Maroque Christmas Newsletter
Welcome to our Christmas newsletter: as I get older I enjoy Christmas more, perhaps I'm less stressed, expect less from the whole season and, religious views aside, it seems a fantastic excuse to spoil not just others but yourself as well. So bring on the twinkle, glitter and festive cheer, oh yes and a very big tree.
Hopefully lots of gift ideas to inspire you this year, both from Maroque and Bhatik, and an interesting twist on a Seasonal drinks party. And we are having a Christmas gift weekend coming up with food tasting and lots of ideas hopefully to inspire you: I hope you can join us!
Moroccan themed seasonal drinks party
This is the time of year when even the most reluctant of us dip our toe into entertaining at home, and more often than not it's a few friends around for drinks.
If the thought of soggy vol-au-vents and the odd streamer leaves you cold, then a Moroccan themed drinks party may be your answer. Aromatic scented dishes, subtly spiced finger food, and brightly coloured lanterns twinkling in candle light. Rather than leaving you dashing between the oven and the hellos, all our dishes can be prepared in advance, leaving you time to catch up with your friends and be the perfect host.
Setting the scene
Leave behind a frozen December and recreate a sumptuous sultry warm Moroccan hideaway. Scent your room with our fabulous room scenting oils in orange blossom or jasmine for a flower filled courtyard effect, or amber and musk for an exotic twist.
Dot small brightly coloured candle filled lanterns around the room and possibly a large Moroccan silk and chenille throw across your sofa to add a splash of Moroccan colour. Our Indian tea light holders in startling shades are a great way of adding globes of glowing colour around your room.
Serving your small delights
Large Moroccan platters in sun drenched yellow, deep cobalt blue and Mediterranean turquoise take your food to a new dimension. Serving cocktails on large twinkling brass trays adds a sense of indulgence.
Festive pomegranate fizz
Welcome your guests with a glass of pomegranate fizz. The pomegranate molasses adds a wonderful fruity sweet sour taste that complements the fizz very well. You can use champagne if you wish, but it works very well with cava.
Pour a teaspoon of pomegranate molasses into the bottom of a champagne flute, add a small amount of cava and mix to combine. Top up the glass with cava and mix gently so as not too lose all the bubbles. Add a few pomegranate seeds for decoration.
Nibbles with a twist
Make life easy and create a few a nibbles in advance with some indulgent dips to serve at your leisure and complement these with a selection of olives, harissa spiced nuts, and dukha with bread. Everyone will love the combination of nuts, seeds and spices. And finish the evening on a sweet note by serving majoun balls, the iconic Moroccan sweet.
Aubergine and tahini dip
This creamy sesame dip is a delight to eat, stopping eating is the hardest part; your guests will love it.
4 large aubergines
8 tsp tahini paste
2 garlic cloves crushed
8 tsp lime juice
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
1. Preheat the oven to 230C, gas mark 8. Prick the aubergine all over and place on a baking sheet in the oven for about 30 minutes, until very soft.
2. Remove and cut the stem off, leave to cool. Split in half and remove all the flesh, discarding the skins.
3. Put all the ingredients, except the olive oil, into a food processor and whiz to a smooth puree.
4. Spoon into a pretty serving dish and chill until needed. Just before serving, drizzle the olive oil over the dip.
Briks (pronounced breeks)
These little savoury pastries can be filled with minced lamb or beef, spinach or cheese and herbs. Traditionally made with ouarka pastry, deep fried and served immediately, these baked, filo pastry versions are ideally served just warm, so can be done a little way in advance.
250g (8oz) filo pastry, thawed.
olive oil for brushing
sesame seeds
Cheese filling:
250g (8oz) feta cheese
1 egg
bunch of coriander, mint and flat leave parsley all finely chopped.
Beef or lamb filling:
200g (6 1/2oz) mince
1 small onion finely chopped
2 tbsp pine nuts
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ras el hanout
1. Prepare the fillings in advance.
To make the cheese filling, mash the cheese with a fork, then mix in the egg and chopped herbs.
To make the meat filling, heat the oil in a heavy frying pan. Add the onions and pine nuts and cook until coloured, then stir in the ras el hanout. Add the meat and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring, until browned. Season and cool.
Both these can be made and kept in the fridge for a few hours, until needed.
2. Cut the pastry into approx 10cm by 25cm (4in by 10in) strips. Work with 3 or 4 strips at a time; keeping the rest covered with clingfilm.
3. Brush the strips lightly with oil and put a heaped teaspoon of filling at the top right-handed corner of each one. Fold the corner down to make a triangle. Continue folding the triangle along the length of the strip. Place on a baking sheet and brush with oil. Repeat until all the filling has been used.
4. Sprinkle the briks with sesame seed and bake in a preheated oven 190C, gas mark 5, for about 20 minutes until crisp and golden. Take out of the oven and leave to cool. Serve just warm.
Sesame-coated majoun balls
We have lots of other ideas on our recipe page, including Moroccan majoun balls.
Party mood
To set you in the party mood, run yourself a bath and add our amber and musk silk foam, make yourself a glass a pomegranate fizz (you have to check it is ok), lie back and chill.
Come and see us!
We are having a Christmas gift and food tasting weekend! We will be open from 10am to 4pm on Saturday 10th, and from 12pm to 4pm on Sunday 11th.
We will be serving mint tea and pastries, have lots of interesting things to nibble as well a range of gifts to help with your seasonal shopping. It would be great to see you. For a map and directions, click here.
Site update
Rather than trudging around the crowded shops, why not sit down at your leisure and peruse our seasonal gift selections? You may even want a glass of the pomegranate fizz to hand to help with this task!
I have grouped items by price and by ideas for people who may be a little more difficult to buy for.
We have great ranges on both Maroque and Bhatik and have considerably expanded our gifts selection. Our Fire Your Imagination harissa tasting set may be just the thing for a spice loving friend, and at £12.00 its heat won't go to your pocket (sorry couldn't resist).
And if you know anyone that loves to pamper themselves in the bathroom our Moroccan exfoliating set containing traditional Moroccan black soap and gome glove may be an ideal treat at £27.50.
Please click here to find Maroque's seasonal pages and here for Bhatik's seasonal pages.
I am also delighted to say we have linked up with Greenfield spices to sell their fantastic range of herbs and spices online. As well as all the usual herbs and spices at great quality and amazing prices (you will never get your herbs from a supermarket again), they also have an interesting range of Middle Eastern herbs and spices including dried limes, a key ingredient in Persian cooking, barberries, similar to cranberries, hibiscus flowers and much more. Click here to view the full range.
We are also now stocking a range of sweet delights such as wild rose jam, very decadent on toast, fantastic fig jam, mulberry preserve and exceptional quality rose water and pomegranate molasses. All of our foods and ingredients can be found online.
Thank you for your continued support. If you have any comments, ideas, or suggestions I would love to hear from you. Please email info@maroque.co.uk
Kind regards
Julie Woodard
Maroque
Maroque: www.maroque.co.uk
Bhatik: www.bhatik.co.uk