Happy New Year 2010!!

French Plum Tart

It is one of the most easy tarts I ever made. And extremely fast and easy to make, as all you need is 3 ingredients.

I used:
- french dough
- plums
- sugar



I washed the plums, cut them in four pieces and put them in a bowl with sugar to set.



I put the dough in a tart pan. On top I put small butter cubes and sugar. Into the oven, 180 Celsius degrees for a few minutes until it melts.



I took the tart out of the oven and arranged the plums in circles. Sprinkle lots of sugar on top. I put it back into the oven until it's done.



It's a very delicate tart, sweet in the beginning and then sour as we bite into the plums, and crunchy from the dough... For me it is a delicate, easy and delicious desert!

Bacon, potatoes, eggs and broccoli gratin

I am crazy about any kind of gratin. The golden crust on top makes me wanting to eat one each day. Only if they wouldn't be such caloric bombs... Of course, one can make lighter versions, but it wouldn't taste the same, would it? :)
This recipe I don't think is any news for anybody, but it's something that I make pretty often, and it never goes wrong. You can have guests over, or just eating alone, and every time ittastes incredibly.

I used:
- potatoes
- bacon
- eggs
- broccoli
- cheese
- butter
- milk
- flower
- salt and pepper



Boil the potatoes with a pinch of salt and cut them into slices. Same with the eggs, boil and slice them. Fry the bacon in a pan and put it on absorbent sheets to get rid of the extra fat. My broccoli was frozen, so I put it in the same water the potatoes boiled, for 10 min.

I made a bechamel sauce out of the butter, flower and milk. I melted the butter and added the flower by stirring continuously. Then I added the milk and stirred again. Leave on low firefor 10 more minutes to get rid of the flower taste.



In a buttered baking pan I put layers of potatoes, egg, broccoli and bacon.









I sprinkled on top the cheese and poured half of the sauce.





Repeat the operation, but this time leave aside the cheese layer. This one will come on top of everything, after the bechamel.



Leave it in the hot oven, 25-30 minutes at 200 Celsius degrees, until it becomes golden brown.



It is extremely tasty when you take it out of the oven, but it can be served the next day too, after you microwave it!

Salmon en croute

I wanted to make a salmon en croute for some while now. And considering that I do love both salmon and pastry, it seemed like a naturally choice for me.

I used:
2 salmon filet's
chopped fresh dill
1 sheet of puff pastry
lemon juice
1 egg
salt and pepper

I marinated the salmon ina mix of lemon juice, salt and pepper, chopped dill. From my pictures you can see that I added a orange spice. It's not curry, even though it looks like that. It's a Swedish spice called Citrus, that has, among other ingredients, lemon zest, onion, garlic, different herbs, and that is perfect for fish and chicken dishes. The marinated salmon I put it in the fridge for 20 minutes.



I cut the pastry in two and layed in the middle one salmon filet.



Fold the sides together and make slits in the top with a knife, to allow steam to escape. I brushed all over with the egg-wash.



I baked it in the oven, 200 Celsius degrees for about 20-25 minutes.



We served it with sauteed veggies and sauce made from yogurt, mayo and fresh chopped dill!



We licked our fingers, that's how tasty it was :)