Archive for December, 2006

African Food Is Full Of Flavor

Sunday, December 24th, 2006

African food is conquering America! More and more of my friends and colleagues are starting to get interested in African cuisine. You see African restaurants popping up in the streets. What’s going on and what is so specific about African food? As Kwanzaa approaches, African cuisine deserves some kudos on the cuisine scene. African food is a rich melange of dishes, with regional takes on seasonings and preparation methods.

Traditional foods combined in exotic ways reflect both native and foreign influences, accumulated and integrated over hundreds of years. If you haven’t explored the world of African cuisine, you’re in for a treat. A taste of this regionally diverse and rich cuisine may be just around the corner, in a family restaurant near you. If you’re not so lucky, there are a number of fabulous cookbooks available.
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Mexican Desserts

Sunday, December 24th, 2006

When you think of Mexican desserts, you might think of tacos, burritos, salsa and chips. Maybe you think of a cold beer, margarita, or iced tea. But, do you think about what you will have for dessert that is alsom Mexican? Yes indeed there are plenty of great Mexican dessert recipes out there. One of the most popular Mexican desserts is the empanada. You just mix butter, cream cheese, and flour to form a ball of dough. Refrigerating the dough overnight and you shape it into round short cylinders. Then add a spoonful of fruit in the center of each one. You bake them for fifteen minutes and when they are finished baking, roll them in cinnamon sugar.

Flan is one the classic Mexican desserts that is served in most Mexican restaurants. Not everyone tends to like it, but when prepared masterfully, it can be gourmet delicious. One small thing before making flan is that you need ramekins to bake the flans in. So do purchase some before you getting started. You need to cook some sugar in a saucepan until it is caramelized, and then pour it into each ramekin. Mix together several eggs, sugar, evaporated milk, and vanilla. Pour the custard mix into the ramekin. Bake it in a water bath in another oven safe dish until an inserted knife comes out clean. It takes about forty-five minutes to the table. Flan can be enjoyed it warm or chilled.
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Belgian Chocolate

Friday, December 22nd, 2006

Belgian chocolate is world famous and there is a reason for! In most countries the pure cacao butter is replaced by cheaper alternatives, but in Belgium even the law forbids the chocolate producers to use cheaper ingredients. The quality of Belgian chocolate is just outstanding. Every tourist who visits Belgium is buying and enjoying the famous Belgian chocolate and pralines…

Chocolate lovers everywhere appreciate quality. Good ingredients make good chocolate and Belgian chocolate has a reputation for being the best. This may have been the boast of the Swiss at one time, before the Belgians raced ahead. There is a long tradition of chocolate making in Belgium, which only needed a good marketing campaign to bring it to the attention of the rest of us. There are even chocolate museums there!

In 1912, the filled chocolate recipe known as the praline was invented in Belgium. The residents there have always been fond of exchanging chocolates as presents and they are very proud of the worldwide popularity of their export. The key to the high standard of Belgian chocolate lies in the selection of the best cocoa seeds and other ingredients.
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The Evolution of Wine

Monday, December 11th, 2006

The wine journey started in Caucasia or Mesopotamia around 6000bc. It was cultivated in Egypt and Phoenicia in about 3000bc. Wine could be found in Greece by 2000bc and by 1000bc wine could be found in Italy Spain and North Africa. In the next 500 years wine moved to Spain, Portugal and Southern France. The Romans finally brought wine to Britain when they invaded.

The Greeks industrialized the process of winemaking in Southern Italy and the Romans followed this model. The Romans were prodigious Makers and drinkers of wine and they took Wine and wine production to all corners of the Roman world. The technology available to the Romans looks very similar to that which is used today with wooden barrels to age the wine and glass bottles to store the wine.

There are stories of wine being drink when it was over 100 years old but most roman wine would have been drunk when young and roughly made according to vintage. When The Romans left France they had left most of the famous wine regions in France having cleared the land for wine cultivation.
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