Strawberry Marshmallows

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

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

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

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!