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 .