It's time to vote for The Next Food Blog Star! Click HERE to vote for The Chocolate Fig's entry to challenge number three, Rustic Luxury. Foodbuzz may prompt you to create an account in order to vote, but this is quick, easy, and painless. Who knows, maybe you'll start integrating with the community! See my posts for Challenge Number One HERE and Challenge Two HERE. As promised, here are the recipes I used to make my dinner guests swoon.

Classic Hummus Ingredients 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed 2 large cloves garlic, smashed 1 tsp. ground cumin 3 Tbsp tahini pinch of cayenne pepper the juice of one medium lemon 2 Tbsp olive oil salt and pepper Instructions Combine all ingredients in a food processor for one minute (mixture will be thick). Slowly add water (or more olive oil, if you prefer) until hummus reaches desired consistency. Serve with cumin and cayenne sprinkled on top. ~

Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus Additional ingredients 1 small jar sun-dried tomato halves, in oil Instructions Follow the same instructions as Classic Hummus above, adding your desired amount of tomatoes and 1 Tbsp of their oil. I used 3/4 of the jar, about 1/3 cup, which resulted in a delightful color and a subtle essence of sun-dried tomatoes. Serve garnished with a few. ~

White Bean Hummus with Cashews and Mint Ingredients 2 cans white navy beans, drained and rinsed 1/2 cup cashews, whole handful of fresh mint 1 clove garlic, smashed 2 Tbsp olive oil salt and pepper Instructions Combine all ingredients in a food processor for one minute. Gradually add water or olive oil until hummus reaches desired consistency. Serve garnished with mint and a cashew. ~

Herb-Rubbed Pita Chips Ingredients 3 bags whole-wheat pita rounds (about 18 rounds) 1/4 cup olive oil salt and pepper herbs of choice (I used fresh mint, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, and basil.) Instructions Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Take one pita round and brush it with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and your herbs of choice. I did some with mint by itself, some with red pepper flakes and basil, some with basil and garlic powder, etc. Cut into triangles and place on a large baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pita rounds. Bake for about 13 minutes, until crispy and slightly golden. Cool on a rack and serve, or store for about a week. ~

Spicy Swordfish Marinade (good for 4 steaks) -from The Frog Commissary Cookbook- Ingredients 1/4 cup sesame oil 1/2 cup tamari or regular soy sauce 1/4 cup lime juice 1/8 cup mirin (I used sherry and it worked well) 1 Tbsp minced fresh garlic 1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger 1 Tbsp crushed red pepper flakes (Don't skimp! This is important!) Instructions Whisk all ingredients. Marinate steaks for 30 minutes max, or they will be too spicy. For my kebabs, I split the marinade between the three glass casserole dishes holding them. I basted the kebabs with the marinade once before placing back in the fridge. ~

Fig and Almond Tart -from Giada De Laurentiis- Ingredients 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 Tbsp plus 1 Tbsp sugar 1 lemon, zested (I used orange zest and it make the greatest difference. I highly recommend it.) 1/4 tsp. fine sea salt 10 Tbsp (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces 3 Tbsp ice water 3 1/2 ounces almond paste, at room temp, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temp (important) 1 tsp. vanilla extract 2 Tbsp honey 6 large or 12 small fresh figs, sliced and stems removed 1/4 cup apricot jam Instructions Combine the flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, lemon zest, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until blended. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. With machine running, gradually add the water until moist clumps form. Turn the mixture out onto a work surface and form into a ball. Flatten the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic. Chill for 1 hour. In a clean food processor bowl, combine remaining sugar, almond paste, mascarpone cheese, vanilla extract and honey. Blend until smooth. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees. On a large sheet of parchment paper, roll out dough into an 11-inch circle. Transfer dough and parchment to a large, heavy baking sheet. Spread almond filling over the dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Arrange the figs on top of the filling. Spoon jam over the figs. Fold the dough border over the filling to form an 8-inch round, pleating the crust loosely and pinching to seal any cracks in the dough. Bake the tart until crust is golden, about 40 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes, then slide a metal spatula under the crust to free from parchment. Transfer to a platter and serve. Enjoy!! See the corresponding post HERE.

Attention: Foodies!! Voting for Project Food Blog Entry Number Two is now open. Click HERE to cast your vote, and good luck to everyone else participating!

Thanks in part to you fantastic readers, I have the privilege of advancing to the second round of Project Food Blog! I loved all of your comments and I'm very grateful for your support, so thank you. There is some really good competition out there! For the second challenge, we are asked to tackle a classic dish from another culture. My choice? I'm taking us all on a quick trip to Egypt! Here are a few reasons why:

• Because I really, really, really want to go there.
• Because if I could share a meal with anyone, ever, in the history of humankind, it would be Cleopatra.
• Because I was in the middle of studying Ancient Egypt for an Art History exam, and I thought, if I was a chef around 2600 BC, what would I cook for a Pharaoh?
• Because Egypt is a bit... dry, and I was immensely intrigued by what can possibly be made (deliciously) in the North African desert.

source

Lucky for Egypt, it lies at the coast of the African continent. This means there is a large body of water nearby. Not to mention, the Nile river flows through what once was Mesopotamia. This means the land is fertile. Which means there's more to eat than sand in Egypt. Things are looking great so far.

source

While researching this particular cuisine, I was pleased to discover that its influences include Persian, Arab, Greek, Italian and Turkish- which makes sense considering they're in pretty close proximity. Culinary staples in Egypt are beans, peas, cucumbers, dates, figs, grapes, wheat, barley, and by the coast, fish. Which brings me to the point of this post: I used many of these culinary staples to create a classic and delicous Egyptian meal. The menu: Catfish with Lemon-Tahini Sauce, Koshary Pasta, and Stuffed Dates.

Catfish with Lemon-Tahini Sauce

(from Gourmet, August 1999) Ingredients: 1 garlic clove 1/4 cup well-stirred tahini 1/3 cup water 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons coriander seeds two 6-ounce catfish fillets 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leafed parsley leaves Directions: Coarsely chop garlic and puree in a blender with tahini, water, lemon juice, cumin and salt. Set aside. Crush coriander with a knife or a mortar and pestle. Pat fish dry and season with salt and pepper. In a 10-inch skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high. Saute fish for 2 minutes, then turn over and sprinkle with coriander. Cook 2 minutes more, or until cooked through. Divide tahini sauce between two plates and top with fish, some oil from the skillet, and parsley. Yield: 2 servings *Note: I doubled the recipe and it turned out great.

The catfish was probably the most challenging and intriguing part of this meal. I had never cooked it before, and I don't think I've ever eaten it. However, it turned out great! Catfish has a thick, meaty texture and was a perfect centerpiece for the meal. The strong tahini sauce lent itself well to the mild flavor of the fish, and the coriander wasn't too powerful. Overall, it was a complex medley of unique flavors that I had never experienced before. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Koshary Pasta

(from TourEgypt.net) Ingredients: 2 cups cooked brown rice 2 cups cooked whole-wheat penne pasta 2 Tbsp white vinegar 1 tsp. ground cumin, divided 1/2 tsp. garlic powder 1 cup cooked lentils 1 can (15 ounces) crushed tomatoes 1/2 cup water 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper 3 medium yellow squash, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 2 medium onions, thinly sliced and carmelized (optional) Directions: Cook grains and lentils according to package directions. Combine rice and pasta in the bottom of a shallow serving platter or casserole dish. Keep warm. Whisk together vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon cumin and garlic powder in a medium bowl. Add cooked lentils and stir to combine. Spoon over rice and pasta. Combine tomatoes, water, sugar, cinnamon, salt, remaining 1/2 teaspoon cumin and red pepper in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until heated through, stirring occasionally. Stir in squash and cook another few minutes over low heat. Spoon tomato mixture over lentil layer. Partially stir tomato mixture into the other layers, but do not completely combine all layers. If desired, top with carmelized onions. Yield: Serves 4-6 people.

The Koshary pasta was delicious. The combination of flavors, especially the cinnamon, reminded me of my favorite Moroccan dishes. Lentils, rice and pasta together were hearty and comforting- I can see myself making this again in the dead of winter and substituting seasonal vegetables. It's a stick-to-your-ribs kind of dish! Everyone loved it.

Stuffed Dates

(a family recipe) Ingredients: 10-20 dried dates 10-20 walnut halves 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter 1/4 cup granulated sugar Directions: To prepare, make a slit in one side of a date so that you can open it up. Stuff with either a walnut half or a bit of peanut butter, then roll in sugar. Repeat with remaining dates and nuts or nut butter.

Little did I know that my family's traditional holiday treat hails from Egypt! My mom has been serving these for years and they are my brother's favorite snack. They're super fun to make, and everyone helped put them together. For Elliott, who'd never had them before, they were a huge hit. I don't think we had any leftovers! I would call this Egyptian meal a huge success. It was out of my comfort zone, new to everyone, and very good. Although my family members were the only guests, I secretly pretended that Cleopatra herself was seated next to me, enjoying every bite. I think she would have been pleased. Until my wish to dine with her is granted for real, fantasizing will have to do. *Please note that most of the pictures were taken by Elliott while I was cooking. I can only claim one of them as my own. Let's give him a big round of applause, he deserves it.