Biba makes : home made pizza

I love home made pizzas and what's special about this one is that i used puff pastry instead of the normal pizza dough and it's light crispy and delicious ! Put the layer of puff pastry in a squared our round pan, add the tomato mix sauce with tomato chunks, tomato paste and a splash of ketchup( that adds this tiny hint of sweetness in your sauce) a few drops of tabasco, garlic, onion, oregano and mushroom. You can actually add or substitute any ingredient you prefer in your pizza or that is available in the fridge. Same goes with the cheese, i had to put kashkaval because it was the only cheese available at home ; which is a  smokey kind of cheese and it turned out to be delicious with the pizza. You can put half mozzarella, half emmenthal or kashkaval.. it's your pizza, your option ! And at the end topped with a handful of black salty olives. Put it in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes at 170 degrees C.

Yummy in my tummy :)

Biba makes : red velvet cream cheese swirls brownies

My new found love is food network , i just can't stop watching it and so far got a lot of  amazing recipes. I got this recipe from the show " cooking for real " where Sunny made these delicious red velvet cream cheese brownies. Here are the ingredients:

Red Velvet Layer1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup cocoa powder
Pinch salt
1 tablespoon red food coloring
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 eggs
3/4 cup flour

Cream Cheese Layer:
8 ounces or 224 g cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 170 degrees C. Butter a baking pan, and set aside.

For the brownie layer: Add melted butter to a large bowl and add the sugar, stir, vanilla, cocoa powder, salt, food coloring, and vinegar, in that order, mixing between additions. Whisk the eggs in a small bowl and stir it into the cocoa mix. Fold in the flour and lightly combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan, saving 1/4 cup of the red velvet mixture  for the top.

Cream cheese layer: Blend together the cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla in a bowl. Gently spread the cream cheese layer on top of the brownie batter in the pan. Dollop the remaining brownie batter over the cream cheese layer. Using a skewer or the tip of a knife, drag the tip through the cream cheese mixture to create a swirl pattern. Bake the brownies for 30 minutes.

 

And voila Bon appetit !!

Biba makes : Banana bread

I have never baked or tasted banana bread, but oh my it is delicious !
So i found this recipe on food network but i decided to add a bit of my twist in it.
Here are the ingredients: 4 ripe bananas, 1/3 cup melted butter, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp baking soda,  1 pinch salt, 1 1/2 cup flour and i decided to add 1 tbsp of honey, 1 tbsp of rossi or rhum and a handful of raisins. So preheat the oven to 175*C, and you don't need a food mixer, just mash the bananas, add the melted butter, mix it with a wooden spoon. Mix in sugar,honey, egg and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt and mix in . Add the flour ,mix and add the rossi (or rhum). At last, you can add the raisins that have been soaked in flour and rhum.Pour the mixture into a buttered loaf pan and bake for 25 to 30 min. Voila, you can serve it with some jam , whipped cream and ice cream.

Biba makes : butter croissant and almond croissant

To make delicious croissants, you need to prepare the dough one day before, let it rest in the fridge for a whole day. Roll out the dough to place the butter ( it is definitely better to use dry butter but if you don't find any then it's fine you can just use the normal one ). After making 3 turns, roll it out and cut it into triangles to form a moon shape croissants. As for the fillings, you can just leave it plain buttery or add some almond cream ( 60 g butter, 60 g sugar, 60 g almond cream, 1 egg and a tbsp rhum) and roll it out. You can actually put anything you like, nutella,  cheese, thym,  jam. It is better to put the egg wash ( 1 egg, 1 egg yolk ) and let the croissants rest for at least 40 min at room temperature so it can really take a nice shape and rise, put another layer of egg wash and put it in the oven. BON APPETIT !

Event of the month : Salon du chocolat

The Salon du Chocolat is the not-to-be-missed event for those who share a passion for this exceptional product. It is a link between those who grow cocoa and those who consume chocolate. you would meet cocoa growers, discover the best chocolatiers, admire unique exhibitions and attend recipes demonstrations. Every year, the Salon is also dotted with special events, celebrations and performances. Some of them have become iconic such as the famous Chocolate Dresses Fashion Show. You can also find a display of chocolate and sugar sculptures that are so extraordinary to look at. I was very pleased to find that one of the chocolatier participating in the event was a lebanese. Unfortunately i forgot the name but what i know is that they have recently opened in lebanon ( a year or so ) and they were asked to join le salon du chocolat in paris for their special chocolates. I tasted the "misqe" chocolate and "arak" chocolate it was delicious and smooth it just melts in your mouth with this exceptional lebanese taste. So proud !

Biba makes : Pithiviers, scarictains

For my final exam in the basic level at le Cordon bleu i had to make the pithivier ( three kings' cake ) and the sacristains ( twists ). So these two are made with puff pastry. We have to make the dough by scratch without any machine; just our hands and the roll. So basically the three kings cake is two layers of puff pastry filled with almond cream and decorated on top with the knife. As for the twists, i actually used the rest of the three kings cake puff pastry, rolled them out and added on one side some sugar casson, cinnamon and on the other some chopped almonds and just twist them while laying it on the parshment paper, and voila :)

Biba eats : Le voltaire

Le voltaire (27 quai voltaire 75007) is a traditional french restaurant. It's nice and cozy especially when it gets really cold. The waiters are super friendly. I had for starters the pumpkin soup, which was delicious, warmy and  for main course i had the poussin ( chick ) marinated with tarragon, french fries on the side and bearnaise sauce ( which seems i am addicted to ). So the chick was so juicy and tender, and the fries were nice and crispy. it was a delicious meal. One of my friends had the foie gras maison, i am usually not a fan of foie gras but surprisingly this one was really good. Apparently le voltaire is famous for its foie gras because it is marinated with merlot so it has this interesting and good after taste that you get after each bite. The price range varies between 75 and 80 euros, i personally had a nice experience and would definitely go back another time.

Biba eats : Marius et janette

 This restaurant was one of my parents favorite. Two days ago we went to have dinner there and I have to say i was more disappointed than my parents were. I don't understand the fuss about it. I don't know if the Chef was having a bad day but the food was very average. We had for starters the tourteau frais decortique( which is basically a fancy way to say crab tartare ) and the crab was not even fresh it was frozen! and Tartare Saint Pierre. Both tartares lacked seasoning, we had to add salt, pepper and olive oil just to add a bit of flavor. My dad had the nems langoustines with thai sauce which was pretty good. We also shared mussles, they were fresh but the sauce was too salty we had to add a lot of lemon just to be able to swallow the bite.  As for main course we all had the the Bouillabaisse de poissons en filets, nothing to say, just good.

 The only thing that made us walk of this restaurant happy were the desserts. We had the apple souffle with caramel ice cream and the chestnut biscuit with clementine coulis and chestnut ice cream, it was foodgasmic ! All in all i can say that the restaurant is overrated, especially when you pay 100 euros per person.

Biba eats : Chez Andre

I have already shared my reviews about Chez Andre and i have nothing to say other than great food, great service, you get much more than what you are paying for. It is one of my favorite restaurants in paris. I had for starters the pequillos au crabe which was red peppers with fresh crab, accompanied with a small salad and a tomato sauce that was tangy, spicy and just adds this freshness into every bite, we were sharing in the middle a salmon tartare, again it was delicious and the salmon was so tender and fresh, it litteraly melts in your mouth. As for main course i had the burger that was foodgasmic, the meat was so juicy that the bread was soaked and the fried were crispy and yummy.I recommend this restaurant to everyone. The price range varies between 30 and 40 euros.

Biba eats : Le comptoir de thiou

The restaurant is named after the Chef Thiou who offers a clever mix between French and Thai flavors for a true culinary journey. The food is excellent, the place has a very neat design and unpretentious setting. I had for starters the fresh tuna tartare , spicy mayo with a rocket salad, there was a mix between the tuna and a tangy spicy sweet sauce that was just delish and then i had " le tigre qui pleure", this dish is one of Thiou's specialities, it is a very tendre moist meat with a spicy tangy sweet sauce and sticky rice, one word : FOODGASMIC! i loved everything and the service was impeccable. The price range varies between 50 and 60 euros, it's expensive but worth it.

 

 

Biba makes : Croissant au beurre

 My last practical at le cordon bleu was to make pain au chocolat and croissant au beurre. It was the first time i make croissants and what makes it difficult is that we have to do everything manually, like we can't use any kind of machines. The hardest part is making the dough which is basically like making puff pastry. and making sure that the butter is always envelopped in it when you try to roll it out. When that's done everything becomes easy, you can add anything you want, cheese, chocolate, or leave it plain and just roll it out to the form of a croissant. The next morning for breakfast i decided to add some chocolate nutella and it was foodgasmic !!

 

Biba eats : Roger la grenouille

 

Roger la grenouille (located in 26-28 Rue des Grands Augustins - 75006Paris) was created in the 30s with a cuisine based on frog legs, the restaurant had at the time a small air canteen.Today, Chef Pascal Delacourt still offers bistro cuisine, but its fine cuisine . The products are fresh, including the famous frog legs with which he introduces no less than ten different recipes. For the rest, the place retains its old pub. The restaurant toned brick is always warm, brass pans and old photographs hung on the walls set the scene. We had for starters the goat cheese salad, it was crispy, sweet, salty and just delicious and the snails. Now i am not a fan of snails but i am always up for trying so these by far were the best i have ever had. As for main course i had the magret de canard cuit which is a cooked duck, with caramelised apricots and the meat was cooked perfectly, it was tender and not as heavy as the usual duck confit and the sauce was a great combination, it adds this tangy sweetness to the duck. My friend had the frog legs a la provencale, and i have tasted frog legs in paris 4 times maybe and i never really liked it so i decided to give it the last chance and it was suprisingly really good! We were so full that we didn't have place for desserts but apparently they have really good chocolate and pistachio mille feuille for their desserts ! The service was impeccable, the price range varies between 50 and 60 euros per person but again very worth it!

 

 

 

 

 

Biba eats: La fontaine de mars

 La fontaine de mars is actually my new favorite place in paris. It is one of the best restaurants i have ever been and i'm not only talking about the food but the whole experience. Apparently president Obama had been there, Ben Affleck and many other famous people; so i was not super excited to go there because i thought it was going to be one of the shmansy fancy restaurants. To my surprise it was the complete opposite. The service was amazing, the waiters and receptionist were super friendly. We got there without reservations and waited just 5 minutes to get a table and it was full. We had for starters one of the plat du jour and it was a "pain perdu d'espadon" which was basically like swordfish with artichokes, olives.. i can't really describe it, all i can say is that it was delicious! then for main course i had the filet with fries and bearnaise sauce, again amazing, the meat was cooked perfectly and the sauce was one of the best bearnaise i've had in paris! my friend had the "cassoulet" which was  also in the plat du jour, and again really good. As for desserts we had to share the apple tart with prunes and armagnac ice cream, it was new for me and i loved it. The price range varies between 55 and 60 euros but totally worth every penny.

Biba eats: La parizienne

La parizienne is located in the heart of the Place du Marché Saint-Honoré ( 42 place du Marche Saint-Honore, 75001 paris).It is a unique restaurant offering contemporary design ,cozy decor and luxurious interior. Apparently Robert De Niro had been there so that always makes a fuss. i had the ceasar salad for starters it was not the best ceasar i've had, very average and then for main course i had the burger and it was foodgasmic !! One of the best burgers i've had in paris! and it comes with the cutest fancy boxes so it's a nice concept. My friend had the club sandwich, i didn't taste it but apparently it was really bad, like no flavors whatsoever, no cheese no sauce just cucumbers ( weird ) . The service was good, the price range varies between 40 and 60 euros per person.

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Biba eats : Pizza del papa

It was 11h30 and i still haven't had dinner so we ended up in the restaurant Pizza del papa( in saint germain des pres), it was still open and it looked charming from the inside. We had the pizza ai funghy to share and it was delicious, then i had the linguini bolognese, it was good, nothing out of the ordinary, just like a home cooked meal.The only bad thing about it was that they were out of most of their 1/2 wine bottles and we ended up having the only one left which was disgusting! the red wine that tasted like vinegar! The service was good and fast, the price range varies between 30 and 40 euros per person

Biba eats : Villa toscane

My friends and i decided to visit Chartres, it's at the heart of Beauce, more of an agricultural region, Chartres is famous for its cathedral, as well as for its old town and its half-timbered houses. We decided to have lunch at this supposedly really good restaurant but when we got there we saw that it was closed for a reason,and it was raining like hell, we were all wet and hungry, so we decided to go into any restaurant in front of us. We ended up going to Villa toscane, it's a great Italian caterer! If you want to eat real Italian food this is the place to go! If you do not already know you will discover that Italy is not just pizza and pasta more or less good! You can eat in or take away everything good antipasti, charcuterie, cheese, polpotte, bruschetta, delicious lasagna ... back shop there is also a small deli with attractive products. We had for starter the bruschetta with cheese, tomatoes olives and oh god it was by far the best bruschetta i have ever had ! the bread was so crunchy and tender at the same time, the tomatoes were so fresh.. Yumm ! and then i had the " pasta of the day" which was ravioli with foie gras, cepes and bresaola and it was an amazing mix of flavors! The service was really good and everyone was so friendly!The price range varies between 20 and 30 euros per person.
If you ever find yourself in Chartres you should really have a meal there Tuscany Villa 15 rue de la Pie - Chartres 02.37.36.14.97

Biba eats: Leon de bruxelles

It was dinner time and i was craving mussels ! i decided to make it my mission to have the best mussels in paris. Unfortunately i got hungry and decided to give up after 1 hour of research ( which was a lot because i thought in paris you would find at least 20 restaurants with that speciality ). So we ended up going to Leon de bruxelles ( i tried it a really long time ago ). It was suprisingly ok,i mean i heard recently a lot of bad comments about it. we had the "wrapped prawns" for starters which was very average, then we shared the "provencale style mussels", the sauce had no taste, very dull but the " mussels with madras curry" was actually very tasty. And after all that saltiness you just need someting sweet so we had the plate that combines a mini : creme brule, rich colate cake, waffles and ice cream. The creme brule was good, but the rest was really bad. I mean the waffles were saggy, not a hint of crunchiness! The price range varies between 20 and 30 euros per person and the service was good. I can't really wrap my finger around it, i mean it's not as bas as people said but not amazing too. What's good about it is that it is always open and ready to serve ! So if you crave mussles at midnight you can just go there casually and enjoy your mussles plate!

Biba makes : orange and chocolate tartlets :)

This is my orange tartlet ! the base is made of sweet pastry dough, filled with orange filling and topped with white and brown sugar that you just burn at the end just like a creme brule. It just adds this sweet crunchiness that makes it perfect !

And this is also my chocolate tartlet, made of sweet pastry dough, then you just put a thin layer of soft chocholate and at the end top it off with the chocolate glaze ganache. As for the decoration, well it's all about you and your imagination ! i decided to add some raspberries, i just love when they're mixed with dark chocolate.
 

Biba eats : All kind of little tartlets !

Today the chef made all kinds of little tartlets which is a mini tart and they were all delicious!

 

 

This the Bourdaloue pear tartlets which of course the base is a sweet pastry dough, the filling is almond cream and topped off with a pear. 

 

 As for this yummy thing it's a lemon tart, made of sweet pastry dough filled with lemon cream and topped with italian meringue that you just burn at the end just like creme brule!

 

 

 

And finally this is the Amandine tartlets, which is similar to the Bourdaloue pear tartlets it just differs at the end. Here after filling it with almond cream you just add almonds not pears.