Happy New Year Snacks

Precious Moments
There aren't many extraordinary moments in our short little lives. The ones we remember for a long time can be counted on one hand: the first day at school, the first kiss, meaningful victories, the first time we had sex, the birth of a child and maybe being able to see one celestial body moving in front of another in a lunar or a solar eclipse. What all these moments have in common is that they are rare and unique, and that is what makes them precious.

It seems 2016 was full of precious moments. What a year full of adventures and achievements! I turned 30, experienced the most amazing food in Mexico, swam in turquoise water in Belize, saw spectacular graveyards in Guatemala, surfed some awesome waves and survived a 12 m waterfall jump in Costa Rica. I took an inspiring trip to New York, relaxed while on holiday in Rhodos, journeyed to San Francisco on a delicious and absolutely thrilling food trip and managed to travel to one of the most stunning places on earth - Hawaii. I published two cookbooks and got to do many exciting jobs such as filming 11 recipe videos for DM and giving a speech for Google.
In retrospect, 2016 feels like a year during which I learned a lot about myself and in particular about the importance of being healthy, having a great family and supportive friends. I am excited for 2017 - when my entire focus will be on mindfulness.

“Mindfulness practice means that we commit fully in each moment to be present; inviting ourselves to interface with this moment in full awareness, with the intention to embody as best we can an orientation of calmness, mindfulness, and equanimity right here and right now.” ― Jon Kabat-Zinn, Wherever You Go, There You Are.
Happy New Year everybody!

I have prepared some end of year snack recipes for you! Enjoy!

Photos (c) Julia Stix for Maxima Gourmet Extra, December issue 2016, recipes & food styling by Eva Fischer

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Happy New Year Snacks

Ingredients:

Grilled Ciabatta with Ricotta and Grapes

  • 8 slices of ciabatta
  • olive oil
  • 100g purple grapes
  • 100g white grapes
  • 6–7 TBSP olive oil
  • 6 fresh sprigs thyme
  • 1 packet ricotta cheese
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • sea salt

Feta and cucumber satay with olives 

Ingredients for the feta and cucumber satay:

Serves 6 people / enough for 18 satays:

  • 250g feta cheese
  • 2 TBSP mixed herbs
  • 4 TBSP olive oil
  • 18 black olives, pitted
  • 1 mini cucumber
  • satay skewers or toothpicks

Cucumber and salmon sashimi satay

Ingredients for the salmon satay:

Serves 6 people / enough for 18 satays:

  • ½ large cucumber
  • 200g fresh salmon fillet, raw
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • satay skewers or toothpicks

Mushroom and goat's cheese pastry coins

Serves 6 people / 1 baking sheet:

  • 1 packet puff pastry
  • 150g cremini mushrooms
  • 100g fresh goat's cheese
  • 2 TBSP butter
  • ½ TBSP brown sugar

Champagne and berry soup with pistachio crumble 

For the soup:

  • 500g frozen mixed berries
  • 200ml champagne
  • 50g icing sugar

For the crumble:

  • 40g pistachios
  • 1 TBSP maple syrup
  • 1 TBSP coconut oil
  • 20g rolled oats
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 1 TBSP cocoa
  • berries for the garnish

Preparation:

Preparation - grilled ciabatta with ricotta and grapes

  1. Take a frying pan and roast the bread in a little olive oil. Add the grapes to a casserole dish, drizzle with some olive oil and mix with the thyme sprigs. Roast in a preheated oven for 7-9 minutes at 180°C (upper/lower). Mix the ricotta with the lemon zest and salt to taste and spread onto the bread slices. Top with the grapes, drizzle with some more olive oil and scatter a little sea salt.

 

Feta and cucumber satay with olives

Preparation:

  1. Mix the olive oil with the spices. Cube the feta cheese and roll the pieces in the spice mixture. Wash the cucumber, cut in half and slice into half moons. Slide the feta pieces and the cucumber half moons onto toothpicks alongside an olive per pick and serve.

 

Cucumber and salmon sashimi satay

Preparation:

  1. Wash the cucumber, cut in half and slice into half moons. Finely slice the salmon and drizzle with a little lemon juice. Arrange the satays on a serving platter. Don't cook until just before you want to serve the dish. Keep the fish cool until use.

Mushroom and goat's cheese pastry coins

Preparation:

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (upper/lower).
  2. Roll the pastry onto a baking sheet and cut out the coins with a shotglass.
  3. Clean and finely slice the mushrooms. Arrange the goat's cheese and the mushrooms evenly on the pastry coins.
  4. Wash the thyme, shake dry and also arrange on the coins. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Bake the coins in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden and crispy.
  6. Peel, halve and finely slice the shallots. Heat the butter in a pan and then roast the shallots, stirring regularly, until they are crispy. As soon as they are ready, add the sugar and let them caramelise for 1-2 minutes.
  7. Top the coins with the caramelised onions and serve immediately.

Tip: Soy sauce works very well here, if used as a dip.

If you're using smoked salmon, a sauce tartare would be a delicious addition.

 

Preparation of the dessert: 

Champagne and berry soup with pistachio crumble

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (upper/lower). Chop the pistachios and heat up the coconut oil in a pan. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Spread the batter on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
  2. In another pan, cook the berries together with the icing sugar. When they have a jam-like consistency, puree them with a hand mixer, strain through a fine sieve and let cool for a little while. Add the champagne and mix well.
  3. Serve the soup in terrines together with the berries and the crumble.
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