Confectionery Georgy's, Bucharest, Romania

The cookies were good.

The pastry shop is very close to the city center (blvd Bratianu at the crossroad with Lipscani).

Mascarpone chocolate cake - recipe (including photos)

Ingredients:

• 250 grams of mascarpone
• 100 grams of fresh cream plus 1 additional spoon for the glaze
• 50 grams of white chocolate
• 50 grams of dark chocolate
• 40 grams of butter
• 2 spoons of sunflower oil
• 4 spoons of flour
• 10 spoons of sugar (more if needed) 
• 2 packets of vanilla sugar
• 2-3 spoons of cocoa powder
• 3 entire eggs and 3 additional egg yolks
• 3 spoons of milk

Start with the 3 eggs that will be used in full:
- beat the egg yolks with the sunflower oil
- beat the egg whites with 4 spoons of sugar
- mix well the two compositions from above.

Add the flour and mix slowly.

Add the cocoa powder and mix well.
Put the dough in the oven at medium fire for 20-25 minutes.

Mix the additional three egg yolks with the vanilla sugar and 4 spoons of sugar.

Add the milk and mix them at bain-marie until creamy.

Add the white chocolate and mix until melted.
 

Let it cool.

 Separately mix the mascarpone with the cream.

Add the egg yolk mixture on top and mix until well incorporated.

Add the mascarpone cream over the baked sponge cake.

Mix the dark chocolate with the last 2 spoons of sugar, the butter and 1 spoon of fresh cream.

Let it cool a little, but while it's still liquid spread it evenly over the cream and then put it in the fridge for about 1 hour before serving (this way the chocolate will form a nice crust on top).

Enjoy!

The original recipe can be found here

Eurosport competition: take a chance at winning a 30 000 euro car

The annual "The most beautiful car" competition is ongoing on the Eurosport page.

All you have to do is to vote for your preferred car and you will be entered in a draw where the first prize is a 30 000 euro car.

Voting takes places until January 20, 2013.

Visit the Eurosport page to see the cars and vote: http://mostbeautifulcar.eurosport.co.uk/?/page/view/2012/

Good luck!

Eating out - Hotel-Restaurant Astoria, Santimbru, Romania

The food was really good compared to what these road-side motels are usually offering and compared to what we recently ate all over Romania during the past 2 years.

The hotel is located at the exit from Alba Iulia towards Cluj.

The price was decent and the service was appropriate.

Eating out - Motel "Mini paradis", Osorhei, Oradea, Romania

Until a few years ago we staid in this motel every time we went to Romania. It's only 12 km away from Oradea and the room was OK.

This year we decided to check again the quality of the food of the motel. Well, it´s not so good anymore.

No donuts for us anymore!

While wandering in the Auchan Supermarket we usually liked to eat some doughnuts.

Everything was good and tasty until one day when we finally made the courage to read the label to see what they contain. We didn't look earlier because we were afraid of what we might found...

Well, part from the usual flour, water, eggs, etc, there are approximately ten artificial ingredients: E450, E500, E471, E481, etc.

...and that was our last doughnut from any supermarket.

Sweet pretzels - recipe (including photos)

Ingredients:

• 400 grams of wheat flour
• 125 milliliters of boiling water
•  40 grams of sugar
• 30 grams of butter
• 7 grams of dried yeast
• 1 spoon of honey
• 25 milliliters of warm water
• zest from half of a lemon
• 2 eggs
• salt

Add the sugar and the butter over 125 milliliters of boiling water and let it aside.

Mix the yeast with the other 25 milliliters of warm water and the honey.

Mix the two compositions.
Add one egg, the lemon zest and the salt and continue mixing.

Gradually add the flour.

Let the dough rest for about 1 hour.

Divide the dough in equal parts.

Now you can make the pretzels following the photos or any other forms.

Let the pretzels rest for another hour.

Finally spread a beaten egg over the pretzels and bake them in the oven for 15 minutes at 170 degrees Celsius.

Enjoy!

The original recipe can be found here