Blackforest trifle

Blackforest gateaux sponge

2 tins cherry filling

Custard

1.     2 tbsp cornflour

2.     1.5 cups milk

3.     0.5 cup sugar

4.     1 egg

5.     Some chocolate

6.     vanilla

·         Grated chocolate

Blackforest trifle

Yellow and brown custard pudding

BASE

·         1 pack rich tea biscuits

·         2 tbsp butter

Well this dessert is something my mother used to whip up when we guests decided to pop by on short notice. It was a matter of throwing everything together, mix and pour. 

What you will need 

1 pack of rich tea biscuits / nice biscuits

3 tablespoons of melted butter

YELLOW CUSTARD

3 egg yolks

0.5 tsp vanilla essence

3 tbsp corn-flour

1 cup sugar

3 cups milk

BROWN CUSTARD

3 egg whites

4 tbsp coco powder

1.5 tbsp corn-flour

0.5 cup sugar

1.5 cups milk

TOPPING
Chocolate (grated) or coco powder to decorate

To start off with, you will need to break the biscuits into quarters (approximately). Pour over the melted butter and mix with your hands. I use a pyrex dish for this pudding, and scatter biscuits evenly over the base of the dish. 
Now, place all ingredients for the yellow custard into a pot and stir over medium hob til it thickens. Pour this evenly over the biscuit base. 
For the brown custard, place all ingredients in a pot over medium heat, and stir til it thickens. Pour that over the yellow custard. You are nearly done now. Simply allow it to cool by placing it in the fridge. 

Before serving grate some chocolate and scatter it on top, or you can simply dust it with coco powder..and voila, pudding is ready to serve. 

Ghrayba biscuits

Ghrayba 

This is a very tasty biscuit that is made and sold all over the Middle East. It is like a butter cookie that melts in your mouth. I was at a friends place, and she had a selection of food there for us. Everything was displayed beautifully and it was as though she had hired professional caterers. Anyway, it was time for tea, and I helped myself to a piece of this fine cookie. Immediately i needed to know where she bought these little delights, and it turned out that she actually made them herself. It so happens that her father owns a famous Lebanese bakery, and this is where she learnt all her skills. So she kindly offered to give me the recipe, and I didn't hesitate. 

    Preheat oven to about 180 C and prepare a baking tray (lightly grease it). 

    So what you will need for this: 

           3 cups self raising flour

·         3 cups icing sugar

·         6 tbsp ghee

·         2/3 tbsp coconut butter

·         Pistachio (optional)

        Simply a matter of kneading all the ingredients together barr the pistachio, and shaping it. Some pwople shape it as a small circle, then place a pistachio in the centre, and others prefer to shape it like a small pretzel (which is what I normally do). Sometimes if im out of pistachios, I wont even bother, and they taste just as good. 

    Bake for about 5 minutes, you don't want it to brown. Remove and allow to cool. And there you have it.. Bon apetit :)

Bake for 5 minutes ONLY

Asyas Eid Cookies

This recipe was given to my mother from a very good friend of hers who unfortunately passed away soon after. She was such a talented cook. It was never enough to have one of anything when it came to her cakes or cookies. During the Eid celebration, people normally go visiting family and friends, and most of the time, you dont go empty handed. So these cookies were given to us during Asyas visit to us over Eid. These cookies, were among one of a variety of home made pieces of art that she made. Peanut lovers, will love this cookie recipe! 

So here is what you need

·         125g butter

·         1/2 cup icing sugar

·         1 eggs 

·         1/2 tsp baking powder

·         3/4 cups cornflour

          Vanilla Essence     

·         Flour accordingly

FILLING

·         Apricot jam

·         Red food colouring

COATING

·         Egg white

          Peanuts (toasted and coarsely chopped in a chopper. 

Mix all the dough ingredients together. Add flour bit by bit. The dough should become firm and smooth. Not too hard though! So once you have a smooth dough ball, leave it to relax in the fridge for about 30 minutes. 

Roll into small circles and place a dent in the centre of each.

Dip into the egg white then coat the outside with the peanuts.

Bake in a preheated moderate oven Gas Mark 5 ‘til golden.

For the filling, mix about 2 tablespoons of apriot jam with 1 or 2 drops of red food colouring. Finally, fill the centre  of the biscuit with the jam filling. And there you have it. A delicious 

Um Ali

Um Ali is  an Egyptian dessert that is just unbelievably delicious. Um Ali translates to Ali's mother.

I moved to the Abu Dhabi this year, and it was here that I was introduced to this amazingly delicious dessert. Every buffet I went to aaaaaaaaaaalways served Um Ali,  and these were five star buffets. My first experience of Um Ali was just perfect, and I looked forward to the next time I would taste it again. But for some reason, the other Um Alis werent quite the same standard as that of my very first Um Ali experience. They just didn't seem to get it right. So I started experimenting at home, trying to make my own perfect version of it, and I finally did. This is a very very very tasty and so easy to make, 
What you need

1 package of frozen puff pastry (about 500g) OR about 6 large croissants

1  can of sweetened condensed milk

3 cups water

nestle thick cream (usually comes in a 170g can)

3/4 cup mixed nuts finally chopped (pistachio, almonds, peanuts..etc)

1/2 - 3/4 cups coconut flakes (depending on taste)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 200 C/ Gas 6. Cook puff pastry sheets as per instructions on greased baking sheets til they are puffed and golden.  Dont turn off the oven as we will be using it again in a few minutes. If you are using ready croissants, then just slightly warm them up.

Break the puff pastry/ croissants into 2 inch pieces and place in a baking dish (9x12). I usually use a Pyrex dish as I serve directly from that. Sprinkle the mixed nuts ( you can use absolutely any type of nuts you like, I usually use flaked almonds and ground peanuts) and coconut evenly over the puff pastry.

Now, in a separate saucepan, pour in the sweetened condensed milk, the vanilla extract, and the water and cook on medium heat for about 3-5 minutes. Once this is done, leave it to cool for about a minute.

Pour the sweet milk mix over puff pastry/croissants, nuts and coconut. sprinkle the thick cream (qishta/kishta) over the top and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes. This is perfect served warm. 

If you want it to look pretty, sprinkle the top with some ground pistachio just before serving. Enjoy :)

Abambar / Soft Almond Macaroons

Again these biscuits are very popular in Libya. They make an appearance at most libyan functions/ events. 

What you will need

225g/8oz crushed nuts/almonds

225g/8oz icing sugar

4 egg whites

2 tsp almond essence

pinch of salt

Whole / Halved blanched almonds 

In a bowl, whisk the egg whites until frothy. Add the sifted icing sugar in small batches and continue whisking at high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in the ground almonds, salt and essence, being careful not to over work it. The mixture should be light but firm enough to hold its shape.

Line a baking tray with baking paper. Spoon out equally sized rounds. Make sure you space them out as they expand when baking. Place an almond in the center of each round. Leave it stand in the tray for an hour or so. Before baking, preheat oven to 170/Gas 3 and bake in middle rack til it is a light golden colour. 

Crunchy almond biscuits

Another take on the basic cookie recipe. These cookies are deliciously crunchy. 

What you will need

225g/8oz softened butter

140g/5oz caster sugar

1 egg yolk lightly beaten

1/2 tsp almond essence

225g/8oz plain flour

225g ground blanched almonds chopped

salt

Mix your butter and sugar in a bowl with a wooden spoon.
Beat in your egg yolk and almond essence.
Sift in your flour along with the pinch of salt
Add in the chopped ground blanched almonds
Roll the dough into a round ball, then wrap in cling film.
Chill in the fridge for about 30-60 minutes.

When you remove your dough from your fridge, roll it out and cut out your desired shape with a cookie cutter. I usually just keep these nice and round. 

Bake for 15- 20 minutes then leave to cook for about 10 minutes. And there you have it, another cookie developed from the Basic cookie Recipe.

ORANGE AND CHOCOLATE FINGERS

Yet another take on the basic cookie recipe. These spiced biscuits tend to disappear very quickly. 

What you will need

225g/8oz softened butter

140g/5oz caster sugar

Grated rind of one orange

1 egg yolk lightly beaten

2tsp orange juice

280g/10oz plain flour

1 tsp ground ginger

115g/4oz dark or milk chocolate melted

 salt

Mix your butter and sugar in a bowl with a wooden spoon.

Beat in your egg yolk. 

Sift in your flour along with the pinch of salt

Add in the grated rind of orange, orange juice and ginger. 

Roll the dough into a round ball, then wrap in cling film.

Chill in the fridge for about 30-60 minutes.

Shape the biscuits into rectangles.

Bake for 10-12 mins.

Once the biscuits have cooled, dip half cookie into cooled choc.

Leave to set.

Raspberry and Almond biscuits

Another take on the basic cookie recipe. these are yummy scrummy delicious raspberry and almond biscuits. This recipe should make around 25 biscuits. 

Preheat your oven to 190ºC/gas 5.
 

225g/8oz softened butter

140g/5oz caster sugar

1 egg yolk lightly beaten

2tsp almond essence

280g/10oz plain flour

55g/2oz almonds toasted and chopped

55g/2oz chopped mixed peel 

4tsp raspberry jam

salt
Icing sugar to dust

Mix your butter and sugar in a bowl with a wooden spoon.
Beat in your egg yolk and almond essence.
Sift in your flour along with the pinch of salt
Add in the chopped toasted almonds and your mixed peel.
Roll the dough into a round ball, then wrap in cling film.
Chill in the fridge for about 30-60 minutes.

When you remove the dough from your fridge, scoop out tablespoons of the mix and shape into balls with your hand and put in a prepared tray.

Use a dampened handle of a wooden spoon to make a hollow in the centre of each cookie. Alternatively you can press lightly using your finger to make a hollow. 

Fill your hollows with raspberry jam then bake for 12-15 mins until golden brown

Leave to cool on baking sheet for 5-10 mins then dust with a little icing sugar. 

Mega Chocolate Chip Cookies

This Recipe was developed from the Basic Cookie Recipe I put up earlier. I love this recipe as you can do so many things with it, and each is tastier than the next. 

Preheat your oven to 190 C or Gas 5. Prepare and line your tray.

What you will need is:

·         225g/8oz softened butter

·         140g/5oz caster sugar

·         1 egg yolk lightly beaten

·         2tsp vanilla essence

·         225g/8oz plain flour

·         55g/2oz coco powder

·         85g milk chocolate chips

·         85g white chocolate chips

·         115g dark chocolate coarsely chopped

·         salt

Mix your butter and sugar in a bowl with a wooden spoon.
Beat in your egg yolk and vanilla.
Sift in your flour and coco powder along with the pinch of salt

Mix in your chocolate chips and your coarsely chopped dar chocolate.

Roll the dough into a round ball, then wrap in cling film.

Chill in the fridge for about 30-60 minutes.

When you remove the dough from your fridge, roll it out and cut out your desired shape with a cookie cutter.

Bake for 10- 12 minutes then leave to cook for about 10 minutes. And there you have it, another cookie developed from the Basic cookie Recipe. 

Sticky Toffee Pudding / Date cake

After the end of Ramadan, the amount of dates that had accumulated in my apartment was ridiculous. So it was either throw them out (bad idea) or live a guilt free life, and do something creative with them. So I decided to make a nice Sticky Toffee Pudding which proved a hit with the people at work. Naturally I had requests for more :)

what you will need:

225g fresh dates (stones removed)

1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda85g butter (room temperature)170g caster sugar2 large eggs170g self raising flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons Ovaltine OR (coco powder)
2 tablespoons natural yogurt
For the toffee sauce
115g unsalted butter
115g light muscovado sugar
140ml double cream / nestle thick cream (Qishta)
While the cake is cooking, make the toffee sauce by putting the butter, sugar and cream in a pan over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved and the sauce has thickened and darkened in colour.
While the cake is cooking, make the toffee sauce by putting the butter, sugar and cream in a pan over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved and the sauce has thickened and darkened in colour.

Preheat your oven to 180ºC/Gas 4.

Put the dates in a bowl with the bicarbonate of soda and cover with 200ml of boiling water for 5 minutes to allow them to soften, then drain. 

Blotz the dates in a food processor to make a date paste. 

Cream together your butter and sugar, then add and mix in the eggs, flour,  cinnamon and Ovaltine/ coco powder. Then fold in the yogurt and your date paste.

Pour into a prepared ovenproof dish and bake in the preheated oven for approximately 35 minutes.

To serve, spoon out the pudding at the table and pour over the toffee sauce. Ooooh Mama ;)

Jam Squares

This recipe was given to me by a colleague in work. He made surprisingly good Jam squares. Perfect with a nice cup of tea..yummy in my tummy :)

What you will need

275g  cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
125 g butter or margarine at room temperature
25 ml cooking oil
80 g sugar
1 large egg

Apricot Jam

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together.
Cream butter, oil, sugar and egg together. Add flour mixture to egg mixture and mix to a dough.
Roll two thirds of the dough thinly into a greased pie dish. Spread apricot jam over the dough.
Grate the remaining dough roughly over the top.
Bake till top dough starts to brown on the middle rack of the oven at 180C (350F) .
Remove from oven, cut in squares and cool.

Mbatin / libyan stuffed potatoes

Mbatin is a really tasty libyan dish that I picked up in my time there.. Although it is my own twist to the recipe, it is delish.. 

What you will need:

Potatoes

Mincemeat
1 Onion
1 small bunch fresh coriander
2 Garlic cloves
1 teaspoon of Coriander powder
1 teaspoon of Paprika
Touch of Cinnamon
1 teaspoon of Black pepper
1 teaspoon of Salt

2 eggs
Flour for dipping

Tomatoe Sauce:
One can chopped tomatoes 
a small bunch of fresh coriander
3 garlic cloves
salt to taste, 
pepper to taste 
1 teaspoon coriander powder, 
half a cup of water


For the potatoes:
Slice potato lengthwise into thin slices -about 3mm thick, but keeping
each two slices joined together at the base, to form a sandwich, which
will be stuffed with minced meat and herbs and then fried (as per picture).

The Stuffing: 
In a chopper chop put the fresh
coriander, 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, teaspoon of salt, teaspoon of chili powder or paprika, teaspoon of coriander, teaspoon of black
pepper, and a touch of cinnamon). Add this to the mince meat.

Stuff the potatoes with the mincemeat mixture.

Dip it into egg, then into the flour. Throw into a deep fat fryer (or in frying pan with lots of
oil), and fry until golden brown. The oil needs to be really hot.

Drain off oil on kitchen paper. Then place potatoes in an oven dish (dont stack them on top of each other).

For the tomatoe sauce - mix one can chopped tomatoes, a small bunch of fresh coriander, 3 garlic cloves, salt, pepper, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, half a cup of water. blend together in a chopper.
Pour it over the potatoes. And stick in a moderate oven for about 45 minutes.

It is perfectly perfect served with a nice fresh salad. 

Basic Cookies

Basic cookies

Living in Ireland my whole life, we needed to make our own fun and enjoy our Eid. Eid usually involves lots and lots of food, cakes and cookies. Guests come around and usually tea and usually a selection of home made Eid biscuits are served. unlike the middle East, where once can buy all the cakes and biscuits they want, we had to make them ourselves. Nonetheless, it was always very enjoyable.

I use this recipe as the base for most of my cookie recipes, and add or subtract a few ingredients depending on what sort of cookie I would like (eg. chocolate chips, coco powder, etc)

Preheat your oven to 190 C or Gas 5. Prepare and line your tray.

What you will need is:

225g  / 8oz softened butter

140g / 5oz caster sugar
1 egg yolk lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
280g / 10oz plain flour
pinch of salt

Mix your butter and sugar in a bowl with a wooden spoon.
Beat in your egg yolk and vanilla.
Sift in your flour along with the pinch of salt
Roll the dough into a round ball, then wrap in cling film.
Chill in the fridge for about 30-60 minutes.

When you remove the dough from your fridge, roll it out and cut out your desired shape with a cookie cutter.

Bake for 10- 12 minutes then leave to cook for about 10 minutes.

A very easy yet tasty recipe. Try it.