Coffee time with Kaak spice

Coffee time with Kaak spice
Kaak spice has it all,
Anise,
Cloves,
Nutmeg,
Cinnamon,
Mahlab, (See note 1)
Sesame seeds
and just a hint of black caraway seed.

Kaak cookies are also known as "Kaak El Eid" or "Kaak El Abass".
Its made with flour, sugar, yeast, sesame seeds, baking soda, butter, milk and kaak spice.
Nothing tastes better than a warm kaak cookie covered in labneh with olive oil drizzled on top and a steaming hot cup of coffee

Mahlab (note 1)  is an aromatic spice made from the seeds of a species of cherry, Prunus mahaleb (the Mahaleb cherry, aka the St Lucie cherry).

The cherry stones are cracked to extract the seed kernel, which is about 5 mm diameter, soft and chewy on extraction.
The seed kernel is ground to a powder before use.

Its flavour is similar to a combination of bitter almond and cherry.
It is used in small quantities to sharpen sweet foods.

It has been used for centuries in the Middle East and the surrounding areas as a flavouring for baked goods.
In recent decades it has been slowly entering mainstream cooking in English.
#Kaak   #Spice  in the #G+VermouthCafe 





 
http://arabic-food.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/eid-kaak-with-dates-recipe.html

Sweet Tater Pie

Sweet Tater Pie

'gredients & 'structions

º preheat oven to 180ºC.
º Boil half a kilo of sweet potatoes in their skins until soft
º Combine 1 cup almond meal, 1 cup self-raising flour and 1 cup of brown sugar with 75 grams of melted butter.
º Press mixture into a springform tin.
º Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven, cool.
º Rinse potatoes in cold water, remove skins.
º Mash potato with 1/3 cup of honey (or maple syrup - if that's at hand).
º Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon nutmeg.
º Mix one cup of milk into potato mash until smooth.
º Add two eggs, one at a time.
º Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, result should be a bit wet but not liquidy.
º Cool, remove from tin, slice, serve with a tartish yoghurt, more ground nutmeg and cracked pepper.
º Enjoy.

Pinging Paul Pavlinovich as the base of this will work perfect for your caramel slice that I'm making in November.
Pinging Nikki C because #Bluety  and this is my favourite plate - it's the last of six and I keep it at my office so I can have treats at work on blue.
Pinging Ted Ewen because Sweet Tater Pie.

Also, I've started a new collection - Foodz  
https://plus.google.com/u/0/collection/EFKKDB
If you'd like to receive notifications for this collection, please visit the collection, follow it if you have not already done so and then click on the bell icon. Easy. Do the reverse when you're ready.

#Blue   #Bluetiful   #SweetPotatoPie   #SweetTaterPie   #Pie   #Food   #Noms   #Recipe   #Foodz

The #G+VermouthCafe

The #G+VermouthCafe
"Material, social and illusional."

Originally shared by Mee Ming Wong

Édouard Manet (1832 – 1883)
A Bar at the Folies-Bergère, 1882
Courtauld Gallery, London

This was Édouard Manet’s last painting before his death and ever since it was first exhibited, A Bar at the Folies-Bergère has generated great interest and discussion about the relationship between reality and illusion; space and time.

The painting is presented as three layers, the bar with still-life at the bottom, Suzon the barmaid in the middle layer and the illusionary space of the mirror behind her. All three layers contain elements of material, social and illusional.

Suzon, the barmaid is front and centered, blankly staring at the viewer, her reflection in the mirror is shown in parallax – deflected sideways to the right, dislocated. The reflection shows her leaning toward and engaging with the gentleman/viewer, which conflicts with the posture that we see. What is in the mirror is not a reflection of what we are seeing in front of it. This tension renders mystery and intrigue between the real and the illusionary world.

The richness of the glittering scene is incongruent with the absence in Suzon’s eyes. Her gaze is blank, lifeless, a beautiful depiction of the death of the soul. Her expression is one of the most famous and mysterious in art.

In this painting, Édouard Manet captures the essence of the complementarity of space and time, forty-five years before Niels Bohr, a physicist. Bohr proposed the complementarity principle, the view that matter can be described as particles or waves, a duality.

Manet’s painting is filled contrasts and contradictions. We see the Folies-Bergère from two different angles, the reality in front and the reflection in the mirror. The information we see in each view do not correspond. He has shown us different points in space and different moments in time.

To be able to see two opposing aspects of reality brings about a new dimension, it deepens our understanding and brings us closer to truths.

Angostura bitters

Angostura bitters
Is a concentrated bitters, or botanically infused alcoholic mixture, made of water, 44.7% alcohol, herbs and spices,
by House of Angostura in Trinidad and Tobago.
It is typically used for flavoring beverages, or food.

Example below use of by me
#AngosturaBitters  

Originally shared by Jon “the chef” Hole

Hot Pineapple in a G+ Style
1 Small fresh Pineapple
2oz Butter
2 Table spoons Dark Muscavado  Sugar
1 Lemon zest and juice
Dark Rum  dash ;)
Angostura Bitters  3/4 drops
Dried Rose Petals
Sumac

De skin  pineapple cut into chunks
Fry in all up reduce until taste good and cooked 20 mins more or less
Serve with whipped cream Sprinkle with Rose petals and Sumac

#sweets   #food   #foodies              #21stcenturydigitalfood

Food as a Muse

Food as a Muse
Apple pie
Apple compote
Apple clafoutis
Apple tart
Baked apples with cinnamon sugar
Apple strudel warm from the oven

 _Abundance_   from Jamie SCHLER 
Apple farm house cider from my muse ;)
The nine muses @ https://plus.google.com/+JonChef/posts/3VTQJborQkN
#PlatedStories  

Originally shared by Jamie SCHLER

Plated Stories is back. I write the texts, the super talented photographer Ilva Beretta shoots the images. Together we explore inspiration and creativity and all starting with a single letter of the alphabet.

Title

Food Art or Art of food ?

Food Art or Art of food ?
Most defentily  the Art of cooking.
#FoodArt  

Originally shared by Reporter Gourmet

PIC OF THE DAY – FOTO DEL GIORNO 
Andreas Caminada | Umami charm offensive | Schauenstein Restaurant –Fürstenau, Switzerland
VISITA LA GALLERY COMPLETA ALL’INDIRIZZO:
http://reportergourmet.com/photogallery/l-estetica-del-cibo-food-aesthetic-luglio-settembre-2015/95/

Cracking crack ling

Cracking crack ling 
Time to prepare: 10 mins
Time to cook: 20 mins + 35mins/lb

Ingredients

A Loin or Leg of  Free range Pork
Vegetable/Olive Oil
Sea Salt

Method
The most important part of good crackling starts with the type of pork you buy –
You won’t get good crackling from processed, cling film wrapped joints
 Best to been hung for a few days before being cut into fresh joints to ensure that the skin will be firmer and drier.
or cook whole  

The joint should be scored  
it’s essential to add extra grooves where you can. Using the point of a sharp paring knife make long even lines through the skin halfway into the fat, don’t go right down into the meat as this will dry out the meat during cooking.

Pour a small amount of cooking oil into the palm of your hand and rub this all over the surface and into the scored lines. It should only be enough to moisten the surface for the salt to stick.

Rub crushed sea salt all over the joint, making sure you rub enough into the grooves as this will create “bubbling up” of the crackling later.

Roast the joint in a roasting tin with space for air to circulate.  Do not put anything round th joint or any foil on top and never baste it, just leave it to crackle on it's own.  

It needs a high heat for the first 20 mins 470F/240C/Gas 9/Top of top oven Aga, then turn down the heat for the rest of cooking for 35 mins/lb at 375F/190C/Gas 5/Middle of top oven Aga.  
#Pork   #Crackling  

Originally shared by Jose Moreno

Pimms the art of

Pimms the art of

Originally shared by Jon “the chef” Hole

Borage
Ego Barago Gaudia semper ago
Quote Pliny
( I Borage bring always Courage)

He called it Euphrosinum
Because it maketh a man/woman merry and joyfull

Borrage was called by the old herbalists Bugloss
Originally from Aleppo,Syria

When steeped in water it imparts a coolness to it.
Compound with lemon and sugar in Wine
Making a refreshing and restorative summer drink.

Now to the good bit
Borrage contains potassium and calcium combined with mineral acids.

The fresh juice affords 30%,the dried 3% of nitrate of potash
Owing to this when burnt it will emit sparks with a slight explosive sound !
To go with azlin Pimms

Korma for Sarah

Korma for Sarah
Annapurna অন্নদা she is the Hindu goddess of nourishment.
Anna means "food" or "grains".
Purna means "full, complete and perfect".
She is an avatar (form) of Parvati, the wife of Shiva. 

Annapurna is usually depicted as a youthful goddess having red complexion with a face round like full moon, three eyes, high breasts and four hands.

Legend
Parvati was told by her consort Shiva that the world is an illusion and that food is a part of this illusion called māyā.

The Divine Mother who is worshiped as the manifestation of all material things, including food, became angry.

To demonstrate the importance of her manifestation of all that is material, she disappeared from the world.

Her disappearance brought time to a standstill and the earth became barren.
There was no food to be found anywhere, and all the beings suffered from the pangs of hunger.

Seeing all the suffering, Mother Parvati was filled with compassion and reappeared in Kasi and set up a kitchen.

Hearing about her return, Shiva ran to her and presented his bowl in alms, saying, "Now I realize that the material world, like the spirit, cannot be dismissed as an illusion." Parvati smiled and fed Shiva with her own hands.

Since then Parvati is worshiped as Annapurna, the goddess of Nourishment.

Korma for Sarah
2lb lamb or chicken cut up
1  onion, chopped
3 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste
8oz plain yogurt
8oz Ground almonds
1 stick cinnamon
5 green cardamoms
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp red chilli powder 
Salt to taste
3 tablespoons oil or ghee
Salt and black pepper to taste
Rose water 

Heat oil.
Fry onions till brown Remove

Add lamb pieces to the oil and fry
Add the spices and ginger garlic paste to the lamb, stir fry for 2-3 minutes.
Add yogurt and 1/2 of the ground almonds  to the lamb and spices in the pan.
Add fried onions
Stirring well
Reduce heat,
add 1-1half pint of water and cover the pan.
Cook for 1 hour.
If the curry gets too thick, add a little more water for desired consistency.
Add the remaining almonds and a few drops of rose water or kewra before serving  
Serve hot with rice and naan bread
#Indian   #Korma   #Recipe