Rise and shine by starting your day the Lebanese way. Magnificent, mesmerizing and memorable as can be, it can only be Julie making manoush, Lebanese breakfast dough pies with her Mama in the morning. As soon as the thought of manoush comes to mind, Julie immediately envisions her mother. Ever since she was a little girl, Julie grew up to the sights, sounds and scents surrounding her as her mother would be making and baking manoush on their family's saj (an authentic outdoor Lebanese oven) signaling Sunday mornings. Julie may be all grown up now but her senses still remain the same, meaning manoush plus Mama, equals magnificent. Today, Julie is making one of the most famous manoush of all time, manoush bi zaatar, Lebanon's most brilliant breakfast food. These Lebanese personalized dough pies are topped with the Lebanese signature spice blend called zaatar, an earthy and zesty thyme herb mixture made up of wild zaatar (or Greek oregano) thyme, sumac spice, sesame seeds and sea salt that is simply irresistible, making for a scrumptious way to start your day. Julie also shows you how to simply make homemade yogurt right at home called laban which is unstrained, smooth and silky then teaches you how to transform it into labneh which is strained, thick and creamy yogurt. Last but certainly not least no morning would be quite complete without a small demitasse cup of authentic Arabic coffee called ahwa, and this strong stuff is sure to keep you going all day long. Julie and Mama bring you outside to the veranda for a special treat for you to see their saj in action showing you how to make and bake Lebanese bread on their authentic Arabic outdoor oven that is rarely seen in the States today.
