Eggplant Caviar on a Sunday Lunch

Sunday Lunch under an Acacia Tree

For folks who are regular to my kitchen you know that this is the first time I'm doing a Restaurant review. So hang on tight!!

It's been a while we have been planning up this Retirement Party for the folks. After long years of service as a judge and as a psychologist they deserve nothing but the best. And I tell you guys they are an adorable couple. When dad in-law is not garbed in his toga and armed with his gavel he is a very very funny man and with lots of interesting stories to tell. And Mom-in-law is a refined, sweet and a charming lady. We opted for a hassle free party so we chose a reputed laid-back style restaurant in the small lovely town of La Roque d'Antheron. From the outside the restaurant doesn't look that good but from the inside the small courtyard was charming. There were two big acacia trees that provided that peaceful provencal beauty we were looking for.
Seems like everything were reunited that day: bright sunny weather, magnificent ambiance , good humour, lots of chit chat and good food.

The lunch started off with a Kir Royal, a concoction of black currant liquor and sparkling white wine. We enjoyed this with a serving of caviar d'aubergine (eggplant caviar) as an amuse bouche. Recipe is at the end of the post.
This was followed by the first entrée of Verrine de Saint Jacques (Tartare of Scallops and tomatoes). The scallops were marinated in extra virgin olive oil and fresh herbs and spices.
The second entrée was Croustillant de Tomates et Mozzarella (Crispy Tomato-Mozzarella). This was served with a coulis of basil. Very refreshing.
There were two main courses, pan fried Espadon (Sword Fish) served on the bed of fresh vegetables and a cream of fennel and the other one is Veal with Asparagus Sauce served with roasted potatoes in thyme.
The dessert was also heavenly, a serving of chocolate cake nutella and a vacherin a dessert of home made lemon and raspberry ice-cream with meringue. Don't search for their photos for I have totally forgetten to take their pictures. I mean I prefer to savour and it them.:-)

Eggplant Caviar
Ingredients:
2 big eggplants
2 pieces of garlic
some thymes and basil
juice of half a lemon
salt, pepper
about 15 cl of olive oil (about half a small glass)

Procedure:
Start by preheating the oven at 200°C. Make some small cuts on your eggplant, not too deep not too shallow. Rub the surface with olive oil and insert some herbs on this slits. Wrap it with alluminum foil and put one garlic inside. Bake it for 40 minutes (this depends on the size of your eggplants. Let it cool down and peel it off and same for the garlic. Pass it on to the blender including the garlic that's been cooked. Add the lemon juice, olive oil,salt and pepper. Blend it until you have that smooth consistency. This is a perfect amuse bouche that you can serve with some baguette or bread sticks.

Weekend Herb Blogging #195 Hosting

Taraaaaaaaaan!!!

It is the honor and pride of Dhanggit's Kitchen to host this week's Weekend Herb Blogging. This fabulous event that puts vegetables, herbs, plants and fruits into the limelight has gone a long fruitful way since Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen created it. WHB is now in the nurturing hands of Haalo of Cook Almost Anything but it still carries the same aroma and passion for anything green. Well actually color does not matter :-) The rules are simple, post about any herb, fruit, vegetable, flower or plant. The post can be informative, a spotlight of a particular ingredient and/or a recipe where your chosen produce is one of the primary ingredients in the recipe. The post should include about the event "Weekend Herb Blogging" with appropriate links and a link to this announcement. And to make this event even more exciting (but this is optional!) as my daughter turns 2 year old this week and she loves chocolate so anyone who wants to include chocolate in their post is highly appreciated!

Post your entries anytime this week but remember to send me your entries before the cut-off time.

To know more about hosting guidelines and scheduled host check-up the link here.

Send your entries to dhanggit AT gmail DOT com with WHB#195 in the subject and the following details:

• Your Name
• Your Blog Name/URL
• Your Post URL
• Your Location
• A photo: 300px wide

We eat vegetables and fruits more than three times a day and we all love chocolate. So you have no reason not to send me your entry. Or if not I'll cast you my magic spell and turn you into a cute toad. LOL Just kidding. You have until this Sunday August 9 (American Time) to send me your delicious entries.

Melon Raspberry Ice-cream

No day but today...

She was right! She was always right. When I was growing up my mom rarely talks because of her maladie, but I tell you during those flimsy moment that she speaks there is always wisdom in it. And even when she lambasts things around her, hilariously on her own way there is always wisdom hidden on it. "Go strong on things you really wanted!" , I could still hear her voice shouting at me. And I should have listened to her.

Well you see, hubby gave me of what I thought "here's something to make you busy" task last week. He made an excel file of three columns of what I wanted to be, I wanted to have and I wanted to do list that I needed to fill up. Not at all bad, but I felt like I was confronting and coercing myself at that instant. And oh gosh, after an hour of serious reflection my list ended up quite long. Hubby looked at it and smiled at me when he saw the line;
I want to sing in public

Serious?, he asked me.

I always tell myself that my life story could have been different had I not skipped those rehearsals and gigs of the band who recruited me long time ago. I have always loved singing but I didn't feel I was ready. All these years I have been performing in the bathroom as I take my shower. That same night, I finally accepted to sing in the wedding ceremony of my sister in law. What a heck, the die is cast and there's no turning back!

And a bunch of thanks to Nota, my friend, my guitar tutor and my singing coach for providing me an awesome list of songs to sing.

I'll be sending this home-made ice-cream before it melts and summer ends to National Ice-Cream Month, Ice-Cream Social Challenge a sweet blogging event concocted by Scott of Scotty Snacks hosted by Jennifer of Savor the Thyme and Mrs. Noodle of Tangled Noodle.

Melon Raspberry Ice-Cream
* recipe doesn't call for an ice-cream maker

Ingredients:
for the melon ice-cream
half of a melon, seeds removed, and diced
4 big egg yolks
20 cl of heavy cream (very cold)
150 g of sugar
1 vanilla pod

250 g of fresh raspberries
20 cl of heavy cream (very cold)
2 tablespoons of powdered sugar
krispy corn flakes or cereals (for decoration)

Procedure:
Start by making a purée of the melon. Cut the vanilla pod in half and take off the black grains inside with the aid of a knife and add it on your purée. In a bowl cream the egg yolks with sugar. Add the melon purée. On a separate bowl, whisk your heavy cream until it becomes stiff and fluffy. Fold in delicately the egg yolk-sugar-melon mixture. Pour the mixture in your ice-cream maker if you have if not pour it in a container that goes in the fridge and freeze it for about 3-5 hours. In another bowl make a cream chantilly, by whisking your heavy cream once it gains volume and texture add the sugar little by little. Do not over beat. Put it in the fridge and use later.

Assembling:
In a tall glass, scoop your freshly made melon ice-cream, put some raspberries and top it with cream chantilly. Decorate the top with some cereals or crispy corn flakes.

Moist Chocolate Cake

Action speaks louder than words....


One lazy Sunday afternoon in southern France under the turqouise blue sky and probably hundreds of cicada singing; hubby requested for a moisty chocolate cake.
I browsed over the recipe books and found one easy to make. Off to the kitchen and started making it. Once it was ready, I thought about my blog. So I sliced a big part and went to the garden for some shots. But Mayumi was curious....

She went beside me and put her stuffs...
She pretended she was busy playing ....
She looks around and checked that nobody's looking..
Then she reached out.....
She started scooping....
Then off she steals my subject.... well I guess after all, Actions are much faster than a camera click :-)

So where's the rest of the cake? When I went back for another slice, they ate it all up. Good recipes sometimes is hard to blog :-)

Moist Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
200 g of dark chocolate
200 g of butter (about 2 sticks)
5 eggs
one tablespoon of flour
150 g of sugar (about one cup)

Procedure:
Melt your butter and chocolate in bain marie, then add your sugar, your flour and your eggs one by one. Mix them all together. Grease your pan, and bake it on a pre-heated oven for 20 minutes at 180° celsius.
Let's check your eyesight? Could you find Mayumi in the picture?

Some freshly cut lavander drying up in the garden...

Mango Apricot and Walnut Strudel

FLICKRing thoughts...

Days, months and years may have gone by but everytime I look at myself in the mirror there seems to be something that has never changed in me. Of course, I will always be a little girl inside of me who enjoys watching herself in the mirror but I'm always perplex on how people really sees me. For when I go out on the street, there will always be somebody who will approach me and ask me for something or would just simply strike a friendly conversation. And again I emphasize the word "always". People on all walks of life, of all ages and of different nationalities have one way or the other crossed my path and touched my life. A blind old woman lost at the station, or a bunch of tourist who needed assistance, some motorists who want directions or some young kid who lacks a cent to buy herself a sandwich. Without counting the jerks in the list I encounter from time to time. Sometimes, I even imagine myself bumping into a famous personality incognito in need and I'll be there to the rescue.

I look again at my impression on the mirror and asked myself what do I reflect? Is it an angelic gentle good samaritan spirit with caring hands or a gullible naive gal who is a sucker to these tricks?

Well whatever it is, I suppose life is just simply nice to me.


Here's my entry to this week's Weekend Herb Blogging , a blogging event created by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen. I'm sending this off to Haalo of Cook Almost Anything our lovely host and the new the caretaker of this delicious event.

Mango Apricot Walnut Mini Strudel

Strudel dough
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1/4 cup for kneading
1 cup very warm water
4 tablespoons oil
Pinch salt
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, melted
Confectioners' sugar for dusting

Procedure:
Combine 2 cups flour, water, oil and salt. Mix well and let stand 10 minutes. Knead in remaining 1/4 cup flour until smooth and elastic. Place in oiled bowl, cover and let rest 1/2 hour. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cover table with cloth and sprinkle lightly with flour. Turn dough out onto tablecloth. Work your way around the table, stretching dough as thinly as possible. Remove the thick edges. Roll your dough and make small individual rectangular shape. I made mini strudels so it depends on your choice for the size.

Apricot Filling:
Ingredients:
home-made apricot jam (recipe here)
mango jam
one cup of chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder
some butter for brushing
some brown sugar

Brush your dough with butter and powder with brown sugar. Place your apricot jam filling, chopped walnuts at the edge of strudel dough. Then roll them gently from the side with the filling. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden. Bake them standing and top them with some chopped walnuts .Dust with confectioner's sugar when cool.

Flambéed Banana Tart Tatin

Pricking someone's conscience................

I know someone who know someone that knows someone who told me about this someone who cannot speak about thyself without romanticizing it. A little bit of it can be acceptable but when it becomes habitual and when is often blown out of proportion to purposely show-off to others is another story. I was raised to be always modest and honest to others and to myself but my path unfortunately always crosses with these kinds. My classmate in grade school, my friend in high school, our neighbor when I was growing up, my list is so loooooong. And I don't wanna be the one to cast the first stone but self gratifying cocky attitude is a crime.

But come to think of it, I've always loved the word respect, and so be it. Obviously, I think I just have to wait that time can heal this arrogance. Or well, I could probably just try to be an "adult" who minds my own business and accept things for they are. Or maybe an adult who loves these kinds of childish games :-)

I didn't grow these bananas but these are Fair-trade bananas cultivated from a small farm in Madagascar sent by a friend. I'm sending this over Amy of Playing House, our lovely host for this week's Grow Your Own, a delicious backyard and garden grown recipe event created by Andrea of Andrea's Recipes.

Banana Tarte Tatin

Ingredients:
4 to 5 bananas
200 g of sugar (about one cup)
1 pastry dough (recipe of Pate brisé here)
100 grams of butter (half a stick)
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
2 tablespoons of white rhum

Procedure:
In your baking dish, put the butter (cut in small cubes), the lemon juice and sugar and make a caramel over low fire. Once the caramel thickens add your bananas. Remove from heat and let it cool. Put your pastry dough on the top and cover the entire banana caramel. Be sure that the edge are rightly tucked on the sides. Bake it in a pre-heated oven at 200° celsius for 20 to twenty five minutes. Once it's golden brown slowly turn of the oven. Unmold the tarte delicately on your plate. Drizzle it with the rhum and flambée it infront of your guests.

And my little girl is doing well now, thanks for all your wishes and prayers :-)

Apricot Bread (Abricotine)

Get well soon....

Sleeping has become my enemy. For days, I guess maybe weeks, I have forgotten now, how many hours I have really slept. You know, that good night sleep without having to count how many sheeps have jumped over the fence nor scribbling blank thoughts on the ceiling. That good night sleep that makes you dream, that makes you travel, that makes you wonder that gives you happiness the day after. I dread bed. I wish to get out from this loop but I couldn't. This is the price we have to pay for being a nurturing parent.

The picture of my sick daughter's desperately haunt me, intensely. Medicines, warm milk and blanket are not as powerful as my loving arms to appease her. Oh my poor angel, she cries for me, she clamors for me. I symphatize her. Everytime I close my eyes, I dream that this is just a dream. And that tomorrow will be a better day.


This is one of my daughter's favorite bread. I feel like color orange; the color of the sun. Hoping for a better days for my little girl. I am sending off this to Nithya of A Culinary Odysssey the host for this week's Foods in Color: Express Your Mood that creative event created by Sunshinemom of Tounge Ticklers.

Apricot Bread (Abricotine)

For the bread dough see the recipe here:
for this vegetarian recipe I took off the eggwhite needed for brushing the dough.

Ingredients:
half a kilo of fresh apricots cleaned, halved
half a cup of sugar
one vanilla pod
10 g of melted butter
3 tablespoons of almond shivels

Procedure:

Start by macerating your apricots with sugar and vanilla in a small casserole. Let it stand for two hours or until apricot gives off some juice. Cook it slowly over low fire for about five minutes. Set aside. Once the dough is ready, roll them on your floured surface. Cut small rectangular shapes and brush it with your butter. Put your apricot and make the two sides of your dough meet in the middle. Drizzle with sugar and almond shivels. Bake in a pre-heated oven( 180° celsius) for about 15-20 minutes.