European Cuisine

European home cooking at its most practical — schnitzel, casseroles, baked cheese, and rustic tray bakes that feel like they took all day but didn't.

EasyEuropean

Puff Pastry Apple & Walnut Half-Moons

Puff pastry apple and walnut half-moons are the bakery-window dessert built from a ready-made sheet: one strip cut into semicircles with the rim of a lid, a narrow egg-wash border, a thin layer of honey in the middle, then a filling of two apples cubed about 1.5 cm and cooked in butter with two tablespoons of brown sugar, a level teaspoon of cinnamon, orange zest and vanilla. The trick that keeps the juice with the fruit is cornstarch stirred into the orange juice before it reaches the pan. Soaked dried cranberries and coarsely chopped nuts go in, the second strip becomes the tops, pricked with a fork, and 20 minutes at 200 °C with the fan off turns them puffed and golden under a fine nut crumble. At the very end you hear the crunch. Makes 6.

55 min6 servings

EasyEuropean

Golden Mushrooms in Air Fryer

Golden air-fryer mushrooms are the snack of the set, and the crust comes from a spoon of mayo: whole mushrooms tossed in a bowl with a few spoonfuls of mayonnaise, paprika, garlic powder, salt and black pepper, then 15 minutes at 180 °C. Mayonnaise is already an emulsion of oil and egg, so it clings where plain oil runs off and browns into a golden, aromatic crust while the mushrooms inside turn tender. Five minutes of prep, one bowl, one basket — a side or a snack straight from the air fryer. Serves 2.

20 min2 servings

EasyEuropean

Creamy Mushroom Triangle with Sausage

The creamy mushroom triangle is a julienne in a tortilla suit: three small sausages pinned into a triangle frame along the tortilla's edge, filled with mushrooms browned in a dry skillet first — oil comes later, or the sponges soak it up and steam — then simmered with onion, salt, pepper and 150 ml of heavy cream until a dragged line closes slowly. Shredded mozzarella piles on, the exposed edges get an egg-wash glow-up, and 10 minutes at 180 °C in the air fryer bubbles the cheese and browns the crust. A calzone and a French mushroom pie, raised on simplicity. Serves 2.

40 min2 servings

EasyEuropean

Potato Meat Dinner in Parchment Paper

One parchment parcel holds a full dinner for two: mashed potato bakes into a savoury shell around soy-glazed ground beef, browned mushrooms and melted mozzarella after 10 minutes in the air fryer at 180°C (350°F). The trick is buttering the paper and dusting it with paprika, dill and garlic powder before the potato goes on; those spices toast into the surface as it cooks, so the outside tastes of more than plain potato. Start the sliced mushrooms in a dry skillet until their water cooks off, then add oil so they actually brown. No air fryer? Bake the parcel at 200°C (400°F) for 15–20 minutes instead.

35 min2 servings

MediumEuropeanFrench

Camembert Bacon

A whole camembert stuffed with garlic, honey and dried herbs, then wrapped in a woven bacon mat and baked until the outside crisps and the centre turns molten. The weave is what makes it work: pressing the strips flat with a rolling pin between two sheets of parchment locks them together, so the wrap holds tight and the melting cheese stays put. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for about 25 minutes, until the bacon is deep golden on all sides. Serve it hot, while the middle still flows.

40 min4 servings

EasyEuropean

Crispy Schnitzel in Air Fryer

A thin pork or veal cutlet gets a panko crust in the air fryer, and it crisps up properly because panko crumbs are large and airy, so hot circulating air can brown every ridge without a pot of oil. The one step that decides everything happens before breading: pound the cutlet evenly thin under cling film, or thick spots will still be pink when the crust is done. A light brush of soy sauce seasons the meat right under the coating. After about 15 minutes at 180°C (350°F) with one flip, look for an even, deep golden crust on both sides. No panko? Coarse dry breadcrumbs work too.

25 min2 servings

EasyEuropean

Cabbage with Eggs Casserole in Air Fryer

Shredded cabbage, smoked sausage and four eggs bake into a firm low-carb casserole here, and the air fryer's two-stage method is what keeps it from going watery. A 10-minute pre-bake at 180°C (350°F) softens the seasoned cabbage and drives off its moisture before the eggs go anywhere near it. Slice the cabbage thin, a mandoline helps, and toss it with paprika, garlic powder and olive oil first. Then layer it in a foil pan with the sausage, pour over the beaten eggs, and cook 15 minutes more until the center no longer jiggles. Any small smoked sausage stands in for hunters sausage.

35 min3 servings