So it seems that cheeses can also have an identity crisis. I have previously written about that great American icon Muenster cheese. Little did I know it has a European cousin. Munster-géromé, is a strong tasting, soft cheese made mainly from milk from the Vosges, between Alsace, Lorraine and Franche-Comté in France. A big thanks to my friends at St Regis Doha whose monthly Grapes and Cheese night not only gives me an excuse to catch up with friends, but also fuels my blog. Munster géromé is at its best in the summer and the autumn, when it is made from milk from the haute chaumes (“high stubble”) of pastures…
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Girl on Grill (Cheese) Action
There are very few things in life that cannot be improved by a good grilling – meat, men and democracy being ones that spring immediately to mind. And of course, cheese. A friend and colleague had brought back this cheese from Saudi Arabia for me. Yes, an Eastern European cheese bought in Riyadh and delivered to me in Doha. International yah? Kashkaval is a yellow cheese hailing from Eastern Europe, specifically Albania, Romania and related countries. It tastes similar to cheddar cheese, and this one was laced with cumin seeds, giving it a unique flavor. It can be made with sheep or cow milk and I suspect this one was…
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My (Goat Cheese) Tart Will Go On
Remember Cher’s character in Mermaids? Where she only fed her kids cocktail snacks for dinner? That is my idea of heaven. I love a cocktail bite, at any time of the day. This could be because of simple maths, small bites don’t have as many calories right? Being of socialite tendencies, I am an expert in the field of food on a stick or in a napkin. And if it can incorporate cheese into that equation, heaven awaits. Ahem. The following morsels were served to me at a recent drinks function at Grand Hyatt Doha The creamy goats cheese tart was literally coin sized and the pastry on the right…
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Taking a Punt – Football Shaped Cheese Is A Thing Now Apparently
Look, I am a football fan. I have been a lifelong and suffering fan of the Parramatta Eels who haven’t won anything useful in ohhh…three decades. I know the words to this song: And I remember this: I am, a football tragic. I am also a cheese tragic. But never, ever, in my darkest moments, have I thought to combine the two. But someone…has. Football Shaped Cheese Ball There is even a video of how to make it should you feel so inclined. It appears it’s a “thing” in the US Cheesy Football Each to their own I guess!
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A Pizza the (Italian) Action – Restaurant Review of La Spiga at W Doha
Given this review is based on a dinner with friends, I could start with a tired old reference to Sex and the City/Bridget Jones, perhaps some handbag innuendo and talk about frivolous gossip etc etc. But as a writer I’m not that lazy. Even if there was a “Mr Big” (or Mr. Very Small in this case), some quite attractive men and a sports celebrity at the next tables during this review. The fact is, this was a simple and fabulous dinner with friends. More Dorothy Parker than Wannabe Carrie. Anyone who has seen Sex and the City 2 in all its’ cliched and consumerist fancy will understand my aversion…
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Basque (ing) in the Glory of Meatza
I’m on a diet. There are undiscovered tribes in Papua New Guinea that know this fact. I have been telling everyone about it. Even the guy who pumped my petrol the other day. “You are very glamorous madam, like a Bollywood star,” he said in response. That guy earned a BIG tip. I’ve already lost just over 5kgs in a couple of weeks thanks to tennis, kickboxing and the most un-relaxing yoga classes I have ever experienced, and being the impatient inner child I am, I want it to go faster. So, I quizzed my friend and diet buddy Brooke (check out her fab blog Babbling in the Desert) about…
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Best of the Brunch – Opal by Gordon Ramsay at St Regis Doha
I have written before about the concept of brunch in the Middle East – it’s an art form. Hotels compete for the most elaborate buffet, ladies buy new outfits, drivers are booked, mayhem is guaranteed. I love a good brunch – a chance to catch up with friends, gossip and yes, wear the occasional new frock. And this is the thing, buffets drive me crazy. Call me a drama queen, but I like to have my food brought to me. And the idea of dozens of people pawing the prawns before I get to them does make me a little uneasy. Opal by Gordon Ramsay is an outpost of the…
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At Grate Heights – Cheese at 30,000 Feet
As someone who loves to travel, I have had some good and very average meals in the air. Whoever invented the Hot Pocket should be reported to the UN Human Rights Tribunal – it is an implement of torture. When I am lucky, and flush, enough to travel at the pointy end of the plane, I always opt for the cheese plate on the menu. Which had me thinking about how cheese manages to taste so good at altitude. When we fly, our taste buds simply don’t work properly. The low humidity dries out our nasal passages, and the air pressure desensitizes our taste buds, which is why airline often…
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Just in Queso You Need It
I had planned to review a new cheese I procured last week, but it seems that life and lethargy intervened. This morning I had to undergo a draining battery of tests required for my immigration status in this country. When I say I had to, I mean myself and 150 of my closest colleagues. Then I voluntarily drove to a place called the Industrial Area, which is also known as the seventh ring of hell, to pay a visit to my mechanic. The thing is, you don’t so much own a Jaguar, rather you live uneasily with it, like a bad, cheating boyfriend. You know the one, he spends all…
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Taking a Pont (L’Eveque)
Summer has well and truly enveloped the Gulf region. I know this for several reasons: 1. It’s really hot. Like 46 degrees hot. Hotter than Satan’s private beach hot. 2. It is so hot it’s that time of year when expats take photos of the temperature readouts in their car and post them on Facebook/Twitter/everywhere 3. There is no traffic in Doha 4. I feel perpetually sniffly because of the Baltic air conditioning in buildings 5. There is a brisk trade in swapping and “borrowing” of the latest box sets and illegal film and series downloads among friends. It’s summer. It’s 46 degrees. What you gonna do? 6. I get…