Dalia's Kitchen: baked

My baby's 1st, Baked Seabream & Chanel in Dubai

It was my baby daughter's first birthday last week, which of course meant tons of cake. It was Joujou's first cake and so we had a little family celebration, with not just a birthday cake, but scrumptiously baked doughnuts and glorious cupcakes too. So this week, I made sure to stick to only the good stuff, like fish, greens and grains at home. One of the usual suspects is my classic baked fish. It's a quick and simple, yet divine recipe that never fails. Perfect for those who fear cooking fish.

Baked Fish. Simple yet divine.

Another highlight these days, apart from Joujou's 1st candle, was Chanel showcasing their cruise collection in Dubai. It was a gorgeous event, from the setting, to the set-up, the collection of course, the stunning crowd, and even the delicious food. I must admit that the cocktail spinach Fatayer were outstanding, and I kept munching on them all night long.

Chanel In Dubai

Fabulous. Simply.

So to Baby's Joujou's 1st birthday and Chanel's first fashion show in the Middle East. And to a simple but delish baked fish recipe that never fails.

Much love,

D xx

Baked Seabream

Serves 4

Prep time: ~40 minutes

· 3 tbsp olive oil (or more)

· Juice of 2 lemons (keep lemons and cut in quarters or rounds)

· 3 garlic cloves, minced

· 2 tbsp fresh thyme, and a few sprigs (or sage or other herbs you enjoy)

· ½ tsp salt

· ½ white pepper

· 2 whole seabream (~2kg), cleaned and gutted

Preheat the oven to 180C.
In small bowl, mix the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, chopped sage, salt and pepper.
Place both sea basses in an oven safe tray lined with enough parchment to cover the fish.
Pour the lemon and oil mix into the cavity of the fish and rub it all over the skin. Place the lemon pieces and the sprigs of sage in the cavity.
Cover the fish with foil, and place in the oven for about 30 minutes or until the fish feels firm when poked with a fork.
Serve with mashed potatoes. Simple yet divine!

Tarte aux Tomates

Sunday, is the start of the week in Dubai which means starting my diet. Problem is that I really, really hate diets and don't know anyone who hates them as much as I do! Plus working in the food field, and owning an incredibly yummy bakery doesn't make it any easier. I do have discipline when it comes to other things, but my biggest weakness is food. For example, I stopped smoking from one day to the other 6 years ago and have not had a puff since. Granted my reason for stopping that awful habit was a serious one, but still, I'm a proud non smoker today :)

Anyways, so back to my diet, which I am dreading and don't even know how to start, I don't even remember the last time I went on one. But I have 10kg to loose to get back to my pre-baby weight and 10kg won't go unless I start cutting down on calories.. So maybe I'll switch the blog's name to D's Skinny Kitchen for the coming weeks :) But before starting the skinnier meals, I've been wanting to post my beautiful Tomato Tart recipe which I did a few weeks back.. I remember trying a gorgeous "Tarte aux Tomates" in Provence last summer, and been wanting to do one ever since I got back to my kitchen.. I absolutely love savoury tarts and pies, and this is a particularly delicious one which I won't be munching on for a while as I don't believe tarts are part of any serious diet, unfortunately!

Makes 1 Tart (24cm)

Easy. Prep & Cook Time: ~ 2 hours (with homemade tart base)

For the pastry:

• 1 1/2 cups flour (sifted)

• 1/2 cup of softened butter

• 1 egg yolk

• 1 tsp salt

• 2 tbsp of cold water

• (egg yolk for brushing pastry)

For the filling:

• 5 large tomatoes

• 3 packs cherry tomatoes

• 1 tsp brown sugar

• 1/2 tsp dried basil

• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

• olive oil

• salt and cracked pepper to taste

• bunch of fresh basil leaves

Preheat the oven to 200C. In a food processor add all the pastry ingredients and blend until the dough resembles breadcrumbs. Place it on your work surface and combine all ingredients well without over-kneading. Roll out the dough (using a little flour if it sticks) and place it in a tart base. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour then bake for 15 minutes until it turns slightly golden.

To make the filling, chop the tomatoes in large chunks and place them in a baking tray. Drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil, add the basil, sugar, salt and pepper and give it a good toss. Place in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Once ready, remove the juices and let the tomatoes cool down a little.

Spread the mustard on the pre-baked tart base, then add the tomatoes and return to the oven for another 20 minutes. Remove the tart once it's ready, let it cool down, then sprinkle with fresh basil leaves and drizzle some olive oil on top. Serve with a side salad. Delicious!

*Tip: You can add Goat's or Gruyere Cheese to make the it a Tomato & Cheese tart which is also absolutely divine!

Baked Asparagus

Image By Murrindie Frew for ITP Publishing

My apologies for not posting earlier, but I am sure that you would understand if you saw my little life right now.. I'm trying to juggle having a baby and getting back to work.. And let me tell you that it's not easy at all! When I'm with the baby the phone rings off the hook for work, and when I'm away from Phares I feel super guilty that I'm not there so I try to get back as soon as possible. I know it may be a little early to get back to work already, but to be honest, I needed to do that for several reasons. First of all when you own your own business, it's not like you can just take a maternity leave and not really care about what's going on at work (that's the not so rosy side of being your own boss), because the bakeries are somehow my little babies too, and I need to be on top of things as much as possible. Now even though I have a fabulous team at Kitsch Cupcakes I still feel like I can't leave the place for too long :) Another reason for getting back to work was that I'm not really familiar with being home so much.. I used to have such a hectic routine and going from being super busy to being at home all the time was a huge change for me.. So now I'm trying to juggle both, working and being a new mommy.. I don't leave my little angel for too long, and that's when running your own business and being able to manage your own time is just lovely!

Now one major feeling I'm having to deal with is a little bit of guilt.. Am I doing the right thing? Should I not be away from home at all? What if something happens and I'm not there (inshAllah never), what if I'm missing out on things, etc, etc.. But then a few days ago I took a decision, that I will manage my time wisely, be home when he's awake and try to still maintain my working life to a certain extent.. A happy D will make a happy mommy, and thus a happy Baby Phares inshAllah :)

So today is a quite personal post, like I've mentioned many times, this blog has become my little journal, and somehow writing about what I go through makes me realize things.. But since this a food blog after all, I'm going to end this post with a recipe :) I just finished a photo shoot at home, and it's almost time to feed my little munchkin so I will post my Baked Asparagus recipe which was featured in Harper's Bazaar Arabia in the September issue. It's a simple yet delicious dish, which can be munched on as a starter or side dish.. Hope you enjoy it!

Much love,

D xx

Serves 4 – 6

Prep & cook time: 25 minutes

2 bunches green asparagus
½ cup parmesan, grated
½ tbsp butter
salt and cracked pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 200C. In a pan, heat a knob of butter and sauté the asparagus for a few minutes, just until slightly tender.

Place them in a baking dish, sprinkle with Parmesan, season and bake for about 10 – 15 minutes until the parmesan crisps up a little. Serve immediately.

Sweet Potato Crumble

Image by Chris Mejorada for CPI Publishing

It's the third week of our new life, and let me tell you that no matter how much people tell you your life will change, you don't realize how much it actually does until you're in it! So a few weeks ago I was someone who would be up and running by 7am (even at 9 months pregnant!), full of energy, a busy little bee with one million things to do.. Now I am half awake during the day, due to being up every 2 - 3 hours at night, feeding and nappy changing, and it really is the most radical change of lifestyle ever! Even though I'm lucky enough to have help around me, it is quite tiring to say the least.. Add to that the physical exhaustion after giving birth and also the emotional roller coaster I'm on (let's blame all those hormonal changes), I must admit, it's a lot to take in at first. But amidst this whole new life, something incredible happens.. When I look at my little munchkin I forget everything.. It's all about him, and all the pain, exhaustion and hormonal imbalances are all worth it.. I'm in love like I've never been before and all I desire is for the little one to always be safe and sound inshAllah.

So as I'm still not cooking up a storm in my little kitchen, I'm posting a beautiful Sweet Potato Crumble from my Thanksgiving menu which was part of BBC Good Food's November issue.. It's an incredibly delicious side dish, and when you add a scoop of vanilla ice cream it can even pass as a gorgeous dessert! I had this crumble at Ruth Chris a few months ago, and I loved it so much that I made up my own version which if I may say is even more delish ;) Enjoy!

Prep & Cook Time: ~2 hours

Serves 6 – 8

6 large sweet potatoes
¼ cup whole milk
½ tsp all spice
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
¾ cup flour
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup butter, softened
¼ cup ground pecans

Preheat the oven to 180C. Place the potatoes in a baking dish and bake for about 45 minutes. Remove the skin, then mash potatoes and add the milk and spices and seasoning. Mix well, then spread the potato mixture in a lightly buttered baking dish.

In a bowl, mix the flour, sugar and butter and with your fingers gradually crumble the mixture. Sprinkle over the potatoes and bake for about 50 minutes, until the crumble topping is golden. Decadent!

As feature in BBC Good Food Middle East - November 2011

“Quiche aux Epinards” or The Spinach Tart

Image by Isidora Bojovic for ITP Publishing

What a beautiful time of year in Dubai, I hope you all enjoyed time with your loved ones for Eid :) I couldn't be any happier at the moment, hamdellah, my family is in town and we're just spending time at home together. The fact that we all live in different corners of the world, makes it even more enjoyable when we all get together.

My baby bro (not a baby at all anymore but he's younger than me so no matter how old he is - he is still my little one ;) is big on breakie, so I made blueberry muffins this morning (recipe is on the blog) and since I'm doing a big feast for dinner, I'm just going to make the Spinach Tart with a nice green salad for lunch today. I love spinach, I love tarts, and I absolutely love this recipe!

Makes 1 Quiche

Prep & Cook time: 2 hours (including refrigeration of pastry for 1 hour)

For the pastry:

1 ½ cups flour
½ cup softened butter
1 egg yolk
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp cold water

For the filling:

2 cups frozen spinach, thawed
1 large onion, chopped
3 eggs
1 cup crème fraiche
1 ½ cups Emental cheese, grated
3 tbsp Parmesan
¼ tsp nutmeg
salt & cracked pepper to taste

In a food processor add all pastry ingredients and blend until the dough resembles breadcrumbs. Place it on a work surface and combine all well without over-kneading. Roll out the dough (using a little more flour if it is too sticky) and place it in a tart base. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 200C, and prebake for 10 – 15.

In the mean time make the filling. Sauté the onions in a little olive oil on medium heat until translucent, add the spinach and seasoning, and set aside to cool before pureeing with a hand blender.

In a bowl, whisk the eggs, crème fraiche, cheeses, nutmeg and add to the pureed spinach. Mix well, season with salt and pepper and pour the spinach mixture into the prebaked tart shell. Bake for 30 minutes at 180C and serve cooled with a side salad. Bon Appétit!

(As featured in Harper's Bazaar Arabia October 2011)

Lemon Madeleines

Baked Rigatoni

MashAllah, my little angels Kayan and Dalia (yes, mini-me!)

My sister and her family just moved from Madrid to Dubai and I cannot begin to tell you how happy I am! Joujou, is like my other half, has always been my closest friend and living apart for all these years has really not been easy. Especially that I miss my four little nephews tremendously! I have no experience in being a mami yet, but I have the experience of Being Auntie D, and my little angels have brought so much joy to my life :)

So now that they live here, they come over for lunch and I get to cook for a few more little persons- which I absolutely love! I'm also experimenting with dishes that are more "kid friendly" if that makes any sense.. Spontaneously Joujou called saying they would pop over for lunch, and I had 1 hour to prepare lunch as the kids were starving.. I looked through my pantry and fridge, found rigatoni, cheese, carrots, peas, minced meat and so I opted for a Baked Rigatoni which the little angels absolutely adored! Super easy, and delish for kids and grown ups as well!

(I usually use low fat milk and little less butter for my béchamel sauce which you can see in other gratin recipes, but for the kids I went all out ;)

Easy. Prep & Cook Time: ~1 hour

Serves 6 - 8

750g rigatoni pasta
350g minced beef (lean)
350g minced lamb
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
6 carrots, cut in rounds
1 pack of frozen peas
2 cans of chopped tomatoes
2 cups Ementhal cheese, grated
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp thyme
2 bay leaves
salt and cracked pepper to taste

for the béchamel sauce

1 liter milk
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp flour
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
freshly grated nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven at 180C. In a pan, heat olive oil and sauté the onions until translucent. Add the garlic, cook for a minute or so, then add the minced meat, lamb, thyme and bay leaves. Cook until the minced meat turns golden and looks cooked through, then add the carrots and peas. Continue cooking everything on medium heat, then add the chopped tomatoes, sugar, salt, pepper and simmer for about 10 minutes.

In the mean time, cook the pasta in boiling salt water but not until it's done, just half the amount it says on the pack (about 6 minutes), so basically pre cook the rigatoni as they will cook more in the oven later and you do not want them to be too gooey!

In a saucepan, melt the butter and olive oil, add the flour and cook it through, until it turns golden brown. Add the milk and simmer until it thickens, then season with salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg. When the béchamel has the consistency of a thick sauce, add the cheddar cheese and set aside.

Add the meat mixture to the pasta, mix everything well (don't forget to season to taste) and start assembling your bake in the dish. Pour the pasta and meat in the dish, and top with the béchamel sauce. Finish off with the grated cheese and place in the oven for 25 - 30 minutes or until golden. Enjoy with a simple green salad. Yummy comfort food!

Hearty Vegetable Gratin

I was in Beirut this past week for THE wedding of our beautiful closies Rasha & Salah, and we have been running from one bash to another so there has been no time left to cook! But just before leaving Dubai I made this delightful gratin which is so simple to make and is absolutely scrumptious :)

It's summer time and I have been craving veggies left, right and center.. Veggies in salads or sandwiches, pastas, risottos, and now in this beautiful gratin.. Even though it's a little naughty with the béchamel and cheese, it's still a hearty and healthy meal, and the perfect way to get your little ones to eat their veggies ;)

Easy. Prep & Cook time: ~1hr 15minutes

Serves 4 - 6

• 4 zucchinis

• 2 broccoli heads

• 2 bunches asparagus

• 2 packs mushroom (maybe add cauliflower instead)

• 1 red pepper

• 1 yellow pepper

• 1/2 tsp dried theme

and any other vegetables you feel like adding to the mix, like potatoes, carrots, cabbage, etc..

For the béchamel:

• 1 liter low fat milk

• 1 tbsp butter

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• 4 tbsp flour

• 1 cup grated Gruyere

• 1/2 cup grated Cheddar

• 1/4 cup parmesan

• 1/2 tsp nutmeg

• salt and cracked pepper

Preheat the oven to 180C. Cut the vegetables in large chunks, then in a large pan, sauté them in a little olive oil with thyme for a few minutes, just to add some extra flavour. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Now in a baking dish, spread a generous amount of béchamel, then layer the vegetables. Add some more béchamel and add another layer of veggies. Repeat the process, and on the last layer of béchamel sprinkle the Gruyere cheese. (You can add a few small knobs of butter randomly on top of the cheese to give it even more of a crisp, but it's optional).

Place the gratin in the oven, and bake until the top turns golden brown, for approximately 45 minutes. When it's ready, let it rest for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy ;)

Something resembling a Deep Dish Pizza ;)

Oven Baked Sea Bass

Mediterranean Baked Feta

Baked Crispy Chicken Strips

Comforting Plum Cobbler

D's Skinny Lasagna

The thing about pasta is, that you can either make it super heavy and fattening, or you can try to tweak corners and end up with a lighter dish. Don't get me wrong, grilled fish and steamed veggies will still shed pounds faster, but this is a not so naughty lasagna :) Since I cook and eat quite a lot, I try to balance meals, without sacrificing taste.. In this recipe I used lean meat, avoided a buttery, white sauce or full fat cheese, and still ended up with a delicious lasagna! You can't even tell this is a skinnier version.. Honest! Don't be intimidated by the long list of ingredients, it's really quite simple to make..

Serves 4-6

For the light béchamel sauce:

1 1/2 TBL light olive oil
2 TBL flour
500ml low fat milk
1/2 cup low fat mozzarella, grated
1 tsp nutmeg
salt and cracked pepper to taste

For the meat ragout:

350g minced lean beef
1 cup carrots, shredded
1 pepper chopped (yellow or red)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1-2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 can chopped tomatoes
1/2 tsp of all spice
1/2 tsp chili flakes (optional)
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
2 bay leaves
1 tsp brown sugar
1 TBL Worcester sauce
2 TBL light cooking cream
salt and cracked pepper to tastes
light olive oil

lasagna sheets
~ 2 cups of low fat mozzarella & Parmesan cheese, grated (for the topping)

In a sauce pan, heat the olive oil and flour until it turns slightly golden brown, and add the milk, nutmeg, salt & pepper to taste and bring it to a boil.. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until it thickens, then add the cheese and set aside..

Preheat the oven to 200 C.. In another sauce pan, heat some olive oil and add the onions and garlic.. Cook it for a bit, then add the peppers, celery, carrots and cook it for a minutes or so.. Add the minced meat, then the Worcester sauce, all spice, oregano, basil, and bay leaves.. Sautee it for a few minutes, add the chopped tomatoes & sauce, salt and pepper to taste.. Simmer the meat mixture for about 25 minutes, until everything combines and thickens and resembles a meat ragout..

Now assemble the lasagna in a baking dish.. Start by adding a little of the sauce on the bottom of the dish, then lay one layer of the lasagna sheets, add more meat sauce, another pasta sheet layer, the béchamel sauce and so on.. When you get to the last layer (I usually make 4 or 5 layers in total), pour the remaining béchamel, and top it with the Mozzarella Parmesan mixture.. Place the lasagna in the oven and bake for about 18-20 minutes.. Serve with a green salad and voila, delicious but not-so-naughty lasagna :)

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