The Joy of Homemade Jam

Posted on May 21, 2013 by chefgabi

I just wanted to share with you a simple recipe for a bit of healthier jam. Guilt free, almost!Honey sweetened and freshly made, it may make a great option for breakfast, cakes, cookies or desserts.

When ever I have some fruits or berries that are a bit on the softer and riper side, I combine them in a small sauce pan, add a slice of organic lemon with the skin, a small piece of vanilla pot and as much acacia honey as required to sweeten the fruits. This depends pretty much on the fruits and on your taste.

Then I simmer them on low temperature for around 10 – 15 minutes. This is enough to deconstruct the fruits and still leave them in a vivid color a flavor. After that I add a spoonful of either arrowroot, agar agar or tapioca flour, or and stir that in for a last bubble up on the heat. Again here it depends on the pectine content of the fruits if I need a little bit more of the thickening agent or not. Rule of thumb: 1 teaspoon for around 350 – 400 ml of jam.

Now the jam is ready to be filled in a glass or bowl and it goes in the fridge, awaiting its final use! It keeps well for around 3-5 days when refrigerated. So I never produce too much of it. Making such a small amount of deliciously smelling jam in your kitchen is no work at all and so much pleasure. You should give it a try! I love to eat this jam with some fresh yoghurt for example when I am craving something sweet….

Luxurious Muesli – Start fresh into April!

Posted on April 2, 2013 by chefgabi

I now can reveal the recipe for my latest favorite muesli, as shown and created for MBC1 The Green Apple Show, aired recently. View the video sequence here.
By the way, there is more healthy treats to come soon on this channel. Keep watching it.
To easy make and enjoy this perfect morning treat at home, please follow below recipe.
I am sure you will like it as much as I do!

Luxurious Layered Morning Muesli
2 portions

What To Buy
10g Buckwheat
5g Puffed Amaranth (it is easy to puff Amaranth, as shown in the video, if you want to do it yourself as I do it)
10g Oat flakes
10g Almonds with skin
50g Mango
50g Papaya
30g Pomegranate seeds
50g Strawberry
10g Passion fruit pulp with seeds
200ml low fat Yoghurt
5g Acacia honey

How To Make It
Toast the buckwheat, the oat flakes and the sunflower seeds slightly in a non stick pan without any fat. Toast the almonds the same way and crush them roughly. Mix the seeds and nuts with the puffed amaranth.

Peel the papaya and the mango. Dice strawberry, mango and papaya and keep separate.
Spoon the prepared ingredients layered into glasses, so you can display the colorful layers: Some seeds and nuts mix, top with yoghurt, one type of fruit. Repeat the same layers with a different type of fruit.

Serve topped with a drizzle of acacia honey.

Chef Gabi’s Tip
This morning treat is packed with nutrients supporting beautiful skin, shiny hair, strong nails and bones. In the same time it provides you with lots of energy for a fresh start in the day.
p.s. left is one “making of” picture with the presenter Howayda and me, preparing the muesli. In the back you see beautiful Madinat Jumeirah Resort with its waterways, where guests are transported by boats …enjoy something truly inspirational about it here.

Vegetarian Food for Events – a busy March!

Posted on March 31, 2013 by chefgabi

Spreading my health inspired food everywhere …

Our guests with a healthy lifestyle could enjoy some special treats at ART DUBAI in Madinat Jumeirah and at the DUBAI WORLD CUP at Meydan. Enjoy the impressions!

Above the outdoor food stall at Art Dubai in Madinat Jumeirah, the team getting ready to serve……

And here is the Dubai World Cup 2013 at Meydan:

Talise Nutrition on MBC 1

Posted on March 14, 2013 by chefgabi

Our latest filming will be aired tomorrow, Friday, at 9 pm, at the Green Apple Show on MBC1…..very excited, and hope you all watch!

I have been very busy at work the last few weeks. Oh what am I saying, the last few months! No chance for even a short trip abroad to visit my beloved Bavaria, where I come from, to see the winter. Everyone at home is jealous though that I have everyday sunshine and warm weather while they have been freezing and shoveling snow. At least until recently, now finally some signs of spring are in the air.

To cure my longing for Bavaria I cooked some

flavors from home – away from home.

My home grown sweet marjoram (oregano family, but sweeter and milder) is beautiful and just perfect with its fragrant little leaves. Apart from its antioxidative benefits (think eternal youth!) it is a staple seasoning ingredient in Bavarian cuisine. I added it to my very simple but delicious

Potato Vegetable Soup with fresh Marjoram
2 portions

What to Buy
1 carrot, diced
1 parsnip or parsley root (however parsley root is difficult to source here in the Middle East), diced
2 small potatoes, peeled, diced
1 small leek, sliced
1 bay leaf
1 small piece mace
2 tablespoons olive oil
500 ml vegetable stock
salt, pepper
5 sprigs fresh marjoram, leaves picked

How to Make It
Braise in olive oil until golden the potatoes, parsnip and carrot with bay leaf and mace. Then add the vegetable stock and simmer for around 15 minutes on low heat. Add the leek, season with salt and pepper and serve with fresh marjoram leaves sprinkled all over.

Chef Gabi’s Tip:
I add sometimes dried cepes to the soup – they give this simple soup a significant upgrade! Must try.
This is what I cook at home when I feel not like cooking. A really easy to make recipe.

More Healthy Cooking on TV

Posted on February 18, 2013 by chefgabi

Healthy cooking is my passion since I became a chef. Because I believe that the food we eat is playing a major part in how strong, healthy and fit we are. So sharing recipes and ideas on how to live healthy and enjoy delicious food in the same time has become part of my daily work. An exciting part, I have to admit.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting a truly amazing film team from MBC, and it was much fun to work and cook with Howayda in our lovely outside kitchen set up at the Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai with view to the waterways!

I will share with you soon the dates when it will be aired!
Here some impressions from the filming….

Cooking with Love

Posted on February 12, 2013 by chefgabi

Everyone talks about Valentines day! It is, indeed, ante portas…
I was invited again to Studio One with Ash and Tom for the culinary support of their Valentines….week.

Thinking what to present I came across one of my long time favorites, an hors d’oeuvre, perfect to start a romantic dinner. Simple, quickly done, with impressive aroma. Because who wants to spend the time in the kitchen on Valentines day?

All you need is a slowly reduced tomato relish, a little bit of tapenade (olives and capers paste), and one hard boiled egg chopped and mixed with yoghurt and mustard. For the grissini look here. Watch the sequence here.

Enjoy!

Baking Rediscovered

Posted on February 10, 2013 by chefgabi

Recently I have rediscovered baking. My mom bakes almost every day fresh crispy wholesome rolls and baguettes, and her dark and aromatic sourdough bread is famous! I have done her recipe for gluten free sesame rolls and you wouldn’t believe it they are really lovely. They will be definitely on my hitlist from now on.

GLUTEN FREE SESAME ROLLS
12 small rolls (they turn out crispier, when they are smaller)

What to Buy
50 gm millet flour
100 gm buckwheat flour
20 gm quinoa flour
150 ml water
10 gm fresh yeast
20 gm butter, melted (you can also use olive oil instead)
5 g salt
20 gm wholesome white sesame, toasted

How to Make It
Liquidise the yeast in the water. Combine it with the flours, toasted sesame seeds, salt and butter. It can be that you need to add some more water or a touch more flower. Just bear in mind the dough is rather soft as pictured above.
Preheat the oven at 250 degrees Celsius. Lay a baking tray with parchment paper and spoon the rather soft dough in portions on the paper. Give them an even more rustic look by dusting them generously with some of the flour mix from above ingredients. Allow the rolls to rise for around 15 minutes, then bake them in the oven for around 10 minutes, with an initial spritz of cold water sprayed into the oven before you close the door for baking. This is to create the best crust. For more baking tips please click here.

They are best when eaten slightly warm. I am a big fan of dipping them in quark with herbs, little garlic and diced tomatoes!

Here some information on the flours used in this recipe:
Millet is an excellent source of silicium, good for bones, teeth, skin and hair strength. Its golden color makes all baked goods appear brighter and lighter, even though they are wholesome. However the flour is slightly sandy on the tongue. For this reason I use it mixed with others for bread rolls.
Buckwheat provides plenty of lecithin, good for your heart. It has a very special flavor, a bit nutty in an unusual way (unless you are Russian born and raised on buckwheat based dishes). The flour is slightly grey in color, a reason why I tend to mix it with golden ones for a sunnier look. The lecithin makes it a perfect flour for baking, and doughs turn out smooth and fluffy.
Quinoa is a protein powerhouse supplying all essential amino acids. Its flower is similar bright than millet flour and lifts the color of any baked food even though it is wholesome.