The best cheesecake of the world!

The recipe of this week is a trip to my childhood, from all the fantastic cakes that my mother made, this was always one of my favourites! I still remember that she put the leftover in a separate small casserole just for me! This recipe is a tribute to my mother who is simply the best in the world!

For the base :

· Almost an entire package of Maria Cookies ( 2/3 can make a whole and keep the rest for the next one! )

· 1 tablespoon of sugar ( the original recipe was two...)

· 2 tablespoons of melted butter

· Flour for dusting

For the dough and topping:

· 2 tablespoons of flour

· ½ cup of sugar

· Pinch of salt

· 2 packs of 200 grams of cheese philadelphia

· 4 eggs ( separate yolks from the whites that you must beat them till it is firm)

· 1 package of cream 200 ml

· Sweet berries ( here can give wings to your imagination and cover with the candy more like )

Start by grinding the cookies, add the sugar and stir, then add 2 tablespoons of butter. Mix everything well to get a dough. Spread evenly around the baking dish you use for the oven.

For the dough, add 2 tablespoons flour + ½ cup of sugar + a pinch of salt + 2 the cheese and mix it well, then add the egg yolks and mix again, then the cream and finally, gradually add little by little the egg whites previously beaten.  When it is well mixed pour  into the baking, over the cookies and bake in the preheated oven .

The oven temperature and time are extremely important. In our case we put at 160 ° C for one hour, then turn off the oven and keep it inside for one more hour. Finally add the topping and enjoy!

Like all friends who have eaten this pie know the main ingredient is : lots of love and affection !

This week recipe and post powered by Vanessa Paiva!

Anna Blume, the time will stop while you enjoy your breakfast

This is the kind of places where time seems to stop... so, If you particularly enjoy a good breakfast or brunch, Anna Blume is clearly a must go in the city of Berlin! 

When it is full the interior may get really noisy so I strongly advise you to get a table in the terrace, specially if you're looking for a romantic atmosphere. It has an exquisite menu that can go from a simple butter croissant or home-made crêpes to Anne blume specials for two, like the oleander that we tried or other three-tiered dishes... To complement this breakfast we had an orange and a carrot and orange juice, both excellent too!

Where?

Kollwitzstraße 83  

10435 Berlin

Germany
Phone: +49 30 44048641

http://www.cafe-anna-blume.de/

How much?

10€ pax

Wine of the Week V3

Viñas Viejas Verdejo 2009, Terna Bodegas, Rueda - Spain

White wines potential and value is frequently underestimated, even more if we are talking about a white wine with barrel...

The wine of this week demonstrates that we shall not give too much importance to prejudices... V3, which in Spanish means old win yards and Verdejo the grapes type, is a great white to drink with more complex dishes. This was the perfect solution for our Sunday lunch starter an octopus ceviche, due to its high acidity.

Photo of the week: Taking Care...

Monkey Forrest, Ubud, Bali (Indonesia)

Because looking for who needs you is never enough...

Tartare Duet!...

The recipe of the week is specially dedicated to our follower Esperanza,  who insistently asked me to post this tartare duet this week!

More than a duet, is a dish of contrasting flavours, ingredients and why not ... continents! Recommend starting the trip by the bittersweet taste of tuna tartar and finish with the stronger flavors of the steak tartare!

Remember here the recipe of steak tartare I published earlier

For the tuna tartar will need:
1 loin of almadraba tuna
Sesame seeds
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Teriyaki sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/2 avocado

Start by mixing the sauces and sesame seeds in a bowl and set aside. As for the steak tartare, pick your best knife to finely chop the tuna. Mix with the sauce and set aside.
To serve put a level of avocado slices, cover with the tuna tartare and it is ready!

Tip: As I've told you in the steak tartare recipe, before mixing the tuna taste the sauce and adjust the flavours acording to your preferences...

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!...

Restaurant of the Week: Miyama Castellana, Madrid, Spain

If you are a Japanese food addict like me, Miyama Castellana is a mandatory stop in Madrid. Considered one of the best Japanese restaurants in Spanish capital, this is our main destination when we go out to eat some sushi... The raw material and respective preparation are top quality, reason why despite it is not the cheapest, for me, this has the best price-quality relation among the japanese restaurants of Madrid.

The service is on the same level of the food, very gentle, professional and fast!
The only but of this restaurant, is the noise when it is full... so deeple recomend you to try to get a table closest to the entrance door as possible.

Where?
Paseo de la Castellana 45
Madrid
Spain
Metro: Gregorio Marañón 7 10
www.restaurantemiyama.com/miyama_castellana.html

How Much?

Aprox 40€/pax

Wine of the Week

LU&BE 2010, Dominio de Cair Winery, Douro, Spain

This blog is about sharing and live new experiences. The wine of this week is a good example of this. This was a great recommendation of Javi when we stayed @ Capitulo Trece in Maderuelo, Spain. (take a look at the previous post here

Try it!

Photo of the Week: Wine!

João Portugal Ramos Winery, Estremoz, Portugal

As we are in the grape harvest time, the photo of this week is specially dedicated to all the women and men who create this precious drink, from the vineyards till the glass... 

Recipe of the Week: Tuna Tataki

Every time we go to the restaurant Miyama here in Madrid, about which I will write next Friday, one of the dishes we always order is tuna tataki. This is why, last week, when I went to the market and saw the quality and freshness of the Albacore, there is no doubt I'll try to do my first tataki at home!

Here is the result ...

You will need:

1 Albacore steak (Thunnus alalunga)
Soy sauce
1 handful of chives
1 leek
Juice of 1 lemon
Ginger
Bowl with water and ice

Due the risk of Anisakis, freeze the Albacore Steak for at least 24 hours at -20 ° C. Once defrosted immerse loins, in soy sauce. In a non-stick pan we sear the four sides of the albacore, remove from the pan and submerge in a bowl with water and ice in order to stop the cooking process. Submerge again in soy sauce and set aside.

In a bowl, mix the leek and chives finely chopped, the juice of a lemon and a piece of ginger grated. (If not a big fan of ginger go adding and tasting until you get the desired flavor, I used a piece the size of the thumb).

Cut the Albacore into slices, passing them again through the soy sauce and put it on a plate. Cover with the mixture prepared earlier and enjoy ...

Alternatives? Send us your recipe to fdgoodlife@gmail.com

Tree excellent wheels to travel... a lot!

One of the conversation topics that usually arise after the opening of a new space is the future you see for it, well, the title of this post is how to summarize my opinion: a team of three excellent cookers who, day by day bring the haute cuisine closer to their custumers.
Located in Barrio de las Letras in Madrid this restaurant brings us a mix of feelings, as if it was a book ... 
You will find a space and a team relaxed and informal, that practically makes you feel at home ... The Menu, divided into three parts, takes us traveling from flavors and freshness of the products on the market in the first part specially dedicated to extreme high quality raw material, with simple but exquisit dishes, to  second part with more complex and creative dishes and then a trip through the flavors of the world ...
We started by a green tomatoes Gazpacho with oysters and herb salad, ceviche, the tuna tataki salad with green beans and ... although everything was great the best came at the end with an awsome portion of cannelloni and the potatoes filled with oxtail. All irrigated by the wine we published this week. To end up at the top a marvellous dessert of peaches with mint cream and lemon ice cream ...
Oh, and the most important before leaving the contacts, to come back again, and a again...

Where?

Calle Santa María 28

28014 Madrid
Metro: Antón Martín / Sevilla
Tel:910244798

 How much?

25-35€

Wine of the Week

The wine of this week is:

Ponce Pie Franco 2011



One of the exciting things of this blog is that I get to know and discover new restaurants, new flavors and new wines!... Last week had a great surprise with this new nectar, which matched perfectly with our meal @ the restaurant Tricycle, about which I will write next Friday. I say surprised because until then, I didn’t knew anything about the wine region of Manchuela, a small young wine region between Cuenca and Albacete, Spain.

Photo of The week: Yes this is still summer!

Platja des Bot, Menorca, Spain

Summer is not only sun, beach, vacations! Generally people are happier in better mood... September is normally a month of changings and despite the summer has not ended yet you see that most of the people is already changing its wardrobes, leaving the beach till the next summer and also changing their humour... So keep the positive energy, spread it through your friends and family!

Oxtail Stew!

There is no doubt the summer is coming to its end... This week the rush and the traffic jams have returned to the city as well as the activity of Saturday mornings on the market which also means that the best raw materials are back too! This week recipe is an Oxtail Stew!

You will need:

- 1kg Tail Taurus

- 3 cloves of garlic

- 2 onions

- 3 tomatoes

- 1 red pepper

- 1 green pepper

- 3 carrots

- Salt

- a tea spoon Saffron

- a tea spoon of Sweet pepper

- 2 bay leaves

- 6 black pepper grains

- Virgin olive oil

- 1 glass of Madeira wine 

- Potatoes

Start by sautéing the garlic in hot oil, add the onions, tomatoes, peppers and carrots, all grossly chopped, as we will use it for the garnish. Let it cook a bit and when the tomatoes start to get cooked add the meat, the madeira wine, bay leafs, saffron and sweet pepper, stir and add water to almost cover the meat. Cook on low heat for 2,5 hours. Be careful and check it periodically in case you need to add water. At the end of two hours to boil the potatoes until they begin to unravel. (This is an important aspect in order to absorb the flavour of the sauce).

Remove the oxtail from heat and separate the meat from the bones. Remove the part of the vegetables and set aside, grind the rest with the stew broth and bring back to the boil to reduce the sauce slightly.

Serve it putting a layer of potatoes over sauce, cover with the meat and again a bit of sauce. Serve with stewed vegetables!

Enjoy!

O Dinis,The Fisherman Restaurant, Carvalhal Beach (Portugal)

The best way to describe my opinion about the restaurant O Dinis is that all summer Fridays that we go to Troia, we leave Madrid with the reservation for, 640 kilometers later, tasting the best fresh fish that you can eat...
Informal, relaxed and friendly, as its owner Dinis, this is one of the perfect places to end a summer afternoon, enjoying the fabulous sunset in front of the restaurant which makes it the perfect place to enjoy a great meal with your couple...

Yes, it is true! To all this you will still have to add the best grilled fish of the region, certainly one of the best we had the opportunity eat. The sea bass is the star of this restaurant where we also had this summer the opportunity to eat these wonderful sardines... Oh and you cannot leave without tasting the awesome chocolate mousse...

To be honest I cannot find more adjectives to describe this restaurant, just that I feel at home or at a friend's house...

Thank you Dinis! See you next weekend ...

How much?
25-30 €

Where?
Carvalhal beach
7570 - 779 Carvalhal
Tel. 265 497 023

Wine of the Week: Murganheira Vintage Brut Pinot Noir 06

After a long absence, the wine of the week is back! From now on every wednesday we will post a different wine...

We normally end our summer afternoons in Troia, a paradise beach located about 1.30H from Lisbon, with its cousin from the variety of Malmsey, "Malvasia Fina", also from Murganheira Winery. A few weeks ago, we finished our vacations with this very special nectar: Murganheira Vintage Brut Pinot Noir 06. Although I am tempted, I will not risk to say that it is the best Portuguese sparkling wine, Instead I will say it is undoubtedly the best I've ever tasted! 

If you are a fan of sparkling wine or Champagne, try it, I am sure It will worth each drop...

Photo of the Week: Communication!

Troia Resort, Troia - Portugal

Today is a Special day! We start a new section on the blog, the Photo of the week! The reason why I've picked this photo for the first week could not be more connected to the objective behind this blog: to Share experiences... 

As it is widely said one image worth thousand words, so I hope this photo encourages you to start commenting and sending your inputs about the posts, the recipes, because this is really important to improve our blog...

A different Chicken Pie...

Last Tuesday we had a special event, meet our niece "Infinity". As I always prepare this pie, this time, as we are still in summer I wanted to turn it more juicy, so I prepared this chicken pie:

You will need:

For the dough - Go to the previous post

For the filling:

Smoked Pork sausage

1 onion

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3 tomatoes

1 green pepper from my kitchen garden

Chicken Breasts

olive oil

Salt & Pepper

Start preparing the dough ball as described in the previous post. While the dough rests, cut the chicken breasts into cubes, season it with salt and pepper and set aside. Sauté the chopped onion and garlic with a splash of olive oil. cut the tomatoes into cubes and add it, let it cook about 5 minutes, add the green pepper and cook another 4 minutes, finally add the chicken cubes and let it cook.

put a layer of dough, cover with a layer of sausage and then the filling, replace a new layer of sausage and cover with another layer of dough.

Bake in preheated oven at 200 º C and bake.

Tip: For a more golden color, brush with egg yolk.