castor sugar

Easy Does It # 27 – Strawberry Croissant

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While I was shopping early this afternoon, I was nostalgically remembering the old German tradition of “Kaffee und Kuchen”.
In Germany and Austria, between lunch and dinner, there is traditionally a short break for a social gathering around a piece of cake or two (or any other Pastry) and a hot steaming cup of coffee, hot chocolate or tea. This ritual is referred to as Kaffee und Kuchen, Kaffeetrinken, or Kaffeeklatsch. Even these days, it is still quite common to get together with friends and family on Sunday afternoon between 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. to share some cake/pastry and good conversation. Well, I was certainly not going to run home and start baking a cake just for my self, but I had an idea for a simple solution for my craving, so I bought a couple of freshly baked croissants, two small cups of sugar-free chocolate pudding and some fresh strawberries. To assemble these sexy beauties took only about as long as it took to brew a cup of strong Java and both the Java and the pastries were absolutely delightful. I was even able to enjoy the added bonus of having my Kaffee und Kuchen outside by the pool, since the sun was behind dark clouds and there was a nice breeze blowing, keeping the temperature pleasant 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Live is Good !
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More Kaffee und Kuchen
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More Easy Does It
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Strawberry Croissants

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: croissants

: cut in half, spread with choccolate pudding or nutella

: top bottom halves with strawberries

: top with other halves, sprinkle with castor sugar

: Strawberry Croissants

: Strawberry Croissants

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Pear Crumble

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If you have not yet decided on a stunning dessert for your holiday party, you might want to strongly consider this one. It is easy to make, can be made in advance and looks and tastes like a million bucks. Otherwise, promise yourself that you’ll prepare this as soon as sanity has returned to your kitchen after the holidays. I am sure it’s ease of preparation, as well as it’s deliciousness, will make it one of your standby’s, just as it has become one of mine. When you prepare this, make sure you let the crumble rest at least 30 minutes in a warm place to let it set. If you want to re-heat it, give it enough time to get warm in low heat (about 20 minutes at 300F), then a bit under the broiler to re-crisp the crust. – You’re welcome 🙂 >
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Pear Crumble

Pear Crumble (My kind of food porn – no tweezers required)

Pear Crumble

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Preparation :
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To read instructions, hover over picture
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: use very ripe pears (but not mushy) for best result

: peel, core and dice pears

: simmer pears briefly in simple syrup with a good dash of rum or brandy, thicken with cornstarch slurry

: mix 1/3 a/p flour, 1/3 castor sugar, 1/3 stoneground oats, fill pears into buttered baking dish, top with crumble mixture, add a generous amount of butter, bake at 400F until brown

: when crumble top is brown and bubbly, sprinkle with crashed walnuts, let cook for another few minutes until walnuts start to be lightly toasted

: remove crumble from oven, let set in a warm place for 30 minutes before serving

: serve with whipped cream, dust with cinnamon

: Pear Crumble

: Pear Crumble

: Pear Crumble

: Pear Crumble

: Pear Crumble

: Pear Crumble

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German Chocolate Pancake & Caramel Sauce With Peaches And Bananas

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Sometimes you come to a crossroad and have to make a fundamental decision from which there is no return –
” Should I eat this pancake or not ” ?!!!
Because I am a diabetic, this dish probably cost me one week of my life. But then again – I used to smoke, drink and do a whole lot of other ungodly stuff and I am still around.
Who would have thought that eating a pancake could be so wickedly dangerous……….. 🙂
Anyway, I am happy to report that the risk was well worth it. I actually had two of these babies and feel no regret’s. I won’t have another one for a long time to come (probably), but I’ll decide when I am at that crossroad again 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

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German Chocolate Pancake & Fruit Caramel Sauce

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Preparation :
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Caramel Sauce With Peaches And Bananas:
Click on images to enlarge
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: cook sugar and water over low heat, constantly stirring

: add cream to the caramelized sugar, simmer until smooth

: add peaches and bananas

: cook for one minute more, remove from heat, reserve

: caramel sauce with peaches and bananas

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Chocolate Pancake:
Click on images to enlarge
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: in a bowl, mix a/p flour, sugar, milk and egg yolks to a smooth batter

: batter before adding egg whites

: separate egg whites from egg yolks, add sugar and a dash of salt

: whisk egg whites to a stiff peak

: lightly fold egg whites into batter

: pour pancake batter into medium-hot , buttered pan

: sprinkle top of batter with chocolate chips

: spread some more batter on top to cover chocolate chips, bake pancake at 375F until set, turn pancake and cook on other side for another 3 minutes or until golden brown