From Jebel Hafeet Mountain – the only mountain in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and one of the highest in the country at 4,098 feet. Quite the view – and drive up!
Author: cochrancj
I am an American expat who loves to explore the world through the plate and is always curious to learn more.
October 19, 2019
Louvre 🇦🇪
Blueberry Earl Grey Coffee Cake
This recipe was inspired by the amazeballs blueberry lavender coffee cake with lemon curd I had at the St. George bakery while celebrating a friends wedding in Helsinki.
This coffee cake was fantastic. Full of blueberries, on the thin side for a coffee cake, deeply caramelized, with a really great herbaceous hit in the bites with lavender.
So freakin delicious.
This recreation isn’t that, but it’s good. Couldn’t find lavender and forgot about the lemon, but the coffee cake turned out well. Next time, I’d use steeped tea in place of the water and maybe add a touch more tea leaves – maybe another half bag – some people could taste the tea, but I didn’t get the slightly bitter note I was going for. I would also maybe just use blueberry purée instead of jam – the cake was a touch sweet for my taste for multiple servings.
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo)
Blueberry Earl Grey Coffee Cake
Cake
15.25 ounce box yellow cake mix, reserve 1 cup
2 eggs
2/3 cup water (or strong brewed tea)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup canola oil
1 bag Earl Grey lavender tea, pulverized time dust
Topper
1/4 cup blueberry preserves
As many blueberries as you want
Crumble
1 cup reserved cake mix
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat your oven to 350 F/180 C.
Line a small casserole with baking paper and spritz with oil.
In a large bowl, combine the cake ingredients. Mix with electric beaters on low until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl to get everything and mix until no lumps are left.
Turn out into the prepared pan, reserving about 1/4 cup of the batter. Sprinkle the blueberries over the top of the cake.
Mix the jam with the reserved cake batter and pour over top.
In a medium bowl, mix the crumble ingredients with a fork until combined into crumbs & pebbles. If your mix is a little wet, add a sprinkle of flour.you’re looking for a mix of sandy crumbs and small pebbly bits.
Sprinkle crumble over the cake.
Bake 22 – 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. If your cake is browning too quickly, tent with foil.
Serves a bunch
October 18, 2019
Nice view 🕌
October 17, 2019
Nice little waterfront walk that reminded us both of Jax.
October 16, 2019
Catching up with a lovely friend today – snapped this gorgeous ceiling at their new “regular” mall:
October 15, 2019
Bonus: I didn’t take this pic, but look at that gorgeous girl
😍🤩😍🤩
October 14, 2019
October 13, 2019
Indian Eggy Wrap
This recipe was inspired by the power of Instagram and has straight up become an obsession. This is half of what I’ve eaten in the last week, and I’m super bummed that I’m now out of wraps. I may just have to go to the store this afternoon for a resupply.
My version of this recipe is a blend of a Kolkata Egg Wrap posted by @playfulcooking and a good excuse to grab some of the ingredients for a Mumbai Street Sandwich posted one many forms by @saffrontrail. (Sidebar: if you love Indian food and beautiful photography, follow these ladies. They make some really inspiring dishes).
I took the eggy wrap constrict from one and just happened to run across a jar of Bombay Sandwich Sauce (a spicy mint chutney) in my local grocery, and bam. This lovely concoction that I currently can’t get enough of.
(lacto ovo) vegetarian
Indian Eggy Wrap
1 Chapati or paratha (fresh would obvs be best, but I happened to run across a whole wheat Chapati by Mission, and it wasn’t half bad) per sandwich
1-2 eggs per sandwich
A few thin slices cucumber per sandwich
A few thin strands of scallion per sandwich
2 tsp. – 1 Tbsp. Bombay Sandwich Sauce or mint chutney per sandwich
Salt & pepper
1 tsp. butter
Heat a small pan (roughly the same size as your bread) over medium heat. Add the butter and melt.
While the butter is melting, scramble the egg(s). If you are making more than 1 sandwich, make each batch separately.
Pour the egg into the pan, swirling to the edges to form a thin pancake. Season with salt and pepper and cook until solid on the bottom and still wet on top.
Nestle the chapati on top of the egg, pushing gently down to glue together.
While the egg fully cooks, slice the cucumber as thin as possible.
When the chapati starts puffing up a bit in the center, it’s time to flip. Flip carefully.
Back to finishing the cucumber and slicing the scallion thinly (I like mine lengthwise, but this is kind of a pain. You do you.).
Add a few cucumber strips and scallions down just to the side of the middle of the pancake. Drizzle your desired amount of sauce. Fold one side over to form a quesadilla-looking sandwich. Smash down with your spatula so it stays closed. Let cook another minute or so if the flipped side of the chapati doesn’t look burnt.
Best enjoyed wrapped in a paper towel to catch the sauce that will inevitably shoot out the end.
Serves 1
