Puff pastry tartelette

If you didn't know it, I will tell you now that I cannot be named 'Queen of Cakes', not even a princess.
So desserts are always quite an issue for me. Because they have to look like 'eat me now' and should be equally good as well.

But ready puff pastry is my big friend, although it's a pity that in France you can not buy it in little squares but only as a circle. 
Because I wanted a minimum of 4 rounds gateaux, I have used the whole pastry.



Shopping list:

1 Ready puff pastry (if you're not sure, buy 2)
1 Big pot of crème fraîche or mascarpone (I couldn't get mascarpone)
1 Bag of frozen red/forest fruit (it's not the season to get it fresh so I have used frozen)
1 Egg
1 Whipped cream (if you need to buy it in as a spray that you have to shake, then only buy the best which is 'President', the others will be flattened before they leave the kitchen.
A bit of powdered sugar
Use a bowl to make circles and cut through with a knife

Note: Although the pastry comes in a baking sheet, for better result it's necessary to use another sheet.
Make sure that if you use fruit from frozen, to put it in a bowl a few hours before using.

How to prepare it ?

- Pre-heat oven of course (read instructions of your pastry)
- Only take the puff pastry out of the fridge when you are going to use it, otherwise it gets a too high temperature which makes it more difficult to work with.
- Cut the pastry in circles
- Roll the 'edges' a bit so they are getting slightly higher, so the filling stays in, circa 1 cm.
- Make little holes with a fork
- Get the egg out, mix it and spread it over the pastry (your cat will love the left-over egg)
- Put it it in the oven, for about 25 minutes (read the instructions of your pastry first).

When ready let it cool down completely. That's what I like because you can make the pastry a bit in advanced.

- Oops the pastry has swollen, never mind....just flatten it in the middle with a fork.
- Scoop the crème fraîche or mascarpone
- Put the fruit on the mixture
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar
- And the best part.......give it a generous portion of whipped cream.


Easy.......very
Tasty......very
Combines good with.....sparkling wine

Enjoy and let me know if you have made it.

Meat balls Teriyaki

Inspired by KeukenLiefde I have made this dish. Let's say it's an Asian dish because it has influences from Indonesia, China and Japan.
The dish is for 4 persons, or for 2 and you'll have more for the next day.

Shopping list:

For the meat:
500 gr mince meat
1 shallot
1 clove of garlic
1 ts coriander powder
1 ts ginger powder
salt and pepper (I didn't use it).

Furthermore:

1 pack of noodles
1 red pepper
1 leek
250 gr mushrooms (optional)
teriyaki sauce (or make it yourself, it's very easy)
sesame oil or sunflower oil
2 tbs sesame seeds, slightly roasted
fresh coriander to garnish (I didn't have it)

For the teriyaki sauce:

200 ml water
200 ml dark soy sauce / kecap
50 gr brown caster sugar (basterd)
3 cloves of garlic, pealed and cut in half
2 ts sesame oil (optional, I didn't have it)
1 tbs cornflour (maizena)

Put all ingredients, but not the cornflour, in a pan and let it cook gently. In the meantime make the cornflour by adding some in a cup with some water until it's creamy liquid and stirring it bit by bit in the sauce until it's slightly creamy. Take the garlic out and use the sauce immediately. After cooling down you can keep it in a bottle in the fridge.

How to cook it:

Mix all ingredients for the meat balls and make small ones. Fry them and take them out of the pan just as they are fried (better shorter than longer, because they get dry very quickly....like mine).

Cook the noodles, cooking time on the packet. Rinse them with cold water and toss them with 1 table spoon of sesame oil/sunflower oil.

After washing and cutting all the vegetables, start with frying in oil the leek, then the mushrooms (optional) until they have lost some of their liquid. Then add the paprika for 1 minute.
Lower the hob, add the meat balls and a few table spoons of teriyaki sauce, until warm, not too long because the meat balls will dry out. Finally add the noodles and warm them up with the rest of all ingredients.
You can add more sauce of course.
Finally garnish with the sesame seeds and coriander.