Fauchon Riyadh: A Unique Experience

The world of Fauchon had always been known in the world of luxury. It is not merely a gourmet food boutique. It is a place where your senses can experience the upgrade in food from desserts, pastries,

Fauchon is an old school since 1880 where the first boutique opened in Paris.. It's an iconic landmark in gastronomy.

So it's opening in Riyadh brought me a little sense of joy because hopefully I wanted to experience this gourmet touch, something that lacks deeply in the market of Saudi Arabia.

Maya La Chocolaterie

As I said in my previous post yesterday, It is been long time since I blogged. Working in the Food & beverage industry, makes you want to be more delicate while posting about your food adventures.

I always talked about chocolate on my blog. But since moving to Riyadh, and due to the hot and dry weather, it makes you subconsciously avert away from something warm and heat producing!

Yet, visiting Maya chocolaterie, a place solely for having a chocolate experience has proven something else! Chocolate is desirable regardless of the temperature! If it is hot, people will eat chocolate and perhaps even more!!

Maybe the quote from Star Trek actually reflects what goes on people's minds on chocolates :
"I never met a chocolate I didn't like " Deanna Troi -  Star Trek ( The Next Generation)

Homemade Chocolate Lazy Cake, Straight from the Freezer

A heat wave that hit Riyadh city in the past few days....after months of constant cold -actually freezing- weather.

And since the winter season also ended in Lebanon (Who knew that this year the weather would be that weird? ), So nothing is better than starting the spring/summer season but having this lazy cake, served straight from the freezer.

Well, I honestly don't know why lazy cakes are cakes. They dont even contain eggs or flour, the two major ingredients to bake a cake. It is obviously a No Bake Cake!

So, I'd rather call my lazy cake as chocolate bars or biscuits. Homemade Kitkat might also be another name.

The taste is inspired from my favorite chocolate bar: Lindt Orange chocolate.

Here is a quick recipe:

Homemade Muffins

Muffins  started out as a type of small cake, as an alternative to cornbread. Early muffin recipes tend to result in less sweet muffins with far fewer ingredients than their contemporaries. Muffins then became widely regarded as a breakfast food because they were easy to prepare and cooked in a short amount of time.

 

My own Home Made Chocolate orange flavored Muffins Fresh from the oven ! Check Recipe Below

Latest Food Products and News: March-April

Mango or even green tea flavored Oreo ???? 

Kraft Foods - Corporate are in the step for localizing Oreo to suit the global taste!

Whether it’s green tea Oreos in China, a chocolate and peanut variety in Indonesia, or banana and dulce de leche Oreos in Argentina, a lot rides on Kraft’s efforts to develop alternatives to the iconic cookie-and-cream combination. The 100-year-old sandwich cookie, a $2 billion brand, is going global in a big way (More from the Business week)

HERSHEY'S simple Pleasures to be launched :

 Cream-filled chocolates that have 30% less fat than other milk chocolates. More from Adage 

Edible Packages:

These are dissolvable-packaging for Oatmeal, Cocoa... from MonoSol. Might be edible, sustainable but are they efficient in reducing wastes?

Brewed Cocoa!

Coffee for Chocoholics: Roasted & ground cocoa beans that can be brewed just like coffee! Making our hearts happier :)

PEPISCO and Almarai Joint Ventures: 

المراعي - Almarai raises stakes in PepsiCo joint venture. I wonder which company is benefiting the other? what do you say? Business Source: 

Toshiba's Supermarket Non barcode Scanner

In the latest food News, #Toshiba developed a Supermarket Scanner that can recognize food without the need for Barcodes! How about that? Read more from Forbes : 

Planter's new packaging: less material, made of 100 %recyclable, BPA-free plastic==> requires 25% fewer trucks for transportation than the old jars!! Great environment initiative ! Source: Environment Leader 

PEPSI NEXT! 

Pepsi Next : a cola that has 60 calories & natural sugar. This will be the largest product launched since years by PepsiCo. ! Getting healthwise finally! Article: Portland Press Herald

Latest Food Products :February Issue

2012 seems to be on fire for the latest introduction of food products, here is a list I collected of the top news of the Food and Beverage Industry , lead by the most renowned  world brands : Nestle, Pepsico, Kellog's, Mars.....etc
This is getting exciting. I hope more products will be launched, atleast I would love to venture trying them!
Which product do you like from below ?
And  do you think they will succeed?

1. "The Magic of Italian Cappuccino" Nestle's Research and developement team introduced this foam booster for all coffee lovers who would like their coffee to be somehow similar to the coffee they order at Coffee Shops:

 Nestle says that  "Foam Booster granules are tiny particles of carbohydrates and proteins that are full of minute holes. The holes are filled at high pressure with nitrogen gas – which is the main component of air. Nitrogen is trapped in the Foam Booster at about 35 times atmospheric pressure – 15 to 20 times the pressure in car tyres. The nitrogen is not released until it comes in to contact with hot water, lifting the creamer to the surface to form an instant milky foam. The coffee stays below to form the brown base. The result? A perfect cappuccino".

2.  " 7up Ten Just for Men" : Launching of 7Up-10!

The 10-calorie soft drink generated quite a bit of Internet buzz with a USA ad campaign that proclaims it is simply "not for women."

3. " Music's Halo Effect on Icecream!" : Mars has outlined a music-based experiential marketing strategy to revitalise its ice cream brands in a bid to re-connect with consumers, after a period of reduced marketing activity

Chocolate Bars made from Camel Milk

For those who are living in the United Arabs of Emirate, you have probably tried it.
But for someone who is living in Lebanon , where there are no camels, and no camel milk production, this is something "exotic".

A month ago I talked about localization of food products and how it is crucial that Food industries focus on what the consumers in their markets need rather on what it is more likely to import . A an example I tweeted was a new product : the "Camel Milk Icecream". Here is a business review from the dairy products website about Al-ain wanting to launch icecream from camel milk.

So, a week ago, my friend wanted me to try the chocolate bars made from Camel Milk . The chocolate bars were produced by  "Nasma" company.

Was Star Trek too optimistic for a future full of chocolate?

"I never met a chocolate I didn't like " Deanna Troi -  Star Trek ( The Next Generation) .
 That is probably one of the renowned quotes about chocolate . I am not that of a Star Trek fanatic , more of a Star Wars. But Star Wars doesn't mention anything about chocolate!
 Even in another Star Trek Episode   (Deep Space Nine) chocolate was a commodity on DS9 during the Bajor Occupation; Quark offered some to Odo to make up for their "rough start" back in 2363.
Does this  ingenious TV series that depicts life in the future , able to predict correctly that chocolate will still exist in the future? And that Chocolate will still be eaten in "rough times"?

Unfortunately, Cocoa and chocolate will be rare foods in the upcoming 10 years. Well that’s what the International Center for Tropical Agriculture ( more about CIAT)  in Columbia warns. So , perhaps teleportation machines and starships will be more realistic  than humans eating chocolate.

Beautiful Day Arrives -Food Trend

Some trends worked , others just faded with time. 
Either because people lost interest, or the marketing campaigns weakened, or the trends proved useless.
Call these trends:  fad. Call them a mode,a  fool's notion, or just a mere frivolity.


 And perhaps later, call them traditional , old or even no longer contemporary! 
 Whether these vogues are  fashion in cloth, shoes, gadgets, decor, accessories, or even food!!! One has to admit that he or she had atleast tried them before they  dwindled from the market.


The recent expectation  in 2008 for Food trends were launched by innovadatabase. Let us see if they will continue growing in the upcoming years! Or they will become a mere "fad" that wont last long . 
I will start posting the major food trends expected. But , for now  I will be only  talking about  trend number 10: "Beautiful Day Arrives".This trend focuses on the effect of food on Beauty, precisely ingredients that improves skin .
Here are some Examples of affordable , cheap and available products, and you can find below some launched products :

• Apple Cider Vinegar: This vinegar has healing properties and it makes the skin soft and supple. Apple cider vinegar  helps peel off dead skin cells. It breaks down fat and helps food digest properly.

• Carrots: Help to maintain the outer layer of the skin to prevent premature aging.

• Cheese: Make a slice or two of hard cheese a part of your diet. Cheese helps to prevent bacteria from growing in the mouth and prevents cavities. Choose between Swiss, cheddar or Gouda.

• Citrus Fruits: These fruits hold the skin cells together by forming collagen. Collagen cannot be added to the skin topically and hence fruits and juices must be made an integral part of your daily diet.
• Garlic: Helps to combat wrinkles and restores tissues.

• Nonfat/low far Yogurt: Is high is calcium and helps to keep your smile white and your teeth cavity-free. And ofcorse not to forget it is good for nails .

• Sweet Potatoes: These potatoes are full of vitamin A and vitamin A is known for being an anti-wrinkling agent. The result of eating this vegetable is smoother skin.

• Tomatoes: This vegetable does wonders to your skin. Tomatoes are rich in vitamin A, vitamin C and potassium. They are also are a major source of lycopene, a potent antioxidant also thought to protect against sunburn.

• Wheat Germ: To get rid of pimples efficiently include two or three tablespoons of wheat germ in your diet. You add this to your cereal, yogurt and cottage cheese.

•  Blueberries: Full of antioxidants and anti-inflammatories that prevent long-term cell damage.

•  Kiwifruit: Another good source of antioxidants, kiwis are also a great source of vitamin C and potassium, all which help prevent wrinkles.

• Walnuts: A key source of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E. The omega-3s found in walnuts also help fight against skin ailments like psoriasis and eczema. 

• Dark chocolate: Full of antioxidants and nutrients, cocoa (choose chocolate with at least 60 percent cocoa) increases blood flow to the skin, which in turn boosts hydration, smoothness, and protection against sun exposure. 

• Tea: Used as skin treatment for ailments and skin whitening , Precisely Chamomile can  treat burns and scrapes.

Some Launched Products in the market: 

Danone's Essensis:( launched in 2009)

 Emmi’s super-premium Beauty Case.

STARBUCKS Launched Chamomile Tea ( Left)

and Tea Frapucino(Right) due to their health benefits 

Russia’s
 Neo Beauty, an innovative
dairy drink, containing a unique
  3D Regeneo formula with aloe vera.

Dove Chocolate with Hazelnut ,Almonds and Raisins :
Combines Taste and Nutrition

For More Info:

1. Chamomile Tea : http://www.sweetadditions.net/food-drinks/chamomile-tea-benefits-for-skin-hair-and-eyes

2. BEAUTY BITES : Lisa Drayer’s Top 10 Beauty Foods: http://www.marieclaire.com/hair-beauty/how-to/tips/beauty-foods

S' mores

I have met them under Brooklyn Bridge. It was two thousand and eight.
It had been a long tiring day, had been walking all day exploring the city by foot. We walked from upper Manhattan up till downtown , crossed the bridge and reached Brooklyn. We were searching for a famous pizza restaurant. Cant remember its name now. I remember that it was dark when we finally found it and there was a long line of people waiting for their turn for a place in the restaurant. Oh! wow we werent going to wait for our turn to come. We would die from hunger.

So, we left and started searching for an alternative till we found a small " open bar" restaurant right infront of the bridge and beside the water. The view of Manhattan skies was indescribable. The Lights of the skyscrapers , and the darkness they have at the same time.

In this open air resturant,  my friends made me order " SMORE'S". I had never tried it before. Now i wish i really never tried it. It was one of the blissful things human made on earth.

The melted chocolate wrapping  the white marshemellows  inside the graham-crackers, served hot.
It was a great " hunger quencher" . A simple formula, yet it arouses complex aromas and flavors.
Not to forget,  a chocolate moustache will appear at the end of this indulging experience.

Here is how you can prepare a S'more:

1. Heat the marshmallow over an open flame until it begins to brown and melt.
2. Break the graham cracker in half. Sandwich the chocolate between the cracker and the hot marshmallow. Allow the marshmallow to cool a moment before eating.

( Courtesy of Allrecipes.com)