Malta in color

April 26, 2015

The Luzzu (pronounced lutsu) is the Maltese Fisher boat — The Luzzu (pronounced *lutsu*) is the Maltese Fisher boat

Oh my, so much history and the kindest of all people! 5600 year old Megalith temples and Valetta, the capital city founded in 1566 more than 120 years before NYC! Visiting Malta for only 4 days is not enough at all. The coast of Malta is my favorite, I always love the shoreline, where the sea meets the land and how people make use of that. We didn't visit all of the 365 churches, but thought that St. John is the most amazingly decorated cathedral we have ever seen.

Carlo, our driver and guide, made us read the signs in the streets and writings on cars and it was his special joy to hear us fail. I have never come across a language so different yet so similar, something between Arabic and Italian, with influences form English and Portuguese. Yes, and then they have all of the additional letters and silent letters ....

He is a local hero able to open doors for us when we wanted to see special locations just with a nod of his head. Carlo will tell the most fascinating stories about Malta but when it comes to have lunch he will show you his biggest smile and will opt out. He is the only Maltese allergic to fish! So offer him steak and he is in.

We stayed at the Xara Palace Relais and Chateau and enjoyed the walks through he medieval city of Mdina, say: I-mdina!
Those colorful doors and matching windows, I couldn't resist taking pictures every other step.

Red letter pillars and Frisco-like streets

Mdina is the coolest I think, almost car free! Only residents can have a tiny car as the streets are narrow and winding.

The 13 Redin Towersand one on Comino span in sight of each other around the coast line and so in case of an unexpected attack or pirates hiding behind Comino before they hoped to surprise Malta, the people would be prepared to defend themselves and they did so very successfully.

Ħaġar Qim (pronounced: Hascharkim) the stone-age people built their temple facing the sun to announce summer and winter solstice. Not much more can be said about their rituals, still fascinating. At this time of year Malta is covered with flowers in all colors. So pretty!

Shades of blue at the Blue Grotto, lined with purple and orange corals

Spring in DC

April 23, 2015

I guess to say that I like to travel would be quite the understatement. But, for me it's not really how far away from home I travel, but more to capture specific moments of everyday beauty. It sounds cheesy, but it's more the experience and the people I'm with that matter beyond the actual destination. Perhaps you could say it's the act of traveling that fascinates me. Why else would anyone sit on a bus for 9 hours in one day just to spend 6 hours wandering the streets of Washington, DC trying to find leftover cherry blossom trees. It's ironic that the feeling of being uprooted through a change in location makes me feel more at peace, but I think these pictures might convince you that a trip to Washington (view my guide on what to do here) during spring is just as necessary as having cupcakes at Baked and Wired in Georgetown. Join me for up-to-date adventures over on instagram.

P.S. I've included links to my hat and some other spring favorites at the end of this post and as always in our shop tab.

Shop the post:

12 Chairs Cafe

April 21, 2015

This semester of college, I made it my mission to stop being lazy and get out of my Manhattan comfort zone to explore Brooklyn in all its hipster glory. So far I haven't been disappointed once and I've actually managed to take the subway to Williamsburg every single weekend to try a new cafe, bakery or restaurant. I know this sounds cheesy, but in many ways just making that effort to explore new areas of this vibrant city I'm lucky enough to call home and keep putting myself out there and meeting new creatives has changed my view on life and encouraged me to become happier, more passionate and more content with everything I have.

As soon as I walked through the door of 12 Chairs Cafe with my dear friend Sam, I was struck by how grateful I am to be in a city that values design, good food and passionate entrepreneurs so much. 12 Chairs had incredible Mediterranean inspired food (including some of the best hummus I've had in NYC thus far) along with a passion for locally sourced ingredients and attention to detail. You can tell they love what they do with heart and soul the moment you taste the food, leaving me inspired to keep improving the quality of my own food and photography in turn.

Sunday Snapshots - Spring

April 19, 2015

As I wandered the forest,
The green leaves among,
I heard a Wild Flower
Singing a song.
'I slept in the earth
In the silent night,
I murmured my fears
And I felt delight.
'In the morning I went
As rosy as morn,
To seek for new joy;
But oh! met with scorn.'
William Blake

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life,
what you will eat or drink; or about your body,
what you will wear. Is not life more than food,
and the body more than clothes?
Look at the birds of the air;
they do not sow or reap or store away in barns,
and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not much more valuable than they?
Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
Matthew 6:25-27

I am the lover's gift; I am the wedding wreath;
I am the memory of a moment of happiness;
I am the last gift of the living to the dead;
I am a part of joy and a part of sorrow.

But I look up high to see only the light,
And never look down to see my shadow.
This is wisdom which man must learn.
Khalil Gibran

Spring is a miraculous experience.
The whole world comes alive after the winter
in which it seemed that everything was dead.

The world comes filled with color
and the scent of delicious greenery.
The world that seemed so dull
and cold has come alive once again.
Little did we know that beneath the cold hard ground
the plants and trees were preparing for rebirth.
Spring gives us hope
for rejuvenation in our own lives as well.
Spring is a time to renew the excitement
and zest for life that lives inside.
by familyfriend Poems

Vegan Vietnamese Springrolls

April 18, 2015

This Thursday was the most gorgeous day of the year so far, here in Vienna. The sun was set in a soft blue sky without any clouds, the fresh green on the leaves was so bright and promising. The sun came through the leaves and the play of shadows and lights was mesmerizing.
I am still in STREET FOOD mode and things I can eat with my hands, so I did some research, ventured through all my cook books and found incredible good recipes. To make it my own I wanted to make it pure vegan and here is my version of a healthy - easy - everyone can do it - recipe with only a few ingredients which won't leave you desperate when you go shopping for them.

These are some of the ingredients you need. See how easy it is to roll them. To be honest I don't make them that often and I am pretty slow at rolling my spring rolls. One of my cookbooks tells the story behind their famous spring rolls noting they sell 80 000 rolls a year and they are rolled mainly by one single woman ...

The biggest mistake you can make is leave the rice paper too long in the water and it tears, leave it too short and it won't bend and break. Keep a wet cloth underneath is much better than rolling them on the work surface, the cloth prevents the paper from slipping and absorbs the water best.

Keep a bowl of warm water in front of your tea towel, the instruction on the package said cold water, but that doesn't work. Wet one sheet at the time until it becomes slippery and soft approx. 3 minutes and carefully lift it out. By the time you get more experienced you can wet the next sheet while you roll the first one.

Place the vermicelli (only as much as fits in the palm of your hand), carrots, onions, cilantro and sugar peas, on the lower part of the paper. Place a mint leave or 3 small ones on the upper part (that is for decoration), fold in both sides to the middle so they touch each other and roll the piece as tight as you can before the paper tears up to the top. That makes them 8-9 cm long.

This way you can be really creative with the mint leaves, they will shine through the final roll of your paper and you can make them look all individual! I decided to take a really big leave as you can see and because I love the taste of mint in this dish.

When you are done rolling them you can take a piece of kitchen paper towel, rinse it and wring it out, put it over the ready plate or spring rolls and wrap it with plastic foil. This way the spring rolls keep soft until you serve them and up to 3 hours. The spring roll does not taste that interesting, the sauce will spice it and give it the right flavors. I recommend to make double the sauce as it easily keeps in the fridge for days if you do not use it all.

Print recipe
Preparation time : 45 min

You need

Springrolls

12 round sheets of rice paper (200g)
1oo g | 5 cups cooked rice vermicelli
1 cup spring onions in slices
2 cups julienne carrots ( thin slices of carrots)
2 cups of julienne sugar peas, best if cut length wise
12 mint leaves
1 cup cilantro leaves

Dipping sauce: mix all in a bowl

4 tbsp sweet soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp of lime juice
½ tbsp of fresh chili in small pieces

Weekend in Boston

April 16, 2015

Last weekend I ventured up to Boston for the first time in 10 years. It was my first time traveling through the US by greyhound bus, and I have to admit it felt quintessentially American. The only thing I remember about my last trip to Boston was a crippling ear infection, a high fever and my mom trying to find medicine for me in the middle of the night. Needless to say this trip was a breath of fresh air in comparison. I love how calm Boston is in comparison to New York, especially the Beacon Hill area, with its little cobble stone streets and brick townhouses. Acorn street (pictured above) was unbelievably picturesque. I loved the Boston Public Library and was impressed by the pieces at the Museum of Fine Arts. My favorite place to eat was definitely Tatte Bakery with their refreshing salads and incredible pastries (get the chocolate rose and the almond plum tarts). We spent a lot of time at Harvard with friends experiencing campus life for the first time and exploring the beautiful, historic campus.

Certified Red Beet Burger

April 11, 2015

I was eating out quite a bit lately, two times Japanese and somehow the spices and aromas made me crave for something more substantial and down to earth and lets say JUNK FOOD was on my mind and I searched all my new cook books and got really inspired for a big challenge.

Have you ever been out there alone and tried to accomplish something that almost everyone advices as the hardest in its league? When it comes to food photography Ice-cream, Lasagna and Burgers are the trickiest and yet I had to try it and YESSSSS ! it is .... not a ride in the park.

Why it is a challenge? Because it must look right ! The patty must be shiny the salad crisp and fresh the sauce dripping .... I have only two hands and here comes the impossible. It is all about timing:

Once the patty is done it must cool, because the salad hates to be hot, the sauce must be dripping the cheese melting the tower may not topple ... you can imagine I guess!

Here is my STREET FOOD I would crave and I wish more recipes would be out there. I tried to make a Burger, that looks like one and yet is 100% Organic, vegan, fresh and yummy. I never eat at fast food restaurants for the simple reason that I don't like the idea of not cooking nor can I imagine that one can actually eat well when the cost is so low. I am still happy that they exist, not everyone is as fortunate as I am and can afford to grab the organic versus the sale item. But once in my life I did and I remember the craving for the fast food so well when I was pregnant with Sophie and my poor husband was forced to get me something I thought I could not survive without. The funny thing is that this craving never came back and when I was pregnant with our son, it was oranges and sour tastes. Totally normal I thought eating 10 oranges a day ...

I admitted already to my broccoli phase and my red beet phase, ... which seems to be prolonged I suppose. Each time we eat out and they offer a veggie Burger, I need to try it and most of the time the patty is so soggy and the taste is off, the vegetable is of a creamy consistence and not my thing. Again this one has passed the test and was devoured by my husband in a minute even though it was already cold. Even the sauce passed my son's critical eye and tongue who still thinks that no meat is not a meal.

The patty and the cocktail sauce I made are entirely vegan and the bun has an egg in it but hopefully one day I will be able to bake one without. The bun is actually a recipe from a cookbook but you can easily find one online or go and buy them in the store. I suppose you don't want to spend a day in the kitchen making yourself a simple BURGER ? If you are interested, I can give you a simple one like the one I used.

Print recipe
YOU NEED

Patty

400 grams red beets, peeled and shredded
1 tbsp garlic
100 gr oats, the large type
1 tbsp grated ginger
1/2 avocado, mashed
1 tbsp tamari sauce
salt, I used smoked salt
chili
3 stems basil, cut in small

Cashew Cocktail sauce

2 cups soaked cashews
2 tbsp olive oil
peel and juice of one organic lemon
1 tbsp mustard
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 ½ agave syrup
6 tbsp water
½ -1 tsp salt
grey pepper

+
5 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp Worcester shire sauce

Additional for assembling

fresh green salad
yellow bell peers cut in rings
slices of vegan cheese
onions or white cabbage cut in slices
burger buns, self made or bought
Potato chips

The patty is a colorful red something, no name has been invented but please use gloves and an apron, mix it all together and let it rest while you make the sauce and prepare the other steps.

The sauce is made in a powerful blender, I use a blendtec bought at the Cuisinarum on speed 4.

For the sauce:
The cashews can be soaked over night in cold water or for an hour in hot water, that will do the same trick, rinse them and put them in the blender. Add all the other ingredients except the salt and vinegar, the amount depends on weather you like it tasty or rather blend. Taste to your liking. The amount of water the sauce demands can vary a bit so add if you think it is not saucy enough. A bit of a feel for it and you cannot go wrong. Vegan cooking allows creativity and forgives individual approaches. When you are done with the basic sauce you can use as well for a salad dressing, take 4 heaped tbsp of the cashew cream - save the rest for later - and add the ketchup and the Worcester shire sauce, mix well and set aside.

In a pan heat some olive oil on medium heat, form patties with two spoons or with your hands from the red beet mix. Cook on both sides until slightly brown. Here raw will still be safe and well done is not ruined. That is what meat lovers say when it comes to define the grade of meat cooking.

Rare – Medium – Ruined

Everything is great !

Cut the burgers in half assemble the burger with what ever you like best, even a slice of vegan cheese.
Mine is a bun - salad - sauce - red beet patty - cabbage - cheese - salad - sauce - bun – Yumm !!!

Caffe Propaganda

April 9, 2015

Waking up in Rome felt different than I had expected. I've wanted to visit for such a long time that I could barely believe it was happening while I was really there. The city seemed almost mythical to me with architecture from copious centuries interspersed throughout the city.

As per usual, when I feel out of place, I inevitably have to return to comfort foods, and by that I mean any type of carbohydrate you could possibly picture, but to make it easier for you to picture dear reader, I took pictures of my meal of course, because I love you so very dearly. When we walked into Caffe Propaganda (which is literally in view of the Collosseum, and it doesn't get much more Roman than that honestly) I felt transported back to New York, more specifically Williamsburg in Brooklyn, I mean let's face it, this place isn't remotely Roman apart from their excellent food. In keeping with virtually every single meal I had in Rome, I had to have Cacio e Pepe pasta, but let's be honest, you can't really go wrong when in Rome.

Find them here the next time you're in Rome and craving a restaurant void of tourists:

Easy Brioche

April 6, 2015

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

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

April 4, 2015

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

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