Easily Good Eats

Dulce de Leche Polenta Fudge Recipe

2012-02-19T23:05:00.002+01:00

Dulce de Leche Polenta Fudge

This is a really low fat or light fudge.

There are many different types of fudge but usually the ingredients include butter, milk and sugar. This dulce de leche polenta fudge has no butter. Perhaps it should not even be called fudge. Maybe dulce de leche polenta sweet or square is a more accurate name. But that’s another issue.

Pinto Bean (or Chickpea) Ketchup Curry Recipe

2012-02-17T20:40:00.001+01:00

Pinto bean ketchup curry

When I saw a recipe for chickpea ketchup curry, it got my attention. In addition to perhaps my eccentric taste, I was already familiar with curried baked beans. This culinary delight was introduced to me by a roommate at university. Curried baked beans is quick, cheap, delicious and nutritious. But not everyone may feel that way. I won’t be surprised if you don’t start jumping up and down with excitement at the prospect of eating pinto bean ketchup curry. If you are feeling brave, creative or simply want to get rid of some friends, perhaps this will do the trick.

I am being unfair. Pinto bean ketchup curry is a delicious combination of sweetness, tanginess and spiciness. It is really simple to make, using basic ingredients. The original recipe uses chickpeas but pinto beans worked well as an alternative. I think just about any bean will work, except human being. What kind of beans does a cannibal like? Human beings. Bad joke.

Back to the curry. Other than being simple, delicious and nutritious there is nothing more to say.

Hasselback Potatoes (Hasselbackspotatis) Recipe

2012-02-16T13:40:00.001+01:00

Hasselback Potatoes

These hasselback potatoes are named after a Stockholm restaurant that first introduced them. They are crispy on the outside, tender on the inside and incredibly easy to make. Those in the photo above don’t look golden and crispy, that’s because I left the skin on and went easy on the butter and oil. But you don't have to.

Chocolate Spekkoek (Thousand Layer Chocolate Cake) Recipe

2012-02-12T18:07:00.010+01:00

Chocolate Spekkoek

The name of my recipe site is Easily Good Eats. I like easy recipes, and this is no exception, seriously. The chocolate spekkoek may look complicated but its not. It is quite easy to prepare, requiring little effort. And you don’t even have to bake it. Spekkoek has more of a pancake like texture, it is slightly dense.

Spekkoek is a Dutch-Indonesian layered cake developed during colonial times in the Dutch East Indies. Spekkoek means bacon cake because it looks like bacon with the dark and light stripes. Spekkoek is also called lapis legit in Indonesia. Lapis legit means (very) rich layer-cake. If you see the list of ingredients, you will understand why.

Hot Mocha Fudge Cake Recipe

2012-02-05T15:06:00.004+01:00

Hot Mocha Fudge Cake

Even though the recipe for this cake comes from the Cooking Light magazine, it is certainly not light on flavor. On the contrary, the cake is quite rich with a very deep flavor. The flavors linger in your taste buds well after the cake is gone. Coffee does help in intensifying the chocolate flavour.

Kokoda (Fijian Ceviche) Recipe

2012-01-30T13:52:00.010+01:00

Kokoda

Kokoda, pronounced kokonda, is the Fijian version of a ceviche. The main difference between kokoda and other similar raw fish dishes is that kokoda has coconut milk.

Kokoda, usually served as a starter, is very refreshing and fresh tasting, with a good hit coming from the chilies. It is typically served during summer, since it is always summer in Fiji. Kokoda is also great on a cold winter day, as long as you are sitting in your warm house!

Chocolate Fig Cake Recipe

2012-01-24T19:39:00.000+01:00

Chocolate fig cake

Figs and chocolate go really well together. It’s a pity that we don’t see this combination more often.

Butternut Snap Cookies Recipe

2012-01-19T22:53:00.004+01:00

Butternut snap cookies

Butternut snap cookies were invented in Australia, I think. Unlike ANZAC Cookies and pavlova whose origin is disputed it seems the case for butternuts is fairly clear cut.

Lemon Delicious Recipe

2012-01-07T15:35:00.006+01:00

Lemon Delicious

With a name like that it better be delicious. And that’s for you to find out.

Lemon delicious seems to have originated in Australia. You must wonder what kind of a dessert is a ‘delicious’. It is a golden sponge with a creamy lemon sauce. Very light and lemony, crusty on the outside and creamy on the inside. You can also call this lemon soufflé pudding or lemon sponge.

Homemade Soy Milk Recipe

2012-01-06T22:50:00.000+01:00

Homemade Soy Milk

You can quite easily and cheaply make soy milk at home. There is no rocket science involved in making or producing any kind of milk, even cows milk. However making soy milk in your kitchen is a little easier than cows milk so today we will only talk about soy milk.

Southern German Potato Salad (Kartoffelsalat) Recipe

2012-01-05T21:33:00.001+01:00

Southern German potato salad

This Southern German potato salad, also known as kartoffelsalat, is an alternative to the more popular mayo laden salad. Instead of mayo the dressing is made from stock, mustard and few other ingredients.

The original recipe that I 'borrowed' has bacon. I didn't use bacon. Nothing against bacon, but there was no bacon at home so I managed without it. I have included bacon in the recipe below.

Polenta/Semolina Crackers Recipe

2012-01-03T16:17:00.006+01:00

Polenta/Semolina Crackers

Or you can call these homemade nachos or corn chips. When compared to the store bought nachos, these are much crisper and have very low fat. And they are very simple to make.

Notes:
- I have tried this recipe using a mixture semolina and polenta, as well as only polenta. The crackers are crispier when only polenta is used. Semolina and polenta are quite different. Semolina is made from wheat and polenta is made from corn. Polenta is gluten free. There are two types of polenta - fine and course ground
- I haven't indicated the exact amount of water to use. Just add a small amount at a time. In case you add too much by mistake add more polenta/semolina. It will be fine. The dough is quite forgiving
- you don't need to grease the baking tray. The dough will stick but once its baked and turns crispy it will 'unstick'
- if you want to cut into shapes you have to do this before baking. It will be almost impossible to cut after baking since it is really crispy. Alternatively you can bake without cutting and just break pieces.
- Watch them during baking as they can quite easily burn. And watch them very closely after its baked and cooled, they will disappear quickly without leaving a trace

Sissi from With a Glass has tested this recipe and has additional tips. You can see the post here.

Mulled Wine Spiced Chocolate Cake Recipe

2012-01-01T21:07:00.001+01:00

Mulled Wine Spiced Chocolate Cake with Coffee Cream

The mulled wine (glögg) spiced chocolate cake is almost like a brownie, rich and dense.

Mulled wine is popular in parts of Europe. Its usually red wine that is spiced and served warm during winter. Its great for keeping you warm. If mulled wine is unavailable where you live you can always make your own. I don’t have the recipe unfortunately. Or you can substitute regular wine. Red wine chocolate cake is very delicious as well.

I haven't included a recipe for coffee cream. I made it my mixing whipped cream, powdered coffee and sugar, with the amounts depending on taste.

Mulled Wine Spiced Chocolate Cake with Coffee Cream

White Chocolate Coconut Lava Cake Recipe

2011-12-29T19:29:00.003+01:00

White chocolate coconut lava cake

If you like white chocolate and coconut, there is no reason why you shouldn’t like this lava cake. Its quite delicious, there’s nothing more to say!

Toscatårta (Swedish Almond Cake) Recipe

2011-12-24T17:34:00.004+01:00

Toscatårta

When I arrived in Sweden I started working for a company that had a very nice tradition. Every Wednesday afternoon we had a cake or something sweet. Mostly Swedish baked goods were offered and this gave me an opportunity to familiarize myself with what Sweden has to offer. Toscatårta or Swedish almond cake was one of my favourites.

Toscatårta looks like a simple basic cake but don’t let the looks fool you. The cake is rich and moist, topped with crunchy buttery sweet almonds. It is divine.

Toscatårta is baked either in small oval baking forms for single servings or as a large cake. You can bake them in muffin trays if you want.

When looking for recipes I noticed that, generally speaking, there were two versions. The version I selected has eggs in the cake base. The other version has no eggs, it is more like a tart. What we were served at work was the tart version but I decided to make the cake version because its slightly lighter. The texture is a bit different but there are no compromises in taste.

Toscatårta

Brunede Kartofler (Danish Caramelized Potatoes) Recipe

2011-12-23T14:02:00.000+01:00

Brunede Kartofler

Brunede Kartofler (aka Danish caramel potatoes, Danish caramelized potatoes) has an important place as a side dish on the Danish Christmas table. It is boiled potatoes covered in caramel, and it is not even a dessert. I know many people see the Christmas season as an opportunity to indulge in sugar, fat, alcohol and other goodies guilt free. And this is where brunede kartofler can really help you in your mission, it brings sugar and fat to your main dish even before you start with desserts.

Trust the Danes to do miracles with butter. Danish butter cookies and Lurpak butter is available in so many countries worldwide. It is no surprise that the Danes have come up with this dish, and I am surprised that it is not so widely known.

Caramelised potatoes may sound disgusting but it is actually delicious. When I first read about it I knew I had to try it, and after trying it, I know I will try it again. It is not sickly sweet even though its called caramelised potatoes. Three tablespoons of sugar for 2 pounds of potatoes is not so bad, is it? And don’t worry about the butter, mashed potatoes uses more butter. Brunede kartofler is low fat when compared with some mashed potatoes!

Coconut peanut butter recipe

2011-12-21T14:51:00.002+01:00

Coconut peanut butter

My family always buys peanut butter, and we always buy peanuts to eat on its own. We have always had a food processor at home but we never made our own peanut butter. I guess we thought that making peanut butter is a complex process. And I suppose we think its complex after looking at the list of ingredients on the jar, some of which are unknown. If we don’t know it must be complicated? Wrong, making peanut butter is so simple, process peanuts and you have peanut butter. The only complex parts are decisions that need to be made and there are a few of them:

Do you want smooth or crunchy peanut butter? If you want crunchy add chopped nuts
How much salt? This requires thinking and tasting, and most of us are good at that
How smooth and creamy? If the peanut butter is not creamy enough, how much oil should you add
What kind of sweeteners and how much? Personally I don’t like sweet peanut butter. You can add sugar or honey, the amount depending on your taste.

I used to only like my peanut butter plain and simple, without chocolate, honey or other distractors. I changed my mind when I experimented with coconut peanut butter. Peanut butter with a toasted coconut flavor, I like it, a lot.

Swedish Pancake (Pannkakor) Recipe

2011-12-17T17:30:00.002+01:00

Swedish pancake

Swedish pancake is quite similar to the French crêpes. It is usually eaten on Thursday following a meal of pea soup. The pancakes are often served with jam and whipped cream. Personally I also like it with savoury accompaniments. In the past I have eaten it with chicken, eggs, cheese, ham and sautéed lentils. It was delicious everytime. The pancakes are very slightly sweet so it goes well with both sweet or savoury accompaniments.

The pancakes are almost always round but those in the photos don't look very round. I can assure you, they still taste delicious.

Swedish pancake

Recipe source: recepten.se

German Style Roast Pork Knuckle (Schweinshaxe) Recipe

2011-12-11T11:00:00.003+01:00

Schweinshaxe

Chocolate Ginger Biscotti Recipe

2011-12-08T15:17:00.003+01:00

Chocolate Ginger Biscotti

Sometime ago I made chocolate ginger brownies. Chocolate and ginger is not a very common combination but it worked so I decided to try the combination again with biscotti. And guess what, it worked again.

This was my first attempt at making biscotti. When searching for recipes and reading reviews I noticed that generally speaking there are two contrasting opinions on biscotti. The majority seem to be fans while a minority think it is a teeth breaker. I must say I was a little concerned that I might fall in the teeth breaker category, but thankfully I did not. The texture of the biscotti was perfect and addictive. It was light and crispy. The chocolate ginger flavour combination worked harmoniously, ginger flavor was subtle and added just the right amount of heat to complement the chocolate.

Biscotti’s can be made with or without butter/oil. I went for the middle ground, using a small amount of oil. This worked perfectly for me. Since I used medium sized eggs instead of large eggs as recommended in the recipe, I substituted a tablespoon of oil for each egg.

Using polenta in biscotti's is uncommon, as a matter of fact I only found one recipe and that was created by Giada De Laurentiis. I like polenta in baked goods so I decided to go with it. Polenta added graininess or grittiness to the biscotti. I liked it. If you don’t like polenta I guess you can substitute with plain flour.

Beetroot Chocolate Fudge Cookies Recipe - Cookie Bloghop

2011-12-04T14:09:00.010+01:00

Beetroot chocolate fudge cookies

Why aren’t there beetroot cookies when there are beetroot cakes, pumpkin cakes and pumpkin cookies? There is only one way to find out, to try it, and I am glad I did. In addition to the cookies having a visually appealing pinkish hue, they are crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and delicious all around. And you don't even need to use artificial coloring to get that color.

For those of you who don’t like beetroot, and I guess there is a fair few of you, these cookies don’t taste beety and earthy. There is a very subtle beetroot flavor. If you were not told that the cookies contain beetroot you probably will not even guess it.

To keep the beets company I added chocolate and fudge chunks. Using fudge was a mistake since the fudge melted away, leaving gaps in some cookies. If you want to use fudge its best to melt it and pour over the cookies. Or don’t use fudge at all.

I used a mixture of plain flour and semolina to avoid the cookies having a cake like texture. Semolina gives a crispier texture. You can skip the semolina and use only regular flour if you want.

Easy Layered Banana Semolina Cake Recipe

2011-11-27T17:18:00.006+01:00

Easy Layered Banana Semolina Cake

This is without any doubt one of the most unusual cake recipes I have ever come across. What makes this cake most unusual is that you don’t need to prepare a batter before baking, the batter is made automatically during the baking process. The moisture from the fruits goes into the dry mixture, hence forming the batter. Amazing.

The cake has 5 layers. The top and bottom layer of the cake is crispy and crumbly while the middle layer has a cake like texture. The other two layers are banana mash. It is a delight to eat, almost like a cookie sandwich with crispy outers and soft creamy filling.

A 5 layered cake with different textures looks more sophisticated than a regular cake and generally requires a lot of effort to make. But not this cake, it is incredibly easy to prepare.

Crispy Caramel Chip Cookies Recipe

2011-11-22T23:28:00.001+01:00

Crispy Caramel Cookies

This is the most weird and unusual recipe I have developed. It results in a delicious crispy low fat cookie with a caramel flavor. And the recipe only requires sugar, flour, butter/oil and water.

Before I go any further, I should say that because the recipe is unusual, you may not get it right the first time. You may require a few practice runs, depending on your luck, patience, skill and other unexplained factors. If you have never made cookies before or don’t make cookies often perhaps this is not a good recipe for you. Its better to spend your time and resources on a more conventional recipe.

I was a bit hesitant in posting the recipe. I have tested this recipe many many times, the cookies turn out different every time, but always delicious. Thats why the cookies in the photos all look different. The first time I tried it the cookies turned out to be one of the crispiest I have ever had. That never repeated again, though it has been crispy every time.

The recipe uses water which is an unusual ingredient for a cookie. Water does not add any flavor but it is used for bringing the dough together and for the crispiness. When water evaporates it acts as a raising agent, creating a crispier cookie.

Notes:

- I have tried the recipe with vegetable oil and coconut oil. I prefer vegetable oil, it gives a more crumbly texture, its easier to work with and it is cheaper. If you use vegetable oil definitely use vanilla to mask the vegetable ‘oily’ flavor

- The recipe suggests making a simple caramel. The caramel does not need to fully develop in the first step. The caramel will develop further during the baking process

- Sometimes the dough will be lumpy and sometimes it will be crumbly. However it turns out, do not be concerned. The lumpy bits are hardened caramel and it will melt during baking.

- The third step in the recipe involves mixing caramel and butter/oil. The caramel and butter/oil will not mix together but mixing vigorously will help to make the caramel slightly softer and it will also unstick it from the bottom of the pan

Crispy Caramel Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

½ cup butter, coconut oil or vegetable oil

1 cup water or milk (you will need more)

3 cups flour

1½ teaspoon baking powder

Vanilla essence (optional)

Directions

1. Boil water (or milk) and sugar in a saucepan, reduce heat to medium and continue cooking until the mixture starts to turn brown

2. Remove from heat, add butter or oil and mix vigorously with a wooden spoon until the caramel softens and unsticks from the bottom of the pan.

3. Add flour and baking powder and immediately mix vigorously. At this point the dough will be either crumbly or lumpy. If there are big lumps break it into smaller piece. These are the caramel chips. As the mixture cools it will harden slightly

4. Add just enough water (or milk) to bring the dough together. Work quickly to prevent the dough from absorbing too much water. If you add too much water by mistake don’t worry it will evaporate.

5. Form into balls, flatten and bake until golden, about 20-25 minutes.

Crispy Caramel Cookies

Brownie Cookies (Kladdkaka Cookies) Recipe

2011-11-20T17:17:00.003+01:00

Brownie Cookie

Chocolatey, rich, soft and crispy, that’s what you get when you combine a brownie and a cookie into one.

Sekespare cookies recipe

2011-11-17T15:22:00.008+01:00

Sekespare Cookies

Shakespeare spelt his name many different ways. One article notes 20 different spellings, however sekespare is not one of them. Sekespare, which is a Turkish cookie, has nothing to do with Shakespeare. Sekespare is no ordinary cookie though, even if it is made from ordinary standard ingredients. The cookies are soaked in syrup, just like baklavas.