I have had lots of people ask me where Lafayette Gourmet is?

If you go to Dubai Mall, Make sure you pass by Lafayette Gourmet,  Galeries Lafayette 2nd Floor.

The food festival at Lafayette Gourmet was amazing! Close your eyes and imagine yourself at a French Province “Gourmet” Farmer’s Market minus the greenery!

Although my cousin and I were two hours early, we still enjoyed watching their Lootah Premium Foods crew set up! They had more time to show us around and give us the stories behind their products.

Before the food festival started, Lootah Premium Foods sent me a hamper full of goodies to tease me and keep me on edge!
Last Wednesday when the festival started, I was like a little child in a candy store.

You can’t imagine the range of fruits and vegetables which Lootah Premium Foods carry! They’re beyond awesome!
Golden beets, pineapple heirloom tomatoes, rhubarb, smoked garlic. lots of edible flowers and many more interesting and oh-so-delicious produce.
What I liked about their philosophy is that they choose from the finest suppliers in Europe.

You see, years ago in the UAE when you would go to the supermarkets or fruit markets you would find the usual produce. You wouldn’t find a long list of tomato types. Apples were either red, green or yellow. Not a whole name list of green apples, red apples oh and pink apples!

The location of the UAE, the diverse cultures and booming businesses have allowed more diversity in selections of fine food.

This is definitely a good thing… sometimes confusing though!

Well you know what? Lootah Premium Foods are giving out some hampers for our readers! Make sure you comment/retweet/pin/ or like our photos and use the hashtag #LPFHamper to increase your chances of winning!

Other than fresh produce, they carry interesting vinegars, honey, oils, fine snacks and much more which will be revealed to the public soon!

Lafayette Gourmet chefs were running around making this festival magical!

There was a great pasta station where the chef was making fresh pasta which looks absolutely delicious!

There was another station where smoked salmon sandwiches were being made from Il Fumo’s Smoked Salmon!
Il Fumo’s owner is such a character… amazing man…. with great passion for what he does.
I love the fact that he mixes his own spices and smokes the salmon twice.

When Tony from Lootah Premium Foods called me to try some fries made by Chef Adrian, I thought just another plate of fries…
I have never tasted anything like them!
The most delicious fries ever!

don’t worry If you’ve missed the food festival because the amazing food is always there, the quality of the food and standard of the service has been maintained at a high level if not gotten better.

My bounty from the festival was a bag of Moro Blood Oranges and a few stalks of Rhubarb.

What did I do?

خمس أيام كلها أكل ومنتجات راقية في لافييت غورميه!

أسميني غيّلت في التصوير…

إذا الواحد غمّض عينه شويه… بيتحرى أنه سافر الريف الفرنسي… الديكور والمعروضات كانت تحسس الواحد بهذا الشي…

مشاركة جداً رائعة من لوتاه بريميم فودز اللي كانوا يبون يحمسوني للمهرجان وطرشولي سلة من منتجاتهم!

كان هناك شركات مختلفة مشاركة من غير كل الطهاة التابعين للافييت غورميه

في شيف كان يسوي باستا هاذيج الساعة بأنواعها وأشكالها… وثاني يسوي سندويجات سالمون مدخن من شركة إل فومو.

هاي الشركة صاحبها مصري كان عايش في كندا كذا سنة وكان يدخن السالمون في بيته وعقب ما يا دبي سوّاله مدخنة سالمون صغيرة… يستورد السالمون من كندا ويسوي خلطات بهارات روحه والشي الأجمل من هذا كله أنه يسويه بحب…

أكثر شي يعيبني في الإنسان يوم يشتغل ويكون حاب اللي يسويه…. هذا يولّد الابداع

خلوني أقولكم شويه عن لوتاه بريميم فودز (لا تتحروني أشتغل عندهم)

الصراحة اييبون منتجات من أنحاء العالم…. سواء كانت خضرة أو فواكه … منتجاتهم راقية وايد خاصة للي يبون يجربون أشياء يديدة!

مثل ثوم مدخّن… بنجر أصفر… جزر أصفر وأبيض وبنفسجي…

على طاري اليزر البنفسجي… أمسات أمي تقول أنه من زمان ما كان في البلاد غير البنفسجي…

من الخضرة اللي بعد لفتت انتباهي… أنواع من البطاط والطماط اللي أول مره أشوفها في الامارات…

وطبعاً لمحبي الإبداع في المطبخ عندهم تشكيلة ورود تنأكل وايد حلوه…. من البنفسج وغيره

واحد من الأشياء الغريبة اللي كنت أبا أستعملها بس وايد زايغة منه هو الروبارب….

اليوم كانت أول تجربة لي أطبخ به … سبحان الخالق… شكل الكرفس والقشر الأحمر لازم ينشل لكن من ينطبخ يرجع أحمر

لوتاه بريميم فودز مقدمين كم سلّة فيها منتجاتهم حق قرّاء المدونةإ
لا تنسون تعلقون / تسوّون ريتويت وتستعملون الهاشتاغ #LPFHamper

This sums it up! I don’t want to stay on page 1 or even chapter 1!
It has been a long while since we hopped on a plane and took off!

Sometimes the stresses in ones life just brings you to a situation where you wish you could pack your bags and just go… ok… pack your bag, your husbands bag and your children’s bags and then go!
Where to?! Wherever really! well, maybe Paris, London, Spain, Portugal, Seychelles, Mauritius, Turkey, Japan, Hong Kong… I’ll stop here…. or else I would be in trouble!

I even have a list in my head of the people I would love to travel with! (insert rofl emoji here)

We have a saying in Arabic that you only get to know how a person is really when you travel together! This is very true indeed.
Who are your best travel buddies? Where was your best trip and what made it so special?

And oh boy do I have tons of stories from traveling! Lots of memories, scents, perfumes which remind me of places and of course extremely delicious food. (well mostly delicious)

To take you on a little culinary journey to England where the original Eton Mess was created, here’s my Eton Mess Cake!

It was first served at Eton College in England at a cricket game in the 19th century.
Can you smell the freshly mowed grass? People dressed white… beautiful hats and pearls…I see lots of pearls!  (It feels like Downton Abbey)
For those who haven’t watched Downton Abbey, It is HIGHLY recommended.

Everyone loved this cake except my eldest brother who was removing the meringue pieces and eating the rest!

I’ve done a new way of posting my recipes. Let me know if you like this way more than the usual

To be honest, I was very excited to visit Taste of Dubai because I have been meaning to do so for the past 3 years and miss out because of family plans.
When EmiratesNBD contacted me, I hesitated at first and after thinking it through I agreed for two reasons:
1- My whole family are loyal EmiratesNBD card holders.
2- I used the invitation as a strong excuse to visit Taste of Dubai and miss on Friday family gatherings.

I was beyond shocked from beginning to end of this vist!
At first, I was the only person who the security wanted to search his/her bag! (Only the Emirati got that treatment) – No I didn’t let him search my bag and I was this close to causing a big scene!!

You could barely walk from how packed the place was, let alone push a stroller!

Taste of Dubai was more like: Drinking in Dubai! An alcohol fest actually!
Don’t judge! I’m not being biased etc but the event planners should have thought that not only non-muslims/expatriates are interested in food related events!
A British friend of mine said: this event is just one more reason for people to drink!

I won’t go on more about Taste of Dubai since I didn’t see much of it. I left very quickly. Some of the worthy stalls were Lafayette Gourmet, Raw Coffee, and gourmetpoint.com.

If you’re an EmiratesNBD card holder, make sure to make use of the amazing discounts in 600 restaurants all over the UAE!
You can read more about it here!

Yesterday I baked my own version of Hot Cross Buns! Mine were Emirati Hot Heart Buns!

We don’t celebrate Easter but I wanted to bake these buns for a very long time!

When planning to do these, you better have a whole lot of time during the day! These buns need to rise 3 times!

I used Arabic flavours to enhance these buns!
My hearts are funny though!

I’m not a good decorator no matter how simple the decorating was!

These Hot Heart Buns were very light and they smelled amazing! The flavours were just perfect.

I used the Apricot jam we made as a glaze but I didn’t pass it through the sieve because I was in a hurry.
To make the hearts, I used Emirati coffee instead of water.

Emirati Hot Heart Buns

INGREDIENTS: 
300ml Full Fat Milk
50g Butter
500g Strong Bread Flour
2 TSP Middle Eastern Spice Mix (recipe follows)
1 TSP Salt
75g Caster Sugar
1 TBS Sunflower Oil
7g Instant Yeast
1 Egg, Beaten
75g Dates, Chopped
Zest of 1 Orange
1/2 TSP Cinnamon

FOR THE MIDDLE EASTERN SPICE MIX:

½ teaspoon ground mahlab (Sour Black Cherry Pits)
¼ TSP Ground Ginger
¼ TSP Ground Fennel
¼ TSP Ground Anise
½ TBS Ground Cinnamon
1¼ TSP Ground Allspice
½ TSP Ground Nutmeg
¼ TSP Ground Cloves

Mix together all ingredients together. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 6 months.

FOR THE HEARTS: 
75g Plain Flour
1/4 Cup Arabic Coffee

FOR THE GLAZE:
3 TBS APRICOT JAM

METHOD:

Bring the milk to the boil, then remove from the heat and add the butter.
Leave to cool until it reaches hand temperature.
Put the flour, salt, sugar, 1 TSP of spice mix and yeast into a bowl of a stand mixer. Make a well in the middle.
Pour in the warm milk and butter mixture, then add the egg. Using the paddle attachment and on medium speed, mix well.
Change to the dough hook and continue mixing then bring everything together with your hands until you have a sticky dough.
Continue kneading until you have a smooth and elastic dough.
Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and allow to rise for an hour.

With the dough still in the bowl, tip in the dates, orange zest, remaining mixed spice and cinnamon.
Knead into the dough, making sure everything is well mixed without allowing the dates to become mushy.
Leave to rise for 1 more hour

Divide the dough into equal sized balls.
Arrange the buns on a baking tray lined with parchment, leaving space for the dough to expand. Cover and allow to prove for another hour.
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 200C.
Mix the plain flour flour with the Arabic coffee to make the paste for the hearts
Spoon into a small zipper bag and snip the tip (a very small snip would do) Pipe hearts over the buns then bake for 20 mins until golden brown.

But you know what’s special about this post today? It’s my first semi-review post.

I never imagined myself writing reviews on restaurants, products etc but there’s a first for everything and of course only when it’s something exceptional.

Dubai as I’m sure you know, is a very competitive market. You must have that special thing about you or your business pick up pace real fast. Oh and believe me word of mouth and social media are the fastest ways to market your business.

You’ll read more about that below!

That aside, Hamad celebrated his 4th birthday last week on the 10th of March but we threw him a party yesterday.

Not any party, a construction themed party. I didn’t want a big party like last year so I did most of the planning.

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A few of his friends from school came and also some family. Hamad loved that. Marwan on the other hand chose to play alone or with the adults he was used to being around (ie my sisters, niece and cousins)!

For the adults, we had the juiciest burgers ever from Elevation Burger! Not only did we get the burgers from there but they also gave us 30 stamped Club 7 cards to give out to our guests!

Elevation Burger is located on Sheikh Zayed Road in Latifa Tower (Which is before Holiday Inn.) You take the service road that leads you to Fairmont Hotel.
I had tasted the burgers before but never been to the location so I passed by last Friday after I went to Taste of Dubai (which I will write about soon).

It was 4:00pm and Elevation Burger was nearly full! People were having late lunches, celebrating occasions, still lingering after lunch, meeting with friends and ordering takeout!

Ingredients Matter! That’s their slogan and it very well is true! Elevation Burger use organic ingredients to create sustainably prepared food. Which of course is better for you and the environment.

Their team was extremely friendly and very helpful. Unlike other busy outlets, they don’t make you feel uncomfortable because they’re busy. Actually it was the total opposite, making sure everyone got what they wanted and they weren’t rushing.

We had 30 Elevation Burgers with their Messy sauce. I’m glad that it was the perfect choice for the party!
I was munching away while snapping photos, chatting with the guests, attending to my boys’ needs and savouring the taste! Multitasking as usual! That’s what we do best as I always say!

Thank you Elevation Burger for making Hamad’s part delicious!!

For the first 5 Comments on this post will receive a fully punched Club 7 Card which means a free cheeseburger!

And NOW, to announce the winner from the Salut Madeleine giveaway:

You won the mini madeleine mould and the silicone loaf mould!

Congratulations Helene from Masala Herb!
I will contact you shortly for more details on your shipping address

It’s the transition between what we call winter (others may call spring) and summer.

This week is when everything around you seems just right… well other than the palm trees starting to pollenate and everyone’s allergies increases!
The weather is beautiful and it’s the perfect time for weddings, outdoor events and definitely gardening!

We’re working on the (minor) landscaping of our new house right now because March is the month to plant everything. That’s putting a smile on my face. Seeing it all come together after lots of hard work.

Because everything seems happy outdoors, I wanted to make some “happy” mini madeleines. But of course, I had to spice them up a little!
Why madeleines? Well because they’re just too cute to resist… yes i said the C word!
So imagine madeleines which are mini! Isn’t that even more tempting?!

I was on one of my usual trips to Tavola (kitchen and tableware destination around the Middle East) and these mini madeleine silicone moulds just couldn’t have me leave without it! So I got one for myself and one for a lucky reader!
That’s not it… there’s also a silicone and ceramic springform loaf pan!
Both giveaways are from the brand LéKUé. I have used different items from this brand and they met my expectations! (I’m not easily pleased)

What do you have to do to win this?
Share your love by choosing one of the following, but I’d love if you’ve done all!
The contest is eligible for readers locally and internationally

1- Comment on this blog post
2- Tweet about this giveaway using the hashtag #salutmadeleine
3- Retweet my tweet about this post
4- Like the photo about this post on instagram

Don’t forget the Madeleines!
Being bite-sized, I was about to pop them all in my mouth but then I remembered that I made these to take to my grandmother’s house for our Friday gathering.

The chocolate works wonders along with the spices and the fluffiness of the madeleine itself takes you somewhere else! Yet again, perfect for Spring!
I’m going on an on about the weather and I probably won’t stop until I step outside and get slapped by the heat very soon.

I first thought I was too happy the weather is pleasant, because I’m trying to hide all the stress i’m feeling. Could that be it or could I just be emitting some positive energy to everyone around me?
I do hope it’s the second one.

Spiced Mini Madeleines

INGREDIENTS
1 Cup Flour
1 TSP Baking Powder
1 1/2 TSP Mixed Spice (Recipe Below, or you can use store bought)
7 TSP Butter
2 Eggs
2/3 Cup Sugar
1 TSP Vanilla Essence
Icing Sugar (Optional)

METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180C and butter a 24 mini madeleine mould. (You’ll work in batches)
Sift the flour, baking powder and mixed spice into a bowl. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and allow to cool.

Beat the eggs and sugar in a large bowl until pale and very thick. Add the flour mixture, butter and vanilla until combined.

Fill each shell 2/3 through and bake for around 10-12 minutes until golden. Remove from mould as soon they come out of the oven.

Dip the madeleines in halfway in the chocolate ganache and then sprinkle with icing sugar and some more mixed spice.

For the Chocolate Ganache:
1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
1/3 Cup Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

In a saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a boil and then immediately pour over chocolate. Let stand for 5 minutes and then mix until smooth and thick.

For the Mixed Spice:
1 TBS Mixed Spice
1 TBS Ground Cinnamon
1 TBS Ground Nutmeg
2 TSP Ground Mace
1 TSP Ground Cloves
1 TSP Ground Coriander
1 TSP Ground Ginger

Mix all the spices together and store in an airtight container.

This made me want to learn more about baking food from around the globe and every now and then “Emiratize” it!

Living in a fast developing country, which embraces diverse nationalities and cultures puts us in contact (either directly or indirectly) with a huge number of various cuisines, ingredients and of course experience.

All you have to do is look around you and you’ll get a new idea, a new ingredient, a way of cooking you’ve never heard of or even similarities in dishes from some countries with your own.

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I love adding an Emirati/Arabic touch to my cooking/baking. Not only does that makes it more personal but it also modernizes Emirati cuisine.
This is something I have always had an interest in and wanted to share it with the world.

Emirati cuisine is all about spices, hospitality and lots of love. Yes, love!
You wouldn’t feel the dish if it wasn’t made with love. That’s why I only like to learn how to make the Emirati dishes from my mother.

I’m sure you noticed my love for spices and how I include them a lot in most things I mak

Last year I came across Pulla. A Finnish bread which is made with spices, and sometimes dried fruits.
It definitely was on my baking list. After searching and reading more about Pulla, it’s history and how it’s made, I finally made it a few months ago.

There’s something about making bread that satisfies you deep inside and Pulla makes this satisfaction even better.

I called mine the Cardamom Braid!

The recipe I adapted was from Saveur. It was very thorough and the outcome was great!

This recipe makes two loaves.

INGREDIENTS
1 ⅓ Cups Milk, Warm
1/2 Cup Sugar
8 TSP Ground Cardamom
4 ¼ TBS Active Dry Yeast
3 Eggs, Lightly Beaten
6 ½ Cups Flour
1 TSP Salt
5 TBS Butter (at room temperature)
1 TBS Heavy Cream
1 Egg Yolk
Chouquette Sugar, for garnish (optional)
Sliced Almonds, for garnish (optional)

METHOD

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, combine milk, sugar, and yeast. Let stand for a minute and  stir until the yeast and sugar dissolves. Let sit until foamy. Add 6 TBS of Cardamom.

Add the eggs and mix to combine. Then add the flour and salt. Mix until a dough forms. Change to the hook hook attachment and knead the dough on medium speed for around 2 minutes. While the mixer is on, add the butter in batches, making sure it’s incorporated before adding next batch. Continue kneading for around 4 minutes until the dough is elastic.

Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to proof and double in size for 1 hour.
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 190C and place a parchment paper on your baking tray.
Punch down the dough, cover again with plastic wrap and let sit until it rises again for 30 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and divide into 2 equal pieces.

Set 1 piece aside and cover. Divide the other piece into 3 equal portions.
Roll each portion between your palms and the work surface to create a 40cm rope. Braid ropes together to form a loaf. Tuck the top and bottom of the ropes under the loaf to seal (and your braid stays intact). Transfer loaf baking sheet and repeat with second dough.
Cover loaves with plastic wrap and allow to puff up for 20 minutes.

Whisk together remaining cardamom, cream, and egg yolk in a small bowl. Brush the mixture over loaves. Sprinkle with sugar and almonds (if using).

Bake, one loaf at a time, for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Transfer to a rack and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

I have a quite a few friends who have some sort of diet, whether they were gluten free, vegetarians, vegans or some with even worse restrictions!
And recently my mother has come to know that she’s allergic to gluten, oats, dairy, egg and lots of other things too!

I have been wanting to try making recipes which were gluten free for my friends but never had the courage…
I always had a feeling that it just wouldn’t taste the same!
Only when we received my mother’s test results did I build the courage.

My friend Maha was one of the worst challenges I had to face… Her diet is so limited that I want to cry!
She, on the other hand is very positive about it and she creates recipes to adapt to her food limits! (Which I admire about her)
More on what I made for Maha’s visit in another post soon!

Then of course my awesome friend Patricia Millns who is vegan but doesn’t make a big fuss about it… I first thought of making vegan cookies because of Patricia and when she gave me the seal of approval, it was like a huge success for me!!

My mother (who is the best cook ever) on the other hand, wouldn’t just accept gluten free and vegan food. She wouldn’t understand that there has to be somewhat of a difference in the texture, taste or feel of the food!

This was my ultimate challenge. I feared baking for her but in the same time, I felt so bad that she can’t eat what I bake!

This is when I made these delicious squares!
The pickiest person in this whole world (my eldest brother) liked them! This was an ultimate relief!

My boys were sick for over a week and I was so stressed that I needed to bake! I bake to relieve my stress!
They were napping in the afternoon so I took this quick chance to make these before they woke up!

Gluten Free Vegan Date & Almond Squares

INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 Cups Gluten Free Flour (I used Dove’s Farm)
1 Cup Ground Almonds
1 TSP Baking Soda
280g Date Paste (Very soft Dates mixed to resemble a paste)
1/2 Cup Slivered Almonds
1/3 Cup Currants
1/3 Cup Vegetable Shortening
1 TBS Molasses

METHOD
Preheat the oven to 170C, and grease and line a small square (or rectangle) baking tray with parchment.
Tip the dates with 2 TBS water in a sauce pan on low heat. Mix to combine and soften. Mix in the almonds and currants. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the gluten free flour, almonds and baking soda.

Melt the vegetable shortening on low heat and pour onto the flour mixture and add the molasses.

Mix using the paddle attachment until well combined.

Press half of the dough onto the tray then spread the date mixture on it. Cover with the other half of the dough and press down (this will be hard but patch it up)

Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden and firm. Cool then cut into squares.

This year started brining with it so many events… my husband coming back for a short while, a an afternoon tea with my cousins, a barbecue at my sister’s house… and sadly the loss of my father’s aunt.

I pray to Allah that this is the end to any sad events for you and us altogether…

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Let me fill you in with the happy events…

Right before the New Year, my cousin’s and I planned an Afternoon Tea at their house’s garden. Unfortunately, my camera died as soon as we arrived. I only took a few photographs! >;_<;

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When my sister invited us to a family barbecue, I was really looking forward to it. I needed a change from the usual routine.

She had created a lovely setting and as usual she thought of the tiniest details. The weather was quite cool (cold for me though)… and it was perfect for a Khabeesa. A traditional Emirati dessert we usually have but it’s great for winter. It’s high fat content and spices keep you warm and snuggly inside!

I asked my mom to teach me how to make the Khabeesa the day after the barbecue gathering.

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When I heard mom mother saying that she’s making a Khabeesa, I followed her to the kitchen and told her I would like to learn how to make it and that I would like to post the recipe on my blog. She was actually happier than usual about me doing that since I always insist that I measure everything (she never measures any ingredients). She had heard quite a few great comments about her Chbab recipe which I posted some time last year and therefore she was more thorough with me. Chbab recipe found here.

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For the Khabeesa, you’ll need to roast the flour until it’s camel color. Make sure you don’t burn it.
It has a lot of dehen (spiced ghee) which creates the right outcome. You can’t change the amount of dehen or else you won’t get the right consistency of the Khabeesa. It would either be too sticky or too dry.

The right way is for it to be crumbly and fluffy.

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Khabeesa

INGREDIENTS
4 1/3 Cups Flour, Dry Roasted
1 1/3 Cup Dehen (Can be substituted by ghee)
900 ml Water (Or 1 litre minus 1 cup)
2 1/2 Cups Sugar (add or minus depending on your taste)
1 TSP Ground Saffron
2 TBS Ground Cardamom
Scrambled eggs, to serve (optional)

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METHOD
Pour water to a medium pot, then add the sugar, saffron dehen and cardamom. Mix well. Add the flour and stir continuously until it has absorbed all the liquid and becomes fluffy. If the the Khabeesa was too dry (which it shouldn’t) add more dehen.

Fluff the Khabeesa and serve hot with scrambled eggs (if using)

Leftover Khabeesa can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days and heated when needed.

I admit that I lack self-discipline… and that I sometimes drift away especially when things get a little to stressful or busy!

This is how I have been for nearly a month and a half… running around like a headless chicken!
If you see me, you would actually give me a little sticker that says: Super Tired Mom! Or maybe just a pat on my shoulder.

I’m sure many of you are in the same situation and I salute you all for the hard work!

Sometimes even when I have some free time (which is rare)… I don’t pick up my laptop to write a new post… but I go and bake something for the family to enjoy!

Yes… I do need chill pills… If you have some… please do share!

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Two weeks ago I bought some Korean pears… they look like huge matte camel colored apples!
I was intrigued as to what to do with them… and I didn’t want to eat them raw.

A Flaugnarde! (Pronounced Flaunyarde)
Huh? what?
Well… it’s a Clafoutis… but since it isn’t made with cherries then it’s technically a Flaugnarde.
Fancy, isn’t it?!

I love classic French baking in all sorts but I also love making them my way. Modernizing the flavors but still have that homey feel to it.

Korean pears aren’t only native to Korea but also Japan, and China. Countries such as Australia and the USA started cultivating it. This pear also has many other names such as Sand Pear, Chinese Pear, and Asian Pear.

Roasting the Korean Pears took a while since they have a high water content. I discarded some of the liquid after the roasting since I didn’t want the flaugnarde to end up being soggy.

Honey and Anise Korean Pear Flaugnarde

INGREDIENTS 
2 Korean Pears
2 TBS Honey
2 TBS Sugar
1 1/2 TBS Butter
1/2 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup Caster Sugar
2 Eggs Lightly Whisked
2 Egg Yolks
40 gm Butter, melted
2 Cups Milk
1 TSP Vanilla Extract
1/2 TSP Anise (Ground or extract)
A pinch of freshly ground Nutmeg

METHOD 
Preheat the oven to 180C. Core and peel the pears then slice them thickly. Place the pears into a medium heat proof dish, sprinkle with 2 TSP Sugar, drizzle with honey and dot with butter. Bake in the oven, turning occasionally for 20-35 minutes or until the pears look tender. You can increase the heat a little to speed this process. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes.

In the meantime, whisk the flour and sugar in a medium bowl. Add the eggs, egg yolks until combined.
Add the melted butter, the milk, vanilla essence, anise and nutmeg. Whisk gently to combine.

Pour the mixture over the pears. Bake for 30-40 minutes until it sets. You can heat the oven from the top for a 3-4 minutes to give the flaugnarde a brownish-golden surface. Serve warm.

Shaikha is one of those people… the ones I want to be in a kitchen with!

I have been an admiring fan/stalker of her blog and photos for a little over a year now.

The creativity in the kitchen, the use of fresh and always interesting ingredients and of course not just her food ideas are out of the box but she as whole is an-out-of-the-box food enthusiast!

Shaikha is the owner of When Shaikha Cooks.

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This month has been going too slow for me and it seems that I have a baker’s block or something. Other than taking cookie orders, I haven’t been as creative as I should be. I have lots of ideas of things I want to create in the kitchen but I just don’t want to do a thing!

I then thought of asking Shaikha to write a guest post for my blog.
And when she accepted and said that she has an exclusive recipe and on VIDEO, I was just so excited!

Unfortunately I couldn’t post this earlier because my kids and I were all sick for the passed week!

Guest post starts here: :p

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I recently received a message from the lovely owner of this blog Arwa, asking me to offer a guest post, which sounded amazing!

I’ve always admired her cooking and the flavors she uses such Lemon grass, Mango, and Poppy seed. She has the ability to modernize traditional Emirati cuisine into a contemporary dish that looks like it has just come out of a French pastry store, which is why I was extremely honored that she asked me to offer a recipe on her website.

I immediately began thinking of what the dish should be about. Sweet? Salty? so many options! I then said why not prepare a salad. But not any salad, a salad that is fresh, well dressed, and is beautifully luscious and easy to prepare.  I then recalled a salad that I have been making these days that seemed to be very popular within our household, it became our favorite dinner item that we would enjoy as our last meal of the day and it was just such a comfortable light dish to make, so the answer was, my Smoked Salmon & Apple Salad, which combines contradicting flavors such as Salmon, apples, and feta cheese. The flavors truly compliment each other and combine in a heavenly way. And you should have most of the ingredients already in the fridge.  It makes a great dinner, or as a side dish in a family meal or gathering.

Also, Did I ever mention that I have a wild adoration for recipes in the form of videos? Well, I do! So there is indeed a recipe video to be shown here!

Smoked Salmon Apple Salad from Shaikha Al Ali on Vimeo.

 
Ingredients: 

1/2 head of Lettuce, coarsely chopped
Small Handful of chopped chive
1 small chopped green chili
2 grated cucumbers
1 large chopped green onion
1 Lemon
200g Smoked Salmon, sliced coarsely
Handful of crumbled Feta Cheese
Generous Squirt of Mayonnaise
1/2 Green Apple, chopped into cubes
Fresh Sea Salt
Fresh Black Pepper

Method:

Begin by preparing the vegetables and apple. Chop the lettuce, chives, chili, green onion, and apple then place in the desired bowl of your choice. Grate the cucumbers and add as well to the bowl. To prepare the salmon simply chop into coarse slices while trimming and discarding the Salmon meat from the dark areas, which are chewy when eaten therefore is a better option to remove them. Place the salmon with the rest of the ingredients. Follow with the Lemon, feta cheese, and mayonnaise. Season well with fresh black pepper and sea salt then mix really well until everything is incorporated.

And that is it! Simple and fast, I truly hope you enjoy this salad and give it a try.