They say that when it rains, it floods. October has been a month with lots of celebrations and hallmarks and for every joy, there has been a celebration cake. Chef Lij had a birthday, as well as my brother, late Aunt, cousin, loads of friends and my paternal grandmother and twin granny. We even got…
How to make real vanilla extract in time for the holidays
Warning, this post contains alcohol. One of the dilemmas we have about cooking and baking in the UAE/Gulf Region is that vanilla extract, which, though commonplace elsewhere, is not available on store shelves due to restrictions on alcohol. Restaurants and bars must be issued a very expensive license to serve highly taxed alcohol and…
Baking in Dima’s Kitchen
We have been crazy busy. The Chef is decidedly focused on work and preparing for new menus, and all the tasting sessions that lead up to the final menu selection. I, The Steward have been working with Tavola to present a Blogger Breakfast for the UAE’s food bloggers as well as writing my weekly column,…