we’re busy baking, renovating, taking walks around Kronborg and putting dots on i’s in our life… but all is well and good :) it always is like that, isn’t it? ;)

we promise to be back. cross my little heart :)

inspired by amazing Anna

to me it’s pretty… first of all :) i’ve heard it’s tasty too but i’m a bad judge here. Though i would LOVE to lick smoked sea salt from them :) Have you ever tried smoked salt? DIVINE!

cupcakes:

• 1 cup boiling water
• 42g good quality cocoa powder
• 150g + 2 Tbsp flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp smoked sea salt
• 112g butter, soft (make sure it’s unsalted) (112g)
• 200g + 2 Tbsp sugar
• 2 eggs ( from happy chicken ;) )

preheat the oven to170C or even 180C.

make cocoa from cup of hot water and those 42g of cocoa powder you set aside. Let it stand and cool down. You, on the other hand, do not stand or cool down – you keep working :). Mix together dry ingredients – flour, soda, baking powder, salt. Take other bowl and cream butter with sugar until they are one fluffy mixture. For that you can use mixer or your very own hand and a wooden spoon ( this i recomend only if you have such a… mmm… any sound sensetive neighbour like we have ). Now add eggs. First one and then mix. Second egg and mix again.

At this point you should have 2 bowls with dry and wet ingredients. And a cup with cocoa. Into butter and egg mixture pour cocoa bit by bit and flour with co. Mix. Don’t forget to mix :)

Pour cupcake batter into forms and bake them for 20 minutes or until they are baked :). I use old iron muffin form with cute paper cups in it. You can think “what a great idea that is!” and follow me or use silicone muffin forms and no paper cups :)

While cupcakes are baking you continue to work. Let’s make frosting!

frosting:

• 340g dark 85% chocolate
• 340g heavy cream

Break chocolate into pieces and put  them into the bowl. heat heavy cream in the pot until it starts boiling. Don’t leave it boiling for a long time! Pour it over the chocolate and mix. Mix it until chocolate melts into cream completely. Let the cream cool down and then put it into a piping bag.

Now let the fun begin! On the cooled cupcakes ( you did take cupcakes out of the oven, right? ) pipe cream and sprinkle them with crystals of smoked sea salt

expert’s opinion:
What a trip! As i took a bite of this cupcake, you feel the tasty strong dark bittersweet chocolate, put on top of the cupcake base – and after a moment the feel the true sea saltiness come rushing, giving a special treat.

i have an affair. A long time affair. Passionate. Never ending.

An affair with RED CABBAGE*!

• red cabbage
• pinch of sugar
• pinch of salt
• red onion
• handfull of fresh mint leaves
• some pumpkin seeds to sprinkle on salad
• lemon zest
• olive oil
• salt and peper
• feta cheese

cut cabbage into nice, thin and curly strings, put them into the bowl, sprinkle with sugar and salt. Mix it and leave in peace.

chop the onion and mint ( gather all mint leaves, roll them together like a… cigarette ( i know i KNOW! ) and then chop not lifting knife from the cutting board. This makes easy to cut any herbs. Learn it and use it ;) ).

heat small frying pan ( though i’ve heard that size doesn’t matter ;) ) and fry a BIT pumpkin seeds. Toss them into the bowl with red cabbage. Also add chopped onion and mint. Now pour some olive oil into the salad, add grated lemon zest, pepper, salt and crumbled feta cheese. Mix. Step back to admire the view and now DIG IN!

enjoy :)

ps

*i have few more affairs… with beets, cheese, sea salt… oh, don’t get me started here! :)

inspired by recipe dugged out in thin magazine of irma

• 1 pot of basil
• 100g of smoked almonds
• 75g of freshly grated parmigiano reggiano
• 2 cloves of garlic ( i usually put at least 4… but i’m addicted to everything “garlicy” in this world :) )
• 1 tbs of lemon juice
• 1 ½ dl of olive oil

and now everything goes easy peasy – throw all of these treasuries into blender, turn it on and… you have a jar of pure goodness!

You can use it for gazillion things, trust me :) on slightly warmed baguette , with eggs, for pizza pad instead of crappy ketchup, with eggs, on meat, making fish and blue cheese rolles … you name it!

If you’re cheese addicts like this household – then some pesto on your cheese plate for lunch is the tastiest match and also a fancy touch :)

ps

some jazz? ;)

use any nuts you like here… I love pesto with pistachio nuts! If you’ll try it and like it – think “damn, it tastes divine! That ieva girl really knows what she’s talking about” ;)

]]> http://blog.beautiful-life.dk/2010/01/smoked-almond-pesto/feed/ 0 http://blog.beautiful-life.dk/2010/01/jazzed-up-cabbage-salad/ http://blog.beautiful-life.dk/2010/01/jazzed-up-cabbage-salad/#comments Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:28:30 +0000 the girl http://blog.beautiful-life.dk/?p=159

created and mixed up by me

serves two

salad

• 200g of red cabbage
• 50g of pecan nuts
• 20g of dried cranberries

sauce

• 60g of heavy cream
• 50g of your favourite blue cheese
• a drop of maple syrup
• pinch of salt

chop red cabbage ( though to me it always looks more blue then red :) ) and heap it nicely into plates. Top it it with pecans and dried cranberries.

in a sauce pan heat heavy cream until it starts to bubble on the edges, then add crumbled blue cheese and mix till it melts. Pour a drop or few of maple syrup and season with salt. Mix again and taste. Tasty :)

now the grand finale – sluice the sauce over the cabbage with nuts and dried berries.

enjoy!

ps

if you’ll decide to “jazz up” your cabbage remember the main rule of real jazzmen – improvise! Change dried cranberries into any dried goodness or pecans into… let’s say hazelnuts. Oh, what a heck, instead of maple syrup use honey or… let’s go wild and grab a pinch of brown molasses :)