Chilhood Memories

2nd day Horeca 2012

Very talented chefs visited Atelier Gourmand today. I was really impressed by their recipes and talent, yet I was disappointed too because visitors did not pay enough attention to what they were preparing and saying. A lot of people come to the fair to eat free food, although this fair is solely for professionals ONLY!  We have so much to learn from each other. People are in pursuit of money and glory and forget the essential. For me, it was exceptional.

My first guest was Chef Mohamed Ourad from Momo.Not only is this chef talented but a true gentleman with years of experience. I am so glad that we hired a cameraman to document his teachings. The aim was to have renown international chefs revisit a Lebanese recipe. Chef Mohamed cooked for us moghrabieh and tajin. I will be posting the video very soon. I loved both dishes but preferred the tajin. According to Chef Mohamed our tajin is too heavy. He lightened the traditional tajin sauce with some fish broth and added a dollop of fresh cream. It was exceptional. His moghrabieh was innovative as he made it with fresh seafood. I loved the taste but cried out for a bit of spice (you all know how I am!). I think we can learn a lot from Chef Mohamed because he has so much experience and regional culture. I am definitely going to visit his kitchen sometime soon.

My second guest was Chef Remy Lefebvre from La Maison du Caviar. Chef Remy is a self taught chef who has traveled extensively to fulfill his passion in cooking. He is a redhead like me so we hit it off immediately! His dish was special too because he interpreted our traditional Lebanese Sayadieh his way. He reduced the fish stock a lot to become very concentrated. He made a risotto using tarrator. I really loved that! His assistant Chef Ali attended to the risotto while he grilled the fish with caramelized onions. We spoke about La Maison du Caviar in Lebanon and the perception of Lebanese towards this establishment. Some are scared to visit the restaurant because they feel it might be too expensive. Chef Remy mentioned that some of the dishes served in the restaurant are cheaper than others who pretend to be very casual and affordable. One can spend thousands of dollars at the restaurant eating very fine caviar and others can simply eat at an affordable price other menu items. Makes sense... Thanks Remy, I'll be back.

And finally, a soul mate found called Suzanne Husseini. Host of the popular cooking program "Sohbe Taibe/صحبة طيبة " and author of the bestselling cookbook "When Suzanne Cooks," highlighting the wonders of Arabian cuisine. According to Suzanne, "Love begins in the kitchen" .  She is really amazing! She reminds me of sexy Nigella Lawson but the Arabic version (so cute and more authentic!). She cooks and talks about food with a passion. She cooked her lamb and freekeh in front of audiences who couldn't wait to taste the food. You can find the recipe in her book. It is still available at the fair. It was great to see how a person with lots perseverance was able to accomplish her dreams. She is a tough cookie who loves to share her passion with her readers and TV audiences alike. "Suzanne Husseini’s love of food began at home. She cites the meals her mother made during her childhood in Canada as the source of her everyday inspiration". We understood each other because we are going through a lot of similar circumstances in our common journey. I hope to see more of her and her cooking in the future. Habibti intee!!!

Update on Horeca - 1st Day

Lots of energy yesterday at Horeca. I was delighted to meet Miles Irving, English forager who sells edible plants and herbs to restaurants in England. He came to discover the rich forage we have in Lebanon. According to a source, university professor at USEK Marc Berouth, there are over 400 edible plants and herbs in Lebanon and only about 40 species are being used. I think that is amazing! I think a book on the subject is so important. Miles himself has written a book on foraging, based on English plants. The book also depicts interesting recipes from famous chefs in his country. Why can't we do the same? I am going to try to find a way of getting this done, somehow! I will need the help of specialists, it will happen... A special thanks to Souk el Tayeb producers Rima Massoud and Georgina Bayeh, they made us dishes using wild Lebanese edible plants. Their presence made it all the more special.

The second part of the event yesterday was with special guest, owner of Sultan Brahim Tony Rami and his team. It was amazing, hummus and chickpeas in all forms. I will write a post about this subject later when I have the video to show how each one is made. I was very impressed with his hummus made with filet of fish conserved in fat like awarma. Very innovative. Also, as you know, I am a huge fan of red pepper paste! Another variety I tasted was with a sauce poured on the hummus made with red pepper paste. A chef from Akkar invented the hummus "Akkarieh" with chopped pickled turnips, tomatoes, and parsley. Extraordinary! There is a lot to do with this team, I will do it! I'm very grateful for their enthusiasm and generosity. Good things ahead.

During the fair I got two marriage proposals too and one of my books was stolen, sad and disgusting! An old man screamed at me to give him hummus with a spoon.... I'm learning a lot about people every day. Mostly I am grateful to all my fans who came up to me, took photographs, and asked about my TV segment and my future shows. Don't worry I won't let you down. There are so many adventures ahead. I'm really excited!

Fraud on Amazon

I am being misrepresented on AMAZON. Please don't buy my books on AMAZON. Mouneh is listed at 270 USD. Someone wants to harm me!

1st Day Horeca 2012

Today the start of HORECA, come join us. I visited the Atelier Gourmand stand yesterday - very inviting! 1st part: Special guest today author / forager Miles Irving from England with producers cooking from Souk el Tayeb. 2nd part: How many faces of hummus do you know with Al Sultan Brahim group and the Al Rami brothers. Can't wait! I will post what happened tomorrow morning.

Read this article concerning foraging in the Shouf with Miles.

Cute Invite

Atelier Gourmand at Horeca 2012

Click on the image to read more details

Click on the image to read more details

Come join me with all these special guests this year for a special event at Horeca. I will be hosting for the 3rd consecutive year the Atelier Gourmand. Lots of surprises await with very interesting subjects. Take the time to read the details and follow the events day by day.