The blog is turning one today! It has been a wonderful first year of documenting recipes and sharing stories. I look forward to posting many more during the coming year. In our family, ever birthday and name day is celebrated with chocolate mousse cake. The whiskey spiked lady fingers layered with chocolate mousse make for a deliciously light and airy cake, while the almond brittle topping adds texture and crunch. It’s a good thing we only make this cake for special occasions. I tend to eat more than my fair share! This is a modified version of my mother-in-law’s recipe. She uses a whipped…
Desserts
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Continue ReadingSpoon sweet or “gliko tou koutaliou” is preserved fruit, which as the name suggests, is customarily served on a spoon. Making strawberry spoon sweet calls for the same ingredients as those used for jam. The difference is in the preparation, which allows for the fruit to be kept whole or halved. While this involves slightly more work than a traditional jam, it is well worth the effort. Ice cream, waffles, yogurt, biscuits… forget serving it on a spoon, just pour it over everything! The trickiest part with this recipe is achieving a syrup that isn’t too thick or thin. Ideally, it should resemble the…
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Continue ReadingIt wouldn’t be a Greek Christmas without kourabiedes, a type of Greek almond shortbread cookies. A few weeks back, one of my good friends asked if I could share our family’s recipe. She wanted to make a batch for her husband who is of Greek decent and fondly recalls his grandmother’s own Christmas treats. As I discussed the recipe with my mother-in-law, she mentioned that her own mother-in-law made kourabiedes with olive oil instead of butter, which is the usual ingredient. As soon as I heard that these could be made with olive oil, I had to give it a try;…
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Continue ReadingBaklava is traditionally made with walnuts, almonds, or pistachios. The recipe is the exact same, whichever nut you choose. I love to use pecans, which are local to North Carolina, and work beautifully in this recipe. Think Greek style pecan pie! Our family recipe uses extra virgin olive oil instead butter. While baking a sweet dish with olive oil may seem odd, it tastes great when using ingredients with flavors such as nuts, spices, and honey, not to mention the health benefits. However, if you’re not a fan of using olive oil, simply substitute the ingredient with melted butter. Ingredients…