Affogato – Vanilla Ice Cream with Espresso

02/03/201407/03/2014 Moya2 Comments

Some weeks back I was given an Nespresso machine as a birthday gift 🙂 and when I opened the box I was hoping George Clooney might have made a surprise appearance… I think he may have been a bit busy! But like George Clooney in the advertisement for Nespresso… ice cream and coffee are perfect partners in the culinary world. I am soooo in “coffee love” with my Nespresso machine, which are effortless to use. At the Nespresso store in Bahrain’s City Center Mall, you can try samples of the coffee before buying, very helpful when choosing your favorites.

Affogato is a classic Italian dessert which consists of a scoop of vanilla ice cream drowned in a shot of hot espresso. The contrast in the hot and cold, sweet and bitter makes this dessert very pleasurable to eat. Affogato makes a wonderful after dinner dessert, combining dessert and coffee into one. Of course you don’t have to limit yourself to having this simple treat at dinner parties… I don’t. If you want a coffee flavored ice cream… have an Affogato… it’s that simple.

Affogato

Ingredients:

4 generous scoops of a good quality vanilla ice cream
4 shots of freshly brewed espresso

How to serve: Place a scoop of ice cream into a cup or dish, pour over the hot espresso. Serve immediately. Serves 4

Healthy Avocado Smoothie with Cinnamon

16/02/201417/02/2014 Moya8 Comments

Using the blender to whip up a quick vitamin and mineral packed smoothie for breakfast or later in the day is a fast way of providing your body with food, sustaining energy levels and keeping hunger pangs at bay. Avocado are one of the super foods and we eat a fair amount in our family… I love their delicious buttery texture and slightly nutty flavor, the hass varieties with their knobbly skin are my favorite. We enjoy avocados in smoothies, salads, spreads, sandwiches and pâtés and of course who doesn’t love guacamole. Even if you are not an avocado fan, you can pamper your face with these wonderful home-made face masks… avocado’s are so good for your skin… inside and out. I don’t ever remember not liking avocados and as a child my first memory of eating them was when dining at hotel restaurants and choosing from the menu an Avocado half filled with Prawn Marie Rose which I always seemed to favor. Continue reading “Healthy Avocado Smoothie with Cinnamon” →

drinks · food + drink

Homemade Lavender Lemonade

25/08/201312/09/2013 Moya10 Comments

Homemade lemonade brings back childhood memories of warm summer days, fresh country air and sunshine. For centuries lavender has been appreciated for its fragrance, used to perfume soaps and sachets for scenting linens. Lavender is also known for its health benefits, helping with insomnia and soothing the digestive system.

Lavender is such an incredible herb and can be used in sweet and savoury dishes. I love to add the floral scented flavour of lavender to cakes, biscuits, drinks and custard based desserts and I also enjoy spreading this delicious lavender and honeycomb butter on warm toast and scones. With a myriad of uses in the culinary world, dried lavender will always have a place in my kitchen. Continue reading “Homemade Lavender Lemonade” →