Cupcakes cu catina si mousse de catina. Da!

20

Din ciclul: “Mai Ioane, draga ti-e catina? – Draga./ Dar tu ei? – Si ea mie!”, week-endul asta am explorat nebanuite modalitati de preparare a catinei. Ii tineam o amintire draga inca din liceu, cand unguentul cu catina de la plafar a pus capat o data pentru totdeauna buzelor crapate, insa acum iubirea noastra a atins un cu totul alt nivel. Pentru cei care nu stiu, catina este un puternic antioxidant (deci anticancerigen) si contine cea mai mare cantitate de Vitamina C out there, plus betacaroten mai mult decat ar visa vreodata Domnul Morcov. Practic, e unul din fructele-miracol care se ia in piept cu multe boli, si in special cu anemia feripriva, foarte des intalnita la femei. Dar hai sa incepem cu… desertul. Evident ca nu m-am putut abtine sa nu pun catina in cupcakes. Si zau, zau ca nu mi-a parut rau!

Ingrediente pentru cupcakes

150 g faina

150 g zahar

100 ml ulei

80 ml lapte

1 ou

1 praf de sare

1 praf de bicarbonat de sodiu

100 g bobite de catina, bine spalate si scurse

Pentru mousse:

125 ml smantana indulcita pentru frisca

50 g zahar pudra, cernut

1 albus de ou

150 g bobite de catina, bine spalate si scurse

1. Amestecam toate ingredientele pentru cupcakes intr-un bol cu ajutorul unui tel, mai putin fructele, pana obtinem un aluat omogen.

2. Inglobam si fructele, apoi dam la copt (tava de cupcakes, hartii, etc.) aproximativ 20 minute (sau pana sunt gata – testul scobitorii). Scoatem din tavi si lasam la racit pe un gratar.

3. Pentru mousse, mai intai batem albusul spuma, adaugam zaharul si mai mixam putin.

4. In alt bol batem frisca si apoi o inglobam in amestecul de bezea obtinut mai sus.

5. Fructele le pasam pana obtinem o pasta groasa, pe care o mai diluam cu 2-3 linguri de apa. O cernem printr-o sita (pentru a retine cojile si semintele catinei) direct in bolul cu mousse. Amestecam bine, apoi il spritam cu un pos peste cupcakes.

Nici macar nu pot incepe sa va explic cat de bune au fost. Cat regret ca nu gasesc catina decat putin, toamna. Cat de bucuroasa am fost sa intalnesc cativa oameni de treaba, undeva aiurea prin munti, care sa imi dea 1 kilogram si sa ma faca sa simt ca omenia inca mai exista. La tara, acolo unde s-a nascut vesnicia.

Sa fiti fericiti,

Andie

Din ciclul: “Mai Ioane, draga ti-e catina? – Draga./ Dar tu ei? – Si ea mie!”, week-endul asta am explorat nebanuite modalitati de preparare a catinei. Ii tineam o amintire draga inca din liceu, cand unguentul cu catina de la plafar a pus capat o data pentru totdeauna buzelor crapate, insa acum iubirea noastra a atins un cu totul alt nivel. Pentru cei care nu stiu, catina este un puternic antioxidant (deci anticancerigen) si contine cea mai mare cantitate de Vitamina C out there, plus betacaroten mai mult decat ar visa vreodata Domnul Morcov. Practic, e unul din fructele-miracol care se ia in piept cu multe boli, si in special cu anemia feripriva, foarte des intalnita la femei. Dar hai sa incepem cu… desertul. Evident ca nu m-am putut abtine sa nu pun catina in cupcakes. Si zau, zau ca nu mi-a parut rau!

Ingrediente pentru cupcakes

150 g faina

150 g zahar

100 ml ulei

80 ml lapte

1 ou

1 praf de sare

1 praf de bicarbonat de sodiu

100 g bobite de catina, bine spalate si scurse

Pentru mousse:

125 ml smantana indulcita pentru frisca

50 g zahar pudra, cernut

1 albus de ou

150 g bobite de catina, bine spalate si scurse

1. Amestecam toate ingredientele pentru cupcakes intr-un bol cu ajutorul unui tel, mai putin fructele, pana obtinem un aluat omogen.

2. Inglobam si fructele, apoi dam la copt (tava de cupcakes, hartii, etc.) aproximativ 20 minute (sau pana sunt gata – testul scobitorii). Scoatem din tavi si lasam la racit pe un gratar.

3. Pentru mousse, mai intai batem albusul spuma, adaugam zaharul si mai mixam putin.

4. In alt bol batem frisca si apoi o inglobam in amestecul de bezea obtinut mai sus.

5. Fructele le pasam pana obtinem o pasta groasa, pe care o mai diluam cu 2-3 linguri de apa. O cernem printr-o sita (pentru a retine cojile si semintele catinei) direct in bolul cu mousse. Amestecam bine, apoi il spritam cu un pos peste cupcakes.

Nici macar nu pot incepe sa va explic cat de bune au fost. Cat regret ca nu gasesc catina decat putin, toamna. Cat de bucuroasa am fost sa intalnesc cativa oameni de treaba, undeva aiurea prin munti, care sa imi dea 1 kilogram si sa ma faca sa simt ca omenia inca mai exista. La tara, acolo unde s-a nascut vesnicia.

Sa fiti fericiti,

Andie

I am not sure how popular sea buckthorn is outsite of Romania, but here we simply love it and use it in a million ways, especially due to its incredible healing properties. So this week-end I decided to give this incredible berry the treatment it deserves – ergo, the cupcakes were born.

Ingredients for cupcakes

150 g flour

150 g sugar

100 ml sun flower oil

80 ml milk

1 egg

1 pinch salt

1 pinch baking soda

100 g sea buckthorn, rinsed and dried

For the mousse:

125 ml sweetened whipped cream

50 g confectioners sugar

1 egg white

150 g sea buckthorn

1. Mix all the ingredients for the cupcakes, except for the berries, in a bowl until incorporated. Add the berries, incorporate, then bake in the preheated oven at gas 3-4 for about 20 min, or until ready.

2. For the mousse, start by whipping the cream then slowly incoporate the egg white, making sure to mix really well. Slowly add the sugar and mix until the cream is really thick.

3. Mash the berries (in a food processor), add 2-3 tbs water to dilute the paste, then strain through a sieve directly into the batter. Mix again to incorporate well.

4. Pipe the mousse on the cupcakes when they are cold.

There you go – the taste is utterly incredible, a mixture of sweet-n-sour you won’t soon forget!

Love,

Andie

20 COMMENTS

  1. Wow, these look incredible! I will certainly try them soon. Do you have more delicious sea buckthorn recipes? I would be very interested to know more about the million Romanian ways to use it… Many thanks, and all best from Berlin, Georgiana

    • Dear Georgiana (funny, my second name is Georgiana too :)), I’m so happy you wrote. I love sea buckthorn and it’s very popular in Romania because it helps strengthen our immunity during winter. The two recipes I presented are actually not a Romanian classic, I made them up; normally, we use it to make syrups or preserve it in a lot of natural honey and have a teaspoon of the mixture each morning – I currently have a 5 l jar in my fridge with just that. But now you have given me an exciting task: I shall dig deep into Romanian tradition and present you with the best our cuisine has to offer! XO from crispy cold Bucharest!

      • Dear Andie,

        that would be fabulous! I have recently gotten into collecting Eastern European autumn and winter recipes, they are so wonderfully warming.

        I agree with you on sea buckthorn’s health properties, it is so much better to eat it instead of citrus fruits for vitamin C (according to traditional Chinese medicine, citrus fruits have a cooling effect: they grow in hot countries during summertime, and are supposed to be eaten to cool….) So any Romanian sea buckthorn dish you have would be great – stews, gratins, cakes, cookies, whatever else. Inspired by your blog, I just tried German “Quark” i.e. curd cheese with sea buckthorn today, and it was absolutely delicious. Can’t wait to try out more….

        BTW, what is the mixture ratio for the honey-sea buckthorn sirup? How many tablespoons on how much honey?

        Many many thanks, and all best from colder and colder Berlin,

        Georgiana

        • I have to have the sea buckthorn quark recipe! Pretty please ;;)
          The syrup is different from what we call “macerate” (marinade – the mixture of whole buckthorn fruit and honey), in the sense that in the latter you keep the fruit as such, and the ratio is 1 part fruit, 2 parts honey; you should keep it in a glass jar in the fridge at all times. Do NOT use any metal or stainless steel, only wood or glass tools and recipients, ok?
          For the syrup, the ratio is the same, only that you have to mash the fruit a bit then strain it through a sieve, then mix it with the honey.
          It’s really not that complicated, but it’s very efficient. Make sure the honey is good quality, otherwise you might have some surprises… I will be back with more recipes!

          • Dear Andie,

            thanks for the syrup recipe!

            My Sea buckthorn Quwark recipe is really simple, but very tasty (1 large or 2 small servings):
            250g quark (40% fat)
            5 tablespoons sea buckthorn juice
            1-2 tablespoons cane sugar (or more, according to taste)
            milk (or soy, rice or oat milk; quantity depends on how you like the texture of the quark)
            a little bit cream

            Mix all ingredients well, and voila! Quick, easy and delicious. Unfortunately, I have no good digital camera yet, so I can’t send photos….

            All best,

            Georgiana

  2. Dear Andie,

    thanks for the syrup recipe!

    My Sea buckthorn Quwark recipe is really simple, but very tasty (1 large or 2 small servings):
    250g quark (40% fat)
    5 tablespoons sea buckthorn juice
    1-2 tablespoons cane sugar (or more, according to taste)
    milk (or soy, rice or oat milk; quantity depends on how you like the texture of the quark)
    a little bit cream

    Mix all ingredients well, and voila! Quick, easy and delicious. Unfortunately, I have no good digital camera yet, so I can’t send photos….

    All best,

    Georgiana

  3. I made a sea buckthorn tart out of your recipe yesterday. I had to use sea buckthorn juice, which is – in contrast to berries – easy to get in Berlin. I really like the sweet and sour taste of the sea buckthorn tart! But I will use less oil next time (half of your amount) and might also add some spice, like ground clove or allspice…..

    I really hope I’ll get some berries soon!! I really want to try the muffins with berries. Bakery with sea buckthorn is such an amazing idea. And I am eagerly awaiting more Romanian sea buckthorn recipes…..

    All best,

    Georgiana

  4. Wow! You’re in a sea buckthorn frenzy! :)) It never occured to me to make a tart, but what a great idea! And yes, add ground clove, all spice, I think even gound ginger or nutmeg might work – depends on what you’re trying to get. It’s such a shame you don’t live closer, I have a full jar of berries in my fridge :( Try the muffins though – they were a really big hit with our family and friends, you know! This week’s been crazy, but I can’t wait for the week end when I am going to explore and post about the wonderful world of sea buckthorn in the Romanian kitchen! Hugs, and let me know when those berries arrive! :)

    • That’s true with the sea buckthorn frenzy;-) I am fascinated by the idea that you can actually cook and bake with it, and it’s delicious – so far I only knew it as juice supposed to be drunken with a lot of hot water because of its high vitamin C. But Quark and tarte are so much better than that…..

      A friend tipped me off for the berries: apparently Berlin’s Russian supermarkets sell them. I’ll check that out soon. And yes, it’s really bad Bukarest isn’t closer!

      I am totally looking forward to your soon-to-come recipes!

      XX,

      Georgiana

      • My dear Georgiana,
        Surprise, surprise. After talking to my mum and investigating all the Romanian cookbooks at hand, it turns out that actually we don’t use SB for much other than syrups, juices, jams, etc. I was shocked to discover that people don’t actually consider baking and cooking with these lovely berries!! Basically, there are no traditional dishes to search for, which leads me to the idea that I must start to invent. That’s it, just as I invented the mousse and cupcakes, I shall invent more. Will you be my lovely side-kick? :)
        XO,
        Andie

        • With pleasure! I think that will be great fun. Although it’s such a pity that there are no traditional recipes…..

          I found a recipe for sea buckthorn squash soup on a German website, which I am planning to try out this week. I’ll let you know about the results….

          Apart from that, I believe sea buckthorn might go well with chicken, or maybe venison. And I guess with swedes too… Hmm…rice? buckwheat?

          Oh, and here a great looking sb recipe I found on an Estonian foodblog: http://nami-nami.blogspot.com/2011/10/sea-buckthorn-and-amaretto-cheesecake.html

          Hugs from Berlin,

          Georgiana

  5. […] Ca sa invelim cupcakes in fondant e foarte simplu: avem nevoie de o portie de fondant pe care il coloram dupa cum dorim noi, de crema de unt sau gem pentru uns cupcakesii, un cutter rotund cu marginile putin mai mari decat cupcake-ul in sine si.. evident, instrumentul muncii, cupcakes. […]

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