Mar 6, 2013

Bitter Orange Peel Jam (Mrabba Bou Sfeir)

By · 8 Comments

mrabba bou sfeir 3

As I mentioned in the previous post, we can use the peel of the (bitter) Seville oranges to make jam. This kind of jam has a mild sour taste which is delicious, and isn’t very sweet. This is another traditional family recipe that I’m sharing with you. I personally like it a lot and I hope you will like it too.

Ingredients:

  • 1 kilo Seville lemon
  • 500 grams sugar
  • 5 grams lemon salt

Preparation:

  • Wash the oranges and grate the outer shell slightly

mrabba bousfeir

  • Using a knife, cut horizontal lines to divide the peel into 6 parts, then soak them in cold water overnight

mrabba bousfeir 1

  • The next day, replace the water with fresh water and boil the peels for about 10 minutes then discard the water again
  • With a small spoon remove slowly the white of the inside of the shell, rinse them and allow to dry
  • When they are dry, weigh them; the sugar used should be the same weight as the orange peels
  • Soak again in cold water for 6 hours, changing water halfway
  • Prepare a needle and a thread, and sew each shell into a crescent shape then sew every 12 pieces together
  • Place the shells and the sugar in a pot and leave together for 6 hours

mrabba bousfeir 2

  • After allowing it to rest for the 6 hours, place the pot on a medium fire
  • Add one cup of water and boil until the sugar thickens, stirring with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking on the sides of the pot
  • Dissolve the lemon salt with 1 tablespoon water and add it to the sugar syrup, stir and put the fire off
  • Allow to cool then remove the thread from the shells and place in a jar with the syrupmrabba bou s

ET VOILA… C’EST TOUT! BON APPETIT 🙂

Filed Under: Dessert, Jam, Lebanese food · Tagged: , , , , , , ,
Feb 14, 2013

Happy Valentine’s Day with Red Donuts

By · 4 Comments

donuts

Hi everyone,

I would like to wish you all a very Happy Valentine’s Day. Today is a day to remember those you love and to show them your appreciation; what better way to do that than by making them something sweet to eat!

My youngest son just finished his undergraduate studies a couple of weeks ago, and today he went to collect some papers from university. I wanted to surprise him with something he’d enjoy, and since its Valentine’s day and everything is red, I made some donuts and added some red food coloring to the glazing to mark the occasion though I don’t really think that donuts are romantic. I think I might have put a few drops more of food coloring than I should have because the glaze looks blood red 😛 The important thing is that it put a smile on his face.

So today remember to show your loved ones a little affection. If they’re fans of donuts, make them some of these: smiles guaranteed!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup warm milk
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 egg
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon dried instant yeast
  • oil for frying

Preparation:

  • In a bowl, sift the flour with instant yeast
  • In another bowl, whisk the milk, egg, sugar, salt and oil then add the mixture to the flour, mix together until you have a soft dough
  • Cover the bowl in a cling film and leave the dough to rise and double in volume, for about one hour
  • Cover the surface you are working on with flour and roll the dough with a rolling pin to about 2 cm thickness then cut into a donut shape; leave it to rest for 15 minutes
  • Heat the frying oil (enough for deep frying) and fry the donuts from both sides for about 3 minutes on each side, until they turn golden color. Place on a kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil and allow to cool before glazing them with your choice of chocolate or red glaze

donuts1

For the chocolate glaze:

  • Boil one cup of cream with 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons corn syrup then pour over one cup of sweet chocolate chip and stir until the chocolate melts, then add one teaspoon of vanilla

For colored glaze:

  • Mix one cup of icing sugar with one tablespoon of water or milk and add few drops of food coloring

ET VOILA… C’EST TOUT! BON APPETIT!

Filed Under: Dessert · Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,
Jan 29, 2013

First Anniversary With Angel Food Cake

By · 20 Comments

angel food cake

I cannot believe it! A whole year has passed since I started blogging. Time flies by so quickly when you’re having fun. When I first started writing, I wanted to share my recipes with my daughters in a convenient way since they would always ask me for help. Then, my eldest son came up with the idea of blogging so that I could post my recipes online one at a time, and eventually write enough to reach my goal of writing my own cook book 🙂

I wouldn’t have thought that blogging would introduce me to such a nice community of fine people as all of you are. You encouraged me a lot with your comments, awards and even the simple Likes. Thank you all for the kind words and positive attitude 🙂

To celebrate the occasion, I decided to bake this angel food cake and to decorate it with pistachios, fruits and chocolate sticks. I share this dedicate this recipe to all of you. Bake it yourself and have a slice on me 😉

Ingredients:

  • 6 eggs separated
  • 50 grams flour
  • 50 grams corn flour
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
  • 3 tablespoons baking powder
  • a pinch of salt
  • 125 grams sugar
  • about one tablespoon butter

Preparation:

  • Preheat the oven to 180’C and butter a round cake tin and line it with wax paper
  • Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt and half the sugar until they form a peak
  • In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the vanilla and the remaining sugar until yellow pale
  • Add the flour and the baking powder to the egg yolk mix, then fold in the egg whites; do not whisk
  • Place the batter in the cake tin and bake for about 40 minutes, or until a skewer come out clean

Cream for the icing:

  • Mix 200 grams of butter softened with about 2 cups of icing sugar, add a teaspoon of vanilla and mix well

For the decoration:

  • When the cake is done, allow to cool on a wire rack then cut horizontally through the middle
  • Cover the top of the bottom half with cream the cut some strawberries in half and place them over the cream
  • Place the other half on the top then cream the sides and the top of the cake
  • Decorate with strawberries and slices of kiwi, sprinkle on the top some ground pistachios
  • I also placed some chocolate biscuit sticks along the edge to look like candles 🙂

angel food cake 1

ET VOILA.. C’EST TOUT! BON ANNIVERSAIRE 🙂

Filed Under: Dessert · Tagged: , , , , , , , ,
Jan 22, 2013

Cracked Chocolate Cookies

By · 14 Comments

chocoate cracked biscuit 1

Making cookies is something I enjoy a lot because watching my children’s happy faces while eating them is priceless. This recipe especially is something else. During the Christmas vacation, they requested of me to make these cookies, as it had been years since I had made them last… and believe me, as soon as the cookies came out of the oven, half of them were already gone! I also made new fans with my grandkids.

What else can I say? You’re going to love them too.

Ingredients:

  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup soft butter+1 tablespoon
  • 6 tablespoons cocoa
  • 1  2/3 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • dash of salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
  • 1 cup icing sugar

Preparation:

  • Melt the better and stir in the cocoa, allow it to cool before adding the sugar, eggs, the vanilla; beat well
  • In another bowl, sift the flour with salt and baking powder then add it to the cocoa mixture and add the walnuts if you’d like.
  • Place in the fridge for 1/2 hour then preheat the oven to 180 C
  • Take a small piece of dough, shape it into a ball, roll it in icing sugar
  • Place on an ungreased tray, bake for about 9 minutes, The center should remain moist
  • Allow to cool and enjoy (or eat them warm)

chocolate cracked biscuit

ET VOILA… C’EST TOUT!  BON APPETIT 🙂

Filed Under: Dessert · Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,
Jan 8, 2013

Buche de Noel (Christmas Yule Log)

By · 10 Comments

buche de noel

I’ve been making this wonderful dessert for my family for at least the last 25 years. I have tried to find replacement recipes, but for my family nothing but this time- honored traditional cake will satisfy them. It’s a delicious dessert and you’re going to keep wanting more.

To start off, I would recommend making first one of each vanilla and chocolate sponge cakes. If you’re going to be feeding a larger crowd you can add as many logs as you like and just build it up.

I can’t tell you how many I make each year because each of my two married daughters ask for one for their homes for Christmas, in addition to the one I usually prepare for our Christmas eve dinner.

For a special treat get the kids involved in the decorating process and they probably won’t be able to resist having some of that delicious butter cream all on its own.

Merry Christmas!

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/4 cup flour (for the chocolate  sponge cake substitute 1/4 cup flour for cocoa powder)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:

  • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius
  • Whisk eggs until pale yellow in colour, add sugar then water and vanilla
  • Add flour, salt, baking powder and cocoa powder if used, whisking slowly
  • Line the tray (18 by 12 inch) with aluminum foil, pour the batter into the tray
  • Bake in the oven for approximately 12 minutes or until springy to the touch
  • Prepare a tea towel sprinkling it lightly with icing sugar through a sifter
  • Turn the cake onto the tea towel then slowly peel off the aluminum foil
  • Roll the cake with the tea towel from the larger side and leave it to cool

buche de noel 1

buche de noel 2

buche de noel 3

In the meantime prepare the buttercream:

  • Mix 3/4 cups butter with 1 cup icing sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. For chocolate buttercream add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
  • When the cake is cooled, unroll it and spread the cream inside it, roll it again and cream the top as desired

Because we are a large family and most people will have several pieces of the Buche, I usually make about 5 yule logs and build them up as shown in the pics. Some of the logs will be chocolate sponge with vanilla buttercream filling, and others will be vanilla sponge with chocolate buttercream filling. Slice smaller pieces at a diagonal and add them to the sides of the larger logs to look like smaller branches. Drag the back of fork over the cream topping to create a rough surface. Decorate as you wish.

ET VOILA… C’EST TOUT… BON APPETIT 🙂

Filed Under: Dessert · Tagged: , , ,
Nov 1, 2012

Namoura (Egg free Lebanese Cake)

By · 8 Comments

It is so strange how a smell can bring back a lot of memories from your childhood. During the Eid el Adha I went to a sweet shop to buy something, and I saw and smelt Namoura. I remembered when I was young, a vendor used to come to our neighborhood with his trolley selling Namoura and we loved eating it with our hands. As I grew up it was one of the first sweet recipes I learnt from my mother. This is an egg free, butter free Lebanese cake, that can be made on any occasion and can last for quite a while time without any alteration to the taste.

Ingredients: 

  • 2 1/2 cup semolina
  • 1 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • a pinch of salt
  • 2 cups yogurt
  • 1/2 cup orange blossom water
  • 2 tablespoons tahini
  • 1 cup of almonds for decoration

Sugar syrup:

  • 3 cups sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/4 cup orange blossom water
  • teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon butter

Preparation:

  • Mix the semolina with bicarbonate of soda, sugar and salt
  • Gradually add the orange blossom water while stirring with a spoon
  • Add the yogurt and stir until all the ingredients are well mixed
  • Cover the mixture with a clean towel and leave it to rest for half an hour
  • Preheat the oven to 180 C
  • Grease a 40 cm diameter tray with tahini, pour the mixture in the tray, decorate with the almonds and bake it for about 35 minutes, until the cake becomes golden
  • In the meantime prepare the sugar syrup, boil the sugar with water until it thickens, then add the lemon juice, the orange blossom water and the butter
  • When the Namoura is baked remove from the oven and put over it the hot sugar syrup, and put it in the oven  again for 5 minutes

  • Remove the tray from the oven and let it cool, then cut into squares or diamond shape and serve

ET VOILA… C’EST TOUT.

Filed Under: Dessert, Lebanese food · Tagged: , , , , , ,
Oct 18, 2012

Coconut Chocolate Balls

By · 10 Comments

When my children were younger, I used to organize their birthday parties at home. I would invite all their friends and arranged for a nice party in our garden in Abu Dhabi. In the menu, I used to make these balls, which were very much appreciated by everybody. My children, who still like them until now, reminded me of them this summer as I was preparing for my grandson’s birthday; he loves them now too. As for myself, I still like making them because no baking is needed and they’re quick to do.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups grounded biscuits (use any kind you like: petite beurre, digestive etc..)
  • 1 cup, shredded coconut + extra for coating
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa
  • 1 cup condensed sweetened milk

Preparation:

  • Mix all the ingredients (except the coconut) together, knead until you have a smooth dough and not sticky
  • Take a small amount of the dough and roll it in you hands to form a ball shape then roll it into the coconut

ET VOILA..C’EST TOUT! 🙂

Filed Under: Dessert · Tagged: , ,
Oct 17, 2012

Achtalye (Milk Pudding)

By · 5 Comments

There is an amazing wide variety of Middle Eastern desserts. Some of these desserts are very complicated and require a lot of ingredients and preparation, like baklava, knefe and others. On the other had, some of them are simple, easy and quick to made, like the Achtalye I prepare today. This dessert can be found in Lebanon and in Palestine, and is similar to a dessert to Mhalabiyye, a kind of pudding made out of milk and cornflour. It is very high in calcium so its good for growing children and babies.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup powder milk
  • 3 cups water
  • 1/2 cup cornflour + 1/2 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon mastic, grounded
  • 1 tablespoon orange blossom water
  • 1/2 cup pistachios for decoration
  • sugar syrup

Preparation:

  • Mix the cornflour with a half cup of water until it all dissolves
  • In a casserole place the powder milk, water and the cornflour and mix well
  • Place the casserole on a fire and let it boil, stirring constantly until it thickens
  • Add the mastic, remove from off the fire and pour the orange blossom water
  • Put this pudding into small individual bowls, allow to cool then refrigerate
  • To serve, decorate with pistachios and pour sugar syrup over

ET VOILA..C’EST TOUT. BON APPETIT 🙂

Filed Under: Dessert, Lebanese food · Tagged: , , , , , ,
Sep 22, 2012

Glazed Cup Cakes With Nutella

By · 4 Comments

Cupcakes are always happily welcomed by everyone, small children and adults alike. This simple recipe is a success every time I make it, and no one can get enough 🙂

It is a definite must- make recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup icing sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 130 gs butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons Nutella

For the icing:

  • 1 egg white
  • 1  1/2 icing sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
  • chocolate vermicelli, for decoration

Preparation:

  • Preheat the oven to 180 C
  • If the Nutella is a little hard, soften in a double boiler over a low heat until soft
  • Mix in a bowl eggs, sugar, flour then add the butter and the baking powder
  • Fold the Nutella to the previous mixture until you have an homogeneous batter
  • Divide this batter into 20 cup cake cases and bake for about 10 to 12 minutes, and let it cool

  • In the meantime prepare the icing by whisking the egg white and the icing sugar until well blended
  • If you desire you can add food coloring for the icing for variety

  • Sprinkle with chocolate vermicelli for decoration

ET VOILA… C’EST TOUT… BON APPETIT.

Filed Under: Dessert · Tagged: , , , , , ,
Sep 12, 2012

Back to My Kitchen With… Tamrye

By · 10 Comments

Hi everyone,

It’s been a long time since I posted last as this was a busy summer for me; my two daughters came with their families to spend their vacation in Lebanon. My son was so jealous he also visited from New York to join the fun. We all had a lovely time together but now I’m back to the recipes you love and I miss posting about 🙂

Here I am back to my kitchen with a ton of new recipes that I would love to share with you.

Tamrye is a kind of sweet is found mainly during the Holy Month of Ramadan, as well as during special occasions such as St. Marie day, St. Charbel’s and others – we have several saints in Lebanon.

“Tamr” in Arabic originally means date, but this recipe has nothing to do with dates. It’s made of a dough filled with a mixture of semolina and milk with sugar, fried and dusted with icing sugar.

Ingredients for the dough:

  • 2 and a half cups of flour
  • 1 cup water
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/4 cup oil

Ingredients for the filling:

  • 1 cup semolina
  • 5 cups milk
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon flower blossom water
  • about 2 cups frying oil
  • icing sugar for dusting

Preparation:

  • Sift the flour with salt, add water and mix until you have a soft dough
  • Cut the dough into small pieces, put them in a oiled tray, and pour some oil over the dough, cover the tray and let it rest for about 2 hours

  • In the meantime prepare the filling: In a pot, place the semolina with sugar and milk, put on fire and let it boil stirring consantly
  • After boiling add the flower blossom water and place the filling on a tray and let it cool

  • Take a piece of the dough and roll it very thinly, brush oil over it and cut into square, place a tablespoon of he filling in the center of the dough, fold the four corners overlapping them

  • When you finish filling all the dough, heat the oil and fry them until golden brown, dust them with icing sugar and enjoy eating while still hot

ET VOILA C’EST TOUT… BON APPETIT 🙂

Filed Under: Dessert, Lebanese food · Tagged: , , , , , , ,
Next Page»