A perfect 'anytime' treat- Home made Fig, Orange and Lemon Biscotti

Looking for that perfect anytime treat? Something that can be had with your tea, coffee or best of all easily be served up as a dessert? Then, it has to be Biscotti- easy to make at home and can be made with just about any ingredient you may have lying in your kitchen cabinets.

Biscotti also known as cantuccini  are twice baked cookies originating in the Italian  city of Prato. The biscuits are oblong-shaped biscuits, made dry and crunchy through cutting the loaf of dough while still fresh from baking in the oven.

Fig, Orange and  lemon Biscotti

Today, biscotti are made using many different ingredients. Almonds, figs, pistachios, raisins, cranberries, and lemon & orange zest make for great flavors in this cookie and can be mixed and matched depending on their availability.  

I made these with wholewheat  flour, figs, orange and lemon zest, creamed with butter and sugar .

Ingredients

2 cups wholewheat flour

1 and a half  cups sugar

350 gms butter

3 whole eggs

Figs to taste 

Grated zest of  one lemon and orange ( each)

1 tsp baking powder

Method

Put all the dry ingredients together in a bowl and mix thoroughly.

Combine all the wet ingredients and stir briskly.

Combine the two and make into a clean oval shaped dough.

Put cling film and pop into the frig for 1 hour.

Bake in a pre heated oven art 125 C for 30-35 mins

Bake at  125  C for 30-35 mins


Allow to rest on a wire rack.

Then cut into pieces and bake for another 15 mins till golden brown.

Cut into pieces and bake again for about 15 mins 

Dust with icing sugar and serve with tea, coffee or simply as dessert

We tried it with whipped cream and berries- made for a delightfully decadent dessert.

Try your own variations and let me know too.

My first visit to The Chocolate Room, Muscat

For most of us, chocolate rates very high on our list on our list of things that we love to eat, inhale and experience.   And so for the growing chocolate lovers community in Muscat, there is a new place where you can head to and savour a wide variety of all things 'chocolicious.' 

Located in Al Marafah Street, Mirbat Tower in Ghubra the Chocolate Room is  open, airy, well lit and has a well designed and planned menu for people of all age groups. When I walked in at 11 am yesterday  I saw a group of young Omani women tucking into their sweet as well as savoury delights . 

When I asked them if they were regulars, the answer was in the affirmative with two of them telling me that this was their third visit. 

Would they come here again? 

Yes, they definitely would. 

And finally, what was it that drew them there? 

"We love the food as well as the fact that we can sit here and study peacefully during the mornings."

 As good a reason as any, I thought to myself and placed my order for a Cafe Latte and a Chocolate tart.

When my order was served by the smiling Vic, this is what it looked like.

 A Chocolate tart and a Cafe Latte

The presentation looked great and must add, the tart tasted good too. However, call me fussy, but the coffee was another story. It wasn't anything like the Latte I'd been expecting. Of course, this wasn't my regular brand but to me the coffee tasted overly  sweet( in my book, sugar is never mixed in the cup before bringing to the customer). 

It also tasted nothing like coffee!

So when Vic came around to ask me if everything was OK, I promptly pointed that out. That was when I learnt that it was actually a Belgian chocolate concoction and that all their coffees have an element of that flavour. Must admit, I wish I'd known that earlier... 

What I absolutely loved were the interiors. Brown, white, maroon and gleaming, there is a definite element of style about the place  and I can see it becoming a popular destination for chocolate lovers in Muscat. 

The  interiors look good

Vic and the group of students 

Later Vic showed me the Menu in some detail  and this time I saw that there were plenty of other choices  in the sweet as well as the savoury sections.. 

So as I started by saying, this was my first visit to the Chocolate Room but definitely not my last.....

'Kurtoskalacs', the famous Hungarian chimney cake at Muscat Festival 2014

I'm enjoying Muscat Festival 2014 more than ever before and for those of you who are following my posts, I'm sure you all know that my sweet tooth is the reason for that. After savouring the Omani and French delicacies  on previous visits, we had the opportunity to try out the famous Hungarian Chimney cake on this one. 

Called 'Kurtoskalacs', the chimney cake, is a traditional Hungarian pastry that is wrapped around a wooden spool and slowly turned over an open fire. It is believed to have originated from Transylvania, but is  now celebrated as the oldest pastry in Hungary, and more often than not, makes for really great street  food. 

We had the opportunity to watch closely while the  pastry chef happily obliged. Not only did she tell us exactly how its made but gave us a great photo op as well.

Its really quite simple and like most pastries, the dough is coated with oil and sugar, and when baked it creates a crunchy, sugary outside crust, not unlike a hot pretzel, with a soft doughy inside.We had a choice of coatings and chose the walnut coating based on their recommendation. 

One lady prepares the pastry while the other does the actual baking

Best eaten when they are just hot off the fire and delicious!

The Disney Parade  as we enjoyed  our tea and cake

Naseem Gardens-All lit up

Sitting outside in the gardens on a delightfully nippy evening, the strains of Arabic music somewhere in the background, the Disney parade in front of us, hot steaming tea and the Hungarian cake.....










We really couldn't have asked for more! 

Delicious Crepes and Coffee - A Taste of France at Muscat Festival 2014

It was on my second visit to the Muscat Festival 2014 earlier this week that I first heard it. It sounded like the lyrics of a beautiful French love song, but my questioning mind asked, 'How was that possible"? But I followed the sound as I came out of the International Pavilion at Al Amerat and saw what looked like a 'Taste of France'  here in Muscat. It was a real little outdoor cafeteria with delicious aromas of coffee and crepes mingled with each other and it wasn't very long before I walked in.

 And was hooked!

A taste of France in Muscat

A crepe  is a type of very thin pancake usually made from wheat flour (crêpes de Froment) or buckwheat flour (galettes) The word is of French origin, deriving from the Latin crispa, meaning "curled". Crêpes are served with a variety of fillings, from the most simple with only sugar to to the more elaborate savoury galettes.

Another very interesting French and Belgian crêpe is the 'Crepe Suzette'  a crêpe with lightly grated orange peel and liquer, which is usually lit on presentation.

I was lucky to get a personalized demo by 32 year old Caquinean Thomas,who has specially come in from France along with a few other members of his team and clearly loves what he does! 

He first showed me how the batter was made. Using a regular brand of all purpose flour, and about half that quantity of regular sugar, he made a well in the centre and added 6 eggs to the mixture, stirring briskly all along.When he had the required consistency, he poured that thin liquid batter  onto a hot frying pan or flat circular hot plate, often with a trace of butter on the pan's surface. The batter was spread evenly over the cooking surface of the pan by distributing the batter with his spatula. 

Making the batter

Caquinean informed me that common savoury fillings for crêpes served for lunch  or dinner  are cheese, ham, and eggs, ratatoille, mushrooms, artichokes or even meat products. The fillings are commonly added to the center of the crêpe and served with the edges partially folded over the center.When sweet, they can be eaten as part of breakfast,  or even as a dessert. They can be filled and topped with various sweet toppings, often including 'Nutella',  jams and preserves topped with sugar (granulated or powdered), maple syrup, honey  lemon juice, whipped cream, fruit spreads, custard, and sliced soft fruits.

Taking a closer look, I saw that he had primarily sweet fillings so when asked what kind of a filling would I like, I opted for blueberry jam.

Walking towards my simple yet stylish wooden table with beautiful French music playing in the background, I could well imagine that I was back in France. Sipping my aromatic black coffee , closing my eyes for a brief moment and taking the first bite of that delicious, not too sweet, blueberry jam crepe,  I thought, yes, I really and truly could.....

A taste of Omani food and hospitality- Delicious Honey drizzled pancakes at the Heritage Village, Muscat Festival 2014

I love going to Muscat Festival, an annual event held in January every year and have been to each one since it first began in 1998. A month-long annual event showcasing Omani and international art and culture, it was inaugurated at Naseem Park and Al Amerat Park almost a week ago and will run till the 22nd of February giving everyone a chance to visit the locations and enjoy the fabulous treats that lie in store.

The Omanis are well known for their hospitality and to be invited into someone's home is considered to be a real honour. It usually means coffee or kahwa a strong, bitter drink flavoured with cardamom, and dates or halwa, a sticky sweet gelatinous substance which is made from brown sugar, eggs, honey and spices. More substantial meals often have rice as the main ingredient, together with cooked meats. The main daily meal is usually eaten at midday, while the evening meal is lighter. Chicken, fish and mutton are regularly used in dishes. 

A favourite drink is 'laban', a salty buttermilk and yoghurt based drinks, flavoured with cardamom and pistachio nuts are also very popular.

Snacks are also very popular and of these,  sweet pancakes drizzled with honey is definitely my favourite! So when I had an opportunity last evening to watch Raya, a delightful Omani lady of about 35, from Al Amerat at close quarters making her delicious pancakes, it was something that I really enjoyed and hopefully learnt from as well. In future, I certainly hope to try out something like the ones I had and will keep you posted on my progress.

Raya busy making the pancakes

Here is the recipe and method  for these delicious honey drizzled pancakes, which can be easily made at home 

Ingredients

1 cup of brown or white flour 
2 cups of water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
Butter and honey

Cooking Instructions

In a mixing bowl combine the flour, water, salt and ground cardamom. 

Beat well with a spoon. 

Making sure the colour and consistency are just right.

Pour about 1/8 cup of batter on a hot and lightly greased griddle.

She flips them over , they look almost done

Cook until golden brown on the bottom. Flip and cook until the other side is also a golden brown. Drizzle with a little butter. 

Pour honey over it and serve hot.

My plate, I got an extra pancake. 4 for 300 Baisas as I was  her first customer

They were absolutely delicious and I was seriously tempted to go back for another plate but the aroma of Omani Halwa close by tempted me. Of course that was my next stop. 

It will also be my next blog entry ...  

Good company? Food definitely tastes much better. And some memories

Think about it for a moment and you will understand exactly what I mean.

Food plays such an important role in every aspect of our life. For instance, if there's a celebration we try to come up with the best or as may be the case the most appropriate menu for the occasion. Alternately, if someone dies anywhere in the world, the close family and friends organize a 'wake' where good food and drink is served while people gather around in memory of the departed soul.

Food is also something that can really taste best when eaten in company. For me, the term 'breaking bread' with someone beautifully depicts a scenario where good food tends to taste even better with good company In fact, I'd go so far as to say that even a pastry  and coffee or a croissant and a coffee had with a friend is something that becomes really pleasurable and many a time, truly memorable. Top of my head, I can recall at least  ten instances when I've enjoyed the meal/coffee so much more because of the company on a particular day.

Shared with family

Shared with  friends

Then there are some food memories which are very dear to one's heart by virtue of the fact that they centre around the food that either someone cooked for you in a way that was really special or then it could be about a  savoury or sweet dish that you cooked  for or shared with someone and he/she loved it best just the way you made it.

Which then leads me to  a chain of bitter sweet thoughts.

For instance, I can never eat sweet rice,  or better known in Punjabi as 'Meethe Chawal' without remembering my grand mother in law, 'Beeji'. For Beeji made the best Meethe Chawal in the world as far as I was concerned. And always, always made it for me whenever I asked for it. Never mind that I was a grown up married lady and she was already in her seventies when we first met..

I can also never eat 'Kadhi Pakore and Chawal' ( a yogurt and gram flour based Punjabi dish) without remembering Jairam, my parents'  cook for over thirty years who makes the most delicious Kadhi on earth.As also my friend Amrita in Muscat who makes sure she personally delivers a box of her special home made Kadhi to our home whenever she makes it.

I can never eat a peppermint without drinking water  right after it to check if my mouth really feels cool because that is exactly what my 'long lost and never found again; friend Christine Bose from my school in Calcutta used to do.

I can never drink 'Elaichi' ( cardamom ) tea without thinking about my mother because she always drinks hers that way.  

I could go on and on but I find  that I actually have a pain in my heart remembering  some people close to me who are now deceased, so I think I will stop here.

But not before I say that what really brought on this chain of thought in the first instance was when I was making Rajma Chawal  (a North Indian delicacy made with red kidney beans cooked in thick tomato based gravy) this morning specially for my daughter Neha  when I remembered a friend of mine Akhila, who passed away in the prime of her life last year.

For whenever I made Rajma or Maa Ki Daal,  I would always send her a big bowl, or better still, drop it off to her place personally because she said that it was the best she'd ever eaten.....

Quick ' n Easy Chocolate Chip Cake

My version of a Quick ' n Easy Chocolate Chip Cake 

Its the festive season and we are all looking for an easy treat that works well with just about anything.Lets  say its the weekend and one decides to go for a drive to a beautiful spot later in the day. Coffee of course is a given but it would be really nice to have something to go with it.

That's when you can think of baking this quick and easy chocolate chip cake.Like everything else, practice makes for a better cake, so the second/third time you make it, it will taste even better!


Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour

2 tsps baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2  tsp salt

1 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup dark brown cocoa( I use Hersheys)

1 cup( or 3/4ths) if you want to use less) brown sugar

3 eggs

1 small pot/cup  yogurt

1 small bag Hersheys chocolate chips

Icing sugar for dusting on top



Method

Put all  the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix  briskly with a fork. Ensure that it is a smooth mix without any lumps otherwise the cake wont be as good as it should.

Mix all the wet ingredients together and repeat the same process of mixing them briskly.

Finally add the wet mixture to the dry one and drop the chocolate chips in, stirring gently. Do not try to push them in- it looks more interesting if the chips are actually visible in the cake.

Gently pour the mixture into a medium sized cake greased cake tin and let it settle in.

Bake in a pre heated oven at 100 degrees c for 35-45 mins and check to see  when its ready by inserting a toothpick. If it comes out dry, it is, but if there is some liquid mixture on the toothpick, it probably needs a few more minutes.


Leave to cool on a wire rack then transfer it on to a plate. 

Dust with icing sugar and cut into pieces.

Wrap it in silver foil  or carry it out for your drive in a closed box. 

Eat it with the coffee and enjoy  the  great view!

Thirty minute Apple Tart

A warm slice of apple tart with coffee or better still, topped with vanilla ice cream- I couldn't think of a better way to  catch up with friends. In the past, I've tried to make a  simple version of an apple tart and succeeded reasonably well. 

But when I recently had the opportunity to watch my Le Cordon Bleu, Paris  trained daughter Neha Singh making this classic 30 minute apple tart from scratch, I knew that I was going to learn a lot. 

And I was right...

In the oven- Neha's 30 min classic apple tart

Starting with rolling the all purpose flour mixed with some butter to make the pastry from scratch, she popped the ball into the freezer  to chill for about 15 minutes while she got the other ingredients ready.

Lining the tart case and trimming off the edges 

This was then blind baked for about 20 minutes in a preheated oven after adding some beans to ensure that the case baked as close to perfection as possible.

Filled and almost ready to bake

For the filling Neha used Honey crisp apples.  This apple has exceptionally crisp, juicy, sweet-as-honey flesh with just a hint of tartness that makes it a tasty treat any time of the day.. As far as I'm concerned, its even more delicious when used to bake an apple tart.

Layered over with finely sliced apples 

The filling used brown sugar, cinnamon, water and was heated on a low heat gas stove till the mixture was tender.

Baked till golden brown for 30 mins

We had people coming over that day and Neha had yet another treat in store- a Passion fruit and raspberry pie which had been made the previous evening and left to chill in the refrigerator. 

But that's another story ...for another post.....

Memories are made of this

 

The Balancing Act- Calories, Calories.. Topped by a Diet Soda

See that Diet Soda?

Show me one person who doesn't love their ice cream and I will show you the Loch Ness Monster! Ice Cream is one of the most goodies irresistible under the sun and I confess, I'm addicted!

And of all the brands that I can think of, my all time favourite is the Cold Stone Creamery. Every now and then, when I go to the Qurum City Centre here in Muscat, I find myself heading towards their outlet, where I'm greeted by the most friendly and smiling sales team that one could ever hope for.

Who then proceed to make me the most decadently delicious Berry concoction which probably gives me my week's  quota of calories, but at that precise moment I'm not really too bothered. 

Savouring that delicious concoction seems to be the most important thing to do, but after a while I get thirsty. 

So I'm forced to get up and order a soft drink, and that's when reality of some kind begins to bite and a diet soda it is ....

Tell me am I the only one who thinks like this or are there more of you around ?.??.

Chocolate, banana, raisin and nut muffins- a minor variation of the previous post

In my last post I talked about banana, raisin and nut muffins. 

Here is the chocolate version for those of you who like it better this way. 

Try it and I guarantee that you will have great fun in the process. Hopefully, the end result will be satisfying as well !

Chocolate, banana, raisin and nut muffins

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour 

1 cup sugar 

1 teaspoon baking powder 

Half teaspoon salt

Cashew nuts chopped into bits 

20 raisins 

1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature 

2 eggs 

a dash of vanilla extract 

3 ripe bananas

4 Tablespoons good cocoa powder

All set to proceed

Method

Pre heat oven to  100 C and prepare the muffin cases by lightly greasing them from inside.

In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nuts. 

Combine the mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla in a large bowl.

Add the flour, baking powder, cocoa, sugar and blend into the banana mixture.

Spoon this batter into the muffin cases, leaving enough space for them to rise.

I managed 12 large muffins

Bake until muffins are  a nice chocolate brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Once they are ready you can serve them topped with chocolate icing. Alternately, top with vanilla ice cream and honey or just sit back and enjoy one with a large mug of coffee..