Passion Fruit Parfait

Prep time: about 45 minutes, plus 4 hours of freezing

Ingredients (serves 4):

Passion Fruit Parfait

1 vanilla pod

3 large egg yolks

50 g sugar

2 passion fruit

4 tbsp meringue crumbs (about the size of a hazelnut,

possibly extra for sprinkling on top)

200 g whipping cream

Reduction

400 ml red wine (such as Cabernet Sauvignon)

50-75 g sugar

1 organic orange

1 piece of fresh ginger (about 1 cm/0.5 inch))

1/2 cinnamon stick

1 star anise pod

1-2 tsp cornstarch (if necessary)

plus: 4 ramekins of about 100 ml

For the parfait, slice the vanilla pod lengthwise, scrape out the pulp with a knife, and put into a large metal bowl together with the egg yolks and the sugar. Whisk over a hot bain-marie - this rarely takes more than 4 minutes, even by hand. The mixture will be foamy, then creamy.

Set the bowl into ice-cold water and keep beating until the egg creme has cooled down. Halve the passion fruit, scoop out the pulp and seeds, and stir into the creme with the meringue crumbs. Beat the whipping cream until stiff. First fold in one-third of it into the creme, then gently fold the rest into it so that it remains fluffy. Fill into the ramekins and freeze for

at least 4 hours.

In the meantime, boil the wine and sugar for the reduction in a pan. Wash the orange in hot water and peel 2-3 stripes of the zest with the potatoe peeler and add to the wine. Squeeze out the orange and pour the juice in through a sieve. Peel the ginger, cut into slices, and also add with the cinnamon and anise. Boil everything down to at least half the volume over medium heat in 20-30 minutes. If the reduction is still too liquid, stir the cornstarch with 2-3 tbsp of cold water until smooth before mixing it into the reduction, which should now be simmering. (The reduction gets even thicker when it cools down, so a bit of intuition is required here). Remove from the stove and let it cool down. The consistency is perfect when the reduction drips from the spoon like runny honey.

Dip the ramekins into hot water for a few seconds before serving. Then run a knife along the edge and loosen the parfait before turning it upside down on the plates. Let it thaw for a few minutes - that's the only way it will develop its full creaminess - and sprinkle with the reduction. If you like, you can also sprinkle a few meringue crumbs on it. By the way, the parfait can be easily kept in the freezer compartment for several days. It's a dessert you can make in advance for special occasions.

(Recipe and picture source: delicious days)

Jack's really small kitchen.

Click through the link to see more pics from his kitchen. He chooses his cutlery with care, buys limited things, and uses his chopping board over the sink to serve as a dining table. :)

How to Defrost Frozen Meat

Thawing Frozen Meats (and no, leaving it on the counter isn't one of them!):

The absolute best way to thaw frozen meats is by leaving it in the fridge until it's completely thawed. If you're crunched for time, take the meat out of it's package, put it on a plate, and place it under cool RUNNING water. This carries away any bacteria that is already present or that grows on the surface of the meat and gently thaws the meat in about 20 minutes (for small cuts) or an hour or two (for large cuts).

You can also safely thaw meat in the microwave, though be careful since your microwave can actually start to cook the meat before it's completely thawed.

(Source: thekitchn.com)

How Long Can You Leave Cooked Food Unrefrigerated?

Leaving Food at Room Temperature: Four Hours

Four hours is a good rule of thumb for most buffet foods. After four hours, the potential for you to get sick from eating food left at room temperature increases drastically. If you're throwing a party and afraid you might forget, try setting a timer to remind yourself when four hours is up.

Ice cream and other frozen foods are of course another story - try putting those back in a little sooner!

(Source: thekitchn.com)

How to blanch asparagus.

Don't try this with really thick spears - use the thinnest, freshest ones you can find.

Put a kettle of water on the stove to boil. Wash the asparagus spears. Trim the dried or hard ends off the bottom of the spears and lay them in a thin layer in a glass baking dish.

When the water comes to a boil, pour over the spears and let them sit for 3-5 minutes. Pull out a spear and test it after a couple minutes - it's easy to check for your preferred texture. When they are crisp-tender pour off the water and salt lightly.

Serve with melted butter or a vegetable dip.

(Source: thekitchn.com)

How to peel ginger.

Begin by cutting off the amount of ginger you need and then trimming it of any small nubs so that you have a relatively uniform piece to work with.

Then, hold the ginger in one hand and use the tip of your spoon to scrape off the peel. You’ll find it comes off very easily and that you get a smoother, more uniform end result than when you use a knife or vegetable peeler.

(Source: thekitchn.com)

How to hard boil an egg.

• First place the eggs in a small sauce pan and cover with cold water by about 1 inch.

• Bring to a boil over medium high heat.

• Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let sit for exactly 12 minutes.

• Rinse with cold water until the eggs are cool.

The whites will be light and tender, not rubbery, and the yellows will be bright and creamy, not greenish and powdery. Perfect for egg salad, deviled eggs or just a nice little snack.

(Source: thekitchn.com)