If dates are such an important fruit in this part of the world, why on earth does Dubai not have more specialty dates stores (beyond Bateel or occasional mall kiosks)? Why haven’t we sparked a trend of glamorous date desserts? … Continue reading
Category Archives: Kitchen experiment
Just Churned: Biscuit-crumbed Mango and White Chocolate Ice Cream.
Ice-cream making has become a mild obsession for me since my Kitchen Aid received its ice cream maker attachment last summer (at a rate much lower than the ones in the malls, if you’re willing to drive out to Al … Continue reading
Futzing around with banana blossoms
This post was meant to be dedicated to an experimental recipe with banana blossoms for Friday lunch. I’d never noticed banana blossoms before last Thursday’s visit to the hypermarket, but there they were, looking so exotic and adventurous sitting next … Continue reading
What do you do when you’ve grown too many tomatoes in your backyard?
There’s no way a wonderful problem like that would ever be my own doing. I have a black thumb, if that term even exists. Back in my New York apartment, my roommate Mary had a glorious plant. Lovingly named Bert. … Continue reading
The little white knight that helped me peel the potatoes last Friday
I know children love playing around with dough, or licking bowls streaked with chocolate cake batter [points at self vigorously], but I know few kids under twelve who would care to remember, let alone observe, the nuances of their mothers’ … Continue reading
An Indian bread that’s angelic to touch, but downright devilish to make.
I must have been 12, maybe 13, when Ma demanded that I step foot in the kitchen and help her make our traditional style of Indian roti – ‘Per,’ with the ‘per’ being somewhere in between par and per se, … Continue reading
Crushed digestive biscuits. Melted sugar drizzle with orange rind. Dark chocolate ganache.
I could envision…almost taste…the dessert as I drove back from work last Tuesday. It was just an idea, one of those culinary day dreams I typically sink into whenever my mind has the luxury of wandering at will. It sounded … Continue reading
Now and then, even Starbucks can inspire me.
I’ve had a love-hate relationship with Starbucks since the time I discovered the chain. At first, I was absolutely enamored by the lifestyle coffee concept and loved it to bits for years after, through college (especially through college, where on … Continue reading
Reminiscing about the times when I could eat painlessly.
It seemed like only yesterday. Actually, it was only yesterday. Or maybe a few days ago…when I could eat, nay gorge, without feeling like someone were running a potato peeler down my raw congested throat. Fine. Maybe I’m verging on … Continue reading
The Big Apple pie.
My famous last words right before moving out of New York City back in February: “I love this city Mary, but I doubt I’d really miss it.” And here I am, eight months in, experiencing this sad nauseating flip in … Continue reading
When things don’t turn out as perfect as pie.
Last week, I was so inspired by the Thai cooking class with my fellow foodies at ICCA , that I baked a ‘Thai chicken pot pie’: a lemongrass and kaffir lime-infused chicken and vegetable broth, ladled into a homebaked pie … Continue reading
Cooking up a Thai feast with my fellow foodies at the International Center for Culinary Arts
Whoever coined the phrase “too many cooks spoil the broth” had evidently never been to a group cooking class. He had probably never experienced what it’s like to share all the tedious chopping and mincing chores needed to prep your … Continue reading