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Ricotta and Basil Muffins

November 17th, 2006 | Category: Food

When I was asked to come up with a savory muffin for Pure by Cuppa, I exhausted pretty much every website I frequently visit and cooking book I have to come up with alternatives. To tell the truth, I came across very few savory recipes that tempted me.

So I started thinking about ingredients. It had to had cheese in it (also good for longer shelf life). I thought Ricotta - having a mild taste and soft texture - would be perfect for a muffin. Then there had to be some kind of a spice or vegetable to pair it with. So, to give it a twist, I added dried basil. The result was quite good. Dried basil gives a wonderful aroma and smell to these tender yet soft muffins. Definitely a keeper!

Ricotta and Basil Muffin

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Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

2 tbsp dried basil

1 tsp salt

1 cup Ricotta cheese

1 cup milk

1 large egg

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp sunflower oil

Method

Mix flour, baking powder, dried basil and salt in a bowl and set aside. In another bowl, combine the egg, milk, olive oil, sunflower oil and Ricotta cheese and whisk to blend. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Stir with a fork just to combine. Line a 12 - small muffin tray with muffin cups and spoon the mixture into the cups. Bake at a temperature of 375 F (190C) for 20 - 25 minutes.

Here’s also what else I have been baking for “Pure by Cuppa” at Harvey Nichols Istanbul:

Poppy Seed and Parmesan Straws

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Hazelnut Biscotti

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Quick fruit puffs

November 08th, 2006 | Category: Food

The downside of baking for a cafe from home while holding a full time job is having less energy and time to bake for your friends. But there is always a solution for everything. I came up with this quick and easy recipe while going through Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook, section for danish dough and croissants.

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Store bought puff pastry, an egg, a lemon, corn starch, powdered and granulated sugar and fresh fruit of your choice is all you need.

I decided to go with frozen cherries and fresh pears.

Cherry Puffs

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Ingredients

6 sheets of frozen puff pastry, thawed in the refrigerator, 4*4 inches (10*10 cm)

1 cup sour cherries

1 egg

Juice of half a lemon

3 tbsp sugar, plus more for sprinkling

2 tbsp corn starch

Method

In a small cup, stir the egg with a fork and set aside. In a small pot over medium low heat, mix a cup of frozen or fresh sour cherries with three tablespoons of granulated sugar, juice of half a lemon and two tablespoons of corn starch. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Let cool. Place a tablespoon of fruit mixture in the middle. Brush two sides of the puff pastry with the egg and fold to seal the ends. Brush top of the puffs with the egg and sprinkle liberally with sugar. Place on a parchment paper and bake in the oven at 375 F for 25-30 minutes.

Mini Pear Puffs

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After my experimentation with sour cherries, I decided that a smaller size of puff pastry will yield a better result with a higher portion of fruit.

Ingredients

2 medium sized pears, cut into mini cubes

24 sheets of frozen puff pastry, thawed in the refrigerator, 2*2 inches (5*5 cm)

1 egg

Juice of half a lemon

3 tbsp sugar, plus more for sprinkling

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

2 tbsp corn starch

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Method

In a small cup, stir the egg with a fork and set aside. In a small pot over medium low heat, mix mini cubes of pears with three tablespoons of granulated sugar, juice of half a lemon, cinnamon and two tablespoons of corn starch. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Let cool. With the help of a pastry bag tip (or any tiny round object) cut off rounds from 12 of the puff pastry sheets.

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Place a tablespoon of fruit mixture in the middle of the other 12 sheets. Brush all sides of the puff pastry with the egg, place the sheets with the holes on top and tighten all sides by pinching the layers of dough. Brush top of the mini puffs with the egg and sprinkle liberally with sugar. Place on a parchment paper and bake in the oven at 375 F for 25-30 minutes.

7 comments

Pera Thai

November 01st, 2006 | Category: Food

I am mad about Thai food. Unfortunately, there are not that many Thai restaurants in Istanbul. In fact, there are not that many restaurants representing other countries’ food in Istanbul. I am pretty sure some Turkish people will disagree, but my bar is high. I am not counting some street corner/all touristic Thai or Indian restaurant located in Sultanahmet area with distasteful shop sign boards. And I am not counting world renowned chefs visiting five star hotels for a limited period of time. I demand authenticity coupled with fresh ingredients, pleasant decor and consistency. I demand an abundant number of restaurants for each cuisine. Hell, I also demand cheap (but still tasteful) versions for take out. But who’s listening?

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Pera Thai is the best (and possibly the only decent) Thai restaurant in İstanbul. It is located in Beyoğlu adjacent to the old US Consulate. The restaurant is almost always packed during dinner time. Back in the old days when the US Consulate was operating in the next building, it was also packed during lunch hours.

I visited this place many times in the past, but to tell the truth, I was never hooked. I recall some of the dishes being very good, some OK and some - well - mediocre. But my last visit definitely got me hooked. The day we visited the restaurant was a national holiday and it was 4 pm. So me and my friends were the only table to be served… Nice!

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The choice for appetizer was quite obvious for me: Chicken Satay with peanut sauce. The peanut sauce was too crunchy for my taste but other than that the dish was wonderful. Then came their killer pad thai followed by chicken in yellow curry and beef in red curry with kaffir lime leaves. We finished it off with fried banana and ice cream. Even though I experienced some consistency problems in the past, I can not recommend this restaurant more. It is clean, modern with wonderful attentive staff. Just try to avoid the 9 pm crowd and have your dinner early on.

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6 comments

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