Almond and raisins biscotti

Ingredients for 25/30 biscotti
1cup whole almonds skinned(Iused half of a cup )
11/2 cup of flour
1/2 cup of sugar
1 tsp of baking powder
2 large eggs at room temperature
1tsp of vanilla extract(I used orange zest instead)
4Tbsp of melted butter
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2cup of raisins



In a bowl add your dry ingredients (flour ,almonds ,raisins orange zest ,baking powder ,sugar and the salt) .
Melt you butter . In a small bowl whisk together the eggs and the melted butter ,gradually pour the mixture into the dry indredients .
Using your hands Bring together the ingredients to form a dough (it the dough seems too wet add some flour).
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface .With your hands ,form the dough into 2 log shapes each about 8in long .Place the the 2logs on ther baking sheet (previously lined with parchment paper or oiled ) and bake for 20min .Then remove the logs from the oven ,cool slighlty and transfer them onto a chopping board.
With a large knife cut the logs on a slant into 1 1/2 -2 inches thick slices.
put the biscotti onthe baking sheet and bake for 10more minutes .Turn the biscotti with a plaette knife and return to the oven for another 5min .

New cookbook

I really liked his show as I thought he made simple Italian dishes .I love Italian food but here in the US ,I find it hard t o find a good Italian restaurant . I lived 3 years in New Jersey  near an Italian American area but all the restaurant served  ``americanized`` Italian food  .All they served was pasta and pizza ....
I remember when eating in  Italian restaurant in Paris when I used to live there that  the food was so refined .
I decided to make my own Italian dishes now on .

I liked David`s Rocco book as the recipes are  easy to make ,they show authentic Italian food like they make  in Italy and the books has amazing pictures of  Italy .

Algerian almond cookies

Ingredients:
225 gr of almond powder
115gr of confection sugar
60 gr of butter
A very small amount of food coloring
1teaspoon of orange blossom water
1 egg
some confection sugar for the end
A few almonds (whole)


In a jar mix the almond powder the egg ,sugar and the butter (not melted but just soft).Once you obtain a paste ,make little balls (size of a whole walnut with its shell of course then  apply some pressure on each ball in order to flatten it  . Then cover each little ball in confection sugar and put in its center a whole almond .Cook for 15min at 325 degrees .
The cookies have to cook slightly as the center has to be soft .

White chocolate Berry cheesecake

Ingredients:
2x150 gr bars of white chocolate
2x300gr tubs of soft cream cheese
284 ml potof double cream
50gr of caster sugar
170gr of raspberries
5tbs of raspberry jam
85gr Amaretti buiscuits
200gr of small strawberries
a few blueberries (optional)

Break the chocolate into a glass bowl then put it over a pan of just simmering water to melt .
Line a lightly oiled 900gr loaf tin with cling film
Whisk the cheese ,cream and sugar together,preferably with electric whiskersthen stir into the almost cool melted chocolate until well combined
Stir 50gr of raspberries with 2 tbs of the jam .

Spoon half the cheese mixture into the loaf tin ,then spoon the jammy raspberies down the center .Top with the rest of the cheese mixture ,level the top ,then press in the biscuits.
cover and chill for 6hours or overnight

set aside about 6 strawberries ,halve the rest ,then warm in a pan withthe remaining jam until soft .whizz in a food processor or witha hard blender then rub through a sleve to remove the seeds and make the sauce .Add adrop of water if the sauce is too thick .

To serve ,carefully turn the tin onto ap late ,lift it away and strip off the cling film
halve the remaining strawberries then arrange on top of the cake withe remaining raspberries and blueberries .pour over a little sauce and serve the rest separately for drizzling over .

Orange blossom water Madeleines

English version :
Ingredients
125 gr of sugar
125gr of flour
125gr of melted butter
1 tea spoon of orange blosson water
2 eggs


In you kitchen`s ai d bowl mix the eggs and the sugar until obtaining a smooth aerated mix . Add your flour mix again .Add your melted butter and the orange blosson water .
Pour all this in your Madeleines pans that you would have covered with melted butter then flour (so it does not stick)
cook at 325 farenheit for 10 minutes until golden .

Cocunut Mango Curry

Ingredients for 4 people
1 Lbs of shrimps (peeled)
one lemon
1 mango
2 tablespoons of curry powder
salt
pepper
half of an onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 can of coconut milk
1 teaspoon of cooking oil


Saute the onion with the oil until transparent ,then add the garlic (chopped) .Add your shrimps and let them cooked until they change color .
Add the zest of a lemon ,the juice of the lemon ,the curry powder and salt and pepper . Then peel your mango and cut it into small cubes and addit tothe shrimps. Add your coconut milk and let simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes .
you can decorate with roasted cashews or almonds and cilanto leaves .
this dish can be served with either jasmine rice or even Basmati rice

Seafood risotto

Ingredients:
for 4 people
100 grams of arborio rice for each person
1/2 of a small onion
3to 4 garlic cloves
some salt
pepper
A pinch of Cayenne powder (if you want to add a kick to it)
a tea spoon of turmaric (to give a yellow color)
a tablespoon of olive oil (less if you dont want to eat too much fat)
20ml of Marsala wine (optional)
500gr of seafood combo(mine had shrimps ,calamari and scallops)


In a pan heat the oil ,once hot add your chopped onion then your chopped garlic and let them sautee (do not burn them) .
Once the onions and garlic are translucid add the seafood cook for 5min then add your spices(salt ,pepper ,Cayenne and turmaric) .
Ater that add the wine then your rice let the rice cook a little in all this liquid then once all the liquids evaporated add some water and let the rice cook until soft (I prefer mine al dente)

you can serve with some grated parmesan and decorate with parsley leaves .

strawberry - pistachio cheesecake

Ingredients:


Base of the cheesecake :
250 gr of biscuits roses de Reims (you can find these in gourmet food markets)
80 gr of melted butter


For the cream :
2pack of creamcheese
150 gr of cremere fraiche (you can get it from wholefoods)
60gr of sugar (or more if you like it sweeter)
4 eggs
3teaspoons of creme of pistachios (Igot it from france, you could use some ground pistachios and green food coloring instead)
3teaspooons of strawberry coulis (itis the pulp of strawberries that have been mixed inthe food processor with some sugar added t othe pulp)



Make first your base .Put your cookies in the food processor and transform them into a fine powder .Then add to this powder the melted butter . fill a cheesecake pan with the mixture and press on it with the back of a spoon tomake it more compact . put it in the freezer for 20 min or so

Now it is time for the cream . In a kitchen aid bowl mix the creamcheese ,eggs ,sugar until you obtain a smoooth cream . Then divide your cream into 2 parts ;in the first one you will add the pistachio`s paste and in the second one the strawberries .
Then into your pan pour the green and the pink creams alternating both in order to obtain a marbled effect .
put in the oven at 350 F for around an hour (dont let the cheesecake crack on the top get it out of the oven when still not completely solid as the cream will solidify further later)
You can decorate the cheesecake with whipped cream and strawberries or some whipped cream and pistachios ....

Chocolate macaroons

Ingredients for 20 small macarons :
9 Oz of almond flour
7 Oz of sugar
1.76 Oz of powder sugar (for decoration)
1 pack (small ) of vanilla sugar
3.5gr Oz powdered chocolate (Ihave used Hershey`s)
1 whole egg

In a bowl mix all the dry ingredients then add your egg mix well ,then make small balls and put them on a cookie pan that has been lined with parchment paper .
With spoon or even just your hand apply some pressure on your little balls to flatten them then sprinkle some powedered sugar on top of each cookie .Cook for 10 min (no more as the inside has to remain soft) at a 350 F
Let them cool for 20min or so then start eating .

New year`s Eve dinner

Fisrt Happy New year to all of you
This is my new year`s Eve menu

For a stater :
Verrines of smoked salmon ,avocado mousse and cream cheese with garlic and herbs
Now Ineed to explain what are Verinnes.The word Verre means glass in French so verinnes are a sort of appetizers that are served in transparent glasses in order to see all the different layers of foods ,the concept is similar to that of the English Trifle .

The main dish :
Chicken cooked in the oven with black olives ,lemon ,thyme ,garlic ,red and green peppers .The chicken was served with roasted potatoes

The dessert:
Frozen Nougat and its strawberry coulis( Idid put too much nuts so Ihad a hard time cutting it but it was delicious)
Nougat is a sweet that is similar to the spanish Turron that is made of honey ,egg whites and almonds.The most famous Nougat is the one from the city of Montelimar in the south of France .

Orange almond cake

As Iam from the Northern part of Africa these are common ingredients for that area .This cake was aways made in my home by my mother ;it grew into me as I got older and now it is my turn to make it .This cake is like my Madeleine(in reference to Marcel Proust`s novel ).



Ingredients:
6 table spoons of flour
6 table spoons of sugar
4 Eggs
1 pack of baking powder
5.3 oz of melted butter
1 crushed banana(it will give moisture to the cake )
3.52Oz almond flour
the zest of an orange
Almonds and candied cherries for decorating the cake

For the syrup :
3 table spoons of orange marmelade
the juice of an orange
1.76 oz of sugar
2or 3 table spoons of water


In a recipient mix the sugar and the eggs until you get a white aerated texture ,then fold in gradually your flour farine ,baking powder then the butter .Add the orange zest and the banana.
Pour all this in a pan then cook it ofr 25 /30min until golden at 350 F.
Once the cake is cooked , make a syrup mixing the marmelade ,sugar and water and heat it until you get a think syrup .
Pour the syrup on your cake still warm and decorate the cake with almond and candied cherries as Idid .

Cherry clafoutis

Ingredients for 4 people

preheat your oven 350 degrees
pour your cherries (without the pits) in 6 little creme brulee dishes

in a bowl mix :
3.52 ozgr of flour
2 eggs
1.76 Oz of confection sugar
25 cl of milk

Pour all these ingredients mixed together onto the cherries and bake for 35 min but around 20 minutes of baking add some butter on top of the pie and sprinkle some sugar .The sugar is going to be caramelized.

one pan chicken

Ingredients for 4 people
1lb of chicken tights
8 potatoes (small ones)
5 garlic gloves
4 table spoons of olive oil
salt ,pepper ,Thyme(I would put a few branches of fresh thyme)
9oz of black olives
1/2 to one red or green pepper
9 oz of cherry tomatoes
1 lemon cut into wedges( you can put more if you want )


In a pan put your chicken ,lemon ,olives ,tomatoes ,potatoes and the garlic .Add salt and pepper and the thyme. Add your olive oil
Put in the oven for 30 to 40 min until the potatoes are cooked(oven 350 F ) .From time to time stir in order to get all the juices mixed together

I put my pan to broil for a few minutes it makes the potatoes crunchy (make sure they don`t burn)