Negresa cu cireșe (Cherry Brownies)

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          Luna aceasta provocarea "Dulce Romanie" a fost gazduita de draguta de Antonina, care a propus ca ingrediente principale menta si cireșele. Cum eu nu sunt fan prea mare al mentei, decat in ceai si alte cateva bauturi, am ales sa fac ceva delicios si anume negresa cu cireșe cu care sa particip la provocare. Cred ca este o dulcegarie minunata care scoate in relief foarte tare aroma cireșelor dulci, iar in combinatie cu ciocolata este fantastica!
         Am cautat pe net retete pentru brownie si cea care mi-a placut cel mai mult a fost cea vazuta la Clipe dulci si parfumate, arata spectaculos! Negresa mi-a iesit superb, desi o idee mai amara decat mi-ar fi placut, am fost atat de concentrata la reteta, incat am uitat sa verific cat de dulce e inainte sa o pun la cuptor, dar lasand la o parte asta a fost delicioasa, ciocolatoasa si aromata exact cum trebuie sa fie, un desert pacatos! Mirosul din casa era to die for, nu alta, iar atunci cand imbuci din ea, papilele gustative sunt inundate de combinatia de arome dintre ciocolata si cireșe, mmmm, divin! pentru cei care iubiti ciocolata este un MUST sa incercati reteta!
         This month Romania's "Sweet Challenge" was hosted by Antonina, who chose Mint and Cherries as main ingredients. Since I'm not a huge fan of Mint, other than maybe tea and a couple more drinks, I chose to use Cherries to make a Cherry Brownie for this challenge. I think it's a wonderful dessert which brings out the flavour from the sweet cherries, and combined with chocolate it's fantastic!
         I've been browsing the web for a brownie recipe and I found one that I liked most at Clipe dulci si parfumate, it looks spectacular! My Cherry Brownie turned out beautifully, though a little more bitter than I wanted it, I was so concentrated following the recipe that I forgot to taste the batter before I placed it in the oven, but besides that it was delicious, with lots of chocolate as it should be, a sinful dessert! The smell was to die for, and the moment you took a bite, your taste buds were flooded with the combination of flavors between chocolate and cherries, mmmmm, divine! for those of you who love chocolate this recipe is a MUST!

Ingrediente/Ingredients:      


120 g unt la temp camerei/120 g butter at room temp
150 g faina/150 g all purpose flour
150 g zahar/150 g sugar
3 oua/3 eggs
200 g iaurt simplu sau cu cireșe/200 g plain or cherry yogurt
4 linguri cacao/4 tablespoons with cocoa
100 g ciocolata neagra taiata bucatele/100 g chopped dark chocolate
300 g cireșe fara samburi/300 g pitted cherries
1/2 lta praf de copt/1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
1 vf de sare/1 pinch of salt
  
Cum se face/How it's made:  


Nota:   Pentru o negresa delicioasa, va recomand sa folositi cacao de calitate foarte buna (eu aveam de la Hersheys) si ciocolata de minim 70% continut de cacao. Daca vreti sa aiba un gust mai dulce si nu usor amarui, va recomand sa folositi ciocolata cu lapte in loc de ciocolata neagra, cu mentiunea ca va fi mai deschisa la culoare desigur.
Note:   For a delicious brownie I recommend you use good quality cocoa (I had Hersheys) and chocolate with minimum 70% cocoa. If you prefer a sweeter brownie not bitter-sweet, I recommend you replace the dark chocolate with milk chocolate, with the note that the color will be lighter obvious.


Mai intai spalam foarte bine ciresele si le scoatem samburii (eu am avut unealta pt asta)
We first wash the cherries and remove the pit of each cherry with a cherry pitter.

Intr-un bol mare, amestecam untul aflat la temperatura camerei cu zaharul, pana devine ca o crema si incorporam treptat galbenusurile.
In a large bowl we mix the butter with the sugar until we obtain a smooth cream and we slowly add the yolks in one at a time.

       
Adaugam iaurtul, in cazul meu iaurt de cireșe si amestecam.
We add the yogurt, in my case cherry yogurt and we mix.

Intr-un bol separat combinam faina cu cacao, praf de copt si sare si incorporam treptat ingredientele uscate la compozitia de unt.
In a separate bowl we combine the flour with the cocoa, salt and baking powder and we gently fold the dry ingredients in the butter mixture.          

Adaugam ciocolata taiata bucati iar apoi albusurile batute spuma, incorporand usor (era sa uit de ciocolata :)))
We add the chopped chocolate and after that the whipped egg whites slowly folding them in the mixture (I almost forgot about the chocolate :))0

Tapetam o tava cu unt si faina si intindem frumos compozitia de negresa.(tava mea are 33x22 cm) si adaugam ciresele scurse de zeama si fara samburi.
We grease and flour a baking pan and we spread the brownie batter evenly.(my pan is 33x22 cm) and we add the drained and pitted cherries.

Introducem in cuptorul preincalzit la 175 grade pentru 25-30 minute (eu am lasat doar 22 minute), cu mentiunea ca negresa nu trebuie lasata mult in cuptor sa nu se usuce; e gata cand introduceti o scobitoare in mijloc si iese fara aluat pe ea, dar totusi umeda.
We place the pan in the preheated oven at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes (I left it for 22 min), with the note that the brownie doesn't have to stay in the oven too much, because it gets dry; it's ready when a wooden toothpick inserted in the middle comes out without any batter on it, but still moist.

O scoatem din cuptor, o lasam sa se raceasca pe un gratar si o taiem dreptunghiuri.
We remove it from the oven, we let it cool down on a rack and we slice it in rectangle cuts.

Delicios, o sa va lingeti pe degete!
Delicious, you'll lick your fingers!

Checul este umed, ciocolatos si aromat la maxim!
The brownie is moist, packed with melted chocolate and lots of flavour!         

Si acum atacam!!! Bon appetit mes amis!
And now we attack!!! Bon appetit mes amis!

                        

Prajitura Snickers (Snickers Cake)

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           Anul acesta de Paste, ca desert am facut  pe langa Choux à la crème Baileys si prajitura Snickers, singura prajitura pe care o fac la fiecare sarbatoare negresit caci e preferata sotului meu :) Cand il intreb de ce o vrea de fiecare data, imi spune ca e combinatia perfecta de blat cu crema caramel cu alune prajite din belsug, iar straturile de ciocolata o fac sa fie un desert ciocolatos super ultra mega gustos, foarte similara la gust cu ciocolata Snickers, de unde i se trage si numele :) Pana si mie imi place, eu care cum v-am mai spus, nu sunt fan ciocolata in prajituri, dar recunosc ca pentru mine crema de caramel face totul! Doar sa o incercati o data si va zic ca va deveni si preferata voastra :)
          Am auzit si vazut multe variante de prajitura Snickers, dar eu doar pe aceasta o fac de fiecare data, e perfecta! Imediat ce papilele gustative explora aroma dementiala, va zic ca uitati de toate de pe lumea aceasta  :))
Reteta o am de la mama unui amic de al nostru, este simplu de facut, doar sa respectati toti pasii...
          This year on Easter, for dessert I've made besides Choux à la crème Baileys, Snickers cake, the only cake that I make for all holidays, since it's my husband's favourite :) When I ask him why he wants it every time, he tells me that it has the perfect combination between lots of caramel with toasted peanuts and chocolate layers that makes this cake a delicious chocolate desert, very similar with Snickers chocolate, by which it was named :) Even I like it, I told you I'm not a fan of chocolate in desserts, but I have to admit that for me caramel does all the job here! Just wait until you try it once, and I'm telling you, it's going to be one of your favorites as well :)

          I've heard and seen many versions for Snickers cake, but I always make this one, it's just perfect! When you take a bite, your taste buds start to explore the amazing flavour and they make you forget about this world :)) I've got the recipe from the mother of one of our friends, it's very easy to make, you just have to follow the steps...

Ingrediente/Ingredients:

 Pt blat/For the cake:
  7 albusuri/7 egg whites
  7 linguri zahar/7 tablespoons sugar
  200 g nuca macinata/200 g ground walnuts
  4 linguri faina/4 tablespoons flour
  1 lingurita praf de copt/1 teaspoon baking powder

 Pt glazura 1/For glaze no1: 
  200 g ciocolata alba/200 g white chocolate
  2 linguri ulei/2 tablespoons with oil

Pt crema/For the caramel cream:
  10 linguri zahar/10 tablespoons sugar
  200 g unt/200 g butter
  7 galbenusuri/7 egg yolks
  200 g alune prajite (eu am pus arahide)/200 g hazelnuts (I've used peanuts)

Pt glazura 2/For glaze no 2:
  200 g ciocolata cu lapte (sau neagra)/200 g milk chocolate (or dark)
  2 linguri ulei/2 tablespoons with oil

Cum se face/How it's made:

Pt blat:  preincalzim cuptorul la 180 grade si tapetam o tava cu hartie de copt.
Separam albusurile de galbenusuri si batem albusurile spuma. Adaugam zaharul treptat si batem pana se topeste. Adaugam nuca macinata amestecata cu faina si cu praful de copt, si incorporam cu o lingura usor, fara a apasa compozitia.

We preheat the oven at 360 degrees and we prepare a baking pan with parchment paper.

We beat the egg whites with a mixer and we add the sugar one tablespoon at a time, until it's well mixed.

We add the ground walnuts mixed with flour and baking powder, folding it gently with a spoon into the batter.

Intindem bezeaua in tava tapetata si introducem in cuptor pentru aproximativ 20-25 minute (depinde de cuptor).

We place the batter in the baking pan and we place the pan in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.

Cand blatul este usor rumenit, scoateti tava din cuptor si lasati-l sa se raceasca pe un gratar.

When the dough is golden brown we remove it from the oven and leave it to cool on a rack.

Pt glazura 1:
Intr-un vas pe aburi topim 200 g ciocolata alba cu 2 linguri ulei, amestecam bine si turnam peste blatul racit si o intindem frumos.

For glaze 1:

We melt the white chocolate by steam bath and we pour the chocolate on the cooled dough and we level it nicely. 

Dam la rece pana se intareste ciocolata total. (Eu o pun de obicei in congelator, sa se intareasca mai repede, daca nu respectati pasul acesta riscati ca ciocolata alba sa se amestece cu crema).

Intre timp ne ocupam de crema:

Intr-o craticioara caramelizam cele 10 linguri de zahar la foc mic.

We place the cake in the fridge (or freezer) until the chocolate is hard. 9i usually put it in the freezer, so it gets hard quickly).

For the caramel cream:

We place 10 tablespoons of sugar in a pot on low heat, until it's completely melted and caramelised.

 Cand zaharul e topit complet, adaugam untul, amestecam si lasam sa fiarba la foc mic, pana cand untul se amesteca cu zaharul topit.

We add the butter, we mix and we let it boil until it's all mixed very well.

Amestecam galbenusurile cu cele 2 linguri de zahar si le adaugam la crema de caramel impreuna cu alunele prajite.

We mix the egg yolks with the 2 tablespoons with sugar and we add them to the caramel with the peanuts.

Amestecam continuu si lasam sa fiarba pana cand crema incepe sa se ingroase. Ar trebui sa arate cam asa:

We stir continuously until the cream starts to thicken. It should look like this:

Dam la frigider pana cand crema e complet racita (eu o pun in congelator)
Cand e complet rece intindem crema peste blat. (daca crema nu e rece, va topi glazura alba)

We place the cream in the fridge (or freezer) and when it's completely cold, we place it on the cake. 

Dam la rece din nou prajitura, pentru ca crema sa se intareasca.
Pt glazura 2: topim ciocolata neagra cu 2 linguri de ulei pe aburi si o intindem peste crema de caramel.
We level it nicely and we place it back in the fridge, so it gets really thick. 
For glaze no 2: we melt the dark chocolate and we pour it on the cake (when the cake is really cold), leveling it nicely. 

Dam la rece pentru cel putin 4 ore. Servim cu multa multa pofta!!!

We place the cake back in the fridge for at least 4 hours. We serve with lots of appetite!

Alunele se pot inlocui cu migdale, nuca prajita sau fistic dupa gust. Va recomand sa cumparati ciocolata de calitate.
You can replace the peanuts with almonds, walnuts or pistachio if you prefer :) I recommend using quality chocolate.

Va zic ca nu va puteti opri din mancat :))
You just can't stop eating :))

Mai de aproape, yummylicious!!! Mi-e o pofta cand vad pozele din nou :)
Closer, yummy!!! I'm drooling when I see these pictures :)

Choux à la crème Baileys (Profiteroles with Baileys Cream)

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Please scroll down for English version


            Pentru sarbatoarea de Paste de anul acesta am preparat doar 2 prajituri (am fost doar eu si sotul meu anul acesta): Prajitura Snickers si Choux à la crème.  Am tot evitat sa fac choux-uri caci mi se pareau migaloase, iar eu sunt genul care prefera sa faca un tort decat prajiturele mici :)) pentru ca sotul meu m-a tot batut la cap sa fac ceva cu multa crema, am zis ca e momentul potrivit pentru a le incerca, si bine am facut, caci au fost delicioase!!! Sa detaliem putin ce reprezinta aceste prajiturele...
            Choux à la crème, sau forma mini rotunda a eclerelor, reprezinta un desert frantuzesc ce are la baza tipul de aluat fiert sau pâte à choux, din care se formeaza bile mici ce se dau la cuptor, umplute ulterior cu crema de diferite tipuri, frisca sau inghetata si glazurate cu sos de ciocolata sau diferite toppinguri. Ele pot fi folosite si pe baza de aperitiv, fiind umplute cu creme sarate, de branza, sau peste, etc...
           Pentru ca eu nu ma omor dupa crema patisera care se utilizeaza de obicei, am adaugat in crema Baileys Irish Cream, un lichior foarte aromat care ne place mult, iar choux-urile le-am glazurat cu dungi de ciocolata topita. A iesit o nebunie!!! niste gogosele frumoase cu multa crema ce ti se topesc in gura, iar aroma de Baileys este superba!
Fiind prima data ca le fac, m-am inspirat dupa reteta ce am vazut-o la Andreea de la Dimineti Insorite, pe care am modificat-o dupa gustul meu. Multumesc Andreea pentru inspiratie!

Ingrediente:

 Pt aluat:
   250 ml apa
   100 g unt
   150 g faina
   4 oua
   1/4 lingurita sare

 Pt crema:
   120 g zahar pudra
   4 galbenusuri
   80 g faina
   450 ml lapte
   100 g unt
   vanilie
   50 ml Baileys

 Pt glazura:
   100 g ciocolata

Cum se face:

Incepem cu aluatul: punem la fiert apa cu untul si sarea, pana cand untul este topit si incepe sa fiarba.

Adaugam toata faina odata, luam de pe foc si amestecam bine continuu pana cand aluatul incepe sa se dezlipeasca de pe peretii cratitei. Incepea sa se ingroase:

Cand incepe sa se intareasca putin mai tare aluatul e gata, il dam deoparte sa se raceasca putin pana cand putem tine un deget in el fara eforturi mari.

Cand aluatul s-a racit putin, incepem sa adaugam cate un ou pe rand, amestecand foarte bine inainte de a-l pune pe urmatorul.

Dupa ce am incorporat toate ouale, ne pregatim sa facem gogoselele.
Preincalzim cuptorul la 185 grade si tapetam o tava intinsa cu hartie de copt. Cu o lingura sau utilizand o punga posh incepem sa punem in tava gramajoare mici spiralate din aluatul obtinut (sau betisoare daca vrem sa obtinem forma de eclere) cu o distanta intre ele, pentru ca se umfla destul de tare in cuptor.

Dam tava la cuptor pentru aproximativ 25 de minute, pana cand choux-urile sunt frumos rumenite. Nu se deschide usa la cuptor in pimele 15 minute, altfel riscam ca gogoselele sa se dezumfle. Cand sunt gata, le scoatem din cuptor si le punem pe un gratar pentru racire.

Le taiem cu cutitul pe orizontala, pentru a fi umplute mai apoi cu crema.
Ne apucam de crema: Punem la fiert laptele cu vanilie.
Intr-un bol amestecam galbenusurile cu zaharul pudra pana cand obtinem o crema alba. Adaugam treptat faina.

Adaugam laptele fiert, amestecam bine si punem la foc mic amestecand continuu, pana se ingroasa ca o budinca. Adaugam untul si amestecam.

 Adaugam cei 50 ml de Baileys si amestecam.(data viitoare pun mai mult)

Lasam crema sa se raceasca de tot, iar apoi umplem choux-urile.

Punem ciocolata bucati intr-o punga pe aburi pana se topeste, taiem un varf mic si glazuram choux-urile frumos.

Servim cu multa pofta :)  Bon appetit!

Mai de aproape...

Sectiune...

Crema delicioasa ce va va innebuni :)

       

English version            

               This year for Easter I've made 2 desserts: Snickers and Choux à la crème (we were just the two of us). I kept avoiding to prepare profiteroles because I thought they were a lot of work and I'm the type of girl that prefers to make a whole cake than small cookies :)) since my husband kept asking me to make something with lots of cream, I thought it would be the perfect moment to try the profiteroles, and it was a good decision, cause they were delicious! Let's see what profiteroles are...
               Choux à la crème, cream puffs, profiteroles or the mini shape of éclairs, are a French pastry that is made with pâte à choux, or choux pastry that is modeled into small puffs placed in the oven, filled with all sorts of cream, whipped cream, or ice cream, and topped with different sauces, like chocolate and caramel, etc. They can be also great appetizers when they're filled with salty cream, like a cheese cream, etc.
               Because I'm not a fan of pastry cream which is usually used to fill the profiteroles, I've added Baileys Irish Cream in the pastry cream base, since we love Baileys and I glazed the profiteroles with strips of melted chocolate. It resulted something amazing!!! beautiful profiteroles with lots of cream that just melt in your mouth, with a superb flavour of Baileys!
Being my first time to make these delicious cream puffs, I used Andreea's recipes from Dimineti Insorite as a guide, which I modified just a little. Thank you Andreea for the insipration!
               

Ingredients:   

 For the choux pastry:

   250 ml water

   100 g butter

   150 g flour

   4 eggs

   1/4 teaspoon salt

 For the Bailey's cream:

   120 g icing sugar

   4 egg yolks

   80 g flour

   450 ml milk

   100 g butter

   vanilla

   50 ml Baileys 

 For the topping:

   100 g chocolate

How it's made:

We start with the choux pastry: In a pot we pour the water, we add the butter and the salt and we place the pot on low heat until the butter melts and the liquid starts to boil.

We put all the flour at once in the pot, we remove the pot from the heat and we mix continuously until the dough comes off the pot walls.

We leave the dough to cool down a little bit. The dough is ready when we insert a finger in it and it's not burning our finger.

We start adding one egg at a time, mixing very well the dough before we add the next one.

We preheat the oven at 370 degrees and we place some baking paper in a baking tray.

With a spoon or with a piping bag we place small balls from the dough in the baking tray, making sure we leave some space between them, they will increase their volume in the oven.

We place the tray in the preheated oven for 25 minutes (or more) until the choux are golden brown on top. We do not open the oven in the first 15 minutes, or otherwise the choux will flatten!!!

When they're cooked, we remove them from the tray and we place them on a rack to cool completely.

We half the choux horizontally.

For the cream:

We place the milk in a pot and we place it on low heat until it starts to boil.

We mix very well the egg yolks with the sugar, until we get a white cream.

We add the flour and after that the milk, we stir very well and we place the obtained creamy liquid on low heat. We stir continuously until the cream starts to thicken, like a pudding.

We add the butter and we mix very well.

We add Baileys and we mix again, leaving the cream to cool down completely.

We fill the choux with the obtained cream.

We melt the chocolate and we glaze the choux with strips.

Delicious! Bon appetit!

Magic bars

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          Am aflat de aceasta prajitura cu mult timp in urma de la o amica si dupa ce am preparat-o am uitat de ea, caci trebuie sa recunosc ca nu sunt un fan ciocolata in prajituri :) am o reala problema cand vreau sa cumpar ceva de la un coffee shop pe aici prin Toronto, aproape toate prajiturelele au glazura de un fel sau altul, iar cand intreb de ceva fara zahar deasupra, deci "plain", se uita ciudat la mine :) cu o privire care zice "cum poti sa nu iubesti toppingul?" :))
         Ca sa revin la subiect, din cand in cand mai fac cate ceva cu ciocolata pentru sotul meu, sau ca mi se pune pata pe cine stie ce desert ce vreau sa il incerc. Magic bars sau Prajitura Magica, face parte din experimentele mele, si imi place tare mult caci e o combinatie foarte potrivita intre biscuite, cocos, nuci si ciocolata, similara cu batoanele Snickers. Se pastreaza foarte bine, si are un gust deosebit pentru cat de simplu se prepara. Reteta exacta (eu am modificat-o o idee) o vazusem la DiamondLovesCuisine care mi-a reamintit de ea, va sugerez sa ii vizitati blogul, este o fata extraordinara cu niste maini de aur!
           I found out about this recipe a long time ago from a friend of mine and after I made it myself, I totally forgot about it, since I have to admit I'm not really a huge fan of desserts that contain chocolate :) I have a real problem when I want to buy something from a coffee shop here in Toronto, almost all cookies have a glaze of some kind, and if I ask about something "plain", without any sugar on top, I get a funny look that says "How can you not love toppings?" :))

          Getting back to the point, from time to time, I do make chocolate desserts for my husband, or because I really wanna try some new recipe. Magic Bars are one of my experiments which I enjoy since it has a very good combination between crackers, coconut, nuts and chocolate, similar to Snickers. It's very tasty and lasts for days. I saw the exact recipe at DiamondLovesCuisine, who reminded me of Magic Bars, I really recommend her amazing blog, she's a lovely girl with golden hands!

Ingrediente/Ingredients:

 Pt  1 tava 23x23/ For 23/23 pan size:

   120 g unt/120 g butter
   150 g biscuiti (eu am avut cu miere)/150 g graham crumbs
   100 g cocos/100 g coconut flakes
   150 g ciocolata fulgi/150 g chocolate chips
   100 g nuci/100 g walnuts
   400 ml lapte condensat/400 ml condensed milk



Cum se face/How it's made:


Atentie! Nu apasati sau amestecati straturile, doar presaram un strat peste altul si introducem in cuptor.
Topim untul la microunde si il turnam in tava.

Attention! We do not press the layers, or mix anything, just make layers and place in the oven.

We first melt the butter and we pour it in the pan.

Zdrobim bine biscuitii si ii presaram peste unt intr-un strat uniform, fara sa apasam.

On the melted butter, we place the cracker crumbs evenly.

Peste biscuiti presaram fulgii de cocos cat mai uniform.

We add the coconut on top evenly.

 Peste cocos punem ciocolata fulgi, eu am cumparat bobite mici de ciocolata, dar puteti sa  taiati bucatele ciocolata daca preferati (nu va recomand sa razuiti ciocolata)

We place the chocolate chips evenly, you can chop some chocolate if you like.

Peste ciocolata intindem in start uniform nuca taiata bucati mici.(puteti inlocui cu alune de padure sau migdale)

We add the chopped walnuts on top of the chocolate chips evenly.(you can replace the walnuts with hazelnuts or almond)

Peste nuca, intindem in start cat mai uniform laptele condensat (eu am avut conserva de 300 ml, aici asa sunt toate, si a iesit mai uscata putin prajitura, va recomand sa puneti 400 ml!)

We pour condensed milk all over the pan (I suggest you use 400 ml condensed milk, I only had 300 ml, and it was a little bit dry)

Introducem tava in cuptorul preincalzit la 180 grade timp de 20-25 minute, pana incepe sa se rumeneasca putin; la mine a stat o idee cam mult.

We place the pan in the preheated oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until it starts to golden brown a little; mine stayed in the oven a little bit more than it had to.

Lasati sa se raceasca complet si taiati dupa preferinta. Eu am pus tava putin in frigider, ca sa se taie mai bine.
O puteti pastra in frigider pentru mai multe zile, dupa o zi parca e si mai buna!

We remove the pan from the oven and let it cool off. We can place it in the fridge a little so it's easier to slice.

We slice it as we please. You can keep it in the fridge for days, because it gets better with each day, if it resists that long :))

Foarte simplu de facut iar daca aveti copii, cu siguranta va disparea repejor din farfurii :) Bon appetit!

It's very easy to make and  if you have children the bars will disappear in no time :)) Bon appetit!

Sper sa va placa! Bon appetit!
Hope you enjoy!