Jump to Recipe: Sweltering Peach Tomato Burrata Flatbreads

"Jump to recipe!" After my last post, I thought, why not offer something new to the blog to help those of us who are keen to get straight to the recipe without much fluff around a post.

Rhubarb Pistachio Frangipane Tart

Rhubarb, for many, is an acquired taste, often not acquired till adulthood. I did not acquire the taste until a few years after I moved to Germany. Rhubarb is the harbinger of springtime, and like Spring it is transient and delightful.

A Skywalk and a Lemon Scented Asparagus Egg Feldgieker Tart

On a Spring day in April, I packed my camera gear and props to make the roughly one-and-a-half-hour drive from Weimar to Eichsfeld. The weather was, as true to April's nature, fairly changeable. It was warm, my spirit was high and I was really looking forward to this trip. The district of Eichsfeld is a beautiful region in Thuringia, with its rolling hills and untouched nature, the landscape at times reminds me of something taken from the chapters of a Jane Austen book: a Nature of beauty and grace.

Chicken Tikka Masala Pizza

The basket brimming with fresh fruit, vegetables and a few early spring flowers are loaded into the boot of my car. It is a lovely sunny morning, the busy market place coming alive with fresh new colors of spring and throngs of people meander the cobblestone streets catching the first really warm rays of sun this year. With the boot of my car still open I sit on the fender, taking a minute to catch my breath and watch the bustle around me.

Cherry Pistachio Meringue Tart

To me it never really feels like summer until cherries arrive in the markets. Cherries announce the beginning of the stone-fruit season and for me this kicks-off my favorite fruit season of the year. For a short time cherries are the stars before apricots, peaches and plums arrive and take over front row.

Saint Martins Croissants | Martinshörnchen

Martinshörnchen are available only once a year. From November 10^th to 11^th bakeries in our region, especially around Weimar and Erfurt, offer these delightful pastries to eager customers who often line up in the early hours of the day to get their hands on the freshest pastries. Saint Martin Luther, after whom the croissants are named, was born on November 10^th 1483 and spent part of his life at the University of Erfurt and at Wartburg Castle in Eisenach here in Thuringia. 

Tomato Basil Tart with a Polenta Crust

I’m spoiling you with tomatoes again. You see, I’ve had a good crop and the harvest has been plentiful. After eating them mostly naked and then preserving them in various sauces, it was time to tart them up a little. Don’t tire of my tomato mania – not just yet. This tart deserves all your attention – it is so shamelessly good that anything less than your undivided attention will not do justice to it.

A Genoese Farinata, Photo Shoots and Travels to Far Away Places

 [Farinata | Image for Köstlich Vegetarisch Italian Special 04/2013]

Time has been speeding past me like a super-high speed jet. It’s like I am in a whirlwind, being sucked into the daily chores, replying to the many emails, the photo shoots, keeping up with the son who is getting more strong-willed and developing a distinct character, attending meetings, going to physiotherapy. It feels like I am scattered in a multitude of places all at once. I’m not complaining … it’s the way I function and it’s what my energy needs to keep it at the soaring level. However, I often feel that the days are getting shorter and I am being shortchanged with the hours in the day. Don’t you feel that too? .

Köstritzer Beef and Mushroom Pie

I disliked it the first time, finding it tedious and struggled my way through it for most of my school years. I had to work hard at it. For someone who had a sharp perception in every other area, I was not used to this kind of struggle. Had I known I’d have to go through it a second time I would have paid more attention the first time round. Fact is that I was so happy to skim through it, I never bothered looking back … or forward.

Honey Cinnamon Zwetschgen and Hazelnut Cream Tart

After my return from Dubai I was thinking of taking a few days out before jumping into the familiar high powered routine I usually have. We arrived just in time for a bank holiday in the middle of the week and there was nothing standing in the way of a few extra days of tranquility and lounging around the house recuperating from the intense eight days in Dubai. I was not tired nor did I feel drained, on the contrary I was full of energy and motivated, raring to shift into sixth gear and zoom ahead.

Heirloom Tomato Goat Cheese Galette with Anchovies, Olives and Capers

 

How did this happen? And how come it happened so soon? And am I really ready? Do I have a choice?
These were just a few of the many questions I silently turned in my head, thoughts whirling around causing a commotion. I knew however, that the time had come to let go of his hand a little more. We were entering a new phase: the Junior High School Phase.

French Strawberry Hazelnut and Creme Patissiere Tart

 

Could these possibly be the last of the strawberries for the year?

It seems not too long ago that we were just getting excited about the start of the strawberry season. Spending quite a few days at our pick-your-own strawberry farm on the way home from work and school became customary.

Smoked Cheddar Cheese and Asparagus Quiche

 
She was always very meticulous and precise in the kitchen, never a hint of chaos or hectic surrounding her. The perfect hostess at the several dinner parties held at the apartment overlooking the bay. Depending on the time of the day the sea shimmered all shades of blue and green. I would often watch her looking out of the large windows far into the horizon. In the kitchen she always looked so peaceful and in her element.

Christmas: Hazelnut Frangipane Tart with Quince Hazelnut Mincemeat

Have you all bought and packed your Christmas presents yet? Just 10 days till the big day, you know.

This whole week we have been getting deliveries from various sources bringing boxes of diverse items and with each new delivery the excitement intensifies. Keeping it all a secret is the most interesting part. 

Apricot and Pistachio Frangipane Tart

Dreams are magnificent journeys that never cost us anything, but are invaluable in the way they make us thrive, inspire us and push us to aspire for more. In our dreams we are strong, we are powerful, we are beautiful, creative and we are forever young. Our dreams have the power to make us feel like prevailing superheroes, an alluring vamp or just a love struck teenager with an incongruous crush.

Roasted Tomato Aubergine and Tahini Tart

 

Change.

It looks like such an elementary word written on a blank piece of paper. As my cursor blinked at the end of the word however, I realized the substantial weight change actually carries. We are never quite easy accepting a change in our lives, after all it means stepping out of a comfort zone, perhaps one we have known and accepted for all of our lives. Even if the change is one that is sought for and aspired towards, it still means taking a risk, grabbing an opportunity and doing it differently. Changes can be frightening, intimidating and compelling. Changes can also be refreshing, challenging and innovative.

Tarte Flambée: Zucchini, Fennel and Goat Cheese or Tomato, Zucchini and Feta Cheese

  

Incredible how fast the days have swept by.  Like the soft rains of April, sweet, refreshing and short, it has left a scent heavy with the sugary aftertaste of sweet friendship and a pungent fragrance of labored ventures. Before I could grasp it properly, this whisper of April has already vanished.

Roasted Pumpkin Aubergine Zucchini Tapenade Tarts with Buffalo Mozzarella

 
It started to snow on Monday. Big, fluffy flakes, so that now Weimar is under a slightly light white blanket. But it’s not going to stay for too long. The melt has already started, creating wet slushy roads and against a dull, grey backdrop the trees have lost the last of their colorful leaves.

Hello Winter! 

Lavender Cardamom Scented Flan de la Casa

   

One of the things I enjoy the most is creating a recipe on the spur of the moment. The ideas seem to emerge in my head and I feel the immediate urgency to capture these ideas in a creation.  

Honey Figs Gorgonzola and Prosciutto Crostata

  

This weekend I was able to create a milestone to call my own. A milestone that fills me entirely with pride and honor. This weekend I became a Godmother.