Delicious Syrup

This was bought at All India Foods on Balaclava St a few years ago. I don't use it very much, but it keeps forever in the pantry, or in the fridge if ants are likely to sample it.
As you can see, I only bought it for the label.
What gorgeous, gorgeous packaging! Even the top of the screwcap has a bright pink rose on it.

From the front label:
T.G Kiat and Co.
Rose Brand Syrup
Rose Flavour Syrup
Registered Trade Mark
Prepared by T.G. Kiat and Co (PTE) Ltd, Singapore

From the back label:

Suggested Serving
(a) with soda water and ice
(b) with sterilized or fresh Milk
Dilute to taste. Recommended: 1 part to 6 parts water / milk

Ingredients:
Sugar, rose essence, colour (carmosine), preservative (sodium benzoate B.P.) and water.

Shake the bottle before use.

It is actually quite sickly-sweet: very artificial-tasting and with enough sugar to keep every Indian child bouncing off the walls until sunset. The milk preparation sounds fairly revolting and I've never been game enough to try it.
I find that it works best in VERY small quantities and with other liquids to cut the sweetness. I have used it with white wine to make a kind of kir "florale", or with mint, soda water and pureed watermelon as a summer mocktail.

Morocco comes to dinner

Organised a special dinner: it was to commemorate Mum's birthday / Fathers' Day / thanks parents for helping me get a new car. We decided on Moroccan, and I made all the recipes from this book.
The menu was as follows:

• Roast eggplant dip with pita bread shards
• Chicken and preserved lemon tagine
• Couscous with toasted pine nuts and orange flower water
• Ruby grapefruit, pomegranate and smashed olive salad
• Slow-poached pears with berries and mascarpone
  
  The eggplant dip went well. There's my eggplant, post-roastage: waiting to be spooned out and smashed up in the processor. If I did this again I would roast the eggplant for a lot longer.

Eggplant dip with pita bread shards

• 1 big eggplant
• 2 tbsp tahini
• 2 peeled garlic cloves
• Quarter cup fresh breadcrumbs
• Quarter cup natural yoghurt
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 3 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Quarter cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Half a packet of Lebanese or other flat pita bread, wholemeal

Pierce the eggplant with a skewer and roast in a 190C oven for about 45 minutes. Cut it in half lengthways, drain off any liquid. Scoop out flesh. Process in the food processor with the tahini for one minute. Add remaining ingredients except salt, pepper and oil: process to combine. Pout oil in gradually with the motor running. Season to taste. Garnish with extra parsley. Meanwhile, split the pita rounds in two horizontally, so you have two rounds. Slice into triangles and bake quickly in a hottish oven for 5-7 minutes in batches, until light golden brown. Let cool and store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to five days.

I was very pleased with the chicken tagine. The recipe actually has green olives in it as well, but I removed them because I was having olives in the salad. Making the chermoula marinade was a pain in the arse, but it was really very simple and I think the 24 hours in the marinade made all the difference to the chicken. The recipe calls for a whole chicken that you hack into quarters, but I instead went with pre-cut maryland portions and breast portions. Same thing, I guess. I should have asked the butcher to cut up the marylands for me, but I didn't, and so I had to saw through the leg and thigh like some 1789 dentist with a rusted old tetanus drill through a small child's bicuspid. It was really ugly. I had difficulty. Next time the butcher can do the hacking. I used two marylands and two breasts (halved) for this recipe: so eight pieces of chicken for four people. That was a good amount, I thought. We didn't eat it all. Also, it was simmering on the stove for about half an hour longer than the recipe said, as we were eating dip and drinking lovely wine and enjoying ourselves far too much to tend to the stove. Don't think the extra time did it any harm at all, though. There was still lots of liquid left and the chicken was cooked all the way through without being stringy. I used my Le Creuset casserole for the tagine, left the chicken in the whole time (without removing it to reduce the liquid) and served the whole thing in the pot straight onto the table.

Chicken tagine with preserved lemon and olives

• 1.2 kg chicken
• Half cup of chermoula marinade
• peanut oil
• Half tsp salt
• Half tsp saffron threads
• Half tsp freshly ground black pepper
• Half tsp ground cumin
• Half tsp ground ginger
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 crushed garlic cloves
• 2 brown onions, finely chopped
• 1 tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1 bunch each of coriander and flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 2 large potatoes, cut into wedges
• 150g green olives
• 1 preserved lemon, cut into segments
• coriander to garnish

Wash and dry the chicken, cut into quarters. Rub all over with the marinade and let sit in fridge overnight. Heat the oil in a large heavy-based saucepan or casserole dish. Brown the chicken all over, then add the salt, saffron, pepper, cumin, ginger, garlic, cinnamon stick and onion and cook for 10 minutes, turning occasionally. Add tomato, parsley, coriander, potatoes, and 2 cups of water. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes. When chicken is done, remove to a tagine or serving dish. Reduce the stock for another 5 minutes and add the olives and lemon. Place potatoes around chicken, pour over sauce and garnish with coriander.

Chermoula marinade

• 1 tbsp each dried crushed chili, sweet paprika, ground cumin
• 1 tsp chopped fresh ginger
• Half tsp saffron threads
• 2 diced onions
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 chopped garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp each chopped flat-leaf parsley and coriander
• half a preserved lemon, thinly sliced
• half cup olive oil
• Juice of half a lemon

Mix all together and leave for half an hour before use. Keeps in the fridge for a week.

All the recipes made good use of my home-preserved lemons. I know you can buy it from the deli in a jar, but seeing as it costs practically zero to do it yourself and the lemons last forever, I can't see why you wouldn't preserve them at home. The only thing is that they take a good month or two to be ready. Lucky I did mine ages ago.

The couscous was very simple. I used a packet of instant couscous, not the commercial one- an unusual brand from Iran. It had directions on the side. First I roasted a quarter of a cup of pine nuts, then prepared the couscous with water, unsalted butter and plain salt, fluffed it up with a few drops of orange flower water and threw in the nuts. It sat very happily in a pan while the tagine was finishing. I ended up putting a low flame under it to reheat it (while stirring), and this didn't dry it out at all.

The salad was truly fabulous in every way. Flavours perfectly balanced, the astringency cutting through the rich and simmered chicken and the floral couscous. I will definitely be making this again.

Smashed green olive, pomegranate and ruby grapefruit salad

• 200g big green olives
• 2 ruby grapefruit, peeled and segmented
• Quarter cup torn flat-leaf parsley
• 100g snowpea sprouts
• Half cup roasted hazelnuts
• 1 sliced avocado
• Dressing: seeds of one pomegranate (or some paste), 2 tbsp olive oil, juice of half a lemon, freshly-ground black pepper.

Smash the olives with a rolling pin (between layers of kitchen paper) to release the stones. Arrange all ingredients in a dish, combine dressing ingredients and pour over. Let it sit for 15 minutes for the flavours to combine.

The recipe for the pears was originally with figs: marinated in a syrup. Couldn't find any fresh figs, not interested in dried, really, so went with beurre bosc pears. In the end I took the recipe as an inspirational base, and invented something of my own. Here's my recipe:

Slow-poached pears with berries and mascarpone (thanks to Hassan)

• 6 firm beurre bosc pears (one each plus spares), peeled
• Brown sugar, a spoonful
• Grenadine, a splash
• Water
• Apple schnapps (or tokay, or any sweet dessert wine), a splash
• Rose syrup, 2 tsps
• Pomegranate paste or syrup, a spoonful
• Fresh strawberres, hulled and sliced, half a punnet
• Mascarpone
  
  Put the pears in a saucepan with the wine, sugar, syrups, grenadine and paste. Cover with water. Place on the lowest heat and let simmer barely, for two hours, then let cool. (I did this the day before).
• Carefully remove the pears from the syrup and store in the fridge with a little bit of the liquid. (I love how the pears look like beautiful flamingoes!) Keep the rest in a jar.
  Before serving, reduce about 2 cups of the liquid in a pan on medium high heat, till thick and bubbly. If it has gone too far, just mix a bit of the original liquid in. Place a pear in each bowl with a dollop of mascarpone. Pour some syrup over the top and garnish with strawberries.

We also had some mint tea with the pears, served in my proper little Morrocan tea glasses. They were a real find (in sone French flea market). You can get them at Ikea and homewares stores.

My liquor cabinet

Well, it's actually more of a tray. A black lacquered tray on a high trolley, parked permanently within arm's reach of the dinner table and the tea cups. What's on the liquor tray? An array of rarely-used (unfortunately) tipples. Probably not the most conventional selection, but also probably quite tame in comparison to other people's.

• Tanqueray gin


• Bombay Sapphire gin (one needs one's martini, or gin and tonic, to be adequate)


• Cinzano Dry vermouth


• Absente


• Mount Gay rum (used thusly)


• Rose syrup


• Other syrups: peach, chocolate, cranberry, blackcurrant. For making kir royales, chocolate martinis, cocktails.


• Grenadine


• Tempus Two botrytis semillon, for freezing winter nights


• A caramelly tokay, ditto


• Apple schnapps, for flavouring pies and fruit


• Pastis 51 (a remnant of France, again)


• St. Remy brandy, to put in my galette des rois and to help preserve fruit


• Amarena sour cherry syrup (goes down great with icy soda water on a hot day)


• Cointreau (for Nigella's flourless chocolate cake)


• Tawny port (for the Christmas cake)

Gee, that seems like a lot. Oh well. No regrets. There's also a wine cabinet somewhere which is mostly filled with the Italian, Chilean, South African and French imports I like to buy, and the local stunners that we get given as gifts. Quite a selection.

What do you have in your liquor stash?

Middle-eastern feastern

Possible thoughts for my upcoming middle-eastern birthday dinner:

Watermelon, rosewater and mint salad
Cumin / cardamom lamb meatballs on a platter
Rice pilaf with cinnamon, pine nuts, almonds and currants
Yoghurt and cucumber salad (with....something)
Flat bread (hmm)
Mint tea (gotta find a proper old Moroccan teapot to go with my green glasses)

The birthday cake could be something like figs with honey on a pastry base, spiked with candles.

I want to do a scarlet or red tablecloth with some ornate striped fabric as a runner. Touches of gold would be good too: maybe in a centrepiece or napkins.

I need to consider appropriate music, too.

I bought the latest issue of ABC Delicious today and there is a big section on middle-eastern flavours. That should help me along.

My biggest problem is: a) the DAMN oven (it totally screwed up the pork roast I made for Pete on Sunday...took nearly an hour longer than it should have), and b) my continuing pooritude. Car rego and car insurance have both gone onto the credit card this month, plus rent and normal groceries. Choir fees are due and I still haven't done my tax return. The volunteer unpaid work doesn't help either. I just want to be able to cook and make what I want ( within reason, or course), without feeling resentment towards my dinner recipients, or stressing myself out with ten tons of planning and super-control-freakiness.

So I will try to relax and think about why I am doing it: for the love of friendship, for my own interest and experience and to see my friends enjoy themselves.

***update***

It went well. I made the dishes as above. For the dessert, I used frozen filo and baked it with a filling that I made by soaking dried figs and dates in a syrup of honey, orange juice and orange blossom water. I set some little pieces of rose and almond turkish delight around the edge of the platter, and sprinkled the fruit with pistachios.

I additionally made a platter of carrots and beans chopped into matchsticks, which I poached briefly in lemon and orange juice. They were good, quite tart and still crunchy.

To nitpick, I thought that the overall effect was quite dry. I made the meatballs that morning and then reheated them in the oven, but they dried out a little, and without a dip or a sauce, with the savoury rice and the plain pita bread, I found it a little dry. Next time I will make a tahini or hummus sauce on the side, as well as the cucumber yoghurt.

The table setting was great. I used a scarlet tablecloth from Spotlight, with a orange striped placemat on top. I arranged a vase of oranges, a few tealights in coloured holders and a vase of sand with a tealight inside. I had little dishes of salt and coarse ground pepper, and one of finely chopped lemon peel.

I found a CD of bellydance music at Toombul Music for ten bucks, and had that on repeat. It was effective.

My French dinner

This weekend, I will be preparing a French Sunday lunch for four.

While living there, I was always amazed by the Sunday lunch traditions, and the effort that people went to to prepare beautiful old-fashioned, simple cooked meals. I hardly ever saw a sandwich. Once I was invited to lunch by a student of mine and his family. I was collected from my apartment at 11.45 and taken to their house. The scent of rabbity goodness filled the house.
We all sat down to eat at their kitchen table, with wine, napkins, olive oil, vinegar and crusty baguettes. The first course was a simple salad of various leaves, grated carrot and a plain vinaigrette. Eventually it was rabbit time, and the crockpot was lifted ceremoniously from the oven and placed straight onto the table. In the pot was a steaming fragrant broth that covered tender seasoned pieces of rabbit, winter vegetables and baby potatoes. We used our baguette slices to mop up the rabbit gravy from the bottom of the pot. Afterwards, there was a cheese board, with some Comte and a little piece of Pont l'Eveque. And, of course, yoghurt and chocolate to finish.
I remember being so full of food they had to roll me into the car. My stomach was rock-hard. Didn't eat for the next two meals.
Yom.


Anyway, for this lunch on Sunday I am going to take my inspiration from the above, however I will need to Australianise it and also make it reasonably light and non-stressful.

So far, the plan is as follows:

Nibbles: Not sure yet. Possibly, some proscuitto and olives.

Lunch: Roast chicken pieces, marinated first in lemon and rosemary.

Baby spinach and cos salad, with toasted walnuts, soft goat's cheese and pear. I am thinking about a dressing with orange juice, a touch of garlic and balsamic.

Pissaladiere. This is a traditional Provencal tart with caramelised onions, anchovies and black olives.

Dessert: Possibly, some crusty baguette, dark chocolate and fruit.

***update***

It went incredibly well!!I was very proud of myself, and I didn't stress or panic as much as I thought I would.
I made the caramelised onions the night before, and I marinated the chicken pieces in the fridge overnight. I squeezed over a lime (forgot that I ran out of lemons!), and then left the lime in the dish, along with olive oil, dried tarragon and some sea salt.
The next morning I got up and made the dough for the tart base and left it to rise while I went to the shop for a baguette and some unsalted butter.
The tart came out really well. I used mild Portuguese olives for the top.
I ended up not having an appetiser, just some dry rose wine. The chicken took longer to cook than I thought, about an hour and a half. This is due to my terrible oven though. The lime juice and olive oil made a liquid bath for the pieces to sit in, so they almost poached as they were roasting. Dry crispy tops and white tender undercarriages. So, we had the tart and salad while waiting for the chicken to do its thing. I lightly toasted the walnuts for the salad, and made a dressing from balsamic vinegar and orange juice.
For dessert, we were all quite full, so I just got out my cheese board, and placed on it some juicy grapes, some slices of walnut syrup cake (from the Greek bakery at West End: excellent) and a crumbled block of Club Mild and Creamy, and served it all with coffee.

I must reveal (despite my natural modesty) that I recieved rave reviews: it was divine, fantastic and delicious. I was very proud.

I also had made a table theme to match: a big white tablecloth, covered with a wide runner that I made from a length of cream and navy striped ticking from Spotlight. All glass and white tableware and cream napkins to match, and I made a centrepiece of small glass bottles, each with a green leafy twig in it, and the bottles sitting on a square white platter. Very simple, clean and effective.

For the next event, I am going to try Middle Eastern and/or Moroccan.