The European Class

The traditionnal Finnish breakfast looks like the other european countries’ breakfasts.

For example, like the French, they eat cereals, fruit juice, a glass of milk and a slice of bread with jam. It also looks like the English breakfast with ham, some cheese and some porridge (it’s mashed oat), pancakes (its name is pannu kaku in Finland).

But they also have some typical products, among these there is rye bread, stawberries, waffles, raw vegetables (cucumbers, tomatoes) and yoghurt.

Finland’s breakfast is original and varied, it is inspired from the other European countries.

françois, emilie

German breakfast

Breakfast in Germany is a major event. You can eat a lot of food for the german breakfast like bacon, sausage and eggs ( soft-boiled, hard-boiled, fried and scrambled ), cereals, cheeses, fruits, different sorts of bread, cold pork meat, marmalade, honey, oat flakes, bread roll, yoghurt, cottage cheese.

For the breakfast you can drink black coffee, white coffee, chocolate, fruit juice. But breakfast varies depending on the regional location.

The most traditional sausage for breakfast is the weisswurst. The weisswurst is made from very finely minced veal and fresh pork bacon. It is usually flavoured with parsley, also known as beiderl, lemon, mace, onions, ginger and cardamom, though there are some varations. Usually, many Germans have a second breakfast around 10:30 in the morning, especially in Bavaria.

Mathilde et Anaïs

Have you spent enjoyable summer holidays? I hope so. I have . I am now in charge of another European class : the new European class (2009-2010). I would like them to introduce themselves to you!

Ingredients:

-2 lamb Kidney

-350g lamb shoulder

-125g beef suet

-250g beef liver

-1 cup of oatmeal

-1 cup of stock (tastier if you reserve this from when you boil the meat)

-2 pureed onions

-salt and pepper

Cooking directions:

1° Boil the meat for about an hour and allow to cool. Then chop the meats into pieces but grate the liver.

2° Toast the oatmeal in the oven in a shallow dish and shake occasionnally.

3° Mix all the ingredients together.

4° Pop into a well greased glass bowl and cover with several layers of foil and steam pan of boiling water for two hours. 

5° Serve with neeps and tatties.

Haggis

Ingredients: 

-2 rognons d’agneau

-350 grammes d’épaule d’agneau

-125 grammes de graise de boeuf

-250 grammes de foie de boeuf

-1 tasse de flocons d’avoine

-2 oignons en purée

-sel et poivre

Instructions: 

1° Bouillir la viande pendant à peu prés 1 heure et ensuite la mettre au frais. Ensuite couper la viande en pièces mais râper les foies.

2° Toaster les flocons d’avoine dans le four dans un plat peu profond et remuer de temps en temps.

3° Mélanger tous les ingredients ensemble.

4° Mettre dedans la graisse dans un bol en verre et couvrir avec plusieurs couches de papier sulfurisé et dans une casserole faire bouillir de l’eau pendant 2 heures.

5°  Servir  avec des neeps et des tatties

What you need:

-1/2 lb of flour 

-2 oz of sugar

-1 Pt of water

-1 lemon

-2 lbs of oranges

-1/4 of butter

-1 pinch of salt

Instructions:

1) Peel the oranges and cut them into slices.

2) Put the oranges in a saucepan with 2 oz sugar and one pint of water.

3) Boil for 20 to 25 minutes and prepare the dough.

4) Mix together 1/2 lb flour and 1/4 lb butter.

5) Add salt and a little water. Mix with the dough.

6) Roll the dough when it is well mixed and ready.

7) Put half the dough in a dish.

Put the oranges and their juice in the dish, add the lemon juice.

9) Cover the oranges with the rest of the dough.

10) Put the dish in the oven (hot please) and cook for 3/4 hour. 

Recette d’une tarte à l’orange et au citron

Vous avez besoin de:

-250 grammes de farine

-125 grammes de beurre

-50 grammes de sucre

-le jus d’un citron

-1Kg d’oranges

-1/2 litre d’eau

- 1 pincée de sel

instructions:

1) Eplucher les oranges, les couper en quartiers.

2) Mettre les oranges dans une casserole avec 50 grammes de sucre et 1/2 litre d’eau.

3) Faire bouillir pendant 20 à 25 minutes et préparer la pâte.

4) Mélanger ensemble 250 grammes de farine et 125 grammes de beurre.

5) Ajouter du sel et un peu d’eau, mélanger avec la pâte.

6) Etaler la pâte  quand elle bien mélangée et prête.

7) Mettre la moitié de la pâte dans le plat.

Mettre les oranges et leur jus dans un plat, ajouter le jus de citron.

9) Couvrir les oranges avec le reste de la pâte.

10) Mettre le plat dans le four (préchauffer) et laisser cuire pendant 3 quarts d’heures.

Welsh Rabbit

This classic combination of melted cheese and toasted bread is also called Welsh rarebit, an attempt to dignify the original.

Ingredients:

-16 diagonal baguette slices

-3 tablespooons unsalted butter, softened

-1 tablespoon all- purpose flour

-1/2 cup porter or ale

-1/4 cup whole milk

-1 teaspoon dry mustard

-1/8 teaspoon black pepper

-6 ounces extra- sharp cheddar, coarsely grated

-1 large egg yolk

Preparation:

Preheat broiler.

Spead one side of bread slices with 2 tablespoons butter (total), then arrange slices, buttered sides up, on a baking sheet. Broil 4 to 6 inches from heat until golden brown, 1 to 4 minutes.

Melt remaining tablespoon butter in a 1 quart heavy saucepan over low heat, then add flour and cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute.Add beer and milk in a stream, whisking, then whisk in mustard, pepper, and cheese. Bring to a simmer over moderately low heat, whisking, then simmer , whisking, until smooth, about 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and immediately whisk in yolk. Serve cheese sauce on toast. Lire la suite »

 Christmas is very important to the people of Malta. Most people on Malta are Catholics and go to Midnight Mass.

The churches are decorated with lights and nativity cribs. Today some of the cribs are mechanical and the figures in them  move. There is a group on malta called friends of the crib who help to keep the maltese crib tradition alive.

Children on Malta get their presents from santa claus on christmas night.Sometimes, father  christmas comes knocking at doors early on christmas night delivering presents.

Maltese people have a wide range of food at Christmas. Traditionally, the Maltese house- wife keeps the fattest rooster,’hasi’ , especially for Christmas lunch, which was roasted at the local bakery in a casserole full of potatoes and vegetables. The traditional dessert served at a Christmas is the Treacle Ring, and to finish it off,a hot Chestnut and cocoa soup, which was and is served as a cosy night cap during the December days in Malta.

Christmas dinner is never eaten until after midnight.It is a family feast, and often highlighted with «Pavo Trufado de navidad» (Christmas turkey with truffles).

After the meal, family members gather around the Christmas tree and sing Christmas carols and hymns of Christendom. For midnight service, people walk through the streets carrying torches, playing guitars and beating on drums. One Spanish saying is « Esta noche es Noche-Buena, Y no es noche de dormir », « Tonight is the good night and it is not meant for sleeping! ».

Some children believe that the Kings brings presents to them at Epiphany. They write letters to the King on Boxing Day, December 26^th, asking for toys and presents.And on Epiphany Eve(January 5^th) they leave shoes on windowsills or balconies or under the Christmas Tree to be filled with presents. Gifts are often left by children for the kings, a glass of cognac for each King, a satsuma and some walnuts. Sometimes a bucket of water is left for the camels that bring the kings! If the children have been bad, the kings might leave pieces of coal made out of sugar in the presents!

Summer pudding

*750g mixed soft fruits(blackcurrants, redcurrants, raspberries or blackberries)

*100g caster sugar

*100-150g stale white bread (with crusts cut off) in slices 1cm thick

Gently heat fruit and sugar in saucepan for five minutes until juices run. Place bread along the sides and base of a 900ml pudding bowl without leaving gaps. Keep 2 slices for the top. Pour juice and fruit into the bowl, saving 2 tablespoons of juice. Cover top with last two slices of bread. Put plate over top and put a weight on it (a tin, for example). Place in fridge overnight. To take the pudding out of the mould, put large plate over the top and invert pudding. Add the juice you saved to cover bread that is still white.

Pudding.

*750g de mélange de fruits mous(cassis, groseilles, framboises, mûrs)

*100g de sucre en poudre

*100-150g de pain rassi(dont on aura enlevé la croûte) d’une épaisseur d’un cm

Chauffer doucement les fruits et le sucre dans une casserole pendant 5mn jusqu’à ce que le jus coule. Placer le pain le long des côtés et au fond d’un bol à pudding sans laisser de trous. Garder 2 tranches de pain pour le dessus. Verser le jus et les fruits dans le bol en mettant deux cuillères à soupe de côté. Couvrir le dessus avec les deux dernières tranches de pain. Mettre une assiette sur le dessus(un moule par exemple)et mettre un poids dessus. Mettre au frigo pendant une nuit. Pour démouler le pudding mettre une grande assiette dessus et retourner le pudding. Ajouter le jus mis de côté pour le pain qui est encore blanc. 

APPLE CRUMBLE

Ingredients :

700 gm apples

85 gm of butter or margarine

170 gm soft brown sugar

Some ground cinnamon (optional)

170 gm  flour

pinch of salt

Method :

1- Peel, core and chop the apples (in big segments)

2- Take about 110 gm of sugar. Place alternate layers of apple and sugar in a pie dish. Cinnamon can be sprinkled over each layer.

3- Place in an oven at 190°C, Gas Mark 5 for 15 minutes.

4- Meanwhile, place the flour and salt in a bowl and mix together.

5- Rub in the butter.

6- Stir in the rest of the sugar.

7- Remove the dish from the oven and sprinkle with the pastry crumbs.

8- Replace in the oven at 180°C, Gas Mark for 45 minutes.

9- Serve hot or cold with liquid fresh cream. (If yours is too thick, dilute it first with some cold milk)

CRUMBLE AUX POMMES

Ingrédients :

700 g de pommes

85 g de beurre ou de margarine

170g de sucre brun

un peu de cannelle moulue

170g de farine

1 pincée de sel

Préparation :

1- Peler, épépiner et couper les pommes en morceaux (en grands quartiers)

2- Prendre environ 110g de sucre. Alterner les couches de pommes et les couches de sucre dans un plat à tarte. On peut parsemer de la cannelle sur chaque couche.

3- Placer au four à 190°C, thermostat 5 pendant 15 min.

4- Pendant ce temps, mettre la farine et le sel dans une cuve et mélanger le tout.

5- Incorporer le beurre en sablant.

6- Ajouter le reste du sucre en remuant.

7- Enlever le plat du four à 180°C, thermostat 4 pendant 45 min.

9 Servir chaud ou froid avec de la crème fraiche liquide. (Si la vôtre est trop épaisse commencer par la diluer avec un peu de lait)