Balqees Honey Pear Salad

This is a salad that marries the well-known combination of pear, nuts, and blue cheese with a hint of the Middle East, a touch of the Southern states, and a memory of liquid deliciousness: raw Yemeni saffron infused honey by Balqees (link).

When I moved from Dubai to Houston, one of my worries was that I would not be able to find the great flavors of the Middle East, from spices to condiments. And then I found Phoenicia. Founded by an Armenian couple in the 1970s, Phoenicia is as close to the Middle East as you can get in Houston. I happily started to browse through my Middle Eastern cookbooks again. One thing I haven't found is the prized raw Yemeni honey, which in Dubai you can find sold in big glass jars for you to taste, compare, and choose.

This salad vaguely evokes Arabic flavors in the rose water that lends an aromatic touch to the dish. The soft, mild blue cheese and the characteristic flavor of pecans bring it home to Texas (yep, still getting used to calling it "home"). You can make this salad with any honey, but it will never have that same depth of deliciousness or that velvety richness that comes with natural, raw honey. Saffron-infused at that. Below recipe is loosely based on Malouf's Honey-Roasted Pear And Walnut Salad (page 261 of his must-have cookbook New Middle Eastern Food).

Balqees Raw Honey Roasted Pears, Blue Cheese and Pecans

Recipe for 4
2 ripe pears
fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup roasted pecans
150gr crumbled soft, mild blue cheese (I used an artisanal Vermont blue cheese)
1 tbsp Balqees Raw Yemeni Honey (saffron-infused if you have: an unforgettable taste)
1 splash of rosewater
100gr (or 2 cups full) of young leaf salad
a handful of fresh, small herb leaves (mint, thyme, basil, for instance)

Cut each pear (skin on) into six wedges, cut out the cores, and sprinkle with fresh lemon juice to prevent discoloring. Heat the butter in a skillet until melted. Add the pears and toss regularly over high heat for 1-2 minutes (make sure each side "gets a turn"). Add the honey and toss well to coat (it caramelizes quickly). Add the rosewater (steam will rise), and toss some more, always over high heat. When the pears are nicely coated and caramelized, take them out and keep warm.

In the same pan, toss the pecans over high heat. The residue of honey-butter-rosewater left in the pan will cling to the nuts. Sprinkle some coarse salt on and let cool (make sure to separate the individual nut pieces: once they cool, the honey will stick them together like glue).

Carefully mix all ingredients together and serve. Keep aside some of the blue cheese, 2 slices of pear, and some pecans to garnish the top.

A huge miss: a Balqees shop around MY corner, where I can go, taste that gorgeous honey, and decide on which jar to take home. From the renowned Sidr honey and infusions from wildflower to saffron, Balqees is paradise for a honey lover! In this photo toasted raisin-walnut bread, an artisanal goats cheese from Burgundy, and raw Yemeni Wildflower honey. You don't need much else!

The Pantry Appetizer Platter

For a wine evening, I had said I would bring "a plate of something". That "something" wasn't defined until after I rummaged in fridge and pantry, and scanned over the herbs I have in my garden (the ones that survive my very un-green fingers). I love this kind of cooking: be creative with whatever your pantry and fridge hold for you. It is also a fabulous way to use leftovers and/or items that need finishing.

For this evening, I found a can of white beans, a chunk of parmesan, mild chorizo, fresh lemons, a large eggplant, leftover roasted red capsicum, soft goat's cheese, cream cheese, leftover sun-dried tomato tortillas, olives (from Markets and Platters), salami, and rosemary and basil begging to be picked.

A platter of a white bean dip, roasted eggplant relish, and creamy goat's cheese pinwheels was in the making.

white bean dip sprinkled with leftover dried espelette (see lamb shanks )

White Bean, Rosemary and Parmesan Dip
1 can white beans
juice of a lemon (or to taste)
1 clove of garlic, crushed and minced
olive oil
salt/pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated parmesan (or to taste)
1 sprig of fresh rosemary, leaves chopped

• as if making a classic hummus, pulse the white beans in a food processor with olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic until smooth but still thick in consistency. 
• heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan. Add the chopped rosemary and quickly stir until you can smell its fragrant essence (it is less than a minute).
• Add the rosemary as well as the olive oil it fried in to the white beans, pulse some more. Taste and adjust seasoning.
• spoon in the grated parmesan, and there you have it: white bean, rosemary and parmesan dip

Roasted Eggplant and Chorizo Relish
1 large eggplant
1 roasted red capsicum, skinned, seeded, and diced very small
1/2 cup chorizo, diced small
1 tbsp olive oil
1 pinch of espelette (or chilli powder to taste)
salt/pepper to taste
fresh lemon juice (to taste)

• Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise, and make a couple of cross cuts in the flesh (do not cut through to the skin). Sprinkle with coarse salt and a little olive oil, and roast in a hot oven (200C) until soft.
• Scrape the eggplant flesh out, and discard the skin. 
• "dry fry" (means without adding oil) diced chorizo in a hot nonstick frying pan until its oil comes out. Do not brown or fry overly crisp. Drain and add to the eggplant. Add the chorizo oil if you like.
• Add the diced red pepper, the lemon juice, espelette or chilli powder, and season (all to taste)
• Mix all ingredients well together, and let stand for at least 30 minutes to infuse all flavors before serving.

Goat Cheese, Basil and Pine Kernel Pinwheels

4 medium size round soft tortillas (I had sun-dried tomato tortillas in my fridge)
100 gr creamy goat cheese, room temperature
100 gr cream cheese (philadelphia), room temperature
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 tbsp toasted pine kernels

• In a mortar and pestle, pound the basil leaves to a paste, add the pine kernels mid-way. 
• In a deep bowl, mix together the goat and cream cheese until smooth, and add the very basic pesto of basil and pine kernels (I did not add garlic: I think it takes away from the flavors of the goat cheese mixed with fresh basil and nuttiness of the pine kernels, but feel free to add it!). Leave to infuse for at least 10 minutes.
• Spread the goat cheese and basil mixture in a generous layer on a tortilla.
• Roll up tight carefully. Repeat with the remaining tortilla and cheese mixture. 
• Wrap the rolls in plastic and chill in the fridge for at least one hour.
• Cut just before serving into 1cm wide "rings" and let come to room temperature.

Crispy Konafah Egg & Mesclun

Not long after they first opened, we enjoyed a delicious evening at Table 9. On the delectable menu was a hen's egg on porcini mushrooms three ways. It was the porcini that made me choose the dish, yet it was the egg that contributed highly to the "wow" factor. This soft boiled and lightly panko- breaded egg oozed its runny yolk lip-smacking deliciously over the fresh, dried, and pureed porcini.

Inspiration is the base ingredient of any dish. And boy did that egg inspire me. For the longest time in my day dreams, I could still taste that heavenly combination of flavors and textures. It also inspired me to fumble around in the kitchen boiling eggs and rolling them in konafah (shredded filo pastry that looks like vermicelli). The konafah-idea had been sitting in my mind for a while, ever since the "hairy prawns" I had at Yo Sushi.

 
Mesclun
I remember asking a French chef once, many years ago, what was "mesclun", my asking tone suggesting I expected a detailed epicurean explanation. "Ah bon, mais... mesclun... c'est... mesclun." It was another chef who elaborated that "mesclun" is derived from the Provençal dialect (mescla) for mixed. Mesclun is said to originate in the Provence near Nice as a mix of the young leaves and shoots of wild plants. In culinary terms, mesclun is a mixture of young salad and herb leaves, each bringing its own taste quality to the mix: a little peppery, refreshing, herbal, or a little bitter. Mesclun is now a world-wide household name for any mixture of young salad leaves - which is where the line should be drawn. Even if the name literally does mean "mixed", not any "mixed salad" is a mesclun. 

In Dubai, when I am in the mood to mescla, I go for the local, peppery rocket (also known as rucola, arugula, or roquette), I like to add aromatic herb leaves (like lemon basil or fennel dill). And I love the taste and color combination of the small, bright-green savory leaves of purslane, as well as the red-purple, spinach-like small leaves of red orach. Obviously, mood is not all that determines a mix: so does availability of fresh young salad.

 

Crispy Konafah Egg and Mesclun
(recipe for 4)

4 soft boiled eggs
1 sheet of konafah (I get it frozen)
mesclun ready-mixed, or mix young salad leaves yourself
vinaigrette*

To boil the eggs:
It took me several attempts to achieve a boiled egg where the white outside was firm, yet inside the yolk was runny. And didn't burst the moment I shelled the egg. The word "therapeutic" sprang to mind as I patiently started over when the egg was not of a desired texture. I was happy with eggs that had a soft, slightly runny yolk, and did not break open the moment I shelled the egg. It is still a very fragile egg, so handle carefully. Using medium-sized eggs, I tried two methods. First I boiled the eggs from cold (tap-water temperature) for 7 minutes exactly (it took about five minutes for the water to come to a boil). When 7 minutes were up, I dunked the eggs in ice cold water and started shelling them immediately. For the other method, I cooked the eggs for 3 minutes in boiling water. Both methods yielded firm egg whites with runny egg yolks. If you like the idea, but cannot be bothered with fragile eggs, just boil them a little longer. A boiled egg in a crispy fried "coat" is always nice to eat, with or without runny yolk.

The pastry:
Konafah shreds easily (after all, it is shredded filo pastry). To roll the egg in the pastry, you need the konafah to be a little moist (which it is when you use it barely defrosted. I tried it recently with dry and well-defrosted konafah, and it was just a nightmare: the spriggy pastry went every direction, and it just would not sit. So, a little moisture if the konafah is too dry!). Place a rectangular amount of the pastry on a work surface. Place a boiled egg three-quarts down the end and roll the pastry around the egg carefully. Proceed until all eggs are rolled. Deep-fry briefly (it takes only 2-3 minutes for the konafah pastry to crisp up and turn golden), drain on kitchen paper and serve immediately alongside the mesclun (do not place on top of the mesclun: the tender leaves will wilt).

vinaigrette
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp (red wine) vinegar
1/2 tsp honey (optional: if you like a hint of sweetness with the savory egg)
olive oil
salt to taste

In a bowl, whisk together mustard, honey, lemon juice and vinegar. Slowly pour in olive oil and continue to whisk until the emulsion binds and you have a creamy looking, smooth vinaigrette.

Drizzle the vinaigrette over the mesclun just before serving. As the eggs are not seasoned, add a little salt to the opened egg before you eat it. 

as a vegetarian main course, it goes wonderful with green asparagus, roasted sweet potatoes, and a mustard bechamel

Konafa Nest with Quail Egg, Avocado & Lobster Salad

Crispy pastry "nests", delicate little quail eggs, spring colors in the lobster and avocado mousse, this recipe says Happy Easter like nothing does. It allows for as much creative freedom as you like or need. You can use small hen's eggs instead of quail eggs. I combined the eggs with a mild, bright green avocado mousse with chunks of fresh lobster. I used Omani lobster, generally available in Dubai. Prawn or crab will also be great here.

Konafa or kataifi (both occur in different spellings) is shredded fillo dough. Like fillo dough, it dries out quickly and needs to be handled with care. Keep under a damp cloth while you work.

(Recipe for 4)
12 hard boiled quail egg
a pinch of turmeric, dissolved in a tbsp water (for color, optional)
konafa dough
1 cooked lobster tail
1 large ripe avocado
fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp finely cut chives
salt/pepper to taste

Peel the eggs and toss in the turmeric water if you like your eggs to be yellow. Or use the eggs as the eggs white as they are.

For the nests: shape the konafa dough into nests. Keep the rest of the dough under a damp cloth to prevent it drying out. You are going to deep-fry the nests, but a word of warning: the strands "crunch up" quickly and you need to keep the shape fixed. To do so: press in a ladle-shaped sieve, and press down with a same shaped ladle (as if you were pushing your fist into your other cupped hand). Submerge in hot oil, crisp up (very fast) and drain on kitchen towel.

Chop the lobster tail in chunks. Mash the avocado (by hand) until a soft puree (you can make it as smooth or coarse as you prefer). Add lemon juice, chives and salt/pepper to taste. Add in the lobster chunks. Spoon mixed lobster-avocado in the base of a nest. Top with 3 quail eggs and serve as is, or with a side salad.

turmeric yellow quail eggs on green salad

You might also like the recipe for Crispy Konafah Egg with Mesclun