Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Cecilia's Banana Bread
Cecilias Banankaka



My mormor (grandmother), Cecilia, was a master at fika. Every time you came over, she would set the coffee table with her old china, lay out beautiful napkins, and serve up a platter with different kinds of delicious home baked goods. Raspberry caves, Finnish almond cookies, chocolate sticks, thumb print cookies, dream cookies and ginger bread, to name a few. There would always be more than one kind.  

But everyone's favorite was her famous banana bread.




During my last visit to Sweden, my mom gave me mormor's handwritten recipe for this banana bread. It had probably been ten years since I last tasted it, so I couldn't wait to make it myself.

Somehow, it never tastes quite the same when you bake someone else's recipe. Maybe it was the way she folded the batter, how she added a little extra of something, or like some say, the way she put her love into making it. Either way, it's still makes the best banana bread I have ever had.




Family recipes are for sharing, and I am so happy to share this amazing banana bread with you. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does!




Min mormor Cecilia bjöd på den godaste fikan. Hon dukade alltid upp ett vackert fat med flera sorters hårda och mjuka kakor, men det godaste bakverket var hennes banankaka. Även om det inte smakar precis som när mormor gjorde den, så är det fortfarande den godaste banankakan jag smakat. Jag hoppas att du tycker om den lika mycket som min familj!





Cecilia's Banana Bread
Family recipe

2 eggs
3 dl (270 g) sugar
3-4 bananas
8 tbsp heavy cream
1 dl (95 g) melted butter
4 1/2 dl (270 g) flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla sugar


Directions:

Beat eggs and sugar until thick and fluffy. Mush the bananas with a fork and pour them, along with the heavy cream and melted butter, into the egg mixture.
Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and vanilla sugar in a bowl. Fold in the dry ingredients in the egg and banana mixture. Pour the batter into a greased and floured loaf pan. Bake at 350 F for 40-50 minutes.



Saturday, March 25, 2017

French Macarons with Chocolate and Raspberries
Franska Macarons med Choklad och Hallon



In my book, weekends call for something extra. Especially weekends that bring you sunshine and a high of 77 F (25°C)! These chocolate filled French Macarons made a perfect celebratory ending to a busy week. 




I've only made French macarons a couple of times before, but this time I tried a different recipe. I have to say, I love this one! The macarons have such a lovely texture with a crunchy, thin shell and soft inside. My little boys love munching on them just plain, without any filling. (Me too!)

The only thing I would change when making them next time, would be to use caster sugar instead of the regular kind. It has a much finer grind, and will make your macarons looking more smooth. If you need other tips on how to make macarons, please check out this post I made a while back.




The great thing about macarons, is that you can make them any size you want. Imagine a beautiful and light summer macaron cake with vanilla whipped cream and fresh berries. I can't wait to try it!





Can we agree that every weekend should start like this?


Vilket bättre sätt att fira början på en helg som väntas bjuda på solsken och svensk sommarvärme, än att avnjuta dessa franska macarons med choklad och hallon? Det här receptet ger fantastiska macarons med en tunn, krispig yta och en mjuk mitten. Om du aldrig har bakat dessa bakverk tidigare, läs gärna min bloggpost om hur man lyckas med macarons. Du hittar den här.



French Macarons
by Roy Fares

45 g caster sugar
100 g powdered sugar
135 g almond flour
135 g powdered sugar
100 g egg whites
(a few drops food coloring optional)


Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 295 degrees.
  2. Draw circles (the size you want your macarons to be) on a parchment paper and put on a baking sheet. (I used a glass as a measurement for my circles.)
  3. Mix caster sugar and 100 g powdered sugar in one bowl, and the almond flour and 135 g powdered sugar in a different bowl.
  4. Whip the egg whites until it makes a stiff foam. Add the sugar mix and whip until it forms stiff meringue peaks. Add the food coloring and continue to mix until fully incorporated.
  5. Gently fold in the almond flour mix and stir until thick and shiny, making circular movements with a spatula along the edges of the bowl.
  6. Pour the mixture into a piping bag, and pipe inside the circles on the parchment paper.
  7. Bake for 20 minutes.