Archives : Chocolat Fondant with Raspberry Coulis

For the holidays, you may want to treat your family and friends with this decadent chocolate dessert. It's rich and very chocolatey.

Recipe is here.

Happy holidays and enjoy!

The Importance of Presenting Food

I recently met fellow blogger Kim Vallee and, as always, we exchanged great ideas on how to help people and make the world a better place.....kidding. We did actually have ideas that would touch that area, in a more artsy and less political way, by talking about our own experiences on the Art of Receiving.

My last post was very much about my enjoyment of receiving guests. It's a great experience which I got from dining out with friends. My family loves throwing dinner parties for at least 40 to 60 people once a month. They love huge pot-luck dinner parties where everyone brings a home cooked dish or a catered one, and puts on his/her fancy pants for the occasion. They end the evening with dancing and lots, lots, lots of karaoke. You might say that it's typical Asian, but I can also tell you that it's very popular in the social community I grew up in. I used to also throw big parties in my high school days when my mom would help me out with the cooking. Now, I have to admit that I was and never have been a fan of big crowds. I find them too impersonal and more of a show. So when I moved out years ago, I would go out to more intimate dinners with a few friends (no more than 10 people). Intimate dinner parties are pleasant and more interesting. You engage into interesting conversations and actually hear what the other has to say.

What I enjoy most from a quiet dinner with friends are : 1) the discussions and 2) the food!

Food is more inviting when it's presented in a way that represents you. For example, I love coziness and warmth, so I would use candles, plants, flowers and colourful tableware to greet my guests.

The presentation of this North African Berbère bread is very easy to execute. This bread can be found in any local markets which sell international spices and foods. It can also be prepared with different fragrances and herbs, making it uniquely savoury. With a simple wooden bowl, bought at HomeSense, and a napkin from the 1$ store, your bread is all set to be served to your guests. It's also important to warm your bread, as you know that everyone loves warm and crisp bread. In a restaurant, you probably noticed that everyone will go to the warm breads, in no time, and comment on how nice and savoury they are. Although it's a very simple thing to do, sometimes the little things do matter the most.

Preparation time : 5 minutes, Cooking time: 5-7 minutes

Recipe "au pif":Pick 6-8 slices of bread of your choice (In this picture, chose a North African Berbère bread)

Preheat oven at 200F
Drizzle a little bit of olive oil
Heat bread for about 5-7 minutes

Or you can also grill the bread if you decide to use flat breads, if you have an indoor grill.

Serve warm with your meals.

Serves 6-8 people.

Share and enjoy!

Cardamom and Pistachio Bread

Ever since I moved to our new home, I've been in a very "receptive" mood lately, enjoying to receive guests over - whether it be planned or a last minute surprise visit. I always enjoyed having guests over and cook a good meal for them. So far it's been a pleasant and satisfying experience. Having a custom designed kitchen doesn't really make a difference in the way I prepare food, because as most of us know, preparing a good meal really comes from the heart. However, cooking in an environment where I feel very much at home, does make a difference in the way I greet guests. I'll do the little extra things that I would normally see in magazines, such as making more interesting hors-d'oeuvres, appetizers or desserts.

I really enjoyed the company of our last dinner guests because the company and the conversation were both interesting elements of the evening. When we start discussing about anything from silly tabloids on Michael Jackson to heavy topics on Sartre's philosophy....the evening just flies by....especially when your discussion ends up revolving around food. These little cardamom and pistachio breads were great for an-after-dinner tea seance. They were light, yet very tasty. I never realized how versatile cardamom can be in cooking. They just bring out so much flavour in a very simple dessert, when combined with another aromatic ingredient, such as vanilla and almond extract...and now with pistachios.

Cardamom with pistachio is a heavenly combination. The fragrance is very buttery and nutty.

For this recipe, you may want to add more pistachios if you'd like to taste them more as I find that the cardamom overpowers the pistachios. This bread is also great for an afternoon tea or even a brunch.

Preparation: 15 minutes, Cooking time: 30 minutes

Recipe "au pif":
3/4 cup (about 140g) pistachios, shells removed
1 1/2 tsp (about 18 cardamom pods), ground cardamom (shells removed and seeds ground in mortar and pestle)
1/3 cup softened butter (heart friendly alternative : Becel Gold buttered flavoured margarine -with a hint of saltiness with the aroma of butter)
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granular raw cane sugar
2 tsps vanilla extract
3 eggs
3/4 cup fresh cheese (fromage frais) * if you can't find it in your grocery store - plain yogurt can also be used

Preheat oven at 350F

In food processor, grind the pistaschios untilyou reach a grainy texture.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, mix the ground pistaschios, the cardamom, the butter and vanilla, with an electric hand mixer.

Then add in half of the flour and half of the sugar. Mix.

Add in the rest of the flour and the sugar, in addition to the eggs and the fresh cheese. Mix for a good 2-3 minutes until all ingredients are well incorporated. The texture of the batter should be grainy and thick.

Pour the batter in a greased baking pan.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until your toothpick comes out clean.

Serves 6-8 people
Share and enjoy with a great cup of tea or coffee.