rösti

I have too many potatoes for some reason. I was so impressed with the samurai-like slicing abilities of my Magimix I've been desperate to try it again, so having a go at Rösti gave me the chance to use lots of potatoes and try the grater for the first time. Unlike the slicer, it left a little ungrated residue, but only a little, and on the whole we were more than happy with the final result.
I par boiled the potatoes for (15 mins from cold) 10 mins or so, with a little parsnip, having a bit too much of that too. I  added an extra onion and some bacon bits to the basic recipe and it did the both of us nicely for lunch.

moussaka

Not the quickest dish to pull together, but absolutely worth the effort!
I tried out the Magimix's slicing disc on the potatoes. Whooosh! no pressure, no fuss, no mess, no odd shaped leftover chunks of potato - frighteningly effective! I couldn't get ground lamb but beef made a good substitiute. I forgot to add some wine to the recipe so a glass on the side was a must! Next time I should make more sauce for the topping. I used 0.6l milk, but it could have been a lot more!

gemeentemuseum

 

the grand café had a particularly tempting chocolatey slice.

magimix!

 After discovering all my chopping and shredding equipment woefully unable to chop a few nuts (forget ice) I finally invested in a properly sized and powered hack & slasher. Hello Magimix! I went for the model with a bigger motor - 4200. Oh happy me! It whipped up a ball of pasta dough in a minute or two. We managed to sit down to a homemade pasta meal without exhaustion and/or raging backache for the first time, I think, ever! Well, I have to admit that might also have something to do with the discovery that hand chopping pasta is a breeze, almost done in the time it takes to just unpack the pasta machine and fittings etc. I love the personality that you get in the final result by hand cutting the dough. Just roll out into a sheet as thin as you like, (dry a little or dust with flour before you) roll up loosely and cut into slices as thin as you prefer.  My first pastry turned out best ever too. Big smile!

dutch motorway fare

this one portion of beenham could feed a whole family!

chocolate!

I really liked the look of this silicone mould so it made it's way home with me. I experimented a little - some with the candied orange and chocolate, then some ginger. I tried the same mixtures with marzipan too. Then some big chunks of mixed candied peel and chocolate, and some with just plain nuts! I ended up decorating with some shreds of gold leaf. They looked fab! Great for small christmas gifts.

A small bar made 13 mixed fruit & ginger chocolates.

 My first try. The mould worked perfectly. I used the oven to temper the chocolate. Next time remember to keep the mould cool before coating. It did make some quite interesting marbling effects as the filling mixed with the dark coating but that's not always desirable.

 

the gold leaf really looks great in candlelight.

 

what to try next? fudge, fondant, dominosteine?

Groan.

  So the christmas cookie season is on. My fears that they would go off/ soggy/dry out/or just go bad in the waiting evaporated at first bite.  I think I made enough. After refilling the tin a good few times there must still be more than 1/3 left. As delicious and moreish as they are, I'm not sure i can look at another one for a while. I stored each batch separately and filled a big tin on Christmas Eve. The Berliner Brot just got better, soft and chewy in the right places. The Lebküchen, dunked in a panic when they emerged rock hard from the oven, now ditto,  jam packed with flavour - special thanks to the mixed home-candied peel and mystery spice mix from the marketplace in Bonn. I think they are the surprise favourites! Can I remember the recipe? of course not. Grrrr. I will keep looking.  The Pepperkaker close next favourites with fresh ground cardamom, nutmeg and pepper. The Coconut Macaroons have been disappearing fast too! More next time please.