Five Gourmet Days! Not any gourmet but Lafayette Gourmet!

I have had lots of people ask me where Lafayette Gourmet is?

If you go to Dubai Mall, Make sure you pass by Lafayette Gourmet,  Galeries Lafayette 2nd Floor.

The food festival at Lafayette Gourmet was amazing! Close your eyes and imagine yourself at a French Province “Gourmet” Farmer’s Market minus the greenery!

Although my cousin and I were two hours early, we still enjoyed watching their Lootah Premium Foods crew set up! They had more time to show us around and give us the stories behind their products.

Before the food festival started, Lootah Premium Foods sent me a hamper full of goodies to tease me and keep me on edge!
Last Wednesday when the festival started, I was like a little child in a candy store.

You can’t imagine the range of fruits and vegetables which Lootah Premium Foods carry! They’re beyond awesome!
Golden beets, pineapple heirloom tomatoes, rhubarb, smoked garlic. lots of edible flowers and many more interesting and oh-so-delicious produce.
What I liked about their philosophy is that they choose from the finest suppliers in Europe.

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine

This sums it up! I don’t want to stay on page 1 or even chapter 1!
It has been a long while since we hopped on a plane and took off!

Sometimes the stresses in ones life just brings you to a situation where you wish you could pack your bags and just go… ok… pack your bag, your husbands bag and your children’s bags and then go!
Where to?! Wherever really! well, maybe Paris, London, Spain, Portugal, Seychelles, Mauritius, Turkey, Japan, Hong Kong… I’ll stop here…. or else I would be in trouble!

I even have a list in my head of the people I would love to travel with! (insert rofl emoji here)

Spring in the UAE is maybe a week long!

It’s the transition between what we call winter (others may call spring) and summer.

This week is when everything around you seems just right… well other than the palm trees starting to pollenate and everyone’s allergies increases!
The weather is beautiful and it’s the perfect time for weddings, outdoor events and definitely gardening!

We’re working on the (minor) landscaping of our new house right now because March is the month to plant everything. That’s putting a smile on my face. Seeing it all come together after lots of hard work.

Because everything seems happy outdoors, I wanted to make some “happy” mini madeleines. But of course, I had to spice them up a little!
Why madeleines? Well because they’re just too cute to resist… yes i said the C word!
So imagine madeleines which are mini! Isn’t that even more tempting?!

I was on one of my usual trips to Tavola (kitchen and tableware destination around the Middle East) and these mini madeleine silicone moulds just couldn’t have me leave without it! So I got one for myself and one for a lucky reader!
That’s not it… there’s also a silicone and ceramic springform loaf pan!
Both giveaways are from the brand LéKUé. I have used different items from this brand and they met my expectations! (I’m not easily pleased)

What do you have to do to win this?
Share your love by choosing one of the following, but I’d love if you’ve done all!
The contest is eligible for readers locally and internationally

1- Comment on this blog post
2- Tweet about this giveaway using the hashtag #salutmadeleine
3- Retweet my tweet about this post
4- Like the photo about this post on instagram

Don’t forget the Madeleines!
Being bite-sized, I was about to pop them all in my mouth but then I remembered that I made these to take to my grandmother’s house for our Friday gathering.

The chocolate works wonders along with the spices and the fluffiness of the madeleine itself takes you somewhere else! Yet again, perfect for Spring!
I’m going on an on about the weather and I probably won’t stop until I step outside and get slapped by the heat very soon.

I first thought I was too happy the weather is pleasant, because I’m trying to hide all the stress i’m feeling. Could that be it or could I just be emitting some positive energy to everyone around me?
I do hope it’s the second one.

Spiced Mini Madeleines

INGREDIENTS
1 Cup Flour
1 TSP Baking Powder
1 1/2 TSP Mixed Spice (Recipe Below, or you can use store bought)
7 TSP Butter
2 Eggs
2/3 Cup Sugar
1 TSP Vanilla Essence
Icing Sugar (Optional)

METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180C and butter a 24 mini madeleine mould. (You’ll work in batches)
Sift the flour, baking powder and mixed spice into a bowl. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and allow to cool.

Beat the eggs and sugar in a large bowl until pale and very thick. Add the flour mixture, butter and vanilla until combined.

Fill each shell 2/3 through and bake for around 10-12 minutes until golden. Remove from mould as soon they come out of the oven.

Dip the madeleines in halfway in the chocolate ganache and then sprinkle with icing sugar and some more mixed spice.

For the Chocolate Ganache:
1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
1/3 Cup Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

In a saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a boil and then immediately pour over chocolate. Let stand for 5 minutes and then mix until smooth and thick.

For the Mixed Spice:
1 TBS Mixed Spice
1 TBS Ground Cinnamon
1 TBS Ground Nutmeg
2 TSP Ground Mace
1 TSP Ground Cloves
1 TSP Ground Coriander
1 TSP Ground Ginger

Mix all the spices together and store in an airtight container.

Ever since I set foot in the kitchen I have been on a quest to learn more about different cuisines and how cultures, tradition and sometimes religion impact on people’s life.

This made me want to learn more about baking food from around the globe and every now and then “Emiratize” it!

Living in a fast developing country, which embraces diverse nationalities and cultures puts us in contact (either directly or indirectly) with a huge number of various cuisines, ingredients and of course experience.

All you have to do is look around you and you’ll get a new idea, a new ingredient, a way of cooking you’ve never heard of or even similarities in dishes from some countries with your own.

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When there’s a will, there’s a way they say…

I have a quite a few friends who have some sort of diet, whether they were gluten free, vegetarians, vegans or some with even worse restrictions!
And recently my mother has come to know that she’s allergic to gluten, oats, dairy, egg and lots of other things too!

I have been wanting to try making recipes which were gluten free for my friends but never had the courage…
I always had a feeling that it just wouldn’t taste the same!
Only when we received my mother’s test results did I build the courage.

I have said this more than once: “It’s been nearly a month”…

I admit that I lack self-discipline… and that I sometimes drift away especially when things get a little to stressful or busy!

This is how I have been for nearly a month and a half… running around like a headless chicken!
If you see me, you would actually give me a little sticker that says: Super Tired Mom! Or maybe just a pat on my shoulder.

I’m sure many of you are in the same situation and I salute you all for the hard work!

Sometimes even when I have some free time (which is rare)… I don’t pick up my laptop to write a new post… but I go and bake something for the family to enjoy!

Yes… I do need chill pills… If you have some… please do share!

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Many of you might know how diverse the UAE is. It embraces so many nationalities and they melt together until well combined!

If you’re an Emarati you’ll notice a few things… That many expatriate don’t know much about the culture other than their visit to the museum, Mohammed Bin Rashid’s Cultural Understanding Center, the Heritage Village and maybe just maybe from colleagues at work.
A lot of the information they get from these places might not give the full picture.

The Emirati culture isn’t one of the hardest to absorb once you get to know more about it.

There are some expatriates living in the UAE who tend to only mingle with other expatriates. Don’t ask me why! I know we don’t bite!
It’s like a whole other Dubai which we don’t know about!

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I usually am the kind who plans ahead. Not so far ahead but I like to have a somewhat clear vision of where I’m going.

This changes when you have a husband who’s work is unpredictable, two children, a house being built and not going as per scheduled and of course you juggling all that along with the days you want to relax in the kitchen… oh and of course planning all the cookie orders.

Speaking of which, I wanted to take some time off from taking cookie orders. That isn’t working successfully!
A lot of people keep emailing, bbming or sending text asking to order and sometimes, just sometimes… I feel bad for saying no!
This time I was taking off was because I wanted to spend more time with my family and also to work on new recipe ideas I had in mind. Still getting there…I hope.

Back to the unpredictable days…

I believe there should be some kind of balance… between the present and the future… sometimes we plan for the future and forget to live our present… enjoy it a little… one day it will be very late…

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Sometimes you feel that you get sucked into a tornado of things to do and then suddenly you realize that you have missed something specific… it might not be a big thing… maybe something as simple as making bread!

I have been missing making bread… the patience it brings and the satisfying feeling it brings when you see the outcome!

The kitchen has been invaded by me for the passed week or so… baking cookies and delivering La Mère Culinaire Cravings’ orders…

While I was baking orders, I felt the need of doing something more intense…. like baking bread of course!

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I dedicate this post to my sisters, my cousins, friends who shared our summers in France and everyone who loves France!

Ever since we were so young, our summer destination was always France. Most probably because my aunt has an apartment in Saint Genis Pouilly (a village close to Geneve).

Riding our bicycles in the neighborhood.
Daily trips to the boulangerie to buy bread and a few sweets for the day.
Peeking out the window and spraying people who pass with water.
Freaking out from our neighbor The Photographer.
enjoying fresh produce on the Sunday Market, meeting new friends and just being carefree!
Eating Carambars, Smurf Gummies and chewing Hollywood gum.

These summers still hold a special place in my heart!

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