Vol-au-vent

Tweet

This weekend I made, what is considered a classic dish around these parts of the world i.e. vol-au-vent. Although technically, vol-au-vent is the name of the little puff pastry that accompanies the stuffing, it has given its name to the whole dish. 

Daring Bakers - White chocolate and parsnip cake

Tweet

At the third attempt, my white chocolate and parsnip cake has finally left the oven in an edible version. Yes ! I think it might need a bit more tweaking as it still came out slightly too moist, but after my many failed vegetable cakes, you won't hear me complaining (too much).

Daring Bakers - Avocado & Granny Smith Soufflé

Tweet

Ruth from Makey-Cakey was our March 2013 Daring Bakers’ challenge host. She encouraged us all to get experimental in the kitchen and sneak some hidden veggies into our baking, with surprising and delicious results!

Ajo Blanco

Tweet

Although I am not a vegetarian and definitely no vegan, I am mindful of what I eat and like to bring variety in my diet and sometimes this expresses itself in the form of a meatless dish.  So when I came across this monthly vegetarian challenge, I bookmarked it for later use.

I didn't plan on participating in the No Croutons Required March Challenge, hosted by Lisa's Kichen as the theme for this month was "Raw".  I immediately associate raw with sashimi, but this being a vegetarian challenge, any fish was obviously out of the question.

Daring Cooks - Let's get cheesy

Tweet

Sawsan from chef in disguise was our March 2013 Daring Cooks hostess! Sawsan challenges us to make our own homemade cheeses! She gave us a variety of choices to make, all of them easily accomplished and delicious!

When I first read about the challenge, I felt a mix of different emotions : enthusiasm about my very first official challenge, but also fear of failure, as cheese making seemed to be such daunting enterprise. And my major question was : where do I start?  I didn't have a cheesecloth, or a mold. Let alone this exotic sounding rennet.

Homemade hazelnut chocolate spread (Nutella)

Tweet

Like most kids from industrialised counties, I grew up with Nutella.  Countless times when my mother wasn't watching, I would dig in the familiar jar and walk away with a spoonful/s (read tablespoonful/s) of the chocolate goodness.  And to this day, although I have tried different brands and types of chocolate spread, I keep coming back to the well-known Italian brand.  Because whoever has tasted Nutella will tell you, it really is taste-wise the best around.

Japanese Cooking 101 : Miso & Clear Soup

Tweet

As I announced in my post on Feb. 22, Maki from JustHungry started an online Japanese cooking course (Japanese Cooking 101), initiating us into the wonderful world of Washuko cuisine. The first lesson was all about making dashi and then using that dashi for cooking miso and clear soup.

Personally, I have never been a huge miso soup fan.  Don't get me wrong, I do like the occasional bowl, but I just can't become lyrical about it. And even a homemade version hasn't turned it into a favourite, although I have to admit that I prefer the homemade version to the ones I have taste until now.