Tag Archives: ras el hanout

Get Your Cookie Fix With Ras El Hanout Snickerdoodles

Posted on by 4 comments
Not your usual snickerdoodles.
Not your usual snickerdoodles.

When it comes to cookies, my husband is decidedly “Basic Boy.”

Meaning, he likes his chocolate chip, peanut butter, and snickerdoodle. And doesn’t like to veer to far from them.

So, “Ras El Hanout Snickerdoodles” satisfied both of our appetites. His for the classic. And mine for something a little more adventurous.

This wonderfully chewy and warmly spiced cookie recipe is from “Love Is A Pink Cake” (W.W. Norton & Co.), of which I received a review copy.

It’s by Claire Ptak, a Californian who moved to London to open her Violet Bakery. Of course, you may also know her as a former pastry chef at Chez Panisse in Berkeley. Or you may recognize her as the baker commissioned in 2018 to make the wedding cake for none other than Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Read more

Chewy Ginger Spice Cookies with Ras El Hanout

Posted on by 7 comments
Chewy ginger cookies with the depth of ras el hanout.
Chewy ginger cookies with the depth of ras el hanout.

After seasoning a lamb dish spectacularly, my leftover ras el hanout had been languishing forlornly in my pantry.

Remnants of this aromatic and punchy Moroccan spice blend were badly in need of a purpose and home.

Thankfully, the ideal one arrived in the form of “Chewy Ginger Spice Cookies with Ras El Hanout.”

Ras El Hanout is Arabic for “top shelf.” Like liquor at a bar, it connotes the best a mixologist or spice shop owner has to offer.

It’s a blend that can consist of more than a dozen spices, including cardamom, cumin, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, coriander, peppercorns, paprika, fenugreek, turmeric, fennel seeds, aniseed, and galangal.

I’ve always associated it with savory cooking. But this clever cookie recipe demonstrates just how well it takes to sweet preparations, as well.

The recipe is from the new cookbook, “Flavors of the Sun: The Sahadi’s Guide to Understanding, Buying, and Using Middle Eastern Ingredients” (Chronicle Books), of which I received a review copy.

Read more

Moroccan Lamb, Tomato and Chickpea Soup Sure To Warm You Up

Posted on by Leave a comment
A nourishing North African-style soup.
A nourishing North African-style soup.

On a wintery night, this is the soup you will want to curl up with in a most generous bowl.

“Moroccan Lamb, Tomato and Chickpea Soup” is substantial with tender chunks of lamb shoulder, nutty chickpeas, sweet carrots, and minerally spinach. It’s also a riot of aromatics, thanks to South African-Moroccan ras el hanout and harissa. And it’ll warm you through and through from the very first sip, given its kick of complex spiciness.

This very fine soup is from Gather: A Dirty Apron Cookbook” (Figure 1, 2019), of which I received a review copy.

The book features recipes from the whimsically named Dirty Apron Cooking School in Vancouver, B.C. that’s owned by David and Sara Robertson. Sara handles the business-side, while David, a long-time chef, oversees the classes, as well as Dirty Apron’s deli and catering business.

It’s the second cookbook by David, who also wrote “The Dirty Apron Cookbook” (Figure 1, 2015), which was designed to bring the cooking school into your home by teaching invaluable techniques.

The follow-up cookbook is all about sharing the love of home-cooking with friends and family in dishes such as “Creme Brulee French Toast,” “Kabocha and Wild Rice Salad,” “Spanish Manchego Meatballs with Saffron Basmati Rice,” and “Olive Oil and Rosemary Cake.”

Read more