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Sunday, September 30, 2012

192. Gourmet Mini-Burgers and Buns


These little gourmet burgers are for more developed adult palates, rather than little kiddie palates.
No ketchup or mayonnaise... instead, a savory-sweet caramelized onion bed on with lays a 50/50 italian-sausage and minced meat burger patty.

Saturday, September 29, 2012

191. Rocky Road Cookies


Contrary to popular belief, rock road is an Australian invention rather than an American.
I have come across so many different recipes, so I decided to incorporate the simple essence of rocky road in this recipe.
Rocky road is basicly marshmallow and salted peanuts, enveloped with melted chocolate, and spread over a graham cracker crust.

Friday, September 28, 2012

190. Leek and Goat Cheese Quiche


I have made a leek tart/quiche before (here), but this one is different because it incorporates goat cheese and uses Julia Child's pate brisee recipe for the crust.
I used a mild hard goat's cheese, which I happened to come across.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

189. Chicken Lollipops


Chicken lollipops are delicious appetizers, and can be as fancy or as simple as you like.
There is the Chinese version, and the spicy Indian version, and even the Southern States honey-mustard version.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

188. Koushari



Koushari is an Egyptian popular food, so popular in fact that it is commonly sold in the streets.
Its main components are rice, lentil, macaroni, and caramelized onion coated in tomato paste.
I personally find that the macaroni in the koushari looks somewhat crass, so I used vermicelli to refine it a bit.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

187. Pizza Pops


This is a wonderful finger food: calzone-like pops perfect for parties!(Calzone is an outside-in pizza)
I got this idea from Philsbuy, who use ready made dough for their pizza pops. I used the same dough I've used before for the rosemary-olive knots, but if you have ready made pizza dough on hand, do not hesitate to use it.

Monday, September 24, 2012

186. Carrot Dill Soup



I tasted this soup long, long ago and and it was an immediate hit with me.
The delicate sweetness of the carrots rendered savoury by the vegetable stoch, all interlaced with the aroma of fresh dill is not to be missed.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

185. Peanut Butter Rice Crispie Treats


You either like or you don't like peanut butter. I like it. Very much so.
I have made rice crispie treats before, the classic version. This is the nutty peanut version.
I was first introduced to peanut butter in the third grade. It was a life-defining moment for me.

Saturday, September 22, 2012

184. Pasta Salad


Pasta salad is great for large gatherings, barbecues, and birthday parties.
Especially this one.
A fantastic array of colorful vegetables tossed among whimsically shaped pasta of your choice, pleasing children and adults alike.

Friday, September 21, 2012

183. Chelo Kebab


The thing that differentiates chelo kebab from other kebabs is that it is simply seasoned with salt and a little bit of pepper to allow people to savor the flavor of the actual meat without the addition of various spices.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

182. Deep Broccoli Quiche


Quiche lovers rejoice: today we venture even deeper in the quiche realm with a broccoli quiche.
In this case, the broccoli id briefly blanched to slightly tenderise the vegetable then immediately thrown into an iced water bath to preserve a little crunch and the vivid green color.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

181. Toffee Date Pudding Cake



This delectable combination of a light, moist, and fluffy sponge date cake topped with a luscious toffee icing is unbelievable.
There is not a person who didn't ask me for the recipe after the first bite!

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

180. Iraqi Whole Fish in Pomegranate Molasses


Samak Masgoof (سمك مسكوف), a typical Iraqi dish, is made using fish (most commonly carp) from the Tigris river, cut and gutted from the back (rather than the belly), butterflied, and roasted over an open flame.
But this is not the only way to use the generous bounty of the Tigris.

Monday, September 17, 2012

179. Cordon Bleu


Cordon bleu, literally the blue ribbon in French, is not to be confused with Le Cordon Bleu, which is a French culinary institute in Paris. Cordon bleu is basically a chicken or veal cutlet, pounded, stuffed with a cheese and cured meat slice, breaded and fried.
For such a grand name, it's pretty simple, right?

Sunday, September 16, 2012

178. Zaatar Swirl Buns


You didn't think I don't have Manal's cookbook now did you???
Manal, for lack of a better example, is the Arab Martha Stewart. It was her televised cooking show all those years ago that gave me the confidence to dwell in the realm of the cooking world.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

177. Cauliflower Gratin



Gratin is a French word for almost any food topped with a browned saucy mixture in a semi-shallow dish. This is comfort food for me. It's warm, bubbly, cheesy, and turns poor boring cauliflower into your best friend for a meal.

Friday, September 14, 2012

176. White Pizza and Spinach



A fluffy-crisp crust topped with an easy, creamy blend of cheese, and garnished with green spinach, makes a delicious and pretty pizza. I found this recipe on King Arthur Flour, and decided to make my own ricotta for it.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

175. Home-Made Riccota


Ricotta is a creamy-crumbly Italian cheese, that carries flavors of a dish so well.
How many times have we bought ricotta cheese, left it in the fridge for a few days, and when it's time to use it, we find it has already gone bad and have to throw it away.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

174. Emmental Cheese Balls


These little golden cheese nuggets are courtesy of Bernard's kitchen, where he served them with some cold soup. No mistake, these emmental balls are good, but a teeny bit on the bland side eaten by themselves, so they do need a little dipping sauce on the side, like pizza sauce for instance. Or even just a couple of drops of hot sauce really does the trick. This recipe yielded 50 balls.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

173. Nadia's Cabbage Salad


This salad is Nadia's recipe. Nadia is a kind and generous reader who commented on my cabbage-tomato salad, and helped me improve the Shami Cabbage Salad technique.
Essential to the recipe is a very sharp knife (be careful!) to shred the cabbage as finely as possible.
Salting the cabbage for at least an hour completely transforms the taste.

Monday, September 10, 2012

172. One-Pot Clam Meal



What a fantastic presentation of this dish! It looks lovely, generous, colorful, and is very enjoyable to eat.
Clams are the star of this show. Paired with some red potatoes, corn, and some shrimp, all coated in a delicious sauce, this is a one-pot meal indeed.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

171. Roasted Courgette and Carrot


More often than not, vegetables are more of a colorful accessory to our meals rather than being the star of the show. So when I came across this recipe here whilst browsing Pinterest, I though why not?
Nature's bounty delivered in its most simple form, reminding us of everyday blessings we so often take for granted.

Saturday, September 8, 2012

170. Roquefort Quiche


I like Blue Cheese. Roquefort cheese is one of the classics.
So when I came across this Julia Child recipe for Roquefort Quiche, I couldn't not make it.

Friday, September 7, 2012

169. Brownies


I admit: I love the package brownie mix. It's easy, and it tastes good.
I have used them time and again, such as in the brownie bottom cheesecake and in the immodest brownies.
But at some point, one must at least try to make brownies from scratch.
This is the recipe to try.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

168. Chicken Escalope Milanese


Escalope Milanese is a fillet of meat, be it beef, veal, turkey, or chicken, pounded, breaded then fried.
I have added extra flavorings to the bread crumbs, but leaving the bread crumbs plain is just fine.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

167. Lamb Pizza Flatbread



This is a Middle-Eastern inspired dish, consisting of a minced lamb mixture on flat bread, brought together by a cooling touch of yogurt just before serving.
Essentially, a pizza.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

166. Pear Walnut Blue Cheese Pizza


This combination is what I have been looking for, but I just didn't know it! It is genius I tell you, and I wouldn't change a thing about it!

Monday, September 3, 2012

165. Mushroom Cream Toast


I remember my mother making this for us sometimes for breakfast/brunch, other times as an appetizer.
It never fails to amaze me how something so simple can be amazingly delicious.

Sunday, September 2, 2012

164. Tomato Tart


Whole tomatoes, peeled and de-seeded, slow roasted for 2 hours produce the essence of tomato, with an incredible depth of flavor.

Saturday, September 1, 2012

163. Iraqi Madgooga: Date Sesame Truffles


The literal translation of madgooga (مدقوقة) is "pounded."
For centuries, these miracle balls were traditionally made by pounding the dates and sesame together. Nowadays everything is facilitated, and a meat grinder saves us much time and effort.