866. Treacle Tart

Treacle tart for me equates Harry Potter and Hogwarts' House Tables heaving with delicious and welcoming food. It is a traditional British dessert, and very simple and easy to make provided you can get your hands on a tin of golden syrup.

865. Iraqi Diheena Halwa

Eid Al Adha mubarak to all my fellow brothers and sisters in Islam. May Allah guide us to the Straight Path and be pleased with us.
Dubbed the Iraqi Fudge, Diheena (الدهينية) is an ancient recipe developed through the ages. Like many ancient arts, the specialists make it best. Nowadays you have to dodge bullets of idolators in Najaf just to get a taste of Diheena, so you can try this home made version instead.

864. Roast Prune Chicken

And the roast chicken chronicles continue. This time, it's a surprisingly complex and flavorsome combination of the strangest ingredients tossed together and baked. My first of mixing soy sauce and pomegranate molasses was hesitant, but wildly successful stovetop chicken here. This recipe even has mango chutney in it!

863. Blue Cheese Walnut Gnocchi

True, I made this sauce with gnocci, but it would work just as well with most pastas. The combination of blue cheese and walnuts is a winning one. Just try a slice of Bresse Bleu with a walnut half over an oat cracker and you'll see.

862. Red Velvet Baked Donuts

It seems like red velvet is quickly becoming a thing here on MCW: cupcakes, brownies, and brownie cake, cheesecake, and now baked donuts. This cream cheese frosting competes for attention just as much as the cake/baked good.

861. Cinnamon Baked Donuts

I went and bought a mini-donut baking tin, and I like it, too. These donuts would fare best in the colder seasons, as the warmth of cinnamon and nutmeg strongly urge you to combine them with a steaming mug of hot chocolate or coffee. But who really cares what season it is when cooking?

860. Puffed Meat Loaf

If the genes of a beef wellington and a meat loaf were to be crossed, this puffed meat loaf would be the resulting offspring. Individual pockets of seared minced meat patties, sandwiched over sauteed mushroom and topped with creamy spinach, all wrapped in a golden puffed crust.

859. Gratin Dauphinois

Gratin dauphinois is a French-Swiss potato dish cooked very simply where thinly sliced potatoes release their natural starch to thicken their own milky-creamy bath. That's right: no flour or cornstarch thickeners here.

858. Qatari Rangina Cups

This month's MENA Cooking Club feature is Qatar, which couldn't have come at a better time because 'tis the season of fresh dates! Fresh dates mean Rangina making, pronto. The MENA Cooking Club explores the differences and similarities of the Middle East and North African countries through local cuisine. Previous entries include Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Morocco, Oman, and Occupied Palestine.

857. Chickpea Fetta

I mentioned in my chicken fetta post how versatile the fetta is and how you can create your own based on what ingredients you have on hand. Some have rice, some have bread, some have both. Some have become classics because of how popular, easy, and readily available the ingredients are. This chickpea fetta (فتة الحمص) is one of those classics.

856. Shrimp Cocktail Salad

Shrimp cocktail had its basking days in the seventies, but it has remained a classic ever since for a reason. It is easily served as a quick lunch for one as it is as an elegant hors d'oevres for a crowd at a formal gathering.

855. Black and Blue Clafoutis

Clafoutis is a classic French dessert traditionally made with cherries. It is a batter that is something between a pancake and a custard, studded with fruit, and baked until just set. This beautiful velvety clafoutis uses blueberries and blackberries

854. Biscuits and Gravy

America, country of co-existing extremes, has a knack for culture-merging and creating hypes. The story of its biscuits and gravy is a rather touching one. Originally, it was created by mothers of poor families using cheap sausage and poured over the biscuits (something if a bread or savory cookie) to feed their families with some vague semblance of meat as meat was unaffordable.

853. Cheesy Garlic Loaf

A four ingredient loaf of bread is whipped up and baked in an hour or less, and if then stuffed in a flavorsome cheesy garlic concoction to make an excellent home made garlic bread loaf.