Happy new year!

Thank you for following us throughout 2012. We have lots more stories from our kitchen to share with you so stay tuned for future posts. Wishing everyone much love, happiness and health for 2013.

Need a caterer for Christmas?

Hello food lovers!

Are you planning a Christmas party this year and want to impress your friends? Get in touch with us! From canapés to plated dinners, we do it all. Just give us a call or drop us a line at info@foodscapeblog.com for a quote. 

Here is a selection of some new canapés we concocted for an event. The 'ceviche de camarones' and the 'taquitos with chorizo' were a total hit! We look forward to hear from you! 

Taquitos with chorizo

Ecuadorian ceviche with prawns

Beef & vermicelli salad

Passion fruit cheesecake

We'd love to cater for you!

Hello Food Lovers!

We've been so busy with our lives and although we keep promising to blog more often, we just can't seem to find enough time to do it all! We did manage to put together images from our latest catering event. It's hard to believe we can actually make so much food from our tiny kitchen - if you saw how we operate, you'd be impressed! If you're looking for a caterer, get in touch with us! We tailor each menu according to your needs. Your taste buds won't be disappointed, that's a guarantee :-) 

Email us: foodscape2010@gmail.com

  

Mini tarts with courgettes, tomatoes & goat's cheese

Pinchos with avocado, crab & rocket leaves

Scottish pancakes with smoked salmon, dill & lemon zest

Aubergine cups with pomegranate seeds, pine nuts & mint

Pinchos with chorizo, grilled peppers & rocket leaves

Polenta cups with spicy chilli beans

Pinchos with gorgonzola, pears & walnuts

Vermicelli salad with spicy beef

Grandma ElMaleh's Moroccan Cook Book

Hello food lovers,

We're very pleased to announce the release of Grandma ElMaleh's Moroccan Cook Book coming out at the end of this month and published by Hesperus Press. This book is a treasure trove of recipes, anecdotes, and food facts based on Moroccan-Jewish cooking which was described by the New York Times food critic in 1970 as "home cooking that a Sultan would envy". Foodscape was asked to cook recipes and photograph them for the book. Here's a little sneak preview of one of ElMaleh's recipes, the almond cake. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 cups blanched almonds

Rind of 1½ lemons

5 eggs, separated

1 cup sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 180C degrees.
2. Grind the almonds in a grinder together with the lemon peels.
3. Beat the egg whites until the peaks are stiff but not dry.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the yolks with the sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the ground almond mixture and blend well.
5. Gently fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture.
6. Pour this batter into a greased and floured bundt or spring-form pan.

Bake the cake at 180C degrees for 35 to 40 minutes, or until it springs back when touched in the centre.

TIPS

1 - if you are pressed with time, use ground almonds instead of wholes ones.

2 - we added 2 tsps of orange blossom to the mix which gave it a wonderful perfumed flavour

Ragin' Chocolate Fondant

Hello Food Lovers,

It's been a while since our last post. Even though we photograph almost everything we eat, we never seem to have the time to blog about it any more. We promise to get our act together to bring you all the latest as often as possible. For now, we have a very special recipe to share - our chocolate fondant which we made for the Muguiro family in Biarritz last week! This is one of our favourite desserts and very popular among our friends too. Thanks for a great weekend Carla, looking forward to many more!

Recipe for 6 people

Ingredients

- 150gr chocolate (min 70% cacao)
- 40gr butter
- 5 eggs
- 120gr sugar
- 80 gr flour
- Ice cream

Method

Pre-heat oven to 220°C

1- Melt chocolate and butter together in a pan over low heat
2- In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, flour and eggs until you get  a shiny consistency. 

3- Add the chocolate to the mix
4- Grease 6 x ramekins with butter, pour the mix in and cook at 220°C for    7-8 mins
5- Allow to rest a few minutes then serve with ice cream of your choice (almond or pistachio highly recommended)

6 - Indulge! 

The best pecan pie ever!

Hello food lovers,

Do you love pies? Do you love pecans? Well you're in luck because our friend Mahmoud makes the best pecan pie you will ever taste and he has agreed to share his famous recipe with us! Although originally Jordanian, Mahmoud studied in the US for many years and brought this recipe back with him all the way from Nebraska. We have to admit, if you're looking for something light this isn't for you but you will be sorry if you don't give it a try. It certainly changed our lives forever! Thank you Mahmoud, your pie rocks!  Scroll down for full recipe.  

Mahmoud's pie before baking

Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream

The pie, or what's left of it!

Mahmoud sampling his dessert. Verdict: yum!

Ingredients (serves 8)

3 large eggs 
1 tsp of vanilla extract 
1 cup of dark brown sugar 
1 cup of dark corn syrup 
2 tbsp melted butter 
1 cup of pecans 
1 roll of pie crust 
 
Method:
1) Stir the first 5 ingredients thoroughly
2) Add half of the pecans to the mix 
3) Pour the mix into the pie crust 
4) Add the rest of the pecans  
5) Bake on center rack for 60-70 minutes at 180C / 350F
Cool for 2 hours and serve with vanilla ice cream 

Fondue Night

Hello food lovers,

Looking for a fun way to stay warm in those freezing temperatures? Then look no further because we've got the answer for you: a classic cheese fondue. It's the perfect meal to share around a table with friends, fresh cold cuts and red wine.  With such an easy recipe, you're guaranteed to impress and your friends will thank you for it! Just serve with a fresh green salad and French baguette. Scroll down for full recipe.

Cheese Fondue (serves 8)
400g Comté
400g Gruyère Suisse
250g Emmental
30cl dry white wine
1 tsp corn starch
1 shot glass Kirsch (cherry liqueur)
Pepper

1) Cut the cheese in cubes.
2) Mix the corn starch with water in a glass and set aside.
3) Pour the white wine in a non-stick casserole on medium heat. Once the wine starts to simmer, add the cheese little by little and keep stirring.
4) Once the cheese has completely melted, add the corn starch and the glass of Kirsch and continue to stir until you get a creamy consistency. Add fresh ground pepper to taste.
5) Pour the content into a fondue pot and turn gas flame on low heat. Serve immediately with baguette. Bon appétit!

Canapés night for Emaad

Hello food lovers,

Last month, our friend Emaad asked Foodscape to provide canapés for a little dinner bash he organised for some friends at his house. The night was very festive and was made all the merrier with sounds of electro music pumping out of the stereo! For the occasion, Foodscape designed a colourful menu that included both vegetarian and meat options. The quail eggs shown below were a success while the turkey meat balls were a completely innovative idea, incorporating ingredients from our famous family recipe that has been passed on from one generation to the next. 

A big thank you to Emaad for choosing Foodscape! 

Get in touch for all your catering needs at foodscape2010@gmail.com, we're looking forward to working with you. 

Courgette, tomato & goat cheese puff tarts

Marinated prawns wrapped in bacon

Quail egg & chorizo crostinis on spicy Mexican salsa

Mushroom & mascarpone bruschetta

                 Turkey meat balls with sage & onion stuffing and gravy

      Roasted aubergine on pitta base with pomegranate seeds & fresh mint

Fresh berry tartelettes with zesty custard

Merry Christmas!

Hello food lovers,

It's been a very exciting year for Foodscape between catering events, dinners and even photography projects.  Thanks to all our friends for the continuous support, we look forward to sharing all our culinary adventures with you in the coming year. In the mean time, we'd like to share pictures from our Christmas dinner and wish you all prosperity and peace for 2012. 

Best wishes,

Amani & Fabiana 

The 'piece de resistance', our famous turkey

Our friends gather around our 5.60m dining table!

Roasted vegetables 

A festive evening to say the least

Roasted leg of lamb 

Merry Christmas! 

Halloween Treats

Hello food lovers,

Foodscape catered Halloween goodies for a kids' birthday party last Sunday. We spent most of the weekend arts-and-crafting and must admit, we had a great time. From sandwiches to mac&cheese, pizzas and chicken strippers, we catered for the younger pallet. The menu also included a selection of sweet treats, shown below. For all your catering needs, get in touch with us: foodscape2010@gmail.com

Happy Birthday!

Beijinho (coconut bonbons)

Spooky chocolate cupcakes

Brigadeiros (chocolate bonbons)

Chocolate fruit lollies 

Chocolate coated apples 

Yummy Berry Tart

Hello food lovers,

In our house, Sunday is synonymous for lazy day. However it is also a day where we take our time in the kitchen and cook meals for our friends. This weekend was slightly different; we decided to cook up a storm on Saturday and when Sunday came around, we were still eating leftovers so I decided to bake a tart instead. Considering the amazingly mild weather we have been experiencing these past few weeks, I got inspired to make a berry tart. This is probably the easiest tart you can bake, just make sure you get the freshest berries available!

Yummy Berry Tart (serves 6-8 people)

1 pack of puff pastry
250ml half fat creme fraiche
100g raspberries
100g strawberries (sliced)
100g blueberries
4 figs (sliced)
1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon icing sugar (optional)

1) Preheat your oven to 180 degrees
2) Wash all the fruits except for the raspberries (they tend to get soggy if you put them under water)
3) Roll the puff pastry in the shape of a rectangle or circle depending on your pan about 2cm thick
4) Using a fork, gently pick the dough all throughout then brush the egg yolk, including edges and cook in the oven for about 20 minutes or until golden.
5) Once the dough has cooled off, mix the creme fraiche with the sugar and spread on top of the dough.
6) Add the berries.

Optional: you can add a tea spoon of icing sugar as a topping

Serve with a cup of tea, bon appetit!

Yummy Berry Tart