Preparing lovely desserts using hazelnuts (Adrian Johnson Jr.)

The nuts of the hazel are known as hazelnuts. They are also known as filbert nuts or cobnuts. Hazelnuts are mainly used in confectionery to prepare praline and they are also used to prepare chocolate truffles in combination with chocolate and products such as Frangelico liqueur and Nutella. Oil made from hazelnuts is strongly flavored and it is usually used as cooking oil. Below mentioned are a few recipes which use hazelnuts as one of the ingredients.

Chocolate truffles

Ingredients required are:
Hazelnuts - 1 c
Bittersweet chocolate - 3 ? ounces
Heavy cream - ? c
Hazelnut liqueur - 1 ? spoons
Prepared coffee - 1 spoon
Vanilla extract - ? tsp

Preparation: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the hazelnuts on a sheet pan after chopping them. Roast for 10 minutes in the oven. Keep them aside and cool them.
Finely chop the chocolate and place it in a bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the cream till it boils. Into the bowl of chocolate, immediately pour the hot cream through a sieve. Stir the chocolate and cream together with a wire whisk slowly till the chocolate gets completely melted. If the chocolate is not melted completely, place it in a bowl over a pot of simmering water and stir it for 5 minutes or till it melts. Whisk in the coffee, vanilla and hazelnut liqueur. Cover it and keep it in the fridge for 45 minutes to one hour till it is firm enough to scoop.

Make dollops of the chocolate mixture. With parchment paper, line a baking sheet and place these dollops of mixture onto it. Keep them in fridge for 15 minutes or till they are firm enough that you could roll them into rough spheres. Over the chopped hazelnuts, roll the chocolate truffles and chill them again. It would be best if you could chill them overnight in the fridge.

Praline

Ingredients required are:
Hazelnuts - 5 oz
For the pan, canola oil
Sugar - 2 c
Freshly squeezed lemon juice - 1 ? spoons

Preparation: With a rack in the center, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, spread the nuts. Toast them in the oven for about 8 minutes or till they are fragrant. Take the nuts out of the oven and rub them with a clean kitchen towel vigorously to remove the brown skins. With oil, lightly brush a rimmed baking pan of size 8x12 inch. Into the pan, spread the peeled nuts.

Combine lemon juice and sugar in a medium saucepan. Over medium heat, cook it and with a damp pastry brush, keep brushing down the pan's sides to remove any sugar crystals for about 9 minutes or till the mixture is amber. Over the nuts, pour this mixture directly to create a thin layer. Keep it aside to cool for at least half an hour.
In the bowl of the processor, place half of the praline and process till it is very fine and there are no sharp pieces. Chop the balance praline into tiny pieces to use them for decoration.

As you see, there are some interesting recipes for hazelnuts - also called hasseln?dder by the Danish chefs. But, if you want to learn some more and improve your cooking skills, then Isabellas.dk is the place for it(don't feel abused about the Danish content, just click on Google transalte).

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Do you know how to make a delicious vegetarian appetizer for your weekend party? (Adrian Johnson Jr.)

This weekend you would be having a small party at your place and you also invited your best friend. But this has also made you a little tensed, as your best friend is now vegetarian. Your mother being a seasoned cook, shares with you her delicious vegetarian appetizer recipe; it is stuffed mushrooms.

How do you prepare this vegetarian appetizer?

You are aware that your friend loves mushrooms. This delicious appetizer has been very popular in the various parties that your mother had arranged in her home. The basic ingredients needed to prepare stuffed mushrooms are:
Whole mushrooms: 12
Any type of vegetable oil: 1 tbs
Finely chopped garlic: 1 tbs
Fresh Parmesan cheese: ? cup
Ground pepper: ? teaspoon
Onion powder: ? teaspoon
Ground cayenne pepper: ? teaspoon

Below is the preparation process to make stuffed mushrooms appetizer.

Before you start preparing the delicious appetizer you have to clean the mushrooms properly with a damp towel. Do not directly wash the mushrooms with water, as their texture would get softened and the whole taste of the appetizer would be spoilt.
Once cleaned, break and remove the stems of the mushrooms. Now chop the stem portion of the mushrooms finely, discarding any rough ends.
Prepare a baking tray and spray it lightly with cooking oil. Then preheat the oven to around 350 F.

In a skillet heat oil till heat reaches medium temperature. Now in the heated skillet add the finely chopped garlic and the chopped mushroom stem portions. Your mother told you that at this stage, your kitchen would now be filled with aroma of this delicious appetizer when the mushrooms are being fried. You should take care and prevent the garlic from burning. Otherwise, the burnt garlic would add bitterness to the appetizer and your hard work would go in vain.

Once the mushrooms have been properly fried and the moisture has been removed from them you can leave them to cool off to room temperature.
Now in a clean glass bowl, add the fried mushroom and garlic mixture. In the same mixture add the other ingredients, which would make the appetizer delicious. These are parmesan cheese, black and cayenne pepper and onion powder. Blend all the ingredients well and the stuffing mixture should have a thick consistency.
Now with a small spoon, add the mushroom stuffing gently to the crown of the mushrooms.
Place the stuffed mushrooms gently on the baking tray. You do not want to break the mushrooms and destroy the presentation of this delicious appetizer.
In the preheated oven, the stuffed mushroom appetizer is baked for around twenty minutes.
The stuffed mushrooms are cooked until the cheese has melted.
That is how you prepare this vegetarian appetizer for your friend. At the end of the day, this will become a hit food and you promise to your guests, that you would make more of these stuffed mushrooms on the next party. For preparing easy appetizers(also called nemme forretter by the Danish chefs) like a pro, you should take advantage from some of the best Isabellas ideas and recipes.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Different ways to cook salmon (Adrian Johnson Jr.)

Nutritious, easy to cook and delicious, salmon is a great addition to your meals and it is also special enough to serve for a get-together. You could either poach it or pan fry it. Pan frying salmon produces succulent flesh and crisp skin. You need to use a heavy frying pan to fry this fish in butter or oil. For poaching the salmon, you could use chicken stock, fish broth or milk. Listed below are a few recipes to cook this tasty fish.

Salmon with caper sauce

Ingredients:
Tomato medley mix - 400 grams
Trimmed, sliced and washed leek - 1 small
Fennel seeds - 2 tsp
Olive oil - 2 spoons
Salmon - 1.5 kilograms
Thinly sliced lemon - 1 small
Dry white wine - ? c
Butter - 50 grams
Rinsed and drained capers - 2 spoons
Lemon grind, finely grated - 2 tsp
Parsley leaves, roughly chopped - 2 spoons

Preparation: Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C. Quarter the tomatoes and place them in a bowl. Add 1 spoon of oil, fennel seeds and leek and toss it. On a large baking tray, slightly overlapping, place the foil sheets. Top them up with a sheet of baking paper. On the baking paper, place the salmon. Over it spread the tomato mixture. On top, arrange the lemon. Sprinkle wine on top. Up to the centre, bring the 2 long sides of the foil and fold them to seal the dish. Roll up the ends so as to enclose the fish. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes.

Over medium heat, in a small frying pan place the butter. After 2 minutes, add the lemon rind and the capers. Cook till the capers turn crispy. Season with pepper and salt. Onto a serving platter, gently transfer the salmon and sprinkle the caper sauce and parsley onto it.

Salmon with papaya mojo

Ingredients:
Dried oregano - 1 spoon
Sweet paprika - 1 spoon
Crushed garlic cloves - 3
Olive oil - 1.4 c
Skinless salmon fillet - 1 kilogram
Sunflower oil - 2 spoons
Papaya mojo:
Olive oil - ? c
Thinly sliced red onion - 1 small
Papaya - 1, cut into cubes
Drained and rinsed black turtle beans - 800 grams
Roughly chopped coriander leaves - 1 bunch
Finely grated zest and lemon juice - 2 limes

Preparation: Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. In a bowl, place the paprika, oregano, olive oil and garlic and toss it. On a chopping board, place the fish and onto the top side of the fish, rub the marinade. Over high heat, place the sunflower oil in a non-stick roasting pan. Warm it for 2 minutes and add the fish, keeping the marinated side facing down and cook for 5 minutes or till the fish flesh gets blackened. Bake it for 10 minutes after transferring it to the preheated oven.

Meanwhile for the papaya mojo, in a bowl, place all the ingredients and mix them. Toss well to combine. Keep it aside. Onto a platter, invert the salmon and top it up with papaya mojo. Serve with extra lime halves and coriander leaves.

That was just some of the incredible recipes for salmon(or also called laks by the Danish chefs), and if you're interested, you can take a few looks at here to improve you cooking skills and information.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Prepare an amazing strawberry pie recipe to refresh childhood memories (Adrian Johnson Jr.)

It is difficult to find a person who has not had strawberry pie. This delicious pie recipe has been a favorite dessert for many households. Surprisingly easy to bake, you can now prepare this pie to delight your children! Not only children, but the grownups equally love an amazing pie filled with strawberries.

Make the crust yourself or buy it

The strawberry pie crust is important. You are going to place the strawberries on the crust. Since nowadays baked crusts are available at the stores, many homemakers avoid baking. However, homemade crusts and those available at stores are different. Stores cannot supply the authenticity and love to the crust. You need to decide whether you want to bake it yourself or get it from the store. Preparing and baking takes some time. If you want to have the pie quickly, you can easily use a baked crust from the stores. However, if there is no time to visit the store, you need to prepare the crust. It is quite easy, just follow the instructions.

Finding the best strawberries

You need to find the best strawberries in the market. This is an important aspect often overlooked while making a strawberry pie. Not all strawberries are the same. In fact, it may surprise you to note that there are about 600 varieties of these berries. Of course, you cannot find all these varieties at the store. Still, most stores keep an assortment of these berries. Try choosing the smaller berries for a more intense flavor and taste. Bigger berries have a somewhat diluted flavor. While buying, pick up shiny and plump berries with fresh green caps still attached. Refrain from buying unripe or shriveled berries.

Making it right

Like any other dish, a strawberry pie ought to be done right. Otherwise, the dish will be just strawberries swimming in a pink soup. You do not want that, so make sure to follow the instructions properly. Do not miss on the right amount of cornstarch, for example. The combination of cornstarch and water is very important. Neither should you overdo it nor should you add an inadequate amount. Also, you need to mash some of the berries and boil them. You need to add the cornstarch plus water mixture to the boiling strawberries. Inadequately mashed strawberries can also hamper the dish. Be generous while mashing. The right combination of strawberries and cornstarch is necessary to prepare a beautiful pie.

The final presentation

All done, you have to present the strawberry pie to the guests. Have some time in hand because you need to chill the strawberries before serving. You may decide to add the whipped cream, or you may not. If you are adding the cream, you need to decide whether to add before chilling. Some people prefer fresh whipped cream, and others prefer chilled cream settled with the dish. It is up to you to decide. You may also be adventurous and add some chocolate sauce over the pie. The combination of chocolate and strawberries can be great, but do not overdo.

Making a strawberry pie is incredibly easy. However, you need to add the right amounts of ingredients for a perfect dish. Maintain a balance between the various ingredients. For example, if the pie crust is thicker, then add more berries. When the crust is not so thick, add only a few berries. Your objective is to create a perfect combination taste!

If you want to learn some other tricks, about making strawberry pie(also known as jordb?rt?rte in Denmark) you can just follow these tips, or check out some of the best Isabellas tricks by visiting this site.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad