by Marcela M. | Sep 26, 2011 | Blog, Recipes, Uncategorized
Good morning friends! I hope you are having a lovely start of the week!
In my last post, I mentioned that one of the things I learnt in Ivory Coast was how to dice a mango.
If, like me, you didn’t grow up in a country where tropical fruits are the norm, you may do as I did originally: try to peel the mango as if it was an apple, slice it and finally dice it. The problem is this: mango skin is not apple skin. It is much harder to remove! Fortunately for me, the man I used to buy my groceries from taught me the easy way of doing it, which is what I will share with you today.
1) The first thing you will need to do is to slice the mango. Yes, with the skin still on. Trust me.
2) Once you have done this, cut the flesh into squares, being careful not to cut the skin. You want to flesh to remain attached to the skin until the last step or it will take you ages to finish. It has to look like this:
3) Take the mango’s sides with your hands and curve the mango slice, making the squares pop, like this:
4) Finally, run the knife between skin and flesh. The mango squares will come out very easily!
Now grab the spoon that silly-me placed in the first picture (wrong prop! what was I thinking?!) and eat your yummy mango squares!
Have a wonderful week!
by Marcela M. | Sep 19, 2011 | Africa, Blog, Recipes, Travel, Uncategorized
Good morning dear friends! I hope you are having a lovely Monday. I apologize for not posting regularly, I am currently studying for an exam and I can’t seem to find the time to post as regularly as I would like to.
Last week, during our weekly grocery shopping, I spotted a few tropical fruits at our local supermarket. Even though they were imported from Brazil (a country that I have been fortunate to visit in a few occasions), they reminded me of Ivory Coast, where I lived from 2005 to the end of 2007, and where I met my husband.
Tropical fruits were abundant and, since they were locally grown, they were very cheap too. There were different kinds of papayas (small, ball sized ones, and also big ones, the size of a watermelon) , different kinds of bananas (tiny ones, big ones called “banane plantain” – with which alloko was made, and regular- sized ones), pineapples (the ones from Assinie Maffia, were tiny and especially sweet) and mangoes, among many others.
Mangoes, especially the ones from the northern state of Korhogo, were so delicious, so incredibly sweet that if you ever find them wherever you live, I encourage you to buy one for tasting purposes at least. Other fruits, such as apples and pears were also available in big cities, such as Abidjan, especially in big supermarkets, but were much more expensive. Local fruits could be bought at the local markets, where the grocer would also advice us on how to distinguish the good fruits, how to cut them, how it was best to cook them. It was there that I learnt how to dice a mango, how to chose the best avocado, and how to select a ripe pineapple.
During the two and a half years that I spent in Ivory Coast, I lived in two different cities (Daoukro and Abidjan), and travelled to many others. When I was deciding what to do with the fruits I had bought the other day, it was Abidjan that I remembered.
When we lived there, we used to go to a bar/restaurant called Jardiland, a beautiful place with tables in the garden, amid the luscious vegetation, Moroccan lamps hanging from the ceiling, soft music, candle-lit tables and with two cute bambies walking around the greenery and greeting guests while they ate. It was a lovely place to spend a quiet evening.
Jardiland had a tradition I liked (if I can call it that way): whenever the food was taking too long, they would serve the customer a papaya, sliced in half, accompanied by half a lime, to sprinkle its juice over it. The bitterness of the lime complemented wonderfully the sweetness of the papaya. It was a simple, yet delicious way of waiting for the tasty food to come.
So, in honour of the end of summer, of Ivory Coast and the time we spent there, I decided to eat one of the papayas just like that, with a little bit of lime juice sprinkled over it. There is great beauty in simplicity too, great dishes do not need to be complicated.
Have you ever had tropical fruits? Do you like them? What is your favourite simple dish?
Have a wonderful week!
by Marcela M. | Sep 8, 2011 | Blog, Main courses, Recipe Box, Recipes, Savories, Uncategorized
Hello dear friends! I hope you are having a lovely week
Today I have a BIG surprise, one that I have been dying to tell you about: Two of my recipes, with their pictures, are featured in the September issue of Whole Kitchen Magazine!!!
Last July, I was contacted by Silvia (who writes the beautiful blog Food and Cook, for Elle Magazine). Silvia is also one of the editors of Whole Kitchen and, to my surprise and utter delight, she asked me to collaborate with their September issue. I immediately said YES, of course! Whole Kitchen is a beautiful magazine, full of delicious recipes and gorgeous photography, edited by bloggers I have been following for a long time, and with amazing contributors, so it is a real honour to be able to be a part of it.
In this issue you will find one savory recipe from me: cheese and echalottes tartelettes, with a hint of cumin (pages 58-61)…
…And one dessert: Chocolate and pear mousse pie (pages 98-101)
This issue also includes great lunch-box ideas, as well as cookies, muffins and pies which could be prepared with children.It has also added a new section called ” Living”, with articles on fashion, beauty and wellness.
Silvia and Beatriz: thank you so much for letting me be a part of your beautiful magazine!
May you all have a wonderful weekend!
NOTE: For the recipe of Chocolate and Pear Mousse pie in English, click here.
by Marcela M. | Sep 5, 2011 | Blog, Cakes, Cooking basics and tutorials, Recipe Box, Recipes, Sweets, Uncategorized
Good morning friends! I hope you had a great weekend and that you are ready to start a new week.
As I promised in my last post, here is the tutorial for making fondant flowers like the ones with which I decorated my daughter’s 3rd birthday cake. You will see that they are very easy to make, and that you can do so with tools that you most probably already have at home. I have included step-by-step pictures to make it easier to follow the instructions, but if you have any doubts, please do not hesitate to contact me!
So, let’s begin! Here is what you will need:
1- Fondant in whatever colour/colours you want your flower to be. I used only white, but you may combine different ones, according to the colours of your cake/what you have available.
2- Flower cut-outs of 3 different sizes. I used cutters from 2 different sets: the bigger one is from this Wilton cookie cutter set, and the two smaller ones from this set, also by Wilton.
3- Rolling pin (the one in the picture was given to me by my grandmother, as a present, when I was 8 years old)
4- A paper straw. You can also use a lollipop stick. Or the back of a brush. Whatever you have on hand!
5- Icing sugar, so that the fondant doesn’t stick to the table. When the weather is too hot, I use a combination of icing sugar and cornstarch.
6- Non-pareils (I used multi-coloured ones)
7- A small bowl, for putting the non-pareils in it.
8- A glass/ an egg tray (from your fridge), depending on the size of your flowers, to shape them (I will show you how to do this)
9- Aluminium foil
10- Sugar syrup/sugar glue, and a small brush (not in the picture). To make sugar syrup, put sugar in a small pan, cover with water and bring to the boil until it thickens (about 5 minutes). This will help glue the different parts of the flower together, but I must warn you that it works only when fondant is not dry yet. Once the flowers are dry, use royal icing to attach them to the cake.
Instructions:
1- The first thing you will need to do, is to prepare the flower drying trays (which are the place where your flowers will dry, so that they will look like real flowers and not be flat). In order to do so, cut a rectangle of aluminium foil and, using your hands, place it on top of a cup. Once it is attached to the sides of the cup, lift it a little bit, very carefully, and curve the top by pressing in the middle with your fingers. It should look as in the picture on the right:
2- If you need to make several small flowers or blossoms, you may use an egg tray from your fridge. Cut aluminium foil to cover the tray (or as many holes as flowers you are planning to make) and, using the same method above, work it until you have the drying tray ready, as in the pictures below:
3- Now that your former/drying cup and tray are ready, it is time to make the flowers! Begin by kneading a little bit of fondant. Put some icing sugar on the table, and extend the fondant using a rolling pin. Roll it as thin as possible, so that the flower petals look more realistic.
4- Cut the flowers in three different sizes. You will need one of each per flower.
5- Start by working on the biggest size. Leave the other two aside, and put the remaining fondant in a plastic bag so that it will not dry out.
6- Take the flower with your hands and, slowly and gently, press the petals with your thumbs, so as to make them thinner (If you have one, you may use a ball tool to do this instead)
This is how the flower will look when you are done. It is very important that you do it slowly or the petals may break!
7- Gently (VERY gently) roll a paper straw, a lollipop stick or the back of your brush, on each petal. This will give the petals some shape.
8- Place the petal in the drying cup, on top of the foil. Don’t worry, it won’t stick to it and, once it is dry (about 24 hours), you will be able to remove it easily.
9- Using the same method, shape the middle- sized flower.
10- Put a drop of sugar syrup in the center of the big flower and add the middle- sized flower to it. Make sure the petals of the smaller flower are placed between the petals of the bigger one. Press softly in the center for the petals to pop up.
11- Using the same method, shape the smallest flower.
12- Put a drop of sugar syrup in the centre of the middle-sized flower and add the smallest flower to it, as you did before. Press softly in the centre for the petals to pop up.
13- Now it is time to make the stigma (the centre of the flower). You will need a small ball of fondant, sugar syrup and non-pareils.
14- Make a small ball of fondant.
15- Brush it with sugar syrup
16- Put a few non-pareils in a small bowl. Place the fondant ball inside and roll it all over, until it getscompletely covered in non-pareils.
17- Put a drop of sugar syrup in the centre of the drying flower and place the stigma on top of it. Press softly so that it adheres to the flower.
18- Repeat the process to make as many flowers as you need in your decoration.
19 – Let dry for 24 hours, remove slowly from the drying cup and attach with royal icing to your cake.
Very easy, isn’t it? I know how hard it can be to find gum-paste/fondant modelling tools in some countries, and how expensive these can be too, so I wanted to show you how you can get around buying them and still get some pretty flowers. I hope I achieved my goal!
May you have a wonderful week!
by Marcela M. | Aug 28, 2011 | Blog, Cakes, Parties, Recipe Box, Recipes, Sweets, Uncategorized
Hello dear friends! How are you today? How was your weekend? Are you ready to start this week? I hope you are and that it will be one full of wonderful surprises.
In this post I am showing the cake I made for my daughter, Zoe, for her birthday.
I changed the design in my mind many times, until I finally decided to improvise. One thing I knew: It had to have flowers and butterflies in it, because Zoe had loved the ones in the cake I made at the cake decorating course, last June. But until I started making the decorations, I didn’t really know what type of flowers I was going to make, or how many butterflies I wanted in it.
I do not own special tools for shaping neither butterflies nor flowers, and I did not have any gum paste or modelling paste on hand either. I could not buy any because neither of the cake shops I know in Nicosia were open (It is August, when most shops close), so I had to get creative. I did have fondant, food colouring, a few sugar pearls, non-pareils and sprinkles, as well as an internet connection to google ways of replacing what I didn’t have.
I started working on the flowers and butterflies the night before decorating the cake, to allow the fondant 24 hours drying time. I wanted to be able to place the decorations on the cake without fearing that they would lose shape. If I had used modelling paste, which dries faster, a few hours would have been enough. In my next post, I will show you step by step pictures of how I did it, and you will see how easy it is.
I dyed fondant using Wilton’s gel food colouring in Teal (my favourite colour) and covered the cake with it. I then rolled some more fondant and, using a small ruler, I cut a strip, like a ribbon, to cover the lower side of the cake, to give it a more finished look.
I then started playing around with the flowers and the butterflies until I was happy with the way the cake looked. I used 3 flowers and 3 small butterflies (as many as Zoe’s years), eventhough I had originally made 6 butterflies of different sizes.
Finally, I added 3 white candles and the cake was ready!
Zoe saw her cake for the first time when I brought it to the living-room to sing the happy birthday, and for her to blow the candles. She was fascinated with the fire in the candles and with the decorations. As soon as the candles were blown, she grabbed the yellow and white flower and the butterfly that was attached to it, and started eating them. Luka followed her soon after with the rest of the butterflies. Then we cut the cake and ate it!
Have a lovely week and see you in a few days!
by Marcela M. | Aug 24, 2011 | Blog, Cakes, Parties, Recipe Box, Recipes, Sweets, Uncategorized
Good morning dear friends! I hope you are having a lovely week.
As I promised, here is the first post with the birthday cakes I prepared and decorated for my babies’3rd birthday (can I still call them babies? until they are 21?).
This year we decided to postpone their birthday party until November. We are travelling to Argentina for the first time since theywere born, so we thought that it would be a good opportunity to share this special moment with friends and family. We did have, anyway, a small family celebration : we filled the living room floor with balloons the night before, so that they would find them when waking up, and left their presents in their small table. And of course, there were cakes! Since it was just the four of us, the cakes were small , but I still thought it was important for each of them to have their own, and for the cakes to be decorated according to their personalities.
Both cakes had the same flavours: 2 layers of lemon cake, and 1 layer of chocolate cake, filled with 1 layer of blueberry jam and 1 layer of chocolate buttercream, and covered in fondant.
Luka’s cake was covered in green fondant and decorated with racing cars made with fondant. I made the racing cars the night before decorating the rest of the cake, to let them dry properly, following this tutorial from Cake Journal. I do not have all the instruments required so I had to be creative, for eg: in order to shape the car, I used a big knife and a fondant smoother (instead of two fondant smoothers), I used a lollipop stick to curve the car to make space for the head of the driver to sit in (instead of a ball tool), and instead of sugar glue, I used sugar syrup (=almibar).
In order to make the asphalt, I rolled black fondant, I placed the cake pan in which I had baked the cake on top of it, and I cut around it its perimeter with a pizza cutter. That gave me a circle of the exact same size as the top of the cake, but I didn’t want that much grass so, using the same pan to guide me, I cut a portion of the circle, creating a crease. I then placed the crescent moon on top of the cake, draw white lines in it with royal icing and glued the cars on top. I made grass with royal icing, using a #133 piping tip and added a few grains of green sugar sprinkles.
I covered the perimeter of the cake with tyres, made with the back of a #2D piping tip, and embossed in the center with a #10 tip. I also made two racing flags (I didn’t take a picture of them, sorry!) to put in front of the cake). One was yellow and white and the other one was black and white. To make them, I used a small square cookie cutter, and cut 1 white square, 1 black square and 1 yellow square. I then divided each square in four parts and mixed them to create the flags.
I finally added the candles, and that was all, the cake was ready!
As you can see it was a very easy cake, but Luka loved it. He was so excited about the cars, the candles and the wheels around it! He loves cars, trucks, trains, anything that has wheels in it. I was happy to see him happy.
In my next post I’ll show you Zoe’s cake, which was girly, like her.
Have a nice week!
