pink vanilla hummingbird cupcakes & girls brunch

brunch with the girls is kind of an institution in my life. plus if it involves a couple of cupcakes, naturally. aren't my girls beautiful? and so kind of them to model my cupcakes, hehe. thank you, sheepy, bb, galia, fluffy, hase and ki. you are wonderful girlfriends.

still, a confession: this specific brunch involved a really early baking session (like, 6am early). so, a little drowsy, i went to turn eggs and flour and butter into cupcakes. that's when i hit my head on the kitchen cabinet, hard. given the fact that i'm mostly alone at 6am (though not all the time, lately, hehehe) i find the use of loud swearing and screaming (with pain) mainly totally obsolete, actually. that's my control freakish self for you. so i just sank to the kitchen floor, mutely, watching the cupcakes rise, holding my sore patch on my head, my head throbbing. just to find a couple of dizzy minutes later that i was actually bleeding. great start into the day, and kind of a rough wake up call…

the day continued to be a bit of a no-no, really. because the head banging (ahem) was followed by breaking one of my favorite (old) crystal champagne glasses and a favorite heirloom tea cup from my belated and beloved aunt herta. in the end i even managed to get a couple new bruises here and there because i fell over my feet a couple of times. not really my day. turns out literally crossing the day out wasn't a bad idea. oh, and the cupcakes! i used the hummingbird bakery recipe for it. i got the book from my sweet friend carol of milk and mode - who by now is back in nyc, sadly. the cupcakes were sweet and somewhat consolatory, even.  

vanilla vanilla hummingbird cupcakes

recipe from the hummingbird bakery cookbook

for the cakes: 

80 g soft butter, at room temperature

280 g sugar

1 tbsp. vanilla sugar

240 g flour

1 tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 eggs

240 ml milk

for the frosting:

500 g confectioners' sugar

1 tbsp. vanilla sugar

160 g butter

50 ml milk

pink food coloring

sprinkles 

directions:

preheat the oven to 190 c / 370 f and line a muffin tray with cupcakes liners. for the dough, combine the soft butter, sugar, vanilla sugar, flour, baking powder and salt with a hand mixer at low speed. combine milk and eggs, then add to the cake mix until a dough forms. fill the cupcake molds two thirds with the dough. bake for 18 to 20 minutes until an inserted stick comes out clean. remove the cupcakes and let cool on a rack. 

in the meantime, prepare the frosting. combine confectioners' sugar, vanilla sugar and butter with a spatula first and then with a hand mixer until fluffy and light. slowly pour in the milk and continue to stir until well combined. tint the color with food coloring of your choice. make a swirl with the frosting on each little cake (either the magnolia bakery way with a spatula or pipe it on with a pipe and a nozzle). decorate with sprinkles. 

watercress foam soup with peas and lady's smock

those pictures are making me so immensely happy...the colors! oh, the fresh spring greens! and peas! everything with freshly peeled peas must be a gift from heaven. and the soft lilac of the lady's smock flowers. can't get over the perfection - or imperfection, and maybe that's what makes it so endearing - of this shoot that happened a while back with christine benz. thank you for providing me with something to be proud of, friend!

this soup was, by the way, delicious, if not to say delectable. i'm not thaaaat much of a creamy soup lover. i'm much more into this kinda thingy. or this little green number here, mind. but my guests on the last supper (this expression always makes me smirk by the way...) surprised me with amazing echo for it. what can i say: people love soup... it's evident that they do. though, to this date, i still haven't quite gotten it (that's why i'm repeating myself) - i don't mean that they like a good soup (becasuse who doesn't), i mean that they like this kind of soup that much. and this one here, a wild cress, watercress and lesser celandine fancy foamy vibrantly green one with the first peas the season has to offer and lady's smock on top must have been particularly good. well, it better has, since it was quite a lot of work, really. what with making our own broth, to start with... and right here and now also a major thank you to my mom for being the best source of inspiration in all things style, home, flowers and food (i know... the many talents this woman has, it's insane...), for being my best pal and for supporting me, no matter what i'm up to (and even it's something cheeky).

also, it seems there's quite a lot on my list of 'things to be thankful for'. well, jolly good life, i guess.

watercress foam soup with peas and lady's smock

serves four

ingredients for the vegetable broth:

1 celeriac

2 carrots & greens (if available)

1 fennel & greens

1 onion

1 piece leek

1 piece celery stalks

1 bunch parsley stems

for the soup: 

500g watercress + handful wild cress or lesser celandine (optional)

500 ml heavy cream

1 bunch lady's smock flowers

100 g peas (if you peel them on your own, get about 3x as many pea pods)

4 dollops crème fraîche

organic lemon, zest

salt, pepper

directions:

start ahead by making the broth: coarsely chop all the vegs into cubes. note: you can always also use the skins, peels, leaves, stems and greens for making broth. add 3 liters of water and simmer on low for about 1 hour. strain the broth through a finely meshed sieve, discarding all the vegs and herbs. put the broth back on the heat and simmer it for another hour to reduce it. when it's left to about 1/2 liter, the broth will be intense in taste and act as a wonderful base for any soup. this is a luxury, obviously, but this soup really lives from it.

clean the watercress (and wild cress, if you have it), then quickly blanch it for no more than a minute in hot (unsalted) water. immediately submerge in ice water. drain and pat dry thoroughly, then finely chop. blanch the freshly peeled peas as well, for 3-4 minutes, so they still have some bite to them (although mom and i do not totally agree on this point - she likes them a little more tender, the peas). drain and chill in icewater, as well, then put aside. you can prepare everything up to this step well ahead.

shortly before serving the soup, make sure the broth reduction is hot, then add the cream and bring to a boil. turn down the heat. add the finely chopped watercress and immediately blend thoroughly and then blend some more until nicely foamed up. note: once you've gone through with this step, you need to serve the soup rather quickly, or it will loose it's splendid, vibrantly green colour (as well as the lovely foaminess). season with lemon zest (finely grated), a good salt (it will need quite a bit, since we're working with unsalted home made broth) and freshly ground black pepper. divide between bowls, add a dollop of crème fraîche, scatter a handful of peas and the lady's smock flowers and stray petals on top. serve immediately. wait for the happy stomachs to thank you.

ps: in the pictures, you also spot the wild herb gnudi that i will share with you later. and isn't that compilation of the fully set table divine? christine poured her heart into those pictures (when i was almost already topping over with tiredness after a day of hard work...). 

all pictures by: christine benz

food styling by: scarlett gau

goose fat roasted bay leaf jerusalem artichokes

it became more and more obvious that i do not, in fact (to my own sadness) have a green thumb at all. unlike my relations (my mom has amazing skills with plants). mine is much more like a black thumb, ahem. particularly with my balcony plants (i admit, bouquets are easier, though i've even managed to ruin cut flowers...). alas, i've always dreamed of a garden, regardless. the notion of a little hut in the woods with an adjacent vegetable patch to provide for my little family is... okay it's cheesy bollocks, but still high on my list of dreams. i'd probably need a sexy gardener (i'm thinking a theo james kinda youth...?). isn't that a brilliant idea for once.

one who's really knows his plants is nigel slater. in his books, he tells the story of how he turned a plain backyard in the city into a garden that provides yearround. i recommend you read them and turn green with envy ('green' being the leitmotiv and all). anyway. so, nigel is the king of home grown. and he knows everything there is to know about jerusalem artichokes (that i really, really love). i've never roasted them before (or  have i...?) but this recipe looked intriguing. i can never pass down something with goose fat in it (i know, how unpredictable of me...).

crispy roasted bay leaf jerusalem artichokes

adapted from nigel slater

ingredients: 

500 g jerusalem artichokes

half a dozen bay leaves (mine are actually home-grown... not to boast, but, you know...)

2 tbsp. goose fat

2 tsp. maldon sea salt

1/2 lemon, juice

directions:

clean the jerusalem artichokes and peel. coat in goose fat. put in an oven proof pan, together with the bay leaves. sprinkle with maldon sea salt. roast at 220 c / 420 f for 40 minutes, until crispy outside and tender inside, tossing occasionally. drizzle a bit of lemon juice on top (it adds nicely to the jerusalem artichokes' nutty taste).

gnocchi di patate with ramps

with one third* of the year almost already over, i feel like i'm ready to do the accounting… it's been a good beginning, for sure. and it's looking really, really rosey in the near future, too. for starts, well, how to spill the beans… i've sort of, maybe, kind of, possibly met someone (i've already known for decades). with the result that i kinda feel like i've been woken up from a sleep. it's been a whirlwind, fun and meaningful and intense and light - all in one. i realise i sound a bit crazy? well, seeing everything through the pink shades does that to you. or maybe it's the sugar overdose (how many chocolate rabbits have i been scarving down since easter, really…? i assume you don't even want to know… it's almost obscene...). yeah, it's been a good third* of a year and i can't wait for what the rest has in store. i'm positive, like i'm on a permanent holiday somewhere beachy, sunny, where the rosé wine flows in rivers and where you can have lunch dressed in nothing but your bikini… this feeling is the best. better than dancing through the night (though that, with the right person, might come to a close second) and definitely better than chocolate. and that accounts for something.

enough of the kitschy mood! food, you guys! 

when it comes to gnocchi, i must say i'm not entirely, totally fond of the donna hay fraction - although everyone knows i adore miss hays… it's just that: her 'fast' approach at everything means she also makes her gnocchi the fast way, i.e. with ricotta. i've been there, done that (often), served it, licked the plates. call me red handed, yes. but….! oh, gnocchi di patate…! made from potatoes! they're something entirely different. more work, yes, duh. but oh so worth the extra effort. the next time you make gnocchi from scratch, consider something new, because, after all, life is for going beyond your comfort zone, right?

ramps gnocchi di patate

ingredients:

1 kg floury potatoes

500 g ramps

2 eggs

250 - 300 g flour

100 g butter

1 cup sun dried tomatoes, finely chopped

salt, pepper and musk

grated cacio pecorino, for garnish

directions: 

wash the poatoes, and cook them, unpeeled, for 25 minutes in salted water. drain, then arrange on a baking sheet. pierce with a fork a couple of times and let dry for 30 minutes in the oven (at 120 c / 250 f). wash the ramps and pat dry thoroughly. chop very finely. peel the still hot potatoes, then work through a passevite (food mill). add eggs, ramps and 250 g flour, season with salt, pepper and musk. knead until well combined. if necessary (i.e. if mixture is too moist) add more flour. on a floured surface, form the dough into a ball, then cut into eight parts. form each part into long, snake-like logs, about the thickness of your thumb. use a knife to cut into small, pillow-like pieces of about 2cm width each. cook the gnocchi in salted water until the gnocchi appear at the surface of the water, then remove with a sieve. in the meantime, slowly melt the butter on medium heat until browned, then add the finely chopped tomatoes and season with salt, pepper and musk. arrange the gnocchi on a plate, drizzle with the tomato butter and serve with freshly grated cacio.

* somehow i keep mixing up quarters and thirds... but it's definitely a third now with four months in. my math teacher mr. limacher would be proud of me. or not. 

when in milan...

when in milan, you should undoubtedly do (at least) two things: eat well and shop (just stop before you actually drop - or before your credit card starts to burn...). naturally, we did both. and though we actually wanted to put more emphasis on the lucullan part (i.e. sit, eat, drink coffee, watch people) for hours on end, the shopping bit got a bit out of hand and actually took up most of our day... ahem. we were a bunch of girls, after all. so yes, we opted only for a quickie (i.e. practical and super efficient, if you have other things than pizza forever on your mind, too) - street food lunch was on. where better to go than luini, just off piazza del duomo and the famous rinascente? now, luini is famous for panzerotti. if the two 100 meter long queues (each!) aren't enough of a proof for you, then you must go and try one for yourself. you probably think what makes a piece of dough with a bit of mozzarella so special? well, it's everything and nothing. it's what you can't explain that makes it special. maybe it's the fact that they're deep fried and crispy outside - but still doughy and gooey inside. maybe it's the fact that they're made in italy, where, miraculously, tomatoes and mozzarella just taste better. i don't really have an explanation. but hundreds of stylish italians queuing can't be wrong. best street food ever. plus that cannolo siciliano...? i have died and gone to dolci heaven, so to say.

whoever thinks shoes make us girls happy, i can only say: yes, not entirely wrong, but carbs & sweets... don't ever forget the sweets!

nettle bread with wild herb curd

what 4 days off can do for you… i spent the long easter weekend in my hometown luzern, that's really so pictureqsque (seee for yourself on instagram). i'm thoroughly knackered after everyting, but also, the soul's batteries have been recharched. ready to rock tuesday tomo! 

apart from that, if i had to pick one aliment to eat eternally, it'd be bread. and i mean anything ranging from challah to focaccia to wholemeal to sourdough… bread is my friend, and always welcome in my book. and i mean i love it for what it is and as such. but a foolproof way to improve it even more is to add a good spread. my favorite is curd. and here we have a fantastic duo of nettle bread (we went to pick it ourselves, christine and me) and a wild herb curd.  christine captured the mood extremely good, the rustic, dirty, dark appeal of the bread. almost makes me smell it again, hmm.

nettle bread with wild herb curd

for two nettle breads:

600 g flour

1 tsp. salt

10 g fresh yeast

400 ml lukewarm water

1 tsp. sugar

100 ml olive oil

75 g nettle leaves

1 tsp. maldon sea salt

directions for the bread:

combine the flour and salt in a bowl. put the yeast in lukewarm tap water, add the sugar, stir well to dissolve. let sit for about 10 minutes. make a well in the flour, pour in the yeast mix, cover lightly with a bit of flour and let sit again for 10 minutes, until bubbles form. then begin to knead, adding 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. knead the dough either with a mixer or by hand for 10 minutes. put the dough back into the bowl and cover wit cling foil. let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 hour until doubled in size. in the meantime, clean the nettle and take off only the leaves (discard the stems). oh, wear gloves to do this, by the way. pat dry with kitchen paper. after the dough has risen, knead in the nettle leaves, leaving some to put on top. half the dough into two equal parts and with floured hands shape into balls. preheat the oven to 220 c / 430 f. put the breads on a baking sheet lined with parchment, garnish with the remaining, brush with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle liberally with maldon sea salt. let the breads rise again for 15 minutes. reduce the oven's heat to 180 c / 360 f. bake the breads for 20 to 23 minutes. let cool but serve slightly warm - with the wild herb curd (as follows). 

for the wild herb curd:

1 cup curd

1 handful ramps, finely chopped

1 handful lady's smock blooms, finely chopped

1 handful daisies, finely chopped

1 handful lesser celandine, finely chopped

1 handful bedstraw or cleaver, finely chopped

…or whatever wild or conventional herbs you have at hand, really

1/2 lemon, zest and juice

1 tsp. fleur de sel

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

directions for the curd: 

combine all the ingredients, season with salt and pepper. 

all pictures in this post by christine benz

wild herb gathering

remember the crazy chai pear and chocolate pudding tart...? that's when the collaboration (though, in all honesty, we stick to calling it 'playing around', actually) between photographer extraordinaire christine benz and my humble (aspiring food stylist, ahem) self started. by now, we're already two days, several hours of hard, sweaty work and a couple more insights on working together on food into this project. it's been fun, and continues to be. 

so here's the first sneak peek into our second shoot, on all things 'wild'. i'm really into wild things gathering (though i never properly know how to call it, really, it's just insane) and have brought back many a dandelion and ramp and sorrel to feed hungry mouths in different constellations. so we figured we simply must cover this passion with lovely, light-infused pictures - christine style, naturally. being what i refer to as 'just that perfect bit of imperfect' and 'a little dirty'. she manages to make beautiful things even more beautiful. it's like her pictures enhance reality. so, so dreamy. if you want to book her for your glossy (or rustic, come to think of it, she surely can do both) (food or otherwise) magazine, i'm sure she will be in? and, if i'm lucky, she might tug me along as her assistant slash tripod carrier. so, pretty please, give her some fancy fabulous jet-setty work, for my sake, will you? and i promise i'll continue the flow of inspiration, cake and, well, more cake, in return. it's a win-win situation, if you ask me.

but let me explain what it is that you're seeing here. for now, no recipes (obviously). but some pictures of me (utterly unglamorous, in mornign manière, with a totes naked face, ugh, why do i never manage to jump out of bed earlier when i'm having my picture taken...? i'm sure mom disapproves, she would never leave the house un-made-up and frizzy-haired like that, duh) and an overview of all the wild things we gathered. note (emphasis): we got up really, really early, like, in the wee hours, to find ramps (wild garlic or bärlauch, around here), lady's smock, dandelion, sorrel, lesser celandine etc. to toy around with all day long. basically everything edbile the woods and meadows provide. so, everything (!) featured in that compilation / herbarium style shot is edible, no kidding. also, did you spot the funny little explanation "tree buds"? yeah, that happened because i have no idea what kinda trees those were... those things happen. i did grow up somewhat on the countryside, but then again, lucerne was only a stone-throw away, and i'm guessing i'm more of a citydweller than a countrybumpkin, when it comes down to it (though i sometimes wish it wasn't so). anyhoo, i think it's fun and i tried to come up with really the best translations and indications i could muster. what else? oh, that rhubarb...? so vibrant, that popping red...! sighs. bliss, bliss, bliss.

what you're still going to see from christine and i: a wild herb foam soup with lady's smock (color blocking in a soup, literally. i'm positive my fashion forward styler friend ki will adore this), a fancy rustic nettle bread (yeah, ouch!) with a wild herbs spread and some freshly made gnudi (or gnocchi) with ramps and other wild thigns inside and fried dandelion buds on top, that will move you to tears, no kidding. 

for now, though, happy easter! i'm going to spend it with my girls, brunching (bitches who brunch, i believe the species is called, though i much prefer ladies who lunch, actually, but whatevs), out and about with a hottie (some clubs are calling, i'm guessing) and in my home town, lucerne, doing, oh, nothing at all. can't wait! a year ago, it was all sickness (my sister in law...) and worries and makign sure my brothers' kids were safe and happy and get enough chocolate to last them for a year. so i think, since everything improved since last year, we all deserve that tiny four-day vacay! let's make the most of it. cheers, loves!