let me introduce you your new favourite everyday summer treat { watermelon-strawberry slush }

It's 35ºC outside and maybe even way over it inside your house, you're feeling close to fainting, sweating and panting whenever you have to move a finger... so what now? Just whip youself up this all-natural delicious slush. Luscious, with a vibrant red colour, it's pretty perfect. No need to add colourants.

A couple of days ago, so to speak, I decided I could wait no longer to go back to freezing fruit. I started doing it some years ago when I was at my parents' over the summer, mostly to produce creamy banana ice creams, slowly destroying their blender with rock-like pieces of banana, strawberries, blueberries, or whatever crossed my mind that day. However, since I moved to Germany, I haven't had the chance to use a REAL blender, for all I've got is a feeble cheap hand blender that I bought at the supermarket, which main function is actually spilling soup all around my kitchen. Not funny.

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.

a love affair with braided berries ♥ { strawberry raspberry bread braid }

You can call me crazy, but I have no shame in admitting that I love winter thunderstorms and rain, particularly at night and especially (of course, but not only) when I'm home, cozying up in the couch, underneath thick blankets and with a huge cup of freshly brewed tea nearby.

But there is one thing I like even more: those days (and many of them are left by these stormy nights) when you wake up to a bright sunshine and a deep blue sky, that almost make you forget how it is less than ten degrees celsius outside, because you can have breakfast in the balcony wearing a t-shirt as if it was summer.

Extra points if that day is a sunday ♥

Silk. { pannacotta with balsamic strawberry sauce and blueberries }

Still on Italian dinners done by a portuguese for italians...

Pannacotta com Coulis de Morango Balsâmico e Mirtillos

- 500ml de natas frescas (30-35% gordura)

- 100ml de leite

- 4-5 colheres de sopa de açúcar

- baunilha

- 9g de gelatina em pó

- 300g de morangos, partidos em pedaços

- 1 colher de sobremesa de vinagre balsâmico

- 4-5 colheres de sopa de açúcar

- 1 colher de sobremesa de sumo de limão

Dissolver a gelatina em quatro colheres de sopa de água quente, reservar,

Misturar as natas, o leite, o açúcar e a baunilha numa caçarola,

Levar ao lume a espessar, sem deixar ferver,

Quando as natas estiverem mais espessas, juntar e dissolver completamente a gelatina,

Verter num pyrex,

Deixar arrefecer e levar ao frigorífico durante, pelo menos, três horas,

Deitar todos os ingredientes do coulis numa caçarola e levar ao lume a espessar até atingir a consistência desejada,

Guarnecer com o coulis e com os mirtilhos.

Pannacotta with Balsamic Strawberry Sauce and Blueberries

- 500ml heavy cream (30-35% fat)

- 100ml milk

- 4-5 tbsp sugar

- vanilla

- 9g powder gelatin

- 300g strawberries, chopped

- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

- 4-5 tbsp sugar

- 1 tbsp lemon juice

Melt gelatin in 4 tbsp warm water, set aside,

Combine cream, milk, sugar and vanilla in a saucepan,

Take to medium heat to thicken, stirring and not boiling,

When cream becomes thicker mix in the gelatin,

Pour in a pyrex,

Let cool and place in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours,

Cook all the ingredients of the sauce over medium heat until thick, let cool,

Pour over the pannacotta and sprinkle with strawberries.

raw and ravishing. { salmon tartare with balsamic strawberries and yogurt sauce }

Thesis on hold... for now I have an headache on fire.

Hi! I would like to welcome all the people who just recently started visiting my page ;) And thank all those who keep me going!

Talking about that... Sometimes people really inspire me without even knowing it. And this post is a bit about it.

I put a hold on the party recipes series to present this dinner I made at home back before Easter for me and my lovely brothers.

You know... I thought they would really hate it.

I had just arrived in Aveiro from Munich and both my parents were travelling to different corners of the world. There was some salmon in the fridge that was somehow meant to be grilled.

Of course it didn't turn that way. Thing is: I prefer raw salmon 1000x over the cooked one. And it's always impossible to try daring - read unconventional upon sight - recipes when I'm cooking for my parents, so I shortly convinced my brothers we would try something different ;)

Back to where I started... on the people who really inspire me without noticing... This was the recipe that made me come back after months of desertion. I mean, there was this guy who really talked me into coming back because he thought this dish looked nice. Today, I want to thank him :)

Tártaro de Salmão

- 2 lombos de salmão, sem pele ou espinhas e cortados em pequenos cubinhos

- 2 dentes de alho, picados

- 1/2 cebola pequena, picada

- coentros, picados

- 3 colheres de sopa de sumo de limão

- mistura de pimentas, moída na hora

- 1 colher de café de massa de alho

- sal

- 6 morangos

- 1 colher de sobremesa de vinagre balsâmico

- 1 colher de sobremesa rasa de açúcar

- 1 iogurte grego

- 1 iogurte natural

- mistura de pimentas, moída na hora

- sal

- sementes de sésamo q.b.

Numa taça alta, misturar gentilmente o salmão, o alho, a cebola, os coentros, o sumo de limão, a pimenta, a massa de alho e o sal. Reservar.

À parte, misturar os morangos, o vinagre balsâmico e o açúcar. Reservar.

Noutra taça, misturar os iogurtes, a pimenta e o sal,

Escorrer bem os morangos,

Montar o tártaro em aros metalizados (usei um copo de iogurte com o fundo cortado. Começar com uma camada de morangos, seguida de uma camada de salmão,

Finalizar com o molho de iogurte e as sementes de sésamo.

Salmon Tartare

- 2 salmon fillets, no bones or skin, chopped into small pieces

- 2 garlic cloves, chopped

- 1/2 onion, chopped

- cilantro, chopped

- 3 tbsp lemon juice

- pepper mix, freshly ground

- 1/3 tsp garlic paste

- salt

- 6 strawberries

- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar

- 2 tsp sugar

- 1 greek yogurt

- 1 regular yogurt

- pepper mix, freshly ground

- salt

- sesame seeds

Mix the salmon, garlic, onion, cilantro, lemon juice, pepper, garlic paste and salt. Set aside.

In another bowl, mix strawberries, balsamic and salt,

Drain the strawberries completely,

Mix the yogurt, pepper and salt

Set the layers inside a steel ring for plating: first strawberries, then salmon,

Finish with the yogurt sauce and sesame seeds.

this ain't no jelly for kids. { berry and triple sec jelly terrine }

Today is the birthday of a very dear friend... He is also one of the main contributors and fans of Between Kitchens and since I cannot be there to bake him a proper cake, this recipe is dedicated to him.
Hope you like it!

Terrina de Frutos Vermelhos e Triple Sec

- 250g de morangos, lavados e cortados em metades e quartos

- 100g de mirtilhos, lavados

- 2 chávenas de água

- 1 chávena de sumo de toranja

- 1/3 chávena de Triple Sec

- 2 colheres de sopa de Licor Beirão

- 1 colher de sobremesa de chá verde com morango e laranja Wittards

- 20g de gelatina transparente

- 2 colheres de sopa de açúcar

1) Espalhar os frutos numa terrina de vidro funda,

2) Ferver a água e preparar o chá,

3) Dissolver a gelatina e o açúcar no chá ainda quente,

4) Juntar o sumo e depois o Triple Sec e o Licor Beirão,

5) Verter sobre a fruta e levar ao frigorífico pelo menos três horas,

6) Para desenformar, colocar a terrina em água quente durante um ou dois minutos, passar uma faca a toda a volta e voltar sobre um prato de servir.

Berry and Triple Sec Terrine

- 250g strawberries, rinsed and chopped in halves or quarters

- 100g blueberries, rinsed

- 2 cups water

- 1 cup grapefruit juice

- 1/3 cup triple sec

- 2 tbsp Licor Beirão

- 2 tsp Wittards strawberry and orange green tea

- 20g transparent gelatin

- 2 tbsp sugar

1) Spread the fruits inside a deep pyrex,

2) Take the water to a boil and prepare the tea,

3) Solve gelatin and sugar in the still warm tea,

4) Mix the juice and then the alcohol,

5) Pour over the fruit and place in the fridge for at least three hours,

6) To unmould, place the pyrex in hot water for one or two minutes, run a knife around the sides and fold over a serving plate.

preppy in pink { raspberry mousse cake }

It's being a I-need-a-lot-of-coffee Monday...

This cake was one of my Easter weekend projects.

Bolo Mousse de Framboesa

- 5 ovos

- 125g de açúcar

- 175g de farinha

- corante vermelho

- 200g de framboesas congeladas, descongeladas

- 300g de natas

- 100g de açúcar

- 1 clara

- 8 folhas de gelatina

- 200g de morangos, picados

- 100g de açúcar

- 1 colher de sopa de vinagre balsâmico

- 25g de chocolate branco

Forrar o fundo de uma forma de fundo amovível com película aderente,

Preparar dois tabuleiros, forrando cada um com uma folha de papel vegetal com um círculo ligeiramente maior que a forma desenhado,

Bater os ovos com o açúcar até obter uma mistura esbranquiçada,

Peneirar e envolver a farinha,

Separar a massa em duas metades e misturar corante numa delas até obter a cor desejada,

Preencher os círculos com colheradas de massa de ambas as cores e desenhar um padrão de mármore com a ajuda de uma faca,

Levar ao forno a 200ºC durante cerca de 10 min,

Retirar o papel vegetal, deixar arrefecer e cortar com o formato da forma,

Colocar a primeira fatia de bolo no fundo da forma, reservar a segunda,

Escorrer a água das framboesas para um tacho, aquecer e dissolver a gelatina,

Reduzir as framboesas a puré,

Bater a clara em castelo e as natas separadamente com o açúcar,

Envolver o puré de framboesa e a gelatina nas natas, incorporar a clara,

Deitar a mousse dentro da forma, cobrir com a segunda fatia de genoise,

Levar ao frigorífico durante pelo menos 3-4 horas,

Preparar o molho da cobertura, levando os morangos, o açúcar e o vinagre ao lume até obter uma compota suave, dissolver o chocolate branco partido em pedaços,

Desenformar o bolo, colocar num prato de servir e cobrir com o molho de morango.

Nota: este tem também côco ralado.

Raspberry Mousse Cake

- 5 eggs

- 125g sugar

- 175g flour

- red colourant

- 200g frozen raspberries, thawed

- 300g cream

- 100g sugar

- 1 egg white

- 8 gelatin leaves

- 200g strawberries, chopped

- 100g sugar

- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

- 25g white chocolate

Line the bottom of an removable bottom pan with plastic sheet,

Prepare two baking trays by lining them with a sheet of parchment paper with a circle a bit bigger than the mould drawn,

Beat eggs and sugar to a light colour,

Sift and mix in the flour,

Separate the batter in two bowls and mix the colourant in one of them until obtaining the desired colour,

Fill the circles with both batters, mixing them in a swirl pattern with a knife,

Bake at 200ºC for about 10 min,

Remove parchment paper, let cool and cut the size of the cake pan bottom,

Place the first layer inside the pan, set the second aside,

Drain the water from the defrost raspberries, heat in the stovetop and melt the gelatine leaves in it,

Puree the raspberries,

In separate bowls, beat the egg white and the cream with the sugar until stiff,

Fold the raspberry puree and gelatin into the cream, fold in the egg white,

Pour the mousse in the pan, cover with second cake layer,

Place in the refrigerator for at least 3-4 hours,

Prepare the sauce by heating the strawberries, sugar and vinegar until obtaining a soft compote, melt in the white chocolate,

Unmould the cake, place in a dish and pour the strawberry sauce over.

Nota: Mine also has shredded coconut.

sipping summer { alcohol-free strawberry sangria }

I know, I know... I've been away for too long.
Please forgive me, for these last months have mostly been a whiteout when it comes to the kitchen.
From nothing-worth-mentioning lunches in a rush at any small eating place around the uni - or even at the studio whilst staring at models or plans - to going out for dinner or just-a-beer-with-bread-or-fries - because we're all always running out of time but still feel the need to stop and connect with other human beings -, cooking worth blogging about has been aside for a while, and my pans have holded pasta with vegetables around 50% of the time, the remaining share being hold by water for tea. As I've mentioned before, I get way too bored and demotivated cooking and eating by myself. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack time have been mixed up on a wholewheat-bread-with-quark-and-smoked-salmon bliss, which I share with my favourite series' characters, seldom not going for seconds - both on the smoked salmon and on the episodes.
Plus, my Iphone camera is somewhat broken and I have no other camera I can use on a regular basis, which takes blogging to a whole new level of impossibility.
However, this is something very important to me that has been missing in my life, and I think I would like to have it back. So I will anyway try to keep it going - an excuse for having guests more often! -, I still have a few recipes unpublished and I was also able to gather a few brand new ones already... Let's see how it goes (:
Thank you for being there all the time, thank you so much for you support and a special thanks to all the people who, even though not knowing me so well, personally encouraged me to come back.

Sangria de Morangos
(sem álcool)

- 300g de morangos, lavados e sem pé

- sumo de 5 laranjas

- 250ml de água com gás, fresca

- 150ml de água, fresca

- 80g de açúcar

- 20g de açúcar mascavado

- gelo q.b.

- 1/2 laranja, cortada em fatias finas
- folhas de hortelã

Num blender, reduzir os morangos a puré com o açúcar, reservando quatro ou cinco,

Misturar a água e o sumo de laranja com o puré de morango,

Numa jarra de vidro grande, colocar o gelo, os restantes morangos cortados em metades, as fatias de laranja e a hortelã,

Deitar o sumo na jarra, misturar tudo e servir.

Strawberry Sangria
(alcohol-free version)

- 300g strawberries, rinsed and cut tops

- 5 oranges juice

- 250ml sparkling water, cold

- 150ml water, cold

- 80g sugar

- 20g light brown sugar

- ice

- 1/2 orange, thinly sliced
- mint leaves

In a blender, process the strawberries with the sugar, leaving four or five aside,

Mix the water and orange juice in the strawberry puree,

Cut the remaining strawberries in halves and place in a big glass jar with the ice and mint leaves,

Pour the juice over, mix and serve.

Coming back... { berry biscuit cake }

Estou de volta! Foram umas férias prolongadas das novidades culinárias e da vontade de registar receitas, por isso não tenho publicado nada. Preguiça e pouco tempo, foram os dois.

I'm back! Away from the new recipes and from the willingness to write them down, I haven't published anything. Lazyness and shortness of time, both were guilty.

Há uns dias provei uma fatia de bolo de bolacha de um café cá de Aveiro que gostei muito. Os bolos de bolacha que se comiam cá em casa levavam creme de manteiga, mas o recheio deste era feito com natas... estava bastante bom, apesar de eu nem gostar muito de natas, e fiquei a pensar numa forma de o recriar, talvez com algumas alterações. Então, para os anos do meu irmão, saiu-me isto!

A few days ago I tried a slice of cake from a local coffee that I really liked. The biscuit cakes we once ate at home always had buttercream, but this one had heavy cream in the filling... it was quite good, and I don't even really fancy heavy-cream. I kept thinking about making it myself, with some modifications. So, for my brother's birthday, I came up with this!

Bolo de Bolacha de Frutos Vermelhos
Ingredientes:

- 1 embalagem de bolacha Maria

- 1 iogurte natural

- 2 embalagens e meia de bolachas tostadas (rectangulares)

- 600g de natas frescas

- 1 embalagem (2 saquetas) de gelatina de framboesa

- água

- café

- doce de framboesa

- frutos vermelhos a gosto (morangos, framboesas, mirtillos...)

Preparação:

1) Preparar uma base de bolacha com a bolacha Maria reduzida a pó e o iogurte e espalhar sobre um tabuleiro ou torteira rectangular,

2) Dissolver a gelatina em cerca de 150ml de água fervente, deixar arrefecer um pouco,

3) Preparar café com água fervente, deixar arrefecer,

4) Bater as natas até estarem firmes,

5) Juntar a gelatina e bater sempre, refrigerar,

6) Passar as bolachas pelo café já frio,

7) Montar o bolo em camadas, sobre a base de bolacha preparada previamente: uma camada de creme, uma camada de bolachas, continuando até ter atingido a altura desejada ou acabar os ingredientes (reservar creme para cobrir!),

8) Cobrir lateralmente o bolo a gosto com o creme, cobrir o topo com o doce de framboesa e decorar com os frutos vermelhos.

Red Fruits Biscuit Cake

Ingredients:

- 1 package Maria biscuits

- 1 plain yogurt

- 2 and 1/2 package rectangular Tostada biscuits

- 600g heavy cream

- 1 package (2 bags) raspberry gelatin

- water

- coffee

- vanilla aroma

- strawberry jam

- mixed fresh berries

Preparation:

1) Make a biscuit crust with the crumbled Maria biscuits and the yogurt and spread over a rectangular tray,

2) Dissolve the gelatin in around 150ml boiling water, let cool down,

3) Prepare the coffee, let cool down,

4) Beat the cream until firm,

5) Add the gelatin, keep beating,

6) Soak the biscuits in the cold coffee,

7) Mount the cake in layers, on top of the crust: one layer cream, one layer cookies. Keep on going until reaching the desired height or until you've ran out of ingredients (save some cream for frosting!),

8) Frost the sides with the remaining cream, cover the top with the jam and decorate with the fruits.