July, 2010

Arctic Flavors / Glass Obsession Series / Recipes — No Comments
26
Jul 10

Frosty Fruity Antidote to Rising Humidity

Right. We’ve officially entered monsoon season. Three-week intervals of torrential rains. The sun doesn’t have a chance to glare anymore. And when the skies aren’t weeping, the overcast gives rise to torturous humidity. Today, it’s 91%. Approaching Dante’s inferno.

So what do you do? Take cold showers, eat chilled salads, drink lots of water and let shards of cool granita melt away the mugginess.

A Sicillian invention, granita is perfect for those clammy, oppressive afternoons. Especially right after the rains when the soil begins to breathe and releases its sticky, earthy sudor into the air.

Similar to sorbet and a cinch to prepare, it usually takes on the flavor of fruit. Although in caffeine-soaked Italy, coffee proves to be popular as well. So just your preferred liquid, some sugar syrup if needed, a freezer and a fork, you’re already fully equipped to create some jewel-toned ice crystals.

You can make different-flavored batches, freeze them in ice cube trays then pop into ziplocked freezer bags for storing. When you get one of those unannounced visits from friends or family, pulse a few in a food processor and spoon into martini glasses. Voila! A quick and elegant dessert.

Or, you can serve them (especially citrus-perfumed ones) as palate-cleansers in between courses. You will not lack in compliments after guests have had spoonfuls of this refreshing entremet.

So next time the hydrometer hits the roof, I know exactly what to reach for. I’m planning to make three batches this week that will include one coffee and one mint. Did one today using peaches…that will for sure take Dante to Paradiso.

xxx

Karima

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Food Trips / Street Eats — 1 Comment
19
Jul 10

Blissfully Lost in Gastronomy

Vietnam… the sound of it releases familiar smells in the air. Cilantro. Basil. Lime. Fish sauce. Coffee. Freshly-made baguette…

Before boarding my flights to Saigon and Hanoi, I had read a lot about Vietnam as a culinary destination. Friends also have gone there and come back to share with us popular Vietnamese products. Travel blogs have lauded it. Anthony Bourdain fell in love with it.

So I decided to go have a look.

First night. Hanoi. The street scene in the Old Quarter is absolute chaos. Every corner is dotted with eateries. Dozens and dozens of diners park themselves on low tables and stools, ignoring the noise of the million mopeds passing by and the rubbish beneath their feet. Why?

This is why. Street food here is phenomenal! Imagine a big bowl of the freshest beef strips, rice noodles, cucumber, cilantro, basil, garlic chips and peanuts you can find and top that off with the most flavorful, steaming broth straight from the pot next to you. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Pho — Vietnam’s national dish. I couldn’t get enough of this soup. One month after my visit, I could still (vividly) remember how it tasted like.

Pho is a humble, nourishing dish. Native to the North of Vietnam, it may have borrowed the technique from the French where onion is charred and added to the broth for a full-bodied flavor. There’s even a theory that the word pho came from the last syllable of pot-au-feu (literally “pot on the fire”), a French beef stew that is cooked in a stockpot for hours. This is a definite must-try.

The following day: tour of the city’s temples, pagodas, museums and gardens. Every so often, we take a break. And what better way to relax than sitting by the roadside, watching the locals go about their day and sipping one of the best coffees in the world!

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Favorite Finds / Glass Obsession Series — No Comments
13
Jul 10

Jar for All Seasons

I’ve had a long, beautiful love affair with glass. I still do. The closest of my friends and family know this all too well. When I see glass, I drool.

Clear, colored, smoked, printed — doesn’t matter. I like ‘em all. Well, ok…except ugly ones.

There’s just something so romantic and charmingly old world about glass. The dresser looks uber-stylish when crowded with vintage glass perfume bottles; a simple cake or cheese plate seems more elegant under a clear pastry dome; even the very mundane dishwashing liquid is elevated to supermodel status when decanted into empty olive oil bottles.

Over the years, I have collected different glass items, the largest group of which is my drinkware. I generally prefer drinks presented in their appropriate vessels. Like I wouldn’t want my martini served in a tumbler. No — no no no — no no! There’s my Pyrex collection too — casseroles, mixing bowls, measuring jugs. It’s not so obvious that I like to use my oven, huh?

Then one day I discovered Michael Smith on the telly, a Canadian chef who hosts the cooking show Chef at Home. As the program title suggests, it showcases his very own home with the kitchen as his stage. I fell in love with that pantry of his. Every imaginable spice, liqueur, herb, sauce, grain, nut and chocolate has a place in that room. And each is kept fresh in its own glass mason jar.

Yep, you heard me. GLASS mason jars. They’re my new babies! I can think of a million uses for them: petits pots au chocolat, coddled eggs, pies-in-a-jar, creme brulee, homemade vanilla extract, individual shepherd’s pie, fruit syrups, scented sugars, butterscotch sauce… Right. Drool alert. Excuse me while I fetch a towel!

xx

Karima

Kids in the Kitchen / Recipes — 2 Comments
4
Jul 10

Little Pots of Love

I grew up loving flan. My mum has a PhD in making this caramel-doused dessert. I remember the impatience that accompanied every baking session. Barely had the pan come out of the oven when my brothers and I launched a strike at the still-hot custard, not able to wait a minute longer for it to cool down.

I like custards in general – whether delicate and cozy inside ramekins, luscious underneath a sugary crackle or sitting proudly on a pool of amber syrup.

Now with a child of my own, I shared this predilection with my son by baking some petits pots de creme. They fall right in between a rich creme brulee and a sturdy flan. The difference among the three is essentially the cream-milk-egg ratio. Creme Brulee is made with heavy cream and egg yolks. Pot de Creme has half milk, half cream plus egg yolks. Flan, also known as Creme Caramel, has more milk than cream, whole eggs and egg yolks.

Now asked whether he preferred vanilla or chocolate, my son replied, “Both!” So we worked on two. Why not? I’m not about to go stingy with sharing the love.

xxx

Karima

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Breakfast Sweets Series / Recipes — 4 Comments
1
Jul 10

Belge du Jour

Lately I have been missing my friends and reminiscing about the many mornings we spent at Le Pain Quotidien, our favorite hangout in Jumeirah Beach Residence. Those were times when we just wanted to take it easy, wash down our worries with gigantic bowls of cafe au lait while looking nonchalantly fabulous under the Arabian sun. Truly, undeniably veritable belles du jour.

Snapping myself back to the present, I thought I’d recreate those LPQ moments by spending a good amount of time in the kitchen and baking myself a Belgian treat. I’m leaning towards something sugary these days so I scoured the web and bumped into craquelin. It is basically a brioche that caters to your sweet tooth.

Happy with my choice of bakery, I hastily got down to business. That was last night. This morning, with the dough rising inside the oven, butter softening in the kitchen counter, coffee brewing in the French press… I grabbed a few minutes to put on a sundress and slap on some lippy. I haven’t forgotten to look fab for my petit dejeuner!

xxx

Karima

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