blood orange, burrata, coriander seeds

let's start with celebrating the start of the weekend! happy weekend, lovers. the week was crazy busy, ended with a day in hamburg for a workshop. this city... makes me weak in the knees... i used to love it  but haven't been in a couple of years... i think it's time to pay it a proper visit. i'm coming back, soon, beautiful hamburg! and for the weekend, well, there's stuff going on, too. like a supper tomorrow, for 14? and on sunday i'm having a blog friend over to cook together. will tell you about this in due time. and well, if there's some time left, i guess i'll write to you and send you my love, because that's what makes me the happiest.

today at the airport in hamburg i thought how it's still a glamorous thing to fly... i know, a lot of people who travel for work eventually end up cursing it. but for me, hopping on a plane is still and forever associated with my skin prickling. i love to dress up for the occasion. and, well, to just travel without luggage, but still by plane, hop in and get out in a different place an hour later, with only a handbag, it's infinitely chic. super over the top, maybe, yes. but so much fun. do i sound crazy? i'm pathetic, right? 

there was this brief moment of panic when i thought i'd seen a guy i recently dated who sort of behaved like.... ah, he was a nightmare. so i wasn't really keen on bumping into him. maybe it was him, or maybe it was his brother. all i know is i hid in time behind a tall guy. aha, that was either super smart of me, or just plain pathetic (again). so what's the morale? don't be afraid of being pathetic, if it adds more joy.

oh, the salad? i wanted to call it "besties bunch special", because we ordered this fellow at nopi's in london in december. it was divine and we were all smitten. to the point where i think i might have overdone this recipe a bit by eating it every night in a row for a week (or more). but, never. so, the coriander seeds add just the perfect amount of crunch! don't be afraid to use them! they're not too woodsy, only very flavorful and crunchy. you'll be surprised.

blood orange, bur rata, coriander seeds

recipe inspired by nopi / ottolenghi

ingredients:

2 blood oranges

1 burrata (or mozzarella)

4 tbsp. coriander seeds

1 tbsp. acacia honey

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. white wine vinegar / balsamico bianco

1 tsp. fleur de sel

1 tsp. freshly ground green pepper

directions:

cut off the skins of the oranges. slice horizontally into thin slices. arrange on a plate. drain and pat the burrata dry with a kitchen paper. place on top of the oranges. make a 'paste' with the coriander seeds, oil, vinegar and honey, drizzle on top of the burrata. season with salt and pepper. serve. 

bündner gerstensuppe - swiss mountain style barley soup

you know how i'm always one to proclaim girls should get flowers...? well, today i was spoilt with a beautiful pink bouquet, coming from a really nice flower shop. it was neatly wrapped in brown paper, joint by a dessert spoon. a spoon! spoon & flower, anyone? gotta love a good sense of humor. there was a perfectly handwritten, thoughtful little note, too. unfortunately, no name, though. the sender hasn't disclosed his (or her, come to think of it? i hope not, haha) identity (just yet). so what can a girl do? simple (if you consult my mom): "thank the internet". well, okay, i guess? so, here goes everything: 

dear undisclosed cavalier, thank you so much for the beautiful surprise! that was very thoughtful of you. but still, you're a funny one, keeping your identity a mystery like that. i'd throw in a hug - maybe even a kiss (on the cheek) if i only knew who you are... hmm. pity, when you think of it, no?

off the record: am i convincing, there, girls? i'm giving it all i can!

anyway, so, rest assured, dear cavalier, that i'm hoping you'll be able to harvest the merits for your actions, in due time. we won't want that nice gesture to go unnoticed, would we now. i only have your best interest in mind, of course. until then, i guess i'll have to spoon my dessert (and soup) alone. sighs. 

bündner gerstensuppe - swiss mountain / grisons style barley soup

ingredients:

2 carrots

1 piece leek

1/2 celeriac

1 celery stalk

1 onion

2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 bunch flat parsley

1.5 l vegetable broth

100 g barley

100 g 

1 dl heavy cream

2 tbs. butter

salt, pepper, musk
whipped cream for serving, optional

directions:

start by very finely dicing all the vegs: carrots, leek, celeriac, celery stalk, onion, garlic cloves. heat the butter in a large saucepan and brown the vegs and tomato paste for a couple of minutes. stir well. add the water and barley. simmer on low heat for an hour. finely chop the dried beef and the parsley, including the stems. towards the end of the hour, add the vegetable broth, cream, parsley and dried beef and season with salt, pepper and musk. simmer for 15 more minutes. serve with a dollop of whipped cream, maybe. 

and a ps (directed at the soup, not you, cavalier): this soup is a cheeky bastard. really! if you make it for 30 - which you most likely won't - think about it again. no, actually: just don't do it, okay? it's not a good idea. make something that can be pulsed, easily, instead. it's all about the effort-impression ratio, as i like to call it. impress with the least possible effort. hehe. kitchen wisdom, eh? 

kinfolk sunday

my hands... aching! they feel like they belong to a 90 year old granny. not what you think... duh. from cooking marathon! i was catering for a cute guy's birthday yesterday; dinner for 30. crazy entourage, wild party, super nice bunch of people. and of course: amazing food, haha. in a nutshell: it was fabulous. and most of all, i'm proud to say i survived, because catering is such hard work. so, i guess, never mind the broken fingernails on all 10 fingers, right?

sundays are made of this: a good read - the kinfolk magazine (latest issue) as well as the kinfolk table cookbook currently on my coffee table. a genmaicha popcorn green tea. and some fresh muscari. they remind me of my besties wedding last february (some of the flowers we used were muscari, you see them here - a tiny bit of them at least. good memories...). oh, and that blue... probably my favorite flower color. or anything color. right after emerald green; because a precious stone beats pretty much anything, lol. 

the tiny plate with the bobbles is astier de la villatte (best tableware on earth). oh, speaking of which! i got two new contributions to my astier collection (scream)! yes! sadly, one broke on the way home from paris (honestly, mom... sighs... i'm counting to ten... and to twenty... breathing in... breathing out... oooohmmmmmm). so we spent all of sunday mending it. with a really strong glue. and maybe some white nail polish. classiness. wouldn't it be the case of a broken plate (astier, no less) i'd almost think it was entertaining. almost.

ultimate carrot cake with cream cheese frosting

today, i made a discovery. that there's a difference between great story-telling, i.e. fun anecdotes, and dramatic events, like 'ultimate stories'. listen closely.

well, yes, up until today, i guess i thought i was just simply rather entertaining on most days, because i have a talent to detect the craziness in life. and oh, yes, i'm a good storyteller, too, so that might help. i like to tell a good story. in fact, i make it my mission to entertain people. i like to entertain them with insignificant but fun anecdotes that did or did not make my day. stuff like maybe you had to push - in your high heels, ideally - a guy's broke car while he actually sits in it, steering. or how someone random insults your 'ugly' fur coat in public transport (i can't help adding my - mental - answer: "keep your knickers on, buddy, it's vintage, the fox has been dead for at least 30 years. besides, i guess your microfibre multifunctional blaaa sports jacket aka plastic probably isn't that much better for 'nature', is it..."). or how someone sitting next to you spits (as in: pukes, but not nicely put) over (read: all over) you in an airplane. okay, granted, all true stories, all entertaining anecdotes. they're good and even better when told by a talented storyteller. 

after this day, though, i'm bound to believe there is more than just a story-telling ability about me, but rather that something about me seems to attract 'stories', like a magnet. 'stories', as in drama. or comedy. or thriller. it depends. just extreme, out of the normal events (gallow's humor, euphemism and sarcasm all in place now). someone once told me, i should write a book about everything that happens to me, that surely it would be a bestseller. guess what, starting now, i'm considering it. because it really would be a bestseller.

example of an entertaining, nice anecdote (so happened today): i got offered a rose by a complete stranger. not complete stranger, though, technically. the man's called marcello, is an italian that isn't an italian (he's from zurich, niederdorf, to be precise) and is a really good chef. and i ate his food. so. plus, i might have flirted a little with him - because his food was so good! haha. hi, marcello! it's 'osso buco', by the way, the answer to your little riddle. 

example of an ultimate story: ah, honeys, let's not do this today... let's keep this for a really, really dull day. and i guarantee you will be in for a treat, okay? also, i need to think about it more before blurting it all out. and think about how i'm going to tell it. to make it not just good - but ultimate. i disclose this much: it's a bit of a romantic comedy mixed with some drama. yup, all true. 

here's carrot cake, instead, he was jealous of my spotlight and told me off. he wants to be the leading part in my life and i gave him the green light. for now. 

ultimate carrot cake with cream cheese frosting

recipe adapted from elisabeth fülscher

ingredients for the cake:

150 g hazelnuts, ground

250 g carrots, grated

5 egg yolks

250 g sugar

100 g flour

1 knife's point baking powder

1 pinch salt

1/2 orange, juice

5 egg whites, whipped

ingredients for the cream cheese frosting:

2 cups philadelphia or other cream cheese (full fat)

1/2 (or less) confectioners' sugar, sweetness as desired

marzipan carrots for decoration

directions: 

grease and flour a square cake pan. preheat the oven to 160 c / 320 f. peel and grate the carrots. prepare the dough: in a bowl combine egg yolks and sugar and beat until fluffy, for 15 to 20 minutes, if necessary over a bowl of warm water ('beating warm'), then beating some more to cool it ('beating cold'), for 5 minutes. now alternately add other ingredients: flour and baking powder mix, nuts and carrots. then fold in the egg whites carefully. pour into pan and bake for 50 minutes. let cool, then remove from pan and let cool completely on a rack. 

whip the cream cheese with a hand mixer, add the sugar - bit by bit - we don't want it too sweet - and mix some more until smooth. cut the cake into squares, smear a dollop of cream cheese on top, decorate with some carrots - tips down - and serve. tell your stories and wait for the applause. eat your cake and feel better.

behind the scenes

it almost became a running gag how the food i cook gets the better pictures than i get of myself. it's more than a little bit true, though. pathetic selfless, need i say more? there is a time and age where selfies shouldn't be part of the game anymore. but of course, if you're more behind the lens than in front of it, you'll rarely end up with something that's good to show off - let alone show, at all. even more so if you're anti photogenic like me, duh (yeah, it's an issue). my lovely friends, however, picked up on the subtle tonality (it must have been a bit obvious, maybe) and surprised me with a birthday shoot. they are the best supporters of my little crazy blog passion and well, thought it would be better for me to have a proper profile pic to introduce myself to you than the aforementioned selfies. aren't they totes adorbs? oh, love you girls! plus, i must add that we did have - all of us - a lot of fun during the shoot. just imagine the girls watching me pose like a crazy wannabe supermodel (i am a bit of a sucker for perfection, maybe, so i poured my heart into it, needless to say) - minus the body and the moves, obviously, haha - while i was trying to make a serious face? yeah, like that. good fun. yes, i think i'm hilarious, too. always try to please.

so, with a little flutter of my nerves (due to the behind the lens fact) i'm offering you a glimpse behind the scenes, of my home and myself. which one would you like to see as a profile picture? any preferences there? i can't make my mind up...

thank you to the mega talented, gorgeous, oh so beautiful, almost supernatural angelika annen for taking these pictures. my food is jealous for once, but, oh, heck, just let it be. haha.

btw: it's not the best timing to switch to a more serious topic - and you know how i'm always one for the pink-painted fairytale happy times - but i need to mention something else. i've been getting quite some, well, let's say 'dubious' anonymous comments as of late... not really bad. but not really uplifting, either. this is a private, fun place, as i'm never tiring to point out. i pour my heart and soul and night shifts and sometimes my skin (burns, bruises and cuts from the excessive handcrafts - it's a bit like being an artist in a breaknecky circus sometimes) into this little place here. and i want it to be a good one for everyone, including you. i am open towards feedback, but i don't tolerate haters or even simply a negative mood. why? because i don't have to. so i'm taking anonymous comments down. i'm aware this won't stop people from being negative. but it will stop people from being negative - anonymously. you can still comment with your name or a login which theoretically makes it possible for me to reach out to you, and tell you face to face what i think of your thoughts. i think that's only fair, don't you? needless to say, i'm forever looking forward to hearing your thoughts and reading your supportive and sometimes downright moving feedback. i love what i'm doing and i'm glad you're part of the gang!

so now, enjoy the sexy time these pictures of me while they last. i might change my mind, haha. also, it's probably not to be repeated. next up is a carrot cake that desperately strives for a bit of the spotlight.  vain bastard, that carrot cake. also, i'm only getting more wrinkly i guess. so it's good like that, let's just not overdo it, okay. 

oh, before i forget it: the beautiful, beautiful glasses were a gift from my friends and extremely reckless entrepreneurs kili and pete, aka the boys behind viu eyewear. if you want one, for yourself, go here. you'll get your very own handmade, premium glasses for only about 200 bucks. ka-ching! cool eh? rock 'n bloody roll, boys! i'm proud of you. 

classic zebra cake

just got back home from a (couple of) afterwork drinks with our team and some ex teamies. we're the best bunch of crazies there is. different sets of individual craziness that sums up to a pretty cool craziness, altogether. i think the recipe for mutual respect for our differences is what makes working together so good. anyway, i'm bragging again. 

what i actually wanted to tell you tonight is: amaretto sour. it's currently my go to drink that i order just about anywhere (where timing is appropriate, ofc). one of my colleagues tonight told me it 'suited me'. well, thanks? i guess? or maybe not, does it mean i'm sweet but sour? haha. i could live with that. anyway, classiness is knowing your favorite drink from the menu before you actually look at it. no problem with that anytime soon.

okay, and now on to some nocturnal cake bingeing. zebra cake, anyone? i've been on the verge of a breakdown because i simply didn't come across the right (or so it seemed) recipe for a zebra bundt cake. yes, i can produce a breakdown rather easily. when really, i had the recipe right under my nose. we never see what's good when it's in front of us, we need it to be lost in chaos for us to find our way to it. sighs. in the end, yup, elisabeth fülscher did it again. or my mom could have provided one, but sometimes we're just lost in translation... i think she might have thought that i, as a self-proclaimed 'passionate cook' should know how to produce something as simple and essential as a good (perfect) zebra cake from heart, in my sleep (given that i'm half german, and that the germans are probably the gods of 'marmorkuchen'). yeah, i know. but, alas, i don't. i don't know how to make it, let alone by heart. that's why i'll never apply to any of those awesome (secretly and officially so, no?) tv cook shows. like, 'the taste'? drop dead cool. i'm binge watching it! but, soooo stressful to be a participant - or even just to watch them participate? uhm, lobster consommé and french mini chocolate lava cake with tonka bean mousse by heart, anyone? and that's just the bloody start of the recipe by heart hell. who am i fooling, i cling to my cookbooks like my life depends on them. not even an amaretto sour could do much against that fact. alas, it would probably only make matters worse. or uglier. or funnier. or all of it. good thing i only had two tonight - and i don't need to cook now. just hit 'send' and go to sleep. nighty-nighty, lovers!

classic zebra cake

recipe adapted from elisabeth fülscher (you'll just have to trust me i translated it correctly, hehe)

ingredients:

200 sugar

4 eggs

1 lemon, zest

150 butter, melted

1 dl milk

1 knife's point salt

200 g flour

1 tbsp. baking powder

79 g dark chocolate, melted

confectioners' sugar for dusting

directions:

grease and flour a bundt pan. preheat the oven to 160c / 320 f. combine sugar, eggs and lemon zest in a bowl and beat warm with a hand mixer over the water bath for 15 to minutes (no kidding - despair was near), then beat cold for 5 more minutes. the mixture needs to triple in volume and turn into a fluffy but rather stiff and solid looking cream. now alternately fold in the lightly melted (i.e. melted - but not hot) butter, milk and the flour and baking powder mixture. separate 1/4 of the mixture for the chocolate part, combine it with the (very slowly) melted chocolate. now alternately fill the pan with 2-3 tbsp. of the light dough and 1 tbsp. of the chocolate dough mix. when filled, carefully run through the mixture with a fork or a needle, to create the marble / zebra effect (note: i clearly failed at this). bake for 40 to 50 minutes. let cool a bit then carefully remove from pan and dust with confectioners' sugar while still warm. 

carré chic

sometimes all it takes to feel brand new is a classy, new accessory. a hermès carré is something every girl dreams of, right? it instantly adds a bit of instant style to an outfit. the only catch? a hermès foulard isn't something you just go and get for yourself. no, it's something entirely devoted to 'gifting'. meaning you should be getting it from a special someone for a special occasion. alas, that's why i never believed i'd call one my own. well, i don't mean to be melodramatic about it. but it's just a fact that i never thought it possible, never really saw that day coming in my book... yet, it has come. this beautiful, eternally chic, large (omg, such a lot of heavy silk!) foulard is mine. m.i.n.e. a gift from a dear friend. want to know the best part? i got it for a bit of cooking. am i a lucky bitch, or what? hehehe. can't wait to learn about the 101 ways to tie that scarf! around my neck, as a bow, used as a belt or tied to my handbag. you can call me 'the girl with the silk scarf' now, i wouldn't mind.

oh, btw: the specific print is called 'fleurs et papillons de tissus'. and the cool bottle i thought went well with the box is a 'hoflieferanten likör' ('purveyor to the court's liquor) from dallmayr in munich. because chic and cool are an awesome pair. 

fluffy chocolate cake

somehow that was an awful night with not a lot of sleep, that's why i've been awake for a couple of hours already. is the notion of a breakfast cake post repulsive...? sorry. i'm doing it anyway. 

oh, and a note on the cookbook: 'elisabeth fülscher kochbuch'. it's a traditional, swiss cookbook with over 2'000 unfussy, classic recipes. they have been revisited. not many pictures, some downright hilarious, originals from the 50s. i like traditions, like old school manners. remember how the gentlemen used to usher the ladies to their sides of the car, hold their door open, and make sure they got home, safely? yeah, that's that kind of recipe, that tells such stories. good times, good manners, good cakes. nowadays we're all just walking each other home. so that's not quite the same, is it. duh, i'm having a nostalgic morning. 

remember when i told you how i'm not the biggest fan of chocolate cake...? well, there are a couple of exceptions to the rule. my mom's famous, best chocolate cake squares (forever my cake favorite). this cheeky bastard of a celebratory chocolate cake. and now this little classy one here. why, you ask? well, this chocolate cake here is really unfussy and actually, honestly fluffy, in a cloudlike manner, yet surprisingly chocolaty, at the same time. what more could you probably ask from a (chocolate) cake...? chocolate cake perfection.

cheers, loves! oh, where are my manners...? and of course i hereby i officially wish you the happiest of weekends. may it be a classy one. 

fluffy chocolate cake

recipe by elisabeth fülscher

ingredients:

8 egg whites, whipped

180 g sugar

150 g chocolate, melted

1 knife's point vanilla

110-120 g all purpose flour

100-120 g butter, lightly melted

30 g chocolate drops, optional

for the glaze:

150 g dark chocolate

1.5 dl heavy cream
snowflake or other sprinkles, optional

directions:

preheat the oven to 160 c / 320 f. butter and flour a cake / loaf pan . melt the chocolate with 2-4 tbsp. water in a pan on very low heat (or, if you're impatient, use the bain marie). when almost every piece of the chocolate is melted, stir well to soften and put aside to cool. whip the egg whites to a very stiff "snow", by adding sugar bit by bit. carefully fold in the liquid, but not too warm chocolate. melt the butter for a while; not everything needs to be fully melted. add butter to the mixture, and, if using, the chocolate drops. pour into the pan and bake for 50 minutes. remove and let cool for 5 minutes, then remove from the pan and let cool completely on a rack.

for the glaze, make a 'parisian cream', as elisabeth calls it. melt the chocolate very slowly on very low heat, together with the cream. stir constantly, until the mixture is very smooth. let cool a bit. pour onto the (cooled) cake from the center outward, making a thick glaze. do not spread it with a spatula or anything. simply shake and beat the cake a bit. sprinkle with sprinkles, if you're a sucker for anything cute, like me. 

egyptian koshari - lentils, rice and pasta

you know how carbs are currently seen as the reincarnation of everything evil? and do we partake in that bullshit? we most certainly don't.  yeah! revolution! carb eaters unite! hands up in the air! well, a good thing you're joining in, too, because this (!) is really something... listen closely. 

my egyptian friend heidi, who lives in dubai, came to visit in december, and since she's a foodie like me, we were mostly touring zurich for good food (from sprüngli to dolder tea time and back) and, while we were enjoying the food, were discussing what other food we liked. heidi mentioned a dish from her childhood, called koshari, an egyptian lentil, rice and pasta bowl with a spicy, garlicky tomato sauce, chickpeas and fried onions. and strangely, i do remember it from my own childhood! my mom used to make it for us. i remember how soothing and warming and simple and good it was.

with food it's always like a mental to do list for me. i add things to my 'must cook soon' list and when the right occasion arises, i know exactly what's on the menu. so, as soon as i had two sweet girlfriends over for dinner just shortly after christmas, i knew i was going to make koshari. because there is no better way to celebrate winter time, than with carbs. the real deal.

egyptian koshari - lentils, rice and pasta
thanks to detailed instructions from my friend heidi

for the base:
1 cup rice
1 cup lentils
1 cup pasta (i used orzo - rice shaped pasta - but broken spaghetti work just as well)
1 cup canned chickpeas
salt
vegetable broth

for the spicy tomato sauce:
1 can tomato passata
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 knife's point harissa (more to taste or to serve on the side)
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. fleur de sel

for the fried onions:
6 onions, finely sliced
3 tbsp. ghee

for an additional, individual spice punch:
2 tbsp. ground coriander
2 tbsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili flakes
2 garlic cloves, crushed
4 tbsp. red wine vinegar

for optional, individual garnish:
1 bunch coriander, finely chopped, optional

directions:
start by cooking the carbs (hehehe): you can cook the rice and lentils together, with the double amount of water, but don't add any salt until tender, or the lentils won't turn soft. shortly before they're done, stir in some vegetable broth. put aside. cook the pasta in salted water, drain, set aside. drain the chickpeas. set everything aside, but keep warm.

in the meantime, make the tomato sauce: mince the garlic cloves and finely chop the onion. heat the olive oil in a saucepan, fry the onion for a while, then add the garlic, cumin and coriander and sweat for a minute or so. add the tomato sauce and the bay leaf. bring to a boil. season with salt, sugar, harissa and vinegar. keep warm.

for the fried onions, heat the ghee in a large frying pan and fry, on medium heat, for a long while, i guess, maybe 20 minutes? until the onions are crispy and golden brown to dark brown. remove from the pan and distribute on a kitchen paper to cool and dry and get rid of the excessive grease. the should crisp up.

for the spice punch, dry toast (meaning without any oil) the cumin, coriander and chili flakes in a frying pan until fragrant. add the garlic and fry for a minute. remove from heat, pour in a bowl and mix with the vinegar. this is to individually sprinkle over the koshari.

to assemble, start by ladling some rice and lentils into a bowl, then layer some pasta on top. add a generous spoonful of the pasta sauce, then scatter a handful of chickpeas on top. sprinkle with fried onions. serve with the spice punch for individual spice and coriander on the side, for those who want.

note on enjoying koshari: heidi told me to explicitly make it clear that it needs to be layered first. you know, how everyone always keeps the best part on a plate for last? yeah, you can't with koshari. first, because you need to mingle everything to have a bit of everything with every bite. and secondly, because everything is good on its own.