Plum dumplings

I believe there are dishes that should be prepared the way our grandmothers and their grandmothers did. Plum dumplings fall for sure in this category. As a child I never ate the plum, only the dough with loads of sugar. Not to mention that I never even wanted to try it with  breadcrumbs, so I always asked for ground nuts or shredded coconut, however meanwhile I am huge fan of the breadcrumbs! Of course it is also delicious if you coat it in coconut flakes, ground almond, pistachio or even poppy seeds but believe me, nothing can beat the original. You can trust me, I have tried them all! So let us stick to the tradition and heat up a saucepan for breadcrumbs. Unfortunately, the plums I used were too big for the dumplings, make sure you can put your hands on some small ones, then you are even able to put a whole plum into a dumpling and still end up with nice small balls. Although, I want to cut on eating sweets, I simply could not resist the thought of the juicy plum with cinnamon and the plump potato dough sprinkled with an extra load of cinnamon sugar. Heavenly! After all the season is almost over so hurry up if you want to enjoy this treat.

Ingredients:

500 g floury potato
150-200 g flour (depends how much the potato needs)
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon semolina
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
1 egg
breadcrumbs
butter
cinnamon
sugar
10-15 plums (depending on the size)

1. Cook potatoes until soft, then drain and peel. Press potatoes through a potato ricer and let it cool.
2. Add sifted flour, salt, semolina, egg, oil and knead gently till all is blended.
3. On a floured surface, roll dough out, not ticker than a finger. Cut dough into squares and put a with sugar and cinnamon filled plum into center of each square. Fold corners to the middle and roll the dumpling in your hands till round.
4. Cook a few dumplings at a time in salted hot water (do not boil!) for about 10 minutes until they swim on top.
5. In a large skillet melt butter and brown breadcrumbs.
6. Using a slotted spoon remove dumplings and coat in breadcrumbs. Serve warm with cinnamon icing sugar.

Hozzávalók:

500 g lisztes burgonya
150-200 g liszt (amennyit a burgonya felvesz)
csipet só
1 evőkanál gríz
1 evőkanál napraforgóolaj
1 tojás
zsemlemorzsa
vaj
fahéj
cukor
10-15 szilva (mérettől függően)

1. Főzzük meg a burgonyát, hámozzuk meg majd nyomjuk át krumplinyomón és hagyjuk kihűlni.
2. Adjuk hozzá a lisztet, sót, grízt, tojást, olajat és gyúrjuk simára.
3. Lisztezett deszkán nyújtsuk ki, kb. egy ujjnyi vastagra és vágjuk négyzetekre. Mindegyik négyzet közepére rakjunk egy fahéjas cukorral töltött szilvát majd formázzuk gombócot.
4. Éppen csak gyöngyöző vízben főzzük kb. 10 percig vagy míg feljön a víz tetejére.
5. Egy serpenyőben pirítsuk meg a zsemlemorzsát vajban.
6. Forgassuk a gombócokat a morzsába és tálaljuk fahéjas cukorral.

Plum custard tart

Plums are perfectly ripe and fragrant righ now. I was lucky enough to get some plums right from the tree and now I am dreaming about dumplings with loads of cinnamon sugar and juicy plum inside. Oh, so so so soooo good! That was the Hungarian girl inside me craving this childhood favorite. However, today I would like to share a Swiss speciality called wähe, what you actually pronounce "wäye" and it is a custard tart. And when it comes to plums cinnamon sugar is a must - at least if you ask me.

Ingredients

(For 26-28 cm tart form)

For the shortcrust pastry:
250 g flour
100 g butter, softened
100 g icing sugar
2 eggs
pinch of salt

1. Sift flour into a bowl, then pour it onto a working surface and make a well.
2. Add icing sugar, butter and salt. Mix together with your fingertips until it becomes slightly grainy.
3. Make a well again and add the eggs. Work it together with the flour mixture, until the dough begins to get together. Knead it quickly together so you get a smooth dough.
4. Form a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours before using. After that roll out and cover baking form with the pastry and chill for 15 minutes before proceeding.

For the filling:
about 20-25 plums
200 ml heavy cream
2 eggs
2 teaspoon cornstarch
icing sugar
cinnamon
ground hazelnut or almond

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Cut plums in half, remove the stone and sprinkle with 1-2 tablespoons cinnamon-icing sugar and mix well.
3. Whisk together heavy cream, eggs and cornstarch.
4. Put halved plums on the chilled pastry and pour heavy cream mixture on top.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes and serve lukewarm or cold.

Hozzávalók

(26-28 cm-es formához)

A tésztához:
250 g liszt
100 g vaj, puha
100 g porcukor
2 tojás
csipet só

1. Szitáljuk le a lisztet, majd öntsük egy táblára és szitáljuk a közepébe a porcukrot, a sót és a kockára vágott vajat is tegyük bele.
2. Az ujjhegyeinkkel morzsoljuk szét a vajat a cukorral, majd amint morzsás lesz adjuk hozzá a tojásokat és gyúrjuk simára.
3. Tegyük legalább 2 órára a hűtőbe. Ezután kinyújtuk és kibéleljük vele a formát, majd 15 percre a hűtőbe tesszük.

A töltelékhez:
kb. 20-25 szilva
200 ml tejszín
2 tojás
2 teáskanál kukoricakeményítő
porcukor
fahéj
őrölt mogyoró vagy mandula

1. Melegítsük elő a sütőt 180°C-ra.
2. Vágjuk félbe a szilvákat, magozzuk ki és szórjuk meg 1-2 evőkanál fahéjas porcukorral.
3. Keverjük simára a tejszínt tojásokkal és a kukoricakeményítővel.
4. Rakjuk a szilvát a tésztára és öntsük rá a tejszínes keveréket.
5. Süssük 20-25 percig majd tálaljuk langyosan vagy hidegen.

Quinoa & cauliflower patties

My herb garden is really amazing at the moment, although autumn has just arrived and all summer long almost hardly anything was growing. Not to mention that every attempt with rosemary has failed this season, yet the sage is beautiful. I am so looking forward to the first pumpkin soup served with fragrant fried sage leaves. Autumn is just beautiful and those colors - breathtaking! In these healthy and light quinoa patties I used a lot of fresh herbs. It is really up to you, play with those aromatic leaves as you feel like. I added mint, parsley, tarragon and basil this time as I just could not decide what to pick. Indeed herbs give these patties a nice kick and thanks to the cauliflower it is has a wonderful creamy core. Serve with any kind of salad you fancy. I must mention that this lovely chioggia beet in the salad has grown on my balcony!

Ingredients

150 g quinoa
250 g cauliflower
100 g spinach
1 onion
3 egg whites
2-3 tablespoons cornstarch
bunch of mixed fresh herbs
small knob of butter
olive oil for brushing
salt
pepper

1. Cook quinoa in salted water or some vegetable/chicken broth.
2. Cut cauliflower in florets and pulse in a food processor until you have coarse crumbs.
3. Sautée onion in some butter and spinach and mix until spinach is wilted, season.
4. Mix together all the ingredients, add chopped herbs and season with salt and pepper.
5. Form patties with the help of a dessert ring or by your hands.
6. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
7. Brush patties with oil and bake for 10-15 minutes.

Hozzávalók:

150 g quinoa
250 g karfiol
100 g spenót
1 hagyma
3 tojásfehérje
2-3 evőkanál kukoricakeményítő
1 csokor fűszernövény (petrezselyem, bazsalikom, menta és tárkony keveréke)
kis darab vaj
olívaolaj a kenéshez
só
bors

1. Főzzük meg a quinoát sós vízben vagy zöldség-/szárnyas alaplében, akár maradék húslevesben.
2. Vágjuk darabokra a karfiolt és aprítsuk durvább morzsákra konyhai gép segítségével.
3. Vajban pároljuk üvegesre a kockára vágott hagymát, keverjük hozzá a spenótot, majd ízesítsük sóval, borssal.
4. Keverjünk össze minden hozzávalót, adjuk hozzá a finomra vágott fűszernövényeket és ízesítsük sóval, és borssal.
5. Formázzuk meg a kezünk vagy desszertgyűrű segítségével.
6. Melegítsük elő a sütőt 200°C-ra.
7. Kenjük meg a olívaolajjal és süssük 10-15 percig.