Recipes Archives - Use Your Noodles

Finding New Clients For Food Photographers

February 16, 2024

Finding new clients does not mean waiting for prospective clients to find you via Google search or Instagram. It means being proactive in both presenting your work to the random eyeballs (aka posting online) and actively reaching out to new potential clients.

So many photographers I work with leave finding new clients to chance.

Many just wait around for clients to find them and wonder why they are not getting any new work. They think that posting on social media is enough exposure for potential clients to find them.

That’s simply not the case.

I can tell you from my experience that relying solely on social media is not the most effective way to get the dream clients you’ll love working with.

Taking matters into your own hands gives the power back to you.

In this article, I want to address how you can find new clients yourself without waiting for them to find you.

Here’s a quick recap of the article:

Re-visit what clients you want to work with

As our career as photographers progresses, so does the vision of our ideal clients.

For that reason, I suggest revisiting what an ideal client means to you as a food photographer every now and then. I do this once a year when I set goals for my business.

Not only will defining the niche and ideal client help you narrow down who you want to work with. It will also help you build a portfolio that will attract those clients.

Create a list of potential clients

As a food photographer, you can work with a multitude of different clients. For example:

National or international magazines
National or international cookbook publishers
Local restaurants and bars
Large or small food brands
Branding and PR agencies
Stock agencies
Food bloggers and chefs

I like to keep lists of different types of clients so I can refer to a specific type of client, depending on what my goals are for the year or what clients I’d love to work more with at the given time.

Pro Tip: Keep your list at arms reach so you can add new potential clients on the go. For example, create an Instagram save folder for potential clients so you can quickly save them and move them to your lists later.

Keeping client lists will help you when you are ready to pitch so that you can focus solely on contacting them, which will streamline your pitching process.

Use your network to spread the word

We talked a bit about pitching.

Besides actively reaching out to potential clients, as creatives, we also benefit from the community. This may be a community of your friends and family or business communities.

Be prepared to speak about what you do and how you do it to anyone interested.

Don’t underestimate the power of networking and sharing your photography work with the people you know.

Share it in your personal space, online communities or attend networking events.

Just recently, I got to work with a client by being referred to them by one of my old contacts on Facebook. We haven’t even been in contact for a long time, but they referred me to someone they know.

Finding new clients actively is much less stressful

To conclude this article, being active in your client acquisition is the key to success as a food photographer.

Sure, posting on social media seems effective, but think about how much time and effort goes into that and how slim the chances are that a potential client will actually see your post.

Improve your pitching

When pitching, make sure you are well organized and have a schedule. If you need help with finding new clients and contacts, creating a schedule, and crafting emails, you can join the free 4-day Get Booked Workshop here.

Mastering Client Communication: A Guide for Food Photographers

February 9, 2024

In food photography, mastering client communication is just as crucial as taking the perfect shot. This guide will walk you through the essential steps to ensure seamless client interactions and create the type of photos that will leave your clients wanting more.

Here’s a short article summary:

Step #1: Understanding Your Client’s Vision

Ask Detailed Questions About the Photography Project

I can’t stress enough how important it is to ask any question you might have, as silly as it might sound to you. Inquire about the desired style, mood, number, and type of deliverables, and so on to gain a comprehensive understanding of your client’s wishes, needs, and vision.

Visualize The Client’s Vision

Use all the information the client has given you to create a clear image of the end result in your mind. Create and share a moldboard with your client to ensure you are on the same page. As photographers, we are used to imagining things in our heads, but clients usually need a visual representation of what they will get. And this is what moodboards are for. I love using Canva to create moodboards for my client projects.

Repeat Their Words

What I started implementing a while ago is repeating everything they said to make sure I understood correctly. The thing is, we often understand things differently from the other person, so repeating it and asking if you understood correctly is one of the most important things to make sure you will do what your client expects you to do.

Step #2: Communicating Your Photography Process

Outline Your Workflow and Set the Expectations

It is imperative for a food photography project to be successful and to have clear communication with your client. Ideally, you want the client to understand how you work and their involvement in the process. This includes timelines for all the project steps, your fee or any additional fees that may arise, and what they need to do at each step. This way, you will avoid unhappy clients.

Step #3: Handling Client Feedback Gracefully

As photographers, it is our job to create photos as close to the client’s vision as possible. However, if you have done enough client photoshoots, there’s a high chance your clients weren’t always 100% happy. I like to approach feedback with an open mind, viewing it as an opportunity for improvement rather than criticism.

Sometimes, clients expect the photos to turn out in a way that is not ideal (they might not know it) or are impossible to do for the time frame, the budget, or it is physically impossible. It is very important to communicate this with the client in a respectful manner.

Conclusion

Mastering client communication is crucial for success in food photography’s competitive world. By understanding your client’s vision, communicating your process effectively, and handling feedback in a respectful manner, you can establish strong client relationships and create photos that they will love.

Implement these steps into your workflow to elevate your communication skills with your current and future clients.

And don’t forget to have patience when things don’t go as planned!

Want to get more photography clients this year?

Check my Client pitching email templates, which will help you create better outreach emails quicker.

5 Composition Tips For Better Drink Photography

February 2, 2024

Discover 5 unexpected methods to create better drink photography. From adding movement to embracing messiness, these tips will revolutionize your photography game. Ready for your photos to capture the eye? Dive in now!

Have you ever taken a photo of a beverage and felt like something was missing? Often, I see the students I work with struggle with creating a composition in their drink photos that would make their drink shine.

I am here to show 5 ways you can improve your drink photography today.

Composition Secrets For Better Drink Photography Overview

Tip #1: Add some movement

Adding some movement to your drink photos will inhale life into an otherwise static photo. Consider adding a pour, a stir, or a splash to create a dynamic and engaging composition.

And you don’t need to stop with the ‘real’ action. If it makes sense for the drink you are photographing, you can make sure it has bubbles, giving it that lived-in, action feeling.

Tip #2: Use variety in garnish

In drink photos, we often have not just one subject but multiple subjects. It is easy to get caught in styling them all the same way.

Garnishing them slightly differently will give more interest to your drink photography. Maybe you add something extra to the drink that’s in focus, or you turn the garnishes in different ways. Always keep variety at the back of your mind.

Tip #3: Use different glassware

Similarly to the previous tip, you can consider using different glasses for the same drink inside your frame.

Not only can you add interest this way, but you can also add variety in heights, textures, sizes, and colors.

Tip #4: Don’t be afraid of being messy

Being messy is often that step at the end of your composition-building process that makes the photo look natural and simply more interesting to look at. And at the end of the day, it makes the photo more drool-worthy.

So, don’t be afraid to add some of the garnishes or ingredients of the drink around the frame.

Tip #5: Let things overlap

This is one of my favorite composition techniques that adds dimension and a sense of space to any photo.

Positioning the elements inside the frame in a way where some of the elements visually overlap, crates connection withing the frame and makes it look more natural (less staged).

Interested in creating better drink photography?

Check out this instant access Drink Photography workshop.

Festive Prosciutto Rolls

December 11, 2022

This easy and quick festive prosciutto rolls recipe is what you’ll be making year after year for New Year’s Eve dinner.

We’re nearing the end of the year, and it’s always nice to have some easy finger food recipes on hand. Ever since I remember, my family has served prosciutto in one form or another for New Year’s Eve dinner. So let me know in the comments what is your family’s traditional food!

This recipe for the festive prosciutto rolls is super easy. I made these with my homemade phyllo dough, but if you’re in a hurry or don’t feel like making your own, a store-bought one works just as well. But I promise it is easier than it seems to make and always a fun activity for the kids and the entire family.

What is inside these festive prosciutto rolls?

Well, I don’t think I need to mention it, bis a layer of thinly sliced prosciutto accompanied by thinly sliced zucchinis, which add a lovely freshness to the rolls, and a generous amount of cheese. I’m using brie, but any other cheese that melts nicely is great too!

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Festive Prosciutto Rolls

Course Appetizer, brunch, Side Dish

Keyword Christmas, easy appetizer, new year’s eve

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 20 rolls

Author Anja Burgar

Ingredients

5 phyllo dough sheets (Recipe for homemade phyllo dough in recipe notes below.)
20 slices prosciutto thinly sliced
300 g brie cut into small chunks
2 small zuchinnis thinly sliced lenghtwise
20 g parmesan cheese
vegetable oil for brushing

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
Start with 5 phyllo dough sheets of a rough size of 30×40 cm.
Cut each phyllo dough sheet into four equal rectangles.
Place one slice of prosciutto, two halfs of zuchinni slices and a chunk of brie..
Fold sides of the dough over the filling then fold one of the other two sides of the phyllo dough over the filling and roll into a roll.
Place the rolls onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper and grate over parmesan cheese.
Bake in a preheated oven for 15 to 20 monutes until golden.

Notes

Find the recipe for phyllo dough here. (The same amount as you need for this recipe!)

Looking for other festive dishes?

I like to pair these rolls with salads. Fruity Winter Salad with Mustard Dressing or Persimmon Salad With Orange Dressing are perfect for that!

Spooky Chocolate & Meringue Ghost Cupcakes

October 24, 2022

A spooky Halloween recipe – chocolate & meringue ghost cupcakes! Learn how to make these easy and fun decorated cupcakes with a meringue topping and make the spookiest treat of the season.

Super excited to be sharing this recipe with you, guys. I got a ton of requests last year when I posted them on Instagram in collaboration with Kenwood Slovenija. Back then, the recipe was posted in Slovene.

And now I get to share it in English, and I can’t wait to see you make it!

I’m always fascinated by beautiful Halloween designs, so I thought I’d try making meringue ghost cupcakes. We’re big fans of meringue in my family. Yeah, I know it’s too sweet, but to be honest, we don’t have it all that often!

We get to splurge every now and then, right?

You know I’m all about simple recipes, and this one is no exception. The sponge is made in one bowl, so you have minimal cleaning. You’re only left with a bowl where you beat the meringue and a few extras, and that’s it. I’ve been very lazy with my cleaning lately, so I’m trying to make recipes that require less cleaning.

The recipe makes 12 middle-sized ghost cupcakes, but I assure you they will be gone fast. So if you’re making it for a party, I suggest doubling or tripling the recipe.

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Spooky Chocolate & Meringue Ghost Cupcakes

Course Dessert

Keyword cake, chocolate cake, halloween, muffins

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes

Rest Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 43 minutes

Servings 12 cupcakes

Author Anja Burgar

Ingredients

Chocolate Sponge

150 g all-purpose flour
50 g ground hazelnuts
50 g unsweetened cocoa
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
150 g sugar
1/2 cup + 5 TBSP milk
⅕ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
60 g chocolate chips

Meringue Ghost Topping

3 egg whites
140 g white sugar
½ tsp cream of tartar

Decoration

chocolate chips

Instructions

Chocolate Sponge

Preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F)
Mix flour, hazelnuts, cocoa, cinnamon, and baking powder in a bowl.
Beat the eggs and sugar with a stand mixer for 1-2 minutes to get a fluffy batter.
Add milk and oil and mix again to get a uniform mixture.
Add the dry flour mixture and fold it with a spatula, just enough for the ingredients to combine.
Add chocolate chips and gently fold in.
Pour the batter into 12 muffin molds ¾ high and bake for 15-18 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean.
Leave to cool entirely before decorating.

Meringue Ghost Topping

Pour egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar into a heatproof bowl and place it over a pot with simmering water (a double boiler).
Whisk for 5 minutes until the mixture becomes frothy, and all sugar is dissolved.
Add the egg whites mixture to a clean and dry bowl of a stand mixer and whisk for 5-7 minutes to get stiff peaks, the mixture is silky, and all the sugar has dissolved.
Use a round piping nozzle to decorate cooled-down cupcakes in ghost shapes.
Use chocolate chips to create eyes.

Looking for other delicious chocolate recipes?

Take a look at these:

Clementine Aperol Spritz

February 16, 2022

I can’t get over this delicious clementine Aperol spritz. It’s mixed with two parts Aperol, clementine juice, Prosecco and soda water.

Are you up for an amazing Winter cocktail?

I’m catching the last days of some fresh clementines, that are super delicious in cocktails. I’m a huge fan of citruses like grapefruit or oranges in cocktails. And I just realized I haven’t posted a cocktail recipe with clementines yet. So let’s do that!

Ready?

All you need is some Aperol, which is a bright orange, bittersweet low-alcohol liqueur. I’m changing the original recipe a bit and trust me, it’s worth it, even though I love the original as well. The original is just Aperol liqueur, Processo wine and sparkling water. The citrus flavor adds so much to this drink.

Can you make this clementine aperol spritz less alcoholic?

Yes, absolutely. Simply change a part of Prosecco with clementine juice or apple juice and your cocktail will be less boozy.

I don’t suggest replacing Prosecco with sparkling water, because the taste will be too diluted.

Are you ready to have a drink?

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Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings 1 serving

Author Anja Burgar

Ingredients

2 parts Aperol (6 cl or 2 oz)
2 parts freshly squeezed clementine juice (6 cl or 2 oz)
1 part Prosecco (3 cl or 1 oz)
1 part soda water (3 cl or 1 oz)
ice
clementine slices for garnish

Instructions

Fill a large glass with ice.
Pour Aperol over the ice followed by freshly squeezed clementine juice.
Add soda water and garnish with a clementine slice.

The best no-bake lemon cheesecake

February 1, 2022

This no-bake lemon cheesecake has the softest fluffiest cream cheese filling and the most delicious lemon curd on top.

Less than two weeks from Valentine’s day!!! Whoa! I feel like I’m saying this in every single post, but man does the time fly these days! Am I right?

Are you already planning your Valentine’s day dinner? We don’t really celebrate Valentine’s day, but a dessert is always welcome. There’s nothing like a sweet but delicate dessert to share with someone you love. OR just eat on your own. That’s perfectly fine too 🙂

I can’t think of any better dessert but this fluffy cheesecake with lemon curd. I guarantee it’s gonna be a hit!

So how does the lemon pie look like?

The filling for this cheesecake was modified from Sally of Sally’s Baking Addiction blog. She’s a goddess when it comes to dessert and this filling is truly one of the best – if not the best – cheesecake filling I’ve ever tasted. IT’s the softest and creamies, I can’t stress this enough 🙂

I’ve topped the filling with some homemade lemon curd, which is just a fantastic way to brighten up the filling. Actually, I love it so much, I can easily eat it on it’s own 😉

You might think it’s hard to make lemon curd. I feel like people are scared of it. But it’s super simple. I promise! Just make sure you cook it long enough, to make sure the yolk is done. I prefer to err on the side of overcooking here.

As for the crust, I like to use butter cookies, but you can easily swap this for any kind of cookies you like or graham crackers. It’s really a very forgiving crust. You can even add some spices to it! The sky is the limit.

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The best no-bake lemon cheesecake

Course Dessert

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 8 servings

Author Anja Burgar

Ingredients

Cookie Crust

150 g plain cookies
1/3 stick unsalted butter (40 g)

Cream Cheese Filling

12 oz cream cheese (350 g)
1/4 cup sugar (50 g)
2 TBSP creme fraiche (30 g)
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup whipping cream (115 ml)

Lemon Curd

2 TBSP sugar (25 g)
2 TBSP lemőn juice (25 ml)
1 egg yolk
zest of half of a lemon
1/4 stick unsalted butter (25 g)

Instructions

Cookie Crust

Add cookies to a food processor and pulse a few times until you get a chunky sand texture. Move to a small bowl.
Melt butter in a saucepan and add it to the bowl with cookies. Mix with a spoon.
Line a cake tin with baking paper and add the cookie mixture.
Use a spoon to distribute it around the bottom evenly and firmly press.
Place into the fridge while you are preparing the fillings.

Cream Cheese Filling

Using a stand mixer with a pedal attachment mix together the cream cheese and sugar until well combined.
Add creme fraiche and lemon juice and beat for a few minutes, until the cream becomes smooth.
Using a hand mixer whip the whipping cream separately until you get stiff peaks.
Add the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture and fold it in gently with a rubber spatula.
Spread evenly over the firmed crust and place in the fridge while you make the lemon curd.

Lemon Curd

Place sugar, egg yolk, lemon juice and lemon zest in a heat-proof bowl and place over a pot with simmering water to create a double boiler.
Cook while whisking for about 10 minutes or until the mixture gets thick resembling a homemade mayonnaise consistency (not extremely thick).
Remove from the heat and add butter. Whisk until the butter completely melts and incorporates.
Cover with plastic wrap, making sure the wrap is touching the surface of the curd. Keep at room temperature to cool down.
Once cooled, pour over the cheesecake and decorate with toppings of your liking (I used candied lemons here).

Loving the no-bake pies? I have a few other options:

Healthier Almond Chocolate Truffles

January 19, 2022

Chocolate truffles are some of the best desserts out there and these ones are insanely good and a healthier replacement for many desserts.

I have to tell you a story about these truffles and the way I created this recipe.

I was supposed to go on a visit one day in December and that day I woke up at 5 am in the morning (crazy, I know! It wasn’t intentional). Anyhoo, I woke up while it was still dark and I didn’t want to wake the whole family up, so I used my phone torch to light up the kitchen counters and create a dessert or bring to that visit.

At that time, I still had no sense of smell after Covid. Basic tastes were okay but definitely not the smell. So I basically eyeballed ingredients and besides the sweetness, I had no idea how it tastes.

Apparently, people really liked them (I did as well, just couldn’t really enjoy all the goodness that’s inside). So I made them sooo sooo many times since then and I figured, this recipe is a must-share.

So here I am sharing it with you in hopes that you also get to enjoy its deliciousness.

The almond chocolate truffles recipe is pretty straightforward. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler (water below, chocolate above) and then mix in all the rest of the ingredients. Simple as that!

It might look like things are a bit too runny at the beginning, but once you start mixing, the chocolate will start to cool down and the mixture will get thick super quickly and you won’t even need to let it rest. You can start forming the truffles immediately.

Okay, let’s get to this amazing recipe as soon as possible!

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Healthier Almond Chocolate Truffles

Course Dessert

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Author Anja Burgar

Ingredients

1 cup dark chocolate chips (120 g)
½ cup crunchy almond butter (can be substituted with smooth almond butter)
3 TBSP maple syrup
½ tsp ground cinnamon
zest of one clementine
pinch of salt
unsweetened cocoa powder for coating

Instructions

Fill a saucepan with a little water and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Place a heat-proof bowl on top of the saucepan, but make sure it's not touching the water. Place chocolate in the top bowl and mix frequently until the chocolate melts.
Once the chocolate is melted remove the bowl from the saucepan and add the salt. Mix well.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. The mixture will be very liquid in the begining, but once you start mixing it will become very thick and pliable.
Once it is mixed you can start forming truffles. I like smaller ones (1 tsp of mixture) but you can make larger ones too! If the mixture is not thick enough to make truffles, place it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Once the truffles are shaped, place unsweetened cocoa powder in a bowl and coat the truffles from all sides.

Vegan Speculaas Cake with Candied Oranges and Caramel Sauce

December 18, 2021

Make your home smell like Christmas with this flavorful vegan speculaas cake with candied oranges and caramel sauce.

I’m so excited to share this recipe today. I made it together with my dear friend Vita from Little Kitchen Vibes !!!

Vita and I have met at one of my workshops and we’ve been friends since then, sharing our love of food and photography. She’s been helping me with some of my projects and so I figured why not make a personal project together. And we came up with this delicious vegan speculaas cake that literally smells like Christmas.

If I had my smell completely back from Covid, it would be even more Christmasy, but even with that, it’s just incredible. So I invite you to try the recipe, even if you’re not vegan. The cake is absolutely soft and moist and most of all have that nice crumb a good cake should have.

If you’ve been here reading my posts before, you know how much I love simple recipes. Even though it seems like a lot of ingredients the process is in fact super simple and straightforward. Like with every other butter cake, you whip butter and sugar together, then mix apples, oat milk and coconut milk in a blender and mix it in the butter together with the rest of the ingredients.

Caramel is just as simple. Simply combine everything in a bowl and you’re good to go. This caramel, though!!! Best vegan caramel I’ve ever tried. It’s super sweet just like caramel should be (right?) and had a very deep rich flavor. So good!

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Vegan Speculaas Cake with Candied Oranges and Caramel Sauce

Course Dessert

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Author Anja Burgar

Ingredients

Vegan Speculaas Cake

100 g vegan butter
120 g brown sugar
450 g all-purpose flour
1 pack baking powder (4g)
3 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground corriander
½ tsp ground allspice
⅓ tsp ground cloves
⅓ tsp ground nutmeg
pinch of salt
250 g candied orange peel
250 g apples
200 ml oat milk
200 ml full-fat coconut milk (from a can, cream and water combined)

Vegan Caramel

2 TBSP whole almond butter
1 tsp gingerbread spice mix (or 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/6 tsp ginger, pinch coriander, pinch allspice, pinch cardamom, pinch cloves, pinch nutmeg)
4 TBSP agave syrup
½ TBSP coconut milk (or more if the caramel is too thick)

Topping

200 ml vegan whipping cream (coconut is the best)

Instructions

Vegan Speculaas Cake

Add vegan butter and sugar to a large bowl and whip it with an electric mixer until you get a fluffy and even cream.
To another large bowl, add all the dry ingredients – flour, salt, and spices. Mix well with a whisk.
Cut apples into pieces and blend them along with oat milk and coconut milk.
Now combine all the ingredients into an even batter. Fold in candied oranges.
Bake in a buttered long rectangular baking pan (usually used for bread loaves) and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 45 minutes.
Once your cake is baked well, let it cool down completely.

Vegan Caramel

While your cake is baking, make caramel sauce. Add all the ingredients for caramel sauce to a blender and blend well or add them to a bowl and mix with an electric mixer.

Finishing the cake

Whip your whipping cream in a tall bowl until it's firm and holds its shape.
Before you serve it, spread whipped cream on top and pour some caramel sauce over it. You can decorate it with fresh oranges, too.

If you feel like baking something else for Christmas, I have a few other delicious recipes, such as Almond Butter Cookies and Chocolate Hazelnut Bundt Cake.

Holiday Cabin (Savory Gingerbread House)

December 9, 2021

Prepare to dazzle your guests with this savory gingerbread house shaped as a holiday cabin. Add it to your charcuterie board and it will be a perfect match!

The holidays are almost here! Can you believe it?

Every year, I’m dreaming about making a gingerbread house, but then there’s always so much candy and I don’t want to end up with waste. Because there’s no way we can eat all of it. And that’s why I decided that this year I’m gonna make a savory gingerbread house. Something small, that we can eat immediately.

Making a savory house is a bit different because creating savory icing that doesn’t contain water is very hard. When the icing has water it’s going to make the cookie (or in this case cracker) become soft after a while. That’s why this is a house that needs to be eaten within an hour of making it.

Why two differet kinds of crackers in the savory gingerbread house?

I made the house with two different types of crackers, simply for variety when people eat it. If you don’t feel like making two different crackers, don’t worry. You can make just one. Each of the two cracker recipes in this article is enough to make a house. This means that if you make two, you have enough crackers to make two houses!

I imagined a cabin made of stone with a wooden roof and that’s why I baked crackers with lots of seeds to mimic that stone appearance. And I used the regular rye crackers to make the door and the roof.

To make the house stand I used processed cheese and I used cream cheese to frost the roof to make the salty sticks adhere to the roof. I also used cream cheese to decorate the house. The same way as I would if I used royal icing – with a piping bag.

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Holiday Cabin (Savory Gingerbread House)

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 20 hours

Author Anja Burgar

Ingredients

Wholegrain Rye Crackers

2½ cups wholegrain rye flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup water
5 TBSP olive oil

Wholegrain seed crackers

80 g wholegrain rye flour
250 ml water
50 g flax seeds
40 g sunflower seeds
40 g sesame seeds
40 g black sesame seeds
1 tsp salt
1 TBSP olive oil

Icing and decorations

processed cheese for gluing the crackers together
cream cheese for frosting the roof and decorating the house
salty sticks
peanuts
olives
rosemary
transparent jelly

Instructions

Wholegrain Rye Crackers

Place all ingredients in a bowl and gently bring together. Do not knead too much or else the crackers won't be as crunchy.
Add more water if necessary. The dough should be pretty firm and not overly stiky.
Place the dough onto baking paper and roll out 3-4 mm thick.
Cut out the house using paper template (you can get the template below the recipe)
Make sure the cuts are pretty significant, but don't move any parts of the house. Everything should be close together to prevent the shapes to change.
Transfer the paper gently onto a baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for 20 minutes.
When the crackers are baked remove them from the oven but leave them on the baking tray to cool down completely, before transfering them off the tray. They will harden as they cook.

Wholegrain seed crackers

Mix flax seeds with water and leave them to soak for 30 minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients and bring them together in a dough. Don't overmix.
Place the dough onto baking paper and roll out 3-4 mm thick.
Cut out the house using a paper template (you can get the template below the recipe)
Make sure the cuts are pretty significant but don't move any parts of the house. Everything should be close together to prevent the shapes to change.
Transfer the paper gently onto a baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for 20 minutes.
When the crackers are baked remove them from the oven but leave them on the baking tray to cool down completely, before transfering them off the tray. They will harden as they cook.

Decorating the house

Use cream cheese to frost the roof and add salty sticks on top, to create a wooden look.
Once the roof is done use processed cheese to glue all the pieces of the house together.
Place the chimney on top.
Use cream cheese to pipe snow on the house and to decorate as you like.
You can use peanut halves to create a stone path, make firm jelly using water and gelatine to create icecubes, halve olives and add rosemary inside to create flower pots or use rosemary as decorations. Imagination is the limit. Be creative!

Persimmon Panna Cotta

November 24, 2021

Feeling all cozy with a persimmon panna cotta – spiced panna cotta with a delicious a surprising persimmon jelly.

Time for a cozy and comforting dessert.

I find panna cotta to be such an easy dessert for whenever you have guests coming over and you don’t have much time to do some proper baking. Plus I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like panna cotta.

This one today is inspired by the cool autumn weather we are having these days. I added a bit of cinnamon and vanilla into panna cotta. And then topped the panna cotta with homemade persimmon jelly, which basically requires only two ingredients.

Did you know that persimmons contain very high amounts of pectin? This means that they can be used as a hardening agent for homemade jams and you can use this knowledge to create a persimmon jam. And you don’t need any gelatine or agar. The persimmon pulp will harden on its own. I have used this in one of my very old recipes for persimmon coffee pudding.

So I just added a bit of sugar to make the process of solidifying even more pronounced. And that’s it, a very simple homemade persimmon jelly.

One word of caution though. Make sure that the persimmons you are using are ripe otherwise the tannins in the fruit will make your mouth dry. And that’s not a pleasant thing to feel.

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Persimmon Panna Cotta

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Resting time 3 hours

Servings 6 servings

Author Anja Burgar

Ingredients

Panna Cotta

2½ cups heavy cream (600 ml)
2 TBSP caster suagr (30 g)
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp vanilla seeds or vanilla extract
3 gelatine leaves (5 g)

Persimmon Jelly

2 hachiya persimmons
2 TBSP caster sugar (30 g)

Instructions

Panna Cotta

Place gelatine leaves into a bowl with cold water to soften.
Place heavy cream, caster sugar, ground cinnamon and vanilla beans (or vanilla extract) into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. The mixture should not boil.
Remove from heat immediately and stir in the softened gelatine leaves and whisk to combine.
Pour the mixture into serving cups and keep refrigerated until it sets. This should take an hour or two.

Persimmon Jelly

Scoop out the flesh of the persimmon and discard the skin. Remove seeds, if any.
Place it in a food processor and add caster sugar.
Mix until smooth.
Pour over the chilled panna cotta.
Place into the fridge for an hour, which will let the pectin do its magic and create a jelly.

Pumpkin Dalgona Coffee

October 7, 2021

Pumpkin dalgona coffee – a seasonal twist to the oh-so-delicious dalgona coffee. With pumpkin purée and pumpkin spice this will become your favorite drink of the month!

If there’s anything that says Autumn it’s pumpkins! Do you agree?

I find pumpkins so very versatile. You can make savory dishes such as soup, gnocchi, or risotto, or even something sweet such as cupcakes. But today we’re making a drink with pumpkins. Yes, you heard me, pumpkins inside a drink and not just any drink. We’re using them in dalgona coffee.

Even if it sounds strange, trust me it tastes so delicious.

This is the drink you make for your friends to give them a special coffee experience.

How do you make pumpkin dalgona coffee aka whipped coffee with pumpkin?

Making dalgona is extremely simple. All you need to do is mix equal parts instant coffee, sugar and boiling water (and in the case of this pumpkin dalgona coffee, also a bit of pumpkin spice). Then whip everything for a few minutes until the cream becomes fluffy.

You can make it a smooth cream, like the one on these photos or whip a little bit longer and make the cream stiffer.

Then just pour a glass of milk over a tablespoon or two of pumpkin puree and add top that with the whipped coffee. And you’re done! Simple 🙂

I’m already imagining drinking this under a blanket next to a fireplace. Unbelievable, last week it felt like Summer and this week it’s cold and windy, just like true Autumn.

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Pumpkin Dalgona Coffee

Prep Time 5 minutes

Servings 2 drinks

Author Anja Burgar

Ingredients

2 TBSP instant coffee
2 TBSP sugar
1 tsp pumpkin spice (recipe for homemade pumpkin spice in the notes)
2 TBSP boiling water
3-4 TBSP pumpkin purée
2 cups milk or plant milk

Instructions

In a small mixing bowl add instant coffee, sugar, pumpkin spice and boiling water.
Using an electric mixer whisk for two to three minutes or until you get a fluffy cream. The more you whisk the stiffer the dalgona.
Onto the bottom of two coffee cups place pumpkin puree, pour over the milk (either hot or cold) and top with the whipped coffee / dalgona.
Serve immediately and enjoy.

Notes

Homemade pumpkin spice:

3 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground allspice

Fudge Brownie Cake with Chocolate Ganache

September 24, 2021

I love it when you can make the most chocolaty fudge brownie cake with the simplest of ingredients. And to top it all, make a simple and most delicious chocolate ganache.

Anyone else here dreaming about chocolate desserts now that it’s become moodier and cooler?

I’m not normally the one dreaming about anything chocolate (many desserts come before chocolate!) but this year I can’t help myself 🙂

So the other day I made a chocolate fudge brownie cake and it was utterly drool-worthy. It would be a shame not to share the recipe with you guys. And I actually added a simple chocolate ganache recipe to use on the cake. Because more chocolate is just better (again, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I guess times are changing!).

Here I used a bunch of fruits from the garden (I shot these a while ago when we still had some blueberries and raspberries in the garden). You can add any fruit you like such as banana, figs, pears and similar or just keep it a simple chocolate cake. Be creative!

Like I’ve said here probably a million times, the best recipes are simple ones that don’t require a bunch of ingredients and equipment. This is a recipe just like that. And that’s why I’m such a huge fan of brownies. So simple and everyone always likes them. Win-win!

If you’re not into fudgy brownies and prefer a cakier one, I have another amazing recipe here.

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Fudge Brownie Cake with Chocolate Ganache

Course Dessert

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Cooling time 2 hours

Total Time 3 hours

Author Anja Burgar

Ingredients

Fudge Brownie Cake

200 g bitter-sweet chocolate finely chopped
1/2 cup butter cubed
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

Chocolate ganache

1/2 cup heavy cream (110 ml)
150 g bitter-sweet chocolate very finely chopped

Instructions

Fudge Brownie Cake

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and butter the sides and bottom of a 6-inch cake pan.
Place chocolate and butter in a heat-proof bowl and place it over a pan of simmering water. Stir often until chocolate and butter have melted completely.
Remove from the stove and add sugar and salt. Mix well.
Once the mixture is not anymore, add eggs one at a time and use a whisk to mix them in well. The mixture should not be too slimy.
Finally, add flour and mix it in to get a uniform batter.
Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 40-45 minutes. You can do a toothpick test, however you will see it be brown and sticky even when the cake is done. Just make sure the toothpick shows the sticky inside and not a runny inside.
Once the cake is baked, remove it from the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan.
Cool it to room temperature or keep in the fridge before decorating with chocolate ganache.

Chocolate ganache

While the cake is cooling, prepare the chocolate ganache.
Pour heavy cream into a pot and heat until steaming but DO NOT LET IT BOIL!
Pour the steaming hot heavy cream over the finely chopped chocolate and let it sit for 5-10 minutes or until the chocolate has completely melted. Stir with a spatula to create a smooth cream.
The cream will be pretty runny and it's okay to use it like this if you prefer.
To create a cream like in the photos, wait until the cream cools down to room temperature to become thicker and spreadable. If it still feels too runny, place it in the fridge until it gets the right consistency.
You can prepare the cream in advance and store it in the fridge, then take it out an hour before using it.

White chocolate & matcha chia pudding with figs

September 1, 2021

This deliciously rich white chocolate and matcha chia pudding with a homemade fig jam is such a wonderful dessert for late Summer.

Even though it has been around for a while, I’ve just recently discovered chia pudding. For whatever reason, I steered away from it for so long, even though I live chia seeds.

So during the lockdowns, we were making puddings in all shapes and sizes so I said why not try one with chia seeds. And it was amazing. The first one I made was with dark chocolate and peanut butter, which is also a recipe I need to share one day.

However this Summer I felt like making something just slightly brighter so I made a white chocolate and matcha chia pudding and some freshly made fig jam for that extra punch in flavor.

What I loved about pairing figs with chia pudding is the fact that they both have a crunch to them.

For me anything with small seeds paired with something very smooth is annoying (maybe that’s just me). But here both the pudding and the jam have actual seed in so it’s just a perfect combo texture-wise as well.

So we’re just enjoying the last days of Summer. It’s getting pretty cold here these days in the morning so I’m bringing my warm clothes out and dreaming about pumpkins and apple pies. Is this too soon?

Anyway, I hope you’ll enjoy this recipe. Let me know in the comments if you try it.

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White chocolate & matcha chia pudding with figs

Course Dessert

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Resting Time 5 hours

Total Time 5 hours 20 minutes

Servings 2 servings

Author Anja Burgar

Ingredients

½ cup chia seeds
2 cups plant-based milk (animal milk works okay too if you're not vegan)
100 g vegan white chocolate (regular white chocolate works too, if you're not vegan)
1 TBSP matcha powder
chopped nuts

Fig jam

200 g fresh ripe figs
3 TBSP white sugar
1 tsp vanilla seeds or vanilla extract
2 TBSP water
1 tsp lemon juice

Instructions

Chia Pudding

Place a small pot over medium heat.
Chop white chocolate in small chunks and place them in a heat-proof bowl.
Place the bowl over the pot and stir the chocolate constantly and remove from heat as soon as it completely melts.
In a medium-size bowl mix milk, matcha powder and chia seeds using a whisk.
Pour in white chocolate slowly whisking quickly to incorporate it into the pudding mixture.
Place in the fridge for at least 5 hours, but preferably overnight, to set.

Fig jam

Remove hard parts of the fig stem and cut figs into small pieces.
Place them in a small pot and add all other jam ingredients.
Cook for five to ten minutes or until figs become really soft.
Move to a food processor and mix until you get a smooth jam.
Jam will become thicker when it sets.

Assembly

Once the jam and the pudding have set place the pudding into two glasses halfway up. Then add the jam and finish with the rest of the pudding. If you wish, you can add some fresh figs into the glass and on top and top everything with chopped nuts.

If you’re into pudding recipes you might also like:

Refreshing Summer Watermelon Salad

August 9, 2021

When it comes to refreshing salads nothing beats a refreshing watermelon salad inspired by Greek salad.

If there’s a Summer fruit I can’t stop eating, it’s the watermelon. I just love the crunch and the sweetness. I’m always happy when I find a watermelon that’s just perfectly ripe. And so I got a local one from my veggie deliverer and it slipped my mind that I never tried watermelon in a salad. I’ve seen people use it in a salad, so I tried and used it in a salad that we normally make at home all the time, but replace tomatoes with watermelon.

Haaa, a new world opened. So delicious!

So I’m sharing the watermelon salad recipe I made with you to try and enjoy. It’s extremely simple and so incredibly delicious. And if you’re into salads that include summer fruit, check my cucumber and peach salad.

For this salad, you’ll need a perfectly ripe watermelon. I prefer to go a bit underripe than overripe because overly ripe watermelon is too sweet for my taste and it also doesn’t hold its shape as nicely. You’ll also need some cucumbers, black olives and Feta cheese. and to top it all off you’ll need some fresh basil leaves and a few simple ingredients to make the vinaigrette – olive oil, lime juice, lime zest, salt and crushed white or red pepper.

Very simple, y’all know I like simple foods 🙂