cream – Bea's cookbook

I swear it feels like I was going to Poland 5 minutes ago and I’m already back from my holidays,unpacked, thrown back into my routine and I’m missing my family like crazy.It was soooo amazing!At times I feel like it never happened,like it was just a beautiful dream,but then I look at the photos(hundreds of them!) to reassure myself I’m not freaking out and that it was all real.

Poland is an amazing country and I would just love to take you guys all there and show you some of my favourite places.So just be patient and wait for the next post 😉

For now I’m going to leave you with this lovely recipe.Do you also have a weakness for puddings served in glasses?Seriously,I melt the minute I see them arriving into the room.And cherry and mascarpone combo-OMG!-you want to try it!
The recipe sat unfinished on the blog for a long while and I had this very ambitious plan to write about it when I was in Poland.Hahaha!I know!What was I thinking?I didn’t even open the laptop once and only wasted space in my luggage where I could jam some more wild flower teas on the way back….lesson learned!

Boycotting internet and social media may be good idea on holidays but GOD!I missed this space!

RECIPE:

Makes 6 glasses

INGREDIENTS:

for crumble

140g almond flakes
50g sesame seeds
4 tablespoons of ground almonds
4 tablespoons unsalted butter,melted
2 tablespoon honey or maple syrup

for cream

250ml double cream (cold)
400ml mascarpone
2 tablespoon maple syrup

Additionally

1kg cherries + 2 tablespoons hone/maple syrup/unrefined cane sugar

PREPARATION:

Preheat the oven to 190C.Mix all the ingredients for the crumble together and arrange it on a baking tray lined with a baking paper. Bake for 10 minutes,flipping the crumble with a spoon from time to time to prevent burning.Put on the side to cool.

Remove the stones from cherries,put 600g in a pot on medium heat.Cook for around 10 minutes,add the sweetener (honey/maple syrup or sugar) if needed (ripe and seasonal cherries may be sweet enough). Leave to cool or blend the cherries straight away(depending on the blender you’ve got-some shouldn’t be used with hot food). Put to the side.

Whip the double cream with maple syrup and fold in the mascarpone.The cream should be thick but quite light and fluffy.

Arrange puddings in glass cups,starting with a layer of cream,followed by cherry sauce,fresh cherries,crumble and repeat.

Enjoy with your favourite people 😉

2 years.

It feels totally crazy and makes my head spin around.After 24 months of blogging I think I’m not a new girl in town any more.I’ve been here for a little while now but with every passing day I discover more passion and joy for this space and for what I do.It just feels right.It feels like home.

Time flies.No doubt.I’m not discovering anything new here,I know.It will never stop amazing me though,how the things change,and how the way we look at things changes too.

I look at my reflection and see things I’ve never noticed before.I’ve got my dad’s wise eyes,my nan’s freckles,I walk like one of my brothers and laugh like the other one,I sound like my mum with every word I say.I’m a combination of everything around me.I change every day.I get to know myself every day.I choose what kind of person I want to become by looking around and absorbing what surrounds me.I steal from people and things,situations and places and let them make me a better version of myself.I learn.Every single day.

This blog is like me.It changes.Evolves.It reflects the things I am influenced by.The things I want to influence me.It echoes all the long conversations with people close to my heart,a place where I grew up,where I live now and places I can’t wait to see.It mirrors the joyful time spend behind the camera,long days of cooking,days of dancing around the kitchen and singing to the wooden spatula between flipping the pancakes,hours of hard work,frustration and failures,tons of experiments and learning to be patient.

It is an amazing journey.And THANK YOU for being it’s part.I often wonder if anyone visits this world of mine(except for my husband of course 🙂 Hello darling!)…..If anyone reads the words I put together…….If anyone comes here to have a look at the pictures…..If anyone wants to “steal” a little something from me……
So if you are here,I’m smiling and waving to you.
Grab a piece of cake and relax,I hope you’ll stay with me for a longer while.

This cake!!!It is as GOOD as it looks.I wanted to make it for a very long time,I was just waiting for a perfect moment.And this is a perfect moment 🙂

RECIPE:

For the cake:
300g self raising extra fine flour /or plain flour with 3 teaspoons of baking powder
200g caster sugar
300g unsalted butter
4 eggs

For the cream:
600ml double cream
100g caster sugar
50g natural Greek style yogurt

Additionally:

900g strawberries
1-2 tablespoons caster sugar or honey or maple syrup
30g meringues,broken into pieces

I used flowers only for decoration 🙂

PREPARATION:

1.Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Butter a 20cm cake tin.In a large bowl, cream the butter with sugar until pale and fluffy.Add the eggs,one at a time,and beat until you get light and fluffy mixture. Beat well to get lots of air into the mixture.Add the flour and mix it in with a spoon until combine but don’t over-mix it.

2.Place the mixture in a tin and bake for around 50 minutes,even to one hour.Check it with a wooden skewer.If it comes out clean,it’s ready!

3.Leave it to cool completely and cut the cake into three layers.Draw the line around the cake with a smaller knife and then use a bigger one to slice it.Hold the top of the cake with your one hand and slice with the other.

4.To make the filling, beat the cream with sugar until smooth and creamy.Fold in the yogurt.

5.Place 500g strawberries into a blender and pulse it until you get a nice thick strawberry mixture with some visible strawberry pieces.Add sugar,honey or maple syrup if necessary.Some strawberries are sweet enough and don’t need a sweetener.

6.FUN TIME:Place the first layer of the cake on a plate or tray,spread 1/3 of the cream on top,cover it with 1/3 of blended strawberries,repeat two more times.

7.Before serving:sprinkle broken meringues on the top and decorate with the whole or halved strawberries.

Note:You could also use more broken meringues and place then between the layers but to do that it’s best to assemble the cake just before the serving because the meringue will dissolve in cream if left for longer.

Enjoy xxx

Tag: cream

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