Cinnamon Infused Clementine Custard
Jan 6, 2012 Bakery House
When I was pregnant with Maryam, I had many cravings. But healthy ones. Cravings for foods that would nourish my body and that of my growing baby. I went through phases where I would eat boxes and boxes of strawberries. Then came watermelons- I couldn't get enough. I preferred eating them as is but would relish them in salads, smoothies as well as granitas.
This time has been different though. The cravings have been rather unhealthy. Every night after dinner, I seem to gravitate towards dessert. Anything will do really- a cheesecake, coffee ice cream, brownies. Sometimes when there is no sweet treat in sight, even a few small squares of dark chocolate will suffice.
As the arrival of baby number two looms close, I thought I'd treat myself to one more dessert, one more indulgence, one more craving before I start to eat healthy again. And this clementine custard certainly hit the spot. A pinch cinnamon for warmth, citrus for some freshness and zing.
I have been eating these beautiful French clementines for a couple of months now. Perfectly formed, sweet but not overly so and the most scintillating orange red hue you will ever see. They usually don't last long in our house. Either Maryam will eat them as is or I will have juicy slicy with some vanilla infused yoghurt for breakfast.
But I saved a few aside for these clementine custards. The fragrance of clementine and cinnamon simmering in a pot made the whole house warm. A small dose of sunshine in our day for what has been a chilly start to the year in Dubai. There was also a citrus tabbouleh we had which I look forward to sharing with you soon. Perhaps after baby comes along?
Click above for printable recipe
Tags: Boxes, Coffee Ice Cream, Cravings, Dark Chocolate, Dessert, Gravitate, indulgence, Relish, Salads, Squares, Strawberries
A holiday way with spinach salad
Nov 21, 2011 Uncategorized
- With the holiday just around the corner, I have bunches of cranberries around. Even though most of my family is not a big fan of the little red treats, I love them and use the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas to include them in as many recipes as I can.
- Some studies have shown that cranberry juice significantly increases the antioxidant capacity of plasma. It has also been shown to be an ideal treatment for urinary tract infections.
- In addition to the fresh berries I have for the cranberry sauce and cranberry mango jam I made, I had dried cranberries on hand for the white chocolate cranberry cookies. As I contemplated some other recipes before lunch, I decided to make myself a salad.
- I love spinach salad with strawberries, so I decided to try the same with dried cranberries instead of the sweeter berries just to see how it tasted. Even if you are not a really big fan of cranberries, you might really like this so give it a try when you’re feeling a bit adventurous.
- Spinach Cranberry Salad
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3/4 cup almonds, blanched and slivered
- 1 pound spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoons minced onion
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
•In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook and stir almonds in butter until lightly toasted. Remove from heat, and let cool.
•In a large bowl, combine the spinach with the toasted almonds and cranberries.
•In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, onion, paprika, white wine vinegar, cider vinegar, and vegetable oil.
•Toss with spinach just before serving.
Tags: Berries, Bunches, Chocolate, Christmas, Dried Cranberries, Love, Lunch, Plasma, Recipes, Spinach Salad, Strawberries, Thanksgiving, Urinary Tract Infections
Big big news!
Jul 1, 2011 Cupcakes Bakery
Hi everyone! Feels like I haven’t update my blog in forever! Though I’ve only skipped one week. I’ve been a busy little bee as it were. I’ve got big big news: I’m now taking orders! You can head to the Buy Cupcakes page to see the prices and ordering procedures. I’m really happy about this. I think it’s a major step for me and I’m ready to take on the challenge! I’ve already had a few orders since I put up the page, some chocolate and orange cupcakes with blue and orange icing swirl and my vanilla-blackberry cupcakes. I’m glad to say the customers were quite happy with their orders. I hope to be getting more soon!
I’ve also been baking some new stuff and experimenting. This weekend I baked a peach crumble. I’m rather happy at how it turned out. I used my mom’s recipe. She mostly did it with apples, but she also did it with peaches once in a while. I added some local strawberries and some cardamom to the mix. I think it gave it a nice little touch. I think I’ve mentioned this before, but I’ll say it again, I love cardamom! I think it’s too rarely used as a spice in dessert. Go ahead, give it a try. Add some to your next crumble. You won’t be sorry!
Cheers!
Tags: Apples, Blackberry, blog, Cardamom, Cheers, Chocolate, Dessert, Little Bee, Mom, New Stuff, Orange Icing, Peach, Peaches, Spice, Strawberries, Swirl, Vanilla
