1,2,3 Mini leek quiches - Thelirecipe

 

I'm starting to like more and more the "mini" versions of food. They are cute, perfect for dinner parties, kids, and right at your fingers tips just like any other finger-food. An easy way to make small portions is using your cupcake mold!

Brunch á la home

If you love having friends over it doesn't strictly have to be for dinner. Invite your friends over for BRUNCH! You already know by now how much I love brunch...such a great invention. 

This post is to show you how you can host a great but very easy brunch at home. You'll see that is very little work! the trick is on getting the freshest and best products at your local market and a variety of them so everyone has a choice. Remember to serve fruits, cheeses, bread, croissants, coffee and tea. And in order to be complete, fresh orange juice and a bottle of champagne to make Mimosas

Brunch are a happy start to the day. I used my most colorful cloth despite of the winter! Set your table however you feel it looks pretty. You can put your savory on the left and sweets on the right, or a cheese corner and a fruit corner

Goat Cheese and Green Onions Muffins - Recipe

I love this mini muffins! They are a twist from the usual sweet ones. They were very successful among my friends and they are perfect for a brunch. 

Eggs en cocotte - Recipe

From the french Oeufs en cocotte, this recipe is super simple to make and delicious. You'll need individual oven proof pots, eggs, crème fraîche and any veggie or ingredient that you can think of! I made my eggs en cocotte with smoke salmon. 

Ingredients for 6:

- 100 gr smoke salmon

- 6 eggs

- 12 spoons of crème fraîche 

- parmesan cheese

First preheat your oven at 180ºC. Spread a bit of butter on each pot. Divide the salmon and add

baby Scallops C E V I C H E - Thelicooking

Ceviche is popular in Latin america and it is basically seafood "cooked" by being marinated in citrus such as lime and orange. The acidity of the citrus is what makes the shrimp, fish or any other seafood to be ready to eat! although of course you can always eat your seafood raw you will find the ceviche to be  fresh and an easy dish to impress your friends. It's a perfect appetizer or first course. 

Last night I made baby scallops ceviche in a bed of avocado, also a very popular ingredient in Latin american countries...it was delicious and so so full of flavors...and also my friends loved it!

Ingredients (for 4):

- 24 small scallops (zamburiñas in Spain), around 6 per serving

- one small red onion, around 1/2 cup diced

- 1/2 cup of fresh cilantro

- around 1/2 cup of cherry tomatoes

- 1/2 cup orange juice

- 1/2 cup lime juice

- 1 or 2 small chili peppers, depends on how spicy you want it

- salt 

Combine the finely diced red onion with the cilantro, chili pepper and tomatoes in a bowl that's either glass or plastic. I used my food processor for the tomatoes and this made them more juicy than just normally chopped

Then add the "zamburiñas" or "baby scallops". You can use either fresh scallops or frozen. They both taste perfect in this recipe

Roasted Bone Marrow - Thelicooking

Either you LOVE it or HATE it! Yeap, that's the case when it comes to bone marrow...it's greasy and full of flavor, I personally love it! 

I had a craving this week so I started researching how to make it at home since it was hard to find the dish at a restaurant. It turned out to be pretty easy. I went to my local butcher (@ Mercado San Antón) and asked for the bones -either beef or veal- also they were surprisingly cheap. So I was headed home with excitement and a bag full of bones :p 

Ingredients:

- beef or veal bones cut

- coarse salt

- cilantro

- one small onion

- 1 tbsp of capers

- 1 lemon juice

- olive oil 

- french baguette or toasts 

This is how they look. You want them to be cut around this size. Place them in a baking sheet with their wider side down so they don't fall and you don't risk losing the precious interior. If they are bloody (it's ok, they are bones!) don't worry you can place them in a bowl with water and change the water a few times. After that, press the marrow down with a paper cloth to absorb the remaining blood

Thelicooking - Grapes Sorbet

Are you about following traditions? How about following the Spanish tradition of eating grapes at New Years Eve?

The tradition has spread to other countries in South America such as my beloved Venezuela. Tonight for a twist serve Grapes Sorbet and spoon away your 12 wishes for the next year.

 

 Recipe:

 

- 4 cups of chilled fresh grapes. I made this one with a mix of green and red grapes. I picked them up from a farm, they were organic and the best quality.

- 1/3 cup of sugar

- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice

 

Process grapes and sugar in a blender or food processor, discard the solids using a fine sieve. Add the lemon juice and following your ice cream maker instructions freeze the mixture.

 

Enjoy! Happy New Year!

 

Xmas Dinner with Friends

There is no better company than family and friends. Since I’m travelling soon to be with my family, my friends in Madrid and I organized a Christmas dinner party to celebrate the anticipated holidays together. So I thought it would be the perfect occasion and excuse to introduce “Thelicooking”. Thelicooking refers to the posts in which no restaurant is included but I cook the food at home, at my no fancy and small kitchen. I don’t have a lot of recipes to share with you since I’m learning in the process…but I’m sure these ones won’t disappoint. We surely enjoyed it!

No hay mejor compañía que familia y amigos. Como viajo pronto para estar con mi familia, mis amigos de Madrid y yo organizamos una cena para celebrar la Navidad, anticipada, pero juntos. Así que me pareció la ocasión y excusa perfecta para introducir “Thelicooking”. Thelicooking se refiere a los posts que no incluyen un restaurante, sino comida preparada en mi casa, por mi, en mi pequeña cocina. No tengo muchísimas recetas para compartir con ustedes ya que voy aprendiendo en el proceso…igual estoy segura de que estos platos no los decepcionarán. Nosotros lo disfrutamos mucho!!

Our Xmas Menu:

Starters                                                                     Entrante
  Choice of Butternut Squash or Spinach Soup              Sopa de Calabaza o de Espinacas 
  Dates with Bacon                                                      Dátiles con beicon
  Cream Cheese with sweet & sour peppers dip            Dip de queso crema y pimientos agridulce

Main                                                                          Principal 
  Pork tenderloin with wine sauce                                Lomo de cerdo con salsa de vino tinto
  Mashed potatoes                                                       Puré de patatas 
  Creamy Spinach                                                        Espinacas
  Salad with strawberries and goat cheese                    Ensalada de fresas y queso de cabra

Dessert                                                                      Postres 
  Chocolate muffins                                                     Chocolate muffins
  Cheesecake (made by my friend Tony)                       Cheesecake (de mi amigo Tony)

Fresh peppers for our dip

The peppers need to be cut delicately small