Cheesecake parfait

This is one easy and very creative dessert as you can use any kind of fruit you would like. Living in Niger, I use strawberries in season and mangoes… One of our favorite quick dessert.

Ingredients:

2 cups of yogurt that you drain – to make Greek yogurt

1 tsp vanilla

sugar as needed

whip cream + sugar as needed

Strawberry sauce made of strawberries & sugar

cookies (petit Lu or graham crackers)

To put this little dessert together : take a small cup (enough for your family or guests)

Pulse the graham crackers or cookies in a food processor- add to the bottom of cup.

Mix the Greek Yogurt, with some sugar, vanilla and a bit of whipped cream. Mix with a spatula. Taste to see how sweet you want it. Add some of the yogurt mixture in bowl.

Make a strawberry sauce with fresh or frozen strawberries and sugar. When cooked, mix. Add cool on top of the yogurt. Add another layer of yogurt and some whip cream to top it. Add slices of mangoes and freshly roasted coconut. You can imagine any kinds of combinations of fruit… it’s light and delicious.

Baklava

Homemade Baklava seems intimidating at first especially the phyllo dough but it is very easy once you know what to do.

This recipe makes 2 9x 13 baklava – it’s so delicious. I like when the baklava is not to sweet and soaking in syrup. SO the syrup recipe is good for the 2 pans.

Ingredients

2 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough (in 1 box you get 2 package)

1 pound chopped nuts ( i like it chopped small)

1/2 cup butter – more as needed

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Syrup

1 cup water

1 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup of honey

1 tsp cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C). Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9×13 inch pan.
2. Chop nuts and mix with cinnamon. Set aside. Unroll first package of phyllo dough.  Cover phyllo with a dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work. Place one sheet of dough in pan, butter thoroughly. Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered. Sprinkle nut mixture on top. Top again one sheet at time and butter dough. After a few more sheets add nuts.  The top layer should be about 6 – 8 sheets deep.
3. Using a sharp knife cut into diamond or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. Bake for about 45 minutes until baklava is golden and crisp.
4. Make syrup while baklava is baking. Boil sugar and water until sugar is melted. Add vanilla and honey. Simmer for about 20 minutes. I use this syrup to be enough for both pans.
   
5. Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon sauce over it. Let cool. Serve in cupcake papers. This freezes well. Leave it uncovered as it gets soggy if it is wrapped up.

καλή όρεξη!

Vegeterian moussaka

In Niger, we get the same vegetables and so many times you need to create new dishes with what you have. I created this vegetarian moussaka. I made it again adding also some zucchini and potatoes for extra veggies. We all love it and just melts in your mouth.

 

INGREDIENTS

1 kg of eggplant

olive oil

1 prepared tomato sauce

1 bechamel sauce

emmental cheese

 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Wash eggplants and cut in slices.

2. Put all the eggplant slice in a colander and sprinkle salt. let it seat at least 15-20 minutes.

3. Put the slices in a baking pan and sprinkle olive oil. Broil.

4. Check often and turn them around. When done remove from oven.

5. Place the broiled eggplants in a baking pan.

6. Add a prepared tomato sauce (i use my pizza sauce)

7. Make a bechamel sauce.

8. add the bechamel sauce on top of the eggplant dish and add emmental cheese.

9. To the oven.

10. Ready to eat …

Bon appétit

Curry Coconut Carrot soup

This is a soup I have created and we just love the flavors of curry, coconut and carrots together. Serve with homemade pita chips. A must try.

INGREDIENTS
1-2 onions
olive oil
1 Kg of carrots
water and chicken bouillon
coconut milk
curry

 INSTRUCTION

1. Peel your carrots

2. Sauté 1-2 onions in 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil.

3. Add carrots cut in pieces. and Sauté together a few minutes.

4. Add water to cover and 1 chicken bouillon cube or 1 tablespoon of bouillon paste. Add curry to taste.

5. Cook in pressure cooker

6. When done, use a hand blender to make it as a soup. add more curry if you see not enough.

7. Serve with some coconut milk. We add it on top.

So delicious ….

Nana’s waffles

Nana’s waffle recipe is always a great HIT at our house topped with fresh fruit and maple syrup.

Ingredients

3 eggs (separated)

1/2 cup of melted butter

1 cup milk

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups of flour

1 tbsp of vanilla

1 tbsp baking powder

Instructions

1. Heat the waffle maker.

2. Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl until meringue forms.

3. melt butter.

4. Beat egg yolks, milk, butter and vanilla in another bowl.

5. Combine remaining ingredients into egg mixture and beat well.

6. Fold in with rubber spatula the egg white in the mixture.

7. Ready to cook in the waffle maker

Bon appétit !

Light hamburger bun

This hamburger bun is light in texture and taste so good. You need to try it.

 

Ingredients
• 1 c. warm water
• 3 tablespoons warm milk
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 2½ tablespoons sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 3 1/3cups flour
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• 2½ tablespoons unsalted butter, softened. (I use Olive oil)
• sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
1. In a glass measuring cup, combine 1 cup warm water, 3 tbsp. milk, yeast and sugar. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, beat 1 egg.
2. In another bowl, add flour, salt and Butter or oil. Mix the ingredients until the butter is the size of crumbs.
3. Stir in yeast mixture and beaten egg.
Mix until it is shaped as a dough.
4. Shape the dough into a ball and return it to the bowl (it will be sticky and wet). Cover bowl with a clean, damp kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size, 1- 3 hours. In Niger it is very quick.
5. Oil a baking sheet. With a rolling pin, roll the dough a bit. Cut buns with a biscuit cutter.
6. Transfer to the baking sheet, placing them 2 to 3 inches apart. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let buns rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours, or until puffy and slightly risen.
7. To make the egg wash, beat the remaining egg with a splash of water. When the buns are finished with the 2nd rise, gently brush each one with egg wash. At this point, you could add sesame seeds to the top of your rolls if desired.
8. Preheat your oven to 400 F. and place a shallow baking pan on the oven floor. Before the dough goes in, add about ½ cup of water to the pan (to create steam). This will help keep the bread nice and moist. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Gâteau marbré- Marble cake

Un excellent gâteau marbré que des petites mains m’ont aidée à préparer.

Prep time
10 mins

Cook time
40 mins

Total time
50 mins

Ingredients

-100 g de beurre- 100 gr of butter
-3 œufs- 3 eggs
-150 g de sucre en poudre – 150 gr of sugar
-6 c à s de lait- 6 tablespoons of milk
-200 g de farine- 200 gr of flour
-1 sachet de levure chimique- 2 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
-1 sachet de sucre vanillé ou ½ c à c d’e vanille liquide – 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
-10 g de cacao en poudre- 1 tablespoon of cocoa

Instructions

1-Préchauffer le four à 180°C- Heat oven to 350
2-Faites fondre le beurre dans une casserole- melt the butter
3-Séparez les blancs et les jaunes d’œufs- separate the white and yellow eggs.

4-Versez le beurre fondu dans un saladier et mélangez-le avec le sucre à l’aide d’une cuillère- pour the melted butter in a bowl, add sugar and mix with a spoon.

5-Ajoutez les jaunes d’œufs, le lait, la farine et la levure- Add the yolks, milk, flour and baking powder to the bowl.
6-Remuez bien- mix well.
7-Montez les blancs en neige ferme, parfumez une partie avec le sucre vanillé, l’autre avec le cacao- beat the egg whites. Half the egg whites, in one add vanilla, in the second add 1 tablespoon of cocoa

8- Mélanger la moitié du blanc d’oeuf avec la pâte puis la moitié de l’oeuf blanc au cacao avec l’autre moitié de la pâte. Add the some cake batter in each egg white mixture.
9-Beurrez un moule à cake et versez-y la préparation en alternant les couches de pâte à la vanille et de pâte au cacao. Grease a bread pan. add simultaneously both cake batter.

10-Faites cuire au four pendant 30-40 mn- Bake 30-40 min
11-Laissez refroidir avant de démouler- cool and serve ! Delicious