Baklava and Belly Dancing

June 1, 2009 at 6:55 am · Filed under Birthdays, Events ·Tagged , , , , , ,

Putting on a great event is an art, and having a theme for the occasion will help when it comes to selecting entertainment and of course the food. For a Moroccan or Middle Eastern inspired birthday, I opted for a wine and dessert menu, and a sexy upbeat belly dancer to get the party started. Katia Belly Dance wasn’t just tantalizing eye candy for the party, she’s absolutely professional, high energy and wildly entertaining,

Easy dessert choice, Baklava. A Middle Eastern favorite, layers of thin crispy Phyllo dough are topped with chopped walnuts, hints of cinnamon and then drenched in honey. There’s more to this scrumptious dessert, and every bite is divine. Not for the culinary-challenged, many Turkish, Greek, Persian and Israeli restaurants and groceries carry these homemade treats. Diamond Bakery in Fremont delivers across the Bay Area (or it’s worth visiting the bakery if you need a special order).

A great accompaniment to the sweet Baklava, fruit salad. Best if cut fresh just shortly before serving, fruit salads are perfect au naturale, or try adding TripleSec sweetened with simple syrup and hints of mint. You can also use the mint to make Moroccan tea, and is another bonus for dessert.

Birthday’s wouldn’t be complete without cake, and the right pastry chef should be able to customize your cake to the occasion. Try My Cake Genie for her wonderful creations.

Here’s to more parties!

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Shakshuka

May 17, 2009 at 7:37 am · Filed under Recipes ·Tagged , ,

Shakshuka is a Sephardic-Israeli dish that can be enjoyed for either breakfast, lunch or dinner and makes a great brunch dish as well. The basic ingredients are sauteed onions and garlic along with tomatoes, red peppers and spices to create the sauce, which is then topped with eggs. The dish is cooked over low heat which poaches the eggs to perfection. It’s often served with a dollop of Labene or other yogurt-like cheese and plenty of oven fresh baguette or rustic bread for dipping.

Here’s a basic recipe:

- 2 pounds fresh tomatoes, unpeeled and cut in quarters, or one 28-ounce can tomatoes

- 1 large red pepper finely chopped

- 6 cloves garlic, roughly diced

- 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika

- 2 teaspoons tomato paste

- 1/4 cup olive oil

6 large eggs

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A Hidden Gem

May 17, 2009 at 7:14 am · Filed under Restaurants

Off the beaten path, tucked along a seemingly residential road Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park is a quaint complex of gardens, rustic shops and the Red Currant cafe. The website of the cafe simply doesn’t do this marvelously enchanting place justice. Baskets inside are filled with bundles of cinnamon bark, tall glass jars align the dark wood buffet tables and neatly stacked along the walls are things such as rolled napkins, service plates and jams ready for breakfast. Large clear-glass vases are filled with hydrangeas; the flowers too are abundant outside. The dining room is in perfect order, and peaceful.

The windows all share views of the green lush garden outside, and the main patio doors open up into courtyard surrounding a charming and serene fountain. For brunch we enjoyed Shakusha, a classic Israeli egg dish that sits on a bed of roasted red peppers and tomato spiced saute, an additional classic breakfast of over-easy eggs topped with Zatar (an Israeli and Middle-Eastern blend of spices), Labene (a thick yogurt-like cheese), spiced olives, chopped Israeli salad (cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes) topped with carrot shavings with an accompaniment of blue and roasted red peppers on the side. The bread was homemade and incredible. The fresh squeezed orange juice and fresh squeezed strawberry-lemonade delightful. We finished breakfast with rich coffee and Chocolate Babka.

The Red Currant is a serene Spanish colonial style cafe with picturesque views and delicious cuisine. We can’t wait to enjoy the rest of the menu.

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Spring Soup

April 27, 2009 at 6:07 am · Filed under Recipes ·Tagged , ,

Pam:
What a beautiful kick-off for this group! Thanks to our host for the fig/wine/onion mix and spacious candlelit kitchen. The port was wonderful, too.

Posting through tears as I make this weekend’s variation of Spring-Onion-&-More Soup. From our neighborhood farm I have spring onions (6 enormous bulbs!), garlic greens, thyme, and dino kale. So here goes:

- Heat olive oil in large soup pot
- Add white onion in rings
- Add salt and butter
- Add rings of whites of spring onions
- Add greens of spring onions, garlic greens, torn kale
- Add splash of Cabernet
- Add quart of chicken stock, warmed
- Add a few drops of hot sauce
- Add thyme
- Add Crimini mushrooms which have been sauteing on the side

Oh, it’s smelling amazing. Will probably top with bits of soft goat cheese.

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A Quaky Cork

April 24, 2009 at 3:56 am · Filed under Foodie Friends Diary, Recipes ·Tagged

Our first Foodie Friends rendezvous got underway after much anticipation. After a bit of schmoozing, we dived into the food and we soon realized we needed to open up the Port wine we were having for dessert. Should be simple?

We pushed off the thought for a bit and focused on enjoying Cabernet Figs with Brie. Sun-dried figs make this appetizer a real hit. Along with caramelized red onions or shallots (depending what you have available), the figs are added to the pot, then drenched with Cabernet (or substitute with another rich red wine). The moistened wine-soaked figs with the caramelized onions are incredibly tempting to enjoy as is. But if you’re looking to indulge or serve as an appetizer, toast baguette slices add room temperature Brie and top with the Figs. YUM!

We then had dessert to enjoy after the appetizer. Turns out, despite calling ourselves foodies, our talents rested in other areas other than opening bottles of wine! A bottle opener and a few knives later, we discovered the cork crumbled. Managed to get it out, then enjoyed a very rich bottle of 1997 Port. And had incredible dark chocolate to go with it. The start of a beautiful friendship, we had a wonderful evening. Great food and a memorable time trying to deal with a quaky cork.

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