Plokkfiskur (Icelandic Fish Pie)

I have recently visited one of the most fascinating countries in the world... Iceland.

With its myths, legends, fairy tales, delicious food and breathtaking landscapes, Iceland definitely conquered a piece of my heart.

The magical atmosphere that you experience in Iceland is something that words can not explain. During my first day in Reykjavick i went on a mission... to find the best traditional cafe in town. I found Cafè Loki. An amazing cafe just by the famous city church.

I decided to try a very traditional Icelandic dish, The icelandic Fish pie. It was simply to die for!!!

-Ingredients:

1 1/4lbs cod, halibut or haddock

1 1/4lb potatoes, boiled and peeled 

1 white onion

12 oz milk

2 oz butter

3 tbsp flour

salt and pepper 

2 tablespoons chives, freshly snipped to add color, flavor & garnish 

-Directions: 

1. Skin, bone & break up the fish into flakes.

2. Roughly chop potatoes & finely chop onion.

3. Slowly heat milk in a saucepan almost to a boiling point.

4. While the milk is heating, in a medium to large sized non-stick saucepan, melt butter & saute onion over medium-heat until soft. Do not allow it to brown.

5.Sprinkle flour over onion, stir well & cook for 1-2 minutes. 

6.Gradually add warmed milk, stirring continuously. Simmer for 3-4 min, stirring often.

7.Add flaked fish & stir briskly to break up the fish flakes completely. Season liberally w/salt & pepper.

8.Add potatoes & stir gently. Cook over low-heat till heated through.

9. Spoon into 4 bowls & sprinkle each serving with 1/2 tbsp chives. Serve hot w/dark rye bread & butter.

Enjoy! Buon Appetito!

Pecan Pie

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! Today to celebrate this holiday I wanted to show you one of the many delicious things that are going to be part of our thanksgiving super dinner... Pecan Pie! I always bought this delish desserts, but this year I wanted to make it myself and I am very proud of the result!


All you need is:

Pie Crust
1-1/3 cups of Pecans
3/4 cup corn syrup (Light or dark)
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
4 Tbsp melted butter
1 Tsp Vanilla extract
3 eggs
Preheat the oven at 425 F and cook the pie crust for 15 minutes, until golden. (Remember to make some holes in the pie crust with the fork, so it wont rise... or if you prefer put some aluminum foil with dry beans)
In the mean time, just mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl, adding the chopped pecans for last. Pour the mixture in the pie crust and bake at 350 F for 45-50 minutes. Enjoy! Buon Appetito!

Crostata di Frutta - Fruit Pie

Ciao Everybody!

I wanted to share with you one of my favorite Italian desserts... Crostata di frutta, or fruit pie in English. This is a perfect summer desserts since it's served cold right out of the fridge! Yummy!

Ingredients for Pie crust:

1-1/4 cup of flour

1/2 cup white sugar (150 gr.)

1/2 cup powder sugar

3 yolks

2 tbsp cold water

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Mix everything together and when you form a nice ball of dough place some plastic wrap around it and let it cool in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

When the dough has cooled down, roll it and cover the whole surface of a pie pan.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Ingredients for the custard (Crema pasticcera):

4 yolks

1/2 liter of milk

2/3 cup of white sugar

1/4 cup flour
Lemon zest

1 tsp Vanilla extract

Bring the milk and the vanilla to a boil. In a separate bowl beat the yolks with the flour and the sugar until smooth. Pour the yolks cream into the boiling milk and continue stirring until it reaches the desired consistency. Set the custard aside and let it cool down.

Once cool, pour the custard into the pie crust and start decorating with the fruits that you've picked for your pie.... you can chose whatever you like! As you can see this time I used: kiwi, Maraschino cherries, peaches, strawberries, bananas.

To get a shiny look for your pie, get a bag of gelatin for pies, follow the instructions on the bag and pour it right on top... it will prevent the fruit to get brown and it will give it a yummy and shiny look! Enjoy!! Buon Appetito! :D