Pepper in the kitchen

Strawberry Marshmallows

2012-02-27T08:54:00.000Z

I am not a big fan of marshmallows to be honest, but I was interested in how they are made so here is my attempt which went rather well, which is nice. They came out delicate in flavour and texture, and they really taste much better than the shop bought ones.

If you have trouble finding where to buy the corn syrup as I did, amazon sells it. This recipe takes a couple of days.

Ingredients:

500g of strawberries or 140ml strawberry puree
125ml water (first batch)
160ml water (second batch)
260ml light corn syrup
500g caster sugar
80g icing sugar
80g corn four
4 packets of gelatin

Equipment:

Food thermometer
9x13 inch rectangular pan. 2.5inches deepish, does not need to be exact.
Baking parchment
Electric whisk or ideally a standalone mixer

Righto, first if you do not have strawberry puree already, make it. Cut up the strawberries into small pieces and put in a pan over a medium heat, for 8-10 minutes till it is all squishy. Using the back of a spoon pour through a sieve to get all the bits out. Then leave to cool.

Next job prepare the baking pan by lining it with the baking parchment. If you have it, spray the paper with non stick cooking spray. I did not but taking the parchment off later was not too difficult, just requires patience.

Now, pour the first batch of water, 125ml in with the strawberry puree and sprinkle the gelatin over. Give it a little mix till combined and leave to the side while the next step is done.

Pour the corn syrup, second batch of water, 160ml and sugar in a large pan over a medium heat to allow the sugar to dissolve. This should only take a couple of minute if that. Give it a quick stir, put your thermometer in and turn the heat up a bit. The temperature needs to get to 240°F or 116°C and do not stir the mixture while it is getting to this heat or it will crystalise. If you find it is bubbling too much turn it down a little bit, or if you find it is taking too long turn the heat up a little.

When it hits the temperature take it off the heat straight away, but be very careful the syrup shall be boiling! My pan does not have a spout so to make things easier I poured the syrup into a jug. Switch the electric mixer on low and start pouring the sugar syrup into the bowl slowly. Once all the syrup is in gradually turn the mixer so it is on fast for about 10 minutes. When the mixture turns glossy and thick pour it into your baking pan. If like myself you do not have a stand alone mixer, do be extra careful when pouring the syrup in with one hand and mixing with the other.

(slight blurry pic)

Now leave it at room temperature overnight. You can cover with kitchen foil but be careful so it is not touching the marshmallow, otherwise it shall stick.

The next day, sieve your corn flour and icing sugar together and sprinkle liberally on a large piece of parchment paper. Also sprinkle over the top of the marshmallow and then turn it upside down onto the surface.

Now for the jolly task of carrrreeeeefuuuulllllllyyyyy peeling the parchment paper off. I used a sharp knife to help guide it. Once done, sprinkle more of the icing sugar mix on top and onto a sharp knife. Cut up into squares and I found a swift sea saw action was far better than sawing.

Roll your cubes in the icing sugar mix again and pop into a container. Use partchment between layers or they may stick.

Eat within 2-3 days. If left longer you may need to dust them in the icing sugar again so they are not sticky.

Mr P was delighted with these and ended up melting some on digestive biscuits as a sugary treat.

I found the recipe on tinternet at about.com

Sofra, Mayfair

2012-02-20T13:27:00.000Z

I should start this post by saying when I got to the restaurant for dinner, I was a little bit sozzled on the count of having to kill a couple of hours with Mr P and My two Sister-in-law P's. They shall be known as Sister-in-law P (no1) and (no2). Too many P's. So, three bottles of red wine later and it was time to head to Sofra and I loved it. We all loved it. It was amazing food at a good price and this was not the booze talking.
Sofra is a Turkish restaurant and has several branches in London. I have walked past one of their other branches a few times and heard good things so used our meet up as an excuse to give it a try. We did not regret it at all.

(Apologies for the slightly dark photos. They normally come out better than that).

We were seated in a cosy corner and within a few moments bread and a bowl of hummus was brought over. This almost disappeared in seconds thanks to a certain Sister-in-law P (no.2). Our drinks order was taken and we decided to carry on with the red wine theme, and get a bottle of the Yakut/Angora wine which I think I liked more than everyone else, but it was still a decent drop. It was about £15 for the bottle.

After a little deliberation we all decided to go with the Chef's Special so that we could try a bit of everything. And boy, did we try a bit of everything. So many bowls of food it was brilliant.

The favourite seemed to be the Spinach and Feta Parcels. Oh my word, so good. The pastry was crunchy and then the soft flavoursome feta and spinach. Honestly I am not doing any justice to how gorgeous it tasted. Then smooth Hummus with succulent lamb and the Halloumi perfectly grilled so its soft. I sometimes find halloumi can be a little too salty and squeaky when chewing but not here.

The Falafel, admittedly I have had slightly better but it was a close second and yes that is a chip on that plate, they were flipping great even though not perhaps in keeping with the rest of the food.

The unexpected joy was the Red Lentil Patties, creamy and gently spiced. They are meant to be served cold but perhaps they were just a smidgen too cold, (only just taken out the fridge perhaps?) and could have been a little closer to room temperature if I were to nit pick.

The meat bowl was simply unbelievable. Every bit was juicy and well cooked. The beef meatball perfectly seasoned and nomsville. The chicken not at all dry and the lamb still with a bit of pinkness to it. This is how meat should taste! By this point there is pretty much nothing I eat that is not perfect or close to. The nut salad and Tabbouleh are two things I do not normally like and this is still the case but that is just personal taste. Everyone else around the table thought they were well balanced salads to go with the other dishes.

You can substitute the meat bowl for a Spicy Fish Pot with Basmati Rice which is what Mr P did. There was salmon and a selection of white fish with veg. Although a little too spicy for me it still tasted full of flavour and Mr P loved it.

Time for dessert and there was a slight struggle within me for two of my all time favourites were on the menu. Lemon tart and Creme Brulee. Finally I went for the Creme Brulee because it had saffron in it, and I had not tried that combination before.
Both Sister-in-law P's had mint tea which was brewed in a little cafetiere with fresh mint, which they both enjoyed very much. We were also given cubes of turkish delight which was a nice treat.

Everyone else had Apple Tart Tatin, Baklava, and Warm Organic Apricots.
The Apricots were lovely stewed spoonfuls of comfort. I am not too sure if I liked it with the walnuts but it was great with the cream.

The Tart Tatin (I love saying Tart Tatin. It is one of the few words that you can say in any accent and it sounds posh. Tar Tar sauce is another one) was perfectly balanced with the sweet apple and spicy cinnamon. The pastry underneath melted in the mouth and the Vanilla Ice cream a perfect accompaniment.

The Baklava I think was the best dessert which we all agreed on. It is one of the very few dishes I like with nuts in. Sweet, sticky, crunchy mouthfuls of happiness.

The Creme Brulee was nice but a little too browned on top so there was a slight burnt taste which was a shame. However, the custard underneath was perfectly balanced in vanilla and sweetness. I could not really taste the saffron to be honest but that did not ruin anything.

The quality at Sofra was just perfect and I wish I could eat at more places that take such care with their food. I would most definitely go again and insist anyone reading this does so too.

The staff for some reason had giant name tags which perhaps were unnecessary but they were polite, unintrusive, and there were reasonable waiting times between ordering, and the food arriving. In general we had no complaints about the service at all.

I very almost gave it a 9 out of 10 but one small thing niggled me a bit, the cover charge which is separate to the service charge. I do find it unnecessary to add an extra £2 per person. It did not seem to be optional and only finding out its a charge at the end of the meal just mildly annoyed me. It wasn't enough to make me hate this place and not want to go back because everything else was just great.

The bill for 4 people including service and drinks was £120.

Food:10
Ambience:9
Value for money:8.5
Overall:8.5

El Vaquero, Whetstone, North London

2012-02-19T09:01:00.000Z

I so wanted this restaurant to be great. It is a matter of seconds from where I live and its cuisine is Brazilian/Argentinean barbecue. It is all you can eat for a set price with a hot dish/salad buffet and staff go around the restaurant with their meat ready to carve as and when. There are stop and go lights on the table that you press when you want more or need a break. Perfect! I love barbecue and I love meat. But no, no no no.
I have lived in this area for nearly four years and I think there have been about three restaurants that have failed in this premises. They always looked empty and dull until this one came along. Every time we went past it in the evening it was jam packed which of course does not mean it is great but we thought lets give it a try.

Right then, let start with some positives. It is near my home, the staff were polite and the salads were nice enough.

So, we arrive and the first thing I notice is how busy it really is and so so noisy. I think there was music in the background but the chatter noise covered this. It is certainly not the place to go for a romantic meal, a group of friends is probably a better idea. The atmosphere in general is one of people rushing around and I did not feel relaxed. There were some plants, beer barrels and a couple of fake animal hides nailed to the wall. It felt as if they had 30 minutes to knock up some decorations for a party and this is all they had. The decor of the place was bland as can be, just like the food.

We were seated just in front of the bar area and a stones throw from the buffet. The tables are not too close together but still manage to make me feel closed in which is a little annoying. The waitress explained the process. First go to the buffet area and get our salads/hot dishes, then use the little lights on the table to signal we are ready for the meat skewers to come round.

We ordered our drinks first and the cheapest bottle of wine was nearly £18 which I think is a little much. Instead, I got a glass of The Paddock Chardonay/Semillon and Mr P got a Corona. There was also another beer listed called Sheendy. Have you heard of this? no? Shall I tell you why? Because it is meant to say, SHANDY. Mr P ordered it thinking he would see what it is like and she explained it is not a beer called Sheedy it is meant to say, Shandy. I mean really, is it that hard to correct a spelling mistake on the menu? This got my goat.

Next, we went to get our salads and there was I think about 6-8 cold salads and another 6 hot dishes. I picked an aubergine and garlic salad, some avocado and some salad leaves/tomato and parmasan that I think was more suited to an Italian restaurant.
Mr P had the same plus some coleslaw, fried caulifour and some sweet potato chips.

So with our plates full of salads, (some fuller than others Mr P!) we put our green light on and off we went. The first to arrive was chicken wings which looked great and the skin was very crispy. Unfortunately that's where the joy ended. They had no flavour of anything, bland as can be. I swear there was no seasoning whatsoever. This continued with the chicken leg. There was a mustard and honey chicken breast that came round which had a faint taste of mustard.
Next up was the rump of beef.

The waiter gently carves the meat off the skewer and it had a tiny bit of pink. Not much. It was over cooked and once again seriously tasted of nothing. How can they manage that? Honestly there was no seasoning or sauce or anything. It tasted dry and disappointing. I think at about this time we went back to the salad buffet for more. I was getting to my fullness limit so just went for some more salad leaves and avocado. Mr P could not be stopped in his plate filling which was amusing to watch. Just as we came back a bowl of chips appeared on the table which are handed out as and when but they were bland and dull as well. No seasoning and I am going to guess just frozen chips. We ate them sure but there was no joy in it.

More meat, this time some lamb came round. Again, dry and overcooked. I should add that you are able to ask the waiter to give you a rarer/well done section but I could not be bothered as it all tasted of nothing anyway. There was some beef which was a lot pinker but it still managed to be tasteless.

We ordered some more drinks and they seemed to take a rather long time to arrive. We did think they had forgotten and just as we were about to give up they came. I guess you could use the excuse they were busy but ten minutes for one glass of wine and a coke is a lot in a restaurant. By the way the coke was in a can and they did not offer to bring a glass or pour it into a glass. This may sound silly but for what we were paying I would expect them to pour it in a glass or at least offer to give us a glass to do it ourselves. DETAILS PEOPLE!

Right then, we were done. The lights were taken away and then offered the dessert menu. There were nine ice cream/sorbets and then this heavy dessert menu which were clearly bought in and correct me if I am wrong but not authenic!

They were way too heavy for me to try after the meat onslaught but naturally Mr P had some room. He went for the Honeycomb cheesecake. I tried one spoonful and sure, it tasted ok. But nothing better than your average supermarket cheesecake and being charged a fiver for a slice.

So that was it. Done. It came to £70 including drinks and service. The set rate per person is £21.95 for all you can eat main courses. If you want fish, then you have to mention this when booking. Would I go back? Well funnily enough when paying £35 a head I expect flavour and soul in my food. I wish this was a find because of it beng on my doorstep and I love a good steak but NO NO NO I WILL NOT GO BACK. I really cannot believe people are filling this place night after night. Is there really repeat custom? For the price you pay it really is not worth it.
The website happily says they ship in the meat all the way from Argentina. Well done you. Well done. Its just a shame when it arrives it is not treated with much care.

Ambience:3
Food:3
Service:6.5
Value for money:2
Overall:3

Eton Mess Balls

2012-02-06T09:10:00.000Z

One of my friends asked if I could use meringue in a cake pop and that set me thinking so here we have my experiment. It went almost to plan but by the end....not so much. Hence the title of this post.

You can buy the meringue if you do not fancy making it but they are easy to do.

Ingredients:

Meringue:

4 large egg whites
225g caster sugar

Cake Pop Bits:

600g White Chocolate
225g Strawberries chopped into small cubes
600ml Double cream

Equipment:

Lolly pop sticks
Cellophane cake pop sweet bags
Ribbon

Firstly, preheat your oven to gas mark 3. Place your eggs whites into a large bowl and beat them till they go stiff and brilliant white. Feel free to do the egg white test of sticking it over your head. If it falls on your head....well, I think you should know that it was not enough beating.
Next, add the caster sugar one spoonful at a time beating between each one. You will end up with a glossy marshmallow looking thing.

Now spread it on baking paper on a baking sheet and pop in the over for one hour. As soon as you put it in the oven, turn the to gas mark 2.

Once the hour is up and your meringue is done, turn the oven off and leave it in there till it goes cold.

If you are doing the cake pops later make sure you store the meringue in an air tight container or it shall go soggy.
Next, crumble the meringue into a large bowl or if like myself you run out of large bowls, use an empty Celebrations tin. In another bowl pour in your cream and whip till it is really thick. Then mix the cream and strawberries in with the crumbled meringue.

Place baking paper on a baking tray and then roll out the mixture into balls. I used an ice cream scoop to try and get a bit of consistency.

Once done gently cover with cling film and place in the freezer for 4 hours. While waiting I found playing in the snow passed the time.

When your balls are almost ready to come out the freezer melt the chocolate. To do this get water boiling in a pan and place a glass bowl over it. Make sure the water is not touching the bottom of the bowl. Break up your chocolate, put in the bowl and stir from time to time to help it melt.

Now this is where my problems arose. I am not sure if it was because I did not have them in the freezer long enough, or if it was because of the cream melting rather quickly from the chocolate but, I had the firemans pole situation a lot.

Either way, after being annoyed I simply decided to pour the chocolate over the balls instead and have them as a dessert.

I am pleased to say they tasted great even if they do not look it. Best eaten with a spoon!

Mr P said the cream balanced them out so they were not too sweet. He is not a fan of meringue but actually liked them. Yay!

Thick Custard

2012-01-30T13:25:00.000Z

I thought I would do a quick how to make custard post as it is really easy to do. I usually prefer cream with my desserts but homemade custard is just what I would call, awesome. It taste so much nicer than the shop bought ones.

Ingredients:

2 large egg yolks
50g caster sugar
10g cornflour (if you prefer runnier custard reduce or leave out the cornflour)
150ml semi skimmed milk
150ml double cream
1 vanilla pod

Serves 4

Mix the milk and cream in a pan and split the vanilla pod down the middle to get all the seeds out. Put those and the skin into the pan. Place on a low heat till it becomes warm but not boiling.

In another bowl mix the egg yolks and caster sugar. Keep beating till it is light in colour and then mix in the corn flour.

Once that is combined, take the vanilla pod skin out of the pan and pour into the egg mixture. Make sure you keep whisking continually while it goes in and till just after.

Now pour it back in the saucepan over a low heat. Gently stir it for 3-4 minutes until it thickens. Take off the heat and serve with whatever you desire or, just eat as is.

Simples!

Cherry Pie

2012-01-29T17:09:00.001Z

I love fresh cherries but I am not a big fan of cherry flavoured food. I also cannot stand those glazed cherries so all things considered, when Mr P mentioned he would like me to make a cherry pie, there was a good chance it would never happen. However, because I am such a lovely wife, I did. I made it this weekend when we had one of my Sister-in-Laws over for Sunday lunch. Sister-in-law P.

Ingredients:

Pastry

500g plain flour
100g icing sugar
2 large eggs mixed
Splash of milk
250g cold unsalted butter cubed

Filling:

1kg fresh cherries stoned
6 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Juice of 1 small lemon
1 tsp corn flour

Topping

Sprinkle of sugar. I used cane sugar as I had some but you can use caster sugar or what ever else you fancy. (not icing sugar mind)
1 egg to brush

Equipment:

Food processor if you have one otherwise you can use your hands.
9 or 10 inch pie dish

First lets make the pastry. Sieve the flour and sugar into the food processor and then add the butter. Whizz for a few seconds till its looking crumbly and then again while adding the eggs. Add a little bit of milk to help it bind and when it does stop the processor. It will bind quite quickly. Take the dough out and then gently make a ball on a floured work top trying not to overwork it. Wrap in cling film and put in the fridge for at least half as hour.

While that is in the fridge doings it thing lets make the filling. Now if anyone has a quick way to stone cherries do let me know. I sat in front of the television pitting them and unfortunately was forced to watch grown men run after a ball......Anywho, once that's done put to one side. Pour about 50ml of water into a pan on a gentle heat, add the caster sugar and allow to dissolve, then add the cherries. You want them to heat through for a little bit till they become softish over a medium heat. Now add the cinnamon and stir. While that's on the heat in small bowl mix your corn flour and lemon juice till combined.

When the cherries have softened but not jammy, add the corn flour and lemon mix. Now turn the heat up a bit and leave for about 3/4 minutes to thicken. If you leave it too long the amount will reduce too much leaving your pie with less filling. When done, pour into a bowl and leave to cool.

Now, cut two thirds of your pastry off the ball and roll out what is going to be the base on a floured work top. You want it to be about 3mm in thickness. Carefully place into your pie dish patting out the shape. Now put your filling in and then roll out the rest of the dough for the top. Place that on and cut off the excess around the edges. (Any left over pastry you can wrap in cling film and put in the freezer). Use a fork to crimp and make an x in the middle to allow steam to escape. Preheat your oven to gas mark 5 and just before it goes in, brush with the egg wash and sprinkle the sugar over.

Place in the oven for 35-45 minutes or until you get a nice golden colour on top.

Serve with custard/cream/ice cream or all three! Mr P enjoyed mucho thankfully.

A little side note, this was a nice gift from Sister in law P, Viennese Whirls which were gorgeous:

Italian Kitchen, New Oxford Street, London

2012-01-28T19:41:00.000Z

So, it was time to meet up with some of my friends and we decided to go to Italian Kitchen. Overall I enjoyed myself but that was mainly down to the fact I was having a good old chin wag with my gal pals. Yes, I did just say gal pals. The food was ok. It wasn't offensive really but was it any better than maybe going to a pizza express? I do not think so.

We got there and were given a table that was snug but nice enough. I did notice the music was rather loud but that could just be me being an old moaning fuddy duddy. The waitress we had seemed nice enough but she did seem confused quite a lot, possibly because of the language barrier. When I asked for chilli oil I think she just assumed I said something else and it never turned up. I asked another waiter and I kid you not, he danced his way towards me in a cheesy serenading way. I asked for the chilli oil and I got it but he was just plain odd. I think the staff were just bored as it wasn't that busy. It was a Thurday night.

We ordered some olives and two starters, Insalata Caprese - Buffalo mozzarella, tomato and basil and Bruschetta al Pomodoro - Grilled bread with garlic, tomatoes and fresh basil to share between the four of us. The olives I have to say were gorgeous. Giant fresh good quality olives. I liked these a lot! I also really enjoyed the mozzarella salad. I love buffalo mozzarella. I just think its flipping great and you cannot go wrong when putting it with tomato and basil, it was really well seasoned. After this I feel the rest of the food was nothing more than ok. The bruschetta was piled high with tomatoes but did not really taste of much. It tasted like toasted brown bread which is fine if that's what your expecting. It just didnt seem to taste quite right to me.

Main course and I was boring and went for a Margarita. I had been thinking about pizza all day long and just wanted a nice cheesy pizza. It was alright sure but anything special no. It did the job. I had the chilli oil with the pizza and it was not really oil, more chopped chilli in a ramekin. Had the oil run out leaving just the chilli at the bottom? Was this what they call chilli oil? It had spice and that was fine but it was not chilli oil!

My friends had:
Salmon with brocolli and mashed potato:

Steak with mash and a rocket salad:

And the last one the photo did not come out but was Spaghetti with clams, mussels, calamari, shrimp, tomato and chilli. Everyone seemed happy enough with their mains.

We did not have dessert and am not really too bothered as I don't think they would have been all that wonderful. Of course this is a guess but it is how I felt with the food.

Would I go back, probably not no. One of my friends had a Taste of London card which meant it was half price so we paid £12.50. Had we paid full price I would have been a bit miffed as I feel like I could have had much better for the same price.

Food 5/10
Ambience 6/10
Service 5/10
Overall 5/10

Bogayo, Shoreditch

2012-01-22T17:26:00.004Z

As you know I am a trendy soul which meant I was in Shoreditch on Saturday night for a shin dig. Before we got to the do, Mr P and our friend Mr C decided to grab a bit of dinner which took us to the Moroccan fusion restaurant Bogayo.
Now I should say the pictures are not my best work because I have a new phone and am slightly incompetent.

We got their early so it was not at all busy and were seated near the door at a cozy table. It was a little chilly when the door opened but this soon went as I started my large glass of white wine. The decor was what you would expect from a morrocan restaurant. Lanterns, colourful cushions and I especially loved the tiled tables.
The staff were all helpful and not overbearing while the food came out in reasonable time.

So the starters, Mr P had humus (houmous/humous. Why can we not spell it just one way??) and pitta bread, Mr C had scallops wrapped in bacon with sweet potato. I didn't really fancy a starter so nibbled on bread which came with olive oil and olives. The olives were stuffed with chilli which gave a nice kick and the bread was warm and soft but I have to say, the olive oil did not really taste of much.
I had a bite of Mr P's humus which was drizzled with olive oil and paprika. It was smooth and probably one of the better I have tasted, so of course regretted not getting any myself.
Mr C said his scallops were cooked well and that you cannot go wrong with scallops and bacon. The sweet potato and red wine sauce complimented them nicely.

Mr P and I both had tagines for our main course which was a first for us. He had the kofta tagine which was lamb meatballs in a herb tomato sauce with an egg topping (optional). The meatballs were cooked evenly and the sauce was rich. The only thing that perhaps did not work was the egg that sits on top as it just did not blend with the meat. My tagine was quail with baby onions, lemon and saffron. There were two sitting in my tagine which were succulent and well seasoned and the lemon hit that I got was refreshing. I enjoyed this dish a lot a part from the pain in le bottom it was getting the meat off the little fellas. On the side I had couscous and Mr P wanting to not be too authentic had some chips. The couscous was soft and cous cousy. I am not a massive fan of it but wanted to give it another go. It wasn't offensive but maybe just not for me.
Mr C had the mixed grill served with saffron rice and mixed salad which consisted of beef, chicken and pork. All the meat was well cooked and went nicely with the chilli sauce we were given. There could have been a little more on the plate but overall was a great dish.

Finally for desserts I ordered a warm fig tart with vanilla ice cream, Mr P had sticky toffee pudding with fudge sauce and chantilly cream and Mr C, had pistachio crème brulee. When they came out it was clear someone in the kitchen is a fan of the old dusting technique.

I think the fig tart was actually my favourite bit of the meal. The pastry was crumbly and the filling just on the right side of sweet. The vanilla ice cream was nice enough, maybe I have had better but all in all a delightful plateful.
I tried some of the sticky toffee pudding which was surprisingly light. A great gooey sticky toffee pudding. I am not sure how else to describe it other than yum yum. The pistachio brulee was not really my cup of tea. The top was just slightly over caramelised and had a burnt taste. I love creme brulee normally, in fact its in my top 5 fave desserts but I am not keen on the involvement of the nut in this situation. A part from the slightly burnt bit Mr C loved it so if you are a nut fan, go for it.

Overall, would I go back? If I was in the area I would certainly give it another go but, I am not sure I would make a special trip for it. It was good food for a reasonable price in a nice setting.

Price for three including wine and service was £90.

Food 7/10
Ambience 8/10
Service 10/10
Overall 8/10

Cheese Cake Pops

2012-01-22T17:14:00.000Z

Say what?! A cheese cake in a pop? Are you crazy? Perhaps, but lets save that can of worms for another day.
So I had an epithany while dozing off to sleep the other night. I wanted to do another cake pop but felt my first attempt was not as good as it could have been. I started thinking about all the cakes and desserts I like and if it was possible to make these into a pop.
I decided to take a cheesecake recipe that I have done several times and give it a go. It was a bit of trial and error but I got there in the end. If you fancy just doing the cheese cake without the pop bit please do as it has always worked out as a good american cheesecake recipe. You do need to make the cheesecake the day before you serve it.

Ingredients:

200g digestive biscuits
50g unsalted butter melted
900g cream cheese
pinch of salt
300g caster sugar
240ml sour cream
2tsp vanilla extract
Lemon peel from one lemon
1 tbsp lemon juice
4 eggs
2 egg yolks
500g milk chocolate

Equipment:

Food processor or if you have not got one, a food bag and something heavy.
Lolly pop sticks
9in spring cake tin
Cellophane cake pop sweet bags
Ribbon
Foam (that one you get from florist that they stick flowers in. You can get it on amazon too) wrapped in clingfilm

Makes about 16-20 depending how big your balls are. (never gets old)

Day one, preheat your oven to gas mark 4. Put your biscuits in your food processor and whizz till they are crumbs (or bash them in a bag). Add the melted butter and whizz again. Butter your cake tin and then line the base with the crumbs. Don't use all of it, you just want a thin layer if your doing them as pops as we need some of the crumbs for decoration afterwards.

If your doing just the cheesecake, use it all. Pat it down and place in the oven for 10-15 minutes or till it has browned on top.

Take out to cool completely. While that is happening, beat your cream cheese till smooth and then add the sugar and salt. I like to do this in the food processor as it is quick and easy. Otherwise just do this in a large bowl till well combined.
Next add the sour cream, vanilla extract, lemon peel and juice and beat again. Now add the eggs and egg yolks and give a final mix.

Pour the mixture onto the base and put in the oven for about 50 minutes. It should have a slight wobble in the centre when done. After this time, leave it in the oven but with the door ajar for another 45 minutes. Then take it out and leave to cool. When it is take it out of the tin and put in the fridge overnight.

Day two, take it out of the fridge and either serve or if you are popping it, scrape all the cheesecake into a bowl. Add about half of the base. Use your own judgement as to how much base you want in the mixture. Give it a mix. Now this is quite a messy bit, line a baking tray with cling film and either using your hand or a better idea is an ice cream scoop, make the mixture into balls. You then need to put them in the freezer for about 4/5 hours.

When you are just about to take them out, melt your chocolate and get your left over crumbs ready on the side. Once melted take the balls out of the freezer, dip your lolly pop stick in the chocolate and then into the ball. Then quickly but carefully coat it with chocolate. I found the bigger the ball, the heavier it was which caused what I am now calling, the firemans pole situation. In future I would make them a little smaller.

I then used the foam to stick them in so as not to get flat heads like my previous cake pops. Next sprinkle the left over biscuit crumbs before the chocolate sets.

When they are all done, put them in a cake pop bag and tie with ribbon.

I was quite pleased with these. You get that nice creamy cheesecake filling with a hit of the chocolate. Its a deconstructed cheesecake if you will.

Mr P said he liked them but they needed more crumbs on the outside. Can't please everyone....sigh.

Rhubarb and Custard Cup Cakes

2012-01-15T19:12:00.000Z

I love Rhubarb and Custard and I love cup cakes. So why not smush them together to make a delightful combination. I saw them made once on the television but changed a few things as I felt adding a buttercream to the top, would make them too sweet so replaced it with cream. I also added some of the compote to the batter mix. I am not sure I added enough so next time I would either just add more compote at the end when filling the cake or, add more to the batter. Feel free to make your own call on that.
I did a big batch but if you want to do 12 just halve the recipe.

Ingredients:

Cupcake Batter:

220g unsalted butter
500g golden caster sugar
4 large eggs
300g self-raising flour
250 plain flour
200ml semi skimmed milk
8 tbsp rhubarb compote

Custard:

2 large egg yolks
50g caster sugar
15g cornflour
150ml semi skimmed milk
150ml double cream
1 vanilla pod

Topping:

600ml Double cream whipped
Rhubarb compote

Equipment:

Foil cupcake cases (The paper ones tend to draw out the moisture from the sponge).
Cupcake/muffin tin
Piping bag with a star attachment
Radio - Ideally playing something like Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond.

Makes 24 Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to gas mark 4. Cream the sugar and butter together until fluffy using an electric whisk/mixer, whatever you have. Then add one egg at a time, beating between each one.
In another bowl combine the two flours making sure to sieve them. Put about a third of the flour in the creamed mixture, beat it till combined.
Mix the rhubarb compote with the milk and add a third of it to the creamed mixture and again beat till combined. Keep going until all the milk and flour is well mixed with the sugar and butter.
Put your cupcake cases in your baking tin and then fill each one about two thirds full. I used a piping bag but you can use a spoon.

Place in the oven for 25-30 minutes. Check on them after 20 minutes and turn them in the oven. They are done when they have browned on top and a toothpick comes out clean. When cooled for a couple of minutes transfer to your cooling rack.

While they are cooling make the custard. Mix the milk and cream in a pan and split the vanilla pod down the middle to get all the seeds out. Put those and the skin into the pan. Place on a low heat till it becomes warm but not boiling.
In another bowl mix the egg yolks and caster sugar. Keep beating till it is light in colour and then mix in the corn flour. Once that is combined, take the vanilla pod skin out of the pan and pour into the egg mixture. Make sure you keep whisking continually while it goes in and till just after. Now pour it back in the saucepan over a low heat. Gently stir it for 3-4 minutes until it thickens. Take off the heat and leave to cool.

For the cream, just pour it into a bowl and whip till its nice and thick and then transfer to a piping bag. I tried to be all fancy and put some of the compote in the piping bag so when I piped it with the cream, it would look magical....this did not happen. Oh well.

Now for the assembly. Make a hole in each cake using a spoon. You want the hole to be big enough to put both the compote and custard in. When you have made your holes, place the compote in about half way and then fill the rest of it with the custard. Once done all you need to do is pipe your cream on top. Make it look however you wish. I used a star piping attachment.

Now eat, eat as many as you want because...well, why not?

Strawberry Cake Pops

2012-01-08T15:31:00.002Z

These cake pops should come with a warning. If you do not like sweet food then steer clear of these bad boys. However if you do, nom nom away!
I decided to make my cake pops strawberry flavour with a white chocolate coating as I think these two ingredients compliment each other nicely. I ran out of the white chocolate for the last few so I use some milk chocolate as well.
When I do these again the only thing I would do differently is get some styrofoam so that I can stick the lolly pops in while they set. I had to turn mine on their heads which meant they came out with flat heads. Not the end of the world but if you want them to look all posh and what not then that is the way to do it.

Ingredients:

Cake:

175g butter, at room temperature
175g caster sugar
3 eggs
250g self-raising flour
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Cake Ball Ingredients:

225g Cream cheese
300g Icing sugar
2-3 tablespoons Strawberry jam
2-3 drops of red food colouring

Cake ball coating ingredients:

500g White Chocolate
Any cake decorations you fancy. I used sugar stars and strawberry curls.

Equipment:

Lolly pop sticks
7in cake tin
Cellophane cake pop sweet bags
Ribbon

Makes a batch of 20

First thing preheat your oven to gas mark 4. Next, cream the sugar and butter in a bowl and when it becomes well combined and fluffy, add the eggs making sure you mix well between each one. Add the vanilla extract and give it a final mix. Now sieve the flour and fold into the mixture in about 3 batches. Keep folding till there are no flour streaks. Line your baking tin with grease proof paper and then put the cake batter in. It will take about 35-40 minutes in the oven and is done when a knife comes out clean.

Leave the cake to cool completely and when it is, crumble into a large bowl. Now to make the frosting. Mix the cream cheese, strawberry jam, icing sugar and food colouring and once combined, pour into the cake crumbs. Using your hands mix till it turns into a sort of wet dough texture.

Now roll the mixture into balls about 2 inches in diameter. Lay them out on grease proof paper, cover with cling film and put in the freezer for 2-3 hours.

When your balls are firm (hilarious innuendo) and ready to come out of the freezer melt the chocolate in a bowl. Dip one end of your lolly pop stick in the melted chocolate and then poke it in the cake ball.
The chocolate helps it to stay on the stick. Now dip the whole ball into the chocolate and gently twirl it. It may be helpful to use a spatula as well to make sure it fully coats the ball.

Using whatever decorations you want sprinkle the balls with them and pop them on some grease proof paper till they set. If you are giving as gifts, wrap them in plastic sweet bags and use some ribbon to tie it. How jolly nice.

Mr P enjoyed his with a cup of tea.

Pumpkin Donuts

2012-01-02T17:40:00.001Z

Happy New Year! Lets start the year by being healthy and I think donuts fall into that category don't they? Yes? Ok then donuts it shall be.
Why pumpkin? Well I have several cans in the cupboard I want to use up. The dough is quite a wet one so I am unable to make actual donut shapes but they taste just as good as small pumpkin balls. Balls of heaven if you will. Mr P seemed happy enough stuffing his chops with them as did I.

Ingredients:

Donut mixture:

1/2 can of Pumpkin puree
60ml butter milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg yolk
1/2 egg (yes half an egg, give it a mix and pour half in)
1 1/2 tbsp butter
pinch ground cloves
pinch ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
175g plain flour
50g caster sugar
Vegetable oil to fry

Icing:

130g icing sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
2-3 tbsp milk (add a little at a time you may need more or less)

Makes 12 donuts

Equipment:

Whisk (electric or not)

Whisk the butter and sugar in a bowl, it will be a bit grainy but that's fine. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat those in. Then add the butter milk, mix it and then the pumpkin puree and mix again.

Next put all the dry ingredients into a bowl, give it a quick mix and then fold into the wet mixture in about 4 or so batches. Fold it until there are no streaks and you have a wet dough.
You have to then cover the bowl and place in the fridge to chill for one hour.

Now make your glaze by mixing the icing sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Then gradually add the milk till you have a thick smooth paste. Pop it in the fridge till you need it later.

After an hour pour the oil into a deep pan till its about 2 inches deep. Sprinkle in a little bit of flour to tell when it is hot enough, if it sizzle then it is. Then just a few at a time using two metal spoons make a mini rugby ball shape and gently place the dough into the pan. Fry your donuts about a minute on each side. Move to a plate with kitchen roll on to drain and allow to cool.

When cool pour over the glaze, let stand for about half and hour and then EAT!

Pumpkin Pie

2011-12-29T20:42:00.002Z

I tried pumpkin pie when I was on honeymoon in New York and really loved it so I thought it was time to give it a whirl in the kitchen.
With its sweet and spicy flavour it is just right for this time of year. Its not too hard to make and the results are yummilicious.
So a couple of things. Firstly, if you do make your own pastry I prefer to use icing sugar because it gives a smoother finish than caster but, feel free to use caster if you want. Secondly, the pumpkin puree. In America they sell it in cans which seem to be fairly easy to buy but over here in good old England it’s a little harder to find. After going into 3 different supermarkets I finally found it at Waitrose. You can make your own by baking a pumpkin and whizzing it up in a food processor.
There are two stages, the sweet pastry and then the filling. If you do not want to attempt the pastry just buy a 9 inch pastry case instead.

Ingredients:

Sweet Pastry:

225g plain flour
110g butter salted cubed
90g icing sugar
1 large egg
Splash of milk

Pumpkin filling:

75g soft dark brown sugar
425g pumpkin puree (one can)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 ground ginger
275 ml double cream

Equipment:

Food processor
9 inch flan tin with a loose bottom
Baking beans

To make the pastry sieve the flour and icing sugar into the food processor. Then add the cubed butter and on a low setting let it whiz until it becomes a crumb texture. If you do not have a food processor use your finger tips.
Next add the egg and milk and give it another whiz till it binds. Make sure you stop as soon as it comes together. Then empty it onto a floured surface and give it just a couple of kneads to make it into a ball. Wrap it in some Clingfilm and put it in the fridge for about 20 minutes to cool.

Place your flan tin bottom on your surface and sprinkle a little flour on it. Put your ball of dough in the middle of the base and start to roll out. Roll it so it is about an inch and a half outside the base of the tin bottom. Then pull it in around the edge and place the bottom back in the tin. Fold the dough back out so it covers the edges of the tin and gently push it into the grooves. Using a fork poke the base about 6 or so times, cover and put back in the fridge for about 20 minutes.

Now to blind bake. Preheat the oven to gas 5/190°C and then cover you pastry case with greaseproof paper. Put your baking beans into it and place in the oven for 10-15 minutes till the sides start to brown. Then take the beans off and continue to bake for another 15-20 minutes so the base browns a little. Take it out of the oven and gently cut off any extra pastry around the edges.

Next job is the filling. Whisk your eggs in a bowl and put to the side. Then pour the cream and all the spices and sugar into a pan over a gentle heat. Whisk it so all the ingredients are incorporated. Gradually pour your cream mixture in the eggs but make sure you whisk it continually so as not to get any lumps. Once fully mixed add your pumpkin puree, again whisking so it is well combined.

Lastly, pour your filling into your pastry case and bake for about 35-40 minutes on gas 5/190°C . There should be a slight wobble in the middle when done.
If you notice there is a crack in the top which means I overcooked mine by about 5 minutes. Ideally there should not be any cracks...If only I had remembered to put an alarm on and stopped watching the T.V. Ho hum.

Allow to cool and then take out of the tin. Serve with a bit of cream or as Mr P has informed me, it would go well with ice cream if we had any.

Panettone

2011-12-27T14:16:00.000Z

Christmas time, mistletoe and wine as Sir Cliff once said. He failed to mention Panettone. Silly Cliff.
I made some for the first time and its rather nice but I did manage to deactivate the yeast, so there wasn't much rising going on but you win some and lose some.

Ingredients:

1x 7g sachet fast action yeast
400g strong white flour
75g caster sugar
2 large eggs and 2 extra yolks
3 tablespoons lukewarm water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest of one orange
zest of one lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
175g unsalted softened butter
75g sultanas
50 candied peel
50g dark chocolate finely chopped
40g unsalted butter to finish

Equipment:

1x 15cm deep cake tin lined with greaseproof paper.
(I didn't have the correct size tin so I did it in two batches in a small loaf tin)

Firstly, mix the yeast with 125g of the flour and sugar then make a well in the centre. Beat the whole eggs with the water and pour into the well.

Using your hand give it a mix until you have a smooth batter, and then leave for an hour in a warm area until the batter is bubbly. It is potentially here where I didnt leave it for long enough for the yeast to work properly.

Next, stir the egg yolks, vanilla and zests into the batter. Gradually stir 175g of the flour and the salt so you end up with a sticky dough. Salt can deactivate the yeast as well so again this is where my issue may have occurred as well. Add the softened butter and work it in by squeezing the dough through your fingers. Do this till there are no streaks.

Once fully combined you need to turn the dough out onto a floured worktop and kneed for 10 minutes so you have a soft stretchy but not sticky dough. Add the remaining flour while kneading and you may find you need a little less or a little more. Feel free to pop on a bit of music to wile away the time.

After 10 minutes pop the dough in a bowl and cover with clingfilm. Leave it to rise for 2-2.5 hours in a warm place but not in direct sunlight. After this time uncover and punch the dough down and leave again for another 1-1.5 hours to rise again.
While the dough is rising combine the sultanas, candied peel and choc in a bowl with a little bit of flour so they do not stick together. I split the batch into two so one batch had just the fruit and the other fruit and chocolate.
Next line your cake tin/loaf tin/ so it is ready. Make sure the greaseproof paper is about 5cm or so higher than the tin.

Once this time is up you punch the dough down again and then roll it onto a floured worktop. Gently place the fruit/chocolate mix so it is evenly distributed. Turn it into a ball (cake tin) or a roll in my case and put it in the loaf tin. Make a cross on top of the dough then cover and leave for an hour to rise.

Preheat the oven to gas 6 and melt 25g of butter. Then just before putting the Panettone in, brush the top with the melted butter, put a 15g knob of it in the middle (15g for cake tin or two 7.5g knobs on each of the loaves).
Put it in the oven and after 10 minutes brush it again with the melted butter and reduce to gas 4. Leave it in the oven for about 40 minutes (or about 30 minutes for each loaf). When a skewer comes out clean it is done.

When done pop on a rack to cool and take it out of the tin after 10 minutes. Make sure it is completely cool before slicing.

Then eat! Give it a toast and spread with butter. Nom nom nom.

Recipe taken from the Great British Bake Off How to Bake Book.

Mulled Cider

2011-12-23T17:02:00.001Z

Just a quick post here courtesy of that Jamie Oliver fella. We fancied a bit of mulled cider and his recipe is quick and tastes yums. Really easy to do so here we go.

The ingredients:

2 litres good cider
6 cloves
2 star anise
¼ nutmeg, finely grated into the pan
1 cinnamon stick
1 vanilla pod, halved
Juice of 1 orange
Juice of 2 clementines
Juice and seeds from 1 pomegranate
3 tablespoons of caster sugar, to taste

It gives about 8-10 servings depending on the size of your glass.

I forgot to add the cinnamon to the photo so do forgive me.

All you have to do is pour your cider into a large pan and let it heat through. Then pop all your ingredients in, let it get to the boil, and then turn to simmer for another 15 minutes or so. I found leaving it longer helped it to infuse the flavours more.

Once done serve warm. Sieve it or leave the bits in, its up to you!

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal

2011-12-22T19:55:00.001Z

So, it was Mr. P's birthday earlier this month and one of his treats was a visit to Dinner at The Mandarin Oriental by Heston Blumenthal.

If you have not heard of Dinner then the best way to describe it is a menu of dishes from ye olden days. Each dish has the date it originated and the back of the menu lists the sources from whence they came. Great for the food buffs out there.

It is safe to say that it was a flipping delightful bit of grub and the whole experience of the restaurant was great. The staff were attentive without being intrusive and with a sense of humour so no stuffiness that can come with some restaurants. If I was to be picky then I would say the interior of the dinning room was mildly underwhelming and I wasn't keen on the jelly mould light fittings. However, the huge windows give you a nice view onto Hyde Park and you are also able to see into the kitchen which for me was exciting to watch.

Now onto the food. We could have picked pretty much any item off the menu but finally decided on what is now the restaurants two most popular dishes. Meat Fruit (c.1500) Mandarin, Chicken Liver Parfait and Grilled Bread and Mr. P had the Rice and Flesh (c.1390) Saffron, Calf Tail and Red Wine.

The parfait was beautifully creamy and the hint of mandarin from the 'skin' added a delicate flavour which complimented the richness of the dish. The bread, warm and crunchy went with the parfait like a dream.

The Rice and Flesh of which I had a nibble was delicious. A rich risotto where the rice was cooked so it just had bite. The delicate saffron made it probably the best risotto Mr.P has ever had I am informed.

Main course time and I went for the Spiced Pigeon (c.1780) Ale and Artichokes and shared mashed potato.
Wowzers people, wowzers. The pigeon cooked in a water bath was pink throughout and just so perfect in taste and texture it was unbelievable. The ale sauce and artichokes gave a gentle bitterness to accompany the sweet pigeon. The mash potato was smooth and more like a puree but just so delightful in every way.

Mr. P's pick was Black Foot Pork Chop (c.1860) Spelt & Robert Sauce. I didn't try this dish as I don't eat pork but this is what the other half had to say about it. They cooked it so it still had pinkness and although pork can sometimes be a little bland, this was succulent. It had a sweet smokey sauce that went really well.

Finally onto desserts and the two that we got were Baked Lemon Suet Pudding (c.1630) Lemon Caramel and Jersey Cream and the Tipsy Cake (c.1810) Spit Roast Pineapple. When arriving you are informed that if you want the tipsy cake you need to order it when you do your starter and main as it takes 40 minutes. This is a dish we have heard a lot about and it was a done deal that this would be a pick.
The pineapple had a crispy outside and was gloriously sweet. The cake had a sort of donut texture but was still light and fluffy.

The Lemon pudding was probably the best dessert I have ever had. You crack open the crunchy case for a lemon caramel to ooze out. A sharp loveliness of lemon and the jersey cream just helps balance the dish.

Once all was done with desserts and we asked for the bill a complimentary petit four graced our table.
An Earl Grey Ganache with a Caraway biscuit. To be honest, I am not that big on chocolate desserts and found it a little rich but Mr.P seemed more than happy to polish off what I could not.

So all in all not a bad bit of lunch...or should that be dinner. Would I go back? If I was paid a trifle more I would indeed but then pigs might fly so it shall not be anytime soon. This was a one off treat for the old man and I had a cracking time as well.

Price for two, 3 courses plus one glass of wine each and service was approx £150.

Food 10/10
Ambience 8/10
Service 10/10
Overall 9/10

Mince Pies

2011-12-17T17:04:00.002Z

In case you hadn't noticed its getting ever closer to Christmas. Now for some reason I can't help but enjoy being a bit of a grinch this time of the year but that doesnt stop me from enjoying a nosh on a mince pie or ten. So, my first baking post shall be dedicated to the traditional mince pie.

The ingredients you will need:

Mincemeat

450 g Bramley apples chopped small
225 g shredded suet (feel free to use the vegetarian one if you prefer)
350 g raisins
225 g sultanas
225 g currants
225 g chopped candied peel
350 g soft dark brown sugar
grated zest and juice 2 oranges
grated zest and juice 2 lemons
4 level teaspoons mixed ground spice
½ level teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ level teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
6 tablespoons brandy
Some ingredients call for putting chopped almonds in but I personally do not like nuts in my food.

This recipe make 3lbs so you have plenty to store away.

Short crust pastry

3½ oz (95 g) lard
3 oz (75 g) butter
12 oz (350 g) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
a little milk
a pinch salt
Sugar to sprinkle

Equipment needed:

Pastry cutters
Muffin/fairy cake tin
Maybe a glass of vino to help things a long.

Makes about 18 depending on how thin your pastry is rolled.

Starting with the mincemeat you will need to begin a day or so earlier.

Simply put all the ingredients a part from the brandy into a bowl and mix well. Then you will need to cover it and leave it overnight or for 12 hours.
After this time, it needs to go in the oven on a very low light, gas one/140 degrees for 3 hours.
Take it out of the oven and leave to cool remembering to mix it from time to time to help mix the fat as it hardens. Once completely cooled you can add the brandy. Feel free to add more of less depending on your love of the stuff.

Finally, put it into sterilised jars. (To sterilise the jars, just wash them, then place them in boiling water for 5 minutes and allow to drip dry) The mixture should be kept in a cool dark cupboard and can last a couple of years.

For the pastry, sift the four and salt and then put it into a food processor with the lard and butter. Switch it on and stop when it becomes a crumbly mixture. If you do not have a food processor use your fingers to crumble the mixture so it looks like this:

Then add 3 tablespoons of water to help it combine. You may need a little extra if you find it is not forming a ball. Once you have done this put it in a bowl, cover and place it in the fridge for about half an hour.

Take the pastry out of the fridge and start to roll it out thinly (put a bit of flour on your board or rolling pin to help if it sticks). Using your pastry cutters do your mince pie bases, place them into your tin. Fill with the mincemeat and then add your pie tops. You can add a round top or if you wish, cut out a shape to place on top. I have used a star cutter.
Finally, brush the tops with milk and I like to then sprinkle a bit of sugar on top. If you use a round top do be sure to poke a hole in it to allow air to escape.

Pop it in the oven for 20 minutes on gas mark 6/220 degrees.

Once cooked leave them to cool before taking them out of the tin as they are quite crumbly and the heat will make them fall a part.

It is at this point you take a mince pie and a glass (large) of port and relax......

Inspiration taken from Delia Smith with some aspects of the recipe changed.

My First Post

2011-12-10T10:52:00.004Z

Well then look at that, I have started a food blog. I can tell you are jolly excited, me too.

I enjoy cooking (especially baking) and want to keep a little record of them for fun so here you shall see some of my attempts at doing so. I may also talk about some of the restaurants that I go to with Mr P.

So, to the few that may actually read this and to the millions that have no idea it exists...LETS GET COOKING!