cheesecake for all

How to make Homemade Marshmallows

Maryam — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 17:59:27 +0000

Two things I can’t resist, reviewing books and buying them especially when they are cookbooks! That’s why I consider not resisting buying them to be my weakest point! Thanks God I’m living far far away from the USA, and the process to get them makes me think twice before buying one. However, today I couldn’t resist to spend the whole day roaming between cooking tips to dessert books and from making ice creams steps to baking techniques.

I always thought that you have to be an expert cook to master making homemade marshmallows. I also didn’t have the courage to try it. Finally, I decided to do it today, after all the hesitation which I won’t conceal anymore. I even told myself ”If I get marshmallows that tastes exactly as marshmallow then that will be big prove that I can do any recipe in the world!”

And here is the big surprise after my success in making marshmallows, whenever I tell anyone “I made marshmallows!” a very long silence, but wait a moment .. I can see a big wow on their faces and I can it is crystal clear. What I understand later, is that this long gesture was because they didn’t understand what I meant at the beginning! And I discovered that I’m not the only one who believed that marshmallows are difficult to make. After this success, I gain 90% if my courage in cooking, and now I want to do more complicated dishes and recipes.

How to make Homemade Marshmallows

Adapted from Food Network.com. By Alton Brown, Yields to approximately 9 dozens.

Shopping List

3 packages unflavored gelatin

1 cup ice cold water, divided

12 ounces granulated sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups

1 cup light corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar*

1/4 cup cornstarch

Nonstick spray

Making Marshmallows

1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar 1/4 cup cornstarch 13 by 9-inch metal baking pan nonstick cooking spray	Combine the confectioners’ sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Lightly spray a 13 by 9-inch metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add the sugar and cornstarch mixture and move around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use.
3 packages unflavored gelatin 1/2 cup ice cold water	In a big mixing bowl, place gelatin, and mix with 1/2 cup of the cold water using a stand mixer. Have the whisk attachment standing by.
1/2 cup ice cold water 12 ounces granulated sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups 1 cup light corn syrup 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt Candy thermometer	In a big saucepan combine the remaining 1/2 cup of cold water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. Place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F. This will approximately take 7 to 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract Electric mixer	Turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm(you can touch the outer surface of the mixing bowl to check how hot is the mixture), approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Add the vanilla during the last minute of whipping. While the mixture is whipping prepare the pan as follows.
	When ready, pour the mixture into the prepared pan, using a lightly oiled spatula for spreading evenly into the pan. Dust the top with enough of the remaining sugar and cornstarch mixture to lightly cover. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
pizza wheel	Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into 1-inch squares using a pizza wheel dusted with the confectioners’ sugar mixture. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining mixture, using additional if necessary. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

*confectioners’ sugar: is granulated sugar ground to a smooth powder and then sifted. It contains about 3% cornstarch to prevent caking.

enjoy with love,

Maryam

Chocolate Ice Cream ..

Maryam — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:01:07 +0000

Icecreamology “science of making ice cream” is a complete branch in the making food education. Thus it is the most delightful thing to do in kitchen! In my case, eating ice cream is something irresistible and it is indeed a heavenly experience you want to repeat again and again!

When I made my first homemade ice cream I notice couple of things! The first observation was >> my ice cream maker is NOT working !! or it seemed to be .. I followed the manufacturer’s instructions step by step and did exactly what it told me to get a perfect ice cream. However, the result was a big failure! At the beginning I thought that there was a problem with the recipe I’ve selected.

That’s why I decided to redo the experience with another ice cream recipe, but this time with a five star recipe. Again, I faced the same problem .. the ice cream maker didn’t do it’s job! This was very disappointing ; since I did all the steps exactly as mentioned.

I knew that I’m doing something wrong, though I don’t know what exactly .. I decided to search for reviews and comments on my ice cream maker brand and model number >> Surprisingly, I found the rating for this ice cream maker is mostly five out of five !! Well, after my experience with it I didn’t expect this high rating.

Then I found what I’m searching for .. one of the people who left five star rating for this ice cream maker mentioned that the ice cream maker bowl should be placed in the the freezer at least 24 hours before using it! I thought ” why didn’t the user manual mention that?” yeah, it is an important tip for a beginner like me!

The second observation was after solving the pre-freezing problem. My ice cream freezed harder than what I buy from store? When I read The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz. I found the answer for this question.

” Commercial ice creams are made in high-speed machines, which are able to whip extra air (called overrun) into the ice cream” I found this is sensible! However, David mentioned another interesting information “the ice cream you make at home will have less air and is invariably denser (but tastier) than what you buy in the store”.

Chocolate Ice Cream ..

A five star rated recipe; adapted from foodnetwork.com. Yields to 1 1/2 quarts.

Shopping List

1 1/2 ounces unsweetened cocoa powder, approximately 1/2 cup

3 cups half-and-half

1 cup heavy cream

8 large egg yolks

9 ounces sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Making the Chocolate Ice Cream

1 1/2 ounces unsweetened cocoa powder, approximately 1/2 cup 1 cup half-and-half	Using a large saucepan, combine the cocoa powder along with 1 cup of the half-and-half over medium heat and whisk to combine.
1 cup heavy cream 2 cup half-and-half	Add the remaining half-and-half and the heavy cream to the mixture. Bring the chocolate mixture just to a simmer, stir occasionally, and remove from the heat before boiling.
8 large egg yolks 9 ounces sugar	Using a large mixing bowl, whisk all egg yolks togther until they lighten in color. Gradually add the sugar and whisk again to combine.
	Temper the cream mixture into the eggs and sugar by gradually adding small amounts, until about 1/3 of the cream mixture has been added. Pour in the remainder and return the entire mixture to the saucepan and place over low heat. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon and reaches 170 to 175 degrees F.
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract	Pour the mixture into a container and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract.
	Place the mixture into the refrigerator and once it is cool enough not to form condensation on the lid, cover and store for 4 to 8 hours or until the temperature reaches 40 degrees F or below.
	Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer’s directions. This should take approximately 25 to 35 minutes. Serve as is for soft serve or freeze for another 3 to 4 hours to allow the ice cream to harden.

enjoy with love,

Maryam

Toast Pie

Maryam — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 18:30:21 +0000

Ten days to reach the end of Ramadan and there is more to cook! I expected fasting in these long hot days would consume my power, and I didn’t expect that my schedule would be busy this much, though I found myself very active and cheesecakeforall dot com became full of recipes this month.

Although Kuwait is small country, and the number of population is less than a million, Kuwaiti cookbooks are very well known because it contains many recipes which tastes delicious, unique in way of cooking, merge different cuisine and provides you with very very easy steps to implement. The most popular is the Al Matahen cook book.

Al Matahen cookbook is one of the famous Kuwaiti cookbooks nowadays in Kuwait; it is published by Kuwait flour mills company. Every year Kuwait flour mills publish new cookbook series with different chapters containing appetizers, soups, main courses desserts, etc. However, in 2009 and 2010 Kuwait flour mills published it’s new cookbooks senses I and senses II, which became the most famous cookbooks in Kuwait.

Update : Toast Pie Recipe is in foodbuzz.com top 9

Toast Pie

Adapted from senses 2, yields to 9 toast pies.

Shopping List

18 Slices brioche or fresh white bread

50g butter

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 cups mushroom, sliced

1 red capsicum, chopped

1/2 cup sour cream

3 teaspoons whole grain mustard

1 cup cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons oregano

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

3 tablespoons olive oil*

Making the Toast Pie

50g butter

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 cups mushroom, sliced

1 red capsicum, chopped

1/2 cup sour cream

3 teaspoons whole grain mustard

1 cup cheddar cheese

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter totally melts, add garlic, stir till it turns brown in color. Add mushroom slices and sauté until very limp, about three minutes. Add red capsicum and cook, stirring regularly, for about five minutes, or until tender. Then add whole grain mustard, sour cream and cheddar cheese. Mix everything well and set aside.

18 Slices brioche or good white bread

2tablespoons olive oil

Using rolling pin, roll out bread into thin slices. Then cut them into circles using wide cup or circled frame cutter. Brush the bread circles with olive oil. Then arrange inside cupcake pan to take the shape.

2 tablespoons oregano

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1 tablespoon olive oil

Oven temp. 350ºF

Fill the circled toast with mushroom mixture and cover with another toast circle. Press the edges gently to close the pie. Sprinkle oregano and Parmesan cheese on top of each pie. Bake for 20 minutes or until the tops are golden.

* You can use olive oil spray instead.

enjoy with love,

Maryam

Red Velvet Cake Recipe .. Celebrating Cheesecakeforall first anniversary

Maryam — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 20:59:28 +0000

When cheesecakeforall dot com blog idea first came out, I didn’t think I would write its first anniversary post that soon .. It seems as if it was yesterday! At that time, I didn’t have the appropriate equipments to picture good quality photos or present dishes professionally. I’m not saying that I reached the professionals level, however, when I compare my old posts with the newly posted ones, I see the difference. I also didn’t have my own DSLR camera, nor the rest of it’s gadgets (tripod, flash, etc.). When I started this blog I was a good main curses cook, but I was very weak in baking breads, cakes and making sweets from scratch like marshmallows.

Since the first words I’ve written I knew that I’m doing the right thing .. I knew that I’m blessed .. and I knew that each time I see my blog grows I will feel happy, proud, and willing to do and give more! Actually, that what I’m feeling right now!

What I like most about what I’m blogging about is, the new stuff I learn each and every day, this amount of knowledge adds richness to my personalty. It is a multi focused blog, which merges cooking with photography and writing. And since English is my second language, this is really challenging thing to do!

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Adapted from pinchmysalt.com .. and let me tell you this, the steps are crystal clear and easy to follow! I’m changing the presentation of ingredients and steps. What am going to do is this, I will list the needed ingredients into two ways. First as a shopping list. And the second time just beside the step where the ingredients will be used in. I think this will make the whole recipe easier to follow. I also need your feedback, and what do you think about this change in presenting recipe steps. It is essential at this time to know if I should continue with this method or go back to the older one.

Shopping list

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour*, more for flouring the cake pans

1 teaspoon baking powder, more for the cream cheese frosting

1 teaspoon salt

2 oz. red food coloring

1 cup unsalted butter (two sticks), at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract (one spoon for the cake and the other for the frosting)

1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon baking soda

16 oz. cream cheese (2 packages), softened

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Red Velvet Cake

1 tablespoon flour 1 tablespoon butter	Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 8-inch round cake pans.
2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour* 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt	Sift cake flour once before measuring, then sift again with the other dry ingredients. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.
2 oz. red food coloring 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder (unsweetened)	In a small bowl, mix food coloring and cocoa powder to form a thin paste without lumps; set aside.
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 eggs, at room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla extract	In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla and the red cocoa paste, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as you go.
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature	Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beat well, then beat in half of the buttermilk. Beat in another third of flour mixture, then second half of buttermilk. End with the last third of the flour mixture, beat until well combined, making sure to scrape down the bowl with a spatula.
1 teaspoon white vinegar 1 teaspoon baking soda	Make sure you have cake pans buttered, floured, and nearby. In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda. It will fizz, this is normal, add it to the cake batter and stir well to combine. Quickly, divide batter evenly between the cake pans and place them in the preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Check regularly, cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cream Cheese icing (recipe below)	Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. To remove the cakes from the pan, place a wire rack on top of the cake pan and invert, then gently lift the pan. Allow cakes to cool completely before frosting. Frost with buttercream or cream cheese icing.

Recipe Notes: *If you don’t have cake flour don’t worry, I faced the same problem and what I came to know is this, you can substitute cake flour with all purpose flour. The general rule is this 1 cup of all purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons (1c – 2tbsp) is equivalent to 1 cup of cake flour. You can wear an apron to prevent the red food coloring from coloring your hand. As you’re mixing the cake batter, use a spatula to scrape down the bowl frequently throughout the entire process.

Cream Cheese Frosting

16 oz. cream cheese (2 packages), softened

1/2 cup unsalted butter (one stick), softened

With an electric mixer, blend together cream cheese and butter until smooth.

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
pinch of salt

Turn mixer to low speed and blend in powdered sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Turn mixer on high and beat until light and fluffy. Use immediately or refrigerate, covered, until ready to use. If refrigerated, the frosting will need to be brought to room temperature before using (after frosting softens up, beat with mixer until smooth).

Recipe Notes: The amount of cream cheese frosting is prefect. It will cover the whole cake without keeping and hint on what is inside. If you prefer a sweeter and/or stiffer frosting, add more powdered sugar (up to four cups). However, the more sugar you add, the less you’ll be able to taste the cream cheese!

enjoy with love,

Maryam

Mini Corn Dog .. the best!

Maryam — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 17:05:46 +0000

I’ve noticed something very interesting in the past couple of weeks; everybody talks about food! And I mean everybody, women, men, teenagers and even kids! Okay I can understand it when people who adore food talk about new recipes and what is the plan or today’s Iftar “breakfast”. However, know I’m seeing people who never talked about food, opening food network and searching for recipes! People who are not interested in home cooking and recipes at all. In fact, the food subject became number one these days everywhere ..

It is interesting, specially when you observe this phenomena closer and closer. I’m seeing people with different interests and from different backgrounds discuss the same topics food, recipes, and what to eat today!

The first time I was interduced to corn dogs was three years ago! I tasted it once in my first visit to California, and after two years I ate it again for the second time in Housten; that’s all. I’d never know what is the name of the covered hot dog am eating! That’s why I couldn’t search for it’s recipe nor doing it back home.

Mini Corn Dog

One day my sister told me that she tasted something called corn dogs and it was delicious! I asked her how it looked like? and she told me hot dog covered with cornmeal dough.

adapted from allrecipies.com, yield to 72 corn dogs.

Corn Dog ingredients

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 cup all-purpose flour, more to cover beef frankfuters

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup white sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 egg

1 cup milk

1 quart vegetable oil for frying

72 mini beef frankfurters

72 toothpicks

Making the corn dog

1. In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, salt, pepper, sugar and baking powder. Stir in eggs and milk.

2. Preheat oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat. Insert toothpicks into frankfurters. Roll them in flour first. Then roll frankfurters in ice cold batter until well coated.

3. Fry 5 or 6 corn dogs at a time until lightly browned, about 3 minutes, maybe less depends on how hot the oil is. Drain on paper towels.

4. serve immediately.

enjoy with love,

Maryam

Brownie Cookies

Maryam — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 18:50:24 +0000

I admit, after ten days since Ramadan started, chocolate became essential part in my family’s life and mine! Last day, my brother kept asking me to make brownie for him. “Maryam please make brownie, I promise there will not be any leftovers!”

The same sentence repeated again and again all day .. I really wanted to do brownie for him but I was exhausted. In addition to the main factor that consumes major part of my energy “work”, for the last two days I didn’t get enough sleep, in fact, I needed to hug the pillow tightly for an hour at least. All these reasons and more, made the brownie project difficult to implement.

Before I decided to bake brownie cookies, I was planning to do the normal one. Since I started this blog, approximately one year ago, I didn’t try any cookies recipe. I thought it would be a good idea to try something I’d never did before .. I had a good recipe and all the ingredients were available. While making my preparations for the recipe, my sister came and asked what I’m going to do for today? “Cookies” I told her. She smiled, and showed me a photo of a recipe she pictured yeasterday.

“Please Maryam .. I’m craving for a bite” she told me “Please ..” she asked again. Two people asked me to do something related to chocolate in the same day. I completely understand chocolate cravings especially in this month! It is totally normal in this time of the year. Personally, I can live without a piece of chocolate for eleven months, however, in this month I would eat a quantity that is enough for a whole year!

Looking at these cookies I completely know what you’re thinking .. they just doesn’t look like cookies. Well, they do if you considered the round shape as factor of being a cookie although it is to perfect for a cookie. Here is the truth, I’ve used cupcake pan. In fact I’ve used it for two reasons. First, when I did the first batch of these cookies, I found the cookies spread in the baking pan and didn’t give me shape that I want. I wanted my cookies at the end of the day to be equal in size and look elegant.

Second, although I faced problem with the batter while baking I continoued the process beacuse of the taste of these cookies .. simply, they are irrisstable.

And here is the thred reason which I forgot to mention. When my sister found out the failur of the fist batch, she told me that she will make sure that it will be eaten even if they don’t look that good! I thought she was comforting me. However, the real reason was .. the taste.

Contolling the shape was the main issue. Then I thought if I used the cupcake pan this problem will be solved and the recipe would sucsses. Indeed it did!

Brownie Cookies

Adapted from .. mmm, I’ve told you the story how I got it from my sister, although I don’t actualy know the name of that book.

Cookies ingredients

50g unsalted butter

450g dark chocolate (contains 60% cocoa or more),chopped

4 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder (I prefer to add another 1/2 teaspoon because it was flat)

1 cup semisweet chocolate chip

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Making the cookies

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Break down chocolate into small lumps, and then put it into heatproof bowl within a gently simmering saucepan of water add butter to the chocolate till both melt. Or use microwave for quick results.

2. In large bowl using electrical mixture whisk eggs, vanilla, and both types of sugar all together. Then add the melted chocolate-butter mixture, beat again until well combined.

3. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl; beat in egg-sugar mixture.

4. Add semisweet chocolate chips to the batter; stir but don’t over do it. If the consistency of batter is not thick enough set it aside for a while. The cookies batter should be similar to a cake batter.

5. Butter and flour cupcake pan. Fill third of the bottom of the cupcake pan. Bake for 12-13 minutes. Check early and regularly.

6. Remove from oven, set cookies for 2 minutes to cool down then remove from cupcake pan to the serving plate.

enjoy with love,

Maryam

Garlic Soup .. aïgo bouïdo

Maryam — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 16:34:14 +0000

I have decided to take my blog to the next level .. what do I mean by this ? Yesterday my sister and I argued about blogs, bloggers and how can a blog changes it’s owner life. And it can change wrong ideas, give people new perspective, and encourage them to see things differently. All these subjects were opened because of an Arabic blog named “ wanna-b-a-bride” which took its next level to be a book, then to the second next level to be a TV series, where millions of people watch it every day.

We were discussing that a blog like that introduced something all people know but in a different way totally. Which may affect people’s convictions about marriage and the desire of being married! I told my sister “my blog also can make a difference” and she answered “we call blogs like yours cupcake blogs” and the argument went like this >> “what? What do you mean by cupcake blogs?” I said. “a cupcake blog is any blog that introduces cooking, food, and recipes in a typical way .. as you do” she answered.

A long moment of silence. “but my blog is different .. I have combined photography with cooking, trying to show people the beauty of cooking if they just look at it from a different angle!” I told her. “it’s still typical!” she answered. “so how to not make it typical” I asked. “you are talking to people who already love food, like cooking, and know that it is an essential part of their life” she said. “so??” I commented. “Maryam, start to talk to people who are not interested in cooking at all, start to write to people who believe that all kinds of food is the same. Include people who when they feel hungry search for a snack bar or a piece of chocolate; people who got addicted to fast food and forgot the taste of real food” she said.

Although I was mad at her because she called my blog “a cupcake blog”, she impressed me indeed. Now, I believe after all this my next level is clear .. talking to people who are interested and not interested in food. Write for everybody out there and show them the beauty of food and cooking.

Garlic Soup .. aïgo bouïdo

As Julia Child says in her book Mastering the art of French cooking Vol.1, garlic flavor becomes exquisite, aromatic, and almost undefinable. The soup is considered to be very good for liver, blood circulation, general physical tone, and spiritual health.

Serves 6 to 8 people.

Soup ingredients

1 separated head or about 16 cloves whole, unpeeled garlic

2 quarts water (approx. 8 cups)

2 teaspoon salt

Pinch of pepper

2 cloves (will be used in step 2)

1/4 teaspoon sage

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1/2 bay leaf

4 parsley springs

7 tablespoons olive oil

3 egg yolks

1 cup of grated Swiss cheese or Parmesan cheese

Round of hard-toasted french bread

Needed equipments

3- quart saucepan

Wire whip

Soup tureen

Strainer

Making the soup

1. Drop garlic cloves in boiling water and boil 30 seconds. Drain, run cold water over them and peel.

2. Place the garlic and the rest of the ingredients in the saucepan and boil slowly for 30 minutes. Correct seasoning.

3. Beat the egg yolks in the soup tureen for a minute until they are thick and sticky. Drop by drop, beat in the olive oil as for making a mayonnaise.

4. Just before serving, beat a landleful of hot soup into the egg mixture by droplets. Gradually strain in the rest, beating, and pressing the juice out of the garlic. Serve immediately, accompanied by the bread and cheese.

enjoy with love,

Maryam

Marshmallow Chocolate Pie

Maryam — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 20:12:38 +0000

I bet that by the end of Ramadan, Ramadan treats’ section will be full of recipes .. or maybe overflowed! In my personal dictionary, fasting means craving for sweets, chocolate, desserts and anything that contains lots of sugar .. Originally, Ramadan is a chance for anyone to follow healthy diet and introduce good eating habits into his/her daily routine. Well, with all the temptations these days .. all the sweets here and there .. I believe that the healthy diet “thing” is impossible to implement by all means!

Although, it is only one main meal, and another light meal in the early morning, which many of us skip, the amount of consumed sweets in this month can cover the whole year. Wherever you go, supermarket, grocery, visiting someone, even on TV ads .. everything reminds you about thing you crave for most .. sweets ..

You know, last week my aunt taught me her best Stuffed Grape Leaves ever .. Once my colleagues tasted the first bite, the whole thing vanished!! This wasn’t surprising, I knew that will happen since the beginning! The empty large plate was the only thing left. And I didn’t want to return it like this.Finally, I decided to try something new and give it to her in that plate.

I was busy and I wanted to do something easy, simple, delicious and finish within half to one hour max. From the first sight I knew this recipe is the one. Whenever I face a situation like this, I search for a recipe that has a five star rating and a lot of reviews. This gives me a confidence that the recipe will work for me for sure. And from reading some of the reviews I will come to know if there is any extra modifications I have to do.

I’ve adapted this recipe from allrecipes.com. And when I say adapted, I mean that I took the main idea and added my modifications to it. That’s why you may find several steps here which are not in the original recipe. The reasons behind this are: First, the pie pan I have is bigger than the required. Second, I wanted to try it with two different kinds of chocolate. I discovered that it was a good idea indeed! try it and find out.

Marshmallow Chocolate Pie

I’d change the name of the recipe because I used different kinds of chocolate instead of using chocolate chips only. It also contains two layers. The number of marshmallows increased to the double because of the pan size.

This pie can serve 12-14 .

Marshmallow Chocolate Pie ingredients

16 McVitie’s Biscuits, crushed (or graham crackers as per the original recipe)

1 cup butter

60 large marshmallows (30 for each layer)

2 cups heavy whipping cream (one cup for each layer)

1/2 cup hot milk (1/4 cup for each layer)

1 once semisweet chocolate, grated

2 50g Toblerone chocolate bar (one bar will be used for the second layer and the other one for garnishing)

Needed equipments

27 cm pie pan

Measuring cups

Large microwave-safe bowl

large mixing bowl

wooden spoon

Making the Pie

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix crushed McVitie’s with butter. Press the mixture in the pie pan. Make sure that the mixture is equally divided all over the pan, and make sure that the boundaries are covered with biscuit-butter mixture as well. Place the pan in freezer till you finish the first layer of marshmallow.

2. Place hot milk and marshmallows in large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 sec. then take it out and stir with wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Return the bowl into the microwave for another 30 sec., take it out and stir for couple of minutes. Repeat till all the marshmallows melt and form homogenized mixture.

3. Keep the mixture to cool for few minutes. Fold in whipped cream and add the grated semisweet chocolate.

4. Pour the chocolate marshmallow mixture into the McVitie’s pie shell. Place in freezer till you finish the second layer.

5. Repeat steps from 2-4 for the second layer the only difference is that you will add 50g Toblerone chocolate instead of the grated semisweet chocolate. It is preferred to be added in the begining of setp 2. This will allow the chocolate to melt and mix well with the marshmallow.

6. Take the pie pan out from the freezer. Pour the second layer on top of the first one.

7. Grate the remaining bar of Toblerone chocolate, to garnish the top of the pie.

8. Refregerate for 6 to 8 hours or overnight.

enjoy with love,

Maryam

Stuffed Grape Leaves

Maryam — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 21:13:04 +0000

Many things in life appear to be difficult to deal with, hard to achieve,or even impossible to happen. This when you see it from a far distance. However, when you close up, all these virtual boundaries you have placed between you and your goal will disappear completely and instantly, even if you didn’t know about them in the first place. And instead, you will find something beautiful .. something splendid. The reason behind what I’m saying is that, I used to think that Stuffed Grape Leaves is the last thing I could do in my whole life .. well not any more!

There are zillion and zillion of recipes out there on how to make a tasty Stuffed Grape Leaves. You will see some of them containing meat and some don’t, some of them can be eaten cold and others should be hot before serving, and the list of this variety will continue without an end. In the last 26 years of my life, I’ve tasted numerous of this variety, however, I couldn’t find one that can compete with my aunt’s recipe! I’ve also noticed that no one could resist her’s however hard he/she tries to do so, it is unresistable dish indeed.

I called my aunt two days back, and told her that “my colleagues asked me to prepare something for them since we are celebrating Ramadan’s arrival”, and that I wanted to learn her stuffed grape leaves recipe long time ago and I believe that this is a good chance to do it! She welcomed me to visit her and to do the cooking thing in her kitchen. Well, of course I told her about the additional equipments I have to bring with me, since the recipe seemed to be the impossible mission. I told her about the camera, tripod, flash, etc. and warned her that these stuff may crowd the kitchen! Just in case that this may discomfort her. Apparently, she welcomed them as well.

My problem with stuffed grape leaves was that, I always believed that the process is too hard to implement, it needs very experienced cook and the result is not guaranteed at all! All this turned to be an illusion and the reality was >> stuffed grape leaves are simple, straight forward and easy. The only thing is, if you want to have the delicious authentic taste then, you’re supposed to spend a long time on stuffing, rolling and cooking. The preparation time may take approximately two hours if you are working alone, and you will need another three hours for cooking on very low heat! So, if you are preparing this for guests, then I recommend that you do it one day before their visit.

Stuffed Grape Leaves

This recipe serves a big number of people no less than 10. It is recommended to prepare it one day before, because it takes long time to be prepared and cooked. Cooking it one day in advance and placing it in the refrigerator will give the grape leaves more richness in taste.

Adapted from my aunt.

Filling ingredients

1 lb grape leaves,washed and drained (usually it comes in a jar)

2 cup short grain rice, thoroughly washed and drained

1 bunch parsley, stem removed, chopped, thoroughly washed and drained

2 handful fresh mint, stem removed, chopped, thoroughly washed and drained

2 medium sized tomatoes, chopped

2 medium sized onions,chopped

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon mix spices (ground Cumin, ground black pepper, ground coriander, ground cinnamon and ground dried black lemon*)

1 medium sized lemon, juiced

1 medium sized potato washed and peeled

Chicken Stock Ingredients

2 chicken stock cubes**

75g tomato paste

1/2 medium sized fresh lemon, juiced

1/4 cup olive oil

3 cups hot water

Needed equipments

1 medium sized strainer

1 larg mixing bowl

1 medium heat proof bowl

1 medium sized chopping board

1 tray,10 quart or more(optional, you can use anything that makes the rolling surface straight)

1 8- to 10-quart heavy pot

1 medium sized plate, make sure you are using a plate with material that doesn’t brake with heat.

7 inch iron heat defuser

Making the stuffed grape leaves

1. Using the chopping board, cut the parsley and fresh mint into small pieces. Place the chopped leaves in the big bowl.

2. Put the rice, chopped tomatoes, onions, the lemon juice and all the spices into the same big bowl and mix thoroughly then set it aside.

3. To get small sized stuffed grape leaves, cut each leave into three equal parts, or into two parts if the leaves are small in size. Lay the smooth side of the leave on the tray, face down, and let the harsh side of the leave face up.

4. Stuff each leave with a very small amount of the filling, use a teaspoon to help you in measuring the exact amount needed. Align the filling near the boundary of the wider side of the leave.

5. Fold up the right side of the leave and let it cover the filling, then fold the left side of the leave and place it on top of right side. Start rolling the leave from the bottom, where you have placed the filling to the top. Make sure that the folding is tight so it won’t open while cooking. Try to make both left and right sides straight, so you can get a smooth cylindrical shape while rolling the leave.

6. When the rolling part is finished, place the rolled leave in your palm, close your palm very tightly over it and press hard. This will ensure that the rolled leave won’t open while cooking. Repeat the previous steps till you finish all the grape leaves.

7. Chop the peeled potato into 1/2 inch slices, then align them in the bottom of the cooking pot. After covering all the surface with potato slices, gently start to align the stuffed grape leaves on top of the potatoes until the pot is filled. Place a heavy (flipped upside down) plate on top of the stuffed leaves. The plate should cover a big portion of the stuffed leaves but not completely, to give the vapor some space to evaporate.

8. Mix the chicken stock ingredients together in the medium sized bowl. Then pour the mixture on top of the plate that covers the stuffed leaves. The stock level should reach the surface of the stuffed leaves. If it didn’t add some water till it does.

9. Cover the pot and place it on a medium heat for half an hour. After that adjust the heat to low and let it cook for an hour.

10. When the hour is finished, remove the cooking pot and place the iron heat defuser***. Bring the pot back and place it on top of the defuser. Keep the pot on heat for two hours. This is implemented for gas type stove. For electric type adjust the heat as low as possible.

11. When the stuffed leaves complete the two hours on the low heat, take one piece and check the rice in it. It should be tender and you can smash it with a fork if you pressed gently. If it didn’t check if there is any remaining water. If not then add 1/4 cup and keep cooking for another half an hour then check again.

12. When the stuffed leaves are done, turn off the heat and keep it to cool down for a while, 15 minutes is more than enough. Then using the same tray you have used before turn the pot up side down and take all the stuffed leaves out side and empty the pot into the tray. Then bring your serving plate and arrange the stuffed grape leaves in it. It is best when served warm.

* If available, if it’s not then proceed without it.

** You can use 3 cups hot prepared chicken stock instead. If you do so, then don’t remove the 3 cups of water mentioned above.

*** Note that the defuser is used only for gas type stoves and not for the electrical type.

**** If you have excess remaining filling you can store it in the refrigerator for 3 days approximately.

enjoy with love,

Maryam

Austin .. feel the peace!

Maryam — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 12:09:38 +0000

I know .. I know .. it’s a cooking blog not a traveling one. But I can’t resist sharing these pictures and my experience with you! In fact, my colleagues in work asked me last day to prepare a dish for them next Monday, since we are celebrating Ramadan‘s arrival very soon, and I don’t know what type of dish to prepare yet! In addition to that I’m wasting my time by spoiling myself further more listening to Mamma mia’s songs all day and night, without doing anything else. I eat, listen and sing .. actually I love this way of living, it’s heaven!

I just came to know few weeks before that, Austin is Texas’s capital. I always believed that it is Houston. And this is exactly the reason why I love to visit America so often! In every visit I learn new stuff, whether it’s related to places, people, culture or even food! There is always something new, something I never heard of, or even seen in my whole life! And this is why I always consider America as my second country! It is rich, different, in every thing and the most important thing it gathers everything in one place! You can stand in one street and hear more than one hundred different languages spoken at the same time “of course you will find this more clear in Manhattan!”

When I visited this lake , which was the first lake I ever see in my whole life, the scene was breath taking. The lake was very big, and there was something strange in the place were I was taking my shots from. I saw the first chair(the photo in the top of the post) standing alone between big two rocks. Like a person who’s searching and seeking something through the lake, without knowing if he will ever find it, or even be sure that when he find it it would be the one he was searching for all his life! I roamed around to discover the place further more, then I found another two old chairs standing beside a big tree. Like an old lady setting beside her lover remembering the beauty of their old days .. What a romantic scene to attend! And what a beautiful place to discover!

I couldn’t resist not taking pictures. Coincidence like this can’t happen twice! I felt as the nature was talking to me, and teaching me an important lesson I would never forget. I would search for the beauty in every thing and love it!

The end.

enjoy with love,

Maryam