Soap gifts

Any mom or just anyone for that matter would welcome a soap basket especially if it is custom made.

Soap: It cleanses the body and invigorates the soul!

A chocolate bar that has the fragrance of chocolate and cocoa.

Please beware! not for consumption!

Nazarina A

Cheesecake: Mcvites digestive wheat cookie crust and mostly mascarpone.

Check out detailed recipe of some of my cheesecakes here!

I always make a strawberry and raspberry coolie on the side with this cheesecake!







Chocolate pumpkin cheesecake with ginger bro cookies!



Banana toffie(caramel0 with hazelnuts cheesecake

Let me level with you, I used digestive wheat cookies instead of graham crackers and I used more mascarpone than cream cheese. The sour cream topping on both the strawberry and the gingerbread crust chocolate pumpkin cheesecake was a surprisingly welcome element that cut through all the rich cream cheese. My cheesecakes are definitely not too "cheesy", more like a rich velvety texture and a very vanilla taste. I added spices like ginger, elachi, cinnamon and nutmeg to the gingerbread cheesecake and lots of roasted almonds, hazelnuts and macadamia nuts to the crust and the roasted hazel nuts to the caramel banana cheesecake. This is a highly desirous dessert and if anything will be the only thing remembered long after this occasion no matter how insignificant!

There is of course a GLUTEN-FREE version as well. These are the two small cheese cakes in the "gingerbread" picture of which I made a " coconut macaroon" type of crust.

E-mail me for the recipes!

Soap for a particular profession.

These are soaps I made for a nurse and a ballerina. People love these in their bathrooms. They put them in apothecary jars with natural sea sponges.

Ice cream sandwitches

"mint chip"

"Mexican wedding cookie with pecans in the dough"

Here's to all those ice cream moments! Our favorites "mint chip ice cream and dulce de letche ice cream sandwitches.

Recipes adapted from "Ice cream treats." I truly enjoy baking from this book!

Gluten free profiterols

This adaptation from the "Gluten-free" taste just like a profiterol made from wheat flour. The secret is to make the filling really tasty.

Recipe:

1 c water, 1/2 c unsalted butter, 1/3 c potato starch flour, 2/3 c rice flour,1/2 t kosher salt, 1 T sugar, 4 eggs

Method:

Preheat oven to 425, line a cookie sheet with silpat, combine water and butter in a saucepan and bring to rapid boil. Mix the flours, salt, sugar and add to the butter mixture and stir until it forms a ball. Remove from heat and cool. Add eggs one at a time and beat with mixer until all eggs are incorporated. Cool. Fill pastry bag with the mixture and pipe desired sizes. Makes about 10-12. Bake 20 mins at 425 and then reduce temp to 350 and bake for 20 mins more. Remove from oven, prick with a knife in order for steam to escape

For my filling follow the instructions on a box of Oetker french vanilla. Whip up some fresh cream that has about 5 segments of melted white Lindt choc and fold the Oetker into the cream. Melt dark choc mixed with some cream for the top.

Matrimonial cookies: Rich shortbread

Adapted recipe from, " The artful cookie."

How sweet it is! I travelled to the USA from a far off land, South Africa, and met my husband here who was born in Poland, the one that puts the sparkle in my eye, the one that laughs at all my idiosyncrasies and encourages all my dishes!

Nazarina.

Masala salmon with a sweet potato croquette

A recollection of my Grandparents and my Mom teaching us not to be afraid of all the warm spices. I think I would make them proud!

My special garam masala mix, turmeric, fish masala, pounded garlic and ginger, green chilies( seeds removed), chopped cilantro, fresh lemon juice are all made into a paste and smeared on the fish, dipped into panko and seared to obtain that yummy crust.Sweet potatoes are roasted in the oven, the flesh mashed with ginger, garlic, beaten egg and my special spice mix, dipped in panko and also seared on both sides.Don't be bashful, go ahead and enjoy!

Nazarina.

Asian pear salad

Adulation can be pretty tempting for a thing of beauty. Thank God for all these wonderful fruits and vegetables. This salad has Asian pears, radish, spring lettuce mix and kiwi and served with a Mrs Balls bladjang dressing. I cut out the Asian pears with cookie cutters and used my garnishing skills to make the radish flowers.







The Bladjang:

Make the package of salad dressing according to the directions on the package and then add 3 T of bladjang and 2 T raspberry puree.

My mother was a dressmaker and made this dress and anything she made be it fashion or cuisine, she would always present it in the most beautiful settings. I think this same kind of finesse is represented in this salad!

Nazarina A

Malaysian beef satay with a spicy peanut sauce.

I am absolutely nuts......................nuts about peanuts.

For the peanut sauce: small onion chopped, garlic, 3 T tamari, 2T peanut oil, ginger root, red chillies, sugar, juice of a half of a lime, one cup H2O, and one cup roasred unsalted peanuts and blend all these together. I like it a bit crunchy. Bring this mixture to a boil, then simmer on low for 40 mins and just add water and stir if it thickens.

Marinate the beef skewers in a mixture of chopped onion, garlic. tamari, peanut oil, lemon zest, turmeric, fennel. coriander, cracked black, cumin and Mrs balls bladjang.

E-mail me if you are stuck!

You can serve this with the Asian pear salad and some sauteed baby bok choi

Nazarina.

A facelift.....even Joan Rivers would be proud of: Black bean shrimp

Ostentatiously Oriental!

Black bean sauce and Mrs Balls bladjang shrimp with a sambal oelek, red bell pepper chutney on the side.

This is ostentatiously oriental! I have deviated a little from the norm. The ingredients are shallots, sesame oil, roasted red bell pepper seeds and my special spice mix, tangerine juice, chopped red bells, cilantro, Mrs Balls bladjang and then of course your usual suspects like fermented black bean sauce, tamari etc... First sautee the baby bok choi ( 5 mins) then the shrimp in the sauce ( fond) that is the little bits in the bottom of the wok.

You know the ramifications of messing with a good thing! Yeah! I know some really crazy good results. Changing the norm was a good thing!

Nazarina.

Virgin drinks

Click here for more Virgin drinks!












Okay so there is no alcohol in these, but it still spells P A R T Y!

The two tone smoothie on the red tray is a strawberry coconut milk mixture and the other side, a mango coconut mixture. Blend 1 cup of mango pulp with a half cup of coconut cream and a half cup of pineapple juice. Do the same with 1 cup of fresh strawberries but strain this mixture to get rid of seeds and then follow the same procedure as for the mango part of the drink. For the orange drink , mix 1 cup of frozen lillikoi that has been defrosted , half a cup of Australian ginger beer and half cup of seltzer. The red drink is 1 cup of Pom( pomegranate juice and quarter to a half cup of seltzer. Click on my older link below for the Alpine smoothie.

http://giddygastronome.blogspot.com/2008/03/brunch-delectables.html

click here for more virgin drinks!

and here for cool garnishes for fruity virgin iced teas!


Nazarina A

Couscous salad to slim my f.. a..... down

Please take my "title" of this post with a grain of salt!

No need to spend your whole life at a fat farm to lose weight , just revamp your dishes and exercise regularly.

By incorporating bright colors in my dishware and more importantly in my food encourages one to eat healthy.
The couscous has sauteed carrots, peas, lots of garlic, shallots, turmeric, grape tomatoes, black mustard seeds etc.....Served with a strawberry and raspberry Mrs balls bladjang dressing and also a tangerine dressing.

Might I add it was delicious!

More sponge cupcakes

Recipe:


Beat together 3 extra large eggs with a little more than a half cup superfine sugar until thick and fluffy. Add 2 tsp good vanilla (like from Santo Domingo). Sift together 1 cup cake flour, 3 tsp baking powder (like Royal) and a pinch salt. Fold in the dry into the egg mixture by hand. Bring to a boil 3tbsp unsalted butter, 3tbsp water and 3tbsp milk and then add this boiled mixture to the flour mixture and stir vigorously to blend.


Chocolate variation: substitute quarter cup cocoa for quarter cup flour. Makes about 6 large and 10 minis. Bake at 350 for about 25 mins or until toothpick comes out clean.
My three flavors: marshmallow, dark chocolate dipped, chocolate mousse and granadilla curd and coconut cream.


OR:

Go to Martha Stewart's website and follow her recipe for the "hi hat cupcake'

Latino conneccion: Black bean soup with Malaysian kachoomer and pepper jack cheese

The darker, the little seed coat( compared to the red and white bean), supposedly the higher its antioxidant ability. It also has a lower sugar content compared to the other beans therefore a good food source for diabetics that want to monitor sugar intake closely.

I love it because of the whole "Latino conneccion" This little "black number" has party written all over it. It jives with fresh salsas, meat, soups, stews and the list goes on and on. "No need to take beano with me just add a little fennel and I am practically "gas-free." Spice me up and I am the epitome of a steamy South Floridian good time or a Mexican festival!

The salsa is a Malaysian kachoomer whereby the chopped onions is first soaked in boiling water. The tortillas are made from corn so this is also gluten free.

For the black bean soup finely chopped onoins, tomatoes, garlic, fresh oregano, basil, special spice blend, cumin and no salt black beans in the can, sautee until carmelized and then add "no salt black beans in the can. Add a little water if too thick.

Nazarina

Another sponge cake with Bird's custard and cream

This is just two 7' inch round sponge cakes and the middle is all custard. I did the assembling in a small springform pan.No amount of custard is too much for me.

Nazarina.

All my giddy kitties

Oscar fell conveniently into his bed and cannot get up!!! Goof ball!









Simba and Oscar starring in synchronized sleeping!

Nothing like the OK Karaal look in the city!

Simba




No water.....no problem! Smokes




Buffy, miss " perty"

Ribbon

I made these soaps for a cancer fundraiser. I make them for an awareness event every year.

They have a very "distinct" rose aroma and they are very feminine. This soap has goats milk, shea butter and olive oil soap.