Almond Tart
Recipe from Hotel Amari
Ingredients:
1 pc 8-inch pie/tart dough
Almond Paste (see below)
100 grams almonds, slivered/sliced
75 grams butter, unsalted
75 grams cream
50 grams sugar
50 grams golden syrup
butter, for greasing pan
Preparation:
In a small pan, combine almonds, butter, cream, sugar and syrup. Bring to a slow boil and let the sugar completely dissolve. Keep the heat on medium-low and stir occasionally to make sure that it does not burn. Take off the heat once the sauce has thickened a bit.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (375 degrees F).
Grease an 8-inch pan and arrange the pie/tart dough on it.
Herb Crusted Sea Bass
Recipe from Hotel Amari
Ingredients:
50g breadcrumbs
grated zest of 1 lemon
25g grated parmesan
2 tbsp chopped parsley
salt and pepper
4 skinless fillets of firm white fish
50g butter
juice of 1 lemon
Preparation:
Mix the breadcrumbs with the grated lemon zest, grated Parmesan, chopped parsley, salt and pepper.
Season the 4 skinless fish fillets. Pan fry in a little oil for 2-3 minutes until just tender. Turn over and sprinkle with the crumb mixture. Brown in the pan under a hot preheated grill for 2-3 minutes. Add the butter to the pan with the juice of 1 lemon. Melt around the fish and serve.
Vietnamese Spring Rolls
Recipe from Hotel Amari
Ingredients:
2 ounces rice vermicelli
8 rice wrappers (8.5 inch diameter)
8 large cooked shrimp – peeled, deveined and cut in half
1 1/3 tablespoons chopped fresh Thai basil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 leaves lettuce, chopped
4 teaspoons fish sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic chili sauce
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon finely chopped peanuts
Preparation:
Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil. Boil rice vermicelli 3 to 5 minutes, or until al dente, and drain.
Fill a large bowl with warm water. Dip one wrapper into the hot water for 1 second to soften. Lay wrapper flat. In a row across the center, place 2 shrimp halves, a handful of vermicelli, basil, mint, cilantro and lettuce, leaving about 2 inches uncovered on each side. Fold uncovered sides inward, then tightly roll the wrapper, beginning at the end with the lettuce. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
In a small bowl, mix the fish sauce, water, lime juice, garlic, sugar and chili sauce.
In another small bowl, mix the hoisin sauce and peanuts.
Serve rolled spring rolls with the fish sauce and hoisin sauce mixtures.
Lamb Ouzi
Recipe from Four Points by Sheraton
Ingredients:
250g Australian Organic Lamb Leg
25g onions, chopped
10g carrots, chopped
1-2 cinnamon sticks
2-3 whole bay leaves
Black Pepper
7g Turmeric Powder
200g Basmati Rice
50g ghee
100g Australian Organic Lamb, minced
½L lamb stock
1 tbsp Arabic seven spice mix
10g Salt
30g mixed nuts
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4.Place the leg of lamb in a tray and cover with half of the chopped onions, all the chopped carrots, the cinnamon sticks and the bay leaves. Season with black pepper and sprinkle with turmeric. Cook for 40 minutes to 1 hour. In another pot, fry the rice, ghee and the other half of the chopped onions for 5 minutes. Add the minced lamb to the rice and cover with ½ a liter of lamb stock, Arabic seven spices and salt. Cook for 12 minutes. Place the rice on a tray and add the cooked lamb on top. Top with the nuts and serve with cucumber yoghurt as a side dish.
Shish Tawook Grilled Chicken
Recipe from Four Points by Sheraton
Ingredients:
3 lb. oxtails, cut into 2-inch-thick cross sections
Freshly ground black pepper
1⁄4 cup vegetable oil, divided
1 small onion, finely diced (1½ cups)
2 medium celery stalks, thinly sliced (½ cup)
2 small carrots, peeled and finely diced (1⁄3 cup)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1⁄4 tsp. brown sugar
3-4 pcs shitaki mushroom
1⁄4 tsp. ground ginger
1 bay leaf
1 star anise
2-3pcs cloves
2-3pcs dry red chili
1 1⁄2 cups beef stock
02 tablespoon soy sauce
Preparation:
Pat the oxtails dry with paper towels, and dust the pieces all over with flour. In a Dutch oven set over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of oil. When the oil is hot, add the oxtails, working in batches as needed to avoid crowding. Let cook, turning occasionally, until deeply seared on all sides, 15–18 minutes total.
Transfer the meat to a large platter; drain and discard any excess fat from the pan (do not wash the pan). Return the pan to the stove and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion, celery, and carrots, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft but not yet colored, 4–5 minutes. Add the garlic, brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, bay leaf, anise, cloves, and dry red chili, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to deglaze.. Add the stock, bring to a simmer, cover, and cook, skimming the grease and gently stirring occasionally, until the meat is very tender, 8–9 hours. Adjust the seasoning with soy sauce and pepper to taste. Serve hot.
The Classic Sayadieh: Lebanese Fish with Rice
Recipe from Four Points by Sheraton
Ingredients:
2 kg sea bass, or any other large white fish such as red snapper or cod
3 cups long grain rice, rinsed and drained
3 large onions
3 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup raw pine nuts
1/2 cups almonds
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon caraway
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons salt
Preparation:
In a pan, fry the almonds and pine nuts in 3 tablespoons vegetable oil until they turn light brown. Remove from pan and set aside on a kitchen absorbent paper. Reserve the pan for frying the fish. Rub the inside and outside of the fish with some salt and olive oil. Add the remaining vegetable oil to the pan and fry the fish until tender. Turn off the heat. Remove the fish from the pan and keep the oil in the pan. Peel the skin off, and remove the bones and head. Discard the bones and keep the head. Cut the fish flesh into big serving pieces and set aside.
Fry the onions, in the reserved oil in the pan, until crispy and brown in color. Remove 3 tablespoons of the fried onions and keep aside for the garnish. Add the fish head, the spices, and 4 cups of hot water to the fried onions in the pan. Cover the pan and let it simmer for 30 min on medium heat or until the onions become very soft. Remove the fish head. Bring the sauce to a boil then add the rice. Cover the pan and cook the rice over low heat for 25 min. Add more hot water if needed and taste to see if more salt and seasoning is needed. The rice is cooked when all water has evaporated. Put the rice in a serving plate. Place the fried fish pieces on top and sprinkle with the fried onions, pine nuts and almonds. Serve immediately.