Basil paste

I came across this recipe while looking for an alternative breakfast recipes. This paste sounded really perfect to me - something new, quick and easy to make. And - believe me, it tastes really, really good - some of you may know flavoured butters (smaksełko? ;) ) - they were extremely popular some time ago and very tasty, though I can't find it in any shop, can you? This is not a butter, as it is made of cottage cheese. Though I'm sure it would be same delicious as a butter! It is perfect for example with: fresh, hot bread/rolls, with cold meats, tomatoes, for brushetta, ciabatta bread... :)

Recipe, slightly changed, comes from this website.

Ingredients:

• 250g of cottage cheese (low-, semi- or full-fat)
• a bunch of fresh basil
• 1/2-1 clove of garlic
• 8 tablespoons of oil 
• 1 teaspoon of black ground pepper
• a pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon of sichuan pepper

Preparation:

1. Put the cheese in a bowl, add spices (black pepper, salt, sichuan pepper). 
2. Take a blender and its bowl (or any bowl suitable for blending), put basil, garlic and oil inside, blend till smooth (or almost smooth). 
3. Mix basil paste with cottage cheese, blend till smooth.
4. Store closed in the fridge.
5. Bon Appetit! :)

Cinnamon Buns

Slightly changed, the recipe comes from this website.

Ingredients (for around 20 buns, depending on size):

• 20g of fresh yeast
• 3 tablespoons of sugar
• 2 glasses of flour
• 1/2 glass of milk
• 1 egg
• 63g of melted, cooled down butter
• pinch of salt

Filling:

• 70-80g of melted butter
• 1/3-1/2 glass of brown sugar
• few teaspoons of ground cinnamon

Optional filling ingredients:

• raisins

Preparation:

1. Take a bowl, put yest, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of flour and half of the milk, stir, to prepare a leaven and put aside in a warm place, for around 15 minutes (it needs to double its size).
2. During that time, melt 63g of butter and cool down a little.
3. Take another bowl, put remaining flour, salt, egg and the rest of milk and sugar inside. Add the leaven. Knead for around 10 minutes, till smooth. 
4. Add milk and knead again till it stops sticking to a hand. Put aside in a warm place, so that it doubles its size again (it may take more time than previously).
5. During that time, melt the butter for the filling.
6. Take a baking tray, put baking paper on it. Put aside.
7. Divide the dough into 3 parts. Take a rolling pin and roll out (using only a little flour) the first piece. Distibute the butter all over, sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon and opitionally raisins.
8. Roll up (tight, tube shape) and cut into 3-4 cm pieces.
9. Put every piece gently on previously prepared baking tray, leaving some space between every bun, cause they will grow up.
10. Bake for 10-15 minutes in 180C.
11. Bon appetit! ;)

Orange-Chocolate Cheesecake

I was pretty unsure about this Cheesecake as I was doing it completely on my own and I was afraid of many, many things. But... I served it and all the guests were stunned! Asking where did I buy it. And they were even more shocked when I told them that I did it on my own :) And everyone, literally, everyone asked for the recipe! That's the best award I could have got for that cheesecake :) So now I'm sharing the secret for a perfect Christmas Cheesecake with You :) 
Some details: This cheesecake has a consistency of a mousse, so it melts on a palate, it's quite refreshing, because of oranges and what is its biggest advantage - it's easy and quick to prepare, because without turning on the oven ;) Enjoy! :)

Bottom of the cake:

• 200g of chocolate shortbread-like biscuits
• 80-100g of melted butter

Cheesecake: (all the ingredients must be in a room temperature except for water)

• 500g of cheesecake cheese (might be vanilla flavoured)
• 250g of mascarpone cheese
• 250ml of 36% cream
• 100-140g of powdered sugar* 
• 1/2-1 teaspoon of orange extract
• 100g of orange skin
• 40g of powdered gelatin
• 140 ml of boiling water

Decoration:

• Orange slices
• Icing sugar
• Star anise

*About the powdered sugar: here are two nice propositions. First one, is to add a lot of powdered sugar to the cheesecake - around this 140g. If so, the cheesecake mousse is really sweet. But, it is also a good idea, to add only around 90-100g of powdered sugar and after the cake is done, to distribute Royal Icing(recipe is here) on the top of the cake.

Preparation:

Bottom:

1. Take a springform cake tin. 
2. Put baking paper on the bottom of the tin.
3. Take the cookies and crumble them on a very small, sand-like pieces.
4. Mix precisely with butter. It needs to have a consistency of a wet sand.
5. Put in a tin, align, make smooth, knead.
6. Put in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.

Cheesecake:

1. In a glass, mix gelatin with hot water and stir till gelatin melts completely. Put aside so that it cools down.
2. Take a mixer and its bowl. Put cheesecake cheese inside, add mascarpone, cream and mix till completely smooth.
3. Add powdered sugar and orange extract and mix till smooth again (it is advisable to taste the cheesecake to check if it is sweet enough).
4. Take a spoon. Take around 3 tablespoons of the cheesecake mixture and mix with gelatin. Stir precisely, it needs to link.
5. Put the gelatin-cheesecake mixture back in a mixer's bowl. Mix precisely.
6. Add orange skin and mix again.
7. Pour on the bottom. Put in the fridge till it stiffens.
8. If desired - add icing and decorate for example with oranges, anise.
9. Keep in the fridge.
10. Bon Appetit! :)

Crème Pâtissière

Very tasty, sweet, thick custard, used in baking :) I'm sure you'll love it. 

Recipe from... all over the internet :) basically from the BBC Food (for example http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/pastry_cream_36417) and Martha Steward's idea http://www.marthastewart.com/315510/creme-patissiere

Ingredients:

• 6 egg yolks
• 500 ml of milk
• 4 tablespoons of vanilla sugar / 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 100 g of sugar
• 2 tablespoons of flour
• 2 tablespoons of potato starch
• Confectioners' sugar or grounded unsalted butter (50-100g), to prevent skin from forming*

*While using the butter - put it in the freezer, it needs to be frozen to grind it.

Preparation:

1. Take a mixer and its bowl. Put egg yolks inside with sugar and beat to obtain a bright fluffy foam (it will take around 5-8 minutes of beating). Add flour and starch and mix only till all the ingredients link.
2. Take a pot, put milk and vanilla sugar inside, heat till it reaches 100C, stiring from time to time. Turn the heat off.
3. Slowly, step by step, add the mixture from the pot to the mixer's bowl, mixing it at the same time. Mix till smooth.
4. Put the mixture in the pot and heat again - stiring all the time, cause it will start getting thicker and thicker, like a custard.
5. When the creme is ready (thick), turn the heat off. Put the creme in a clean bowl. Sprinkle the top with confectioners' sugar or with grounded cold butter(the butter needs to be frozen)
6. Keep in the fridge up to 3 days.
7. Bon Appetit :)