Banoffee Pie is one of the easiest dessert you can make. To cook this heavenly delicious treat you will  need to sacrifice only 25 minutes of your time. I think it’s a pretty good deal for a dessert, that nobody can resist.

Banoffee Pie

By voloshyna, March 18, 2014

• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• For the base: -
• melted butter - 4 oz
• graham cracker crumbs - 1 1/2 cups
• For the caramel: -
• butter - 4 oz
• dark brown sugar - 1/2 cup
• sweetened condensed milk - 1 can (14 oz)
• For the filling: -
• big ripe bananas - 2, sliced
• heavy whipping cream - 2 cups
• vanilla extract - 1 teaspoon
• confectioners sugar - 3 tablespoons, or to taste
• dark chocolate - 1/3 cup, grated

Instructions:

Mix graham cracker and melted butter until well blended . Press mixture into a 9 inch pie plate. Cool in refrigerator.  Melt the butter and sugar into a non-stick saucepan over a low heat, stirring all the time until the sugar has dissolved. Add the condensed milk and bring to a rapid boil for about a minute, stirring all the time for a thick golden . Spread the caramel over the base, cool and then chill for about 1-2 hours. Meanwhile whip the heavy cream with the vanilla extract and confectioners sugar, until soft peaks. Place sliced bananas over toffee. Topped with a whipped cream. Finish with the grated chocolate. Refrigerate before serving.

All my friends are just crazy about this Peanut Butter Pie. I’ve made it on Thanksgiving and it instantly became my most popular dessert. I found the recipe in the Food Network Magazine, changed a few ingredients and made this decadent pie. I will keep searching for a good dessert ideas, so you could treat your friends and family during the winter holidays!

It looks and taste just amazing, but it’s still pretty easy to make. This pure creamy delight will be a great dessert for a Christmas eve dinner.

Creamy Peanut Butter-Chocolate Pie with Toasted Meringue

By voloshyna, December 12, 2013

Ingredients:

• For the Crust: -
• unsalted butter - 5 tablespoons
• whole graham crackers - 10-11, roughly broken
• peanuts - 1/4 cup
• semisweet chocolate chips -
• For the Filling: -
• peanut butter - 1 cup, room temperature
• mascarpone - 8 ounces
• milk - 1/3 cup
• vanilla extract - 1 teaspoon
• confectioners sugar - 3/4 cup
• cold heavy cream - 1/4 cup
• For the Meringue: -
• large egg whites - 3
• sugar - 3/4 cup
• salt - 1/4 teaspoon

Instructions:

First you need to make the crust. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter a 10 inch pie platter. In a food processor pulse the crackers and peanuts until finely combine. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and the side of the pie dish. Bake for about 10-12 minutes. Then cool on a rack. Meanwhile, using a microwave, melt the chocolate until smooth and uniform. Spread evenly in the pie crust; set aside until the chocolate sets, 10-15 minutes. For the filling, beat the peanut butter, mascarpone, vanilla extract and milk with a mixer, until smooth. Add the confectioners sugar and mix until incorporate. In a medium bowl beat the heavy cream until soft peaks. Gently fold half of the whipped cream into the peanut mixture until combine, then follow the rest. Spoon into the prepared dust and smooth the top. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight. And the last step is making the meringue. Fill a medium saucepan one quarter full with water. Set the saucepan over medium heat, and bring to a simmer. In a medium metal bowl combine egg whites, sugar, and salt. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water to form a double boiler. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved, about 3-4 minutes. Whisk the eggs with an electric mixer, until the meringue is thick and glossy, about 8-10 minutes. Using a piping bag pipe the meringue on top of the pie. Lightly toast with the torch.

One more nice autumn recipe for Chinet Baking Series. This Mushroom Lasagna is a perfect example of my favorite comfort food for a cold weather – hot, creamy and incredibly delicious. The perfect dish to celebrate autumn and a Veggie lifestyle.

Super Creamy Mushroom Lasagna

By voloshyna, October 23, 2013

• Total Time: 01h 25min
• Prep Time: 60 minutes
• Cook time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• For the filling: -
• portobello mushrooms - 1 lb, sliced crosswise ¼-inch thick
• fresh mushroom mix (like Mysopia - 1/2 lb, sliced
• medium red onion - 1, finely chopped
• extra virgin olive oil - 4 tablespoons, divided
• cream cheese - 1/2 cup
• kosher salt - to taste
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste
• dry Italian herbs - 2 teaspoons, divided
• For Béchamel sauce: -
• butter - 3 tablespoon
• all-purpose flour - 2 tablespoons
• milk - 2 cups
• salt - 1 teaspoon, or to taste
• freshly ground nutmeg - 1/4 teaspoon
• For the layers: -
• lasagna noodles - 12
• shredded mozzarella - 1 1/2 cup
• grated Parmesan - 3/4 cup

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 F. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally until softened and lightly browned 10-15 min. Season to taste with salt, peppers and Italian herbs. Stir in cream chees. Cook until cheese is completely melted, remove from the heat. Now it's time for a Béchamel sauce. In a medium, heavy bottom sauce pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Over medium heat, cook until the mixture turns a slightly golden color, about 7-8 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate pan until just about to boil. Slowly add milk to a butter mixture, whisking continuously until very smooth. Bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes, stirring constantly, then remove from heat. Season with salt and ground nutmeg. Set aside. Cook the lasagna noodles in a salt boiling water, as described on the box. Drain and place in a single layer on dry paper towel sheets. Toss together the shredded Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses in a small bowl. Cover the bottom of 7x11x2 Chinet baking pan with a 1/2 cup of Béchamel sauce. Arrange 4 noodles in a single layer on top of the sauce. Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce evenly over the noodles, then sprinkle with a half of the mushroom mixture and ¾ cup of the cheese mixture. Repeat the layering of noodles, sauce, mushroom mixture, and cheese one more times. For the final layer, arrange the remaining 4 noodles on top and cover completely with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and 1 teaspoon of Italian herbs. Drizzle with an olive oil. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Thin and light crepes are the famous French treat. Today I tried to make them a little bit different. In this recipe I used nice and tasty light beer for the batter, the beer creates this piquant savory taste that my guests just loved. As for the filing I could not find a better pair than mushrooms and smoked cheese. Try this recipe and tell me how do you like it!

Savory crepes filled with smocked cheese and mushrooms

By voloshyna, April 1, 2013

• Total Time: 01h 20min
• Prep Time: 40 + 60 for resting minutes
• Cook time: 40-50 minutes

Ingredients:

• For the batter: -
• all purpose flour, sifted - 1 1/2 cups
• salt - 1/2 tsp
• eggs - 2
• milk - 1 1/2 cups
• light beer or pale ale - 1 1/2 cups
• melted unsalted butter - 3 tbsp
• For the filling: -
• unsalted butter - 3 oz
• mushrooms, thinly sliced - 8 oz
• small yellow onion, finely chopped - 1
• all purpose flour - 1 tbsp
• heavy whipping cream - 1/2 cup
• smoked Gouda or other smoked cheese - 1 cup
• salt - to taste
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste

Instructions:

Sift the flour and the salt in a big bowl. Beat the eggs in a small bowl and add the milk. Combine the egg mixture with a flour and whisk until smooth. Thin the batter with as much beer, as necessary, add the melted butter. Allow the batter to rest for 30-40 minutes. If the batter thickens after resting, add a little bit of milk. Preheat medium skillet until really hot and fry your crepes, you will make around 10-12 (not too thin). To make the filing, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a pan, add the mushrooms and chopped onion, saute until tender. Add the flour, mix well and then pour the heavy cream. Bring to a boil and add grated cheese. Season to taste, remove from the heat. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place the mushroom filing on each crepe and roll up the pancakes. Alight them tightly in a grease ovenproof dish. Put the remaining butter on top and cook in the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

This recipe is for cinnamon addictive people like me. I’m sure you will love this super easy and incredibly smelling cinnamon bread! When I made it for the first time it was gone in a minute and this is the best compliment for a chef =)

Fill your kitchen with a smell of fresh bakery!

Serve!

Cinnamon wreath

By voloshyna, January 30, 2013

Ingredients:

• For the dough: -
• lukewarm milk - 1/2 cup
• active dry yeast - 1 envelop
• sugar - 1 tbsp
• all purpose flour - 2 cups
• salt - 1/2 tsp
• melted unsalted butter - 2 tbsp
• For the filling: -
• brown sugar - 5 tbsp
• cinnamon - 3 tsp
• melted unsalted butter - 1/4 cup

Instructions:

Mix the yeast and sugar with the lukewarm milk, stir with a plastic spoon and let it sit for 10 minutes.   In a bowl, mix flour, salt, egg, melted butter and yeast mixture. Kneading until you get smooth and elastic dough, shape it into a ball. Place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. When the dough has doubled, take it out and punch down to release all the bubble. Then let it rest for 5 min. Preheat oven to 390 F. In a small bowl mix together melted butter, cinnamon and sugar.  On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to a thickness of 1/2 inch. Spread the cinnamon filling across all of the dough. Reserve a small amount of filling for the top of the wreath. Roll up the dough, and using a knife, cut the log in half length-wise. Twist the two halves together, keeping the open layers exposed. Give a round shape, then transfer to a baking tray covered with a parchment paper. Brush reserved cinnamon mixture on top. Bake for about 20 min, or until golden brown. Transfer on a wire rack to cool. Sprinkle with a confectioners sugar before serving.

I’m a huge fan of homemade crepes. I cook them very often and in a different variations. Today I want to present one more recipe of perfectly delicious crepes, this is exactly what you need for a nice weekend brunch!

Have a nice weekend!

Crepes Filled with Fromage Blanc and Served with Blueberry compote

By voloshyna, January 25, 2013

Ingredients:

• For the batter: -
• all-purpose flour - 1 3/4 cup
• sugar - 1/2 cup
• unsalted butter - 2 oz
• eggs - 3
• salt - good pinch
• milk - 1 3/4 cup
• water - 3/4 cup
• For the filling: -
• fromage blanc or drained cottage cheese - 1 lb
• golden raisings - 1/4 cup
• sugar - 1/4 cup or to taste
• vanilla extract - 1/2 ts
• For the sauce: -
• blueberries - 1 cup
• sugar - 2 tbsp
• lemon juice - 1 tbsp

Instructions:

Put raisins in a small bowl, pour with a hot water. Let stand 15-20 min, or until they swelled. Cook 18-20 crepes as described in my Basic Crepes Recipe. In a food processor mix fromage blanc or drained cottage cheese with the sugar and vanilla extract, process until smooth. Add raisins and mix well. Spread thin layer of filling on each crepe and roll them tightly. To make a blueberry compote, just simmer all the berries with the sugar and lemon juice until soft, about 3-4 min. Serve crepes drizzled with berry sauce.

This dish might be new for you, but I’m sure you will like it! It’s a traditional meal in my native country – Ukraine, we cook it with a freshly picked dark cherries and serve with a sour cream. But this time I decided to serve dumplings with a berry compote, in my opinion it’s a wonderful combination of sweet and sour! I want you to cook this dish in winter, because it will remind you of warm summer days =)

P.S. In Ukraine we do not use the word dumplings, we called this dish vareniki.

Dumplings with dark cherries and berry compote

By voloshyna, January 11, 2013

Ingredients:

• For the dough: -
• all purpose flour - 3 cups + more for dusting
• eggs - 2
• cold water - 1/2 cup
• milk - 1/4 cup
• salt - 1/2 tsp
• For the filling: -
• fresh or frozen dark cherries (sour cherries) - 1 1/2 lb.
• For the compote: -
• frozen berries - 1 1/2 cup
• lemon juice - 1 tbsp
• sugar - 4-5 tbsp
• For serving: -
• butter - 2-3 tbsp
• confectioners sugar -

Instructions:

If you use frozen dark cherries - you need to defrost them. Mine was already sweetened, so I didn't add any sugar. But if you bought the fresh ones, you need to sprinkle them with 1 cup of cane sugar, let stand for 1 hour and drain the juice. Probably you would also like to make a berry compote in advance. In a small sauce pan mix all the ingredients and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often until the sugar dissolves. Let berries boil 1-2 minutes and remove from the heat. Set aside to cool. Then you'll need to make a dough. Lightly beat the eggs with a salt and milk. In a large bowl mix flour, egg mixture and water, add more water if needed. Stir with a wooden spoon (you can make the dough in a stand mixer, or with your hands). When it becomes hard to stir,  pour sticky dough on a flour surface and continue to knead until it becomes smooth and elastic. Divide the dough into 3-4 parts. Roll each part 1/4 inch thin. Using a 2.5 inch diameter glass cut as much rounds as you can. Fill each round with 3-4 cherries, pull the sides together and seal them with your fingers to form a semicircle. You can decorate your vareniki (dumplings), just press the fork's tines on the edges of vareniki. Place them on a lightly floured board and cover with a kitchen towel. You can also freeze remaining dumplings and store in freezer in ziploc bag for later use. In a large pan bring the water to a boil, add pinch of salt. Add vareniki (not all at one time) and stir with a wooden or plastic spoon to prevent from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Cook over the medium heat until they come to the surface, cook for extra 2-3 minutes and take out into a medium bowl. Add 1 tbsp of butter (left the rest butter for another portion of dumplings) and gently mix. Serve immediately with a berry compote or sour cream. Don't forget to sprinkle with a confectioners sugar!

This is my first attempt to cook a real homemade ravioli. I’m proud of myself.

Ravioli with Parmesan cream sauce

By voloshyna, October 1, 2012

Ingredients:

• For the ravioli dough: -
• all purpose flour - 2 cups, plus more for dusting
• sea salt - 1 tsp
• eggs - 3
• extra virgin olive oil - 1 tbs
• For the filling: -
• mozzarella - 3/4 lb
• grated Parmesan - 1/2 cup
• chopped fresh dill - 1/2 cup
• salt - to taste
• black pepper - to taste
• For the sauce: -
• butter - 2 tbsp
• all purpose flour - 2 tsp
• milk - 1 cup
• freshly grated Parmesan - 1/2 cup
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste

Instructions:

Combine the flour and salt on a flat work surface. Shape into a mound and make a well in the center. Add the eggs and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the well and lightly beat with a fork. Begin mixing the eggs with the flour with one hand; use your other hand to keep the flour mound steady. Knead the dough until smooth, for about 10 minutes; add more flour if the dough is too sticky. Form the dough into a ball and wrap tightly with plastic. Leave to rest for a 30 minutes. While the dough is resting, you can prepare the filling. In a food processor combine all the ingredients for the filling, mix until smooth. Roll out the pasta dough into thin sheets no thicker than a nickel. Lay a strip of the thin dough over over ravioli press to make the little pockets. Fill the pockets with a teaspoon of filling and cover with the top sheet of pasta. Then, just roll over the top with your rolling pin and your ravioli will be perfectly cut. Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a  boil over high heat. Stir in the ravioli, and return to a boil. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the ravioli float to the top and the filling is hot, 4 to 8 minutes. Drain well. For the sauce melt butter in a small saucepan, add flour and fry it stirring, until golden brown. Then add milk, Parmesan , salt and pepper to taste. Stir constantly until the sauce become uniform. Immediately serve with a hot ravioli.

The best thing about this cake is delicious lemon filling. It is very soft, creamy, both sweet and sour, and perfectly combines with the crunchy shortbread crust. You will be delighted with this dessert!

French Lemon Tart

By voloshyna, August 12, 2012

• Total Time: 01h 30min
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook time: 60 minutes

Ingredients:

• For the crust: -
• all-purpose flour - 1 1/4cup
• cold cubed butter - 80 g
• eggs - 2
• lemon zest - 1 tbs.
• For the filling: -
• eggs - 4
• confectioners sugar - 1 1/4 cup + 3 tbs. for serving
• juice of 3 lemons -
• zest of 3 lemons -
• sweetened condensed milk - 3 tbs.
• heavy whipping cream - 110 ml

Instructions:

First you need to cook the pie crust. Pulse all the ingredients for the crust in a food processor, until it starts to form a ball. Turn off the processor and knead the dough with your hands, until a smooth. Wrap it into a plastic food wrap and then put it in the refrigerator for a half an hour. Preheat oven to 375 F. Roll out pastry to 1/8 inch thick (3mm), and line a 9- or 10-inch tart pan. Pierce the crust with a fork for a couple times. Line pastry with parchment paper, fill the paper with a little raw beans or rice, and bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove parchment and rice, grease the pie with lightly beaten egg.  Continue baking another 5 min. Lower the oven heat to 305 F. In a mixing bowl, mix together all the ingredient for filling, but do not over beat. Pour the mixture through a strainer. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet, and carefully pour the lemon mixture into the baked pastry crust. Bake for about 30-40 min until the tart is nearly set. The filling will be runny in the center, and will set when cool. Sprinkle with a confectioners sugar when serve.

You just have to try this crepes. Recently found this recipe in the Camille Le Fol’s cookbook. Just spectacular dish. When you serve it, you need to pour the warm orange liqueur and set a fire. Unfortunately, the pictures of burning crepes came out no good. But anyway it was exciting. I can bet, you will surprise your friends and family with this dish. It’s really a lot easier than you think!

Crepes Suzette

By voloshyna, July 21, 2012

• Total Time: 03h 10min
• Prep Time: 02h 30min
• Cook time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• For the batter: -
• all-purpose flour - 1 3/4 cup
• sugar - 1/2 cup
• unsalted butter - 2 oz
• eggs - 3
• salt - good pinch
• milk - 1 3/4 cup
• water - 3/4 cup
• For the filling: -
• unsalted butter - 5 oz
• zest of 1 orange - finely grated
• superfine sugar - 3/4 cup
• To serve: -
• orange liqueur - 7 tbs.
• powdered sugar - 1 tbs.

Instructions:

In a large bowl whisk the eggs with salt, gradually add milk. Mix flour and sugar, sift in the milk-egg mixture, stir with a wire whisk to blend well. Add the water and melted butter. Cover the bowl with the dough with plastic food wrap, and  refrigerate for 2 hours. Meanwhile, cream the softened butter with orange zest, powdered sugar and 1 tbs orange liqueur. Make 18-20 very thin crepes. Spread a thing layer of orange cream over each crepe, fold into a triangle and arrange them in a fan shape in an ovenproof dish.  Reheat in the oven at 210 F for 10 minutes before serving.  Warm the remaining liquer in a smal sauce pan. Bring the crepes to the table, powder them with confectioners sugar, and pour over the warmer liueur. Set alight and spoon the flaming liqueur over the crepes until the flame die down. Serve immeditely.