Baked chermoula salmon with red pepper, lemon and mint couscous ( Xermoula de Salmó acompanyat de couscous amb pebrot vermell, llimona i un toc de menta)

Chermoula is a type of marinade used in some Mediterranean countries in North Africa. This recipe was published in "Delicious Magazine" and I got it through a friend from Denmark....Thank you Trine!
Just with small changes

What you need for 4 people

4 x 175 g pieces of skinned salmon fillet

For the chermoula:
2 small garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp harissa paste or 1/2 tsp minced red chilli
1 pinch of saffron strands
1 tbsp lemon juice
small bunch of fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped
small bunch of fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt

For the coucous:
2 red peppers
400 ml fresh chicken stock
275 g couscous
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
15 g butter
finely grated zest of 1 small lemon, plus juice of 1/2 lemon
2tbsp chopped fresh mint

Let´s start

Red peppers in the original recipe were done in the oven, like the escalivada. But I suggest doing it in a frying pan with oil, it is similar taste and less work. Up to you.

1. Preheat the oven to 230ºC
2. Put all the chermoula ingredients into a mini food processor and blend to a smooth paste.
3. Cut the red peppers and fry them in a frying pan with oil (be generous)
4. Line a baking tray with a sheet of baking paper. Season the skinned side of each salmon fillet with salt and pepper and then spread with some of the chermoula. Place chermoula-side down on the baking tray, season once more and spread with the remainng chermoula.
5.Cover the tray tightly with foil and bake the fish in the oven for 12 minutes. Meanwhile, bring the chicken stock to the boil in a medium pan. Stir in the couscous, cover and remove from the heat. Leave for 5 minutes, then uncover and fluff up with a fork. Add the oil and butter and stir over a low heat until heated through. Then stir in the roasted red peppers, lemon zest and juice, shopped mint and plenty of seasoning. Add the red peppers previoulsy fried with some of its oil.
6.Remove the salmon from the oven and discard the foil. Spoon the couscous onto 4 warmed plates and place the salmon alongside. Spoon over the cooking juices from the baking tray and serve.

If you prefer, you can cover each portion of salmon individually with a foil (wrap them) in step 4-5, and you will not need the baking paper.

Enjoy! Bon Profit

American Cupcakes (Magdalenes americanes)

I love the colors of these cupcakes!. The truth is that is nothing to do with Catalan culture, it is an American recipe, but I don´t know why, here it is kind of trendy to prepare it. It is something new here, and a lot of people  who like to bake like me, are trying it now. Everybody is baking cupcakes!

I went to a cooking course about it a couple of weeks ago, that was organised by Gadgets&Cuina (you can find the recipe in Catalan there). As always, I have adapted it by adding some small changes.

What you need for 6 cupcakes:

For the dough:

80 gr flour

2,5 gr baking powder

pinch of salt

100 gr sugar

50 gr butter

1 egg

60 ml milk

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

some chopped walnuts

For the topping:

80 gr butter

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

200 gr icing/confectioneurs sugar

1 teaspoon of milk

food colorant(s)

decoration (like springles, or chopped nuts..)

Let´s start for the dough

1. In a bowl, mix the sugar with the melted butter (20 seconds in the microwave). Whisk it well. Add the vanilla extract and the egg. Whisk it well (Mix 1)

2. In another bowl, mix the flour, the salt, and the baking powder. (Mix 2)

3. Then add half of the mix 2 into the mix 1 and whisk it well.  Add half of the amount of milk. Mix it. Then add the rest of the mix 2 into the mix 1 and remove. Then add the rest of the milk. Mix it again with an spatula.

4. Divide the mix into 6 cupcakes. Use a paper for cupcakes like in the pic and put it inside a mold for cupcakes.

5. Put it into a tray in the oven for about 22 minutes at 180ºC

Let´s continue with the topping:

While it is in the oven we can prepare the topping.

1. In a bowl, mix the melted butter with the vanilla extract with an spatula

2. Then add the icing sugar little by little. Mix it.

3. Add the milk.

4. If you need to add more icing sugar do it here.

If you want different colors in your cupcakes, divide this cream into different portions.

Add the food colorant needed. Just an small amount is needed. 

I did the pink one with a red one, just adding a little bit of colorant.

Let´s put it together

Once the muffins are done, let them cool down completely!

Then decorate the top of them with a piping bag.

Add the extra decoration (sprinkles, nuts...).

Put it in the fridge. 

Removed them from the fridge 15 minutes before eating them.

Enjoy/Bon Profit!

Panellets (small cakes of marzipan)

Panellets are the traditional dessert of All Saints holiday in Catalonia. Panellets are small cakes or cookies in different shapes, mostly round, made mainly of marzipan (a paste made of almonds and sugar).  There are different shapes and tastes, but pine nuts, coconut, almond are the most common ones. The most popular are the panellets covered with pine nuts, consisting of the panellet basis (i.e. marzipan) rolled in pine nuts and varnished with egg.

This recipe is inspired by the chef Mireia Carbó.

What you need:

For the marzipan:

500 gr ground almond 

500 gr sugar

200 ml water (or half a liquor like limoncello +1/2 water)

one grated lemon rind

+ different ingredients depending on the different tastes

Let´s start:

1.Prepare the marzipan. Grind the sugar. Then mix all the ingredients (use your hands). Add the water and mix it.

2. Let the dough stand overnight wrapped with a plastic film (saran wrap/ clingfilm/..) (or at least 2 hours)

3. Then divide the dough in different portions to prepare different varieties. Up to you. *Follow the instructions below

4. Finish it by introducing the final product in a tray (with baking paper) into the oven preheated at 230ºC for about 2-5 minutes. Put in the lower tray. Check it. Cook each variety individually.

For the pine nuts panellets

marzipan portion

100 g of pine nuts

1 egg

-Divide the portion into smaller portions that will be the final product. Form the dough into balls (same size).

-In a dish whisk the egg. Coat the balls in the egg. Then fill your both hands with a bunch of pine nuts and take one ball and press it till the pine nuts get sticked into the marzipan

-Go to point 4.

For the almond panellets:

100 g of chopped almonds

egg

Follow the same instructions as with the pine nuts panellets but use chopped almonds instead.

For the quince preserve panellets:

Some thick quince preserve

whisked egg

-Use the portion and this time make a roll. Cut the roll with a knive lengthwise and introduce the thick quince preserve cut as a long portion inside (or different long portions one after the other). Close it. Paint it with some egg.

-Go to point 4

-Cut the roll in individual portions when it has completely cool down.

For the candied cherry panellets:

Some candied cherries

1 teaspoon of  Kirsch

-Add the Kirsch into the marzipan

-Divide the portion into different balls. 

-Flatten them.

-Add one cherry in each cake

-Go to point 4

For the coconut panellets:

There are 2 versions here:

Version 1:

50 gr of grated dry coconut

-Mix with your hands some coconut with the marzipan dough

-Divide it into pieces

-Shape all the pieces like a mushroom upside down.

-Add some more coconut (coated)

-Go to point 4

Version 2 (my favourite one)

Here we will not use the marzipan dough

100 gr of grated dry coconut 

100 gr sugar

1 egg

-We mix all the ingredients with your hands. You don´t need to let this stand.

-Divide it into small balls and shape it the way you like.

-Go to point 4.

There are a lot of other different varieties like coffee, chocolate, lemon, ....

Want to prepare the marzipan in a different way?

Try to do it the way of the chef Carme Ruscalleda (marzipan):

In a pan, you mix water (150 ml) and sugar (350 g). It gets over medium heat until it starts to boil and let boil it until it gets a texture of a syrup.
Then dump the grounded almonds (500 g) and stir continuously with the help of a wooden spatula for about 2-5 minutes until the pastry is homogenous and peel off the walls. Let cool it down
Incorporate into an egg white (not whipped), and mix well.
Leave the dough rest in refrigerator for at least 2 hours. (You can let it the whole night until the next day).
Mass is divided into different portions according to the tastes that you want to prepare.

Enjoy/Bon Profit !

Carrot cake with walnuts and hazelnuts (Pastís de pastanaga amb nous i avellanes)

This is the best cake I have ever baked so far. You will not find this recipe anywhere else because I like to create new ones very often, but of course it is similar to the traditional carrot cake. But this is for me "the carrot cake" recipe. Well, I don´t know how could I improve it anyway. I baked it yesterday because I was invited to a friends´ new house for lunch. That was a great day Tomàs & Núria !
About this recipe: you don´t need to do all of this if you don´t have time. The cake itself is delicious, but of course the extra layer and the icing make it even better.

What you need:

For the cake:
4 eggs
200 gr brown sugar
40 gr vanilla sugar
160 gr sifted flour
16 gr baking powder
3 tablespoons of sugar
3 tablespoons of oil
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
150 gr of greated carrot
1 handful of walnuts and hazelnuts
1 teaspoon of honey
1 pinch of salt
150 gr unsalted butter

For the medium layer:
150 gr carrots (boiled)
70 gr sugar
4 tablespoons of conyac (brandy)
40 gr butter
50 ml double cream

For the icing:
200 gr cream cheese (spread)
30 gr butter (melted)
150 gr double cream
160 gr icing /confectioners sugar

I have used some nuts for decoration and the smile is made of carrot. But it is up to you.

Let´s start


The cake
1.You need to peel and great the carrots (probably you can find it in the supermarket this way, so it safes you    a lot of time). And crush the hazelnuts and walnuts. You don´t need to boil the carrots here.
2.Separate the whites of the eggs and whisk the whites with a pinch of salt.
3. In another recipient put the yellows + the butter (melted) + all types of sugar. Remove.
4. Add flour and the baking powder. All sifted. Add also the cinnamon, 1 tablespoon of oil, and the honey. Remove
5. With an spatula remove it while you add the nuts and the carrots. Add 2 tablespoons of oil. Don´t worry if it is too dry and it is difficult to remove.
6.Add the whites whisked previoulsy. Remove with the spatula.
7.Put it into a recipient with some butter and flour and introduce it into the oven (previously heated) at 180ºC for about half an hour.

The medium layer:
Boiled the carrots and once it is done add the sugar, conyac, butter and cream. Mix it.

The icing:
Melt the butter. In a recipient add the cheese, the butter, the cream (previously whipped) and the sugar. Mix it with an spatula.


Once the cake is done and you have let it cool down,  cut it in half the cake (be very very careful) and add the medium layer. Then add the icing on the top of it with an spatula.

Enjoy/Bon Profit!

Chocolate Brownie (Brownie de Xocolata)

This is a basic cake with an excellent output. I got the recipe through my sister-in-law Mar. She got that from an excellent book from Mireia Carbó (easy recipes, great results).
I have decided to make some changes, to add some ingredients, to make it look even greater (if it is possible). I am going to post both recipes (the short and original one and my version). Both are great.

A. My own version of Chocolate Brownie

What we need (8 people)

For the brownie:

125 gr chocolate (dessert)
100 gr sugar
30 gr vanilla sugar
80 gr butter
80 gr flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 eggs
1 handful of walnuts
1/2 handful of hazelnuts

For the medium layer:

100 gr chocolate
25 gr butter
2 tablespoons of brandy/ cognac

For the chocolate frosting:

125 gr chocolate
25 gr butter
1 tablespoon of water
1 handful of walnuts
1/2 handful of hazelnuts

Let´s start

The Brownie:
1. Cut the chocolate up into pieces
2. Crush the hazelnuts and the walnuts. Make small pieces
3. Melt the chocolate with the butter in the microwave for about a minute.Stir it.
4. In a recipient, whisk the eggs with the sugar and vanilla sugar. If you don´t have vanilla sugar, you can use 125 gr of sugar (instead of 100 gr sugar) and add some vanilla flavour.
5. Add the melted chocolate and stir it slowly
6. Add the sifted flour and the baking powder.
7. Add the hazelnuts and walnuts previously crushed into the mix.
8. Put it into a recipient (with some butter and flour) and introduce it into the oven for about 20 minutes. Bottom heat. And  then 5 more minutes top/Bottom heat. 170ºC.

The chocolate layer:
Cut the cake in half pieces. Be careful.
1. Melt the chocolate with butter in the microwave for about a minute. Check it and stir it.
2. Add the brandy and stir it.
3. Distribute it with a spoon all over the cake

Chocolate frosting:
1. Crush the hazelnuts and the walnuts. Make small pieces.
2. Melt the chocolate with butter and some water in the microwave for about a minute. Check it and stir it.
3. Distribute the chocolate all over the top and sides of the cake with the right tool. Add the nuts at the top.

Enjoy/Bon Profit



B. Mireia Carbó version

Just brownie:

125 gr chocolate (dessert)

125 gr sugar

100 gr butter

80 gr flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 eggs

1 handful of walnuts or a handful of hazelnuts

Follow the instructions I have explained for the brownie before.

C. Microwave instead of oven:

6 minutes in the microwave (highest potency)

let it cool down inside the microwave for 5 more minutes.

You can do both versions with the microwave.

Catalan Spinach´s Canneloni (Canelons d´espinacs a la catalana)

Canneloni is a traditional meal when there is something to celebrate. They are very common here the 26th of December, what we called, Sant Esteve. Normally, they are from meat, but spinach´s canneloni are also very common but maybe more common in summer time. Today there is something to celebrate, the Annual Festival of Barcelona (La Mercè). La Mercè is the patron saint (24th of September) of the city.  It lasts different days, and there is plenty of activities such as music concerts, theatre, free museum tickets and so. 

Canneloni were introduced in Catalonia in the XIX century by Italians. Catalan Spinach´s canneloni means that we will use pine nut and raisins. 

What we need for 10 canneloni:

For the canneloni:

350 gr spinach

1 onion

some pine nuts

1/2 clove of garlic

some raisins

salt 

black pepper

cinnamon

2 eggs (optional)

emmental grated cheese

unsalted butter

200 gr fried tomatoe sauce

50 ml double cream

oil

provençal herbs (optional)

10 pieces of canneloni

For the Bechamel sauce:

500 ml good milk

4 tablespoons of flour

butter

salt

a pinch of nutmeg

Let´s start

1. Let´s boil the pieces of canneloni for about 15 minutes. Follow the instructions of the manufacturer. Use some oil and remove it from time to time.

2. Boil 2 eggs and cut them in small pieces.

3. Boil the spinachs for 5-8 min minutes. Cool them down with some water. Be sure to remove all the water and cut them.

4. In a frying pan, fry the onion (cut it in very small pieces) and the pine nuts, and when the onion gets a slight brown colour, add the sliced garlic and then the boiled spinachs. Remove.  Then add the double cream, 2 boiled eggs in pieces and the raisins (cut them in half).  Add salt, black pepper, some cinnamon (just a little) and some provençal herbs (a little).

5. When the pasta is done, remove the water and add some cold water. Remove the water.

6. In a non-sticky surface, put the pasta one by one. Distribute the mix of spinachs in these 10 portions. Wrap each of them. and put the open side backwards in a plate with some tomatoe at the bottom.

7. Prepare the bechamel sauce. In a saucepan, put a tablespoon of butter and let it melted.Add the milk and make it boiled. When is it boiling, reduce the fire and add the salt, and some nutmeg. Keep removing it all the time. Then add the sifted flour and beat it well every time between each tablespoon. Beat till it gets the consistency and it is homogenous.

8. Pour the bechamel on the top of the canneloni and add some cheese and butter.

9.Gratin it in the oven for about 5 minutes. Check it carefully.

Enjoy/Bon Profit

Hummus

Very popular in the middle east, now you can find it anywhere. Hummus is the taste of the Mediterranean.
As an appetizer or a dip, Hummus is scooped with flatbread (such as Pita).

What you need for 2 people:

200 gr of chickpeas
half clove of garlic
half lemon juice
a pinch of salt
2 tablespoons of tahini (ground sesame seeds paste)
2 teaspoons of paprika
5 cl of water ( a small coffee cup)
parsley or cumin
oil

Let´s start

Just mix all the ingredients in a whisk. Start first with the garlic and lemon juice. Then add the rest of the ingredients except the parsley, oil and the paprika.
Serve it with some oil, paprika and parsley (or cumin) in the top.A little bit cold is better.
Eat it with some flatbread.

Enjoy/ Bon Profit

Fritter or Culler ( Xurros )

Xurros are made by just deep frying a sweet bread dough. Cheap and old tradition meal here. Normally you eat them with a cup of chocolate. The shape is commonly a strip.

What you need for 2-4 people

1 big glass of flour

1 big glass of water and milk (2/3 water, 1/3 milk)

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon of vinegar

sugar

oil

you need also some tool to make this long strip shape. If you don´t have anything, you can do some small balls instead.

Let´s start

In a saucepan, boil the milk, water, vinegar and salt. When it is hot, mix it with the flour.

Then put the mix inside the recipient you will do the shape mentioned before. Be careful as they should be or thin strips or small balls, because if they are thick or big, then it is going to be not enough cooked inside and it can be dangerous to fry.

Deep fry them. You can cut them before hand or afterward.

When you have finished, remove the extra oil and add the sugar. Serve them warm.

Enjoy/Bon Profit!

Banana Tatin Tarte/ Tatin de plàtan

Looking for an easy and delicious recipe? This is the one. Tatin tarte normally comes with apple, but this takes even less time and it is as great as the other one.


What you need

60 gr unsalted butter
3 tablespoons of sugar
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
orange zest
puff pastry
4 bananas

Have a look at this recipe I found in youtube. It will help you to understand the recipe. I use less sugar but more butter, but it is up to you.

Let´s start

You should use a tray or any other recipient that you could then put inside the oven.
This is an upside down tarte, so we first prepare what it will go into the top of it.
Caramel is the most difficult part, but nothing to worry about, except that you should be a little bit careful not to hurt yourself. For the caramel, put the sugar, the unsalted butter, some orange zest and grounded cinnamon into the tray and cook it. You don´t need to remove it at the beginning (let the butter melt), till it starts to get light brown colour. Then remove it gently, and reduce the power in order to cook it more slowly. Add the bananas (you can cut them in advance the way you like), and let the banana be cooked for 2 minutes. Then add the puff pastry at the top of it, and prick it with a knife.
Then put it in the oven for about 20 minutes 200ºC.
Then find the right surface/recipient to flip it upside down. Be careful. And that is all.
Serve it with some cream or with vanille ice-cream if you feel like.

Enjoy/Bon Profit

Meringue with Raspberry & thyme custard (Merenga amb crema de Gerds i farigola)

This recipe was done as a collateral output from another recipe in this blog (the Raspberry and thyme custard tart). So have a look at it before starting.

The truth is that the original recipe of the custard from Delicious magazine, the amount of ingredients needed are probably a little bit less in the reality, so I got extra custard. I kept the same amount in the post, so take that into account.

What can I do with the extra custard?
As you will see in the other recipe, there were 6 egg whites left (3 for the custard, and 3 for the pastry) that were not used in the recipe either, so the question was....and now..what I am going to do with these extra whites??!!

So here it come the recipe I am posting here (for 6 people).


Let´s start

With the custard left (about 1/3 of the total initial amount), I baked them for about 25 minutes in individual recipients (6 moulds) in the oven 180ºC. Be careful as they should have some kind of consistency, so be sure to bake it enough for all sides.

While this is in the oven I prepared the meringue.
Just whisk the room temperature whites (6) + a pinch of salt. Whisk them hard till it peaks. Add the sugar ( 270 gr ) and whisk it again until it holds very stiff peaks (better if you use caster sugar).
Depending on the texture you desire (Pavlova like), you can add 1 teaspoon white vinegar +1/2 tablespoon cornstarch (corn flour). Pavlova a crust that is dry and crisp, with a soft marshmallow-like interior.
For a regular meringue texture, this is not necessary

Then put it in 6 individual recipients (similar size as before) into the oven 150ºC for 20 min or till it gets the texture you feel like.

Serve it at room temperature like the pic.

Enjoy/ Bon Profit