When dear people announce a visit, all my senses focus on it WHAT TO PREPARE? Especially when I haven't seen them in over six months, like yesterday when my friend came to visit for the first time since I moved.
I'm not sure about you, but I love spoiling my guests. So I decided on meringue nests, in keeping with the holiday spirit, who could refuse fluffy bits filled with vanilla cream?
Not me!
You will need the following ingredients to make 6 nests:
2 egg whites
100 g sugar and a few drops lemon juice
For the vanilla cream:
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons sugar
and 2 tablespoons butter
Beat the egg whites with the sugar and lemon juice until the texture becomes silky smooth, which will take about 30 minutes. Easier way to make the nests and transfer them to the baking sheet, I cut the baking paper into squares. Using a piping bag, form nests.
Dry for about an hour and a half at 100°C. Because drying takes the most time, prepare the cream slowly.
Steam the egg yolks after whisking them with the sugar until foamy.
I've always avoided recipes that call for the use of raw eggs, especially creams.
After steaming, the cream should be thick enough to leave a mark on the bottom when run with a spatula. Allow it to cool before combining it with the butter and vanilla.
I often get questions here, whether I ever prepare something salty.
Yes, I do, on daily base, but deserts will always be my fav. It's insane to have only sweets and guests for the entire day, so I quickly kneaded up this "pie", which I've made xy times before.
At the same time, I've been trying for weeks to make a sourdough starter, and it appears that I've finally gotten it right. I'm already on the fifth day of feeding, and the old starter that should be ditched is strong enough to play a role of yeast.
You'll need the following ingredients to make the dough:
500 grams of flour
100 gr starter or use regular yeast in a proper amount
1 egg 50 g of butter minced meat 200 gr, one onion, a couple of cloves of garlic, salt, pepper, bay leaves and cup of pureed tomatoes.
When I make the dough, I never use the entire amount of flour; instead, I knead it three times with pauses for rising, gradually adding the flour as I go.
Finely chop the onion and stew it with the meat, at the end add spices and pureed tomatoes, stew until all the liquid evaporates.
Divide the dough into two equal parts and use a rolling pin to make identical circles; the dough should be 3 cm thick after rolling out.
Cover the bottom crust after spreading the meat filling then cover it with another crust and join the edges. This is the most enjoyable part, and it's probably one of the main reasons I make the pie this way. Cut triangles with a sharp knife and place a cup or anything round in the center.
Then twist each piece separately into a spiral.
Leave the dough to rest for a few more minutes, and heat the oven to 200c.
Bake!
The nests have been baked and cooled, but what kind of nests do they have without insulation?:D
Melt 100 g dark chocolate, grind the hazelnuts, and dip each piece in the chocolate before rolling in hazelnuts. Let them tighten.
Fill the holes in the nests with cream...
If, as happened to me, the holes are filled after baking, use a toothpick or ladle to deepen the center and make more room for the cream.
If you are skilled, keep them hidden for a couple of hours before serving so that the crust and cream combine and the chocolate softens the edges.
In the meantime you can enjoy the pie, as we did. Served with sour cream and mustard sauce.
Bon appetite!