layers.\nSpread half of the date-and-almond filling over the filo.\nAdd more filo on top — this time, 4 layers (always brushed with butter so they stay separate after baking).\nAdd the rest of the date-and-almond filling.\nMake another batch of 8 filo layers (always buttered).\nWith a sharp knife, cut the baklava into squares.\nBake for 45 minutes total: the first 20 minutes uncovered, and the next 25 minutes with a sheet of aluminum foil over the baklava so it doesn\u0026rsquo;t brown too much.\nAs soon as you take it out of the oven, let it rest for 5 minutes, then pour the cold syrup over the hot baklava (this way it\u0026rsquo;ll stay crispy).\nFor the hazelnut-and-chocolate version you can repeat the same process in another baking dish, or make triangles. To do that, cut the filo into strips of about 5 cm by 20 cm (2 in by 8 in). Brush each layer with butter and stack 4 strips together.\nPlace a teaspoon of filling at one end and fold a corner over to form a triangle with the filling tucked inside. Take the other end and keep folding the triangle over itself. (Since it\u0026rsquo;s a bit tricky to explain, I found [this video](\n{{}}\n) where you can easily see how to do it.)\nBake them at 180°C (355°F) too, but they\u0026rsquo;ll be ready in 10–15 minutes.\nOnce out of the oven, you can dust them with powdered sugar.\nTips: Filo pastry dries out very quickly, so whenever you\u0026rsquo;re not using it, keep it well wrapped in a plastic bag.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s important to add butter between each layer, but you don\u0026rsquo;t need to \u0026ldquo;drown\u0026rdquo; it either.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s quite a rich, filling sweet, so it\u0026rsquo;s better to cut the squares small.\n[English version] BAKLAVA* *Ingredients:\n1 package of filo pastry\n100 g butter\nFor the syrup:\n210 ml water\n180 g sugar\n30 g honey\nJuice of 1/2 lemon\nCinnammon stick\nFor the filling:\n18 dates\n50 g almonds\n50 g chocolate (drops or chips)\n50 g hazelnuts\nCombine the syrup ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to boil. Let the syrup simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes\nPreheat oven at 180ºC.\n*Now prepare the filling: pit the dates and chop into small pieces. Chop almonds and hazelnuts. Mix almonds and dates into a bowl and chocolate and hazelnut in other. *\nMelt the butter in the microwave for a few seconds.\nButter the baking pan and cut the filo pastry sheets into the size of the baking pan.\n*Place a sheet of filo pastry and butter it. Place another sheet over it and butter again. Do it again until having 8 layers. *\n*Scatter half of the dates-almonds filling. *\n*Place more filo pastry. This time, only 4 layers but always buttered. It will make to have separate layers once the baklava is baked. *\n*Add the other half of the filling. *\n*Create another pack of 8 layers of filo pastry (always buttered). *\n*With sharp knife cut baklava into small squares. *\n*Bake for 45 minutes. The first 20 minutes uncovered and then you can cover with aluminium foil to prevent it from browning too much. *\nWhen you take it out from oven, let stand for 5 minutes and then pour the cold syrup.\nFor the hazelnut-chocolate version, you can follow the same steps or make small triangles of filo pastry. For the triangles, cut the pastry into stripes (4 x 20 cm aprox.). Butter each stripe and put 4 of them together.\n*Add a tsp of the filling in one of the sides and proceed to fold into triangle shape. You can see how to do it easily in [this video](\n{{}}\n).*\nBake at 180ºC only for 10-15 minutes.\nYou can powder some confectioners\u0026rsquo; sugar when you take them out from oven.\nTips:\n*- Filo pastry dries very fast, so when you are not using it, keep it in a plastic bag. *\n- It\u0026rsquo;s important to butter every single sheet (layer) of filo pastry but don\u0026rsquo;t \u0026ldquo;over butter\u0026rdquo; (otherwise, it will be too greasy).\n- It\u0026rsquo;s a filling sweet, so make small squares when cutting the baklava.\nComments Apfelstrudelkuchen (2012-11-26 00:03:04):\nHi!!\nYour baklava-as-triangles version turned out really original!! And with dates it must be amazing.\nHugs,\nMara (2012-11-26 17:34:08):\nSo good with the chocolate touch. I love the idea of making individual portions, because when you cut it the filo sheets tend to come apart a bit. Since everyone at home liked it so much I\u0026rsquo;ll make it again, and I\u0026rsquo;m going to do it your way, in the individual triangle version. This is my version: http://masdulcequesaladopuntocom.blogspot.com.es/\ntía pi (2012-11-27 17:48:26):\nThis Friday I have guests over for dinner — it\u0026rsquo;s going to be a light meal, so the baklava is going to be a great dessert. I\u0026rsquo;ll let you know how it goes.\nsilvia (2012-11-29 22:09:14):\nThe little chocolate triangles were really tasty… and that\u0026rsquo;s saying something, because I\u0026rsquo;m not really one for sweets…\nPalstelera (2012-12-07 19:16:00):\nMara, I\u0026rsquo;m glad you like the little-triangles version… :-)\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/baklava/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.wholekitchen.info/\"\u003eWhole kitchen\u003c/a\u003e, for their Sweet Proposal for the month of November, invites us to prepare a Persian classic: Baklava.\u003c/strong\u003e Apparently this little pastry has its origins in ancient Mesopotamia, although several cultures and civilizations are still fighting over who actually invented it. Persian, Greek or Arab — it\u0026rsquo;s delicious. This time we\u0026rsquo;ve made two versions: one with dates and toasted almonds, and another with hazelnuts and chocolate. Filo pastry is a wonder of the kitchen that you really have to try, both for sweet and savory.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Baklava"},{"content":"Whole Kitchen in their Savory Challenge for the month of November invites us to prepare an Italian classic: \u0026ldquo;Ciabatta\u0026rdquo;. I had been really wanting to make this recipe but I never thought it would turn out well, and\u0026hellip; it turned out so well, yes indeed! It even looked like a real ciabatta. The recipe is slow because of the rising times, but it\u0026rsquo;s simple to make and the result is incredibly good.\nWhat do we need? (For two loaves)\nFor the starter:\n2.5 g fresh yeast\n150 ml (2/3 cup) water\n3 tablespoons warm milk\n1/4 teaspoon honey or granulated sugar\n150 g (1.25 cups) bread flour\nFor the dough:\n2.5 g fresh yeast\n250 ml (1 cup) water\n1/2 tablespoon olive oil\n350 g (2.75 cups) bread flour\n1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt\nHow do we make it? First, we prepare the starter. Sprinkle the yeast into a large bowl with the water and milk. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then add the honey or sugar and stir to dissolve.\nAdd the flour and mix to form a loose dough. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let it ferment for 12 hours or overnight.\nOnce the wait is over, we move on to the dough. Sprinkle the yeast into a small bowl with the water. Let it sit for 5 minutes; stir to dissolve. Add the yeast water and the olive oil to the starter and mix well.\nInto the bowl, add the flour with the salt and mix to form a wet, sticky dough. Beat continuously with a wooden spoon for 5 minutes; the dough will turn fluffy and start to pull away from the sides, but it will still be too soft to knead.\nCover the dough with a kitchen towel. Let it ferment for about 3 hours, until the dough has tripled in size and is full of air bubbles. Generously flour two baking sheets and have extra flour ready to dust your hands.\nDivide the dough in half while it\u0026rsquo;s still in the bowl. Tip half of the dough onto one of the sheets.\nWith your hands well coated in flour, shape it into a rectangular loaf about 30 cm (12 inches) long. Dust the loaf and your hands again with flour. Tidy and thicken it by running your fingers along the sides and gently tucking under the bottom of the dough. Repeat the same with the other half.\nUncovered, let the loaves rise for about 20 minutes; they will spread out and grow in volume.\nPut them in the oven, preheated to 220°C (430°F), and bake for 30 minutes until the loaves have risen, are golden brown, and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Let cool on a wire rack.\nTips: It\u0026rsquo;s a very sticky dough that you barely have to work with your hands. That\u0026rsquo;s why, in the final steps, it\u0026rsquo;s important to keep your hands well covered in flour and not handle the dough too much, since otherwise half of it will end up stuck to you.\nI use the pressed baker\u0026rsquo;s yeast you can find in cubes in the supermarket in the bakery/pastry section, always refrigerated. I buy a bunch and freeze them, so I always have some on hand whenever I need it. That said, it\u0026rsquo;s important to keep in mind that frozen yeast loses a bit of its \u0026ldquo;power\u0026rdquo;, so you\u0026rsquo;ll need to add a little more than what the recipe calls for.\nWhen baking, I put both sheets in at the same time and after 20 minutes I swapped them so that both loaves cooked evenly on both sides.\nComments Marisa (2012-11-22 12:51:05):\nShe brought a piece home for me and it\u0026rsquo;s awesome, delicious, amazing\u0026hellip; mmm, I want more!\ntía pi (2012-11-22 18:13:13):\nIt\u0026rsquo;s a pleasure how well you explain everything and the tips you give. I promise to make it and tell you how it turns out.\nAngeles (2012-11-22 22:35:32):\nIt looks fantastic, just like an authentic Italian ciabatta.\nmarmota zampona (2012-11-24 19:27:46):\nI\u0026rsquo;m going to give it a try right now.\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/pan-de-chapata/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.wholekitchen.info/\"\u003eWhole Kitchen\u003c/a\u003e in their Savory Challenge for the month of November invites us to prepare an Italian classic: \u0026ldquo;Ciabatta\u0026rdquo;.\u003c/strong\u003e I had been really wanting to make this recipe but I never thought it would turn out well, and\u0026hellip; it turned out so well, yes indeed! It even looked like a real ciabatta. The recipe is slow because of the rising times, but it\u0026rsquo;s simple to make and the result is incredibly good.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Ciabatta Bread"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;m sure you\u0026rsquo;ve all tried — and many of you have made — the classic quiche lorraine (we\u0026rsquo;ve got ours ready and we\u0026rsquo;ll be posting it soon). Today we\u0026rsquo;re sharing a variation we absolutely loved, easy to make and seriously tasty.\nWhat do we need? For the shortcrust pastry:\n200 g (1 ⅔ cups) flour\n100 g (7 tbsp) cold butter\n1 egg\nA pinch of salt\nA pinch of sugar\nFor the filling:\nA dozen cherry tomatoes\n100 g (3.5 oz) emmental cheese\n50 g (1.75 oz) goat cheese log\n200 ml (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) heavy cream\n4 medium eggs\nOregano, salt and pepper.\nHow do we make it? First, make the shortcrust pastry. Here you can see how we did it.\nWhile the pastry is resting, preheat the oven to 180-200°C (355-390°F).\nOnce the dough is ready, roll it out, place it in a tart pan and bake for about 15 minutes. We do this before adding the filling so the base doesn\u0026rsquo;t end up raw. To stop it from puffing up, prick it with a fork or weigh it down with dried chickpeas.\nCut the tomatoes in half, chop the emmental and slice the goat cheese log into rounds.\nBeat the eggs and mix with the cream. Add salt and pepper.\nStir in the emmental and the oregano.\nWhen the pastry is partly baked, take it out of the oven and pour in the mixture. Spread it evenly across the pan.\nAdd the halved cherry tomatoes and the goat cheese on top.\nPut it back in the oven and bake for another 30 minutes or so.\nTips: You can use any kind of cheese for the filling.\nIf you\u0026rsquo;re feeling lazy and don\u0026rsquo;t fancy making the shortcrust pastry, you can buy it at any supermarket, either refrigerated or frozen. If you go for frozen, take it out about 15 minutes before you want to use it so you can work with it — otherwise it\u0026rsquo;ll crack.\nComments silvia (2012-11-29 22:13:25):\nman\u0026hellip; I wish I had an oven so I could follow these recipes\u0026hellip; well, the no-bake ones except for the sweet ones, you already know I\u0026rsquo;m a fan, like that pineapple salad\u0026hellip; yum yum\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/quiche-de-quesos-y-tomates-cherry/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;m sure you\u0026rsquo;ve all tried — and many of you have made — the classic quiche lorraine (we\u0026rsquo;ve got ours ready and we\u0026rsquo;ll be posting it soon). Today we\u0026rsquo;re sharing a variation we absolutely loved, easy to make and seriously tasty.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/blog/images/2011/07/IMG_937.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"Pics and Cakes\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/blog/images/2011/07/IMG_937.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"what-do-we-need\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat do we need?\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor the shortcrust pastry:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e200 g (1 ⅔ cups) flour\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e100 g (7 tbsp) cold butter\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1 egg\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA pinch of salt\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Cherry tomato and cheese quiche"},{"content":"And then we say the poor Brits have nothing in their cuisine beyond fish \u0026amp; chips and porridge\u0026hellip; I tried this recipe at my aunt\u0026rsquo;s house in Edinburgh and it was honestly a surprise. A savoury tart whose main ingredient is garlic but which, contrary to what you might think, isn\u0026rsquo;t sharp or strong-tasting at all. It\u0026rsquo;s creamy, smooth and light on the palate. Hope you enjoy it\u0026hellip;\nWhat do we need? 1 sheet of puff pastry\n3 heads of garlic (cloves separated and peeled)\n1 tablespoon olive oil\n1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar of Modena\n220 ml (¾ cup + 2 tbsp) water\n1 teaspoon icing sugar\n1 tablespoon chopped rosemary\n1 tablespoon chopped thyme, plus a few whole leaves for garnish\n120 g (4 oz) soft goat\u0026rsquo;s cheese\n120 g (4 oz) hard, mature goat\u0026rsquo;s cheese\n2 eggs\n100 ml (scant ½ cup) heavy cream\n100 ml (scant ½ cup) crème fraîche (can be replaced with heavy cream)\nSalt and pepper\nHow do we make it? Roll out the sheet of puff pastry over a round, shallow tart tin so it covers the bottom and the sides. Prick the dough with a fork, place a sheet of baking paper on top and add two handfuls of raw chickpeas (this stops the dough from puffing up while baking). Let it rest in the fridge.\nPreheat the oven to 180°C (355°F). Bake the pastry case for about 20 minutes. Remove the paper and chickpeas and bake for another 5-10 minutes. Take it out of the oven and set aside. Leave the oven on.\nWhile the pastry is baking, make the caramelised garlic. Put the garlic cloves in a pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and blanch for 3 minutes. Drain well.\nDry the pan and put the garlic cloves back in with the olive oil. Fry over high heat for 2 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and water and bring to a boil. Let it simmer gently for 10 minutes.\nAdd the sugar, rosemary, thyme and salt. Keep cooking over medium heat for another 10 minutes, or until almost all the liquid has evaporated and the garlic cloves are coated in a kind of dark syrup.\nTo assemble the tart, break up both types of cheese and scatter them over the baked pastry case. Then spoon the caramelised garlic and syrup over the whole surface.\nIn a bowl, whisk the eggs, creams, salt and pepper. Pour this mixture into the tart, trying to fill the gaps left between the cheese and the garlic but without completely covering the ingredients (you should still be able to see them).\nLower the temperature to 160°C (320°F). Bake for 35-45 minutes or until you see the filling has set and the top has turned golden.\nRemove from the tin and serve with a little thyme sprinkled on top.\nTips: To unmould the tart easily once it\u0026rsquo;s done, you can use a loose-bottomed tin, or otherwise place baking paper before lining it with the puff pastry to prevent sticking.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s delicious served with a salad. Why not with a rocket and mango salad?\nThe recipe is from this website: http://britishfood.about.com/od/adrecipes/r/caramelisedgarlictart.htm\n*[English version] CARAMELISED GARLIC TART\n**Ingredients: 1 puff pastry sheet\n3 medium heads of garlic (cloves separated and peeled)\n1 tbsp olive oil\n1 tsp balsamic vinegar\n220ml water\n¾ tbsp fine sugar\n1 tsp chopped rosemary\n1 tsp chopped thyme, plus a few whole sprigs to finish\n120g soft, creamy goat\u0026rsquo;s cheese\n120g hard, mature goat\u0026rsquo;s cheese\n2 free-range eggs\n100ml heavy/double cream\n100ml crème fraîche\nsalt and black pepper\nHave ready a shallow, loose-bottomed, 28cm fluted tart tin. Roll out the puff pastry into a circle that will line the bottom and sides of the tin, plus a little extra. Line the tin with the pastry. Place a large circle of greaseproof paper on the bottom and fill up with baking beans. Leave to rest in the fridge.\nPreheat the oven to 180°C. Place the tart case in the oven and bake blind for 20 minutes. Remove the beans and paper, then bake for a further 5-10 minutes, or until the pastry is golden. Set aside. Leave the oven on.\nWhile the tart case is baking, make the caramelized garlic. Put the cloves in a small saucepan and cover with plenty of water. Bring to a simmer and blanch for 3 minutes, then drain well.\nDry the saucepan, return the cloves to it and add the olive oil. Fry the garlic cloves on a high heat for 2 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and water and bring to the boil, then simmer gently for 10 minutes.\nAdd the sugar, rosemary, chopped thyme and ¼ teaspoon salt. Continue simmering on a medium flame for 10 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated and the garlic cloves are coated in a dark caramel syrup. Set aside.\nTo assemble the tart, break both types of goat\u0026rsquo;s cheese into pieces and scatter in the pastry case. Spoon the garlic cloves and syrup evenly over the cheese.\nIn a jug whisk together the eggs, creams, ½ teaspoon salt and some black pepper. Pour this custard over the tart filling to fill the gaps, making sure that you can still see the garlic and cheese over the surface.\nReduce the oven temperature to 160°C and place the tart inside. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the tart filling has set and the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool a little.\nThen take out of tin, trim the pastry edge if needed, lay a few sprigs of thyme on top and serve warm.\nTips:- To take it out of tin in an easy way you can use a quiche pan with the bottom removable or you can just place some oven paper on the tin before rolling out the pastry. - Serve with salad. Why not with mango and rocket salad? Recipe from this website: http://britishfood.about.com/od/adrecipes/r/caramelisedgarlictart.htm\nComments Sergio (2012-11-16 00:32:29):\nWow!!\nThis looks incredible. Who would have thought — what a surprise from the Brits.\nPalstelera (2012-11-22 19:05:14):\nPoor things, we really do underestimate them on the food front\u0026hellip;\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/tarta-de-ajos-caramelizados/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAnd then we say the poor Brits have nothing in their cuisine beyond \u003cem\u003efish \u0026amp; chips\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eporridge\u003c/em\u003e\u0026hellip; I tried this recipe at my aunt\u0026rsquo;s house in Edinburgh and it was honestly a surprise. A savoury tart whose main ingredient is garlic but which, contrary to what you might think, isn\u0026rsquo;t sharp or strong-tasting at all. It\u0026rsquo;s creamy, smooth and light on the palate. Hope you enjoy it\u0026hellip;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/blog/images/2011/07/IMG_911.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Pics and Cakes\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/blog/images/2011/07/IMG_911.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Caramelised Garlic Tart"},{"content":"Truth is, this is a recipe we\u0026rsquo;ve been making for ages and one that I always thought was \u0026ldquo;the original\u0026rdquo; — the way I figured this typical Italian dish was prepared by mammas all over Italy. How wrong I was\u0026hellip; Every Italian who\u0026rsquo;s seen us make this dish has been surprised, has laughed, and has gotten outraged in equal measure when watching us prepare \u0026ldquo;their dish\u0026rdquo; with cream instead of uovo. Here you can see how they make it, and without further ado I\u0026rsquo;ll show you our version (having tried both, I\u0026rsquo;ll stick with ours :p)\nWhat do we need? (Serves 2)\n200 g (7 oz) spaghetti\n4 slices of bacon\n1/2 onion\n200 ml (3/4 cup) cooking cream\nSalt and pepper\nHow do we make it? Put the spaghetti to cook in plenty of water (once it\u0026rsquo;s boiling), lightly salted.\nWhile the pasta is cooking — we\u0026rsquo;ll leave it for around 15 minutes — pour a splash of oil in a frying pan and add the onion.\nLet it sauté a little and add the bacon.\nOnce it\u0026rsquo;s done, add the cream and let it come to a boil.\nAdd a pinch of salt — careful not to overdo it since the bacon already gives flavor to the sauce — and a bit of pepper. Set aside if the pasta isn\u0026rsquo;t ready yet.\nDrain the pasta and mix with the carbonara sauce.\nTips: Depending on your stove, pot, and pasta, it may be ready a little before the fifteen minutes or a little after. Keep an eye on it if you like your pasta \u0026ldquo;al dente\u0026rdquo;.\nThe bacon can be swapped for pancetta.\nYou can sprinkle a bit of Parmesan cheese on top when you serve the pasta.\nComments Miguel (2012-11-07 12:01:29):\nI usually make this same recipe, but when I add the salt and pepper, I take the chance to throw in a tiny bit (very, very little) of nutmeg.\nAnd I also prefer the cream version over the egg one.\ntía pi (2012-11-07 23:41:40):\nFor me, carbonara is without onion, with bacon, cream and egg, but I\u0026rsquo;ll give yours a try.\nPalstelera (2012-11-09 21:26:49):\nI love nutmeg. Truth is I always add it to béchamel but never to carbonara — I\u0026rsquo;ll try it next time :-)\nPalstelera (2012-11-09 21:27:17):\nWithout onion? Try it, it\u0026rsquo;s delicious!\nVio (2012-12-07 20:44:34):\nBoo! I love the blog, but you also know I couldn\u0026rsquo;t stay quiet knowing you call this carbonara. Maledetti!\nI\u0026rsquo;ll take the chance to tell you that, aside from the amazing recipes, the site is super pretty and the photos rock ;-)\nBig kiss!\nPalstelera (2012-12-11 13:04:25):\nhehe, Vio. It\u0026rsquo;s not that we call it carbonara\u0026hellip; it\u0026rsquo;s that half of Spain does! That\u0026rsquo;s why, to avoid hurting any feelings, we started the post by making clear that what\u0026rsquo;s called carbonara in Spain has nothing to do with the Italian recipe\u0026hellip; But honestly, I love the Spanish version :-)\nVio (2013-03-05 12:39:39):\nHaha, sure — you, Spain\u0026hellip; it\u0026rsquo;s all about complaining :-P\nThe truth is I do really like this version, but I think the Italian one is much tastier when it\u0026rsquo;s done right, with crispy bacon, lots of pepper, and nice juicy spaghetti. I will say a lot of Italians make a pretty lousy version and it really brings the dish down.\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/pasta-carbonara/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eTruth is, this is a recipe we\u0026rsquo;ve been making for ages and one that I always thought was \u0026ldquo;the original\u0026rdquo; — the way I figured this typical Italian dish was prepared by \u003cem\u003emammas\u003c/em\u003e all over Italy. How wrong I was\u0026hellip; Every Italian who\u0026rsquo;s seen us make this dish has been surprised, has laughed, and has gotten outraged in equal measure when watching us prepare \u0026ldquo;their dish\u0026rdquo; with cream instead of \u003cem\u003euovo\u003c/em\u003e. \u003ca href=\"http://ricette.giallozafferano.it/Spaghetti-alla-Carbonara.html\"\u003eHere\u003c/a\u003e you can see how they make it, and without further ado I\u0026rsquo;ll show you our version (having tried both, I\u0026rsquo;ll stick with ours :p)\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Pasta Carbonara"},{"content":"I think this is hands-down one of the best culinary discoveries I\u0026rsquo;ve made in my life. As unbelievable as it sounds, the flavor is really close to the store-bought ones — the dough is super fluffy, it doesn\u0026rsquo;t feel greasy like some bakery doughnuts, and the chocolate glaze is simply magnificent. The only problem is that they\u0026rsquo;re highly addictive\u0026hellip; I\u0026rsquo;m warning you: once you try them, you\u0026rsquo;ll want to make them again and again. But hey, I think it\u0026rsquo;s worth it.\nWhat do we need? 300 g (2.5 cups) bread flour\n200 g (1.5 cups) all-purpose flour\n80 g (1/3 cup + 1 tbsp) sugar\n5 g (1 tsp) salt\n20 g (3 tbsp) powdered milk\n2 packets of active dry yeast\n230 g (1 cup) warm water\n1 medium egg\n40 g (3 tbsp) shortening or margarine (we use Crisco, which is an odorless and tasteless vegetable fat)\n2 teaspoons orange extract\nFor the sugar glaze:\n200 g (1.75 cups) confectioners\u0026rsquo; sugar\n1 teaspoon butter\nA splash of lemon juice\nWater\nFor the chocolate glaze:\n200 g (1.75 cups) confectioners\u0026rsquo; sugar\n1 teaspoon butter\n150 g (5.3 oz) baking chocolate\nWater\nHow do we make them? Mix the dry ingredients well: flours, sugar, salt, powdered milk and yeast.\nAdd the water — neither hot nor too cold, at room temperature — along with the beaten egg and the orange extract. Remember: if the water is hot it will \u0026ldquo;kill the yeast,\u0026rdquo; and if it\u0026rsquo;s too cold the dough will take longer to rise. Knead for about 8 minutes.\nAdd the fat and keep kneading until the dough no longer sticks to your hands. You might need to add more flour, but you won\u0026rsquo;t know until the shortening is fully incorporated. The resulting texture should be smooth and elastic.\nForm a ball and let it rest for about 45 minutes. It\u0026rsquo;s fine to let it go longer.\nAfter that time, knead it a bit and roll it out to about 1 cm (3/8 inch) thick. If you have a doughnut cutter, perfect. If not, use a round cutter (or a glass) to make the circles, and a smaller one for the inner circle. For the center hole, we just made it with our finger and stretched it a little (the dough is very elastic, so any irregularity won\u0026rsquo;t show).\nLet them rest on a tray lined with parchment paper for at least 1 hour so they can rise again.\nFry in sunflower oil (if you use olive oil it\u0026rsquo;ll give them too much flavor). The oil shouldn\u0026rsquo;t be too hot or they\u0026rsquo;ll burn right away. As soon as you drop them in the pan they\u0026rsquo;ll start puffing up. Leave them for a few seconds and flip them so they brown on the other side.\nTake them out and drain on paper towels, and while they\u0026rsquo;re still warm, dip them in the sugar glaze. If you\u0026rsquo;re using the chocolate glaze, they don\u0026rsquo;t need to be warm.\nTo make the sugar glaze, melt the butter a bit in the microwave and mix it well with the confectioners\u0026rsquo; sugar and a splash of lemon. Add a few tablespoons of water until you get a light, whitish slurry.\nFor the chocolate glaze, mix the confectioners\u0026rsquo; sugar with a few tablespoons of water (again, you want a light slurry). Melt the chocolate with the butter in the microwave and once melted, add it to the sugar-and-water mixture. If it\u0026rsquo;s too thick, add a bit more water. If on the other hand it\u0026rsquo;s too runny, let it cool down.\nTo coat the doughnuts in the sugar glaze, dip them into the bowl so the glaze sticks all over. For the chocolate glaze, only dip one side.\nTips: It looks complicated but it isn\u0026rsquo;t. You just need time, because respecting the dough\u0026rsquo;s rising times is really important.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s important that the yeast is bread yeast (not baking powder) and that the milk is powdered — otherwise your dry ingredient ratios will change and you won\u0026rsquo;t get the same result.\nWhen frying the doughnuts, do them one at a time, or if you have a large pan, 2 or 3 at most. Otherwise you risk burning them.\nComentarios zordor (2012-11-02 06:42:25):\nYou absolutely have to let me try these!!\nMarmota (2012-11-02 22:09:50):\nDelicious.\nEsther (2012-11-04 02:29:27):\nA total success!!! I made a couple of changes out of necessity. I looked up the equivalent and used fresh yeast. But the result was really good. Thanks for posting tasty things\u0026hellip; !!!! I\u0026rsquo;ll keep trying more!!!!\nPalstelera (2012-11-04 10:41:22):\nI\u0026rsquo;m so glad you guys are giving the PiC recipes a shot, and even more that they came out well and you liked them. :-) Now careful, you\u0026rsquo;re going to want to make them again\u0026hellip; :-P\ntía pi (2012-11-07 23:35:12):\nI don\u0026rsquo;t know if I\u0026rsquo;ll be able to hold off making them. They look amazing! And explained this well, it doesn\u0026rsquo;t seem complicated.\nPalstelera (2012-11-22 19:06:50):\n:-) They\u0026rsquo;re addictive, aren\u0026rsquo;t they?\n2013 | Chavalina. Diario (2012-12-31 12:11:54):\n[\u0026hellip;] and more recently baking. Mastering bread, and with new experiments: doughnuts, mini bollicaos… gotta keep trying. Next up, the [\u0026hellip;]\nSetitapili (2013-08-15 13:36:31):\nHi again, after the success of the Oreo cookies I\u0026rsquo;m going to try this recipe on Sunday when I have more time. Two questions: where do I buy bread flour? How many doughnuts does it make? Thanks a lot and I\u0026rsquo;ll let you know how it goes.\nPalstelera (2013-08-16 18:15:39):\nYou can find bread flour at almost any supermarket. For example, at Alcampo they have the Gallo brand and at Mercadona they have their own brand. It\u0026rsquo;s also important that the yeast is bread yeast (Royal won\u0026rsquo;t work). It also comes in little packets. As for the quantity, we usually make them a bit smaller than the store-bought ones and I think it makes about 15-20. It\u0026rsquo;s an easy recipe, although a bit slow because of the rising times, but you\u0026rsquo;ll see how wonderfully they turn out.\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/donuts/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI think this is hands-down one of the best culinary discoveries I\u0026rsquo;ve made in my life. As unbelievable as it sounds, the flavor is really close to the store-bought ones — the dough is super fluffy, it doesn\u0026rsquo;t feel greasy like some bakery doughnuts, and the chocolate glaze is simply magnificent. The only problem is that they\u0026rsquo;re highly addictive\u0026hellip; I\u0026rsquo;m warning you: once you try them, you\u0026rsquo;ll want to make them again and again. But hey, I think it\u0026rsquo;s worth it.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Doughnuts"},{"content":"Not too long ago we showed you how to make some delicious milk bread buns. They\u0026rsquo;re the perfect base for these tasty little roast beef sandwiches with arugula and honey mustard. It might sound fancy, but it really isn\u0026rsquo;t. Roast beef, originally from English cuisine, has become so common in Spain that even the word has been adapted into Spanish — our Royal Academy now accepts \u0026ldquo;rosbif\u0026rdquo; without any objections.\nWhat do we need? To make 16 little buns, check here.\nFor the filling:\n800 g (1.75 lb) veal loin\nDried rosemary\nOregano\nSalt and pepper\n1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce\n2 tablespoons olive oil\n1 bag of arugula\nHoney mustard sauce\nHow do we make it? Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F).\nIn a bowl, mix the rosemary, oregano, pepper, and salt with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and the Worcestershire sauce.\nBrush the meat with the mixture and sear it in a hot pan so the outside browns.\nPlace the loin on a baking tray and put another tray underneath filled with water.\nBake for about 30 minutes.\nOnce the time is up, wrap the meat in aluminum foil and let it cool.\nMeanwhile, wash the arugula and set aside.\nWhen the meat is cold, cut it into thin slices.\nAssemble the little sandwich by slicing the bun in half and adding the roast beef, arugula, and honey mustard sauce.\nTips: Following the milk bread recipe, you can change the final shape. We went for round buns instead of making small cuts in the dough to give them the classic milk bread look.\nWe bought veal loin, but to make a roast (to roast) beef, any other cut works as long as it\u0026rsquo;s big enough to brown on the outside while staying rare on the inside.\n[English version] SANDWICHES OF ROASTBEEF, ROCKET SALAD AND HONEY-MUSTARD* *For the milk bread buns follow this previous recipe. Ingredients:\n800 g veal loin\nRosemary\nOregano\nSalt and pepper\n1 tsp Perrins sauce\n2 tbsp olive oil\n1 bag of rocket salad\nHoney-mustard sauce\nPreheat oven at 200º C.\n*In a bowl mix the rosemary, oregano, salt, pepper, olive oil and Perrins sauce. *\nBrush the meat with this mixture and place it on a very hot pan and sear it.\nPlace the prepared meat into a baking tray and place another tray (or any other container) full of water.\nRoast for 30 minutes.\nTake it out from the oven and wrap the whole piece into aluminium foil. Let it cool.\nWash rocket salad and set aside.\nWhen the roastbeef is cold, cut into thin slices.\nPrepare the sandwich: open the bread, place roastbeef, rocket salad and honey-mustard sauce.\nTips:- You can choose the size and shape of your bread buns when making them.- We have used veal loin but you can use any big piece of meat that you can roast and the result is golden brown in the outside and tender in the inside. * Comentarios zordor (2012-11-01 03:51:56):\nI\u0026rsquo;m suddenly so hungry!\ntía pi (2012-11-07 23:39:30):\nThey\u0026rsquo;re absolutely delicious, I can vouch for that. Most importantly, store-bought buns are nothing compared to these. Thank you, Palo and Cesar.\nNadiap (2013-02-02 12:59:44):\nI\u0026rsquo;m going for them to surprise my family ;)\nNadiap (2013-02-02 13:00:30):\nOh wait, I\u0026rsquo;m going for the puff pastry ones\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/bocadillitos-de-roastbeef-y-rucula/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNot too long ago we showed you how to make some delicious \u003ca href=\"/picsandcakes/posts/panes_leche/\"\u003emilk bread buns\u003c/a\u003e. They\u0026rsquo;re the perfect base for these tasty little roast beef sandwiches with arugula and honey mustard. It might sound fancy, but it really isn\u0026rsquo;t. Roast beef, originally from English cuisine, has become so common in Spain that even the word has been adapted into Spanish — our Royal Academy now accepts \u0026ldquo;rosbif\u0026rdquo; without any objections.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/blog/images/2011/07/IMG_922.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Pics and Cakes\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/blog/images/2011/07/IMG_922.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Mini Roast Beef and Arugula Sandwiches"},{"content":"Whole Kitchen\u0026rsquo;s Sweet Proposal for October invites us to make an American classic: brownies\nAnd what a treat, seriously. I\u0026rsquo;ve made dozens of brownies in my life and I have to confess I almost always pull out a different recipe and they all turn out delicious. The secret is that a brownie is a compact but fluffy cake (sometimes even moist), since it usually doesn\u0026rsquo;t have any leavening and therefore doesn\u0026rsquo;t rise. I read somewhere that the brownie was actually discovered thanks to someone forgetting to add the leavening to a chocolate cake. All I can say is\u0026hellip; blessed mistake!\nWhat do we need? 200 g (7 oz) baking chocolate\n100 g (3.5 oz / 7 tbsp) butter\n2 eggs\n100 g (1/2 cup) regular sugar\n1/2 teaspoon baking soda\n1/2 teaspoon salt\n80 g (2/3 cup) flour\n100 g (3.5 oz / about 1 cup) walnuts\nHow do we make it? Chop the chocolate and put it in a microwave-safe bowl together with the butter. Melt in 20-30 second intervals, stirring each time so it doesn\u0026rsquo;t burn.\nIn another large bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar until you get a foamy mixture.\nAdd the chocolate to this foamy mixture and stir well.\nMix the flour with the salt and baking soda. Sift it and add it to the previous mixture.\nStir well and add the walnuts.\nPrepare a baking pan, greasing and flouring it so the cake doesn\u0026rsquo;t stick, and pour the mixture into it.\nPut it in the oven (preheated to 180°C / 350°F) and bake for about 30 minutes.\nIt\u0026rsquo;ll be ready when you see a light brown crust has formed on top. Remember that the toothpick won\u0026rsquo;t come out perfectly clean since this is a moist cake. The important thing is that it\u0026rsquo;s not completely liquid.\nTips: Even though brownie batter is pretty dense and it\u0026rsquo;s usually not necessary, a trick to keep the walnuts from sinking to the bottom of the pan is to coat them in flour or cocoa first.\nTo turn the brownie into a proper dessert, serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and hot chocolate sauce on top.\n[English version] BROWNIES* *Ingredients:\n200 g chocolate\n100 g butter\n2 eggs\n100 g sugar (sugar or confectioners\u0026rsquo; sugar)\n1/2 tsp baking soda\n1/2 tsp salt\n80 g flor\n*100 g walnuts *\nCut chocolate into chunks and put into a microwave bowl with butter. Melt it slowly (stop every 20-30 seconds and stir with a spoon).\n*In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and the sugar together to get a fluffy mix. *\nAdd chocolate cream and stir well.\n*Mix flour, salt and baking soda. Sift the flour mix and add to the previous cream. *\n*Stir well and add walnuts. *\n*Prepare the baking pan (butter and flour it!) and pour the mixture on it. *\n*Put into oven (preheated at 180ºC) and bake for 30 minutes. *\n*It will be ready when you see a brown crust created on the top. If you insert a needle or knife to check the baking, it might not be clean because it\u0026rsquo;s supposed to be a \u0026lsquo;wet\u0026rsquo; cake. *\n** Tips:- Normally this tip is not needed with brownies recipe because the dough is very thick. However, when you add nuts to a cake and you don\u0026rsquo;t want to have all of them at the bottom of your baking pan, you can coat the walnuts in flour or cocoa powder. *- For a perfect dessert result, serve the brownie with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream and hot chocolate sauce over it! Comentarios Griselda (2012-10-26 00:23:58):\nQue buena pinta y que bien lo has explicado\u0026hellip;te felicito por tu propuesta!! Te invito a ver mi versión http://eltallerdelosviernes.blogspot.com.es/2012/10/hoy-toca-receta-del-cwk.html\nUn saludo!\nGri\nPalstelera (2012-10-26 10:42:58):\nGracias Griselda!! Voy a echar un vistazo por tu blog :-)\nLola (2012-10-26 21:27:39):\nTu brownie tiene una pinta estupenda, la versión clásica es éxito seguro,saludos.\nPalstelera (2012-10-27 01:45:51):\n¡Gracias Lola!\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/brownie/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.wholekitchen.info\"\u003eWhole Kitchen\u003c/a\u003e\u0026rsquo;s Sweet Proposal for October invites us to make an American classic: brownies\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd what a treat, seriously. I\u0026rsquo;ve made dozens of brownies in my life and I have to confess I almost always pull out a different recipe and they all turn out delicious. The secret is that a brownie is a compact but fluffy cake (sometimes even moist), since it usually doesn\u0026rsquo;t have any leavening and therefore doesn\u0026rsquo;t rise. I read somewhere that the brownie was actually discovered thanks to someone forgetting to add the leavening to a chocolate cake. All I can say is\u0026hellip; blessed mistake!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Brownie"},{"content":"Between one thing and another, this delicious recipe seemed to have been forgotten. Luckily, now that we\u0026rsquo;re getting back into our routine, our weekly posts will too. This recipe, although it sounds fancy and complicated, is really just a salad with slightly unusual ingredients that will delight anyone who tries it.\nWhat do we need? (serves 4)\n2 ripe mangoes\n150 g (5.3 oz) duck ham\nArugula\nPine nuts\nOil, salt, and vinegar\nHow do we make it? Lightly toast the pine nuts in a hot pan, without oil.\nPeel and slice the mangoes into thin layers.\nBuild the mille-feuilles by alternating mango slices with duck ham and arugula.\nPrepare a vinaigrette to taste and drizzle it on top right before serving.\nSprinkle a few toasted pine nuts over each mille-feuille.\nTips: For a more budget-friendly version, you can swap the duck ham for serrano ham and the pine nuts for toasted hazelnuts.\nFruit in salads adds a sweet, fresh touch, so feel free to throw mango, pineapple, apple\u0026hellip; into your everyday salads.\n[English version] SALAD WITH MANGO AND DUCK HAM Ingredients (serving 4):\n2 large mangos\n150 g duck ham\nrocket salad\npine nuts\nolive oil, vinegar and salt\nGrill the pine nuts in a saucepan.\nPeel and cut into thin slices the mangos.\nCreate the individual salads by alternating layers of mango, rocket salad and duck ham.\nMake a vinaigrette and pour it over the salad before serving.\nAdd some pine nuts.\nTips:- For the economic version of this recipe, use cured (pork) ham instead of duck ham and hazelnuts instead of pine nuts.- You can use mango or any other fruit for your ordinary salads, the taste will be fresh and sweet!\nComentarios Marisa (2012-10-25 13:51:49):\nDelicious! I\u0026rsquo;ve tried it.\nLola (2012-10-26 21:29:19):\nI\u0026rsquo;m saving your recipe, looks tasty.\nPalstelera (2012-10-27 01:45:21):\nYes, it really is worth it because it\u0026rsquo;s so easy and absolutely delicious\u0026hellip;\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/milhoja-de-mango-y-jamon-de-pato/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eBetween one thing and another, this delicious recipe seemed to have been forgotten. Luckily, now that we\u0026rsquo;re getting back into our routine, our weekly posts will too. This recipe, although it sounds fancy and complicated, is really just a salad with slightly unusual ingredients that will delight anyone who tries it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/blog/images/2011/07/IMG_907.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Pics and Cakes\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/blog/images/2011/07/IMG_907.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"what-do-we-need\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat do we need?\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e(serves 4)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2 ripe mangoes\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e150 g (5.3 oz) duck ham\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Mango and Duck Ham Mille-Feuille"},{"content":"Whole kitchen in their Savory Proposal for October invites us to prepare a French classic, \u0026ldquo;Coq au Vin\u0026rdquo;. Or in other words, chicken in wine — you can tell I learned French at school :p.\nWhat do we need? (serves 2)\n2 chicken thighs\n1 large onion\n2 carrots\n3 slices of bacon\n2 cloves of garlic\n50 g (1.75 oz) mushrooms\n2 glasses of wine\n4 glasses of chicken stock\nFlour and butter\nSalt and pepper\nHow do we make it? Start by chopping the onion, carrot and bacon.\nHeat a little oil over medium heat in a wide, shallow pot. Add the chopped ingredients.\nOnce they\u0026rsquo;re slightly golden, add the minced garlic, cook for a minute and set aside in a bowl.\nIn a zip-lock plastic bag, add a couple of tablespoons of flour, a pinch of salt and pepper. Drop in one of the thighs and shake to coat. Repeat with the other.\nOnce floured and seasoned, sear the thighs in a pan for about 10 minutes.\nRemove the chicken, add the wine and let it reduce a bit.\nReturn the thighs to the pan, add the vegetables and pour in the chicken stock.\nSimmer everything together over low heat for about 50 minutes.\nOnce the chicken is well cooked, remove the chicken and the vegetables.\nWith a tablespoon of flour and one of butter, form a smooth paste and stir it into the sauce.\nStirring constantly, cook over low heat for a couple of minutes until the mixture thickens.\nIn a frying pan with a little oil, sauté the mushrooms until golden.\nFinally, return all the ingredients to the pot and let everything cook together for a couple of minutes so the flavors blend.\nTips: If you have some sauce left over, you can use it to make some tasty meatballs in sauce.\nIf it doesn\u0026rsquo;t thicken enough, add a tablespoon of cornstarch dissolved in cold water.\n[English version] COQ AU VIN* *Ingredients (serving 2):\n2 chicken legs an thighs\n1 large onion\n2 carrots\n3 bacon slides\n2 cloves of garlic\n50 g mushrooms\n2 cups of red wine\n*4 cups of chicken stock *\nFlour and butter\nSalt and pepper\nChop onion, carrot and bacon.\n*Place some olive oil into a deep sauce pan and heat it. Add chopped ingredients. *\nCook until ingredients are slightly browned, add chopped garlic and keep cooking for one minute. Set aside.\n*Put a couple of tbsp of flour, a pinch of salt and pepper into a plastic bag. Put the chicken inside and shake it well to create a thin layer on the chicken. *\nStir over a high heat for 10 minutes.\n*Remove chicken, add red wine and simmer to reduce it. *\n*Put the chicken back into the sauce pan, add chopped vegetables and chicken stock. *\n*Simmer for round 50 minutes, cooking over a low heat. *\nWhen chicken is soft and cooked, remove it from the sauce pan.\n*In a different bowl, mix some flour and butter and add it to the sauce. *\n*Keep stiring, cooking over a low heat for a couple of minutes. *\n*In another pan, stir fry the mushrooms with a bit of olive oil until golden browned. *\nAdd all the ingredients into the sauce pan with the wine sauce and cook for a couple of minutes in order to combine all flavors.\nTips:**- If there is some sauce left, you can use for preparing meatballs. It will be delicious!* If you want a thicker sauce, add some corn flour.* Comments tía pi (2012-11-18 22:03:03):\nToday I made the coq au vin following your recipe — delicious! I didn\u0026rsquo;t make it with rooster, I used a free-range chicken, one of those that look like they\u0026rsquo;ve got hepatitis, and honestly it was finger-licking good. I had some sauce left over and I\u0026rsquo;m planning to poach a few eggs to keep dipping bread. Thanks, piggies.\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/coq-au-vin/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.wholekitchen.info/\"\u003eWhole kitchen\u003c/a\u003e in their Savory Proposal for October invites us to prepare a French classic, \u0026ldquo;Coq au Vin\u0026rdquo;.\u003c/strong\u003e Or in other words, chicken in wine — you can tell I learned French at school :p.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/blog/images/2012/10/IMG_568.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Pics and Cakes\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/blog/images/2012/10/IMG_568.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"what-do-we-need\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat do we need?\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e(serves 2)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2 chicken thighs\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1 large onion\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2 carrots\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e3 slices of bacon\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2 cloves of garlic\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e50 g (1.75 oz) mushrooms\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2 glasses of wine\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e4 glasses of chicken stock\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Coq au vin"},{"content":"Whole kitchen, in their Sweet Proposal for September, invites us to make a Spanish classic: \u0026ldquo;Piononos\u0026rdquo;. And honestly, this challenge made me really happy because I think these little pastries are an absolute delight. I\u0026rsquo;d actually come across them before, though under the popular nickname \u0026lsquo;Vicksvaporub\u0026rsquo; at Confitería Rufino in Aracena. Apparently they\u0026rsquo;re typical of Granada, and legend has it they got their name because they were made in honor of Pope Pius IX. Of course, like with every recipe, the origin and authorship are still up for debate, but whoever made them first, these little pastries are wonderful.\nWhat do we need? (10-12 units)\nFor the sponge cake:\n2 large eggs\n2 tablespoons of sugar\n1 tablespoon of flour\n1 tablespoon of cornstarch\n2 tablespoons of milk\na pinch of salt\nButter for greasing\nFor the syrup:\n150 g (5.3 oz) sugar\n150 ml (2/3 cup) water\nA cinnamon stick\nA splash of rum (optional)\nFor the yolk cream:\n4 egg yolks\nThe weight of the yolks in sugar\nThe volume of the sugar in water\nA pinch of cornstarch\nHow do we make them? We start with the yolk cream so it has time to cool down.\nFirst, make a syrup with equal parts water and sugar. Put both ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. How thick the yolk cream ends up depends, in part, on how much you cook the syrup down. For a filling-cream texture, let the syrup reach the soft-ball stage (reduce it down to the original water volume — that is, if you used 250 ml (1 cup) of water and 250 ml (1 cup) of sugar, take it off the heat once it\u0026rsquo;s reduced to 250 ml (1 cup) of syrup).\nLet the syrup cool a bit. Meanwhile, separate the yolks and whisk them lightly. Once the syrup is lukewarm, add it to the yolks slowly, whisking constantly (off the heat), until you\u0026rsquo;ve added all the syrup.\nPut it on low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until it thickens. (The longer you cook it, the thicker it gets.) You can add half a teaspoon of cornstarch dissolved in a tablespoon of cold water.\nMake the syrup by boiling all the ingredients for 5 minutes.\nLine the baking tray with parchment paper and grease it with butter.\nPreheat the oven to 180°C (355°F) and start preparing the sponge cake.\nWhip the egg whites with a pinch of salt. Once they\u0026rsquo;re stiff, add the sugar little by little while still whisking, until it\u0026rsquo;s fully dissolved and the meringue is firm and glossy. Set aside.\nIn a bowl, combine the flour and cornstarch (sifted together), add the yolks and mix, then gradually add the milk to get a smooth, lump-free cream.\nAdd the yolk mixture to the meringue in several stages, folding gently with a spatula.\nCarefully spread the batter on the prepared baking tray in a 4-5 mm (about 1/5 inch) thick layer. Place in the preheated oven on the middle rack. Pull it out as soon as it picks up a bit of color (about 7-8 minutes). Flip it onto another sheet of parchment paper. Let it cool slightly and brush it with the syrup.\nOnce it\u0026rsquo;s cool, spread a thin layer of yolk cream over the sponge sheet.\nCut strips about 3-4 cm (1.2-1.6 inches) wide and roll them up in a spiral. Place the little pastries vertically into paper cupcake liners. Add a teaspoon of cream on top of each one. Sprinkle with sugar and torch it with a kitchen blowtorch.\nTips: The sponge cake has to be very thin. These quantities worked for me with my oven, which has a square tray that\u0026rsquo;s smaller than usual. I think if you double the amounts you\u0026rsquo;ll have enough for a regular-size tray. In any case, if it\u0026rsquo;s too much batter, better not to use it all or the sponge will end up too thick.\nIn principle, the sponge doesn\u0026rsquo;t need any baking powder because the whipped egg whites give it enough volume. Even so, next time I\u0026rsquo;ll try adding a pinch to see how it turns out.\nDon\u0026rsquo;t forget to grease the parchment paper with butter — the sponge sheet is very thin and could easily tear when you try to peel it off.\nThe recipe we followed is from Belenciaga, but using it as inspiration you can come up with all kinds of variations. Comentarios Marmotona zampona (2012-09-25 15:00:11):\nEstan buenisimos tanto en ingles como en español.\ntía pi (2012-09-25 16:06:37):\nLos pienso hacer ¡YA! esta bonita la presentación es que yo había visto la de los chanchos\u0026hellip;\nApfelStrudel Kuchen (2012-09-26 10:27:58):\nMuy buena pinta!!! Seguro que no quedaron ni las migas!! Un saludo,\nMarisa (2012-09-27 13:36:46):\nTengo la suerte de ser una de las catadoras y os aseguro que están riquíiiiiiiiiiiiiisimos.\nGriselda (2012-10-10 14:42:06):\nQue buena pinta\u0026hellip;.\nAyer estuve mirando la propuesta que tenemos para este mes en el Círculo y tienta mucho prepararlos\u0026hellip;.Un abrazo\nGri http://eltallerdelosviernes.blogspot.com.es/\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/piononos/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.wholekitchen.info\"\u003eWhole kitchen\u003c/a\u003e, in their Sweet Proposal for September, invites us to make a Spanish classic: \u0026ldquo;Piononos\u0026rdquo;.\u003c/strong\u003e And honestly, this challenge made me really happy because I think these little pastries are an absolute delight. I\u0026rsquo;d actually come across them before, though under the popular nickname \u0026lsquo;Vicksvaporub\u0026rsquo; at Confitería Rufino in Aracena. Apparently they\u0026rsquo;re typical of Granada, and legend has it they got their name because they were made in honor of Pope Pius IX. Of course, like with every recipe, the origin and authorship are still up for debate, but whoever made them first, these little pastries are wonderful.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Piononos"},{"content":"Whole Kitchen in their Savory Proposal for the month of September invites us to make an Italian classic: \u0026ldquo;Stuffed Pasta.\u0026rdquo; With this recipe we kick off a new adventure on this amazing food blog, where every month we\u0026rsquo;re challenged to make a savory dish and a sweet one. We love the idea — it\u0026rsquo;s original and pretty useful, since it pushes you to make dishes you might not normally tackle, and it also lets you check out what the other participants come up with.\nWhat do we need? (Serves 4)\nFor the dough: 300 g (2.5 cups) flour 1 egg and 1 egg white 2 tbsp olive oil 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp vinegar For the filling: 2 small onions, finely chopped 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped 300 g (10.5 oz) mushrooms 2 tbsp parsley Salt 40 g (1.5 oz) aged cheese For the sauce: 200 ml (3/4 cup + 1 tbsp) heavy cream 4 slices of bacon (thick-cut) Salt and pepper How do we do it? Put the flour in a bowl, make a well in the center, and add the egg, the egg white, the salt, the oil, and the vinegar.\nKnead until you get an elastic dough, adding a splash of water if needed.\nWrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for at least an hour.\nHeat a little oil in a large pan, add the onions, garlic, and mushrooms. Cook gently over low heat until all the liquid has evaporated.\nStir in the parsley and season. Add the finely chopped aged cheese and mix well (with the heat off). Let it cool.\nOnce the dough has rested, divide it in two and roll out one half with a rolling pin until very thin. Ideally you\u0026rsquo;d use a pasta machine, but not everyone has one at home, so a rolling pin will do the trick.\nPlace small mounds of filling on the pasta sheet, leaving space between them.\nRoll out the second half of the dough very thin and lay it over the first one. With your hands, press around the mounds to shape the ravioli.\nFinally, cut out the ravioli with a round cutter (like a pizza cutter) with fluted edges. Set the ravioli aside while you prepare the sauce.\nIf instead of ravioli you\u0026rsquo;d rather make tortellini, roll out the dough very thin, fill it, and fold as shown in this [video](\n{{}}\n).\nFor the sauce, use the leftover filling. Sauté the bacon cut into small cubes, add the leftover filling and the cream, and bring to a boil. Simmer for a few minutes and adjust salt and pepper to taste.\nCook the pasta, drain it, add the sauce, and\u0026hellip; buon appetito!\nTips: The dough has to be very thin. If you\u0026rsquo;re using a rolling pin, that means once you think it\u0026rsquo;s thin enough, roll it out at least three more times. I also recommend making your ravioli or tortellini small, since they\u0026rsquo;ll grow when cooked. If you don\u0026rsquo;t have a pasta cutter, you can use a regular knife, but make sure to seal the edges well afterward or you\u0026rsquo;ll lose the filling during cooking. You can seal them with your fingers, a fork, or the edge of a serrated knife. Our pasta took quite a while to cook (15 minutes) because the pieces were too big and chunky. Comentarios Pili - Kooking (2012-09-18 21:59:46):\nEven if they\u0026rsquo;re big and \u0026ldquo;chunky,\u0026rdquo; they look fantastic!! Kisses\nPalstelera (2012-09-18 22:38:56):\nThanks so much. We\u0026rsquo;ll keep improving, but for a first try they really weren\u0026rsquo;t bad at all.\nNadia (2012-09-19 12:52:47):\nyesyesyes, they look amazing!\nEsther (2012-09-23 16:30:33):\nI already tried the recipe. Since mushrooms are my arch-enemies, I made a sauté of ground meat, turkey ham, onion, and a bit of mozzarella, and they turned out really good!!!!! That said, what a lot of work!!! Hugs, picsandcakes\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/pasta-fresca-rellena/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.wholekitchen.info/\"\u003eWhole Kitchen\u003c/a\u003e in their Savory Proposal for the month of September invites us to make an Italian classic: \u0026ldquo;Stuffed Pasta.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/strong\u003e With this recipe we kick off a new adventure on this amazing food blog, where every month we\u0026rsquo;re challenged to make a savory dish and a sweet one. We love the idea — it\u0026rsquo;s original and pretty useful, since it pushes you to make dishes you might not normally tackle, and it also lets you check out what the other participants come up with.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fresh Stuffed Pasta"},{"content":"When Palstelera first told me she was going to make hummus, I had no idea what she was even talking about. She had tried it in Edinburgh and told me it was some kind of chickpea purée. Chickpea purée? Well, yes — and a really tasty one. Since then we\u0026rsquo;ve made it loads of times for parties, because it\u0026rsquo;s a super easy appetizer to put together and it\u0026rsquo;s absolutely delicious.\nWhat do we need? 1 large can of cooked chickpeas 2-3 cloves of garlic 1 tablespoon of tahini (sesame seed paste) 1 teaspoon of ground cumin 1 teaspoon of salt 100 ml (scant 1/2 cup) of olive oil 100 ml (scant 1/2 cup) of lemon juice Sweet paprika How do we make it? Rinse and drain the chickpeas.\nAdd all the ingredients except the paprika to a blender jug and blend until smooth.\nOnce it\u0026rsquo;s ready, taste and adjust the salt if needed.\nServe in a bowl, sprinkle a little sweet paprika on top and add a drizzle of olive oil.\nServe with breadsticks, grissini, toasted bread, pita, etc.\nTips: If you\u0026rsquo;d rather, you can swap the canned chickpeas for some you cook fresh for the occasion, or leftovers from a delicious Cocido Madrileño/Maragato.\nIf it turns out too thick, you can add a bit more lemon juice or a splash of water.\n[English version] HUMMUS **Ingredients:- 1 can of chickpeas\n2-3 cloves of garlic\n1 tsp tahini (sesamo seed paste)\n1 tsp cumin- 1 tsp salt- 100 ml olive oil\n100 ml lemon juice\nPaprika\nWash and drain chickpeas.\nPut all the ingredients into a bowl except sweet paprika and combine them in blender or food processor.\nTaste and add some extra salt if need it.\nPlace in a serving bowl, and add a small amount of paprika and a bit of olive oil.\nServe with small toasts, grilled bread, pita bread, etc.\nTips:- Instead of canned chickpeas you can boil chickpeas for this recipe or use some you have from previous stews.\nIf the hummus is too dry, you can add some more lemon juice or even a bit of water.\nComments zordor (2012-09-13 18:14:16):\nMmmh so good! Seriously, you didn\u0026rsquo;t know it? Come on, you really didn\u0026rsquo;t?! Hehe, that said\u0026hellip; it gives you some terrible farts :P\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/hummus/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWhen Palstelera first told me she was going to make hummus, I had no idea what she was even talking about. She had tried it in Edinburgh and told me it was some kind of chickpea purée. Chickpea purée? Well, yes — and a really tasty one. Since then we\u0026rsquo;ve made it loads of times for parties, because it\u0026rsquo;s a super easy appetizer to put together and it\u0026rsquo;s absolutely delicious.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hummus"},{"content":"We were putting together a surprise afternoon snack where we wanted everything to be absolutely homemade, so we couldn\u0026rsquo;t even allow ourselves to buy the bread. One of the things we wanted to make was little savory sandwiches and, once again, we turned to the La Receta de la Felicidad blog to follow their steps and make some great milk bread buns. Honestly, we thought it would be pretty complicated, but how wrong we were\u0026hellip;\nWhat do we need? (16 buns)\n500 g (about 4 cups) bread flour 25 g (about 1 oz) fresh yeast (or two sachets of dry baker's yeast) 250 ml (1 cup) milk 70 g (about 5 tbsp) butter, softened (i.e. nice and soft) 40 g (about 3 tbsp) sugar 1 egg 2 tablespoons of honey A pinch of salt How do we do it? Mix the flour and yeast in a large bowl and add the egg and milk.\nAdd the sugar, honey and salt, and mix well using a spoon or fork.\nAdd the butter, and knead for 10-15 minutes, until you get a soft, pliable, slightly shiny dough.\nForm the dough into a ball by turning it and folding it inwards, and let it rest in a lightly floured bowl, covered with a cloth, for about two hours so it doubles in volume.\nTake the dough out of the bowl and lightly press it down with your fingers to \u0026lsquo;deflate\u0026rsquo; it.\nCut the dough into 16 portions, and shape them into buns.\nTo do this, we have two methods. The first one is to take each piece of dough and roll it on itself, as if the bun were swallowing itself up. (Since my explanation leaves a lot to be desired, you can watch it in this video). The second method is to roll out each piece of dough into a rectangular shape. On one of the ends, make three or four cuts with a sharp knife to create some fringes. Finally, roll up the dough starting from the side opposite the fringes, so that when you finish, the fringes end up on the outside and give that distinctive look of milk buns.\nBrush the buns with a little milk, let them rest on a baking tray lined with parchment paper for about 20 minutes, and meanwhile preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F).\nBake the buns for 10-12 minutes, and let them cool to room temperature on a wire rack.\nTips: If you let the dough rest longer, nothing happens except that it might grow out of control (like what happened to us, when we discovered a mutant dough trying to escape from the bowl). To shape the buns, we used the two methods we found at La Receta de la Felicidad, since we made two batches of dough and one of them (despite following the same steps) came out stickier, so the first method was easier for us. The flavor in my opinion isn\u0026rsquo;t exactly the same as store-bought milk buns, but they are delicious, very fluffy, and you can fill them with both sweet and savory fillings. *[English version] MILK BREAD BUNS ** *Ingredients:\n- 500 g strong bread flour - 25 g fresh yeast (or two sachets dry yeast) - 250 ml milk - 70 g butter, room temperature - 40 g sugar - 1 egg - 2 tbs honey - A pinch of salt\nCombine flour and yeast in a bowl. Add the egg, honey, milk, sugar and salt and mix well.\nAdd butter and use a large spoon or fork to mix everything together.\nTake the dough out of the bowl and knead. You will feel the dough become elastic after kneading for about 5 minutes. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes more or until the dough is soft, pliable, smooth and slightly shiny-\nPut the dough into a lightly floured bowl and cover with a cloth. Let the dough rise in a warm place until its size doubles (aprox. two hours)\nTake the dough out of the bowl, deflate it by touching lightly.\nCut the dough into 16 pieces, and roll each of them into an oval shape. Or alternatively, roll out each piece of dough forming a rectangle 1 cm thick. Cut 1/3 the length of the rectangle into 4/5 strips of equal width and roll up the dough similar to a Swiss roll.\nPreheat oven to 180ºC and let the milk buns rest for 20 minutes.\nGlaze the buns with some milk, and bake them for 10-12 minutes. Let them cool on a wire rack\nTips:**- Nothing wrong if you leave the dough more time covered with a cloth, it will just rise even more! * - We made the bun shape following the two different methods. For sticky doughs is easier the first method (just forming the oval shape). *- You won\u0026rsquo;t achieve exactly the same flavor than the milk buns of the supermarket but it is absolutely delicious, spongy and can be filled with sweet or savory ingredients. *\nComments marmota zampona (2012-09-12 08:16:25):\nwe\u0026rsquo;ll make them. thanks\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/panes_leche/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe were putting together a surprise afternoon snack where we wanted everything to be absolutely homemade, so we couldn\u0026rsquo;t even allow ourselves to buy the bread. One of the things we wanted to make was little savory sandwiches and, once again, we turned to the \u003ca href=\"www.larecetadelafelicidad.com\"\u003eLa Receta de la Felicidad\u003c/a\u003e blog to follow their steps and make some great milk bread buns. Honestly, we thought it would be pretty complicated, but how wrong we were\u0026hellip;\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Milk Bread Buns"},{"content":"Taking advantage of the fact that it\u0026rsquo;s not too cold yet, though it\u0026rsquo;s clearly true that Winter is Coming, here\u0026rsquo;s a simple recipe you can put together for any family gathering, get-together with friends, or just an everyday meal — you can even make it the day before.\nWhat do we need? (serves 4-6)\n2-3 large potatoes 3-4 sausages 1 onion 2 tomatoes 3-4 pickles How do we make it? Boil the potatoes with the skin on, washed.\nPoke the potatoes with a \u0026ldquo;pincho catador\u0026rdquo; (a fork or any utensil that lets you check if the potatoes are done). Once they\u0026rsquo;re ready, take them out, peel, chop into pieces and set aside.\nIn a frying pan with a splash of oil, cook the sausages and then cut them into chunks. Set aside once done.\nMeanwhile, slice an onion into strips and dice the tomatoes.\nMix everything in a large salad bowl and add the mostanesa sauce (mayonnaise and mustard in a 4-to-1 ratio).\nFinally, let it chill in the fridge.\nTips: Palstelera loves sweet-and-sour pickles, so the tip is obvious — go with sweet-and-sour pickles. The mayo-to-mustard ratio is just a guideline. It depends on the kind of mustard you\u0026rsquo;re using and whether you like the flavor milder or with more kick. ","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/ensalada-alemana/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eTaking advantage of the fact that it\u0026rsquo;s not too cold yet, though it\u0026rsquo;s clearly true that \u003cem\u003eWinter is Coming\u003c/em\u003e, here\u0026rsquo;s a simple recipe you can put together for any family gathering, get-together with friends, or just an everyday meal — you can even make it the day before.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/blog/images/2011/07/IMG_360.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Pics and Cakes\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/blog/images/2011/07/IMG_360.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"what-do-we-need\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat do we need?\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e(serves 4-6)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cpre\u003e\u003ccode\u003e  2-3 large potatoes\n\u003c/code\u003e\u003c/pre\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cpre\u003e\u003ccode\u003e  3-4 sausages\n\u003c/code\u003e\u003c/pre\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cpre\u003e\u003ccode\u003e  1 onion\n\u003c/code\u003e\u003c/pre\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cpre\u003e\u003ccode\u003e  2 tomatoes\n\u003c/code\u003e\u003c/pre\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cpre\u003e\u003ccode\u003e  3-4 pickles\n\u003c/code\u003e\u003c/pre\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"how-do-we-make-it\"\u003eHow do we make it?\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBoil the potatoes with the skin on, washed.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"German-Style Salad"},{"content":"On one of my regular visits to the La Receta de la Felicidad blog, I came across this recipe for express cookies. In my case they weren\u0026rsquo;t quite so express since I decided to make the shortcrust pastry myself instead of buying it. In any case, the idea of the woven cookies is striking for how simple it is and how pretty they look, so you have no excuse not to try them.\nWhat do we need? 1 sheet of shortcrust pastry* 1 tablespoon of butter Sugar and cinnamon *If instead of buying it you\u0026rsquo;d rather make the shortcrust pastry yourselves, you\u0026rsquo;ll also need:\n200 g (1.5 cups) of flour 100 g (7 tbsp) of cold butter 1 egg A pinch of salt A pinch of sugar How do we make it? Shortcrust pastry:\nPut all the ingredients in a bowl. The butter has to be very cold and cut into small pieces.\nStart kneading with your hands until you have a smooth dough, shape it into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap. Let it rest in the fridge for an hour.\nOnce the waiting time is up, roll out the dough with a rolling pin until it\u0026rsquo;s quite thin (about 5 mm / 1/4 inch). You can do this with the help of a couple of sheets of baking paper or even plastic wrap.\nCookies:\nPreheat the oven to 200°C (390°F).\nWith the dough rolled out, cut strips of 1 cm (about 1/2 inch) with a sharp knife.\nNow we weave the dough. To do this, place half of the strips together in a vertical position. Then place the other strips one by one horizontally, passing them through the vertical strips alternating over and under (since a picture is worth a thousand words, take a look at the photo).\nWith a round cookie cutter (or any shape you like), cut out the cookies from the freshly woven dough.\nBrush them with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon (don\u0026rsquo;t be shy with the amount, since shortcrust pastry isn\u0026rsquo;t sweet).\nPlace the cookies on a tray lined with baking paper and bake them for 10 minutes.\nTips: You can add any spice or flavoring you like. In my case I used a powdered sugar flavored with cinnamon and apple. So they don\u0026rsquo;t lose their shape too much, the shortcrust pastry has to be very cold and you should handle it as little as possible (in this case, it\u0026rsquo;s easier with store-bought shortcrust pastry). If you make them a bit bigger than a coffee cup, you can serve them in the original way that @SandeeA does. ","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/galletas_masaquebrada/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOn one of my regular visits to the \u003ca href=\"http://www.larecetadelafelicidad.com/2011/11/galletas-express.html\"\u003eLa Receta de la Felicidad\u003c/a\u003e blog, I came across this recipe for express cookies. In my case they weren\u0026rsquo;t quite so express since I decided to make the shortcrust pastry myself instead of buying it. In any case, the idea of the woven cookies is striking for how simple it is and how pretty they look, so you have no excuse not to try them.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Shortcrust Pastry Cookies"},{"content":"Salmorejo is one of my favorite dishes, and I can vouch for the fact that I\u0026rsquo;m not the only person in my family who, the moment we get back from a long trip abroad, the first thing we ask for at home is a good salmorejo and a proper Spanish potato omelette. This dish is typical of Córdoba and it shares similarities with gazpacho since, at the end of the day, it\u0026rsquo;s a kind of cold soup or cream with tomato as its base. Needless to say, the better the tomatoes you use, the better the salmorejo will turn out.\nWhat do we need? (serves 6)\n1 kg (2.2 lb) ripe red tomatoes 1 piece of bread 150 ml (2/3 cup) olive oil (or to taste) 1-2 cloves of garlic Salt Vinegar 4 eggs 200 g (7 oz) Serrano ham How do we make it? Wash the tomatoes, cut them into pieces and put them in a bowl.\nAdd the bread (it can be stale bread that we\u0026rsquo;ve soaked in water for a few minutes beforehand to soften it), salt, garlic, vinegar and a little olive oil.\nBlend with the mixer until you get a smooth cream. Keep adding more olive oil until you get a soft, creamy texture. The amount of olive oil depends on personal taste. The more oil you add, the thicker it will get and the pinker it will look.\nTaste and adjust the salt and vinegar to your liking. Set aside in the fridge.\nBoil the eggs, peel them and cut them into small cubes.\nChop the Serrano ham into small cubes too.\nServe the salmorejo very cold with ham and egg on top.\nTips: Some people prefer to peel the tomatoes for a finer result. To make this easier, you can blanch the tomatoes first to remove the skin comfortably. You can make the salmorejo a bit lighter by skipping the bread and reducing the amount of oil. As always, garlic is up to personal taste, but don\u0026rsquo;t go overboard or you\u0026rsquo;ll kill the flavor. *[English version] SALMOREJO (Spanish cold tomatoe soup)\n**Ingredients (serves 6):- 1 kg ripe red tomatoes Bread\n150 ml olive oil\nVinegar\nSalt\n1-2 cloves of garlic- 4 eggs- 200 g cured ham\nWash and cut tomatoes into pieces. Place into a large bowl.\nAdd bread (you can use stale bread so put it before with some water in order to soften it), salt, garlic, vinegar and a bit of olive oil.\nBlend all the ingredients with a mixer or blender until you get a smooth cream. Add more olive oil until creamy and soft. (The amount of olive oil is up to you).\nTry and add more salt and vinegar if necessary. Place into fridge.\nBoil the eggs, peel them and cut into small pieces.\nCut ham into small pieces.\nServe cold salmorejo with some egg and ham in the top.\nTips:- You can peel the tomatoes. For making it easier, scald tomatoes in boiling water.\nIf you want to prepare a lighter version, avoid adding bread and reduce the amount of olive oil.\nUse garlic according to your preferences but don\u0026rsquo;t add too much or you won\u0026rsquo;t taste the other flavours!\nComments zordor (2012-08-21 05:56:31):\nHaha I can vouch for it, I can vouch that the first thing we need to see on the table is salmorejo and potato omelette :) Ufff you\u0026rsquo;ve made me so hungry! Well, not even hungry! Salmorejo is something you can eat even when you\u0026rsquo;re not hungry!\nMarisa (2012-08-21 09:26:34):\nYummmm! I\u0026rsquo;m making it tomorrow\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/salmorejo/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSalmorejo is one of my favorite dishes, and I can vouch for the fact that I\u0026rsquo;m not the only person in my family who, the moment we get back from a long trip abroad, the first thing we ask for at home is a good salmorejo and a proper Spanish potato omelette. This dish is typical of Córdoba and it shares similarities with gazpacho since, at the end of the day, it\u0026rsquo;s a kind of cold soup or cream with tomato as its base. Needless to say, the better the tomatoes you use, the better the salmorejo will turn out.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Salmorejo"},{"content":"Knowing how little my dad cares for innovation in food (what he calls \u0026ldquo;chuminás\u0026rdquo; — fancy nonsense), whenever we put together appetizers for birthdays or special celebrations we always have to play the card of foods he considers \u0026ldquo;essentials\u0026rdquo;. So for my last birthday we went looking for appetizers he might actually like, and over at Directo al Paladar we found this one.\nWhat do we need? 1 sheet of refrigerated puff pastry 100 grams (3.5 oz) of serrano ham Oregano 1 egg How do we make it? Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F).\nCut the puff pastry sheet into strips roughly 1.5 cm (0.6 in) wide and 10 cm (4 in) long.\nBrush them with beaten egg so they brown nicely in the oven, sprinkle oregano on top, and flip them over.\nCut the ham into strips the same length as the pastry and lay them on top.\nTwist the sticks with the ham one by one. To do this, grab each strip by the ends and turn in opposite directions. Pop them in the oven for about 15 minutes.\nTips: Every oven is its own beast, so temperature and time may vary. We recommend keeping a close eye on them, especially at the start, so the heat stays high but the pastry doesn\u0026rsquo;t get scorched. The first time we made these we threw in two new versions: some with just oregano, and others with aged cheese. They were all delicious. That said, the serrano ham ones don\u0026rsquo;t need it, but for the others add a pinch of salt and you\u0026rsquo;ll see how much better they get. ","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/hojaldritos-de-jamon/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eKnowing how little my dad cares for innovation in food (what he calls \u0026ldquo;chuminás\u0026rdquo; — fancy nonsense), whenever we put together appetizers for birthdays or special celebrations we always have to play the card of foods he considers \u0026ldquo;essentials\u0026rdquo;. So for my last birthday we went looking for appetizers he might actually like, and over at Directo al Paladar we found \u003ca href=\"http://www.directoalpaladar.com/recetas-de-aperitivos/receta-de-hojaldre-de-jamon-iberico-aperitivos-de-navidad\"\u003ethis one\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/blog/images/2011/07/IMG_944.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Pics and Cakes\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/blog/images/2011/07/IMG_944.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"what-do-we-need\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat do we need?\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cpre\u003e\u003ccode\u003e  1 sheet of refrigerated puff pastry\n\u003c/code\u003e\u003c/pre\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cpre\u003e\u003ccode\u003e  100 grams (3.5 oz) of serrano ham\n\u003c/code\u003e\u003c/pre\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cpre\u003e\u003ccode\u003e  Oregano\n\u003c/code\u003e\u003c/pre\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cpre\u003e\u003ccode\u003e  1 egg\n\u003c/code\u003e\u003c/pre\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"how-do-we-make-it\"\u003eHow do we make it?\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePreheat the oven to 200°C (390°F).\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Ham Puff Pastry Twists"},{"content":"A summer wouldn\u0026rsquo;t really be summer without this dish. In my family this salad has been around for as long as I can remember, and it feels like an old friend — you might go a while without seeing it, but just thinking about it brings a smile to your face and makes you want to enjoy its company. The first time I offered it to Cesmm, he frowned at the whole pineapple thing, but once he got past those first doubts he became yet another addict of this delicious salad.\nWhat do we need? (serves 4)\n1 whole chicken 1 can of pineapple, or fresh pineapple (even better) 1 head of lettuce Mayonnaise How do we make it? First, boil the chicken in a pot with water and salt. Let it cook for a good while (2 hours) until you can see it\u0026rsquo;s well done and the meat practically falls off the thigh bone on its own.\nOnce the chicken is cooked and has cooled down a bit, shred it with your hands into medium-sized pieces (just right for a bite).\nWash the lettuce and slice it into very thin strips (julienne).\nSeparately, cut the pineapple slices (or fresh pineapple) into small pieces.\nBuild your salad by laying down a layer of lettuce, then pineapple, then chicken. Repeat the process, pressing down well with your hands so it packs together tightly.\nFinally, add a layer of mayonnaise on top and let it rest in the fridge.\nTips: It doesn\u0026rsquo;t matter if there are leftovers — once it\u0026rsquo;s \u0026ldquo;rested\u0026rdquo; the salad is just as good, or even better. Don\u0026rsquo;t throw away the broth from boiling the chicken; you can use it for rice, soup, etc. You can sprinkle some chopped walnuts or hazelnuts on top of the mayonnaise. They add the perfect finishing touch. *[English version] CHICKEN \u0026amp; PINEAPPLE SALAD\n**Ingredients:- 1 whole chicken 1 lettuce\nFresh pineapple or canned pineapple\nMayonnaise\nPlace chicken in a large pot and add water to cover. Add some salt, cover pot and bring to boil. Cook for about 2 hours or until chicken meat is falling off the bone.\nWhen chicken is boiled and cooled shred chicken using your fingers.\nWash lettuce and chop finely.\nDice pineapple.\nPlace the ingredients by layers: lettuce, pineapple and chicken. Repeat the order and press with your hands.\nAdd some mayonnaise on the top.\nTips:- If there is some salad left, no problem, it will be even better the day after!\nDon\u0026rsquo;t discard the water from boiled chicken, you can use it to cook rice, soup, etc.\nYou can add some chopped nuts or hazelnuts on the top. Simply delicious!\nComments Marisa (2012-08-07 08:24:55):\nWhat lovely photos! I know this dish — although I don\u0026rsquo;t plate it as nicely, I chop the lettuce really, really finely and press the layers down as I go.\nsilvia (2012-08-07 21:39:01):\nI\u0026rsquo;m getting hungry, and it looks so refreshing!! I tried it at Fuentes and I can confirm it was really tasty… maybe I\u0026rsquo;ll make it tomorrow for lunch…\nzordor (2012-08-10 01:55:25):\nWithout a doubt this recipe is one of the crown jewels of our family wisdom, hehe. For me the best part is that one chicken yields a tooon of salad, it\u0026rsquo;s super refreshing, and you can make it the day before, for the next day, or even the day after that — just pull it out of the fridge and eat! A really refreshing dish, one of the best things going for summer.\nOciore (2012-08-30 17:23:25):\nOh, if you only knew that your brother revealed this secret family recipe of yours to me years ago, when I was just starting out with my blog (in London)… XD The truth is, looking at the photos, the salad looks amazing! By the way, congrats on your blog!! :) Greetings from Heidiland. ;)\nAntz (2012-08-31 09:54:24):\nLike Ces, I was wary of the whole pineapple thing… but after trying it last night, I have to say I\u0026rsquo;ve been converted to the pineapple world!! A 10/10 combo!!! :D\nLa Enana (2012-09-14 22:54:08):\nMmmmmmh I love this salad!!!!!!! :) I like to top mine with some lightly crushed hazelnuts!!\n20 low-calorie salad recipes - Me Siento Guapa (2014-01-07 16:01:33):\n[\u0026hellip;] Chicken and pineapple salad [\u0026hellip;]\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/ensalada-de-pollo-con-pina/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA summer wouldn\u0026rsquo;t really be summer without this dish. In my family this salad has been around for as long as I can remember, and it feels like an old friend — you might go a while without seeing it, but just thinking about it brings a smile to your face and makes you want to enjoy its company. The first time I offered it to Cesmm, he frowned at the whole pineapple thing, but once he got past those first doubts he became yet another addict of this delicious salad.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Chicken and Pineapple Salad"},{"content":"I spotted this dessert in a supermarket catalog and thought it was a really original idea — eye-catching and looking absolutely delicious. The truth is, my last memory of attempting a strawberry jelly involved a sort of extra-runny pink flan with a petrified slab of gelatin on top that nobody could sink their teeth into. So with that track record, this simple recipe was quite a challenge for me. I have to confess the challenge was completely conquered and the dessert went down a treat.\nWhat do we need? (Makes about 10 servings)\n500 g (1.1 lb) strawberries 200 ml (about 0.85 cups) milk 5 tablespoons orange blossom water 1 packet of unflavored gelatin 1 Greek yogurt Sugar Mint leaves How do we make it? Heat some water with two tablespoons of sugar (a little less water than the amount indicated on the gelatin packet) and, separately, dissolve the powdered gelatin in the orange blossom water. Combine the two liquids.\nWash the strawberries, slice them, and arrange them in individual molds (place the prettiest slices against the walls since those will be what shows later).\nOnce the water-and-gelatin mixture has cooled a bit, pour it into each mold and chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours.\nMeanwhile, gently heat the milk with two tablespoons of sugar and a few mint leaves for five minutes. Remove from heat, strain, and discard the mint. Once the milk is cold, add the yogurt and whisk it together.\nServe in a shallow dish, with a layer of the yogurt mixture on the bottom, the unmolded jelly on top, and a few mint leaves to garnish.\nTips: Before pouring the liquid gelatin into the molds, make sure it isn\u0026rsquo;t too hot — otherwise it could \u0026lsquo;ugly up\u0026rsquo; the strawberries a bit. A neat trick for hulling strawberries: grab a plastic straw and push it into the strawberry from underneath, on the opposite side from the stem. Push the straw all the way through the fruit. This removes the green stem and the harder white core in one go. (It works better with slightly wider straws, like the ones at McDonald\u0026rsquo;s or Burger King.) To unmold the jellies, you can dip the base of the molds in hot water so they release more easily. If you\u0026rsquo;re using disposable aluminum molds, you can just snip them open with scissors — no problem. *[English version] ORANGE BLOSSOM \u0026amp; STRAWBERRY JELLY WITH MINT\n**Ingredients (serves 10 approx.):- 500 g strawberries 2 dl milk\n5 tbsp orange blossom water\n1 package of gelatine (flavour less)\n1 yoghurt (Greek style)\nSugar- Mint leaves\nHeat some water (according to package instructions) with two tablespoons of sugar. Place the orange blossom water into a bowl and stir in the gelatin until it has dissolved. Mix both liquids.\nPrepare the strawberries, remove the green leaves and slice them. Place these slices into individual moulds.\nSet aside until temperature decreases. Pour over the gelatin mixture into the moulds and place in the fridge to set for at least three hours.\nPour the milk with two tablespoons and some mint leaves in a small saucepan and heat gently. Cook for 5 minutes, strain the milk and discard mint leaves. Once cold, add the yoghurt and beat the mixture.\nTo serve, remove the jelly from the mould and place into a dish with some yoghurt-mint milk and garnish with a leave of mint.\nTips:- Before pouring the gelatine, let it cool a bit. Otherwise, strawberries will become \u0026lsquo;ugly\u0026rsquo;.\nTo clean the strawberries you can use a drinking straw. Insert the straw into the opposite side of the green leaves and pierce the fruit until you remove completely the leaves and the hard white core.\nTo remove the jelly from the mould you can place the bottom of it into some hot water. It will be much easier!\nComments Marisa (2012-08-03 11:50:26):\nI can confirm that, on top of being a really beautifully presented dessert, it\u0026rsquo;s absolutely delicious. I had the luck of being the guinea pig. :)\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/gelatinafresas/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI spotted this dessert in a supermarket catalog and thought it was a really original idea — eye-catching and looking absolutely delicious. The truth is, my last memory of attempting a strawberry jelly involved a sort of extra-runny pink flan with a petrified slab of gelatin on top that nobody could sink their teeth into. So with that track record, this simple recipe was quite a challenge for me. I have to confess the challenge was completely conquered and the dessert went down a treat.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Strawberry and orange blossom jelly with mint"},{"content":"Sometimes dinner at home — and I\u0026rsquo;m sure this has happened to all of you — boils down to \u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;ll just settle for a yogurt\u0026rdquo;\u0026hellip; It always happens to me the same way: I think \u0026ldquo;okay, a yogurt\u0026hellip; and what else.\u0026rdquo; You peek into the fridge and the freezer and the gates of heaven swing open. You\u0026rsquo;ve got a quick rescue! That\u0026rsquo;s how this recipe was born — only within reach of the great chefs :p\nWhat do we need? 1 chicken breast fillet 4 teaspoons of mayonnaise 2 slices of country-style bread (pan payés) 2 lettuce leaves How do we make it? Put a bit of oil in a frying pan.\nWhile the oil heats up, season the chicken and wash and chop the lettuce.\nCook the chicken to your liking. I prefer not to cook it too much — like with almost any meat — so it stays tender and juicy.\nGrab the two slices of country bread and pop them in the toaster.\nTake out the chicken and the bread and assemble the sandwich.\nTips: We buy the country bread already sliced at any supermarket. If we\u0026rsquo;re not going to eat it within a short time, we freeze it. Another option for the sauce is to make a \u0026ldquo;mustardnaise\u0026rdquo; — mayonnaise and mustard in a 4-to-1 ratio. You can pair the dish with some bagged potato chips. [English version] CHICKEN SANDWICH **Ingredients:- Chicken breast steak\n4 tsp mayonnaise\n2 lettuce leaves\n2 slices of bread\nPut some olive oil into the pan.\nWash the lettuce and salt and pepper the chicken.\nGrill the chicken.\nCreat your sandwich with mayo sauce, chicken and lettuce.\nTips:- We buy the sliced bread and we place it in the freezer. When we need it, we just take out a couple of slices and place them directly into the toaster.\nInstead of mayonnaise you can use \u0026lsquo;mustardnaise\u0026rsquo;. Just mix mayonnaise and mustard (proportion 4:1). You can serve it with some crisps. Comentarios zordor (2012-07-31 03:50:28):\nLifesaver recipe :) I add a bit of chili paste to the mayo and it turns out tastier, hehe. By the way, a little tip for the photographer: watch the white balance — you can fix it very easily from LR if it came out a bit weird in the photo ;)\nCesmm (2012-08-01 21:19:32):\nNow that we have chili paste, I\u0026rsquo;ll give it a try one day.\nsilvia (2012-08-07 21:40:51):\nGuys, don\u0026rsquo;t try to dress it up with fancy names for the bread\u0026hellip; you know that this bread, the best one for the sandwich, is called and will always be called LONG-LIFE BREAD :P:P\nPalstelera (2012-08-10 00:06:51):\nExactly! Well done, setting the terminology straight and calling things by their name. It\u0026rsquo;s true that we call it long-life bread because we freeze the bread already sliced, then we take out just what we need and straight into the toaster. :-)\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/sandwich-de-pollo/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSometimes dinner at home — and I\u0026rsquo;m sure this has happened to all of you — boils down to \u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;ll just settle for a yogurt\u0026rdquo;\u0026hellip; It always happens to me the same way: I think \u0026ldquo;okay, a yogurt\u0026hellip; and what else.\u0026rdquo; You peek into the fridge and the freezer and the gates of heaven swing open. You\u0026rsquo;ve got a quick rescue! That\u0026rsquo;s how this recipe was born — only within reach of the great chefs :p\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Chicken Sandwich"},{"content":"Did you know that croissant in French means crescent moon? Literally, it means \u0026lsquo;waxing,\u0026rsquo; which is the phase of the moon we commonly call a crescent. Well, with that same shape but a completely different dough and a savory filling, we present this easy dish. We rescued the recipe from a Thermomix Christmas magazine and thought it would be a great idea to offer as an afternoon snack at home or to pack along on a trip and enjoy during a roadside stop. For those of you who are wary of complicated gadgets and kitchen robots, don\u0026rsquo;t worry — we made these with our own little hands and they turned out wonderfully.\nWhat do we need? 400-500 g (3.25-4 cups) pastry flour 250 g (1 cup) quark cheese 250 g (1 cup / 2 sticks) cold butter 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 packet baking powder 1 beaten egg (for glazing) For the filling:\n100 g (3.5 oz) cooked ham 200 g (7 oz) Emmental cheese 2 tomatoes Dried oregano How do we make it? Cut the butter into small pieces and mix with the rest of the ingredients. Start by stirring with a fork and then finish kneading with your hands.\nForm the dough into a ball, wrap it in cling film and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.\nPreheat the oven to 180°C (355°F).\nDivide the dough in two and roll out each piece with a rolling pin into a thin circle (about 3 mm / 1/8 inch).\nUsing a knife or pizza cutter, cut 8 triangular portions (just like a pizza).\nPlace a bit of cooked ham and cheese on each portion and roll them up starting from the wide end and finishing at the tip to give them that croissant shape.\nSlice the mozzarella and tomato into rounds and then cut those in half. Use them to fill the portions from the second circle of dough, adding a bit of oregano. Roll them up the same way.\nPlace all the croissants on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and brush them with beaten egg.\nBake for about 20 minutes.\nTips: You can vary the filling however you like. In fact, the original recipe was just ham and cheese, and we introduced the tomato-mozzarella variety and liked it even more. The dough isn\u0026rsquo;t particularly salty, so why not try a sweet filling? [English version] FILLED CROISSANTS **Ingredients:-400-500 g flour\n250 g quark cheese\n250 g butter\n1/2 tsp salt\n1 package baking powder\n1 egg\nDice the butter and mix with the rest of ingredients. First stir well by using a fork and then use your hands.\nMake a ball with the dough, wrap it in cling film and place in the fridge for 30 min.\nPreheat oven at 180ºC\nDivide the dough into two pieces and roll out to two thin circles (3 mm).\nCut each circle into 8 portions (like pizza slices).\nPut some york ham and cheese over each slice and roll it from the biggest side to the narrowest to create the croissant shape.\nSlice mozzarella and tomato and then cut into halves. Use them and oregano to fill the second circle of dough. Roll it in the same way.\nPlace the croissants on a baking tray covered by baking paper. Glaze croissants with egg.\nBake for 20 min approximately.\nTips:- You can vary the filling. The original recipe was done with ham and cheese and we decided to create the mozarella-tomato flavour and we liked it even more! - The dough itself is not really salty. So why not a sweet filling?\nComentarios Marisa (2012-07-28 22:29:10):\n¡Que pinta tan buena, hummm!. Estaria bien que en este tipo de recetas dijerais cuantas unidades salen.☺ Bueno, y en las demas tambien para cuantas personas\nPalstelera (2012-08-02 21:01:20):\nBuena idea. Tomamos nota e intentaremos poner el número de raciones/comensales en las siguientes recetas.\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/medias-lunas-rellenas/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDid you know that \u003cem\u003ecroissant\u003c/em\u003e in French means crescent moon? Literally, it means \u0026lsquo;waxing,\u0026rsquo; which is the phase of the moon we commonly call a crescent. Well, with that same shape but a completely different dough and a savory filling, we present this easy dish. We rescued the recipe from a Thermomix Christmas magazine and thought it would be a great idea to offer as an afternoon snack at home or to pack along on a trip and enjoy during a roadside stop. For those of you who are wary of complicated gadgets and kitchen robots, don\u0026rsquo;t worry — we made these with our own little hands and they turned out wonderfully.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Stuffed Crescent Rolls"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s been a while since I made my first risotto. I think I learned it from Arguiñano, back when my mom and I used to watch him at lunchtime. I have a feeling I also followed the recipe from some Wii video game once. Anyway, I\u0026rsquo;ve been tweaking, adapting and improvising on top of the fundamental rule for a good risotto: never stop stirring.\nWhat do we need? (serves two)\n1 ½ cups short-grain rice Warm water 2 cloves of garlic A quarter of a large onion Wild mushrooms / button mushrooms 100 g (3.5 oz) blue cheese Salt How do we make it? Add a splash of olive oil to a saucepan.\nDice the blue cheese into small cubes. Finely chop the garlic and onion.\nAdd the garlic and onion to the pan and turn the heat down a bit so they don\u0026rsquo;t burn. Once they\u0026rsquo;ve softened a little, add the mushrooms cut into medium-sized pieces.\nLet everything cook together for a few minutes and add a pinch of salt.\nOnce the sofrito is ready, add the rice and stir well so the rice soaks up the flavor.\nNow, the usual thing would be to add twice as much water as rice and let it cook. We\u0026rsquo;re going to add just a bit of water — about half a cup (120 ml / 4 fl oz) if we used a cup and a half of rice.\nWhile stirring, add salt and a bit of blue cheese. Once everything is well mixed and the water has reduced, lower the heat a little.\nWithout stopping stirring, keep adding more water (as much as your risotto asks for) and blue cheese.\nWhen you see the rice is cooked, turn off the heat, cover, and let it rest for as long as it takes you to slice some thin strips of blue cheese to decorate the plate.\nTips: We used blue cheese, but you can use any other kind. If you don\u0026rsquo;t like strong cheese, an aged cheese will thicken it more and barely taste of cheese. For decoration you can also add hazelnuts, walnuts or almonds. If you don\u0026rsquo;t have wild mushrooms, you can swap them for button mushrooms. [English version] RISOTTO MY WAY **Ingredients:- 1 ½ medium-grain rice\n3 cups warm water\n2 cloves of onion\n¼ large onion\nMushrooms\n100 g blue cheese\nSalt\nAdd a splash of olive oil in a sauce pan.\nDice blue cheese and chop garlic and onion.\nAdd garlic and onion to the sauce pan and fry slowly to avoid burning. When they have softened, add the mushrooms (if they are too big, you can cut them into medium-size pieces).\nCook slowly for some minutes and add a pinch of salt.\nWhen ready, add the rice and keep stirring while everything is cooking and flavors are melting.\nUsually we add 2 parts of water to 1 part of rice. For risotto recipe we will be adding all the water needed progressively.\nWhile stirring, add some salt and part of blue cheese. Stir well and turn down the heat to a simmer.\nKeep stirring and adding the water and blue cheese, allowing each ladle to be absorbed before adding the next.\nWhen rice is cooked and soft, place a lid on the pan and allow to sit. Slice some blue cheese for decoration.\nTips:- You can use any kind of cheese. Blue cheese has quite a strong flavour but you can substitute it by any other softer.\nFor decoration, you can add some walnuts, almonds or nuts.\nYou can use mushrooms (champignons) or any other wild mushrooms.\nComentarios La Enana (2012-07-23 13:28:26):\nI love risotto but I\u0026rsquo;ve never tried it with blue cheese\u0026hellip; what a great idea and it looks delicious!\nMarisa (2012-07-28 22:31:24):\nExquisite dish.\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/risotto-my-way/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s been a while since I made my first risotto. I think I learned it from Arguiñano, back when my mom and I used to watch him at lunchtime. I have a feeling I also followed the recipe from some Wii video game once. Anyway, I\u0026rsquo;ve been tweaking, adapting and improvising on top of the fundamental rule for a good risotto: never stop stirring.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/blog/images/2012/07/IMG_978.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Pics and Cakes\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/blog/images/2012/07/IMG_978.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"what-do-we-need\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat do we need?\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e(serves two)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Risotto My Way"},{"content":"Or pop cakes. Any name works for these little lollipop-shaped treats stuffed with cake. The original idea is to use up the trimmings from a cake you\u0026rsquo;ve made for something else, or one that didn\u0026rsquo;t turn out pretty enough — so you don\u0026rsquo;t feel bad destroying it (literally).\nWhat do we need? Cake* Cream cheese Chocolate for melting Chocolate sprinkles, colored sprinkles, crushed nuts, colored sugar... Lollipop sticks Buttercream:\n250 g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) butter, at room temperature 500 g (4 cups) powdered sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tbsp water Food coloring If you don\u0026rsquo;t have any cake on hand, you can make a nice fluffy sponge cake with the following ingredients: 4 eggs 250 g (1 1/4 cups) sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 250 ml (1 cup) milk 55 g (4 tbsp) butter 250 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt How do we make it? Making the sponge cake:\nBeat the eggs with the whisk attachment of the mixer (this step is essential for getting a fluffy texture).\nAdd the sugar and keep beating for another 4 minutes until creamy. Add the vanilla extract and mix well.\nIn another bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Then add the egg-and-sugar cream and beat on low speed until everything is incorporated.\nHeat the milk and butter in the microwave until the butter melts. Add to the rest of the mixture and stir well.\nPour into a greased and floured baking pan.\nBake at 170°C (340°F) until a skewer (or knife tip) inserted into the cake comes out clean.\nAnd now on to the cake pops themselves:\nOnce the cake has cooled, cut a piece and set aside roughly the same volume of cream cheese (making cake pops with a whole cake can be madness unless you\u0026rsquo;ve got a huge party and don\u0026rsquo;t mind spending the entire day rolling little balls).\nTake your piece of cake, crumble it with your hands into a bowl and add the cream cheese. Mix well with your hands. (The mixture you get shouldn\u0026rsquo;t be too dry or too sticky — if either happens, fix it with more cake or more cream cheese.)\nNow roll small balls with your new mixture. It\u0026rsquo;s important they come out very smooth, with no cracks visible.\nMelt a little chocolate in the microwave.\nTake a ball and stick a lollipop stick into it. Then pull the stick out, dip it in chocolate, drop a bit of melted chocolate inside the hole, and finally push the stick back into the ball for good. (This step matters so the ball doesn\u0026rsquo;t fall off the stick later.)\nRepeat until you\u0026rsquo;ve used up all the mixture and put them in the fridge for half an hour, if possible.\nMelt the chocolate in the microwave, being careful not to burn it (heat for a few seconds, take it out and stir. Repeat until you get the texture you want).\nTake your skewered ball and dip it in the chocolate. Pull it out and rotate it so the whole surface gets coated.\nLet it dry stuck into a piece of styrofoam, a potato or an egg carton (in any case, poke the holes ahead of time with a skewer so you don\u0026rsquo;t ruin the cake pop\u0026rsquo;s stick). Repeat with all the balls.\nOnce they\u0026rsquo;re coated in chocolate, all that\u0026rsquo;s left is to use your imagination and decorate them with chocolate of another color, sprinkles, colored sugar, chocolate jimmies, etc.\nAnother option is to decorate your cake pops with buttercream. To do that, mix all the buttercream ingredients with the whisk attachment (low speed if you don\u0026rsquo;t want a powdered-sugar blizzard in your kitchen). You can tint the buttercream with food coloring, transfer it to a piping bag, and pipe little mounds until the ball is fully covered.\nTips: Instead of cream cheese for the mixture, you can use dulce de leche, Nutella, or any other spreadable filling. If you use white chocolate, you can tint it with food coloring — but make sure it\u0026rsquo;s gel-based or chocolate-specific, never water-based. You can also use the colored chocolate buttons sold at baking shops (candy melts). When melting the chocolate, if you want it runnier so the cake pops are easier to dip, you can add a bit of sunflower oil, butter, or Crisco (vegetable shortening). Never water! If you don\u0026rsquo;t have sprinkles, jimmies or crushed nuts, you can make colored sugar very easily. Just put a few tablespoons of sugar in a plastic bag, add a couple of drops of food coloring (this one can be liquid), close the bag and shake. You\u0026rsquo;ll have lovely sugar tinted in whatever color you like. If you\u0026rsquo;re after inspiration and want to enjoy some real artistry, definitely check out Bakerella\u0026rsquo;s website. Comments Esther (2012-07-28 13:28:38):\nHi!\nJust looking at this is making my mouth water! So much so that I think in a few days I\u0026rsquo;ll be getting to work on it, and I wanted to know where I can buy lollipop sticks in Madrid.\nThanks so much,\nEPS\nPalstelera (2012-07-28 15:09:13):\nI\u0026rsquo;ll tell you the shops I usually buy from in Madrid, but with how popular all this stuff is getting, I\u0026rsquo;m sure you can find them in more places too: Decake, in the Estrella neighborhood, La tienda americana, near Plaza de Cristo Rey (Islas Filipinas metro stop), or Comercial Mínguez (downtown area).\nI\u0026rsquo;ve seen that most of them close in August, so hurry up! And I\u0026rsquo;m waiting for the photos of the result\u0026hellip;\nEsther (2012-07-28 15:19:44):\nThanks so much!!! I promise photos if they turn out halfway decent, although yours have set the bar pretty high, hehe\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/cake-pops/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOr pop cakes. Any name works for these little lollipop-shaped treats stuffed with cake. The original idea is to use up the trimmings from a cake you\u0026rsquo;ve made for something else, or one that didn\u0026rsquo;t turn out pretty enough — so you don\u0026rsquo;t feel bad destroying it (literally).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/blog/images/2012/07/IMG_635_34.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Pics and Cakes\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/blog/images/2012/07/IMG_635_34.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"what-do-we-need\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat do we need?\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cpre\u003e\u003ccode\u003e  Cake*\n\u003c/code\u003e\u003c/pre\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cpre\u003e\u003ccode\u003e  Cream cheese\n\u003c/code\u003e\u003c/pre\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cpre\u003e\u003ccode\u003e  Chocolate for melting\n\u003c/code\u003e\u003c/pre\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cpre\u003e\u003ccode\u003e  Chocolate sprinkles, colored sprinkles, crushed nuts, colored sugar...\n\u003c/code\u003e\u003c/pre\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cpre\u003e\u003ccode\u003e  Lollipop sticks\n\u003c/code\u003e\u003c/pre\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eButtercream:\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Cake Pops"},{"content":"After a two-week delay and a move in between, we\u0026rsquo;re kicking off this new adventure in the world of food and new technologies. Since I\u0026rsquo;m a person who loves to eat, I\u0026rsquo;ll mostly be in charge of the simple recipes — the kind that save you when dinnertime rolls around. And one of those recipes I love most is the chicken pita. Simple and really tasty.\nWhat do we need? 1 chicken breast 1/2 red bell pepper (if you have green, throw that in too) 1/2 onion 3 lettuce leaves Salt and pepper How do we make it? Slice the bell pepper and onion into julienne strips, and cut the chicken into strips.\nPut a little oil in a frying pan.\nWhen it\u0026rsquo;s hot, add the pepper and onion. Add a pinch of salt.\nWhen they\u0026rsquo;re partly cooked — we like the pepper \u0026ldquo;al dente\u0026rdquo; — season the chicken with salt and pepper and add it to the pan.\nWhile the chicken is cooking, wash and cut the lettuce leaves into strips.\nOnce the chicken is golden, set aside.\nPop two pita breads in the toaster and wait until they\u0026rsquo;re lightly toasted.\nCut off the top of the bread and tuck in the ingredients with the help of a spoon.\nTips: Up to you whether you want to marinate the chicken with lemon or not. To do that, before frying it, put the chicken in a bowl with the juice of one squeezed lemon, salt and pepper for a few hours. You can also add a sauce (mayo, ketchup, mustard thinned with mayo, etc.) [English version] PITA BREAD FILLED WITH CHICKEN AND PEPPERS **Ingredients:- 1 chicken breast\n1/2 red pepper (you can also use green pepper)\n1/2 onion\n3 lettuce leaves\nSalt and pepper\nSlice pepper, onion and chicken into strips.\nPut some olive oil in a frying pan.\nStir fry pepper and onion. Add some salt.\nSalt and pepper chicken strips and add to the pan.\nMeanwhile, wash and cut lettuce.\nWhen chicken is golden, put it aside.\nToast pita bread and fill it with lettuce, chicken and veggies.\nTips:- You can marinate the chicken by putting it with salt, pepper and fresh lemon juice for some hours before cooking it.- You can add some sauces to your pita sandwich (mayonaise, ketchup, mustard+mayo, etc.) Comments ReimonStar (2012-07-17 13:20:02):\nCuz, those look great. I make them with fajita wraps instead of pita and I add some really spicy mojo picón from Carrefour and a touch of guacamole from Mercadona and yum yum yum. By the way, the photos are really cool. Keep it up! Next up TVLaElipa\nCesmm (2012-07-17 16:37:37):\nDuly noted, Don Reimon.\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/pitas-de-pollo/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAfter a two-week delay and a move in between, we\u0026rsquo;re kicking off this new adventure in the world of food and new technologies. Since I\u0026rsquo;m a person who loves to eat, I\u0026rsquo;ll mostly be in charge of the simple recipes — the kind that save you when dinnertime rolls around. And one of those recipes I love most is the chicken pita. Simple and really tasty.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/blog/images/2012/05/IMG_544.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Pics and Cakes\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/blog/images/2012/05/IMG_544.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"what-do-we-need\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat do we need?\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cpre\u003e\u003ccode\u003e  1 chicken breast\n\u003c/code\u003e\u003c/pre\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cpre\u003e\u003ccode\u003e  1/2 red bell pepper (if you have green, throw that in too)\n\u003c/code\u003e\u003c/pre\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cpre\u003e\u003ccode\u003e  1/2 onion\n\u003c/code\u003e\u003c/pre\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cpre\u003e\u003ccode\u003e  3 lettuce leaves\n\u003c/code\u003e\u003c/pre\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cpre\u003e\u003ccode\u003e  Salt and pepper\n\u003c/code\u003e\u003c/pre\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"how-do-we-make-it\"\u003eHow do we make it?\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSlice the bell pepper and onion into julienne strips, and cut the chicken into strips.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Chicken Pitas"},{"content":"This very traditional Spanish name is just a family nickname for a delicious pork roast served with potatoes, onions, and apples. The tradition behind this dish calls for preparing it in a clay pot bought at the Pradera de San Isidro to celebrate Madrid\u0026rsquo;s patron saint day. Either way, with or without a clay pot, with or without the saint involved, the result is a super easy dish that\u0026rsquo;s perfect for a meal with several guests.\nWhat do we need? 1 pork shoulder (bone-in is better) 4 apples 6 onions 8 potatoes 300 ml (1.25 cups) beer or white wine Salt and pepper How do we make it? Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F)\nPlace the pork shoulder on an oven tray or, preferably, in a deep clay dish. Season the whole piece with salt and pepper on both sides.\nPut the dish in the oven. Leave it for about 30 minutes so it browns at high heat, then flip the meat over. From this point on, whenever the meat looks too dry, we\u0026rsquo;ll baste it with beer or white wine.\nMeanwhile, take the chance to peel the onions and potatoes. Cut the onions in half and the potatoes into large chunks.\nFinally, add the potatoes, onions, and whole apples to the dish with the meat and lower the oven to 180°C (355°F) so it cooks slowly for about another hour and a half.\nTips: Every oven is its own world, so temperature and time can vary from one to another. We recommend keeping an eye on it, especially at the beginning, so the temperature stays high but doesn\u0026rsquo;t burn the meat. The amount of liquid you\u0026rsquo;ll need to add depends on how fast it evaporates and how much the shoulder absorbs. To serve, we recommend slicing the roasted meat and plating it alongside the rest of the ingredients. [English version] ROAST PORK WITH ONIONS, POTATOES AND APPLES **Ingredients:- Pork shoulder arm roast\n4 apples\n6 onions\n8 potatoes\n300 ml (1.25 cups) beer or white wine\nSalt and pepper\nPreheat oven at 200°C (390°F)\nPut the piece of meat in a deep oven plate. Salt and pepper evenly the piece of meat\nEnter the plate in the oven and leave for 30 minutes approximately until it golden brown. Then turn upside the piece of meat. From now, start adding some white wine or beer when the meat seems to be too dry.\nMeanwhile, peal and cut the potatoes and onions. Cut half the onions and leave the potatoes in big portions.\nFinally, add potatoes, onions and apples to the oven plate with the meat and decrease the oven temperature (180°C / 355°F). Leave it baking slowly for 1h30 more approximately.\nTips:- Every oven is different, so temperature and baking time may differ from some to others. We advice you to watch it carefully, especially at the beginning because high temperature is needed but not so much to have it burnt.\nThe amount of liquid will depend on how fast it will be absorbed by the meat or evaporated.\nFor serving, we recommend you to slice the meet and serve with the rest of ingredients.\nComentarios Marisa (2012-07-28 22:38:16):\nPlato muy muy bueno, ideal para compartir con familia y/o amigos. Todo el mundo repite.\nCarmen Montalvo (2012-08-29 15:55:09):\nTiene un aspecto estupendo. Este invierno prepararé este plato a ver que tal me sale. Ya te contaré.\nPalstelera (2012-08-30 15:08:12):\nEstamos deseando ver el resultado :-)\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/cazuela-de-san-isidro-2/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis very traditional Spanish name is just a family nickname for a delicious pork roast served with potatoes, onions, and apples. The tradition behind this dish calls for preparing it in a clay pot bought at the Pradera de San Isidro to celebrate Madrid\u0026rsquo;s patron saint day. Either way, with or without a clay pot, with or without the saint involved, the result is a super easy dish that\u0026rsquo;s perfect for a meal with several guests.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"San Isidro Casserole"},{"content":"This pizza was two flavors but it could just as easily have been one, five, or twelve. The important thing is to realize that with just a few ingredients you can put together a quick and easy meal. Plus, for all of you who have friends who are a bit picky with food (yes, we all have one of those) who don\u0026rsquo;t eat onion, tuna, or tomato, the idea of splitting the pizza into different flavors will satisfy everyone\u0026rsquo;s tastes without having to make a million different pizzas.\nWhat do we need? Dough:\n200 g (3/4 cup + 1 tbsp) water 300 g (2.5 cups) flour (bread flour is best) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 packet of dry baking yeast (or 20 g fresh yeast) 15 g (1 tbsp) extra virgin olive oil Hawaiian side:\nBBQ sauce 1/2 onion 3 slices of fresh pineapple 4 strips of bacon Carbonara side:\nHeavy cream 1/2 onion 4 strips of bacon 4 slices of goat cheese 1 egg Salt and oregano How do we make it? Mix the flour with the salt and the granulated yeast in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add the warm water (if it\u0026rsquo;s too cold it won\u0026rsquo;t activate the yeast, if it\u0026rsquo;s too hot it will \u0026ldquo;kill\u0026rdquo; it) and the olive oil.\nStir well with a fork until you get a smooth dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl, then turn it out onto a floured surface.\nKnead by stretching and pressing the dough with the base of your hand for 5 minutes.\nIf the dough sticks, you can add a little more flour to the surface or your hands, but not too much, or the dough could turn out tough.\nForm a ball with the dough and set it aside in a bowl that you\u0026rsquo;ve previously greased with olive oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let it rise for about 30 minutes.\nOnce the rising time is up, the dough will have grown, so press it down a bit with your hands and start rolling it out (by hand or with a rolling pin).\nPlace it on a baking tray and make a divider down the middle with some dough.\nPreheat the oven to 220°C (430°F).\nOn the first half (Hawaiian style) add a base of BBQ sauce, julienned onion, bacon strips, and chunks of fresh pineapple.\nOn the second half (carbonara style) the base sauce will be heavy cream (with a pinch of salt), julienned onion, bacon strips, and goat cheese.\nPut the pizza in the oven and after 10 minutes open it up to crack an egg and sprinkle some oregano on the carbonara half.\nLet the pizza bake for another 10 minutes and it\u0026rsquo;s ready to eat.\nTips: If you want the pizza dough to come out thicker and fluffier, once you\u0026rsquo;ve rolled out the dough on the tray, you can let it rest for another 15 minutes before adding the toppings. You can use up any ingredient you have in the fridge to make a delicious pizza. If you\u0026rsquo;re short on time or starving, the rising times can be cut down. The dough will be less fluffy but don\u0026rsquo;t worry, it\u0026rsquo;ll never be bad. [English version] TWO-FLAVOUR PIZZA* **Ingredients:*For the dough:\n200 g water* 300 g white flour (strong white flour is best)* 1/2 teaspoon salt* 1 package dry yeast (or 20 g fresh yeast)* 15 g olive oil** Hawaian flavour:- Bbq sauce**- 1/2 onion**- 3 slices of fresh pineapple**- 4 bacon slices** Carbonara flavour:- Heavy cream**- 1/2 onion**- 4 bacon slices**- 4 goat cheese slices**- 1 egg**- Salt and oregano** * Put the flour into a large bowl, then stir in the yeast and salt. Make a well, pour in warm water (too cold water will not \u0026lsquo;activate\u0026rsquo; the yeast, too hot will \u0026lsquo;kill\u0026rsquo; it) and olive oil.\nBring together with a fork until the dough doesn\u0026rsquo;t stick to bowl walls. Turn into a lightly floured surface.\nKnead with your hands for 5 mins.\nAdd a bit more flour if the dough is too sticky. But be careful and don\u0026rsquo;t add too much if you don\u0026rsquo;t want to harden too much your dough.\nMake a ball and put it into an oiled bowl covered by a tea towel or clingfilm. Leave the dough rise for 30 mins.\nAfter the rise, give a quick knead to the dough and roll it out (with your hands or using a rolling pin)\nPut it into a baking tray and make a central division with the dough.\nPreheat oven to 220º\nSmooth bbq sauce over the first half. Scatter with chopped onions, bacon and fresh pineapple. (Hawaian style)\nOver the second half smooth some cream and salt. Scatter with chopped onions, bacon and goat cheese. (Carbonara style)\nBake the pizza in your oven for 10 mins. Open the oven and add one egg and sprinkle with some oregano in the Carbonara style half.\nBake for other 10 mins.\n*Tips: -If you want a soft and fluffy pizza, once you have rolled out the dough, leave it rise again for 15 mins before adding toppings.**- You can use any ingredient you find in your fridge!\nNo time? Too hungry? Don\u0026rsquo;t worry, you can reduce rising times. The dough will be less fluffy but always delicious!* Comments mir (2012-07-17 12:03:17):\nI can vouch for it — it was delicious!\nCesmm (2012-07-17 16:36:18):\nThanks! :-)\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/pizza-dos-gustos/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis pizza was two flavors but it could just as easily have been one, five, or twelve. The important thing is to realize that with just a few ingredients you can put together a quick and easy meal. Plus, for all of you who have friends who are a bit picky with food (yes, we all have one of those) who don\u0026rsquo;t eat onion, tuna, or tomato, the idea of splitting the pizza into different flavors will satisfy everyone\u0026rsquo;s tastes without having to make a million different pizzas.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Two-Flavor Pizza"},{"content":"\nComing soon\u0026hellip; Under cooking\u0026hellip; ","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/proximamente4/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/blog/images/2011/07/IMG_5768.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Pics and Cakes\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/blog/images/2011/07/IMG_5768.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"coming-soon\"\u003eComing soon\u0026hellip;\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"under-cooking\"\u003eUnder cooking\u0026hellip;\u003c/h2\u003e","title":"Crispy Chicken"},{"content":"\nComing soon\u0026hellip; Under cooking\u0026hellip; ","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/proximamente3/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/blog/images/2013/06/IMG_678.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Pics and Cakes\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/blog/images/2013/06/IMG_678.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"coming-soon\"\u003eComing soon\u0026hellip;\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"under-cooking\"\u003eUnder cooking\u0026hellip;\u003c/h2\u003e","title":"Banana Muffin"},{"content":"\nComing soon\u0026hellip; Under cooking\u0026hellip; ","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/proximamente2/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/blog/images/2013/05/IMG_842.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Pics and Cakes\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/blog/images/2013/05/IMG_842.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"coming-soon\"\u003eComing soon\u0026hellip;\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"under-cooking\"\u003eUnder cooking\u0026hellip;\u003c/h2\u003e","title":"Chicken and Lamb Kebab"},{"content":"\nComing soon\u0026hellip; Under cooking\u0026hellip; Comments Nadia (2012-07-15 19:17:56):\nI love this new project :)\nPalstelera (2012-07-17 11:00:35):\n:-) We hope you\u0026rsquo;ll follow along closely. Thanks so much!\n","permalink":"https://picsandcakes.com/blog/en/posts/proximamente1/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/blog/images/2013/09/IMG_4836.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Pics and Cakes\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/blog/images/2013/09/IMG_4836.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"coming-soon\"\u003eComing soon\u0026hellip;\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"under-cooking\"\u003eUnder cooking\u0026hellip;\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"comments\"\u003eComments\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNadia\u003c/strong\u003e (2012-07-15 19:17:56):\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI love this new project :)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePalstelera\u003c/strong\u003e (2012-07-17 11:00:35):\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e:-) We hope you\u0026rsquo;ll follow along closely. Thanks so much!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Coca-Cola Chicken"}]