autumn aura. { gluten-free spiced pumpkin-carrot cupcakes with vanilla cream cheese frosting }

Miniature sized cupcakes are a whole lot of cute. I called these mini stunners 'autumn aura' because if autumn were a pallet of flavours, that of this cupcakes would be there, side by side with roasted chestnuts and pear compote. Behold the beauty of these tiny things, the dash of coconut on top lending them a snowish appeal. Bite into the delicious balance between a moist peppery pumpkin cake and a thick vanilla cream cheese frosting. And you wanna know what...? They are also gluten-free.

it's freaking snowing on my brunch. { gluten-free pumpkin kaiserschmarrn }

Kaiserschmarrn is a staple dessert in Austria and South Germany, where it recalls sweet memories from a day out skiing in the Alps. Basically a fluffy pancake that is shredded, caramelized, dusted with powdered sugar and typically served with plum or apple compote, it got its name from Kaiser Franz Joseph I of Austria, for his love of it. I am not Kaiser Franz Joseph, but I also love it. I had already had the though of making pumpkin pancakes this satuday, but some enlightenment suddenly came to me that this was what I ought to make: pick a famous recipe and turn it around by tossing pumpkin into it. And here it is. Kaiserschmarrn... reinvented!

they'll melt in your mouth and they're oh-so-addictive { apricot, almond and white chocolate brown butter blondies }

Melt-in-your-mouth summer blondies, with the irresistible taste of brown butter, packed with gooey white chocolate chunks, thinly sliced almond and fruity fresh apricot pieces. They are so wasy and quick to make, plus they take little time in the oven, which makes them the perfect comfort treat for when it is hot outside, yet the heart still asks for some warm pick-me-up. One warning though: they are extremely addictive!

Munich is a terribly moody city when it comes to the weather. Maybe someone has forgotten to explain this city how seasons should work, or maybe it's them who have forgotten the city at some point over the ages. Fact is: once more, spring has come and gone, summer is supposed to be back, yet, looking outside, nothing quite seem to prove it. That's fine for me now, I've grown fonder of this crazy weather, even if I miss our west coast summer and sea a little bit too much. Nonetheless, sunny days and good weather usually mean more smiles, more energy, and an overall better mood. If the weather and emotions are connected, one can definitely acknowledge Munich as a bipolar city.

tarte aux framboises { french raspberry tart }

When I was a toddler, and until I started elementary school, my then only brother and me had a very sweet french lady taking care of us and helping around the house. I have to admit that, besides her tanned face and her kind smile, which she managed to pull even when we young brothers had our share of fun plotting against her, I can't quite recall these days. They say we start collecting memories around that age, right? Well, I was a bit too young back then to remember everything clearly.

wait no longer - they're here and they're a handful. { three takes on the perfect thin, chewy and crisp cookie }

i know you've been waiting for this.

not one, not two, but THREE flavours of COOKIES.

and today i'm not even going to say much.

i am just going to say that you should definitely grab this recipe,

run to the kitchen, turn on your favourite music

- for me it was Hozier all along -

grab all the things you need

and just get your hands dirty with loads of butter and flour.

it will take a while, but it is, indeed,

totally worth it.

weil manchmal bin ich in lebkuchen verliebt. { lebkuchen }

so you thought Christmas was over!?

well... not with me!

you know me, I still have loads of recipes to share - and I am not keeping them until next Christmas -the end.

especially not with such one handsome model as my middle brother!

two-thousand-fifteen! { spekulatius bundt cake with cranberries, orange and almond }

my handsome 'little' bros and me wish you a happy new year 2015!
by my dearest pretty little stories

i am sorry i haven't been posting lately.
truth is... it's not like i haven't been cooking!


you've seen what i've been doing in the kitchen - i cannot lie.
i've got plenty of inspiring recipes to share with you, which have accumulated to a dramatic point over the last month, while i kept running around thinking about loads of other stuff, not without bearing a guilty tiny corner of mind, squeezing and twisting over the postponed blogger work.
it's just that every time i come to Portugal there's so much stuff to do that i don't know where to turn to anymore, and time seems to slip between my fingers. when i finally find myself staring at my laptop's overly bright screen, it's most likely three in the morning and, despite the intensity of the light, i'm already having trouble keeping my eyes open.

in any case, i decided that even if i cannot find the right words - you have no clue how demanding i am with writting, particularly my own! - and even if there was no recipe attached, i would not keep myself from posting in the first day of the year... especially because this post was already meant for yesterday... uups!

schwarzwälder. { black forest cheesecake }

i don't always bake cake every other day

or even once a week.

but when i do

i feel this urge to expand myself

in terms of kind, composition and flavour.

took this cake to the office today

♥

the eternal trilogy mac. { neapolitan macarons }

guess what: i got a job!

(no... not cooking... as an architect...)

this comes out as a little menacing to the blog,

maybe i'll have less time to bake/cook/post...

but don't worry. i'm not going anywhere.

i'll keep bringing you goodies ♥

definitely.

my one and only french lover ♥ the macaron { lady grey macarons with salted caramel }

an adventure yet to be over

(uma aventura que está longe do fim)

but there's fluffy clouds on my cake! { almond meringue cheesecake }

It was a cold and rainy winter back home.

I mean... it seemed as all the rain that hadn't been falling over the previous year suddenly came pouring down like crazy. Somehow, it was synchronized with my heart.

Christmas lights were kind of dim that year, but my eyes were dazzled anyway.

I kept my feet near the fireplace, but my mind couldn't help but wandering. Thoughts of other places and other times, which now feel so far away.
Eventually, Christmas would go by, the tingling lights would be switched off, the carols would mute and the magic would fade away.

But, at that time, my mind was only stuck on a piece of cake I had had not long before.

Cheesecake Merengado com Amêndoa

- 1 embalagem e meia de bolacha Maria

- 75g de manteiga

- 2 embalagens de Philadelphia

- 200ml de natas frescas

- 75g de açúcar

- 3 ovos

- 1 colher de sopa de Licor Beirão

- 5 claras

- uma pitada de sal

- 5 colheres de sopa de açúcar

- uma mão cheia de amêndoa laminada

Preparar a base, reduzindo as bolachas a pó e misturando com a manteiga derretida,

Comprimir a base contra o fundo e lados de uma forma de fundo amovível e levar ao frigorífico,

Bater as natas,

Bater o queijo com o açúcar e incorporar as natas e o licor com um salazar,

Bater os ovos à parte e incorporar aos poucos na mistura,

Verter sobre a base e levar ao forno pré-aquecido a 170ºC durante cerca de 40 minutos. Não deve ficar demasiado cozinhado.

Deixar arrefecer no forno o máximo de tempo possível (o meu ficou uma noite),

Desenformar,

Preparar o merengue: bater as claras com o sal e juntar aos poucos o açúcar, batendo sempre,

Espalhar sobre a base, de preferência de  forma a que prenda à massa de bolacha dos lados,

Espalhar a amêndoa laminada por cima e levar ao forno pré-aquecido a 170ºC durante cerca de 25 min.

Almond Meringue Cheesecake

- 275g Maria biscuits (or other biscuits)

- 75g butter

- 400g Philadelphia

- 200ml heavy cream

- 75g sugar

- 3 eggs

- 1 tbsp Licor Beirão liquor

- 5 egg whites

- pinch of salt

- 5 tbsp sugar

- a handful of laminated almonds

Prepare the crust, crumbling the biscuits down to powder and mixing with the melted butter,

Press the batter against the bottom and sides of a removable bottom pan and place in the refrigerator,

Whip the cream,

In another bowl, beat cheese with sugar and fold in the cream and liquor,

Whisk the eggs and carefully mix them into the cheese,

Pour over the crust and bake at 170ºC for about 40 minutes,

Let cool for a long time in the oven, like overnight,

Remove from the baking pan,

Prepare the meringue: whisk egg whites with salt until creamy, then add sugar bit by bit until stiff,

Spread over the base, sticking it to the crust on the sides,

Sprinkle with the almond and place in the oven at 170ºC for about 25 min.

A Random Healthy Lunch

(este post tinha desaparecido não sei porquê! this post was missing, I don't know why!)

Hoje vou deixar duas sugestões de receitas leves e rápidas, de utilização de carne de frango já preparada, que no meu caso foi a que restou do jantar de kebabs.

Today I'm posting two light and quick meal ideas, using leftover chicken, which in my case came from the kebabs.

Galinha com Amêndoas
(versão light e rápida)
Ingredientes:

- carne de frango já cozinhada (assada, cozida, grelhada) sem sabores fortes

- azeite q.b.

- 2 dentes de alho, picados

- ½ cebola, picada

- 1 tomate maduro, picado

- 25g de amêndoas com pele

- piri-piri

- vinagre balsâmico

- molho de soja

- sal e pimenta

Preparação:

1) Demolhar as amêndoas em água fervida no microondas e pelar,

2) Saltear a cebola em azeite,

3) Juntar o alho, o tomate, os molhos e temperos e cozinhar levemente,

4) Juntar a carne e as amêndoas e deixar aquecer,

5) Servir com uma salada fresca ou couve salteada em alho e azeite.

Chicken with Almonds
(light and quick)
Ingredients:

- leftover chicken (grilled, roasted, boiled...) with no strong seasoning

- olive oil q.b.

- 2 garlic cloves, chopped

- ½ onion, chopped

- 1 ripe tomato, chopped

- 25g almonds

- tobasco sauce

- balsamic vinegar

- soy sauce

- salt and pepper

Preparation:

1) Soak the almonds into hot water, peel,

2) Saltear a cebola em azeite,

3) Juntar o alho, o tomate, os molhos e temperos e cozinhar levemente,

4) Juntar a carne e as amêndoas e deixar aquecer,

5) Servir com uma salada fresca ou couve salteada em alho e azeite.