Churros!

Hi again!

This week I had a job interview and I'm so excited because it can be the beginning of something!

And something means more traveling and more baking stuff. Both also means more things, but anyway, I'm excited!

Today I woke up so early thinking about those days when I spent lot of time with my grandma when I was a kid. I spend the whole summer with her. She lived in a countryside house, with a pool, a huge barbecue, and a door that opened to the country. And I spent lots of times in this country, looking for mushrooms in autumn, blackberries in summer, asparagus on spring...

But today, what I have been thinking about were the churros she made me for breakfast almost every time I went visiting her.  And I realized that I had never done churros and we really love them in my family. And since my grandma spends most of the year in a hotel at the beach (lucky grandma), we always have to buy churros, but as we all know, home made is always better.

So I asked my mum if she remembered how my grandma used to make churros, and finally, we have found a way to prepare. 

We are starting right now.

Churros

INGREDIENTS 

           

· 1 cup (125g) of all purpose flour

· 1 cup (240ml) of water

· 3 tbsp  (40g) of butter
· 1 tsp (5ml) of olive oil
· 1/4 tsp (2g) of salt

· Soft oil for frying

· Mix of sugar and icing sugar for sprinkling

Method

Ok, this is another easy recipe. You'll see.

In a saucepan combine the water, the salt, the butter and the olive oil. Warm it up until the butter is completely melted and the mix is boiling.
At that moment, you have to put all the flour, at once, in the saucepan, turn off the heat and move the mix with a wooden spoon it will clump into a soft ball of dough, and it won't be sticky. Just keep moving it until you reach that point.

This will be the dough you have to fry, isn't it easy?







Let's prepare the oil for frying. In another saucepan, pour the oil until you get 5cm (2 inches) of depth and turn the heat on. Oil has to reach 170ºC (340ºF).
While the oil is warming, mix the two kinds of sugar on a plate, and line another plate with kitchen paper to absorb all the excess oil.

Now it's time to start frying. Once the oil reaches the right temperature of course.

Place your dough in a piping bag fitted with a star tip. The star tip it's important as the churros will hold their shape better. And I also recommend using some kind of strong piping bag, because a plastic standard one can break while piping the dough. If you have a "churrera" (device that my grandma used to make the churros) use it, this will be the best way to do it.

Pipe long strips of churros in the hot oil. You can also do spirals, or loops.
Fry them until you feel they are not longer soft but has harden. I use a wooden stick to move them inside the oil and feel if they are done. Flip them then. It won't take longer than a minute both sides, if you fry too much, they get so crispy and a bit hard, I prefer the soft inside and crispy outside. Use the first batch as a guide to fry.

Then, take them out of the oil and place on the paper towel and once they're drained, toss them on the sugar plate.
You wil have to be doing all at the same time, as you will be doing littler batches to keep the oil warm enough. So, be patient.

Now churros are ready to be eaten. Have you prepared your hot chocolate?

Enjoy!

Sweet Crepes

I'm so sad and angry today because my mum has killed my blueberry bush. She thought it was dead, and it wasn't, it's just winter!

Trees loose their leaves in winter, come on mum!

I rescued it from garbage and replanted again in a new pot... I hope it will grow again next spring!

Spring, I think I need it more than never. I always said that I like winter (and I love it) but this year, I need a little bit more of sunlight. Spending so much time at home is not as good as it may seem. 

I do really need a job! Come on Spain! A Physicist is waiting!

Anyway, we are here not to here me complaining but for nice sweet treats to bake, eat and enjoy.

So today would have been a very nice day to prepare something with blueberries, but I did it in the last post, and I don't want to be so blueberry-boring (but I must admit that I love blueberries)

That's why today I decided to rescue an old recipe from my Spanish blog and bring it here for you.

Here you have Sweet Crepes.

Sweet Crepes

INGREDIENTS (for 5 crepes)

           

· ½ cup (63g) of all purpose flour

· 1 tsp (10g) of sugar

· 1 egg

· 1 cup (240ml) of milk

· 2 tbsp (30g) of melted butter

· ¼ tsp (1g) of salt

Method

This is one of the easiest recipes ever!

For breakfast, for dinner, or just because you want something sweet and quick!

In a bowl combine all the ingredients, all together, don't worry mixing wet separate from dry, just use a whisk to combine everything, until there are no more lumps in the batter.

Next rub some butter on a big pan, 23cm of diameter is a nice size, but you can make them smaller, but you'll have more than five.

Put some of the batter on the pan and swirl it to cover al the surface with a very thin layer, because crepes must be thin.

Place on the fire until the borders turn brown and some bubbles appear in the center, that's the moment when you should flip it over. Use your hands to flip. Just use an spatula to lift an edge of the crepe from the pan and using your fingers, flip it! It's too easy!
Then wait another minute or so, until you feel is completely done.

And that's all! Now you have to thing how to fill them.

Here you have some ideas:

· Cream cheese, slices of banana and honey
· Melted chocolate and some sliced bananas.
· Rub some butter while the crepe is warm and sprinkle some lemon zest and powder sugar.
· Nutella
· Whipped cream with peaches.
· Vanilla ice-cream and maple syrup
· Sliced apples and caramel sauce
· Lemon curd and raspberry jam
· ...

I can spend the whole day just combining flavors I love. Just combine yours and of course, enjoy.

Lemon Blueberry Mug Cake

Hi!!

I've been so so so out and I have to say that I'm so so so so sorry for that.

Very difficult December.

But here I a once again, and I'm ready to put some sweetness in your new year.

Did you enjoy your Christmas? I really hope so!

Today I'm going to show you something that must be forbidden. A little cake, in a coffee cup or a mug, mixed quickly with a fork and microwaved.

It took less than... 7 minutes¿? to eat and enjoy! Couldn't be more awesome.

Lemon Blueberry Mug Cake

INGREDIENTS 

· 3 tbsp of all purpose flour

· 3 tbsp go white sugar

· 1 eggs

· 2 tbsp of light oil
· 1 1/2 tsp of lemon juice

· 1/4 tsp of baking soda
· 1 tsp of lemon zest
· 1/8 tsp of salt
· 3 tbsp of blueberries (fresh or frozen)

METHOD

See how quick it will be.

Put in a mug the dry ingredients, flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and lemon zest. Mix well with a fork. Add the oil, the egg and the lemon juice and mix with the fork until everything is incorporated. Finally, add the blueberries and fold them in gently.

The batter is done!

Put in your microwave at 800W for 2 minutes. You will se how it rises while the microwave is on, but it will deflate a bit at the end, don't worry. Check with a toothpick if it's done inside. If it's not, just microwave it for 30 seconds more, and repeat the checking.

Once is done, you can frost it with cream cheese frosting or make a lemony glaze tu put on top (the top will not be as beautiful as a baked cake, so maybe you will want to cover it).

For the lemon glaze, mix 2tbsp of icing sugar with a tsp of lemon juice and pour it over the cake. Then, garnish with some blueberries or a slice of lemon.

And enjoy. It is amazing. Even warm it's so tasty and delicious!

Nutella Cheese Cake

Hi everyone! 

Last weekend was my Bday and I could not write a new recipe because I was so busy preparing and preparing, but here I am again.

This week hasn't been so stressful. I already have my Physics Title, and keep looking for a job. I also went shopping, I needed a new shirt and something elegant, a vest... maybe new shoes... And I have my final look for that special day. My mum is so excited! 

To celebrate this amazing and special days I am living, I want to share with you an amazing (too) cake I made recently.

It is a big (LARGE) Nutella Cheese Cake! And it also is the first cheesecake I'm posting here. And also this is going to be my first Gluten Free Cake.

So let's get started!

Click aquí para ver la receta en español.

Nutella Cheesecake

INGREDIENTES

           

· 130g of digestive biscuits ( gluten free if you prefer)

· 50g of melted butter

· 750g of cream cheese (full fat)

· 2 tbsp (20g) of all purpose flour (Use cornstarch to make it gluten free)

· 3/4 cup (150g) of sugar

· 300g of Nutella

· 3 eggs

· 1 tsp of vanilla 

· 1/2 tsp of salt

PREPARACIÓN

This is going to be amazing. You don't even want to stop eating!

First, we have to start preparing the crust. Process or crash the biscuits until they look like sand. Pour the melted butter and mix them well. Use a fork to avoid clumps.
Then, transfer to your baking pan and cover the bottom with the mixture. You can also go up the wall of the pan. Press them down with a measuring cup, a spoon or a glass.

To bake a cheesecake, you have to use a 23cm (9inches) springform pan with removable bottom. It will be the easiest way to remove the pan without breaking the cake. Don't mess up!
Once is packed, place it into de fridge while the filling is prepared.

Now, turn on the oven to 160ºC (320F) to preheat it. As you see, it is a low temperature (instead of the "classic" 180ºC, 350F) so this cake will take a long time to bake completely.

Take your biggest bowl to prepare the filling in it. You can make this filling by hand with a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula, with a hand mixer or even with a stand mixer. You choose!

Mix the cream cheese with the nutella, the sugar, the salt and the flour (or cornstarch). Try not to overheat, this only would put air inside the batter and we don't want that.

Once everything is well combined add the eggs, one at a time, beating between each addiction, and add the vanilla extract with the last one. Beat it making sure you scrape the bottom of the bowl and the sides too.

Transfer the batter into the springform pan and place it into the oven. You'll have to wait an hour and a quarter. 75 minutes until you will be able to look at this gorgeous and amazing cake in the eyes.

To cheek if the cake is done, make sure the center is set. Use a knife or a wooden skewer to check if the center of the cake is wet or not and place it in the oven for three to five minutes longer. But after 75 it should be done.

If you choose an only-bottom-crust you should release the cake from the wall, so use a knife to separate the cake and the pan.

Let it cool completely before you start decorating it, because you want more chocolate on your cake, don't you?

I made this cake twice in a week, so I hace two options for you.

Both start the same way, spread 100g of nutella on the surface of your cake. That will keep the things you put on top stuck.

Fist option: shave white chocolate (or even dark, the one you like) and put it on the nutella.
Second option: put some color, use M&M's to cover your cake.
Or you can make your own option and tell me which one it is. Maybe some raspberries, strawberries?

I hope you enjoy it.