Wedding anniversary lunch menu - part 3

And here comes the dessert!

Chocolate pillows topped with Thai basil pannacotta ring

filled with passion fruit

The only tricky thing in making this dessert was to find a pan for muffins and  a pan for rings that would match in diameter.  I luckily had matching ones. But to make it simple just bake the chocolate pastry in a regular low pan and cut the circles with the glass matching the rings. And to make it even more simple, pannacotta does not have to be in ring shapes at all.

Chocolate pillows

I baked chocolate pillows from chocolate cake pastry in low muffin pan. Even if I made only half of the portion, there was pastry left after filling all the pan. So the rest was baked in mini baking pan as a chocolate cake.

And oh, I baked the chocolate pillows a day before.

2 eggs

150 ml sugar

150 ml flour 405D

1,5 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp boiling water

Beat egg whites with sugar. Mix together flour, cocoa and baking powder. Put it into the egg mixture. Add water. 

Bake in 250 C for 5-7 min. Leave it to cool down totally before taking out from the pan.

Thai basil pannacotta

I am sure it tastes good with simple basil also. Just Thai basil has some fresh sting from mint or lemon balm.

To know how much whip cream I will need to make pannacotta rings, I have filled the pan with water and measured it.

The main rule is to use 1 gelatin leaf per 100 ml whip cream.

In my case it was 130 ml whip cream and 1 1/3 gelatin leaf. And a bunch chopped Thai basil. If you like it sweeter, so add 1 tbsp sugar per 100 ml whip cream.

Put whip cream on boil, add gelatin leaves and Thai basil (optionally - sugar). Stir well and distribute in the ring pan or other low form (so you can cut circles by glass later on). Refrigerate for a few hours.

Top chocolate pillows with pannacotta. Top it with passion fruit, flour with icing sugar and decorate with Thai basil leaves.

Enjoy!

Wedding anniversary lunch menu - part 2

Revealing the wedding lunch menu recipes continue.

Marinated cheese with dried apricots

20 cheese cubes

4 dried apricots

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp honey

a few drops lemon juice

pepper
dried thyme

Chop apricots nicely. Mix everything together and put into a plastic box with lock. Keep it in a fridge for a few hours. Shake the box a few times during these hours. Sprinkle more dried thyme before eating.

Marinated cheese with pumpkin seeds

20 cheese cubes

1 tbsp cannabis oil (olive oil or pumpkin seeds oil suits as well)

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

some fresh basil leaves

pumpkin seeds

Can't be a more simple appetizer to make - just mix everything together and it's ready to eat.

Mustard marinated drumsticks with rainbow tomatoes salad

8-10 chicken drumsticks

3 tbsp coarse mustard

1 tbsp honey

3 tbsp chopped onion

2-3 cloves garlic

salt

pepper

thyme

1 kg tomatoes

salt

pepper

some fresh rocket

1 tbsp cannabis oil

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

fresh basil

Mix together everything for marinade. Put chicken drumsticks in the double plastic bag and pour the marinade. Then work the plastic bag in your hands to distribute the marinade evenly on the drumsticks. Refrigerate for a few hours.

Roast in the oven around 30 min in 200 C.

For tomato salad take as many different colour and shape tomatoes as you can get. Cut them into different sizes. Pour cannabis oil and balsamic vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste, and rocket. Mix gently with hands. Leave for around an hour, mixing with hands then and then. Take a new bowl and put the salad with your hands into it, leaving the liquid. Top with fresh basil and enjoy it with the mustard marinated chicken drumsticks.

Now only the dessert recipe is missing. I leave it for tomorrow and go for a big weekly  food shopping.

Wedding anniversary lunch menu

It's 6 June and we are getting married AGAIN for the next year :)

Occasion worth to spoil us a bit, so I made a luxury lunch in a balcony for my family. However, the sun heat was so enormous that after appetizers we moved inside.
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Birželio 6-oji ir mes tuokiamės VĖL kitiems metams :)
Proga verta pasilepinimo, tad pagaminau iškilmingus pietus balkone visai šeimai. Saulė spigino beprotiškai ir jau po užkandžių teko persikelti į vidų.

It took time to prepare the dishes, but they were worth all time spent. And recipes are not complicated at all. I actually avoid complicated food making processes. Those having 2 small kids may understand me :)
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Viską pagaminti užemė nemažai laiko, bet patiekalai buvo verti viso sugaišto laiko. Visi receptai yra nesudėtingi, nes aš vengiu komplikuotų gamybos procesų. Turintys 2 mažus vaikus supras mane :)

I made several appetizers:

Oven baked onion halves with  sour cream topping and a dash of roe

Herbs pannacotta with radish salad topping and Serrano ham

Prosciutto ham wraps with horseradish

Salmon wraps with shrimp taste processed cheese 

Marinated cheese with dried apricots

Marinated cheese with pumpkin seeds

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Užkandžių buvo net keli:
Orkaitėje keptos svogūnų puselės su grietinės ir ikrų kepure
Prieskonių panakota su ridikėlių salotomis ir Serrano kumpiu
Prosciutto kumpio suktinukai su krienais
Lašišos suktinukai su krevečių skonio lydytu sūriu
Marinuotas sūris su džiovintais abrikosais
Marinuotas sūris su moliūgo sėklomis

When we were sitting round the table I realized I forgot one more planned appetizer - cucumber sushi. It will have to wait until next festive lunch or dinner.

For the main course I made mustard marinated drumsticks with rainbow tomatoes salad. And for the dessert a chocolate pillow topped with Thai basil pannacotta ring filled with passion fruit was served.

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Kai jau sedėjome prie stalo, kad pamiršau pagaminti dar vieną planuotą užkandį - agurkų suši. Teks palaukti iki kitų iškilmintų pietų ar vakarienės.

Pagrindinis patiekalas - garstyčiose marinuotos vištų blauzdelės su spalvotų pomidorų salotomis. Desertui valgėme šokoladines pagalvėles su tailandietiškų bazilikų panakotos žiedu užpildytu marakuja.

Oven baked onion halves with sour cream topping and a dash of roe / Orkaitėje keptos svogūnų puselės su grietinės ir ikrų kepure

Per person: / 1 asmeniui:
1/2 big onion / pusė svogūno

some butter / šiek tiek sviesto

1 tsp sour cream / 1 valg. š. grietinės

0,5 tsp roe / 0,5 valg. š. ikrų

Rind the onion and cut the bottom and top flat. Cut in the middle between top and bottom. Butter all cut surfaces and put into the oven for about 1 hour in 175 C. When ready, cool them a bit, top with sour cream and roe.
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Nulupkite svogūną ir nupjaukite viršų ir apačią. Perpjaukite per pusę. Visus prapjautus paviršius patepkite sviestu ir kepkite apie 1 val. 175 C temperatūroje. Atvėsinkite, papuoškite grietine ir ikrais.

Herbs pannacotta with radish salad topping and Serrano ham / Žolelių panakota su ridikėlių salotomis ir Serrano kumpiu

Per person: / 1 asmeniui:

100 ml whip cream / 100 ml riebios grietinėlės

1 gelatin leaf = 7-8 ml gelatin powder /1 želatinos lapelis = 7-8 ml želatinos miltelių

100 ml chopped herbs mix (I used spinach, chive and dill) / 100 ml smulkintų prieskoninių žolelių (aš naudojau špinatus, laiškinius česnakus ir krapus)

10 g nicely grated Parmesan cheese / 10 g smulkiai tarkuoto parmezano sūrio

1 radish / 1 ridikėlis

some iceberg salad / šiek tiek aisbergo salotų

salt and pepper to taste /druska ir pipirai pagal skonį

1 slice of Serrano ham / 1 plonytis Serrano kumpio gabaliukas

That is not a classical sweet pannacotta. But who said that pannacotta has always to be sweet dessert? Let's move it from the end of the menu to the beginning.

Put gelatin leaf in cold water for 5 minutes.  Start heating the whip cream and when it starts boiling put in the gelatin leaf and take the pot from the heat after 20-30 sec. Add  herbs and parmesan. Stir well and pour into a low wide bottom glas. Let it cool down before putting into the fridge.  1 hour in the fridge should be enough. Then top with radish and iceberg salad. Salt and pepper to taste. Roll Serrano ham and stick the roll into pannacotta.
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Tai ne klasikinės saldžios panakotos receptas. Bet kas sakė, kad panakota visada turi būti saldus desertas. Perkialiu panakotą iš meniu pabaigos į pradžią.

Želatiną palaikykite 5 min šaltame vandenyje. Užkaiskite grietinėlę. Kai grietinėlė pradeda virti, ištirpinkite želatiną ir nuimkite nuo viryklės per 20-30 sek. Suberkite žoleles ir sūrį. Gerai išmaišykite ir supilkite į plačias žemas stiklines. Atvėsinkite ir tik tada įdėkite į šaldytuvą kokiai valandai. Kai sustingsta, apiberkite pjaustytais ridekėliu ir salotomis. Paskaninkite druska ir pipirais. Susukite kumpį į ritinėlį ir pagaliuku įsmeikite į panakotą.

Prosciutto ham wraps with horseradish / Prosciutto kumpio suktinukai su krienais

Several thin slices Prosciutto / keli ploni gabalėliai Prosciutto kumpio

some cream cheese / šiek tiek kreminio sūrio

some horseradish / šiek tiek krienų

tortilla or other flat bread / tortilija ar kita plokščia duona

Salmon wraps with shrimp taste processed cheese / Lašišos suktinkai su krevečių skonio lydytu sūriu

several thin slices smoked salmon / keli ploni gabalėliai rūkytos lašišos

some shrimp taste processed cheese / šiek tiek krevečių skonio lydyto sūrio

salad leaves / salotų lapai

tortilla or other flat bread / tortilija ar kita plokščia duona

Spread cream cheese/processed cheese on flat bread. Put thin slices of Prosciutto/salmon and top with grated horseradish/salad leaves. Roll the bread and wrap it in the food plastic wrap. Store in a fridge for 1 hour before cutting.

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Aptepkite duoną kreminiu sūriu/lydytu sūriu. Išdėliokite kumpio/lašišos gabaliukus, aptepkite krienais/salotų lapais. Suvyniokite duoną į plastikinę plėvelę. Prieš supjaustydami paikykite šaldytuve bent 1 val.

I shall continue with the menu recipes some other day. Now kids need some attention and not so sophisticated dinner.
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Pabaigsiu surašyti receptus kurią kitą dieną. Dabar vaikams reikia dėmėsio ir ne tokios įmantrios vakarienės.

Test baking a wedding cake

Last weekend was spent in Blekinge region (South of Sweden) as we were visiting my parents-in-law. Patrik and I have arranged some of the wedding and christening issues like looked at the party location, talked to the priest, booked a photographer and test baked a wedding cake.

Pretty unusual to bake a wedding cake for own wedding without any experience in baking wedding cakes. But that is so typical me. The disease is called ''I can it myself'' :)

I found the recipe in Therese Wikström's recipe book Tillfällen att njuta en liten smula (Occasion to eat a little crumb).

Photo: Prisma

The picture of the cake was bright and gave a feeling of ease, so I fall to bake it.
However, the recipe was not so easy to understand. I missed some explanations and actually got a bit disappointed with the book. Therese Wikström is a well-known Swedish pastry chef, so I expected better descriptions. On the other hand, the recipe is graded as 5, that is the most difficult level of baking - a masterpiece which needs experience.
I gave it a try anyway.
The recipe includes arctic raspberries. I had no idea, where to buy them, so I have changed them with usual raspberries. Furthermore, I made some other adoptions to make it more simple and down to earth for the baking in a usual household. The recipe was for 75 slices, so I had to decrease all the ingredients to make 15 slices. That is more than enough for a test baking. However, it was not so easy to decrease some of the ingredients. That could have been the reason for not a perfect wedding cake as a result.

Wedding cake (15 slices)

Brown bottom
100 g butter
2 big eggs
300 ml sugar
150 ml flour
50 ml cacao
half of orange peel from a big orange

The original recipe included pepper rosé as well, but I skipped them.
Melt butter and add all other ingredients. Stir as little as possible. Pour into buttered form and bake in 175 C for 12 min.
Here I missed the information how big the form should be. Besides, as I decreased the recipe by 5 times, so I totally had no idea how big the baking form should be and took a regular size cake tin. After 12 min the brown bottom was still very muddy, so I baked for 10 min more.
In the end I was not satisfied with it anyway, therefore I will try to bake it several times more.

Elder panacotta
2,5 gelatine sheets
300 cream
0,4 of vanilla stick
1/5 of orange peel from a big orange
200 ml concentrated elder juice

Moisten gelatine sheets in cold water according to the instructions on the package. Boil up cream with vanilla stick and orange peel. Let it stand for 15 min and extract the spices, then filter the cream, mix it with gelatine sheets and elder juice. Pour into a form equal in size to the one you've baked brown bottom and freeze it.
I succeeded with panacotta pretty well. Just found it a bit difficult to release it from the form later on.

The original recipe includes wild strawberry jam cooking description, but I decided to use a home made raspberry jam. That was a mistake. My mother's-in-law jam was natural and probably even without any gelatine. According to the recipe quite many gelatine sheets have to be used to get a firm cake layer of a jam. I will try to cook the jam according to the recipe separately. Just I will use raspberries anyway, as it is not a season for wild strawberries.

(Arctic) raspberry mousse
1,6 gelatine sheet
90 g raspberries
90 g sugar
4 g lemon juice
60 g egg whites
20 g sugar
160 ml cream
10 g lemon juice

This part of the recipe had a very confusing description and did not match in full with the list of ingredients. Some fantasy and own experiences were needed. The mouse became not so firm as it should be and I do not know where the mistake was. Probably the egg whites.
Moisten gelatine sheets in cold water according to the instructions on the package. Blend raspberries, 90 g sugar and 4 g lemon juice together till sugar melts. I used frozen raspberries. Beat egg whites with sugar over boiling water until 60 C and then beat them cold, says the recipe. I beaten the egg whites for a few minutes over the boiling water and had no thermometer to measure if they reached 60 C or not. Then I beaten them for a few minutes till on the table. Maybe I should have beaten them over icy water?
Slightly beat the cream. Melt the moistened gelatine sheets over boiling water. Mix everything to a light and airy mousse. I suppose everything included 10 g of lemon juice as well as it is not mentioned anywhere else in the description.

Sparkling wine jelly
1,6 gelatine sheet
280 ml rose sparkling wine
100 ml sugar
1 drop of red cooking colour

Moisten gelatine sheets in cold water according to the instructions on the package.
Boil sparkling wine till it reduces to 200 ml. Add sugar and let it melt before gelatine and colour shall be added.
This layer should be prepared when other 4 layers are ready and put together.

Meringues
80 g egg whites
160 g sugar

The day was ending, so I decided to skip this decorative part of the cake and use the ready ones bought in the store. The shape was not as in the recipe, but suited.
Shall have to train baking meringues some other day.

When brown bottom cools down, put panacotta on it, top it with the jam and pour over the mouse. When the mouse is firm, pour the jelly. Meringues should be put around the cake and tied with a nice ribbon.

My layers got very thin. I suppose I had to make 25 slices cake in a regular size cake tin.