Food & Drink
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Monday, March 26, 2012
Quebec chef pushes limits of maple syrup
For three months each year, one of Canada’s top chefs trades the comforts of his Montreal restaurant for a “sugar shack” in the Quebec outback to study a local favourite: maple syrup. Sporting a lumberman’s jacket, Martin Picard of the much-touted...
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Monday, March 26, 2012
Norwegian wins Europe crown in cookery Olympics
Norwegian chef Orjan Johannessen was crowned champion in the European leg of the Bocuse d’Or contest, known as the Olympic Games of the food world. The award was announced after 20 chefs faced off in a two-day cookout in Brussels, ahead of the...
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Sunday, March 25, 2012
Hard Rock calling
Ed eats Hard Rock CaféBay StreetSt Julian’s Food: 6/10Service: 9/10Ambience: 7/10Value: 7/10Overall: 7/10 Being drunk in Amsterdam and having your forehead tattooed might seem like a good idea at the time. When you are sober you will thank the...
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Sunday, March 25, 2012 by
Cindy Jackson
From Russia with love
The most important festival in the Russian Orthodox Church is Easter, a movable feast based on the Julian calendar, unlike the Catholic and Protestant Easter which is determined by the Gregorian calendar. So in some years their Easter coincides with...
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Sunday, March 25, 2012
Toy oshi (wedding pilaf)
(Serves six) 1 boned leg or shoulder of lambOlive oilFresh rosemary sprigs2 cloves garlic, peeled and slicedSalt and pepper2 onions, peeled and chopped2 large carrots, peeled and diced250 g Arborio rice80 g raisinsHalf tsp each ground cumin and...
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Sunday, March 25, 2012
Paskha
(Serves eight) 2 x 200 g tubs cottage cheese400 g fresh ricotta60 g chopped glacé cherries60 g sultanas2 tbsp brandy1 tbsp caster sugar3 tbsp honey2 hardboiled eggs (yolks only)30 g melted butter150 ml carton cream, whipped2 tbsp candied peel Tip...
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Sunday, March 25, 2012
Hot cross bun loaf
(Makes one large loaf) 500 g bread flour (farina di grano duro) or plain flour1 tsp salt1 tsp mixed spiceHalf tsp nutmeg60 g sugar1 sachet instant yeast120 g currants60 g chopped mixed peel60 g butter, melted2 eggs, beatenApprox. 150 ml tepid...
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Sunday, March 25, 2012
Easter cupcakes
(Makes 18 cupcakes) 100 g dark chocolate180 g self-raising flour20 g cocoa powderHalf tsp baking powder230 g softened butter or margarine200 g caster sugar3 large eggs1 tsp vanilla extract2 tbsp creamIcing sugar2 packs Cadbury’s mini Easter...
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Sunday, March 25, 2012 by
Michael Tabone
Partial blind tasting exercise
This month I organised a number of partial blind tasting sessions to enable participants to recognise six pre-identified wines and to score them in order of preference. Such exercises tend to bring about an interesting mix of challenges, such as to...
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Sunday, March 25, 2012
Barbuto extra virgin olive oil now in Malta
Jean Paul Mifsud’s extra virgin olive oil, recently selected by experts as one of the finest in its field, is now for sale in Malta. Mifsud’s Barbuto was one of only 20 extra virgin olive oils selected by the prestigious Fortnum and Mason of London...
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Sunday, March 25, 2012
Easter buffet lunch at Intercontinental Hotel
Intercontinental Hotel in St Julian’s will be serving an Easter Sunday buffet lunch prepared by executive chef Adrian Xuereb and his team. The buffet will include, among others, a vast selection of antipasti, seafood bouillabaisse, a choice of...
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Sunday, March 25, 2012 by
Frances Bissell
Authentic Maltese food at Ta’ Frenċ
One of the longest established restaurants, which celebrates its 30th anniversary on May 22, Ta’ Frenċ in Gozo, is nevertheless fearless when it comes to change and innovation. As the staff and owners are family friends, I offered to assist with...
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Friday, March 23, 2012 by
Bill Hermitage
Irish delicacies
Monica Hennessy, the wife of the Irish Ambassador Jim Hennessy, last week donned her pinny and spatula and appeared on TV cooking programme Aroma Kitchen to help promote St Patrick’s Day. She gave viewers a lot of information on many of Ireland’s...
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Friday, March 23, 2012
British sipping to heart’s content!
Until recently, due to a peculiarity in English law, it was illegal to sell wine in measures smaller than 12.5cl in the UK as the 1988 Weights and Measures (Intoxicating Liquor) Order specifies that wine can only be sold in 12.5cl, 17.5cl and 25cl...
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Friday, March 23, 2012
Bail denied in counterfeit case
A California rare-wine dealer was arrested by FBI agents recently and charged with trying to sell more than $1 million (€0.7 million) worth of counterfeit bottles at auction houses in New York City and London. Rudy Kurniawan, who once boasted of...
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Monday, March 19, 2012 by
Romain Raynaldy
Food of the stars
Katharine Hepburn made mean brownies. And Liz Taylor adored chicken with avocado and mushrooms. The gastronomic secrets of stars past are being served up in a new book. And they taste good. The Dead Celebrity Cookbook, just published in the United...
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Sunday, March 18, 2012
Lucky dip
Ed eats Nargile LoungeTriq tal-Gardiel,MarsascalaTel: 2163 6734 Food: 6/10Service: 7/10Ambience: 8/10Value: 9/10Overall: 7/10 I sometimes suspect that people only ask me questions to confirm that what they have thought all along was true. I am...
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Sunday, March 18, 2012 by
Frances Bissell
Food with that Moroccan zing
Sunny dishes, cheerful flavours, food with a zing are perfect for spring, especially for entertaining at the weekend, and you can take a little time over it. And it is often to Morocco that I turn for inspiration when I want to cook this sort of...
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Sunday, March 18, 2012
Pastilla (sweet and savoury pie)
(Serves 6) 750 g cooked chicken or rabbit off the bone6 eggs100ml poultry stock150g butter, melted12 to 18 sheets of filo pastry (about 225g)3 tablespoons caster sugar125g flaked almonds, fried gently in butter1 teaspoon powdered cinnamon150g...
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Sunday, March 18, 2012
Date-stuffed salmon, Fassi-style, with couscous and coriander broth
(Serves 6) 6 x 175g rectangular pieces of salmon, cut from the fillet and skinned1 tablespoon ras el hanout – see Cook’s notes belowGozo sea saltFreshly ground black pepper2 or 3 shallots, peeled and finely chopped18 dates, stoned and chopped1...