Dark Chocolate Madeleines

May 9, 2013 By sujatha 7 Comments

I recently bought a madeleine mould. Never had one but it’s not long before you give in and get one when you live in France. So I couldn’t wait to use it. Madeleines have always been a favourite of ours. You can’t really resist these pint sized cakes which can take any flavour you want to add to them. I thought of chocolate madeleines because it brings back warm memories of my 1-month course stint at the Dublin Cookery School. It’s been a year now since I did that course (how time flies!) and the first thing that both of us remember is the taste of lovely, crumbly chocolate madeleines that we were welcomed with when we went to have a look around before I decided on joining in. A plate of madeleines and hot cups of coffee later, I was truly and completely sold.

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Herbed Pita Bread with Grilled Pork & Tzatziki

May 5, 2013 By sujatha 2 Comments

I’ve tried making pita bread only once before. The results were quite mediocre which is why I was never tempted to try it again. However, as time has passed, I’ve gained a little experience and confidence in the baking department. The other day, when we were stuck at home thanks to a continuous downpour that showed no signs of stopping, I had to think of something for supper.

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Coconut Cardamom Lemon Cake

May 2, 2013 By sujatha Leave a Comment

Sometimes I get this strong feeling to bake something. It usually strikes over the weekend (although, we’re off full time work at the moment so every day is a weekend day ;)), on those lazy days when you’ve not done anything too productive and feel like filling the afternoon hours with some kitchen activity.

This last weekend was one such time and when we were in the supermarket, I stood in the baking products aisle for a good few minutes wandering up and down without much inspiration. This is when Peter suggested what about making a simple sponge cake maybe flavoured with lemon and cardamom? Not a bad idea I thought. Later at home, I found an unused bag of dessicated coconut in the kitchen cupboard and decided to throw that in too. I’ve always liked the flavour of coconut in both sweet and savoury dishes, maybe it’s got to do with the coconut rich food I grew up with but it instantly comforts me.

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Lemony Braised Duck Legs in a Sumac Tomato Sauce

April 28, 2013 By sujatha Leave a Comment

I remember the first time I came up with this recipe, it was to use up a couple of leftover duck legs and to create something from the ingredients in my kitchen cupboard. At that time, I was going through a lot of Middle Eastern recipes and hence the inspiration to use some Middle Eastern flavours such as sumac and lemons. It turned out to be a satisfying dish and I tried recreating it just last night. This time round, I made notes so I could record it here and come back to it if need be in the future 😉

Since the local eating habits here in the French countryside extend beyond the usual chicken-lamb-beef variety of meat, it’s quite easy to source meat such as duck, rabbit, quail, etc, things that required a trip to a specialty store in Dublin. It also gives people like me who want to experiment in the kitchen, the chance to play with different ingredients and learn more about cooking with different varieties of poultry and game. Keeps it interesting!

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Pistachio & Nut Biscotti

April 21, 2013 By sujatha Leave a Comment

Maybe it has to do with our recent Roman holiday or maybe it’s the lovely Italian cookbook I got while in Rome but for the last few days, I can only dream of Italian food. And that’s how on a cold and gloomy day like yesterday, it felt just right to fill the kitchen (in our case kitchen and living area) with the smell of baking.