Napoleons or Vanilla Slice Pastry or Cake

Napoleon is a sweet taste of childhood for many of us. This is one of the most loved desserts for many people around the holidays and if you will go through the recipes you will find out that there is a lot of versions of Napoleon.  If you try a few you will find many that you like.

Anna from LovelyBijou is kindly sharing her recipe with us.

Ingredients:
300 gram frozen margarine
6 cups (1 kilo) flour
1 egg
1 tbsp white vinegar

Filling:
3 eggs
1 cup of flour (160 gram)
1 cup of sugar (200 gram)
0.5 liter milk
200 ml cold water
300 gram butter

Making the dough:

  Grate margarine (still frozen) and mix with flour. Mix the egg with water and vinegar. Pour the liquids into the mixture and mix. You might need to add a bit more flour. Leave the dough int he fridge for 2 hours or longer (up to a day).

Baking:

Flour the table well and roll out pieces of dough 3-5mm thick, thinner dough will produce more delicate pastry. Cut into the desired shape. I like mine as cake so I trace the frying pan and get circles.
Flour your cookie sheet and move your shape over. Slice through in a few places or poke with a fork. Bake in heated oven 5-7 min a piece.

Filling:
Mix eggs, sugar, milk and flour well, cook over law heat or in double boiler till thickened (just like you would custard). When slightly cool beat with mixer adding cold water. When cool add softened butter and whip. If filling is still too think you might need to add another 50 ml of water to it and whip again.

Now let’s assemble! The very top layer can be decorated with crumbled baked leftover dough or even cookie crumbs. Leave to sit for at least 6 hours for filling to soak through.

This recipe makes 3 kilo of pastries, one large cake or two smaller.

This recipe is very convenient as you needn’t make it all at once, but can break it up by days.
Day one – mix the dough,
Day two- bake
Day three – make filling and assemble. Third day could come even a month later as baked dough keeps very well!

Enjoy!

Recipe by Anna LovelyBijou

Translated by Nadiia crafts2love

Congratulation to winners of Summer Wedding Essentials team contest

Thank you to all Russian Artists team shops for taking part in our Summer Wedding Essentials team contest. The contest was a huge success! Fifty six team shops participated in the contest submitting their amazing and beautiful summer wedding themed items. All these unique and special creations hand made by Russian Artists team members are just gorgeous! Each and every item submitted will glam up any summer wedding and help make it an unforgettable and special event!

Although all the items submitted by Russian Artists team shops were outstanding a few of them received the biggest number of votes. The voting took place on Russian Artists team Facebook page. Everyone is welcome to check out beautiful handmade creations by Russian Artists team shops!

The winners of the Summer Wedding Essentials team contest are:

1. White Wedding Wool-felt coat by marinaasta


2. Wedding White Crochet Flower Barefoot Sandals by
Lasunka


3. Nuno felting white ivory baby dress by Baymut


4. Event Decor for the Wine Glass by MamaTita


5. Nuno felted wrap shawl for wedding and special occasions by JaneBoFelt


6. CUSTOM MONOGRAM for Weddings, Proms and Celebrations by BelleCoccinelle


7. Sterling Silver Earrings with Swarovski Crystal Beads by AroundBeads


Congratulations to our wonderful winners!
Thank you to all our amazing Russian Artists team shops that took part in the contest!!!

Count of votes by TonyaUtkina

Vegan Banana Cupcakes

Our team member Alla (FleetingStillness) lives in Maryland and has two kids, 5 and 7 years old. Alla loves to cook and bake and we would like to share one of your recipes with you.



My son is allergic to quite a few things, and egg is one of them. Just like any kid, Max likes cakes and cupcakes, so I had to learn to bake without eggs. I searched the internet for recipes for the past four years and this one is by far my favorite - it is simple, versatile and delicious.

You will need:
2 cups flour
1.5 teaspoon baking soda
0.5 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup oil
4 ripe bananas
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. sift together flour, salt and baking soda
2. mash bananas with a fork
3. beat sugar and oil until white and smooth
4. mix in mashed bananas w/ a spoon

5. add water and vanilla
6. mix in flour mixture using a whisk
7. spoon into 2.5-inch cupcake liners filling them about 2/3 (1 banana makes 4-5 cupcakes)
8. bake 25 minutes at 350F


I decorate my cupcakes with chocolate glaze and raspberries.

You can also bake this as a banana cake - just add 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional) and bake in a 9-inch pan for 40-45 minutes.

Interview with a Star - Helen Dalmar

Hello! I am Helene Dalmar.

I have been doing all sorts of handicrafting for many years and with great enthusiasm and satisfaction. My major regret is that a day is only 24 hours long, and that a human has got only two arms :) Always in a never ending pursuit of new skills and techniques, I constantly look out for interesting solutions to implement my ideas. I have been practicing felting for eighteen months or so. And I feel that I'm in love affair with this activity forever.

I am fond of the material, and I like the process, and I adore the outcome, of course. And my clients are satisfied too, which is also very important. All this time I've been in constant search - I'd look for new deco materials that'd match merino wool, I'd invent new decorations and new work techniques. As a result, I feel my skills have been progressively improving all the time as well. This makes me rejoice, I shall confess. I only use finest quality merino, which is pretty thin. It allows producing elegant scarfs, airy and easy to drape, yet preserving all the traits of natural wool - the scarfs are always indigenously ecological, absorbing atmospheric moisture, and very warming.

Recently, I have begun to use non-colored merino, perfectly natural, and then I use permitted food colorants to acquire the desired shades. No industrial dyes! Home coloring expends limits for creativity and helps to accentuate my ideas and realize my fantasies. My works are full of charming expression, intelligence, and attraction. To add, they are full of positive cheer as well! They upkeep the owner’s mood and generate enthusiasm in other people around.

This activity is a kind of magic indeed. You approach a stretch of a fluffy and imponderable wool roll, you work a series of manual movements, mysterious as they appear, and – voila! – a miracle is born, all colorful, soft, and worm! The hard mental and physical toil and the intense work concentration vanish away - you just forget of them while you look at the outcome of your labor – an item tender and softish, with glittering threads of silk, all enthralling with cuteness!

Apart from wool work, I do some other things. I produce beautiful decorations made of polymeric clay, which are altogether radiant and indigenously unique, and they can fit any garment you select, be it casual gear, a business suit, or an evening dress. Polymeric clay is an omnipotent material that permits realization of most brave fantasizing.

From time to time, I also make festive cakes; I decorate them with floral elements, etc. made of sugar. For that, I use the skills and techniques learned from clay work.

Very recently, I have fulfilled my long standing dream – I assembled a doll house! I have been constructing it all by myself from scratch. It’s almost complete now. I’m presently decorating the tiny rooms in there. I derive joy and satisfaction from this work aplenty, although working with miniatures is not easy. Never mind, we aren’t here to aspire for easy ways, are we? :)

And another new hobby - flowers of the Thai clay, "cold porcelain"
Dandelions - the first flowers of this series, but it sure did not last :)

I very much want in a day was 24 hours. Or 48 - all have time :)

With love -

Helene

Sweet Valentine

Valentine is the sweetest holiday of all and not just because a romantic prospect. This day is all about sweet deserts!


So we'd like to share this recipe with you. It is easy to make and will look perfect on your Valentine's table! Maria (lovelytrifles), who is the author of this delicious strawberry cake calls it "Strawberry fields forever" because she is using strawberries from her own garden in the summer. For the rest of us, who do not grow organic produce it is time to make a list and start shopping!


Here is what you need:

For dough:
5 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
Butter to grease a form (cooking spray will work also)
2 tablespoons farina
about 3 lbs of strawberries

For glaze:
2 stick of chocolate (200 gr)
50-70 ml of milk (1.5-2.5 oz)
30 gr of butter

Springform pan for baking

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 385'F.
Beat eggs and sugar with mixer. Add flour in two portions at the time while continue beating. The dough should be smooth with no lumps.


Grease your baking springform pan (about 12" diameter). Sprinkle the bottom and edges with farina. Arrange strawberries on the bottom of form, it can be done in two layers (reserve some strawberries for decoration). Pour the liquid dough on top of berries and bake for about 40 to 50 minutes or until ready (use a toothpick to check if it is ready). Let it chill in a form, then remove the sides.

Make the glaze:
In a double boiler melt the chocolate. Add the butter and the milk and stir occasionally until smooth.


While it is still hot pour the glaze over the cooled cake and spread it evenly. Let it cool slightly and decorate with strawberries.

Bon appetite and we hope your Valentine will like it!


Recipe by Maria (Lovelytrifles)
Translated by Tanya (Socksandmittens)