Discover - Soul Spoon

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May produce

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Cheese Blintzes

A two-stage dish. First, thin crepes (much thinner than a pancake - almost see-through) cooked one side only on a buttered pan, stacked under a clean cloth. Then a filling of farmer cheese (or ricotta drained well) mashed with egg yolk, sugar, vanilla and a little lemon zest. A heaping tablespoon of filling on the cooked side of each crepe, folded into a tight envelope, and fried briefly in butter on both sides until golden. Served warm with cold sour cream and a spoon of red-berry compote.

Desserts 1 hour 25 minutes Serves4

Käsespätzle

Make spätzle as the base. Caramelise onions slowly in butter. Layer the spätzle with grated cheese (and a splash of cream) in a baking dish, top with the onions, and bake until bubbling. Serve with a green salad to cut through the richness.

German 1 hour Serves4-6

Mafrouka

Fine semolina is toasted in butter; sugar syrup is poured in to hydrate; the mixture is cooked to a thick pudding; rose water and orange blossom water perfume. Spread into a tray, cooled to firm up. Ashta (Levantine clotted cream, or substitute clotted cream + mascarpone) is spread on top. Crushed pistachios are scattered heavy across the surface. Cut into squares.

Sides 50 minutes Serves6

New York Cheesecake

A graham-cracker base is pressed into a 23 cm springform tin and pre-baked for 10 minutes. Filling: cream cheese is softened to room temperature (cold cream cheese gives lumpy batter), then beaten with sugar, eggs one at a time, sour cream, vanilla and lemon. The tin is wrapped in foil so the water bath doesn't seep in. Baked at 160°C in a water bath for 60-75 minutes until the edges are set but the centre wobbles a 7 cm circle. Cooled in the oven with the door cracked for 1 hour (avoids cracks). Chilled overnight. Served chilled.

Desserts 2 hours Serves12

Noodle Kugel

Wide egg noodles cooked just past al dente, drained and tossed in butter so they don't clump. A custard of cream cheese, sour cream, eggs, sugar and cinnamon is whisked smooth and folded through the noodles with golden raisins. The mixture goes into a buttered baking dish, gets a generous topping of crushed cornflakes (or cinnamon-sugar crumbs) and a dot of butter, then bakes low and slow until the custard sets and the top is mahogany-brown. Cut into squares while warm.

Sides 1 hour 20 minutes Serves8

Pogácsa

A yeast-leavened, fat-rich dough rests cold so the fat stays solid in flaky layers. The dough is rolled, folded and rolled again like a rough puff pastry, then cut into rounds, scored, brushed with egg and baked at high heat until golden and crisp on the outside, tender inside. Cheese is added by folding grated cheese into the dough and showering more on top.

Snacks 1 hour 45 minutes Serves20-24

Quiche aux Légumes

Shortcrust pastry blind-bakes to a deep gold (essential, soggy bottom is a quiche's main enemy). Vegetables sauté separately to soften and dry; the custard mixes; everything assembles in the shell and bakes until set with a faint wobble in the centre.

French 1 hour 30 minutes Serves6

7 recipes