culinaryupdates-blog

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Learn the best artisan courses in Dubai and become a great artisan chef in 2020!

Are you passionate about cooking? Still craving to achieve something epic in the culinary arts field, feel blessed for yourself! Find your culinary voice at word-class institute of culinary education.

ICCA Culinary institute in Dubai will do the magic that you were dreaming of all these years.

Why study Culinary Arts in International Culinary Schools? What are the benefits?

Culinary Arts Career lets you be creative and explore food all over the world.

Learning Culinary  Art courses in Dubai aids you to learn a variety of innovative cooking     styles and techniques.

A Culinary Arts degree helps     you to get a better position in your career

Culinary courses provide a wide     range of opportunities and much more

 Why Choose ICCA? Which is the best international culinary center in Dubai?

Someone with true passion for food and creative flair, always suggests ICCA Dubai for Culinary Arts.  How can we be so sure? Here are some reasons why we, and many successful chefs love to learn, work in ICCA.

It has a     brief syllabus

Focus on each student

Training from best chefs

Stunning professional prospects

Unbeatable Reputation

Convinced that joining in ICCA Dubai is the right choice for your career? So what to study now?

For those with a lifelong passion for working in the culinary arts industry, learning Artisan courses is one of the ultimate goals.

Imagine, being able to make delicious dishes every day and experimenting with flavors, seeing the delight on your happy customer’s face…. How cool is that!? Isn’t that what many of you dream of achieving?

ICCA Artisan training in Dubai

The artisanal courses provide training with specific focus in various artisan programs like,

Artisan     chocolate making course – Mold your own Chocolate in own style

Artisan bread making course –     Gives complete knowledge and techniques in the art of bread making

Artisan pizza making course –     Learn both traditional pizza making and Authentic Italian Artisan pizza     production skills from Italian Pizza Legends themselves

Artisan gelato – Master the     craft of artisan gelato production.

Artisan sugar-craft course –     Especially for those interested in creative cake decoration and sugar art     styling at basic and advanced levels.

 These courses also make you understand the art, crafts and science of Artisan production practically and theoretically.

What are you waiting for? Pick one of the best Artisan classes in ICCA. Start your career with Artisan training under world-class mentors!!!

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Become a professional artisan pizza maker! Visit our best culinary institute in Dubai.

Eating could be a necessity, but cooking is an Art!! Are you a person who is curious about the art of cooking and planning to become a pro??Hope you know that having a Culinary Arts Degree from one of the standard culinary schools in Dubai will be a major advantage in your journey.

As every profession has an outstanding training ground, the culinary arts has International Centre for Culinary Arts, Dubai. With their structured culinary programs the culinary institute brings you world class experience and personalized training.

ICCA Dubai offers special culinary programs such as

·        Professional Program,

·        Amateur Program,

·        Artisan Courses,

·        Artisan Pizza,

·        Sugar Craft,

·        Lifestyle classes,

·        Celebrity Chef Training,

·        Gelato,

·        Barista Program,

·        Team Building Events

Want to Master the craft of Making Authentic Artisan Pizza??

People who dream of becoming a Pro in Artisan Pizza making choose the best International professional artisan pizza institute in Dubai. Artisan Pizza College such as International Centre for Culinary Arts Dubai provides standard courses in Artisan Pizza Making that helps you to become a skilled professional Authentic Artisan Italian Pizza maker.

ICCA offers Professional Artisan Pizza Training Courses such as ‘Pizza for the professional’, ‘Pizza at Home’ and ‘Pizza for Commercial Cook’.

Pizza for the professionals is the best course for the one who is looking to learn the Art of making Authentic Artisan Pizza, from the Italian Pizza Masters themselves on Entrepreneurial and Professional levels.

Pizza for the Commercial Cook is a perfect course for those who are eager to learn the skill of Authentic Artisan Italian Pizza making from the Italian Pizza Masters. This program covers Professional and Entrepreneurial levels of pizza making.

For those who looking for artisan pizza classes to learn the Art of Authentic Italian Pizza making, ICCA offers Pizza at Home course where you’ll be able to learn the art and techniques from the professionals and Italian Pizza Masters themselves to develop your personal Skills.

It’s your time to become a professional artisan pizza maker and get a glimpse into the world of Pizza Making!! Select a program from the best Culinary Institute in Dubai and get started with your journey.

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Which is the best gelato base college in Dubai?

Summer, winter, rainy, autumn… whatever the season may be, we never stop our love towards eating gelato. Many people fall for this yummy taste of gelato. Not only gelato but also the gelato base courses are lovely.

 People enjoy to learn how to prepare gelato as it is lots of fun. People who loves it will enjoy making it. Gelato is an Italian based ice cream which tastes better than a normal one. Gelato and ice cream has their different taste and texture but gelato is a bit tastier.

 Would you love to learn making gelato? Then the best gelato base training is provided at its best in the leading culinary school of Dubai called International Center for Culinary Arts™.

 ICCA Dubai is a leading culinary school where you step out as the best once got trained by any of the cooking courses. Coming to gelato base programs in Dubai, you will undergo the ultimate session where you can learn from the basic level.

We teach you from first step to last step in the same flow through which you can understand what gelato making is all about.

From the ratio of milk to cream, to how the mixture is churned, and to the different kinds of flavors and texture to be added, we guide you on the each steps to making gelato.

The program also gives an insight into the hygiene practices, Gelateria interior design and the economic feasibility of the business.

 If you're an aspiring gelato enterpriser within the Middle East or anyplace near, the ICCA - Carpigiani Gelato University Dubai is your go-to place to find out everything concerning gelato in all its authenticity from the Masters themselves!

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An initiative for school kids to experience the exciting world of Culinary Arts

The #8WeekStreak Challenge, an initiative by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), Dubai, encouraging the participation of school students from various schools in Dubai to challenge themselves and learn a new skill each week during the summer break.

The challenge themed around the ‘Five Ways of Wellbeing: Give, Be Active, Keep Learning, Connect and Take Notice’, focused on activities that were organized every week at different locations around the city of Dubai, with the final challenge in culinary being hosted by the International Centre for Culinary Arts (ICCA) Dubai on the 28th of August, 2019.  

The culinary experience session at the ICCA Dubai saw the students hands-on cook  and prepare a grand buffet under the guidance of ICCA Chef Instructors, Maia Tsakanova, Vinod Radhakrishnan and Edward Clegg.

“It was a first-hand experience for the kids and I believe will stay with them for the rest of their lives. Some of them might even pursue Culinary Arts as a career. ’’, said Dr. Abdulla Al Karam, Director General, KHDA, who had specially accompanied the kids for the experience.

“We are extremely glad to be part of the #8WeekStreak initiative, and to provide the younger generation with an opportunity to explore the world of Culinary Arts, helping them tap into their interests and career options for the future’’, said Mr. Sunjeh Raja, Director & CEO, ICCA Dubai.

Source: https://blog1.iccadubai.ae/the-khda-8weekstreak-challenge-at-icca-dubai

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If you have considered cooking as a career selection, you must join Cookery training courses or professional cookery program in ICCA Dubai. We provide excellent training to our students by professional chef expert. Our cookery program training assists students to become a professional cookery chef.

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YES CHEF!! – TAKING YOURSELF TO THE TOP OF THE KITCHEN BRIGADE

Being the Emperor of the kitchen and ruling over it is often the ultimate goal in Chefdom for most culinarians.  However, most of the young chefs fail to realize that before stardust lies years of unfaltering perseverance and a never-say-die attitude. The cost of success might not come easy. The price could be standing on your feet for hours on end and being expected to perform monotonous mechanistic chores. But let’s face it, all great chefs have been there, done that!

With times quickly changing on the hotel and restaurant scene, it goes without saying that you constantly need to evolve yourself as a chef. Let the learning never stop. Early in your career, you might start off with jitters and not too much experience on hand. However, what will have you covered is inculcating skills by following footsteps of great chefs.

Identify chefs you most admire and educate yourself regarding their talent and how they made it! You can also look for cookbooks of chefs that you really connect with. While you follow footsteps of seasoned chefs, don’t be intimidated by their high-profiles and years of experience in the industry. Instead, implant in yourself their wide spectrum of knowledge and crisis-management skills.

Another thing to bear in mind is that mainstream celebrities and foodies might offer a distorted and confusing image of what a chef is. Don’t buy every idea until you’ve learnt it through experience and seen it for yourself.

The best way to start off is to get oneself trained in the skill at a culinary school like ICCA which makes sure that all the foundations are laid correct. It has been a little over a year now that I have been grooming and working with student chefs getting them ready to join the industry taking with them the right mental makeup along with the skills they harness here at ICCA. Because to be able to mentor and supervise people, you need to be groomed and mentored yourself!

Don’t take the profession like a nine-to-five proposition but like your lifeline and you are sure to taste success. Say ‘Yes Chef’ with all the conviction, and you’ll have someone say it to you soon!

Source: https://blog1.iccadubai.ae/yes-chef-taking-yourself-to-the-top-of-the-kitchen-brigade

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LOVE FOR DULCE DE LECHE - METHOD OF PREPARING LAVA CAKE

Sweetened condensed milk is a favourite of many people, and when it comes to indulging in it, transform it into Dulce de leche which is nothing but the same condensed milk cooked in its own tin in boiling water for 4-5 hours to give the delicious toffee colored confectionery spread.

I came across Dulce de leche a few years back when I was working with an Argentinean restaurant, where they were using a lot of Dulce de leche in their dessert preparations. The love for the taste of Dulce de leche inspired me to work on different recipes based on them, and here  you can find one of them given below.

Dulce de leche lava cake

Baking Temp: 180*C for 8 min

Portion size: 4pc Round 6cm ring

For Lava cakeIngredientsQuantity

Dulce de leche½+1/3 cup

Melted Unsalted Butter2tbsp

Egg yolk1pc/20gm

Whole egg1pc/50gm

Flour2tbsp

Method

For the Dulce de leche

Fill sauce pan with water half way and place the unopened can of condensed milk in the middle of the sauce pan. The can should be covered with water and bring it to a boil for 5-6 hrs, and add more water if it evaporates. Remove the can from the pan and leave it to chill in the fridge overnight.

For the Lava cake

Grease and dust the ring moulds and chill for 10-15min

Cream the dulce de leche into the bowl, then add melted butter and mix well

Add egg yolk and whole egg gradually while continuously whisking

Lastly add in the flour and mix

Pour the mixture into the rings and bake at 180*c for 7- 8 min.

Source: http://blog.iccadubai.ae/love-for-dulce-de-leche/

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Best Culinary School for Professional Chef Courses in Dubai

Searching for Culinary Schools in Dubai? ICCA Dubai is specialized for professional chef training School in Dubai which offer excellent hands-on professional chef training theory and practical chef courses by professional chefs. Culinary technique and the necessary skills to make you a professional chef expert.

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Do you want to study any culinary courses? Looking for the best culinary arts and cookery school in Dubai? Visit International Centre for Culinary Arts School in Dubai to study various types of culinary courses like Professional Cooking Classes, Amateur Programs, Baking Programs, Pizza making, Chocolate making, Gelato, Barista, Sugar Craft Programs, Lifestyle Programs with proper training from beginner level to expert level by Professional Chef Expert.

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BEGINNING OF A HEALTHY BINGE WATCHING SEASON – NETFLIX IN UAE

Watching your favourite television show and munching on junk snack is an inevitable routine for us. We are quite used to the age old and deep relationship, TV watching and snacking share with each other. People sometimes prefer to turn to their favourite TV shows or comfort foods to pick themselves up from a long tiring day. For some, the combination of both is even better for one evening of personal comfort while ignoring the real world.

Talking about what’s in the news for this TV- snack combination lovers, you have probably heard that the Web TV giant Netflix have launched their TV streaming service to the UAE. That’s good news for binge watchers! This is going to take a good amount of your time watching episode after episode, not to mention some serious sustenance. Whether you accept it or not, you are going to need some quick snacks you can make in a commercial break. You don’t have to be a mindless munching zombie cause of this, but knowing a few things which could come in handy, can avoid munching on to the same kind of unhealthy snack all the time.

Popcorn: The good old way! Popcorn has always been the true love of TV binge watchers. Popcorn is actually good because it is high in fiber. Just avoid the butter and try air-popped popcorn, and you are good to go.

Chips: One of the major culprits in making you wear bigger sizes. Well, next time when you choose chips to accompany your TV binge watching season, you don’t really have to bear with the added calories in it. Chips doesn’t always have to be deep fried starchy potatoes. Switch them with baked, paper thin apple chips with a dash of cinnamon sprinkled on it if you have a sweet tooth, or baked carrot chips dusted with your choice of seasonings. While opting for these healthy chips rather than regular store bought deep fried ones, you are not only doing a favour to your health, but you also get some real good options for your taste buds.

Sandwiches: Snack, but still more than a snack. Make a sandwich with a light filling. It will not only make you feel full but will avoid the urge to munch on to something continuously while watching. To find a variety of handpicked sandwiches, log on to Fatafeat ICCA academy online, play along with the recipes with your added imagination, and create a power snack to satisfy your binge needs.

Fruits & Nuts: You cannot ask for anything healthier than this. Having just a fruit or nut as it is could be a little boring sometimes, but you don’t need to have it like that anyway? Do some mix and matches here, make a bowl of healthy crunchy fruit salad and enjoy the show guilt free.

Raw Veggies: You must be thinking we are making the concept of snacking a real bore here. Wait, before you start judging us already. Did you know raw veggies when cut into strips, with some mind blowing healthy dips are insanely addictive in taste? Yes, the shapes and cuts of the veggies play a very important role to make you want to consider it as a snack. Carrot, cucumber, bell pepper, broccoli and zucchini are a few options from the long list of vegetables you would want to go for. Dips could be made of anything healthy. Yogurt, chickpeas, eggplants, avocado, pumpkins… the base options are endless to make a healthy dip for your veggies.

There are many alternatives you can do with any type of snack you choose to have for. The only thing you need to know is the basic combination of ingredients and how well it could work for you, so that you can alter it to suit your needs. As they say, knowing the basics could take you a long way. Again, it’s not that everyone still agree on binge eating, but desperate times call for it. Get to know more about the recipes you can play with and you might just end up with the perfect accompaniment for the TV binge watching you know you are going to be doing this weekend.

Read More: http://blog.iccadubai.ae/beginning-of-a-healthy-binge-watching-season-netflix-in-uae/

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ICCA DUBAI POWERING THE TASTE, DUBAI

International Center for Culinary Arts (ICCA) Dubai, is an Official Partner of Taste of Dubai and has geared up into its fullest spirits to power-up the 9th Edition of city’s signature food and entertainment festival at Dubai Media City Amphitheater.

This annual 3 Day Festival of Good Food, Drink & Music, will be featuring a range of innovative and interactive culinary programs, sponsored by the Headline Sponsors of the event Electrolux and Co Sponsors such as Lurpak and American Garden amongst many others. Five prominent features at the event  will be run by Team ICCA, these include The Cooking Challenge, Chef’s Theatre, Chef’s Secret, Secret Ingredient and Hospitality VIP. While the ICCA Chef Instructors will be seen managing and doing their own demonstrations as well at the event, the students will keep themselves busy working with a range of chefs, including Michelin star celebrity chefs at their work stations.

“Taste of Dubai has always been a great platform for ICCA students. Working with the Michelin star chefs is one of the best experiences they can have in their lifetime as a Budding Chef. Being a part of this event, will not only help them get the insights of working with the world class professionals but will also get to preview their future in the industry”, says Sunjeh Raja, Director of the International Center for Culinary Arts – ICCA Dubai.

ICCA Chefs, Chef Francois & Chef Aziz Rajab will be in charge and doing demos in Cooking Challenge, Chef Marco Morana will be managing and performing demos in Chef’s Theater, Chef Daniel Hiltbrunner will be handling Chef’s Secret, Chef Mihaly & Chef Vrushali will be seen managing Electrolux VIP Hospitality and Chef Vinod will be taking charge of Secret Ingredients and doing the demos for all the 3 days of the event.

“We are delighted to be playing a vital role in the event in association with the organizers of Taste of Dubai & Electrolux, that come in line with the dedicated efforts that  ICCA has been putting through over time to maintain its presence of par excellence in the industry. Also, the excitement is rapidly building for us to be managing and running many more features at the event this year and thus powering the Taste of Dubai”, Mr. Raja added.

About ICCA Dubai

Established in 2005, the International Center for Culinary Arts (ICCA) Dubai is an industry centered vocational training (VET) center. Specializing in Culinary Arts, ICCA  is one of the leading culinary training providers in the world with a vision to redefine ways in which professional and personal culinary training is offered. The students are provided a truly world class culinary experience, with its accreditation & recognitions from City & Guilds London, Knowledge Human Development Authority (KHDA) Government of Dubai and with its strategic location at the region’s finest educational hub, the Dubai Knowledge Village.

Featured amongst the Top 10 Culinary Institutes in the World and awarded the “Recognition of Quality Culinary Education” by the World Chefs, a global authority on food standards. The “Recognition of Quality Culinary Education” award seeks to recognize training and education that meets or exceeds the culinary standards education established by World Chefs.

Read more: http://blog.iccadubai.ae/icca-dubai-powering-the-taste-dubai/

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BENEFITS OF ONLINE DISTANCE CULINARY EDUCATION

When it comes to furthering your education or nurturing your Knowledge & Skills set, but are worried about the time and place, then online education is your solution.  Online Education Programs are an option that offer convenience of time to learn from home. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC), as they call it are online learning modules available to the public regardless of their geographic location or education level. It is a model for learning online for anyone who wants to take a course at their own pace and schedule.  A typical MOOC has more or less defined topics of study, facilitators and assessments. Students watch short video lectures online, read through online content and complete the assignments based on which certifications are provided.

Here, at the International Centre for Culinary Arts – ICCA Dubai, we have taken a joint initiative with Fatafeat to provide an online education platform that is, Fatafeat ICCA Academy Online for Culinary enthusiasts, to deliver a new way of learning food. Fatafeat is a subsidiary of Takhayal Entertainment which is a part of Discovery Communications, and is Middle East’s first and only Arab free-to air food channel. We all are familiar with Discovery Communications in the television world. It is the world’s #1 pay-tv programmer reaching nearly 3 billion cumulative subscribers in more than 220 countries and territories.

The Fatafeat ICCA Online Academy program is based on the innovative idea of bringing together Television and Online media to effectively deliver Certified Culinary Education accredited by City & Guilds, London. The accreditation by City & Guilds is given due to the program’s high level of quality instructions, online materials and support for learners, all of which will allow you to achieve the Fundamentals of Culinary and Home Kitchen Skills. Upon the successful completion of the specified “Online Assessments” from  Fatafeat ICCA Academy Online, an accredited program certificate from City & Guilds London is awarded to the candidate.

The basic idea of these online programs is to develop new skills and build expertise in a specialized area to update your knowledge & skills, professional profile, advance your career, or just to broaden your knowledge base at the comfort of your home, and you could begin whenever you wish.

Let’s take a look at the benefits and advantages of MOOC’s.

Choice of language; The MOOC classes happen in more than one language. It does not matter what language you speak, subtitles are always available and they are just a click away. You can follow the Fatafeat ICCA Online Academy in English or Arabic.

Learning at your own pace and space; Learning happens in a more informal setting, at a place of your convenience and often around your own schedule. Our online culinary courses have deadlines for tests and assessments, but they are easy to keep up with. You can even serve the dishes you make for your assignment to your family as a meal.

No age and qualification constraints; You don’t need a degree or previous knowledge to follow the course, only the willingness to learn and interest for the subject is needed. Someone as young as 13 can sign up for this program.

Learn from anywhere; You can learn the courses offered by universities or institute around the world sitting in the comfort of your home. Through our MOOC program you will have ICCA Dubai in your home!

Choosing the right career path; Doing a MOOC will help you decide whether to go for higher studies in that particular subject so as to make a career in the same. The Fatafeat ICCA Academy Online is a perfect platform to take you into the world of professional culinary education.

City & Guilds London established in 1873, is the world’s largest Vocational Awarding Body. Certifies over 1.3 Million students annually the world over and helps increase an individual’s value proposition and competitiveness within the Global market. Their accreditation is recognized as a sign of quality in over a 100 countries around the world and are used both by Governments and Industries. This Online program and accreditation will not only provide in depth knowledge in the subject but will also help in molding a career path in Culinary Arts.

Read More : http://blog.iccadubai.ae/benefits-of-online-distance-culinary-education/

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WHAT BAKING MEANS TO ME?

When I was a kid, I loved to watch my Grandma & Grand dad both good Bakers, as they baked in their kitchen. It was fun to see how they turned simple ingredients into Sweet Magic.

This Sweet Magic inspired me to become a Pastry Chef. I continue to follow their practice Baking from the Heart and with Passion and try to bring the same flavors’ in the Cakes as they both once used to make.

When looking for some nice desserts in a place like Dubai, one generally tends to see two distinct kinds of  concepts:

Look fancy and beautiful, but taste not as nice as it looks.

Look simple and not so attractive, but taste it, you simply love it.

For me, the first and most important thing about a Cake is the look, it has to be something, “Wow, how and who made that kind!” and when tasted, the flavors should actually beat the looks!

The appearance might not be very important when we bake at home but  then the taste is.  However, when you make something good for others or if you are a Professional Pastry Chef and also expect people to spend their money on it, then good appearances do matter as much as good taste.

Growing up seeing my grandparents and also other “old time” Pastry Chefs baking, still can clearly remember the flavors they had created then. Now for me not only making good flavors but with a beautiful texture and nice structure is the next most important thing in a Cake for me.

When we have a fantastic flavor, playful texture and an exciting structure then our Cake has a story, to create a harmonic composition that connects the look, the feel and also taste to greatly experience.

I like both, the  new exciting flavors and also the very traditional tastes.

As Professionals we need to convince our customers about our product and then we need to ensure that they will never forget what they have seen and tasted.

When I bake, my main focus is on the uniqueness in the quality of flavor and also the fancy in the look of it.

Lately the trend around the World is actually to value the “old fashioned” baking and turning back to the traditional Artisan ways in Pastry, Bread, Gelato and Chocolate as against the “Soul-less” industrial mass production.

There is a big difference between to just doing something or doing something from the depth of ones Heart!

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WHO WANTS TO BE A CHEF?

One of the many questions I am asked is “what does it take to become a chef”. In an industry that was male dominated, the obvious answer some two & half dozen years back, would probably have been balls of steel. I recall working in a small but luxury hotel abroad were I was introduced to my first encounter with Shirley; my Head chef … Shirley ruled that kitchen with a rod of iron, I swear to this day that she had eyes on the back of her head . Chef commanded a reasonably large kitchen brigade, to operate the bistro style bar menu as well as the fine dining restaurant. I quickly rose through the ranks from chef de party to senior Sous Chef.

In an industry were words such as innovative, talented, gifted and sublime are words to describe some of the most influential Chefs within our industry, culinary giants such as Angela Hartnett, Elena Arzak ,Helen Riza, Clare Smyth, Hèlèn Darroze and Jenny Morris (to name but a few) is most certainly not the answer that I would be inclined to give for fear of being chopped up into brunoise!

So back to my original question, What does it take to become a chef? Whilst it is not a requirement, most wannabe chefs will go to a world renowned culinary institute. Here, the International Centre for Culinary Arts (ICCA Dubai) is one of those institutes. All chefs must have a high degree of training, technical skills, experience and management skills, leadership and time management skills, Able to multi task with kitchen equipment and to a degree with staff. Basically like a musical conductor. Twelve plus hours a day six days a week is extremely commonplace. Take a large pinch of dedication and sprinkle over obsession; you might just have what it takes to become a CHEF!

Read More : http://blog.iccadubai.ae/who-wants-to-be-a-chef/

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WHITE CHOCOLATE AND PECAN FUDGE

As we are celebrating The Holidays and U.S. celebrates National Chocolate Day yesterday and today here is a delicious recipe that is a MUST TRY.

Quick to make. Easily portable and above mouth watering.

When you do give it a try post a picture on Facebook and tag ICCA DUBAI or post it on Instagram and tag @iccadubai #iccadubai

Compliments of the season!

WHITE CHOCOLATE AND PECAN FUDGE

Yield: 30 small pieces

Ingredients:

1 Cup (250gm) Butter

1.5 Cup (375ml) Milk

2.5 Cup (500gm) Granulated sugar

1 Cup (120gm) Pecans (chopped)

1 tsp Vanilla extract or essence

4 oz (125gm) White Chocolate (finely chopped)

Method:

Oil an 8 x 10 inch (20 x 25cm) baking pan.

Place the butter milk and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat.

Bring to boil and stir until the sugar begins to dissolve.

Simmer the mixture until it reaches the soft ball stage (The soft ball stage is when you spoon a tiny bit of mixture on your palm and it can be rolled into a soft ball.)

Remove from the heat and beat until the mixture starts to thicken which will take about 5 minutes.

Add the chocolate and stir until it has melted.

Fold in the pecan nuts and pour the mixture into the prepared pan.

Let it cool to room temperature then chill in the refrigerator until set which will take 2-3 hours.

Cut into 1 inch (2.5m) pieces.

Read More : http://blog.iccadubai.ae/white-chocolate-and-pecan-fudge/

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WHAT IS HEALTHY FOOD ACTUALLY?

The discussion on healthy food or rather unhealthy food is never-ending. There are many dimensions to this discussion. So, is home cooked food healthy? Or is clean, hygienic food, healthy? Or is food low in calories, low on sugar or low on fat healthy?  Should we go ‘organic’ or should we take the ‘GMO-free’ route? Sure enough, different people have different takes on what is “healthy”. To understand this better, we need to understand what ‘healthy food’ means.

I would say ‘A food’ that contributes positively towards the physical and mental well-being of an individual is healthy food. In most cases, we cannot take up the topic of ‘healthy food’ in isolation. It is highly intertwined with one’s lifestyle and an individual’s medical condition and needs. There is no universal ‘mantra’ for eating healthy.

Fruits and vegetables are in general very healthy and if you include a variety of them in your diet you would most likely get your daily requirement of vitamins, minerals, carbohydrate, dietary fibres and believe it or not protein. However, one may argue, what if it is Genetically Modified or if it is laden with chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. Is it still healthy? If we cook our food don’t we lose a lot of these nutrients?

Let’s examine meat, poultry, game and seafood in our diet. They are an excellent source of protein and iron. They also provide essential amino acids and essential fatty acids. Seafood is a good source of vitamin A & D, Omega 3 & 6 and a host of minerals. The scientific community has long suspected that the inclusion of fish in the early human diet significantly contributed to the development of the human brain. But we cannot ignore the fact that seafood may have abnormally high concentrations of chemical toxins and heavy metals such as mercury, cadmium and lead. This is due to the dumping of industrial wastes into our rivers and oceans. FDA recommends limiting the intake of fish high on the food chain, such as sharks and mackerels, to 2 serving a week. Red meat and animal fat have significantly high cholesterol and may lead to a build-up of high uric acid levels in the body.

So, what really is unhealthy? I feel no food is unhealthy on its own if had in moderation and a variety of it is included in a person’s diet.

Read more : http://blog.iccadubai.ae/what-is-healthy-food-actually/

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TO BAKE OR NOT TO BAKE?

Why Cake? – Why bake, or decorate for that matter…?

As long as we have human milestones and landmark occasions to celebrate, – birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, inaugurations and the arrivals of new births to name a few of the special occasions in life, there will always be good reason to have a centrepiece to dress the dining table with, and if it sweetens the palate, all the better for it.

Here at the ICCA Sugarcraft Studio , one can learn to create wonders with sugar and make absolute show stoppers that you never thought you could do, until you learn how. Coupled with learning how to bake well, you then have a win-win combination.

“When the pursuit of knowledge becomes a joy because the desire has been awakened to know more… the student will be eager to uncover what they do not know, that knowledge may take the place of ignorance”, said Mary Kimball Morgan.

If one is an amateur the skills learned here puts a better looking and tasting cake on one’s own table, and it won’t be long before other friends and family want the same on their tables, and there you have it.. it begins as a pocket money earner for yourself, and should you fine tune the skill levels, it can be a prospective career.

Then what you once said you couldn’t make, – becomes a piece of cake! Viola.

Read More : http://blog.iccadubai.ae/to-bake-or-not-to-bake/