Pear stuffed with cream
Pierre from the magnificent Pierre cuisine suggested a duo; we would each create a dish inspired by Lebanese cuisine and use one specific ingredient: Orange blossom water. Apparently both he and I had memories of drinking it as a soothing herbal tea in childhood. One thing was certain: Pierre...
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Purslane (Bakleh)
Purslane (verdolaga in Mexico, pourpier in France, bakleh in Lebanese) is a wonderful green that is extremely popular in Lebanon and throughout the Levant. It grows in any vegetable garden like a ground cover. It is according to Paula Wolfert, “incredibly nutritious” and “rich in Omega-3 fatty acids”...
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Carrot and cottage cheese pancakes
These carrot and cottage cheese pancakes can be served savory or sweet; add more sugar to the batter if you like them sweet and drizzle honey or maple syrup on them. Serve them as a side dish with a roasted chicken if you prefer the savory version. This...
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Duck bites on a stick
An easy cocktail or light party fare. The duck is bought precooked and is simply cut-up and marinated a bit. The apricots are soaked overnight in hot water to soften and get plump. About thirty minutes or so before grilling or warming the sticks in the oven, a sweet...
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Eggplant gianduja
A recipe from Eric Bernardin the cerebral and creative blogger (and Bordeaux wine expert). He got it from another site that got it from chef Bruno Verjus.Well, I was not about to let this pass untested; after all, they are fiddling with the eggplant, the most revered of...
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Squash kibbeh balls
This is an idea I had tried on red lentils a while back: Make patties or balls of red lentils and bulgur similar to a falafel and stuff them with cheese; then I saw that Beth had done a similar job with some pumpkin kibbeh (she stuffed them with...
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Olive oil
There are so many olive oils out there; how does one tell if one is good versus another? According to Kadri Kassir, owner of La Maison de l’Olive in Paris, France and himself from a family of olive growers in the region of San Simeon (Syria), there are...
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Banana Muffins
I am prefectly aware that the world does not need another banana muffin recipe; notwithstanding, I am sharing this one because it originally was published in one of Maida Heatter’s cookbooks and after trying it once, I stuck with it for the following twenty years. Why? Because it was...
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Open ravioli with tuna and clam sauce
Chef Mathieu Rostaing Tayard presented a dish titled Opened ravioli (with fava beans and rabbit)Raviole ouverte aux herbes, effilochée de lapin, fèves et crevettes grises and I just loved the concept of an open ravioli. Just keep the stuffing out, or incorporated into the sauce, and voilà! This pasta...
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