So I quit my job!
And what have I been up to lately? Baking and cooking of course!
On my first day of unemployed life, I woke up early in the morning and went to Sultan to grab a fresh salmon fillet. Look how beautiful it looks!
I wanted to bake the salmon with fresh herbs and lemons.
What you need: Continue reading
So I know I haven’t been posting about too many Ramadan-esque recipes but it’s only because I’m experimenting with different fillings and crusts.
Last Friday for my uncle’s futoor gathering, I created a kanafa with a creamy semolina filling.
This is the easiest kanafa with the shortest prep time.
All you need is: Continue reading
A few weeks ago, a friend of mine tweeted about her mother’s German apple cake and she described so deliciously. I think the coarse sea salt sprinkled over the cake cake is what sold it for me.
I asked her if her mother would agree to be a guest blogger on The Oven Experiments and she did!
I drafted a couple of questions to send to her mother about the cake. Continue reading
This post is long overdue! This was planned for months and months ago! But let me stop with my excuses and share this sinfully rich chocolate, chestnut cake. Click on continue reading for a step by step procedure with pictures! Continue reading
So I was syncing my phone with my computer and what do I see?
A picture of a piece of namoura and coffee.. Perfect!
I think I was supposed to post about it back in Ramadan but of course I got lazy and forgot.
I’ll post the recipe later tonight, tomorrow maximum!
Enjoy!
I wanted to write this post when I got back from my Italy trip but decided to wait because this dish is the perfect Ramadan dish. Pappa la pomodoro is a traditional Tuscan bread and tomato soup.
The first time I saw it was on a food TV show a couple of years ago and I was intrigued. I took my copy of The Silver Spoon and searched for the recipe but I didn’t quite like the method. I kind of remembered how they made it on the show so I picked and chose what ingredients and method of cooking I was more comfortable with and created this recipe.
I have made this dish numerous times and every time it’s a little bit different because I never follow a recipe so it was always a couple of this , a pinch of this, a handful of this but yesterday I measured everything to have a recipe people can actually follow!
Of course when I was in Florence, I had this wonderful soup so let’s make a comparison.
Florence's pappa la pomdoro
Budour's pappa la pomodoro
My first kanafa of the season!
This time with nabulsi cheese. I used the same recipe as here but instead of the akawi cheese, I used nabulsi.
As with akawi cheese, you need to soak the cheese 3-4 hours, changing the water every 30 minutes.
I personally prefer it with akawi or even ricotta cheese but it wasn’t bad. Actually most people liked it.
I got the idea of this simple and easy dessert while my mother was describing another apple dessert she saw on Food Network. My mind completely blocked what she was saying and wandered off.
The night before Ramadan I already knew I was going to experiment with this idea.
With the help of my mother and her suggestions, this is the result…
So you know how I am obsessed with my new cookbook and how I have different kinds of flour stacked in my fridge? Well about two weeks ago I saw a chocolate chip cookie recipe in the whole wheat flour section of the book. I still had plenty of whole wheat flour but I had no chocolate.
I went down to the kitchen determined to make a plain cookie but then I saw a bowl of dates leftover from lunch earlier and remembered that I still have a large container of oats. And this is when I decided to make oats and dates whole wheat cookies. I didn’t change much in the recipe except for reducing the amounts of sugars (brown and white) as the dates are sweet enough.
I made my first batch, just added a handful of oats and chopped whatever dates I saw in front of me. I made them thick and when they baked, they were almost cake-like and the baking powder after-taste was overpowering.
For the second batch, I measured everything correctly, reduced the amount of baking powder and made them smaller and thinner.
photo credit: Noaf Nackshabandi
If you like a no non-sense apple pie, then this is the recipe you want. A thick flaky pastry encases a generous amount of apple filling that becomes slightly ‘jammy’ after baking. We use a little bit of sugar here since we want a pie that is not overly sweet. Besides, apples have enough natural sugars, which condense and give the pie a natural sweetness. And, by no means waste time trying to make the top crust look perfect. Unevenness and imperfections will give the pie a rustic look, which is very becoming of this old-fashioned dessert. If you still feel you need to fuss about something, then go out and find yourself a presentable deep 9-inch pie pan. Continue reading
The Oven Experiments 