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| Image by Chris Mejorada for CPI Publishing |
Home sweet home! We
arrived yesterday after spending a few weeks in Beirut and Istanbul, where we
attended two gorgeous weddings of dear friends of ours. Everything was
absolutely stunning, and I came back feeling all lovey dovey..
I haven't been to Istanbul
in quite a few years, and I'm always
amazed by its beauty. It doesn't get enough credit for how beautiful it
actually is. Every time I go, I'm mesmerized by the city on the seven hills and
surprisingly, I always feel at home there. Of course due to old and dear Turkish
friends I have (Aicha, Asli, Esra, Mert, thank you for taking such good care of us)
but it's also a place where East meets West, and so it always reminds me of
being fully Syrian but having lived abroad all my life. Or of my sister who got
married to her Spanish husband in Istanbul, and so my beloved nieces and
nephews are truly a mix of both cultures.
Having said that, my favorite
historic attraction is Hagia Sophia, a former church, turned into a mosque and
then turned into a museum by the one and only Ataturk. Hagia Sophia's beauty
cannot be described in words, amazingly the mix of both religions under one
roof is just incredible. I wish the whole world could be as harmonious as Hagia Sophia is.. The world would be a far better place.
Now back to glorious food.
I've been doing a proper spring/summer cleaning of the entire house so the
kitchen has been off limits today. So I will leave you with an incredibly yummy
sweet treat I actually came up with by accident! I was trying to
make a quick and easy chocolate mousse but as I was whisking the chocolate
hardened. BUT it turned out even more delish and now I prefer my crunchy
chocolate mousse from my traditional one. Plus it's so simple to make, perfect
when you have people over for dinner and you need a speedy dessert ;)
Much love,
D xx
Serves 4
- 6
Prep & Cook Time: ~10 minutes
- · 2 cups whipping cream
- · 250g dark chocolate (70% or more)
- · ¼ cup icing sugar
- · ¼ cup toasted hazelnuts, crushed
- · a few strawberries to garnish
Melt the
chocolate over a double boiler and set aside until it cools down completely.
Whip up
the cream, add the icing sugar (more or less depending on how sweet you enjoy
your mousse).
Using a
hand whisk incorporate the chocolate into the whipped cream. It doesn’t have to
me completely smooth though.
Place
the chocolate mousse in serving glasses or ramekins, and top with a handful of
crunchy hazelnuts and strawberries. Delicious!
As featured in BBC Good Food ME - April 2012
