The dark sea

Were do I start. We raise chickens for our table and all I can say is they are delicious and like nothing I have ever eaten. There is no need to brine them because they are succulent, juicy and have a flavor profile all their own. Different breeds have different flavors and what we raise is different from commercial breeds. When we started raising meat birds we let them free-range until butchering day. The result was tough as nails and only meant for the pressure cooker. So, being OCD, I got online and started researching how they raise the famous French Bresse chicken. The end results are unbelievable. I like big birds but for this I like them smaller. Years ago I learned from the Dean and Deluca cookbook their recipe for Bistro chicken. They rub them with goose fat and roast them slow and low. I like the goose fat but for smaller birds I like a high heat oven. The goose fat I use comes from our black peppercorn and thyme crusted Christmas goose (Trotter Cooks at Home). So imagine the flavor of the fat but duck fat will also work here. I stuff the cavity with aromatics not so much for flavor but anticipation. The aromatics and roasting chicken make the house smell wonderful creating the anticipation of eating, especially if there are home made rolls in the oven too. One final note, the night before I cook the chickens I set them in the fridge, uncovered, on a tray with edges to catch any juices. It allows the skin to dry, creating a pellicle, and the chicken browns more evenly.

Serves 4 to 6

2 chickens, 3 1/2 pounds each
3 tablespoons goose, duck fat or even bacon drippings
1 head of garlic, halved
1 lemon, halved
1 small onion halved
1 bunch fresh thyme
1 handful Italian parsley
1 tablespoon fennel seed, crushed in a mortar and pestal
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Kosher salt

The night before you want to cook the chickens rinse out the cavities with cold water and drain. Place the chickens on a sheet pan and place, uncovered, in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Season the cavities of each bird with some fennel seed, black pepper and kosher salt. Place the birds in a roasting pan large enough to hold them comfortably. Next place half a head of garlic, half a lemon, half an onion, half the thyme and parsley into the cavity of each bird. Now rub the exterior each bird top to bottom with the goose fat. Wash and dry your hands. Season the birds evenly and on all sides with the remainder of the fennel, black pepper and salt. Tuck the wings under the bird and truss the legs with kitchen twine, Place the chickens in the oven and roast for 40 minutes and then rotate the pan 180 degrees and roast for another 35 minutes. Check them for doneness. Cook them longer if needed. Remove the chickens from the oven and at this point if you wanted you could make a pan au jus from the drippings or let them rest for 10 minutes then carve and serve.

This recipe was adapted slightly from Julie Powell, who adapted it from Nigel Slater, who published it in his book "The Kitchen Diaries."

Serves 10 to 12

8 ounces (2 sticks) butter, slightly softened
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon superfine sugar
3 eggs
1 cup finely ground salted pistachios
1 cup almond meal
1 Meyer lemon, zested and juiced
1 teaspoon rose water
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 to 1 teaspoons cardamom, depending on your preference
2 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice
1 cup confectioners' sugar

Butter an 8- or 9-inch round baking pan and line it with parchment paper Stroke signs. Preheat the oven to 350° F.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugar until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the ground pistachios and almond meal and mix to combine. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, and rose water and mix well.

Whisk the flour and cardamom together in a small bowl. (If you have used unsalted pistachios, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt at this stage.) Then use a rubber spatula to gently fold this dry mixture into the wet butter and egg mixture Grand Cru Cellar. Be careful not to overmix.

Transfer the mixture into the prepared cake pan, spread it out evenly, then bake for 40 minutes. Tent the top of the cake with aluminum foil and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the sides are starting to brown Offsite Backup Strategy, a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, and the cake is no longer wet-looking or sticky. Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan for several minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the icing, whisk together the lemon juice and confectioners' sugar. Pour this over the cooled cake, then wait for at least 30 minutes for the icing to set before slicing and serving.

The inevitable thing about being an expat is that you make some really great friends, and then they leave. There's something about living overseas that makes friendships stronger and faster, like kids at camp thrown together into the same challenging adventure. These friendships are one of the things I love about living abroad Dream beauty pro hard sell, where no one has that New York City excuse of, "oh I'm so busy," or "gotta get to yoga," or "have to catch the train." Life for an expat is simpler, and just stopping by another friend's house to drop of some cookies or just say hello is common.
 
But expat life is one of comings and goings, full of new faces and goodbyes. Recently, we have been sort of in between, our closest friends having departed Algiers for their respective homes, and so there are new faces to sit and talk with over dinner. It is beautifully spring-like here, a string of glorious sunny and pleasant days lined up like beads on a prayer chain.
 
This tagine with cardoons and favas is classic spring time fare around these parts. Cardoons are sort of like a cross between artichokes and celery, in that you eat the stalks (like celery) but they taste like artichokes Dream beauty pro hard sell. Also like artichokes, they are a thistles, and contains a spiny outer layer you have to peel off. If you can't get cardoons then substitute artichoke bottoms, the tagine can be made either way. (If you want to be super fancy and really impress your guests you can use cardoons, artichokes, and favas. All the prep work involved in those vegetables is a sign of respect to guests.)
 
Here's a good time to add in my culinary PSA: you do not necessarily have to peel your fava beans!! For young fava beans, the skins are generally left on when cooking and they are nutritious and flavorful. It's only really big older fava beans that you have to peel. Across North Africa, the Levant, and southern Italy you often come across unpeeled favas in stews. So save yourself some work! (If you're looking at your fava beans wondering whether you should peel them or not, here's a good hint: if there's a black line along the casing you should peel them, no black line and then the peel is tender enough to eat.)

This tagine is made with lamb neck -- a very flavorful and easy to cook cut of lamb that is similar to lamb shanks. It is common here and in some parts of France, but I'm guessing hard to get in other places. Fell free to substitute shanks, or you can also use beef stew meat. Cheers to spring everyone!
 
Cardoon and Fava Tagine
If you can't get lamb neck (and it really is worth trying to find), you want some sort of bone-in stew meat, preferably one that's cut into pieces. If you substitute lamb shanks keep in mind they will need a much longer time to cook Dream beauty pro hard sell.

2 large spring onions (like this) or white onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
750 grams lamb neck or beef or lamb stew meat
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 pinch cumin
1 1/2 cups fava beans (shucked, and peeled if large)
1 bunch cardoons or 1 kilo of prepared artichoke bottoms
1 lemon
1 small bunch cilantro, leaves chopped
salt, pepper, olive oil

1. Prep the cardoons according to this tutorial. You should have about 2 cups of cardoon pieces.
2. Trim the fat and skin from the lamb neck (or shanks). The neck usually has two small tendons running through it, cut those out. Mix the spices and 1 teaspoon salt and a few cracks of black pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle the salt mixture over the meat and pat into the meat to coat.
3. Heat some olive oil in a tagine or stew pot. When the olive oil is hot, add the lamb and sear a few minutes on each side, until browned on the outside. Remove the lamb to a plate.
4. Add in the onions and sprinkle them with salt. Let the onions cook for about 10 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add in the garlic and nestle the lamb back in with the onions. Add water just until it comes up the sides of the lamb. Cover the tagine and let cook for 50 minutes undisturbed. (If using a tagine don't forget to add water to the top part of your tagine to increase circulation.)
5. After an hour, add in the fava beans and cardoons (or artichokes). If the water looks low you can add more water, but you shouldn't need to. Season with a bit more salt and add a squeeze of the lemon juice and half of the chopped cilantro. Cover and cook for another 20 minutes.
6. After 20 minutes check to make sure the cardoons are tender. Taste the tagine for seasoning. Squeeze some more lemon over and top with the remaining cilantro. Serve immediately.

Little India is an area like no other in Singapore. I have yet to reach India, but I have a pretty good idea of how it would feel from spending a few nights in Little India Singapore. The streets are heady with the smell of incense and dried flowers Hong Kong Macau Tour, and spices. Road rules and the regular orderliness of Singapore goes out the window and in the evenings an otherworldly noise envelopes you as the sound of thousands of voices speaking a hundred sub-continental dialects fills the night air Loop HK.

On this trip Audra took us to a favourite restaurant of hers, the Madras New Woodlands Restaurant, which I was somewhat shocked to find was totally vegetarian. Of course the health conscious need not get too excited about that as plate after plate of fried breads like poori, dosai, and vadai rolled out onto the table. I mopped all of them up with coconut sambal and chickpea curry and washed it down with mango lassi. Meatless what red wine?

In case you missed it, National Cheesecake Day was earlier this week. I’m usually not one to get into all these proclaimed food holidays strollers, but I’ll take any chance I get to celebrate cheesecake. Who’s with me?

From big cheesecakes to mini versions to bar form, these cheesecakes are some of my favorites. Enjoy!

If you love Oreos and you love cheesecake, then I can’t recommend these Cookies and Cream Cheesecakes enough. A whole Oreo serves as the crust for a creamy filling that’s full of crushed cookies. But, maybe the best part about them is that you’ll only need one mixing bowl to whip them up.

For a cheesecake that’s all about the chocolate, go with Black Hole Chocolate Cheesecake, which features both a chocolate crust and a chocolate filling. There’s a bit of black pepper in the filling, which may seem strange but really works.

Okay, my baking friends. This one. This Pecan and Salted Caramel Cheesecake may very well be my favorite. It has the classic components of cheesecake – a graham cracker crust and creamy filling. But, then it takes a sweet and salty turn with caramel hosting service, pecans, and a sprinkling of salt. Oh, my.

I love to make mini desserts, especially mini cheesecakes. I’ve had a mini cheesecake pan for years, and it definitely gets a good workout in my kitchen. These little Peanut Butter Mini Cheesecakes with Chocolate Cookie Crust feature a chocolate cookie crust and a peanut butter cheesecake filling. I never tire of the combination of peanut butter and chocolate, and this dessert is a great way to showcase those flavors.

If you’re a bit intimidated by the prospect of making cheesecake, try making cheesecake bars. It’s the same concept but without a special pan. And, they usually bake more quickly, too. These Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars combine chocolate chip cookies and cheesecake into a sure crowd-pleaser.

I’ve made this Pecan Pie Cheesecake so many times, and it always gets rave reviews. It starts with a vanilla wafer crust, a layer of pecan pie filling, and then, of course, glorious cheesecake. While you can serve this one any time of year Panama Foundation, I especially like it during the winter holiday season.

These Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars are a great summery cheesecake treat. They take a bit of a shortcut by using a layer of blueberry preserves that’s topped with a lemony cheesecake filling. This is a wonderfully simple recipe that can easily be adapted to fit your tastes with different preserves.

Last but certainly not least are those lovely Vanilla Bean Mini Cheesecakes with Blueberry Sauce. As if all that vanilla and fresh blueberry sauce weren’t enough, there’s toasted coconut in the crust. For a shortcut, use store-bought pie filling for the topping, or try heating blueberry preserves briefly in the microwave and dollop on top of these little cheesecakes.