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Nut Meringue Kifli Cookies

I actually do not like cookies much and only eat one if there is absolutely nothing else (like on top of a mountain). But there are exceptions to any rule. With the onset of December I forget my dislike and happily start baking christmas cookies. There are still only very few cookie recipes, which I consider worth baking (Vanillekipferl I’m looking at you) and only once in a while a new one is joining the favoured few.

The most recent addition to this elitist club I found in an Austrian restaurant cookbook (Mein Pannonien/Max Stiegl), which mainly features recipes for intestines. But in between the kidneys and hearts I found a recipe for Burgenländer Kipferl, a traditional kifli type of cookie, filled with nuts and meringue. The recipe intrigued me as it uses a cold yeast dough (which I never heard of before), which you can use immediately. And instead of shaping each kifli, you just have to form a roll and cut pieces of with a glass. It seemed super easy.

Practically though I was never able to produce some pretty kifli like the ones in the book. In mine the meringue always oozes out voluptuously, which doesn’t look too good but forms the most delicious meringue clouds.

Despite (or maybe because ?) their looks they are by far the best cookies I’ve made in years, but every Burgenländer grandma would probably think they are a disgrace. That nobody feels I ruined their traditional recipe I just call them nut meringue kifli cookies and hope no grandma will catch me.

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Nut Meringue Kifli Cookies

Ingredients

For the dough

  • 250 gm butter
  • 400 gm flour
  • 1 package (7 gm) active dry yeast
  • 125 ml milk, cold
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1 pinch of salt

For the filling

  • 200 gm nuts
  • 3 egg whites
  • 200 gm fine sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cinammon

Instructions

Melt the butter and let it cool a bit. Mix all the ingredients for the dough and knead it till you have a smooth dough. You might have to add a tiny bit of milk if it is too crumbly.This is a cold yeast dough, which doesn’t need to rest.

For the filling grind the nuts in a food processor, I like it if they are still quite chunky. Whip the egg whites o stiff peaks while slowly incorporating the sugar.

Heat the oven to 180 degrees (350 fahrenheit)

Take 1/3 of the dough and roll it into a rectangle on a piece of cloth (this helps later with rolling). It shouldn’t be thicker than 2 - 3 mm. Distribute a third of the egg white evenly on the dough, but leave a bit of free space at the upper edge, so it doesn’t come out while rolling the dough. Sprinkle a third of the nuts and cinnamon over the egg white and roll the dough into a relatively tight roll. Cut the roll with a sharp knife into triangles.

Place the triangles on a baking sheet covered with baking paper. Bake for ca. 15 minutes till slightly brown. Take out and let cool.

Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Notes

I prefer to use walnuts, as they are a nice contrast to the sweet meringue. But any nut will work.

You can try to cut them with a glass to get more of a kifli shape. But i find it easier to work with a sharp knife.

It will be a bit messy as the meringue has it's own mind, just don't be bothered about that.

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Nuss Baiser Kipferl

Ingredients

Für den Teig:

  • 250 Gramm Butter
  • 400 Gramm Mehl
  • 1 Päckchen Trockenhefe
  • 125 ml Milch, kalt
  • 2 EL Zucker
  • 3 Eigelb
  • 1 Prise TL Salz

Für die Füllung

  • 200 Gramm Nüsse 
  • 3 Eiweiß
  • 200 Zucker
  • 1 EL Zimt

Instructions

Als Erstes die Butter schmelzen und abkühlen lassen. Alle Zutaten für den Teig mischen und solange kneten, bis ein glatter Teig entsteht. Falls er zu trocken ist, noch ein paar Löffel Milch hinzufügen. Der Teig ist ein kalt geführter Hefeteig, der sofort verwendet werden sollte und nicht zu ruhen braucht.

Für die Füllung die Nüsse in einer Küchenmaschine grob mahlen, ich mag es gerne, wenn noch ein paar größere Stücke dazwischen sind. Das Eiweiß steif schlagen, dabei nach und nach den Zucker einrieseln lassen.

Den Herd auf 180 Grad Ober/Unterhitze vorheizen.

1/3 des Teiges in ein Rechteck ausrollen, der Teig sollte nicht dicker als 2 - 3 mm sein. Es ist hilfreich das auf einem Tuch zu tun, das es einem später erleichtert den Teig aufzurollen. Auf dem Teig ein Drittel des Eischnees verteilen, am oberen Rand ein Stück freilassen, damit dort nichts beim Aufrollen herausquillt. Ein Drittel der Nüsse und des Zimts gleichmäßig darüberstreuen. Den Teig fest aufrollen und die Rolle mit einem scharfen Messer im Zickzack in Dreiecke schneiden.

Dreiecke auf ein mit Backpapier ausgelegtes Backblech legen und für ca. 15 Minuten goldgelb backen. Auskühlen lassen und mit etwas Puderzucker bestäuben.

Notes

Ich verwende am liebsten Walnüsse, aber es schmeckt auch gut mit Haselnüssen oder Mandeln.

Ihr könnt auch versuchen die Kipferl mit einem Glas abzustechen, damit sie die typische halbrunde Form bekommen. Ich finde das aber schwieriger.

 

Milk Noodles with Lemon and Honey

Things have been quiet over here, but I have a good reason for that – I went to Memphis for the SAVEUR Blog Awards and I won!!! (Best New Voice/Readers Choice). The last time I was so excited to win something was with 9 years, when I won a huge plushie wild boar at the local Beer Festival. Priorities change with age.

Winning this renowned award meant a lot to me, as blogging still feels new and until recently I was often too shy to tell people about it. Many thanks to everybody here who voted for me, it did make a difference and I so very much appreciate your support!!!

Going to Memphis was not only quite a thing because of the blog awards, but also because it was the first time for me in 3 years doing something on my own and being without my little son. Although I travelled half the world on my own before, it suddenly felt a bit difficult to not have the little weirdo around. Strange world. I often think becoming a mother shot me on some other planet and I’m still trying to figure out the different view from there..

However, before I get sentimental, lets go to the recipe. I made some milk noodles or semai payesh/vermicelli kheer. There are many names for this dish in India, but basically you cook tiny, roasted noodles in milk till they turn into a very comforting, sweet milky treat. It’s similar to rice pudding, but doesn’t take as long to prepare. If you wanna treat someone or yourself, but are a bit hurried, that’s the dish to have up your sleeve.

Traditionally it’s spiced with cardamon, but I added a bit of lemon peel and honey as this was the mood of the moment. Like this it feels lighter and fresher, like sunshine on a crisp winter morning. But please make it with cardamon if you feel so.

It also works nicely with almond milk, but you should use a thick homemade one, the store bought ones are normally to watery. You should get the right noodles in any Asian shop.

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Milk Noodles with Lemon and Honey

For 3 - 4 people.

Ingredients

  • 60 gram broken vermicelli
  • 600 ml milk
  • a handful of raisins
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 3 - 4 tablespoons mild honey (per taste)
  • A few drops orange blossom water (optional)
  • A few crushed pistachios, for decoration (optional)

Instructions

Roast the vermicelli in a thick bottomed pan, stirring constantly, over medium high heat. They should turn light brown and smell pleasantly. Once the vermicelli are nicely roasted, add the milk, raisins and lemon zest and bring to a boil while stirring constantly. Reduce the heat slightly and let it simmer for a few minutes while stirring from time to time. Once it hast the consistency of a thick soup it’s done (it continues to thicken upon cooling, so you should stop a bit before it has the desired thickness). Add honey and orange blossom water (if using) as per your taste. Fill in little bowls and sprinkle with a few crushed pistachio seeds. You can eat it hot, warm or cold from the fridge, it’s all nice.

Notes

You can buy Indian vermicelli (seviyan) noodles probably in any Asian shop. They are very thin wheat based noodles, broken into 2 - 3 cm pieces. Sometimes they come pre-roasted already.

But you can use any fine noodle from any ordinary supermarket. You might have to break them into small pieces though.

 

 

Bengali Tomato Jam

Bengali Tomato Jam with Panch PhoranIn West Bengal (the eastern Indian state where my husband is from) lunch is not something thrown together spontaneously, it has a particular order and choreography of dishes and flavours, always centered around a big plate of rice.

There is no Bengali meal which consists only of a single dish, there is always a variety of dishes served, although the amount of dishes cooked is getting less with each generation. One of the most unique features is that the different dishes are never eaten together. Each is served in it’s own right, so that the subtle flavours of Bengali cooking don’t get mixed up. My mother-in-law always eats last as she is so busy handing us one dish after the other (this always annoys the feminist in me, but I think she really doesn’t mind).

A traditional meal should always start with something bitter to increase your appetite and activate your digestive system (mostly in the form of bitter melon or neem leaves). After that you have something fried,  dal, one or several vegetable dishes and then comes the fish or meat. The finishing touch of the meal is always something sweet. Although in West Bengal this doesn’t mean dessert but mostly a dollop of sweet spicy chutney which you gracefully lick with your fingers from the plate (there could also be yogurt or mishti doi with it). After that you are full, happy and if it’s a weekend you retreat to a good afternoon nap.

Panch Phoran Bengali Five SpiceAlthough the traditions are fading, the clear order of flavours and dishes is an important (and beautiful) concept of Bengali cooking and a strong distinction to other Indian cuisines.

My mother-in-laws favorite part of the meal is always the spicy sweet chutney and the recipe which follows is based upon her tomato chutney recipe. Traditionally it is cooked with dates and a bit loose. I personally prefer to make a tomato jam out of it as it keeps longer and the firmer texture offers more applications. We also eat it in sandwiches, as a dip or with some cheese. It is sweet, has a bit of heat from the chili and is spiced with Panch Phoran, the sensational Bengali five spice mix.

Panch Phoran is a blend of 5 whole spices and depending on which seed you bite on you’ll get a bit of a different flavour. It’s an exciting spice and absolutely worth buying. It should be available in most Asian stores and online. And don’t worry it’s not a one-trick pony and can be used in many dishes, I’ll keep posting recipes with it.

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Bengali Tomato Jam

For 3 - 4 glasses.

Ingredients

1,5 kg tomatoes

600 gram sugar

8 gram pectin

1 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons grated ginger

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 tablespoon Panch Phoran

60 ml apple cider vinegar or lemon juice

Instructions

Wash the tomatoes and cut them roughly. Mix the sugar with the pectin.

Add the tomatoes, salt and sugar to a big pot. Simmer over medium heat for 15 - 20 minutes.

Meanwhile heat a little pan and roast the panch phoran till the spices smell aromatic (use your nose, you will understand when they are ready). Take the spices immediately out of the pan, so they don't burn.

Add the roasted panch phoran, chili, ginger and vinegar to the tomatoes. Taste the jam once and check if the amount of vinegar and chili feels right. Eventually add a bit more. Bring the mixture to a rapid boil and continue boiling for 5 minutes. Fill it into sterilized jars, close and turn upside down while still hot.

Notes

Different pectin brands might work differently, check the label for amounts. Toamtoes are naturally high in pectin and a small amount will do.

 

 

Sweet Corn Saffron Dessert

Sweet Corn Saffron DessertIt’s sweet corn season in India, although sweet corn isn’t the most typical Indian ingredient and only used in a few traditional recipes, but you can often find it roasted as a roadside snack. When I met my husband we often bought some roasted corn from a street stall, while we were floating aimlessly through Delhi. It would be a very romantic memory if the corn didn’t get stuck between my teeth all the time.

In the Punjab dried corn gets ground into Makki ki Atta (a slightly grainy flour) and thick yellow flatbreads are made out of it. They are smeared with ghee and eaten together with cooked mustard leaves. In Rajasthan they make a sweet rice pudding or kheer out of fresh corn (Bhutte ki Kheer). The young corn gets grated and boiled together with milk, sugar, cardamon and saffron till it becomes a thick, sweet pudding similar in texture to Indian rice pudding, but with the sweet aroma of corn.

If you get relatively young and fresh sweetcorn the texture of the traditional recipe is fantastic! But if your corn isn’t really young (or you use frozen corn) you face the problem of unpleasant pieces of corn skin, which I don’t like. Thats why I made a soft and silky sweetcorn dessert out of the traditional recipe, it still has the pleasant aroma of corn but won’t disturb any first date with unpleasant bits. In the recipe below I explain both versions.

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Sweet Corn Saffron Dessert

For 3 - 4 people.

Ingredients

  • 1,5 cups corn (from 2-3 fresh cobs or frozen)
  • 500 ml milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon saffron
  • 1,5 teaspoon starch
  • 1-3 tablespoons honey

Decoration

  • chopped nuts
  • edible silverfoil
  • pomegranate seeds

Instructions

Grate the corn with a boxgrater from the cobs & catch all liquid which is extracted from the cobs.

Give the corn, liquid and milk into a blender and puree it. Strain the mixture through some cloth or nutmilkbag. Press as much liquid out as possible.

Grind the saffron in a mortar with a bit of sugar. Mix the starch with 2 tablespoons of cold milk.

Put the cornmilk into a pot and simmer on medium heat for about 10 minutes. The milk should reduce by 1/3 and become a bit thicker. Stir regularly. Add the saffronsugar and boil a little more. Then stir in the starch with a whisk, increase the heat and bring it to one more boil. Take of the stove.

You can add the honey now or drizzle over the cream just before serving (I prefer that). You will have to adjust the amount of honey according to the sweetness of the corn.

You can serve the cream warm or cold. If you cool it you should keep a piece of foil directly on top, though no skin is forming.

If you want you can whip it a bit before serving. Decorate with chopped nuts, edible silverfoil or pomegranate seeds.

Notes

Traditional version:

If you want to make the original dish from Rajasthan you add the grated corn directly to the milk and boil it till it has a slightly liquid rice pudding like consistency. You won’t need any starch in this case. All other ingredients stay same.

You can also add 1/2 teaspoon cardamon powder (I feel it diverts too much from the sweet corn flavour)

 

 

 

 

 

My Grandmothers Poppyseed Cake (Mohnkuchen)

To be honest, this actually isn’t my grandmothers recipe. But it reminds me of her and her poppyseed cake. The type of poppyseed cake I’m talking about originates from Austria, where poppyseeds are used lavishly in many, especially sweet dishes. The poppy flower is native to the Mediterranean area and from there it traveled back and forth in many directions. It did bring us oil, seeds, medicine, drugs and this cake.

poppyseed cakeMy grandmother baked her poppyseed cake in a bundt pan, it had a dark shade of grey and was showered with icing sugar. She often made it for family gatherings and everybody loved it. But we never wrote down any of her recipes. It didn’t seem necessary as I could not imagine her to be gone one day. That’s pretty stupid, I know, but death is like climate change – always present, difficult to grasp and we often prefer to put it out of view.

The day after her funeral my family met to honor her with cooking some of the dishes she used to make for us. I tried my luck with bohemian dumplings and Svíčková, the Czech classic. But the meat stayed hard and the sauce was too sour. My sister baked Rehrücken (an Austrian chocolate-nut cake), it tasted nice but fell apart. I guess grandma was watching us, smiling and murmuring „don’t worry, you’ll learn it“.

By now my poppyseed cake is pretty good, not exactly like hers, but it captures the essence and is equally packed with poppyseeds, got the right texture, is aromatic, juicy and of course covered in icing sugar. I know she would like it.

It comes to my mind now, that I should have taken a picture of the beautiful dark grey texture, but we already ate the cake. Please imagine it, it’s a bit like a nut cake, but in dark grey. I use a round springform pan with a diameter of 26cm (11 inch). It’s best to let the cake sit overnight, so the flavours can develop.

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My Grandmothers Poppyseed Cake

For a 26 cm (ca. 11 inch) springform pan

Ingredients

  • 6 eggs (large)
  • 150 grams sugar
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 lemon zest
  • 150 grams butter, softened
  • 250 grams poppyseeds
  • 50 grams nuts, ground (I use hazelnut)

Instructions

First grind the poppy seeds, this works best in a small blender (nutribullet type), an old electric coffee grinder or you can try to get them crushed with mortar and pestle. It’s important to open the little seeds, so they can release their essential oils.

Mix the ground poppyseeds with the nuts. Butter the cake pan. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees (convection 140 degrees).

Separate the eggs and beat the egg whites with 50 grams of the sugar and the pinch of salt till they are stiff. Beat the butter with the rest of the sugar and lemon zest till the mixture is fluffy, then slowly add the egg yolks one by one.

Fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture, then gently mix in the poppyseed mix. Fill the mixture in the cake pan and bake for 45 - 60 mins (my oven takes 50 minutes).

Let the cake cool down and ideally sit overnight. Dust with icing sugar before serving.

 

 

 

Mango Saffron Halva

In India the summer doesn’t bring strawberries but mangos. Once the heat starts to become unbearable you suddenly see sticky, yellow mangos piling up on the the wooden carts of the fruit sellers. The ripe mango isn’t a fruit which offers any refreshment, instead it’s honeysweet juice will run down your chin and leave you in an ecstatic state of pleasure which will make you forget the heat for a moment. The mango is the indian fruit per se and her heavy sweetness perfectly matches the flavours of the indian sweets which taste of milk, ghee, cardamom, saffron, rose and coconut and also do not have any fresh accent.

One of the sweets which you can find in most Indian states as well as in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Iran and even some East European countries is Sooji ka Halva – a thick, sweet semolina paste made with a good measure of ghee and cardamom. Sometimes it’s eaten already for breakfast together with paratha or some other dishes (for a contrast of sweet/salty) or it’s nice to enjoy a little bowl full in between to sweeten up your day.

Meanwhile I’m a big fan of sooji ka halva, but most of the time it’s a bit sweet for my taste and I prepare mine with lots of mango, nuts and saffron and less sugar. But do not skimp on the ghee (or coconut oil if you want to keep it vegan), it’s essential for it’s rich flavour and mouthfeel.

mango safran dessert halwa
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Mango Saffron Halwa

A rich Indian sweet loaded with mango, saffron and nuts. Best eaten slightly warm.

Ingredients

  • 80 gram semolina 
  • 4 tablespoons ghee (or butter or coconut oil) 
  • 250 ml mango puree 
  • 250 ml water
  • 1/2 teaspoon saffron 
  • 1/4 teaspoon cardamon
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 - 3 tablespoon sugar (or honey), per taste
  • 2 tablespoon raisins (optional) 
  • 2 tablespoons cashew nuts (or almonds)

Instructions

Mix the mango puree with the water and saffron and keep it aside. Put one tablespoon of the ghee in a pot or pan and melt it on medium heat, now add the semolina and roast it till it slightly changes it's colour and starts to smell aromatically (about 5 min).

Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and slowly add the mango/saffron mixture while stirring vigorously with a whisk or spoon. At this point you have to make sure that no clumps are forming. Add the sugar (or honey), raisins (if using) and continue stirring till the mixture has cooked into a thick paste. Now add the cardamon and take of the heat. It will thicken further upon cooling.

Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of ghee to a pan, melt on medium heat and roast the cashews till they are slightly brown.

Mix the melted ghee and nuts into the the semolina paste and fill into small bowls. You have to butter the bowls beforhand if you want to turn them out upside down.

Notes

You can make mango puree from fresh mangoes or used tinned alphonoso mango pulp, which every asian store should carry, but make sure there is no sugar added. You can also simply use mango juice and it also tastes nice with pineapple juice or orange juice and -zest.

You need to use fine semolina flour which has the texture of medium fine sand. You should get it in any whole foods market or in Indian shops where it is called suji, soji or sooji.

If you want to use no or less saffron you can increase the amount of cardamon. 

 

 

 

Ginger, Hibiscus & Tulsi Tonic

ginger, hibiscus, tulsi tonic

In front of our house stand two hibiscus trees with bright red flowers. Whenever lots of flowers have opened up a family of monkeys arrives and starts eating them. They really enjoy that treat and each time I find myself running outside with a stick to chase them away. One day I thought that I could actually trick those monkeys and eat the flowers myself before they arrive. After a few experiments I found a mixture with ginger, honey and tulsi which was the bomb – spicy, herby, sweet and a bright red colour. You can use this mix as a syrup with water, put a bit in your tea or even drink a bit of it pure after a heavy meal (instead of a Schnaps).

ginger, hibiscus, tulsi tonic

Tulsi is also called Holy Basil and most households in India have their own plant. The leaves are used in ayurvedic medicine, religious ceremonies or simply used as a tea. They are considered as an adaptogen which helps to reduce stress. You can buy the tea online or in organic shops.

hibiskus sirup
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Ginger, Hibiscus & Tulsi Tonic

An ideal mixer for (alcohol free) cocktails or a spicy lemonade. Also adding a bit to your tea is a very good idea. Makes 1 litre.

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons tulsi tea
  • 4 teaspoons dried hibiscus flowers
  • 2 organic lemons, zest & juice
  • 100 ml ginger juice (extracted from 200 gramms ginger root)
  • 200 gramms honey or sugar

Instructions

Add the lemon zest together with the tulsi tea and hibiscus flowers in a pot. Pour half a liter of hot water over it and let the mixtures rest for a few hours or overnight at a cool place.

On the next day strain the mixture and add the lemon juice, ginger juice and honey or sugar. Heat everything on the stove till it almost boils, let it simmer for 1-2 minutes. Don't overheat otherwise the ginger will loose it's taste. Fill in sterile bottles.

The Tonic keeps in the fridge for a few weeks.

Notes

There are several ways how you can juice the ginger:

Juicer - I have a slow juicer which easily juices the fibrous ginger. A normal juicer will struggle a bit more, but it is possible too. Just cut the ginger into smaller pieces and remove the fibers when they get stuck in the juicer.

Food Processor - cut the ginger into small pieces and add it together with 2 cups of the tea in a food processor. Puree it as much as possible, then strain the puree through a muslin cloth/ nut milk bag. 

Grater - if you have no juicer or food processor you better increase the amount of ginger to 300 gramms, grate it and add it right at the beginning together with the tulsi leaves and hibiscus. On the next day strain it out with the other ingredients (press a bit so all juices come out).