There are two things certain. One of that a Kardashian will post a nude shot on Instagram. The other is that at some point in our lives, we will be forced to eat an overpriced, stale sandwich in a dingy airport somewhere in the world. I’m pleased to say, that Hamad International Airport, this trend is being bucked. (The Kardashians however, that’s a lost cause). Honestly, took me some time to warm to this behemoth of an airport. The old airport was just 1km from my home and I could even see the tail fins of the planes from my balcony. After a trip I could be off the plane, in…
-
-
Milking It – A Guide to Dairy Free Cheeses
It may stun you to know that I have friends who don’t eat cheese. My friend Beth is one of those people. She loves cheese, it just didn’t love her. Beth’s problem is cow’s milk in particular disagreed with her. She told me once she really missed pizza and other goodies because of her cow’s milk cheese intolerance. Standby because I’m about to get sciency and stuff. It is commonly believed that milk proteins, not the sugars, found in milk are the cause for a dairy allergy. Although symptoms associated with lactose intolerance are similar to that of a dairy allergy, the body’s reaction is different. A true food allergy…
-
Brunch Italian Style – Review of Four Seasons Sapore Italiano
Most Fridays see me languish in my PJs until noon watching shows on the Crime Channel. Not that there is anything wrong with that. But every so often I can be convinced to leave my self imposed exile to try a new experience. The Four Seasons Doha is an invite I always accept so this saw me drag on a dress, put some lipstick on and hit “record” on the showbox (Deadly Wives Marathon). The concept is simple – a family style brunch in their Italian restaurant. Meant for sharing and meant to showcase something for everyone. There are two sureties in my life – one is that I will always choose…
-
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…
-
Ricotta Get Outta This Place
There comes a time in a woman’s life, when she makes the rookie error of mixing her dark and clear drinks and ends up with a banging headache and vague recollections of dancing to Canadian soft rock. This may or may not have happened to me recently. I may also have woken up in a cold sweat realising I promise to bring cheese of some description to a weekend brunch gathering. My options were these: 1. Plead hormonal imbalances and dust off a bottle of vino from the rack 2. Do smash and grab at the local supermarket and lob up with a slab of cheddar and something resembling crackers…
-
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).
-
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).
-
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?
-
Full Fontina
We all know the feeling. Work is a war zone. The car is on the blink. Traffic is at carmageddon levels. A friend isn’t talking to you. Even the neighborhood stray cat hates you. For me, this is a time when only a grilled cheese sandwich will do. See, grilled cheese doesn’t judge you. Doesn’t yell at you for doing something wrong. It doesn’t care that you are wearing tracksuit pants where the elastic is broken. It’s warm, gooey, non-judgemental goodness. This little number, made recently on a cool and wet Doha night, features fontina cheese, walnut bread and some sneaky ham. Fontina cheese has been made in the Aosta…
-
Making the World a Cheddar Place
They say that familiarity breeds contempt. This is perhaps why I always forget about cheddar as a legitimate contender in my own pantheon of great cheeses. I mean, it’s one of the first cheeses we come across in our lives. I remember cheddar cheese sandwiches on white bread as a child and learning to smother them in mustard. I also remember Saturday lunches, when after doing the shopping, Mum would fill the dining table with cold meats from the local deli, freshly slices tomatoes and of course, slices of cheddar. We would then make our own sandwiches on fluffy white rolls. I came across this cheddar Jones the Grocer, and…
