kitchen – juicy roots

Vegan Apple Shortcrust Tart (Extra Apples, Chunky Filling)

January 2, 2026 No Comments

If you love apple pie but always wish there was more apple and less fuss, this one’s for you. This vegan apple tart is built around a generous, chunky apple filling (cut in relaxed, uneven pieces) that’s quickly pan-fried to concentrate the flavour, then thickened with a little potato starch so it slices beautifully.

It’s simple, cosy, and very “home kitchen” — with that golden shortcrust frame that makes every bite feel like a treat.

Why you’ll love this tart

So many apples. The crust is basically a crisp, buttery frame.
Chunky, not mushy. Irregular apple pieces = the best texture.
No soggy bottom. Pan-frying reduces excess moisture.
Sliceable filling. Potato starch sets it just enough without turning gummy.
No eggs needed. Shortcrust doesn’t require them — it’s naturally stable when chilled and handled quickly.

Ingredients

For the vegan shortcrust (22–24 cm / 9-inch tin)

285 g all-purpose flour
1 tbsp potato starch (about 12–15 g)
70–90 g sugar (adjust to taste)
Pinch of salt
180 g cold vegan butter or a good high-fat vegan margarine (75–80%)
2–4 tbsp ice-cold water (as needed)

Optional: 1 tsp baking powder (slightly lighter, more “cookie-like” crust)

For the apple filling

1.2–1.5 kg apples (peeled), chopped into medium, uneven chunks
2–4 tbsp sugar (to taste)
1–2 tsp cinnamon
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp neutral oil or a little vegan butter (for the pan)
2 tbsp potato starch
3 tbsp cold water (to make a slurry)

Optional extras: pinch of cardamom, vanilla, raisins, or chopped walnuts

Equipment

22–24 cm (9-inch) springform tin or tart tin
Baking paper
Rolling pin (or just press the dough in with your hands)
Large frying pan

Step-by-step instructions

1) Make the vegan shortcrust

In a large bowl, mix the flour, 1 tbsp potato starch, sugar, salt (and baking powder if using).
Add cold vegan butter in cubes. Rub it into the flour with your fingertips (or use a pastry cutter) until you get a sandy, crumbly texture.
Add 2 tbsp ice-cold water and quickly bring the dough together. Add more water only if needed (up to 4 tbsp).
Tip: Don’t knead — just press it together until it holds.
Flatten into a disc, wrap, and chill for 30 minutes.

2) Cook the apples (chunky + glossy)

Peel the apples and chop them into medium, irregular chunks — not too small.
Heat a pan with oil/vegan butter. Add the apples, sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice.
Pan-fry for 8–12 minutes, stirring gently, until the apples soften slightly and release their juices, but still hold their shape.

Thicken the filling (the sliceable secret)

Mix 2 tbsp potato starch with 3 tbsp cold water to make a smooth slurry.
Pour the slurry into the pan and stir for 30–60 seconds until the juices turn glossy and the filling noticeably thickens.
Take off the heat and let it cool for 5–10 minutes (steam escapes → better crust).

3) Assemble

Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F (conventional / top-bottom heat).
Line your tin with baking paper.
Roll out the dough and line the base and sides (or press it in with your fingers).
Optional but recommended: blind bake the crust for 10 minutes for extra crispness.
Spoon in the warm (not piping hot) apple filling and level it gently.

4) Bake

Bake at 180°C / 350°F for 40–50 minutes, until the edges are deeply golden and the filling is bubbling.

If the edges brown too fast: cover the rim with a strip of foil.

Cooling (for neat slices)

For clean slices: cool 1–2 hours before cutting.
For maximum cosy vibes: serve slightly warm, but expect a softer slice.

Tips for the best texture

The key to “silky” but not gummy

Don’t overdo the starch. 2 tbsp potato starch is enough for this amount of apples.
If your apples are very juicy, pan-fry 2–3 minutes longer rather than adding extra starch.

Best apples to use

A mix is ideal:

tart (Granny Smith, Bramley) + sweet (Gala, Pink Lady) = balanced flavour.

Vegan butter matters

Use a high-fat vegan butter/margarine (around 75–80%). “Light” spreads can make the dough greasy or unstable.

Storage

Keeps well covered for 2–3 days.
For the crispiest crust, store at room temp on day 1, then refrigerate if you prefer.
Reheat slices briefly in the oven/air fryer to bring back the crunch.

Variations

Crumb topping: reserve 1/4 of the dough and crumble it over the apples before baking.
Vanilla glaze vibe: add 1/2 tsp vanilla to the apples.
Nutty winter version: add walnuts + a pinch of cardamom.

If you make it, tell me what apples you used — and whether you’re team neat slices or warm messy perfection. ????✨

food, kitchen

Spicy Jambolaya

March 7, 2021 11 Comments

Maybe you think “Jambolaya” is the title of a Latin song and maybe you’re right…
Nevertheless, “Jambalaya” is also known as a rice-based Creole dish.

While rice is mainly associated with sushi, risotto or paella, it is also widely used as a major ingredient in Caribbean islands, Indian Ocean islands and Louisiana cuisine.
Traditionally, the base of this dish is made of rice enriched with various additives depending on the region, such as local weights, seafood, or meat enriched with citrus acidity. For my special jambalaya, I usually use tomatoes, peppers, onions, beans, squash, zucchini, vegan sausages, or tofu, some herbs and spices.

Basically, it is a simple one-pot dish and we can prepare it from what we have at our average household disposal.

Ingredients:
1 cup of rice
3 cups of water or vegetable broth
a couple of tablespoons of oil
1 large zucchini
1 bell pepper
1 onion
3 spring onion
3 cloves of garlic
a handful of colorful tomatoes
a couple of vegan sausages
5 tablespoons of tomato puree
1 teaspoon of sweet pepper
1 teaspoon hot pepper or chopped chili pepper
parsley or cilantro
salt
pepper
1/4 lemon juice

Recipe:
Wash the vegetables and cut them into similarly sized cubes.
Separately, chop the onions, garlic, chili and coriander.
Put the chopped onion, chopped chili garlic, and paprika into a large frying pan with oil.
Fry everything for about 2 minutes.
Add the rice and fry for a few minutes until it turns glassy.
Add all chopped vegetables, mix and stew for about 4 minutes. Add tomato puree and water or broth.
Finally, heat up some oil in a separate pan. Add chopped soy sausages and fry until the sausages are golden brown.
Add the sausages to the pot and mix everything
Add fresh cut tomatoes, chopped cilantro, and spring onion.

As always let me know what you think about this recipe in the comments section below.

What is the most popular way to cook rice in your part of the world?

dessert, kitchen

Love chocolate

February 13, 2021 12 Comments

Revolutionary chocolate that takes the internet by storm. All you need is love … and what’s the best aphrodisiac if not chocolate?

Which is why for this valentine’s day I have prepared for you this last minute recipe that requires only 3 common ingredients. Let us make a love chocolate!

If you were planning to make a special Valentine’s Day dessert, but something did not work out or going out is not an option than keep or reading as this is a recipe for you.

Ingredients:
– Chocolate or several chocolate bars, depending on the size of the tin. My mold was very large and in my case I needed 4 chocolates.
– Your favourite nuts. I used a handful of pistachios but I was also tempted to use cashew nuts.
– Additional ingredients and spices, although unnecessary, will be appreciated. I used frozen dried strawberries and a tiny bit of chilli – highly recommended, but you may also add additional type of nuts, dried fruit, jelly beans, dried flower petals or even honeycomb crumbs.

Execution:
Cut or crush the chocolate into small pieces and melt it slowly on a small fire – remember to keep slowly steering the chocolate to not let it boil. Dissolve chocolate in a water bath, i.e. boil the hot water and then put in it your smaller (pot, bowl) filled with chocolate. This will control the melting process. It may sound complicated but trust me frying the chocolate directlly over the hob will jeprodize the process. Alternativelly you could use a microwave.
Pour the melted chocolate into a heart-shaped mold, garnish with nuts and let it cool. if you want to speed up the process, put the mold in the fridge or freezer, of course, after it has already cooled down to not damage your appliances.

P.S. if you don’t have a mold, just cut the heart out of the cardboard, wrap the tape and put out the climbing film. That’s what I did!

Enjoy the result!

kitchen

The Last Samurai and violet honey

May 23, 2020 22 Comments

“The perfect blossom is a rare thing. You could spend your life looking for one, and it would not be a wasted life” said Katsumoto the samurai, a leader of the last remaining Japanese village which hasn’t been yet transformed and industrialized by the western culture.

Perhaps it’s a common perversion but I often find myself to remember nature and food quotes best from any movie or a book I happen to experience in my life. Maybe each one of us seeks his/her own wisdom… or maybe just like the last samurai some of us are feeling trapped and cornered, our ideals sold out, our trust abused and honour dishonoured. Maybe that’s the moment when we should all stop and think for a while, perhaps even consider to search for our own state of mind cherry blossom?

How would it look like and when would you know if you have found one already? If you haven’t watched yet the movie “Last Samurai” then my dear reader, I strongly recommend you to do so and let me know what inspiration have you felt in your heart after watching it in the comments section below.

While I haven’t devoted my entire life, only the whole morning 😉 to find a hundred violets flowers I also seek for my very own cherry blossom. I think part of it consists of this blog where I can channel my passion into new recipe formulas for anyone to try out and find peace in your body with Mother Nature and your inner-self.
Anyway back to the violets which in case you didn’t know smell best in the evening. If you would like to use them in your kitchen, then I definitely recommend the early morning for the harvest-time. Their beauty is really fleeting and they must be used immediately after breaking up, because they wilt very quickly. Furthermore to enjoy them, I transform them into refreshing lemonades, flower ice cubes, add to cakes, or simply administrate in amber dandelion syrup.

This syrup with violets is my favourite and I would love to share its recipe with you today.
If you already know my dandelion honey recipe, or even better yet you are the lucky owner of this golden nectar, you should be already halfway through the implementation of this recipe. The field trip (for me always the most exciting part) is also the most challenging one depending on where you live. You must survey your local area for either the forest or a garden in order to harvest some fresh flowers of violets.
Once you have captured them, you may begin the enchanting process and watch as the magic unfolds in front of your eyes.

Your precious ingredients:
1 jar of dandelion honey from my previous recipe
A handful of flower violets.

Mission:
Create superb quality honey with nature pure violets of life for your loved ones.
As always I like to keep things really simple whenever possible and let the nature do the work for you and me. All you have to do is put the violets in the jar and …yes wait for it…close it again. The proportions in this recipe are obviously not crucial, but try not to pour too many flowers into one jar and remember that the flowers should be dried and above all fresh. It might seem like a very simple, to say even a trivial trick but I encourage you to leave the violets in your jar for a few days and try that unique flavour with that special aftertaste. Be careful though as water can spoil our honey, so it’s good to spread our violets on a paper towel for a moment so that it will be absorbed by some form of cloth.

If you preserve the violets in honey in such way they will not only retain their beautiful colour for a long time but also extend the honey lifetime for up to a year and that I am speaking from my personal experience. Whether it will last longer than a year though? – that I can’t promise as honey served in such way always attracts a lot of unnecessary attention and if you invite your family and friends often I guarantee you it will not last that long 🙂

Honey Wishes to You
Eva

I am very curious what you think about the movie The Last Samurai and what are your favorite flowers and whether you happen to eat them. Let me know in the comments section below.