With a landmark location and an impeccable fine dining pedigree, IDAM has always stood apart from anything else in the Doha dining scene. But 10 years after it opened, can we still call IDAM Doha’s fine dining leader? The answer is…yes and a qualified maybe. But more of that later. IDAM’s History A decade ago, when IDAM opened in all its white gloved Alain Ducasse elegance, its menu was a blend of near east/Orient and Eurocentric west. Billing itself as Qatari/French fusion, the famed harees with gold foil was a regular item on the menu. Then the empire expanded – Jiwan and its millions of pearls glittered at the National…
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Just Leave it Brie
*Warning this post contains bad puns about cheese. I am a bit of a conservative when it comes to my cheese. The more unadulterated, the better. The only exception being truffle brie. On a recent supermarket spree, I found two new hybrid cheeses – a truffle Moliterno and a bruschetta brie. For me, the Moliterno was the more successful hybrid. Unlike most truffled cheeses (where the cheese is added at the last minute before sale), the wheels age for about six months before being infused with pure black truffle paste, so that the cheese develops a very particular character and depth. The vein of truffle is part of the cheese, not an…
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I Camembert It…
Baked cheese seems to be a theme in my life in recent weeks. Hot on the heels of this extravaganza on Christmas Day I found myself delving back into the gooey mess that is baked Camembert. Last night’s indulgence was brought to me by the good people at French brasserie La Varenne This was baked in the paper container it comes in and served with honey and truffle oil. It was one of those rare moments in dining where many senses were tickled – sight, smell and of course taste. The fact that it’s a tactile dish involving digging the fresh baguette pieces into the oozing hot cheese is even more exciting. Sorry,…
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All Wrapped Up – Camembert En Croute for Christmas
It seems I am developing an aptitude for creating “stunt cheese” or “extreme cheese challenges”. First there was the infamous “Turkey Cheese” for Thanksgiving and now folks, I present to you my latest creation… This is a wheel of Camembert wrapped in puff pastry and baked. I had planned to do this with Brie, as is the traditional way, but believe it or not I struggled to find a suitable wheel. I also had a scramble to find readymade puff pastry sheets big enough (who has time to make puff pastry on Christmas Day) but managed to cobble together a casing from some small squares, well placed egg wash and a lot…
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Conscious Coupling – Wine and Cheese Pairings for Christmas Cheer
Wine and cheese go together like Brad and Gwyneth Jen Angelina. Like gin and tonic and like me and those lovely Valentino Rockstuds Ballet Flats I ordered in a fit of hysteria last week (they were practically free).
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12 Cheeses of Christmas – Festive Goats Cheese
OK I know I am a couple of days late starting this venture but the spirit is there. I was doing a Saturday smash and grab at Monoprix and saw this little festive beauty. It’s a lovely and fresh round of creamy goat cheese (called a crottin) rolled in red peppercorns and topped of course with a festive (fake) holly sprig. It’s amazing how something as simple as peppercorns and a splash of red can make a humble hunk of cheese so Christmasy. Goat cheese is my go-to (see what I did there) cheese but even among my cheese loving friends it is divisive. Some people find the aroma and distinctive taste…
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Rocky Road with Rambol
Rambol is a well known cheesemaker from France. This cheese included layers of crushed and pureed walnuts. A creamy white cheese as its base, it was like a taste of Autumn (in December).
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Wheel of Cheese Fortune
Everyone loves a winner – especially when cheese is involved. This fabulous cheese wheel has been doing the rounds (see what I did there?) on the interwebz and I couldn’t resist sharing it. a few of my faves are missing, but it’s a great resource. Maybe one for the kitchen wall?
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A New Leaf
So here’s the funny thing about this cheese, I actually DID take a photo of it before it was made into this: But, I must have been distracted and the photo is a complete blur (like last Friday…another story…). So i will have to use my powers of description. It was a small crottin (a pungent cheese made of goat’s milk and formed into small disks) which was wrapped in a vine leaf. It was very pretty (not pretty enough to keep me focused clearly). The cheese was clean and fresh, with that goat-milk tang I just love. The leaf was brined and while this wasn’t, I have read elsewhere that…
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Fromage Fortifications
As a cheese blogger, having a fridge full of the good stuff is an occupational hazard. As of yesterday I have leftover pieces of Manchego, Parmesan, Swiss, Cheddar, Gorgonzola and several unidentified randoms. Now you know how I hate waste as much as losing perfectly good cheese, so I dug out this recipe by the amazing David Lebovitz for Fromage Fort. Fromage fort is a French cheese spread, literally “strong cheese”. It is traditionally made by blending together pieces of different leftover cheeses, white wine (or other spirits) with garlic, herbs and whatever takes your fancy. I made mine with around seven kinds of odds and ends cheeses The recipe calls for…