Soft Focaccia

I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day celebration. As I mentioned in my last post, I was getting ready to prepare a Middle Eastern brunch. Although initially I planed to make pita bread, I changed my mind in the last minute and I went for a soft focaccia.

Why would I do that you ask? Well, for a couple of reasons. Number one, since I had a lot to do that day, I thought I would bake focaccia the day before since it keeps better than pita. The second reason, this is not your ordinary focaccia. The crumb is incredibly soft and moist and absorbs juices better. 

I would normally make focaccia using 100% bread flour. Saturday night, when I was ready to mix, I realized I didn't have enough bread flour and I used 50% all-purpose flour to complete the recipe. The result was an even softer focaccia. I loved it so much I will keep using 50% all-purpose flour to make this bread. 

The process is not complicated. The only thing about this dough is that you need to be folding it every hour for three hours, but that will take you less than a minute to do. I'll explain more in the recipe. 

Ingredients:

500g bread flour

500g all-purpose flour

24g salt

14g instant dry yeast

27g sugar

640g water (80˚F)

85g olive oil 

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the hook attachment, combine the flours, salt, yeast, sugar and water. Mix on low speed until all ingredients blend. Increase the speed to medium and mix for five minutes or until smooth. At this point, little by little, mix in the olive oil on low speed. Mix until the oil is well incorporated. Lightly oil a bowl and scrape the dough into it, cover with plastic film and let it rest for one hour. After an hour fold the dough (see note). Cover again and let it rest for another hour. After the second hour fold again then cover and let it rest for another hour. After the third hour fold the dough for the last time and let it rest for 30 minutes. While the dough is resting, line a half a sheet pan with parchment paper and lightly oil both sides of the paper (use cooking spray). When the dough is ready, carefully stretch the dough evenly making sure you cover the sheet pan. Use your fingertips to gently dot the top. 

Lightly oil a piece of plastic film to cover the dough. Let it rest for the last time for 30 minutes. When the dough is ready, drizzle olive oil on top, sea salt and sesame seeds (see note). Bake it in a preheated oven (450˚F) for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. 

Note: Folding the dough: It simply means to turn the dough onto itself. HERE is a good video to show you how. 

Note: You can top your focaccia with whatever you like; tomatoes, herbs, cheese etc. 

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Bread Pudding

Do you have plans for Mother's Day yet?? I'm getting ready to host a brunch. I love an excuse to gather everybody because, lets face it, Mother's Day should be everyday. Wouldn't that be nice? 

I'm planning a Middle Eastern feast; shakshuka, labne, tabouli, hummus, beet salad and fresh pita. I love these family-style meals where everybody can mix and match and eat as much as they want. My kind of brunch. 

For dessert I'm going to prepare a not so Middle Eastern sweet. An old-time classic, Bread Pudding. I love a good bread pudding, still warm from the oven with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream melting over the bread. There is something about that hot and cold combination that plays with my senses and makes me want more.  I'm looking forward to Sunday. I can't wait to see everybody and dig in. 

To all the good mamas out there, Happy Mother's Day!! 

Ingredients:

4 brioche rolls, cut in cubes

(350 grams or 12.5oz)

5 eggs

1 ½ cups evaporated milk

2 ½ cups whole milk

⅓  cup sugar 

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla extract

Butter (to butter the pan)

Preheat the oven to 350 ˚F. Butter a 9x13 inch pan and set aside. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, evaporate milk, whole milk and spices. Mix until well combine and smooth. Arrange the bread in the prepared pan and pour over the egg mixture. Press gently with your hands and let it sit for 10 minutes. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

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Moms Make a World of Difference + Fair Trade Products Giveaway

This week, I'm really excited about writing a post to talk about Fair Trade. In case you are not familiar with it, Fair Trade is a global movement to alleviate poverty in the developing world, while ensuring consumers quality products that improve lives and protect the environment. Everyday purchases that bear the Fair Trade Certified™ logo come from farmers and workers in the developing world who are justly compensated, allowing them to build sustainable businesses that positively influence their communities.

With Mother's Day just around the corner, I thought I would help spread the word about these wonderful Fair Trade moms. Fair Trade Moms are strong, determined, and the heart of their families. Every coffee bean, cacao pod, and rose they harvest is filled with love. This love fuels their drive for a better future for their kids and their communities.

Coming from Honduras, I personally have seen the hard work some of these strong woman endure every day in order to support their families. What amazes me the most is the dedication and passion they put into whatever they are working on,  always with a smile on their face and a great attitude.

Meet Maria Cera, She harvests coffee cherries from her plot, which her community sells as women’s coffee. She is currently passing her coffee knowledge down to her 13-year-old niece, Maria Edith, who enjoys helping her aunt plant seedlings on the farm. The Aprocassi Coffee Cooperative in Northern Peru, where Maria has been a member since 2009, has put a large emphasis on education, gender equality and economic stability, encouraging its members to diversify their income through microloans and training.

Giveaway

One lucky winner will get the chance to sample some of these amazing products. Enter this giveaway for a chance to win a box of Fair Trade Certified products that include:

Rishi Tea: Rishi’s Jasmine Tea is an organic green tea blended with jasmine blossoms, using a traditional tea-scenting process.

Allegro Coffee:  This medium bodied coffee is balanced, sweet & chocolaty.

Alter Eco Cane Sugar: This sugar has all the versatility of everyday granulated sugar, plus an amazing depth of flavor that makes it the ultimate secret ingredient.

 Alter Eco Rainbow Quinoa: Choosing Fair Trade Certified quinoa is one of the best ways to support quinoa farming communities.

TCHO Chocolate: Is serious about chocolate: from knowing where their Fair Trade Certified cacao comes from to re-imagining what it means to taste chocolate.

LARABAR: The cocoa and coffee used in LARABAR is Fair Trade Certified, meaning your afternoon snack or treat not only tastes good, but does good too!

Bhakti Chai: Don’t miss the coupon for a FREE 16 oz Iced Bhakti Chai inside your box of goodies.

CONTEST CLOSED

Winner Announced!

Congratulations Annazed 
"On Mother's Day I do as little as possible. Sweetie cooks (this is such a are thing, it's very cute) and we go see his mom (whom I love!) then movies at home"

Rules to enter the giveaway:

1. Answer the following question on the comment section of this post:

 What are you doing for Mother's Day?

2. Follow Delicious Shots on Twitter 

3. "LIKE" Delicious Shots on Facebook

Want more chances to win?

Follow Delicious Shots on:

-Instagram

-Pinterest

-Subscribe to Delicious Shots 

email updates.

Open to US residents only. One lucky winner will be chosen randomly and announced on this post. I will email the winner who will have up to two days to claim the prize, otherwise, another winner will be selected.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS GIVEAWAY.  

Disclosure: This giveaway is being provided by Fair Trade USA but all opinions are my own.

This contest closes on Sunday May 12, 2013 at 12 pm. The winner will be announced that same day sometime in the afternoon. 

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Mother's Day Giveaway with Macarons from Sucré!!

Mother's Day is almost here and I want to celebrate it by giving away to one lucky winner a box of macarons from Sucré. If you live in New Orleans, be sure to stop by the store to get the Sucré experience where you can find a wide variety of macaron flavors, chocolates or even find your dream wedding cake. If you are not in New Orleans, don't worry, they will ship their products to you! 

I am never too enthusiastic about eating macarons because it's hard to come across good ones but recently, I had the opportunity to sample some of Sucré signature macarons and I seriously can tell you, they are fantastic. The shell is perfectly crunchy and the inside is soft which works harmoniously with the different flavor creams or jams they are filled with. As simple as these macarons may seem, they have layers of textures and flavors that will give you a very enjoyable experience. These would make the perfect gift for Mother's Day or any occasion.

Enter this giveaway for a chance to win one of Sucré 15-piece signature macarons box.

CONTEST CLOSED

Winner Announced!

Congratulations Kara D  "I love chocolate cake!"

Rules to enter the giveaway:

1. Answer the following question on the comment section of this post:

 What's your favorite dessert? 

2. Follow Delicious Shots on Twitter 

3. "LIKE" Delicious Shots on Facebook

4. Follow Sucré on Twitter

Want more chances to win?

Follow Delicious Shots on:

-Instagram

-Pinterest

-Subscribe to Delicious Shots 

email updates.

Open to US residents only. One lucky winner will be chosen randomly and announced on this post. I will email the winner who will have up to two days to claim the prize, otherwise, another winner will be selected.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS GIVEAWAY.  

Disclosure: This giveaway is being provided by Sucré but all opinions are my own.

This contest closes on Monday May 6, 2013 at 12 pm. The winner will be announced that same day sometime in the afternoon. 

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Chilled Strawberry and Coconut Milk Soup Shooters from The Recipe Girl Cookbook

I've been following Lori Lange, the genius behind "The Recipe Girl"  blog for quite some time. When I learned that she was writing a cookbook, I was really happy for her and of course, for me too. I now have a piece or her legacy right at home, how cool is that? 

Her recipes are easy to follow and the book has a wide range to choose from, including gluten-free, vegetarian and dairy-free recipes. There are also party menus and tips for easy entertaining. A little bit for everybody. 

It was really hard to choose one recipe to share with you since they all look really good. I had to settle for one and I picked this crazy-good chilled strawberry and coconut milk soup. I've never had anything like this before and she is right to say this would make a great Summer appetizer.

This soup was creamy and refreshing with a burst of coconut on each sip. There is nothing I would change about this recipe except for the quantities to make more. 

Well done and thank you, Recipe Girl! 

Click HERE to buy a copy! 

Ingredients:

8oz strawberries, rinsed and sliced

2 tbsp granulated white sugar

1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

1 cup low-fat canned coconut milk

Additional small strawberries for garnish

1/4 cup toasted shaved coconut for garnish

Toss together the strawberries, sugar and lime juice in a medium bowl. Let the mixture marinate for 30 minutes. In a blender or food processor, combine the strawberries and coconut milk. Process until smooth. Pour into small serving glasses and garnish with strawberries and toasted coconut, if desired. 

This recipe is from The Recipe Girl Cookbook.

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Pancakes with Strawberry Sauce and Homemade Crème Fraîche

As a mentioned in my last post, my son's birthday was last week. The older he gets, the more demanding he is. It's that a normal thing? I guess it is. When I asked him what kind of breakfast he would want on his special day, he had a very specific answer, pancakes with strawberries. 

Not too long ago, I had made these pancakes for him and I knew he liked them but I didn't imagine he would even remember them. He surprises me every time. I have to say I don't blame him for remembering these fluffy, super light and spongy pancakes. 

I also made strawberry sauce. Very easy to put together and a sweet replacement for the classic maple syrup. If that wasn't enough strawberries, we also made crème fraîche (yes! homemade) and I mixed in some of the strawberry sauce. Out of this world fantastic.

Lets talk a little bit about homemade crème fraîche. It came out so creamy and rich, it doesn't even compare to many of those store-bought brands. The good news is, it's so easy to make, it's hardly a recipe. The bad news is, because it's so easy to make, you will want to make it all the time and make lots of things with it. As we know, crème fraîche is not exactly a diet item. Oh well, guilty pressures, we've got to have them, no? 

Ingredients:

For the pancakes:

2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 3/4 cup milk

3 tablespoons baking powder

3 tablespoon melted butter

3 tablespoon vanilla sugar 

2 eggs, lightly beaten 

the zest of 1 lemon

A pinch of salt

In a bowl, mix together the milk, melted butter, eggs and lemon zest. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Heat a lightly greased griddle over medium high heat. Scoop the batter onto the griddle, using 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. Brown on both sides. Serve warm.

For the strawberry sauce:

2 cups strawberries, hulled  and quartered

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp water

in a saucepan, mix together the strawberries, sugar and water. bring it to a boil. Let it cook until the strawberries are softened, about 15 minutes. Add the vanilla extract, mix well and puree the strawberries, let it cool.

For the crème fraîche

Recipe courtesy of Celia

2 cups of heavy cream 

2 tbsp plain yogurt 

In a jar, stir together the yogurt with the heavy cream. Loosely, cover the jar and let it sit at room temperature for 18 to 24 hours or until thick. How easy was that? 

Mix half of the strawberry sauce with half of the crème fraîche and a pinch of salt for serving. 

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Classic Chocolate Cake

Today is Lucas' birthday. My baby boy is turning three and I know this sounds cliché but he is growing so fast. Faster than I would want him to. He has been a blessing in our lives and life is much better (and busy) because of him. Lucas has a strong personality and he is really sweet.

That boy loves chocolate. At this point I have a feeling he thinks that all birthday cakes have to be made out of chocolate or else they're not birthday cakes. When we were singing happy birthday to him this morning, the first thing he said was "where is the chocolate cake mama?" I smiled and promised him a chocolaty chocolate cake for later. 

Lucas is going through a Superman phase. My goodness, everything has to be Superman themed right now. I'm telling you, when toddlers get obsessed with something, it gets really intense like watching a movie a million times. I'm sure some of you can relate to this. 

On Sunday, we are throwing a little "Super" party for him. I have a lot of work ahead of me as we are doing, yes, you guessed it, a Superman themed party. Everything is looking good, I'm sharing photos next week! 

For now, I'll leave you with this "super" chocolate cake. It's really moist and for serious chocolate lovers only ;) 

Ingredients:

For the cake:

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup canola oil

2 large eggs

1 cup of buttermilk

1 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup of hot water

Preheat oven to 350 F.

grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar, brown sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix on low speed until blended. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Slowly add the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients on low speed until well blended. Scrape around the bowl with a rubber spatula, scrape the bottom and the sides. Slowly, add the hot water into the batter, blend well on medium speed for 20 seconds. The batter will be thin, don't worry, that's the way it should be. pour batter into prepared cake pan and bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a cooling rack and cool completely. 

 Chocolate buttercream:

7oz dark chocolate (60%)

finely chopped

2 sticks of butter, softened

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups of confectioners' sugar, sifted

1/2 cup cocoa powder,  sifted

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.  Make sure the bowl is not touching the water, set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and continue mixing for a minute more. Turn the mixer to low and gradually add the confectioners' sugar and cocoa powder, then turn the speed back to medium and mix until smooth. On low speed, add the melted chocolate and mix until well blended. If the frosting is a little runny but don't worry, just let it sit for 5 or 10 minutes or until it's hard enough to frost the cake. 

To assemble:

Carefully, cut the cake in two layers and evenly spread some of the chocolate buttercream. Place the layer back on top. Spread the rest of the buttercream on the cake and decorate with sprinkles. 

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Strawberry Cobbler

I'm very excited to share with you that Delicious Shots made it to the top of Babble's list of food blogs as "Best overall food blog of 2013" , #1 Best Recipes, #2 Best Photography and #3 Fun to Read food blog. Wow, I'm really honored and I want to say thank you to all of you! 

If you celebrated Easter, I hope you had a good one. I had a great one filled with strawberries. For some reason, everybody brought strawberries to our Easter brunch. It's not a complain, on the contrary, I love strawberries and I always look forward to strawberry season. 

I used part of the strawberries for dessert that day, which was a simple strawberry salad with orange cream. With the rest of the strawberries I made a cobbler. This was the first time that I experimented with a biscuit-like topping for my cobbler. Oh my goodness. It was perfection. The topping was buttery and little bit on the savory side which created the right balance between the sweetness of the strawberries and the savory of the salt. The almonds added a nice crunch to each bite. We had this in the afternoon as you would scones or biscuits with "jam", coffee or tea. Of course, a scoop of ice cream is never too much.

Ingredients:

For the filling:

1 1/2 pound strawberries, hulled and sliced

2 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp sugar

Preheat the oven 350 F. Mix the strawberries, lemon and sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat and cook for five minutes. Pour the strawberries into a 9-inch cast iron skillet or another baking container. 

For the topping:

1 1//2 cup self-rising flour

2 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

6 tbsp cold butter, cut in small pieces

1/2 cup milk

sliced almonds

Egg wash

In a food processor, add the flour, sugar and salt, pulse few times to combine. Add the cold butter and pulse more until the mixture resemble "bread crumbs". Add the milk and mix until combined. In a lightly floured work surface, bring the dough together then with a rolling pin, roll out to 1/2-inch thick. With a 2 or 3-inch cookie cutter, cut rounds and place them on top of the strawberries. Brush the dough with egg wash and sprinkle with almonds. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is golden. Serve warm with ice cream. 

Note: Place the cast iron skillet on a baking sheet to bake in case it spills.

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Le Creuset Giveaway!!

I'm happy to start Spring giving away to one lucky winner one Le Creuset 5QT. Oval French Oven in this GORGEOUS Turquoise color. To me, this is a must-have kitchen essential. There is so much you can do with it, from braising meat or vegetables to roasting a small turkey.

Photo courtesy of Le Creuset

I love the even distribution of heat and the fact that you can start your cooking on the stovetop and finish it in the oven, it's a huge plus. Not only that, it can go from your oven to your table. Who wouldn't want to serve food in this beautiful piece? And the leftovers? just stick the whole thing in your fridge. No mess, no fuss, I love it!

Rules to enter the giveaway:

1. Answer the following question on the comment section of this post:

 What's your favorite Spring fruit? 

2. Follow Delicious Shots on Twitter 

3. "LIKE" Delicious Shots on Facebook

4. Follow Le Creuset on Twitter @LeCreuset

Want more chances to win?

Follow Delicious Shots on:

-Instagram

-Pinterest

-Subscribe to Delicious Shots 

email updates.

Open to US residents only. One lucky winner will be chosen randomly and announced on this post. I will email the winner who will have up to two days to claim the prize, otherwise, another winner will be selected.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS GIVEAWAY.  

Disclosure: This giveaway is being provided by Le Creuset, but all opinions are my own.

This contest closes on Thursday April 4, 2013 at 12 a.m. The winner will be announced on Thursday, April 4, 2013 at noon.

CONTEST CLOSED

Winner Announced!

Congratulations Audrey!   "I like pretty much all the fruits I've tried (except I'm not too crazy about grapefruit). Right now strawberries sound really good."

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Sage Tea

A little more than a week has passed after my surgery. I'm feeling so much better and with more energy. Also, I'm happy to tell you that the mysterious mass I had in my chest was nothing more than my thymus gland growing out of control. Now that the entire thymus has been removed, it shouldn't be a problem anymore.  I can not begin to tell you how relieved I am. I also want to thank everybody for all the messages and emails, I really appreciate them. 

This week I want to share with you a tea recipe that I drink ever since I can remember. I never knew how powerful this tea was until this week when I started to drink it as usual and suddenly I noticed that it was helping me with the pain. 

I did a quick research online and found out that spices (specially cloves) are natural pain killers. Sage also has a lot of health benefits and it's very soothing, I love to combine it with mint for a perfect cup of tea. 

Ingredients:

6 cups of water

20 fresh sage leaves

20 fresh mint leaves

8 cardamon pots

10 cloves 

1 large cinnamon stick

In a pot, add water and all the spices. Bring the water to a boil and let the whole thing boil for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the leaves, cover and let it steep for 5 minutes, more or less depending on how strong you like it. You can add honey if you like. 

Please note, this tea works great for me and has helped me. I'm not telling you to stop your medications, if you have questions, please ask your doctor.

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I had to get it out of my chest

"You are going to need surgery" said Dr. Cane. I sat there in silence, trying to process what I just heard. "Make sure you don't leave your scissors or any other equipment inside" I replayed. We started to laugh, I guess it was a nervous reaction. To make a long story short, a week earlier a CAT scan revealed a mass the size of an apricot in my chest. Because of the location, a needle biopsy was not an option "the only way to know with certainty what it is, is by taking it out" said Dr. Cane. Everything was happening so fast, within a week I had to organize my life before undergoing surgery. What? It seemed so surreal, like it wasn't happening to me. 

In one week I had to somehow get a second opinion (which I did and the other doctor agreed with Dr. Cane), had to finish off some projects, suspend others, my blog became part of Martha Stewart Circle of Blogs and got my new online shop up and running (a long time project finally ready, click HERE to check it out).

The surgery was this past Friday. After three hours of surgery, they were able to remove the whole thing. I was able to go home on Sunday. The recovery is very painful but everyday it gets better. I feel lucky to have plenty of help from family, friends and my lovely husband who hasn't left my side for a minute. I definitely feel better and I'm hoping to share a recipe with you by next week. Until then!

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Rustic Bread

It's time to post another bread recipe. I love this rustic style bread because it's sort of like a "multi purpose" loaf of bread. Perfect for sandwiches, tartines, soups, bruschetta, sweet or salty spreads, the list goes on. 

I know these type of breads can look intimidating but all it takes is practice and one good recipe that will stick around for years. Follow these steps and you will be baking bread like a pro right in the comfort of your own home. I assure you, once you nail down this recipe, you will love it. Besides, I'm sure you are not afraid of 4 ingredients, yup, that's all it takes to make this beautiful bread. 

Baking bread is about timing. Knowing when is the right time to fold, shape, and bake the dough is key for bread baking. Once you get to know your dough in all different stages, it will become much easier but the only way to get to that point is through practice. Don't give up, if it didn't come out quite right the first time, I'm sure the second time will be better.

Ingredients:

For the poolish preferment:

55g bread flour

55 room temperature water

small pinch (less than a gram) instant dry yeast

For the final dough:

819g bread flour

510g warm water

18 g salt

3g instant dry yeast

Make the preferment the day before, in a large bowl, combine the flour, water and yeast. Mix well to blend, cover and set aside to ferment for 12 hours at room temperature, ideally  at 70 F. When the preferment is ready, we can now start to make the bread. In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the hook attachment, combine the flour and the water, mix on low speed until well blended. Turn off the mixer and let the dough rest for 15 minutes. Add the salt, yeast and the poolish preferment and mix on low speed for 5 minutes, increase the speed to medium and mix for 8 minutes or until the dough comes together. It should still be a little sticky but manageable. lightly oil a big container and place the dough there to ferment. Cover with plastic film and let it rest for 1 hour.  After an hour, fold the dough (see note), cover again and let it rest for another hour.  

About 45 minutes before you are ready to bake, preheat the oven and place baking stones or tiles (see note) to preheat too. Lightly flour a work surface, turn the dough into the table and gently pat the dough to degas. Carefully shape the dough into a round, place the dough seem side up into a floured pan (I used a proofing basket) to rest for the last time. The basket is what gives the bread those beautiful round grooves. Cover it and let it rest for 45 minutes. When ready to bake, turn the dough seem side down and score it using a razor or a very sharp knife, Bake for 35 minutes or until the crust is a deep golden color. Depending on your oven, it might take up to 45 minutes. Let it cool completely on a wire rack.

Note: Folding the dough: It simply means to turn the dough onto itself. HERE is a good video to show you how. 

Note: I have a Sassafras brick oven I purchased HERE. I love it because you don't have to worry about steam which is what helps the bread to create a crust. You can also use baking tiles, if you do, when you are ready to preheating the oven, place a baking sheet with ice under the tiles inside the oven. That will help you create steam. 

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Chocolate Sorbet and a Giveaway

Even though we still have few months before we can start enjoying the warm temperatures of Summer, I decided to jump ahead and pull out my ice cream maker to make this ever so tempting chocolate sorbet. I just couldn't resist. 

If you know me, you know about my chocolate obsession. For me, when it comes to  picking a flavor, my choice is always the same, chocolate. I wanted to create a healthier chocolate sorbet recipe without sacrificing the flavor. Well, isn't that always the challenge? This one contains water, cocoa powder, sugar, vanilla extract, cardamom and a very good quality chocolate, Valrhona  to be precise. 

Despite not using milk or eggs in this recipe, this came out creamy.  Really creamy. Even after resting overnight in the freezer, this heavenly treat was not hard to scoop out. The deep chocolate flavor really comes through in each spoon you put in your mouth, leaving a trail of cardamom behind.

And to keep up with my Summer spirit, I'm giving away one sizzle platter and two sizzle pans from the grill king himself, Bobby Flay courtesy of Kohl's. No need to wait until the snow melts away when you can be grilling right over your stove top with his indoor grilling collection. 

Rules to enter the giveaway, 

1. answer the following question on the comment section of this blog:

    What's your favorite Summer vegetable? 

2. Follow Delicious Shots on Twitter or Facebook

3. Follow Kohl's on Twitter or Facebook

Pirizes (One pan or platter per winner):

2 Sizzle Pans with trivet 10.25" x 6.88" 

1 Sizzle Platter 16" x 9" 

Valid within the continental US

The three lucky winners will be randomly picked and announced next Thursday, March 7.

Good Luck!

_____________________________________________

CONTEST CLOSED.
Winners Announced!

Prices have been claimed. Congrats to the winners. 
_____________________________________________

Ingredients:

2 cups water

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cardamon 

6oz chocolate, chopped

In a large pot, mix together the water, cocoa powder, cardamon and sugar. Bring the mixture to
a boil whisking constantly until sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes. Be careful, once the mixture
starts to boil will rise. Take the pot of the heat and add the chocolate and vanilla, do not stir.
Let it sit for a minute then whisk well until the chocolate has melted. Let it cool completely
then refrigerate for 3 hours or until well chilled. Pour the chocolate into an ice cream maker
and follow manufacture's instructions. 

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Dosa, Matbucha and Chickpeas

Last week was an excited one. I started a food writing course coached by the super talented Marge Perry. I've been talking about taking a food writing course for a while and I'm happy that now I get to do it. A BIG thank you to my good friend Leetal, who gave me this very original gift and signed me up for these super cool classes.

I'm not planning to become the next Ruth Reichl (wouldn't that be cool?), I just want to better my writing and I want to be able to write what I want without thinking I'm not making sense. Does that make sense? 

As I suspected, food writing is more complex than just saying "these dosas are delicious" and these classes are opening my eyes to a whole new world of possibilities. The course is only four sessions long but I can already see that it will help me for a lifetime. 

Onto today's recipe. I struggled for a while to come up with a good dosa recipe. After testing, testing and testing some more, I finally have a recipe that I'm happy to share with you. These crisp and slightly sour dosas, can be filled with anything you want. I filled mine with chickpeas stew, matbucha (which is a Middle Eastern style cold tomatoes and peppers salad) and fried eggs. I can tell you right now, this was a perfect brunch, very filling and satisfying. 

Ingredients:

2 cups Indian rice, rinsed 

1 cup urad dal, rinsed

1/2 cup rice flour

1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tbsp salt

oil for cooking the dosa

Place the rice in a bowl and cover it with water and set aside.  Place the urad dal and fenugreek seeds in a different bowl, cover it with water and set aside. Let everything soak for 5 hours. Drain (reserve the water from both rice and urad dal). In a blender, puree the rice and the urad dal separately, adding water as needed. In a large bowl, mix well both batters and cumin. Loosely cover it and place the batter in a warm place (I kept my batter inside the oven). Let it ferment for 8 hours or overnight, the longer it ferments, the more sour it gets. When the batter is ready, add the salt and the rice flour, mix well. If your batter is too thick, just add more water (little by little) until you get a consistency similar to crepe batter. Heat a 10 inch nonstick skillet and using a ladle, pour batter (about 1/3 cup) onto the pan spreading the batter with the back of the ladle. Drizzle oil over the dosa and cook until its bottom turns golden brown. Serve hot. 

Matbucha

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 medium jalapeno, chopped

6  tomatoes, chopped 

2 clove garlic, minced

1 pinch of sugar 

1 tsp chili pepper flakes (or more depending 

on how spicy you like it)

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp paprika

In a medium saucepan, combine the tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, chili pepper flakes, and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat. Reduce heat to around medium low, and cook for 30 minutes or until most of the liquid has reduced. In the meantime, mix well the olive oil and paprika in a small bowl. Pour the olive oil mixture into the pan and stir well until everything is well combined. Let the matbucha cook for about 15 minutes more, stirring every 5 minutes. Taste and adjust reasoning if needed. You can also add more chili peppers if you like it more spicy. Allow the matbucha to cool completely and served at room temperature or chilled.

Chickpeas

1 can chickpeas

1/4 cup chopped onion

4 garlic cloves

2 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 tsp ground cumin

salt and pepper to taste

chopped parsley 

1/3 cup water

2 tbsp olive oil

In a pot, heat the olive oil and add the onions, cook for 2 minutes then add the garlic and cook for 3 minutes more. Add the tomato paste and cook stirring for 2 minutes then add the chickpeas, water, cumin, salt and pepper. Cover the pot and let it simmer for 10 minutes. With a potato masher, lightly crush the chickpeas, leaving some chickpeas whole.  Add the parsley and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve warm. 

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