The Caramel Diaries: The Encounter

The Encounter

It's 5:30 pm and Caramel is daunted by the task she has at hand. Worried that she will not be able meet her deadline and that her boss Mr. Dark Chocolate will not be pleased and will be bitter about it. She has to make sure that all the marketing material is printed and shipped to New York just in time for the Annual International Architecture and Design Awards.

"Two hours and I should atleast feel I have accomplished something" she silently nods and continues to shuffle paper, move things from one end of the desk to the other. The signs of stress and anguish begin to surface as her perfect organizational skills begin to crumble, causing a lot of frustration. She stopped for a while and suddenly gazed at her computer screen. She remained standing looking at the screen yet absent minded. All of a sudden her phone rings, snapping out of her mental break she quickly rambles to pick her phone.

"Oh hey Praline whats up?" she speaks un-excitedly "Well I haven't heard from you the whole day I wanted to check on you. Are you ok?" Caramel not wanting to bother her friend with all the details hesitantly replied "Well listen I'm gonna be out soon, why don't I meet up with you, say chocolate bar in 30?" "Sure".

Caramel still in a state of frustration and confusion, glares back at the screen, then suddenly decides to sit down and write an e-mail. Her fingers on the keyboard, striking a few letters, she pauses and deletes what she wrote. She begins to write again:

Dear Flan,

It is not easy what I am about to write, but after deep contemplation, I decided to write to you this. Never in my life, did I think I will be as happy as I was with you. You inspired me in every possible way to become better. I felt liberated in a world of chains. I saw my future, my past, and my present. I realized I was wrong. I guess, one someone feels its too good to be true, it probably isin't. You have left me alone when I needed your support, your love, your faith in me. I understand your social and business obligations, but that should not deter you from thinking of another obligation. I hate to tell you that I should be an obligation, but the reality is, just as you have other obligations because it has to do with your future, I have every right to ask for the same. Am I not your future? Please don't even bother to answer, because I have heard it so many times and nothing to prove it. I cannot continue to continuously worry about my future, because all you care about is yours, and that doesn't include me.

Flan, I have decided to move on, not just because of what I have mentioned, but because of something that I recently discovered. I cannot be with you nor anyone else, so don't think I have been influenced by someone or leaving you for someone else. It is a decision that I have made, so please respect it. I however will not forget the good times we had together. It was worth it.

Love,

Caramel

She quickly wraps up and leaves in a rush to catch up with her good friend. Caramel a bit late as always quickly enters, only to find her friend sitting with another person, which she can't make out who it was. As she draws near them, Praline looks up and smiles and the other person suddenly stood up and turned his head.

To be continued......

Ok, so why in the world would I be writing this? First, I got this idea from Sarah. Secondly, I wanted to divulge in sweets, and whats better than to start with caramel? I know some might argue for chocolate's but I never missed that here. Also I have promised Corazon something that is sugar loaded. Sponta was also disgusted by the previous post so I decided to giver her something different. Misscosmo's recent posts have also inspired me to do something in that style. Mama Fusla's recent post inspired partly by me had inspired me by her inspiration in me. Makes sense? Salty has also made me think of caramel so much these day's. So in a nutshell its a bloggers inspired post :) FYI Flan is a Spanish and Latin American word for Creme Caramel.

Caramel Apple Muffins

2 C. all-purpose flour

3/4 C. granulated sugar

1/4 C. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

2 1/2 t. cinnamon

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 C. milk

1 1/2 t. vanilla extract

1/2 C. apples, peeled and finely diced

3/4 C. diced caramel candy squares (about 12)

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease muffin tins or line with paper cups.In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.In another bowl, combine egg and milk. Stir in butter and vanilla extract. Add flour mixture and stir just to blend. Stir in apples and caramels. Divide batter evenly among prepared cups. Bake for 25 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly pressed. Serve warm.

Makes 12 muffins.

Grilled Cheese Heaven

There is absolutely nothing as hearty yet velvety as a good grilled cheese sandwich. I have always loved grilled cheese sandwiches with that smooth cheese oozing out and the crispy textured buttered bread, but I never got to do experimentation and alteration of the concept until recently. As a kid, my taste buds were pretty basic. I never really cared about the quality of the individual ingredients that goes into a certain dish. For me a grilled cheese sandwich was simple, supermarket sliced white bread, packaged sliced cheese, and butter, all smacked together and grilled on stove top or electric grill. Thats it! Now that my taste buds have developed and my understanding of the need for better ingredients has raised the bar too high that the plain'ol grilled cheese sandwich doesn't do magic anymore. I had to do something about it. I really missed that feeling I got from eating it, so I had to come up with a plan. Experimenting with different kinds of freshly baked bread, gourmet artisanal cheese, and luxurious butter gave me a base to work with. The idea of adding extra ingredients havent crossed my mind, so I began making modifications to the base idea. Adding anything from truffles to pine nuts to sundried tomatoes and fresh basil. Now I have the concept all stuck together, and all I have to do is create more and more and more, so here is a few :-

• Ciabatta with buffalo mozarella, sundried tomatoes, fresh basil, roasted pine nuts, cracked balck pepper, balsamic vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil.
• Indian Paratha filled with tangy mango chutney and emmental cheese.
• Buttered thick-cut Texas loaf with American cheddar, bacon, caramellized onions, and BBQ sauce.
• Rustic sourdough bread brushed with rosemary olive oil with sliced pears and blue cheese.
• Sliced Rye bread with grilled portobello mushrooms marinated with gralic, parsely and olive oil and thick slices of raclette cheese, all grilled to perfection.
• Flour tortilla with Asadero cheese, jalapenos and grilled onions grilled on cast iron pan.

Tagged Again!

Ok I got tagged again! By my dear Bloggerinas Misscosmokuwait and Blasha. I will be brief so I don’t bore anyone to death. :p

10 years ago: Graduated from High School.

5 years ago: Started an exciting career. Very good personal event happened.

1 year ago: Very bad personal thing happened. Very good business thing happened.Tomorrow: Only if I know, but what I would like it to be is to be in a nice Greek house in Mykonos.

5 snacks I enjoy: I don’t usually snack, but if I did I would enjoy Pringles, caramel popcorn, gourmet savory biscuits, marinated olives, artisanal cheese.

5 bands/artists that I know the lyrics to most of their songs: I love music, but I’m not a lyrics guy :p

5 things I'd do with $100,000,000: Create a huge business, enjoy life with part of it, and donate the rest of the annual proceeds to economic rehabilitation programs in poor countries.

5 locations I'd like to run away to: Buenos Aires, Mykonos, Sydney, Santa Fe, New York

5 bad habits I have: Impatient, get too excited about things, moody when hungry, lazy, procrastinate. Was I repetitive?

5 things I like doing: Cooking, socializing, traveling, listening to music, designing.

5 thing I will never wear: Nothing, just as long as it keeps me warm and covered, and not having to walk around naked like a stupid idiot.

5 TV shows I like: Seinfeld, X-Files, 60 minutes, 20/20, CSI.

5 movies I like: Godfather, Star Wars (all of them), Beautiful Mind, Hero, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.

5 people I'd like to meet: Prophet Mohammed, Ibn Rushd, Andy Warhol, Beethoven, Einstein.

5 biggest joys at the moment: Good career, good family, good cooking, good home, good car :p

5 favorite toys: I don’t think I have a favorite, because I keep losing them all, except my laptop.

And no I'm not gonna tag anyone here, unless you really want to :p

Street Cafe

Photo and graphics by Equalizer.

So I have traveled a lot, not to all the places that I would love to visit, but a good deal of them. I still don’t feel content. I feel there is a lot more that I want to see. I the world is small yet big. It is made small through the eyes of the media. If you want to see a place you can see it in the comfort of your home. Experiencing it is another issue. There are intangible things like culture, which no one can portray accurately. You have to be physically present to feel it, sense it, and experience it. Experiencing the food, for me is one of the most important things on my agenda. Food stalls have always enticed me to try the wonderful things on offer, but I rarely do, as are there legitimate health concerns from such places. The problem is that such food stalls serve very unique food items, only to be found there. All I can do is observe and try to emulate. Instead, for some of the dishes I will develop my own interpretation of the food.

• Indonesian Chicken & Beef satay - on Sambal fried rice (Nasi Goreng)
• Pad Thai Noodles - with shrimp, deep fried tofu, bean sprouts and crushed peanuts, garnished with cilantro.
• Fritas - Cuban street mini burgers topped with potato sticks.
  
• Pommes Frites - Fresh cut crispy twice-fried potatoes with crispy roasted onions and fresh mayonaise.
• Pizzetta- Italian mini pizza topped with sundried tomato pesto, olive tapenade, and shredded asiago cheese.
• Albondigas - Spanish meatballs cooked in a spicy tomato-red pepper sauce with saffron and slivered onions and served in a claypot.
• Moqueca - A Brazilian fish stew. A speciallty of the African , Indian, and Portuguese influenced region of Bahia made with garlic, parsely, corriander, peppers, coconut milk and palm oil.
• Shanghai Noodles - wok fried with black bean sauce, soy, ginger, garlic and green onions.
• Japanese Tsukemono - Assorted Japanese pickles served with fried rice.
  
• Morrocan Lamb Tagine - with prunes and served with a rustic Berber bread and a side of spicy harissa.
• South Indian Dosai - Crispy wafer thin crepes filled with masala infused fried potatoes and spicy coconut chutney.
• Chicago style Hot Dog - with chopped onion, relish, chopped tomato, mustard, and pickled peppers, with a side of fries.
• Egyptian Koshari - Rice with lentils topped with macaroni and fried onions and topped with a tangy tomato sauce.
  
• Apple Tarte Tatin - A French caramelized apple upside-down tart.
• Lebanese Kanafa - Baked fine semolina with kashkaval cheese and topped with sweet syrup.
• Bahraini Halwa - A jelly-like sweet made with sugar, saffron, cardamon, and a whole lot of exotic ingredients, best served warm. (The Omani version is darker and spicier)
  

Woman On Top

Ok, the movie wasn't that great, its just another chick flick. The most interesting part in it is the music and the cooking, whatever that tasted like. Seriously, didn't that movie make you want to cook? Even if you didn't know how to cook ? Well I know it made me cook like crazy. I was on a Brazilian cooking spree. I dont remember though what I had cooked, but it felt Brazilian to me. I have to be honest, I still dont know the Brazilian cooking well, so I will start with Braizilian Cuisine 101. Before we do, we have to understand what this is all about, from the movie's point of view. Well I really dont give a COW about the story line, its about cooking with passion strong enough that people feel your passion in your food. The only other movie, chick flick to be exact, was Simply Irresistable, but there was no music there, atleast worth mentioning. So ok, what are we doing here? I'll try to present a few Brazilian dishes that might give you bursts of passionate flavor bites, well that might neccessitate me cooking it LOL.

Ok what I'll do is a tamed version of the classic Brazilian Feijoada. You dont want to know what goes in the original version, and I dont think you might try it over there :p I can't even tell you the history of it, because that will put you off. So here it is...

Feijoada (Fay-Sh-Wa-Da)

300gms. of varied fresh beef sausages (prefer smoked sausages)

300gms of beef tenderloin

some slices of beef bacon

1 can of black beans

2 tbs vegetable oil

salt, garlic, chopped onions and bay leaves (bay leaves give a special taste to feijoada)

Ok so much for a simple classic dish, I would want to put my own imagination of what Brazilian food is really like. The most famous restaurant's in Brazil are the churascerias, which are basically Brazilian style grill houses, serving many cuts of meat of large skewers along with an open buffet. The system is basically eat all you can. On every table there would be a peice of wood with one side painted green and the other painted red, on green you would have the waiters coming to you with different cuts on the skewers and drop a peice or two in your plate, once you're full you flip it red. Very simple. So I'm gonna do my own churasceria menu.

Salad: Palm heart salad with black beans, red chilli, fresh young coconut meat, with cilantro and a tangy mango-lime dressing.

Main: 300 gms of Wagyu beed tenderloin grilled to perfection topped with a sweet and sour Brazilian style red curry sauce and a side of plantain chips dusted with cumin and chilli.

Dessert: Coconut mohalabia with sago and mango bits.

Recommended song on the movie soundtrack : Cinzas

Feel the passion!

Poetic Cookery: Lady in Red

I am starting a new series of posts called Poetic Cookery. Everytime I would pick a poem or song lyric, I will formulate a meal plan for it. Since all meals come out as I read the poem or listen to the song, coming up with the exact recipe needs to follow later, especially if there is a strong popular demand for it.

The Urban Legend: Lady in Red
The legend as I have heard goes like this. A successful man in his forties get dressed for a black tie evening gala, he kisses his wife and leaves home. He reaches the place and starts having conversations with his friends and colleagues and other invited guests. As he was in the middle of the conversation he glimpses a lady in a red dress on the other side of the hall, ignored her and continued to mingle around. Subconsciously he kept looking for her while having his conversation and looking over people's shoulders. He knows deep down that there is something about this lady that he cannot explain. So beautiful and so vibrant, yet he cannot see her from near. He is resisting the temptation, for he is a married man. Yet he cannot keep his thinking straight. He needs to know why is he so mesmerized by her. He decides that there is no harm to get closer and see who she is. He spots her from far, with her back towards him and her long shiny supple hair. He gets closer and closer and stops when it is a good distance for him to have a better look. He kept staring at her waiting for her to turn around. She turns around and his eye pupils goes wide and his jaw drops. The most beautiful lady he has ever seen in his life. He goes to her and kisses her! He has never felt a rush this way. The lady in red is.......his wife.

The moral of the story: When you don't see beauty no more, have a step back and you will realize that you had it all along.

Lyrics from the song Lady in Red by Chris DeBurgh

I've never seen you looking so lovely as you did tonight
I've never seen you shine so bright
I've never seen so many men ask you if you wanted to dance
They're looking for a little romance, given half a chance
I have never seen that dress you're wearing
Or the highlights in your head that catch your eyes I have been blind
The lady in red is dancing with me cheek to cheek
There's nobody here, it's just you and me, It's where I wanna be
But I hardly know this beauty by my side
I'll never for get, the way you look tonight
I've never seen you looking so gorgeous as you did tonight
I've never seen you shine so bright you were amazing
I've never seen so many people want to be there by your side
And when you turned to me and smiled, It took my breath away
I have never had such a feeling
Such a feeling of complete and utter love, as I do tonight
The way you look tonight
I never will forget, the way you look tonight
The lady in red
The lady in red
The lady in red
My lady in red (I love you.)

Meal Plan:

Starter: Mixed green leaf salad with baked chevre on sundried tomato bread, roasted pine nuts, and drizzled with balsamic-sundried tomato dressing and extra virgin olive oil.

Entree': Pan-fried veal liver filet (or veal filet if you preffer) with fresh figs glazed with balsamic vinegar, thyme and sprinkles of lavender and cracked black pepper. Served with mashed sweet potaoes mixed with oven roasted garlic and rosemary oil and a side of sauteed girolles mushrooms.

Dessert: Mixed fresh red berries in espresso cup topped with melted warm milk chocolate and a fresh rose petal on top.

Bon Appetit :)

Shang HIGH

The Bund: Old colonial architecture from the 1930's on the river (photo by Equalizer)

A view of early morning in Shanghai from my 73rd floor room of the Grand Hyatt in Pudong (photo by equalizer)

Shanghai is probably the most dynamic and fastest growing city in the world with buildings being demolished and built everyday. It is the showcase of Chinese economic might. The commercial capital of China has undergone dramatic changes since the 1990's. Today it is a world class city with cutting edge high rises, gourmet restaurants, bars and cafe's, museums, art galleries and everything above and beyond. The city's old historic French concession of Xintiandi has been restored by American architectural firm Warren Zapata to create an environment that is suitable for 21st century living. The area is now filled with restaurants tucked away in alley ways, bars and cafes on main walking streets and boutique shops. Nanjing road on the other hand has also been transformed into a major bustling commercial and shopping district stretching for kilometers, with almost 80% being a wide pedestrain only street, lined with manicured trees and ornate street lamps. At first one would expect run down cheap stores selling "Chinese" products, only to be shocked at the quality and brand names of the products on offer. The Chinese have been absent from the principles of capitalism, which neccessitate the need for marketing and brand building. In a sense, a country is a brand recognizable by different aspects whether it be cultural, historical, topographic, by the products sold, and so forth. "Made in Taiwan" has always been identified with bad quality to the extent people use it to describe anything that is bad quality. Today, Taiwan is considered the best manufacturer of laptop computers, but does anyone know that? China had also its fair share of similar negative branding. Many people still dont know how China has drastically changed, and it is up to the governement to boost China's image through different media channels and through world expos etc.Shanghai is a dynamic city filled with surprises, the pace of change is so fast that keeping up with the image is very hard.

These are my recommended restaurants in Shanghai :-

• T8 - Modern European and oriental cuisine is a beautiful modern chinese decor setting tucked in an alley way in the hip Xintiandi district. Try the lamb shank pie with peanut sauce. www.ghm.com
  
• Ye-Shanghai - A recreated 1930's style Chinese restauarant in Xintiandi. Try the Shanghai dim sum. www.elite-concepts.com
  
• Bund 18 - A collection of fine dining restaurants in an old building on the Bund featuring an Armani flagship store. www.bund18.com
  

Rich foods of Indonesia

Classic Indonesian Nasi Goreng.

This is one of my favourite cuisines. Although Indonesian cuisine has its own merits, it is usually combined with Malaysian and Thai under one umbrella. In a way they do share similarities in cooking methods and common ingredients. The wok remains the main cooking medium and preffered method. Other common ingredients include coconut milk, although not used in deep northern territories of Thailand, lemongrass, keffir lime leaves, chili, garlic, ginger or galangal. For the untrained toungue, it might all taste from the same place.

Kerala: The land of coconuts

Home-made Keralan food near Ft. Cochin. Specialties of Syrian Christian Keralites. Tea plantation near Thekkadi. (photos by Equalizer)

Kerala, literally means the land of coconuts in the south of India. I didn't know what to expect I was invited there for a Syrian Christian wedding in Ft. Cochin. The Syrian Christians of India are beleived to be one of the earliest Christians in India, way before the Portuguese set foot on the western shores of Goa in the 1400's. Kerala is supposed to be the spice backbone of India, trading in everything from cardamon to cinnamon to nutmeg. The abundant presence of fresh fruits and coconuts means that it heavily influences the cuisine. Foods like fish curry cooked with red chili, coconut milk and Kokum (souring agent) which is a Syrian Christian specialty is common dishes.

I was wondering, do we really think that we know what Indian food is about? Its so stupid to think so. It like someone comes up to you and says...."Hey I have tried Arabic food!" Mmmmm what is that supposed to mean? That is a very broad statement because Arabic food is anything from shawarma to tashreeba to kabsa to couscous. It is the same with Indian food, it is different from region to region. Apparently what we know is mostly North Indian cuisine. So if you love to experience something new head to Kerala for true and authentic south Indian cuisine. Try the idli which is an indian fine flour vermicilli like noodles served with vegetable curry for breakfast, or the famous fiery fish curry with coconut milk. The muslims of Kerala have a dish called "Alissa" which is basically cooked wheat and meat, similar to porridge in consistency and served in Ramadan. Sounds familiar? :p

The Charm of Morrocan Cuisine

Tagine served next to a mountain river near Marrakech. (photo by Equalizer)

Well its been several months since my last trip to Morroco. Everything appeals to the senses. The aroma of the food coming from the endless stalls and restaurants dotting every street and public square to historic mud walls and buildings to the exotic antique shopping. Let alone the amazing range of glamourous boutique hotels or riads as they call them. I would love to write a travelogue, but then we are here to talk about food and restaurants. I will however write about the place of the cuisine every now and then. I have always been wondering, why is north African cuisine not widely accepted in Kuwait and the Gulf? I never got to a concrete answer except that its because we dont have a big population of north Africans in the Gulf.

Shawarma Anyone ?

Although I have been having many favourite shawarmas around town, unfortunaletly I havent found THE ultimate shawarma, and I am sick and tired of trying em out only to discover there is nothing special about it. Anyone knows where I can find the ultimate shawarma?