Cremeschnitten

Well, this was an adventure with a screaming baby.  No, I didn't start out that way, but unfortunately he only slept for 30 minutes today.  I love cremeschnitten.  They are a pastry with a vanilla creme filling.  I was first introduced to them last summer after a food shopping tour (if you live in CH, you should join the EF - www.englishforum.ch - there are lots of events - fun things to do and meet people).  Back to my recipe...  I actually skipped around a lot on the internet the past few days trying to figure out how to make this.  Apparently I was just supposed to know how to make things.  I don't make pastries very often though.  This was more of a trial. I will also include the things I am going to do next time differently, or add, and then update when I do this. Probably sometime in October.

What you need:
1 package Blätterteig (I bought the double roll)
250 ml of milk (milch)
60g sugar (zucker)
1 package of vanilla sugar (vanillezucker)
1 pinch of salt
1 egg yolk (eigelb)
1 package vanilla pudding powder (Puddingpulver)
10 pieces of Gelatin (Blätter Gelatine)
Powdered sugar (Puderzucker)
4 Tbls Rum (change to 3 tbls rum)
750 ml Cream
1 scraped vanilla bean (next time)

I also doubled the filling recipe. Next time, I will buy the block of dough so I can roll it thinner and have another layer in between.  I think thinner layers would work better as well.  

First, roll out the dough onto a cookie sheet ( if you have a large enough casserole dish I would use it so you can keep them 'more put together'  After rolling out the dough, cut it into as many pieces as you want -I did 12. Poke holes in it with a fork so that it will rise properly. Bake at 200C for 15-20 minutes, or until light brown.

Take the sugars and a quarter of the milk and put it in a pot. Bring to a boil. Meanwhile, add the vanilla pudding powder to the rest of the milk, add the egg yolk and mix thoroughly.  Add to the boiling mixture and mix for another 2-3 minutes or until thickened.  Set aside to cool (I put it in a bowl in the freezer). 

Whip your cream until it has thickened.  I read that putting your beaters for your mixer and the bowl you will be using into the freezer (way too small except for the beaters as you'll see at Thanksgiving time).  You can also put a larger bowl of ice water under your mixing bowl. (Yes, ice is also a problem, but luckily the tap has very cold water).  I discovered that my electric hand mixer wasn't cut out to do the job and am now in need of a replacement.  It may just be overworked though as I have had it for 3 years, so my cream never got fully whipped which I think was a bit of a problem.  I'm sure you'll have no problem, and after I get a new mixer, I'll try again. 

Once your cream is whipped, add your rum and the gelatin.  While you are whipping the cream, soak the gelatin in cold water to soften it. Mix again and then slowly add the cold (or at least cooled) pudding mixture.

Do this for as many layers as you wish.  Finish with a piece of pastry dough for the top and then add your icing:  Mix 1/2 cup of powdered sugar with 2 tsp of milk. Mix together and then drizzle over the top of the pastry.  

Place in the fridge for 2 hours to be completely chilled. 

If you do everything on a cookie sheet, make sure it is cool, but your vanilla layers may run a bit.  If you have it in a baking/casserole dish, it may stay together better.  I am also thinking of using a muffin pan next time. Sure they'll be round, but possibly fuller and cleaner looking.  We'll see. 

Happy baking.

  

Chicken Shwarama

Well, I finally made my chicken shwarama again!  The past few days have been very hectic, so I was glad to have marinated this early (in my seal-able bag of course).  The original recipe is here - another by the fabulous Dede.  If you haven't been to her site yet, you definitely need to check it out.

If you know you're going to be busy in the evening, this is very easy to do early that day or even the day before.
Ignore the tomato puree in my picture - I had another recipe on my mind at the same time.

What you need:

about 500g chicken (either pre-cut, or slice yourself)
1/4 c lemon juice
1-2 containers of Greek yogurt (griechischer) - Coop/Migros
(2 containers if using more chicken or you just like more sauce)
1 clove garlic, minced (or 1 tbls minced from a jar)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cardamom (gemahalener Kardamom)
1/4 tsp 7 Spice (if you don't have it you can make it
1/4 tsp parsley (Petersilie)
1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper (Cayennepfeffer)
1/8 tsp Cinnamon (Zimt
3 tbls Olive Oil
Pita bread/tortillas
Cucumber
Onion
Tomatoes
Feta cheese

A really great dipping sauce that I have used before, but did not make this time can also be found on Dede's site.  Canola oil is Rapsöl

Slice the chicken thinly - cooks faster - and put all your ingredients in a bowl (or a bag). Let marinate for 3 hours, or more.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet and then add the chicken
Meanwhile, if using, slice your cucumber into strips, finely slice the onion, dice the tomatoes and crumble the feta.

I used an indoor electric grill, but you could always 'grill' these in a pan on medium heat with a weight (another pan with cans in them) on top. All you'll miss are the grill marks.  I make other sandwiches this way, but more on that later.

I use tortillas instead of pita bread. 1) they're cheaper, and 2) they're easier to wrap around the contents.
Put some of your chicken, cucumber, onion, tomato and feta inside. Roll like a burrito and then place on your grill/pan. For the grill, it only takes about 2-3 minutes if it's hot and for the pan, about 3-4 minutes per side.  All you're really doing is sealing everything in.

I made some french fries to go with these. If making the the garlic sauce, you can use as a dipping sauce. It's a really yummy dish, hope you enjoy it as much as we do!