Amaretti biscuits - Italy

Amarettis do not require a lot of ingredients and are so delicious that I recommend you to double to quantities. You can then keep the biscuits in a box for several days.

For about 30 biscuits
Preparation time: 20 mi
Cooking time: 10 min
Difficulty: *

Ingredients:
- 2 egg whites
- 150g granulated sugar
- 175g powdered almonds 
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 50g powdered sugar  

1.   Preheat your oven at 200°C/400°C degrees.
2.   Beat the egg whites for 2 minutes and add the granulated sugar. Contniue beating for about 2 minutes until firm.
3.   With a spatula, slowly mix in the powdered almonds and almond extract.
4. With your hands, make irregular balls, looking like rocks, and roll them in the powdered sugar. Use about 1/2 table spoon of dough for each biscuits.
5. Lay the biscuits on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake for about 10 min, until they are lightly brown. Let cool and serve.

How to make Pistachio Biscotti

This is a super easy recipe and these cookies are delicious with tea or coffee. You can replace the pistachios with almonds for your Biscotti. They can be kept several days in a box on your countertop, if they last this long...!

For about 30 cookies
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: *

Ingredients:
- 300g (2 1/2 cups) of all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 50g (1/3 cup) very finely ground almonds
- 150g (3/4 cup) granulated sugar
- 1 pinch of salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yolk + 1 egg white
- 100g (2/3 cup) coarsely chopped pistachios - or almonds


1. Preheat your oven at 180°C / 350°F.
2. Mix together the flour, baking powder, ground almonds, sugar, and salt.
3. In a bowl, beat the 2 eggs with the egg yolk. Stir this mixture into the flour preparation.
4. Add the pistachios.
5. Manually knead the dough until it forms a ball.
Note: if you notice that your dough is too dry, add water (very little at a time) until the dough holds itself to form a ball.
6. Cut this dough into 4 pieces. Shape them to form 4 cylinders which you will flatten a little (to make oval biscotti).
7. Place the 4 pieces on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Brush them with the egg white.
8. Bake for about 20 minutes.
9. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, wait until the dough pieces cool slightly (5/10 min) and cut them into slices.
10. Place the biscuits back on the baking sheet and continue baking for 10 minutes, until golden and crispy.

Let cool and enjoy!

Classic Chocolate Cake Recipe

This recipe is a classic. A Chocolate Cake is easy to prepare and it will make everyone happy in your household. I usually double the quantities below to make a bigger cake that will last a bit longer (2-3 days...only)! Enjoy it warm with vanilla ice cream.

Serves 6

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Baking time: 45-50 minutes

Difficulty: *

Ingredients:

- 75 g (2/3 cups) flour
- 150g butter (about 1 1/2 sticks)

- 150g (5 1/2 oz) chocolate

- 3 eggs
- 150g (2/3 cups) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

- 1 teaspoon baking powder

- pinch of salt

1. Preheat your oven at 150°C (300°F). Grease and flour a 8-inch baking pan.

2. Melt the chocolate in a heavy bottom pan. Once melted, remove from the heat and add the butter cut into small pieces.

3. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and vanilla extract until the preparation whitens.

4. Pour the sugar and egg yolks preparation into the melted chocolate. Add the flour and mix well.

5. Add a pinch of salt to the egg whites. Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer at medium speed until they hold soft peaks.
Very gently incorporate the beaten egg whites to the chocolate preparation.

6. Pour the preparation into the mold and bake for 45 to 50 minutes. To test if the cake is done, insert a metal skewer or sharp knife into the centre of a muffin. It should come out dry.

Enjoy!

Super Easy Recipe for Lemon Soufflé

This recipe is super simple to make and you will be able to put on a show for your guests :) Light, fluffy, the Lemon Soufflé is the perfect dessert after a great family meal. The only trick is to prepare it right on time and serve it immediately because it can go down quickly.

Serves 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Baking time: 15 minutes

Difficulty: **

Ingredients:

- 80g granulated sugar (20g + 50g + 10g)

- 3 organic lemons

- 3 eggs

- pinch of salt

1. Place 4 ramekins in the fridge. After about 15-20 minutes, coat the ramekins with butter and sprinkle 20g of the granulated sugar all over the inside. All the sides should be covered.

2. Preheat your oven at 350°F/180°C.

3. Separate whites from egg yolks. Mix the egg yolks with 50g of granulated sugar. Add the zest of 2 lemons and mix well.

4. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until peaks form. Continue beating and slowly add 10g of sugar and the juice of 1 lemon.

5. Slowly fold in the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk mixture. Pour it into the ramekins.

6. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the soufflés are fluffy and golden on top.

7. Sprinkle each soufflé with confectioner's sugar and serve immediately.

Amazingly light and delicious...!

Home to make Plum-Vanilla Jam

I am lucky to have a plum tree in my garden so it's easy to make Plum Jam in this season. But you can also buy the fruits of course and make this jam the exact same way. I use red plums, ripe and sweet. The good thing with jam is that you can prepare several jars and eat it all year long! And my secret to get natural pectin is... lemon pips!

For about 4 jars
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Baking time: about 2 hours
Difficulty: **

Special utensil: empty spice bag/tea bag or gauze for cooking

Ingredients
- a bit more than 2 pounds red plums (use 1kg)
- 1 pound (use 500g) caster sugar
- lemon pips (from one lemon)
- 1 whole vanilla bean

1. Pit the plums and weight the pitted fruits. You should have about 2 pounds.
2. The quantity of sugar should be twice less than the quantity of plums. So if you have 2 pounds of fruits, you should use 1 pound of sugar.
3. Slice your lemon to get all the pips from it. Put them into the spice bag and close the bag securely.
4. In a big stainless steel pan, mix the pitted plums and the sugar. Add the bag containing the lemon pips.
5. With a knife, halve the vanilla beans lengthwise. Scrape the seeds into the fruit mixture and add the whole bean (optional).
6. Heat your pan on medium heat until it starts boiling. Then lower the heat and let cool slowly for about 2 hours. Mix frequently to prevent sticking.
7. To test if the jam is ready, use the spoon test: Dip a spoon into the hot jam and let the liquid drip off on a cold plate. The drops should be thick and not liquid. That's when your jam is ready!
8. Pour your jam in the jars, and return each jar upside down. Let cool like this and only return the jar when the jam is completely cool.

Enjoy right away, if you are patient, in a few days!!

The secret to succeed in baking Meringues!

Meringues are delicious sweet treats with a crunchy texture outside and a soft heart inside. They melt in your mouth but are pretty tricky to make... The secret to succeed is to beat the egg whites for a loooooooooooooonnng time. Yes, a VERY long time. You know, like in the old times, when they did it with a wooden spoon while looking outside the window. Take your time and you'll make delicious Meringues.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 20-30 minutes
Baking time: 1:30 hours

Difficulty: **

Ingredients:
- 2 egg whites (get your eggs out of the fridge about 15 minutes before starting baking)
- 1 pinch of salt
- 125 g (1 1/4 cup) caster sugar

1. In a large bowl, add the egg whites and the pinch of salt.
2. Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer at medium speed until they hold soft peaks. Add the sugar, little by little, then increase speed to high and continue to beat until whites just hold stiff, glossy peaks.
3. Keep on beating the egg whites, for at least 10 minutes.
4. Using a pastry bag or 2 spoons, place small amounts of the preparation on baking sheet covered with greased parchment paper.
5. Preheat your oven at 248°F/120°C. Bake the meringues for about 1 hour and let them dry for at least 2 hours in your oven. Let them stand in there all night if you can.

How to prepare a Chocolate-Raspberry Trifle

Here is my own version of the Trifle. I used leftovers of a chocolate cake and only needed a couple of additional ingredients to prepare this great and easy dessert. You can use leftovers of chocolate muffins and well, and replace the raspberries with raspberries, blueberries or any other berry you like. Yummmm!

Serves 2
Preparation time: 20 minutes + 1 hour in the fridge
No cooking time!
Difficulty: *

Ingredients:
- 1/2 pound (about 450 g) raspberries
- milk
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) heavy whipping cream (very cold)
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- leftovers of chocolate cake/muffins (or chocolate cake bought already made)
***2 clear glasses to serve the trifles***

1. Cut the chocolate cake into small squares. You'll need about 5/6 pieces per person.

2. Clean the raspberries and prepare the raspberry sauce: in a blender, blend 3/4 of the raspberries with a bit of milk with one teaspoon of sugar. Add the milk slowly until the texture is smooth but not liquid. Reserve.

3. With a hand mixer, whip the cream, adding one teaspoon of sugar, little by little.

4. In each clear glass, layer the ingredients in this order:
- raspberry sauce
- whipping cream
- chocolate cake & raspberries
- whipping cream
- chocolate cake & raspberries

5. Place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and serve cold.

How to make delicious and original Chocolate Truffles

Continue celebrating the Holidays with fresh homemade truffles! It is very simple and you do not need to wait for Christmas to prepare these treats. You only need 3 ingredients to prepare the base and then, use your imagination to coat each truffle!

For about 60 truffles
Preparation time: 30 minutes + 2-3 hours in the fridge
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Difficulty: *

Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup (10cl) heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 pound (200g) good quality dark chocolate
- 3 1/2 tablespoons (50g) butter
- 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier or Cointreau
- ingredients for coating: cocoa powder, powdered sugar, chopped almonds/peanuts/pistachios, dried fruits, shredded coconut...

1. Grate the chocolate or cut it into small pieces and place it in a bowl.

2. Melt the butter in the microwave.

3. Gently boil the whipping cream on medium heat and pour it slowly on the chocolate, stirring until melted. Add the melted butter to the chocolate. Then add the Cointreau. Stir well.

4. Pour the chocolate in a baking dish which is not too deep so that the preparation is not too thick and can harden easily.

5. Cover your dish with plastic film and place in the fridge for about 3 hours.

6. Take the preparation out of the fridge. Use a spoon to scoop regular size chocolate balls. Roll them quickly in your hands to create a round shape. Place the truffles on a parchemin paper lined sheet pan and refrigerate 5 to 10 minutes.

7. In the meantime, prepare your coating ingredients and pour them in different dishes.

8. Take the truffles out of the fridge and roll them, one by one, into the desired coating. It can be cocoa powder for traditional truffles or coconut, pistachios, dried fruits etc. for more fancy truffles.

Enjoy!

French Chocolate Macaroons

Macaroons are small cookies which look like mini-burgers :) They are perfect for any occasion but you'll need time and probably practice to get perfectly shaped macaroons. However, if you are not too picky with the way they look, that's good because they'll still be delicious and melt in your mouth.

For about 15-20 macaroons
Preparation time: 1 hour
Baking time: 12-15 minutes per baking sheet
Special equipment: parchment paper, a gallon-size sealable plastic bag or pastry bag
Difficulty: ***

Ingredients:

For the macaroons
- 2/3 cup (90g) ground almonds
- 3/4 cup (100g) confectioners' sugar
- 1/8 cup (15g) cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup (90g) caster sugar
- 2 egg whites

For the chocolate ganache
- 1 1/4 cup dark or milk chocolate
- a bit less than a cup (0.8 cup or 21cl) whipping cream

1. Make the ganache.
Place the chocolate in a bowl. Boil the whipping cream and pour it over the chocolate. Cover and let melt for about 3 minutes. Stir the ganache until very smooth. When the mix is warm, add the soft butter cut into small pieces and stir. Cover with plastic film and let stand in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

2. Make the macaroons.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a food processor, pulse almond powder with the confectioners' sugar and the cocoa powder until very fine, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt in another bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until they just hold soft peaks.
Add caster sugar, little by little, then increase speed to high and continue to beat until whites just hold stiff, glossy peaks.

Stir almond mixture into meringue very slowly with a rubber spatula until completely incorporated. The batter should be shiny and smooth but not liquid!

Spoon batter into bag, pressing out excess air, and snip off 1 corner of plastic bag to create a 1/4-inch opening. Twist bag firmly just above batter, then pipe peaked mounds of batter (about 1-inch diameter) onto lined sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart. Let cookies stand, uncovered, at room temperature until tops are no longer sticky and a light crust forms, 20 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 300°F / 150°C.
Bake cookies until crisp and edges are just slightly darker, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets.

3. To assemble the macaroons, carefully peel cookies from parchment. Spoon the ganache into another plastic bag (like described above) or use a pastry bag and sandwich a thin layer of ganache (using a plastic bag as described above, or a pastry bag) between flat sides of cookies.

If you can wait, macaroons are even more delicious the next day. They can be kept in an open box in the fridge.

Bread Pudding Soufflé and Whiskey sauce

How to use bread leftovers? Bake a Bread Pudding Soufflé! This dessert is old fashioned light, and fluffy. My recipe includes raisins and pecans but you can replace the raisins with fresh fruits (diced apples and blueberries are my favorites), other dried fruits (cherries, apricots, figs..) use honey, chocolate chips, etc.

Serves 8
Praparation time: 30 minutes
Baking time: 40 minutes
Difficulty: **

Ingredients:
Soufflé
- 5 cups (about half a medium round loaf) day-old French bread (from a loaf, not a baguette), cut into 2 cm cubes
- 4 eggs, separated and at room temperature
- 1 cup (225 g) sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmated
- 4 cups (1 l) milk
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup raisins, soaked in dark rum (to cover)
- 1/2 cups pecans, chopped
- butter and sugar for the mold

Whiskey sauce
- 1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream
- 2 egg yolks at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 cup bourbon


Prepare the soufflé first.
Coat a large, deep baking dish with butter and sugar.
In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks with 3/4 cup of the sugar, the spices, the vanilla extract until creamy. Mix in the milk

Place teh cubed bread in a large bowl and pour the milk mixture over it. Set aside for 30-45 minutes.

Preaheat your oven to 350°F / 180° C.
In a bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt and the remaining 1/4 of the sugar until peaks form.

Add the raisins and chopped pecans to the soaked bread and slowly fold in the beaten egg whites with a metal spoon.

Pour the mixture into the preapared mold and bake for 35-40 minutes until puffed and golden.

For the Whiskey sauce, heat the cream over simmering water in a double boiler.

In a bowl, whisk the yolks with the sugar. Off the heat, whisk the egg yolks into the warm cream.

Return the preparation to the double boiler and cook over simmering water, stirring, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Slowly add the bourbon. Continue to cook until the miwture is lightly thick and smooth.

Serve the soufflé with the warm Whiskey sauce.

Apricot-Melon Smoothie: Delicious morning shot

Smoothies are great for summer: fresh, natural, and healthy, they provide you with a real good amount of vitamins, and are great in the morning to start your day.
You can make a smoothie with any fruit and vegetable you like, add herbs, sweetener (agave syrup is ideal), etc. If you do not know how which ones to choose, pick them for their colors!
It is recommended to drink your smoothie right away after making it, to keep all the vitamins.

Serves 2
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: none
Difficulty: *
- you'll need a blender -

Ingredients:
- 3 apricots
- 1/4 small melon
- 1/4 teaspoon lime juice
- agave syrup (optional)
- water

Wash the apricots and cut the melon into small pieces. Place them in a blender with a little bit of water and the lime juice.
Start blending for 30 seconds. Check the taste and texture: if it is too thick, add a little bit of water and if you like, a little bit of agave syrup.
Blend again for 5 seconds and enjoy!

Note: if you want your smoothie extra cold, crush 1 or 2 ice cubes in the blender before adding the ingredients. You probably won't have to add water to the smoothie in this case.

Very easy recipe for Chocolate-Blueberry Muffins

This recipe is my own combination of 2 other recipes: Chocolate muffins and Blueberry muffins :) Muffins are easy to make and are great with afternoon tea. The cooking time is not too long so your kids won't wait too long before tasting your chocolate-blueberry muffins! You can also use raspberries in this recipe.

For about 12 muffins
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 25 minutes
Difficulty: *

Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 cups (270g) flour
- 1/2 cup (60g) semi-sweet cocoa powder
- 5/8 cups (110g) softened butter - at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) sugar
- 2/3 cup (160g) milk
- 3 eggs- 2 rounded teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup (100g) fresh or frozen blueberries (you can use any other berries, like raspberries for instance)

Preheat your oven at 180°C / 350°F and place 1 paper cup inside each mold. If you are using silicone molds, butter them and sprinkle some flour in each mold.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, the cocoa powder, the baking powder and a pinch of salt.

In a big bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs, one by one, stirring well before adding the next egg.

Slowly add the dry ingredients, alternating with milk. We all the ingredients are mixed together, add the blueberries and incorporate them carefully.

Pour the batter into the molds and bake for 25 minutes. To test if the muffins are done, insert a metal skewer or sharp knife into the centre of a muffin. It should come out dry.

Chocolate Vanilla Marble Cake

Great for kids and adults as well, the Chocolate Vanilla Marble Cake is an easy recipe. This cake can be eaten for breakfast, brunch, tea time or anytime during the day! You can even make it with you children since the steps are not very complex.

Serves 6
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 45-60 minutes
Difficulty: *

Ingredients:
- 150g butter (about 1 1/4 stick)
- 250g granulated sugar (1 1/4 cup)
- 8 tablespoons milk
- 300g all-purpose flour (3 cups)
- 4 eggs, whites and yolks separated
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 30g unsweetened cacao powder (5 tablespoons)

Add the butter and the sugar in a large bowl. Warm quickly in the microwave to soften.

Whisk vigorously until the preparation becomes light and creamy.

Add the egg yolks, the milk, the flour and the baking powder. Mix well all the ingredients.

Add a pinch of salt to the egg whites and beat until stiff. Slowly add to the preparation above. Tip: it's better to use a metal spoon than a wooden spoon!

Divide this preparation into two bowls: add the vanilla extract to one and add the cacao powder to the other one.

Preheat your oven at 180°C / 350°C.
Grease a cake mould with a bit of butter and sprinkle flour all over the interior of the mould.

Pour half of the vanilla batter in the mould first, then half of the cacao batter and then the rest of the two batters. Alternate so that the white batter and the cacao batter are intertwined.

Bake for 45 minutes and check use a skewer to check if the cake is ready. If not, continue baking for about 5 to 15 minutes.

Caramelized Pineapple Upside Down Individual Cakes

My grand-father used to bake this cake for family gatherings. I love this dessert, it is so sweet and soft. This time, I baked individual cakes for my husband and me: de-li-cious and well-portioned.
This recipe can also be made with apples in winter time when no fresh and ripe pineapple can be found.

Serves 2
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Baking time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: **

Ingredients:
For the caramel:
- 7 big teaspoons of powdered sugar
- 1 big tablespoon water
For the cake
- 2 slices of fresh pineapple + 1 slice to garnish
- 2 tablespoons / 33 grams melted butter
- 33 grams powdered sugar
- 33 grams white whole wheat flour (or all-purpose flour)
- 1 small egg
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Get two ramekins ready for your two individual cakes.

Start with the caramel: Add the sugar and the water in a pan, and increase the heat to high. When the caramel is light brown, pour half the caramel in one ramekin. Make sure you coat the bottom and a bit of the side of the ramekin: act fast and don't get burnt since the ramekin will get hot very quickly!
Do the same with the second ramekin.

Cut the 2 pineapple slices in pieces and cover the bottom and the sides of the ramekins.

In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter with the sugar. Then add the egg. Continue whisking.
Then add the flour and the baking powder.

Pour the preparation in the two ramekins over the caramel and pineapple pieces. Do not fill them completely since the cakes will grow in volume.

Bake for 20 minutes at 410F° / 210C°. Let cool a little before returning the cakes upside down into small serving plates.

Brioche made with bread machine - Try it!

I've had my bread machine for about a year and I only made bread with it until 3 month ago. Then I started making jam (peach, strawberry etc.) and once, I tried to make a brioche. What a nice surprise! It's not only quick and easy; it's also delicious, fluffy and flavorful, like you would expect it from a brioche bought from a bakery. Find some time on a Saturday to try this recipe and enjoy your brioche for breakfast on Sunday morning.... yummm!

Serves 8-10
Preparation time: about 1h30 (with my machine) + 45 minutes to let rise
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Difficulty: *

Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup water (at room temperature)
- 1/3 milk
- 3 eggs lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup (1 stick / 50 grams) butter, softened and cut into small pieces
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 4 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 bread machine yeast (dry active yeast)
- egg wash

To garnish/flavor your brioche:
- Orange cinnamon brioche: add the grated zest of 1 orange + replace water with orange juice + add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- Dried fruit brioche: add 1/2 cup of dried fruits to the flour + add the zest of 1 lemon
- Chocolate chips brioche: add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips to the flour
- Create your own!

Place the ingredients in the bread pan in the following order: water, milk, eggs, butter, zest or spices (if applicable), sugar, flour, chocolate chips or dried fruits (if applicable).

With a finger, make a small indentation on one side of the flour and add yeast. Make sure the yeast does not come in contact with the liquid ingredients.

Follow the instructions of your machine for the "Dough" program. When the cycle is complete, remove the dough from the bread pan to a clean, lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. With your hands, roll each piece into a 20-inch rope.

Lightly grease and flour a large baking sheet. Place the dough ropes on the baking sheet, twist them loosely and form a circle. Cover the ring with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place, until doubled in size (about 30/45 minutes). Preheat your oven to 350°F / 180°C.

When the ring has doubled in size, lightly brush it with egg wash, using a pastry brush.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the brioche is golden brown. Let cool before slicing.

Tangerine Creme Caramel - So Sweet

Try this original dessert inspired from the traditional Crème Caramel. I added my own touch by making a Tangerine caramel instead of a regular one. It gives a nice and subtle citrus flavor to the creme.

Today is the day of crepes!

In France this Tuesday, every family will make crepes to celebrate La Chandeleur. Learn more on these thin delicious pancakes (Wikipedia). I recommend you to make crepes all year long since it's very easy and can be either sweet or sour. This recipe is for sweet crepes but if you want to try the sour version, do not add sugar and replace the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour. You can then fill the crepes with mushrooms, cream, ham and shredded cheese for instance... mmmm!!

About 10-12 crepes
Preparation: 10 minutes + 15 min resting time
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: *

Ingredients:
- 1 cup/125g all-purpose flour
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 cup/25cl milk
- 1 pinch salt
- zest of 1/2 lemon or orange (optional)
Note: you can add any flavor you want to the batter: grand marnier, vanilla extract, orange blossom extract etc.

Heat the milk in your microwave just a little bit (15 seconds are enough): it will ease the mixing of the ingredients.
Put the flour in a large mixing bowl. Make a hole in the middle and add the egg, the sugar, the salt and the zest or flavour if you are using any. Add a little bit of milk and start whisking. Gradually add in the milk until the batter is smooth.
Let rest for 15 minutes minimum; if you have more time, you can wait up to 1 hour.
Before starting cooking, check the consistency of the batter: if it is too thick, add a little bit of milk.
Cook the crepes for about 2 minutes on the first side, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, then turn and cook the other side for another 1 or 2 minutes.
Serve warm with your topping: sugar, chocolate spread, jam, fruits, whipped cream etc. My favorite is sugar and lemon: sprinkle granulated sugar on your crepe and then drizzle some lemon juice...

Blueberry-Nectarine Crumble

A crumble is an easy dessert which you can make with a lot of different fruit combinations. It's simple and delicious. For the topping, it's ideal to use oats and nuts, for texture. In this recipe I used walnuts, but try different nuts (Pecans, Brazilian nuts, hazelnuts, or even almonds) and different fruits (blueberry, apple, mango, raspberry, peach,...).

Coconut Rocks: so easy, so good

If you like coconut, you'll love this recipe. These rocks are crispy outside and soft inside, it's a real pleasure. They go wonderfully with tea and are very quick to bake!
Give it a try and let me know what you think!


Makes about 15 rocks
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Difficulty: *

Ingredients
- 100 g grated coconut
- 75 g powdered sugar
- 10 g flour
- 1 egg

Preheat your oven at 400F°/200C° . In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients and stir well. With your fingertips, form small balls (about 1 inch diameter) and give them a semi circle or pyramid shape.
Place the dough balls on a baking sheet previously buttered and floured.
Bake for 10 minutes, monitoring the color of the rocks. They should turn brown.
Let cool.