What I ate from the blog in the last 90 days

Let’s try something different today, take a step back and rediscover together all the recipes published in 2018 on the blog. There are the ones from the French baking challenge of course, the regular ones, but I will also talk about the existing recipes from the blog that I cooked again at home. And yes, for those who ask I did eat all the recipes below!!

1. Monthly French Baking Recipe

A couple of months ago, I shared with you my goals with the blog in 2018 (cf. 2018 starts on February 1st). One of the main one was to reconnect with my French background and share with you a French baking recipe every month. All levels are encouraged : some recipes are advanced, others rather simple. For the advanced ones, I encourage you to read my entire posts (not only the recipe) for more detailed information, tips, and other useful tutorials when needed.

JANUARY: Galette des Rois and Puff Pastry. In January I shared the traditional French Galette des Rois and its step-by-step guide to learn how to master a homemade puff pasty. It’s been a lot of work (with all the steps, photos, photos editing and so on…) but I’m glad I can now provide you with this I hope helpful tutorial.

Galette des Rois + A Puff Pastry Step-by-Step Guide.

FEBRUARY: French Brioche à Tête. Have you heard of this type of brioche? I have been working on the recipe the entire month of February, looking for the exact right texture and flavor, the one I have from my childhood memories. The brioche must have a crispy outside with an extremely soft and airy inside. I finally found the one. Read my blog post carefully to learn all the tips to master the art of brioche.

French Brioche à Tête.

MARCH: Easy Classic No-Knead Bread, 5 ways! I wouldn’t call this one completely French as I don’t really know how this bread recipe was born on the first place. But it doesn’t matter as has to me everything from the French bread both in taste and texture. Made with 4 ingredients only, no oil, no sugar, this bread is the easiest you could ever find. Just mix all the ingredients together, let sit overnight and bake the following morning in a cocotte. No, you do not need to knead the dough at all, it is magic!

So simple that I created 5 different versions for you:

• Easy Classic No-Knead Bread (which is the base)
• Multiseed No-Knead Bread
• Rosemary and Green Olives No-Knead Bread
• Fig and Walnut No-Knead Bread
• Whole Wheat No-Knead Bread.

No-Knead Bread: 5 Ways!

I’m still working on April French baking recipe and you can expect it in a couple of weeks or so… Any guess of what it can be, or what you would like to see for the next French baking recipes?

2. All the recipes in 2018 so far…

I just did the math and in 3 months I shared 31 recipes on the blog, among which I count 11 desserts, 10 savory dishes,  5 breads, 4 breakfast recipes, and 1 drink.

DESSERT FIRST. I’m a sweet tooth, I can’t help it, let’s start with dessert here. My top 3 favorite so far in 2018 are:

1. Coffee brownie cheesecake,
2. Orange crème brûlée tart,
3. Brown butter zucchini carrot cake.

The other desserts I shared these last 3 months are the following:

• Rum-matcha tiramisu,
• Vegan cashew banana bread donuts,
• Pumpkin spice madeleines,
• Swedish semla gooey cake,
• Saffron-rum crepes,
• Vegan chocolate crepes + caramel sauce,
• French galette des rois,
• Saffron pear tarte tatin.

SAVORY. After dessert comes savory dishes. I know, it’s the other way around normally, but seriously who cares? Among 10 savory dishes, my favorites go to:

1. Balsamic Brussels sprouts with a creamy goat cheese polenta (I’m completely obsessed with this one),
2. Best ever ginger lime carrot soup (simple but SO good. Also vegan and gluten-free),
3. Fancy salmon-avocado eggs Benedict (love, love, love this one for brunch).

The other savory dishes are the following:

• Spicy curry leek and carrot quiche,
• Vegetarian jackfruit pulled pork burger (with my favorite homemade burger bun recipe),
• Creamy peanut butter pineapple tofu rice,
• Beet gnocchi with walnut-sage brown butter,
• Detox cumin broccoli lentil soup,
• Sweet potato toasts with kale-grapefruit guacamole,
• Easy spicy peanut butter noodles.

BREADS. You know them all already (scroll up to see the recipes).

BREAKFAST. Just a few breakfast and snack ideas:

• Quick oatmeal banana blender pancakes,
• Coffee-chocolate hazelnut granola,
• French brioche à tête (mentioned earlier)
• Superfood green energy balls (more a snack or breakfast on the go)

DRINK. And cheers to us for all these recipes shared for these first 3 months of 2018! We deserve a drink to celebrate and it will be a strawberry daiquiri with cardamom. Yum!

3. What did I cook from the blog?

Of course I cook, bake and eat every single recipe from the blog, for those who ask. I would never share a recipe I haven’t personally tasted. Also, once in a while David and I like to cook already existing recipes from the blog (cf. Del’s Favorites). It feels comfy and it’s always so much less stress as I don’t need to focus on the styling and photographing part. I can be selfish and eat it straight away (a tiny luxury that only food bloggers can understand).

So here’s what we cooked and baked from the blog again, from 2018 but not only:

• Shakshuka with feta cheese (a huge, huge favorite in our house, and if you want to master it too, scroll down to the last comment to read what’s David’s secret to make it perfectly seasoned every single time),
• Easy fluffy American pancakes (#1 on the blog),
• Thai salmon avocado tacos (my favorite tacos with a twist!),
• Best ever ginger lime carrot soup (I make so often, I love it),
• Orange pound cake (one of my all time readers’ favorite),
• Coffee brownie cheesecake that I baked several times (people are crazy about it).

I also co-hosted a spring edition of the Chicago Breakfast & Yoga Club and made for the occasion a few recipes from the blog, among which the:

• Beet-ginger granola with superfoods,
• Vegan berry bliss balls,
• Spring vegetables and ricotta tartines,
• Tropical pineapple coconut smoothie.

And do I need to tell you how many times I baked the easy classic no-knead bread, either in its simple version or with whole wheat (my favorite) or other multiseed version? I love bread and these ones are pure bliss freshly baked in the morning with salted butter on top.

4. What about you?

Last but not least, let’s talk about the recipes from the blog YOU tried and shared with us on my Facebook group. I created this group a few months ago, with the idea that you could actively participate, share, and ask questions about recipes, which makes it more dynamic than the Facebook page. In the group, you are an active member and I really encourage you to subscribe if you haven’t done it yet (it’s a private group and every new member must be reviewed before being accepted).

Find below a few of your amazing realizations, but there are many more! Your favorite at the moment is the buttermilk banana bread – many of you bake it again and again every week and love it for its incredible moistness. You also started to make your own no-knead bread to, in all versions!

Also, whenever you make a recipe and share it on Instagram, remember to tag #delscookingtwist so I can see your creations too. Plus you’ll get a chance to be feature in my next newsletter!

Thank you everyone for being part of Del’s cooking twist and enable me to make a living from my passion. All your realizations, comments, and kind words mean the world to me!