5 Fig Recipes You Will Love

I love cooking and i love figs. Although i do admit i do not cook that often, i am a maniac pecipe collector and whenever i find one that i like and is easy to make, i keep it. Saying this, i must have collected over 1500 recipes over the years including different style cuisines. I also - like many others - spend many hours reading food blogs and searching around for anything that looks tasty!

 Fig is one of my favorite fruits, even the smell of a fig tree makes me happy. Of course i eat as many as i can during summer , not to care about the calories, and during winter i try to comfort my desire with dried figs and marmalades.

The following recipes, all by southernliving.com are too hard to resist and i think they are all easy to make and delicious looking. Here we go:

1. pancetta and fig pasta

2. marinated fig salad

3. fig and bourbon fizz

4. bacon wrapped bourbon figs

5. baked fig crostini

Finally my version of figs for breakfast ....or how i started the day 

a slice of bread, just a little butter, sweet yellow cheese from Crete and my first fig of the day!

Love, K.

Make my Friday, Free gift for You

Hi there!

I have told you many times, cocoandsilk is a book lover, book addicted, book maniac...choose whatever you like....So, i thought it would be a good idea to have a book gift for you!

Sweet Paul has come out lately and i was so thrilled to discover  -  a had no idea about the magazine also, but the book is fantastic and i want to share it with you. 

If you , like me, are a book maniac and love to cook for or with friends, you can have it and enjoy the recipes and the small DIY projects by sending a simple message with the words Sweet Paul Eat Make , and a mail address to communicate.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Love, K.

first photo via pinterest.com, all the others by cocoandsilk

Make my Friday, Time to eat falafel

If you like me are a middle eastern food lover, then you should absolutely try this mouth watering recipe that i found by chance. It comes from an amazing site howsweeteats.com and it is the most delicious falafel recipe i ever tasted.

I know it has been so long since i last made a post about food but i could not resist to tell you about this after i tried it myself. It's easy to make, can be eaten day or night and it can be presented with pride to a simple meal at home, or a party with friends and even kids, my daughter ate three of them!

So, visit the page, buy your stuff and you will not regret it. Bon appetit!

Love, K.

 All photos via howsweeteats.com

A Chef's Organic Table

Martin Boetz was an executive chef at Longrain restaurant in Sydney's Surry Hill area.

He worked there for nearly thirteen years and he was the Sydney go-to chef for Thai cuisine. After that he decided to live in a farm, grow his own organic vegetable garden and live his dream.

The photos are from Vogue.com.au and The Australian. You can find the recipe for his wonderful 'goat's curd cake with poached quince' here and Martin's blog Cooks Co-Op

Love. K.

goat's curd cake with poached quince

photos via Vogue.com.au, theaustarlian.com

Make my Friday, dinner with friends

It is always a joy to spend an evening with friends.

This Friday i would like to call some of my friends at home and have a small dinner gathering.

I'd like to start the night with a light drink that will make us all feel relaxed as we need some help to disconnect our minds from the week's loading.

It makes no difference whether the food is going to be something formal or just a salad or even a nice grilled toast. What matters  is that we will have time to relax, talk, lough and above all share a beautiful evening with people we love.

This Friday keep your candles burning, preheat the oven, put some good music, wear your warm smile and enjoy the night....friends are here with you.

Have a lovely weekend.

Love, K.

photos via pinterest - joythebaker.com

The Joy of Cupcaking

Lately i bought this book and I'm telling you i am going mad with it.

The photos, the recipes, everything just look fantastic and the most important of all.....it works, yes the recipes are really easy to make and the results are exactly the way they look in the pictures. You can try it by yourself and make lemon cupcakes , then have some tea or coffee and share with friends.

As i am planning  a trip to London  during spring i am dying to visit this bakery shop, primrose bakery , see the place and taste their delicious cakes. Forget the diet....

Love, K.

P.S i saw a wonderfully funny video in this blog thedogwastaller, when people are having inspiration the result is a totally delight.

Scandinavian scent

Our Scandie friends know how to make winter feasts, because they are....well Scandies.       

I have a cook book written by Trine Hahnemmann which i use every year during winter time and my favorite recipe is the one with the crisp cinnamon cookies that are so easy to make and you will be the domestic goddess of the week.

I give you the recipe, follow exactly.

Crisp Cinnamon Cookies
65 pieces

you will need
for the cookies:

375g plain flour, plus more to dust
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp finely grated unwaxed lemon zest
125g light soft brown sugar
250g cold butter cut into small pieces
1 large egg beaten

for the topping:

2 tsp ground cinnamon
50g white sugar
1 egg beaten

Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl and add the zest and sugar. Rub in the butter until coarse crumbs form. Work in the egg, then knead on a lightly floured surface for two minutes, wrap in cling film and chill for one hour.

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Sprinkle the dough with flour and roll out thinly. Cut out shapes, keep them to 5-6cm. Place on a lined baking tray. In a bowl mix the cinnamon and sugar and brush each cookie with egg. Sprinkle with the cinnamon mix. Bake for 9-10 min, until golden, then cool on a wire rack. Store and keep for up to four weeks.

Good luck and bon-appetit.

Love, K.

PS. cocoandsilk will be traveling to the north of Greece for the next 5 days so the next few posts will be about the new year celebrations in my birth-town of Thessaloniki and God they know how to eat, drink and dance.

 

  

Rainy night cooking

A few days ago i was a little depressed perhaps because it was a cold, windy and rainy evening so i decided to bring a taste of summer into my kitchen.

I had seen this recipe into my cooking notebook many times but i never had the time or the desire to try it and now i changed it a little.
It is vary tasty and if you want to try it(it's easy), you will need:  300g all purpose flour 
150g butter
30 ml cold water 
if you do not wish to make the dough you can have a ready made and  skip all the above ingredients.
 

In a bowl add the butter, the flour and the water and work with your hands until you have a soft dough. 
Open it and put it in the baking tray.

 After you put it in the tray use a fork to make many little holes.
Add a baking paper and baking beans and put it in the oven for 20min
in 160C.
If you do not have baking beans it is all right i believe there is no problem just make as many holes as possible. 

For the filling you will need:
2 leeks only the white part
200g sun dried tomatos
200g baby tomatos
250g white cheese,(greek feta is perfect)
150g sweet mozzarella cheese  
one small  apr. 250g salami
2 eggs
salt and pepper
1 spoon olive oil

Cut the leeks in small pieces and the baby tomatoes in two pieces.
Cut the salami in small squares.
Add olive oil in a deep frying pan and put the leek inside, leave it until it gets soft. Add the salami and the baby tomatos, leave for 5-7min in medium heat. Salt and pepper.

Meanwhile break the eggs, brake the white cheese with your fingers and add the sun dries tomatoes (already cut in pieces too) and mix all together in a large bowl. If you like you can put some fresh oregano but this is very optional.

Put in the half baked tart fist the cheese with the eggs, then the leek with the salami and tomatoes and finally add the mozzarella. 

 Bake for 30min in 180C and .....enjoy...

 Love, K.