Passover in a Pinch: Recipe Ideas

This year both Passover and Easter fall on the same weekend which means lots of people around the world will be entertaining and sharing meals with friends and family.  I am going low-key this year attending a seder in the city on Friday and an Easter lunch the following day.  I am looking forward to both.

Like any entertaining event, the question of what to serve typically comes down to the following bitter pill:  Do I stick to the tried, tested and favourites of my guests or do I bust out a new set of recipes and go wild?  I personally prefer the later options but I understand that there is some comfort and simplicity in remaking the same dishes year after year that you know will please your crowd.  Either way someone will complain but don’t let that deter you from running your seder your way!  Entertain in a way that gives you pleasure and enjoyment.

If you are prepping to host or attend a seder on Friday or Saturday night and are in need of some inspiration on what to make or bring, I thought I would share a couple of my favourite ideas that I’ve been impressed with on Pinterest this week.  Since it’s Thursday and Passover begins tomorrow night at sundown, these ideas will hopefully help you out if you are in a pinch!  I think the chocolate matzoh shot (picture three) looks divine!

A Chocolate Exploration @ Die Schokoladengalerie

Every now and then it is important to treat yourself; to reward yourself for hard work, for completing a goal or just cause.  As a lover of exploration and the thrill I get of discovering new things, discovering Die Schokoladengalerie in Munich was a double treat.  I would describe Die Schokoladengalerie as a chocolate store that offers a wide selection of niche, European chocolate brands, as well as a mini patisserie where you can dine, in-store, on tarts, brownies, truffles and other pastries.

Photo Source: 1

Easter is in full swing around Europe (celebrated on a much more festive level than what I am used to seeing in Toronto) and so my first stop was to peruse the shop’s Easter chocolate table.  I decided to try the egg half, front and centre wrapped in cellophane (see photo below).  It reminded me of a Cadbury Easter egg, although it tasted nothing like it!  I think this egg was made with fondant or marzipan and was pure sugar.

Photo Source: 2

Next I moved on to the real adventure, walking around the perimeter of the store to check out what niche chocolate brands Die Schokoladengalerie curated for my pleasure.  This was my favourite part of the experience as chocolate companies typically go all out in their package design to entice customers and I was happy to get caught up in their marketing efforts!

Photo Source: 3

I explored and had my first taste of Catanies by Barcelona based Cudie which is chocolate, almond, sugar, hazelnuts and vanilla rolled into a little ball dusted with cacao powder.

Photo Source: 4, 5

Then I was drawn to Quai Sud, from Toulon, France, which neatly packaged a dark chocolate square with strawberries and white pepper in a tear open, resealable bag, which I thought was rather neat and unusual for a chocolate bar.

Photo Source: 6

Next came Barcelona’s Oriol Balaguer’s Tableta de Chocolate- Chocoate Negro Grand Cru which is a 70% cacao blend of Venezuela and Trinidad blend.

Photo Source: 7

And finally, I rounded out my chocolate tour around Europe by purchasing a couple bars from Austrian chocolate company, Berger Feinste Confiserie.  I selected a whisky-orange chocolate square as well as a chocolate ginger square.

Photo Source: 8

If you are wondering whether I ate all this chocolate, the answer is no.  I did sample a few items at the store, but I mainly bought these squares to keep in the house for gifts and only reserved one or two for the emergency chocolate craving personal stash.

Have you come across any interesting chocolate brands lately?  Feel free to share your favourites in the comments section.  I love discovering new brands, especially those based in Europe where I can go check them out!

Hotel Miramonte

I am in between lecturing terms and just returned from a lovely, long ski-weekend in Bad Gastein, Austria (the Austrian Alps). One of the highlights was undoubtedly our boutique hotel:  Hotel Miramonte.

I discovered this hotel while reading the White Line Hotels website and after this experience, I can confidently say, I trust this site’s recommendations and would be open to trying another one of their recommendations when planning my next trip.  Hotel Miramonte embodied everything I like about design inspired travel: A large selection of international magazines and design books in their lounge and library, a mix of contemporary and vintage furniture- all ski chic, a killer soundtrack that changed throughout the day, and revolving art on the walls.  It was a true lifestyle hotel and I made the most of my time there as a non-skier!  The two floor sun decks, yoga classes and spa were wonderful for unwinding.

The service and food was also impeccable from morning until night, the staff could not do enough for you.  The breakfasts were delicious with lots of muesli, oatmeal, fresh, dried and stewed fruits (compote), breads, cakes, cheeses, vegetables and hard boiled eggs.  My other favourite thing about this hotel was their large samovar and vast selection of loose leaf teas ready to brew in large and small tea pots.  Since it was one of the last ski weekends in the season, the hotel was fairly quiet and did not feel too busy.  To get to this city, I drove from Prague via Munich and Salzburg to Bad Gastein.  The entire trip took about five hours but on the way back we made a three hour stop in Munich which extended the travel time considerably.

We are already planning our return to this spot next year! Has anyone ventured out this way to ski?

Photo Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 (my own)

Vanilla Food Company + Weekend Roundup

Boy could I use a company like this when I am missing baking ingredients in Prague.  I can’t tell you how many times I go to bake, realize I am missing an ingredient, head to the store and end up searching endlessly for something that I may or may not find.  Vanilla was one of the top things on my list that I could not locate in the city, however now I know you can purchase a small bottle at Marks and Spencer ($$).

I thought the Vanilla Food Company, a Toronto based, specialty, online-only business that sells vanilla (beans, extracts), plus other baking items such as spices, dried fruits, extracts, flavourings, pastes, powders and colourings (to name a few) was a neat niche business for bakers and food enthusiasts to know about.  Not only can you get extracts, you can get beautiful things like Nielsen Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Bean Paste, Callebaut chocolate chips as well as chocolate from Cacao Berry and Valrhona (the premium chocolate heavyweights!), and cinnamon from Vietnam.

It looks as if this company was born out of a bit of frustration with the quality and selection of vanilla beans available to regular/non professional chefs in the marketplace.  “The dried up, shriveled, over-priced vanilla beans” we are all accustomed to buying would not suffice for this entrepreneur.  Instead, Vanilla Food Company is filling that gap by upping the quality and accessibility to customers in Canada and the US!

I can’t wait to put my order in and pick up some items to bring back with me to Prague when I return to Toronto in May.

Photo Source: 1, 2, 3

Outside of craving quality chocolate and vanilla paste, I found some interesting ideas on the blogsphere to share with you:

I would like to try this pancake recipe on the weekend from Indonesian blogger, Cemplang Cemplung

I enjoyed reading this blog post on organic vegetables and fruit in Dubai from blogger, My Custard Pie

Finally, design store, Riija, in Riga Latvia, looks like it carries a lot of neat stuff from local designers, if you are into exploring or collecting some design products from Latvia.

Red Pif

I had the pleasure of checking out Red Pif, new a restaurant/wine store/wine bar in Prague  1, late this afternoon and I can triumphantly say, this place is a winner in the city if you are looking for a cool, design forward environment (not overly trendy) to sample wine, and have a bit to eat in the heart of the city.

In addition to offering an impressive selection of wines by the glass, the interior design is supurb, which makes the wine tasting experience a pleasure.  Who doesn’t like drinking in a light and airy space built of natural wood that seems to extend forever?

Other noteable design features about its space is that Red Pif has some very cool window shutters in the shape of cut out wine bottles (see picture below), high ceilings, an industrial looking, floor to ceiling wine shelving unit (comprised of mostly French and Czech bottles) and a stunning bar.  The menu wasn’t bad either.  I sampled a cheese platter and my friend had the pumpkin risotto.  Both were good and I would go back to try a full meal.  Red Pif was also non-smoking from what I could tell, a relief to those still hunting for bars and lounges in the city that don’t have you leaving reaking of smoke!

Photo Sources 1, 2, 3, 4

Agneta Livijn

Depending on where you live, travel or shop, you may be familiar with the name Agneta Livijn.  However, it is likely you may own one (or many) of her pieces and not even know it belonged to Agneta Livijn’s as her work is unidentifiable by logo.  What is identifiable, is the product line’s fun stripes (Pisa cups below), hand painted text and bold colours across cups, mugs, saucers, bowls, and dishes all made in stoneware.

The (nearly) 20 year old brand from Stockholm was launched by artist and designer, Agneta Livijn.  Today, the company produces pieces under its own brand and for other retailers which appropriately reflect the tag line of the company, “Get Hip, Get Handmade.”

Picture Source 1, 2, 3

I just love her mugs.  They look so sturdy and solid and would look terrific on a table for brunch.

Picture Source Remodelista

In terms of work for other brands, she has collaborated with R.O.O.M (Stockholm), Marks & Spencer, Habitat (UK), Bakery & Spice (Stockholm), IKEA and the Story Hotel (Stockholm) to name a few. I look forward to tracking down a couple pieces myself next time I am in Germany or eventually get to Sweden.

Love This: Eggs, Toms and Weekend Roundup

Hello all!  Welcome back to Monday.  Toms shoes are on my brain.  I think it is because it was warm enough this weekend to wear my pair (sparkly gold Toms), as temperatures nearly reached 20 degrees in Prague.

I continue to be impressed by Toms, my favourite social shoe company who I blogged about here.  If you are not familiar with the brand, their business model is a one to one where when you buy a pair of their shoes, they donate a pair to children in need around the world.

I am blown away by their most recent endeavour called Toms Ticket to Give, where the rewards a customer with a ticket and the opportunity to follow his or her purchase and have the experience to travel with the company and give a pair of shoes.   I just watched the video of their recent winner who will be going to Honduras to donate shoes with her mom.  What a memorable experience for the customer and a fabulous way to engage people in a meaningful way with the Tom’s brand.

You’ll notice I also posted some eggs.  I re-pinned these eggs on one of my Pinterest boards a week ago and have been saving it for a post leading up to Easter.  For some reason, the dyed eggs reminded me of the colour of Toms shoes.

Dad Dines @ Michael’s Genuine Food and Drink

Happy Friday.  I am so happy the weekend is here.  The sun is shining and I read the temperature is expected to climb to 20 degrees by the end of the weekend.  Prague’s good weather is nothing to compare to sunny and 27 degrees in Miami of course but what can you do?

Next up on the Dad Dine’s series, I received a recommendation for Michael’s Genuine Food and Drink, a restaurant located in Miami’s design district.  Since arriving in December, my dad has returned to this place several times to eat as it focuses on fresh, local ingredients, has a nice ambiance with indoor and outdoor seating (good for people watching), zero pretentiousness (his words) and the desserts are “a masterpiece.”

It is a given that morning, noon and night, Michaels’ is a popular spot to dine (see how many people have reviewed it on Yelp) but what really stood out to me is the talent behind the restaurant’s well crafted desserts.  It turns out, Michael’s Genuine Food and Drink pastry chef, Hedy Goldsmith, is a going concern in the pastry world.  She was recently nominated as a semi-finalist for outstanding pastry chef for the prestigious James Beard Foundation Award and is releasing her first book titled “Baking Out Loud” in October of this year (you can pre-order it now on Amazon).  This book is definitely going on my wish list for later in 2012.  I know the French toast below looks out of this world. 🙂

Photo Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

On a separate food note, has anyone heard of the website: New York Mouth? If you are into artisanal food and supporting small food producers, this might be your new favourite site.  It’s a neat concept; one that I may need to devote some more writing space to on this blog.

Have a great weekend.