Halal Tiramisu (alcohol free)

After watching this years #GBBO bakers make Tiramisu cake...

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Food For Thought - Chickpeas + 2 Recipes

I decided to bring back my Food For Thought series.

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Maryam's Sunshine Cinnamon Rolls

Soft, sweet cinnamon rolls covered in a sticky cream cheese and orange glaze. 

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Black Seed, Date & Honey Flapjacks/Oat Bars

Bittersweet flapjacks/oat bars - ideal for a healthier breakfast or snack.

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MENA Cooking Club: Egypt

This month MENA Cooking Club members were set the challenge to cook like an Egyptian!

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What to Bake this Eid? 'Apple Pie' Tarte Tatin and Why?

What's not to love about the classic flavours of sweet cinnamon and apple?

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Guest Post By The Halal Gourmet: The Trial of the Tarte Tatin

Today I'm delighted to be bringing you a guest post by Umm Haneefah also known as The Halal Gourmet  who specialises in French cuisine within the limits of Allah i.e. no pork, wine etc.

Cooking up classy dishes like confit de canard salad and encouraging a sophisticated palate in the fussiest of eaters - children, with her squid cucumber lime muffins you will find something for everyone and then some.
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What started out as delicious dalliance in the thick of apple season, with loads of butter and sugar, became an emotional rollercoaster that turned into a trial from Allaah, Azza wa Jal (The Mighty & Majestic).

Tarte Tatin: the Upside-Down Apple Cake that nearly turned my life upside down.

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Lemon Drizzle Scones

Fresh and zingy lemon drizzle scones filled with mascarpone and strawberry jam.

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Cinnamon Biscuits / Cookies

These are the type of biscuits /cookies you can't say no to.

Adapted from ginger snaps i simply replaced 1 teaspoon ginger with cinnamon.
Instead of baking straight on greased baking trays I greased and lined my baking trays with parchment which means the cookies spread less and end up being smaller, that or i measured the ingredients incorrectly without realizing!

They still ended up crunchy, ever so moreish.

You even have the option if you feel like it (have enough butter) to go and sandwich these cookies with some cinnamon spiced butter cream.

Tip: I discovered the biscuit dough can be handled, it's a bit sticky but not overly so, wet your hands a little and roll heaped teaspoons (i weighed one it was about 15 grams) into balls before placing on lined baking sheet.

Fried Dersa Stuffed Aubergine

Deep fried dersa (spicy sauce) stuffed aubergine i'm not sure if it's authentically Algerian but my husband taught me this recipe so it must be?! 

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MENA Cooking Club: Djiboutian Banana Fritters

Djibouti was the country assigned for this months MENA Cooking Club challenge.

Djibouti is a small country located in the horn of Africa. The majority of people are Muslims and the official languages are Arabic & French although both afro-asiatic languages of the largest ethnic groups, the Somali & Afar are recognised national languages.
No surprise then that the Djiboutian cuisine consists of a beautiful exotic mixture of Somali, Afar, Yemeni & French dishes.

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Buttermilk Vanilla Scones

Many a British afternoon tea would not be complete without scones....

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Peach Brioche Rolls

Peach Brioche Rolls:  Dark glaze, crunchy sugar coating, soft and fluffy interior bursting with peach.

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Single Serve Peach Crumble

Got any sweet ripe peaches? With just 1 you can bake this delicious crumble to eat alone or make more to share with family and friends. 

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Peachy Smoothie

Here's another quick and easy recipe this time it's a peachy smoothie that will quench your thirst and satisfy your sweet tooth.

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Cumin Spiced Potato Soup

The humble potato was and still is a staple in the diets of many people. 

Hands up who doesn't like a loaded baked potato or those hard to resist chips / fries? no one, ok some but still potatoes are good for you, right.

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Ginger Biscuits / Ginger Snaps / Ginger Nuts

As-Salaamu Alaykum,

I originally thought Ginger Biscuits also known as Ginger Snaps and Ginger Nuts were a British speciality but it seems these biscuits are popular in many countries like gingerbread, all of course with varying recipes including different spices and sometimes with the addition of molasses and the common ingredient being? yep, Ginger.

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MENA Cooking Club: Bahraini Halwa

As-Salaamu Alaykum,

It's time to reveal what we have all been cooking up in the MENA cooking club this month.

Joanne from what's on the list is our host this month and we are cooking Bahraini style!

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Harissa Hummus

 As-Salaamu Alaykum,

Hummus - A popular middle eastern and north african food dip or spread made from cooked, crushed chickpeas. It's commonly blended with tahini (toasted sesame seed paste), olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic which turns it into a creamy, pungent and zingy delight!

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Photos Of My Caramel & Coffee Layer Cake

As-Salaamu Alaykum,

We all make mistakes now and then and here is just one of my many.

Caramel, no matter how many times you make it you take your eye off the ball and think oh i've simmered it for as long as the recipe stated it will thicken more whilst it cools in the fridge WRONG if it's not thick now it won't be after 2 hours in the fridge!

This time i used an unusual recipe that called for evaporated milk, i've used condensed milk before to make a caramel back in my school days when i made millionaires shortbread but never evaporated and here's why - it takes what seems like forever to thicken. Next time i make this particular caramel i plan to use my trusted sugar thermometer in sha Allah it's never failed me yet.

So when you make caramel buttercream with thin caramel guess what happens, it tastes like butter not caramel! 

The coffee flavoured cake still tasted real good but to enjoy it i had to scrape a ton of butter buttercream off the surface first.

Unlike me, when you follow astral's recipe ( use a sugar/candy thermometer for the caramel or at least wait until it's thick / how you perceive caramel to be) i'm optimistic you will get a delicious tasting cake inside and out! (if your not big on frosting half the frosting recipe to fill and top the cake)

UPDATE:  buttercream tastes less butter and more caramel a day later, the flavours get chance to meld together and you get a nice contrast of bitter coffee and sweet sweet caramel. I would still cut down on the frosting next time or only serve this cake in very small portions.