Soooooo yummy.

Second time to make this...it's that good. Still yet to get pork fillet that looks like this. I think it's better with flat pork steaks anyways. Also used convection this time instead of professional baking...don't know what the substitute is exactly on this new oven at our apartment vs one at corporate apartment.

Fillet of pork in puff pastry

1 roll of puff pastry

1 pork fillet, approx. 450 g

150 g bacon, sliced

2 tbsp oil

Salt

Pepper

Stuffing

1 bunch of flat leaf parsley

2 thyme sprigs

2 rosemary sprigs

100 g dried tomatoes in oil

1 Sear the pork fillet in a frying pan with the oil, season it with

salt and pepper, then remove the fillet and leave it to cool.

2 Pull the parsley and thyme leaves off the stalks, strip the rosemary leaves and chop all the herbs up. Slice the dried

tomatoes into strips.

3 Lay the bacon out on the work surface, overlapping the slices,

until you get a rectangular shape in which you can wrap

the fillet. Spread the herbs and tomatoes over the bacon and

press down. Place the fillet on top and wrap it in the bacon.

Place the fillet on the puff pastry, fold the shorter edges

over the fillet (around 3 cm), then roll it up lengthways. Brush

the edge of the pastry with water and press it down to

seal.

4 Cover the stainless steel tray with baking parchment and

lay the fillet on to it, with the pastry seam facing down. Decorate with any remaining pastry.

5 Put the stainless steel tray into the cold cooking space at

level 2. Professional baking 200 °C, 30 minutes.

Plate and put a little salad on the side....and maybe a glass of wine.

BEEF: IT'S WHAT'S FOR DINNER

Beef stroganoff

800 g shoulder of beef, in strips 1 cm thick (try asking for this at a Swiss German grocery store)

Salt

Pepper

1 tsp beef bouillon powder

2 yellow peppers

2 red peppers

2 green peppers

2 onions, finely diced

Sauce

3–4 tbsp gravy powder

2 tbsp tomato puree

180 g thickened cream for making sauces (still no idea if I'm getting the right thing...full cream?)

Paprika powder

1 Season the meat with salt and pepper.

2 Cut the peppers in half, remove the stalks, seeds and white

membranes, then cut into strips.

3 Put the meat in the porcelain dish and scatter the beef

bouillon powder, peppers and onions over the top.

4 Put the porcelain dish on to the wire shelf at level 2 of the cold

cooking space. Steam 100 °C, 40 minutes.

5 Pour out and collect the juices from the porcelain dish, stir

the gravy powder, tomato puree, the thickened cream and

paprika into the juices, then add this sauce to the meat.

6 Put the porcelain dish on to the wire shelf into the warm

cooking space at level 2. Regenerate 140 °C, 6–8 minutes.

Season to taste before serving.

Tip

Serve with polenta.

Bread Pudding, Pasta Gratin and Birthdays

The zoo was a hit! Taking the train was definitely the right decision and when we were walking back home later in the afternoon Steve and I definitely gave each other a high five for surviving the day. The girls had their moments but we all had a great time and Maddie definitely enjoyed her birthday celebration. I wish I had recorded the playing lions since it was Maddie's favorite. This is the best I could do. And Maddie with her Zum Geburtstag cake (which translates to 'for birthdays'). Happy Birthday Maddie!

We had pasta gratin, salad and cake for Maddie's birthday Sunday. It was super yummy so I thought I'd post the recipe. Steve mentioned that there was a loaf of "hard" bread in the fridge so I decided to make bread pudding yesterday. I adapted two recipes and I must say that I was very impressed with myself (c; It is soooooooooo good. And it was delicious this morning with coffee (c;

Pasta gratin

300–350 g uncooked pasta (shells or elbow macaro

ni)
2 onions, cut into rings
250 g mushrooms, sliced
100 g bratwurst, sliced and slightly cooked
1 bunch of flat leaf parsley, leaves pulled off from stalks and chopped

Sauce
4½dl vegetable bouillon
2½dl single cream
Salt
Pepper
150 g grated cheese

Put the pasta, onions, mushrooms, air-dried ham and parsley into the greased porcelain dish and mix together.
For the sauce, stir the vegetable bouillon and single cream together and season. Pour the sauce over the pasta.

Sprinkle with cheese.
Put the porcelain dish on to the wire shelf at level 2 of the cold cooking space. Hot air with steaming 180 °C, 35 minutes.

Banana Bread and Butter Pudding

4 dl milch
4 dl halbrahm (half cream)
as much sugar as you want (c; (maybe close to 1 cup)
50 g butter
1 becher haselnuss joghurt (1 cup hazelnut yogurt)
4 eggs
A little water
1 loaf of grain bread (cut into chunks...however you like)
2 bananas (sliced)

Grease a baking dish with butter.

Layer the bread chunks and bananas in the baking dish.
Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan. Bring to the boil, take off the heat and allow to cool. Add remaining butter to cream mixture to melt.
In a bowl whisk the eggs, water and sugar, then add the cream mixture into the eggs, stirring continuously. Add the yogurt.
Carefully pour the custard over the bread and bananas. Leave to stand for 20 minutes pushing down on the bread occasionally. The idea is for the bread to soak up the custard.
Put the porcelain dish on to the wire shelf at level 2 of the preheated cooking space. Hot air humid 180 °C, 15 minutes.
Check to be sure that it is not overcooking. Continue with Hot air humid 180 °C, 15 minutes.
Do not allow the custard to overcook otherwise it will scramble.

Fish for dinner...definitely will do this recipe again.

Fish in puff pastry

Stainless steel tray
1 roll of puff pastry
1 red pepper
1 courgette
Coriander or flat leaf parsley
Salt
Pepper
4 small portions of firm fish,
around 50 g each

1 Cut the pepper in half, remove the stalk, seeds and white
membranes, then cut into strips lengthways. Cut the stalk off
the top of the courgette, then cut it into slices lengthways.
2 Cut the puff pastry into four equal-sized rectangles.
3 Lay the pepper and courgette diagonally across the pastry
pieces, sprinkle with the plucked coriander or parsley,
season with salt and pepper, then place the fish on top. Pull
the two free corners of the pastry over the fish.
4 Cover the stainless steel tray with baking parchment and put
the puff pastry parcels on it.
5 Put the stainless steel tray into the cold cooking space at
level 2. Professional baking 210 °C, 25 minutes.

A few videos of Sophie