Looking the best way to prepare hummos... and failing(!)

I have to confess : I looove Lebanese meals. So when I discovered that hummos (or hommos or hummus or houmos, I can't find wich one it the right) was so easy to make I was really pleased.

The first recipe I tried was from a cooking mag : Cuisine et vins de France (actually the recipe that was in the printed document seems a bit different). But there was a je ne sais quoi that needed to be added or removed to reach the hummus perfection.

Then I tried the recipe that David Lebovitz posted but I didn't had all the ingredients since my parsley died unexpectidly in my fridge and I was unable to find the chili powder on the spices shelf. But it was close enough from the taste I was looking for.

Today I'm going to P & C place for a post holidays friend's dinner and I said I would bring some home-made hummus. So yesterday I went to the supermarket, bought some chickpeas and olive oil (and forgot the parsley again).

At home I mixed together 2 cloves of garlic (because some people there don't like garlic as I do), the olive oil, the chickpeas, the lemon juice. The taste was strange but I thought it was because of the new brand of chickpeas. So I rectified the seasoning, added a little more of lemon, oil, again lemon and find a taste that was satisfying... but still there was something strange...

This morning I almost forgot to take it out of the fridge, but when I did I realized what was strange : I forgot to add the tahine, one of the more important ingredients!!! It was too late to arrange it, so I packed my "chickpeas purée" and the tahine and I will try to mix them tonight just before dinner (crossing finger, hoping it will be good).

And that's the end of my terrible week...

EDIT : I finally had 2 or 3 tablespoons of tahine and it was good...

Omnivore’s Hundred

Summer, means holidays, and since I was away staying at a hotel I couldn't cook.

Back home, I'm too busy to try new recipes so, sorry but I have nothing special to write

except that I found this oomnivore's 100 on some food blog I was surfing and I thought I could share.

The original list was build subjectically by Andrew from Very good taste.

Here's how it works:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating. (I used italic)
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile > but I tried kangaroo, does that count?
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi >this strongly ressemble something I cooked last winter
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper >Never ever ! (considering how i react to normal pepper...)
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float > I don't like sodas (no sparkling things for me except champaign ;-) )
36. Cognac with a fat cigar > I have nothing against cognac, but cigar: pouah!
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O > Interesting...
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects > I 'm not sure I would, but baked in a sauce, maybe?
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear > on my list, and I brought back some prickly pear liqyuor from hols
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine > I's been on my list for a while... just need to fly to Quebec
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian > not sure
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette >tried in someone else's plate (don't like it)
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost >not really interested, I prefer cheeses that don't look like plastic
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie > I don't see the point of trying that
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant. >no, but if anyone plans to invite me, I'd be more than happy to try
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate > you can guess that's on my list now...
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Total : 35...not that bad...

And now it makes me wonder what I would put on my omnivore's 100... and what would be yours?

The tiniest market ever

Last week-end I went to my grandmother's place with some gourmet friend.. While looking for things to do in the area I discovered there was a place where you can pick the fruit yourself at less than 15min walk from the house.
Some of us where excited by the idea of picking fresh raspberries and strawberries to prepare desserts. Unfortunately we were lazier than planned and woke up too late to be there in time...

So to have fresh fruit we had to go to the market on the Sunday. This was probably the tiniest market I ever been (4 stalls : fish, cheese, fruits and meat). We bought salmon, prawns and no fruit because I found them too expensive.

When we started preparing lunch, someone pointed out that we planned no dessert and that the tart I mentionned earlier should me tried... So V and S went back to the market to find raspberries... they came back with 3 cups of delicious fresh raspberries and I was forced to prepare the tart...



Chocolate and raspberries macaroon tart

This recipe is adapted from a book that Lilian offered me for my birthday. Original recipe is for individuals tarts, and I changed slightly the proportions.

Serves 6/8

Macaroon:
-3 eggs white
-125g grated coconut
-4 tablespoons sugar

Chocolate filling :
-3 eggs
-150g dark chocolate (I took nestlé dessert corsé)
-3 small (or 2 big) tablespoon cream
-4 tablespoon sugar
-2 tablespoon flour

-2 cups of raspberries (fresh or frozen)

Macaroon : mix all ingredients and spread the dough in a pan (the kind where you can remove the side, it makes things easier to take it out!)

Bake at 140°C for 30min (watch from time to time, you want it golden not burnt)

While the macaroon is baking, prepare the chocolate filing.
Melt the chocolate slowly with the cream. Beat eggs and sugar until white.
Pour melted chocolate in the egg+sugar, stir and add the flour.

Spread the chocolate filling over the macaroon, cover with raspberries.
Bake for 20 more minutes at 120°C.

Serve at room temperature.

Introducing agar agar

When Anelore gave me this set of spoon I was a bit surprised by the 1/4 of teaspoon that came with it. I never saw a recipe using so few ingredient. Yesterday evening was the 1st time I used it.

On my way from lab to home are a few "organic shops" and I sometimes stop bye to buy some thing I cannot find easily elsewhere like tahina (to make hummus) and I usually use my visit to the shop to try some "exotic" things.

Last time I went there I bought 2 individual drinks : one made of rice, the second made of hazelnuts. I also took some agar-agar because I heard about it...

The idea to cook with agar-agar was strange since the only time I ever used it was in biology courses... For this second experimentation with agar-agar I thought I should use it to prepare a dessert in combination with the hazelnut drink.


Hazelnut surprise cream

Ingredients (for 2 desserts - yogourt size)

-20cl hazelnut drink
-1/4 teaspoon of agar agar (~1g)

The recipe was very simple : open the drink box, put it in a saucepan, add the agar and boil for 30s... that cannot be easier!

That wouldn't have been a real dessert : too pale, no surprises... so let's add a little fun to that cream.
I made 2 versions:

Apricot : cut into small squares 3 dryed apricot. Pour the liquid over it. Cool down for 2 hours.

Dulce de leche : spread 2 teaspoons of dulce de leche in a little pot, pour the hazelnut cream over it. Cool down for 2 hours.

As a toping I used grated almonds...

Easy strawberries

For few weeks we can find beautiful tasty strawberries on the market... And that's hard to resist sometimes... Last 2 sunday I came back home with 500g wonderful strawberries.
The easiest and best way to eat them according to my taste is to alternatively dip them in cream and sugar (not that they need more sugar). But after eating some for lunch dessert, "gouter", diner dessert, and breakfast the day after... I still had some leftover.

Unfortunately this is not a kind of fruit that can be kept easily and I find 2 ways of using them the second day.

A chemist friend (whom cooking blog has disapeared) told me I should try with Balsamic vinegar...


Strawberries with Balsamic syrup

- just put 2 spoons of balsamic vinegar in a pan an let it reduce until it look like a syrup
- during that time, cut the strawberries in pieces
- whip 2 spoons of cream with a little sugar

Put the whiped cream in a plate, add pieces of strawberries and top with balsamic syrup...


Strawberries soup

Take the juice of a grapefruit. Warm the juice until boiling, and add strawberries cut in pieces. and cook for 5 min.
Sweeten with liquid honey. Once you take it out of the fire, you can add some mint leafs.
Serve cold

Spring market

Some might find me a bit old fashioned, but yes, I like going to the market on the sunday morning. Sunday morning exists! But I recognize I'm never there early... and sometimes it makes things more difficult since my favorite vegetable producer might have sold out something I need...

So back to last week-end. As usual I was wandering along the market when I stopped at my usual fruit place. While I was choosing avocado and grapefruit, I saw nice baskets of strawberries and some asparagus... and I couldn't resist!

Back at home, I was wondering what to do with my asparagus when I remember a very good meal prepared by J. I didn't had the recipe but I decided to prepare my own chicken with asparagus.


Chicken & Asparagus (for 2)

- tagliatells (I used spagetti, but believe me tagliatel are better)
- 200g chicken breast
- 10-15 asparagus
- 2 tablespoon cream
- salt & pepper


Wash asparus and cut the bottom end. Cut them in 3 (so you have 2-3cm long sticks). Place in a microwave cooker with a little water (I used 1 tablespoon water). And cook it in the microwave for 3-5min. Keep it in microwave so it remains warm.

Cut the chicken in "1 bite" pieces. I prefer it grilled, so I cooked it in a pan without oil or butter until it takes a nice golden-brown color.

Cook the pasta (hope you know how to do!)

When pasta are cooked, placechicken and asparagus in a saucepan to warm them a bit, add the cream, salt and pepper. Add pasta and mix everything.

Serve!

Unfortunately I had no wine to drink with... but I'm pretty sure the nice muscadet we tasted during our "foody week-end" (see Lil's Blog for a description) might have been great !

As a dessert I had strawberries dipped in cream... but that's another story...

Ode to my microwave

Cooking without an oven is challenging... cooking without decent stove is too... so I become addicted to my microwave.
Sure I miss cakes, especially the chocolatey ones, and I cannot bake tarts, quiches or pies, but I can cook healthy things like vegetables...

Yesterday evening was one of those evening when you want to eat something good but are to lazzy to prepare something elaborated (yes it happens quite often to me!). In my fridge was a piece of fish (lieu noir) I was to late to prepare on the morning. I decided it should become a frill...yes I can do it without an oven thanks to my suister who offered me a silicon cooker that allows me to bake such things in the microwave!

Lieu noir en papillotte (per person)

- 1 fillet of fish
- 1 small zuchinni
- 2 tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons of mustard
- salt, pepper
- herbs you like
- olive oil

Slice the zucchini and tomatoes (remove the tomato water)
Spread the mustard on both sides of the fillet.

In microwave, cook the vegetables for 2 min (max power) then add the fish (+ herbs) for 3 minutes. Remove the water and cook again for 2 minutes.

Add salt add pepper and a drop of olive oil... serve!