Charming Chanterelles

by Karolina, 4th September 2012

And it's here- September.
I can't believe how quickly the summer came and went again.
No, I'm not complaining, I don't mind September at all actually. (If the weather is good that is)
It's quite nice when temperatures drop little bit but there's still nice warmth in the air.I love the autumn colours and lovely taste of plums, apples and pears.
But I'm missing already cherries and raspberries and hot weather which gives excuse for another ice-cream :) Can't help it...

Anyway, one of autumn staples recently visited my kitchen :)

And oh boy, what a wonderful guest it was :)
Chanterelles are not the most popular here and finding some with approachable price tag is not easy chore.
But I found them...gorgeous chanterelles!

Yes, I did a lot of mushroom pictures :)
OK, maybe it's strange but I really, really enjoy their shape and beautiful colour (yes, you can call me weirdo :))

These particular batch of chanterelles ended up in simple but nice dinner of polenta with creamy chanterelle sauce. Unfortunately I don't have picture of the ready dish (we were too hungry for making pictures - sorry).

However below picture will give you an idea:
- chanterelles
- bacon
- onion
- sage
- thyme

All this fried quickly on butter added good splash of white wine. Boiled little more and finished with a blob of cream.
Lovely sauce ended up on the bed of polenta with herbs and fresh pepper.

Seriously good stuff, really!
This sauce will be perfect with pasta as well - so give it a try.

Shall we have a one more look at the beautiful mushrooms?
Come on, I know you like it as well :)

Red diamonds...

by Karolina, 2nd July 2012

OK, so these are not exactly precious stones and not worth a lot of money...



However, sometimes I think that beetroots (yes,we are talking about vegetables here :)) are like rare precious stones which are not discovered yet. A lot of people don't appreciate their potential hiding under rough skin.
I looooooooooove beetroots. For their hidden sweetness and versatility- how you can match them with different tastes.

Today though , I wanted to give them main role.. And I find that this simple recipe from Jamie Oliver lets them really shine:

Baked Beetroots

after Jamie Oliver's recipe with small changes

portion for 2 people

4 small beetroots (preferably young ones)

3-4 cloves of garlic (amount depends on your love of garlic :))

2 sprigs of rosemary

balsamic vinegar

oil

salt, pepper

Preheat the oven to 200 C.

Lay ovenproof dish with baking paper, so the sides will be hanging over the dish.

Peel beetroots and cut in halves/quarters depending on size (note: sometimes I don't peel them at all, just wash and cut). Transfer to ovenproof dish.

Add garlic cloves and rosemary. 

Seperately mix balsamic vinegar and oil . Pour  over the beetroots. Add salt and pepper.

Fold the baking paper around losely.

Transfer to the oven and bake about 45-60 mins (depending on the size of beetroots - pinch them with the fork to check if they're ready).



You can serve these as main dish with good baguette and salad on the side. Or as a side dish.

Ruby red colour is just amazing, don't you think?



And what is your favourite way of preparing the beetroots?

Speedy Hostess...

by Karolina, 9th May 2012

...or "how to be Entertaining Goddess in 5 minutes" :)

I decided to start new series of posts about entertaining.
Mainly because a lot of people say that they don't have time to cook, have guests, organize party...
I want to show:
 - that even with minimum effort and tiny bit of time you can create something nice, stylish & little special
- that to entertain you don't need hours of preparation and you can invite people anytime
- that you don't have to limit yourself to opening bag of crisps even if on a busy schedule

So today, I'd like to propose you this:

Pears with blue cheese and balsamico creme.
Sounds posh, looks good...do you agree?
Well, took me less than 5 minutes to prepare it. Seriously!
I actually made this today as improvised starter. And it will definitely stay in my last-minute entertaining ideas.

What do you need:
- pear (1 for 2 people - but you can vary it depending on amount of guests, portion size etc.)
- blue cheese (gorgonzola would be great as well, goat cheese would work as well)
- creme balsamico (I used ready made emulsion, but you can use normal balsamic vinegar or reduce it yourself)
- pepper

How?
Core the pear, cut it into bite size pieces, or slice it
Crumble cheese on top
Pour balsamico
Grind fresh pepper on top

(This would work really nice on bed of rucola as well - I didn't have any around though)

Tada! Ready!

This makes a nice change from typical tomato mozarella or melon and Parma ham (although I love it and could eat it every day :))

How do you like it?
How do you like my idea of Speedy Hostess posts?
I'd love to hear from you...

Orange inspiration

by Karolina, 02 May 2012

This post is inspired by my new nail polish :) No, it's not a post sponsored by cosmetic company :)
Apart of being a foodie and craft lover, there's a bit of fashionista in me as well.
Flicking through the magazines this Spring and browsing websites, it's quite obvious that neon colours are definitely in. Actually not only in fashion - all designer world seems to be in love especially with ORANGE.
So I decided to give it a try.

This is my new Spring manicure.
But that's not all - inspired by this colour I searched for some kitchen inspiration as well...
And here it is - if you don't fancy orange dress, shoes or manicure...maybe try some neon in the kitchen?

 

1.Gazpacho with roasted peppers via Beetroot & Halloumi
2.Orange Sweet Potato Baked Chips with Thyme by Melangery
3.A Sicilian Orange Salad by The Tasteful Life
4.Mandarin orange prosecco preserves by Salted&Styled

I find it very sunny and optimistic - a sign that Spring came for good and will stay with us :)

And how do you like this orange trend?