Little Cooking Tips - Fruits/Nuts

No bake sour cherry cheesecake in a glass

littlecookingtips — Tue, 16 Jun 2015 08:53:18 +0000

No bake sour cherry cheesecake in a glass

Photo and text by Panos Diotis and Mirella Kaloglou

Calories (per serving):

627

Servings:

serves 4

Cooking Time:

20 minutes

This is one of the oldest recipes we shared through our blog: No bake sour cherry cheesecake in a glass! Checking our site’s stats, we‘ve noticed that this recipe has always been popular.

The photo was taken by an old inexpensive camera, wasn’t one of our best shots and the text was one of the first ones typed in English in the blog. We like to think that our blogging abilities have improved since then, so we decided to take some fresh photos, take another look at the text and share the recipe again!

So, how did we get the inspiration for this recipe? Cheesecake in a glass was a relatively new thing here in Greece back in 2011 when we tried it. We always like new ideas and this approach seemed to be quite handy, as you have ready-made cheesecake servings for any of your guests in individual portions in the fridge.

Why sour cherries? Well, sour cherry spoon sweet is one of the most popular Greek spoon sweets. What the heck are those spoon sweets you might ask? Well, they're similar to canned fruits in syrup, only the syrup is much thicker and it’s also flavored with some herb, usually marjoram. And since they’re very sweet, the quantity served is always just a tablespoon.

Back in the old era, people wanted to preserve the ripe, seasonal fruits for the next months, and one of the methods used was turning them to sweets and preserving them in jars. Those spoon sweets are served usually as a dessert or as a side for your afternoon coffee. It’s the traditional homemade sweet that all grandmas served for decades. We both grew up with our yayades (grandmas) serving us quinces, sour cherries, grapes, bitter oranges and many more fruits as a treat. Fortunately, in the last few years this dessert made a comeback and now many villages are collectively producing those again. And by the way, they’re among the best toppings for Greek yogurt!

But enough with the daydreaming; let’s get back to our cheesecake now! We tried this recipe with sour cherries spoon sweets and they were delicious. But since this isn’t a sweet that’s always easy to find, especially for the people abroad, we decided to alter this a little. So, instead of spoon sweet sour cherries, we used canned sour cherries in syrup! Those are available on all supermarkets here in Greece AND abroad, so this seemed to be the way to go.

The result was a fluffy lemony creamy cheesecake, with cookie crumbs as the base and a sweet cherry topping! We don’t add melted butter in the crumbs, and here’s why: we always like to make a mess while eating this, meaning that we dive the spoon in and mix the cookie crumbs with the cream, picking also a couple of cherries, before landing the spoon in the mouth. :)

So the glass/jar stops being as presentable as it is here in the photos, but we really don’t care since it’s so delightful! But you can go ahead and add a little butter in the crumbs if you like a thicker base for the cheesecake.

One of the benefits of this recipe is that you can make this cheesecake ahead of time so it’ll be ready for serving in some party/family gathering in the next day. Keep in mind though that the result is much fluffier if you serve this in the same day.

Another advantage is that they are very nice to look at, as you can see the layers of sweetness through the glass.

You can also use another canned fruit in syrup if you don’t like sour cherries, or if want to try something else, making this a very versatile recipe.

And did we tell you that they’re super easy to put together? And you only need a few minutes of your time? Well, it’s true. If you never tried cheesecake in a glass before, this is one of the first recipes you should try. You’ll see for yourself how quick and easy it is.

Now regarding the term; some people are calling this dessert “cheesecake in glass” while other prefer the term “cheesecake in a jar”. Our opinion? Use jars, glasses, whatever you find handy and beautiful. We sometimes served those in glasses, sometimes in jars. For this post, we took pictures with glass and we also filled up a small jar so you can see the difference for yourself.

You can make a single layer of cookie crumbs, a layer of cream and add the cherries on top, or you can add multiple layers of cookies and cream. Ourselves, we usually do that, adding two layers of cookies and cream and top it with the cherries. But feel free to express yourself :)

So enough with our rumbling; let’s see how we can make this easy, delicious dessert!

Ingredients:

- 300gr/10.5oz cream cheese

- 200gr/7oz (2/3 cup) sweetened condensed milk

- 2 teaspoons lemon zest

- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

- 125gr/4.5oz digestive biscuits/graham crackers, in crumbs (see preparation)

- 200gr/7oz drained sour cherries in syrup (canned) *

* you can also use regular pitted cherries in syrup for a different equally delicious result

Preparation:

To make crumbs from the biscuits, pulse in a food processor (or use a blender) until they're finely ground (pic. 1, pic. 2).

Put the cream cheese and the sweetened milk in a large bowl (pic.3). Using an electric hand mixer (or a stand mixer) beat until you get a smooth and fluffy result (about 2 minutes). Start at a lower speed and turn it up as the cream thickens (pic.4). Add the zest and the lemon juice and continue to mix for half a minute (pic.5).

In a short glass or jar add 2 tablespoons of crushed biscuits (pic.6), then 2 tablespoons of cream (pic.7).

Repeat the process (pic.8) and garnish with 2 tablespoons of sour cherries (pic.9).

Do the same in 3 more glasses and put them all in the fridge at least for 20 minutes.

As simple as that! Enjoy!

Tips:

1. The more you leave these cheesecakes in the fridge the thicker they get. So keep that in mind and serve according to your preferences.

2. You can choose any canned fruit (in syrup) you prefer for garnishing.

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Fast&Easy

Step by Step Traditional Homemade Apple Pie

littlecookingtips — Thu, 20 Nov 2014 20:55:18 +0000

Step by Step Traditional Homemade Apple Pie

Photo and text by Panos Diotis and Mirella Kaloglou.

Calories (per serving):

641

Servings:

Preparation Time:

Cooking Time:

This is a favorite dessert worldwide: Homemade Apple pie! A universal sweet having millions (if not billions) of fans all over the globe.

Yes, we’ve seen the expression “as American as Apple pie” but the truth is the Apple pie is a centuries old dessert, that remains extremely popular on both sides of the Atlantic.
Millions of Americans and Europeans have so many memories of their moms (and grandmas) baking delicious apple pies and their selves as kids being impatient to taste them :)
We are part of that tradition ourselves, so we couldn’t resist sharing our traditional apple pie recipe with all of you through our website.

Our version is very simple. The dough is a classic French dough, called Pâte Sucrée that contains flour, eggs, butter, water and sugar. As simple as that. Perhaps you ‘ve also seen it as Pâte Brisée. The Brisée type doesn’t contain any sugar and it’s therefore also suitable for savory pies.

Our filling is made with apples, cinnamon, a bit of clove, raisins, sugar, lemon and –if you like-a bit of Grand Marnier. Grand Marnier is a liqueur which pairs amazingly with this pie. If you want your pie to be more kid-friendly, you may omit this of course.

Instead of simply making the top crust by adding another disc of dough and slitting it, we prefer to make the Lattice crisscross pattern. This pattern allows the pie to ventilate better and therefore, bake better. Plus, it looks beautiful! Many people are intimidated by this pattern, but trust us, it’s VERY easy to make. You can find our method in the pictures below, or you can browse for videos on YouTube for tutorials. It’s really easy though.

The difference in this recipe in comparison to others in our site, is that we offer easy, step by step instructions for making the pie. This way, even if you never baked an apple pie before, if you read the instructions and follow the pictures below, we are confident you will be able to make a perfect pie.

Take a couple of minutes to read the instructions; we think you’ll get it at once. Even the Lattice crust. Then, give it a try! :)

So let’s see how to bake this delicious, traditional homemade dessert!

Ingredients:

For the dough (Pâte Sucrée):

- 450gr / 16oz / 1lb all-purpose flour (you can also measure using 3 cups plus 4 tablespoons of flour)
- 250gr butter, unsalted (Do NOT use margarine instead of butter in this recipe!)
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 tablespoons caster sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon salt

For the apple filling:

- 1kg /2.2lb / 35.3oz apples, peeled and chopped (see steps below)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 170gr / 6oz (1 cup) brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 20gr / 0.7oz (3 tablespoons) all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 35gr / 1.2oz (1/4 cup) black (Corinth) raisins
- 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier (optional)
- 1 egg, beaten with a tablespoon of water (egg wash)

We first start making dough:

Sift the flour into a large bowl (pic.1). This will help incorporate some air in the dough, which will make it fluffier.
Add the salt and the caster sugar (pic.2).

Add the butter (pic.3) and mix with the flour and the caster sugar. If you have a special wire tool dough cutter you can use this here, otherwise use your hands (like we do).
Mix until all the flour becomes crumbly (pic.4).

Add the beaten eggs, mixed with the 2 tablespoons of water (pic. 5) and mix all with a spatula until you get a nice dough (pic. 6). You can always use your hands of course.

The end result will be a beautiful dough. Form into a ball (pic.7), cover with film (pic. 8) and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

While the dough is resting, we start making the apple filling:

Peel the apples and cut in quarters. Remove the core part from each quarter (pic. 9). Cut each quarter into strips (pic. 10). The strips can be as thick or thin as you like.

Slice the strips in 2 or 3 pieces (pic 11). Add them in a large bowl and add the lemon juice (pic. 12). Mix well. The point is to get some of the lemon in all the apples, in order to prevent them from browning.

Add the brown sugar (pic. 13), the cinnamon powder and the ground cloves (pic. 14).

Add the flour (pic. 15), and the raisins (pic. 16).

Mix well with your hands (pic. 17), and drizzle the Grand Marnier (pic. 18, optional). Set aside.

Remove the dough from the fridge and cut in half.
Dust your kitchen counter/table with some flour and put the first half on.
Using a rolling pin create a circle rolling from the center outwards, all around (pic. 19). You want to create a disc wide enough to cover a 28cm/11in round pan/pie dish (4-5cm/1.5-2in deep). We prefer using a tin metallic non-stick pan ourselves.
When the disc has formed, roll the dough on the pin (pic. 20).

If there's too much flour on the dough, you can dust it out with a brush (pic. 21).
Roll out the dough on the pan/dish (pic. 22).

Gently push the dough into the pan/dish, to take its form (pic. 23).
You can use the rolling pin at this point to cut the excess dough from the edge of the pan (pic. 24).

Add the apple filling (pic. 25). Gently spread it equally into the pan (pic. 26).

Take the second half of the dough, dust the counter/table with flour and again using the rolling pin form a similar disc as before. Cut the top and bottom parts and keep aside (pic. 27).
Using a pizza cutter or a knife, cut the dough into strips (pic. 28). The strips can be as many or as little as you prefer, depending on the width you want for them.

Add some of the strips vertically (pic. 29). Trim the edges (pic. 30) and set them aside with the excess dough.
Now it's time to form the Lattice (crisscross) crust. It's VERY easy, even though it seems complex.
Here's our method, which we call "Odds and Evens".

Pull the Even strips on the far edge towards you. In this pie, it's the strips 2,4,6,8.
Add a strip horizontally (pic. 31).
Put the Even strips (2, 4, 6, 8) back into their position, on top of the added strip (pic. 32).

From this point on, you lift the strips the other way. Away from you, instead of towards. And you select the Odd strips (1, 3, 5, 7, 9). Add again a horizontal strip (pic. 33).
Cover with the Odd strips.
Then do the same with the Even strips. Lift them, put a horizontal strip and put them down on top of it.
Then the Odd strips again, etc.
The final result is the wonderful crisscross pattern.
Now, take the excess dough you set aside before and form small strips to add them around the edge of the pan/dish (pic. 34).

Brush the crisscross pattern with egg wash (pic. 35) and sprinkle with some more brown sugar (pic. 36).

At this point cut some aluminum foil strips (pic. 37), and cover the dough on the edge of the pan (pic. 38). This helps it not being burned. You can also use some special metallic pie rings that exist in the market.

Place into the oven at the lower third rack, at 220 degrees Celsius/425 Fahrenheit and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil from the edge and continue baking for 30 to 45 minutes more.

IMPORTANT: Do not cut the pie for at least 3 hours after removing from the oven. This will help the pieces to stay together when you cut them, and will allow the juices to be absorbed.

Serve with whipped cream or ice cream. You can also dust with some caster sugar.
Kali oreksi!

Tips:

Use a variety of apples (at least 2 types); your pie will taste so much better!

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Healthy

Cinnamon scented energy bars

littlecookingtips — Tue, 03 Jun 2014 17:55:21 +0000

Cinnamon scented energy bars

Photos and text by Panos Diotis and Mirella Kaloglou.

Calories (per serving):

200

Servings:

12+ slices/pieces

Cooking Time:

30 minutes

Energy bars (also known as power bars) are increasing in popularity everywhere in the world in the last few years. The same goes for Greece.

For us Greeks it was very normal to start eating energy bars, as we already had a similar snack for decades, called "pasteli". Pasteli is a traditional bar with nuts (usually sesame, peanut or pistachio) with honey and/or sugar. It's still sold everywhere here.

Energy bars have partially substituted pasteli, as a more complex solution for a snack, as they contain more grains and other wholesome ingredients, making it a healthier choice.

If you're trying to control your weight and boost your metabolism you can also use energy bars. They are great snack option for any time of day, so they're very useful for those long periods between meals.
They're also perfect for breakfast if you're in a hurry or on the go. Having an energy bar is a wholesome way to start the day! Depending on what you'll add in the bar, they can be very nutritious.

So, after having tried many store-bought energy bars, we had to come up with our own versions. The reasons for making your own homemade power bars are many. Let's see some:
- If you create your own bars you control the ingredients you'll use.
- They don't contain additives and preservatives.
- They're much more affordable.
- You can experiment to create the flavor and texture you prefer.
- If you have food allergies, you will only use what you can eat.

The recipe we'd like to share here, makes a delicious cinnamon-scented oats, all bran and walnuts energy bar. It's iron-rich, it's flavorful and far from boring! For sweetness we added a little brown sugar that adds a caramel flavor and a little honey that's beautifully combined with cinnamon and vanilla.

The recipe is for 12 large 200 calories bars so it’s perfect pre or post work out. If you want to cut back on calories you can slice the same quantity in smaller bars (like half the size with only 100 calories per bar). They are very filling in any case.
Each bar is individually wrapped in some cling film and put in the refrigerator to retain its freshness. We find this very convenient as we can grab a bar and go any time of the day.

And here's the best part: It's very easy to make them! You only need a medium sized saucepan or a small pot (use non stick cookware) to melt the butter and mix all the ingredients together. You bake for 20 minutes and you're ready!

Of course you can experiment with many different seeds (you can add chia seeds or flax seeds for example), nuts and cereal to make those bars your own. You can also use different butters (like almond, peanut), especially if you're a vegan. The possibilities are endless!

So let's see the recipe for those delicious energy bars!

Ingredients:

- 65gr (1 cup) all bran (minimum 40% fiber)
- 50gr (1/2 cup) rolled oats
- 110gr (1 cup) walnuts kernels
- 35gr (1/4 cup) sunflower seeds, shelled, unsalted
- 70gr (1/2 cup) raisins (Black Corinth or Sultanas)
- 80gr (2/5 – 0.4 cup) brown sugar
- 80gr (1/4 cup) wildflower or thyme honey
- 50gr (3 1/2 tablespoons) butter
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 8gr/0.25-0.3oz vanilla sugar. You can also use 1-2 teaspoons of vanilla extract or vanilla powder

Preparation: Add the walnuts and the all bran in a food processor and pulse for about 10 seconds (pic.1). Do not grind into powder; you need small pieces of bran and walnuts in your bars for better texture.

Line a 26cmx18cm / 11inx7in baking pan (medium sized, preferably ceramic or glass) with parchment. You can also use any baking pan with the same area.

Over medium heat, melt the butter in a saucepan and add the sugar and the honey. Stirring continuously for 2 minutes, until the mixture bubbles (caramel is starting to form) (pic.2).

At this point add the oats, the sunflower seeds, the raisins, the cinnamon and the vanilla. Stir well and add the bran-walnuts mixture.
Mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until no dry spots remain. It takes a couple a minute or two. Don't worry, all the ingredients will mix together if you keep stirring. (pic.3)

Spread the mixture in the baking pan. You can press some parchment on top and roll a hard glass to spread it (as a rolling pin). (pic.4)

Bake in the middle rack at 180 degrees Celsius/360 Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.
Remove and let it cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing the bars. Use a hard spatula or even a pizza cutter to slice the bars.

When in room temperature, wrap each bar in film and keep in the refrigerator. They can easily last for 1 week without any issues.

Tips:

1. As mentioned before, you can substitute with the ingredients you prefer. In this case, make sure the butter is enough to glue the ingredients together.
2. To slice the bars in 12 pieces, slice in the middle horizontally and vertically, creating a cross and then divide each quarter into 3 strips.

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Delicious fruit salad with Greek yogurt and dried cranberries

littlecookingtips — Tue, 05 Nov 2013 18:12:57 +0000

Delicious fruit salad with Greek yogurt and dried cranberries

Photo and text by Panos Diotis and Mirella Kaloglou.

Calories (per serving):

367

Servings:

serves 4

Cooking Time:

15 minutes

This fruit salad recipe is one of the best, tasty, healthy recipes we ever made. It’s an easy healthy food recipe that is ideal for breakfast, dessert, or as a snack served any time of the day.

Its main ingredients are banana, apple and pear, combined with honey. We added walnuts for crunchiness, Greek yogurt for a fresh creamy topping, and dried cranberries for their sweet fruity taste.

The result was sooo delicious, that made us add this nutritious delight in our menu for at least 2 times a week!

Besides being a healthy snack idea, this recipe is very very simple, and quick to make. It has beautiful colors, making it a pretty dish to serve as a dessert if you have people over.

If you were wondering how to make a fruit salad that is great both for adults and children, this is a healthy choice you cannot afford overlooking. Each bowl is a superb healthy boost, full of vitamins, antioxidants and fiber. If you are not a big fruit lover, this specific recipe will make you rethink fruits as a part of your diet.

If you can’t find or don’t like the cranberries, you can also make this salad with raisins with a different, also interesting result. You can also try any fruit combination you prefer, like orange for example instead of pear. Feel free to adapt the recipe, adding your favorite fruit combinations. But make sure you add the honey and the yogurt with the walnuts when you serve.

Ingredients:

- 200gr (7oz) Greek yogurt
- 1 banana (150gr / 5oz), peeled and cut in slices
- 1 apple (300gr / 10.5oz), peeled and cut in small pieces
- 2 pears (250gr / 9oz), peeled and cut in small pieces
- 4 tablespoons (30gr / 1oz) walnuts, crumbled
- 3 tablespoons (30gr / 1oz) dried cranberries*
- 2 tablespoons honey

If you can't find dried cranberries, you can also use raisins.

Put the fruits in a bowl. Add the honey, stir and let it marinate for 10 minutes.
Place an equal amount of the fruits in 2-4 smaller bowls and add the yogurt (about 1-2 tablespoons per bowl).
Garnish with the walnuts and the cranberries and drizzle with a little more honey. Kali oreksi!

Tips:

1. You can adapt this recipe using any fruits you like.
2. You can also add some orange juice along with the honey in the marinade and some vanilla extract in the yogurt.
3. If you are allergic to walnuts or dried fruits, you can omit them.
4. If you can't find cranberries, you can also use raisins, the result is equally great.

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