Swirl & Scramble

GALETTE DES ROIS

2012-01-06T02:45:00.006+01:00

The holiday season is such a great excuse to stuff yourself with all types of delicious foods....and just when you think it's about to come to an end...you realize there's one last thing to devour: a generous slice of a Galette des Rois. Mais oui, the food marathon is not over yet... at least not in the French tradition, where it is typical to enjoy the genius combination of puff pastry and frangipane on the day of Epiphany. Even if it's a 'seasonal' type of patisserie, I know many who wouldn't mind enjoying a slice all year round (ah yes, you know who you are!) - and that would certainly include myself. Because the truth is that, finalement, the simple nature of a Galette des Rois is addictively scrummy yummy, tout simplement! There's a warm, wholesome, comforting type of pleasure biting into it's golden buttery flakey crust and the rich creamy frangipane interior. The classic version is typically made with an almond flavoured frangipane, but there's always the exception as each year the pastry chefs in France demonstrate their creativity and interpret the galette in an array of flavours. This year, I did not stray away too much- just a little- with a pralinoise frangipane, which is a beautiful caramel-like based marriage of hazelnuts and almonds. You'll see that the recipe for frangipane is super easy and is great not only in a Galette des Rois, but a fabulous addition to fruit tarts and other flakey pastries.

You can make the puff pastry from scratch, or buy it ready made (nothing wrong with that!)

The first step: roll out the puff pastry

Spread out a generous layer of frangipane

Mmmm...frangipane close-up, definately the best part!

Roll out a second layer of puff pastry, place on top of the frangipane, seal the edges and brush with egg yolks or milk. A little tip: pull out the galette five minutes before the end of it's baking time and sprinkle with icing sugar before placing it back in the oven. This will help give it a nice shiny appearance.

Voilà- servez vous! Finger licking good!

Recipe for Galette des Rois

Puff pastry:

If you make it from scratch, understand that the portions are for each 100gr of flour add 50gr of butter, a pinch of salt and drops of water if necessary. The butter should be cold (you can place it in the freezer before) and the dough should not be overworked. Before rolling it out, it's best to leave the puff pastry to rest in the fridge for a few hours. Alternatively, you can buy ready-made puff pastry (and that's not considered cheating by the way!)

Pralinoise Frangipane:

The general rule for frangipane is for each 100gr of ground almonds you will need 100gr of butter, 100gr of sugar and 2 eggs. A pralinoise frangipane however is a combination of almonds and hazelnuts:

50gr almonds

50gr hazelnuts

100gr sugar

100gr butter, melted

2 eggs

1 egg yolk (or milk)

Prepare a tray lined with greased parchment paper. Place the sugar in a pan, place over heat. Just when it starts to melt and develop a nice caramel colour, turn off the heat and add the almonds and hazelnuts. Continue to cook for a few minutes, then transfer onto the tray and cool for about an hour. The result will be a hard type of brittle. Break into pieces, place in a mixer and grind into a fine powder- this is your 'pralin'. In a bowl, mix the powdered pralin and butter. Add the eggs and mix well.

Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Roll out a first layer of puff pastry. Spread a generous layer of pralinoise frangipane. Cover with a second layer of puff pastry. Brush with egg yolk or milk. Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden.

*If the thought of using all that butter in the frangipane frightens you, you can substitute half of the butter with apple sauce instead!

NUTELLA-HAZELNUT MUFFINS

2011-12-15T04:18:00.002+01:00

You're supposed to remember your "firsts", aren't you? Strangely enough, I have vague memories of the first time I learned how to bike or my first trip on a plane...or anything that's 'supposed to be' significantly important in one's life. However I certainly do recall some of my first baking moments. I knew I always loved food, and before exploring my savory side, my first love was baking- cakes, breads, muffins, pies... all of which represented this delicious sugar-coated world I dreamed to endlessly explore. I'll always remember the first baking recipe I ever tried to make (scones), the flavour of my first muffins (banana), and without a doubt: I'll definately remember the time I burned a whole tray of chocolate cookies... (as much as I'd like not to remember that one!)

Then there are the first recipes you learn, and for me, one that kicked off my baking experience was what is known in France as a ''quatre-quarts'', which literally means ''four fourths''- producing something similar to a pound cake. The title is self-explanatory that sometimes I feel a quatre-quarts could be the baking for dummies recipe par excellence. One fourth eggs, one fourth butter, one fourth sugar, one fourth flour. This recipe is easier to remember then my own e-mail password- that's how straightforward it is- and made for a totally appropriate first recipe to explore (you didn't think I was making macarons in my mother's womb did you?)

Anyway, so I often go back to the quatre-quarts recipe, to which I make certain adjustments depending on what I'm looking to create. For instance, these wonderful Nutella-Hazelnut Muffins. There's really nothing special about the recipe, but they turned out to be marvelous: one fourth eggs, one fourth butter, one fourth sugar, one fourth flour plus ground hazelnuts and whirls of Nutella...and maybe some cinnamon as well. The only thing that's missing is a cold glass of milk for a totally regressive experience, reminding one of childhood memories and all the fabulous firsts that were a part of it...

Eggs, sugar (brown & white), cinnamon...and a few more ingredients to complete the batter

First, a dollop of Nutella...

Then some crushed hazelnuts...

Straight out of the oven... and ready to enjoy...

Recipe for Nutella-Hazelnut Muffins:

Based on a quatre-quarts recipe which implies every one egg calls for 50gr/1.75oz sugar, 50gr/1.75oz butter and 50gr/1.75oz flour.

So, we can assume:

2 eggs

100gr / 3.5oz sugar (you can choose to do half brown sugar, half white)

100gr / 3.5oz butter

100gr / 3.5oz flour

50gr / 1.75oz ground hazelnuts

Nutella

Crushed hazelnuts

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F/180C. In a bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, butter and cinnamon for a good two minutes. Mix in the flour and ground hazelnuts. Pour batter into muffin pans. Onto each muffin, add a spoon of Nutella and swirl into the batter gently. Top off with crushed hazelnuts and bake for 20 minutes.

NUTTY, FRUITY LINZER TARTLETS

2011-12-09T05:50:00.000+01:00

There's a country in Europe that I've always been a fan of when it comes to desserts. Of course, the colourful macarons in France are tres chic and the Italian cannoli may be sinfully creamy and crunchy... but it's hard not to fall in love with the desserts of Austria- and maybe more specifically, the tortes. Classic and true to themselves, Austrian tortes are the most glorious of them all! Sacher torte, Dobos torte, Esterhazy torte...and of course, Linzer torte- the one that I keep coming back to each winter, each year.

Above: my favourite part, making the nutty crust... rich with ground almonds & hazelnuts!

And so the other day, invetably as it was destined to be, I found myself measuring ground nuts, piping jam into tart shells and baking an army of bite size Linzer torte tartlets that then marched under a sweet snowfall of icing sugar.

When I moved to the other side of the ocean, I packed my favourite Linzer torte recipe with me. Scribbled on a piece of paper years ago, this recipe calls for a rich nutty crust- which is what makes Linzer tarts so charming. So beware of recipes that don't include any sort of nuts- short bread, quick fix crusts don't qualify...at least not in my kitchen :)

Recipe for Linzer torte (makes large tarts, tarlets or cookies)

200gr (7/8 cup) butter, softened

130gr (5/8 cup) sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon almond essence

70 gr (1/3 cup) ground toasted almonds
70gr (1/3 cup) ground toasted hazelnuts

350gr (3 cups) flour + an extra handful when rolling dough out.

Raspberry jam

Icing sugar

In a large bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, butter, cinnamon and almond essence. Add the ground nuts and continue to mix. Then roll your sleeves up, drop the whisks, add the flour and finish mixing the dough with your hands. It's important to feel the texture and ensure that all ingredients have been well mixed. If the dough feels a little dry, you can add some flour- bit by bit. The dough should be supple with a shiny appearance and should not stick to your hands (but never too dry and certainly not crumbly). Place dough in fridge for one hour, and if possible, even overnight.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 180C/350F. Roll out the dough on a board dusted with flour.

For tarts: line the moulds with the rolled out dough and pipe out the raspberry jam into the tart mould. With remaining dough, make long strips and place on top of tart in a criss-cross design. Bake for 20 minutes at 180C/350F. Extend baking time by 5-10 minutes if necessary. When tart has cooled, finish off with a dusting of icing sugar.

For cookies: cut out the dough with a cookie cutter and transfer cookies to a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes at 180C/350F. While the cookies cool, heat the raspberry jam in a small saucepan until it becomes of a thicker consistency. Split the cookies into two batches. Pipe out raspberry jam on one batch and sprinkle icing sugar on the second batch. Then assemble each cookie by sandwiching them up together (the side with the icing sugar on top).

*If you don't have both almonds & hazelnuts, you can also use just almonds or just hazelnuts (total should be 2/3 of whatever nut you choose).

HOLIDAY TREATS: TRUFFLES & BISCOTTI

2011-12-04T04:19:00.000+01:00

For some flavour, I added cinnamon and coffee into the heavy cream for a subtle twist to

classic chocolate truffles.

Lately, I've been going through a holiday baking frenzy (like I do every year!) Each day, the sun sets earlier and the air feels chillier and I realize I'm spending more time in the kitchen cooking up some sweet treats. Unfortunately, I haven't been good at posting my recent baking sessions- which have included everything from utterly soft pumpkin cookies to a luscious walnut & cranberry spice cake to ever so classic gingerbread cookies... all devoured away without a trace here on my blog!

Typically, I make my truffles using 60% or semi-sweet chocolate but this time, for a smoother taste, I decided to use 2/3 part 60% and 1/3 milk chocolate. It was just the right balance of cocoa bitterness and a sweet dreamy creamy texture!

But to make up for that, here are some lavish homemade chocolate truffles and biscotti fit for this festive holiday season. Both are incredibly versatile staple recipes that I've had for quite some time- so they work great as is or lend themselves to a range of flavours!

There's nothing easier to make then chocolate truffles, all you need is two ingredients: chocolate & cream!

Don't chew on truffles! Just let them melt in your mouth...mmm mmm mmm...

I used a basic biscotti recipe and made one batch with almonds and chopped toffee & chocolate and a second batch with cocoa, almonds & cranberries.

Biscotti are baked twice: first as a log, then sliced diagonally and baked again for a shorter period of time.

Chocolate Truffles:

Portions are 1 part good quality chocolate, 1/2 part heavy whipping cream.

+ Unsweetened cocoa to roll truffles in.

+ Optionally, any of your favourite flavours (coffee, liquor, spices, etc) and feel free to roll truffles in chopped nuts, coconut...

Place chopped chocolate (or chocolate morsels) in a heat proof bowl. In a pot, heat the heavy cream but do not allow to boil. Transfer the cream on the chocolate, stir until all chocolate has melted and mixture is perfectly smooth. Allow mixture to cool in fridge for at least two hours. Shape truffles into bite sized balls and roll in unsweetened cocoa. Place truffles one last time in the fridge for at least an hour before serving. They can be made the day before serving and stay well in the fridge for a good week at least.

Biscotti (base recipe):

2 large eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 stick butter

2 cups flour

1.5 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Optional (but recommended): a dash of a strong liquor such as rum, bourbon, etc.

And don't forget to add flavours! Anything from vanilla, cocoa, coconut, etc... and chopped almonds, hazelnuts, chocolate, dried fruits, etc.

If flavours are wet ingredients (ex: caramel): add them along with the eggs

If the flavours are dry ingredients (ex: cinnamon) add them along with the flour.

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, butter and liquor. Add the flour, baking soda and salt and continue to mix the dough well. Add your choice of chopped nuts or dried fruits and mix the dough one last time. Shape biscotti dough into a log, flatten gently and place on a baking tray (lined with parchment paper). Bake at 350F for 40 minutes. Take out and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes. Slice log diagonally, transfer biscotti (flat side facing up) onto baking tray again and bake for 15 minutes at 350F. Remove from oven, let cool and enjoy on its own or dunked into a delicious cup of coffee!

QUICK SUMMER BITES

2011-07-21T00:08:00.002+02:00

What is more appropriate then biting through a crostini (aaah.. those Italians strike again!) and sipping on a glass of wine under the sun? At this time of the year, I find crostinis to be perfect to nibble on and absolutely love that with just a few slices of bread, the range of flavours you can mix and match are quite endless.. from savoury to sweet. I know I have some personal favourites: anything with roasted eggplants usually is right up my alley. I'm also very much of a cheese based crostini person- especially if you top it off with loads of arugula. But what I'm really loving right now is fennel. It's an ingredient I usually associate with fish dishes, but in the summer I fall in love with it's crunchy texture and how it smells so refreshing with that distinctive anise-liquorice scent.

That's why here I've used it in combination with goat cheese, roasted tomatoes and lots of dill & olive oil.

I like to roast my tomatoes until they're slightly burnt on the edges. It gives them that je-ne-sais-quoi...

These ''little bites'' were a pleasure to enjoy. And most certainly simple to make. Here's how:

Recipe for Goat Cheese, Fennel & Roasted Tomato Crostini, ready in a snap!:

Your favourite choice of bread- sliced. French baguette, ciabatta, sourdough bread... pretty much anything goes!

Goat cheese (soft)

Tomatoes, cut into quarters & roasted

Fennel, chopped

Extra Virgin Olive oil

Dill

Salt & Pepper

Grill your slices of bread and drizzle with good quality extra virgin olive oil. In the meantime, heat some olive oil in a pan and saute the chopped fennel for 2-3 minutes. Then add the roasted tomatoes, add lots of dill, season with salt & pepper and mix everything gently. Add slices of goat cheese on the grilled bread slices, spread lightly, drizzle some olive oil and grill in the oven for two minutes. Finally, top off with a generous chunk of the fennel-tomato mixture. Bite in, enjoy!

ORANGE-WHISKEY PRAWNS & CALAMARI

2011-07-17T02:42:00.003+02:00

It's hot, very hot right now. Summer has kicked in full mode and although I absolutely love cooking and spending time in the kitchen, in this sizzling heat the only thing I want cooking is food and not myself! So something quick, easy and most importantly- something that bursts with flavours- is just what I'm looking for. And I happen to be in the mood for a dish that involves some type of seafood and that can all be prepared in one large pan... in less then fifteen minutes. Am I asking for too much? Does that sound too good to be true? I guess not... and the proof are these prawns and calamari rings in a luscious orange-whiskey sauce. I stumbled accross this recipe in a cookbook by one of my favourite chefs Gordon Ramsay, and then improvised at home. Top them off with lots of herby cilantro goodness, enjoy with a glass of white wine and you're set! By the way, talking about wines, I must say that year after year I am consistently impressed with the quality of white wines from New Zealand. The Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs in particular. If you're usually sipping on a Chardonnay from France or a Pinot Grigio from Italy, try something different next time (hint hint: from New Zealand)- you'll be pleasantly surprised!

These lovely prawns will turn pink once cooked!

Freshly squeezed oranges will add that lovely citrusy fruity flavour to the dish (I even like to include a bit of the pulp)

You can make this with just prawns...or just calamari...but it's always nice to have a bit of both!

Just before serving, I like to add sprinkle even more chopped cilantro- in addition to what was used while cooking this dish!

Recipe for Orange-Whiskey Prawns & Calamari (makes 2-3 servings):

300 gr / 10 oz prawns

300 gr / 10 oz calamari rings

1 large orange, juice of

A generous dash of whiskey

Handful of cilantro, fresh & chopped

Garlic, chopped

Olive oil

Salt & Pepper

In a large pan, add the olive oil and garlic and place on a stove on medium/high heat. If you're a garlic lover like me, then go crazy and include lots of it! Add the prawns and calamari, cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. Then add the orange juice, reduce heat to medium and cook for another 2 minutes. Now it's time for the whiskey- when adding this, remove the pan from the heat just to be on the safe side (you don't want big flames all of a sudden!) I like the whiskey flavour to really come through- but it's best to taste and add more as you go to adjust to your personal preference. Continue to cook for just a few more minutes until the sauce has reduced and finish off with the chopped cilantro, salt & pepper. Enjoy quickly while it's still hot!

AFTER A YEAR OF GOING SILENT...HERE'S MY FLUFFY, CREAMY, FRUITY COMEBACK...

2011-07-06T03:10:00.007+02:00

Wow it has been almost a year since I haven't posted anything on here! What a long silence...but let me explain because a LOT has happened in between. First of all, I've made a big move...to the other side of the pond- or should I say- the Atlantic ocean! Yes, I've left Paris and am now living in the U.S on the East Coast, minutes from amazing New York City. With that said, let me wish my fellow Americans a belated happy Fourth of July!

The fireworks last night were magical to watch, and I'm lucky enough to live seconds away from the Hudson river, so had the night to enjoy bursts of colourful and animated sparks in full glory. Having now been here for almost a full year, I get the impression that there's almost always a reason to celebrate something in this city with fireworks or a parade. It's entertaining indeed!

So yes, this big move pretty much explains my silence... settling in, getting all the paperwork done, adjusting to a new culture, fast paced lifestyle, eating my way through NYC and discovering everything else this amazing city has to offer, and in between travelling to new places (Mexico City, Sao Paulo) and more familiar places (Paris, Nice & Montreal)...but most importantly, trying to adjust to a new oven, stove, measuring things in cups and setting my oven to fahrenheit temperatures was alone a daunting adventure...so you get the picture, I've been busy!

Oh, and how can I forget! I've also had some of my recipes published in a lovely cook book, alongside other talented bloggers, appropriately entitled "Foodies of the World", you can click here to check it out! Hurrah for me, yay!

So it was just a matter of time (a long time I admit) to get back on Swirl & Scramble...and looks like the time has come.

To mark this return, what better then a delicious recipe that is not only easy peasy to make, but adds a sweet note to these wonderful summer days... mini-angel cakes drizzled with a lemon-honey syrup (feel free to add champagne if you're feeling naughty), topped off with a rich mascarpone based frosting and slices of ripe apricots and crushed pistachios... how does that sound?

Here's my advice: use your favourite, trusted, tried and proven angel cake recipe. Make it big, make them bite size small. Cut some lemons in half, squeeze them with your hands in a deep pan, add lots of honey and boil until transformed into a luscious rich syrup. Poke your angel cakes with a fork, drizzle with the lemon & honey syrup...and drizzle some more!

Mix some mascarpone, cream cheese, sugar and honey in a bowl. Don't feel guilty if you're not being precise, it's okay to eyeball measurements sometimes! Test the sweetness and consistency along the way...sometimes it's nice to be spontaneous. For a posh twist, sprinkle some edible gold dust for a glistening frosting.

Top off the angel cakes with a generous layer of the mascarpone frosting, add juicy wedges of ripe apricots and finish off with crushed pistachios...

And for the final step... bite in for goodness sake! Indulge, sit under the sun, and eat every bite of this fluffy creamy fruity treat. Enjoy, and don't feel the least bit guilty!

Happy to be back...and I promise to share more kitchen adventures soon!

Marianna

WHAT WOULD LIFE BE IF...

2010-08-26T12:38:00.002+02:00

... the Italians would had never came up with risotto? Seriously- I thought about that for a second and all I felt was this big empty crushing hole in my heart (and a growl in my stomach too). All I can say is that humanity would had missed out on something if we never knew of the existance of risotto. Civilization would had collapsed (ok maybe I'm exxagerating there) and my life would had not been the same.
So let's start the praising:

There are so many reasons why I love risotto- first and foremost, it's delicious in a euphoric heavenly way. I have yet to meet someone who does not appreciate this dish. Secondly, it's super versatile. Risotto opens up to an array of tastebud preferences- you can flavour it in almost any way you like and accompany it with fishes, meats, lamb, or go vegetarian if you prefer. You can even match it up with every season of the year, how cool is that- risotto primavera anyone? Thirdly, it's a delight to make. Yes it is- don't be intimidated! You just need to set some time aside and make sure you serve it immediately so it doesn't dry up and turn into a block of rice. Other then that, all the smells and sounds and textures... I love every single bit of making risotto!

Anyway, with that said, risotto tends to be one of those dishes I make if I have a ''fancy looking dinner'' planned out because it looks good and therefore makes you look good in front of your guests! Not too long ago, I coupled it up with daurade fish and lots of green things: asparagus, kaffir lime leaves, coriander...

Risotto dries up quickly- so make sure you serve it immediately! This is the texture I had just before serving:

There is a really great visual guide to making basic risotto on Serious Eats- check it out!

Since I had some parmesan left over, I shaved off some large slices, sprinkled them with black sesame seeds and baked in the oven until they became crisps. They made some great accessorizing to the dish!

And last but not least, eat with your eyes first! I plated the risotto over some pea puree which added both colour and taste to the dish.

What are your favourite risotto based dishes? I'd love to know!

A THOUSAND LAYERS OF SUMMER

2010-06-30T18:38:00.003+02:00

I have to say, mille feuille is one of those desserts that I enjoy eating but that I also truly enjoy making. The fantastic thing about the mille feuille is it's versatility- why stick to the classic recipe when you can play around with ingredients and flavours? Here in Paris, it is common to find each patisserie display an innovative presentation around this iconic dessert.

Like with risotto, I find that mille feuille should match each season of the year, and with strawberries being the fruit-to-eat these days, it was easy for me to make my decision in the kitchen. Plus, I had gone strawberry picking so I used up a basket of fresh goodies straight off the farm! Pure bliss!

To make it, you will need of course puff pastry. You can either make it from scratch or buy a ready made roll, but the important thing is to have it bake between two baking trays. You can place the puff pastry on the baking tray, cover it with parchment paper and sandwich it with another baking tray- this will allow the dough to remain flat yet maintain it's crispiness.

Bake them for 20 mins at 200C, remove from oven and sprinkle with icing sugar before baking once again at 160C for 10 to 15 minutes so that it caramelizes. You end up with one side that is shiny and another that is matte.

Let the puffies cool then spread a layer of your garnish. You can go with either a custard-based stuffing or something more creamy- I prepared a mixture of whipped cream, mascarpone, sugar and some rose water.

A lil'sprinkle of pistachios

Then the wonderful strawberries

And for some glamour, I brushed on some culinary gold dust in a pink/red colour

There you have it, strawberry mille feuille with undertones of crushed pistachios and a rose flavoured creamy mascarpone filling!

It was delicious, and I can't wait to try out the long list of flavours and fillings to experiment with for my next mille feuille sessions!

You can also now find this dessert featured on Saveur!

BASBOUSSA- OR THE ULTIMATE QUICK FIX FOR A SUGAR HIGH

2010-06-28T15:56:00.005+02:00

You may have noticed (or may not have noticed, if you're new here- welcome in that case!) that many of the recipes on my blog are Middle Eastern. Everything has a reason of course- in this case it would be because part of my origins are from that part of the world. Countries like Syria or Lebanon boast with glorious culinary specialties, especially when it comes to my favourite part of any meal- dessert. For instance, I had featured a post on the famous ''knafeh bil jibne'' not too long ago, which is a very popular sweet treat in Levant countries. However, Egypt (to me it's part of the Middle East even if it's on the African continent! you can of course agree to disagree!) is not what I would consider a country famous for it's sweets, wouldn't you say? I mean of course, it has a tremendous pride in it's version of falafels, but desserts? Could you name one on the top of your head? If not, then let me introduce you to one of my all time favourites: basboussa. Now many will argue on it's name or origin, but this will always be the case for Oriental recipes. Every country will claim that it is the inventor of this dish or that dish and names can vary across the region. Take the most common example- who invented hummus? falafels? shawarma? These kind of questions can result in never ending debates, I assure you! So it's best to avoid them and just focus on enjoying the delicious food instead- best advice I can give :)

I used a cake mould- but note that this is not the common way to make basboussa.

Back to basboussa- this is maybe one of the most loved desserts in Egypt, and the best versions I have ever tried are the ones made in Egypt. The only thing missing would be a big warning sign on it as it's terribly addictive. I mean, ridiculously addictive. Something to do with it's buttery yet crumbly texture and it's uber-sweetness, and that each bite literally melts in your mouth like an icecube on a hot pan and yet even after a second, third, dare I say fourth serving, you still feel like you haven't eaten anything! Dangerous stuff I tell you!

Basboussa has a very crumbly texture, but that is part of it's charm!

On the upside however, it is one of the easiest sweets to make- it seriously takes five minutes to prepare. FIVE MINUTES! All you need is fine semolina, butter, milk, shredded coconut, and sugar! Five key ingredients, five delicious minutes. Need I say more?

Recipe for Basboussa

(note that there are many different versions of this recipe and each country has it's own name for this dessert. The version below is a common Egyptian recipe)

200gr fine semolina

100gr sugar

100gr grated coconut

150gr milk

100gr butter

Almonds (optional, for decoration. It is important however that they be either blanched full almonds or slivered blanched almonds)

For the syrup:

2 cups water + 2 cups sugar + 1 tablespoon orange blossom water

*In this case, a cup = a drinking cup (approx 300-400ml in size). Just fill up the cups with the ingredients, no need to weigh or use proper measuring cups for the syrup.

Preheat oven to 200C. Melt the milk and butter together. In a bowl, mix the fine semolina, sugar and grated coconut. Then add the milk and butter on the dry ingredients- mix well. Pour mixture into a baking tray, top off with almonds, and bake for 30 minutes. Check to see if ready- it should form a beautiful golden crust. If necessary, extend baking time for another 10 minutes.

While the basboussa is in the oven, prepare the syrup by boiling the water and sugar together on high heat. When it reaches it starts bubbling, let it continue boiling for 5-10 minutes so that it becomes a thick syrup. At the end, add the orange blossom water. Set aside.

Once the basboussa is baked and out of the oven, immediately pour the syrup gently and slowly over. Let cool for at least an hour- when it's hot it will be too difficult to slice up.

EGGLESS TIRAMISU

2010-06-27T18:17:00.001+02:00

A while back when I wrote up my honey gelato recipe, I mentionned that I had an issue with eggs in desserts and that, one day, I would eventually explain the reason for that. Here is the situation: I don't mind the use of eggs in desserts (what else would justify all the delicious cakes I've been eating my whole life?) as long as I can't taste an ''eggy taste'' in it. I don't know how to describe what an ''eggy taste'' is, but I know that if I sense it in a dessert, then I can't have another bite. It's not an allergy to eggs (because I do eat foods that contain them) but it's a strong dislike to the taste of eggs. I guess that's the best way to explain it! That would also explain why I haven't had an omelette, boiled or poached egg or whatever-egg in the last, hmmm, 10 years more or less. Sounds crazy? Maybe. But everyone has a different reaction to tastes and foods, and I thought it would be good to get this egg confession off my chest once and for all :)

Anyway, now with that cleared out... my dilemna was how do I continue enjoying one of my favourite desserts ever- the eggy tiramisu? With all the respect I have to Italian culinary traditions, most of the time I end up making tiramisu without eggs. I had read recipes that called for gelatine, but I don't like using gelatine unless it's absolutely necessary.

Basically, my eggless tiramisu keeps all the espresso, savoiardi, marsala and cocoa goodness, but keeps out the zabaglione- which is instead simply prepared by mixing whipped cream, mascarpone, sugar and marsala.

I admit, I have fooled people with this eggless tiramisu before. People still find it delicious and there are usually requests for second servings. It's not till only after all is eaten and done that I admit it's eggless and no one has hated me for that yet :)

Recipe for Eggless Tiramisu:

500ml liquid cream (20% fat minimum), cold and refrigerated
250gr mascarpone, at room temperature
100gr sugar
100ml Marsala
25-30 savoiardi (or ladyfingers)
Cocoa

For the coffee dip:
400 ml espresso coffee + 4 teaspoons sugar
(this might make more then what you end up using, but it's better to have more then too little)

Whip the cream until it has a thick consistency. If possible, try to whisk it in a cold bowl that has been placed in the freezer for a couple of hours prior to usage. Then add the mascarpone and sugar, whisk gently- you just want it to make sure the ingredients are well mixed. Gradually add the marsala, mix gently and briefly. Place mixture in fridge.
Line up half of the savoiardi onto the base of your container, pour over the coffee dip (or you can dip the savoiardi into the coffee before placing into container- as you prefer). Spread a layer of the cream mixture, repeat procedure with a second layer of savoiardi and cream mixture. Sprinkle with cocoa and refrigerate for at least 5 hours.

CHERRY MAHLEPI MUFFINS

2010-06-24T20:21:00.005+02:00

The sun is out, the flowers are in bloom, and absolutely gorgeous cherries are for sale (so of course I did not come back empty handed!) what a perfect day you may say! *Sigh* Why can't life always be that simple?

I was of course going to enjoy some of the cherries I brought back home on their own, scrumptiously raw and sweet, but I also felt like using them in some muffins. I have been in fruity muffin moods lately...maybe because the thought of waking up to a cup of coffee and a muffin studded with some summer fruits was something I didn't want to just be dreaming about at night- but waking up to it too.

But... cherry muffins? That sounded so...blah...bland? So I thought that maybe adding a touch of mahlepi to the batter could spark some muffin magic and make it intensely cherrylicious. In effect, mahlepi is the seed kernel of a sour cherry variety. In our family, we have used ground mahlepi in many traditional bread and cookie recipes and it always adds a unique flavour... it is said that it has the taste of bitter almond and cherry...but to me it is a truly mysterious taste- in a good way of course- and in all honesty, I really wouldn't know how to describe it. So my only suggestion is, if you aren't familiar with mahlepi, you'll never know what you're missing out on unless you give it a try!

This is what ground mahlepi looks like (below). The funny thing about mahlepi is that it doesn't really smell like anything, unlike other spices, but a small teaspoon of this just bursts with fragrance once baked!

And it would come to form a lovely duet with some cherries:

Yes, my muffin paper moulds did not fit...but sometimes you have to work with what you have! What I really wanted to show actually was the sprinkle of brown sugar on the muffin batters before popping them into the oven.

While they baked, I came accross a beautiful zebra-ish rose in the garden...thought I would share :)

And there they were, cherry mahlepi muffins -for real- so I no longer have to dream about coffee and fruity muffins for breakfast!

Recipe for Cherry - Mahelpi muffins:

makes 6 large muffins or 12 small muffins

2eggs

100gr butter, softened

100gr brown sugar + some for sprinkling at the end

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon rosewater

130gr flour

1.5 teaspoons ground mahlepi

1 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

Cherries, unpitted, diced

Preheat oven to 180C. In a bowl, mix the eggs, butter, sugar, vanilla and rosewater. Then add the flour, mahlepi, baking powder and salt. Mix well until batter is smooth. Add the diced cherries and mix the batter gently with a wooden spoon or spatula. Fill up muffin moulds up 3/4 full, sprinkle some brown sugar on top and bake for 20 minutes at 180C. Once baked, let cool and enjoy

STUCK WITH LEFTOVERS...

2010-06-23T21:42:00.000+02:00

I found myself in a situation that I know quite well and that definately was not a first for me- being stuck with leftovers. Especially leftovers that do not have a very long shelf life. This time around it happened to be mushrooms (champignons de Paris to be precise) and mint, and I absolutely had to use them up- I would feel guilty throwing them out! Fortunately, mushrooms and mint are lovely ingredients but I was lacking inspiration...when miraculously - or you was it destiny!- my mother gave me a ring and proposed that I match it up with cabillaud (cod) or go with a vegeterian pasta dish. Then I thought to myself...but why do either / or? Why not do both? Besides, now that mother mentioned it, I do indeed remember very well having tasted her suggestions in the past- she had made these before and they were delicious.

What was especially appealing was the idea of matching up cabillaud with a ton of fresh mint, mushrooms, lemon, garlic...amongst other things, as it really gives a lovely flavour boost to the fish. I admit, cabillaud is not my preferred type of fish as I tend to find it quite bland in taste. So it needs a very flavourful cookup in my opinion.

This is very quick and easy to make. You just need to pan sear the cabillaud with some olive oil, lots of lemon and garlic, break it into little pieces and then throw on top sliced mushrooms and chopped mint leaves. And of course, season with salt!

For a vegeterian option, this is absolutely delicious. A mixture of pasta, mushrooms, mint, olive oil, some garlic, feta and toasted pinenuts.

Recipe for the cabillaud (cod) with mushrooms & mint:
Cabillaud filets- no bones, no skin
Olive oil
Garlic, chopped
Mushrooms, sliced
Mint leaves, chopped
Lemon, juice of

Heat some olive oil and garlic in a skillet pan. Sprinkle cabillaud filet with salt and transfer to skillet. Cook on each side for 2-3 minutes, then break into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Add the mushrooms, lots of lemon juice and mix everything on high heat- allow any liquids to evaporate. Add the mint leaves at the very end, mix well one last time and season if necessary.

Recipe for pasta with mushrooms & mint:
Pasta, already boiled (preferably penne or a short pasta)
Olive oil
Garlic, chopped
Mushrooms, sliced
Mint leaves, chopped
Feta cheese, crumbled
Pinenuts, toasted
Salt & Pepper

In a deep pan, heat the olive oil with the garlic, then throw in the pasta. When you boil the pasta, try to boil it 1-2 minutes less then recommended time as it will continue to ''cook'' in the next steps. Add the mushrooms and mint, season and mix well. When serving, top off with some crumbled feta cheese and toasted pinenuts.

SO GRATIFYING - HOMEMADE PIZZA

2010-06-20T20:15:00.001+02:00

There will always be a good reason to make pizza from scratch, and although I'm not a big pizza eater, if I do decide to have some then I will most definately make it at home. Unless I'm in a place like Napoli where of course it would make absolutely no sense to make it myself.

What does make sense however, to me personally, is blacklisting frozen pizzas or anything that might come out of the oven of a Domino's, Pizza Hut & Co. Otherwise known as a mess made from a block of carbs and a list of artificial ingredients made in a chemical lab.

Maybe there is something intimidating about the thought of homemade pizza, but it really isnt that difficult. Yes, of course, in an ideal dream-kitchen we would all have a wood-fired oven and dough rolling skills of a pizzaiolo, but if that's not the case, then it's not the end of the world :)

At the end of this post, you will find a base pizza dough recipe. Then let your tastebuds guide you into choice of toppings. Here is what I went for:

First off, the pizza dough...

Option 1: garlic rubbed dough, mozzarella, mushrooms, dash of black pepper. I love mushrooms on my pizza- the more, the better!

Option 2: a classic margarita

Ten minutes later, my mushroom pizza was ready and I topped on a mixture of arugula and chopped fresh basil

I think this deserves another shot :)

And here is the margarita, the edible incarnation of the expression ''simplicity at it's best'' !

Recipe for basic pizza dough - makes 2 large pizzas

400gr flour

15gm dried yeast + 40ml warm water

200ml water + 1 teaspoon salt

Olive oil for brushing

Mix the dried yeast & warm water in a cup, leave for 15 minutes until frothy.

Prepare a bowl with the flour. Form a well in the center and add the yeast mixture. Mix, then add the 200ml water with the salt. Knead dough for 10 minutes. Form two balls, leave dough to rise in a container that has been brushed with olive oil. I usually leave my dough to rise for at least 5 hours, sometimes I will leave it overnight.

Preheat oven to 220C. Knead the dough again for 5 mins, roll out thinly on a baking tray, add your choice of toppings and bake for 8-10 minutes until golden and crisp.

BREAKING NEWS!

2010-06-18T23:04:00.001+02:00

Quick update- I've just come back from a very spontaneous session in the kitchen...and...in sticking to homemade gelato goodness, can I just say that if you ever venture down chocolate lane, please add some orange blossom water AND cardamom. It has to be both together, preferably! What wonders it will do to your chocolate gelato (or ice cream, whatever you decide to do!) It will provide a lovely tingle to your tastebuds, the orange blossom water with the cardamom make a beautiful symphony with the chocolate.

I thought this was news worth sharing- give this flavour combination a try next time!

Marianna

Recipe for chocolate gelato with orange blossom water & cardamom:

300ml milk

300ml liquid cream
100gr brown sugar
1 tablespoon orange blossom water
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
20gr unsweetened cocoa
100gr 70% chocolate, chopped
300ml cold milk + 1 tablespoon cornstarch

In a pot, heat 300ml milk with the cream, sugar, orange blossom water and ground cardamom in a pot. Then add the cocoa and baking chocolate, stir and make sure the chocolate has fully melted into the mixture. Just make sure that during this process, the milk and cream doesn't burn. In a cup, mix the cornstarch with 300ml of cold milk- make sure the cornstarch has dissolved completely, then add to the pot and keep mix over heat for two minutes. Remove from heat, chill in fridge for at least two hours before transfering to your ice cream machine. Follow manufacturer's instructions, and enjoy either immediately or place mixture in freezer for a couple of hours.

HONEY GELATO

2010-06-18T07:18:00.004+02:00

Mmm gelato. The ultimate holiday food. I dont know about you, but gelato is pretty much all I eat when I'm on holidays. It just makes me happy, and I feel adventurous wanting to try the gazillion flavours that are usually presented at a gelateria. Even the most humble gelateria I've come across has had at least 10 to 15 offerings. I'll usually have two flavours - in a cup please (sorry, cones are not for me!). Sometimes I'll have three flavours. And if calories weren't an issue and I could eat all I wanted without having to worry about not fitting into my jeans, then yes, I would had probably even gone for a cup containing six different scoops. With some whipped cream and sprinkles on top. That's how much I love gelato.

Anyway, strange that I had never tried making it at home. Plus, my ice cream machine even has a gelato function- it churns much slower then on ice cream mode. Slow churning means less air which explains the dense creamy texture gelato has.

What I also loved about making gelato is that it is eggless. One day I will tell you why I prefer sweets that are eggless... it's a long story so I will save it for another time :)

The only issue at hand now was what flavour should I try? The answer seemed evident- I wanted to make honey gelato. I had once made homemade honey ice cream, and I still remember how fantastic the taste was. It was pure bliss, and nothing compared to commercial honey ice cream. There are some flavours that just taste so much more better at home- for instance pistachio is a good example in my opinion. Well the same applies for honey. Homemade versus commercially made is like night and day. You cannot even compare. Do you know what I mean? Not only the taste is different, but the colour too. Honey ice cream at home is white- not some light brown colour. You get that naturalness with pistachio too- none of that radioactive fluorescent green colour at home!

However at the last minute I threw in some bits of speculoos...although to be honest with you, this addition gave a bit of a wintery feel and darker colour to the end result. But it was good nonetheless!

Wanna try some?

Recipe for honey gelato:

300ml milk

300ml liquid cream

100gr honey

300ml cold milk + 1 tablespoon cornstarch

In a pot, heat 300ml milk with the cream and honey in a pot. In a cup, mix the cornstarch with 300ml of cold milk- make sure the cornstarch has dissolved completely, then add to the pot and keep mix over heat for two minutes. Remove from heat, chill in fridge for at least two hours before transfering to your ice cream machine. Follow manufacturer's instructions, and enjoy either immediately or place mixture in freezer for a couple of hours. You can optionally add chopped nuts or cookies of your choice for some crunch when transfering cooled mixture to your ice cream machine.

QUICK & TASTY: FRESH GOAT CHEESE TWO WAYS

2010-06-16T13:44:00.003+02:00

;

I love fresh goat cheese- I love it's taste and texture and that it is like a blank slate to which you can add a variety of ingredients especially if you're looking to enjoy something quick to make and full of taste.

When I opened the fridge the other day, heard the birds chirping outside, and felt the sunrays shining through the kitchen windows (wow, does this all sound way too perfect or what?) , I knew that the goat cheese on that refrigerator shelf needed a bit of a revamp. Plain goat cheese was just not an option on a lovely sunny day!

What it needed was a bit of a crunch, something sweet, and it definately could make use of some fresh herbs.

Walnuts & dried apricots are just perfect with goat cheese... dont forget a dash of black pepper too

Add some fresh chopped mint leaves on that too

Mix everything and get ready to spread on a delicious toasted slice of bread

The other option with fresh goat cheese is to let it marinate in some olive oil combined with some ingredients of your choice. This will taste delicious if you leave it set for 24 - 48 hours. Here I used the same ingredients: walnuts, dried apricots and black pepper but replaced the mint with fresh basil leaves.

What are your favourite flavour pairings with fresh goat cheese?

CANT GET ENOUGH OF KNAFEH BIL JIBNE!

2010-06-12T15:16:00.006+02:00

Mmmm... a bite of crunch combined with creaminess, straight out of the oven, with a drizzle of orange-blossom scented syrup... knafeh bil jibne is a firm favourite here at home when it comes to desserts. Actually, this is not the first time I write about this middle eastern dessert on my blog, but last time I presented it in a fun bite size form- which, I'm pretty sure, you would never find in any Middle Eastern shop or restaurant. They just dont make them like that as the traditional way is really to prepare it in a round pan which is what I wanted to share this time around. I've tried taking lots of photos to show a step-by-step method of making this delicious dessert at home...just incase you get that sudden craving and there is no place nearby to indulge into a ready made slice!

The key ingredient here is knafeh- you can find this in Middle Eastern food shops.

A mixture of the right cheeses explains the creamy inner magic of a knafeh bil jibne. You will need a mixture of akkawi cheese (here on the left, the texture is more goey) and haloumi cheese (on the right, with a firmer texture). These cheeses are salty, so you will need to leave them in a bowl of cold water for 48hours in the fridge to remove saltiness. Make sure to change the water at least twice during the 48hours.

Place your knafeh in a mixer

And shred it. Some shops might sell knafeh that is already shredded- so in that case skip this step.

In a bowl, mix all the shredded knafeh with a generous (and I mean it literally here- you need to be extremely generous) amount of melted butter- or even better, if you have ghee then use that instead. Make sure the knafeh is well coated with the melted butter or ghee and take half of the quantity and spread a layer of it on a baking tray.

Then top on diced akkawi and haloumi cheese

And cover that with the remaining half of the knafeh

Bake at 190C for 20 minutes, then check every 5 minutes. It will be ready when it has a nice golden colour. Once out of the oven, immediately pour over some orange-blossom scented (or rose water if you prefer) syrup

It needs to be well soaked in the syrup, so dont be shy!

If you want, you can sprinkle some pistachio on top

Slice it up and enjoy immediately- eating it cold is a big no-no!

Hopefully the photos make it easy to understand, so I'm not including a recipe, but here is an overview of the ingredients you will need:

Raw knafeh
Akkawi cheese, diced
Haloumi cheese, diced
Butter or ghee, melted
Pistachios- optional

The important thing here is to coat the shredded knafeh very generously with the melted butter or ghee- otherwise the end result is too dry.
I understand these ingredients may not be easily available everywhere, so a cheat method if you cant find akkawi and haloumi cheese is to use mozzarella instead. In that case, you don't need to soak in water as mozzarella tends to be less salty.
For the syrup place equal amounts of sugar and water and boil for a good 10 mins (until it’s texture is rather thick). At the end, add some orange blossom or rose water to the syrup.

FYI- the name of this dessert can vary from country to country in the Middle East. Although these countries all speak Arabic, traditional dishes may still be named differently!

NOT YOUR USUAL...

2010-06-09T17:53:00.002+02:00

...strawberry ice cream that is. Anyone who is a minimum familiar with my blog will notice I am not one for sticking to classics. I guess you could say I'm the anti- vanilla/chocolate/strawberry person (although from time to time a nice scoop of one of those isn't so bad) (oh, and no offense to the vanilla/chocolate/strawberry people...don't want to make myself any enemies out there hehe).

Because of the messed up weather we've had here in Paris, it had been months since I last pulled out the ice cream machine, but I heard it calling my name when we had some nice sunshine the other day (yes my kitchen appliances talk to me from time to time incase you're wondering). And the luxury of having an ice cream machine means you can experiment with flavours- which is indeed what I did this time around. So to inaugurate my ice cream machine for summer of 2010 (i had been waiting for this moment people!!!) I went for a not so common combination of strawberries and...

champagne?

sorry, no

hmm.. ginger?

nope...

vanilla?

definately NO

....

cardamom...?

YES!

Strawberries and cardamom are a fantastic match, trust me. It's not one you see too often, but my little finger tells me it might be the next big thing...or not... but in anycase it is worth the try, especially if you are one of those cardamom lovers out there.

Just add a pinch of ground cardamom to your ice cream mixture

When heating, the mixture has to reach a temperature of 82C-85C celsius. The fancy term for this is having it cooked ''a la nappe'', which means if you place a spoon in the mixture and swipe your finger on the back of the spoon it should form a visibly clear line.

I like to add the strawberry chunks in the mixture while it's still warm

And then very last minute, I decided to throw in some broken meringue for a bit of crunch...

There you have it, a scoop of strawberry-cardamom ice cream. Enjoy!

Recipe for strawberry-cardamom ice cream with bits of crunchy meringue

Ingredients:

4 egg yolks
125gr sugar
300ml low fat milk
200ml liquid cream
Vanilla
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
A dash of rose water (optional, but it does a little magic)
Strawberries, diced
Meringue, broken into little pieces

How to make it:

Mix the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl. In a pot, bring the milk, cream, cardamom and vanilla to boil. Pour the boiling milk mixture over the cold mixture (eggs + sugar) while stirring. Return to heat and continue to stir until the cream starts to thicken. This stage of cooking is known as “la nappe” which is achieved between 82-85C. If the cream is not heated sufficiently, the ice-cream will be thin and watery. Remove the pot from the heat and stop the cooking process by placing it in cold water mixed with ice cubes. Pass the mixture though a strainer and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. Then transfer mixture to your ice-cream machine. Add the broken meringues before churning. Follow manufacturers’ instructions.

FEELS (AND TASTES) LIKE SUMMER....

2010-06-06T23:56:00.001+02:00

A perfect summer day is one with a clear blue sky, a warm feeling on your skin, a picnic in the park, flowers in bloom, sugar and spice and everything nice.... you get the picture. But, a perfect summer day also has it's perfect summer food- and to me, an inviting dish of calamari and shrimps enjoyed with a cool glass of white wine (or beer if you prefer) just makes the sunshine even more delicious. Wouldn't you agree? That's my idea of what summer feels and tastes like ...

... and here's what it looks like (in the kitchen) too!

Fresh herbs are a must! My basil pot and fragrant mint leaves came in handy...

I like to just throw calamari rings in a mixture of flour, cornstarch and salt for a crispy result minus the heavy feeling deep-frying can sometimes produce.

Calamari is nice, but with some shrimps it's even better...

And if you want to add an interesting visual twist to your dish, you can serve the calamari rings and shrimps on fried spaghetti! Since you'll be frying in the first place, you can throw in some spaghetti that will become golden strands in just about 10 seconds.

Voila, and there you have it. Fried calamari rings and shrimps bursting in a mixture of basil, mint, garlic and lemon!

This summery dish is really easy to make and a real crowd-pleaser, but I urge you to prepare the calamari rings yourself and not buy the ready-to-fry ones that come in the frozen-products aisles of supermarkets...

Recipe:

Calamari rings- get them from your fish monger

Flour mixed with cornstartch, salt and pepper (ratio 3/4 flour: 1/4 cornstartch)

Shrimps

Onion, chopped finely

Garlic, chopped finely

Fresh basil and mint, chopped

Lemon, juice of

Olive oil

Spaghetti (optional)

Lemon wedges to serve

For the calamari:

In a bowl, place the flour mixed with the cornstartch, salt and pepper. Then add calamari rings and ensure they are well coated with the flour mixture. Heat a deep pan with oil to fry, once ready, throw in the calamari rings and fry for 5-7 minutes. If you wish, at the end, you can fry some spaghetti for presentation (the spaghetti fries very quickly in a matter of seconds- so keep a close eye when doing this)

For the shrimps:

Chop the onion and garlic finely, set aside. Chop a generous amount of fresh mint and basil, set aside. Heat a large pan with some olive oil, add the onions and garlic on med-high heat until golden. Add the shrimps, squirt over some lemon, and cook for 5-8 minutes always on med-high heat. At the last minute, turn off heat and add the basil and mint.

Place the fried spaghetti on your serving dish, and the calamari rings and shrimps on top. Great with avocado and a beer! Enjoy!

THE CHOCOLATE COOKIE RECIPE IVE BEEN LOOKING FOR MY WHOLE LIFE...

2010-04-11T20:29:00.001+02:00

Living in France is great because there is a lot of great food- a lot of great French food that is. But when it comes to American specialties things can get a lil' tricky...even dissapointing may I say?

Because the truth is that as much as I love fancy French food, as much as sometimes I just want something a little more ''simple'' (no offense!) like a yummy heartwarming cookie. Who would had ever thought that finding a decent US style cookie is quite mission impossible over here? All I seem to find is crumbly and crunchy cookies when what I really want is a large rich chewy cookie with big chunks of chocolate hidden inside!

And so I decided that it was about time I find a perfect recipe that would result in the dream cookie that could only exist in an ideal world. Maybe my patience has paid off... after years of research, I think I may have just found it- at least for now it beats any other recipe I've ever tried out!

OOEY GOEY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES (makes about 8 large cookies)

114gr chocolate (70%) choppped

30 gr butter

40gr flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

1 large egg

80gr brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

170gr chocolate (70%) chips

Heat chopped chocolat with butter until just melted. In a bowl, beat egg, sugar and vanilla on high speed until fluffy. Then beat in the melted chocolat on low speed. Mix in the flour, baking powder and salt. Finally add the chocolate chips and mix cookie dough well. Place dough in freezer for 20 minutes, and during that time preheat oven to 180C. Line baking tray with parchment paper, form golf ball size balls with cookie dough and place on baking tray keeping enough space between each ball. Bake for 12 minutes- balls will fall flat and shape themselves into a yummy chunky cookie.

P.S: I used only 70% chocolate here, which produces a very grown-up adultish gourmet result. If you're looking for something a bit sweeter feel free to use 52% regular baking chocolate for the melted mixture and keep 70% only for the chips.

CRUMBLY, BUTTERY...THE HIGHLY ADDICTIVE GHRAYBEH

2010-03-30T22:03:00.003+02:00

This is the story of a small round buttery & crumbly cookie known as ''ghraybeh'', pronounced 'gh-ray-bay'...just as it reads.

Ghraybeh is a sweet speciality well known in the Middle East, particularly Levant countries such as Syria and Lebanon. But it's one of those cookies I've always bought yet never thought of making at home. They are one of my all time favourites- something highly addictive about their soft almost silky-like angelic outer surface which with the first bite, melts into your mouth and transforms itself into a sensational rich texture which simultaneously just seems to evaporate into sweet crumbleness leaving a dreamy orange-blossom perfume on your tastebuds. It's a magical cookie indeed.

And what's even more magical about it is that it's made of three base ingredients- and can be adapted for vegans too.

Make them, share them... but I dare you to try resisting them!

Recipe for Ghraybeh (makes about 30 pieces)

150gr clarified butter

150gr icing sugar

300gr flour

1 tablespoon orange blossom water

Pistachios, almonds or pinenuts for decoration

Extra icing sugar on the side

Mix the butter, sugar and orange blossom water together until frothy and of a light colour. Add the flour, mix and then mix by hand for 5 minutes. Place dough in fridge for 30 mins. Preheat oven to 180C, shape little balls (about half the size of a golf ball) and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Top each ghraybeh ball with a piece of pistachio, almond or pinenut. Bake for 15-20mins, remove, and roll baked cookies in icing sugar (this is optional, but it adds even more magic!). Otherwise, remove, let cool and enjoy!

I HAD TO CROSS THE POND TO FIND BLACK SESAME SEEDS...

2010-03-09T14:29:00.005+01:00

Can you believe it? I have been on a quest for black sesame seeds for ages, and I have not found any place that sells them here in Paris (unless I have serious issues with my eyesight?!) So the other weekend I hopped over to London and while walking through Brick Lane doing my supermarket inspection (yes, I have a thing for visiting supermarkets when I travel- especially asian/foreign type supermarkets) I finally found my black sesame seeds! Goodness, I didn't realize that I had to take the Eurostar to find some...

Anyway, so as usual, once the ingredient has made its way back to my kitchen, the next step is always "well, now what??" Of course I have seen plenty of recipes of black sesame ice cream, cookies and cupcakes coupled with matcha, so on and so forth (all of which I plan on testing out) but the truth is that I'm trying to go on a "sugar break" so I need to make something savoury out of these black sesame seeds...and preferably healthy too (plus I've been reading all the super health benefits black sesame seeds have!)

I am going through something of a vegeterian phase right now and so I love to munch on crackers- but not the buttery salty kinds, the organic-i'm-a-health-nut-kind, made from pumpkin, flax, sunflower seeds, so on and so forth.

It would be nice to try something a bit different though, no? What about healthy (at least I think they are) black sesame crackers? I did a little search on the net to find a recipe, and so I went ahead with Peter Reinhart's Four-Seed Snapper Crackers recipe that I found on Pascale Week's blog. A few variations and my crackers were ready to be crunched away!

Obviously you will need black sesame seeds for this recipe

And a mixture of pumpkin, sunflower, and flax seeds. Hurray for super (healthy) seeds!

Grind all your seeds until they become powdery

On their way to the oven..

And crunch away!

Recipe for Black Sesame Crackers (makes a LOT of crackers- you might want to half the recipe)

90gr mixture of seeds- make sure to include pumpkin seeds though.

60gr black sesame seeds

240gr whole wheat flour

3/4 teaspoon salt (5gr)
2 tablespoons honey (40gr)
2,5 tablespoons vegetable oil
15cl (150ml) water- maybe a bit more if necessary

Finishing:
1 egg whisked with 5cl water - note: I have a bad thing with eggs when they are used this way, so I replaced this with milk and it worked perfectly fine!
Black sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 150C. Grind the seeds mix and black sesame seeds together until it becomes powdery. Then add the flour, salt, honey and vegetable oil and grind again. Finally, add the water, mix, until you get a good doughy texture. Roll out thinly and cut into shapes, transfer cut out shapes on a pachment paper lined baking tray and brush crackers with the egg mix, sprinkle with black sesame seeds. Bake for 15 mins.

FOR ALL THE CHOCOHOLICS OUT THERE!

2010-02-24T11:38:00.001+01:00

May I tempt you with a generous slice of what turned out to be an intensely chocolatey cherry cake I made for a recent birthday? I absolutely loved making this as it was a cake for a chocoholic from a chocoholic, and with such similar taste when it comes to desserts between the mr.birthday and myself I knew exactly what he wanted- we literally share a certain telepathy when it comes to sugar coated choices!

I love dusting cakes with cocoa- here it gave an elegant effect over the cherries!

The innards, devine!!

Recipe for Intensely Chocolatey Cherry cake:

200gr dark chocolate, broken down into pieces

200gr butter

200gr sugar
4 eggs
150gr flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons cherry jam, heated until liquidy
Chocolate & liquid cream for the ganache, with portions set at 2 parts chocolate: 1 part cream
Cherries- pits removed.

Preheat oven to 180C. Melt the chocolate & butter together, set aside until it cools down a bit. In a bowl beat the sugar and eggs until mixture whitens, then add the melted chocolate/butter. Add the flour, baking powder and salt- mix well until smooth. Transfer batter to cake mould (fill 3/4 up) lined with parchment paper and bake for 25mins (check with a sharp knife and extend time by 10 mins if needed). Remove from oven, let cool and place cake in freezer for 1 hour- this is to allow easier slicing for later step.

Prepare ganache: in a pot, heat the liquid but do not let it burn. Remove from heat, throw in the chocolate, cover with lid for 5 mins. Remove lid and stir until smooth and silky.

Slice cake in half horizontally. On the bottom half, poke layer with a fork and brush over the liquidy cherry jam. Follow with a layer of the ganache and then some cherries. Cover bottom half with the top half, and coat entire cake with chocolate ganache. If you have leftover cherries, use some on top for decoration and optionally you can dust it all with cocoa. Place in fridge for a few hours until set and then enjoy!

Of course- feel free to use other fruits: raspberries, strawberries, etc!

THE ULTIMATE STRESS BUSTER

2010-02-19T13:15:00.005+01:00

Yes so my post title might speak volumes to some of you out there- for those who know how therapeutic baking is to fight away stress, and well it just happened to be that I had one of those stressful days and when upon coming back home the eggs, sugar, butter and flour was just calling my name!

The thing is that sometimes in these situations you don't necessarily have all the ingredients at hand and you have to do with what you have. No-fuss baking is what I like to call it. For some reason, apples is something that resides permanently all year long in the kitchen- and although I'm not a huge fan of apple-based desserts, an image I had come accross not too long ago on the Australian Gourmet Traveller website (and just fyi- I dont live in Australia nor am I from there, but when I see their summery dessert features in this cold month of February, it sure makes me want to bring some of their sunshine over to wintery Paris!) caught my attention and it just happened to contain apples.

I skipped the recipe part and just kept the image in my mind, trying to reproduce my own version of what could ressemble what I saw. Okay okay, so mine might not had turned out as beautiful as on Gourmet Traveller, and yes it did not contain raisins or ginger, and it did contain flour even though the original recipe title contains the word "flourless", but the important thing was that everything turned out sweet and lovely and I guess that's what counts, no?

A blend of apples, almonds (another staple ingredient that we have all year round in the kitchen!) and caramel.

Recipe for Apple, Almond & Caramel cake
(for a 20cm diameter round cake mould)

100gr butter
120gr brown sugar + some kept on the side
2 eggs
4 tablespoons caramel syrup
100gr flour
60gr ground almonds
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 medium sized apples, thinly sliced
Almonds, chopped
1 tablespoon melted butter

Preheat oven to 180C. In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs and caramel syrup and mix. Follow with the flour, ground almonds and baking powder- mix well. Transfer batter to cake mould lined with parchment paper (or greased & floured), arrange the apples on top and drizzle over the apples the melted butter and finish by sprinkling some brown sugar and the chopped almonds. Bake for 60mins.

I SWORE I'D NEVER MAKE CUPCAKES...

2010-02-16T13:48:00.001+01:00

Yes call me crazy but until recently I swore I'd never bake cupcakes, because well I had a "thing" against them. Actually two things- first of all I hated the whole buttercream thing- eating a layer of butter mixed with sugar and other stuff grossed me out. And second of all, I didnt want to get excited over cupcake cuteness like the rest of the world.

But then one day everything changed. All because of a friend's birthday for whom I decided to make cupcakes for... and I do admit, they are indeed lots of fun to make. But I haven't sold my soul to buttercream yet... if I am going to make cupcakes again I definately need to find a healthier alternative to buttercream!

here they are- naked chocolate cuppies yet to be dressed!

Frosted...

Gold dusted...

And sprinkled in colours and shapes...

So who knows? Maybe one day I'll be writing up a second post on cupcakes...

BAGELS... WHEN YOU DONT LIVE IN NYC!

2010-02-06T21:25:00.003+01:00

The first time I ever tried a bagel was....

...too long ago to remember, but what I do remember very well is the love story that begun between myself and bagels. But having lived in Europe all my life, bagels are not the easiest thing to find. When I moved to France 10 years ago, I had to hunt down the entire city of Paris to find some- and eventually I did, but they were overpriced (and I mean, ridiculously overpriced!) and I remember I would find them at only one shop in the 7th arrondissement. A few years later, bagels were easier to find as they gradually started to appear on supermarket shelves- but they werent exactly the tastiest ones, that's for sure.

SO what do you do when you dont live in a bagel city like NYC?? Well you just gotta make em!!! As intimidating as they appear to be, I knew that I had to give homemade bagels a try.

I tried two recipes, and I even went out to buy the famous hi-gluten flour that apparently is 'the' secret ingredient for successful bagels (fyi- for anyone living in France, hi-gluten flour is ''farine t80'').

The first recipe was off the BBC GoodFood website- which I absolutely love and have tried several recipes before with great success- but Im sorry to say, their bagel recipe is so-so. It was more like a roll-with-a-hole. Here are some pictures:

Shaping the dough:

And here's the test-batch in their water bath:

And then while they're still wet, I sprinkled some with sesame, some with poppy seeds and left some plain

20minutes in the oven, and here is what I got:

VERDICT: Good, but not GREAT

The second recipe however was from Elle a table- and this recipe ladies and gentlemen- produced some fantastic bagels! So fantastic that I am saving the recipe on my laptop, in my recipe notebook, on my cell phone, under my mattress and I'll even try memorizing it if I can!!

bagel recipe #2- the pictures:

I divided the original's recipe quantities by half, which made 6 large bagels and a baby bagel:

By the way- the white stuff on the plain bagels is corn flour. The recipe suggested to sprinkle corn flour on the parchment paper- but as I was half awake making those, I sprinkled the corn flour on the bagel! Aaahh... I call that late-night baking clumsiness!

And this time, significant improvement- they were simply beautiful and tasted just as good as they looked!

For bagel recipe #1 click here

For bagel recipe#2 (the one that worked for me!) click here

And translation for non-French readers for bagel recipe #2 off Elle a Table:

Makes 10 bagels

Mix 750gr flour (T55) + 1 tsp instant yeast + 4 tsps salt

Add 380ml water + 2.5 tbsps liquid honey + 30ml olive oil.

Knead dough for 10 mins, split into 10 equal balls. Form bagel shapes, leave to rise for 2 hours in a warm room on an oiled surface.

Preheat oven to 225C.

Boil bagels for 2mins in a deep pot containing 3 liters boiling water + 1 tbsp potato starch + 1 tbsp brown sugar 'cassonade' + 2 tbsps salt. Remove bagels after their waterbath and place on a baking tray covered with greased parchment paper and sprinkled with cornflour. If you want to add sesame, poppy seeds or whatever else- this is the time to do it!

Reduce oven temperature to 215C and bake for 20-25mins.

HOMEMADE NUTELLA

2010-02-01T13:44:00.003+01:00

So, I am having fun lately making homemade versions of "supermarket food", such as the Digestive biscuits last time, and now: Nutella! Yes of course, I'm not the first person taking up this challenge- I have indeed seen many recipes floating around the blogosphere on how to make the infamous hazelnut spread at home but it took me a long time to finally give it a try.

Being a good student and doing my research, I noticed each recipe called for some common ingredients but also for differing ones: some had butter, others had powdered milk, some used cocoa, some used chocolate instead, so on and so forth. So what recipe was I going to follow then? At the end of the day, I went my own way, studied a Nutella label and tried to use some common sense, and very fortunately, I am proud to say that the end result was terrific! Not only that, but I feel less guilty eating homemade hazelnut spread then commercial Nutella, because in my opinion (and I think a lot of you what agree with me)- there is a lot of junk that goes into the supermarket version... whether it be the palm oil or deceivingly low percentage of hazelnuts in the final product!

And really, there is nothing scary about making homemade Nutella- so why would I ever pick up a jar from a supermarket aisle ever again?!

Three ingredients for a jar of heaven...

1- you will need hazelnut spread. Pure hazelnut spread, no sugar added. I found mine at Biocoop.

It's like tahini- but hazelnuts instead of sesame!

2- and you will need condensed milk. You can go for a sweetened version, but mine wasnt. It's up to you.

3- finally, have some chocolate nearby. I made two versions- one with regular chocolate, and the other experimenting around with a caramel flavour, which gave a nice twist!

P.S: I assure you, there is no brand endorsement here!! But this Nestlé caramel chocolate is simply devine!

And look what we have here...TO-DIE-FOR-HAZELNUT SPREAD, in the land of consumerism also known as NUTELLA!!!

Now for the decisive moment- eat straight out of the jar, spread on fresh baguette, on a crepe...or eat straight out of the jar???

Recipe for homemade nutella:

100gr good quality 52% chocolate

100gr pure hazelnut spread- no sugar added. For those of you living in France, you can find this at bioshops.

200gr condensed milk

Heat condensed milk in a pot- just heat it but don't let it boil. Remove from heat and add the chocolate broken down into pieces. Cover pot with a lid for 5 mins. Remove lid and swirl until smooth consistency is obtained and let cool. Then transfer this to a mixer and add the hazelnut spread- mix until perfectly smooth. Empty into a dry and clean jar and enjoy!

Notes:

Of course, if you wish you can add sugar. The above version produces a not-too-sweet result, but I think next time I might add 50 to 80gr sugar.

Also- the next day I noticed white grainy stuff which turned out to be the condensed milk that somehow solidified in the process. Nothing to panic about, simply use a mixer/blender and puree it once again until smooth. After that, the white grains should not reappear ever again! (at least it never did in my case!).

I'm no expert on expiry dates, but I'm guessing this should store well for a good 10 days...considering that chocolate, hazelnut paste and condensed milk as individual ingredients don't call for refridgeration and usually have long expiry dates! I would also recommend that once ready, do not store in the fridge- unless you live in a country where it's very hot (and in that case, please send some sunshine over!)

Finally- have fun experimenting: use different chocolate flavours, substitute with almond or walnut paste if you wish, add some liquor, and for a bit of crunch try some chocolate chips or chopped nuts!

HOMEMADE NAAN

2010-01-29T14:12:00.003+01:00

Without a doubt one of my favourite cuisines has got to be Indian. A few years back I used to hop over to London very regularly and because there is a big Indian community there, I must say I have a lot of delicious memories at some fantastic Indian restaurants (here in Paris on the other hand, it's much more difficult to find a good Indian restaurant!) And of course, what is a meal at an Indian restaurant without naans on the table... those addictive soft buttery flatbreads delicious plain, and maybe even more when oozing with melted cheese or jazzed up with garlic, coriander, or chilli... mmmmm!

So until now I thought the only moments in my life where I could enjoy a naan would be when I eat out (or the day I finally get to visit India!!), but last weekend I decided this would not be my fate! The thing is, there is something so intimidating about naans that I've never dared to make them from scratch, but with some courage, I rolled up my sleeves and got to work.

The recipe I used was the one featured in this month's Elle à table (a French culinary magazine).

However being the research freak I am, there was no way I was going to rely on just a piece of paper with a recipe written on it. Just to make sure this first attempt wouldnt be a fail, I spent almost my entire afternoon youtube-ing videos on naan recipes, just to make sure I get the technique right. So after hours in front of my computer screen, I took a deep breath and headed to the kitchen... and here's what happened:

Mixing all the ingredients...

Rolling out the dough:

Made some with cheese, and sprinkled them with sesame seeds:

And off goes a cheese naan onto the pan!

Close-up with the cheese oozing out, yum!

Here's what happens with plain naans:

Then it gets bubbly:

And with each naan you make, more and more bubblies and pouffies in different shapes:

Flip it over to the other side:

And here is your naan, ready to enjoy!

Recipe for Naans (from Elle à table, Jan/Feb 2010 edition):

The recipe reads for 4 servings- from my experience this made about 10 medium sized naans

300g flour

1 egg

1 yoghurt

1 tablespoon neutral oil (I guess they were referring to the acidity of the oil, I used sunflower)

4gr yeast

La Vache Qui Rit type cheese (optional)

Butter for glazing at the end

+ Oil for the pan (not in recipe, but I recommend)

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients except the cheese and butter. Knead dough until it becomes supple (you can gradually add some warm water to obtain this texture). Leave to rest for 15 mins. Break out a tennis-ball size portion of the dough and roll-out on a floured surface- the thickness of the dough should be about 3mm thick. If you want to add some cheese, spread it at this point and close the naan by folding it in half and sealing sides together. Heat up a pan on a medium/high heat. The pan should preferably be very lightly brushed with some oil. Once heated, place a naan and flip it onto each side every 1 minute- you will have to just stay close and observe to know when it's ready. Remove from pan and brush with butter. Enjoy!

P.S: the recipe reads that after kneading the dough, you should leave it rest for 15mins- I left my dough out for 3 hours. From the research I did, it seemed better if you leave it out longer.

P.P.S: If you wish to add toppings (like sesame seeds, chopped coriander, etc) and it doesnt stick on the rolled out dough easily, you can use a rolling pin and very very lightly roll it over the dough (already topped off with your seasoning of choice) so that the seasoning "sticks" on the dough

P.P.P.S: when you place the naans on the pan, it will form voluminous bubbles, just tap it down with a large flat spoon or knife to then flip it on the other side.

SWEET BUTTERY GOODNESS

2010-01-26T12:00:00.001+01:00

And so here we go- more cookies. Sweet buttery goodness, cute innocent shaped sables made from a fantastic base recipe that can lead to infinite variations. I went for orange-poppy seeds & caramel-with-a-pinch-of-salt.

Nothing better then a sable with a cuppa tea to comfort us throughout this unbearable winter cold....

Creamy butter with chunky orange zest... sinful, so wrong but so good!

Finally- the poppy seeds I brought back from Budapest came to use! (did I tell you that poppy seeds were all over the place in Budapest?)

I like that the orange zest was chunky

DONE! Fragrant crunchy delicious orange-poppy seed sables!

That's not it... at 2 in the morning (yes you read right- 2 in the morning!) I went down to the kitchen and got back to baking- salted caramel this time! Afterhours baking is the best :)

Base recipe for sables- just 3 ingredients & no eggs!

makes approx 20 sables

180g butter, softened

80g icing sugar

300g flour

Preheat oven to 160C

Whisk butter with icing sugar until creamy. Add the flour until crumbly, then mix by hand to form a consistent cookie dough texture. Roll out, cut out shapes and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15 mins. Remove and let cool.

For orange-poppy seed:

add 2 teaspoons of orange zest into the butter & sugar.

add 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds with the flour

For caramel-with-a-pinch-of-salt:

add 3 tablespoons of caramel sauce into the butter & sugar

add 1/2 teaspoon salt with the flour (taste if you feel you want more saltiness)

HOMEMADE DIGESTIVE BISCUITS!

2010-01-25T10:26:00.002+01:00

So lately I have been going through a total cookies baking phase. Actually to tell you the truth, if there is one thing I'm not so great at, it's baking cookies...even though at first they appear to be the easiest things to make, but from my experience they are the trickiest.

Anyway, so I guess you can say I've been "practicing" a lot lately, and one successful experience I've recently had was making homemade DIGESTIVES!!! YES INDEED, I'm talking about making the very famous scrummy yummy totally addictive McVitie's Digestive biscuits from scratch! (and this makes me very excited as Digestives are probably my favourite cookies- euh I mean "biscuits"- in the whole wide world!!!)

mmm by the way out of curiosity, are Digestives well known for you US readers? Or is it more of a UK/Europe and certain other parts of the world thing?

I found the recipe while surfing the net- it's actually been featured on a couple of French food blogs, and I am guessing that everyone originally found it on famous food blogger, Pascale Weeks, entry right here. I don't know how on earth she got this recipe or came up with it, but I'm thankful she shared it with the world!!!

And what a fab recipe it is- a real keeper! The result was fantastic and I am pretty certain I won't be buying storemade digestives anymore!

First things first- weigh out the oats and grind them in a mixer

After having mixed in all the ingredients, your dough is ready.

And after a couple of minutes of baking, I present to you the Digestive biscuits in all their glory!

Scrumptious! Have one!

Recipe for Digestive biscuits (from Pascale Weeks)

For 18 biscuits:

100gr wholegrain flour

100gr oats

1 teaspoon baking powder

50gr brown sugar

100gr salted butter, softened

2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 180C. Place oats in a mixer and grind until powdery texture is obtained. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Then add the butter and mix until crumbly. Add the milk and mix dough so it is no longer crumbly but a bit more firm. Form a ball and place in fridge for 15 minutes. Then take out dough, spread out to 3mm thickness and cut out 6cm diameter circles. Bake for 15 minutes, take out and let cool.

P.S: For some, the result may not be sweet enough- maybe increase the sugar to 80gr.

P.P.S: When the recipe says place the dough in fridge for 15mins, it really means 15mins! I accidentally left mine in for an hour and it came out ROCK HARD.

P.P.P.S: Next time I'll make these again but coat one side of the biscuit with chocolate. Can't wait to dunk those in a glass of milk! mmmmm!

MISCELLANEOUS

2009-11-30T11:12:00.002+01:00

Right- so as my post title clearly indicates, today I feel like sharing visual snippets of randomness that has been happening in my kitchen lately.

One involves an appetizer-ish idea that I actually came up with while driving back home (for some reason, I always get all my ideas while driving or sleeping, hmm...) and the other is an absolutely fantastic mushroom Gordon Ramsay sauce- absolutely DIVINE.

Do you happen to have some olives, cheese (feta ideally) and a roll of puff pastry (yes, I admit- puff pastry is one of the few things I don't make from scratch!) at your disposal? Make some tall chunky crunchy appetizer sticks to nibble on with a good glass of wine.

They don't have to look perfect- that's the whole point of making these at home rather then giving into industrial ready-made puff pastry sticks!

Admire the layers of crunch! mmm

And now moving onto something totally different: the magical Mushroom, sherry & grain sauce concocted by the very talented (and furiously hot blooded chef!) Gordon Ramsay.

Definately not the most photogenic sauce... but it was absolutely delicious!

I served it with beef filet, but I cleaned the leftovers away with bread! Definately a versatile sauce that would go just as well with beef, chicken, or pasta.

Have a great start of the week everyone!
x
Marianna

IN THE MOOD FOR...

2009-11-26T16:11:00.002+01:00

Yes I'm feeling it now! I'm getting into that lovely holiday season kitchen mood, and what better way to start off then on a sweet note with some winter-y cookies that spread joy and love when shared with others! Double recipe post for you all- Millionaire's Shortbread & Chocolate Crinkles. Yum! Although I'm sure many of you have already baked these before, I still love sharing my own experiences- especially that making these two cookies were a first for me!

Enjoy and let the holiday baking craze begin!

So here is some chocolatey goodness first...

Leave dough to rest overnight and roll them in icing sugar in the morning...

Smoosh them with your finger...

And bake them for 15 minutes...that's not too long of a wait!

Now the only question is- should I have them with coffee, tea or a cold glass of milk? Decisions, decisions!

And now for the fabulously entitled Millionaire's Shortbread:

Step 1- make & bake the shortbread base.

Step 2- spread the luscious caramel layer on top...and lick off any leftovers!

Step 3- After the caramel layer has cooled off, add a silky layer of chocolate...

And there you go, after much layering and cooling, here are your glorious shortbreads ready to devour! Note to self however- make shortbread layer much thinner next time...or just make caramel & chocolate layers thicker!

Click here for Chocolate Crinkles recipe (trust me people, this recipe is just PERFECT in every single way!)

and here for Millionaire's Shortbread.

Happy Holiday Season Baking!!!

IN THE MOOD FOR MUFFINS

2009-10-28T12:03:00.003+01:00

I'm sure all you foodies out there know what that irresistible feeling for late late night baking is all about, right? Especially when you know that after a long day at work there is nothing better then what the relaxing effect of mixing up some sugar, flour, eggs and butter can bring.

Well that was what my late night was all about yesterday, and I was in the mood for muffins.Since there are so many muffin recipes out there in the food blogosphere, this will just have to be the gazillionth addition to it all I guess.

But, I must say, these muffins are extra-delicious and fit perfectly in this autumn season when all you want to do is cocoon under a tree, branching out with beautiful red & yellow leaves, with a cup of tea in one hand and a muffin in the other.

So whenever you find yourself under an autumn tree, please bring along with you one of these speculoos-apple muffins. A simple moment of pure bliss.

Just throw (almost) everything in:

(and no- that's not peanut butter, it's pate de speculoos. A totally addictive scrummy yummy spread that tastes of fabulous speculoos)

Sprinkle over some caramelized chopped hazelnuts if you wish, and it's ready to go in the oven!

25 minutes later, this is what you get, mmmmm:

Inside, the diced apples make such a perfect match with the speculoos flavour:

Go ahead, take one & indulge!

Recipe for Apple-Speculoos muffins (makes 8):

2 eggs
90gr sugar
90gr butter, softened
Vanilla
70gr pate à speculoos
30ml liquid cream
110gr flour
Baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 large apple, diced
Chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 160C. In a bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla, pate a speculoos and liquid cream. Then add the flour, baking powder and salt; mix well. Finally throw in the diced apple and stir batter gently. Fill muffin moulds with the batter, sprinkle with some chopped nuts (plain or caramelized) and bake for 25 minutes.

EETCH

2009-10-23T11:21:00.002+02:00

I am so happy to be sharing this recipe with you. It has been years that I've wanted to write a post on this scrumptious Armenian dish known as "eetch". How was it that I became familiar with eetch? Well we don't have anyone of Armenian origin in our family, and I've personally never been to Armenia before- the reality is that it all comes down to my childhood memories- and even my mother's childhood memories! So you can imagine how much "history" this dish has for me, and how each bite is rich with emotion.

The reality is that eetch was introduced to us through my grandmother's (maternal side) neighbours. Two lovely sisters, Vergeen & Alice, who have been my grandma's neighbours since...forever! These ladies were always over at my grandma's place and my grandma was always over at theirs. They would sip over coffee and spill neighbourhood gossip, but most of all, they would share recipes and kitchen secrets. And so I guess many many years ago before I was born -and probably before my mom was even born- eetch was introduced to my grandmother and ever since it has become a family favourite.

We now make it regularly at home, enjoying it on it's own or as a side dish (fab with grilled meats or fish), and eaten hot or cold. I feel lucky to have personally known Vergeen & Alice, because it means a whole lot more knowing the people who introduce you to a dish that has become a true classic in our family. Each bite brings back a flood of memories and whenever we enjoy some eetch, it is just inevitable, the two lovely Armenian sisters become a part of our table conversations.

I hope you try making this at home and enjoy it's magical taste.

Recipe for Eetch (makes about 4 servings)

One big onion, chopped

100ml olive oil

200ml tomato sauce

1 tbsp pomegrenate molasses (optional, but if you have some definately use it!)

1 lemon, juice of

Salt

200gr boulgour

Fresh mint and parsley, chopped (it works with only parsley too)

In a deep pot, fry the chopped onion with the olive oil until golden. Add the tomato sauce, and once it boils, turn off heat and remove pot from heat. Add all the remaining ingredients (except the parsley and mint), stir, cover pot and leave to rest for one hour (away from heat!). After one hour, knead as you would with bread dough for 3-5 minutes (don't worry, at this point the eetch is not hot anymore so your hands wont get burnt!). Transfer to serving dish and sprinkle over with chopped mint and parsley.

ZUCCHINI & MOZZARELLA

2009-10-18T18:43:00.004+02:00

Right- so we all know that tomatoes and mozzarella make a great match, but during my recent trip to Cagliari I became convinced that zucchini and mozzarella are an even greater match! They are just such a perfect edible duet that I promised myself when I go back home I am going to have to match them and eat them up together!

So this late morning was the perfect occasion. Why? Well we had lots of mozzarella in the fridge and zucchini left overs from the day before. And there you go, it was crystal clear- I definately knew what I'll be cooking today! I just wanted to add one extra ingredient to make it more personal: nigella seeds, because I always have a jar of nigella seeds in the kitchen and because sprinkling them over white cheeses makes wonders.

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Nigella seeds!

Mozzarella!

Before...

and after (next time I'm being more generous with the zucchini though) :

But you need to be seeing this close-up...

Recipe for fake zucchini & mozzarella focaccia with nigella seeds:

325gr flour

1 tbsp olive oil

Yeast

1 tsp salt

225ml warm water

Mozzarella

Zucchini, thinly sliced

Nigella seeds (optional)

& Olive oil for brushing over dough

Mix flour, olive oil, yeast, and salt. Add the warm water and knead for 10 minutes. Leave dough to rise for 1 hour in a warm place. Remove dough, knead, roll out to approximately 2cm thickness and transfer to baking tray lined with parchment paper and brushed with olive oil. Poke dough with a fork, and brush dough surface with olive oil. Generously add the mozzarella and zucchini and sprinkle over some nigella seeds(sesame seeds are good too) and some salt. Bake at 180C for 50mins.

SWEET BRIOCHE SWIRLS

2009-10-12T12:20:00.006+02:00

I am definately not a breakfast person, and I rarely cook breakfast items. Except on certain occasions like when my brother is over for instance, and then I love getting into weekend breakfast kitchen action mode, which happened to be the case yesterday.

Along with a table spread of scrambled eggs (with parsley, feta and olives- my fave accessory ingredients to scrambled eggs), cheeses, breads, and fruit juices, there definately had to be a sweet item too. Of course, when one is living in France, it is so easy to just pass by a boulangerie and pick up some delightful croissants or pains au chocolat, but as you foodies can understand, nothing compares to homemade.

Homemade it was, and so my efforts went into sweet brioche swirls. This is the only name I can come up with because it is somewhat of a crossover between a cinnamon roll (for the swirl and cinnamon of course) and a brioche (for the texture and dough recipe). And for variety's sake, I also made some dulce de leche swirls which, let me tell you, turned out to be amazing. I mean, seriously, how can anything with dulce de leche not be amazing?!

Above: with cinnamon, below: with dulce de leche.

I think it was clear, the dulce de leche swirls were by far a favourite. Whatever the filling was though, the fluffy brioche texture was a pure delight and a lighter (yet satisfying) way to start off the day.

Recipe for Sweet Brioche Swirls (requires dough to rest overnight):

350gr flour
75gr sugar
125gr softened butter
4 eggs
2 teaspoons yeast diluted in warm water (or follow instructions on packaging)
Pinch of salt
Filling: cinnamon/sugar/butter combinations, dulce de leche... the choices are endless.

Place the flour in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together and transfer to bowl containing the flour. Add the butter, salt and yeast and mix all ingredients well for 5 minutes (manually or in a mixer) until dough is smooth. Cover and leave dough overnight. The next day, on a floured board, roll out dough to 1cm thickness and spread with desired filling, leaving 1cm empty on borders. Roll dough upwards starting with the side closest to you. Cut into individual pieces, place on cooking tray and leave to rest for 1 hour. Bake at 180C for 30 minutes.

THE VERY LAST BITES OF SUMMER...

2009-10-07T20:23:00.007+02:00

So we are definately entering autumn, my skirts, sleeveless tops and sandals will hibernate until next year as I (sadly mayb) embrace my coats, tights, and knits to keep me warm.

Fortunately, I can always make it feel like summer in my kitchen...in 20 minutes tops! Basil, tomatoes, chicken delected in a creamy goodness...mmm

Summer-in-winter chicken recipe (via BBCGoodFood)

1 tbsp olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

200g pack cherry tomatoes

3 tbsp pesto

3 tbsp crème fraîche (half fat is fine)

fresh basil , if you have it

Heat the oil in a frying pan, preferably non-stick. Add the chicken and fry without moving it until it takes on a bit of colour. Turn the chicken and cook on the other side. Continue cooking for 12-15 mins until the chicken is cooked through. Season all over with a little salt and pepper.

Halve the tomatoes and throw them into the pan, stirring them around for a couple of minutes until they start to soften. Reduce the heat and stir in the pesto and crème fraîche until it makes a sauce. Scatter with a few basil leaves if you have them, then serve with rice and salad or mash and broccoli.

FATAYER MOUHAMARA

2009-10-01T20:13:00.007+02:00

I am posting here on my blog just minutes after these "fatayers" (Arabic for any dough-based pie-pizza-ish speciality) came out of the oven. If only you could smell how wonderful it is over here, and if only I could virtually send you a piece just so that you could try a bite of this Syrian speciality called "fatayer mouhamara".

It is delicious. Double delicious. Triple delicious ... and I'm not exaggerating!

But it definately needs some explanation.

1. The dough. Pretty straightforward.
2. But then comes this stuff- and this is where we need some details. Thus- the photo below.
So, ever tried anything like this before? The combination of ingredients is divine.
A bit of dough massaging.... and in the oven it goes!

Recipe for Fatayer Mouhamara (makes approx 4 to5 10cm diameter round pies)

For the topping:

4 onions, chopped

4 tbsps olive oil

1 tbsp tomato concentrate

1 tbsp pomegranate molasses

Salt to season

Mixture of pepper, cinnamon, cloves & nutmeg

Hot pepper (optional, but recommended!)

For the bread dough:

250gr flour + Yeast + 150ml warm water

The day before, combine all bread ingredients, knead well and leave dough overnight. Knead once again the next day, split into 4-5 balls. Preheat oven to 230C. In a bowl, mix all the topping ingredients. Mix well. Flatten dough balls to 1/2cm thickness and spread a generous layer of the topping. Place fatayers on tray lined with parchment paper and sprinkled lightly with some flour. Bake for 10-15 minutes, remove and relish!

P.S: Tony over at Olive Juice has another great fatayer recipe- spinach fatayer mmmm

CAGLIARI!

2009-09-30T17:00:00.026+02:00

For those of you who don't know, one of my dreams is to visit Italy from north to south, and early September I was south on the island of Sardegna, more precisely Cagliari. Before landing, I was aware of Sardegna's "jet-set" VIP reputation, and I was told Cagliari wasn't really a part of that- fortunately- as the last thing I wanted was to see rich millionaires on their yachts and people flashing bills everywhere.

One thing I was certain to expect however was beautiful emerald crystal clear water lining sandy white beaches. The rest? I really had no clue. When I travelled to Napoli, Rome or Palermo for instance I more or less had an idea of what to expect because those cities have such a strong identity in popular culture maybe, but Cagliari was just a big wave of turquoise water for me.

Indeed it was that but so much more too. The beaches were great, but so were the cute streets and the vintage Fiat's that drove through them, the food, the gelato, the people...but most of all what struck me was the lifestyle. I loved noticing how starting from 5PM the city would slowly get busy again perfectly timed with the shops openings and the people leaving the beaches to enjoy their ice-cream break which was usually timed between 6-7PM as they strolled up through the shopping streets and then sat down for a drink on Via Roma (which has the most lovely retro feel to it) at one of the many cafés watching people walk by perfectly demonstrating the infamous passeggiata and only very late is dinner served- good luck trying to find an open restaurant before 8PM!

Cagliari was not a city, but a lifestyle that I embraced wholeheartedly- I don't think I have ever unwinded and felt so relaxed as I was in Cagliari.

Laundry, Vespas, old Fiats, cute alleyways...what is there not to love?

What is a city without it's charming people and their charming habits?
Just one of the beautiful beaches in Cagliari (above: Poetto beach)

Bria is a tiny tiny place off Via Roma (one of the most central streets)- but the focaccias are out of this world!! The best (and messiest) I have had in my ENTIRE LIFE!

For typical Sardegnan cuisine, please stop by SaDomu Sarda. Authentic tasty genuine cuisine. Definately worth a visit.

The thin crispy bread above is typical Sardegnan- "pane Carasau", lots of it everywhere.

We thought maybe we should try some roasted donkey...but finally we didn't!

Simple antipasti- chickpeas, tomatoes, rucola, eggplants & saffron

Sardegnan pasta called "Pasta Fragola" (above)- here served with sundried tomatoes and ultrathin shreds of zucchini. It was delicious.

Above: inside a well-known fish restaurant along Poetto beach called "La Marinella". The interiour is filled with framed soccer jerseys signed by the players- who I assume have all eaten at the restaurant before.

We had lobster, pasta with tiny tiny shreds of salmon and the most finger-lickingly good mussels ever! Oh man, those mussels... amazing!

And of course, wherever you are in Italy, it is of utmost importance to have an ice-cream break...everyday!

P.S: I didn't manage to take pictures of flamingos, but I did see some though!

CRACKED BLACK PEPPER & FIGGY BREAD

2009-09-28T11:40:00.006+02:00

I love searching around the internet for websites that provide great recipes- but I must admit, often there is something wrong with the recipe. I always get the feeling that there is an ingredient missing or the oven temperature wasn't communicated correctly...as if they were trying to hide something from us on purpose! So despite some repeatedly bad experiences with certain cooking websites, I'll still continue visiting them online to drool over the pictures- but I won't try another recipe from that website again. I guess you call that a culinary e-loyalty or something...

However there is one site where it works each and every time: BBC Good Food. Plus it's in metric which is so very convenient for us Europeans! I have the habit of searching through BBC Good Food on a regular basis, and recently I found a great keeper: cracked black pepper & figgy bread. The end result was excellent, the kitchen smelt fabulous for an entire day, and the bread was devoured much quicker then I had imagined! What more could I ask for?

Ready to enjoy on it's own or with goat cheese which might just be the perfect match!

Recipe for Cracked black pepper & figgy bread (from BBC Good Food)

650g strong white flour
2 tsp cracked black pepper
2 tsp salt

7g sachet easy blend yeast
2 tbsp olive oil
425-450ml/¾ pint-16fl oz warm water
350g dried, ready-to-eat figs, roughly chopped

1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, pepper, salt and yeast. Stir in the olive oil and enough warm water to form a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 mins until smooth and elastic.

2. Put the dough in a lightly oiled, large bowl. Cover with oiled cling film and leave in a warm place for about 1 hr or until doubled in size. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. When the dough has risen, knead it again to incorporate the figs, by pushing the dough and lightly kneading them in. Don't overwork the dough; it can look quite rough.

3. Shape the dough into a rough oval and put on a lightly floured baking sheet. Using scissors, slash the top of the loaf and sprinkle over a little flour. Leave it to rise again, uncovered, until slightly swelled, about 10-15 mins (if the kitchen is warm). Bake for 40-45 mins until it sounds hollow when you tap it underneath, then cool on a wire rack.

MAKING VINEGAR AT HOME

2009-09-26T15:28:00.010+02:00

Can I admit I'm not a fan of store-bought vinegar? I have even stopped consuming it in the last couple of years- except for balsamic that is- and by all means prefer a squirt of fresh lemon juice instead of store bought vinegar. Don't ask why the dislike- it's just one of those things I guess!

A while back though I remember seeing this awkward looking "stuff" in a jar, all I could recognize was grapes but I had no idea what the end result would be. "It's going to be vinegar" my mother said, "in 30 days that is- your grandfather used to always make homemade vinegar this way".

Vineleaves growing in our garden...and the last grape below...

Isn't it crazy how priceless and wonderful family kitchen secrets can be? I always find recipes that go down from one family member to another so precious and often worth sharing!

Love you grandpa!!

Recipe for home-made vinegar:

Grapes & wine. Always match red grapes with red wine and green grapes with white wine.

Glass container- clean and dry.

Wash the grapes and leave to try very well. In a bowl, squash them with your (clean) hands until the juices start coming out. Transfer to a glass container- for every 10cm worth of liquid in that jar, add 1cm wine. Close contain and do not open before 30 days. Every 2 days swirl the container a bit. After a month's worth of wait, filter out vinegar through a sieve into a glass bottle and enjoy!

MOM'S FIG JAM WITH WALNUTS & CLOVES

2009-09-25T10:36:00.009+02:00

Often with recipes comes leftover ingredients. After my recent fig & violet tart, I had some lovely fresh figs remaining, and I really must share this wonderful jam recipe with you! It's a recipe my mother has been making throughout the years, and is consistently a success amongst family & friends: fig jam with walnuts and cloves. Mmmm...a delicious mixture of fruity goodness coupled with a nutty crunch and a dazzling fragrance that goes so well with the cold season that we are slowly getting into...

Cloves & figs are quite the match made in heaven!

Close-up...
And even closer up....!

Recipe for mom's fig jam with walnut & cloves (makes one standard jam jar):

500gr fresh figs (approx 6-7 figs)

250gr sugar

250gr water

1/2 a lemon, juice of

250gr walnuts, chopped

1gr ground cloves (approx 1/2 teaspoon- but you can reduce this to 1/4 teaspoon if you find it too strong)

Wash figs, dice and place in a pot. Add all the remaining ingredients except for the walnuts and the cloves. Place on high heat, until a first boil. Then reduce to a very low heat until all the water has evaporated and a jam texture is obtained. Add the walnuts and cloves, stir gently, and leave on low heat for 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool for 24hours. Cover the pot with a cloth only- no glass or plastic material should be used to cover pot. Fill in jars and enjoy!

P.S: You can also use this same recipe for a dessert using full figs and serving it with crème fraiche on the side.

TARTE FIGUE - VIOLETTE

2009-09-24T11:41:00.010+02:00

I've realized that a lot of my recent posts have been recollections of my culinary travelling experiences, but I will be back on track with recipes, recipes and more recipes! So I am taking a break from travel-blogging (because I have just one more destination to write about!! bear with me!) with this easy to make sweet treat using the last figs before they are out of season.
Figs are so beautiful- one of the most beautiful fruits in my opinion. From their colour, odour and taste... it's nature's divinity!

On sunny days (and there are not many left here in Paris!), I love making fruit tarts- generously rich in fruit on a crunchy base (I prefer puff pastry over shortcut pastry to be honest with you) and always with a little twist. The twist this time was a floral dimension to the tart- usually I love matching up figs with rose, but for a change I thought it would be great to give violet a try. I find that figs & violet complement each other in a very elegant way and adds a bit of a surprise effect to each bite.

Before going into the oven.... and after, with fragrant sizzling juices coming out of the figs...mmm

Would you like a slice? Or maybe try making it on your own? It takes less then 20 minutes to make!

Recipe for Tarte Figue - Violette

Figs

Violet (whatever form you can find, I used a syrup from the Monin range)

Ground almonds

Puff pastry

Butter (optional)

Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Wash figs, dry and slice. Prepare puff pastry into desired form, poke with a fork and brush over the violet syrup (if you are using another form then introduce as appropriate). Sprinkle a thin layer of ground almonds, and arrange fig slices on top. If you wish, you can add some diced butter on top of the figs. I didn't add sugar as well, but you might want to! Bake for 15mins.

Of course there are always other "interesting" options that go well with figs: rose, violet, red tea, etc...

ISTANBUL

2009-09-21T15:04:00.059+02:00

About a month ago I finally ticked off my travel list a destination I had been dreaming of going to... ISTANBUL! What a place! What a magical, charming, captivating city! I cannot believe that I had not been earlier... You know how they say "visit Napoli and then die"? Well I think the same should be applied to Istanbul (don't get me mistaken, Napoli is a beautiful place and also highly worth a visit). But Istanbul is really something... it's not just a destination, it's truly an experience. Istanbul is a city that stimulates all your senses- it's not just about seeing some of the most beautiful architecture or tasting some of the most scrumptious food, it's about charmismatic smells, sounds and colours that you discover in each and every street corner.
It's about a highly addictive blue illuminating the city from the Bosphorus, the Marmara, or the clear skies.

It's about the most interesting culture, past and present - and even thoughts about what the future could be in a place between East & West (above- Ataturk on the walls of Istanbul)

It's about a city that never stops, that never sleeps, that's captures your attention in every single way. It's a city that is loaded with the most creative (and friendliest) people that undeniably play a big role in explaining Istanbul's beauty. And when it all becomes too much, the best way to escape and soothe your eyes is looking into that addictive "Istanbul blue" (I guess that is what Im naming that oh-so-special colour from now on!)

But now it's time to talk about FOOD! Istanbul might just be a perfect destination for any food lover out there- it has a most rich culinary culture. It's a food culture that is truly alive- living in the streets, behind glass windows, in restaurants, leaving pathways of mouthwatering scents for you to follow and most importantly leading you to taste... sending you straight to food paradise.

When I selected some of the gazillion food photos I took, the one that I knew I had to mention first and foremost is simitici (the round bread things below). What is Istanbul without street stands of simitici literally everywhere??? Probably the first and last thing you will see in the city. Typical street food, that can exist in different variants, but these golden doughnut shaped fluffly brioche-like breads are a must try. At least once. It is definately part of the Istanbul experience.
Another thing that I cannot disassociate from Istanbul is the smell of grilled corn cobs everywhere... the perfume of the city without a doubt.

And of course another signature scent that will tickle your nose is the notorious Turkish coffee. Without sugar for me- I like it bitter...but if you are a first timer at this you might enjoy it only with tons of sugar inside.

Sticking to the subject of hot beverages, even more famous I'd say is the tea (- sacred tea even, as there is such a powerful tea culture in Istanbul). Tea is not just tea- it is almost a symbol of the Turkish hospitality, it is not uncommon to be offered a cup of tea for free. It is prepared in a particular way (two tea kettles are placed on top of each other), presented in small transparent cups allowing you to enjoy it's rich colour and sip away slowly...knowing you will be having another one in maybe just a couple of hours!

How is it possible to not notice the unique ice-cream "dondurma" and all the entertainment that goes along with it? (of course, the ice-cream choreography is mainly targeted to tourists!) (p.s: the youtube video is not mine!)

What is Istanbul without the rich array of fruits & vegetables, sold not only on markets but as street food too (for instance: the most incredible cucumber above). Ripe, juicy, aromatic, tasty fruits & veggies everywhere... coming back to Paris made me think "what on earth am I eating here? This doesnt compare one bit to what I had in Istanbul!" It's such a pity that authentically tasty fruits & veggies are so hard to find in the modern Western world... genetically modified produce is humankind's worst invention!

Istanbul is a sugar-coated city, with temptation coming from everywhere thanks to it's most delightful sweet specialties... impossible to resist! From infamous baklava (in all different varities, classic, chocolate, pistachio...) ...

...to the curiously titled "fake chicken breast" a some sort of nick name for "yalanci tavuk gogsu" (below)...

...to the loukoums (above) and the halva (below)...

...and of course, the incredible honey! Then it is time to take a stroll in the grandiose grand bazaar & spice market where you will bump into everything from traditional costumes, to beautiful glowing lamps...

...to colourful hilltops of spices and the most eyecatching teas...

...and if you're feeling experimentive, you might want to bring back home some "natural turkish viagra"... ;-)

and then there is the famous dolma rolling machine that I had read about a while back on Café Fernando (one of my all time favourite blogs).. which I finally found in real while walking towards the Spice market (and I even ended up getting one!)

If you love fish, you will love Istanbul. Fish is everywhere, from the markets, to the most interesting concept ever. As I was passing by the Galata Bridge, a strong smell of fish was through the air and directed me to these boats lined up passing over to the other side what turned out to be "balik ekmek" which is nothing more then a fish sandwich. As I approached, I noticed that the fish is actually cooked on the boats and the sandwiches are prepared so quickly to satisfy the long queue of people waiting for their balik ekmek, enjoyed with a generous squirt of lemon juice and pickles. We knew we couldnt leave before having tried one!

So this is the end of what turned out to be a very long post- but it is merely impossible to share & write less about Istanbul... now one of my favourite places and without a doubt I will be back again.

LISBON!

2009-09-09T11:18:00.046+02:00

Aaaaaahhhh I have been so so bad with updating my blog!!! It has been months since my last post and I have so much to share! Thank you for still visiting and commenting despite my absence...I know I keep saying I'll promise to post more often, but this time I genuinely mean it!

Anyway, let's start- LISBON! Yes, actually my last post was about Palermo but about a week before I had been in the beautiful mediterranean in Lisbon, a city I am truly in love with ever since I first visited it a few years back. To me, Lisbon is an example of what could be my kind of town- a unique mix of a vibrant city with just minutes away beautiful sandy beaches and green hills...a delicious offering of scrumptious cuisine whether it be the infamous bacalhau (for you salty ones out there) or the sacred pasteis de nata (for the sweet tooths- so that would include me hehe), and to top it off fantastic weather pretty much all year long coupled with a generous culture composed of what I believe could be some of the friendliest people in Europe. Yes indeed you get my point- Lisbon is my kind of town!!!

Of course I took plenty of pictures, including some mouthwatering snaps I wanted to share with you here.

For a complete overview of my sweet & short three day trip in Lisbon, check out my Flickr stream!

Here it is: the world famous pasteis de nata (also known as Pasteis de Belem)- a must try when in Lisbon. Get ready to discover the most addictive crispy, crunchy, creamy, cinnamon-y sweet treat ever!

And other sweet temptations at every bakery in every street corner... so much to drool at, so much to try!

I fell in love with Broas de Mel (honey based chunky biscuits, with or without nuts "noz")- if anyone has a good recipe to share please tell!

And I must inform you of the most amazing gelati place we found at the Rossio train station. While we were waiting for our train to visit the beautiful town of Sintra, we very randomly discovered a gelati shop on the first floor of the Rossio station- remember- it's first floor, Rossio station...for the most creamy luscious gelati ever, with a particularly interesting array of dulce de leche flavours too.

And once you have had your first scoop trust me you will be going back again and again...just like what we did!

If you visit Lisbon, it would be a shame to not do a day trip to Sintra, a cute charming town where you can notably visit the "castelo dos mouros" (below, literally: castle of the walls, you will understand once you see it!) and try the Sintra specialty "queijada da sintra" (above) which are something of sweet cheese based tarts that are so tender that it feels like someone is giving your tummy a tender comforting hug!

Also in Sintra (but also pretty much everywhere in Lisbon), you can try shots of a typical liquor "ginja" served in chocolate cups- fabulous, totally loved those!

DO visit the beachy town of Cascais (reachable by bus from Lisbon)- take a break from the city-side of Lisbon and walk on miles of golden sand and colourful street alleys, watch the sunset and glistening water and feel the silky breeze caress your skin. Yes that totally sounds cheezy but in a totally good way!

Of course how can anyone NOT think of salted codfish "bacalhau" (above) when pronouncing the word "Portugal"? It would be unforgiveable to not eat fish in Lisbon- we had some amazing sardines & tuna in a traditional restaurant "Alfaia" (in Bairro Alto, a must-see- especially at night as that is when the area bursts with life and interesting characters). The fish is prepared in the most simple manner- just some olive oil, garlic and herbs- to allow you to savour the true taste of the fish instead of disguising it with millions of ingredients! That is how I personally enjoy fish- in it's most simple attire!

So that is it, my post has come to an end but there is more to discover visually. Lisbon is truly a great destination, definately worth a visit. It might not be as popular as Barcelona, Rome or Athens... but it is a hidden gem in the Mediterranean region, with an undefinable magical charm that will let you leave with that notorious sensation of "saudade", which apparently does not translate into any other language... but after having been to Lisbon numerous times, even though I can't find the exact word for "saudade" in English I think I might know what saudade feels like...

P.S: I was in Istanbul recently so I will try to post about that soon, and I am travelling in the Mediterranean in a few days (guess where???)...so there will be lots to share!!

PALERMO

2009-06-22T15:17:00.044+02:00

Beautiful view on Mondello

Wow... so it has been quite some time since I last updated my blog eh! When I started this blog, I was definately conscious that it meant taking some time out of my life to keep this blog alive, but what can I say? Life just hasn't given me time these last couple of months... and having not been able to update my blog has been killing me! Plus, I've been travelling quite a bit in the meantime, and I'm dying to share with you some delicious memories I'm not ready to forget!

So, let's start with a first destination: PALERMO! Beautiful, sunny, mediterranean, tremendously Italian charming vibrant and colourful Palermo. It had been years that I've wanted to visit this city, and I am so thankful to have finally flown down there to irresistable southern Italy. I was blown away- Palermo turned out being so much more amazing then I thought it would be! From the minute I arrived until my last seconds to boarding on the plane heading back to Paris, I was infatuated by the splendour of the city, it's people...and the food! My goodness- the food- undeniably some of the best I've had in Italy (along with Napoli). If there is a heaven for tastebuds, then that heaven is in Palermo- and for your pleasure, enjoy just some of the hundreds of photos I snapped away while in Sicily- the full set can be viewed on my Flickr stream.

The land of gelati
It would be criminal to not try an authentic Sicilian cannoli- they are out of this world!

Giant cassata or mini cassatine...another Sicilian sweet specialty

Above: anise seed & almond cookies (which were amazing, I brought some back home with me). These were from "Pasticceria Cappello"- a place that I was told was a "must see"!

Below: Almond goodies, almost but not exactly like amaretti morbidi.

Above: luminously yellow cedro on the beautiful beach of Mondello.

Above: this trip was the first Couchsurfing experience I've had- I was interested in meeting locals, and didnt want to be just a tourist staying at a hotel seeing things from a distance. I met some amazing people, and was so fortunate to have the chance to try a most delicious home made pasta alla norma & spaghetti con bottarga prepared by a lovely Sicilian I met! In return, the next night I prepared a Middle Eastern dinner, it was a wonderful culinary cultural exchange!

Another must try: Arancine, a typical Sicilian specialty.

The markets are phenomenal- a must do when in Palermo. All your senses are tickled and elevated by the sights, sounds and smells... additionally animated by a colourful cast of characters at each market stand selling delicious local produce.

The longest zucchini I've ever seen! Each one measured about 1,5m in length!

Above: typical varities of street food, such as "pane ca meusa" which apparently is not just Siclian, but genuinly Palermitan.

Welcome to cheese heaven!!!

So there you are- just some of the many beautiful things I have seen in Palermo! I hope these visual memories make you want to visit Palermo too if you havent been there yet- let me tell you, it is worth it 110%! :-) Do visit the old quarters of the city, stop by Mondello and look into the turquoise waters and lie down on the sandy beaches, stroll through the incredibly charming village of Monreale, do not leave before having tried a cannolo, a scoop (or two) of gelati, stop by every pasticceria and treat your eyes with some sweetness, wake up early and walk through the markets, get lost through narrow streets and enjoy sights of laundry drying on the balconies, meet some of the friendliest people, enjoy every second and promise yourself that you'll be back again...

I will be back soon with images from another gorgeous destination... see you soon!

MAGDOUS

2009-04-22T15:36:00.006+02:00

A while back, when I had shared with you the methods of making home made labneh balls, I promised to also one day (and the day has now come!) write up a post on magdous. Now what on earth is magdous?

Trust me, whenever I pronounce the word "magdous", people give me that famous inquisitive curious look, you know the one with an eyebrow that's lifted a bit higher then the other (something I don't know how to do, even after practice looking in front of the mirror). When I show them magdous, the reaction is even more comical (for me at least)..."ummm... what are those dodgy looking things of an unidentified colour of a rather oval shape swimming in those jars?... you really expect me to try that?".

Yes people, unfortunately, magdous for those who are not familiar with this speciality, does not score well when it comes to first impressions. Visually at least. But taste wise, all judgements dissapear and plates are emptied in minutes. My point is that you really have to give magdous a chance before you prematurely decide to not give it even second thoughts. So the choice is yours now, you can either continue reading this post, or surf to another page...

OK, so I guess you are still here and curious to find out a bit more. Let me make an introduction: magdous is a quite common food speciality found accross the Middle East. It hasn't of course become as famous as some other specialties such as hummus or falafels, and I doubt you'll easily find it on the menu of a Middle Eastern restaurant. Magdous are basically baby eggplants, that have been drained and then stuffed with a delicious mixture of garlic, hot pepper, diced red peppers and walnuts (at least, that is the recipe in my family). It can be consumed in the same way pickles or olives are, or if you just fancy on nibbling on a little something, it is delicious on it's own with pita bread and a cup of black tea.

Of course, in the Middle East, it is easy to buy ready made magdous, but I've always enjoyed making it myself- as my grandmother and mother always have. For this, you need to be armed with patience, because its one of those "leave overnight" and "wait for a few days before consumption" recipes- but I think the wait is really worth it!

What I love most about magdous is the silky texture the eggplant develops, the delicious olive oil fragrance it becomes infused with, but most of all, it's crunchy and spicy interiour. With a small glass cup of black tea and soft pita bread, each bite reminds me of my childhood when I used to go visit my grandma, sitting on her balcony in the early evenings, watching people on the streets go by against a backdrop of an orange-ish blue sky, while being surrounded with pots of jasmine flowers hanging around the balcony that so beautifully perfumed the setting and accompanied my grandma's tender voice and the magdous' silky texture. It's one of those foods that have never been considered as lavish or fancy in the Middle East, but sometimes the most basic simplest things are what satisfy a hungry stomach in unforgettable ways.

Recipe for home made magdous (for 8 baby eggplants)

Baby eggplants

Salt

Olive oil (lots of it)

1 cup chopped walnuts

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1 cup chopped red pepper

Chilli (quantity according to personal preference)

Cut off the stem of the eggplants, but keep the hat on. Boil in salted water for about 10 minutes. Remove, slice lengthwise, but not all the way through, it has to form a "pocket" that will hold in the garnish. Sprinkle insides with salt, close the eggplant "pockets" and layer eggplants gently in a large strainer, place a dish on top, and a bowl on the bottom. The eggplants will need to drain out their water overnight, so the water that will drip can fall into the bowl underneath.

The next day, in a bowl, mix the chopped walnuts, red pepper, garlic and chilli pepper. Peel the hat of the eggplants off with the sharp edge of a small knife. Stuff each eggplant with this mixture and close back gently. Be careful as to not rip the eggplants, they will have a very delicate texture at this point. Layer the stuffed eggplants in a clean and dry jar and cover with olive oil. Leave to rest for at least 3 days- ideally 1 week. When ready to be consumed, remove the magdous with a large spoon (not a fork, they will crumble!) and enjoy with pita bread! The jars do not need to be conserved in a fridge.

HAPPY EASTER!

2009-04-20T10:09:00.032+02:00

I am sure that sometime between yesterday and the coming days, there will be many food bloggers that will be sharing images and captions on the cooking involved and feasts enjoyed on Easter Day. Or you may have already noticed in the past days, some food specialties in the preparation for Orthodox Easter, such as special breads and biscuits. This year, Orthodox Easter was celebrated on April 19th. My family is Greek Orthodox, with origins stemming between Greece and the Middle East. There are points in common in the culinary habits both regions have for this festive day, but what is for sure is that there has to be a lot of lamb on the table. Because I grew up somewhat as a "third culture kid" , and with a somewhat strong French influence (due to my many years living in France), this year, Easter had a Greek, Middle Eastern and French touch (we can thank France for the fabulous wine we enjoyed for instance hehe). In anycase, there was a lot of food to devour for Sunday's lunch after a week of lent, much that wasnt photographed as it was all too mouthwatering and I believe no one was patient enough to wait for me to take photos and then let everyone eat the food (I guess all us food bloggers have been faced with this situation before, no?)

But one thing was for sure: no one was touching the lamb before I took a photo of it. Indeed, this year, I prepared the main course and every detail involved in it. A premiere for me, as I usually volunteer to take care of dessert instead!

So for this post, I'll be sharing with you my very own Easter lamb recipe... but before that, some snapshots on the last 48 hours...

Saturday night: I prepare the marination for the lamb, and let it rest overnight in the fridge. Then, I head off to church for the Saturday night mass at one of the Greek Orthodox Churches in Paris.

Lots of candles on this important day...
The Greek community is not huge in France, in comparaison with Australia for instance, but there were many people on Saturday night (Greeks but also many Lebanese too), hundreds I should say, with quite a big crowd having to wait outside of the church under the rain...
Then at almost midnight, the first lit candle appeared, and each person lights their candle from one another... Everyone wishes each other a Happy Easter and you can hear people saying "Christos Anesti" (Greek) or "Al Maseeh Qaam" (Arabic) depending on where they come from...both meaning, "Christ has risen". In Greek, you then reply "Alithos Anesti" and in Arabic "Hakan Kam" which means "Indeed, the Christ has risen".

It is Sunday morning, and I have actually set my alarm clock to ring on a weekend... Of course, I have to be awake to check on my lamb. It has marinated all night with a fabulous mixture of herbs (full details at the end of post). I ask my mom for some last minute advice, and then it is just me and this gigantic gigot d'agneau face to face...

After a good hour and a half in the oven, and luring smells making their way through the house from the kitchen walls, the lamb has made it's appearance, accompanied with delicious roast potatoes and crunchy vegetables (that I had prepared while the lamb was cooking).
I have to say, for a first time, I felt quite proud of myself with the way the lamb turned out...! At least by the looks of it, I have yet to taste it...

The slicing begins, I observe closely and in an almost paranoid/perfectionist manner how each cut looks like... For this kind of lamb, our family doesn't enjoy eating it "saignant" nor "à point" (meaning, we don't want to see any blood gushing out of the lamb while it's being sliced). Thankfully, there was not a drop of blood, it was cooked just the way we all love it and had an amazing tender texture and bursted with flavour.

I had bought a lot of fresh tomatoes, asparagus, snap peas, and carrots that were all first boiled (except the tomatoes), the placed in a deep dish drizzled with a mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, crushed garlic and salt before it went into the oven for about ten minutes... so that it could be enjoyed at the right temperature and get a nice toasty colour.

And voila! Would you like to try some?

Those Lindt rabbits are just way too cute, I had to get some.

To end things on a sweet note... for dessert, there was a lot of chocolate, but also my mom's signature orange-coconut cake, which has proved to be a smashing success year after year, amongst family or guests! It is a classic she prepares on big events, and we have never seemed to get bored of it!

If you would like to see images of how Orthodox Easter has been celebrated in certain parts of Eastern Europe, Russia and the Middle East, you can click here on the BBC News site or for a wider range of photos, you can check out Getty Images.

Easter lamb: (based on a leg of lamb weighing 2kg)

1 leg of lamb / gigot d'agneau

1 bundle fresh estragon, chopped

1 bundle thym

1 tablespoon mustard (preferably "moutarde à l'ancienne", the one where you can see the mustard grains)

A few bay/laurel leaves

Garlic cloves (according to your personal taste, I had 6 garlic cloves in total)

1 freshly squeezed lemon

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt & Pepper

3 mugs of hot water + 1 Maggi Kub d'Or (bouillon cube).

A few hours before baking (or if you can, preferably the night before): prepare the marination:

In a bowl, throw in all the ingredients stated above (except the lamb and laurel leaves) and mix well. Transfer mixture over the lamb, rub well, place the laurel leaves around and on top, and leave to marinate.

When ready to cook: take out the lamb at and let it rest at room temperature for 30min to 1 hour. Preheat oven to a high heat (about 300C) for 20 minutes. Indent the lamb with few small knive cuts. Dissolve the Kub d'Or in the three mugs of hot water, set aside. Lower heat to 200C, and bake for 60min to 1h30min according to personal taste (I baked for 1h30). During cooking time, make sure to check on lamb and take it out from time to time to drizzle it with a ladle of the Kub d'Or mix so that it doesn't dry up. You may or may not use up the entire three mugs, but that quantity keeps you on the safe side.

When ready, remove from oven, cover with aluminium and let rest for 15 minutes. Enjoy!

LEFTOVER RASPBERRIES...

2009-04-10T10:58:00.006+02:00

At any point in time, us cooking & baking lovers, will always be faced with leftovers...and I'm not speaking about leftover pizza slices that some people enjoy eaten cold for breakfast (I never really got that?), I'm talking about leftover egg yolks, ganache, pistachios, orange zest, or, in this case raspberries. Do you remember the raspberry cheesecake I posted not too long ago? Well after the cheesecake was baked and devoured by all, I was faced with handfuls of raspberries leftovers...I could have of course eaten them plain (which I did, some of them), I could had made ice-cream, or a crispy tarte fine (thin puff pastry tart), or even raspberry jam... but for some reason, my leftover remedy has always seemed to be muffins! They just seem perfect in every way... they are of the ideal size whether for breakfast or to accompany of cup of coffee, they look alluring on a tray inevitably tempting friends & family who pass through the kitchen, they can transport themselves conveniently to picnics or to work... they are pretty to look at and easy to make, and loved by (almost) everyone!

So what on earth could had stopped me from making muffins with my raspberry leftovers?!

And take these almond-raspberry muffins as an sweet interlude until I get back cooking in my beloved kitchen that I missed so much when I was away in Cuba last week...!

Raspberry-Almond muffins:

For approx 12 muffins:

2 eggs

100gr sugar

100gr melted butter

50ml milk

1 teaspoon vanilla essence or a vanilla pod.

140gr flour

70gr ground almonds

5gr baking powder

Pinch of salt

Handful of delicious raspberries

Shredded almonds for decorating (and for crisp!)

Preheat oven to th4/180C/350F.

In a bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together. Add the butter,milk and vanilla mix well. Add the flour, ground almonds, baking powder and salt, mix well. Then gently throw in the raspberries and stir...gently! Transfer batter to muffin moulds (with containers, optionally). Fill moulds in 3/4th of the way. Top off with a generous layer of shredded almonds and bake for 30mins. Check with a sharp knife if well cooked, if not extend baking by intervals of 10mins, always at th4. Remove, and let cool.

I'M BACK!

2009-04-09T11:39:00.002+02:00

Hello everyone! About just over a week ago I said I'd be away to a really interesting destination... a 10 hour flight away from Paris... where sunny temperatures were reaching 30-35C (I came back with a fab tan I must say!), where the people were consistently so warm and friendly... where every street corner was so rich with culture and history... where life is lived so differently from here in France (I came back feeling more grateful for everything I had), where (on the downside) food & cuisine is not a highlight (but the langosta is abundant and delicious thoug), and last but not least, a country where for many certainly, it is a real photographer (amateur or professional, whatever level you may be at!) is a real dream...

I was in Cuba for a week, in Havana to be exact, and that explains why I havent been on here lately! Here are some visual snippets for you!

However now that I am back, and having missed my kitchen a lot, I promise to be up with lots of delicious posts very soon! In the meantime, you can check out my Cuba photos here!

x

Marianna

LEAVING WINTER, WELCOMING THE SUNSHINE...

2009-03-24T14:33:00.003+01:00

Because I’ll be away on holidays soon- which implies that I’ll be taking a break from blogging too- I thought I’d leave a few savoury images which you will hopefully enjoy…

I’m leaving this post short, with a dish mid way between the cold and sunny days… some comforting purée de pomme de terre to say good bye to chilly weather, and colourful roasted vegetables perfumed with fresh basil, olive oil and garlic to remind us that sunshine is on it’s way!
Before I end this post however, let me share with you a few secrets I used:

To add volume & crisp to a dish: simply grate a potato to produce thin shreds (like when grating carrots). Rinse under cold water several times. Optionally (but recommended), leave the grated potatoes in a bowl with cold water and icecubes. Drain, dry, and fry. The result? Crispy golden threads that can be used to decorate your dish!

For ‘herbal visual reminders’- if basil is one key ingredient of your dish, fry large beautiful basil leaves. They will become translucid and crisp, placed on your dish they will hint to the presence of basil. It’s a change from simply placing a fresh basil leaf, as when fried, it has a more ‘jewel’ like aspect.

When roasting tomatoes: depending on the ‘mood’ of your dish, I love leaving the stems of the tomatoes on. It adds a graphic yet rustic edge to any dish!

Lastly, (and some of you may already know this), when cooking meats or fishes, leave them out under room temperature about an hour before cooking them up. In French, you would say that ‘ca les detend’- which means, it helps the meat/fish ‘relax’ before it contacts heat and does not ‘shock’ as intensely in regards to the temperature change. This helps obtain a more tender result at the end.

RASBERRY CHEESECAKE

2009-03-23T13:11:00.006+01:00

Before I start writing about raspberries, cream cheese, and other sinful deliciousness, I need to mention a couple of things :
1) I’ll very very very likely be away on a trip end of this week (I’m taking a few days off from work, hurrah!)… destination will be revealed upon my return- but I can tell you from now that I’m very excited about where I’m going, and I think my camera is in for a real treat!

2) Today’s subject is cheesecake, as you probably guessed…and for this I need to make a confession. I’ve made cheesecake only twice in my life- this being the second time. I know, this can be a shock to some of you, but the truth is that cheesecake just happens to be one of those things I just don’t make at home…for some unknown reason. When I have a slice, it’s usually when I’m eating out.
Anyway- with that said, you can imagine that this second attempt to make cheesecake was quite a dramatic and intense experience for me as more then six years have gone by since my last home-made version. So I was crossing my fingers hoping that this would work out. I did tons of research to unlock the mystery of what makes a perfect cheesecake- from the baking time, to using or not using a water bath in the oven, to how long one should be mixing the ingredients, so on and so forth.

Finally, my gut feeling and baking experience helped lead me to a conclusion and I think I came up with a recipe (which was the result of research and a combination of many recipes) that I will keep and use again and again, because the result was just lovely! Each bite was a wonderful creamy rich experience with chunks of raspberries that reminded me spring time is very near, contrasted by a fragrant speculoos base…mmmm, pure delight!

Raspberry cheesecake (recipe for a 20cm diameter round cake mould)

200gr speculoos
25gr butter, melted
100gr sugar
Vanilla essence or pod
2 eggs
450gr cream cheese
100gr soured cream (in France, look for ‘crème fraiche’)
200gr raspberries + a handful for decoration
Raspberry coulis (optional)
Icing sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to th4/160C/350F.
Butter the sides of the cake mould, and line the bottom with parchment paper. Crush the speculoos to powder (either manually or in a mixer), and mix with the butter as to form a dough. Place this dough on the bottom of the mould, smoothing it out with your hand or the bottom of a cup. Bake for 10 mins, remove and set aside. In the meantime, mix the sugar, vanilla, and eggs and mix briefly (you don’t want too much air). Add the cream cheese and soured cream, mix at low speed until texture is creamy with no lumps. Throw in the raspberries and stir gently with a spatula. Transfer to mould and bake for 50 mins. At the end of baking time, turn oven off and leave cheesecake inside the oven for 30 mins. Remove, let cool and place in fridge overnight. Decorate with fresh raspberries, coulis and icing sugar, enjoy!

P.S: do NOT use frozen raspberries for inside the cheesecake. It will release water and you will have a soggy texture- trust me on this one!

TURRON & ALMOND BROWNIES

2009-03-16T12:04:00.004+01:00

Well… I was hoping that I’d be more regular with my posts this year, but I guess things aren’t working out exactly as planned ! Since the beginning of the year, many events have been happening in my life which have taken up a lot of time from sharing my culinary experiences here! I hope this will change soon, because without the cooking…I just don’t quite feel the same…cooking, baking, spending time in the kitchen and being curious with ingredients is certainly an integral part of who I am!

Anyway, I thought I’d pop by with a chocolatey hello with scrumptious turron & almond brownies- giving the classic recipe a bit of a Spanish twist! I absolutely adore turron, especially turron de Jijona (the softer type), and I thought I’d throw some into a brownie recipe along with some almonds for a bit of a crunch!

The brownie recipe I usually follow never disappoints- except this time I thought I should add a bit more flour and prolong baking time by 10 mins… well let me tell you- do not do it! Because the end result was not as moist as I was hoping for, and instead I obtained a somewhat cakey-brownie texture. Nonetheless – do not get me mistaken- these culinary accidents still produced a delicious result, and these brownies are especially fantastic when enjoyed with a cup of coffee (turron and coffee pair up amazingly well!).

Turron & Almond brownies (the right recipe!):

200gr chocolate, 70%
200gr butter
200gr sugar
4 eggs
100gr flour
5gr baking powder
Pinch of salt
100gr chopped almonds
150gr Jijona turron, diced

Preheat oven to th4/180C/350F.
Start by roasting the almonds- either in the oven or in a pan. Roast for about 5 mins, this will make them crunchier and gives them a delicious scent! Remove from oven/pan, chop the almonds and set aside. Melt the butter with the chocolate, preferably over a bain-marie. Transfer to mixing bowl, add the sugar & eggs- whisk. Follow with the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Finally add the chopped almonds and turron blando- mix very gently. Bake in oven for 25 mins, remove and let cool before serving.

P.S: because the Jijona turron is so crumbly and fragile, it would be best to dice and place in the fridge a couple of hours (or even a day) prior to baking the brownies.

BEAUTY CAKE!

2009-02-27T10:25:00.005+01:00

Alright ladies (and gentlemen!), clear out your beauty shelves, set your skin cream jars & tubes aside, and make some space for this beauty cake! Yes, that’s right: beauty and cake are two words that can be written side by side. And I’m not talking about a “beautiful looking cake” (because clearly, this cake I’m posting about doesn’t score much points in terms of good-lookingness), I am talking about a cake that can make your skin look more beautiful.

So why is it that I’ve given this cake the name of a “beauty cake”? Of course, it all has to do with the ingredients. Take a closer look at this wonderfully scented cake with a melt-in-your-mouth texture which miraculously enough might also be beneficial for your skin.

In general, my cooking rules is try to make everything as healthy as possible without compromising on taste. I am a firm believer in this, and having grown up on a Mediterranean diet, you can imagine that our household consumes an above-average amount of good-for-you ingredients such as olive oil, almonds & Co.

This cake is in line with my culinary beliefs, as it contains no butter (and no, I have not substituted butter with apple sauce or gelatin or what not), no egg yolks, and no sugar (and no, the sugar hasn’t been replaced by aspartame!).
What it contains is this: egg whites, high quality honey, almonds, dried figs (with no sugar added), and sunflower oil (yes, you can bake cakes with sunflower oil).

Now being the research freak that I am (always googling stuff up!), all the ingredients of my beauty cake recipe have been documented about to be skin-friendly (and good for cardiovascular health too! )

Let’s start with the obvious ones: almonds is super packed with Vitamin E- and we all know that Vitamin E is your skin’s best friend. Vitamin E is actually an ingredient that helps keep your skin smooth & supple, that’s why it is so common to find in skincare products (did you ever notice the sheer amount of skin creams that contain vitamin E?) (and these are words coming from someone (me) who has worked on skincare products!)

Sunflower oil has been known for years to help skin retain moisture and is also, like almonds, rich with Vitamin E. Many beauty products actually contain sunflower oil for the softening factor, and some people apply sunflower oil directly on their skin.

Honey has been repeatedly studied to contain antioxidants. Now take a minute and think about what most anti ageing skin creams read… yes indeed, they all stress on the importance of anti oxidants to keep fine lines at bay!

Now interestingly enough, egg whites have been used in home-made masks to treat wrinkles! So egg white goodness does not just stop on it’s protein loaded and virtually fat free content (which makes it a fave for celebs who diet all year long i.e: Victoria Beckham hehe).

Finally, dried figs are packed with beauty nutrients such as potassium, iron, calcium & magnesium which are great for healthy skin and hair.

They say there are always exceptions in life, and this might just be one.

Doesn’t it feel good for once to enjoy a slice of cake without the guilt factor?
Recipe for the Beauty Cake:

4 egg whites
120gr good quality honey
50gr sunflower oil
20gr whole grain flour
100gr ground almonds + some chopped almonds to add in the batter
6-8 dried figs, diced

Preheat oven to 180C/350F/th4. In a bowl, whisk the egg whites until they become fluffy. Then add in the honey and mix. Add the vegetable oil, mix. Follow with the flour & ground almonds, mix well but gently. Finally, add some chopped almonds and the diced figs, mix gently with a wooden spoon or spatula. Transfer batter to mould, bake for 30 mins, check with a knife to see if cake is baked. If not, extend cooking by sequences of 10 mins, checking with a sharp knife after each sequence. Remove cake from oven and let cool.

RAINBOW OF SPICES

2009-02-21T21:13:00.010+01:00

Oh my goodness, I have been away from my blog for way too long and I have definately missed writing about my culinary experimentations and discovering those of fellow bloggers too! It feels very good to be back on here!

So here I am with a savoury spicy note and a recipe for easy to make delightfully tender chicken breasts that have been marinated in a collection of spices mixed with yoghurt in the same way some Indian recipes are done, and served with a fragrant brown rice mixed with onions, fresh chopped coriander and toasted almonds. Just the perfect meal that adds some heat to this seemingly never ending winter season...Roasted mango & coconut ice cream was then a perfect refreshing way to cool down our flaming tastebuds and keep us on an exotic note for the rest of the day...
Recipe for Indian inspired spicy chicken:

For 2 chicken breasts:

100ml yoghurt

Mixture of spices (cumin, coriander, cardamom, chilli powder, anise, ginger, turmeric)

1/2-1 teaspoon garlic paste

For the rice:
Brown rice

Chicken stock

Handful of chopped fresh coriander leaves

1 onion, chopped

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

Toasted sliced almonds

Other:

Vegetable oil (or butter)

Salt

Mix the yoghurt & spice mixture & garlic. Coat chicken breasts with this mixture and set aside (keep cool in fridge).

Cook the brown rice in chicken stock. In the meantime, sauté onions in a pan with oil and cardamom. When rice is ready, mix in the onions, chopped coriander & toasted almonds. Set aside, but keep warm. Add salt if necessary.

Heat a deep pan with some vegetable oil. Place chicken breasts and cook at high heat for the first few minutes. Turn down heat, cover and let cook well for about 15 minutes. Turn heat up again for the last few minutes before serving with rice.

SYRIA & LEBANON (savoury side)

2009-01-12T17:14:00.033+01:00

And here is my savoury continuation to my recent trip in Syria & Lebanon... recollections amongst bakeries, souks or restaurants, the least I can say is that literally everything I ate was absolutely delicious, and as mentionned in a previous post, maybe what I enjoyed most was how the fruits and vegetables tasted like... seasonal and in their proper untouched non genetically modified state... sigh...

So where do I start?

Maybe a passage in the morning to a bakery would be a good idea. Undeniably, you can only appreciate how all goods are pretty much made around the clock, at almost anytime of the day, whatever you buy has likely just popped out of the oven! You pass by almost any bakery, and you will see someone rolling out the dough, the other working on the garnishes, and someone else transferring items to a flaming oven...until it finally lands in your own very hands waiting to be devoured.

Above: the smell of local bakeries immediately captures your senses in every street leading you to freshly made "mana'ish" (such as a za'atar variation above- by the way, there is a local belief that eating za'atar improves your memory and makes you more intelligent!) or "saj bread" (above, sprinkled with nigella and sesame seeds) baked on a heated cushion type utensil (you have to see it to visualize exactly what I mean by a "heated cushion"). This is likely to be your first stop of the day as a preparation for a delicious breakfast typically enjoyed with a black cup of tea, olives, and cheese.

Then taking a trip to the souk will amaze you with hills and colours of nuts & spices...

Above: an array of every imagineable spice bought at the fraction of the price that it is usually sold at in Western countries... and lovely green & brown za'atar in image just above.

And during our stroll at the souk, we spotted at one of the numerous spice/tea/herb shops this container with what seemed to be dead dried lizards...! We asked the shop owner what on earth these could possibly be used for, and he whispered back to us "it's like Viagra- for both men & women- if you want best results, then slip it into a lentil soup". Anyone want to try that out and let me know if it works?
You can also admire beautiful coffee pots that you might want to bring back home as a souvenir to reproduce the particuliar taste and aroma of Arabic coffee "ahwé" (or better known as "Turkish coffee"). Coffee is considered sacred in the Middle East, and is enjoyed all throughout the day- in the morning, before lunch, after lunch, before dinner, after dinner, etc etc... If you have the chance to bump into a fortune teller, they can also read your future in your coffee cup after you have sipped it away... What happens is that after drinking the coffee, you have to leave a tiny quantity at the end, turn over your cup and leave it for a few minutes. The patterns that the remaining coffee traces on the insides of the cup form images and symbols that fortune tellers can read and thus allowing them to predict your future... Entertaining, the least I can say!

Then you can break for a charming culinary escapade at one of the many traditional Arabic restaurants where your eyes & tastebuds will be thrilled with beautiful interiour décor and most tasty dishes... The best ones are located in the old quarters...

It would be criminal to skip the typical gigantic mezzé served at the beginning of a meal and relish on salads such as fattoush (below, with the pieces of bread), the infamous taboulé (below) made with tons of super healthy chopped parsley, or a refreshing eggplant, tomato, pepper and mint salad (my personal fave)...

Taboulé has to be "the" most famous salad in these countries, just watch out you don't leave the table with pieces of parsley stuck in between your teeth!Of course you must order some glorious "hummus" (and for a recipe you can try out one I blogged about- it's a family secret recipe!). We ordered a most amazing hummus EVER served with crushed walnuts and chickpeas... and I highly recommend you try out "mouhammara" (below) if you havent tried it yet. Your tastebuds will be whisked away by this mixture of red bell peppers, walnuts, pomegrenate mollasses and other secret ingredients...

It is common to order a "barak bil jibné" as part of a mezzé- these are basically cheese pies that can come in different forms. Some are fluffy and airy like a pillow, they are my favourite!

And please, let us not forget enjoying vine leaves in such countries! Below is "yalanji" (similar to dolmades in Turkey & Greece). As part of a mezzé, you will often encouter the cold lemony variety. As a main course, it is typical to savour it as a hot main course served with meat, as blogged and wonderfully explained by Tony from Olive Juice.
If you're in the mood for a popular chicken based staple dish, then please do order tender & tasty shish taouk (above).

Or try more local dishes, such as okra called "bamyé" in Arabic- convenient for vegeterians if you ask for no meat to be served with it.

Or even better- "kibbé". Kibbé is a beloved dish in the Middle East, and can come fried, baked, served with a yoghurt based sauce (below, "kibbé labaniyé") and in certain occasions, it is grilled "kibbé mishwiyé" which is -for me- the kings of all kibbés! It is traditionally enjoyed with a glass of "arak" (known as Ouzo in Greece for instance).

Meals that last for hours, catered by most friendly waiters, cooked by chefs that know their stuff, and ending with an apple, cherry, watermelon (amongst the endless list of options) flavoured arguile... With that, you have really had a taste of an example of a genuine Middle Eastern meal.
Of course, there are tons and tons of other savoury dishes to enjoy...which tempt me to take a flight back and take more photos...In the meantime, you can always check out my travel photos on my Flickr stream.