Algerian Pastries in Ann Arbor

Three months ago, I decided to take the plunge and follow one of my dearest dreams. That week, butter, flour and orange blossom water spent most of the day on the countertop and my hands were rolling, shaping and filling pastries almost every single day. That week, Wednesday came faster than ever before and I’ve found myself one Wednesday afternoon packing my car with a table, a chair, a cardboard sign and a bin filled with pastries. With a kiss on the forehead from my husband and a hug goodbye from my daughter Layla, I backed up on the driveway and took the road that would get me closer to the Ann Arbor farmer’s market, to my dream; the road that would give birth to Al Meida fine Algerian pastries. That day, I gave birth to a slice of my country in the heart of Ann Arbor and it never felt so beautiful, so sweet, just like pastries.

Tomorrow / Demain

Busy bee in the kitchen, hoping from a cookie to another.

Busy bee in the kitchen, rolling in sugar, cinnamon and honey.

The bee baked and ate, and baked again. She added flour, nuts, rose water and sugar a million times. She ate and baked, and ate again.

Baking sheets are sore. Oven is blazing hot. She will bake more. Not today. Not tomorrow. Tomorrow she will dress up. Her daughter will wear a beautiful cream dress with Cross-Stitch embroidery. Her better half will wear a suit and a sky blue tie.

Laughter, prayers, photos, family, cookies, hugs and kisses will wrap this joyful day.

Tomorrow.

Happy Eid al-Fitr!

Thank you, for everything.

Greedily, Blissfully, Peacefully / Goulûment, Voluptueusement, Paisiblement

I wanted to call each and every one of you to tell you about this cake the minute I ate it. It was that good.

We baked it when my husband’s nieces, who now I just call my nieces, my sisters, my dear sisters, were here. The house was warm with their laughter, their helping hands in the kitchen, their midnight chitchat in bed and their little quarrels. Oh how I miss their chitchat with me in the kitchen and even their quarrels! They reminded me of my older sister and I.

I love having people over. I love seeing my guest room pleased and bright and being used for its actual purpose and not what was and is now a room where ironing table, a few days old folded laundry and mismatched baggage cohabit. I love to see my daughter playing and chasing her cousins, while being able to scream only one syllable of their names: “Sha!” “Meen!”

I loved our obstinacy to have dinners on the deck under pouring rain, laughing out loud at our “moist” salad. I loved our dinners on the deck under hungry mosquitoes, spraying and itching in pain. I loved our afternoons run to the near by supermarket to buy ice cream. I loved our expressions when we had our first tastes of Durian and then the second and third, and the look on our faces when we drove back home with this stinky fruit in the trunk of our car.
I drove you crazy with my persistence to stop you, even my hubby, from eating while standing up (you know it stresses me out)
I drove you crazy with my fake Pad Thai and your uncle with his charred-pseudo-grilled- shrimp. Remember?

I remember. I remember how happy I was to have you in my house, in my kitchen. I remember how we enjoyed going to the backyard to pick black raspberries and to make this cake together, which I chose to make, you agreed to help and we all loved to eat greedily, blissfully, peacefully, sitting on the countertop. I remember how sad I was to drop you at the airport and how hard it was to say goodbye and to let you go, my dear sisters.

I was drawn by this cake more than any other cake in Jamie Oliver cookbook mainly because the use of olive oil in the batter intrigued me. I’ve heard about this odd combination before but never had the courage to give it a go. What a waste of years! All my life I’ve been dipping bread in olive oil, which isn’t a bad thing either, when I could have used it to make this cake. This is pure genius. The olive oil gives richness and moisture and most importantly depth of flavor to the cake that no other vegetable or canola oil or even butter would have given. The crumb is light and the berries are just drenched in this lovely aroma of citrus and olive oil. The cake can be whipped up in ten minutes without even using a stand mixer. Weeks later and I still have the taste of this lovely combination in my mouth. Still have the lovely voices of my sisters in my heart.

Nada’s Cake

Recipe: Adapetd from Jamie’s Italy
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder (This is the one I use all the time)
- A good pinch of sea salt
- Zest of 2 lemons, grated
- Zest of 2 oranges, grated
- 6 oz fresh black raspberries or blueberries or red sweet grapes such as Muscat or fragola
- A bit of butter to grease the pan

Preheat the oven to 350F. Generously butter a 9-inch pan and line the base with waxed paper. Set aside.
Either by hand or in a the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whisk the eggs and sugar until thick and pale yellow, about 3 minutes, then add the butter, olive oil, milk, lemon and orange zest and vanilla. Mix well, then mix in the flour, baking powder and salt until everything is thoroughly blended. Set aside for 10 minutes for the flour to absorb the liquid.

Stir about a quarter of the berries into the batter, pour into your prepared cake pan, and scatter the rest over the top. Bake the cake for 45- 55 minutes, or until the top is a deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Let it cool on a wire rack in the pan for 10 minutes, then run a knife along the sides of the pan to turn it out.

The cake can be stored at room temperature, wrapped, for up to four days. It is even better on the following day.

Gâteau Nada

In Francais Please: adaptée de Jamie’s Italy
- 4 gros oeufs, a temperature ambiante
- 270g de sucre en poudre
- 200g de beurre, fondu
- 125ml d’huile d’olive extra vierge
- 200ml de lait
- 1 c.c d’extrait de vanille
- 360g de farine, tamisée
- 1 ½ c.c de levure chimique
- Une bonne pincée de sel marin
- Le zeste de deuz citrons
- Le zeste de deux oranges
- 400g de framboises noires, de myrtilles, ou de petits raisins type Muscat
- Une noisette de beurre pour le moule

Préchauffer votre four a 160C. Beurrer génereusement un moule à gâteau de 22cm de diametre et garnir le fond de papier sulfurisé, puis mettre de côté.
Avec un fouet ou à l’aide d’un mixeur, battre les oeufs avec le sucre jusqu’à ce que le mélange devienne épais et d’une couleur jaune pale, environ 3 minutes. Ajouter le beurre fondu, le lait, l’huile d’olive, les zestes et la vanille. Bien mélanger puis ajouter la farine tamisée, la levure chimique et le sel et incorporer jusqu’à obtenir un mélange homogene. Ne pas trop mélanger. Laisser reposer 10 minutes afin que la farine absorbe un peu du liquide.

Incorporer le quart des fruits à la pate, verser dans le moule préparé et mettre le reste des fruits sur le gateau. Faire cuire 45-55 minutes, ou jusqu’à ce que la surface soit d’une belle couleur dorée et qu’un cure-dent inséré en ressort propre.

Laisser le gâteau refroidir dans son moule sur une grille patissiere pendant 10 minutes, puis passer un couteau autour des bords du moule et démouler.

Ce gâteau se conserve à temperature ambiante, couvert de film plastique, jusqu’à quatre jours. Il est d’ailleurs meilleur le lendemain de sa cuisson.

Good Night and Good Morning! / Bonne Nuit et Bonjour!

Hello, my dear friends!

I thought I will be able to write my text tonight, but it’s 12:35 AM and my eyes are itching and burning, and the bed is calling my name and my dreams have already cuddled my brain and I don’t know what I am typing anymore.

I’ll see you tomorrow (or should I say today?) with the recipe of this wonderful cake that I made a couple of weeks ago with the help of my lovely nieces and Jamie Oliver.
(Of course Jamie Oliver wasn’t really in the kitchen with us. My older niece, who is the lovely model on this photo, would have fainted. After taking this photo, she joked and asked me if she was a good background for my food. She was the best and sweetest background I’ve ever had. My backgrounds are usually quiet and don’t have any sense of humor).

Good night, to some! Good morning, to the others!

I’ll be back after a good night of sleep.

A Second Chance / Une Deuxième Chance

A few years ago, back when we were dating without even dating (that’s a long story!), my husband told me that he didn’t like bread pudding. He dropped it just like that, in the middle of our conversation, between a sip of half-an-hour-cold-espresso and him thinking about having a goatee. I didn’t know what to think of this situation. A man with a goatee! And who doesn’t like bread pudding! Will it work?
Needless to say how confused I was. But this happened during our first days of romance, and the rule number 123 of dating for dummies tells you not to take it too seriously when a man admits that he doesn’t like bread pudding, but they tell you nothing about the sudden urge of having a goatee! Confused? I know! Me too.

And what’s more confusing is that I agreed with his bread pudding aversion (but not with the goatee!) I agreed to the dislike of centuries old dessert without even arguing. I agreed to hate bread pudding when I know how much I love drowning my bread in milk before eating it. I agreed to dislike something I've actually never had before. I agreed to something I thought I, myself, hated for years, until this past weekend.

This past weekend there were no dating game, no loosing game, no mascara and no shiny shoes. This past weekend was about an unfinished business, an unknown dessert, and about using some of my leftover bread. And I have to admit that I cannot find better, cozier, and more charming way to use leftover bread than by making bread pudding. It’s every leftover bread's fantasy to end up swimming in a custard bath with raisins and nuts as bathtub toys.

This bread pudding is the most popular sweet in Egypt. It’s called Om Ali, which means Ali’s Mother. The traditional way is to use baked fillo pastry broken into pieces with a mixture of cream and milk, but people find all sorts of ways of making it; with pancakes, with thinly rolled out puff pastry, and with pieces of bread.

I went for “a lighter custard”, skipping the heavy cream and adding eggs to the mixture. The bread is soaked in an orange blossom water perfumed custard for 20 minutes, sprinkling raisins and nuts in between layers, and then baked until nicely browned and the pudding tips nicely out of its mold.

As I was taking the pudding out of the oven, my husband came to the kitchen and saw me holding the golden-crusted dessert in my arms and asked what it was. “Bread pudding”, I said. “But before you say anything, give it a chance!" I said "I know how much you hate bread pudding”
“Who told you I hate bread pudding? I hated the one I had once in my college years, not all bread puddings. Besides, yours looks scrumptious”, he replied

Needless to say how confused I was. But I am glad I gave both of them a second chance.

Om Ali : Egyptian Bread Pudding

Recipe:
You can also add some semi-sweet chocolate chips to the custard. It’s not traditional, but I am sure Om Ali wouldn’t mind.

- ½ lb days old of your favorite bread (I used this one)
- ¼ cup raisins
- ¼ cup coarsely chopped of your favorite nuts (I used pistachios and almonds)
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tbsp orange blossom water
- A pinch of salt
- 2 cups whole milk
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon, for dusting on top

Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly butter a 2-qt (2L) baking dish.

Trim the crusts from the bread into ½ inch (12mm) cubes. Scatter the bread in the prepared baking dish, sprinkling the raisins and nuts in between the layers.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, salt, and orange blossom water until blended, then whisk in the milk. Pour the mixture over the bread, dust with the cinnamon and set aside for 20 minutes to moisten the bread. Tilt the dish occasionally to keep the bread evenly covered with the liquid.

Place the baking dish in a bigger pan and pour hot water into the pan to reach halfway up the sides of the dish. Bake until golden brown and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, 40-45 minutes. Carefully remove the baking dish from the water bath and let cool completely on a wire rack. Serve at room temperature or refrigerate to chill for up to 3 hours.

Om Ali: (La maman d’Ali) Pudding Égyptien

In Francais Please:
Vous pouvez aussi ajouter des pépite de chocolat si vous le souhaitez au pudding. Ce n’est pas trés traditionnel avec la recette, mais je suis sure que Om Ali fermera les yeux dessus.
Je soumet mon pudding a ma chere Marion et son jeu fort original “ Si j’avais du Pandan…”
Bien sur je dois me soumettre à ses questions tellement difficile avant de jouer:
1- De couleur verte
2- Shrek (Là sérieusement j’ai dû triché un peu parce que je croyais vraiment que c’était d’un vrai ogre que tu parlais. La honte! ;-)
3- Panda

- 250g de pain de quelques jours (J’ai utilise ce pain)
- 45g de raisins secs
- 45g de vos noix favoris, grossierement hachées (J’ai utilize pistache et amandes)
- 3 gros oeufs
- 125g de sucre
- ½ c.c de canelle en poudre
- 1 c.s d’eau de fleur d’oranger
- Une petite pincée de sel
- 500ml de lait entier

Beurrer légerement un plat d’une capacité de 2L allant au four. Préchauffer le four à 350F.
Retirer les croutes du pain et les couper en petits dés d’1 centimetre et les mettre dans votre plat en alternant avec noix et raisins secs.

Dans un grand bol, battre les oeufs, sucre, eau de fleur d’oranger, et le sel jusqu’a ce que tout soit bien incorporé, puis verser dessus le lait. Verser ce mélange sur les morveaux de pain, saupoudrer de canelle, et mettre de côté pendat 20 minutes pour laisser au pain le temps d’absorber le liquide. Remuer le palt de temps en temps pour que le pain reste toujours couvert du liquide.

Faire cuire le pudding au bain marie pendant 40-45 minutes, ou jusqu’à ce que le pudding devienne doré et qu’un couteau inseré à l’interieur en ressort sec. Retirer le plat du bain marie et laisser refroidir completement sur une grille à patisserie avant de servir. Servir à temperature ambiante ou mettre au frais pendant au moins 3 heures avant de servir.

Easy, Moist, Light, Delicious and Moist / Facile, Moelleux, Léger, Délicieux et Moelleux

Ah! Banana cake! The word alone reminds you of slow weekends, family picnics and afternoons sitting by the window listening to the drip, drop of the rain while sipping a warm cup of tea.
To me, banana cake doesn’t ring a bell to my childhood memories, but bananas! Oh, yes.

Growing up, in the beginning of the 90’s in Algeria, it wouldn’t even cross my mind to put mashed bananas in a cake. It wouldn’t even cross my mind to let bananas go untouched and abandoned for days on the counter top. It wasn’t that we were that found of bananas, it was because we hardly ever see it in our kitchen. You see, bananas were to us what watermelons were to Japan: Expensive. They were so expensive and dear that eating them outside was considered an insult to those who can’t afford it.
Bananas were a “luxury” fruit. The one you see meticulously displayed in brown rattan baskets, along with pineapples, litchis and other exotic, unknown fruits at gourmet stores (we call these type of stores in our slang: pharmacist. I don’t know how this word came to be used that way, but we use it for all shops that are outrageously pricey. And we use it for the pharmacist as well. Got it?).

Bananas were to be bought on special events, on special days. My mother would buy it for us when she wanted it to spoil us, when we had good reports at school, when we had a birthday to celebrate, when they were on sale, which rarely happened. And when these days took place, my mother would cut the banana in half, hide it behind her back and ask us to choose. Otherwise, we would be measuring and studying the banana from all corners to see which half is bigger. Eating whole bananas were exceptional. But even with half a banana, we were happy, appreciating and extending seconds to minutes of lavish pleasure. (A funny story to show you the status of bananas at that time: I remember a distant cousin who went to live in France. After a few months there, he sent a picture to his parents of him near his refrigerator wide open, holding a bunch of bananas in his hand. How did I see this picture? His mother would carry the photo with her and show it to anyone asking after her son.)

Years went by, and now bananas went from rattan baskets at gourmet shops to donkeys pulling carts packed with bananas at the market. Even at rural markets. Bananas were cheap, even cheaper than potatoes at some point. We made banana tarts, banana mousse, banana papillotes with vanilla beans; we even tried banana tagine, which was quite good.
After some experiments, some misadventures and abandoned bananas on the counter top I came to the conclusion that I wasn’t found of bananas, but I love banana cake/bread.

I came across this recipe a while ago while browsing my usual blog reads. It appealed to me more than the others banana bread because it didn’t require the use of much ingredients and fatty calories. I know what you’re thinking about “healthy” cakes, and I feel the same way, but trust me, and trust David, this isn’t your typical dry, tasteless cake. This, my friends is the best banana cake I have ever had. I know I can exaggerate sometimes, especially when it involves baked goodies, but not today. Not only it is very easy to make and low in calories, which is always a plus for my hips, but it’s also moist, light, fragrant, delicious and moist. I know I said moist twice, but this is just how moist this cake is. David Lebovitz, who is a very talented pastry chef and a very funny Parisian, uses a combination of banana and cocoa nibs. Instead, I used banana and fresh Algerian dates, which was heavenly good. Why have I never thought about this combination before? Oh, yes! The pharmacists!

Banana and Dates Cake

You can use a mixture of all purpose flour and white whole-wheat flour, or just use the all-purpose one. Adding dates and orange zest to the batter was a personal choice, as I love the combination of both. You can fellow David’s delicious Directions by using chocolate chips or cocoa nibs instead of dates, and cinnamon instead of orange zest.

Recipe: Adapted from here
- 1 cup (120 g) all purpose flour
- ½ cup (90g) white whole-wheat flour
- 1-teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Orange zest
- ¾ cup (150 g) sugar
- 2 tablespoons (55 g) melted butter (salted or unsalted)
- 1 large egg white
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 cup (250 ml) banana puree, made from about 2 very ripe medium-sized bananas
- ½ cup (125 ml) plain yogurt, regular or low-fat (I used regular yogurt, but you can use sour cream as well)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (60 g) Dates, pitted and diced

Butter a 9-inch (23 cm) square pan or a loaf pan and line the bottom with a sheet of parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350F (180 C).
- Sift together in a bowl the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix in the sugar.

- In a large bowl, mix together the butter, egg white, egg, banana puree, sour cream, vanilla and orange zest, if using.

- Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and stir in the wet ingredients with a spatula until almost mixed. Add in the dates and stir until just combined, but don't over stir: stop when any traces of flour disappear.

- Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes, or until the center feels lightly springy and just done, and a toothpick inserted inside the cake comes out clean.

- Cool on a baking rack.

Storage: This cake will keep well for 3-4 days, or can be frozen, wrapped in plastic wrap, for a few months.

Cake à la Banane et Dattes

Vous pouvez utiliser un mélange de farine complete et farine blanche, ou utiliser seulement la farine blanche. Le choix de dattes et le zeste d’orange était purement personnel, car j’adore la combination des deux. Les dattes peuvent etre remplacé par de pépites de chocolat et le zeste d’orange par de la canelle.

In Francais Please: adapté d’ici
- 120g de farine
- 90g de farine blanche complete
- 1 c.c de levure chimique
- ½ c.c de bicarbonate de soude
- ½ c.c de sel
- 1 c.c de zeste d’orange
- 150g de sucre
- 55g de beurre, fondu (salé ou doux)
- 1 gors blanc d’oeuf
- 1 gros oeuf
- 250ml de purée de banane
- 125ml de yaourt nature (entier ou allégé)
- ½ c.c d’extrait de vanille
- 60g de dattes, dénoyautées et coupées en dés

Beurrer un moule carré de 23cm de diametre ou un moule à cake et garnir le fond d’un papier-parchemin. Préchuaffe le four a 180 C.
- Tamiser les farines, la levure, bicarbonate de soude, et le sel. Ajouter le sucre.

- Dans un grand bol, mélanger le beurre, le blanc d’oeuf, l’oeuf, la purée de banane, le yaourt, la vanille et le zeste d’orange.

- Faire un puits au milieu de la farine et verser dedans le mélange precedent en utilisant une maryse jusqu’à ce que le tout soit presque uniforme. Ajouter le dattes et mélanger juste ce qu’il faut pour bien les dispercer, mais ne pas trop mélanger: arrêter-vous quand toute trace de farine ait disparu.

- Verser la pâte dans votre moule beurré et faire cuire pendant 40 minutes, ou jusqu’à ce que le centre semble cuit et qu’un cure-dents en ressort propre.

- Laisser refroidir sur une grille à patisserie sans le démouler

Ce cake se garde bien pendant 3-4 jours, ou peut être congelé, enveloppé dans un film plastique pendant quelques mois.

Daring Bakers' March Challenge: Perfect Party Cake

I had mixed feelings about this month’s challenge. Obviously, I was very happy to see one of Dorie Greenspan’s mouthwatering recipes finally featured for the Daring Bakers to explore. On the other hand, the “Perfect Party Cake” seemed to be a little too grandiose for only two adults and a toddler; and I hate any cake that has butter cream as a filling or frosting.

My plans were made. My mission was clear:
1- I had to substitute another filling and frosting for the yucky butter cream. In this case, I made a chocolate mousse for the filling and a Ganache Soufflé (Whipped chocolate) for the frosting.
2- Since I was going for a chocolate and orange combination, I used orange zest in the batter instead of lemon zest and brushed the cake with an orange marmalade instead of the strawberry jam.

A few weeks ago, I was having a friend of mine, and her family over for dinner. I decided to make this cake hoping it will be the perfect party dessert.

I made the cake a day ahead. The cake was very easy to work with, much easier than making a basic genoise. It rose perfectly in the oven and has a crumbly and soft texture when it cooled down. I wrapped it up and stored it at room temperature for tomorrow to be filled and frosted.
The following day, I made the chocolate mousse, which was delicious, and frosted the cake with ganache soufflé and decorated the edges with coconut flakes.

I believe my next step was what turned this Perfect Party Cake into Perfect Hall of Shame Cake: I refrigerated the cake and served it to my poor guests only half an hour after getting it out of the fridge. And it was cold that day.
Having used a chocolate mousse as a filling and heavy cream for my ganache soufflé, I though I should refrigerate the cake to let it set. It was a mistake. The cake that once was so moist, so delicate, and so fragrant suddenly turned out into a dried Sahara desert.

Still my guests ate it all. They were polite and nice to me. But I couldn’t retain my disappointment. I couldn’t believe I served them something I have never made before (My mother always warns me not to try new things when I have people over. I didn’t listen to her. Again!)
And the worst of it all is that I had the nerve to wear a big, proud smile on my face when I was bringing the cake to the table.
I couldn’t take it much longer. I had to confess my sins. Especially when I saw my husband, the one who is supposed to support me no matter what I serve, rolling the cake in his mouth for hours and giving me the look of I know what's wrong with this cake. I had to speak. I had to speak before someone else does. I spoke: “ The cake is kind of dry! I think it would have been nice to brush it with a syrup to moisten it a bit”. They all nodded in agreement as if they were just waiting for the toddlers to start screaming of despair or for somebody to explode and throw the cake at me and wipe this smile off of my face once and for all.

I am exaggerating a bit. The cake didn’t end up in the trash, but still, it was a big disappointment and I take full responsibility for it. Though the texture was quite nice the following day when I left out for more then two hours before having a slice.

Bottom line, the sponge cake itself was great, and I will use this recipe again instead of the genoise. But this time I won’t refrigerate it. But if I have too, I will serve it two hours after getting it out of the fridge.

So thank you morven for this baking lesson and for this month’s challenging challenge.

Savory Cheddar, Goat Cheese and Cilantro Cake / Cake Salé aux Cheddar, Fromage de Chèvre et Coriandre

I don’t remember which one came first: cooking, or the words that came with the recipes.

My mother had a small collection of pocket size French Cookbooks that I loved reading. The cookbooks had no pictures and no stories, just recipes, words and may be some drawing here and there. Yet, these books played a major role in the life of a teenage girl who wanted to learn the art of cooking.

Leafing through a cookbook that has no pictures, I was more drawn to a recipe that calls itself “Pain Bourguignon”, “Braised green lentils on a bed of Escarole”, “Anna potato cake” or even “Eggs en Cocotte” than to the ones with a less phonetic impact. Once I gave my poor siblings a taste of what was at the time my obsession with the word: Pilaf. Say it again, slowly: P-I-L-A-F! The way the tongue caresses the palate gently makes it sound more mystifying and delicious.

One sunny Friday, when my parents said they would be away for the afternoon, and that they might be late for supper, I nodded my head religiously to my mother’s leftover-reheating recommendations while the word Pilaf danced sensuously and discreetly in my mind. Once my parents had left, I had my rice, my onion, my chicken stock and my seasoning on the counter top. I was a girl on a mission.

The rice was beautiful, served in a royal blue glass dish, fluffed with a fork and decorated with some chopped parsley. I sat in my Mother’s place and served my siblings some of the rice and the other leftovers. I was proud of my self. Even more proud to explain my siblings how this wasn’t any kind of rice, this was P-I-L-A-F Rice! (With the tongue rolling, of course!)
The first bite was a little unexpected. But I decided to stay quiet and continued on with another spoonfuls, hoping that my siblings wouldn’t notice. Then my older sister put down her fork. “It’s undercooked, some grains are still raw,” my sister said, and went on to eat my mother’s leftovers.
“No, it’s not undercooked, it’s Al-dente” (Another word that I loved using at that time, too!)
Then my younger brothers followed and I couldn’t convince them anymore to eat it; even when I asked them to fish the raw grains out.

I almost finished my plate, but inside I was devastated with the knowledge that I have made a mistake somewhere in the recipe. I served my family a dish of partially raw rice and tried to make them believe that this was how the dish was to be served: Crunchy Pilaf!

Ever since this episode, I have learned how to make Pilaf Rice properly. But I still love using beautiful, exotic names for my dishes to impress the crowd. Even though the recipes are still the same. Somehow, I find it more alluring to introduce this Savory Cake as a Savory Cheddar, Goat Cheese and Cilantro cake than: Savory Quickbread, which is just what it is in reality. But much more.
I made this recipe from Dorie Greenspan’ Serious Eats chronicles: Baking with Dorie. The cake is simply marvelous and oh, so easy to make. You basically whisk all the dry ingredients together in a bowl, the wet in another, and then you gently combine the two. Pour, bake, let it cool, and you’ve got yourself a moist, delicious and cheesy cake that would make any novice baker proud. The only minor changes that I made to the original recipe was to use a mix of white whole-wheat flour and all-purpose flour, to use cilantro instead of chives (it was a manner of availability) and to use goat cheese for its fresh note. I love to serve this savory cake with salads, or as a toast for my sandwiches. After a few days, when it dries out, I like to slice it, toast it, and dice it into croutons to garnish my salads or soups.

Savory Cheddar, Goat Cheese and Cilantro Cake

Recipe: Adapted fom Here
- 1cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup white whole wheat flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt (it depends on what cheese and add-ins you're using. I used 1 tsp)
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (or more to taste; you could even add a pinch of hot pepper)
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup whole milk, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 ounces coarsely grated cheddar or other cheese
- 2 ounces fresh goat cheese or other cheese, cut into very small cubes
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro or other herbs
- 1/3 cup toasted walnuts, chopped (optional)

Put the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl and whisk the ingredients together to combine. Put the eggs in another mixing bowl; whisk for about 1 minute, until they're foamy and blended. Whisk in the milk and olive oil.

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and, using a sturdy rubber spatula or a wooden spoon, gently mix until the dough comes together. There's not need to be energetic—beating the dough toughens it—nor do you need to be very thoroughly. Just stir until all the dry ingredients are moistened. Now, stir in the cheese, grated and cubed, the herbs and the toasted walnuts, if you're using them. You'll have a thick dough. Turn the dough into a buttered loaf pan and even the top with the back of the spatula or spoon.

Slide the loaf pan into a 350F-preheated oven and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the bread is golden and a slender knife inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack, wait about 3 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the pan and turn the loaf over onto the rack; invert and cool to room temperature right-side up.

The cake can be served when it is still slightly warm, but like Dorie herself, I prefer it when it has cooled completely.
Well wrapped, the cake will keep for about 2 days at room temperature or for up to 2 months in the freezer (thaw in the wrapper). It is normal that the cake may seem a little dry after a couple of days. At that point, it's good to toast the slices. I like to use them as little croutons in my salad and soups, too.

Cake Salé aux Cheddar, Fromage de Chèvre et Coriandre

In Francais Please: Adapté d'ici
- 110g de farine
- 100g de farine blanche complete
- 1 petite c.s de levure chimique
- ½ a 1c.c de sel (tout depends du fromage que vous utilisez et de ce que vous voulez ajouter. J’ai mis 1 c.c)
- ¼ c.c de poivre noir faichement moulu
- 3 gros oeufs, a temperature ambiante
- 100ml lait entier, a temperature ambiante
- 100ml d’huile d’olive extra vierge
- 85g de cheddar, grossierement rapé
- 50g de fromage de chevre, coupé en en dés
- 125ml coriandre, haché
- 100ml noix, grossierement hachées (facultatives)

Dans Une grande jatte, mélanger les farines, la levure, le sel et le poivre. Dans un autre bol, battre les oeufs pendant un minute jusqu’à ce qu’ils deviennent mousseux et bien incorporés. Ajouter le lait et l’huile d’olive.

Verser tous les ingredients liquides sur les ingredients secs, et mélanger doucement à l’aide d’une spatule ou une cuillere en bois. Ne pas trop mélanger ou le cake sera dur et sec. Ajouter le fromage rapé et le fromage de chèvre en cubes, les noix et Mélanger encore. Votres pate sera épaisse. Verser la pate sur un moule à cake beurré et lisser la surface du cake à l’aide d’une maryse ou le dos d’une cuillere a soupe.

Glisser le cake au four, et faire cuire à 180C pendant 35-45 minutes ou jusqu’à ce que le cake soit doré et qu’un couteau inséré à l’interieur du cake en ressort propre. Laisser le cake dans sans moule pendant 3 minutes, puis démouler sur une grille à patisserie et laisser refroidir à temperature ambiante à l’endroit. Vous pouvez le servir tiede, mais je le préfere tout comme Dorie, completement refroidi.

Bien envelopé dans un film plastique, le cake peut se garder pendant 2 jours à temperature ambiante ou pendant 2 mois au congélateur (décongeler-le en le laissant dans le film plastique). Il est normal que le cake durcisse après quelques jours. A ce stage, il est préférable de griller les tranche en toast (J’aime les griller et les couper en dés pour décorer salades et soupes.

Being a Kid / être un Enfant

There are days like this when being a kid again is just what we need.

We wouldn’t have to think about our weekly chores and monthly bills. We wouldn’t have to think about how we might look or how we should be in public. We wouldn’t have to worry about our social status and our personal ambitions.

We would be kids. Again. Wearing pea dotted jumper and pink boots, we would jump in the mud and roll over crunchy leaves. We would dance at the super market and smile to strangers without looking crazy. We would stuff ourselves with jellybeans, muffins and cookies without thinking about calories and gaining weight. We would ride rocking horses and go on the swing screaming: “Higher! Higher! I want to touch the clouds”. We would be kids. Just kids, if only for one day. Just one day.

At least we can always pretend to be kids, only older kids, by stuffing ourselves to one of these healthy and hearty Rutabaga and Cilantro muffins.

Rutabaga is such a fascinating and intimidating vegetable in appearance, and resembles parsnip and cabbage in taste. I used it in these savory muffins along with cilantro and roasted red peppers to add a little bit of sweetness to the batter. The taste of the rutabaga is very mild in the muffins comparing to the time I made a rutabaga soup. Not a good experience. My hubby ate it just because he is too polite or was too hungry. And I finished my bowl just because it was “good for me” and because I don’t like to mistreat my soups. I am a nice kid.

The use of buckwheat flour can be substituted for another nutty flour of your choice, such as chestnut or chickpea flour. This muffin would be a perfect pair to a soup or a spicy arugula and pear salad on your thanksgiving dinner.

Rutabaga and cilantro Muffins

Recipe:
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup buckwheat flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1 tsp freshly ground coriander seeds
- 1 tsp honey
- 2 tbsp cilantro leaves, chopped
- 1 ½ cups rutabaga, peeled and finely shredded
- 1 red pepper, roasted, peeled and diced
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400F. Butter and flour 12 muffin-pan cups.
In a bowl, stir together the all-purpose flour, buckwheat flour, baking powder, salt, ground black pepper, cilantro and the ground coriander.
Beat the eggs until blended. Add the milk, oil, honey, red peppers and shredded rutabaga and beat until blended. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until moistened.
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin-pan cups. Bake for 15- 18 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out just a little moist. Do not overbake them.
Let them cool in the pan on a wire rack for two minutes, and then invert them onto the rack.
These muffins can be stored for up to 2 days in an airtight plastic container. The muffins are good on the first day and even better on the second.

Muffins de Rutabaga et Coriandre

In francais please:
- 200g de farine
- 75g de farine de sarrasin
- 2 c.c de levure chimique
- ¾ c.c de sel de mer
- ¼ c.c de poivre noir, fraîchement moulu
- 1 c.c de graines de coriandre, fraîchement moulues
- 1 c.c de miel
- 2 c.s de feuille de coriandre, hachées
- 185g de rutabaga, râpés
- 1 poivron rouge, grillée et coupe en dés
- 2 gros oeufs
- 250ml de lait entier
- 80 ml d’huile d’olive

Préchauffer votre four 200C. Beurrer et fariner un moule à muffins de 12.
Dans une jatte, mélanger les deux farines, la levure chimique, sel, poicre, coriandre et graines de coriandre.
Fouetter les oeufs un peu, puis ajouter le lait, l’huile d’olive, le miel, rutabaga et poivrons rouges et batter jusqu’ à ce que tout soit bien incorporé. Ajouter alors les ingredients secs et mélanager juste afin que le mélange soit bien uniforme. Ne pas trop mélanger afin d’avoir des muffins tendres.
Verser la pate a muffins dans votre moule a muffins et faites cuire pendant 15-18 minutes, jusqu’ à ce qu’un cure-dent inséré à l’interieur des muffins en ressort à peine humide.
Laisser refroidir dans le moule sur une grille à patisserie pendant 2 minutes, puis démouler. Servir accompagnés d’une soupe ou une salade de roquette ou de frisée. Ces muffins sont délicieux le premier jour, mais encore meilleur le second.
Ils peuvent se garder pendant deux jours dans une boite en plastique à fermeture hérmetique.

Bostini Cream Pie Adventures

Five reasons not to make Chiffon Cake while watching The Health Channel Veria:

1- You will start talking weirdly and using terms you rarely use, like: metabolism, healing your body and macrobiotic diet.
2- You will feel guilty about baking chiffon cake and you will look for a way to make it “healthier” by adding whole-wheat pastry flour.
3- You will blame yourself for not excising in months when you see people walking and running outside, and you will take your anger on your egg whites by over whipping them.
4- You will convince your husband that a salad for lunch is all we will have while he wonders if he did something wrong.
5- You will forget to add sugar to the batter, and notice it after you put the cake in the oven. You over whip your cake for the second time.

Yes, this is what happens when you watch Veria. Needless to say that my experience with chiffon cake was one to remember.

I waited until yesterday to make the cake thinking it’s an easy challenge and I will have no bumps along the road. Oh how I was wrong!

My first mistake was to replace white cake flour by a whole-wheat one. It gave me a lumpy and thick batter that I had to strain before baking it.

My second mistake, as mentioned earlier was to forget the sugar. Picture this: I put my batter in my tiny ring molds. I put them in the oven and when I turn back to start cleaning the mess I made, here it is. My sugar is still on the scale wondering: “ Where do I come in? Isn’t my turn yet?”

I had to quickly take my molds out of the oven, invert them into my mixing bowl and “gently” fold in the sugar. Although the dough has already been beaten and strained and badly treated.
Surprisingly the cake turned out not as bad as I imagined it would be, but obviously not as moist as a chiffon cake should be.

Oh! And did I mention I forgot to add half the juice? I didn’t? (Sigh!) No wonder it was a bit dry. I went out for some fresh air after this.

Thankfully there was the custard and the melted chocolate on top to save the day; otherwise I would be crying and blaming it on everything but myself. Like blaming it on... a TV Channel!

Thanks Mary for a challenge that made me feel like the real daring baker sketched on our logo. It was fun.

Don’t forget to hop over to her blog for more details on this fabulous Bostini cream Pie. And be sure to check out other daring bakers Chefs-d’oeuvres.

Happy week everyone!

Apples Season / La Saison des Pommes

You know autumn is right around the corner when apples start flooding markets and roadsides. While apples aren’t my all time favorite fruit, in part because I’ve always associated them with strict diet and hungry nights, I love using them in baking and salads.
Apples are not only a good source of vitamin C and antioxidants, they are also a very versatile fruit that can be transformed into jams, curds, sauces, preserves, chutneys, apple butter and more depending on your creativity and the varieties.
As I enjoy snacking with a Gala apples or a Golden Delicious, my favorite varieties of apples to bake with are Rome Beauty, Pink Lady and Granny Smith.
For this season of apples I started with apples and rosemary muffins for Sunday breakfast. Adding rosemary to the recipe was my personnal touch to a simple apples and nuts muffins. The combination of apples and rosemary might seem odd at first, but you will discover that the rosemary being slightly bitter and fragrant actually gives a nice smokiness and warmth to those moist muffins, different from the usual bland fruity muffin.
I used Golden Delicious for this recipe but you can use any kind of apples appropriate for baking, making you kitchen smells like an orchard, smells like autumn, smells like home sweet home.

Apples and Rosemary Muffins

Recipe: adapted from here
- 1 cup plain flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup oat bran or wheat bran
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups plain yogurt or buttermilk
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 ¼ cups grated, peeled and grated apple (about 1 large)
- 1 tsp rosemary leaves, chopped
- ½ cup golden raisins
- 1 small apple, silvered
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar mixed with 1 tsp ground cinnamon

In a large bowl, stir together the flours, bran, baking powder, baking soda, slat, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Set aside.
Beat the eggs on low speed until blended, and then beat in the yogurt and butter. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until half moistened. Add the apple, raisins, and rosemary and stir just until evenly distributed. Do not over mix.
Spoon the batter into buttered muffins cups. Put a thin slice of apple on each muffin and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the top. Bake in a preheated 400F oven for 15-18 minutes.
Let the muffins cool in the pan on a wire rack for 2 minutes, and then turn out onto the rack. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or freeze for up to a month.

Muffins aux Pommes et Romarin

In francais please: adaptée d’ici
- 155g de farine
- 155g de farine complete
- 20g de flocons d’avoine
- 2 c.c de levure chimique
- ½ c.c de bicarbonate de soude
- ¼ c.c de sel
- 1 c.c cannelle
- 155g de sucre brun
- 2 gros oeufs
- 375g de yaourt nature
- 115g de pommes, épluchées et râpées
- 1 c.c de romarins, finement haché
- 60g de raisins secs
- 2 c.s de cucre mélange avec une c.c de cannelle
- 1 petite pomme, coupée en fines tranches

Dans une grande jatte, mettre la farine, avoines, levure, bicarbonate, sel, cannelle et sucre brun. Mettre de coté.
Battre les oeufs legerement, puis ajouter le yaourt et le beurre et battre. Ajouter ensuite les ingredients secs et mélanger juste pour que tout soit bien incorporé. Ajouter les pommes, les raisins et le romarin et mélanger. Ne pas trop mélanger.
Verser la pate a muffins dans un moule a muffins beurré. Mettre une fine tranche de la pomme sur chaque muffin et saupoudrer de sucre/cannelle le dessus de chaque muffin. Faites cuire dans un four préchauffé a 200C pendant 15-18 minutes. Laisser refroidir 2 min dans le moule puis demouler les muffins sur une grille de patisserie.
Ces muffins se gardent dans une boite hermétique a temperature ambiante pendant 2 jours ou peut se congeler jusqu’a 1 mois.

It's Never Too Late / Il n'est jamais Trop Tard

I waited twenty-four years to have my first cheesecake experience. It was three months ago in Denver where I had Kahlua Cocoa-coffee cheesecake. Nobody told me that once you have a bite of a good cheesecake, you get addicted to it and there is no coming back. The following day, my husband and I had another slice and the next day another one. Three days in a row all we had for late night dessert was Cheesecake, and the same flavor.
Now eating cheesecake is pretty easy but baking it is a different story. You see I have never baked cheesecakes before. I have, what we call: “cheesecakebakophobia” . Basically, my worst nightmare would be ending up with a giggly, uncooked cheesecake that would ooze out of my spring-form tin and landing in my baking sheet or worst in my oven.
And then, it all changed two months ago when I saw Haalo’s cheesecake. I was mesmerized. It was meant to be. Haalo’s cheesecake was going to be my first cheesecake baking experience. Why her cheesecake, you might ask? It has nothing special, does it? I went with this one because I trust Haalo’s recipes. If I had to list all the successful concoctions that went from her blog to my table, I would have to change my blog name to “Haalo’s second Kitchen” or “Cook almost anything… at least twice”. Secondly, as she was explaining the outcome of her cheesecake, she said three magic words that were like music to my ears: “it's soft and creamy but with a wonderfully light texture. The topping adds that bit of sweetness and the base is appealingly crunchy”. And what better than a creamy, light cheesecake with a crunchy crust.
The recipe is very easy to follow and I was surprised to see that the cheesecake doesn’t cook in a water bath like most of cheesecakes do. I halved the recipe and used the last handful of cherries found at the market this weekend to decorate the top along with my strawberry jam.
When slicing the cheesecake, I was charmed by the small bites, great for entertaining to pop in your mouth. Haalo was absolutely right about the texture. It’s creamy yet not heavy and very fresh with the ricotta cheese. You almost don’t have to use your teeth, except for the crust that is just buttery and crunchy with the adding of quick oats. The only thing that I would do differently next time is to use less jam for the topping because it was a bit sweet for my taste.
Other than that, it was a great experience, more addictive than eating the cheesecake. I came out victorious and I am proud of myself. I was a good girl this time; I only had one slice of it. Fine two…maybe three. It was late, I don’t remember.

Baked Strawberry and Cherry Cheesecake

Recipe: adapted from here
The crust:
- 5 ounces unsalted butter
- 4 ounces quick oats
- 4 ounces graham crackers
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
The filling:
- 13 ounces light cream cheese
- 4 ounces ricotta cheese
- 3 ½ ounces caster sugar
- 5 ounces light sour cream
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla paste or extract
- 1 tbsp flour
The topping:
- 9 ounces cherries or any fruit in season and depending on your taste
- 7 ounces strawberry jam

Make the Base:
Butter a 20cm/8inch round spring-form tin - line the base with baking paper.
Place the butter in a saucepan to melt - when melted add the rolled oats, cookie crumbs and sugar and stir well to combine.
Pour the mixture into the lined tin and press it down firmly to create an even base.
Store in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.
Make the Filling:
Place the cream cheese, ricotta sugar and sour cream into the bowl of a mixer and beat until smooth.
Add the eggs, vanilla paste and plain flour and continue to beat until smooth.
Pour this over the chilled base and cook in a preheated 180°C/350°F oven for 40-45 minutes or until the filling is just set.
Remove from the oven but allow it to cool in the tin.
Make the Topping:
Place the jam into a small saucepan and heat gently until the jam has melted.
Let this cool a little before spreading it over the cold cheesecake, then top with your fruits.
You will notice that the cheesecake will have shrunk away from the sides of the tin so the some of the topping will ooze out over the edge.
Cover and place in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. For best result,take it out of the fridge one hour prior to serving.

Cheesecake aux Fraises et Cerises

In francais please: adaptée d'ici
- Pour la base:
- 125g de beurre, fondu
- 100g de flocon d’avoine
- 100g de petit biscuits secs, hache finement au robot
- 2 c.s de sucre brun
- Pour la garniture:
- 375g de cream cheese Philadelphia allégé, mou
- 100g de fromage ricotta
- 80g de sucre en poudre
- 125g crème aigre, allege
- 2 eggs
- 2 c.c d’extrait de vanille ou pate de vanille
- 1 c.s de farine
- Pour la decoration:
250g de cerises, ou votre fruit prefere de saison
200g de confiture de fraises

Preparer la base:
Beurrer un moule a cheescake (20cm de diametre) et garnir le fond de papier sulfurise.
Melanger le beurre fondu aux flocon d’avoine, sucre brun, biscuits jusqu’a complete incorporation.
Verser le mélange au fond du moule et bien applatir avec votre main pour obtenir une base uniforme. Mettre au frais 10 a 15min.
Preparer la garniture:
Mettre cream cheese, ricotta, sucre et crème aigre dans le bol d’un mixeur ou avec un batteur et melanger jusqu’a ce que le mélange devienne soyeux et lisse.
Ajouter les oeufs, vanille, farine et continuer a batter jusqu’a ce qu’elle redevienne lisse.
Verser sur la base prealablement refroidi et faites cuire dans un four prechauffe a 180C pendant 40-45 min ou jusqu’a ce que le cheescake soit ferme mais un peu mou au center quand vous le bougez legerement.
Laisser refroidir dans son moule.
Preparer la garniture:
Mettez la confiture de fraise dans une casserole et faites la tiedir. Entre temps, épépiner les cerises et mettre de côté. Verser la confiture sur le cheesecake encore tiede et decorer avec les cerises a votre guise.
Couvrir et mettre au frais pendant des heures ou toute une nuit.Sortir du frigo une heure avant de le servir, pour une meilleure degustation.

A Birthday and a Cupcake / Un Anniversaire et un Cupcake

No, I haven’t forgotten about my blog nor about you, my friends. My duties of a mother had me spending more time with my little girl than in front of my lap top screen. Wednesday was my daughter’s first birthday. I still can’t believe that she is already a year old. I was getting used to telling her age by the months.
“How old is she?” “She is 10 months old”
My little girl is getting bigger.
All this week I was trying to picture how her birthday would be like. I knew I would make some sort of a cupcake. I spent days looking for the perfect cupcake recipe. A zucchini chocolate cupcake sounded like a “baby friendly” cupcake. Everything had to be perfect for my little angel. I smiled thinking about how she would try to blow off her first candle. How she would look cute in her first princess dress. How she would destroy her cupcake. How she would pinch the cream cheese frosting between her thumb and index and then slowly bringing it into her mouth. Her father and I would be laughing at how she would make a big mess of her self while keeping the camera rolling. I would struggle the following day scrubbing the cream off of my carpet. But it was all worth it, I would tell my self. It was my little sunshine first birthday.
The D-day came. My little girl was so pretty in her yellow princess dress. She barely allowed me to comb her hair, but still it was fine. I like it when it’s curly and messy anyway. She was excited when she saw the balloons, the ribbons and the garland on the walls. She set in her high chair and waited for mommy to bring the dessert. What she didn’t know is that it was a special dessert. Mommy is going to allow her to eat her cupcake and make a big mess as much as she wants to. By the time I brought the cupcake and lighted the candle, She was starting to get a bit sleepy, scratching her eyes and her hair. We sang Happy birthday in three languages to wake her up. She wanted to grab the candle, still lighted, between her hands but my husbands blew it off before she can hurt her self. We tried to make her, at least, have a bite of her birthday cupcake, but all she wanted to do was sleeping. We managed to take some pictures. She finally took a bite of the cream cheese frosting. She laughed every time she would pinch some frosting and bringing it into her mouth. Obviously, she was very excited about it. We tried to keep her awake as much as we could but she was too tired. A quick run to the bedroom to bring her presents before she goes to bed, I told my husband. The next thing you know, this little girl was not sleepy anymore. She stayed an hour playing with her new favorite toys, talking and laughing and tossing them to her father.
Although her birthday didn’t turn out as planned: There were no cupcake battles and no sticky carpet, it was one memorable birthday. It was our little girl first birthday. We will remember it as being the birthday she started wearing a beautiful dress and yawning the whole time and ended playing with her toys and wearing only diapers.
The cupcakes were so good; I ate two of them before the birthday had even started. But it was just to make sure that it was right enough for her.

My favorite Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes

Recipe: adapted from here
- 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chocolate chips
2 cups unbleached flour
1 cup cocoa, sifted
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp allspice
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon (I used only ¾ of a tsp)

Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl and set aside.
In a bowl, mix the sugar with oil and butter. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until well incorporated. Stir in vanilla, buttermilk, the grated zucchini and chocolate chips.
Slowly add the ingredient to the wet ingredients and mix until well combined.
Spoon the batter into muffin pan, lined with muffin cups. Bake in a preheated 350F for about 35, or until it looks almost done in the oven. Do not overbake them; otherwise they will turn out dry. Cool on a wire rack. The chocolate chips inside will stay soft for the whole day (at least it did for me. It might be the weather)

Mes Cupcakes préférés aux Chocolat et Courgettes

In francais please: Adaptee d’ici
- 360ml de sucre brun
- 60ml de beurre fondu
- 180ml d’huile vegetale
- 3 oeufs
- 1 c.c d’extrait de vanille
- 120 ml de babeurre
- 480ml de courgettes rapees
- 240ml de pepites de chocolat noir
- 480ml de farine
- 240 de cacao, non sucre
- ½ c.c de sel
- 2 c.c de bicarbonate de soude
- 1 c.c de mélange d’epice pour pain d’epice (kubeb)
- 1 ½ c.c de canelle (j’ai utilize seulement ¾ d’une cuil a café)

Dans un bol, faites passer les ingredients secs a la passoire et mettre de cote.
Melanger le sucre avec l’huile et le beurre. Ajouter les oeufs un a un et bien melanger a chaque fois. Ajouter babeurre, courgettes, chocolat et vanille. Bien melanger. Verser doucement les ingredients secs sur les mélange chocolat et bien melanger jusqu’a ce que tout soit bien incorpore. Verser dans un moule a muffin ligné de godets de muffins. Faites cuire dans un four prechauffe a 180C pendant 35min ou jusqu’a ce que les cupcakes semblent presuqe cuits. Ne les faites pas trop cuire au risqué d’avoir des cupcakes secs. Laisser refroidir sur une grille a patisserie.

Butter- Free / Sans Beurre

Dear Myriam,

Feel no pressure by reading this letter to pick me as your next Browniebabe, although I will be honored if you do so.
I think I can be a great Browniebabe because not only my brownies are simply marvelous, with all modesty of course, but they are also filled with love and no butter. Yes, not an ounce of butter. Except if you count the tiny bit of butter that I used to grease the pan!

My chocolate and Cherry brownies will satisfy your cravings for brownies while allowing you to slip into your favorite swimming suite with all confidence. My brownies are hips and thighs friendly; just ask mine they will testify. No need to run, no need to worry because my brownies are only 137kcal per serving but 100% sweet and tasty.

Filled with cherries and prunes, my brownies are perfect for summer as they are moist, smooth, fruity and fudgy. Want to dress it up a little bit for a special dessert? No problem, just serve it on a cloud of Crème Anglaise and your guests will praise your talent for years to come.

So Myriam, My brownies are ready to be crowned and my waist can’t wait to be wrapped by your gorgeous apron. If you do pick me, which I think you should but again no pressure here, I will be the happiest girl and the butter-free Browniebabe of them all.

Best Wishes
Warda

PS: please pick me!

Butter- Free Chocolate Cherry Brownies

Recipe: adapted from here
- 6 oz Prunes, pitted
- 3 ½ oz semi-sweet chocolate
- 2 egg whites, whisked to soft peaks
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
- 2.64 oz all-purpose flour, sifted
- 5 ¼ oz brown sugar
- A pinch of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 7 oz pitted and halved cherries, fresh or in syrup

Put the prunes in a saucepan with ¼ cup of water and cook for about 10min until the prunes softened and it’s left of the liquid only 2tbsp.
Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set over the prunes until the chocolate has melted. Transfer the prunes to a food processor and blend to have a smooth puree.
In a mixing bowl, mix the prunes with the egg, the cocoa powder, flour, salt, chocolate, sugar and vanilla, until you have a smooth yet sticky batter. Using a wooden spoon, fold in gently the egg whites, followed by the cherries.
Grease and flour a 9-inch square pan and fill with your brownie batter. Don’t worry if the batter feels sticky, it’s the prune puree that gives this texture. Smooth the top with a damp spoon and bake at 375F for about 35min or until it feels firm to the touch. Cut into squares and can be served with Crème Anglaise.
Tips: Store the brownies in an airtight container at room temperature and covered with baking or wax paper. They will keep their freshness and moisture for up to four days. They are better eaten the next day.

Brownie Chocolat et Cerises sans Beurre

In francais please: adaptée d'ici
- 175g de pruneaux d’Agen, dénoyautes
- 100g de chocolat noir
- 2 blancs d’oeufs, battus en neige
- 1 oeuf
- 3 c.s de cacao sans sucre, tamisé
- 75g de farine
- 150g de sucre brun
- Une pincee de sel
- 1 c.c d’extrait de vanille
- 200g de cerises dénoyautees et coupees en deux (fraiche en en sirop)

Mettre les pruneaux dans une casserole avec 100ml d’eau et faire cuire sur feu doux pendant 10 min jusqu’a ce que les pruneaux deviennent plus tendres et qu’il en reste de l’eau de l’eau que 2 c.s. Mettre le chocolat dans un bol et poser sur les pruneaux jusqu’a ce qu’il fonde. Transferer les pruneaux vers le robot menager et mixer jusqu’a obtention d’une puree homogene. Melanger la puree de pruneaux a l’oeuf entier, le sucre, le cacao, la farine, le sel, le chocolat fondu et la vanille. Vous obtiendrez un mélange epais et homogene. Incorporer delicatement les oeufs en neige a l’aide d’une cuillere en bois et enfin les cerises. Beurrer et fariner un moule carré de 20cm et verser dedans votre pate a brownie. Lisser la surface a l’aide d’une cuillere legerement mouillee et faire cuire dans un four prechauffe a 180C pendant 35min ou jusqu’a ce que la surface soit ferme au toucher. Couper en carrés et servir, comme je l’ai fait, avec une crème Anglaise.
Astuces: Conserver dans une boite a fermeture hermetique et couverte d'un papier sulfurise. Se conserve jusqu'a quatre jours. Ces brownies sont meilleurs le lendemain.

Help The Children / Aidez Les Enfants

The purpose of this post today is to bring your attention to a very important fund raising campaign that is happening across the country to help stop childhood hunger in America. As mentioned in The Food Network, The Great American Bake Sale is hosting its fourth national campaign where people, from everywhere in the country can host their own bake sale and donate the entire profit of the sale to Share Our Strength to help end childhood hunger.
The following text is extracted from Share Our Strength website.

Tonight over 12million children in America will go to bed wondering if they will have something to eat in the morning. A survey conducted in February by the Broward Regional Health Planning Council and paid for by the Children’s Service Council showed that nearly two-thirds of low-income families can’t always afford to give their children a balanced meal.
It is hard to believe that in a country with unlimited resources, millions of children are at risk of hunger.
13.4 million children in America live in poverty today, representing roughly 1 in 6 children. More than 13% of Americans- 38 million – live below the poverty threshold of $19,800 for a family of four. The scientifically recognized consequences of hunger are both devastating and lifelong: poorer overall health, reduced social and psychological well-being; and lower academic achievement. This is why Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale believes that America can- and must – end childhood hunger by providing a fun and easy way for individuals, families, business, students and organizations to make a difference for those children at risk of hunger.
Share Our Strength, one the nation’s leading organizations working to end childhood hunger in America invite participants to host their own bake sale anywhere in the US from May 19- August 31 and send their proceeds to Share Our Strength to help organizations in their community end childhood hunger.
Since 2003, the campaign has raised over $3 million and engaged more than 1 million people in baking, selling or buying goods.
Because no child deserves going to bed hungry, we invite each and every one of you to get your muffins, cupcakes and brownies pans, have some friends to join the fun and start the fight to stop Childhood Hunger in America one cupcake or one brioche at a time.

Recipe: Makes 20 little brioches
- 2 ¼ cups white flour, plus extra for kneading
- Pinch of salt
- 3 tbsp superfine sugar
- 1 package dry yeast
- 3 eggs, beaten, plus extra egg for glazing
- 3 tbsp warm milk
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- Dark chocolate, broken into squares

Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and stir in the stir in the sugar and yeast. Add the eggs and milk and start incorporating it slowly to the dry ingredients. Knead until the dough is fairly soft and elastic. The dough should feel softer and lighter than bread dough. If the dough is too sticky, add flour a little at a time while kneading. Add the butter to the dough, a few pieces at a time, alternating it each time with a little bit of flour to help the butter get into the dough. When all the butter has been incorporated, transfer the dough to a clean, lightly oiled bowl. Cover it with plastic film and let it rise for at least 1 hour in a warm, draft-free room.
Lightly grease 20 individual brioche tins set on a baking sheet. Divide the brioche dough into 20 pieces and shape each into a smooth ball. Place a small chocolate square into each ball and bring up the sides of the dough while pressing the edges firmly together to seal. Smooth the ball by rolling it between your hands and place it, join side down, in the prepared tins. Continue with the remaining brioche pieces, cover and leave them for about 30 min or until doubled in size.
Brush the brioches with beaten egg and bake in a preheated 400F for 12-15 min, until well-risen and golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack slightly, turn out of the pan and serve warm.

Tips: If you intend serving the brioches for breakfast, the dough can be left overnight in the fridge. Brioches freeze very well for up to a month. Thaw overnight at room temperature, and then reheat on baking sheet in a low oven until warm.

Brioches faciles au Chocolat

In francais please: Pour 20 petites brioches
- 250g de farine, plus un peu pour le petrissage
- Une pincee de sel
- 3 c.s de sucre
- 3 oeufs, battu legerement plus 1oeuf pour badigeonner
- 3 c.s de lait tiede
- 115g de beurre, coupe en petits morceaux
- Chocolat coupe en des

Tamiser la farine et les sel dans un grand bol. Ajouter le sucre et la levure, puis verser dessus le lait et les oeufs. Incorporer doucement le malange lait a la farine. Petrir la pate jusqu’a ce qu’elle devienne lisse et souple. Si la pate est collante ajouter la farine petit a petit tout en petrissant. La pate doit avoir une constistence plus legere que celle du pain. Ajouter les morceaux de beurre petit a petit, en alternant a chaque fois avec un peu de farine pour faciliter l’absorption du beurre par la pate. Quand le beurre est entierement incorpore, transvaser la pate dans un bol propre et legerement huile. Laisser reposer pendant 1 h, ou jusqu’a c que la pate soit double. Diviser la pate en 20 petits ronds. Dans chaque rond, mettre un petit morceau de chocolat et rabattre les bords dessus. Rouler en boule et mettre dans des moules a brioche huiles en faisant en sorte que la “fermeture” soit dessous. Continuer avec le reste des brioches. Couvrir les brioches d’une serviette et laisser reposer 30 min. Badigeonner les brioches de l’oeuf battu et faire cuire dans un four prechauffe a 200 C pendant 12-15. Laisser refroidir sur une grille a patisserie et servir tiede.

Petites astuces: Si vous compter servir les brioches au petit dejeuner, vous pouvez laisser la pate, avant de la former en boule, au frigo pendant toute la nuit. Les brioches se congelent trs bien pendant 1 mois. Laisser les brioches a temperature ambiante la veille, puis les faire chauufer dans un four doux. Servir tiède.

Baking Forecasting / Prévision Culinaire

ARIES
(March 21 –April 19)
Organization has never been your thing.
- How dare you! You don’t know me, I mean; yes …I can be…sometimes…but not always.
Your ruler; Mars, is driving you to get the big stuff done- like finding the perfect pair of furry boots, or getting your MySpace profile just right.
- Note the signification of “The big stuff”! We are in July; I don’t think I would need some furry boots. As for MySpace profile, I don’t have one anyway.
You’ll be quite accomplished in 28 days’ time.
- It will take that long! Why not 26 days? Does it have to do with my lack of organization? What should I do in the meantime? Sleep!
You’ll also be more intense than usual. A pleasantly casual hookup? Not on the schedule this month.
- Wait a second: you first accuse me of being disorganized, and then superficial, then slow and now you say that I am “intense!” What does it mean? Do you have something against Aries? And for your information, I am married so back up couple breaker!



Here is how I would rewrite my own, personalized Horoscope of the week:

ARIES
(March 21 –April 19)
As the week begins, you will feel the need to get things done, to battle the winds, read your forgotten Marguerite Duras’ books and go back to the gym, something you have been talking about 3 months ago, but don’t wait too long as the weather man has predicted some rain for Tuesday and Wednesday and being active during bad weather has never been your thing. We don’t say this often, but it’s time to look like a woman a little bit, a little make up doesn’t hurt! Make a trip to the store near you where they have 75% sale on select cosmetics. A steal!
Tuesday will be your day of great baking achievement. You will finally make the apricot-nuts bread of your dreams that wasn’t that good a couple of weeks ago. At least now you know that starting to bake something, without making sure that you have all the ingredients is stupid; and why we said previously that organization has never been your thing!

Apricots-Nuts Bread

Recipe:
- 1 ½ cups plain flour
- ½ cup rye flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp grated lemon zest
- ½ cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
- 1 tbsp crystallized ginger, finely chopped
- 12 dried apricots, diced
- 1 tbsp sunflower seeds
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup firmly packed golden brown sugar
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup whole milk

Position a rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat to 350F. Butter and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.
Stir together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, zest, ginger, apricots and nuts. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the eggs, brown sugar, butter, and milk. Beat just until blended. Add the dry ingredients in 3 batches and mix just until mixed. Do not overmix.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula, which you lightly wet (it helps a lot). Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, 55-60 min. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool, first 5 min n the pan, then turn it out onto the rack and cool completely. You can store it in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days or freeze it for up to a month.

Pain d’Abricots et de noix

In francais please:
- 235g de farine
- 75g de farine de seigle
- 1 ½ tsp de levure chimique
- ½ c.c de bicarbonate de soude
- ¼ tsp de sel
- 1 c.s de zest de citron
- 60g de noix, grilles legerement et hachees
- 1 c.s de gingembre crystalise, hache
- 12 abricots secs, coupes en des
- 1 c.s de graines de tournesol
- 2 gros oeufs
- 185g de sucre brun
- 90g de beurre, fondu
- 125ml de lait entier

Positionner votre grille au milieu du four et prechauffer a 180C. Beurrer une moule a cake de 23 cm de longueur sur 13 cm de largeur.
Melanger ensemble les farines, la levure chimique, la bicarbonate de soude, le sel, le zest, le gingembre, les abricots et les noix. Mettre de cote.
Dans un grand bol, melanger les oeufs, le sucre brun, le beurre et le lait jusqu’a ce que le mélange soit homogene. Ajouter les ingredients secs en 3 fois et melanger jusqu’a incorporation complete. Eviter de trop melanger.
Mettre votre pate dans le moule a cake prepare et lisser la surface avec une spatule en caoutchouc ou une cuillere en bois, que vous mouillez legerement. Faire cuire jusqu’a ce qu’un cure-dent insere dans le pain en ressorte propre, 55-60 min.
Laisser votre pain refroidir sur une grille a patisserie, d’abord 5 min dans le moule puis demouler et laisser refroidir completement sur la grille. Le pain se garde parfaitement dans une boite hermetique a temperature ambiante, pendant 2 a 3 jours comme il peut etre congele jusqu’a 1 mois.

Daring Bakers Challenge: Bagels

Before this month’s challenge I thought I didn’t like bagels, American bagels that is. The few bagels that I had until now were not memorable: too plain, too chewy, too tough; in other words, bad memories. Making bagels was really challenging for me since I have never made this kind of bagels before and have no experience on how the real bagel should taste or feel like. For me the kind of bagels that I grew up eating and loving has a texture crossed between bagels and brioche and flavored with anis seeds, sesame seeds and orange zest. I then decided to seek some advices from some bakeries around where I live, explaining them my situation, without broking my daring baker pledge of course. I really wanted to know what makes a bagel, a bagel and how to make sure that my bagels don’t float, since the water bath was the thing that scared me the most. Some baker were nice enough to take the time and explain it to me and some thought I was trying to steel their secret recipe. Some bagels were good; some of them were not that good.

Days went by when I started checking with some studious fellow daring bakers that had already tried the bagel recipe. Two words came back over and over again: floating and sinking. My fear of the water bath for the bagels was then multiplied by one hundred.
Then came the Bagel Day. I followed the recipe while taking notes of my friend’s advices. Come the water bath stage and here I see all my bagels floating. Not only they were floating but also they were getting bigger and deformed. I thought about sinking them my self but then I remembered that I should only stick to the recipe. The result: my first batch of bagels was ugly, shameful, misshapen and chewyliscious. Yes, I even invented a word for them.
I was so disappointed, I told my self that I would never make bagels or eat bagels or even look at a bagel again. But then I remembered what the foundation of the daring bakers was all about. It is about trying once, twice until you learn. It’s about being patient and trying to see objectively what went wrong. What went wrong with my dough? I overproofed the yeast. Yes, you read it right, not the dough, the yeast: You know, the first stage when you mix the yeast with the water and you are supposed to let it rise 5 min, well with me I left it 30 min. From there, everything went super puffy.

The following day, I started all over again: the yeast, 5 min this time, didn't add all the flour, kneading well and harder, punching down the dough with all the muscles that I don’t have, trying to shape as little as possible and using malt syrup instead of sugar. The result: Although not all the bagels went straight to the bottom of the pan, 5 out of 7 came out just as they were supposed to. They didn’t have the same shape but I was pretty happy with the result. The texture was just a little chewy with a lot of softness to it. For some people, it might not taste as a bagel but for me it was just the way I like it. I used sesame seeds and kosher salt as a topping for half of my bagels and poppy seeds, sesame seeds and garlic flakes for the others. As a filling I used Nutella instead of cream cheese and the garlic bagels were used as a sandwich bagels with lettuce, goat cheese and turkey patties. Sorry if I don’t have pictures of them but I couldn’t wait to eat them.
Once again thanks to Jenny and Freya for this challenge that made me appreciate the real, homemade bagel. You can head to their respective blogs for more details on the recipe.