11.17.2014

the secret ingredient.

{ apple pie - guest post }


i'm so happy to bring this guest post to you today! 




first let me introduce you to teresa, fashion blogger at tere's scrubs.


teresa is much more than a fashion blogger.

first of all, she is one my best and oldest friends.
she has always been there for me, no matter what. no differences in our personalities, teenage girl dramas or physical distance could tear us apart. and when i say she was always there for me, she really was - through the good and the bad, truly. sometimes crazy mad at each other, sometimes totally in the same wavelenght; through the tears and the laughter - and i try to be a nice person, but in reality my life has been very troublesome and i could not always keep it together; to compliment and rejoice success together but also to deliver very precise and well cut critics when it was needed. it is even funny how we can be so perfectly mind-tuned and have so many interests and points of view in common while we are quite different in so many ways (for starters, i'm the wear all black and neutrals kind of gal with an 'artist' mania and moodiness who never wanted to go to med school and has grown skeptical about romance) ;)

then she is also an amazing woman i am proud to be friends of. really... sometimes i wish i was like her! she is truly kind and caring, genuinely fun and very fair and honest with people, even though she can be very emotional (i am kind of the same, in a different way), she is super friendly and tolerant with all kinds of people (i think our friend-"family" has grown together to this tolerance due to the huge differences between us all!). and on top of that, she is a woman of success, who always struggled to get what she wanted and i am f— proud of her!! love you sis 

well i could keep on writting and it would not be enough. and no matter what, it would never be too lame either. she deserves it all.

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moving on to the part that most interests you, my foodie friends,... today she is invited for a guest post! yeah, she also likes to cook and bake - and she makes really beautiful things!

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i also asked her to answer some questions about herself, so you could get to know her a little better! she did a small step-by-step of her recipe too: how cool is that!? :)
hope you enjoy this post as much as i do!!

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Between Kitchens: up for a short interview?
Tere's Scrubs: Sure!
BK: what would you say if you had to describe yourself very shortly?
TS: I’m a 23 years old portuguese girl from a small town on the coast and am currently living in Barcelona. I’m studying medicine and I’m at my final year. I’m a very calm and sensitive person, I’m a dreamer, but also a hard-worker. I’m shy at first but once I get to know someone and like them I open up completely. I’m old-fashion and very romantic. I love my family, my boyfriend and my closest friends and always need them near me. I’m also very passionate about fashion, history, writing and reading old romances (sometimes I wish I had lived in the XIX century). Oh, and chocolate!


BK: Which five words would you pick to explain what matters the most for you?
TS: Family, loyalty, happiness, hard work and perseverance


BK: Where do you live? Tell us the three top things you like and dislike about the city! And if you did not live there, where would you like to live?
TS: Currently I live in Barcelona and been here for five years now.

What I like:
How open minded people are
The gardens and streets
There is always something to do everywhere

What I dislike:
The crowds, there is too many people, and sometimes makes me feel lonely
The two languages, it’s a mess!
How fast life moves here

I would like to live near my family and friends.


BK: How did you start cooking and baking? Who inspired you? How often do you bake desserts?
TS: I started very young, about 12 years old, baking some basic cakes, and then I started cooking meals and all sort of things. I like to brainstorm recipes but try to do something of my own. I was inspired by my mother, who is an excellent cook and by my grandmother, who made the most amazing desserts. When I’m at home, in Portugal, I bake a different dessert every Sunday because my family gets together and has a family-Sunday-lunch. Normally the main course is cooked by my mother and it’s usually a roast. I love that tradition and to see everyone enjoying my dessert.


BK: You have a blog of your own, but it is not about cooking... tell us a bit about it!
TS: My blog is mainly about fashion but also has a little bit of my personal life, cooking and all things in general. I always wanted to have a fashion blog but never had the courage to do it. I have always been very passionate about fashion and started to be even more when I once heard somebody I really like telling me “now that you study medicine and will be a doctor someday you should stop dressing so many skirts and acting more grown up”. That really hurt but also made me a strong defender that a woman can be whatever she wants. Why can’t I love fashion, wear skirts and make up and also be a good doctor?
So I finally had the courage to start the blog this summer, thanks to the encouragement of my boyfriend and my closest friends - and I’m really glad I did!
I don’t know exactly how much time I spend with it, probably too much! Between the photos, editing, writing the post, reading and commenting other blogs… I would say about 1 hour a day and probably 2 on the weekends. But I’m happy to spend my time doing something I really love.
My influences? I see a lot of blogs and am influenced by some of them, with street style, and also with movies.


BK: Do you enjoy having company in the kitchen or do you prefer to cook alone?
TS: I much rather prefer cooking with somebody else! I think cooking is a great social activity! I love helping my mother in the kitchen while talking about our day, I love cooking with my boyfriend and teach him how to do every step of the process (and he’s becoming a great cook!) and also love baking desserts in the company of my little sister, sometimes she helps me but most time she makes me laugh, it’s great!
When I’m cooking alone I like to put some music playing and just go with the rhythm.


BK: Tell us about a funny or sweet kitchen memory!
TS: One of the best kitchen moments for me were those nights were my girlfriends and I would gather at one of our friend’s house and cook together. It was so much fun! Inês and I usually would cook the main course helped by the others, we would put music on and talk and laugh non-stop. Then we would enjoy our meal that always tasted so delicious. I really miss those Saturday night dinners and us being all together. 


BK (side note): Me too - and I miss it so much!

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AND... on to the recipe!

TS: On my last Sunday at home before going to Barcelona I honoured my family-Sunday-lunch tradition and made, as usual, the dessert. And since it was my last Sunday for several weeks to come, I wanted to bake something new and surprising.
We had a lot of apples from my grandpa’s farm, so I decided to make apple pie, but with a touch of strudel, which I love so much.
And here’s the result ;)


'Apple Pie Playing Strudel'

Para fazer uma base de massa quebrada:
200g farinha
5 cl de água
50g de manteiga

1. Juntar a farinha com a manteiga derretida e colocar numa misturadora. Ir juntando a água aos poucos. Também se pode amassar com a mão, até ficar numa bola uniforme.

2. Envolver a massa em celofane e levar ao frigorífico durante 1 hora. Esta receita leva duas bases de massa, assim que faço duas bases separadas.

Para o recheio:
15 maçãs golden descascadas e cortadas em gomos finos
50g manteiga
Farinha para polvilhar
Canela a gosto

3. Enquanto as bases de massa quebrada estão no frigorífico, fazemos o recheio. Numa panela grande juntar os gomos de maçã e a manteiga derretida e levar a lume mínimo. A medida que a maçã vai amolecendo, polvilhar com canela e com farinha e ir envolvendo.
Quando a maçã tiver amolecido (mas não demasiado para não ficar em papa) retirar do lume.
4. Colocar uma das bases de massa quebrada numa forma redonda e depois colocar o recheio.
5. Agora vem a parte mais difícil, com a segunda base vamos estende-la com o rolo da massa e quando tiver as dimensões da forma, cortar a massa em tiras de mais ou menos 1cm de largura. Depois, ir colocando as tiras por cima como na imagem e ir cruzando-as.
No final, pincelar a parte de cima com uma gema de ovo para ficar com um ar mais amarelinho e tostado.
6. Levar ao forno durante uns 40min a 170ºC (pré-aquecido meia hora antes), ou até ficar levemente tostada.
E... saborear ;)





'Apple Pie Playing Strudel'

To make the pastry crust:
200g flour
5 cl of water
50g butter

1. Add the flour to the melted butter and place it in a blender. Slowly add water. You can also knead by hand until it forms a uniform ball.
2. Fold the batter in plastic foil and refrigerate for 1 hour. This recipe is enough for two layers of crust, so do two separate parts.

For the filling:
15 golden apples, peeled and cut into thin slices
50g butter
Flour for dusting
Cinnamon to taste

3. While the pastry bases are in the fridge, make the filling. In a large pot, bring together the apple slices and melted butter and place them over low heat. As the apple softens, sprinkle with cinnamon and flour while stirring. When the apples have softened (but not too much) remove from the heat.
4. Line the bottom of a round pan with one of the crust parts and pour the filling inside.
5. Now comes the tricky part, with the second crust part: extend it with a rolling pin and when you have the dimensions of the pan, cut the dough into strips, about 1cm wide. Then go putting the strips on top like in the picture and go across them. At the end, pass a brush with an egg yolk so the top will look more toasted and yellow.
6. Bake for about 40 minutes at 170°C (preheated half hour before), or until golden.
And... enjoy ;)

(stole this beautiful set of pictures from her blog too ^^)


Thank you chérie! 

Oh, and in case you haven't yet realized it... the secret ingredient is always love!
Wish you all a nice week :)

5 comments:

  1. ohhh my dearest! :) i just love it so much! :) and love you so, so much! :)
    17 years of friendship and much, much more to come! :) <3

    ReplyDelete
  2. Adoro tartes de maça e achei a tua tão linda
    Bj

    ReplyDelete
  3. Adoro tarte de maçã e esta está maravilhosa

    ReplyDelete
  4. Que linda ficou esta tarte de mação!! Adorei o aspeto.
    Bjn
    Márcia

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh, que delícia de post!
    Que bom que é ter amigas assim! Apesar de longe estão sempre perto uma da outra :)
    Gostei muito!
    Há gente muito idiota! Pq não dá para fazer tudo? Pq não ser uma boa médica e gostar de maquilhagem e de roupas? As pessoas têm mesmo que se focar só numa coisa? enfim... acho que ela fez muito bem! Já vou passar pelo blogue dela!
    Que bom que era cozinharem juntas e jantarem aos sábados! eheh
    Quanto à tarte ficou linda :)
    Um beijinho

    ReplyDelete