It’s been awfully quiet on this blog. In fact, I just had to remove some spider webs from my screen, and dust the keyboard – that’s how ghostly quiet it’s been on Anne’s Kitchen. But actually, that’s just what you guys see – because behind the scenes there’s a whole crazy whirlwind of things going on.

Basically, as some of you who follow my Facebook Page already know, I have a HUGE announcement to make… As of September 2013, my very own Anne’s Kitchen TV Show will hit the screens! And, of course, the whole thing will be accompanied by a beautiful Anne’s Kitchen cookbook!!! Life is crazy, ey?!

I will tell you all a bit more in the coming months, when I’ll be posting behind the scenes stuff on here, and you can follow me on my crazy journey. But for now, let me enjoy this first excitement of sharing these news!

So, save the dates:

20th September: Anne’s Kitchen TV Show on RTL Télé Letzebuerg and online

22nd October: Anne’s Kitchen Book (a German and an English version), available in Luxembourg book stores and on Amazon

Also, I’m very honoured to announce that Pinterest, one of my favourite websites of all times, have asked me to become one of their featured UK bloggers. If you haven’t heard of Pinterest, shame on you! It allows you to literally “pin” your favourite photos from the internet onto your own boards. I’ve been using it to pin inspiration for my cookbook and show, and anything else that gets me inspired.

I was approached to be part of the Pin It Forward campaign, in which some of the UK’s top bloggers share their love for Pinterest. So, if you wanna discover what inspires me in terms of food, props, clothes, home decor and cutesy things, follow my boards on Pinterest simply by clicking on the image here above.

By the way, tomorrow, David of the fabulous Saladpride will talk about why he loves Pinterest. Check out his site, if you haven’t already done so – he whips up some amazingly mouthwatering salads!

But now enough rambling for one day. Go make a smoothie, head out and enjoy springtime!

Strawberry Smoothie

Makes 2

300g strawberries
450ml apple juice
juice of 1 lime
4 tbsp Greek yoghurt

Wash the strawberries, cut off the green tops and chuck into a blender with the apple juice and Greek yoghurt. Whizz and serve immediately. So simple, so good!

Right, I’m back. Just popped out to get some scallops for a very fancy lunch. Well, not really that fancy, but serving scallops and white wine for lunch isn’t very casual either.. Still, I’ve been meaning to make this dish for a while, and, walking past my fishmonger, I just couldn’t resist taking home a few fat scallops.

I just really love scallops: pan-fried and they release this smokey, almost meaty flavour or wrapped in dim sum parcels, where their delicate flavour is simply unbeatable. Scallops are lovely. Still, I had to learn the other day that not all scallops are! You see, I did the fatal mistake of buying frozen scallops – thinking I could save on a few pennies and also eat them over the course of a few weeks. Big mistake! As they gradually defrosted, a fishy smell started unfolding in my kitchen… A very fishy smell. I thought it could all be saved by frying the scallops, but nope, the fishy smell just lingered andit also tasted pretty damn fishy. Not nice. Not nice at all!

So, lesson learnt, always buy fresh scallops! If you don’t have a fishmonger where you live, and the supermarket is not stocking them, I’d suggest going online. I’ve noticed that all the main UK supermakets have scallops listed on their online grocery lists. There are actually some pretty decent online deals at Sainsburys or you can find other discounts shopping online. I’m yet to do my first online shop, but I can tell that this summer I’ll be taking advantage of online grocery deliveries – since I’d like to try barbecueing some scallops, hell yes!

Pan-fried Scallops with creamy vegetables

Serves 4

10g butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, grated
60g pancetta, chopped
150g cabbage, finely chopped
3 spring onions, chopped
125ml white wine
100ml cream
1 tbsp lemon juice
8 fresh scallops

Melt the butter in a large frying pan, add the onion, carrot and pancetta, and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the cabbage and fry for another couple of minutes until the cabbage stars slightly wilting. Add the spring onions and the white wine and cook for another minute, then cover and cook for about 3 minutes, occasionally stirring.

Meanwhile, heat a griddle pan. Season the scallops with salt and pepper and fry for one minute on each side.

Uncover the vegetables and add the cream, cook for another minute until heated through. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

Distribute the vegetables on four plates and top each with two scallops.

Spring is here! And with it a new issue of one of my favourite magazines: The Simple Things. If you haven’t heard of it yet, go and get a copy, it’s absolutely great, with lovely simple ideas to brighten up your everyday life. I’ve been buying the magazine since the first issue came out last year, so you can imagine my absolute delight when they contacted me and asked if I wanted to contribute to their spring issue.

The idea was to come up with three simple recipes that would accompany a feature on country walks. So, it had to be nice picnic food that could quickly be prepared, and that wouldn’t mind being taken on a long walk. I instantly thought of a savoury cake – one of my absolute specialties – and in this particular case I made a courgette/feta cake with mint, which for me really tastes of spring. I also came up with a lovely refreshing ginger lemonade, with a kick of rosemary, and I made some miniature quail’s eggs – because they’re so pretty and really über simple to prepare – which you just dip into salt and pepper for a delightful snack.

But that’s actually not all. On top of the feature, they asked me to contribute a recipe from my blog for their “What’s for breakfast” section. I didn’t have to think twice, it had to be my blueberry pancakes with maple syrup and bacon. It’s one of those wow-I-can’t-believe-this-actually-works-it’s-so-wrong-but-so-right recipes that I just had to share with The Simple Things. And they loved them too!

Now this is a slightly mad concoction. I admit that the flavour combination of feta, basil, tarragon, lemongrass, ginger and a Thai dressing is pretty much far fetched, if not even slightly psychotic!

But somehow it works… I actually made this salad with garlicky prawns for a different project I’m currently working on. It’s actually taking so much of my time that I feel slightly bad about neglecting the blog. So I decided to revamp the salad and make a blog version – with feta! Why the heck feta? Because I had a nice chunk of feta cheese lingering in my fridge, sad not to be used. Because I remembered this lovely watermelon and haloumi salad I had last summer, and how the sweet fruit and salty cheese really worked together. Because I thought “what the heck, let’s just try it”. And, weirdly enough, it worked.

Also, I really think it’s about time to let some sunshine and summery vibes into this grey and hellishly cold winter. I’ve pretty much had enough of freezing and just eating comfort food. Yes, I’ve been pretty much surviving on stews, pies, soups and other hearty meals lately – and who’s to blame me! Still, I feel like it’s also sometimes a good idea to let the sun shine through your belly – in this case these flavours remind me of Thailand, and convey happiness.

You may notice that I used both basil and tarragon in this dish. Now, that actually has a reason: I find it very hard to get hold of Thai basil! Unless I happen to be in Chinatown, it’s virtually impossible to buy this lovely herb. So, I decided to recreate the flavours myself – by mixing two ingredients commonly found in supermarkets: basil and tarragon. It’s incredible, but it somehow works! Thai basil has got this slightly aniseedy note, which I recreated by using tarragon. It may not be real authentic, and I’d still use Thai basil whenever I could, but this does it for now. Also, by buying my ingredients in a normal supermarket I can use a voucher code (for Tesco) and save money on food shopping. Real nice!

Anyway, I hope you give this slightly crazy salad a try! And do let me know what you think – I have a feeling it will be like Marmite, you either love it or hate it…

Asian Grapefruit Salad

Serves 4

2 grapefruits
2 tbsp desiccated coconut
2 tbsp cashew nuts
1 red chilli, finely chopped
200g feta
2 lemongrass stalks
2 shallots
1 handful fresh basil
1 handful fresh tarragon

For the dressing:
60ml lime juice
4 tsp sesame oil
4 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp + 2 tsp Thai fish sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
4 tsp fresh ginger, grated

Peel the grapefruits, separate all the segments and carefully peel the skin off them so that you don’t break all the flesh. Divide between four plates.

Heat a frying pan, add the desiccated coconut and toast until it turns golden and fragrant. Do the same with the cashews. Put into a little bowl and set aside.

Cut the bottom off the lemongrass stalks, remove the outer layer and cut into fine slices. Peel the shallots and finely slice. Remove the seeds from the chilli and finely slice.

Crumble the feta over the grapefruit, sprinkle some lemongrass, shallots and chilli over each portion, followed by a few basil and tarragon leaves.

Prepare the dressing by mixing all the ingredients until the sugar has dissolved. Drizzle a few spoonfuls over each salad and sprinkle with toasted coconut and cashews.

Oh no, not another Valentine’s blog post! Well, rest assured, this one has nothing to do with schmoozy love stuff. For me this post is dedicated to my amazing family and friends, who are making my world.

So let me thank you all for being so great. Especially mum, who’s at the moment the biggest and best supporter of a huge project I’m working on.
Christine, for being such an awesome sister and always listening.
Dad for helping me work out some of the complicated tasks ahead.
Emma for inspiring me over the years and never failing to amaze.
Verena for always being there.
Carole for being such a cool fellow foodie.
Elmira for being so enthusiastic about everything I do.
Ayshea for her hard work and amazing creativeness.
Jael for sharing cakes and stories.
Lawrence for being a token Brit and always helping out.

And everyone else too!!! Thank you for following this blog and loving great food! You’re all awesome!

Red Velvet Cupcakes

From The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

Makes 12 small cupcakes

60g butter
150g sugar
1 egg
10g cocoa powder
20ml red food colouring
1 tsp vanilla extract
120ml buttermilk
150g flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 + 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar

For the frosting:
150g icing sugar
25g butter
60g cream cheese
heart-shaped sugar sprinkles

Preheat the oven to 170° celsius.

In a bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric hand mixer. Once the mix is light and fluffy, add the egg and beat until it’s nicely incorporated.

In a small bowl, mix the cocoa powder, the food colouring and vanilla extract until it becomes a thick paste. Add to the butter mixture and mix until evenly combined. Keep whisking and add the buttermilk, flour, salt, bicarb of soda and vinegar until all is well combined.

Put paper cases into a 12-hole muffin tin. Distribute the dough between the cases, and bake for 25 minutes. The cupcakes are done when a skewer inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. Put on a wire rack and leave to cool.

Meanwhile, prepare the frosting. Cut the butter into little cubes, and then using an electric whisk, cream the butter and cream cheese together. Add the icing sugar in 3 parts, but hand beat the mixture at first (otherwise you end up covered in icing sugar dust). Once that is all in and mixed, carry on using the electric whist until any lumps have gone from the icing. Put in the fridge to set for 30 minutes.

Fill the icing sugar into a piping bag and pipe onto the cupcakes. Sprinkle with heart-shaped sugar sprinkles.

Yup, you’ve guessed right, I’m still in comfort food mode! And how could I not?! It’s cold, grey and wet outside and I’m mostly hibernating. Hibernating for me means spending time in my kitchen, in front of my computer and in my bed. I’ve been cooking lots, trying out new recipes for an exciting project, photographing, editing the photos, writing up recipes, catching up with my social media platforms and foremost binge-watching US TV Shows in bed – including Fringe, Parenthood, Girls, How I Met Your Mother and New Girl. So you see, I’ve been busy hibernating.

But over to this recipe. My favourite comfort dishes always seem to include three ingredients: cheese, bacon and potatoes. I don’t really need to explain why I love either one of these, and even less why they work together, it’s just a winning combination, right? Back in spring, I made a light, low-fat potato bake (you can watch the video here), but this is the real deal. A heavy, creamy, cheesy potato bake pimped with slices of camembert and pancetta. Could it get any better? Frankly no!

Now, let me just briefly justify the name of this recipe. Those of you who spend every winter on the pillowy white slopes of the French alps will scream out “hold on, this ain’t a proper tartiflette”. And yes, I lower my head in shame, it ain’t… You see, a traditional tartiflette is a cheesy potato bake made with heavenly Reblochon cheese. I was craving it so badly the other day, so I went to my local shops and was let down by the meagre cheese selection… Think: cheddar, cheddar, cheddar, a weak brie, some goats cheese, a bit of blue cheese, and oh, some more cheddar. That’s all. Live with it Anne, you’re not in Luxembourg where the cheese rayons of any supermarket are stuffed with all possible kinds of mouthwatering cheeses… So, I had to compromise and buy a camembert instead (and throw in some cheddar too). So, think of this as a British version of the French classic.

Before sharing the recipe I’d just like to briefly share some other exciting news. I just bought my tickets to attend The Hive blogging conferencein Berlin, on the 25th and 26th May. It will be a complete joy to return to this awesome blogging event! Last year’s conference was a real blast, I met so many lovely people and really learnt a lot. I was also leading a food photography workshop – this year I’m taking a break from being a speaker though and will enjoy the conference as a regular attendee. So, if you happen to come too, let me know, I’d love to meet you and share a slice of cake together!

Anyway, enough ramblings, time to enjoy your tartiflette!

Tartiflette: Cheesy Potato Bake

Serves 2

700g floury potatoes (such as Maris Piper)
50g speck, pancetta or proscuitto
150g grated cheddar
200ml cream
100ml milk
1 egg
1 camembert (250g)

Preheat the oven to 200° celsius (fan).

Peel the potatoes, cut them into slices and cook in salted, boiling water for 5 minutes. You want them to be slightly undercooked. Drain and rinse with cold water until cool enough to handle.

In a ceramic baking dish, arrange the potato slices in a fan movement (you can also just chuck them into the dish if you’re not bothered about the presentation). Tuck slices of speck, pancetta or proscuitto between some of the potato slices. Sprinkle the potatoes evenly with the cheddar.

In a jug, mix the cream, milk and egg. Season with salt and pepper and pour over the potatoes.

Bake the potatoes for 30 minutes, taking them out after 20 minutes and covering them with slices of camembert, then baking them for a further 10 minutes.

Serve with a green salad.

Snow in London! Lots and lots of snow! Yes, my little terrace is covered in over 15cm of fluffy white snow. Last weekend the skies just opened up and released millions of little snowflakes, transforming the capital into a cheesy winter wonderland. Londoners wrapped up and rushed out of their flats and headed for the white parks and slopes – sledges in tow (I even caught my neighbour walking out of the flat with a snowboard tucked under his arm!).

As much as I would have loved to join the hordes of snow-lovers, I was stuck inside, working on a new exciting project which involved lots of filming in my kitchen. Still, the many snowscapes which showed up on my Facebook feed inspired me to make a hearty stew – the perfect bowl to come back to after a day in the cold. It’s super simple to prepare, and once everything is in the pot, you can just sit back, have a glass of wine and let the stew do its own thing.

By the way, you can easily make a vegetarian version of this by omitting the bacon and using a bit of oil to fry the onions in. If you want to push the boat out, throw in some smoked tofu.

Lentil Stew

Serves 4

180g smoked bacon lardons
2 onions, chopped
3 carrots (150g)
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
300g puy lentils
500ml vegetable stock
150ml red wine
parsley
crème fraîche

Put the bacon lardons into a heavy-bottomed pot and fry for a few minutes until the fat starts oozing out. Add the chopped onions and cook on a medium heat for a couple of minutes. In the meantime, peel the carrots and cut into small cubes. Add to the onion, cover and cook for another couple of minutes.

Add the spices, the lentils, stock, wine and 400ml water. Cover and cook for 40 minutes until the lentils have softened. Sprinkle some parsley over the stew, put into bowls and top each portion with a dollop of crème fraîche. Serve with crusty bread.

A happy new year to you all, may it be filled with great moments, great adventure and even greater food!

I started my year pretty well – it involved a big plate of homemade Spätzle, one of my favourite German comfort foods off all time! I know, I know, my Luxembourgish compatriotes will shout out “what about Kniddelen?! Why make Spätzle when you could eat Kniddelen (Luxembourgish boiled dumplings, a bit like big Spätzle – delicious)”. Well, I have a pretty good reason… using one of my Christmas presents!

See, for Christmas, my mum gave me a Spätzle hobel – a specialized instrument used to create perfect little Spätzle. Imagine a cheesegrater with a little square compartment on top, into which you put the Spätzle dough, then ‘grate’ it through the little holes, so that the Spätzle fall directly into boiling water. Pretty clever, ey?

Mum’s reasoning behind this original gift was that from now on, I wouldn’t have to smuggle bags of fresh Spätzle into the UK anymore (yes, my secret past as a noodle-bootlegger is now uncovered) – instead, I could make them myself!

So, first thing back in London, I had a go at it… And boy, did they turn out great! At first it was a bit messy, the dough was very sticky and ended up clogging the holes instead of falling through – I was covered in sticky, uncooked Spätzle dough and was shouting at the recipe that came with the Spätzle hobel. Then, I took a deep breath, decided to ditch their recipe and just add more water to it – and this time it worked. So, lesson learned: don’t always trust recipes, be creative and make your own damn Spätzle instead of smuggling them in!

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Spaetzle with onions and bacon

Serves 2 big eaters, or 3 reasonable ones

For the Spätzle:
400g flour
4 eggs
1 + 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp oil
200ml water

For the topping:
30g butter
1 big onion
6 pancetta rashers

Start by making the Spätzle dough: Put the flour, eggs and salt into a bowl and mix with an electric whisk. Continue whisking and add the oil, then gradually add the water while still whisking. Continue whisking for a couple of minutes until the batter is silky and there are no lumps left. Set aside.

Peel the onion and cut into fine slices. Cut the pancetta into small slices. Put 15g butter into a pan and fry the onions for 5 minutes until they’re soft. Add the pancetta and fry for another couple of minutes. Set aside.

Now cook the Spätzle: Place the Spätzle hobel onto a pot of boiling salted water. Put the Spätzle dough into the square dough compartment and start moving the compartment up and down so that small Spätzle fall through the holes into the boiling water. Cook in batches, so that you can take out the cooked Spätzle before you add a new batch to the boiling water.
If you don’t have a Spätzle hobel, you can just drop half teaspoons of batter into the boiling water. They won’t be as fine, but they’ll still taste good.
The Spätzle are done once they swim on the surface of the water. Take them out, put them onto a plate and repeat with the remaining batter.

Once all the Spätzle are done, heat the remaining 15g butter in a frying pan. Add the Spätzle and fry for a couple of minutes, until they get a bit golden and crispy. Add the onion and pancetta mix to the Spätzle and fry for another minute, to heat the onion mix up again. Enjoy!

A Merry Christmas to all my lovely readers! May you fully enjoy this day, and get to enjoy plenty of lovingly prepared food.

And always remember: ditch the guilty conscience and just enjoy the feast!

Boy do I love Christmas time! It’s baking heaven – from Zimtsterne and Vanillekipferl to Stollen and Florentines, I really love indulging in traditional Christmas treats. And, ever since I’ve moved to the UK, two new seasonal desserts have found their way into my festive xmas heart: mince pies and the pudding of all puddings: Christmas pudding! This fruit-studded dessert is a real revelation: laced with brandy and most often devoured with brandy butter, it’s just heavenly. Still, I often find that after a huge Christmas dinner, it’s hard to do this dessert any justice, and most often there are more leftovers than intended.

Now, I’ve got the perfect solution for such a typical leftover situation or if you find yourself with an unopened Christmas pudding at the end of the festivities… My Christmas pudding trifle! It’s pretty divine if I may say so myself: laced with an extra double kick of whisky and topped off with vanilla whipped cream, it will make you wish it was Christmas all year round! Enjoy!

Christmas Pudding Trifle

Makes 6 small trifles

For the syrup:
25g sugar
50ml whisky
50ml water

350g Christmas pudding
2 shots whisky (50ml)
300ml double or whipping cream
7g vanilla sugar
40g sugar
1 egg yolk
1 cake bottom (large flan case 30cm or one butter cake, cut into slices)
3 speculoos biscuits or gingersnaps for decoration

Start by making the syrup: put the syrup ingredients into a small saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer for 3 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Microwave the Christmas pudding for 2 minutes on the highest temperature. Put the Christmas pudding into a bowl, pour over the whisky and mash up with a fork. Set aside to rest.

Whisk the cream until stiff. Add the vanilla sugar, sugar and egg yolk and whisk again until it’s all smoothly incorporated.

Using a round cookie cutter or one of your serving glasses in which you’ll put the trifle, cut out 6 cake rounds that approximately match the bottom of your serving glasses. Put each cake layer into the bottom of the serving glass and pour over some of the cooled whisky syrup.

Top the cake layer with a couple of tablespoons of Christmas pudding, then top with the whipped cream. Crush up the speculoos or ginger snaps and sprinkle some crumbs on top of each trifle. Serve immediately or keep refridgerated for a maximum of two days.