I had the pleasure of taking my first trip to Split, Croatia after the new year.  My friend gave me a tour of her home town, with the insight of a local and the detail of a history student.

Of course, my one request was to stop at Nadalina Čocolade.  I went straight for the  bars.  The two dark chocolate bars that caught my attention:  flower honey and dried figs and prošek.  I nibbled on the bars at work, each only lasting a couple of days.  The sign of some good eating.

Two years ago, I hit the streets of San Francisco for the first time.  The vacation came at the right time.  I needed respite from life, even if only for three days.

The main objective of the trip was to taste my way around the Fancy Food Show.  The second objective: to nibble my way through the city cafes, bakeries, and chocolate shops.

I need hearty food in the morning, so the spinach, lardons, potato and poached egg breakfast at Citizen Cake immediately caught my eye, and I ordered it without question or indecision.

The perfectly poached egg oozed all over the spinach and potatoes, but my favorite part of the dish was the mustard.  The brown speckled sauce added tang the dish needed, pulling all the flavors together.

This is one of my favorite breakfast recipes.

Spinach, Bacon, Potato and Egg Breakfast

Serves 1
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3/4 cup yellow or yukon gold potatoes, cubed
2 oz. bacon, chopped
3 cups spinach leaves
2 eggs
1 tsp. stone ground mustard

Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a fry pan on medium heat.  Add the potatoes and cook until brown and crispy on the outside, soft in the middle-about 7 minutes.  Once cooked, remove from the pan and set aside.  Keep the pan on medium heat.

Turn up the heat to medium-high heat.  Add the bacon and fry until brown and crispy-about 3-4 minutes.  Remove the bacon and set aside, leaving the bacon juice in the pan and the pan on medium heat.  Add the potatoes to reheat, about 30 seconds.  Then, add the spinach and cook about 45 seconds.  Toss the spinach as it cooks, so it gets a good coat of the bacon fat.  After about 45 seconds, take off the heat.  Add the bacon to the pan, toss one last time and place on a plate.

Fry the eggs to your liking.  Top the potato and spinach mixture with the fried eggs and stone ground mustard.

PSST: Sweet potatoes can be substituted for the yellow or yukon gold potatoes.  I added a few chunks of feta cheese this time around.

Holiday Sangria

I was in charge of pre-feast cocktails for the Thanksgiving potluck.

Since pomegranates and mandarins are in season right now, I thought a white sangria would highlight the crimson pomegranate juice and seeds.

Typically, sangria recipes include sugar, but I chose not to add sugar because Croatian wine is usually sweet.

The sangria was a hit.  Light, crisp, with a little hit of whiskey.  Warmed us right up!

Holiday Sangria
serves 6 thirsty friends

1-61 oz. glass jar with lid (I bought mine at IKEA)
2 L. of white wine (I chose Pinot Gris this time)
1 pomegranate
1 lemon
1 1/2 Tbsp. Whiskey
4 mandarins, sliced

1. Juice the lemon and add to the jar.

2. Seed* the pomegranate, reserving both the seeds and juice.  Add both the seeds and juice to the jar.

3.  Add wine, whiskey and mandarins to the jar.  Stir to combine all ingredients.  Store in the refrigerator overnight.  Serve cold.

* I learned how to seed a pomegranate from Nigella Lawson.  First, take the whole pomegranate and roll it on the counter (this loosens the seeds a bit).  Then, slice the pomegranate in half.  Next, over a big bowl, whack the pomegranate half with a wooden spoon.  The seeds should come out pretty easily.  Finally, squeeze the pomegranate to get the last bits of juice and seeds.

I follow many food blogs. Blogs are my nightly reading. I used to work at Cooks of Crocus Hill in St. Paul, MN. Cooks is a locally owned kitchen retail store, and they have cooking classes and host cookbook authors’. One pastry chef and author I helped assist in kitchen was Zoe Francois, co-author of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day and new book, Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day. I love the idea of mixing a dough and keeping it in a bucket in the fridge to make fresh bread, daily.

Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day came out last month and to help the book launch, they (Zoe and co-author Jeff Hertzberg) hosted an online pizza party this past Tuesday. They asked readers to host a #PizzaPartyin5, pick their favorite pizza recipe, and post-it.

Since weeknights are busy, I had my party last Sunday. My coworkers’ were giddy after being invited over to my apartment. I prepped all weekend: shopped at the Dolac, roasted garlic and peppers, caramelized onions, made the dough, and of course, roasted a fresh pumpkin for cream cheese frosted pumpkin cupcakes.

The party was a success: a great way to spend the night before the start of the work week.  My favorite pizza of the evening: roasted garlic, caramelized onions, roasted red peppers, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and sprinkles of rosemary. Some of my coworkers’ couldn’t make it last week, so I’ll definitely have a #PizzaPartyin5 again.

Pumpkin Cupcakes

“People who love to eat are always the best people”

Julia Child

Links

Zoe Bakes

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day Pizza Dough Recipe

Pumpkin Cupcake Recipe

Yes, the title is true.   I’d been planning this weekend for over 6 months.  Last spring, I filled out the appropriate paperwork for my personal day and was laughed at because I was planning so far in advance…They don’t know me too well.

Having just finished reading the book The Paris Wife and seeing the movie Midnight in Paris, I was ready to get of Zagreb and explore the Parisian streets.

Street Market

Paris hosts an annual Salon du Chocolat at the end of October.  I approached the event as I do a farmers’ market.  First, I survey the area and see what’s being offered.  Then, I taste and buy.  In this case, it was 4 hours worth of tasting and buying.

My first stop was Scoop Me a Cookie.  The Chocolat au Lait & Fleur de Sel was too much eye candy.  A fresh batch was just removed from the oven and the craving for chocolate speckled circle was too much.

Then, I hit the tables chock full of Guimauves.  Guimauves are long, cylindrical, Parisian marshmallow.  There were many flavors, some coated with chocolate.  I found them a bit too sweet, but they seemed quite popular with the crowd.

Next, I sampled the sauces.  One spread in particular touched the palate: Délice’Oliv.  I preferred the orange flavored paste over the café and praliné flavors.  The paste would pair well with a hard, salty cheese.  Their chocolates filled with the paste paired quite well with Prosecco at a recent wine & chocolate tasting.

To end the afternoon, I tasted the bonbons and chocolate bars.  My favorite best bonbon was a sésame noir from Bouillet: dark chocolate ganache topped with sesame seeds.  I’m addicted to chocolate bars, and I bought their Amandes Caramélisées (70% Chocolat Noir topped with caramelized almonds).  The bar didn’t make it 2 days in my purse.  Also, I’ve been munching on the sweeter, white chocolate lingon & blueberry bar from MALARCHOCOLATERIE.  The biggest surprise was the Pains d’Epices from Nicolas.  The Nicolas table was full of saran wrapped, round loves of bread.  I preferred the pains d’epices nature over d’orange, although that was good as well.

The last 24 hours in Paris, I spent roaming the 2nd and 9th arrondissements.  I filled my stomach with many sesame and brie baguettes, eclairs and pieces of chocolate.

The weekend ended with the David Lebovitz book signing at Sugarplum Cake Shop in the Latin Quarter.  Sugarplum Cake Shop felt like home.  Small, cozy, and squished with chatting customers.  Of course I got tongue tied as I got my book signed by David.  I’ve been reading his blog for over 6 years, and as I read his blog weekly, I feel as if I’m there, with him.  Not a bad way to spend 48 hours.

David Lebovitz at Sugarplum Cake Shop

My friend and I had been talking about making our own ajvar.  Since neither of us owns a grill, we decided to make it a fun day at the lake.  Here are some things we learned NOT to do.

Kava at the Dolac

1. Start the process at 2 PM in the afternoon.

We started the day with coffee at the Dolac at 9:30 AM.  By the time we finished our kava, bought the necessary goodies, got the car and met our partner in crime at the lake, it was early afternoon.

2. Arrive at the picnic area too lake to get your own grill.

A friend offered to go to the lake early in order to secure a grill for the afternoon.  Well, 9:30 AM was too late.  We ended up sharing a grill with a master, one who had his own ideas about how we should be grilling our peppers.

Peppers & Eggplant

3. Bring multiple boxes of wine.

Drinking and cooking together is a great thing, but if you want to complete things in an orderly timeframe, don’t do this.  The ajvar making party ended up being a two day process.

4. Forget Dessert!

Hello, we had a BBQ ajvar making party, but we all forgot to bring desserts.  What the hell?

Pot of Peppers & Lunch

5. Bake the Jars

We thought we were genius to bake the jars before canning, which we would’ve been genius had we taken off the paper labels.  Food and drink hangovers can lead to house fires.

Ajvar
about 8-16 oz. jars

10 kg red peppers
2 kg eggplant
1 kg spicy peppers (or more if you like it hot)
1 garlic bulb, cloves separated and skinned
2-3 T. olive oil
juice of 6 lemons
salt and pepper to taste

Roast the red peppers, eggplant and spicy peppers.  If you’ve never roasted peppers before, check out this link.  It explains roasting methods.  Remove blackened skin and seeds from peppers and set aside.

Put the peppers, eggplant, garlic cloves in a large stock pot.  Puree the ingredients using an immersion hand blender.  I don’t like my ajvar totally smooth, but prefer it with a chunky texture.  Puree to your desired taste.  Cook the ajvar, on low heat, for approximately 2 hours.  The ajvar will look thick.  Add lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.

Finally, jar the ajvar for your fridge, shelf and gifts.

PSST: My friends added figs to her ajvar, which created a sweeter spread.  I added some cocoa, adding a smoky depth to the ajvar.

The Finished Product

Additional Ajvar Recipes

Fall Brings Red Peppers and Ajvar, Serbian Salsa

Toffee Bars

I’ve been homesick lately.  Don’t get me wrong, residing in another country is a romantic and privileged way to live and work.  But, there are times you want to be in your own comfort zone, with your friends and your own stuff.

I blame this yearning for home on the change of season.  Fall has set in Zagreb.  There’s a chill in the air.  The scarves are out of the closet.  The leaves are changing colors.  The sun is shining.  The fire smells intoxicate me when I’m meandering around town.  Yesterday was a toffee bar making kind of day: a cure for the homesick.

Over the past year or so, I’ve been scanning my mom’s recipes.  Food is one of my strongest memories, and I don’t want to lose, or worse, forget these memories of my mum.  She used to make these all the time.  They were such a treat, one of the goodies I looked for when going home.  A crunchy cookie, with a layer of chocolate and nuts.  The baked batches were gone in no time.

My mom's recipe card

Toffee Bars
Source: My mom’s recipe card (adaptation)

8 oz. unsalted butter, softened
8 oz. dark brown sugar, packed
1 egg yolk
1 tsp. vanilla
6 oz. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt

4 oz. dark chocolate (or milk chocolate or a mixture), chopped in small pieces
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup nuts, roasted and chopped
2 tsp. sesame seeds, roasted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 13 x 9 pan.

Thoroughly mix butter, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla.  Blend in the flour and salt.

Press evenly into the pan.  Bake 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned (crust will be soft).  Remove from the oven.

Sprinkle chocolate over the crust and let it melt.  Once melted, spread evenly over the crust.  Sprinkle with the salt, and finally the nuts.

Serves: 32 squares

PSST: This recipe is quite popular on the internet.  I find the recipe online to be a bit dry, so I decreased the amount of flour.  If you like it a bit chewier, add the egg white along with the egg yolk.

Chocolat in Trieste, Italy

After enjoying a lazy morning in Rovinj, we hopped in the car and drove two hours to Trieste, Italy.

It was a stunning day.  The sun was shining.  Fall was settling in on the Adriatic coast.

After meandering along the waterfront, we took to the Old Town.  And I found a gem.

Chocolat was bustling.  The table outside was packed.  Lines for chocolate goodies formed at both entrances.  I ordered 2 scoops of gelato: Tiramisu and Perla Nera.  The gelato, particularly the Perla Nera, gets two thumbs up.  It combined an intense cocoa flavor with a gentle creaminess.

A salted chocolate bar also left the store with me, but I haven’t cracked it open just yet.

Chocolat Via Cavana 15, Trieste

Cliff View of Vrbnik

Late last spring, before hopping my flight to return to the Twin Cities for 7 weeks, I planned my island getaway.  I’d been hearing about life on the coast all year.  “You have to go,” my colleagues would say.  So, I obliged.

Nestled on top of a cliff, with part of the old town wall intact, rests the town of Vrbnik.  Vrbnik is located on the island of KRK, about 3 hours from Zagreb.

The cab dropped me off at 10 AM on a hot, August, Saturday morning.  The town was just waking up: people were enjoying their coffee, bikers were on route to their next destination, and sunbathers were claiming their spot at the swimming cove.  I planned my week around reading, walking around town, getting around the island, and enjoying the local life.  But once I unloaded my bags and roamed the old town, I stayed put.

I found my favorite cafe for my morning coffee and pre-dinner drink.  I found a beautiful cove for swimming and sea gazing, a cove that was deserted after the sun had set and the tanners left their spot.  I found a great little wine shop that filled my 2 liter water jug with local wine, for a mere 20 kuna (about $4).  After eight days of relaxation and just enjoying the moments, I now understand the love affair with the coast.

The Top 5 Reasons to visit Vrbnik, KRK

1. The Old Town

Street Views of Vrbnik

Look what you can see meandering around town.

2. The Adriatic Sea

The Adriatic Sea

The sea is warm enough to swim in, salty, clean, and crystal clear.

3. Šurlice

Vrbnik Foodie Delights

My second to last night in town, I had dinner at Restoran Gospoja.  The town specialty is Šurlice, a long, thick noodle.  I had the asparagus flavored Šurlice with a prawn sauce.  The pasta was light, and the sauce was creamy and flavorful.

4. Vrbička Žlatina

Vino and Rakija

The local, sweet, white wine is the perfect summer beverage.  I’m glad I was able to taste the wine when I did.  I hear my Konoba ran out of their supply at the end of August.

5. The Fresh Figs

Grape Vines and Fresh Figs

Two ladies, in their eighties, were my neighbors.  I think they were fascinated by me, this single woman, in a town by herself, for over a week.  About halfway through the week, I was in the kitchen making dinner.  All of a sudden, I heard a knock at the door.  It was one of the ladies, and she had a plateful of freshly picked figs for me.  If you’ve never tasted a fresh fig, you must!  They’re juicy, sweet, and go perfectly with a salty, hard cheese.

Vrbnik, KRK Resources

MARE Tours and Souvenirs

Vrbnik, KRK

View of the Grand Canal

Working at an international school has its perks, particularly vacation time.  We have three weeks off for the December holidays, then a week ski break in February, and spring break the week after Easter.  I chose to spend this past spring break in Venice, Italy.  Here are some highlights.

Best Dessert Award: Dolce della Cassa con Melone at Bar Pasticceria Rio Marin (Santa Croce 784)

We found this little gem on accident.  We’d been on a self-guided walking tour through the Santa Croce area, and the dessert window caught our eye.  The house dessert of the day was the Dolce della Cassa con Melone: thin layers of a genoise cake (4 layers in all), layered with pastry cream and slices of cantaloupe, and sprinkled with powdered sugar.  The pastry cream was airy.  The cake was moist and thin.  My fork easily cut thru the cake without making a complete mess.  On the way out, I bought an almond cookie, by far, the best almond cookie I had all week.  Just a heads up, it is cheaper if you buy to go or eat at one of the bar tables inside.  You’ll pay extra for a canal view.

Best Meal: Osteria da Rioba, Cannaregio

The Appetizer

The Cannaregio district was one of my favorite areas in Venice.  Quiet, hidden, and had a local feel (not sure if the last thought is really true).  Based on a review in Time Out Venice, we strolled into Osteria da Rioba at about a half hour prior to closing for the afternoon.  Luckily, we we’re able to sit outside and enjoy the most memorable meal of the trip.  For the appetizer, we order the eggplant pie, which was sliced eggplant filled with ricotta cheese, onions, and pine nuts, topped with a pesto and red sauce.  My main course was homemade ravioli filled with prawns and topped with a zucchini sauce.  Mmmm!!!

Ravioli with Prawns and a Zucchini Sauce

Best Parma: Ristorante Greppia, Vicolo Samaritana 3, Verona

A family run restaurant, sourcing local ingredients.  My parma plate was served with a bowl of pickled vegetables.  I also recommend the tiramisu…I had the last nibbles of my companion’s dessert after her recommendation.  Wow!  The ladyfingers were moist, but still held it’s shape, and there was perfect balance amongst the coffee, cream, and liquor.

My Parma Plate

Best Drink: Sgroppino

Sgroppino

My travel companion had Sgroppino on her list of things to drink while in Venice.  Now that I’ve had one, I recommend you all put it on your list as well.  The server said the drink has “ lemon gelato, with a splash of vodka and a splash of prosecco.”  The lemon gelato is the main act, while the vodka and prosecco support the creamy after dinner drink.

Best Gelato: Ricotta, Fig and Caramel Gelato

Ricotta, Fig and Caramel Gelato

It was creamy, sweet but not overly sweet, and I could taste each flavor.

Gelato!!

Best Market: Padua, Italy

We went to Padua on our way back to Zagreb.  Padua is about 30 minutes west of Venice.  My co-worker told me we had to visit.  It’s a gem of a city.

Cheese

Saturday Morning Market

Beans and Rice