Fig Galette + A New Video

It is finally fig season. I get really excited because I truly love figs and with my generous tree, I get to really experiment and make lots of treats. I already photographed a few recipes and I will be sharing them with you sooner than later, I promise. 

This fig galette was the first recipe I made from the first figs I collected from our tree. This elegant free-form tart, has a really flaky crust and it's the crust I use for most of my tarts and pies recipes, both savory and sweet. The only thing I adjust is the sugar/salt content, depending on the recipe.

This recipe comes with a bonus video :). I can not begin to tell you how much I am loving this video making situation. It's not easy and I am still struggling with some things like lighting. It's definitely harder to set up lighting for a video than it is for a photograph, specially using natural light only. When I made this video, it was more of an experiment and I honestly didn't think I would have something nice to show you. I was really excited to see it come together, I was thinking, "damn, it's not perfect… but it's perfect!!" Do you know what I mean? Just watch the video and you will understand me better! I appreciate your comments and if you have any tips on on how can I improve the lighting, please fill me in! 

Ingrediens:

For the crust, find the recipe HERE

For the Filling:

16 oz figs, tips cut off and quartered

3 tablespoon sugar

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.

In a mixing bowl, mix together the figs and sugar. Divide the tart crust in half and roll out each half. Equally divide the filling into the rolled out dough, leaving about a 2-inch border along the edges. Fold the outer edge of the dough in toward the center. Place the galette in the prepared baking sheet and wrap them with plastic wrap. Place the galettes in the fridge for half an hour before baking. When ready to bake, brush the galettes with egg wash and sprinkle with muscovado sugar. Bake them in a preheated oven (375˚F) for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Click HERE to watch my last video

Orange and Hibiscus Iced Tea + My First Food Video

Today I have a really exciting post, I get to show you my very first food video. This is something I've been wanting to do since last year and I just never got to it. Last week, in the middle of a heat wave that was drowning NY in sweat, I decided to make a refreshing drink and in the process, also give video making a try.

I thought to start with a "simple" recipe. Yes, the recipe is simple but it's not simple to translate it into stop motion. It took me a whole day to make this video but I learned so much in the process and I really loved it. In fact, I loved it so much, I'm eager to make more :)

I am new to this world and I don't have fancy equipment, just my same old camera  (artificial lighting would have been VERY useful) and I edited this video on iMovie. Is not perfect and I need a lot of practice but I really hope you enjoy it. The recipe is really good and truly refreshing, we got through the heat wave drinking a ton of it. It's very floral and the orange zest brightens the flavor even more.

Enjoy!

Orange-Hibiscus Iced Tea from Najwa Kronfel on Vimeo.

Ingredients:

4 cups water

1/4 cup dried hibiscus flowers

½ stick of cinnamon

3 cups of fresh squeezed oranges juice 

the zest of 3 oranges

Agave nectar or sweetener of your choice

In a saucepan, bring the water with the cinnamon to boil. Turn the heat off and add the hibiscus flowers, cover and let it steep for 5 minutes. Strain it and let it cool completely. Once cool, add the orange juice, orange zest and sweetener. Stir well and serve with lots of ice.