The combination of pink radishes and butter is a French classic, usually served raw on baguette bread (an awesome sandwich you should try asap if you haven't already). But another way to prepare radishes with butter in order to highlight the best in both flavors is to cook them gently until the radishes become slightly softened. Usually, the French cooks also add bits of radish greens to the pan to further enhance the flavor of the saute.
It's quick to make, as delicious as a meal can get, and one of my go-to's whenever radishes abound. For the best taste experience, serve this with a few slices of country-style multi-grain bread, crunchy and ready to absorb all the peppery butter drippings.
Recipe source: Epicurious.
Last year: Toad in the hole (British).
Two years ago: Kolrābju Salāti (Kohrabi and apple winter salad) (Latvian).
Three years ago: Broccoli and coconut stir-fry (vegan).
Four years ago: Hummus (Middle Eastern).
A rosemary-flavored crust with an addition of corn maze for a touch of crunch. On top, a filling of creamy sweetened mascarpone with lemon zest. And on top of that, freshly sliced figs, brushed only with a little red currant jam or jelly to make them shine.
The combination of flavors is a classic - I've featured it before in some delicious mini baked tarts with agave, but there's nothing baked about the figs in this one. :)
Nothing could be simpler and it's the ideal dessert if you want to make something that has a heart enough base but really highlights raw figs and lets their flavor shine.
It's quite easy and fast to make, for a tart (only the crust needs to be baked). I really hope you try it - it's great to share with guests as well :). Enjoy.
Recipe adapted from here.
Last year: Masala chai (Indian spiced tea).
Two years ago: Red lentil and sausage stew (British).
Three years ago: Savory hazelnut bread (vegan).
Four years ago: Fettuccine Alfredo (Italian).
I generally prefer green asparagus to white because of its stronger herbal flavor. I prefer it in bread, in risottos, and in almost anything (except when white asparagus it being specifically called for in an ethnic recipe). Of course, we've had our fair share of working with the white variety also, which I'll admit has the advantage of tasting more buttery when cooked properly.
Anyway, the main point is that I generally prefer the strong herbal flavor of the green variety of asparagus. It just tastes as green as it looks. And when you roast it up in the oven and you serve it with almonds flakes and a smoky-balsamic bacon vinaigrette it's just wonderful :)
Enjoy.
Last year: Sărățele (Romanian cheese straws).
Two years ago: Kashmiri chai (Indian cardamom tea).
Three years ago: Zucchini, bean and cheese quesadillas.
Four years ago: Baked Camembert with rum raisins (French).
I'm getting hungry just by looking at it while I write this post. I mean, who doesn't crave cheesy pizza? Probably only the people who just had one. :)
The Quatro Formaggio pizza (literally "four cheeses" pizza) is one of the classic types of Lasio (Rome)-style pizza. According to tradition, it must contain a layer of tomato sauce, followed by a generous sprinkle of mozzarella, stracchino, fontina and gorgonzola. Sometimes ricotta can be swapped for on of the latter three. If you ever see a Quattro Formaggio pizza in a restaurant menu that contains Parmesan as one of the four kinds of cheese, don't buy it. It's not the real deal. ;)
(My personal recommendation is that if you replace a cheese with ricotta, don't replace the gorgonzola. It's saltiness gives an un-replaceable thing to the pizza. I replaced the stracchino with Brie cheese, since I couldn't find stracchino and I'm mad about Brie, but that makes my pizza a bit less authentic too, I guess. Nevertheless, I guarantee that it was divinely lovely. Do try it.)
Last year: Polenta, apple and dried fruit country cake (Italian-style).
Two years ago: Alivenci (Polenta cream cake bars) (Moldavian and Romanian).
Three years ago: Mascarpone marbled brownies.
Four years ago: Baby making and no cooking :).
I love making biscuits with yogurt, whether they're sweet or salty. The texture obtained by making their dough with yogurt is crumbly and tender and crunchy at the same time and after a while of experimenting you learn to distinguish it from all other biscuits :). It's kind of unforgettable. Not to mention very easy to make, the perfect thing to scoop up when you have a free afternoon on a rainy day or too much left-over yogurt on a morning when you can't figure out what to have for breakfast :).
And what better addition to keeping their easy, comfort food, go-to feel than some generous tablespoons of Nutella swirled through the biscuit mass? The result was purely scone heaven. I mean, who doesn't love Nutella on biscuits? What could be better than that, especially next to a cup of tea? Oh, I know: Nutella in biscuits. :)
Recipe heavily adapted from Two peas and their pod.
Last year: Goat cheese and poppy seed dip.
Two years ago: Spicy bean and avocado tostadas (Mexican) (vegan).
Three years ago: Breakfast croissants with Gouda cheese crust.
Four years ago: Baby making and no cooking :).
This is the Mayan version of a warm milk drink, and though the combination with corn may sound weird, it's surprisingly good.
It's a hugely popular drink everywhere where the Mayan legacy is still strong, but especially in Brazil, Honduras, Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador.
I think it's very interesting to find hot sweet drinks that are cocoa-free, and I was willing to try this out just for this detail, but it was actually so yummy to make it worth it even beyond the whole "exploring world cuisine" value.
This drink is great to enjoy in the same context as any hot cocoa you normally have: at a social gathering, in chilly evenings and so on. Enjoy.
Recipe source: Saveur and 196flavors.
Last year: Cherry tomato and spinach bread.
Two years ago: Tiny German pancakes with strawberry filling.
Three years ago: Strawberry, banana and flax seed muffins.
Four years ago: Baby making and no cooking :).
