Everybody knows that moving to a new place is always stressful. But for me it was not just a stressful event, it was almost a tragedy (fortunately only for the first two days). Our landlords, nice and sweet people, by the way, decided to sell the condo we were renting, and we had two months to find a new home for us. I freaked out and decided to find a new place before the Thanksgiving and all the holiday season madness. The thing is I loved my old apartment so much that I thought we would never find a place as good as that one. Everything was perfect there: the pool, the price, the location, not to mention that our neighbors became our best friends. So I wanted to take my time and choose the best market could offer. I was so busy with all the searching and packing, and moving that I had no time for cooking and blogging. Actually, I think the nearby restaurants made a decent money on our everyday takeouts. Long story short, one month and 25 boxes later we are finally settled in a wonderful 2 bedroom condo in the heart of lovely Menlo Park. And I am peaceful, happy and ready to start blogging again.

After almost three weeks of takeouts and junk food my husband and I decided to watch our diet and eat healthy. That is not easy I need to say, you know old habits die hard. But anyway, we are doing pretty good. MyFitnessPal app helps a lot. Now my motto is – New healthy habits in a new sunny apartment!

From December 1st Sasha and I try to eat healthy, cut alcohol and count our daily calories. So, today I came up with this Sweet Potato Fries snack idea, which he loved very much. The best part is this avocado sauce, which in my opinion is absolutely delicious. Just try it folks and tell me what you think!

Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Avocado Dip

By voloshyna, December 2, 2014

• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients:

• sweet potatoes - 3 medium, washed
• olive oil - 1/2 tablespoon
• sugar - 1/2 teaspoon
• paprika - 1 teaspoon
• chili powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• lemon zest - 1 teaspoon
• sea salt - 1 teaspoon
• dry garlic - 1/2 teaspoon
• For the Avocado Dip: -
• ripe avocado - 1, peeled and cut into wedges
• lemon juice - 1 teaspoon or to taste
• grape seed oil - 1/6 cup
• parsley - 3 table spoon, chopped
• grated parmesan - 1/4 cup
• chili powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste
• garlic - 2 cloves, chopped
• salt - to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C). Cut the potatoes into slim french fry shaped pieces. Try to cut them into even In a small bowl mix all the dry ingredients. Lay the fries in a single layer on a baking sheet, drizzle olive oil all over. Season with the spice mix. Bake for 10 minutes then gently flip with a spatula to cook evenly and bake for another 10 minutes. Turn the oven to broil and cook for 2 more minutes until crisp and golden brown. Be careful your fries might burn very fast. Arrange the fries on a platter. Meanwhile make the Avocado Dip. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Transfer the dip to a serving bowl.

Porcini Fettuccine Aflredo is officially my major comfort food this autumn and definitely on top of my autumn recipe list, specially considering the fact that I absolutely crazy about porcini mushrooms. Since I figured there are already lots of restaurant-style fettuccine alfredo recipes in the internet, this time I have decided to go a little healthier and present a “lighter” version of Fettuccine Alfredo, made with light whipped cream cheese. No worries it is still very creamy, thick and full of flavor. However you can feel less guilty about eating a whole plate of this delicious pasta. I also recommend use olive oil instead of butter and whole wheat pasta instead of a regular one. Those small twists will make a big difference.
Bon Appetite! Eat delicious food and stay fit.

Porcini Fettucine Alfredo (Light version)

By voloshyna, October 21, 2014

Ingredients:

• dried porcini mushrooms - 3/4 cup
• boiling water - 1 cup
• whole wheat fettuccine - 12 oz
• garlic - 1 clove, finely chopped
• shallot - 1, finely chopped
• light whipped cream cheese - 8 oz
• heavy cream - 1/3 cup
• freshly grated Parmesan - 1/3 cup
• lemon zest - 1/2 teaspoon, optional
• parsley - 1/4 cup, finely chopped

Instructions:

Combine 1 cup boiling water and mushrooms in a small bowl; cover and let stand 30 minutes or until soft. Drain through a sieve over a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup of soaking liquid. Chop the mushrooms. Cook pasta al dente according to package directions, in generously salted water. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté 30 seconds, stirring occasionally, until fragrant. Then add shallot and mushrooms; sauté 5 more minutes, stirring frequently. Add cream cheese and heavy cream, bring to a boil. Stir in salt, pepper, lemon zest (optional), Parmesan and reserved mushroom soaking liquid; simmer 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add pasta, toss well to coat. Sprinkle with cheese and chives. Serve immediately.

 

If you are looking for a dish to surprise your guests, you have found the right one. I can bet that most of them have never tried chicken that was roasted in milk. But believe me they will love it! This chicken is incredibly juicy and tender, and the meat is falling off the bones. Serve it with potatoes roasted with herb butter to develop a complex main course.
The recipe was adapted from Jamie Oliver

Chicken Cooked in Milk

By voloshyna, September 29, 2014

• Total Time: 01h 45min
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 01h 30min

Ingredients:

• whole chicken - 3-4 lb.
• kosher salt - 1 tablespoon
• freshly ground black pepper - 1 teaspoon
• butter - 1 tablespoon
• olive oil - 1 tablespoons
• cinnamon stick - 1/2
• fresh sage leaves - 10
• garlic cloves - 8, skin left
• lemon zest - 2 tablespoons
• milk - 2 1/4 cups

Instructions:

Season the chicken all over with the salt and pepper. Melt the butter and oil in a heavy bottomed pan and brown the chicken on all sides, about 4 minutes per side. Place the browned chicken into an oven proof pot, breast side up. Add the remaining ingredients to the pot, cover and roast for 1 1/2 hours, removing the lid for the last half an hour if you like to brown the top a bit more. To serve, pull the meat off the bones and drizzle with sauce.

Always wanted to cook salmon ravioli and finally I made it. I called this dish a restaurant style ravioli, because it turned out really pretty especially with this orange cream tomato sauce. You can use this recipe for your romantic Valentine’s dinner!

Taste best with a glass of cool Chardonnay!

Salmon ravioli with tomato cream sauce

By voloshyna, February 12, 2013

• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 40-45 minutes

Ingredients:

• ready made wonton/ravioli wraps - 1 package
• egg - 1
• salmon fillet - 1 (1/2 lb)
• ricotta cheese - 5 oz
• lemon zest - 1 tbsp.
• salt - to taste
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste
• For the sauce: -
• cherry tomatoes - 2 cups
• extra virgin olive oil - 1 tbsp.
• sea salt - 1 tsp
• finely chopped garlic - 1 clove
• finely chopped sage leaves - 1 tbsp
• anchovy fillet - 3
• prosecco or white wine - 1/4 cup
• heavy whipping cream - 1/2 cup
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste
• freshly grated Parmesan - 1/2 cup

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 F. Toss cherry tomatoes with an olive oil, chopped garlic, sea salt and sage leaves. Put them on a baking sheet an bake for 15-20 min until tender. Transfer roasted tomatoes with a juice in a small sauce pan, add chopped anchovy fillet and pour with a prosecco or white wine. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to a medium-low and continue simmering 5 min. Pour tomatoes with all the juice in a blender; puree until smooth. Pour tomato mixture through a sieve and return to a sauce pan over a medium heat. Stir in cream and simmer until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Add 2-3 tablespoons of Parmesan, season with salt and black pepper to taste. Remove from the heat. In a food processor combine salmon fillet, ricotta and lemon; process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. In a small bowl lightly beat egg. Spoon a small amount (about 1 teaspoon) of salmon mixture onto each wonton. Brush the edges of the wonton with egg. Fold over the wonton to form a triangle, make sure it seal tightly. Pull the sides to form the classic tortellini shape and pinch the ends together. Drop ravioli into a salted boiling water and cook until they float. Remove cooked ravioli from the water to a serving dish. Serve ravioli with a hot tomato cream sauce and grated Parmesan.

Savarin some kind of rum baba – moist yeast dessert, saturated in sweet syrup or light alcohol. I found this recipe in one Ukrainian culinary magazine, in this variation savarins saturated in a ginger and lemon syrup, topped with whipped cream, different fruits and berries. Every bite of this small cakes is like a pice of heaven!

Ginger & Lemon Syrup Savarins

By voloshyna, December 25, 2012

Ingredients:

• For the batter: -
• bread flour - 1 cup
• salt - 1/4 tbsp
• sugar - 2 tbsp
• dry yeast - 1 tsp
• lemon zest - 1 tbsp
• eggs - 2
• melted butter - 1/4 cup
• warm milk - 3 tbsp
• For the syrup: -
• water - 3/4 cup
• lemon juice - squeezed from 1 lemon
• granulated sugar - 1 cup
• finely chopped ginger - 1 tsp
• For the topping: -
• heavy whipping cream - 1 1/4 cup
• vanilla extract - 1 tsp
• confectioners sugar - to taste
• berries and fruits - of your choice

Instructions:

Mix the flour, sugar and yeast in a bowl with a pinch of salt. Mix the milk, melted butter and eggs, then pour in and beat well to make a thick, sticky batter. from this amount of batter you can get 1 big savarin or 4-6 small, depends on sizes of your molds. Fill the savarin molds 1/2  with a batter; cover with a towel and leave in a warm place for 30-45 minutes or until it's doubled. Preheat oven to 400 F. Bake the savarins for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown. Let them cool in their rings 3-4 min, then turn them out. To prepare the syrup, place all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Dip the savarins in the syrup then place them in a rectangular pan and drizzle more syrup over them. Cover and let them soak overnight. Add more syrup the next day if they'll absorb it. When you decided to to make a filling for your savarin rings, just whip cream with a sugar and vanilla extract until stiff peaks. Filled savarins with a homemade whipped cream and top it off with fruits and berries.

]]> http://divinecuisine.recipes/ginger-lemon-syrup-savarins/feed/ 0 http://divinecuisine.recipes/french-lemon-tart/ http://divinecuisine.recipes/french-lemon-tart/#comments Mon, 13 Aug 2012 00:52:25 +0000 http://divinecusine.com/?p=239

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 will love this buns. The secret is in an incredibly delicious lemon curd. By the way, you can use it not only in this recipe. Try replacing the usual vanilla custard in your recipes by lemon, and you will be surprised with new flavors of traditional desserts. Just warning you, the cream should be cooked at least for 3-4 hours before you begin to bake buns. It is better to cook it in the evening, and let stand overnight in refrigerator.

Buns with lemon custard

By voloshyna, July 22, 2012

Ingredients:

• For the dough: -
• all-purpose flour - 2 cups
• dry yeast - 1 tsp
• sugar - 1/3 cup
• dry milk - 1 1/2 tbs
• lemon zest - 1 tsp (finely grated)
• eggs - 2
• milk - 3/4 cup
• softened butter - 1.5 oz
• For the lemon custard: -
• eggs - 1
• yolks - 3
• sugar - 3/4 cup
• lemon juice - 1/2 cup
• unsalted butter - 4 tabs
• zest of 2 lemons - finely grated

Instructions:

To make a custard whisk the egg, yolks and sugar in a medium saucepan. Add the lemon juice, zest and whisk until the mixture is smooth and uniform. Set the saucepan on the stove over medium heat, cook stirring constantly, until thick - 8-10 min. If you have a cooking thermometer - use it. Simmer the cream until it reaches a temperature of 175 F, then immediately remove from heat and let cool slightly. Pour into a jar or bowl and leave for several hours in the refrigerator. When the cream is cool - it will be much thicker. To prepare the dough, you need to warm milk, add in 1 tsp. sugar and yeast, and set aside 10 minutes to let the yeast come alive. In a bowl mix all dry ingredients and finely grated zest. Make a recess in the center, pour in there a lightly beaten egg and melted butter. Gradually add the milk with the yeast, knead the dough. The dough should be slightly sticky. Cover the bowl with the dough with a clean towel, and leave for 1.5 - 2 hours. Press down the dough and divide into 15-17 pieces. Roll out each piece on floured surface. You should get a thick oval of about 5x2,2  inches. Put a tablespoon of cream and fold once. So, you will get piece folded less than half. The rest, not folded part, cut into 1 inch strips and roll up to the end. Repeat with remaining portions of dough. Put the buns on the baking sheet, covered with a parchment paper, leave to "rest", about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Cover your buns with beaten egg, bake for about 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. Let to cool on a wire rack, covered with a towel. Then sprinkle with powdered sugar - and you're done.

To make this ice cream, you do not need to have an ice-cream maker. Simply mix all the ingredients, freeze and enjoy the perfect taste of summer dessert.

Delicious homemade peach cheesecake-ice cream

By voloshyna, July 18, 2012

• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Prep Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• Philadelphia cream cheese - 1 pkg. (8 oz)
• sweetened condensed milk - 1 can (14 oz)
• whipping cream - 1/3 cup
• lemon zest - 2 tsp.
• fresh big peaches - 2
• coarsely cinnamon grahams crackers - 3

Instructions:

Mix in a bowl first four ingredients. Beat with a mixer until will blend. Place in freezer for 4 hours. Beat cream cheese mixture with mixer or food processor until creamy. Blender peaches. Add them to the cream mixture with crushed crackers and stir. Freeze 8 hours. If you want plain ice cream with no additives, don't add peaches and grahams. Just freeze until firm.  Remove from refrigerator 15 minutes before serving.