Applepie (Milopita: greek version)

One of my favorite deserts, especially in winter is this apple pie. This recipe is similar to many in circulation, but my mother always made it like this and with some tiny changes I make it too! The greek name milopita just means applepie (Milo is apple and pita is pie!).

Ingredients
2-3 apples
3 tbsp cinnamon
3 tbsp granulated sugar
150 gr. butter

For the dough
1 apple, cut into cubes
200 gr. butter
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 cups flour
1 cup milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1 handful of raisins
1 tsp vanilla extract
 

How to Make

Preheat oven to 180. Prepare the dough by putting in the mixer butter to hit well, the eggs and sugar alternately until homogenized, cinnamon, and finally the flour alternately with milk. From the flour keep aside 1-2 tbsp. Let it hit for 3-4 minutes.

Put together a pan with removable bottom covered with wax paper and put it 150 gr. butter, 3 tbsp sugar and 3 tbsp cinammon and place it in the oven until the butter melts. At the same time, cut the apples into small cubes (can be made into rings, depending how we like it).

Then, chop chop the apple for the dough and mix these pices with the raisins. Use the remaining 2 tbsp of flour to cover them. Add them to the dough and stir well with a spoon.
Remove the pan from the oven, add the apple cubes and then the dough. Bake at 180 for 50 minutes to 1 hour. To see when it is ready, dip a toothpick in the cake. If it comes out clean, you re ready to go!

 

Remove from the oven and turned over on a platter. After you carefully remove the baking sheet, sprinkle with icing sugar and serve!

Find it in greek here.

 

Rizogalo (Greek Rice Pudding)

This is one of my favoyrite deserts! My dad used to make this really often when we were little and we all loved it! Its name literally means rice - milk (as in Greek, rizi means rice and gala means milk). 

Ingredients (for about 6 little bowls)

1/2 cup short grain white rice
1.5 cup  water
3.5 cups milk
1.5 tbsp cornflour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt
cinnamon for serving
optional: zest of 1/2 lemon

 

How to Make

In a saucepan boil 1.5 cup of water and add the rice. Let it cook until rice is done for about 7-10 minutes. The rice must be soft - if needed add little hot water. Then add 3 cups milk, sugar, vanilla extract and lemon zest (opptional) and let it warm up.

In the meanwhile mix cornflour and the remaining 1/2 cup of milk until fully homogeneous and throw them in the pot too. From now on, lower the heat and boil for 10-15 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickens. Divide into small bowls and let cool well. When cool, sprinkle with cinnamon and refrigerate.

Find it in Greek here.

 

Chionati (Snow White) - Cake with chocolate and coconut topping

This is a desert that I first had at my godmother's several years ago. Since then, my mother makes it a lot and now I do too! The name Chionati, means Snow White in greek and its taken this name from the coconut topping that looks like snow - obviously! Basically its a really tasty cake wrapped in chocolate and coconut!

Ingredients

3 eggs

7 small coffee cups sugar

4 small coffee cups corn oil

9 small coffee cups flours (all puprose)

4 small coffee cups milk

2 tsp baking powder

1.5 large cup water

1.5 large cup sugar

250 gr. dark chocolate

2 tsp butter

200 gr. coconut

How to Make

Beat the eggs with the sugar until they get fluffy and then add corn oil gradually. Continue with flour, baking powder and milk alternatively. Grease well a medium baking pan, pour in the mixture and bake at 175 (Celsius) for about 40-45 minutes. Let it cool.

 

Prepare the chocolate by putting water, sugar, dark chocolate and butter in a sausepan and let it boil for about 10-15 minutes until chocolate melts entirelly. Cut the cake into cubes and dip them in the chocolate, then cover with coconut and refridgerate.

 

Put the remaining edges of the cake with some of the chocolate together and use coupe pates to give this mixture shape. Cover these again with chocolate and coconut.

 

Cake with Honey, Walnuts and Cinnamon

This is one of my favourite cakes since I first tried it, last week! Its a quite common recipe which gets even better by using pure local products, such as the honey that comes from my mother's village. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup honey

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1.5 tsp cinnamon

2 cups flour

1 tbsp baking powder

little vanilla extract or orange zest

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup boiling water

How to Make

In a double boiler put butter and honey and let them melt. When they are melt enough use a whisk to make the mixture completely smooth. At the same time, beat eggs, sugar and cinnamon in the mixer.
 

Add the butter - honey mixture in the mixer and continue beating. Then add seived flour, baking powder and vanilla extract or orange zest. Lastly, add the water and beat well. Stop the mixer, add chopped walnuts and stir well with a spoon. Pour into buttered form and bake for 45-50 minutes at 160 (degrees Celsius).
 

Opptionally, serve with icing sugar!

Find it in greek here. 

 

Cinnamon Rolls

For my first post at Have the Cake, this month I baked cinnamon rolls. It was the first time to make them and now I intend to make them again and again!

Ingredients

550 gr. flour all-purpose and 1-2 cups more

9 gr. dried yeast

200 ml warm milk

3 tbsp melted butter

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

a pinch of salt

 

Filling

2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup melted butter

3-4 tbsp cinnamon

 

How to Make

Place all ingredients (except the filling's) in a mixer bowl and knead with the hook kneading for 6 to 7 minutes until it gathers as a ball on the hook. The dough will be slightly moist. Then,  continue kneading with hands, adding flour - if nessesary - until you have a smooth, fluffy and not sticky dough. Put in a bowl covered with flour and let it in a warm place to double for 1 hour. 

In another bowl mix well the filling's ingredients until it looks like paste. 

When the dough is ready, put it on a floured surface and with a rolling pin open it in a rectangle shape. Spred the filling on the dough and roll it to become a stick. Cut it in pieces and place them on a large baking pan covered with a greaseproof paper. Let them stand for 30 minutes and turn on the oven at 180.

 

After half hour, cover them with beaten egg and put them in the oven for around 25 minutes. Serve them as they are or with icing sugar.

 

Find it in

Kourabiedes (christmas desert with butter and sugar)

I'll continue with another traditional christmas desert, kourabiedes, which is just a cookies with butter, sugar and almonds covered with lots of icing sugar. These, along with melomakarona, are the two deserts that can be found only the period before Christmas. 

 

Ingredients

2 cups butter (about 500 gr.)
3/4 cup icing sugar
a pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest of 2 lemons
1 cup chopped almonds (about 200 gr.)
4 cups flour
1 tbsp. baking powder or baking soda
icing sugar for sprinkling

 

How To Make

Melt the butter and whip together with the icing sugar for 10-15 minutes or more - the more is better - to be whiten and fluffy. Meanwhile put the lemon zest with 1 teaspoon of sugar in a bowl and refrigerate - this is to give more aroma and to melt entirely.
When the butter - icing sugar mix is ready, add salt, vanilla extract, baking powder, lemon zest and 3 cups flour and knead continuously. At first it will be quite difficult as the pastry is sticky, but as you continue it is easier.
Then add the almonds and finally pour the last cup of flour gradually, until the mixture isn't sticky anymore. You may not need the whole cup. 

 

Turn on the oven to 175 and cover a baking pan with wax paper. Prepare kourampiedes with coupe-pates or round and put them in the pan like shown in the picture above. 

Bake for 25 minutes until they begin to turn red. Let them cool completely. Sprinkle a platter or a pan with icing sugar and place over the kourabiedes, close to each other, and sprinkle over again with lots of icing sugar. Allow to stand for a while and ready!

Find it in Greek here.  
 

Melomakarona (Christmas desert with honey)

 

Homechefs in Greece make melomakarona only the period before Christmas. I think this is the reason why almost everybody loves them! Today I' ll give you my recipe, which is not unique, and has been formed by combining the recipes from my gradmothers and my own experiments.

   
Ingredients

1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/3 cup brandy or liqueur
zest of 1 orange
1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp grated clove
little grated nutmeg
1/2 cup fine semolina
 

2.5 cups flour

syrup
2 cups water
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup honey
1 orange cut in half

coverings
walnut chopped
cinnamon and cloves
 

How to Make 

Place the first five ingredients into a bowl and beat then with the mixer for 5 minutes until fully homogenized (I should prepare you that this stage is pretty splashy). In the meantime, turn on the oven at 175 degrees Celsius.

Then add the liquid mix the five next ingredients and stir constantly with a fork. After that, add the 2 cups of flour and continue stirring with the fork. From now on you should put your hands in! Pour slowly and remaining half cup of flour until the pastry has a homogeneous and relatively soft texture. If you find it very sticky pour some more flour, but be carefull it should not be stiff. 

Put wax paper on a baking pan. Then prepare small balls of pastry (the size of a whole walnut). Try to make the balls really smooth externally, without cracks. Place them in the pan, pressing lightly to be somewhat flat and leave a small gap between them. You will need 3 to 4 pans.
Bake in preheated oven at 175 for 20-25 minutes, until starting to get slightly red. Then place all of them in a pan or a bowl tightly with each one another and turned upside down and let them cool completely.

Once they cool, prepare the syrup. Put all ingredients in a saucepan and boil for 5-7 minutes. With a ladle pour the syrup over the Melomakarona and let them stand several hours (7-8) or overnight.
Then mix the chopped walnut with cinnamon and cloves and sprinkle melomakarona as you turn them to a platter.

 Find it in Greek here.