Back after 3 weeks in France and Belgium! In France the kids enjoyed seeing their grands parents, picking up some plums and apples from trees, fishing from the pond, playing with Cracotte the cat, having fun in the swimming pool at day and night, and me watching cuisine.tv . While in Belgium it was my time, my joy, I recharged my batteries. Alone with the kids from Bruxelles, Grimbergen to Liège…a big deep breath….mmmh! Oh! talking about that there is a shop in Bruxelles named MMMMH! (I am not joking) 4 M 1 H (hey, can be tough to remember the numbers of M or H). 2 floors, huge kitchens, almost everything about food, they even propose team building around cooking theme.I got crazy there, even a kid section… can’t wait to go there again.

Jack improved a lot his french over there…it’s scary. A couple of weeks before leaving when I baned him to do something he was saying to his dad « mama è cattiva », mom is nasty…ok lack of vocabulary (…I hope??!!). We explained him that he has to say that his mom was getting on his nerves (maman tu m’énerves) or that I was frustating him (tu me contraries maman). SOOO! one day while I was with some friends in Liège, all the kids starting to draw. He was so quiet that I had to check at him. He found a glue stick…. With all his care he was putting some glue all over on the sheet:

- »mais qu’est ce que tu fais???!!! » (But what are you doing???!!!)

- »Maman! je décolle la colle » (Mummy I unstick the stick)

After I explained him in all the possible ways that this operation was technically impossible, I had to remove it from his sticky hands. Frustation:

- »Rhooo, RHHHHHOOOOOOO, RRRRRRRRRRHOOOOOOOOOOO Mais tu m’EnERvEs maman, TU M’ENEEEERVEEEEEEESSS« 

(I am still laughing at that…and I am not nasty anymore ). The same day, I gave Joséphine to a friend, she walked a little away with her in her arms. Jack came at me, crying, taking my hand and showing my friend:

« Mamannnn, elle s’en va avec Joséphine » (Mum, she is leaving with Joséphine)

He just loves his baby sister…cute no??!!

Yesterday I received a really nice new too, I won the DMBLGIT award for aesthetic photo…YEAHHH! I am so so so pleased because I always admire at bloggers that had some, and it is my turn (you can check at the winners here). So thank you again to all judges of the jury and congratulations to the winners. I still have to solve the thumbnails, pictures and co on the sidebar of my blog…(can’t fix it out I don’t know why??!!), so I cannot put the badge yet, but that’s the picture that won!

Now stop with the blabla, the recipe: the panzanella. It a fresh vegetables dish from Toscany,with dry bread, tomatoes, cucumber and onions as basic ingredients. There is many recipes (check here) which can also involve caper and/or anchovies, which I chose not to put here. The best way is to prepare it 3-4 hours in advance if you decide not to add water to the bread to soften it (what I did! like this the bread just soaked the vegetables juices).

Panzanella

• 150 g stale bread
• 150g cherry tomatoes
• 1 cucumber
• 1 red onion
• 1 clove garlic
• salt
• 6 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tbsp wine vinegar
• Fresh  basil

1. Cut bread into cubes (2cm).
2. Wash tomatoes and cucumbers. Cut the tomatoes into 2. Peel the cucumber, cut lengthwise into 4 and remove the seeds. Then cut into cubes (1 cm). Chop onion
3. Peel the garlic and mash.
4. In a bowl add the bread, onion, tomato and cucumber. Mix.
5. In another bowl mix together the garlic, oil, vinegar and a pinch of the elements. Pour the dressing into the 1st bowl.
6. Keep refrigerated for at least 3 hours. Sprinkle basil on top and serve chilled.

Panzanella

• 150 g de pain rassis
• 150 g de tomates cerises
• 1 concombre
• 1 oignon rouge
• 1 gousse d’ail
• sel
• 6 c. à s. d’huile d’olive
• 2 c.à s. de vinaigre de vin
• Basilic frais

1. Couper le pain en cube (2cm).
2. Laver les tomates et le concombre. Couper les tomates en 2. Peler le concombre, le couper dans la longueur en 4 et enlever les graines. Le détailler en cubes  (1 cm). Hacher l’oignon
3. Peler la gousse d’ail et la piler.
4. Dans un saladier ajouter le pain, l’oignon, tomates et concombre. Mélanger.
5. Dans un bol mélanger ensemble l’ail, l’huile, le vinaigre et une pincée desel. Verser la vinaigrette dans le saladier.
6. Réserver au frais pendant au moins 3 heures. Servir très frais.

Panzanella

• 150g di pane raffermo (o pizza bianca rafferma)
• 150g di pomodorini ciliegini
• 1 cetriolo
• 1 cipolla rossa
• 1 spicchio di aglio
• sale
• 6 cucchiai olio d’oliva
• 2 cucchiai di aceto di vino
• Basilico fresco

1. Tagliare il pane a cubetti (2 cm).
2. Lavare pomodori e cetrioli. Tagliare i pomodori a 2. Sbucciare il cetriolo, tagliate nel senso della lunghezza in 4 per eliminare i semi. Poi tagliare a cubetti (1 cm). Tritare la cipolla
3. Sbucciate l’aglio e schiacciare.
4. In una ciotola aggiungere il pane, cipolla, pomodoro e cetriolo. Mescolare.
5. In un’altra ciotola mescolare insieme l’aglio, olio, aceto e un pizzico di elementi. Versare la salsa nella prima ciotola.
6. Conservare in frigo per almeno 3 ore. Cospargete di basilico e servire fresco.

What else than being wake up with sweet flavours of warm freshly baked pain au chocolat… it is just remind me my years of student in Liège. I was living downtown, closed to a bakery (le pain quotidien) and I liked to go there in the morning (from time to time) before classes, enjoying fresh bread with some of their chocolate creams and marmelade, teas… sweet times.

Mornings here are definitely not the same, taking time is over, between the breast feeding, the cries, the biberon, diappers…and none of kids are going to school or kindergarden, yet! Every day has to be organized and re-organized according to these two little parts of me, which means that it is for the moment difficult to wake up and enjoy freshly warm pain au chocolat (or just before lunch time). Bah!

It is the second time I prepared these delicious pains au chocolat (from PH, who else ). The first time A. posted some picture on his FB account, which almost got a record of audience and tons of requests for the recipe. Enjoy!

Pain au chocolat

Adaptée du Larousse du chocolat de Pierre Hermé

Préparation (repos et réfrigération inclus): 9 h

pour environ une trentaine de petits pains:

• 12 g de levure de boulangerie fraiche
• 200 ml d’eau
• 100 ml de lait entier
• 600 g de farine
• 75 g de sucre
• 360 g de beurre demi sel mou
• une trentaine de barres au chocolat (environ 250 g)

Pour la dorure:

• 1 oeuf+1 jaune d’oeuf
• une pincée de sel

1. Diluer la levure dans l’eau.
2. Tamiser la farine. Ajouter le sucre, 35 g de beurre, la levure. Malaxer
3. Ajouter le lait si la pate manque de souplesse. Couvrir la pate et la laisser reposer à température ambiante (20-22°C) entre 1h et 1h30. Elle doit au moins doubler de volume.
4. Ecraser la pate du poing et la placer au frigo pour 1h environ.
5. Ecraser de nouveau la pate, la recouvrir d’un film alimentaire et la placer 30 minutes au congélateur.
6. Malaxer le reste de beurre en pommade. Retirer la pate du congélateur et l’étaler en forme de rectangle (3 fois plus long que large).
7. Poser la moitié du beurre sur le tiers inférieur et l’étaler avec la paume de la main sur les 2/3 supérieur. Rabattre le tiers inférieur sur la partie beurrée et refermer avec le tiers supérieur. L’emballer dans du film alimentaire et placer la pate au congélateur pour une demie heure, puis une heure au frigo.
8. Répéter l’opération 7.
9. Etaler la pate sur 2-3 mm d’épaisseur sur un plan de travail fariné. A l’aide d’un couteau y découper des rectangles de 10*4 cm. Y poser sur le coté le plus étroit une barre de chocolat et rouler la pate autour.
10. Poser les pains au chocolat sur des plaques à patisserie recouverte de papier sulfurisé. Laisser lever à température ambiante pendant 2 heures.
11. Préchauffer le four à 200°C.
12. Mélanger avec un pinceau l’oeuf, le jaune d’oeuf et le sel. En badigeonner les pains au chocolat. Enfourner immédiatement une plaque à patisserie à la fois et diminuer la température du four à 170°C. Laisser cuire une vingtaine de minutes.
13. Répéter la dernière opération avec les autres plaques à patisserie.
14. Laisser tiédir avant de manger.

Pain au chocolat

Chocolate bread

Adapted from Larousse du chocolat from Pierre Hermé

Preparation (time off and refrigeration included): 9 h

For about 30 small pain au chocolat:

• 12 g baker’s yeast
• 200 ml water
• 100 ml milk
• 600 g flour
• 75 g sugar
• 360 g salted butter
• 30 bars of chocolate (around 250 g)

For the brown:

• 1 egg+1 egg yolk
• 1 pinch of salt

1. Add and dilute the yeast into the water.
2. Sieve the flour. Add it the sugar, 35 g of soft salted butter and the yeast. Knead.
3. Add the milk if the pastry lack suppleness. Cover the pasta and let it rest between 1h and 1h30 (at a temperature of about 20-22°C). It should double in size.
4. Punch the pastry and put it in the fridge for one hour.
5. Punch it again, wrap it in cling film before putting it in the freezer for 30 minutes.
6. Cream the butter (325 g). Remove the pastry from the freezer and roll it out in a rectangulare form (3 times longer than larger).
7. Put half of the butter on the third below, and spread it to the 2/3 superior.  Fold up the 1/3 inferior on the butter part and fold up on it the 1/3 superior. Wrap it in cling film before putting it in the freezer for 30 minutes, and then 1h in the fridge.
8. Repeat step 7.
9. Roll out the pastry on 2-3 mm thickness. With a knife slice rectangulars of  10*4 cm. On the narrow part put a chocolate bar and roll the pastry around it.
10. Put the chocolate bread on baking paper. Let the pastry rise upfor about 2 hours at 20-22°C.
11. Warm up the oven at 200°C.
12. Mix the egg, egg yolk and salt together. Brush the chocolate bread with it and put in the oven. Decrease the temperature to 170°C and let it cook for 20 minutes (1 plate one by one in the oven).
13. Repeat the previous step if necessary.
14. Let it cool down before eating.

Pain au chocolat

ispirata dal libro « Larousse du chocolat » di Pierre Hermé

Preparazione (riposo e refrigerazione comprese): 9 h

per circa una trentina di panini:

• 12 g di lievito per dolci fresco
• 200 ml d’acqua
• 100 ml di latte intero
• 600 g di farina
• 75 g di zucchero
• 360 g di burro semi salato morbido
• una trentina di barrette di cioccolato (circa 250 g)

Per la doratura:

• 1 uovo +1 tuorlo d’uovo
• un pizzico di sale

1. Diluire il lievito nell’acqua.
2. Setacciare la farina. Aggiungere lo zucchero, 35 g di burro ed il lievito. Mischiare il tutto.
3. Aggiungere del latte se la pasta non è abbastanza morbida. Coprire la pasta e lasciarla riposare a temperatura ambiente (20-22°C) un’ora o un’ora e mezza. Deve almeno raddoppiare il volume.
4. Schiacciare la pasta con i pugni e metterla in frigo per un’ora circa.
5. Schiacciare di nuovo la pasta, ricoprirla di pellicola alimentare e metterla nel congelatore per mezz’ora.
6. Mescolare il resto del burro come una pomata. Prendere la pasta dal congelatore e stenderla in forma di rettangolo (3 volte più lunga che larga).
7. Stendere la metà del burro sul terzo inferiore della pasta e stenderla col palmo della mano sui 2/3 superiori. Ribaltare il terzo inferiore sulla parte imburrata e richiuderla col terzo superiore (come si fa per imbustare le lettere). Richiudere la pasta nella pellicola alimentare e metterla nel freezer per mezz’ora e dopo per un’ora nel frigo.
8. Ripetere il punto 7.
9. Stendere la pasta fino a che raggiunge 2-3 mm di spessore su un piano ricoperto di farina. Con un coltello ritagliare dei rettangoli di pasta di circa 10×4 cm. Posare sul lato più stretto le barrette di cioccolata e rotolarci attorno la pasta.
10. Mettere i panini sulla piastra da forno ricoperta con della carta-forno. Lasciarli a temperatura ambiente per circa due ore.
11. Riscaldate il forno a 200°C.
12. Mescolate con un pennello l’uovo, il tuorlo d’uovo ed il sale. Spennellate i panini al cioccolato. Infornate immediatamente una piastra alla volta e diminuite la temperatura del forno a 170°C. Lasciate cuocere per una ventina di minuti.
13. Ripetere l’ultima operazione con le altre piastre da forno.
14. Lasciare intiepidire prima di mangiare.