It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade. We had our pea-coats with us, and I took a bag. Of all my worldly possessions I took no more than the few necessaries that filled the bag. Where I might go, what I might do, or when I might return, were questions utterly unknown to me; nor did I vex my mind with them, for it was wholly set on Provis’s safety. I only wondered for the passing moment, as I stopped at the door and looked back, under what altered circumstances I should next see those rooms, if ever. – Charles Dickens
Just the other day someone was mentioning that it was time to set some goals for the second quarter of the year. And even though I wish I was that organised, what confused me the most was not the fact that some people are much better at structuring their days but that it was already the end of March. A month I never really liked. Neither it’s name nor it’s season. Though I have to say, I finally feel like I’m on track again with my life and projects. January basically went by in a day and there wasn’t enough time in February to catch up. March on the other side gave me time to breathe and get some work done. I have updated my Lightroom Preset Shop and added some new products. I set up a mailing list for anyone interested in purchasing Food Photography and Styling Shops. And I intensely started working on a secret project which I hope to share very soon.
Now I’m taking a little break again because catching up is exhausting but more importantly, because my family is visiting. They are our first visitors in Dubai and I can’t wait to show them around. But before they arrive I wanted to leave you with this very crispy and flaky filo galette. It’s filled with a delicious truffle cashew cream and topped with cheesy kale chips. It’s one of those recipes that happened unplanned. I had just bought a fresh bunch of kale for my smoothies. The leaves were fresh, strong and curly. The filo pastry was still sitting in my freezer waiting to find its purpose. And thanks to the Flavor Thesaurus by Niki Segnit I had just learned that cabbage and kale go well with truffle. The rest was improvisation and the result one of my favourite recent recipe creations.
Filo Galette with Truffle Cashew Cream and Cheezy Kale Chips
- 3 stems kale, chopped & stems removed
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/4 tsp truffle salt
- 200 g soaked cashew nuts
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 tsp truffle salt
- optional: 1 tsp truffle oil
- 4 filo sheets
- extra olive oil to brush the sheets
- Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F
- Bake the kale chips. Combine chopped kale, oil, salt and nutritional yeast. Spread on baking sheet and bake for 10-15 min or until edges are slightly brown. Set aside.
- Make Cashew Cream. In a blender, combine soaked cashews with water. Blend until creamy smooth and add more water if necessary. Now add truffle salt and truffle oil (optional) and blend again for another 30 seconds.
- Prepare the pastry. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and place the first sheet of filo on the prepared baking sheet and brush it with olive oil. Place another sheet of filo on top and brush it with olive oil again. Repeat until all sheets of filo are being used.
- Spoon the cashew cream into the centre of your filo pastry and spread evenly, leaving about a 2.5 cm/ 1-inch border. Fold the edges to create a border around the galette. Generously brush with oil.
- Bake for 20 min or until the edges are super crispy and brown. Top with kale chips and serve warm or at room temperature.