Recipe: Warm Goat Cheese Toasts with Olive Tapenade

2 Hungry Birds - Sanne on July 21, 2023

Sanne: I first had these warm goat cheese toasts at a friend’s place, and I was immediately hooked. It’s such a great snack, and you only need 4 ingredients and 10 minutes to make it. A perfect nibble along with pre-dinner drinks, at the tapas table, or served together with a hearty soup.

I prefer to make the toasts with sour dough baguette, but any regular baguette would do too. The Spread-mmms tapenade has a nice kick that goes well with the sharp goat cheese flavor, but you can use any olive tapenade of your liking.

Recipe: Warm Goat Cheese Toasts with Olive Tapenade

Recipe by 2 Hungry Birds – Sanne Course: Appetizers, Snacks

Servings

pieces

I first had these warm goat cheese toasts at a friend’s place, and I was immediately hooked. It’s such a great snack, and you only need 4 ingredients and 10 minutes to make it. A perfect nibble along with pre-dinner drinks, at the tapas table, or served together with a creamy tomato soup.

Ingredients

1 1 baguette
2 tablespoons 2 olive tapenade
1 1 small log of goat cheese with rind ( you would need enough to cut 12 discs, ½ inch (1 ½ cm) thick
Olive oil to drizzle

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425°F (225°C)
Cut the baguette into 12 slices about ½ inch thick.
Pour a bit of olive oil on a plate and dip each side of the sliced bread in the oil.
Place the olive-soaked bread slices on a baking sheet.
Cut the goat cheese log into 12 discs about ½ inch thick.
Place the cheese on top of the bread slices.
Bake for 4-5 minutes and keep an eye on the toasts all the time, as they are easy to burn. When the bread is slightly golden, and the cheese turns soft and start melting the toasts are ready.
Top with olive tapenade and serve hot. You can also add the tapenade before baking. I’ve tried both options, and I like the flavor better, when added afterwards.

Recipe Video

Recipe: Lemon Curd

2 Hungry Birds - Sanne on July 9, 2023

Lemon curd is a delightful, tangy spread, perfect for adding a burst of citrus flavor to a variety of baked goods and desserts. The velvety texture and the vibrant taste make lemon curd an ideal companion for scones, biscuits, or crackers, but you can also use it as a filling for tarts, cakes, or pastries, or simply spoon it over yogurt or ice cream for a delicious, zesty twist.

Lemon curd can be stored in the refrigerator for 7-10 days, and while it is tempting to save it for special occasions, don’t hesitate to use this versatile spread to bring a touch of sunshine to everyday meals. Making your own lemon curd is surprisingly straightforward, and the result is a treat that far surpasses any store-bought version.

Recipe: Lemon Curd

Recipe by 2 Hungry Birds Course: jams and spreads

Servings

small jar

Lemon curd is a delightful, tangy spread, perfect for adding a burst of citrus flavor to a variety of baked goods and desserts. The velvety texture and the vibrant taste make lemon curd an ideal companion for scones, biscuits, or toast, but you can also use it as a filling for tarts, cakes, or pastries, or simply spoon it over yogurt or ice cream for a delicious, zesty twist.

Ingredients

US Metric

1 tablespoon 1 finely grated zest (~ 1 lemon)
4 4 egg yolks
½ cup ½ lemon juice (juice from 1-2 lemons)
½ cup ½ sugar
¾ stick ¾ butter

Directions

Whisk the egg yolks in a saucepan. Add lemon juice, lemon zest and sugar. Whisk together until the mixture is well combined.
Place the saucepan over medium heat, and cook the mixture, stirring constantly, until the sugar has fully dissolved.
Continue to cook the mixture over low heat while stirring until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. This usually takes about 10-15 minutes. Whisk constantly to prevent the yolks from curdling.
Once the mixture has thickened, remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the butter, a few pieces at a time, stirring after each addition until the butter is completely melted and incorporated into the mixture.
Transfer the lemon curd to a jar or a bowl.

Recipe: Multi-seed crackers with whipped ricotta and lemon curd

2 Hungry Birds - Sanne on July 9, 2023

Sanne: I usually eat multi-seed crackers with cheese or with savory spreads, but the other day, I decided to stir it up a bit, literally speaking, and had the crackers with whipped ricotta and lemon curd. Tangy lemon curd, creamy ricotta and savory, crunchy multi-seed crackers, – this is a great snack for when you are craving something sweet, but not too sweet, along with your favorite cup of tea.

Curious about making your own lemon curd? Here is my recipe (mitziemee.com) >>

The Rye + Sea Salt multi-seed crackers from Hungry Bird Eats are particularly good for this recipe, but you can use any type of savory multi-seed crackers.

Multi-seed crackers with whipped ricotta and lemon curd

Recipe by 2 Hungry Birds – Sanne Course: Snacks

Servings

crackers

I usually eat multi-seed crackers with cheese or with savory spreads, but the other day, I decided to stir it up a bit, literally speaking, and had the crackers with whipped ricotta and lemon curd. Tangy lemon curd, creamy ricotta and savory, crunchy multi-seed crackers, – this is a great snack for when you are craving something sweet, but not too sweet, along with your favorite cup of tea.

Ingredients

US Metric

12 12 multi-seed crackers
1 cup 1 ricotta cheese
4 tablespoons 4 lemon curd
Lemon balm leaves for decoration

Directions

Prepare the whipped ricotta: In a mixing bowl, add the ricotta cheese. Using a hand mixer or a whisk, whip the ricotta until it becomes light and fluffy. This will take about 2-3 minutes of mixing.
Assemble the crackers: Take a Rye + Sea Salt cracker from the pack and spread a generous amount of whipped ricotta on top.
Spoon a small dollop of lemon curd on the ricotta layer.
Garnish and serve: Place a fresh lemon balm leaf on each cracker for decoration. Arrange the prepared crackers on a serving plate. Serve with your favorite cup of tea or lemonade.

Recipe: Spring Rolls with Caramelized Pork

2 Hungry Birds - Sanne on June 25, 2023

The great thing about spring rolls is that they are delicious, easy to make, and you can fill them with whatever you like. The following recipe is close to a classic Vietnamese spring roll, except I made them a little tastier by adding caramelized pork. If you are not a pork eater, you can substitute with chicken, which is mostly how I make them.

Recipe: Spring Rolls with Caramelized Pork

Recipe by 2 Hungry Birds – Tina Course: Appetizers, SnacksCuisine: Vietnam

Servings

spring rolls

Ingredients

2 squares 2 rice vermicelli noodles
1 tablespoon 1 white vinegar
2 tablespoons 2 fried onions
2 tablespoons 2 roasted peanuts, chopped
1 head 1 romaine lettuce
1 small bunch 1 fresh cilantro
1 small bunch 1 mint leaves
A big handful of bean sprouts
3.75 inches 3.75 (10 cm) English cucumber, cut into thin sticks
1 lb 1 (500 gram) pork belly (I used pork butt chop) or 2 chicken breasts, cut into small strips
1 tablespoon 1 sunflower or canola oil
2 2 garlic cloves, minced
¾ inch ¾ ginger, minced
½ tablespoon ½ sugar
1 tablespoon 1 fish sauce
1 ½ tablespoons 1 ½ oyster sauce
Rice paper
Dipping sauce
Hoisin sauce
Sriracha chili sauce
Roasted chopped peanuts

Directions

Boil water in a medium size pot and add 1 tablespoon of vinegar. Add the rice vermicelli noodles and separate them while they are cooking using chopsticks or two forks until the noodles are cooked al dente. Strain the water from the noodles. You can add a drop of sesame oil to prevent them from sticking together, and then let the noodles cool off. Spread the noodles on a plate and toss fried onions and peanuts over them.
Clean and prepare the vegetables and lay them out on a large serving plate.
Heat a large pan over medium-high until hot, and then add the oil, garlic and ginger. Sauté for a minute and then add the meat and cook until browned. Sprinkle sugar over the meat, sauté for another minute, and then add the fish sauce and oyster sauce. Sauté for a few more minutes until the sauce thickens.
Assemble the spring rolls one at a time by dipping the rice paper in a bowl of water and laying it out on a plate, and then adding lettuce, noodles, meat, cucumber, mint and cilantro to the end of the wrap closest to you. Roll the spring roll halfway, then fold in the sides and roll the rest of the way. Continue until you have used all of the ingredients.
Serve with a little dipping bowl of hoisin sauce and chili sauce with a sprinkle of chopped peanuts.