Seriously Yummy !

"Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all" Cooking has always been a huge part of my life, as time-consuming as it is. Cooking and baking require passion and creativity. Luckily, a kitchen is a magical place to let your imagination run free. On Seriouslyummy you will find recipes, ideas, tips, photos, restaurant suggestions and many other things (always food related of course!) So let's get cooking (or eating..) ! Svetlana

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In charge of this year Russian Easter desserts. Кулич и пасха

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2kg de langoustines en provenance directe du Finistère !

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Hello old friends!  Two of our favorite bottles are back after being gone for too long… it was a long trip from France, but worth the wait.

BERNARD VALLETTE 2010 BEAUJOLAIS QUATRE SAISONS - Perfectly delicate Gamay hailing from Beaujolais.  Despite being one of the lightest reds we have, this wine offers complex aromas of red fruit and herbs, with great acidity.  The perfect Sunday afternoon wine…  when was the last time you read the Sunday Times with a glass of wine?  Also a great bottle of red to keep chilled for warmer days ahead.  $18

DOMAINE MATHIEU 2010 COTES-DU-RHONE CUVEE CHATEAU MAR - From three hectares of organic Grenache and Syrah, these vines are grown across the AOC border of Châteauneuf.  The wine is bold and fruit forward, with plum and blackberry notes.  Earth too.  I’d say this is a crowd-pleaser, if for no other reason than that everyone who works at Dandy thinks it’s awesome.  $16

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She asked for cupcakes and she got 'em! @amstramgram_bs

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Homemade foie gras and relish. Gorgeous sweet white wine.

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The discovery of a new dish does more for the happiness of mankind than the discovery of a star.

Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin 

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The Ultimate Birthday Cake

Today, I was asked to make my auntie the “ultimate birthday cake”. And she told me before that her two favorite desserts were crème brûlée and chocolate cake. 

So I thought to myself, why not combine both and bake her THE perfect cake.

I ended up baking a 5-layer cake: 

Chocolate and pecan brownie

Chocolate ganache 

Vanilla crème brûlée 

Chocolate ganache 

And a last layer of crème brûlée. 

Perfect balance of flavors between the power of the chocolate, the sweetness of the vanilla crème brûlée, and the little crunchy twist the pecans added to the cake. If you guys want the recipe, feel free to send me a message by clicking on the “ask me anything” button. I’d be more than happy to pass it around. I won’t publish it on the blog though, as it is pretty long and tricky.

We made 14 servings out of it. No leftovers. A winner dessert. 

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"I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food" W.C Fields

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Homemade foie gras, with caramelised pears and parmesan by Vassili & Camille. A NYE winner.

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Tips and tricks : Seafood

Thank god my cousin is a fisherman!

Here’s just a small part of all the gorgeous seafood he brought back.

Eventhough seafood is a pretty common thing in my family, I know it is a difficult thing for most people to get their heads around. When it comes to seafood it’s often hard to find the right place, the right product. So here’s a list of tips and tricks about selecting and respecting seafood :

Find the busiest fishshop in the street. There is a reason why they are busy, and plus they’re turning over stock.

You need to find a place where they can recommend you products, tell you what’s in season (because there are seasons, even when it comes to seafood)

A fishshop shouldn’t smell fishy, when it does it means that the fish is old and has been laying there for too long. It should smell salty, like a sea breeze.

Check if the skin and the eyes are shiny, these are signs of good quality.

When you press the fish, the flesh should spring back.

As for oysters : make sure they feel quite heavy, it means they’re plumped and filled with sea water which is good.

  Masterclass Australia 2012

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Baby pavlova with grafruit, kiwi, and vanilla

Pavlova is known to be New Zealand’s national dessert, and as I’m both a pavlova and New Zealand addict, you’ll see a lot more of these on Seriously Yummy!

Here’s the recipe from Edmonds Classics :

Servings : 6

4 egg whites 1 1/2 cups sugar, caster (fine ground) 1 teaspoon white vinegar 1 vanilla bean 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Preheat oven to 180 deg C (350 F).

Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites and caster sugar until thick and glossy.

Mix vinegar, vanilla and cornstarch together in a small bowl, then add to the meringue. Beat on high speed for a further 5 minutes

Line an oven tray with baking paper. Spread the pavlova keeping the shape as round and even as possible. (you can also make individual ones, it looks way better when nicely platted up) Smooth top surface. Place pavlova in preheated oven then immediately turn the temperature down to 100 deg C (210 F). Bake pavlova for 1 hour.

Turn off oven. Open oven door slightly and leave pavlova in the cooling oven until it is completely cool. Carefully lift pavlova onto a serving plate. Decorate with whipped cream and fresh seasonal fruit.

Sources : Edmonds classics cookbook (a must have!)

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Creamy Baked Cheesecake with Fresh fruit salad

I know I already posted a cheesecake recipe before, but it was a while ago and come on, how could you possibly get tired of cheesecakes?

With cheesecakes you can do pretty much whatever you want. Let your imagination run wild, weither you like them chilled or baked, nutty or fruity. They truly are perfect when it comes to comfort food, and you can also be creative with the way you are going to plate them up.

For this recipe I’ve decided to change a few things, like the base or even the temperature of the oven.

It turned out to be beautifully creamy and tasty but not too rich. Try it out, you won’t be disappointed!

6 servings

Ingredients

Biscuit base

50g flour

50g almond meal

75g sugar

50g butter, melted

1tsp of cinnamon

Cheesecake mix

200gcream cheese

160g ricotta

2 eggs

25g egg yolks

70g caster sugar

90ml pure cream

1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped

Zest of one lemon

You really need to follow the recipe as accuracy and precision are the keys when it comes to baking.

For the Biscuit base: 1. Preheat oven to 165°C. Grease and baking paper line the base of a 20cm round spring form cake tin or you can use individual cake tins. (That’s what I did for this time, and it looks really nice and pretty when you plate it up) 2. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Add butter and bring together forming a firm crumb. Tip crumbs into prepared tin and smooth over with the back of a spoon to achieve a thin even layer. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

For the Ricotta Cheesecake Mix: 3. Reduce oven to 90°C. Place all ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Pass though a fine sieve. 4. Pour mix over biscuit base, tap tin firmly on the bench to release air bubbles and bake for 25-30 minutes or until centre reaches 66°C. (The best way to see if you cheesecake it ready is to use a thermometer) It will appear still very soft, leave to set in the fridge for 6-8 hours or overnight before serving.

For the Fruit salad: 7. To serve, spread a little crème fraiche down the centre of the plate. Place a slice of the cheesecake in the centre and cover the crème fraiche with the fruit salad.

For the fruit salad, I diced a big juicy mango, a kiwi, a pear, an orange, and sprinkled some passion fruit on top.

Try to work on shapes and textures so your dish looks creative, and colorful. And remember to always use seasonal fruit.

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Il n'y a pas de bonne cuisine si au départ elle n'est pas faite par amitié pour celui ou celle à qui elle est destinée

Paul Bocuse

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First issue of this brand new magazine, let’s dig in.