Gourmet Culinaire and Cuisine

Agave nectar may be normally used to replace refined sugar in recipes, so you'll end up with a healthier version of the dish. But there is another interesting aspect to the use of agave in our culinary adventures.Agave syrup is a wonderful surprise addition as a gourmet condiment!Consider this: Whenever we enjoy a savory meal, our taste buds react to salty, sour and bitter. Most of the time, we won't find anything sweet in a savory recipe. But as good chefs know, only when all our senses of taste are stimulated at the same time -- that's when the real flavor explosion happens in our mouth. So they add a little sugar to soups and sauces, roasts and vegetables, and so on. Now, we can do better than that, using agave sweetener as a flavor enhancer but also as a gourmet condiment.How To Enhance Savory Breakfast Foods With Agave NectarDrizzle .. more»

You can't say enough about Paris --- home of the Champs Elysees, the Eiffel Tower, and the Louvre. And then there is the wines and the cuisine, the reminders of culture that highlighted the Renaissance Era, and the days of Napoleon. Finding an itinerary for Paris is not difficult. Taking in the entire agenda --- well that's another story.Visit the Eiffel Tower first, and visit it at night if you want to see something spectacular. The lights of Paris are stunning to say the least and it will only cost you about EUR4. Granted, on a clear day, it is the most phenomenal panorama of the city you can take in with visibility up to 30 miles, but the night lights of Paris are unbelievable.The Louvre is a must see as well if you are an art lover. No visit to Paris is complete without a trip there. The best .. more»

Richmond, Virginia is VERY easy to love.We are often pleasantly surprised and rarely disappointed by places in the world where we travel. However, our return to the historic Richmond, Virginia area completely overwhelmed us all. Our team enthusiasm was echoed by the group who had accompanied us.For four days, we witnessed first hand the vibrant vibe that is the renaissance of Richmond first hand for over a week. It was only enough time to know that we cannot wait to return to experience more history, art, food and wine.We all were fortunate to participate in a private tour of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (it will reopen in the spring of 2010). The Special Collections area at the Library of Virginia provided us a rare look at some of George Washington's original documents, along with original works by Patrick Henry. As the curator captivated us with numerous original works .. more»

If I ask you, "which is your favorite Indian rice recipe"?, I am sure your topmost answer will be "a biryani". Even in biryanis the most liked of all is a chicken biryani.So here is a recipe for you to make a perfect biryani.Ingredients required Ingredients for marinating the chicken* 1 Kilo Chicken on the bone cut into 12-16 pieces * 1 cup of curd * 1/2 Teaspoon turmeric powder * 1 Tablespoon of ginger garlic paste * 1 Teaspoon of coriander powder * a little saltMix all of the above ingredients and let the chicken marinate for 6-12 hours, more the better.Herbs, spices and condiments used are as follows* 8 cloves * 1 Cinnamon stick * 6 green Cardamoms * 2 Bay leaves * 1/2 Teaspoon shahi jeera (caraway seeds) * a few pinches grated nutmeg and mace each * 1 Teaspoon Coriander powder * 1 Teaspoon red Chili .. more»