Spice Blend

Sweet Sesame, Potato & Chickpea Curry on Black Japanese Rice

September 5, 2016 by Ariel Leave a Comment

This is clearly not a traditional curry but it is inspired from what I know about the culture.

The idea started from the seasoning attached to this recipe. Pre-made spice blends save my life when I’m uninspired after a long day working and, this seasoning was inspired from the episode of Chef’s Table (…on netflix, you HAVE to watch it) where they featured the progressive restaurant Gaggan in Bankok. The way Gaggan Anand described the perfect flavour balance of his dish made my head spin and this is what I was able to come up with. Some red chili powder would be interesting to give it a spicier twist but, I sadly didn’t have any on hands. Instead, I choose to top the curry with a little bit of Kochukaru (Korean red pepper flakes, used in kimchi) and it gave it the little spiciness I didn’t add in the seasoning.

I hope you’ll enjoy this potato & chickpea curry recipe and new spice blend attached to it. Make sure to have a small container for the remaining seasoning because you’ll have extra to be creative with.

Happy Cooking! *^_^*

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Jasmine salt & pepper spice mix

October 22, 2015 by Ariel 1 Comment

Why not jazz up the typical “salt & pepper” with this lightly flavoured jasmine salt & pepper mix. I’ve been using it on grilled meat, veggy stir fry and even tofu! The light jasmine aroma is a nice added touch to merguez and green cabbage stir fry and the lemon zest clear up the taste just enough to bring all your flavours together.

Delicate & worth it….

Herbes Salées (Salt Herbs Preserve)

October 16, 2015 by Ariel 2 Comments

What an original and cleaver way to keep your dearest summer herbs during the cold winter months while creating a one of a kind topping and seasoning. I love making salted herbs because you can go pretty much in any direction you want without worrying about bad bacterias…. thank you excessive amount of salt! lol!

This recipe isn’t an official recipe, every year the mix is different and with each different mixture, different recipes are being created. This year, I wanted something basic that could go well with almost everything and here’s the result.

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Graines a Roussir

April 12, 2014 by Ariel 3 Comments

Here’s an easy recipe for an amazing and versatile spice blend that comes from the Caribbean! My step dad has a lot of family in Guadeloupe and this is where I was exposed to the delicious French Caribbean cuisine. I’m a sucker for a good chicken colombo and I always have some roucou in my fridge.

The only name I know for this blend is in French and it’s called: graines à roussir. If I was to give you a quick French course, the word “graines” means seeds and “roussir” means burn lightly, roast, turn brown.. you get the idea? I guess the best way to translate this would be: seeds to burn lightly.

That’s what you will want to do with these before either use them whole or in powder form, grill them gently on the stove top till they start smelling good and make sure not to burn them.

I usually make a bunch in advance, roast the pack, process it to powder and keep the powder for easier use. Although I’m sure doing it right on the spot is a much better option if you want maximum flavour.

Personally, I enjoy the simplicity of always having some already grounded in a small container. Mainly used as rubs for red meats, chicken or fish but you can also use them for a ton of other things like sauces and even bread!

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Homemade Basil Sugar

September 9, 2013 by Ariel 6 Comments

OOhh my basil plants are happy with me this year. I think I have found THE perfect spot on the balcony to place them because they have been giving me fresh basil for the past few months like CRAZY! For the people who are following me on twitter, you know what I’m talking about. I was tweeting my harvests almost daily for a while and kept taking your suggestions on what I could do with all that amazing basil. One of my sweet followers had the great idea of suggesting me to do basil salt. I LOVED the concept but I wanted to do different. Often I like to use basil as a fun desert flavor ( don’t do a weird face, wait till you taste my strawberry/basil pie) so I thought, if we can make basil salt, we can for sure make basil sugar!

Using the same process as we would to create basil salt and like I’ve done for my “pesto” powder, I created this recipe for a fresh and flavorful basil sugar that you will be able to use in all sort of delicious ideas; cookies, tarts, pies, cakes, yogurt or just on top of fresh fruits… this aromatic sugar wont disappoint. Try it out, SERIOUSLY!

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Homemade “Pesto” Powder

August 15, 2013 by Ariel 3 Comments

Get the great taste of pesto in powder form!! Use it on pasta, fries, roasted veggies, salads and more!

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Aromatic Sugar for Roasting – Pink Pepper, Cardamom & Mace

July 12, 2013 by Ariel 3 Comments

Have you ever thought about roasting fruits? Funny idea maybe, or maybe not….

For my taste, one of the best ways to showcase veggies is to roast them. I love roasted sweet potatoes, roasted fennel, carrots and pretty much every veggies I found, I tried to roast it. It just makes every flavors come out perfectly and it’s like having a small piece of heaven in my mouth.

…then I thought…

Why not trying to roast fruits to make a fun topping for yogurt, maybe oatmeal, cakes or even as a side dish beside a traditional breakfast!? Would that be possible or even tasty? In fact IT IS! and it’s damn delicious! Almost everything could be roasted as long as its slightly firm and you have to try to see if you like. My first try was with a supreme of oranges but for you, the sky is the limit! These days I dream of roasting green apples, peaches, pineapples, strawberries and more… Be sure that I’ll keep you posted on my experimentation via this blog and my facebook page (for the social media addicts who’s following me) but try it out on your own and let me know how it turned out.

Today I’m presenting you this sugar blend as “roasting sugar” but again, it could easily be used for any other type of purposes like on top of a freshly cut grapefruit, to add an extra kick of flavor to your oatmeal and more… Either way I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I do :)…

Spicy Italian Seasoning

June 24, 2013 by Ariel 2 Comments

Most pre-made spice mix that you will find at the grocery store always have too much salt of other preservatives added so I preferred to make my own mix. Inspired by many store bought blends, I hope you’ll enjoy this recipe. Use it just as you would any store bought mix and add the salt in your recipe.

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Homemade Cajun Spice Blend

December 11, 2012 by Ariel 3 Comments

Creating my own spice blends have been such an adventure up to date and I’m proud to say that I found some pretty fun mixes that I think you guys might enjoy. Let me know what you think about this festive Cajun spice blend! Why am I calling it festive? well only because I added a touch of cinnamon in it.. Don’t be scared, it’s true that it’s something that we don’t usually find in cajun blends but just try it out as a dry rub on fish, seafood, chicken or even meat! Oh and it’s also great for many type of sauces! Enjoy!

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