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Wednesday, February 11, 2015

A fabulous Coffee and a Welsh Rarebit Cooking Demo by renowned Chef Graham Tinsley at the Crowne Plaza Muscat

A gorgeous February morning, a fabulous location overlooking the Gulf Of Oman, inviting blue seas, delicious finger foods and beverages. 

Add to it, a whole lot of fun and the stage was set for a very interesting WGO Coffee morning cum cooking demonstration by visiting Chef Graham Tinsley MBE  who created some 'culinary waves' as the ladies had a great time learning, tasting, catching up with old friends and making some new ones at the Crowne Plaza Muscat this morning. 

Chef Graham Tinsley is all smiles as he hands out some bite sized delights 

 Chef Graham was born in St Helens, Lancashire and began his career in catering at the Midland Hotel in Manchester under the guidance of renowned Chef Gilbert Lefevre. In July 2000, he went in to partnership to buy the Castle Hotel in the ancient North Wales coastal castle town of Conwy. In addition to being awarded an MBE during the Queen’s 80th birthday celebrations in 2006 for his services to the Food Industry , Chef Graham has had numerous opportunities of cooking for Royalty as well as the Emperor of Japan and European Heads of State at Cardiff Castle.

The fabulous location overlooking the Gulf Of Oman



Starting with a taste of a delicious sweet and freshly baked bread

Chef Graham Tinsley all set for the Welsh rarebit demonstration
Welsh rarebit, perhaps the most famous dish of Welsh dishes and is made with a savoury sauce of melted cheese and various other ingredients and served hot, after being poured over slices of toasted bread. Alternately, the hot cheese sauce may be served in a chafing dish like a fondue accompanied by sliced, toasted bread.It is interesting to note that the name of the dish originates from 18th-century Great Britain. 

Answering all our queries patiently


It was a pleasure watching Chef Graham prepare the welsh rarebit and what the ladies enjoyed most was the 'cheese tasting' bit. He had brought a very wide range of cheese from the UK with him and we had the opportunity to sample some 'first time treats' such as onion and ginger based cheese.

Once the rarebit was made, Chef Graham put it on some sliced bread and sent it to the kitchen so that it could be glazed for that final finished look.

I enjoyed the demonstration thoroughly and came back and looked up a few other sites so that I could learn more about this dish. For those of you who may be interested in trying it out for yourselves. 

  1. Here is a recipe I've got from www.welshholidaycottages.com


Ingredients

  • 225 g grated, strong cheese such as Cheddar or Cheshire
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 level teaspoon dry mustard
  • 2 teaspoons flour
  • Shake of pepper
  • 4 tablespoons beer-preferably , Guinness or milk (Guinness gives a stronger flavour)
  • 4 slices bread toasted on 1 side only

Method 

  1. Put the cheese, butter, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, flour and pepper into a saucepan.
  2. Mix well and then add the beer, Guinness or milk to moisten. Ensure its not too wet.
  3. Stir over a gentle heat until all is melted, and when it is a thick paste, stop stirring, and swivel it around the saucepan, which it will do quite easily.
  4. Leave to cool a little, and meanwhile toast the bread on one side only.
  5. Spread the rarebit over the untoasted side and brown under a hot grill.
  6. This mixture can be made and kept in the refrigerator for several days if required. 

Memories are truly made of moments like these 

Gorgeous flower beds  that add to the ambience 

A taste of some delicious cheese- this is a ginger flavoured cheddar 

Coffee, cakes and bites 

Memories are truly, truly made of days and moments like these.

Saturday, January 17, 2015

'Luquaimat' and Tea. What I learnt about this traditional Omani sweet at Muscat Festival 2015


Luqaimat  is a well-known Arab dessert and a 'must have' in Arab homes for Iftar. Also known as a crunchy sweet dumpling, it varies from country to country and I had a wonderful opportunity to see it being made 'up close and personal' at Muscat Festival 2015 last Thursday.  


My 'Golden bowl of delights' Luquaimat, accompanied by a delicious cardamom tea.

Halfway through my visit to Muscat Festival 2015, I found myself feeling slightly peckish and the need for a cup of tea was very strong. Heading towards the food stalls, I was wondering exactly what I should have when I heard someone calling out to me. It turned out to be the heroine of today's story, Fathiya, a 43 year old from Rustaq who showed me exactly how it was made, patiently answered all my queries and best of all, allowed me to photograph her at each stage. 


Fathiya putting the dumplings into hot oil


"See they are turning golden  in colour"- she tells me

Moved to a draining bowl and left for a few minutes
 What I learnt from Fathiya however was that the dumpling itself was not sweet but the syrup that is poured over it is what gives it that sweet taste.

Moving to the sit down area, I sat and enjoyed my teatime treats and moved on...refreshed and thoroughly rejuvenated!

For those of you who might be interested in trying it out, I have located a variation of the basic recipe that uses condensed milk at the last stage. In my opinion that really makes it even more delicious. 


Ingredients
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp corn flour
  • 1 tsp instant yeast
  • 1 tsp of sugar
  • 3/4 – 1 cup of water
  • Condensed milk
  • Oil to taste
Method
  • Mix the all purpose flour, corn flour, yeast and sugar in a bowl.
  • Gradually add the water and keep on mixing until  you get a smooth batter. It should be in dripping consistency( not too watery or too thick)
  • Cover the batter for 1 or 2 hours until the batter has doubled. The batter now should have bubbles and look somewhat bouncy.
  • Heat oil in a wok. Scoop a small amount of batter with your fingers and drop them into the hot oil 
  • Fry till they turn golden brown. Remove from oil, and place them on kitchen paper.
  • Pour condensed milk or your favorite syrup on top.

Sit back with friends and enjoy with a hot cup of tea, coffee or better still, on their own.

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Weekend Delights - A day at Shatti Beach, Muscat


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Shatti Beach, Muscat


          It was an absolutely beautiful day today and we decided to head out to the Shatti Beach in Muscat.
        
          Blue skies and an even more blue sea.

People relaxing and making the most of the weather. 

We did exactly the same.

Topped by the most delightful breakfast at the Crepe Cafe.  

Mixed Berry Pancakes and coffee


A great start that really did make our day!