Have you ever ordered a pudding for dessert in a Persian, Middle Eastern or Indian restaurant? I bet if you have you were quite surprised the first time. It is nothing like the thick, very sweet, creamy pudding we are familiar with. It is much lighter in the creamy department, usually a lot less sweet, it may have a stiffer consistency and flavors can include rose water (Gulabjal ), pistachio or saffron. To the North American palette it is usually a big hit or a big miss. These puddings take on a perfumed quality. Personally I love it and it has way less calories the instant pudding.

I came across this Cardamom flavored pudding on a site that associated it with Indian cuisine. Actually this particular recipe is referred to as an Afghan recipe, called Firnee, but you will find very similar versions in the Indian cuisine (called Phirni or Kheer, made with added rice), Pakistani, Persian or the various Arab cuisines.

Traditionally Firnee is topped wit pistachios but let’s throw caution to the wind and top it with fruit, in this case strawberries.

Ξ Firnee – Cardamom Pudding Ξ
adapted from Sunset

Ingredients:

5 cardamom pods
4 1/4 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
10 strawberries
lemon juice and a bit of sugar

Directions:

Crack cardamom pods gently with a rolling pin. Combine with 4 cups milk in a pan; stir occasionally over medium-high heat until milk is boiling, 9 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl mix sugar, the cornstarch, and the ground cardamom. Stir in remaining 1/4 cup milk. When the milk in pan is boiling, remove from heat and gradually whisk in cornstarch mixture. Return to medium-low heat and stir just until mixture comes to a boil, 3 to 7 minutes.

Pour through a fine strainer set over a bowl; discard residue. Ladle pudding into 6 small bowls or ramekins. Let cool about 10 minutes, then cover and chill until cold and set, at least 1 1/2 hours.

Chop strawberries into small pieces. Place strawberries in a bowl and add a bit of lemon and sugar to them. Mix, cover and chill. Drain the strawberries  if there is liquid. Just before serving, spoon strawberries evenly over puddings.

—————————————

And see how the strawberries match my new couch slipcover? I know very weird segway! But I was asked by the fabulous people at Wayfair to pick an item for review. And they sell everything…and I mean EVERYTHING, yes they even sell kitchen sinks.

So usually I would pick something kitchen related like a small appliance or something but I opted for a sofa slipcover because my 14 year old couch is in a pathetic state. Well the cushions are as I would need to replace the seating foam and have them upholstered in a different material since the current material is ripped.

Partial view of my couch with a young Sati - pic is 3-4 years old

A new couch is not in the financial cards right now and this couch has a lot of significance for me: it is the first big piece of furniture I ever bought as I was planing to move out of my parent’s house. This couch represents my independence. Yeah yeah I am being to sentimental. Anyways I decided to get the  Sure Fit Stretch Sullivan Sofa Slipcover T-Cushion to give my sofa a revamped look for the next little bit it still has to live out.

The product advert pic but same shape as my couch

Now I knew this was going to be a bit of a challenge because I have what is called a T-cushion couch and the back support is pillows which I move all the time. I thought this model would mold well enough to my couch and I could stuff away the extra back material easy enough. It was a bit of a puzzle to put on but eventually I got it. I really like the claret color and the pattern, a real instant decor makeover for the living room. It’s like a stretch velour.

Now that I have been using the slip cover for a while I have mixed feeling about it. This is really not a big deal but every so often you do have to readjust the seems and bit. Overall I am really happy with the functionality. My big problem – and this is not the product’s fault – is that the cover is a cat hair magnet and the hairs gets really tangled up in the weave of the cover making hard to keep fur free. So if you have been on the fence about getting a sofa slipcover I say go for it with the Sure Fit collection…unless you have a furry pet that goes on your furniture.

Yes…Mortimer Snodgrass! I can’t help but giggle every time I read the name. I also cannot help snicker at every other item I pick up in this unique gift store in beautiful Old Montreal; their inventory is so cool, funky, unusual and yet practical. Mortimer Snodgrass, the store, is 10 years old this year and the owners decided to celebrate with a BIG BANG on Cheap Ethnic Eatz. You do not want to miss out on this giveaway, it is so awesome!

I’ll tell you more about this store, the contest and where the name came from in a bit at the bottom of this post. But first I want to share my latest cooky kitchen experiments: Homemade Spruce and Jamaican Ginger Beers. These 2 unique beverages are perfect for toasting a quirky store’s 10th birthday.

Don’t let the word beer throw you off, these are non-alcoholic but fizzy soft drinks. The idea for the Spruce beer was a light bulb moment after my Mastic Ice Cream post when I compared Mastic’s flavor to Spruce Beer…which apparently not a lot of people were familiar with. Yep I found an online recipe on the Daring Kitchens forum by Audax Artifex.

And yes I made my own extract. I went to my park and identified a Spruce. See I took a pic from my balcony to show you the conifer in question! How do you know you have a Spruce conifer? If the twig carries its needles singly and the actual needle has four sides and, thus, rolls easily between your fingers, it’s a Spruce. Pine needles cluster and Firs have 2 sided flat needles. This beer is not as overpowering as the fake flavored one you by in stores.

Ξ Spruce Beer Ξ

Ingredients

• 1 cup of sugar
• ¼ teaspoon of baker’s yeast, in powder form
• 40 grams of outer twigs of spruce fir
• 1 tablespoon of hops
• a 2-litre soda bottle with a screw cap, thoroughly cleaned and completely dry inside

Directions

1. Using a funnel, pour the sugar into the bottle and then pour in the yeast. The yeast must be ground for best result, I whizzed mine in a coffee grinder. If you skip this step your soft drink will be less bubbly. Shake bottle well to mix.
2. Make you extract by bringing to a boil your spruce fir twigs and hops in 500ml of water and simmer to reduce until you have 1 tablespoon of extract remaining, if it is very sticky even better.
3. Again with funnel, pour in beer extract and then fill bottle half full with water from tap.
4. Remove funnel and swirl contents in bottle until the sugar has dissolved.
5. Fill bottle with water until there is approximately a one inch gap at the top and screw cover on tightly.
6. Let bottle sit at room temperature for 12 to 48 hours or until the bottle feels hard. The gas has expanded.
7. Store in refrigerator and chill thoroughly. Loosen cap VERY VERY SLOWLY allow gas to escape and avoid liquid fizzing over.

Normal Ginger Ale makes me nauseous. I hate the stuff. Not sure if it is the taste or an associated memory of my mom giving me flat ginger ale when I was in bed for a week with a major flu. But one day I bought a can of Jamaican Ginger Beer, there was a rooster on the can. The very spicy and intense ginger taste totally caught me off guard, I was hooked. I found this recipe on The personal blog of Giles Paterson. It is fabulous, strain the ginger out if you like before serving but I like having a little bit in there to chew.

Ξ Jamaican Ginger Beer Ξ

Ingredients

• 1 cup of sugar
• ¼ teaspoon of baker’s yeast, in powder form
• 1½ to 2 tablespoons of grated ginger
• 1 lemon
• a 2-litre soda bottle with a screw cap, thoroughly cleaned and completely dry inside

Directions

1. Using a funnel, pour the sugar into the bottle and then pour in the yeast. The yeast must be ground for best result, I whizzed mine in a coffee grinder. If you skip this step your soft drink will be less bubbly. Shake bottle well to mix.
2. Extract the juice from one lemon. Mix the grated ginger and lemon juice together in a cup.
3. Again with funnel, pour in ginger/lemon mixture and then fill bottle half full with water from tap.
4. Remove funnel and swirl contents in bottle until the sugar has dissolved.
5. Fill bottle with water until there is approximately a one inch gap at the top and screw cover on tightly.
6. Let bottle sit at room temperature for 12 to 48 hours or until the bottle feels hard. The gas has expanded.
7. Store in refrigerator and chill thoroughly. Loosen cap VERY VERY SLOWLY allow gas to escape and avoid liquid fizzing over.

A few important notes for both recipes: a) if the pressure builds too much your bottle could explode. Place the bottle in the fridge overnight as this halts the yeast and stops the bottle exploding; b) you will notice that the basic procedures for making the sodas are identical so go ahead and experiment with flavors; c) no the ginger beer is neither radioactive nor does it glow in the dark as the pictures lead to believe; d) yes is will be carbonated almost like a soft drink…the natural way; e) until you really get the hang of opening it without making a huge mess….open your bottles outside. Trust me on this one !!!!!

Welcome to Mortimer Snodgrass! Located at 56 Notre-Dame W you will find a gem of a store when you need to buy a gift for a friend or a party….and you will leave getting a couple of extra items for yourself. They have a bit of everything: accessories, pets , balloons, spa beauty products, kids, decor, toys, office and an impressive kitchen area. The outside is adorable with Old Montreal charm, the entrance great you with a larger then life mosaic store logo..I believe made out of Jelly Beans. And the name, where did they come up with Mortimer Snodgrass?

Mortimer is the owner’s 11 year old rescued mutt. There is yellow lab in there and the rest is for anyone to guess! He is the store mascot and when he was younger he came to work every day greeting customers. Explaining Snodgrass is a whole other ball game, literally. One of the owners is a huge baseball fan and he knew of a little known baseball player named Chappy Snodgrass who played for Baltimore Orioles in 1901. Mortimer Snodgrass, it works!

Can you guess what purpose in the  kitchen my whale has? No hints we’ll see in a bit. The inside has a loft industrial feel a bit, but not in a modern exaggerated way. It’s really the shell of the store. The store’s colors are a nice pale blue with a calm orange. This is the store where you will find that unusual item you cannot find anywhere else: the ice mold to make those ice vodka shot glasses, a guitar shape silicone spatula, a blood red bath gel in a drip bag like you would see in the hospital, a cool pet treat for your pouch, fun and educational toys for kids no one else will have, neoprene designer lunch bags. And on and on and on!

I got to take a few items home to to play, oops cook, with. The first is the whale can opener. Yep the irony of opening a can of tuna with a whale that will be served to my cats…too funny. Amazing can opener by the way, made by Kuhm Rikon from Switzerland. I also got a very fashionable extra-long protective oven mitt made by Built, you know the kind that won’t still burn you threw like a cheap mitt. And finally the coolest dish brush dude ever. Dirty dishes watch out cause I will rock on while scrubbing you. Fun, quirky and all practical!I bet you would love to get you hands on some of these cool things.

Well you can! Because I am hosting with Mortimer Snodgrass the coolest giveaway ever. OK maybe not ever but close. We will be giving away not 1 but 2 gift baskets full of fun kitchen items. I was actually asked to come into the store and pick the prize packages myself for you guys. That was so fun! Each package has a retail value of $50 and there is more: each package comes with a $25 gift certificate which can be used online if you are not in Montreal. Each prize is worth $75 and the contest is open to EVERYONE worldwide! Let me show you what I picked:

Gift basket #1 includes a home sprouting kit made up of an Ancient Eastern Blend with fenugreek, lentils, kamut and adzuki beans sprouts. Next is a yellow lady citrus reamer. Lastly a set of chili shaped plastic ice cube – just pop them from the freezer to your glass, wash after and freeze again. Don’t forget the $25 gift certificate also included!

Gift basket #2 includes a grown your own edible flowers kit (marigolds) . Next is Sud Green the coolest dish brush dude around, just like the one I got too . Also we have a nifty “pull tab lid” that will keep your warm drinks warm and you cool one refreshing. Lastly this prize includes a ‘saw’ perfect for cutting up limes and lemons to add to your drink or food, and the handle also doubles as a bottle opener. Don’t forget the $25 gift certificate also included!

So do you want to win one of these baskets? Are they not awesome? Here is what you have to do to enter the contest:

- Leave a comment about my ‘ramblings’ in the post, just to make sure you read it and  did not just look at the pictures!

Many ways to get extra entries…

- Tweet Two 75$ Gift BasketsGiveaway with @mortsnodgrass & @cethniceatz http://t.co/PYit9iXj
- Follow Mortimer Snodgrass on Facebook, come back and tell me you did
- Follow Cheap Ethnic Eatz on Facebook, come back and tell me you did
- Follow Mortimer Snodgrass on Twitter, come back and tell me you did
- Follow Cheap Ethnic Eatz on Twitter, come back and tell me you did
- Download the Cheap Ethnic Eatz Mobile App, come back and tell me you did

You have till October 15th 2011, 23h59 EST to enter.

And of course the 2 winners will be picked randomly. What I will do is I’ll give the owners the total number of entries and ask them to give me 2 random numbers. Let’s get everyone involved. GOOD LUCK!

You know, I realize I never showed you all the new kitchen. If you are new to my blog let me quickly explain I had horrible water damages (repeatedly) from the ceiling of my 18th floor apartment. Otherwise it is a perfect place which is why I have been there for 10 years. The kitchen was a victim of some of those damages. You can read more about what happened.

Anyways this time around the owner decided to tear down my kitchen completely (walls too) and rebuild it. YAY! Of course since it is a rental I had no say in the process but I got better then before. I also have the WORSE tiny kitchen ever for a food blogger but I have learned to work in it very efficiently. You know it is one of those lab kitchens about  9 by 7 feet.

The before - both sides

The after side 1

The after side 2

Once the construction done I got a chance to organize things to get even more free space; things like where to place the paper towel holder, I got a magnetic bar for my knives and tried to come up with a more efficiently spice rack solution. I actually made mine but I have to say I am not so happy with it.

Finding a store with a large selection of kitchen spice racks is hard t. But I found a great online store so now I am shopping for one. I don’t know about you but I have WAY TOO MANY spices as it is and I know I will always be getting new exotic ones. What kind of spice rack do you have? Do you have too many like me? How long before you toss them?

I already did not have enough room on my makeshift one so I am shopping for a larger wall spice rack. Wish me luck in my shopping!

About 10 days ago I was fortunate enough to attend an media event for a product launch by Weston Bakeries Canada. The new lined entitled Première Fournée is made of 4 different breads made the old fashion way. The breads are made with unbleached wheat flour, pure water, yeast and salt, and contain zero preservatives, color or artificial flavor. Then each bread has additional quality ingredients added to achieve the fours breads varieties: Stonemilled Wheat, Hearty Grains, Rustic White and Light Rye.

These breads qualify by the food norms as Artisanal Breads. Although the breads are kneaded by mechanical equipment, each bread is hand shaped – by a human being – and then baked in a stone hearth oven without a mold. Each bread takes 17 hours to make and taste like the bread your grandmother use to make. These breads just hit the shelves this week in supermarkets in Canada.

A fun event and we all got to take home a full loaf of each bread, like close to 5 pounds of bread without preservatives. I live alone! The hearty grains I kept but I divided 3 of the breads in 3 and made a loaf all  flavors and repackaged them. One loaf went in the freezer, one I gave away and the last one I used for an awesome bread pudding recipe. This recipe claims to have its roots in the South, New Orleans more precisely. The original recipe calls for Bourbon but I only had Scotch on hand as a close substitute.

Ξ Boozy Scotch Bread Pudding Ξ

Bourbon Sauce:

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Soak the bread in milk in a large mixing bowl. Press with hands until well mixed and all the milk is absorbed. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, sugar, vanilla, and spices together. Gently stir into the bread mixture with the raisins.
3. Butter generously bottom and sides of a 9×13 inch baking pan. Pour in the bread mix and bake for 35-45 minutes or until set and the edges start getting a bit brown.
4. While bread pudding is cooking, melt butter in a saucepan; add sugar and egg, whisking to blend well. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens a little bit. Whisk in bourbon to taste. Remove from heat. Whisk before serving.

Serve with the bourbon sauce on the side or just slather it on top and let it soak like I did. BEST BREAD PUDDING EVER, hands down!

___________________________________________

Totally unrelated to food but I am so impressed I just had to mention it, plus we stay in the Canada only theme: have you heard of Glymm? It’s a high end beauty product club where you receive your Glymm Box once a month for only 10$ plus tax, shipping included. And you can cancel your subscription at any time, no strings attached.

Every month, your Glymm Box will contain 3-5 luxury samples that span over several beauty categories including cosmetics, fragrance, skincare, tools, spa and body, nails and lifestyle. Month-to-month, the products you receive will be different, and curated according to your beauty profile. I got my first Glymm Box yesterday!

Is that not the cutest pink box? Open it and pull the bow to see the detailed card telling you what sample beauty products are included.

This month I got a a blood orange and vanilla body wash and body milk from John Master, a blush from Vasanti, an Oscar de la Renta perfume, a pretty make up bag and some jelly beans! Of course if you fall in love with a product you can then purchase a full size version on the Glymm website. There is a point reward program too. A small price to pay for a monthly gift in the mail.

Have you heard of Canelés? Are they a mystery to you? Well l would not be surprised if you have not, they have been wrapped in mystery since the day they were invented. Like a spy in a cloak this French pastry has slipped in and out of history for 3 centuries, not leaving many clues behind.

I first came across them about a year ago when the social media firm Télégraphe hosted a friendly Canelé blind test competition, an excuse to get together. I found it funny taste testing and grading an unknown sweet treat. But I fell in love with them right away…and also swore at first I would NOT attempt to make them. Well only fools don’t change their minds, right?

Canelés (also often misspelled Cannelés) are a specialty of the Bordeaux region of France. This “cake” is traditionally baked in a small, striated cylinder mold and is characterized by a soft and tender custard center with a dark, thick caramelized crust. The recipe mostly consists of eggs, sugar, milk, flour, rum and vanilla mixed into a light crepe-like batter that is left to rest for 48 hours in the fridge. And they are A-D-D-I-C-T-I-V-E.

Legend has it that Canelés were created and invented in the 18th century by the nuns of the convent of Annonciades in Bordeaux. They were so popular that artisan bakers popped up in the streets selling their Canelé version. These special bakers were given the name “Canauliers” and registered a Guild with the Parliament of Bordeaux in 1663. During 19th century Canauliers disappeared from the artisans list of Bordeaux. In the first quarter of the 20th century the Canelé reappears. It is likely that its current shape comes from the similarity (in French) of the word wave with the word “cannelure” (fluting, corrugation, striations). wiki

And the mystery keeps persisting. I wish I could give you a source for my recipe but honestly I cannot. I have tweaked my proportions by comparing about 6-8 different recipes. No two are the same, so I am calling this version my own, adapted from the original recipe that no one seems to own (supposedly stored in a safe in France and known by only a very few pastry chefs who have been sworn to secrecy). Let’s investigate the sweet conspiracy…

Canelés Bordelais

Ingredients:

500 ml (2 cups) whole milk
25 g (2 oz) butter
2 egg yolks
1 whole egg
255 g (9 oz) sugar
1 pinch of salt
1 teaspoons vanilla extract or seeds from 1 vanilla pod
30ml (1/8 cup) rum
140 g (5 oz) flour

Directions:

1. Heat milk to 183°F on the stove, add the butter and let it cool completely to room temperature.
2. In a bowl, beat together the yolks, eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla and rum.
3. Incorporate the flour. Mix well then mix in the cooled milk gradually.
4. Let the batter rest (it will be very fluid), covered, in the fridge for 48 hours.
5. Fill the Canelés molds almost to the top.
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 450°F (230°C) for 15min, then lower to 375°F (180°C) and bake for 1 hour or until they are a dark golden brown.
7. Remove from mold immediately and absolutely let them cool before eating.

Makes 12 big Canelés (2″ x 2″ mold)

Notes:

- It is important to cool completely the milk mixture before pouring it over the egg mixture otherwise it could “cook” the dough.
- YES let the batter rest for 48 hours. No ifs or buts…DO NOT skip this step.
- This recipe specifies cooking times for the big Canelé mold where the cavity dimensions are 2″ x 2″.
- Break with tradition: try other alcohols or liqueurs. I only make mine with absinthe now if I have it in my bar. Awesome!

- The traditional recipe calls for tin-lined copper mold. Prepare to pay about $20 a piece. A better option is purchasing a Canelé silicone mold which is still not cheap ($30 to 40) unless you get lucky on Ebay like I did.

Before investing in a Canelé mold I did try out the recipe in a muffin mold. They totally loose their presentation charm, actually probably closer to what they looked like in the 18th century, but the taste was unchanged. You can see them below. Look at the custard-like insides here. This dessert is heaven!

Holiday countdown is at 14 days. Got hard to find items on your list? CSN Stores have over 200 online stores where you can find anything, and I mean anything you need. Whether it is a pet bed, air compressors, a corner tv stand or a wicker chair you will find it at CSNstores.com.

I must admit I recently bought myself a little present recently for no particular reason. I had been coveting the idea of a digital scale for some time. My online foodie blogger circle is really global so measurements can vary from one continent to another. A lot more recipes I make have the ingredients listed in grams. My old fashion small needle scale with the basket that kept falling off on top just was not cutting it anymore. Let me mention here I really bought this scale in a store with my own money and I really am extremely satisfied with this purchase.

Also I needed a scale that could measure really minute weights, like 1 gram at a time, for molecular gastronomy. Digital was the only way to go. I shopped around for a while and settled on the yellow Escali Primo Digital Scale. And I just love it. This scale is very compact, on the lower end budget wise than most digital scales, and very easy to use.

But what I like best is that I can put a recipient on the scale, subtract its weight, and then add my ingredient to weight in the recipient. That is very practical if I need 2 grams of salt but I don’t want to put salt on a large flat surface which would be hard to pick up after wards. Also you can switch between metric and imperial (grams and ounces).

Another great use for it is weight packages for the Foodie Exchanges I do. I try to keep my boxes under 500 gr to keep the cost of shipping down. With this scale I get an exact reading of how much my box weights and I avoid nasty surprises at the postal counter.

Features:

• Digital Scale
• Escali Primo digital scale is compact, portable, easy to store and easy to transport
• Capacity is 11 pounds and measures in ounces, pounds plus ounces, or in grams
• Accurately measures in 0.1 of an ounce or 1 gram increments
• Rated Best Value by a leading independent consumer magazine
• 5 Year Warranty
• Comes is a whole slew of colors
• Material: ABS Plastic
• Dimensions: 1.25″ H x 6″ W x 8″ D