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Fashion and Tea Day




Harvest-inspired treats at The Secret Garden Tea Co.

Sunday was packed of fun things: brunch at home with family, notably with a new recipe (sorta) of chai tea (will type that up tomorrow morning when I'm more awake). Than instead of lunch, afternoon tea at Secret Garden which ended, suprisingly, instead of at the movie theater wacthing Coco Avant Chanel going to Vancouver Fashion Week (a good friend has given us tickets), where I also got rid of a pack of The Purple Dress flyers (my very first time handing flyers for my perfumes, which is very strange).
Designer Tanya Min Jee Ellis with her collection in VFW international design competition (I voted for her but I couldn't find out the people's choice award results today yet)
I'm now exhausted and smelling strongly of Velvet Gardenia (a perfume I associate with fancy tea rooms ever since the first time I worn it at The Empress). Sweet dreams...

Tea Sandwiches

The following are my tried-and-true tea sandwiches recipes. These are the very same we served at the Blunda event and were gone in a blink of an eye - they are that good!
Thankfully, they are also relatively easy to make, as long as you have all the ingredients and are not in a terrible rush.

Carrot & Ginger Tea Sandwiches:
Mince 1 carrot or slice very thinly with a carrot peeler.
To ½ cup of softened cream cheese add 1 Tbs. finely grated fresh ginger root.
Spread both sides of thinly sliced bread with cream cheese mixture and cover with one thin layer of minced sliced carrots.
Cover with other slice, trim the crusts and cut into fingers.
- This amount of filling should be enough for about 3-4 large sandwiches which you cut into 3-4 fingers each depending on how wide the slices are (total of 6-8 slices of bread).

Minted Radish Tea Sandwiches:
Thinly slice radishes
To ½ cup of softened cream cheese add 1-2 Tbs. finely chopped mint.
Spread both sides of thinly sliced bread with cream cheese mixture and cover with one layer of sliced radishes.
Cover with other slice, trim the crusts and cut into triangles.
- This amount of filling should be enough for about 3-4 large sandwiches which you cut into 4 triangles each (total of 6-8 slices of bread).

Cucumber-Watercress Tea Sandwiches:
Peel and thinly slice cucumbers, salt them and let drain for at 30 minutes; pat dry with a towel and set aside.
To ½ cup of softener cream cheese add 2 Tbs. of finely minced watercress leaves.
Spread both slices of bread with the cream cheese mixture.
Cover with one layer of cucumber slices and other slice of bread, trim the crusts and cut into two-bite size triangles.
- This amount of filling should be enough for about 3-4 large sandwiches which you cut into 4 triangles each (total of 6-8 slices of bread).

We used whole wheat bread for this, but you can use white if you prefer. It must be a soft, moist bread otherwise the sandwiches are dry and hard to bite into. One loaf of bread can feed as many as 15 people given that there are other snacks to nibble on in your tea party!

More tea sandwiches can be found here:
Cucumber-Mint Tea Sandwiches
Tomato-Basil Tea Sandwiches
Avocado-Wasabi Tea Sandwiches (coming up soon)

Fruit Salad

Today was another exceptionally beautiful day in Vancouver, blessed with sunshine just like a proper Tu Bishvat day. The only thing that was missing was the fruit salad I've never made.

Fruit in the wintertime, even in Israel is not at its prime. Most of it, except for citrus fruit is refrigerated from the summer or fall. And if you live in the Northern hemisphere it is mostly imported and not at its freshest. So there is really no better way to enjoy fruit this season than in a fruit salad. Even if all you have is apples, oranges and bananas there are ways to make this simple combination incredibly delicious and festive.

What makes a Tu Bishvat fruit salad different from run-of-the-mill fruit salad is the presence of dried fruit and nuts. These add interesting texture as well as sweetness and variety of flavours.
In particular - chopped dried figs and dates and pecan nuts. If you have either of those you've got a fruit salad, no matter how plain the fruit is.

And if you want to dress up your salad even more, a few drops of orange flower water or rosewater will add grace and an enigmatic touch to any fruit salad.

Tu Bishvat Fruit Salad
(serves 2 fruit lovers or 4 not-so nuts about fruit guests)
1 Banana, peeled
2 Apples, cored
2 Oranges, with the outer skin peeled off (keep the white skin on)
10 almonds, chopped thinly
10 pecan halves, coarsely chopped
3 dried dates, sliced
4 dried figs, chopped into small cubes
1/2 tsp. Orange flower water
Lemon juice (just a few drops)

Cut the apples and bananas into small cubes and squeeze a few drops of lemon juice to avoid browning. Add chopped orange fruit and place in a bowl.
Add the dried fruit and nuts and mix well.
Add orange flower water (if desired) and toss together.
Refrigerate until serving, up to 5 hours.

Fruit salad such as this is so delicious and filling it can be a meal on its own, especially with the extra nutrients from the nuts and dried fruit. Of course, the exact amount of fruit can be adjusted to taste. And fruit can be added or omitted as desired. Fruit such as strawberry, pineapple, mango, pear or kiwi lends itself very well to this context as well as any dry fruit you like - raisins, craisins, dried apricots or peaches, prunes, etc. A sprinkle of shredded coconut can be a nice addition as well as sesame seeds or oatmeal flakes (which will turn it into a musli).

Ginger-Tangerine Icebox Cookies


Candied Ginger, originally uploaded by Live♥Laugh♥Love.

As promised - finally, my candied ginger cookie recipe, which I've invented this holiday season (blame it on the 2 weeks of snow and very low temperatures - the perfect time to perfect one's skills in the kitchen). These turned out so well that I didn’t have a chance to photograph them before they were gone! I will do my best to take a picture next time I bake them before my in-house cookie monster claims them.

In this recipe, I tried to recreate the pleasure I've encountered in Squamish last spring with this decadent take on ginger that almost tasted like mastic and ginger. Of course, a cookie cannot taste like an ice cream but I wanted it to be special and very not gingerbread-like. Something more light and bright.

For the dough you will need:

7oz unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1 egg

1/4lb. butter, softened at room temperature

1 Tbs. tangerine zest (preferably Murcott) - or orange zest if you can't find tangerines

1 Tbs freshly grated ginger

4 Tbs. chopped candied ginger

1/2 tsp. dry ginger powder

1 Tbs. fresh tangerine (or orange) juice

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

For the glazing you will need:

1/2 cup icing sugar

Lime juice from 1/2 lime

1 drop organic ginger CO2 extract

Instructions:

1. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt

2. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter with the sugar. Add the egg and keep beating until evenly smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients - spices, citrus zest, juice and vanilla extract

3. Add the candied ginger and stir well.

4. Add the flour gradually until fully blended and start kneading the dough with your hands. Add more flour if required. Dough should be soft but not too sticky.

5. Split the dough into two portions and roll them into two logs. Cover with a plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze for at least 2 hours.

6. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

7. Remove from freezer, and slice the logs into 1/4" thick cookies. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes.

8. While the cookies are baking, prepare the glazing (if desired) by mixing all the ingredients together with a small whisk or a fork.

9. Cool on the cooling rack for 2 minutes.

10. Using a pastry brush, apply the glazing to the cookies (optional).

Enjoy!

Fast End


Chilli Sweater, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

Here’s hoping those of you who fasted on Yom Kippur have had an easy fasting and that you are all going to be inscribed in the book of life and have a good year of health, peace and truth.

The fast of Yom Kippur in my family has two mythical endings: a hand-picked guava from the nearby tree (a tradition that started with my stepfather’s grandfather, whose eyes filled with tears of joy every time he was about to eat a fruit grown on the holy land), or rushing home from the synagogue to the infamous cilantro-centered Harira soup. In both instances, very aromatic ending to a bland day of fasting with neither food nor water. A bit extreme, especially considering that both guavas and cilantro are quite controversial aromas which usually garner polarized reactions.

With this little piece of family history, I’d like to share with you three cilantro-centered recipes; two of which I mostly owe to my stepfather, blessed be his soul, as one is his own very invention and the other was inherited from my Moroccan side of the family. Lastly, there is a recipe for the Yemanite hot-pepper condiment Zehug which I adopted from my friend Einat.

Asher’s Fresh Cilantro Salad
Cilantro salad has become the symbol of winter in our family. Made with only several vegetables that were abundant in our winter garden, it is full of vitamin-C and also quite delicious (if you like cilantro, that is). Otherwise, it’s just another way to polarize your family…

2 large bunches fresh cilantro leaves,
5-7 small radishes
4 green onions
1/2 red bell pepper
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. olive oil

- Wash the cilantro and dispose of any brown or old leaves.
- Thinly dice radishes and peppers
- Thinly slice the green onions
- Add lemon juice and olive oil
- Toss and serve as an appetizer, salad or a condiment alongside other dishes
- Especially good accompaniment to avocado sandwiches and various winter soups.

Harira for Yom Kippur According to the Dehan Family
Harira is the national soup of Morrocco and used both by Jews and Muslims to break the fast (of Yom Kippur and Ramadan, respectively). It is my guess that the Jewish Harira is very simple to prepare, because lighting fire and cooking is forbidden during that holy day. The legumes are soaked since the even of Yom Kippur, prepping them for a relatively short cooking time when everyone arrives from the synagogue. It is simply flavoured with cilantro an coriander (and cumin if desired), keeping it simple and comforting. If you are in a real hurry you could even skip the sautéed onion part and go straight to cooking the chickpeas and lentils. Please note that both spices are best when freshly ground, preferably in your mortar and pestle. The other alternative is using a coffee grinder.

1 cup chickpeas (garbanzo) beans
1-1/2 cups green lentils
2 Liters boiling water
1 medium onion, diced
1-3 Tbs. olive oil
1 head garlic, minced
2 large bunches cilantro leaves, washed and chopped
2 tsp. coriander seed, freshly ground
½ tsp. cumin, freshly ground
1 Tbs. Harissa (Morrocan hot pepper condiment) - optional
½ tsp. salt (or to taste)
1 Lemon

- Boil the water
- Rinse the lentils and garbanzo beans.
- Cover the garbanzo beans in water and boil.
- Skim off any foam that forms on the top.
- Cover the pot with the lid and wait while preparing the rest of the ingredients.
- Sautee the onion in olive oil until golden-brown.
- Add the garlic and Harissa and sautee for one more minute.
- Add the soaked and rinsed lentils and cover with boiling water.
- Cook until the lentil soften, than add the garbanzo beans.
- Wash, clean and chop the cilantro leaves
- Add spices to taste.
- Add the cilantro and continue cooking until the lentils and garbanzo beans have softened and the soup has reached a smooth but not too thick consistency.
- Serve with lemon juice.

Einat's Zehug
Zehug is a a Yemanite condiment that is used on breads, as a dip, and to flavour soups and stews. It is especially good with bread, either as a substitute for butter, and avocado in particular. I met my friend Einat in the West End Farmer’s Market a couple of weekends ago while she was stocking up on hot peppers, and the first thing that went through my mind was Zehug. I started collecting hot peppers too and than we both found ourselves having a conversation about Zehug.
The following is loosely the recipe she gave me which turned out simple and great. The key is to use the freshest most flavourful ingredients and grind your spices freshly using a mortar and pestle.

1/2 kg fresh hot peppers – any kind, the hotter the better
2 heads of fresh garlic
¼ cup olive oil (approximately)
2 large bunches of cilantro leaves, rinsed, cleaned and well-dried
2 Tbs. coriander seed, freshly ground
1 tsp. cumin seed, freshly ground
1 tsp. cardamom seed, freshly ground
1 tsp. clove buds, freshly ground
2 tsp. black peppercorns, freshly ground
¼ tsp. sea salt, or to taste

- Cut off the stems of the hot peppers and slice or chop them. Be sure to use gloves for your hands to avoid burning your skin and eyes throughout the day.
- Peel and mince the garlic
- Chop the cilantro leaves
- Using a food processor or a hand-blender, work the mixture of peppers, garlic and cilantro into a paste. Add a bit of olive oil to make the job a little easier.
- Alternatively, if you have sliced your peppers thinly enough, you will be able to make the Zehug using mortar and pestle (and trust me, the flavour and texture would be significantly better).
- Add the spices and adjust to taste.
- Place in a jar and cover with olive oil. Use within 1 week.

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