Crazy Cucumber Blog
Are you familiar with hoshigaki, shockingly delicious, melting in your mouth amber coloured air-dried persimmon with a caramel flavour? These labour-intensive Japanese sweets made from peeled persimmon fruits hanged on strings and air-dried during the winter. The fruits are massaged during the drying process, it gives absolutely amazing mellow gelatinous […]
This warming sauerkraut stew with chorizo and vegetables makes a great winter supper. Smoky chorizo and fermented sauerkraut put the taste of this hearty vegetable stew to the next level. This is our family recipe, my grandma often cooked this stew for me when I was a child. This is her […]
Gooey, cheesy indulgence! This baked in puff pastry brie recipe is both super-easy and incredibly tasty, that’s the perfect dish to share with friends over the weekend. Serve it warm with a glass of fruity red wine. Enjoy.
Everything you need to know about making dumplings, that it’s easier than you might think. These Korean-style dumplings filled with a kimchi, shiitake mushrooms and pork are absolutely delicious. They are spicy, sweet and savoury – it’s the perfect balance of flavour. Kimchi is a true expression of the complexity […]
These gluten-free buckwheat waffles are fluffy and tender with the delicate touch of vanilla. Waffles are especially delicious when served with organic honey and cacao. TranzAlpineHoney has teamed up their organic NZ white clover honey with the tasty superfood organic raw cacao. Leave chocolate nut spreads and sauces at the […]
Hope you already have seen my post about young green ume and experience with Umeshu. Ripened ume has an amazingly sweet fragrance that is more fragrant than young ume. The ume fruit is more sour than the Western plum or apricot and is usually processed in various ways before eaten. […]
Just a cup of beautiful chicken broth. Did you know that bone broth is awesome because it’s one of the best things you can eat to boost your immune system? This is also my skincare secret and super powerful joints supplement. Collagen and gelatin are the most abundant protein in […]
This wonderfully moist homemade Chinese-style roast chicken is full of flavour and will look fantastic on your table for Christmas day. Best served with a small bowl of hoisin sauce and fluffy white rice. I’ve garnished rice with a salt pickled sakura blossoms that I brought from Japan, a little […]
Impress your family and friends with this easy, but absolutely delicious dessert with Aperol. Ultra creamy vanilla Panna Cotta topped with a layer of bitter-sweet, tangy and deeply citrusy blood orange Aperol jelly. The results, needless to say, will melt in your mouth. Aperol is my secret ingredient here. A […]
Cool and refreshing summer dessert with a luxuriously creamy texture and bright lemon flavour. Best served with fresh strawberry and crushed biscuits.Lemon posset is a dessert made from cream curdled by lemon juice, it has a texture which is a cross between a lush custard and silky lemon curd. A […]
A refreshing light cake made with aromatic lemon zest and olive oil with a light touch of lavender and floral honey. Did you know you can use lavender in your cooking? I really like how the flavour of lavender plays with lemon, vanilla and honey. Aromatic and floral, lavender is […]
Seasonal food tastes better! In-season produce is fresher, sweeter and perfectly ripe.I just grabbed a big bag of sweet meaty and flavorful tomatoes in a farmers market. Now dreaming about Panzanella! Panzanella is a traditional Tuscan bread and tomato salad. This is a great example of Italians not wasting anything, […]
This easy pear and three-ginger cake is quick to make, light and really moist. Three kinds of ginger make the taste is very deep and rich. The freshly pressed ginger juice gives freshness, the ginger powder adds some warming spicy taste, the crystallized ginger adds more ginger flavour and texture […]
Toasted and freshly ground cumin seeds gives to this green salad a warm depth of the flavour. A low fat and refreshing dressing based on Greek yoghurt goes well with broccoli, quinoa and cumin. Acidic yoghurt is the secret weapon for flavours, it makes the taste richer and brings the […]
This Persian oven-baked green frittata (or omelette) is made from aromatic herbs. This dish is bright and fresh in both colour and flavour. Serve it for breakfast or lunch with a dollop of garlic yoghurt and pomegranate seeds. Our garden is completely covered in flowers, greens and fragrant herbs. Growing […]
What’s better than a spring pasta? This green homemade pasta dish is bursting with spring flavours, including Naked Harvest juicy and tender purple asparagus, spinach and basil. Learn how to prepare green homemade pasta and macadamia pesto sauce from scratch.
Serve it as a dip on a cheese platter. Or as a killer dessert for breakfast, rich in protein and vitamin C. It’s great on bagels, toast, or crackers as well. Thanks to De Winkel I’ve been able to get involved in September’s fantastic Bee Aware Month NZ! I’m so honoured […]
When the temperature is dropping down, what could be better than a bowl of hearty delicious warming soup for dinner? The flavorful smoky-spicy North African Harissa paste brings the taste of this Middle-Eastern style soup to the next level. Serve it with a dollop of yoghurt and warm 2-ingredient flatbread […]
Quick and healthy curry is packed with white fish fillets, smothered in a velvety-smooth aromatic sauce served with rich saffron rice. Perfectly balanced with aroma and taste, rich but not overwhelmed. Indian cuisine is famous for its complicated dishes, but there are some amazing Indian dishes that are easy to […]
A few days ago I did Mari Kondo-ing of my kitchen cupboard. I do tidying up pretty often, just because this is an important part of my work if you do the recipe development your pantry has to be always full of fresh ingredients. Guess what I found there? Rice, […]
