Sweet Laban with Orange Blossom Water, Crushed Hazelnuts & Strawberries

Yesterday I bought fresh strawberries for the first time this season. Contrary to everything I believe in & stand up to, the strawberries have been...imported, not locally produced. They are big, shiny and what's worse, they must have been sprayed with chemicals and pesticides! I could resist anything but temptation! I was in the shop and I suddenly a boxful of bright red fruit eyed me. I had visions of French toasts early in the morning. I would fry them up in a sweet omelette, cover in snowy sugar & top with fresh strawberries. Once back home, I chickened out and the idea of a heavy dessert didn't sound so great afterall.

This is my own version of Strawberry French Toast Recipe that sheds drastically most of the calories and reminds you of the delicate taste of Middle Eastern desserts. xoxo

Sweet Laban w Orange Blossom Water, Hazelnuts & Fresh Strawberries

(my version of decadent French Toast with Strawberries)

Type of cusine: Middle Eastern/Fusion/Low Fat

I'll start by clarifying that laban means yoghurt in Arabic. :) When I lived in Saudi I would always buy dairy products from Almarai. I have always loved the grassy taste of fresh milk and yoghurt and it is such a pity I can't find this brand in Romania :(

I find that yoghurt inspires me to create beautiful sweet and savoury dishes and I always manage to put it to good use.

Ingredients

4 big tbs of full fat yoghurt

2 tsp of clear honey

1 tsp of preserved orange rind

2 tsp of orange blossom water

a handful of crushed hazelnuts (almonds or pistachios)

a handful of fresh strawberries

85% dark chocolate

Mix the yoghurt with the honey, hazelnuts, orange rind and orange blossom water. Top with slices of stawberries and freshly shredded chocolate.

That's it! Have you ever had such a quick and uber delicious/guilt-free dessert before?

This was the first time I have ever made it and decided that yes, it's worth blogging about it!

To make the toast however, fry a slice of brown bread or ciabatta in low-fat butter (less than 80% fat) and put the sweet laban mixture, fruit and chocolate on the bread. Pair with black coffee or green tea with mint. That's another a perfect breakfast. :))

Perfect Breakfast (part two): Sweet Labneh with Rose Water, Honey, Figs & Pistachios

It's hard to define perfection (as nobody is perfect) but some things can come as close to perfection as we know it. In the fascinating world of  culinary delights many things can be just perfect.

My Savoury Labneh with Mint and Olive Oil was another example that showcases how something so  simple and unpretentious has a life of its own and can become a gourmet experience in itself. 

Simple things aren't bland by any means. Sometimes I find myself craving something as mundane as fish and chips or chicken and (bukhari) rice, the staple food in the Arab world. We turn things "gourmet" by just adding a few extra touches: a surprising combination of spices or an interesting pairing of ingredients. 

I dare say this dish is gourmet by revamping it and boosting its taste with  the delicate flavour of rose water, crunchy pistachios and giving it the soft sweetness of honey and figs. 

Sweet Yoghurt Cheese with Honey, Figs and Pistachios

Type of cuisine: Middle Eastern/Fusion

Preparation time: 12 hours (to make the labneh, if you haven't done so) & 5 minutes for presentation/decoration

 labneh

rose water

honey

crushed pistachios

chopped mint

figs

Method

Mix the labneh with a spoonful of rose water.  Chop the mint, crush the pistachios, slice the figs. 

To decorate drizzle honey over the cheese & sprinkle the mint and the pistachios  on top. 

As a serving suggestion, I would recommend toasted ciabatta, if you don't have or haven't baked your own fresh tamis. Tamis is a flat Middle Eastern/Afghan bread that goes so well with dips. 

Because I didn't have tamis, I made use of what was handy :) I oven-toasted the ciabatta with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and honey. As you can see from the picture below, I spread the cheese on the bread and had the most delicious (fusion, I must say) sandwich ever tasted :) It's a great combination that I urge you to try asap.

A perfect breakfast calls for an unforgettable morning read: Map of Love by Ahdaf Soueif. 

“Is it that happy stretch of time when the lovers set to chronicling their passion . when no glance , no tone of voice is so fleeting but it shines with significance . when each moment , each perception is brought out with care , unfolded like a precious gem from its layers of the softest tissue paper and laid in front of the beloved - turned this way and that , examined , considered.”   

“I'm taken over by this trunk. I'm practically living inside it. When I read the journals I feel as if I'm there, a hundred years ago. I'm putting together the whole picture and I know everything that happened and wasn't written down"

Perfect Breakfast: Labneh with Mint & Olive Oil

If you close your eyes and daydream of a bedouin tent in the middle of the desert, sun-kissed by a ball of fire, you might see the cosiness inside: a simple decor consisting mainly of Iranian-style carpets, cushions, trays of tea and semolina cakes bathed in rose water and loaded with pistachios and nuts. This scene could seem more or less idyllic, but it's certainly very close to reality.  Bedouins do exist as a desert-dwelling ethnic group in the Middle East and northern Africa and they are renowned for their hospitality, generosity, friendliness, and simple lifestyle. 

Breakfast is also defined by its sheer simplicity: labneh with extra virgin olive oil and fresh tamis. 

Labneh is a one of life's delicious treats that I discovered in Saudi Arabia. I have also found it in gourmet Arab traditional shops, but the price is steep. Labneh is sold either as spreadable cheese or in jars: small lebnah balls floating in a sea of rich olive oil. Traditionally, labneh is made of goat's milk; however,  I used rich sheep & cow's milk yoghurt (7% fat) which I strained overnight. In the morning, I used an ice-cream scoop to make labneh balls, drizzled olive oil over them, and sprinkled fresh mint on top. Delicious with fresh ciabatta and a cup of strong Arabica with cardamon!

Rich Strained Yoghurt with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Crushed Mint

1 kg of 7-8% fat yoghurt

a handful of fresh mint

extra virgin olive oil 

(salt)

Type of cuisine: Middle Eastern

Preparation: 12 hours

Method

As its definition suggests, labneh is strained yoghurt, aka yoghurt cheese. To make labneh you need the following: 

yoghurt

a clean cloth/muslin  

a colander

a plate to keep the excess water

Line the colander with a clean cloth (which you have boiled to kill all possible germs). Pour the yoghurt in the cloth and let it strain overnight.  I used no salt as I wanted to have the option of having sweet labneh as well.

In the morning roll the cheese out of the cloth and store it in tuppeware. It will keep well for a couple of days in the fridge.

To make labneh balls scoop the cheese and place them on the plate. Sprinkle with olive oil and fresh crushed mint. It is absolutely delicious and goes perfectly with fresh bread, tamis or toasted ciabatta, believe it or not. 

Later, I will revamp and transform this delicious savoury dish into a sweet delight. Stay tuned :)

Until then, enjoy these beautiful photos (for which I take no credit) that will put this stunning - but easy - dish on the map.

 Inside a Bedouin Tent

stubbornluddite.blogspot.com

Photographer:Gary Latham  source: http://www.wanderlust.co.uk/

A smoky start to the day as a Bedouin tribesman cooks breakfast at camp near Wadi Razarah

Egypt In the Bedouin Tent Photograph - Egypt In the Bedouin tent 

source: fineartamerica.com

source: http://sakhal.blogspot.com/2011/07/sahara-women-portraits.html

Saudi Champagne

It's been very, very hot lately, so in the past weeks I've kept a low profile in the kitchen (the only room in the house with no a/c), and hence, on the blog :// I've been rather thirsty than hungry and I have been feeling weak with heat and exhaustion.... If you yourselves happen to struggle with heat, you understand me well and hopefully will have excused my absence from Lemon Love Notes. 

This unbearable, scorching heat has inspired me & also reminded me of how beautiful Saudi is, a country where the sun never seems to set, but when it does, it does it style and it turns into a huge ball of incandescent fire resting over the horizon, out in the open desert.

Saudi champagne welcomes you in any restaurant that you go to- a pitcher of freshness in a blistering hot city, a simple magic mixture of apple juice, Perrier, thin slices of fruit and fresh, crushed mint. 

I smile even today when I remember that the first time I saw the word champagne in the menu, my eyes nearly popped! (Selling alcohol within the Kingdom is strictly prohibited). And in all fairness, one must be suicidal to drink alcohol in such high temperatures-  a warning and a dictate that GPs around the world will always stick to. Wherever we are, the laws of the physics and of common sense should always prevail (in my humble opinion).

Because it's sparkling, it's called champagne :), but I believe it's even better than champagne. And it will certainly keep your head cool and focused. Enjoy it... beyond measure :) 

Saudi Champagne

1/3 measure of (good quality) apple juice

2/3 measure of chilled sparkling water

rosewater / orange blossom water- infused ice cubes

thin slices of fruit (orange, apple, apricot etc)

mint leaves

Method

Mix and drink :)

To make a refreshing Saudi Champagne to totally wow your thirsty guests, use good quality ingredients: fresh mint and juicy citrus, a more expensive brand of apple juice and chilled sparkling water. I also made my own rosewater-infused ice cubes which I got from mixing plain water with rosewater. It's delicious and it has become a staple this summer for me. I often drink still water with rosewater ice cubes.  

 

Even though drinking this delicious cooler doesn't have the same impact on me as when I had it in the Kingdom (often with kabsa), it brings back...

beautiful memories of Saudi Arabia....

Philoxenia: Spiced Lebanese Chai with Milk & Roasted Almond Flakes

A quick search on the internet will explain the meaning of the Greek word philoxenia as the equivalent of hospitality or lover of strangers.  

Nowhere like in the Middle East can you experience a deeper sense of hospitality and generosity. In a land where even time stands still, melted under the intensity of the desert sun, people have a passive awareness of the passage of time: Salaam, and a stranger is greeted, with a warm, yet firm shake of hand, a broad smile and the gesture to come in. No matter where you go - a modest bedouin tent, a luxurious weekend 5-star tent, a simple rented city apartment or the villa of a wealthy family, a stranger will be invited into the front room: a large saloon decorated with big Persian rugs in bold colours, cushions, small coffee tables and sofas placed along the walls. Along with the small talk comes the tea accompanied by a tray of sweets: basbossa (semolina cake soaked with rich sugary syrup), baklawa, or gatayef (small pancakes stuffed with nuts).

Tea is strong and served in small cups, then sugar is added and maybe a leaf of mint will be immersed to add some flavour to the black essence. 

*a photo of a photo* Tea in the Desert,  at an art exhibition at DAU, Riyadh

small coffee cup, art exhibition at DAU, Riyadh, May 2010

Time will go in circles in this cool, dark room which has now become a shelter for the thirsty traveller. Time refuses to obey the laws of physics in the Middle East. It expands and contracts, as if it were under a magician's wand. A problem is treated philosophically, yet with a sense of urgency that we cannot penetrate: mafi mushkila (no problem, in Arabic). 

The host and the stranger will easily find mutual interests and topics of conversation, in spite of what could drift them apart.  They mention the family, the weather, the guest's purpose to such a distant and heat-ridden country, the holidays, the job and the working conditions, the host's travels to the West, current affairs, and the world in general. 

Having in mind the stories of old, I will tell you about a wonderful spiced Lebanese tea that I discovered not so long ago. 

Spiced Lebanese Chai with Milk and Roasted Almond Flakes

The Spices

coriander seeds

1 cinnamon stick

1 star anise

2 cloves

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 cardamom pod

The Tea

black loose tea/2 bags of jasmine tea/green loose tea (your choice)

Milk

Honey or Sugar

Almond flakes

Method

Crush the spices (star anise, cardamom, coriander, cloves, cinnamon) in the mortar and pestle.  

Boil the water. Add the loose tea and the crushed spices, the ground ginger, the sugar/the honey. Let it simmer.

Finally, pour the milk and stir.

In a non-stick pan toast the almonds - make sure you won't overdo them. They blacken in no time (learned that by trial and error!)

Serve the tea hot, topped with almonds.

a full cup of the Middle East

Once they fill with water, the almond flakes will sink to the bottom of the mug. They will hold a soft crunchiness that you will spoon when the tea is gone. The honey makes the tea light and imparts a mild sweetness which is sure to make this amazing chai a treat for you and your guests. 

"Do not forget hospitality, for through it some, unknown to themselves, entertained angels" (from the Bible) Hebrews 13/2

"Tell me, Baba", said Joha's son to his father, why do you speak so little and listen so much?"

"Because I have two ears and only one mouth"  (from Tahir Shah's In Arabian Nights)