Grilled sandwich in the woods

Last weekend, we went on a getaway to the mountains, and spent a really nice time hiking in the autumn forest, reading and making food on fire. For dinner, we ate thick slices of bacon, sausage and onion grilled on a piece of stick over the fire, along with lots of fresh veggies, of course. Making this bacon-sausage-onion combo in the woods is one of my top favorite things. It is so relaxing, and so rewarding! On one morning, I decided to lit a fire again, and make a grilled sandwich on it.

Cranberry and coconut oatmeal cookies

Yesterday I had an urge to eat cookies, so I checked my pantry to see what is available. I realized that to make an oatmeal cookie, I didn't need much other than my usual breakfast oatmeal mixture I keep on my counter. As it is already mixed with nuts and dried fruits, I just had to add sugar, flour, an egg and some butter, and it was ready to be baked.

Hungarian-style ratatouille

Letcho is is a very common dish in Hungary often referred to as Hungarian ratatouille, even if it is quite different. It is basically stewed tomatoes and peppers, with onions and sausage and sometimes eggs. Traditionally, it is made with lard instead of oil. If you are not afraid of greasy dishes, it of course tastes better with lard. It is a very cheap and simple dish. Letcho is mostly made in late summer and autumn, when tomatoes and bell peppers are abundant and very ripe. People also preserve them in jars, just like jams, so they can eat it in the winter, too. There are many variations to it, and of course everybody makes the only right kind of letcho. I make it with eggs, as it is more tasty and thick that way.

A French upside-down apple pie: Tarte Tatin

Tarte Tatin is a super-easy, very fast cake with caramelized apples, and it tastes awesome. It may look a bit sturdy, but who cares?

The story behind this cake is that the sisters Calorine and Stéphanie Tatin, who ran a famous inn in a little town in central France once forgot to make desert, because they were chatting with a guest. By the time Stephanie realized her mistake, there was very little time left to serve the desert. So she tossed in the oven some peeled apples with butter and sugar, and while they were being baked, she made some dough. As the dough was prepared after the apples, she had no choice but to cover the apples with the dough. When it was ready, she realized that it can be served upside-down, so that the apples are on the upper side.

Summer rice salad

This is a very colorful and versatile rice salad, it has tuna, artichokes, capers, tomatoes, onions and diced cheese in it.

American cake

This is a cake my boyfriend baked during the week-end, and it has turned out superbly. I do not know why is it called ’American’, we found it in our 'Cakes and cookies' cookbook. It has a sweet, buttery dough as a base, layered with whipped egg whites and lemon cream, and the whole cake is covered in lemon flavored thickened whipped cream, which makes it really fabulous.

Ingredients:

For the dough
125 g (4.4 oz) butter
325 g (11.5 oz) sugar 
4 eggs
250 g (8.8 oz) flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
2 tablespoons of milk
For the filling and cover
3 lemons
100 g (3.5 oz) sugar
3 teaspoons of starch
500 ml (17 oz) double cream

Instructions:

Beat the butter with the sugar until fluffy. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. Mix well the egg yolks with the flour, baking powder and milk, then combine with the butter mixture. Preheat the oven to 200°C (392°F). Pour half of the dough in a 26 cm (10 inches) cake mold and bake for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks, then add the remaining sugar to it, and whisk again. Spread half of the foam on the nearly baked dough, and bake for another 10 minutes. Set aside, and bake the remaining dough and egg white foam in the same manner. Let it cool. 

Squeeze the lemon juice,  mix with the 100 g (3.5 oz) sugar and add 120 ml (4 oz) water. Boil it, then mix the starch with 2 tablespoons of water, and add to the boiling lemon juice mixture. Mix until it thickens, then let it cool down. 

Whip the double cream, and little by little add the lemon mixture to it. Spread some of it on one layer of the cake, then cover with the other one. Spread the remaining lemon flavored whipped cream on the top and sides of the cake. You can serve it immediately, or you can put it the refrigerator until the cream sets completely.