Eating in West Africa: Senegalese Style

A couple of years ago I went to Dakar, Senegal. I was fortunate enough to be able to learn about their food, how they cook some of their classic dishes, and the way they eat. The Senegalese people are very generous; if you are visiting someone at meal time, they will always share what they are having with you. Even walking past people on the street, you will often hear them exlaim, "Kaay leck!" which means "come and eat!" in the local language.

Under some expert supervision, I was able to help cook the Senegalese national dish, Thiéboudienne (pronounced Cheh Bu Jen). Thiéboudienne is a rice and vegetable dish, topped off with a delicately marinated grilled fish.



In Senegal, everyone gathers around a huge shallow-rimmed bowl to eat. The head of the house will break up the main item (in this case the fish), and place it in each person's section of the plate. Everyone eats out of this one plate, either with the right hand (never the left!) or with a spoon.



People typically eat quickly, with minimal conversation. They have a saying that translates roughly into "You only have one mouth, it cannot do two things at once." Conversation typically occurs both before and after the meal, often during an elaborate tea ceremony. This ceremony involves three cups of highly caffeinated tea, with each cup containing more sugar than the last. One Senegalese man prepares the tea by pouring it back and forth between two glasses to create a thick foam cover. This cover protects the tea from sand and dust. Each person drinks using one of these two glasses, refilling each time. Once everyone has had a taste, they begin brewing the next one!


I also went to a small ocean resort about an hour and a half south of Dakar. I was fortunate enough to observe the local village-men fishing. Their fishing method was simple; they take a boat out into the water, drop a net, and then pull it in from both sides.





They caught everything from sea snakes to a huge ray, as well as the average fish (of which I bought one and took it to the hotel for them to cook up for my dinner!).

Istanbul: The Spice Market, and Two Restaurant Recommendations

I had the opportunity to travel to Turkey this spring with one of my best friends, Lauren, and her mom. They really showed me a great time, and it's a trip I won't forget.


(mmm Turkish Delight!)

While we were in Istanbul, we stopped in the spice market. It's definitely worth visiting the spice market. There are all kinds of Turkish sweets, spices from Turkey and all over the world, and of course, Turkish specialties like baklava and pastrami. Please enjoy some of the photos I took a little farther down in this post.



Above the spice market is a famous restaurant named Pandeli. A couple of people had recommended it to me before my trip, so Lauren, her mom and I made sure to make Pandeli our lunch stop that day. Pandeli is most famous for it's sea bass en papillote (sea bass cooked in a parcel, photo below). That's what I had, and it was truly delicious.



I must mention one other restaurant I went to in Istanbul; Balikci Sabahattin. This restaurant is a seafood place, and every single thing we had there was excellent. Unfortunately I didn't take any photos, but it would be the first restaurant I would head to if I was back for another visit to Istanbul.

Please enjoy the photos of the market; it was a lot of fun to visit, and a great place to pick up some Turkish Delight to bring home to friends and family!

Turkish Delight and other tasty treats...



Lots of spices...



Peppercorns...



Turkish Saffron...



Baklava...



Something else that looked tasty but I don't know the name of...



Dried vegetables including dried aubergine (eggplant) which I had never seen before...



A huge wheel of goat's cheese...



Pastrami, which was more cured and more spicy (but less peppery) than the American version...



Finally, pomegranate tea... so pretty!

An Easy Accompaniment: Tomatoes Provencal

The prep for this dish is very quick; once it's assembled, just bake them for thirty minutes and they are ready! Personally, I'd serve this as a side item for steak or rack of lamb, or something equally robust.



Tomatoes Provencal
Makes twelve servings

Ingredients
6 on the vine tomatoes
1 cup of breadcrumbs
1/4 cup of finely chopped flat leaf parsley
1 clove of garlic
good extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper



Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a deep, oven safe baking dish with foil (helps with the cleanup at the end!).



Take out the top core of the tomatoes, cut them in half and place them in the baking dish.



Remove the stalks from the parsley. Finely chop the parsley and clove of garlic. Combine the parsley and garlic with the breadcrumbs, salt and pepper.



Spoon the mixture generously over the tomatoes.





Then, drizzle olive oil over the top.



Bake for approximately 30-40 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are golden brown on the top. The tomatoes can be served warm or cold.

Creamy Coconut Ice Cream

If you have an ice cream churner, try this recipe. Serve this ice cream with chocolate shavings or incorporate chocolate chips into the ice cream itself. Alternatively, serve it as an accompaniment to something tropical... I served it with a passion fruit mousse. The acidity of the passion fruit, and the sweetness of the ice cream, balanced each other out nicely.

Ingredients
Makes 6-8 servings

200ml coconut milk
50ml milk
300ml whipping cream
30ml Malibu
100g caster sugar


Method

Place the sugar in the coconut milk and milk over low heat until the sugar is fully dissolved; allow to cool. Combine all the ingredients. Place on ice cream machine. Once churned, place in air tight container in the freezer, allow to fully freeze, and then use as necessary.

Did you Know? The Difference Between Croissant Shapes

Some plain croissants are straight, and some are joined together at the ends in a sort of crescent moon shape. I never knew that this actually meant something. I thought the shape of the croissant was simply the preference of the person who had shaped them.

What I learned recently is that the shape of the croissant - straight across or crescent moon, reflects the ingredients inside... in France at least. In France, it is the law, that only a croissant made with pure butter can be straight. If a croissant is made with any other sort of fat, for example, margarine, it must be joined at the ends to form a crescent moon shape.

The next time you buy a croissant, you might be a little more inquisitive about what it's made of...

A Great Cookie To Make With Kids: Russian Teacakes aka Snowballs

I've been making this recipe with my mom since I can remember; it's kind of our Christmas tradition. I have many fond memories of making these cookies.

At any rate, the teacakes are not only one of the easiest things I've ever baked, but are also very kid friendly. There are many jobs kids can participate in while making these; measuring ingredients, rolling the dough into balls, and covering them in confectionery sugar when they come out of the oven. The best part is, however, is that there are no eggs in this recipe, so mom's don't have to worry about their kids taking a little nibble of the dough or licking their fingers.



Russian Teacakes
Makes approximately four dozen cookies

Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 confectionery sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour, sifted
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup finally chopped (walnuts) nuts (optional, to be stirred in last)
extra confectionery sugar for rolling





Sift the dry ingredients (flour, salt) together and set them aside.





Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla together.





Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and stir together.



Once the mixture starts coming together, use your hands and form a ball with the dough.



Refrigerate the dough until firm (usually 30 minutes to 1 hour). Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.



Form once inch balls with the dough by rolling them in the palm of your hand.



Place the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet quite close together (they don't really spread much).



Bake for approximately 10 minutes. I can tell they are cooked with they start to slightly crack at the top.






Cool for a few minutes, but while still warm, roll all the cookies in confectionery sugar. After rolling all the cookies once, roll them for a second time. Then allow them to cool completely before storing.

A Few Photos From Le Cordon Bleu London Pastry Class

If anyone is curious about what I've been doing at school, I'm including a few photos in this post. I don't have any cuisine photos; we have to serve the food hot and it's tasted immediately, thus destroying the beauty of the food on the plate. In pastry the recipes are so exact that they don't taste our food/art pieces, so there is plenty of opportunity snap away.

Up at the top is a croquembouche, which is a traditional french wedding cake.



My first attempt to make a pulled sugar rose. I ended up with a huge blister on my thumb from making the petals!



My first attempt at making a pulled sugar ribbon.



Me, and my ribbon hat....



And, my first attempt at pouring sugar. Poured sugar is my favorite of all the sugar work so far.



The fraisier cake, from the top. You can see, my piping needs a bit of work!



The fraisier cake from the side... yum!