Tag Archives: marmite et ponpon

Mandarin pound cake

Posted on May 12, 2015 | Leave a comment

I’ve been craving this tangy cake for long! A real pleasure to the palate, made with fresh mandarin (you can replace it with fresh oranges) and comes with a warning label: ADDICTIVE!

This pound cake is not just looking amazing but it’s also uber delicious; As its name suggests, it’s citrusy, rich and buttery, and will surely please a lot of people. A lot of you would like NOW to pick a piece or two out of the screen.

This recipe calls for:

Cake batter:

1cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (227g about 2 sticks)
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs at room temperature
1/3 cup grated mandarin zest
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup freshly squeezed mandarin juice
3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tbsp rum

Mandarin syrup:

1/2 cup mandarin juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Mandarin glaze:

1 cup confectioners sugar
1 1/2 tbsp freshly squeezed mandarin juice

Many times it happens a recipe calls for buttermilk and you realize you don’t have or find at the nearest supermarket. Luckily you can do it at home in just 5 minutes. All you need is a cup of milk and 1 tbsp of vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon. Pour the milk on the vinegar and let it rest for 5-10 mns. I am sure lot of you will never buy again buttermilk once you know this easy substitution. If the recipe calls for more than a cup of buttermilk you can easily double the quantity.

Heat the oven to 180°C. Grease and flour your bundt pan.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. With the mixer on medium speed, beat in the eggs, one at a time, and the mandarin zest.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, combine the mandarin juice, the buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Pour the batter in the pan and smooth the tops.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a wooden skewer comes out clean.

Meantime while the cake is getting baked, prepare the syrup: Cook 1/2 cup of granulated sugar with 1/2 cup mandarin juice in a small saucepan over low heat until the sugar dissolves. When the cake is done, let it cool for 10 minutes. Take it out of the pan and place it on a baking rack set over a tray. Spoon the mandarin syrup over and allow it to cool completely.

To glaze, combine the confectioners sugar and mandarin juice in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth. Add a few more drops of juice, if necessary, to make it pour easily. Pour over the top and allow to dry.

Wrap well, and store in the refrigerator.

Now I am sure it won’t last long stored in your fridge but it will be a staple in it especially it’s spring time!

Happy Baking!

If you like this post give it some likes and shares to spread the joy. Don’t forget to like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More interesting posts are yet to come.

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Tagged baking soda, blog, butter, citrus, confectioners sugar, cup buttermilk, food blogger, granulated sugar, how to do, jaymmy, lebanon, mandarin, marmite et ponpon, orange, pound cake, qatar, recipe, room temperature

Another list of 8 tips and tricks probably you didn’t know before!

Posted on May 7, 2015 | 1 comment

After posting the first list here are another worth knowing 8 tips and tricks. I am sure they will as helpful as time savers!

1- Garlic loses some of its flavor when refrigerated. Keep it in a cool dry place, like the bottom of a cupboard or pantry. Fresh cut garlic becomes more bitter the longer it’s exposed to air, so it’s best to chop it right before you’re going to use it because the flavor changes in 15 to 20 minutes.

2- If you ever run out of brown sugar, you can make your own at home by mixing 1 cup of sugar and 2 tbsp of molasses. It only takes two minutes!

3- To chill your drink in exactly 2 minutes, soak it in ice water and salt, it will drop by 19°C, due to the second law of thermodynamics.

4- Ideal marinating time for better food:

chicken: minimum 30 minutes to 6 hours max
fish and shrimps: minimum 15 minutes to 30 minutes max
lamb, beef and pork: minimum 4 hours to 12 hours max

5- To cut a perfect slice of cake, warm your knife by putting it under hot running water for few minutes, or simply soak it in a jug of hot water, then dry it with a paper towel.

6- If you are using raw onions in a salsa or salad, rinse the diced onion under cold water then blot dry to get rid of sulfurous gas that might ruin your food if you don’t eat it in the next 20 minutes.

7- Ripen your fruit faster by burying in rice. A container of rice makes it easy for the fruit’s ethylene gas to stick around longer, and promote ripening.

8- Want to know if your oil is hot enough for frying? stick a wooden skewer or spoon in the oil. If bubbles form around the wood then you are good to go.

If you like this post give it some likes and shares to spread the joy. Don’t forget to like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More interesting posts are yet to come.

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Posted in astuces

Tagged blog, food blogger, jaymmy, kitchen hacks, lebanon, marmite et ponpon, qatar, tips and tricks

“Mini chef in the kitchen” 4 – delicious brownies with M&M

Posted on May 5, 2015 | Leave a comment

This simple and quick recipe is packed with chocolate flavor just as your kid loves it! It’s a basic recipe every mom should share with her mini chefs!

You will need:

1 1/3 cup flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder sifted
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
M&M for sprinkling on top

Mix all dry ingredients; flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Let your mini chef sift the cocoa powder.

In a separate bowl mix eggs, vanilla and oil then add them to the dry ingredients.

My son loves mixing! It is the best part for him, but don’t over mix, just the time to let all ingredients combined.

You can’t imagine how beneficial this exercise is, especially on the cognitive and motor skills. Click benefits of cooking with your kids to learn more about it.

Back to our delicious brownies, pour the batter in a greased baking dish (8×12”) and sprinkle the top with M&Ms.

Preheat oven (200°C) and bake for 20-25 mins or until skewer comes out clean.

You can add more M&Ms after baking, some might drown in! My mini chef suggestion!. Wait until is set to room temperature and cut. Get ready, by this time you will be asked thousand of times if it’s ready to be cut!

As i always say, the best part is when your kids taste the reward of their efforts. Now it’s time to pack some for the teacher in the nursery, friends and uncle to taste Nady’s chef d’oeuvre. He loves to share being proud of what he did!

I can assume it’s one of the best brownies i tasted. Crispy edges with chewy inside. Can’t get enough of it. It’s going to be the brownies recipe from now on!

Try it also with ice cream or chocolate sauce! Enjoy your time with your kids and have loads of educational fun !

If you like this post give it some likes and shares to spread the joy. Don’t forget to like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More interesting posts are yet to come.

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Posted in dessert, kids food, way to play

Tagged blog, brownies, brownies recipe, chef, chocolate, cocoa powder, cognitive skills, cooking with kids, cup cocoa powder, cup vegetable oil, dry ingredients, food blogger, jaymmy, kids blogger, lebanon, M&M, marmite et ponpon, mini chef, motor skills, qatar, recipe

“Mini chef in the kitchen” 3- Easy and quick as 10 mns cheese bechamel spaghetti

Posted on May 1, 2015 | Leave a comment

Beside preparing a delicious dish, it’s also important to be an easy and quick one to keep your mini chef focused and entertained.

I believe the majority of kids are fan of spaghetti. It’s one of my son’s few favorite dishes because peppa pig loves it! Today’s recipe will not take more than 10 minutes the time of boiling the pasta.

To make this yummy dish you need: (for 2)

150g spaghetti
1 1/4 cup milk
1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup emmental cheese
dash of salt (optional)

Cook the spaghetti as per the pack instructions. Meanwhile, in a casserole mixmilk and flour until it’s well combined then bring to heat.

Keep on whisking until you see the first bubbles (2-3 minutes) add the butter and cheese(optional) and mix all well (less than a minute). Turn off the heat as the cheese is totally melt in and the sauce became thick. Toss in the drained pasta and let your kid enjoy the rewards of his efforts.

If you put emmental, disregard the salt, but if your kid is not fan of cheese, add a dash of salt to flavor it.

As i mention in every “mini chef in the kitchen” post, this activity provides your kids with plenty of opportunities to learn.Click on benefits of cooking with your kids to know more about it.

I hope you have a good time with your kids. Enjoy 🙂

If you like this post give it some likes and shares to spread the joy. Don’t forget to like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More interesting posts are yet to come.

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Posted in kids food, way to play

Tagged bechamel, cheese, easy, emmental, food, food blogger, healthy, jaymmy, kids food, kids in the kitchen, lebanon, marmite et ponpon, mini chef, qatar, quick, recipe, spaghetti

“Mini chef in the kitchen” 2- Jus de lapin (carrot-banana-mandarin smoothie)

Posted on April 30, 2015 | Leave a comment

In the “mini chef in the kitchen” series, today we are preparing a healthy fruit smoothie to beat the heat.

Giving the juice a creative name, attracts your kids attention and stimulates their curiosity. There is no way they won’t try it especially if they are picky eaters like my son.

“jus de lapin” or rabbit juice because it contains carrots and has a bright orange color!

You will need

1 large carrot
1 big banana
juice of 3 mandarines
half cup ice (optional)
1 tsp honey (optional)

Mix all and blend for 2-3 minutes until smooth and frothy.

My son is not fan of sweet taste, i didn’t add the honey since the mandarin were not very sour.

If the fruits are already cold or some frozen, you can skip adding ice. I put two colorful ice sticks for fun and to keep it chilled.

This activity provides your kids with plenty of opportunities to learn. Click on benefits of cooking with your kids to know more about it.

To add more fun and encourage Nady to have the whole smoothie i prepared moustache cut out and insert it in the straw. Click here for the printable file.

There are endless options for smoothies, use the favorite fruits of your kids, or even introduce some other veggies like celery, spinach or cucumber and make the green giant.

If you like this post give it some likes and shares to spread the joy. Don’t forget to like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More interesting posts are yet to come.