Hefekranz Nester (Challah Easter Nests) - HAPPY EASTER!

It's Easter time and I saw this cute little recipe of little "Hefekranz Nester" on Pinterest. "Hefekranz" is the German term for a braided sweet yeast breads like a Challah bread. For this recipe, the yeast bread is divided into several smaller little Easter nests :)

You can use different fillings (e.g., fruits, jams, nuts, etc.) and toppings (coarse sugar, almond shavings, glazes, etc.) for the yeast bread. I used some raisins as a filling and a sugar-lemon glaze.

This recipe gave me the perfect opportunity to learn more about yeast bread, the right proofing time and kneading...

When the bread turns out too dense...

There are several reasons why the bread may turn out too dense and firm.

• You may have over-proofed or over-kneaded the bread. Use the "finger poking" method to see whether the proofing is done. If you poke the dough and the indentation springs back immediately, it is underproofed. If the indentation does not spring back at all, it is overproofed. If it springs back somewhat, it is right. 
• You may have proofed the dough in a too warm place. 
• Replacing cream with milk/butter may make the bread a little lighter as well.
• Also, baking it with "Umluft" at a too high degree for too long will make it more firm.

Ingredients:

Dough

• 125 ml heavy cream (or substitute with 125 ml milk and 30 g butter)
• 1/2 package yeast (fresh, not instant)
• 250g flour
• 40 g sugar
• 1 package (2 tablespoons) vanialla sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• pinch of salt
• optional: 1/2 cup raisings 
• 1 egg
• possibly: 1 tablespoon flour

Egg Wash

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon milk

Optional Glaze

• 125 g powder sugar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Preparation:

1. Prepare the dough and first proofing: Lightly warm up the heavy cream, take down from heat and crumble in the yeast. You may want to add a bit of the sugar, it will help with the activation. Use a plastic or wooden spoon to stir, and a glas or plastic container, not a metalic one (it would interfere with the yeast activation). Let stand for about 10 minutes till you see a frothy, foamy layer on top (see piture). If that doesn't happen, your yeast may have expired and did not activate or the cream was too warm. In another bowl, add flour, the rest of the sugar, vanilla sugar, lemon zest, salt, and raisins. Whisk everything together. Form a little well in the middle and add the egg. Mix by adding the flour mix from the side to the middle. Pour the cream-yeast mix over the slurry flour-egg mix. Stir with a wooden spoon till you have a shaggy dough. Now, with a dough hook mix for 6-8 minutes till you have a smooth, soft dough, that keeps its ball like shape. If it is too sticky, add a talbespoon of flour. Cover the dough ball and let stand for about 1 hour in a warm place till it is doubled in size. When you poke it with a finger, the indentation should spring back slowly.
2. Build the nests: Dust your working space with a bit of flour, punch down the dough and knead. Divide the dough into 6 equal parts for 6 nests. Take one of those parts and divide into 3 equal parts. Roll those 3 parts into thin ropes of about 30cm length and braid them together like you would braid hair. Form a round circle with the braided rope to build the nest. Squeeze the ends together. Repeat for the other five nests. 
3. Second proofing: Line a baking tray with parchment and lift the nests on top. You can add a ball of tin foil in the middle of the nest to keep the hole in its form. Let stand in a warm place for about 1/2 hour. It will rise again but not as much as before.
4. Bake the nests: Preheat oven at 180 degree celsius. Mix the egg yolk and milk to make an egg wash. Coat each nest with the egg wash. Bake for about 20 minutes till golden brown. Take out and let cool down.
5. Topping: If you want a really sweet yeast bread, use a glaze. Mix the powdered sugar with water and lemon juice to form the glaze. If it is not thick enough, add some more powdered sugar. Spread on top of the cooled nests. Instead of the glaze, you can also use coarse sugar.

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Yogurette Torte - A Birthday Yoghurt-Raspberry Cream Cake

As a child, I really admired these cream cakes (called "Torte") made with all those fancy German chocolate bars such as Kinderschokolade, Ferrero Rocher, Raffaello, Yogurette, etc. As I saw this recipe of a cream cake made with the Yogurette chocolate bar which gives it a pink color, I immediately had to think about my friend whose birthday was coming up.

I also learned a lot about how to prepare an airy and fluffy sponge cake (in German "Biskuitboden")...

Yogurette is a chocolate bar that has a creamy yogurt strawberry filling. The cream cake uses an airy sponge cake topped with a like yogurt-créme fraiche cream with chopped yogurette and frozen raspberries. Despite the cream and chocolate bars, due to the tarte yoghurt and créme fraiche, it actually is a light cake. I added some fresh lemon juice to balance the sweetness even more.

Happy Birthday, T. :)

Ingredients:

Cake Bottom:

• 3 Eggs
• 100g (1/2 cup) sugar
• 60g (1/2 cup) flour
• 1 box instant vanilla pudding mix

Cream:

• 500g plain yogurt
• 1 package instant gelatine ("Sofort Gelatine")
• 200g créme fraiche
• 1 package vanilla sugar
• 250ml whipping cream
• 1 package cream stabilizer ("Sahnesteif")
• 10 bars Yogurette (chocolate bar with strawberry yogurt filling)
• 500g frozen raspberry
• 2 tablespoon of fresh squeezed lemon

Decoration:

• 6 bars Yogurette

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 200 degree Celsius ("Ober/Unterhitze"). Grease a 26cm round springform.

1. Cake Bottom: Mix the eggs and the sugar for about 8-10 minutes. This is the most important step, be careful to not underwhip them, take your time. It may even need a little longer if you use an electrical hand mixer instead of a stand mixer. The consistency of the liquid needs to turn into a white creamy consistency and the volume will double. The sugar will work as a stabilizer. If you don't mix it long enough, the sponge cake will not rise and be airy. In a separate bowl, mix the flour and vanilla pudding mix (a powder). Then, sieve the flour mix into the creamy eggs and fold it lighltly into the egg mix by hand (to not take out too much of the air). Bake in preheated oven for about 10-15 minutes. Prick with a skewer to see whether the cake is done. Take out and let cool completely for about 1 hour. Loosen the bottom from the spring form with a knife, but leave it in.
2. Prepare the cream: Mix the yogurt with the instant gelatine. Instant gelatine is a powder and does not need to be dissolved in water beforhand but can go into the liquid immediately (you can also substitute with normal gelatine and prepare according to package instructions). Add the créme fraiche, the sugar and vanilla sugar and stir. In a separate bowl, whip the whipping cream for a few seconds and add the cream stabilizer. Mix, till cream is completely stiff. Fold the whipped cream under the yogurt mix. Now, chop the Yogurette chocolate bars and add to the cream. Add the frozen raspberries and lemon juice and fold everything under. The frozen raspberries will bleed into the cream which will give it a light pink color. You can reduce the bleeding a bit by dusting the raspberries with a bit of flour before adding to the cream.
3. Assemble the Cream Cake ("Torte"): Spread the cream onto the cake bottom which is still in the springform. The form will prevent the cream from spreading out. Cool the cake in the fridge for about 3 hours. Cut the remaining 6 Yogurette chocolate bars in half and decorate around the cake top.

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Gala Dinner at "De Lokeend" (Antwerp, Belgium)

Last month, I had the pleasure to participate in a meeting of a European research group on sleep apnea - ESADA (European Sleep Apnea Database) that was held in Antwerp, Belgium. We were treated with some very nice Belgian food and treats during the conference, but the biggest highlight was the last night. We were invited to a Gala Dinner at "De Lokeend" with a tour through the historical city of Antwerp preceding the dinner. We started our tour at the harbor with the fortress, went through the old town with the Grand Market, and stopped at "De Lokeend".

De Lokeend

This is not a usual restaurant, you can only dine there as part of a group reservation. It started back in 1986, when the owner organised dinners for friends on Saturday evenings. This hobby of hers grew to the restaurant it is now. The atmosphere is very familial, more like a country home style. The restaurant has two dining rooms. Another nice highlight is the winter garden.

The Dinner started with some prosecco and appetizer in the winter garden. The little quiches were just delicious! The Dinner had several courses, all tasted amazing and homemade:

• Crepes with spinach and cheese
• Creamy celery soup
• Chicken with anchovies, roasted chicory, tomato, and potatoes
• Poached pear with ice cream and homemade biscuit cookie
• Tea or coffee with more homemade little cookies

Little Belgian treats during the conference :)

My Mom's "Gebratener Blumenkohl mit Kick" (Spicy shallow fried cauliflower)

This is another of my Mom's recipes. What makes this simple dish so flavorful and perfect, is the addition of the Indonesian chili-based spice Sambal Oelek, one of my Mom's signature spices. It gives the buttery and nutty cauliflower a bit of a kick :) My Mom "shallow fries" the cauliflower florets, that means she fries them in a frying pan with just a little bit of oil compared to "deep frying" where it is submerged into hot oil. Roasting on the other side happens over an open fire or in the oven where the hot air envelopes the food. So, to be acurate, we are "shallow frying" the cauliflower.

One or more of her signature spices - Sambal Oelek, Biber Salcasi, Harissa - are also used in My Mom's chickpea salad, stuffed beef rolls, sunday pot roast, spaghettie bolognese, spinach in garlic-tomato sauce, cous cous,  pork filets with gravy, etc.

Ingredients:

• 1 cauliflower head
• 2 l water
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 2-3 teaspoons Sambal Oelek (Indonesian style chili-based sauce with garlic, lime, ginger)
• 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons pepper 
• 2 teaspoons breadcrumbs

Preparation:

1. Pre-cook the cauliflower: Remove the green outer leaves of the cauliflower. Cut the stalk crosswise. Place the entire cauliflower head in a big pot, stalk down. Pour the cold water over it till the entire cauliflower is covered. Add salt. Bring water to a slow boil and let cook for about 15 minutes till the cauliflower is soft. Test by poking the cauliflower with a fork, it should go in smoothly. Take the cauliflower from the heat and drain.
2. Shallow fry the cauliflower: In a frying pan, heat the oil and butter at medium heat. Break the floretes of the cauliflower apart. Don't cut the cauliflower, try to leave the individual florets whole. Add the Sambal Oelek and the bradcrumps to the frying pan and stir. The pan should be covered with a red sauce. Place the cauliflower florets into the sauce, heads down. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of each salt, pepper and breadcrumbs. Fry the cauliflower for a few minutes till the breadcrumps in the sauce turn slightly darker. Turn the cauliflower around, sprinkle again with another teaspoon of each, salt, pepper and breadcrumps. Let fry for another 5 minutes.
3. Serve: The slightly spicy roasted cauliflower is a nice snack on its own. You can also serve it as a side dish. I recommend to serve it with my Mom's Pork Filets. As she prepares those filets with similar spices, including the Sambal Olek, the filets and the gravy of the filets are also nicely spicy and add to the flavor of the cauliflower.

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Vegan Mini Frittata Muffins

This is a long overdue post. My former co-worker likes to eat vegan, so I decided to prepare and bring a vegan dish to a relaxed evening and she provided the caipirinhas :)

I got inspired to this dish through a pinterest picture. The recipe is from "The Mosltly Vegan" blog  which also has some amazing pictures of those mini frittatas.

As this is a vegan dish, you cannot use dairy products and need to substitute milk, eggs, cheese, etc. There is even a discussion whether white flour may not be vegan due to the bleaching process... However, I do like chickpea flour and used it. This recipe also uses nutritional yeast which will give the dish its cheesy flavor.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups chickpea flour
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 3 cups chopped veggies
• salt, pepper, cayenne pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup spring onions - sliced

Sautéed tomato sauce:

• 3 tablespoon oil
• 2 pints cherry tomatoes - quartered
• salt, pepper to tast
• 2 tablespoons fresh chives - sliced

Preparations:

Preheat oven to 200 degree Celsius (400 degree Fahrenheit).

1. Prepare the batter. Mix together chickpea flour, nutritional yeast, baking powder, salt, pepper and water. Set aside.
2. Prepare the vegetables. I followed the author and used frozen broccoli that I let unthaw a little bit, red and yellow pepper, corn, and zucchini that I shredded and then squeezed to remove water. Heat the oil, add the veggies and cook for 5-7 minutes. Add the spring onions, season to taste (salt, pepper, cayenne pepper) and cook for another 2 minutes.
3. Bake the mini frittatas. Brush a muffin tin with oil. Fill each muffin cup with the veggies (will make about 12-14 mini frittatas). Now, pour the chickpea batter on top and stir with a spoon to cover all the veggies. Bake for 30-45 minutes. They are ready when the top starts to brown slightly and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool down for a bit before removing from the tin.
4. In the meantime, prepare the cherry sauce. As the frittatas may be a little dry, I do like to have some flavorful sauce with it. I used this sauce before with my Spinach Gruyere Strata. Heat the oil, add the tomatoes, salt and pepper and let cook for a few minutes till they are soft and slightly burst. Remove from heat and add the chives.

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My Mom's "Sahnehähnchen" (Roasted Chicken with Homemade Gravy)

This is one of my favorite Sunday meals from my childhood. We used to always eat a warm lunch and a cold supper. And on Sundays, my Mom always prepared a special meal that took a little bit longer and was a little bit more work - her "Sontagsbraten" (Sunday Pot Roast), her "Rinder-Rouladen" (Stuffed Beef Rolls), her paprika gulash, Wiener Schnitzel, steak with gravy and roasted potatoes, etc... Her self-made gravys to each of these dishes top it all off!

When I was really little (before we moved), we all sat together around the living room table, sun was shining through the window (for sure just a biased childhood memory ;) ). Because the living room table was a lower table, my brother and I sat on the carpet on the one side while my parents were sitting on the couch across from us. I remember that at a certain time, there was this one TV show airing around lunch time and sometimes my brother and I were allowed to have it running in the background during lunch... It was called "Fantasy Island" and was about a tropical island and people vacationing there. So, this tropical vacation feeling kinda got mixed up with these Sunday family lunches :)

This dish is called "Sahnehähnchen" which - literally translated - means "cream chicken". However, it is a roasted chicken, the cream refers to the creamy gravy :)

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken (without head or giblets)
• chicken grilling seasoning (alternative: salt & smoked paprika)
• 2 tablespoons butter + some more butter flakes
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup cream
• 1-2 teaspoons Mondamin "dunkler Soßenbinder" = dark gravy thickener (or alternatively corn starch)
• salt, pepper to taste
• cayenne pepper as topping

• side dishes: salt potatoes, beans or peas

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 200 degree celsius ("Ober-/Unterhitze) or 180 degree celsius ("Heiß- oder Umluft")

1. Prepare the chicken: If the chicken was frozen, unthaw it the day before. Clean the chicken with water and completely dry it. Now, sprinkle the seasoning over the chicken, so that the entire chicken is covered, slightly red from the seasoning. Use either a standard chicken grilling seasoning or use alternatively smoked paprika and a bit salt.
2. Roast the chicken: Fill the bottom of a roasting pan with a thin layer of oil. Place the chicken in it. Put butter flakes on top of the chicken. Roast for 1 hour till chicken meat is soft. Turn around after about 30 minutes. When chicken seems to get too dark, place some baking paper or tin foil on top. However, you want to have a crispy skin, so do not cover it up too early.
3. Prepare the Gravy: Take the chicken out of the roasting pan. Pour the oil (including all the good chicken flavor and seasonings - called "pan drippings") into a small pot. As you do not want to leave any of the good flavors behind, fill the roasting pan with a little bit of water (1-2 cups), stir good, and heat it up again in the oven. Then add this to the pot on the stove top. This process is called "deglazing" the pan. Now, you can place the chicken back in the roasting pan, reduce the heat on the oven to 50 degree celsius and keep the chicken warm, while you finish the gravy. Heat up the water (with the flavors) on the stove top and bring to a boil. Add the cream, salt and pepper to taste. If gravy is not thick enough, add the sauce thickener. Just a bit at a time, boil for a minute. It does take some time before it thickens. You want to have a creamy consitency.
4. Serving: Depending on your taste, serve a chicken breast, wing, or thigh. As the skin is really crispy, it actually tasted quite good. Serve it with a side of potatoes, pasta and/or veggies. Sprinkle with a dash of cayenne pepper and pour the gravy over everything :)

The way we serve it - a.k.a. "the right way of eating it" :)

As this is my Mom's recipe, I want to tell you, how I am used to eating it. I have always only liked white meat and no meat on the bone. So, I only eat the chicken breast. However, I do like to eat a little bit of the crispy skin.

• First, I pull the white meat out of the chicken breast with a fork and lay it on my plat.
• Second, you also need a side of salt potatoes (potatoes peeled and cooked in salty water) and a side of veggies (beans or peas). 
• Third, sprinkle some cayenne pepper over the white meat and the potatoes. 
• Last, pour a good amount of gravy over everything: the meat, the potatoes, and the veggies. I like it when the potatoes get really soaked in the gravy. It helps, if you smash the potatoes slightly with your fork into the gravy. 

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