Of Blind Tasting Cheese and meeting a Cheese Monger!

Francois Robin Food bloggers with organizers. 

One of my favourite aspects of food is Cheese. The art and science of cheese making fascinates me. I've been fortunate to travel all over the world. I have tried fresh cheeses from Italy and stone hard smelly cheeses from the high Andes. I have met fantastic cheese makers and purveyors. And I have found that the more I explore, with cheese, the more there is to explore. 

I take every opportunity that comes my way to learn more about cheese so when I was invited to a European Cheese tasting I accepted with pleasure. The tasting was and initiative by the European Union and CNIEL, to promote appreciation of European and French Cheeses and was conducted by French Cheese Monger François Robin at the Artisan restaurant at Sofitel Mumbai BKC. 

I arrived at Artisan, to a room buzzing with chatter, as bloggers friends met, caught up and comparied notes on the current food scene around the city. I love getting out for food events because it gives me a chance to catch up with food friends! I got myself a coffee and found a seat.  

I settled in and looked down to see... a blindfold and a strange pincer like contraption in front of me! Ok Cheese mein kuch kala tha! Just as I was patting myself on the back for that clever (NOT) joke Francois Robin took the podium.

Post a very entertaining introduction to himself, cheese, and particularly French Cheese, he revealed that we would be blind tasting cheese! In fact, not only would we be blindfolded we would also have our noses blocked! Within minutes all of us were blindfolding and nose blocked and a plate of cheeses was placed in front of us. Francois then got us to taste each of 4 cheese on the plate. 

Cheese 1 at 12 o clock:  A soft creamy shapeless mass. I pinched off a litttle bit and put it in my mouth. From the texture on my hands I already knew it was a cream cheese. On my tongue it was salty with a hint of milky sweetness and a distinct tang - It had to be a Chevre. Only a goats cheese can have that addictive tangyness. Strike 1 for the cheese lover! 

Cheese 2 at 3 o clock: As soon as I touched it, I knew what it was. An easy guess because of the wedge shape it was cut in, it had to be a Brie or Camambert. But beyond that without my eyes to tell me if it was white or yellowish and my nose to help I could not distinguish which one exactly. So I just savoured the textures of the moldy skin that gave way to the silky insides and waited. It was Camembert - a favourite. Strike 1/4 (for loving cheese enough to not let trivial matters like WHICH CHEESE get in the way of savouring it!)

We removed the nose pinch at this point. 

Cheese 3 at 6 o clock: This one was  hard to guess. My fingers told me it was a semi soft cheese - chedder like - and I know all Cheese making countries have their equivalent of a semi hard cheese but I could not remember the French one. I remembered tasting it in my early days as consultant to Natures Basket, when they were building the cheese tasting concept but I just could not put a name to it! Creamy, with a pleasing saltiness it was a Comte. Much loved in France. Rarely found in India. Strike 0 I am afraid!

Cheese 4 at 9 o clock: The last one. Formless and creamy, this one, again was a no brainer! It was a blue, and French Roquefort is stellar as far as blue cheeses go. I find blues with blue mold singularly strong. Random trivia the Roquefort has green veins not blue. IMHO this makes it more nuanced. 

Strike 1! 

Total marks 2 1/4. Not as good as I would have liked. I made a resolution to change that. Must get to know French Cheese better! 

Blindfold on, Nose blocked. It was surreal to taste without seeing what I was putting in my mouth. Not smell... But I have to share, the blind tasting was a brilliant idea, distinguishing from usual tastings. Though blocking the nose was a new one. When we taste food, the eyes and nose play a huge part in how we taste although its the mouth that is in focus. So with sight and smell blocked my experience that day depended on my fingers, and solely on my taste buds. I was able to distinguish with my hands, able to taste sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami and on my tongue and my palate was able to feel textures like creamy and grainy, but visual and nasal ques were unavailable! I realised what asignificant contribution they make to foods high on aroma, like cheese. I was intrigued. I also found it educative to observe reactions from fellow participants. It brought home to me the fact that we all have our own taste memories and food references that made us react differently to each cheese!

Once our collective excitement ebbed, Francois invited us over to a cooking station where he would showcase some recipes. Confessing it was his first time in India, he shared that he had worked with the chefs at Artisan to create some recipes that mixed cheese with a touch of Indian inspired flavours. I was skeptical, fusion can be hit or miss at the best of times, more so when one is not acquainted with ingredients. My fears were pleasantly dispelled as he showcased four simple ideas. 

Chevre Dip - He mixed creamy Chevre with finely chopped fresh coriander, spooned it into dip bowls and sprinkled over toasted black sesame seeds. The result was lovely, crunchy, earthy sesame that gave way to creamy tangy chevre that had a herby zing from the coriander.

Comte Bites - Next he took the Comte, removed the rind and cut it into bite sized chunks. Sticking toothpicks in them, he dipped each chunk - just the surface - in balsamic vinegar reduction. He then dredged the balsamic coated bottom in toasted white sesame. The result was a hit of crunchy sesame, sweet sour balsamic and nutty beautiful cheese. 

Apricot, Camembert 'Sandwiches' - In this one, Francois, combined Mascarpone with finely chopped apricots, pistachios and a little bit of gin. He then slliced a wheel of Camembert in half, piped the Mascarpone mixture into a layer and sandwiched the two haves together. It was chilled and served up in little wedges. 

Cashew Baked Camembert - Wheels of Camambert were dusted with curry powder and sprinkled with cashew. The whole was baked until the cashew was toasted and the cheese soft, runny and aromatic. I was most skeptical about this one but fell in love once I tasted it! 

The recipes Francois shared were really good! I stood corrected. He wisely played with just 3-4 ingredients, mixing singular flavours and textures allowing the cheeses to shine through. The ideas were unpretentious, fuss free, quick and easy. Also lovely to look at! (And I do not say this easily. I pride myself on my cheese platters). But I'd never have thought of combining Comte, balsamic and sesame? And that Apricot Camembert idea! WOW! With the sort of inspiration these have given me, cheese platters are  going a notch higher around these parts! Thank you, Francois! 

I've attended many, many cheese events and many, French food events, this was by far one of the funkiest ones. 

First of all, meeting Francois was exciting! I've met cheese makers, sellers and more but this was my first encounter with a Cheese Sommelier/Monger. (Imagine a job eating cheese ALL DAY!) And François Robin is one of the best of his ilk, an awardee of 'Best Cheese Monger of France'. Not only is he passionate about his subject, but like every expert that loves what they do, he makes the tasting of cheese entertaining and educative, but most importantly pretention free. Its ok to not know, or not like. As a curator of food events, I know what it takes and Francois hit the perfect notes with his curation of the tasting session! 

Here is a Here is a Video Interview of Cheese Monger Francois Robin and here is a video of the the recipes he showcased 

Then the Blind Tasting! As concepts go, the blind tasting was riveting for me on a personal level too. It takes so much trust! Of the people putting food in front of you at that moment. Of being vulnerable. Expect to see more experiments with blind tasting on these pages. 

And the Demonstration - A cooking demonstration is only as successful as what the participants take away from it. I took away a lot! 

We have a fair selection of cheeses from around the world coming into India (though cold chain woes and government import regulations hamper the category a fair amount). But if you find European and French cheeses, indulge! Some of the best artisnal cheese in the world comes from Europe where -unlike many other parts of the world where cheese production is commercialized, cheese making is a tradition, that has evolved over centuries, with knowledge passed down through generations. And the production is still at a hands-on, small farm level, where the farmer knows his cows by name. This results in great products. 

I am really glad, that entities like the European Union, CNIEL and Atout France are bringing us interesting people and food from the European and French food Industry. Because French cuisine is worth exploring and we do not have enough of it in this country!  Look forward to more! 

Garlic Chilli Roasted Grapes for the Nonchalant Gourmand

Soon after I began  #365PerfectFoodles, I realised I needed a name for it and asked the Twitterverse for help, promising a dedicated illustration to the winners. Two peoples suggestions finally came together in this name. One of them was my friend Nikhil who also has a very attractive blog - Nonchalant Gourmand. He requested a recipe with garlic in shades of Purple since that is the color of his blog. It took me a while to actually come up with a recipe but here it is 

Chilli Garlic Roasted Grapes #365PerfectFoodles - 11 (15 Apr 2012)

 

I have been wanting to do a caramelised fruit recipe as well as cook with grapes so this recipe does both. Grapes are in season just now and chilled make the ideal summer fruit/snack. But what I have found over time is that all fruit get even more delicious when subjected to a little heat that caramelises the sugar they contain. This recipe also has two favourite ingredients, garlic on request by Nikhil, which is important for adding caramelly, savoury notes and chillies for a little heat that will help the roasted grapes hold their own with the cheese later. But most impotantly in this platter is an ingredient that is very local. In arranging the platter I have scattered little sprigs of baby Methi all over it. Baby Methi to translate it to world gourmet terms would be Fenugreek Mesclun and has been a regular on the menus of Gujarati and Maharashtrian cuisines for eons. In this platter it makes an important additions, its slightly sweet-bitter crunchiness offering a contrast in texture and flavour to the soft sweet grapes and savoury cheese. In retrospect a few toasted walnut flakes could also be scattered over....

Here is the written Recipe 

Ingredients

3 cups/250 gms large red seedless grapes, a few halved, rest kept whole

1/3 cup / 40 cloved Garlic, chopped fine

4-5 / 15 gms Red Chillies, chopped fine 

1/3 cup / 80 ml Robust Red Wine

Sea Salt to taste (optional)

To Serve 

A selection of Sharp goats milk or smelly-spicy cheeses (Camembert, Roquefort, Brie, Feta, Gorgonzola to name a few)

1 bunch Baby Methi (Fenugreek Mesclun), cleaned and trimmed

Toasted walnuts (optional)

Sea salt (adjust quantities if used in roasting also)

Method 

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Centigrade. In a large mixing bowl, combine the grapes, garlic, chillies  wine, sea salt if using and mix well. Transfer to a baking tray and place in preheated oven. Roast for 15-20 minutes till skin of grapes gets slightly wrinkly and garlic is well browned. Whille grapes are roastin arrange your cheeses on a platter. Scatter the grapes around the cheeses with drizzles of pan juices. Arrange sprigs of the baby methi all over. Scatter walnuts and sea salt if using. Serve with the red wine you used to cook! Bon Apetit!  

For those of you who want a look at the real thing, here is a picture. This pan full was wiped out by the husband.

Straight out of the oven

Closer shot.

Salone Del Gusto Italian Pavilions - AKA Italian Food Porn!

Salone del Gusto is a food lovers dream world and should be on the calender of everyone around the world who cares deeply about food. The Salone del Gusto runs in parallel to Terra Madre, and has now come to be two halves of a complete whole. A strong network of relationships is created here on behalf of food that proves that it is sustainable and yet bring pleasure, perhaps more so by its sustainable nature! The Salone del Gusto is educational, because it is about learning, knowing, comparing and discovering, but always in the name of a right to responsible and fully shared pleasure. A festival, celebrating what we eat and the people who make it. The whole of Italy came together in Pavilions 2 and 3, with large signs indicating the home areas of the exhibitors, who presented their specialties alongside the Slow Food Presidia. One could wander through this 'marketplace' sampling cured meats, cheeses, preserves, chocolates, spirits, pasta, seafood and much more, discovering the flavors of all of Italy's regional cuisines under this one roof.

It was overwhelming, as you can see below....

Various Salumi on display.

Salamis flavoured with oregano, chillies and peppercorns.

Chillies in all their fiery splendour at an antipasti stall.

Pickled pleasures!

Nduja Sausages and spreads.

Fresh, flavoured and smoked Ricotta Cheeses

Smoked Ricotta up close.

Considered one of the most famous, Calabrian foods, Nduja is a soft, spicy, spreadable salami that originates from Spilinga, the name 'nduja' comes from the french word "andouille", which means "sausage". Nduja is made with pork meat, a bit of fat, salt and a lot of red pepper and is extremely spicy and often considered an aphrodisiac due to its firepower. They say it is also great for the heart but I didn't need justification to try it!

Nduja up close and personal!

Italian Chikki!

I am not sure if this was a traditional cheese, it sounded as if the cheese maker had created it himself.

I just loved how it looked.

I was really surprised at the sheer AMOUNT of chilli I saw all over! This stall had a killer Garlic Chilli spread I tried.

Cheese PLEASE

Cant ever get enough can we, this is the Fondata.

More meat!

Closer look!

Tarfuto - diamonds of the culinary world!

Worth their weight in GOLD!

Originating from Brazil, these confections date back to the time of the Benedictine monks and  nuns, who had considerable influence in the history and culture of the Troina regione. Made of  flour, sugar, yeast, lard, water and ammonia, these cylindrical pastry cases are approximately 15 cm in length and come filled filled with custard of various kinds, throughout the year but are most popular during the Carnival and Easter.

Pastry filled with custard

One of my favourite ingredients - Sun Dried tomatoes. Chop them, steep in hot extra virgin olive oil, add salt, chopped parsley and toss with chopped garlic and hot pasta. Tomato Heaven!

Pecorino Cheese stall, Pecorino is the name given to all Italian cheeses made from sheep's milk. Different regions have different Pecorino variants, eg. Pecorina Romano is the name given to cheeses from the Rome area, Pecorino Sardo is from Sardinia, Pecorino Siciliano from Sicily and my favourite because it is speckled with peppercorns. This Cheese maker hade a range of diffenernt ones, produced in small batches from milk from sheep that live in the Terminillo and Lazio regions and feed on organic feed and pasture grass, since 1940, the cheese is produced according to methods used by shepherds from time immemorial. He had me try them all, spearing off choice cuts from the "First Sale", fresh and delicate cheese prior to aging, the " Seasoned Pecorino " matured in cellars upto 1100 meters above sea level and the " Pecorino Aged in Cave" that had been aged in a cave, a process that imparted a hauntingly unique flavor. The impromptu tasting session concluded with a charming and rather flattering invitation to have coffe later. Italian men! SIGH! They can make a girl feel on top of the world!

And this rather special fresh Pecorino studded with tender pistachios, almost had me accepting!

Picante pleasures!

Funghi Porcini, my favourite mushroom. There is nothing like fresh porcini, large meaty slichtly citrussy musrooms, they are delicious. Dried porcini have terrific mushroomy aroma that adds wondrous flavour to stews and sauces and produces one of the finest risotto flavours I have ever tried.

Pretty Squashes...

Single flora honeys

Cheese Oppulence, thats one pillar of Comte, another of Parmiggiano Regiano - note the rind with the stamp? and a roof of Gorgonzola!!

Parmiggiano Regiano again - and yes that is a curtain of small salamis behind him!

Add caption

A pretty display of the Lombardy regions foods.

Grana Padano flavoured crackers.

Sea Salt

More Salt

Tomatoes being strung up.

Polishing a few apples for teachers day!

In April this year, I heard that one of the most inspiring teachers I had, Victor Arsientiev passed away in 2005! Luckily I had written to him to thank him for his contribution to my life long before. I have always had great regard for teachers. Some of the defining turns my life has taken have been because of dedicated teachers. Quite simply I am what I am because of them and I would like to take a moment to aknowledge their contribution.

Mrs. Dias, Dr. R.S.Wagh, Mrs Deepika Hazra, Mrs Anahita Lee, Victor sir thank you for taking the time to give a lost child direction. I would also like to aknowledge Mehta sir who has attempted to teach 6 generations of Munshaws including me math, may he teach my son, who will make up for the rest of us. And lastly someone I have always wanted to thank, Mrs Raman, my sons LKG teacher, so much of his good eating practices are thanks to her.

I thought Apples would be a good topic for today all things considered!
Apples are legendary for buttering up educators. According to web legend one story has it that all this classroom corruption originated from the practice of giving a simple gift of food for poorly paid teachers. Others believe the good health associated with apples made the present particularly meaningful. And giving an apple to a teacher is also the origin of the term "apple-polisher," (which also means bootlickers or toadies), which has a rather unkind connotation.

As a child I remember hearing “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”. Later as a precocious teen I took pleasure in scandalizing adults with the rejoinder of “if the doctor is good looking it might keep the apple away…” but there is truth to the first statement (the second too but lets not get naughty shall we…) apples contain Vitamin C, a host of other antioxidants that might reduce the risk of cancer by preventing DNA damage and are high in fiber which help in regulating digestion. Apples might also help with heart disease, weight loss and controlling cholesterol, as they contribute no cholesterol, but are rich in fiber which reduces cholesterol by preventing reabsorption.

Apples might keep doctors away but its also aknowledged that children who want to be in teachers good books should consider giving them Apples. Tossing cored apples, cheese subes, cucumber chunks, celery and raisins in olive or a nut based oil, salt and lemon juice make a tiffin stuffer for kids.

I always believed nothing could beat a crisp juicy apple until I began cooking them as baby food for my son. Stewing apples with a little ghee, sugar and a stick of cinnamon results in a silky puree that we adults found worked as a great topping for ice-cream or cake in the winter and chilled into a sorbet in the summer. It also makes great faux apple tarts if you spoon it onto marie biscuits! I guess I should have learnt from my first bite of apple pie that cooked apples are as delicious.

Unlike a lot of other fruit, apples lack a physical oomph factor but they are very versatile ingredients to work with in both savoury as well as sweet dishes. In fact I often snack on an apple along with a wedge of cheese alternating bites of crunchy, juicy, sweet apple with salty, grainy, soft cheese and that is where I find the best marriage for Apples, with cheese (Parmesan makes it even better). Take a leaf from my book and skewer chunks of apple and cheese on toothpicks for healthy finger food – beer drinkers will love them if my husband’s opinion is anything to go by. The oodles of chutney recipes Google throws at you is testament also to the fact that the sweet and salty pairing works. Try this when you're in the mood for something a little fancier...

Milli fuili of green Apple and Parmesan with Orange and Anise Sugar
Serves 4 Time 20 mins

2 green apples
200 gms parmesan cheese
4 tbsp Anise Orange sugar
2 tbsp orange zest

Slice cheese finely using slicer or sharp knife. Core each apple using an apple corer and then cut each apple in half. Taking half an apple, carefully slice so slices fall in order. Arrange slices in the shape of half apple on individual serving dishes alternating each slice of apple with a slice of cheese. Sprinkle over with the flavoured sugar. If you have a blowtorch give the arranged dessert a shot with it untill the skin caramelizes slightly or else briefly grill it in the oven (about 8-10 mins).

NOTE: For the Orange Anise sugar, combine 4 tbsp sugar with 1 tbsp of powdered zest, 1 tsp powdered anise and allow to stand for 30 mins or overnight.

GYAN and links

Caramelization or caramelisation is the oxidation of sugar, a process used extensively in cooking for the resulting nutty flavor and brown color. Caramelization occurs during dry heating and roasting of foods with a high concentration of carbohydrates. In the case of vegetables and fruit it draws out the natural sugars in them which break down and cause the characteristic browning and develop the characteristic flavor. An example of pure caramelisation is the well-known dessert Crème Caramel. Sugar and water are boiled until the sugar is caramelised , and this then used to line a small mould. A vanilla-flavoured custard is poured in, and the mould is paced in the oven.

Monday Musings

Monday Musings (sounds so much better than roundup no?)

A roundup of all things foodie (and some things not), that caught my eye last week and things to look forward to next week.

It's been a busy week.

Busy because my head is like a can of worms! The ideas just wont stop coming! And wherever I look, there is a new trigger! I need blinkers. With the book, blogs, website work and the usual duties of mom, wife, homemaker, I am multitasking so much, I start one thing but finish another!

Ideas of note....Lemon olive oil cake from One Perfect Ingredient with Chinese toasted sesame oil, an expensive but oh so indulgent proposition and cheese straws two ways ie. two flavours of cheese on the same cheese straw- ambitious and foolhardy but what fun if I manage it! 

Being a Virgo I have this tendency to make lists so I keep things in order with notebooks. In multiples! Each new project must have a new diary.My long suffering husband (who had the onerous task of cleaning up my desk or drowning in my stuff this weekend) exasperatedly  counted 6. 1 each for My Mumbai cookbook and my Pahari food book, 1 each for 2 future book projects, the latest - a notebook dedicated to sorting out the meals in my home and a task book with a list of things I need to take care of in general.

This obsession with lists occasionally back fires on me, but I'll come back to that.

I didn't get around to baking his week, but I DID keep my commitment to doing a healthy tiffin stuffer for my son. It was a simple old fashioned vegetable cutlet in which I rather cunningly camoflaged grated carrot and mashed peas. Or at least I thought so... the carrots worked but the peas unfortunately didn't. They came home in a neat little pile of debris on one side of the box thanks to a 6 year old's anathema to anything green!

I also managed to cook most of the stuff I picked up on my marketing trip with Vikram, I had a lot of fennel, two big bulbs, so I pickled it with orange according to a recipe from Joy of pickles. The sweet potato leaves I stir-fried with garlic and a touch of chilli. The thai chillies are drying as we speak - to go into a spicy seasoning I will use round the year. The Kantolas - which incidentally I was correct in assuming were the Meethe Karele of Uttarakhandi cuisine - were delicious in the ubiquitous onion tomato preparation that I resort to too much these days. The water chestnuts became a spicy curry of green masalla and coconut.

But thanks to Vikram, Moras Bhaji was the theme of the week. I started with a raita, then I did a Pithla and lastly a salad with the sorrel, lettuce, fresh pomegranate and sweet provolone cheese. Yet to try the papadi (a tiny nut I have never seen) but the Aam papad (mago fruit leather) was wiped out, it was just delicious.  And Aman equates it with treats so I am happy - much rather that then candy.

The onion flakes are destined for my patented herb seasoning -  the one some of you have been asking me to make more of. I am going to be making that next week so do book your bottle now. (I will courier/deliver to addresses in India only).

Thursday I bestirred myself to leave the kids and to drive to the Grand Central hotel. Discovery Travel and Living had an event to kick off their new lineup. Will Studd whose program Cheese Slices airs Tuesday was in town to promote his show with a cheese tasting session - a first around these parts and one reason I made it a point to go (a point the organisers made five too often times). The session itself was really good. The show promises to be food porn to beat all food porn - amazing locales of pastures stretching as far as the eye can see, idyllic places where owners of artisnal cheese factories cycle to work, hammer at huge wheels of cheese to check if they are cracked and some eye candy of another kind with italian cheese- makers getting physical (in an entirely kosher way) with cheese in all its forms - but most of all it what is goint to get me to wathch is the presenter, Will Studd who has me sold on Cheese. He's Obviously, stark raving bonkers about artisnal cheese and makes no apologies for it, having dedicated a lifetime to the subject. He has written a cheese bible called Chalk and cheese and travelled the world in an effort to document and preserve artisnal cheese - making. I have a date with my telly on Tuesday and dinner will revolve round cheese!

Perhaps cheese pakoras to wind up my Pakora contest, those who've been meaning to send in their entries, it 30 July. On the subject of he cheese tasting, the whole thing as very slickly put together, down to the slickly packaged giveaways we were sent home with. I have just one itsy bitsy peeve, why are banquets (meals/buttets et all) that follow up food events such as this so badly executed. The high note struck with the event itself instantly comes down a few notches with limp salads that have discolored lettuce and oxidised apples, soggy baby corn and woody asparagus. The soup and grilled red Snapper were excellent although the servers were being extremely frugal in their portions. Had to run so had no time to try the pasta station and definitely didn't need dessert after all that cheese and wine so no comments there. Its lamentable when this happens with any event but when it follows up a food related event, it's inexcusable!

Coming back to my latest notebook, Friday, my friend, Sharvari, sent me the link to this article, on planning meals. Called Save time money and health - plan your menu ahead, in it David B. Bohl advises " Create a chart with 7 columns for each day of the week and 6 rows for 3 meals and 3 snacks. Vary this to fit your particular needs, then make 4 copies for one month. Before the last week of the month, make 4 copies for the next month. This is easy to do if you create the chart on your computer in Ms Word or Excel." It stayed with me through the rest of that day and the night. (Sleep comes slow to me so waking up to get my baby her night feeds usually gets those worms going.)

So Saturday morning I snuck a new notebook out from behind my husband and inaugurated it. I actually got the first week done upto Thursday, factoring in health, budgets, seasonal produce, stuff in stock, person cooking (housekeeper/husband/me), my diet constraints AND picky kids preferances (cos although I REFUSE to cook seperate meals, its easier to have one thing they like (or can be ground to baby food as opposed to delaying their dinner to make something because everything is Boring or Yuck! I suspect by now you can see how lists backfire on me... Anyways at this point I had to go get dressed for the baby shower I was hosting for my sister in law so I put this on hold and rushed off. And then my darling husband being his usual thoughtful self went and did the vegetable shopping for the week while I was gone.

I gave him a big thank you hug, ripped out those two pages and decided to let the chaos reign untill next weekend when I shall try again.

By the by, if you are in Mumbai and if you need to plan a baby shower here are two contacts that you will thank me for (you can buy me a cup of coffee after). Delicie did the most adorable cake - a baby bed with a tiny pillow and blanket, quilting, patchwork, ruffles  and all and Rupali of Sentiments did SUCH cute chocolate hampers that the games were an absolute success because EVERYONE wanted one.

Sunday dawned with me being lazy but having to shake off the laziness because I had given my housekeeper the day off. Lunch became a potluck with my sister in law from up the road bringing her mattar paneer (one thing out kids Lap up after ejecting all the peas) and me embarking on a kitchen marathon to make tamatar-tadka dal, pyazwali bhindi and a cucumber raita for which I lovingly sliced the cucumbers paper thin on my LATEST gadget, a almond slicer (that I have yet to slie almonds on) from Chef's aid. I also made sambhar, my best yet, and the aforementioned cutlets.
 
I also managed to line up a few things on the Mumbai Cookbook blog, for those interested.

Food writing this week,
Vikram's latest column on Olive oil has reminded me of something that as been bugging me for a while - the dissemination of WRONG information with regards to diet. I read the same meadvise from Nita Mehta he writes about with reference to Pomace oil and I was a little concerned too. Incidentally that link to all his stories that I blogged about last Monday, unfortunately does NOT renew itself. (Ambitious expectations from the ET website on my part I suspect...)

Pursuing the Indian Foodwriters roundup I unintentionally embarked upon last week, I forgot to mention Reshmi R Dasgupta considering she also writes for ET and I read the section every week.

I'd also like to add Antoine Lewis who turned Savvy Cookbook into a magazine I waited for every month (not so since he left however - its good in parts wanting too) he's moved to Paprika Media (of Timeout Mumbai and Delhi fame) so the already informative food section of Timeout has just gotten better. There's an illuminating piece on tipping this fortnight thats definitely worth a read ...And no mention of the TOM food section would be complete without a mention of Roshni Bajaj Sanghvi whose written this latest piece as well. I'd also like to add Lesley Estevez to the list. She was a real discovery, Marryam pointed me in her direction, and I managed to find her blog online.

GYAN and Links....

Here is a link to the article on planning menus, Timeout Mumbai online, Lesley E blogs on Diva Italian restaurant Delhi CHEESE SLICES, a 10-episode series, will air on Discovery Travel & Living every Tuesday at 8 pm starting July 22nd. Contact Rupali of sentiments at 65521595/26055316 (she does a whole lot of other events in addition to baby showers.