Healthy Living with Anita.

Ingredients

1 (17.5 ounces) package puff pastry thawed (if frozen)

2 Tablespoon of corn syrup or granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups of whole milk

1/2 cup of heavy cream

3 extra large egg yolks

1 teaspoon of vanilla or vanilla bean

4 Tablespoon sugar

3 Tablespoon of corn starch

powder sugar to dust

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375 grades Fahrenheit.
2. Line a baking sheet with a silicon sheet or parchment paper.
3. Cut the sheet of puff pastry in 3 equal rectangular pieces.
4. Place cut rectangular pieces on your prepared baking sheet. Prick dough with a fork lightly. Sprinkle with granulated sugar or brush with corn syrup. Cover cut pieces with another parchment paper on top and place another baking sheet on top to avoid over puffing.
5. Bake for about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and bake with no sheet on top for another 3 to 5 minutes until golden brown.
6. Remove from oven and place pastry sheets over a rack to cool completely. Set aside.
7. Prepare Pastry Cream: Heat the milk in a saucepan until just started to boil. Remove from heat and set aside. Mix sugar, egg yolks and corn starch in a large bowl. Add 3/4 of the hot milk slowly to this mix and whisk constantly. Pour over left milk in the sauce pan and heat at low until thickened. Remove from heat and place a plastic wrap directly on the  surface of cream. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
8. Assemble: Take one sheet of puff pastry and spread cool pastry cream over the top. Place another layer of puff pastry on top of filling. Add more cream and add last top of puff pastry. Refrigerate and sprinkle powder sugar over the top or make a simple glaze of 1/2 cup of heavy cream and 2 cups powder sugar with a drizzle of a chocolate using cocoa powder and powder sugar. Enjoy! 🙂

Note: Enjoy with Raspberries too 🙂

Ingredients

2 1/3 cups of cake flour

1/3 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature

1/2 cup plain yogurt, room temperature

3/4 cup olive oil

3 eggs, room temperature

1 cups fresh blueberries

1/2 cup fresh blackberries

4 or five small lemons, thinly sliced

2 Tablespoon light brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

2 Tablespoon of lemon zest

1 Tablespoon of Rose Water or orange blossom(can also use lemon extract if preferred)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 grades Fahrenheit. Spray your 14 inches square pan with baking spray. Sprinkle over with brown sugar and lay slices of lemons overlapping on top of sugar. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, beat together eggs and olive oil until yellow pale. Add plain   yogurt, milk , rose water and lemon zest. Whisk in sugar until well combined.

3. Incorporate cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat all ingredients and fold in the berries dusted with 1/3 of a cup cake flour so they will float all around the cake without sinking on bottom of your pan. 4. Pour cake batter into your prepared cake pan.5. Bake for about 45 to 55 minutes or until golden brown and tooth pick inserted in the middle of cake comes out clean.6. Cool in pan for about 20 minutes. Invert into a wire rack and let it cool completely for another 20 minutes.

7. Transfer with care into a cake platter. Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 cups cake flour or All-purpose, sifted

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup whole milk, room temperature

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup plain yogurt, room temperature

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup salted butter, room temperature

1 Tablespoon of instant coffee

1 teaspoon hazelnut or coffee liquor

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 grades Fahrenheit. Grease a 9-inch spring-form pan with baking spray. Set aside.
2. Use a medium saucepan and combine butter, milk, espresso powder, cocoa powder. Heat at medium-low heat stir occasionally until melted. Set aside.
3. Sift together flour, sugar, and baking powder into a large bowl. Add into this flour mixture the melted chocolate-butter mix from step 2, and beat for 2 minutes until well combined. Add hazelnut or coffee liquor and mix.
4. Whisk in eggs and yogurt until very smooth.
5. Pour your chocolate batter into your greased spring-form pan.
6. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle  of cake comes out clean.
7. Let cake cool in pan for about 20 minutes. Invert into a rack.

Perfect Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

1. Sift 1 cup of cocoa powder and 4-5 cups of confectioner’s sugar into a large bowl. Set aside.
2. Using a stand mixer, cream together 2 1/2 sticks of melted butter and add sifted cocoa powder and confectioner’s sugar in low speed for about 2 minutes. Mix until creamy and well combined.
3. Add 1 to tablespoons of heavy cream and 1 teaspoon of coffee liquor(vanilla extract is ok too). Beat in high for another minute or using a whisker.
4. Frost your chocolate delicious cake when completely cool.

5. Enjoy this piece of super moist chocolaty heaven!

Ingredients

For the Sugar Syrup:

2 cups of granulated sugar

1 cup water

1 Tablespoon Orange Blossom water

1 Tablespoon Rose Water

1/2 Tablespoon of fresh lemon juice

Preparation

1. Use a medium saucepan at medium heat add sugar and water.

2. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer on low heat for about 8 to 10 minutes. Add lemon juice. Sugar will thicken and become slightly like a syrup. Add rose water and orange blossom water. Stir and remove from heat. Set aside.

For the Cheese Rolls Dough:

1 cup of fine semolina

1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/2 cup water, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon orange blossom

1 Tablespoon rose water

Preparation

1. On medium-high heat using a large stainless or nonstick saucepan dissolve water and sugar stirring until sugar completely dissolves. Add rose and orange blossom water.
2. When sugar start boiling add slowly the cheese and keep stirring with a spatula or wooden spoon constantly until cheese is melted.3. Reduce heat and add gradually semolina and keep stirring until mixture comes together forming a homogeneous dough.4. Remove from heat and let it cool for about 5 minutes or until able to handle but still warm.

5. Place the cheese dough over a plastic wrap or a big plastic bag drizzled with 1 tablespoon of the Sugar syrup previously made, and cover cheese dough with another sheet of plastic wrap or bag on top.6. Roll the dough using a rolling pin and extend it into a rectangle of about 9×13 inches.7. Remove the top plastic sheet. 8. Use a pizza cutter to obtain an even rectangle.9. For  the Ashta cream (see recipe on my site under Mafroukeh-Pistachio cake)

Spread the Ashta Cream 1 inch from the border closest to your side.

10. Roll and lift up the plastic under the cheese dough and wrap it completely over the Ashta cream.11. Using a pizza cutter make a cut along the log to cut it from the rest of the cheese dough.12. Repeat same procedure until you finish with your cheese dough.13. Place logs of cheese dough into the refrigerator for about 15 to 20 minutes to be able to cut it easier into small pieces.

14. Sprinkle with ground pistachios and some Maraschino cherries in the center.        Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 can (106 ounces) fruit cocktail, drained and juice reserved

20-24 ladyfingers cookies

1/4 cup sugar

4 egg yolks, whisked

2 cups whole milk

1 Tablespoon corn starch

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or orange liquor

1 cup pineapple juice

1 (8 ounces) Cool Whip

Preparation

1. Heat milk in a medium size pan on medium heat and right before the boiling point turn off heat and set aside.
2. Using another saucepan whisk together sugar, cornstarch and egg yolks until pale and smooth.
3. Incorporate warm milk slowly while constantly whisking over medium-low heat for about 12 to 15 minutes or until custard thickens.
4. Add orange liquor or vanilla extract and mix all well.
5. Let custard to cool down and set aside.
6. Use a deep bowl and pour in drained cocktail fruit juices and mix with pineapple juice. Set aside.
7. To assemble: Using a 7×7 inch glass pan or any one you have, dip the lady fingers in mixed juices and arrange a layer of the lady fingers evenly on bottom of your pan.
8. Spread 3/4 of the custard on top. Pour 3/4 of the fruit cocktail over custard.
9. You may continue for another two layers.
10. Spread custard again on top.
11. Lastly top with ready whipped cream(you can make your own).Beat together 1/2 cup of heavy cream with 2 to 3 cups of powder sugar.
12. Spread final top layer with whipped cream. Decorate top covering with cocktail fruits completely.
13. Place in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours or overnight to chill. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk

1 package (8 ounces mascarpone or cream cheese), room temperature

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon of rum or vanilla

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup water

Preparation

1. Use a medium sauce pan. Incorporate water and 1 cup of sugar at medium heat. Stir and swirl for about 8 to 10 minutes or until sugar has dissolved with a syrupy consistence and golden brown. Pour into 8-Round Silicon Mold. Set aside.2. Using a blender mix together evaporated milk, eggs, mascarpone cheese, rum and 1/2 cup of the remaining sugar until very smooth.

3. Transfer blended mix into a medium saucepan. Heat at medium-low  heat until start simmering. 4. Remove from stove and place flan mix into 8-round silicone mold filling until top.

5. Cool flan completely. Refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.

6. Remove from fridge and unmold flan carefully.

7. Ready to serve with a swirl of caramel sauce around. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1- 8ounces can condensed milk

2 cups low-fat milk

2 cups water, filtered

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 cup rice, medium grain

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

zest of 2 lemons

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon lemon extract

1/4 teaspoon rum

Preparation

1. Place rice into a large saucepan with 2 cups of water over medium heat. Cover the pan, and when just starting to boil lower the heat.
2. Incorporate low-fat milk, heavy cream, and beaten egg. Start whisking constantly, as continues to simmer.
3. When it starts to become creamy and rice is cooked add condensed milk, lemon juice, rum, and  zest of one lemon. Mix all ingredients and keeping stirring.
4. Remove from heat. Add lemon extract and mix well. Serve into individual cups. Enjoy warm or chilled with rest of the zest of a lemon over the top.