Every time someone arrives at the clinic with a package for me to taste, I prepare myself for a new adventure, not knowing what to expect, or where to start. Some things turn out to be good while others less so... but then I received this package, a simple one including a cake, biscuits and ice cream.
I was contacted on Facebook last week with an inquiry as to my address for a tasting. Didn't know what to expect, but surely not that. A plastic box, a normal cake wrapped in nylon and two boxes of ice cream like anything you can buy around town... I judged way too quickly.
A fruit cake like I've ever never tasted in my entire life, exceptional and unique caramel biscuits and an ice cream the masters don't know how to do. Amazed, I messaged, inquiring about the person behind those creations. She is called Maguy Edde, a lady I wished to meet, a queen of good things who should open an atelier of her own; people deserve to eat tasty things, Nancy tells me. Nancy Mouawad being Maguy's niece.
Maguy has a mind on her own. A mind that's in everything she achieves. A stay-at-home mother at the age of 19 and later on, a grandmother, she was able to explore her talents throughout the years in different forms. Together with her sister, she was busy for long years as the village seamstress, later she learned English and lived for four years in the US and then in Germany, discovering new cultures and new cuisines that inspired her. Her curiosity, along with her artistic creativity, are expressed in her dishes. Her recipes combine a refined taste, but at the same time the generosity in portion and flavors of the Lebanese style.
She always cooks with passion and love, and with an instinct that is unbeatable. You don’t always need to know what you are having, but rest assured, it is of great quality and of the highest standards.
You always know if you visit her, you will leave with a full tummy. Her small sized portion is a large by any other standard. There is no doubt she will feed you well and a lot.
Today, relatives and neighbors ask her for exquisite Lebanese dishes. Her signature fruit cake and her Easter Maamoul, among others, each one is pure bliss to your palate.
This 64 year old lady loves to discover and to learn what she doesn’t know. This is how she started making ice-cream a couple of years back, not afraid to explore flavors and styles: She can create a custom-made ice cream for you. You can try an Italian Gelati with Lebanese flavors, prepared in her own special way: In other words ice cream à la Maggy.
I started with the triangles of caramel. Airy and flaky biscuits topped with a thin layer of chocolate. Extremely aromatic biscuits composed of flour, butter, a bit of sugar and milk. The chocolate on top is not too sweet and enjoyable. Those are good, really good indeed. I loved their aroma and crunch.
The piece of art is not to be missed, a creation I invite you all to order, a bomb of flavors sold at $20. They simply call it cake, I prefer to call it the extravaganza dessert. I opened the wrap to discover something sticky topped win dried prunes, raisins and walnuts. A boost of aromas confirming the cakes high alcohol content. Inside is a magical painting of colorful bits. Lots of fruits, some chewy, others elastic, a crunch, enjoyment and a cake that's so juicy and moist. The textures are awesome! The cake contains flour, butter, sugar, eggs, triple sec, vanilla extract, dried fruits (apricots, dates, prunes, raisins) and walnuts.
No wait, it's not enough, this is amazing! $20 and worth it with all the things stuffed inside. I've published a photo on Instagram, called my friends, offered small pieces to taste to my patients and couldn't stop taking about it since. Please sell it in Beirut!
The ice cream came last, two days afterwards. The real taste of fresh, natural ice cream made in a soft consistency, where the main ingredient's taste is felt. Every day I would walk into my side room at the clinic and have a scoop of each flavor while making sure no one was looking; they are too good to be true, too tasty to be shared.
Maguy Edde is her name, the queen of desserts is her nickname.
Maguy Edde 09.737125 | 71.119706
