Greta bakes… a King’s Cake, and fails

Kings cake is famously eaten during the Mardi Gras and Carnival season. We Americans know it as an obnoxious green, purple and yellow bread cake with a baby hidden inside. The French as per usual have a more elegant and understated interpretation of the pastry. Le Gallette des Rois as it’s called in French has no topping, no artificial colors and no baby. It is a simple pastry cake with a sugary-almond inside with a knife-drawn picture on top. Well, simple is what I thought, but I’ve learned. She promised it would be easy…

nola vs france's kings cake
left: NoLa’s Kings Cake ; right: France’s Le Gallette des Rois

Continue reading “Greta bakes… a King’s Cake, and fails”

How to eat a Croissant like a Parisienne

When living in Europe you meet so many people from so many different backgrounds. Some of my closest confidants here in Germany happen to be from France.

I studied French for 6 years in school and was even a French tutor in college, but this is one part of the culture one cannot learn without having experiencing it herself.

The morning after a sleepover at a friend’s house, I observed my French friend eating her breakfast and was overwhelmed with amusement. She actually took her buttery, fresh-baked croissant and drowned it in her coffee! I immediately asked her, “uhhh, what are you doing?” Equally confused, she stared back and replied, “eating…”

After an exchange of blank stares and subsequent giggling, the mystery was clarified. This was not pastry abuse but actually the way all French eat their croissants!

Now I’m not one to mix anything into my coffee except for the occasional drop or two of whole milk. However, if a French woman says try it, she will not let you go until you do what she says.

I skeptically dipped my perfectly okay croissant into the coffee and proceeded to taste the soggy pastry. Only once it reached my tongue did I realize this was the most delicious combination I had never tried. I’ve been missing out on so much!

And so are you- so here’s how you eat a croissant like a proper Parisienne:

Continue reading “How to eat a Croissant like a Parisienne”

Croatian Hangover Cure

 

 

Malinska Croatia sunset
Insane Croatian sunset from our AirBnB in Malinska.

D and I went to Croatia twice last year and had the pleasure of meeting some wonderful human beings through Airbnb. Our host Slavica (pronounced Slavitsa), welcomed us with open arms and an open kitchen. She made wonderful treats for us but one stood out in particular.

After a night of one too many schnapps, we headed over to see our host. She could see that we were a bit hungover so she rushed over to the kitchen and started blending this magical elixir.

D and I on our travel around Croatia
D and I on our travel around Croatia

Not only does this shake taste amazing, but it seriously settled our stomachs and soothed our pain. Apparently she makes this for her sons after their eventful nights. It seriously worked for me! And if it doesn’t for you, I don’t know what will.

The recipe goes as followed:

2 bananas
2 pears (skinned and quartered)
2 eggs
Milk
sugar (to taste)

Mix it all in a blender and voila! You’ve got yourself two servings of hope for a better morning. Let me know if it works for you!