Project 365 - Day30: Rainy Day in Kuwait

So its a rainy day here in Kuwait.. Not too rainy, just some droplets here and there.. There aren't many rainy days here, so if you're a real rain lover, you'd be seriously disappointed with winter. On the other hand, if you're like me, an average rain hating person, rainy days would be tolerable, sometomes, you can even forget it was a rainy day to begin with.

Did I ever tell you the top reason I love Kuwait? Its winter.

Summer of course, is a whole different story...

Till Tomorrow...

Project 365 - Day29: Pineapple dessert

 My dessert for yesterday was healthy. It wasn't a choice, i was obliged to because believe or not, I had no baked goods stashed somewhere. I've got to bake more often to avoid shortages like this and be forced to eat something healthy like pineapples. Seriously though, pineapples were a real treat.

Cardamom and Pistachio Cake: A cake in dreams

 

This cardamom and pistachio cake is what we call cake elhail wl fustok. Cardamom (hail in Arabic) and Pitachios (fustok) are very popular in Arabian Cusisine. They are used in both savory and sweet food. To add to it, cardamom is also traditionally used in Arabic (or  coffee. The smell of cardamom always brings me back to my childhood, when I'd wake up to school every morning to the smell of my dad's Lebanese coffee infused with Cardamom. Lebanese coffee is the coffee we drink back home, usually at local coffee shops in Lebanon (absolutely not Starbucks) you can easily spot the smell of cardamom being infused into the coffee. Its amazing how sometimes the mere smell of good coffee can cure headaches..

Now to the cake... Where do I begin... All desserts are perfect to me. But this one is a special dessert. Its not a dessert you have everyday, nor is it a dessert that would make you go on sugar coma, this dessert will simply awaken your taste buds. Imagine a creamy texture that melts into your mouth, the nutty flavor of pistachios combined with the spicy taste of cardamom. It's truly a marriage of tastes.Its cake made in heaven. It's moist, but not too moist, sweet but not too sweet, nutty but not too nutty..

I've written this recipe based on several trial and errors. Am happy to say that to me, the proportion of cardamom and pistachio is ideal. Sour cream adds moisture to the cake, while the conrstarch gives the cake a light and fluffy texture.

I admit that this is not the fastest cake to make. Making your own cardamom spice is tedious. But you'll forget how tedious it is once you smell the fresh aroma of freshly grounded cardamom, aka hail...













 

 After you finish reading this post, please visit your grocery store, buy all the ingredients and give it a try. After all, its a bundt cake. Nothing is easier than a bundt cake.





 

P.S. You can also use a 9" cake pan (but it wont look as cute as a bundt cake)

Cardamom pistachio cake 

Source: my original recipe

{Click here for printable recipe}

Ingredients:
For the cake

• 3 cups all-purpose flour 300g
• 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
• ½ tspn salt
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup or 100g unsalted chopped pistachio
• 1½ teaspoon fresh ground cardamom about 20 pods
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 sour cream
• ¾ cup or 150g butter
• 1 ½ cup or 300g sugar
• 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs for coating the Bundt cake

For Rose water cream cheese frosting:

• 1 pack or 200g Philadelphia cream cheese
• 5 tablespoons rose water
• 5 tablespoons milk
• ½ cup or 62 gram powder sugar
• 3 tablespoons natural unsalted pistachios to garnish
• Melted Chocolate for drizzling

Steps:
Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to  180°C /350 °F /Gas mark 4.
2. Butter a 12 cup bundt pan and coat with fine dry breadcrumbs. Set aside.
3. On a chopping board, gently ponder the cardamom seeds till split open. Using your hands, remove and discard cardamom’s green shells. In the mortar, crush the cardamom seeds till powdery. Or use a small coffee grinder to grind the seeds.
4. In the food processor, blitz the pistachios until they are finely grounded.

The Cake:

1. In a large bowl, sift the flour, salt, cornstarch and baking powder three times.
2. Add the pistachios and cardamom..
3. In the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. About 5 to 8 minutes.
4. Add the eggs one at a time. Mix just until combined. Then add the sour cream. Mix for three to four minutes or till combined.
5. Beginning and ending with dry ingredients, alternate between the liquid and dry ingredients.
6. Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients, then ½ the milk, then 1/3 of the dry ingredients, then ½ the milk and finally the last 1/3 of dry ingredients.
7. Pour batter into prepared bundt pan, spreading evenly.
8. Bake in the third rack of the oven, for about 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
9. Once done, allow the bundt cake to cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes before inverting it.
10. Let the cake cool completely before decorating and frosting.

To make the frosting:

1. Sift the icing sugar.
2. Add all the ingredients to the bowl of the mixer and mix until combined.
3. Mix all the ingredients in the bowl of the
4. Spread the frosting over the cakes. Sprinkle with pistachios & drizzle with chocolate then let the cake cool for one hour hours before serving.

Devour & Enjoy..

Project 365 - Day 28: Watcha Looking at?

Celine, looking gorgeous as always...

As I look at this picture next year I'll probably ask my self how has time flown so fast. Soon she'll be moving out to college & i'll be stalking her with my car.. The joys of motherhood.. But for now, am enjoying this moment..

Till tomorrow...

Project 365 - Day 27: Happy Chocolate Cake Day

 

Call me crazy but since today is chocolate cake day I baked a chocolate cake. You know what I love more than food days? Food days that gives me an excuse to bake. Best.Days. Ever.

Till tomorrow...(Unfortunately, chocolate day tomorrow)

Project 365 - Day 26: Toddler Food

Today i decided instead of fighting with my cici to eat, am going to take the advice a friend gave: use a cookie cutter to cut her food into cute shapes. I used a heart shape cookie cutter to cut apples & cheese, a small flower cutter to cut the mini strawberries, some walnuts, mandarins and sprinkled some pomegranate...

Guess what? It wooorked. She actually ate! I guess I must start working on food presentation for my picky toddler. So, today i won for a change.

Till tomorrow...

Project 365 - Day 25: French Macarons

There is a trend that's been going around the web for the last few years. 365 day project. This is a project where as individuals like me for example, choose to take a picture everyday of the year and post a photo about it everyday to social networking sites,blogs, journals, etc... In short, its a one photo a day project. The goal is to look back these photos in the end of the year and capture the essence of the year..

So, starting today,( technically yesterday) I'll start my 365 day project. Everyday I'll post a photo about something interesting or  exciting or something that caught my attention, made my day, or ruined it. U know me, its probably going to be mostly food but it doesn't have to. It can be anything I feel worth remembering next year..

There will be days where miss, and I'll hate myself for it. There will be days where the pictures will suck, but I'll get over it.. There will be days where I want to quit, but I won't.. Bottom line this is a huge commitment, and am going to stick to it. So please wish me luck.

Today am posting this picture of the famous french macarons.

I just love macarons. They are colorful, joyful, melt in your mouth goodness.. Their soft meringue texture, the filling..

Am posting this picture because until now fear of failure has stopped me from making macarons. I have terror fascinations of how horrible mine will turn out.. I hope one day in the next 342 days remaining I try to make it myself at home. Make a use of that expensive silicone mat designed to help non daring bakers like me..  Or that Macarons book written by Pierre Hermes... Or that very expensive Thermomix that supposedly transfers making macarons into a breath. I'll use them all one day to make macarons... I hope.

This was yesterday's inspiration, starting today I'll  post into my 365 project, which is not techinally a 365 day project, since I missed 23 days, but whatever. I won't judge myself.

If you're intersted in such project, check these links:

365project

capture365

7 new year projects

Till tomorrow...

Banofee Pie: the easiet pie in the world

 

My friend Dina recently gave birth to a beautiful and healthy baby girl. Me and Dina go long back, not too long, but she was probably one of the first friends I had when I moved to Kuwait. We worked together for almost four years. She has put up with my irritability, impatience and above my never ending for perfection. As you can see, am probably not the best to work with, but I make a pretty cool friend, or so I like to think.

Anyway, through out the years I knew Dina, food has always been a common interset of ours. We always shared recipes, tips, shortcuts etc... Dina was more the chef, who cooked but couldn't bake to save her life, while I was the baker, who baked but couldn't cook to save her life.

So when I was visiting her, I knew I had to prepare a dessert that is fit for a mother who just gave birth. The dessert should be easy, simple and most importantly, does not require baking. At the same time, I wanted something that says "I've been standing in the kitchen all day making this", something that is a total indulgent, and above all, something to feed our sweet tooth..

There is only one dessert that fit into that portfolio: Banoffee Pie. 

Banoffe is  classic English pie, its basically a biscuit crust, topped with toffee, bananas and whipped cream.To spice things up, add in some chocolate flakes.

Its probably the easiest pie in the world.

Skills required to make this dessert:

• Using the food processor to make the biscuit crust
• Boiling a can of Neslte condensed milk submerged in water (or you can cheat, and buy a jar a ready made caramel)
• Slicing 3 to 4 bananas
• Using the mixer to whip whipping cream

As you can see from the list above, a person who probably never set foot in the kitchen can make this dessert. 

The only thing about this dessert is that it need some prepartion in advance, the biscuit base needs to be left to set in the fridge for a few hours, and the caramel need time to simmer on low heat.

You will also a 9" pie pan with removable bottom, this will make it easier to remove the pie.

I have a super easy way to make caramel. It involves boiling a can of condensed milk for two and half hours. This will make golden and shiny caramel that is not overly sweet or creamy. Just make sure when boiling the condensed milk:

• Always keep the can submerged in water, else it might explode.
• The boiling time is two and half hours on low heat.
• You can boil more than one can in the same pot. To stock up on caramel.

Banofee Pie

Ingredients:

For the biscuit filling:
1 small package or 250 g Digestive Biscuits
1/2 cup or 100g melted butter
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

For the Caramel:
1 can Nestle condensed milk (almost 375 g)

For the Filling:
3 Large bananas
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup (250 ml) whipping cream
2 tablespoons icing sugar, sifted

For Decoration:
Cadbury Flake or any chocolate flakes

Steps:

First make the biscuit base.

1. Process the biscuits and cocoa powder in the bowl food processor until they resemble fine crumbs. Alternatively, you could just put them in a zip lock bag and roll them with your rolling pin.
2. Add the melted butter and cocoa powder. Process until the biscuits have absorbed the butter. About one minute.
3. Press the biscuit base into the 9" tart pan.
4. Leave it to set in fridge for at least three hours.

Second, Make the caramel.

1. Immerse closed the closed can of condensed milk in a large pot filled with cold water.
2. Leave on a simmer or light boil for 2 and 1/2 hours topping off with water as needed. Be careful not let the water go below the level of the can, else you'll be cleaning caramel of your kitchen ceiling.
3. Remove from heat but wait for about an hour before opening it. Till at least the can is at room temperature.

Third, the bananas.

1. Slice the bananas vertically or diagonally, whichever your prefer.
2. Brush the bananas with the lemon juice. This will prevent the bananas from blackening.

Fourth, the whipping cream.

1. Using the electric mixer, whip the whipping cream until soft peaks form. 
2. Shift the icing sugar into the cream. The icing sugar will help the cream hold its shape.

Finally, assemble the pie.

1. Spread the caramel over the base.
2. Place the bananas on top of the caramel base.
3. Spread the whipping cream on the bananas.
4. Top the pie with dollops of whipped cream.
5. Decorate with chocolate flakes, or dust with cocoa. Or both :)
6. Serve immediately.

Voilà.. The easiest pie in the world. 

To Dina, wishing you and your dear daughter the best of years to come. I hope you liked this pie as much as I do...

See you all next recipe...

The cake of the month project: Swedish Saffron Cake

It's very easy to get caught up in recipes and forget about experimenting new flavors, I recently came to the conclusion that am basically relying on the same recipes over and over again. To spice things up, I’ve decided to start a new project. Every month I will bake a traditional cake from a new country. Something which is unique and tasty. Something I don’t have every day, and most importantly, something I have never baked before.

This month’s cake will be from Sweden.

I have this fascination with Sweden that I can’t justify. Maybe it’s because everyone there is tall and blond, or because of IKEA, or because they are the most eco-conscious country in the world. I have secret plans to move to Sweden one day. But before I do that, here are the top ten things I have to do before:

1. Learn Swedish.
2. Loose some weight so I can blend in with the blond & slim population.
3. Dye my hair blond so I can blend in with the blond & slim population.
4. Increase my coffee consumption. Apparently, the Swedes drink a lot of coffee.
5. Know to exchange value of Euro.
6. Exchange my entire life savings to Euro. Does anyone know the equivalent of 100 Kuwaiti dinars to Euro? A small fortune maybe?
7. Be on time. The Swedes are punctual.
8. Start to like winter, especially long cold ones. If not, antidepressants were made for a reason.
9. Understand what a carbon foot print is & become more eco friendly: is it really this difficult to stop using disposable bags?
10. Get used to the fact shopping time ends at 5 pm. And stop complaining that the mall in Kuwait closes early at 10 pm.

Unfortunately, people who are not slim, blond, coffee drinkers, euro users, winter lovers, eco-concious, always late & shopaholics have little place to fit in the Swedish community. Therefore, all my plans to move to Sweden will be put on hold. Meanwhile am going to feed my never ending fascination with sweden with a cake like no other.

Saffron cake.

In Kuwait, saffron & cardamom is a popular cake. Although the Swedish & the Kuwaiti version both use saffron, the test is completely different. Kuwaiti version usually involves adding turmeric, pistachios, cardamom & sometimes rosewater. While the Swedish cake is saffron only. I think both cakes are a treat to taste buds. But hey who am I to judge? I like all cakes. So don't take my word, try this cake.

When making this cake, make sure to use real saffron. Not an artificial colored turmeric powder with synthetic flavor and a “E” additive on the label.

Saffron is the world’s most expensive spice by weight. Its usually sold in grams, luckily, a little goes long way. So you don’t need to spend your life savings to devour in a little saffron pleasure.

Honestly, I was little worried that I would not like the cake. But when I sampled it, I couldn’t stop, aside from its aromatic smell, it was light and moist and had just the right amount of sweetness with a it had pungent flavor & a honey like taste.

This cake is fairly easy to make. The hardest thing was whipping the eggs and sugar till they are frothy. But I found a little pink machine that does this well, it’s called Kitchen Aid & I treat it as one of my own children.

The rest is easy. Am sure you all know who to melt butter and fold flour. Although I was lazy to fold the flour and I used the whip attachment to fold the flour. Which probably explains the crack in the middle. 

 If you really liked the post enough to make the recipe, share your photo on Facebook page here.

Swedish Saffron Cake

Adapted from: delish.com who adopted it from Allt om Mat

{click here for printable recipe}

Ingredients
1 cup or (200g) butter, melted
½ tsp (0.5 g) of saffron
1 tsp sugar
2 eggs at room temperature
1 1/3 cups or 300g sugar
1 cup or 250ml milk
1 2/3 cups or 210g all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
Confection sugar for decoration
Whipped cream or strawberries, or raspberry jam.

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C /350 °F /Gas mark 4.
2. Butter and flour the sides and bottom of a 9” springform cake pan. Line the pan with parchment paper.
3. In the mortar, mix the saffron with 1 tsp of sugar until it’s a powder.
4. Using a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment or a handheld electric mixer whisk, beat eggs & sugar until frothy about five minutes on high speed. The mixture should be very thick and mousse-like. Add the saffron and sugar powder.
5. In a separate bowl, combine the melted butter & the milk. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the liquid ingredients to the egg and sugar mixture.
6. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the flour and baking powder into the bowl.
7. Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake for about 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. The cake should be golden brown, slightly shrunken back from the sides.
8. Leave to cool for 30 minutes on the wire rack. Release the sprinform clips, and leave to cool completely before removing from the bottom of the pan.
9. Powder with confection sugar before serving. Serve with whipped cream, or strawberries, or raspberry jam. 

See you next recipe...

The best brownies in the world | براونيز

My search for the best brownies began in 2008 shortly after I got married and moved to Kuwait. There is something about brownies that has a comforting nature. Maybe its the chocolate. Or butter. Or sugar. Or the combination. Am not really sure. All I know is that inner dessert monster was demanding to be fed brownies. Always.

Of course back in the days, I was not the person I am now. I had a waist line to watch and bathroom scales that judge easily. So dessert were limited to once or twice per week. These were tough days in deed. Anyway, back to the monster that wanted brownies, this monster was not satisfied with all the restaurant brownies. They were either too cakey, too sweet, too bitter, Not gooey, not moist, not fudgy etc... And so, armed with my utter lack of culinary skills, I sadly settled  for whatever I offered.

Then one day when the culinary fairies found their way into my kitchen, I began a long journey of searching for the best brownie recipe ever. Me and my best friend Ms. Google, had a lot of fun searching for the perfect recipe. Until one day I found a recipe, gave it a try, and it was a huge hit to my brownies senses. I don't know what I've been offered all my life, because these are the only things I call brownies ever since.

Brownies are one of the easiest desserts. They don't require any special equipment. Not even an electric mixer. Just a bowl, double boiler, a whisk, and a pyrex pan. Brownies are literally a piece of cake - both to make and eat (pun intended).

Since these are an indulgent, please do use the best chocolate you can get your hands on. Usually when making chocolate cake I used a regular al-sedawi chocolate bar, but for these I use Green & Black's 70% cocoa bar. Yes, they are not cheap, BUT, they are totally worth it. You could always use a combination of half al-sedawi & half green and black. Whatever chocolate you use, I guarantee that these brownies will be addictive.

You'll see on the pictures that I am using an individual sized brownie pan. I recently splurged and bought this from Lakeland, located in Marina mall. Its a bit overpriced, but am the kind who usually has a heartache cutting brownies with a knife. The perfectionist diva living inside me always wants perfect squares. Thanks to this pan, now my diva is satisfied. But you dont really need to buy this pan to make these brownies. A regular pyrex dish works fine. Just make sure to butter and flour it, and line the pan with parchment paper to make it easier to remove.

The recipe is from a book called "Baked: New Frontiers in Baking" by Matt Lewis, Renato Poliafito and Tina Rupp. The writers run a very successful bakery in Brooklyn, the bakery has a local branch here in Kuwiat in the Al-Tilal Complex,  52 Degrees.

Baked Brownies

Published in Baked: New Frontiers in Baking
Adapted from Kirbie's Craving,

Ingredients
1-1/4 cups or 175 g all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons unsweetened dark cocoa powder
2 cups or 310 g quality dark chocolate (60-72% cocoa), chopped coarsely
1 cup or 200 g unsalted butter (2 sticks)
1 tsp instant coffee (Nescafe)
1-1/2 cup or 300 g cups white sugar
1/2 cup or 100 g light brown sugar
5 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 180°C /350 °F /Gas mark 4.
2. Butter the sides and bottom of a glass or light colored metal pan 9x13x2 pan.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk your dry ingredients: flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of a large double boiler place the chocolate, butter, and the instant coffee. Make sure the water is not touching the bowl. Stir occasionally until they are melted and combined. 
5. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water gradually add the sugars while whisking continuously. Once the sugars are combined, remove the bowl and let it cool to room temperature.
6. Add the eggs one by one to the chocolate/butter mixture and whisk until just combined. Stir in the vanilla. Do not over beat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.
7. Fold in half the dry ingredients using a silicone spatula or metal spoon. Once mixed, fold in the second half, and mix only until combined. Do not over mix.
   Pour the mixture into the pan and smooth the top with your spatula. 
8. Bake for 30 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted to the center of the pan comes out with dew moist crumbs. Don not over bake or the brownies will turn out dry.
   Cool the brownies completely before cutting and serving.
9. Cover with a cling wrap and store in an airtight container.
   
   
   
   

   براونيز

   المكونات
   كوب وربع او 175 غ طحين
   ملعقة صغيرة ملح
   ملعقتان كبيرة كاكاو غير محلى
   كوبان او 310 غ شوكولا غامقة سادة 60 او 70% جوامد الكاكاو
   كوب او 200 غ زبدة غير مملحة
   ملعقة صغيرة قهوة - نسكافيه
   كوب ونصف او 300 غ سكر ابيض
   نصف كوب او 100 غ سكر بني
   خمس بيضات كبيرة - في درجة حرارة الغرفة
   ملعقتان صغيرة من سائل الفانيليا
   
   الطريقة
   يسخن الفرن الى درجة حرارة 180 درجة مئوية / 350 فهرنهايت / حرارة الغاز 4
   يدهن قالب بايركس زجاجي بالزبدة وبرش بالطحين
   يخلط الطحين والكاكاو والملح
   في الغلاية المزدوجة توضع الشوكولا والقهوة والزبدة مع التحريك من حين لآخر حتى تذوب وتختلط
   تطفأ الحرارة. يضاف السكر الابيض والبني تدريجيا ويخفق قليلا عندما تمتزج المواد يزال القدر عن النار ويترك حتى يبرد ويصبح بدرجة حرارة الغرفة
   يضاف البيض واحدة تلة الاخرى الى خليط الشوكولا وتخلط حتى تمتزج. يضاف الفانيليا مع الانتباه لعدم الخفق بعد ان تمتزج المواد
   يضاف نصف خليط الطحين ويمزج باستعمال الملعقة الحديد او السيليكون عندما تمتزج يضاف النصف الاخر حتى تختلط المواد
   يصب الخليط قي القالب المعد للخبز
   يخبز لمدة ثلاثين دقيقة. يمكن فحص البرونيز عبر ادخال عود اسنان في الوسط، فاذا خرج وعليه القليل من البقايا فهذا يعني ان البراونيز جاهزة. اذا كان العود فعذا يعني ان البراويز خبزت اطول من اللازم، اما اذا كان العود رطبا كثيرا هذا يعني ان البراونيز تحتاج لوقت اطول في الفرن
   تترك لتبرد قبل التقطيع
   تغطى بالنايلون وتحفظ مغطاة حتى لا تجف