Kokos Makronen (Coconut Macaroons)

Ingredients:
2 white eggs
1/4 tsp salt
125g or more shredded coconut
100g granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g dark cooking chocolate, cut into small pieces.

• Preheat oven to 175 °C, bake the shredded coconut until slightly brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Set aside and let it cool for about 15 minutes.
• Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Beat white eggs and salt until soft peak, add sugar and vanilla extract, with spatula mix until well combined. Add shredded coconut, fold until well combined. 
• Using a teaspoon, shape coconut mixture into small balls, gently press the balls but do not flatten them. Place them about 1 1/2 cm apart. Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let it cool for about 15 minutes.
• In a small double boiler over simmering water, melt the chocolate, dip the bottoms of cooled macaroons on a chocolate and return them to the lined baking sheets. Let it cool for about 20 minutes or until the chocolate is set.

Zimt Sterne (Cinnamon Stars)

Ingredients:

2 egg whites (large)

1/4 tsp salt

155g powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

170g ground hazelnut

170g ground almond

2 tsp cinnamon

• In a mixing bowl, with a hand mixer beat egg whites and salt until stiff peak. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract, beat until smooth and well combined. Take about 5 tablespoon of the mixture and put it into a piping bag or resealable plastic bag, set it aside in the refrigerator. 
• Add ground hazelnut, ground almond and cinnamon powder. With a spatula, fold until well combined. The dough should be easy to roll and not be sticky. Form the dough into large ball.
• Lay a large plastic wrap (lay 2 if needed) on your kitchen counter, transfer ball of dough on prepared plastic wrap. Cover it with the same size plastic wrap and start to roll the dough to 1 cm thick. 
• Preheat oven to 150 °C, line your baking pan with parchment paper.
• Add a little bit of powdered sugar in a small plate, to avoid sticking, dip your star cookie cutter on the powdered sugar every time before pressing into the dough. Place cutouts cookie immediately to prepared baking pan about 1 cm apart. 
• Take the meringue (egg whites and powdered sugar mixture) out from refrigerator, cut off the tip of the plastic bag to create tiny hole, pipe icing on top of the cookies and spread evenly with a small spoon or butter knife.
• Bake for about 18 minutes or until the meringue just begins to brown.

Pulled Pork Pie with BBQ peach sauce

Recipe adapted from Mutti magazine

Ingredients:

For the pulled pork

2 kg pork shoulder fillet

2 tbs paprika powder

1 tbs more or less chilli powder 

100 g brown sugar

4 tbs mustard

Black pepper

2 tbs salt

For bbq peach sauce

2 tbs cooking oil

2 small onions, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

1 canned peach (850ml)

150g ketchup

3 tbs Worcestershire sauce

100 g brown sugar

2 tbs paprika powder

50 ml apple vinegar

Salt & sugar to taste

For the pie crust

400g all purpose flour

200g butter, room temperature

2 eggs + 1 egg yolk

3 tbs ice cold water

1 tsp salt

1 tbs balsamic vinegar

1 tbs milk

• A day before, in a bowl combine the pulled pork spices such as paprika powder, chili powder, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Pat dry the meat with paper towel, with your hand rub the meat evenly with mustard, after that coat evenly with mixed spices. Cover with aluminum foil, let it stand in the refrigerator for overnight.
• On the next day, preheat oven to 100 °C. Unwrap the meat and bake for about 6 hours or until the meat is very tender.
• For the bbq sauce, preheat oil in a sauce pan, add onions and garlic, cook for about 2 minutes. Add the peach along with the juice from the can. Let it boil, then add the rest of sauce ingredients except salt and sugar. Cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from heat,  puree the peach mixture with a hand blender (immersion blender) or food processor. Adjust seasoning with salt or sugar.
• For the pie crust, butter the muffin form, in a mixing bowl add the flour, butter, 2 eggs, ice water, balsamic vinegar and salt. With a standing mixer or a hand mixer beat the ingredients until the dough comes together. Wrap the dough in a plastic wrap, set aside in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before use.
• After about 6 hours, take the meat out of the oven, with two forks pull the meat apart. Add half of the peach bbq sauce into the pulled pork, mix evenly.
• Take out the pie dough from the refrigerator, sprinkle some flour on the working table, knead the dough and with a rolling pin roll the dough to 3- 4 mm thin. Using a 4 1/2" or 12 cm cookie or biscuit cutter cut out 12 rounds of dough (for the bottom) and using 3 1/2" or 9 cm cookie cutter cut out 12 rounds of dough (for the top). Always place the prepared dough on the light floured surface or on plastic wrap.
• Beat slightly egg yolk and 1 tbs of milk (for brushing). Preheat oven to 200 °C.
• Line each bottom of muffin form with larger piece of dough, make sure that each one comes up sides (see picture). Fill each dough with pulled pork and about 1 tbs of bbq peach sauce, top each one with smaller dough, press lightly to make sure both bottom and top of the dough meet. Brush the top with egg yolk mixture, bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let it cool at least 10 minutes before serving.