Like promised last week, I start today with testing different cookbooks and the potential of their recipes to make us full and happy :). The series starts with the book Nigella Express: 130 Recipes for good food fast by Nigella Lawson which has its home in Isa’s kitchen. Together we tested a whole range of recipes – from breakfast over a starter, a main and a side dish to a dessert. Evaluated were the practicability, the originality aaand the taste, of course. The book promises to offer recipes for a variety of different occasions (after-work dishes, for friends and family, for the soul..) that are all easy and fast to prepare.
What I liked most about the recipes was that you don’t need to buy many extravagant ingredients, but the combination of the ingredients is often quite innovative and guarantees new flavor experiences. Besides the fact, that we prepared some of the tested dishes at the same time, it was all very uncomplicated and took at least one hour until it was ready to serve (…with the exception of the moonblush tomatoes which are prepared while you are SLEEPING). And finally our statement about the taste: Every single dish was DELICIOUS!
Our end result: The book deserves ***** (from five stars) + one revelation for Isa (=the moonblush tomatoes which she repeated already thrice. And she found out that it is also working with bell peppers)!
1. Breakfast: Caramel Croissant Pudding
Croissants, eggs, cream, rum, sugar? Are you kidding me?! Ohh, but it’s so worth it! We couldn’t stop eating… It was impossible.
2. Starter: Moonblush Tomatoes + Salad with Moonblush Tomatoes
The incredible red moonblush tomatoes: Just put them into the preheated oven, turn the oven off, go to sleep and on the next morning they are done! What most astound me was that they are still looking like common cherry tomatoes, but they taste like DRIED tomatoes!
3. Main Dish: Festive Fusilli
…Isa: „Can you imagine to sit around the table on a family festivity and then serve this vodka pasta?!“. Seriously, its delicious. But there’s still a whole shot of vodka inside!
4. Side Dish: Halloumi Bites
…Easy-peasy prepared and suddenly a common halloumi tastes even more delicious!
4. Dessert: White Chocolate Mint Mousse
Isa: „The ingredients photo will look funny with the china oil.“ How is it possible?! We added ONE DROP of the oil to our mixture and it tasted incredibly minty!
All pics by Franzi (click on the pics to enlarge!).
Like always: All credits appear after clicking the links.