Gingerbread filled with white chocolate and goat cheese

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White chocolate and goat cheese filling is a quick and easy way to pimp the gingrebread. And they make nice foodie gifts, too!

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Sure, making your own gingerbread dough from the scratch does make the best dough... but at least chez moi I've discovered it tends to magically disappear from the fridge as it's supposedly resting overnight and by the time the oven is hot there's hardly any left. Instead there is a cook with a seriously sore tummy... 

I blame them elves - around Christmas time they are the reason behind all the funny business, right?

But hey - sticking with this year's theme of stress-free Christmas, let's not stress. Take a deep breath and tell yourself it is perfectly ok to use  store-bought dough, too. It is. 

I even remember finding some in the corner shop around July once. Strangely enough my stomach was equally upset after wolfing down half a kilo package of that. Go figure - I could swear there were no elves anywhere.

For this purpose you should bake thicker and softer gingerbread (which to me is the only way to go anyway). If you want something even more decadent, you could add a jam layer too. Pear or blueberry for instance would work well. 

I was supposed to add a cranberry jelly, but after I got home, I realized I'd left the jar in the shop. But hey - let's not stress about that either!

White chocolate gives the filling sweetness and structure and goat cheese lends it lovely tartness and spreadability. If you're not a fan of it though you could just use regular cream cheese. 

You could also add some pureed berries to the filling. Or crushed hard, salty liquorice candy. Or substitute it with chocolate ganache. Entirely up to you so go on, go crazy!

Depending on the size of your gingerbread the filling is enough for 10-15 cookies

White chocolate and goat cheese filled gingerbread:

500 g gingerbread dough 

Roll out the dough to about 1/2 cm thickness. Using a circular cookie cutter (or a glass), cut it into discs. Using a tiny cookie cutter (or a sharp knife) cut a desired shape into half of them. 

Bake at 200° for 5-7 minutes until the edges start getting a little colour. Let cool, fill and assemble the cookies.

White chocolate and goat cheese filling:

1 (145 g) White chocolate bar

1 tsp vanilla essence

the finely grated zest of a lime 

the juice from 1/2 lime

1 box (140 g) spreadable goat cheese

Melt the chocolate in Bain Marie ( metal bowl placed over pot of simmering water). Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until smooth. Chill until ready to use. 

Turn the gingerbread cookies the lower side up. Spread the filling (easiest way is to use piping bag and a small round nozzle) onto one half and then press the top half (the one with the shae cut into it) on top of it. 

Serve! And be merry!

PS. In case youdo have the time (and self-restraint...) here you'll find my recipe for made-from-scratch-gingerbread dough.

PPS. And in case you're looking for a gluten-free recipe, check out Veera's version at  Queen of Delicious! 

So, have you already started your gingerbread season? How do you  pimp yours?

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Go nuts - Asian chicken skewers with satay sauce (glutenfree)

These Asian chicken skewers and nutty satay sauce are so addictive - go on, go nuts!

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I spent the first half of the summer travelling so much that I still haven't finished all of those stories. But a little break from the travel posts might do us both good, non? And in case you thought I'd completely stopped eating, let me correct you straight away. No, I haven't. Quite the opposite, in fact. 

Cooking and shooting for my book has taken most of my time of late, so I've missed out on the glorious BBQ weather that still show no signs of being over. So, better make the most of these days while I still can! Same goes for you - go on, fire up that BBQ because have I got treats for you!

This peanut sauce is one of my long-standing favourites that I usually make a bigger batch of: I seem to have a horrible tendency to lick the bowl dry before the BBQ is even ready. Obviously it's all in the name of quality control - it's not like I'm greedy or anything. Oh, no. 

It's also versatile as heck - try it as a dip for crudites, as a salad dressing (for instance to replace the miso and sesame dressing in this glutenfree mung bean vermicellisalad!), for beef or pork... or with your index finger. It is that good. 

I prefer sugar-free peanutbutter as that allows me to keep pretending I'm all about clean living, but use what ever you like. And in case you haven't gone crazy at the ethnic shops and are issing some of the ingredients for the sauce, worry not. You can replace fish sauce by adding more soy sauce and as for rice vinegar, just add more lime juice. And perhaps some regular white vinegar and a dash of sugar. 

10 skewers/ serves 4

Asian marinated chicken skewers and satay sauce:

450 g chicken

marinade:

1 dl soy sauce

1/2 dl honey

2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tbsp finely chopped ginger

1 red chilli

finely grated zest and juice of a lime (1,5 tbsp juice)

Combine the ingredients. Pat the chicken dry and cut into 1 cm strips. Place in the marinade and leave to marinate at least for half an hour (or several hours, depending on how much time you've got)

Satay-kastike:

1,5 dl (150 g) unsweetened peanut butter

1/4 dl rice vinegar

the finely grated zest and juice of a lime (1,5 tbsp juice)

1,5 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp fish sauce (nam pla) 

1 dl coconuut milk

1/2 -1 tsp Sriracha

2 tbsp finely chopped coriander

Measure the ingredients into a food processor and blizz until smooth (or whisk them together by hand). Check the taste and adust to your liking by adding me lime juice and/or soy sauce.

Drain the chicken from the marinade. Thread onto 10 skewers (in case using wooden ones, make sure to soak them in water for half an hour to avoid setting them on fire) and grill (either on a BBQ, griddle pan or under a broiler in the oven) for 3-4 minutes per side.

Serve with satay sauce. Enjoy.

Want to hear a secret? I finished them all by myself. In one sitting. I suppose there's no way to pass that one off as quality control...?

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Easy, fresh, quick, creamy and dreamy lemon and lime pudding

Easter is just around the corner and with that, days and days of food orgies. In case you're looking for something a bit lighter to finish the meal off with, look no further. This zingy spring time treat is sure to work... well, a treat. 

Ok, so it does have some cream, eggs, sugar (and a little butter, too...) but in such a fresh, dreamy and creamy way that still manages to leave you feeling good. 

Should you want, you can also make it using just lemons. Or lime. Or, even oranges, in which case you can omit the icing sugar completely and cut back on the sugar in the curd, too. 

And the absolutely best part about this quick and easy pudding that only requires a handful of ingredients is the fact that you can make it up to 2 days in advance to ease the stress on the day itself. Though... I have a feeling you won't be able to hold off either - I for instance ate the first three in one sitting. Though I wasn't supposed to tell you that...

Serves four

Lemon and lime pudding

2 tbsp grated lime zest (about 2 limes)

1 dl lemon juice (approximately 1 lemon)

1 dl lime juice (approximately 3 limes)

2 dl sugar

4 eggs

60 g butter

2 dl cream

1/2 tsp vanilla sugar/ vanilla essence

1/2 dl icing sugar

Measure the ingredients (apart from cream, vanilla and icing sugar) into a pot and bring to just below simmer. Continue cooking over low-medium heat stirring occasionally, until the mixture starts to thicken (about 10 minutes). Drain through a sieve into a clean bowl. 

Leave to cool to room temperature and chill in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Whisk cream into still foam and season with vanilla and icing sugar. Fold into the curd and mix until even. Pour into serving dishes and serve immediately (or keep in the fridge, covered, until ready to serve).

Serve with berries (blueberries!), meringue crumbs or crushed biscuits for more of a cheesecake-like feel. 

In case you're looking for more sweet treats for your Easter celebrations, just go here.

And in case you're looking for inspiration for lamb, click on here.

Wishing you all a delicious and sunny Easter time with your loved ones!

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Meatless monday (all month long): red thai soy strip curry (vegan)

Aaaah... October. The month of challenges. There's Stoptober encouraging people to quit smoking and then there's Sober October, willing people to spend 31 days without alcohol. Since I seem to have this inexplicable need to do everything in life the hard way, I felt compelled to challenge myself, too. No, I'm not even going to attempt the latter as October is also the month of Oktoberfest (surely those two cancel each other out?) . Instead I, the insatiable carnivore, am joining the meat-free October. Not that my life has seen any kind of carnal delights of late, anyway...

I love everything about meat, starting from the texture. It's just so immensely satisfying to sink one's hungry teeth into it! But no, not for the next 30 days. Instead I'll be sinking my teeth into... wait for it... soy. There's a wide array of soy-based meat substitutes out there which are more ecologic than meat, wildly high in protein, cholesterol-free, loaded with calcium and rich in fiber, too. So, we'll stay how this pans out...

I started my exploration into the vegetarian world with soy strips (also called textured vegetable protein strips or chicken-free strips), which I turned into this comforting vegan dish: red Thai curry. Just what these cold autumn days call for.

Not only is this suitable for just about any special diet out there, it's also quick and easy. You'll have dinner on the table in half an hour! 

PS. If you insist on making your own curry paste, you'll find the recipe on the blog here.

Serves 2-3

Red thai curry with soy strips:

125 g soy strips 

1,5 l vegetable stock

1 onion

3 cloves of garlic

4 cm piece of fresh ginger

1,5 red chilli (reserve the rest for serving)

the stalks from a bunch of coriander

1 tsp soy sauce

the juice of 1,5 lime (reserve the remaining half for serving)

3 tbsp red curry paste

1 tbsp ketchup

400 g coconut milk (rich, creamy kind)

To serve:

finely chopped leaves of a bunch of coriander
handful of toasted coconut flakes (or crispy, roasted onion flakes)
remaining half of the lime, cut into chunks
remaining chilli, thinly sliced

Cook the soy strips in vegetable stock for 10 minutes. Drain and steam drier. 

Measure the remaining ingredients into a small food processor (or pound into a paste using pestle and mortar) and blizz into a smooth paste. If needed, add a tbsp or two of coconut milk. 

Pour the paste into a pan and add soy strips. Stir to make sure they're covered in paste for a couple of minutes and then add coconut milk. Let simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes. Add coriander leaves, drizzle freshly squeezed lime juice on top and sprinkle with coconut flakes (dry roast them in a hot pan until golden and fragrant). Serve with rice.

I was ridiculously skeptic somewhat curious as to what the taste would be like (yes, I pushed and shoved the pieces around with the tip of my fork like a petulant 3-year-old). But you know what? Damn. Goddamn, this was yummy. So. Bloody. Yummy. And that texture? Juicier than chicken. 

Carnivore's verdict? Soy strips, you're going to Hollywooooood!

PS. If Asian flavours are your thing, try using soy strips for substituting chicken in this divine mango and chilli chicken recipe or instead of beef with this delicious peanut sauce!

(125 g of uncooked soy strips equal roughly 400 g chicken/ beef strips.)

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Meaty secret from Spain: Secreto de Iberico with pineapple salsa and Villa Maria Cellar Selection Riesling

Whoah. WHOAH. Have I got a secret for you. With an "o". Yep, secret-o. Secreto de Iberico, to be precise. Sounds immediately so enticing, right? That's Spanish for you. You'll get away with just  about anything in it. Just imagine whispering "tengo la sífilis y voy a morir mañana" - the listener would just melt. That is, if they didn't understand Spanish and know you've just told them you have syphilis that will kill you tomorrow, of course. But hey, I can promise this is probably just about the most succulent piece of meat you'll come across. 

Secreto comes from somewhere around the shoulder region, lurking under the belly fat. Juicy and tender beyond belief. It's heavy on the muscular fat (visible on the surface of the slab of meat, creamy and white) which keeps the meat moist, yet giving it a glorious crust.

In case you don't have a bunch of Iberico piggies roaming at the back of your hacienda, source yours frozen or at a good butcher.

Prepping this baby takes no special skills. Heavy on the salt and pepper, off to the hot BBQ or a griddle pan it goes for about 3 minutes per side, followed by a couple of minutes rest. It's next to impossible to mess it up.

In Spain the traditional way to serve it is to cut it into strips and drizzle with freshly squeezed lemon juice. Another equally delish way would be to serve it with romesco (or romesco mayo!). Ooh, and with some roasties!

This time I served mine with pineapple salsa, which, too, comes together in mere minutes. No need to wrap up the BBQ season just yet!

Serves 2

Grilled Iberico's secreto with pineapple salsa

1 slab (about 370 g) Iberico pork's secreto

salt, pepper

Pineapple salsa:

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1 large garlic clove, finely chopped

1 tlsp fresh ginger, finely chopped

the juice of 1,5 lime

1/2 pineapple (or 2 cans of pineapple slices in its own juice)

1/2 green pepper

1 - 1,5 jalapeño (depending on your taste), finely chopped

1 tomato

1/2 bunch of coriander

1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt (to taste)

pinch of white pepper

Take the meat into room temperature about half an hour prior to grilling. In the meanwhle make the salsa. 

Combine garlic, red onion, ginger and lime juice in a bowl and leave to marianate (this helps soften the onion). Then prep rest of the ingredients.

Cut pinapple, pepper and tomato into 1 cm cubes. Combine with jalapeño and chopped coriander leaves. Combine with the onion mixture. Check the taste and season. 

Wipe the meat dry and season generously. Grill over hot grill (or griddle pan) for 3 minutes per side and leave to rest for a couple of minutes before serving.

Cut to strips, drizzle with remaining lime juice and serve with pineapple salsa.

Spicy, sweet notes? Richness of the pork? You guessed it - the wine pairing is Riesling. What you might have not guessed it is the fact that this time it comes from New World.

Another wine I've introduced from the same producer is Private Bin Organic Sauvignon Blanc I paired with the Asian-inspired sesame encrusted tuna salad. 

Villa Maria Cellar Selection Riesling is a dry wine with fruitiness so typical for Riesling without excessive sweetness, however. It has floral notes and, after breathing a bit, also hints of petroliness. Dry as an aperitif or with Asian inspired dishes with fish, seafood and white meat.

The recipe has acidic, spicy, fruity and rich elements, so you might also try it with Whole Bunch Grenache Blanc Viognier from Bellingham The Bernard Series that went so well with this chicken and pineapple pasta salad or even Biohof Pratsch Grüner Veltliner, that I paired with this chicken and avocado salad.

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White chocolate and lime panna cotta

Despite today's being April Fools' Day, I'm not going to treat you as one. Instead of, say, red herrings, the blog features a recipe for white chocolate and lime panna cotta. Perfect for Easter lunch! And since it's gluten-free, too, Passover too! Obviously in that case you'll want to use a kosher substitute for the gelatin...

Gelatin-set treats are something my kitchen (or this blog) has not seen. I absolutely abhor the jiggle of the jellies so loved by the English and practically without exception every single set cheesecake I've ever tasted has had that rubbery texture courtesy of overly generous use of gelatin.

Panna cotta is another thing I refuse to go anywhere near of. Crème brûlée (don't forget the blog also has a pie-version of that!) , baked and set using eggs, on on the other hand is always my most likely choice for dessert in any restaurant. Just imagine my disappointment when once, at a dinner in a local restaurant I ordered one and was served a bouncy panna cotta instead. In case you didn't know and especially in case planning on a career in the restaurant industry: not the same thing!

As the Instagram and Facebook followers already know, a  couple of weeks ago I attended Electrolux cooking school (what else would a food blogger do on her night off...?) where, guided by one of the chefs in Finland Culinary Team we prepared a three-course dinner. My team was in charge of the dessert. And the dessert? Milk chocolate panna cotta.

But what do you know! The recipe was so good I immediately adopted it and has been gorging on it like crazy ever since - more than making up for the lost time. This time I gave it a spring time makeover using white chocolate. Lime gives it brightness and the almond shards... well, make them even if that's the only thing you'll have time to make. Insanely good!

I picked up two professional tips for making most of your panna cotta: Add the cream mixture into the molten chocolate little bit at a time and using a spatula (results in a velvetier texture!) and after pouring the mixture into the ramekins, quickly torch the surface using one of those crème brûlée torches (this eliminates the air bubbles).

Depending on the size of your ramekins (and how much of the mixture magically disappears into the chef's mouth in the cooking phase...!) this yields 4-6 servings.

White chocolate and lime panna cotta:

130 g white chocolate

3 dl heavy cream

1 dl milk

1 tbsp sugar

a couple of drops of vanilla extract (or about 1/4 tsp vanilla sugar)

the juice and finely grated zest of 1 lime

1 gelatin leaf

Leave the gelatin to soak in cold water. Melt chocolate over simmering water. Measure rest of the ingredients (apart from the gelatin) into another pot and bring to boil.

Strain the cream mixture. Squeeze out excess liquid off the gelatin and dissolve into the hot cream mixture. Start adding the cream mixture into the chocolate, little bit at a time. Pour into ramekins and chill until set (a couple of hours).

Serve with raspberries and almond shards.

Almond shards:

50 g butter

50 g sugar

25 g almond flakes

a drop of vanilla extract 

pinch of ground ginger

pinch of salt

1,5 tsp almond flour

Measure the ingredients into a pot and melt the butter and sugar over medium heat. Once the sugar is completely dissolved, add almond flour and spoon the mixture into a thin layer on a tray lined with parchment.

Bake at 175° until golden, 5-7 minutes. Once it's cooled enough to be lifted off the parchment, leave to dry on a rack. Once dry break into shards of desired size.

Tip 1: once the sheet's come out of the oven, you can also cut it into ribbons using a pizza slicer. When cool enough, lift the strips to cool on the rack.

Tip 2: You can also bake this into biscuits by dropping about a teaspoonfuls of mixture onto the parchment (about 10 cm apart as they will spread in the oven). And if you're really quick with your hands, you could also roll the biscuits around the handle of a ladle into cannoli-like shapes. Beware - the biscuits cool really fast, so in this case you'll only want to bake about 2-3 at a time. 

Oh, panna cotta, mi amore. I'll be feasting on you a lot. What about you guys? Fans of panna cotta? Any tips for different variations?

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Mango, chilli, ginger and coconut chicken - flu be gone!

Spring is finally here. And with it, lighter days. And, as my sad luck would have it, a very stubborn flu. After more than a week of producing Ghostbusters-worthy gunk it was time to brink out the big guns. A.k.a. mango, chilli, ginger and coconut chicken to the rescue!

This is one of the dishes I've been making for years, yet never managed to pen the recipe. I know that my friend, The Cat Blogger has been waiting for this post ever since I started blogging as this dish won her and her daughter over way back. Well, here goes!

And hey, not only is this packed with (bug-busting) flavour, it's also quick and at your table in less than 30 minutes. And it's dairy-free, kosher and gluten-free. What are you waiting - time to get cracking!

Mango, chilli, ginger and coconut chicken:

Serves four

4 chicken breasts

salt, white pepper

Mango, chilli, ginger and coconut sauce:

4 cm piece of fresh ginger (finely chopped 2,5 tbsp)

1-2 red chillis, finely chopped

2 large garlic cloves (finely chopped 2 tbsp)

the juice and finely grated zest of a lime

1 tbsp curry powder

1/2 chicken stock cube dissolved in 1,5 dl boiling water

2,5 small baby food jars (â 125 g) puréed mango 

1 tbsp soy sauce

2,5 dl coconut cream (the thick stuff you see as you open a tin of coconut milk)

oil for frying, 

for serving: a coriander bush and 2 spring onions

Sauté garlic, ginger and chilli in a couple of tbsp oil Add curry powder, keep stirring and cooking for a minute and then add lime zest and juice along with soy sauce.

Then add chicken stock, mango puré and coconut cream. Cook for another 10 minutes until the sauce starts thickening a bit.

Pat the chicken fillets dry and cut into 1 cm thick slices. Season with salt and white pepper. Sear quickly, working in batches, the chicken in a hot pan and transfer into the sauce. Continue cooking over medium heat for 10-15 minutes until the chicken is just done. 

Check the taste and add more soy cauce if needed. Finely chop coriander and spring onion, fold into the sauce and serve with rice.

Normally I would have paired this with one of the Alsatians we've grown so fond of, probably turning to Wolfberger for a match. Gewürtztraminer for instance would have the sort of ripe sweetness that works so well with the heat from chilli and ginger. 

However, we happened to have some of this new Venetian friend instead. 

Garganega is a grape widely grown in the Veneto region and the foundation of many Soaves. It's got bright citrusy notes that perk up the overall appearance, but also ripe fruitiness which, together with the gentle spiciness (courtesy of oak barrels among other things) make this a great match for Asian cuisine. 

As the label suggests, the wine is made with appassimiento- method, which means that the grapes are partially dried over a certain period (40 days for this one) before pressing. As a result the wine has a lot more concentrated, richer flavour.

And hey, this particular wine was named in honour of the wife of the founder of the winery. How adorable is that!

Oh, what's the deal with the birds, you ask? That, my friend, is  a Rajasthani parrot chain. The birds are suppose to bring the household good luck while the bell at the end of it is supposed to ward off the evil spirits. I still haven't won the lottery but on the other side - I don't get any Jehovah's Witnessess at my door either...!

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Mexican avocado and corn salad

I've already lamented the poor quality of figs and chestnuts sold in Finland. With avocados the situation has luckily vastly improved over the past years and even the smallest shops now seem to stock perfectly ripe avocados ready  to be devoured. Which is nice, seeing how I'm no longer able to nick source them directly from the neighbour's tree...

The vegan association in Finland is challenging people to take part in Vegan January (seriously, as if Dry January wouldn't be enough! Not that we're taking part in that one either...) so we, too, decided to go vegan. For one meal, anyway. A friend came over to get ideas as her daughter has become a full-time vegan so, the salad itself is vegan. In the end our  meal wasn't as we had it with garlicky tortilla crisps and some Greek yogurt sprinkled with fleur de sel and pimentòn. Oh, and coconut-crusted fish fritters based on this prawn recipe. 

Vegan challenge, attempt #1. Fail. This salad, luckily, not at all.

On top of everything else it's so quick and easy it's almost embarrassing to even talk about cooking - seeing how most of the ingredients come in a tin...

Serves 4, as a side dish 6-8

Corn, avocado and black bean salad:

2 avocados

1 tin (285 g) corn

1 tin (285 g) black beans

1 green pepper

1 red onion

the juice of 1,5  limes

1 tbsp brown sugar

Dressing:

the juice of 1/2 lime

the finely grated zest of 1 lime

1/ 2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander seeds

1/4 tsp pimentón

pinch of cayenne

1/2 - 1 jalopeño, minced (depending on the size, feistiness... and your palate)

1/4 dl oil

salt, pepper, large bunch of coriander

Start with prepping the onion. Peel and slice it. Squeeze the lime juice and which in sugar until it's completely dissolved. Pour over the onion and leave to marinate and soften while you prep rest of the salad.

Cut the avocados in half, remove the stone and scoop out the flesh. Cut into slices (or chunks, which ever way you prefer). Cut the pepper too.

Drain corn and black beans. Combine with red onion and rest of the veggies. Fold in chopped coriander leaves. Combine the ingredients for the dressing and toss into the salad. Check the taste and season as needed. Serve.

You could also serve this as a side with grilled chicken, fish or seafood or mix them directly into the salad.

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