Shooting for the Stars

          Hey all , my dear bloggie readers , .... yeah i know i've gone missing these days , but i was very busy with my new work place and the entire project got the most of my time .

         So what's this post all about ... well actually i'm not giving away any recipes in this one !
         Actually i am about to talk to you about my current workplace , the project i'm going after and also about some things i've been doing these days !

         I know i promised you guys a classic dessert post , but the next one that it shall be !
       
         Sooooo , let us start ! My current workplace is a caffe called Hazard they serve quite an amazing coffee although the current inside decorations are not at the top of the coffee they serve but still it;s a nice place with nice music and people .

         After my escapade with the french classics the owner of the caffee told me he wants to change some things in his caffe , meaning he had an available kitchen , with amazing ovens for patisserie ! And trust me they are trully amazing and a gift to my kind of people ( chefs , passionate foodie people , cooks )  !

         So we agreed on me working for them as a head chef and a creator of the new menus !
         I still don't know why and how could they have so much fate in me and letting me coordonate everything , but something i am sure of and that is I won't let them Down ! This is my opportunity to prove what i can do and i will surerly take advantage of it !

         So we serve and oldschool classic pizza which is called Calzone !
         It's basically a more portable pizza due to the fact that it is folded , and this one it ain't big in size so it looks pretty cute on a plate ! :D


         Here are some pictures  ! :

So these are the calzones , which come in different varrieties of fillings from chicken with mozzarela and tomato sauce , to mushrooms with fresh herbs or a more italian approach with riccota and prosciutto crudo and mozzzarela .

I think they are great and the dough really is amazing i use my own hands to make it , but the flour is trully amazing , we get our lovely flour from the farmers which is great and quite fresh ! 

We also have a nice variety of fresh herbs and aromatic oils which we use .

So all in all we go for quallity instead of quantity ! 

Leaving asside my work which i get quite a lot of it , i Still have not given up on my dream to reach to Paris and study the french culinary arts !! At the moment i am raising the money for this project and i think this is my opportunity to understand what responsabillity is all about !

It's the best training for what awaits me outside and i am Shooting for the Stars i will be the first Romanian Chef ever to receive the first Michelin Star ! 

Besides working a lot these days i've experienced a lot of new feelings i've forgot about them , and those are fighting for what you want , prove what you can do , believe in yourself and be a romantic person because the world needs this ! 

I've met a girl these days that inspires all that in me , and every time i talk to her i feell like i can move mountains and my passion increases ... it trully is Amazing !

I believe that the people that work in my domain need this kind of feelings in order to produce great food .

Great food comes from the heart ! By using your hands with great finnesse and by using your heart and soul to the max and besides all this the inspiration from a person you like ! 

I always thaught that being a chef means knowing and aquiring loads of knowledge about food ... but i was totally wrong !

By aquiring loads of food knowledge does not make you a Chef !

You need to learn to respect the classics , to respect the standards and also you need feelings to be a Chef and as the old lady from the french course told me you will never be a fulfilled chef without having a spark of love for someone in your heart !

Fight for what you want and work your ass off to become what you want to become ! These are words i live by these days and i won't give up and can't afford to give up because my passion and ambition is too huge to give up ! 

So guys get on with your ambitions and Shoot for the Stars and perfect your passion ! 

On the next post lets take a spin on the dessert i promised you guys !

Untill then have a wonderfull night and almost forgot ... : 

                                 Bonne Nuit ! 

     

A Lovely and Warm Chicken Soup on a Cold Winter's Day !

               Brrrrrrr .... Gezas it's so cold these days . Getting out for a walk anywhere , any place ain't so appealing , ... but what gets me going through these cold days is my mom's classic and warm chicken soup !

              I've had numerous of chicken soup recipes , done in so many ways ... but none compare to my mom's oldschool and classic recipe !
             This chicken soup recipe is light , aromatic , and boy it's just divine ... it's a cure for a flue or a bad day ... it just lifts you up and get's you going !
             
              I've also wrote this post for my step sister  who has trouble making a good chicken soup and i thought since she reads my blog just to give her an ideea on how to get things going .
           
      The ingredients you need for this soup are :
                   
                     - 2 carrots
                     - 1 parsnip
                     - 5 celery sticks
                     - 1 onion
                     - 1 potatoe
                     - 1 bunch of fresh parsley
                     - 1 chicken carcass
                     -  salt , pepper

        For the semolina quenells :
                     
                     - 1 egg
                     - a pinch of salt
                     - 2 tablespoons of semolina
       
           
               It's quite easy you start off in a big pot , add the chicken carcass , peel the vegetables wash them and add them to the pot aswell . Cut the parsley ends which are a bit tough and place them in the pot aswell with some leaves aswell ( people usually throw the parsley ends , but they are really usefull in soups due to the fact they are quite aromatic ) . Season with salt and freshly ground pepper !

            Add cold water , and place the soup on the stove and bring it to a boil .
            Once it boils , turn the heat down a bit and let it do it's job for about 40 to 50 minutes .
         

           In the meantime the soup realeases some impurities and you have to get them out with a spoon otherwise your soup won't be clear but cloudy .
            Once it's done pass it through a sieve in another pot !
             Let it simmer and let's make the semolina quenells .
            Seperate 1 egg . Beat the egg white with a bit of salt untill it's fluffy and won't fall if you turn over the bowl . Incorporate the egg yolk gently so you won't break the air from the egg white . Add 2 tablespoons of semolina or more if needed . Consistency of the quenell must not be too hard or too soft . If it is too soft it will crack , split , if it's too hard it will be chewy .
            Using a spoon , form the quenells and put them in the soup . Cover them with a lid for 5 minutes to 8 . Then my mom uses a technique to make them fluffier by adding a bit of cold water over them while they cook .
         
           Serve the soup with  1 quenell , a bit of carrot , freshly chopped parsley leaves and freshly ground black pepper !

     Yummy and it just warm's your day .... I Love It !!! :D

       P.S. I hope this will actually solve my sister's boyfriend's  chicken soup problem in the near future ! :)):D !
      Say NO  to canned and tasteless chicken soup and a big warm YES  to freshly home made chicken soup baby .

   So guys i'll be seeing you all on my next post .. got a little dessert for you guys and of course it's a classic !
       

                                   So untill next time ... Bon Appetit ! :D

A cure to the stomach after New Year's Eve !

                      Hey my dear blogg readers , i missed you guys these days  !
   
          Christmas has passed and New Year's Eve aswell , and boy oh boy these days were quite emotional !
        To laughing and happy days , to sorrow days to everything ... drama , drama , drama a win win Christmas party but a total FaiL  on New Year's Eve ... but not due to the cooking , but to the fact that i didn't have the opportunity to cook !
       
            So of course the epic meal on New Year's Eve day ( which it was yesterday ) it was ... tam tam tam.... SalaMi ! Yupp... real treat ( i know i shouldn't complain some don't have even salami to eat ... some have more though ) anyway back on track is that i dissapointed myself !
           And not because of the SalaMi .... which really sucked and a horrible culinary experience ... but more because of the fact that i drank a little more than the usual and it got to my head ( not a thing to be proud of ) , and i kinda really hate myself for this but unfortunately i can't go back in time and change things .



     
            So all in all this was a life's lesson for me and i believe no more cheap Salami for me from now on and defenetly no more vodka or whiskey for me from now on . Anyways besides my drinking experience which went down the drain i had the priveleage to see amazing places and beautifull mountains ... we really do have a gorgeous country full of potential ! And i am really proud to say this !

          So after my lovely breakfast/lunch which was fried eggs with bacon and toasted bread i just remembered of a soup good enough to cure you from a New Year's Eve day gone bad or if you are one of those vodka victims , i suggest you start preparing it Now !
       
           This Soup is so light and it doesen't require many ingredients or time to prepare .
           This is a Caraway Soup with Croutouns and i'm tellin' you brotha' this is the Real Deal for any  adventurous nights ( or days perhaps ) .

  So here are the ingredients :

              - 2 tablespoons of caraway seeds
              - 1,5 L of water
              - 1 onion finely chopped
              - 1 carrot finely chopped
              - 1 celery finely chopped
              - 1 egg yolk
              - 4 tablepoons of sour cream or creme fraiche
              - croutouns
              - finely chopped parsley for serving
              - salt , pper
              - 1 lemon ( optional )
              - 1 and a half tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
        So dear '' war victimes '' , time to prep this cure and get back on our feet again !
        In a medium pot pour 1,5 L of water and 2 tablepoons of caraway seeds and some salt ( not too much though) and bring it to the boil and then let it boil gently for 20 to 30 minutes !
        In another medium pot saute the carrot , onion and celery in 1 and half tablepoon of extra virgin olive oil  and season them with a bit of salt and pepper . Saute them for 5 minutes .

        After the water with the caraway seeds changed its colour into a darker one transfer the water using a sieve into the pot with the vegetables ( keep a bit of the caraway seeds if you like ) and let them gently boil toghter for 10 minutes or untill they kinda bind in aroma . Season with a bit of salt and pepper if needed !

          When the soup is ready and it binded it's aromas   seperately mix well 1 egg yolk with 4 tablespoons of sour cream or creme fraiche  and keep adding a bit of the soup to the mixture so you temper it before adding it all to the soup and that stops the egg yolks from curdling or the cream to split .
       
         Serve with some home made croutouns and freshly chopped parsley ... and if you like and feel adventurous add a bit of lemon juice to it ( just a few drops ) , this ideea was the farm boy's ideea ( Alex ) , which is really into lemons !! And truthfully it tastes really good with a hint of lemon !

       So guys get on cookin and get on your feet again ( sincere apologies to my friends , who i believe they are pretty mad at me  for the New Year's Eve mess ) !
       Oh well i can continue to hate myself later after i will cleanse my body and my soul with this lovely caraway soup !                              

 See ya guys on my next post and as the french proudly say Bon Apettit si Pofta mare la Romani ! Hai Servus !

Merry Sweet Christmas !

             Merry Christmas everybody !! My blog writting is kinda intrerrupted at the moment since i am very busy and also i got camera problems .... meaning yes i have no camera anymore for making photos of my dishes but i hope this problem will soon be solved ( hope so since Santa still exists )  .

           Anyway i was thinking that since it's Christmas we should all lay back , have a snack , eat some sweets , dance on many beats ... keep the Christmas Spirit funky and yummy .
           The recipe i am about to share with you guys is ... Brownies baby !!!! Ohhh Yeahhhh the spirit of Christmas in one touch ! Chocolate with wallnuts , orange zest , sour cherries yummyyyyyy Christmas baby ... their fluffy texture and extremly chocolate yumminess makes it perfect for a Christmas evening , serving your fammily or girlfriend or maybe guests you want to impresss .
 
            This dessert is so easy to make and it only demands just a little bit of your personal energy .
            So let's go on with the recipe !
            The ingredients you require are :
                                  -   200 g of dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids )
                                  -   250 g of unsaltted butter with 82% fat or more
                                  -    a pinch of salt
                                  -    6 tablespoons of cocoa powder
                                  -    4 eggs
                                  -    4 tablespoons of flour mixed with 1 teaspoon of baking powder
                                  -    300 g of caster sugar
                                  -    100 g of wallnuts
                                  -     100 g of sour cherries
                                  -     1 orange
           
           You start off by preparing the bain marie ( that means waterbath ) so you need a pot of water and a bowl to cover the pot but you should be making sure that the bowl on top doesn't touch the water in the pot.
           You then add 200 g of chocolate , 250 g of butter , a pinch of salt , 6 tablespoons of cocoa powder and mix them gently untill fully melted.
           When fully melted add 4 whisked eggs step by step and keep stiring so the chocolate doesn't seize up.
            Add then then the 300g of sugar and mix well . Add the 4 tablespoons of flour mixed with 1 tablepoons of baking powder , step by step and mix well untill fully incorporated .
             Take a baking tray and baking sheet . Put the baking sheet paper and soak it in water so it becomes pliable . Add it to the baking tray and rub a  bit of butter on it , then add the mixture of chocolate .
              Sprinkle some toasted wallnuts on top , sour cherries , and some orange zest and put then the tray in the preheated oven for 17 min max 20 , the temperature should be on medium , about 170 , 180 degrees .
              Do not cook the brownies full , otherwise you will experience dry brownies and that is so uncool !

              The perfect brownies should be still a bit wet in the center and when they chill out  they should be just perfect . It really is simple just don't cook the brownies 2 much .
                Serve the brownies with some orange wedges and that's it guys !

               You can pimp your own brownies it isn't necesarry to do them with wallnuts and orange zest , you can add bits of white chooclate and cinammon for example and that can be surprinsigly good aswell , try your own style of brownie !!

                I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and let's hope we shall have a new and more wonderfull year . So keep on baking guys cause this is the season to be jolly , this is the season full of sweets !

               I'll see you guys on my next post ! Au revoir ! :D

               P.S.                                        Bon Appetit !

Panna Cotta with blueberry jam

          Buna dragi cititori , aceasta e prima postare in limba romana . E foarte ciudat sa scriu in limba romana pe blog , nu stiu de ce haha fiindca e limba mea materna dar poate si dupa atatea postari in engleza mi-a devenit a doua natura si nu sunt atat de obisnuit sa scriu in romana .

          Dar nu e nimic pentru orice exista un inceput nu? ! :D
          As vrea sa va impartasesc azi o reteta cu , care m-am luptat sa o perfectionez . si am stricat atatea ingredienteeeeeeeee , vai Doamne dar nu am ce sa fac asta e riscul ca vreau sa fac pe Dexter in bucatarie !

        Prima data cand am inceput sa fac Panna Cotta a fost ... a fost ... a fostttt extraordi.... a pe cine mint ! A fost haos , pulbere , nici pe departe Panna Cotta ,
        Cred ca tocmai am reusit sa dau de reteta pentru silicon folosit la femei ( haha ) ... avea o textura foarte gelatinoasa si amuzanta :))) ( amuzant acum , nervi si lacrimi au curs in acea zi :)) ) .

        Dar dupa o ploaie torentiala trebuia sa iasa si soarele nu ? In Sfarsit am reusit sa ii creez textura perfecta si gustul perfect .. nu prea tare si nu gelatinoasa !

       Panna Cotta ( in italiana inseamna smantana coapta sau gatita ) este o budinca defapt , baza ei fiind laptele si frisca lichida , desigur pe vremuri se facea doar cu lapte dar erau alte vremuri si alt lapte ( laptele pe atunci era foarte gras si nu era nevoie de frisca lichida ) , dar daca doriti o Panna Cotta mai consistenta puteti sa renuntati la lapte si sa o faceti doar cu frisca lichida dar , sincer eu personal prefer mixul !

    E foarte simplu si daca ascultati de sfaturile mele pas cu pas veti servi o Panna Cotta delicioasa

   Ingrediente :    5 serviri

- 500 ml lapte
- 500 ml frisca lichida
- 2 pliculete jumate de gelatina pudra ( puteti folosi si foite dar aveti grija sa le baga-ti in apa mai intai sa se umfle )   ATENTIE ! gelatina alba !
- 1 baton de vanilie sau extract de vanilie sau puteti folosi zahar vanilat cu seminte de baton de vanilie incorporat au aparut de ceva timp prin supermarketuri , oricare sunt bune doar esenta sa nu folositi , e o prostie si nu are nici cea mai vaga asemanare cu vanilia la aroma !
- zahar dupa gust ( aveti grija sa nu indulciti prea tare fiindca panna cotta de obicei se serveste cu topping , iar toppingul este si el dulce )
- 3 bobite de sare de mare
- ulei
- gem de afine

 Haideti sa incepem sa o preparam !

 Intr-o oala medie adauga-ti laptele impreuna cu frisca lichida zaharul , semintele de la batonul de vanilie si batonul in sine  ( daca folositi extract adaugati-l abia la final dupa fierbere ) , sau zaharul vanilat .
 Aprinde-ti focul la aragaz si sa fie mediu spre mic flacara si asteptati amestecand usor din cand in cand pana da in clocot compozitia .
 Odata ce a  dat in clocot lua-ti de pe foc imediat si adaugati gelatina si amestecati sa sa imbine cum trebuie ( dar nu prea tare ) si adaugati cele 3 bobite de sare de mare ( are efect de a balansa gustul , panna cotta sa nu fie prea dulce si aroma de la vanilie sa fie intensificata ) .
 
  Acoperiti compozitia cu o folie de plastic dar asezati-o chiar pe compozitia in sine ca sa nu faca crusta , coaja , pielita cum doriti sa ii spuneti , odata cu racirea ei .

  Odata ce s-a racit putin turnati-o in recipiente tapetate cu f putin ulei si asezati-le in frigider .
  Acum vine partea nasoala , le trebuie cam 4 ore sa stea in frigider pana la servire .

  Partea buna e ca ve-ti aprecia faptul ca a-ti asteptat atata odata ce a-ti gustat din ele !!
  Dupa ce au trecut 4 ore le scoate-ti din frigider si cu ajutorul unui cutit subtire frecati marginile sa desprinde-ti panna cotta de recipient ( lama cutitului cat mai aproape de marginile interioare a recipientului si cat mai departe de marginile de la panna cotta ) , va dati dumneavoastra seama cam , cum ar veni nu e mare filozofie !!

 Serviti cu gem de afine bun sau topping de oricare doriti , sos de ciocolata sau caramel .
 Panna Cotta nu e neaparat sa o faceti cu vanilie se poate face cu tot felul de arome gen cafea , rom , fructul pasiunii , etc .

 Odata ce va obisnuiti cu , compozitia puteti sa va personaliza-ti propriile arome

           Sper sa va placa , si va garantez , daca ve-ti face dupa instructiuni pas cu pas nu aveti cum sa dati gres ....
           Asa ca spor si daca aveti intrebari sau nelamuriri puteti lasa un e-mail sau comment si va voi raspunde
 
          Bon Apettit guys ! :D

A MasterChef Day

                 Hey guys , lovely dear readers , i've missed you all ... i know i've been absent quite a while these months and days , but at the moment my life is so busy and each and every day i am tested both phisycally and mentally , but the important thing is that i am a fighter and i am not giving up on what i am trying to achieve .

             Last time i gave you a recipe on how to prepare a fish fillet , ... today no recipes just a little chit chat with what happened at the MasterChef pre selections .

           Yes it was an amazing day , full of excitement in the air , emotions , intense feelings and intense cooking .
           It all started with my departure from my home town Arad here in Romanie , we had to go over to Bucharest our capital here in Romania and there the pre selections were held .
       
         Me and a friend drove about 10 hours to get there , and it was quite an exciting journey and i learned a lot about responsabilities and about what can happen if you fight for your future .

       There were so many candidates and all of them were so passionate and presentable it was amazing just to watch them and you got so inspired .
       That amazing day was long and short at the same time ... i had to give a lot of interviews and i also had the problem with the camera haha , i just couldn't focus at the camera and the person who was interviewing me at the same time . It was really hard but after the first interview it became second nature to me:D !!

     It was a special day and it will always be in my heart ... i got mega inspired and i am ready to create and to get ready for the competition . These days are work work work and getting ready for the competition .

    If God allows it i will go in january to Bucharest again , and this time on A.I.R. and fight my way in this culinary world so i can achieve my dream and go to Paris to study the culinary arts .

    Here are some pictures from the MasterChef pre selections :

      This was taken by the masterchef community and was posted on the hotel's facebook page where the pre selections took place ... Howard Johnson Bucharest .

     And this one was taken by my friend with his phone camera haha i was getting ready for an interview and pressenting my tomato soup . ( you cand find the recipe on my blog '' my mom's amazing tomato soup with a twist of my own '' )   . It was a lovely day !

       I wish all of the people would feel in their heart what i felt that day .... It was amazing !

      Thank you guys and farewell ! Pancakes for breakfast ! :X

      Au revoir !

Pan fried fillet of fish with a french touch !

           Dear readers first of all i apologize again for my long abssence , but in the last few weeks a lot has happened . First of all i would like to tell you all i haven't given up on my dream to go to a cooking school in Paris .
           I still need loads of money for this project ... but i had an ideea of participating at the hugest cooking comprtition in the world , and that is MasterChef . I've been to the pre selections and with a bit of luck and if God allows it i will surerly join in the second tour of the pre selections which is cooking for the jury on AIR .
            Anyway being there with the other MasterChef participants was so lovely and magical . A lot of people , with lots of different types of preps . , different cuisines ... from french , to italian , mexican  , indian , even our own romanian cuisine , it was so lovely to see so many passionate people and some of them were really charming , it was the best day of my life :D !
         
           Anyway i'll be talking about my trips and myself on my next post , since on this post i wanna talk to you about Fish !
           Fish ... i love fish ( if cooked properly ) , but unfortunately a lot of people when they hear of fish they go ... yuckkkkkkk , grosss , smells fishy , piyukkkkk ! Right , well ... ladies and gentlemen allow me to explain to you why your fish smells fishy !         Simple it ain't Fresh ! Fresh fish does not smell fishy ! They smell of sea .
     
        And now your telling yourself  '' Ok but how am i supposed to know which fish is fresh and which one it ain't  ''  .... It's simple first of all as i said the smell then the eye must be clear not blank  , and the skin oily a bit ... not 2 much though ... it's quite easy remember these things and you'll be just fine .

      If you go buy a fish that does not meet the standards i just told you ... then sir or ma'am
                                                                  DO NOT BUY THAT FISH !


So the ingredients you need for this prep are :

           - 4 fillet of fish ( any kind , to your liking )
           - 2 parsnips
           - garlic
           - thyme
           - 1 red pepper

           - 100 ml of white wine
           - 1 shallot
           - 1 lemon
           - 200 g of butter
           - olive oil
           - sea salt
           - pepper

      So the preparation is really simple if you stick to what i am telling you .
      First of all peel the parsnip and boil it with a bit of sal
      Cook the red pepper and peel it of it's skin so it will release those smoky flavours .
      Make small cuts in the fish skin but be carefull not to pierce the meat and fill them with thyme , and garlic or any herb to your liking .
       Rub the fillet of fish with salt and pepper
       Place a non-stick pan on the stove , get it real hot and i mean screaming hot .Place the fillet of fish skinside down and press it a bit with a spatula .
       Cook the fish 4 and half minutes skin side down ( that is about 90% of the time ) and the turn it and cook it 30 to 40 seconds skin side up .
        When the parsnip is cooked and you can pierce it easily with a fork pour almost all the water from it but leave a  bit , and the red pepper and use a blender to mix them well , add 70g of butter and mix again until it forms a piure .
     
        Now your left only with the beurre blanc sauce . Beurre blanc in french means white butter , this sauce is one of the greatest acompliments for any fish , it's amazing , tasty and yummy .
     
       The first thing you need to do it order to prepare it is : chop the shallot finely add 100 ml of white wine and let them reduce .
        When the wine is reduced and the flavours are really intense and pop out add slowly the butter piece by piece ( the butter must be chopped , medium sized cubes ) , so add them one by one and keep styring .
        At the end sprinkle a bit of lemon juice and next you can pass it through a sive if you want it really fine or you can leave it like this it's kinda optional .
     
      Serve it hot , since when it get's cold it can splitt .  I hope you'll enjoy this repice .

      And have fun , trust me this sauce will change the perception you'll have on boring fish sauces and will elevate your dish and take it to the a new dimension of tastes !

      French yummyness on a plate  ! :D
 

       So guys untill my next post :  


                                                                           Au revoir et Bon Appetit  ! :D