Easy Brioche

Easter Sunday is a traditional feast here in Austria. But with the table set with everything you can imagine, we all are waiting only for this Brioche served hot from the oven by Sophie let alone the smell that tortured us until it is ready it is no wonder that we cannot show you a single piece cut up for you or us eating it. You must understand it is a race of how to get enough for each one of us. Enough of this warm fresh French Brioche. The one behind the lens would be for sure the one going away hungry and unhappy so the desire to take those missing photos is close to zero.  But we share the recipe with you so can stress every one in your own family at Easter Sunday with this treat !

You need 

75 ml | 1/3 cup warm water
1 package | 2 1/4 tbsp active dry yeast ( not quick rising)
325 gr | 2 1/3 cups cake flour
280 gr | 2 cups all purpose flour
75 gr | 1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
6 large eggs at room temperature
285 gr | 10 ounces butter at room temperature

The dough must rest overnight in the fridge so please start the evening before you need the Brioche.

The yeast must dissolve in the water for 10 minutes until you can see a little foam..

Sift the flours together in a bowl with the sugar and salt and attache the dough hook to your stand mixer. Set the mixer on low to medium speed and add the eggs one at a time. Beat 1 minute.
Slowly add the dissolved yeast and continue on low speed for 5 minutes. Stop the machine, clear the hook, the dough likes to climb up the hook, beat it another 5 minutes.
Add the butter in cubes in 4 batches beating for a minute after each batch. Now beat the dough another 10 minutes until real soft and smooth.
Transfer the dough into a large floured bowl cover it with plastic wrap and let it double in size somewhere warm and cozy. Best is the oven on lowest heat mine is 30°C. That takes 3 hours.

turn it on a floured work surface and gently fold it several times to let the air out of the dough. Return it to the bowl for the overnight rest in the fridge. Sleep quicker that night ;-)

In the morning before everyone gets up you are back in the kitchen opening the fridge and here it is: your Brioche dough, now ready for the final workout:

Depending on your loaf pan size either use two or one larger one, butter and flour the pan and take the dough out and divide it in equally sized small balls set them next to each other in rows of two and fill the pan with your small dough shapes, 2 centimeters lower than the pan. Let rise in a warm place uncovered until 2 centimeters above the top of the pan. 

Preheat the oven  to 175 °C | 350 °F .

Bake for 45 - 50 minutes and test with a wooden chopstick or skewer if it comes out clean it is done. If you like to freeze the Brioche then wrap it in tin foil freeze it still hot for up to 2 months. I know a nightmare for the freezer .- Heat the oven to 120°C | 250 °F and without thawing first and still wrapped the Brioche can be reheated. that takes 20-25 minutes.

Adapted from Tom Keller ad hoc at home

Vegan Blueberry Cake

This is the season These famous words announce Christmas. This is the season for another joyous feast. It is this time the Resurrection of Jesus we commemorate so with this recipe I want to celebrate a new beginning. It smells like spring in between the rain und snow showers and the sun is so much stronger. So we hope she helps us each day to become more energetic and lets throw a colorful scarf around the neck instead of a grey one.
 How did I end up trying a vegan no bake cake? A long time spent in research !

I must admit that I suspected the meatless, alternative foods for the longest time as a strange crowd who might hide some dark secrets. One cannot just skip over the eggs and steaks off as if they were something poisonous. I've since come to the conclusion that a good balance in everything is the key, more raw food helpings can only benefit you, lets say half of what we eat can be raw.

The Vegan is a connoisseur and loves to eat well, nourishing the body with fresh enzymes the digestive system knows and recognizes and is able to process. It is called for many good reasons "The Diet That Makes You Glow" in a very positive way, your skin radiates after only a few months and chronic illnesses that are related to your diet can be minimized and will eventually disappear. Hunger attacks that make us eat the junk usually packaged in a foil and advertised to us in bright colors will disappear. It takes time and a portion of good will but if you give it a try you will see the those positive changes and the cravings will be gone as well. All of a sudden you find yourself with a watery mouth standing at the vegetable and fruit stand buying way too many cucumbers, carrots, kale, mangoes, apples, pommegranates ...

I hope I got you interested in a recipe that contains - yes ? What ? Nothing of the usual cake type ingredient, just pure and nutritious yummy flavors and with a blender, you are all set to "assemble".

YOU NEED

Makes a tiny 12cm diameter cake. 

Crust:

100 gr | 1/2 cup pitted fresh dates (or soaked for 15 min in warm water then drained)
85 gr | 1/2 cup ground almonds 
25 gr shredded coconuts 
1 tbsp cocoa powder, raw quality
1 pinch of salt 
1 tbsp ristretto (strong coffee)

Filling:

325 gr | 21/2 cups cashew nuts (soaked over night and drained)
4 tbsp of fresh lemon juice 
6 tbsp melted coconut oil
200 ml | 2/3 cup full fat coconut milk
6 tbsp agave sirup    
50 gr | 1/2 cup frozen but thawed blueberries ( if they are too cold the coconut oil hardens too quick again)

Assemble

Put almonds in a food processor with the dates, coconut, cocoa powder, salt and pulse until you get a paste add the coffee and scrape the sides down, plus again. 
Press the paste into a 12 cm spring form. Mine has a ring and the base can be pressed up to disassemble. I love it is perfect as well for cheesecakes and Ice-cream cakes as it is tight enough to not leak! So cool. Then freeze the crust, now you can start to prepare the filling.
In a sauce pan heat gently coconut oil (on 2,5-3 max - remember all raw food needs to be heated gently and stay under 43°C best is 40°- 42°).

In a blender mix all ingredients until as smooth and creamy as possible and pour over the crust. Wrapped with plastic foil freeze the cake on an even surface now for at least 4 hours or over night. You can prepare your cake I guess as long as 2 weeks ahead of time, remove the cake from the form and let thaw at least 20 minutes before serving, or an hour in the fridge before you plan to serve your dessert. Decorate with violets and blueberries. 
 

It is a kind of 'semi freddo' if you like, but will be firm enough if you eat it at room temperature. Why I love this recipe? I am so happy to make something so delicious and decorative looking without any of the "natural" patisserie ingredients such as refined sugar, flour and eggs. I still love bakery and pastry products and will for sure post more of my favorite recipes but this one is a guilt-free alternative that can absolutely compete with its more 'sinful' buddies.

Porcelain by Augarten Wien

Double Dipping turns 1!

Sophie and I are delighted to announce our first year online our first year connected to all of you and our first year of figuring out how this blogging and posting and administrating of such a baby works. We are both so excited about YOU out there, your feedbacks verbally and in the comments. We wish we could invite you all over to celebrate with us and hear your thoughts on what you like best. To be honest the best feedback I got once was by Sharon 4 months ago who wrote:

"Breathtaking photos, I finally feel calm after a looong tirrring day xx"

At first we posted every day and decided that with the workload we have both we would not be able to keep up with the pace and you were faithful and loyal to us , we can see the numbers still climbing and your interest in what we do is a real compliment to both of us. 

Sophie and I grew together as a team, we watch each others improvements and creativity and you should read the emails we exchange if one is posting some real nice photos! Sophie is still my editor and you all are our biggest encouragement.

The biggest compliment you can make us? Please leave a comment, send me a photo from the remake of a dish, offer an opportunity to post something you like to see on our blog, text us if you love the sites we travelled to ....

How will we commemorate this big event?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Here are your favorite recipes from our metrics

Here it is ! A year of tried and tested recipes 

You are a wonderful audience and without you we would not have made it this far!

THANK YOU - and CHEERS !

JoJo

I rarely make my way to the Upper East Side lately, but when I do, good food is always involved to justify long walks in New York's prolonged winter. Keen and I made our way to JoJo's for an extended brunch this Saturday (can you believe it was actually snowing on my way there?). Situated in an adorable townhouse with beautiful windows, JoJo was a perfect relief from the New York winds that day. We shared the pancakes, eggs benedict and had the peekytoe crab to start. I loved the combination of the mango, mustard and crab as a refreshing starter. We rounded off the meal with a few too many desserts, but then again how can you choose when you have these options on the menu? We had the molten chocolate cake, passion fruit pavlova and the butterscotch pudding with creme fraiche and sea salt. My favorite, as always, was the salted butterscotch pudding, I only wish I could have had more of it.

Sunday Snapshots - Vatican City

In order to avoid the crowds that storm Vatican City and especially St Peter's Basilica every day, we got up at 6 am and ended up being the first people climbing to the top of the dome. The light was still slanted creating a beautiful haze for these pictures. Standing at the top of the dome, Rome truly felt like an eternal city, with gorgeous rooftops as far as my eyes could see.

Avocado Zucchini Sugo

Spring is making progress every day and, honestly, next to Summer, winter, and not to mention fall, it is my favorite time of year. Seems like I cannot make up my mind? True, I love all the seasons for their various foods, the feelings they bring and especially the different light.

For my food photography I prefer the days with lots of natural light and I think you can see right here, how well the green stands out - almost unreal. This is because the recipe is entirely raw, apart from the noodles themselves. But if you like, you could make zucchini noodles with a spiral cutter for a carb-free, gluten free, vegan dish that will satisfy your appetite and nourish your body with essential vitamins, minerals and enzymes.

You Need

1 organic zucchini
60 gr organic spinach, washed
1 avocado, peeled and pitted
1/2 cup pine nuts
salt, chili
1 tsp fermented garlic
2 tsp lemon juice
water
1/3 cup organic olive oil, NOAN
 

All of the above goes into a blender and the amount of water you add depends on the consistency of the sugo.  I used 1 cup maximum or less.  When I asked my friend Birgit if she wanted some of the sugo and sent her the photo she said I WANT IT PLEEEEASE ! It is so delicious ! So ask her please or try it yourself it is easy to make and a sure success. Pour the sugo over cooked and drained fresh pasta and serve, drizzled with olive oil and with some pine nuts on top. 

Rome Shortlist

Roma, where do I begin.... I felt such a strong affinity towards this city as soon as I arrived, brushing up on Italian and getting to know the place my dad grew up in, not to mention the stunning food and gelato at every corner. Any country that serves huge portions of pasta as casual appetizers is good in my book! I love the way history is interspersed with city buildings and you drink your coffee at the bar with cornetti in the mornings.

Where to stay... the beautiful Hotel de Russie with its stunning courtyard and beautiful views over Piazza del Popolo.

Where to eat... My favorites were Roscioli (Make sure you try all the types of prosciutto and parmesan. Obviously.) and Caffe Propaganda for lunch and Dal Bolognese, Alla Campana and Al Ceppo for dinners. As for gelato you can't really go very wrong, but you can check my post on Don Nino Artisan Gelateria here.

What to see... My favorite view was actually from the top of Castel Sant'Angelo, because you can see the entire city and have Vatican City at your feet. Other favorites include the Pantheon, the Forum Romanum and the Pallatine Hill and of course the Collosseum. Vatican City is a must see for any Rome visit, read on for how to avoid crowds below. If you have the time, wander through the small streets and see all the different Piazzas to get a feel for Roman life at its best.

Avoid the crowds.... When it comes to visiting Vatican City and St Peter's Basilica, you definitely want to avoid the crazy crowds and either prebook tickets with a guide, letting you skip the lines or get up really early to enter the Basilica at 7 am when it opens (we actually went up the dome at 7:30 when it opened and got to enjoy the view all to ourselves, which I highly recommend).

Gelateria Don Nino

If you follow me on instagram, you'll already know that I've been in Rome for the past few days. I can't believe it's taken me this long to visit this incredible city. My dad was born in Rome and is fluent in Italian, so walking through these beautiful streets certainly felt like home. I have more detailed posts on what to do and see here, but I quickly wanted to share this cute little Gelateria near the Pantheon with you. I've sampled my fair share of gelato while here and there are a lot of really good ones out there, but I really loved the interiors here and the Bronte Pistachio and Creme Caramel flavors at Gelateria da Nino near the Pantheon were simply to die for. That being said, you can't really go too wrong with gelato anywhere in Rome, and let's be honest, Pizza is great but there's nothing better than strolling through little cobblestone streets, gelato in hand (even if mine may or may not drip all over myself in a much less picturesque manner).

I'd love to know what your favorite things about Rome were! Have you been to Rome?

Find them here:

 

Egg White Omelette with Avocado Fan

You Need:

for 4 hungry brunchers or equivalently more:

10 whites of fresh organic eggs
smoked sea salt 
fresh pepper or chili from the mill
butter for the pan
1/2 cup leaves of fresh chives chopped

2 medium sized avocados
1/2 red onion
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice 
1 tsp maple sirup
salt, chili

• Before you make the egg white omelette: cut the red onions in thin slices and stir fry them in the pan with some butter until tender, but not brown. I love them when they are still firm but have lost their strong taste. Remove them from the pan and let them cool.
• Cut the avocados in slices and brush them with the marinate of olive oil, lemon juice, salt and sirup and chili before you combine them with the completely cooled  onions. 
• To make the scrambled eggs, whisk the egg whites with salt and pepper in a bowl. I make individual omelettes in a small pan for one portion per person. Heat your pan on medium to high, melt 1 tsp butter and pour the egg whites into the hot pan not stirring in order to cook evenly a little lifting and making holes can help the liquid seep to the bottom make sure that you do not overcook The omelette must not be turned it is better when only crisp on the outer side. 

To assemble, fill one half with a tbsp of the cooked and marinated onions, top with one half of a fan like cut avocado, fold over and sprinkle with the chopped fresh chives and serve warm with fresh white bread or toasted dark slice of bread. Sprinkle a little olive oil and lemon juice over the dish.

Miami Shortlist

I by no means consider myself an expert on Miami or what to do in Miami, especially not after spending less than three full days here. Even less so considering the fact that we were faced with Monsoon style rains my entire first day there. We made the best of it and spent our day eating and went to the movies to escape the rain (by the way, if you haven't seen Focus yet, I thought it was incredibly entertaining, but I might be wrong seeing as I was the only person laughing hysterically at Will Smith). Besides the obvious going to South Beach and visiting the Wynwood area of Miami to do some gallery hopping, I wanted to share my food favorites with you: Panther Coffee, Matador Room and Joe's for dinners (arrive fairly early in the night, they don't take reservations and the wait is pretty long, but the Lobster Mac and Cheese is worth it), Makoto for Japanese, Jugofresh for Acai bowls and juices, and of course Versailles for cortaditos and Cuban Sandwiches. One of my highlights was definitely the Vizcaya Mansion with its extensive gardens, spiral staircases and walls made of coral, it feels like a completely different world within Miami.