Paradise in Maldives

Maldives

This year I had the most incredible trip to Abu Dhabi, Dubai and the Maldives. Here i'll take you on a little tour of my trip and the best places to go to see and eat.

Starting in the Maldives, I went to the Island called Kuramthi. There were so very trendy and cool bars with DJS from 4 onwards ( sunset bar ).

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At the end of the island was a log stretch of beach called the sand bar which was absolutely stunning. At this point of the island, you got the true feeling of feeling alone, and deserted on a small island in a large stretch of sea. The water was clearest here and you go the most spectacular view of the sunset in the evenings at about 6.20.

And then of course, there was the restaurants. Brilliant food. The best restaurants I have ever eaten at a resort before. My favourite being Duniye where they had fine dining.

And the thing that amazed me most about the island was these incredible trees that littered the island. 'Banyan' trees that appear as if they're growing downwards. They sort of remind me of that black tendril stuff in Spiderman-3, no? nevermind...

I've always loved cooking, baking and experimenting however I feel like going to the Maldives was a big change point for me. I suddenly realised what food can taste like and look like and my standard raised so suddenly. It got me thinking bigger than before and more about future plans. So I decided it was an important turning point in my 'Food Journey' and why I have decided to make a blog about this. Plus i've got some nice photos I want to share :P

The first time I made this dessert, I made a blackberry and lavender sorbet however I'm not sure it went that well and was a lot of extra effort

Chocolate Fondant with Caramel and Chocolate Mousse

Serves: 10

Ingredients

For the Fondant

• 125g 70% dark chocolate ( I used Green & Blacks )

• 90g coconut oil or butter

• 30g sugar with stevia

• 3 eggs

• 30g wholemeal or rye flour

For the Mousse

• 50g sugar with stevia

• 180ml almond milk

• 1 egg yolk

• 1 tsp sugar with stevia

• 10g cornflour

• 100g 70% dark chocolate

• 150ml whipping or double cream, whipped

For the Coulis

• 80g blackberry puree

• 20g sugar with stevia or any form of sweetener

• 1/4tsp lavender esscence

• vanilla ice cream

• fresh blackberries, to serve

• laveneder buds, to serve

Method

- Make the mousse by melting the sugar in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Stir constantly until golden then slowly pour in the milk. Simmer and stir until fully combined then remove from the heat.

- Beat the egg yolk and sugar until pale in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk in the cornflour until combined.

- Slowly pour the caramel into the egg until combined then add back to the saucepan. Stir constantly until thickened. Remove from the heat. Add in the chocolate and stir until the chocolate has melted. Whisk in the cream until smooth and whipped then chill. After about 15 minutes, whip the mousse again briefly.

- Next make the pudding by melting the chocolate and oil over a low heat in a small saucepan. Stir regularly to ensure the chocolate doesn't burn. Transfer to a cool bowl and set aside. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees c, fan.

- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until lighter in colour. Slowly pour in the melted chocolate and whisk until thick and glossy. Fold in the flour.

- Grease 10 small ramekins with coconut oil. Divide the batter between the ramekins and bake for about 8 minutes for a gooeier pudding or 10 for a lighter version. Remove from the oven and cool.

- Make the coulis by combining the blackberry puree and sugar in a small saucepan. Stir regularly over a medium heat. Once thickened, remove and pour into a small jug. stir in the essence. Set aside.

- When ready to serve, scoop some of the coulis and dollop it onto the plate, Swirl the spoon in ciruclar, crossing motions. Pop a fondant on top of the coulis with a scoop of mousse and ice cream. Place some blackberries around the fondant and a lavender bud on top of the ice cream and you're good to go!

This recipe is inspired by one of the best restaurants I have eaten at in our resort on Kuramathi Island. It was the finest, most exceptional cuisine imaginable. Michelin quality and we got it for free. What a brilliant feeling it was. So to continue that feeling, I have recreated this dish to remind me of the wonderful experience.

Norwegian Salmon Tartare

For the Tartare

• 100g salmon fillet, cut into cubes

• 2 tbsp lemon juice

• 2 shallots or 1 pink onion, finely sliced

• small handful fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped

• 1 tsp dijon mustard

• 1 tbsp low fat creme fraiche

• extra virgin olive oil

• dill

To serve

• pink peppercorns

• rocket

• 4 slices prosciutto

For the Tzatziki

• 50g low fat yoghurt

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• squeeze lemon juice, to taste

• black pepper, to season

For the Basil Oil

• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• handful fresh basil leaves

Method

- In a medium-sized bowl, toss all the tartare ingredients until evenly combined. Place in the fridge to chill.

- Blitz the oil and basil in a blender until the leaves are finely chopped and mixed into the oil. pour into a small jug and set aside.

- Whisk all the ingredients for the tzatziki in a small ramekin and set aside.

- To serve, fold a slice of proscuitto in the centre of a large plate. Pop a small handful of rocket on top then press a round cookie cutter on top. Fill the cutter with the salmon mixture and press down. Drizzle the olive oil around the tartare in circular motions. Dollop a few blobs of tzatziki around too. Finish with a sprinkle of pink peppercorns and a piece of dill on the tartare!

Dubai & Abu Dhabi