Rustic mango & ginger tart (sugar-free)

Ingredients:

CRUST:

- 160g (1¼ cups) flour
- 1 tbsp xylitol or granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 110g (1 stick) cold butter, cubed
- 1/4 cup cold buttermilk or yogurt

FILLING:

- 1 medium-ripe mango
- 1-2 tbsp peach jam (sugar-free, if needed)
- 1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1. To make the crust, combine the flour, salt, sugar and butter in one bowl. Rub the butter with your fingers to create a sand-ish consistency. Add the buttermilk or yogurt and knead until you have a smooth ball of dough. Form it into a flat disc and refrigerate for at least 1,5 hour (or overnight).

2. Cut the mango into thin wedges and mix with peach jam, cinnamon and ginger. 

3. Remove the dough from the fridge and roll up on the parchment paper. Arrange the fruits on the crust, fold the edges and place in the freezer for couple minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400F/200C.

4. Once your oven is ready, take out the chilled tart and brush the crust with the egg wash or milk. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden-brown.

6. Serve while still warm, with vanilla ice cream or sweetened yogurt. 

BON APPÉTIT !

Healthy banana & chocolate muffins (v+gf)

I'm finally back with another recipe - yes, I am alive but university can really eat your time away! These sweet little muffins are filled with great flavor and nutrients, plus they are totally free of sugar, wheat, milk products and eggs so everyone can enjoy the famous banana-choc combination. 

Makes about 9 medium-size muffins:

*adapted from Zoe Nathan's "Huckleberry"

- 70g gluten-free blend (I'm using this one)

- 2 tbsp walnuts, roasted and ground

- 3 tbsp almond flour

- 1,5 tbsp flax seed meal

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 1 tsp baking soda

- pinch of salt

- 1/2 tsp cinnamon

- 3 tbsp canola oil

- 50ml honey

- 3 tbsp non-dairy milk of choice (I used almond milk)

- 3 medium-sized, ripe bananas, mashed

- 60g dark chocolate, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350F/180C.

2. In  a large bowl, mix gluten-free flour, nuts, flax seed, baking powde, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine. 

3. Fill the prepared muffin cups with batter and bake for about 20-25 minutes, until golden-brown on top and set on the inside. Cool slightly before serving.

 BON APPÉTIT ! 

Fall fruit crumble with blueberries and white chocolate

Ingredients for about 8 servings:

FRUIT

- 2 medium-size pears, peeled and cubed
- 300g plums, cubed
- 3-4 tbsp frozen blueberries
- 1 tbsp potato starch
- 2 tbsp sugar
- vanilla

CRUMB

- 75g cold butter, chopped
- 100g light brown sugar
- 100g plain flour
- 50g rolled oats
- 100g white chocolate chips


1. Preheat the oven to 190C/374F.

2. In a large bowl, combine the fruit, potato starch, sugar and vanilla.

3. In another bowl, mix the brown sugar, oats, flour and chopped butter. Rub everything with your fingers until you reach an even, crumbly consistency.

4. Grease the ovenproof dish with butter and spread the fruits on the bottom. Cover with the crumb and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown on top. Serve while still warm.

BON APPÉTIT ! 

Ferrero Rocher energy bites (v + gf)

Super tasty and healthy snack, perfect for school, work or just whenever you feel like getting something sweet and nutritious in your mouth. 

Ingredients for about 20 chocolate truffles:

- 2 cups dates, soaked in hot water for 5 minutes

- 1 cup roasted hazelnuts, skins off (plus more to decorate)

- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

- 50g dark chocolate, chopped

1. Melt the chocolate in a water bath until smooth.

2. Blend the dates, hazelnuts and cocoa powder in a food processor until you have a nice, smooth mixture. 

3. Form the dough into walnut-size balls. Cover half of each one in melted chocolate and dip in crushed hazelnuts. Refrigerate until set. 

BON APPÉTIT !

Oregano & rosemary pumkin bread (v + gf)

Ingredients for 25x12cm pan:
*adapted from: nirvanacakery.com

- 140g (1 cup) quinoa flour or buckwheat flour
- 100g (1 cup) ground almonds
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp gluten-free baking powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 200g (2 cups) raw pumpkin, finely grated
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 120ml (1/2 cup) warm water
- 80ml (1/3 cup) canola oil
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- sunflower seeds, for topping


1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.

2. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix in the pumpkin, garlic, water, oil and vinegar. The batter will be quite thick.

3. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and sprinkle the sunflower seeds on top. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the cake tester comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool until serving.

BON APPÉTIT !

Curd cheese flat cake with forest fruit and pine nuts (egg-free)

As a Polish kid, I used to eat a lot of curd cheese. Sweet or savoury, everything tasted great with a little bit of this white, fluffy thing. I can tell it is quite hard to get a good curd cheese outside of Poland, so you can easily use ricotta as a substitute.  

With delicate, cheese bottom and tangy, moist fruits on top, this cake is a tribute to my childhood.

Ingredients for 25x30cm (9x12inch) pan:

CAKE

- 75g (1/3 cup) butter, melted and cooled
- 80g (1/4 cup + 2 tbsp) xylitol or caster sugar
- 150g (5oz) curd cheese or ricotta
- 3 tbsp sour cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 250g flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt

FRUIT TOPPING

- 3 tbsp naturally sweetened peach jam
- 400g (13oz) fresh raspberries
- handful of fresh blackberries
- 3 tbsp pine nuts, slightly roasted


1. Preheat the oven to 170C/338F.

2. In a large bowl, mix the melted butter, xylitol, curd cheese, cream and vanilla. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until smooth and dense batter forms.

3. Line the pan with parchment paper. Spread the batter evenly on the bottom of the pan and brush it with jam. Arrange the fruit on top and sprinkle everything with nuts.

4. Bake for 40 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Leave to cool completely before serving. The cake is not overly sweet so feel free to dust some powdered sugar on top.

BON APPÉTIT !