The best summer smoothie recipe - The Blueberry cooler

Summer is here ! As much as I love this season, it's been scorching hot in Paris these past few days (hitting the 35°C aka 95°F, yep!) and getting wedding or engagement photos in Paris has never been so tough! Let alone working from home... I felt like a baking croissant in an oven while in front of my computer. So in between two - three cold showers per day and putting my head in the fridge to cool down... I've also been trying to find new summer recipes. Those who know me, know that not only do I love being a wedding photographer, but my other passion is food - both making it and eating it !

So with this kind of weather, been trying to cook nice food that don't make you feel bloated like a hot air balloon because as much as I love bread and butter... when it's a sauna outside, all you want is to eat something light and fresh - that is if you do want to eat at all.

So here's a super duper cooler recipe for your hot summer. It's fresh and light and yummy and super easy :) Lots of adjectives but once you'll try, you'll get it, believe me ! Scroll down for all the yummy details + all the nutrition facts coz it's always good to know what you put inside your body ain't it?

WHAT TO GET :

- 1 cup of frozen blueberries ( I buy them fresh and organic and freeze them) : Blueberries are full of antioxidants (pterostilbene and resveratrol - for the geeks out there). Blueberries are a super good source for vitamin K, vitamin C and manganese but also fiber and copper.

- 1 cup of frozen watermelon (fresh watermelon and freeze it, couple of hours is enough) : Watermelon has vitamin C. It is also a good source of pantothenic acid, copper, biotin, potassium, vitamin A (in the form of carotenoids - for the geeks), vitamin B1, vitamin B6 and magnesium.

- Mint leaves - as much as you love : Mint is a ood source of Protein, Vitamin B6, Phosphorus and Zinc, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.

- Chia seeds - 1 tbsp : Do I even have to list down the magic of this tiny seed ? There are so many good stuff in there so here are a few : Dietary fiber, Protein, Omega-3 fatty acids, Omega-6 fatty acids, Calcium, Phosphorus, Vitamins A, B, E, D ... it's good for a healthy skin, reducing signs of aging, supporting the heart and digestive system, building stronger bones and muscles, etc - Just google it !

- Rose water - 1 tbsp : Just because it tastes super yummy some don't like floral fragrance in their food... so that's up to you

HOW TO :

Throw everything in your blender and mix it. Suuuuuuuper easy !! Told you !

If you didn't have time to freeze your fruits, just add some ice cubes.

Pour and driiiiink - with a straw coz everything just tastes better with a straw ! Right ?

Hope you'll enjoy this super easy and healthy smoothie ! Let me know what you think !

Have a great summer shinning souls!

C xx

Summer Fig & Mascarpone tartlets

 

This fig tartlets are a light and fresh dessert recipe for your summer gatherings with friends and family.

Those who know me well, know that apart from being a destination wedding photographer, I have a passion for food. Both cooking AND eating! :)

So sharing with your today this as a celebration for the last days of summer and welcoming fall with this new recipe. Here's a super easy recipe (yes I love easy and yummy recipes, remember THIS) for fig tartlets. The great thing about this recipe is that you can actually keep the base and switch with any fruits you'd like (berries, apricot, apple, pear etc), fits any seasonal fruits !

Shot on Mamiya645, Dev & Scans by Carmencita Film Lab

 

Recipe for awesome summer fig & mascarpone tartlets:

Pastry:

• 250g flour
• 125g butter
• 50g icing sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 30g cold water
• 1 pinch of salt

Cut the butter in small dices and mix it with the flour [use your hands! :) ] until the butter is 'absorbed' by the flour. Add the icing sugar and mix again. Then add the cold water and the egg yolk, finish with the salt. Once everything is well mixed together, keep in the fridge for 30min.

After 30min, roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface. Cut out the size of the tartlets you'd want, I personally use an ordinary water glass to cut them out (about 6cm diameter, note: they will shrink in baking) and put them in muffin tins. You can also use a normal 20-25cm flan tin if you want to make a normal size tart. Bake for 15 mins at 180°c. Let it cool down before filling in.

Mascarpone filling:

• 125g mascarpone
• 1 egg
• 35g honey + tbsp vanilla essence (optional)

eparate the egg white and yolk. Mix the yolk and honey (+vanilla) together and whisk until you see some foam. Add the mascarpone and blend together. Beat the egg white until stiff and incorporate slowly to the mix. Keep in the fridge for 45min-1hr

The figs :

• 6 to 8 figs - depending on the size of your tin. Cut into 4.

Roast the figs in the oven for 7min at 180°c or even better if you have a blowtorch, sprinkle a little bit of sugar and caramelized them using the blowtorch.

Serving:

Fill your tartlets crust with a tablespoon of mascarpone. Top it up with a 1/4 roasted fig.

Tadaaaa you're done ! Enjoy !

Gluten free chocolate lava cake

Those who know me well know that I'm in love with food and cooking, probably as much as Kanye loves Kanye. Being born in France, I certainly had no other choice but to get addicted to cheese, butter and fresh baguettes. I believe that if I didn't fall for photography, I probably would have opened a bakery. Baking is breathing to me... I just wished that chocolate was as healthy as fresh air.

And although you probably came across my blog because you were looking for wedding photos, I wanted to share with you this other part of my life. Today, I'm sharing with you one of my all-time favorite recipes. It's the easiest, fastest, yummiest, chocolate molten cake recipe everrrr AND it's gluten free ! Ha! What more could you ask for ?! You can whip this cake in less that 20 minutes and blow away your guests' taste buds at the very first spoon. Try at your next dinner party and let me know how it went !

RECIPE :

Ingredients :

• 4 organic fresh eggs
• 125g of organic butter - I use a salted butter but some might not like salty/sweet combination
• 300g of dark chocolate (70% cacao) + optional : 1 tablespoon of raw cacao powder for those who like intense chocolaty taste
• 2 tablespoon of rice or corn flour - I usually use a French corn flour brand called Maizena
• 2 tablespoon of brown sugar

How to (the easiest instructions on earth! 3 steps only!) :

1. Whisk eggs and sugar together until a slight foam forms, add the flour and the cacao powder
2. Melt your butter and chocolate in a saucepan on a low heat. Add to mixture n°1
3. Fill in individual muffin baking tins. Bake at 210°c (410°F) for 10 MINUTES ! no more, no less. Take out of the oven, let it cool down before serving (10 min if you like it hot like Marilyn). Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for those who will start diet tomorrow.

BONUS TIPS : You can even fill in your individual muffin tins and freeze them ! Pull them out on your Sunday night dinner when you didn't think of desserts and all shops are closed! You're welcome ...  (Bake a little longer, 15 mins)

BON APPÉTIT ! :)

C x