Runaway Kitchen

A new, perhaps terrible, liqueur in our cabinet

2012-01-19T02:45:00.000Z

To be fair, the name "Blackmaker Root Beer Liqueur" should have been warning enough. Root Beer is great, especially homemade root beer. Especially on a hot summer day. But turn it into alcohol and its presence in drinks takes me back 20 years when most of the people around me were looking to their "cocktails" to be as close to soda pop as possible (I was a snob- I liked bourbon and brandy).
But what can I say, I'm a sucker for a nice label. And look at that label- very typographic and the illustration reminds me of nice woodcut. So I'm a sucker.

I mixed it up in equal parts with the Russell's Reserve we were gifted at Christmas (again, I'm a snob and we're only using it mixed), squeezed in half a meyer lemon and then shook shook shook with ice. Voila! Poured into tiny taster cocktail glasses. Blech. Horrid. I would rather suck on bad cough drops.
Then it occurred to me. Thanks to my generous Santa of a husband, I have a lifetime supply of various bitters in hand.
A few dashes (really it takes a lot of bitter to take the sweet off this drink!) and the whole things was transformed. Complex palate revealed, warm on the way down (which is so nice after a day in the snow) and disaster averted. The Blackmaker is made with nutmeg, wintergreen, cinnamon, clove, ginger, sweet birch and anise. Thanks to the bitter all but the wintergreen revealed itself, trailed by a little bit of vanilla that was hiding in the Russell's.

If you're dying to try this cocktail, here's the real portions:
1.5 oz Blackmaker Root Beer Liqueur
1.5 oz Russell's Reserve 10 year Bourbon
3 dashes of Regan's Orange Bitters (No. 6)
1 t fresh lemon juice (I used Meyer Lemon)
Loads of ice, shaken for half a good dance song, decant into one luxurious up drinks glass or two smaller Thin Man Era glasses if you'd like to share.

A friend asks for a recipe, I post

2011-10-13T08:54:00.002+01:00

I'm trying to make it a new policy that when a friend asks for a recipe that I post it here. I could be saying "if I had a nickel..." it happens so often, but instead I'm trying to find a system that binds me to my original goal with this blog- to write about the foods that I'm inspired by right now and give recipes.

This recipe is one I used to pull out all the time when I wanted to have duck but was too poor to buy. I found a version of it in an old cookbook I dug up at one of my favorite old bookstores, Powell's, about a hundred years ago when I was first cheffing for a living. I served it up at my first secret restaurant dinner so many years ago in San Francisco and was met with the hearty approval by my guests. Add a little lump of quickly braised greens and you have a minimally laborious meal.

I hope that my friends continue to ask me for recipes- I do love giving them out.

The only downside to this new plan, is I don't really have pictures of the food I'm advising you to make. But since I like pictures so much, in honor of the impromptu Farmer's Market Blackberry-Raspberry Jam I made tonight- here's something to drool over.

Now onto the recipe (pardon the format, a small hat tip to some of my cookbooks from the 20s and 30s, hope it's legible enough to follow):

SALT ROASTED CHICKEN

Well, first you have to buy a ton (well, 5 pounds) of rock salt. The kind for ice cream works best. Now buy a whole chicken. Take out the neck and gizzards and whatnot. Clean her all up, pat her dry and leave her overnight in the fridge, on a rack, uncovered (air circulation). If you had a very cold protected place to hang her up that's ideal, but who has that?
Now, it's been at least 12 hours and you're ready. Take an orange, pierce little holes in it, about 10 total. Drop a bay leaf inside the gal, then shove the orange in and some scallion whites, cut to 3-4". Sew it up if your feeling fancy (call it dressing her if you're feeling really really fancy). Let her rest.
In a good sized wok, heat up your 5 pounds of rock salt, covered works well, over medium high heat is best. This will take a while and you'll hear hissing and popping when it's ready. Have a large bowl or pan nearby.
Spoon out about 2/3 of the rock salt into your spare pan/bowl, leaving a decent valley in the bottom of the wok, making sure you have about an inch of depth. Place your dried, dressed bird on top and quickly (but carefully, very hot) spoon the salt you removed back onto the bird. Try and make sure you have completely covered her back up. It should just look like a little hill of glistening, piping hot salt.
Cover with the lid and cook over medium low heat for 1 hour.
Remove the bird from the salt and then let her rest for 10-15 minutes. Get your cleaver ready. This is your chance to work on your best tough guys poses with the cleaver. If you're anything like me, you won't look so tough when you're actually trying to perform carving magic on that bird.
Now that the bird has rested, chop into halves (somewhere around her waist. Now half those end to end. Chop the breasts into halves and the leg joints as well.
Serve with hoisin sauce mixed with hot chili oil and some finely chopped fresh scallion.

Autumn is my favorite- Soup season!

2011-10-06T08:53:00.001+01:00

Now that the weather has changed to a lovely pallid hue and I've pushed every bit of summer I could get my hands on into jars to bring sunshine into my winter, it's time to turn on the oven and leave it on.
This is the time of year I dream of having an AGA, buy a cord of wood and hunker down indoors (okay, there's an occasional rain soaked hike).
Soup season officially started today with a little pot of Three Sisters- white bean, corn and squash. Shared with another mom and three pre-schoolers in the midst of games involving every pillow in the house thrown on the living room floor and something to do with mermaids and magic crystals.
Here's the recipe. I hope to be posting more soups, soon. Or at least cooking them!

Three Sisters Soup
2 ears corn, husks still on
2 lb kabocha squash
1 cup cannellini beans
1 bay leaf
3 T olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 T kosher salt
a few grinds of fresh pepper

Preheat oven to 400°
Put the beans into a 1 quart tight sealing pot and fill with water to cover by 2". Add in 1 T olive oil and bay leaf.
Place this and the kabocha squash in the oven for an hour. In the last 30 minutes, toss the corn in as well.
Once it is cool enough to handle, cut the squash in half, scoop out and discard seeds, then scoop out the flesh and set aside.
Remove the kernels from the corn cobs and scrape them with the dull side of the knife to remove the rest of the pulp. Set all of this aside.
In a large stockpot, heat the remaining 2 T olive oil. Add the onions and garlic and saute over medium heat until softened. Then toss in the corn, squash and beans, plus the salt. Fill with water to cover plus 2". Bring up to a gentle boil then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
Correct seasonings and serve with crusty bread and kale salad.

Canning, canning, canning

2011-09-24T18:50:00.001+01:00

Waiting on more lemons to preserve

Well, I've gone a little nuts now that I have a bigger kitchen, more cabinets and a whole larder/laundry room again. Plus, it's summer... Albeit, a kind of crummy summer cropwise, but I've managed.
To date there have been:

-Nearly 6 pounds of local, self picked blueberries bagged and frozen.
-Half a peck of pickles. Lower East Side Sours. Yum.
-David Lebovitz's Pickled Carrots in a magical bottomless jar in the fridge (the same for beets).
-Lemongrass and Lime Confit.

-Korean Red Pepper Veggies in quantity.
-Allspice liqueur
-Sauerkraut. Jah.
-Plum Sauce gleaned from the lovely bag of the scrummy stonefruit that appeared on my back stoop last week (I am so giddy for our neighboring tree. It is a fantastic producer!)
-Pickled Okra (a miserable failure with okra that was a wee bit too senior to pickle whole- read stringy)

-Jubilee Farm's Green Beans and some outside sourced Yellow Wax, both pickled.
-Tomatillos- as salsa and as little cooked critters that'll be used in pork shoulder roasts this winter.

-A 15# local Albacore all fileted and packed into wee jars with lemongrass or preserved lemons (also, homemade) or the traditional bay leaf, peppercorn and garlic.
-And last but certainly not least, The Green Tomato Conserve. Which has created several addicted households already... It looks like there may be loads more GTC in the future as the late summer sun withdraws before finishing the job of ripening the fruits of those overburdened tomato plants generous friends have all reported. There's a rough recipe below. I encourage swapping out some of the aromatics I used for some of your favorites. This first batch was perfumed with cardamon and coriander and probably would be just as home on an onion pakora as a chevre tartine.

So here are some recipes and also glamour shots of my canning fun.

Green Tomato Conserve
2 organic lemons, scrubbed
12 - 18 oz. water
16 medium sized green tomatoes, blanched, peeled, cored and chopped
10 green cardamon pods, 3 cloves, 1 piece mace, 1 T coriander, 1 small cinnamon stick tied into a large piece of cheesecloth and tied with a long string
2 cups tart apples, peeled, cored and diced
3 cups sugar

Peel lemons end to end, then cut peel into thin slivers. Using at least an 8 quart stockpot, cook peel in the water for 30 minutes (start with 12 oz then add as the water cooks off, making sure pan never dries). Add apples, tomatoes, sugar and the spice bag (tie the long string onto the handle of the pot for easy removal). Bring to full boil and boil 20 minutes, stirring often.
Remove spice bag. Reduce heat to simmer and cook a further 20 minutes, stirring often.
Slice peeled lemons very thin, then add to mixture and cook a final 20 minutes, stirring often.
Pour into sterilized jars and seal. Water process for 15 minutes if not fridge storing.

Gobble up!

Some Blueberries in Molasses that, erm, molded...

Historic dining out and wines from Bath

2011-03-16T11:19:00.001Z

I hate writing short posts. I hardly ever do it, but if I haven't yet visited a restaurant what do I have to write aside from a short list of expectations embellished by anticipations. But as I write this post and commit to posting it, I lock myself into trying these places.

A few days back I discovered a little blog that I liked and am sad to say, seems to be left fallow even more than mine. Still the 3 posts that it has are noteworthy and now I am very excited to try out Kettner's in Soho. I am looking forward to trying their brasserie, love dining in an historic (opened in 1867 by Napoleon III's chef, Kettner) and yet still gorgeously lush (the champagne bar seems to have a lovely speakeasy feel) setting and am tickled that I have a partner in crime who would like to ditch the kids one day and have tea at The Pudding Bar. How could you not adore that name?

And a little more down market, but probably just as thrilling is a place that may very well satisfy my craving for bahn mi, pho and the like. I just read here and there and here about Bahn Mi Bay in Bloomsbury. Sure, I'll have to make it a day trip, rather than the little pop round the corner I had in San Francisco, but for good pho and good bahn mi, I'll manage. Plus I can pop in and carry it all over to Coram's Fields and happily munch while the munchkin plays. I can already tasted the pate, feel the crunch of the crusty bread and pickled whatnots inside. Maggi sauce awaits!

Alright, that's two restaurant visits I have to make good on, onwards into the wine...
Since moving to London in early 2009, I have been very disloyal to every wine shop I encounter. I've dabbled. I brought home bottles jammed in the bottom of the buggy from Kew, sat on the bus for an hour just to bring home a little this and that from The Winery and even nurtured a relationship with our local wine expert at Nicholas (sadly he seems to have moved back to France). The other big names, Jeroboams, Odd Bins, Majestic have seen me pop in from time to time, often making use of their delivery offers. But the latest long arm reach for wine has been so successful I may abandon most of my London wine shops for good (I will go back on this, I know I will, of course I will) as I have been delighted by the February Case selection from Great Western Wine in Bath. I discovered them very much by accident back in January while searching the google maps for the guest house that accommodated us for a mini break while my folks were in town. Bland name recalling long uncomfortable journeys on National Rail, sneaking someone's reserved seat since we were last minute and they never showed, GWW is nothing like their name. The palate of the wine buyers there is distinct. I am far from a wine snob and the longer I live in the EU, the more ignorant I feel, but there you are- an unassuming wine shop that will make every bottle seem a treat to this food pairer. Loads of good tasting notes. New world, old world. Heavy hitters, gulpers and a couple of subtle reds from France in the last batch. Friday I will be enjoying the first of my two cases I just ordered- Bin Ends and the March selection. Let's hope it's a long relationship.

It's that Tea Cakes time of year, again.

2011-03-04T11:06:00.001Z

I've been a little extra enamored of my Tartine Cookbook this winter. The chill in the air coupled with a somewhat unreliable boiler (it was touch and go around Christmas) has turned me into someone who has the oven on constantly. Yet I'm a perfect candidate for an Aga... Who am I kidding though? I've always been that girl.

It all started with an overstocked of treacle (so Steamed Gingerbread Pudding) then moved on to a stockpile of bananas so ripe they went black. Perfect company for the dates we brought back from Marrakech which were in need of a dish to fill out (and so Banana Date Teacake). Poppyseeds in need of a home went into the very short lived Lemon Poppyseed Teacake (which sadly may prove itself much longer lived as chunk on my midrif). I feel that Tartine's authors, Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson, are a rarity in the current world of celebrity cooks. They are very capable chefs who run a successful franchise while managing to publish cohesive, reliable and delicious recipes. I hope there will be more cookbooks and their careers will be long. What this Londoner wouldn't give for a quick stop in for their gougeres, to be devoured in Dolores Park in the afternoon sun (yes it's San Francisco so the sun is as rare as the Prueitt/Robertsons of the world, but there you go... my fantasy, my way).

Not until I accepted that the fragrant quince-pear puree I had lovingly simmered was not going to magically transform into membrillo unless I got on the ball did my baking spree depart from the Tartine book (with a little shortbread cameo from my other desert island book- the Baker's Dozen cookbook). I searched and searched for the recipe that would hit all of the things I wanted in my tea cake- to use up all my puree, to have nice crumb aided by my backstock of semolina and yield deep earthy undertones by using olive oil. On my hunt, I found some nice things to try in the future- Egyptian Basbousa, American Applesauce Cake, Italian Olive Oil Cake, etc etc... Then I just decided to wing it. I mean I used to be a professional baker, right?
Luckily the gods were smiling at me on the first try. I like the cake recipe I came up, although I may try to add a little more acid in the form of yogurt to give it more levity on the next go. But sitting here with a slice and cup of, looking out my window at London at large, this will do.

QUINCE PEAR TEA CAKE

2 cups hard winter or bread flour
1 cup semolina
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon chunky sea salt (e.g., Maldon)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup + 2 T olive oil
2 1/2 cups quince puree*

Into a mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Add raisins, oil and quince puree. Beat until well blended. Pour batter into greased and sugared 11" x 7" loaf pan. Bake at 190ºC/ 375°F for 55 minutes. Check cake's moisture before removing from oven. I use a fan assisted oven, so if yours is strictly conventional, your time may be longer by around 10 minutes.

*To make Quince puree:
Core and quarter one large quince and 6 small bosc pears. Place in a saucepan with 1/2 cup sugar. Drop in an optional 2" piece of fresh ginger, smashed slightly. Cover with water and simmer until the quince is quite soft, about 2 hours. Allow to cool so easier to handle and then run the solids through a food mill, retaining the liquid and adding this back to the mashed solids. Alternately, I used a potato ricer and then carefully pressed the mash through a medium sieve to remove any pips or bits of skin. This recipe should yield around 3 cups. (p.s. If you have extra it mixes nicely with gin and ice for a shaken cocktail)

Couples dining, February style

2011-02-13T23:30:00.000Z

Since we first became parents nearly 3 years ago, dining in has changed a bit. My husband and I have always been avid restaurant patrons, researching the best places, what's new and hot, wiggling to get a seat at our favorite chef's latest venture. It's a habit we've slowed on but still we steadily patronize several places in London with our son. He's good at the table, an adventurous eater and is developing table manners that are slightly better than a very excited puppy.
But being the parents of a toddler is not the reason we're dining in this Valentine's Day. No, the reason is the same it has been since my husband and I never go out on Valentine's Day- I'm a February holiday curmudgeon. Many people really love going out for an intimate dinner on the 14th, sharing their expectations of a perfect evening with every other patron in the restaurant they hand selected months before based on lighting, menu and choices of bubbly. I've always felt like it's amateur night for diners. Some couples use this night to splurge like an anniversary or a wedding proposal.
We choose to stay in, and having been a chef for nearly 20 years I have a few tricks up my sleeve.

This year, we will have some new things to sup on. And we'll be double dating with my parents, so there goes any prospect of table smooching. Aah well.

So enough with the rant.
Here's what I'll be making this Valentine's Day. Last week I ran out of sweet vermouth making cocktails for everyone and not wanting to nip out for a new bottle and, moreover, not wanting to stop at one cocktail each, I invented my new house cocktail: The NW3 Manhattan. It's taken the house by storm. So we'll be starting our festivities on the 14th with those. While sipping those the soup will be warming and the bones roasting away in the oven. I'll do my utmost best to try and keep myself from tippling too much before I sear the scallops in brown butter and chop the parsley salad.
Since it's supposed to be an evening of indulgence and fun for both my husband and I (and our son and my parents, but I imagine the latter three will not be cooking...) I'd like to feel a little treated. So I'll be skipping any slaving over a chocolate pudding the day before. No drizzling or scalding or baking, just contacting my friend Raffaella of Baruzzo Chocolates and purchasing a selection of her latest line. Pure indulgence. We may round out the lovely meal with some sips of the Bruichladdich 17 Year Old Pedro Ximénez Sherry I've been meaning to try. A nice coda to end the evening.

For anyone else who wants to skirt the mobs on Valentine's, here's my recipes. And long live love, goopy, corny, breathtaking. Whatever brand yours is...

Happy Eating!
Annick

The somewhat lazy but decadent menu
NW3 Manhattans
Stilton on Charcoal crackers

Oak Smoked Diver Scallops and Brown Butter Seared Roe floated on Parsnip Velouté
Paired with Brugans Albarino

Roasted Bones with Parsley Salad and De Puy Lentils
Paired with 100% Pinot Noir

Baruzzo Chocolates with Sherry finished 17 year old Bruichladdich

The Recipes

NW3 Manhattans
Shake 1 part Pedro Ximénez sherry with 2 parts bourbon and ice until very cold. Serve up in a chilled martini glass and garnish with the usual cherry. A Fabbri Amarena cherry is my fave.

Oak Smoked Diver Scallops
After too long to admit without being embarrassed, I have found a good source for Oak Dust in London. So I have returned to the world of smoking fish in my dutch oven. First stop was scallops. What a reward for the wait. The very lightly smoked little morsels had the suppleness of flash seared scallops and a subtle, smoky taste of oak- as if they were wrapped in bacon.
serves 4 as a first course

8 diver or U6 scallops with roe attached
1 tablespoon oak dust
1 t blended olive oil or rapeseed oil (as flavorless as you have)
fine salt
1 knob butter

Clean the scallops by removing the roe and connective tissue, rinse in cold water, drain and dry. Clean up roe by removing (I use scissors) the brown yucky bit. Rinse in cold water, drain and dry.
In the bottom of a dutch oven, sprinkle 1 heaping teaspoon oak dust. Cover and put over medium heat.
Toss the scallops lightly in oil and a bit of fine salt then place, well spaced apart, in a vegetable steamer basket. Once the dutch oven starts to give off a wisp of smoke quickly open, drop the basket in and leave to smoke for 5 minutes. Remove right away, preferably near a window!
The scallops will not cook in the dutch oven, only infuse with the smoke flavor.
Heat the butter in a saute pan until it browns lightly. Sear the scallops for a few minutes on each side. Set aside on a plate and then sear the roe.


A not so flattering photo of the soup...

Parsnip Velouté
Serves 4 as a first course
300 grams parsnips, peeled, cubed to 1 cm
1 medium leek, chopped
1 small potato, peeled, cubed to 1 cm
1 tart apple peeled, cubed to 1 cm
2 litres homemade duck stock (or chicken stock)
1 T duck fat (if you have it, other wise a nob of butter)
Put all of the ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat then simmer for 20 minutes. With an immersion or upright blender puree to smooth. Salt to taste. Add fresh ground black pepper if you like.
Serve in low wide bowls, topped with seared scallops and roe.

I would happily eat this every day but best not to.

Roasted Marrow Bones
serves 4 as a main course
4 marrow bones, about 3-4" long
Moen and Sons sells very nice bones through Natoora, or you can ask your local butcher if they can prepare bones for you. You may want to clean up the outside of the bones by carefully scraping with an offset spatula or your knife if you're brave.
Blanch the bones in a large stockpot of boiling water for 3 minutes, remove from the water and drain for a few minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200 and roast the bones for 30-40 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 160 F. They will retain their heat for quite a while so I let them rest for 5 minutes before plating.

Parsley Salad with de Puy Lentils
1 cup de Puy lentils
2 T olive oil
1 T sherry vinegar
Sea salt, to taste

1 bunch flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
1 shallot, cut to a fine julienne
3 T capers, coarsely chopped
6 treviso leaves, coarsely chopped
2 celery stalks, from the heart, sliced fine on the diagonal
1 carrot, peeled, quartered lengthwise and sliced fine
2 T olive oil, very fruity
Salt to taste

Soak your lentils overnight then steam for 10 minutes, then toss with olive oil, salt and vinegar. Set aside. Combine the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and toss.

To serve, place a 1/4 of the lentils on each plate, top with the parsley salad, making sure some of the lentils show. Place a roasted bone next to this and serve with thin, long handled spoons or marrow spoons if you're lucky enough to have them.

Serve with very lightly toasted, sliced brioche.

January Secret Dinners- 5 Course Euro Comfort Food

2011-01-13T23:52:00.000Z

Hello Friendly Diners,
With the holidays past, and having ushered in a new year, I'm pleased to announce another month of Secret Dinners by Runaway Kitchen. This month is final bow for the three part series- Comfort Foods of the World. We've gone to Latin America, Japan, Korea and now we are going to stay put in Europe.

Menu is attached below.
Same drill: first email, first served. Tell me your preference of which night, and also let me know if you can take a seat on the other night if I'm already full. The cash contribution is £40 per person again, bring your own wine/drink. I'll send pairing recommendations in the confirmation email.

Hope to fill up both nights and have as lively a time as ever! Also, if you would like to forward this email along to anyone you think is game, please do so, just have them let me know who sent them so I can thank you.
Cheers!
Annick @ Runaway Kitchen

5 Course European Comfort Foods Dinner- January 27th and 28th, 2011. 7:30 pm

Amuse Bouche:
Duck Sausage Rolls

Mains:
Basque Cheese and Pimenton Terrine

Treviso and Bone Marrow Risotto

Georgian Lamb Stew with Pomegranate and Pumpkin

Lithuanian Carrot Baba with Smoked Mackerel Whip

Pudding:
Chocolate Pots de Creme with Bergamot-Quince Pate de Fruits

Bergamot and Quince Pâte de Fruit- huzzah!

2011-01-06T23:50:00.001Z

One quince, a big supply of bergamot and loads of gelatine

I've been messing around with ideas for how to use the supply of bergamot available from Natoora. I've made a huge amount of marmalade, used their juice in cocktails and yesterday set to task making pâte de fruit armed with only a few recipes for berry based pates.

Loads of zest- the extra I dried and plan to use here and there later.

Making the jam. Bubble bubble.

Surprisingly, these charming little sweeties are so easy to make that I had success after the first attempt.

Since I like to share, here's the recipe:

Bergamot and Quince Pâte de Fruit
2 apples, russets if you can find them, peeled, seeded and grated
1 medium quince, peeled, seeded and grated
2 1/2 cups sugar
zest of 5 bergamots
micrograted peel of one apple
1 1/2 cups bergamot juice

Equipment: one half sheet pan, lined with parchment.

Cook these ingredients in a heavy bottomed pan until they set to jam.

Meanwhile sprinkle 3 T gelatine on top of 1/2 cup water, slowly mix to avoid lumps. Add in 1/4 cup boiling water, stir to dissolve.

Add 1 cup sugar to the fruit jam. After 5 minutes, add the gelatine mix. Remove from heat and pour into parchment lined half sheet pan.

Allow to cool at room temperature then cover with a second sheet of parchment and place level in the fridge overnight.

Next day, remove the top parchment. Pour a generous amount of sugar into a high sided pan, then cut away a 1" strip from the edge of the pâte. Cut this strip into as many 1" cubes as you can and gently toss then in the sugar. Plate and serve or wrap in cellophane and give away as gifts to multitudes of friends.

Since I like to share, if you're in the northwest corner of London and would like some, let me know- I have a bumper crop!

Viola!

Dine, Moroccan style

2010-12-27T19:28:00.003Z

Back in time for my favorite holiday, we headed out to Marrakech this December, ready for time relaxing at our amazing riad, warmer than London weather, overeating and celebrating the welcome demise of my youth... I long for a return (But not in the hot season. We were told it was 40C at Ramadan, yikes!).

I could chatter for days with my impressions of Morocco, to anyone who cared to listen. But let me regale you with some snippets of what we ate. And pictures, of course!

crumbs after breakfast

First course plate- one of several

Our amazing riad- Dar Chelita was absolute perfection from the moment I made contact with it's lovely owner, Trevor. He set up a driver to receive us at the airport- Abdul, who was our guardian everytime we crossed the threshold of his beige Merc. We had a feast awaiting us when we arrived at the riad, perfect atmosphere on the rooftop balcony after and stars. So many stars. I'm convinced that Trevor collaborated with Driss (our house manager) on that! Aicha fed us like royalty the whole trip, making regional dishes and always had an endless supply of kid treats for our toddler, who thanked her with hugs, kisses and a flood of affection.

And another, faint drizzle of honey

Dry cured olives with red pepper strips

And another, pink olives and artichoke

I was so relaxed and blissed out I mostly forgot to take pictures of 80% of what we ate. I failed to photograph the massive tray of mutton I scarfed (alone) with pink olives purchased from the souq across the way. (£1 for 1 kilo, unbelieveable). I never took any pictures of the numerous dishes being prepared in the street, not just tagines, but once in a while I put my jaw back in place, pulled out the camera and caught a few good snaps.

That bread... aaah.


Cous cous with melting beef shin

There was the cafe outside of the Saadian Tombs that served up simple kebabs, Moroccan salad (very similar to salsa) and the ever present not-so-flat-bread which I could live on. Cellars of salt and the local cumin, which I daresay is vastly different form Mexican and Indian- so green, so easy to grind (you can pulverize it between the balls of your hands), on the tables and ras al hanout were all the condiment needed.

I managed to document a few courses from a couple of Aicha's beautiful meals and have scattered them around this post. That desire to return is even deeper now that I've browsed through these pictures and memories again...

The lamb heart and fat kebabs I devoured in lightning speed

Moroccan salad

After 3 hours at the Hammam I was famished!

The wee one chats with his lamb kebab

Local cumin

Fed and happy

Aicha, kind, talented and so affectionate

What a gorgeous herb garden. Genius!

Driss, a star

Last but not least, Aicha's pumpkin confit. Sublime.

November Comfort Dining- Japan and Korea

2010-11-14T00:35:00.000Z

Well, another beautifully dreary month and another comforting menu that, with any luck, would make you excited the sun goes down at 4 pm leaving you hours and hours to sup on dinner before bedtime.

In keeping with the theme I set out to turn into a triptych, this month will be homey stews and things your auntie would make to stick to your ribs. Well, your Korean auntie.

Here's the menu and there are still some seats left on both days- November 18 and 19. The fun begins at 7:30 at our flat in Hampstead. £40 donation and bring your own bevvie.

Amuse Bouche:

Chawan Mushi- a small teacup filled with savory Custard, Salmon, Shiitake Mushroom and Shiso Leaf

Oden - Street food in Japan, this soup is served in winter to heat the body. Little purses of vegetables share the bowl with daikon, fish, mushrooms and other savories.

Mains:

Bibimbap – A Korean dish serves an array of fresh salad vegetables on top of shredded barbecued pork and beef, julienned egg omelet, sesame oil and rice.

Drunken Belly Pork – A recipe from my dear friend Nori, who is of Taiwanese descent but raised in Okinawa. Pork Belly is slowly cooked with shredded bamboo shoot, rock sugar and beer. Plate lickingly good.

Soondubu Jigae – This lovely Korean stew gets its heat from the red gochujang chili paste but also from being served in a special stone dish that keeps the dish boiling as you eat. Soft tofu is added at the end and an egg served at the table.

Dessert:

Black Sesame Macarons, Fresh Mochi and Green Tea Ice Cream

Comfort dining glossy pictures

2010-11-13T01:11:00.000Z

Hot tamales, as yet unwrapped

Opened and topped with a bit of Tomatillo Salsa

Rellenos stuffed with shredded pork, apricot and cheese sitting on a bit of salsa nogal

Who doesn't want to see pictures on a blog? I think that may be 90% of what people read the food ones for. Of, well, really maybe less because some people like to sample the recipes (which I've been lax about posting of late, an old good habit I need to resuscitate...). But for now here are some snaps of the Latin Comfort foods.

Caipirinha jellies layered with the tasty cocktail and coconut milk

The gringo moqueca came out just lovely, only one squeamish diner passed on the whole prawns.

Three Part Secret Dining Series- Comfort Foods

2010-10-04T17:02:00.002+01:00

***********A FEW SPOTS STILL OPEN FOR EACH NIGHT IN OCTOBER. PLEASE EMAIL annick@runawaykitchen.com for a booking. *************

In honor of the recent change in weather, I've been revisiting recipes that stick to the ribs, heat up the kitchen and make the whole flat smell of stewed foods, roasted meats and baked pastries. Not a bad way to usher the rain in, I suppose.

When first I sat down to write out menus for October's Secret Dinner I had the idea of stews of the world. But as I mulled over oden and rice cake stews, the menu started to divide and multiply, like mitosis. Before I knew it, 5 courses and an amuse became 14 courses, several wine and drink ideas and covered the globe in a path a resident of The World would be proud of. So I decided to simplify, or complicate depending on how you read it, and make the comfort food meal into three meals, each of a different region.

This month will be Latin America. These are foods that I miss from my nearly 40 years in The States, foods I haven't seen as often here in London as I did in Los Angeles. I'm sure the reasons are obvious to everyone, but I miss these foods very much never the less.

November we'll cover Japan, Korea and possibly Vietnam. December will bring us more local with European comfort foods.

I've attached the menu below.
Same drill: first email, first served. Tell me your preference of which night, and also let me know if you can take a seat on the other night if I'm already full. The cash contribution is £40 per person again, bring your own wine/drink. I'll send pairing recommendations in the confirmation email.

Hope to fill up both nights and have as lively a time as ever! Also, if you would like to forward this email along to anyone you think is game, please do so, just have them let me know who sent them so I can thank you.
Cheers!
Annick @ Runaway Kitchen

5 Course Latin Comfort Foods Secret Dinner, October 21st and 22nd, 7:30 pm

Amuse Bouche:

Caipirinha and Coconut Jelly

Starter:

Tostones with Black Bean and Aji Salsa

AND

Bohlinho de Bacalao with Molho Campanha- Fried codfish balls with mild pepper sauce

Chile Rellenos- roasted Peppers stuffed with Shredded Pork, Sweet Potato and Apricot with Salsa Nogada and Pomegranate Seeds

Brazilian Gringo Moqueca com Pirão- Stew of Prawn, Squid, Scallop, Clams and Whitefish

Argentine Humitas- (think triangular tamales) Husks stuffed Masa Harina, Sweetcorn and Cheese served with Tomatillo Sauce

Goat Milk Flan with Cajeta

September Secret Dinner

2010-09-16T15:42:00.000+01:00

What an equally gorgeous and mucky summer we've had. Bad for getting a tan but lovely for growing things that need sun and rain. I've put the menu for the next secret dinner together now and it's just time to get out and start foraging!

Dinners will be September 16th and 17th at 7 pm and the menu is as follows (barring any problems with the foraging). I did sample some of the cress growing in Bushy Park and it was sharp, peppery perfection!

Secret Dinner September
Foraged Meal

Amuse Bouche:
Mulberry + Red Currant Gin Vesper

Hampstead Heath Nettle Soufflés topped with Pickled Wild Harvested Bracken and Dandelion Greens
Rosehip Jelly glazed Pork with Sour Apples, Rosemary and Flageolet-Haricot Bean Salad
Buckwheat Gnocchi with Bushy Park Watercress Pesto
Frozen Blackberries with Double Cream and Fennel - Black Pepper Dust
Clafouti of My Neighbor's Prune Plums, Fence Grapes and Regent's Park Honey

Borough Market Munching

2010-09-10T00:36:00.000+01:00

We have loads of friends coming through London all the time, I often give tips on where to go and what to see all over the city but just this past week I've pointed at least 3 parties in the direction of Borough Market, noting my favorite places to nibble, shop and sip. It occurred to me that rather than my usual jotting down on a scrap of paper or, when I'm feeling more organized- sending an email with links, I could make a blog entry and just link everyone to it. If it ever needs an update, well, then just update the blog...

So here goes, a list that will hopefully serve some very well.

I generally enter Borough Market from the London Bridge Station approach. Passing the temptations of Tapas Brindisa only to save myself for the dining ahead.

This summer I noticed a new addition to the market and was intrigued- rough hewn boutique called The Rabot Estate had opened in a spot just beyond Brindisa and just before that beautiful florist's shop. I had high hopes on first glance, but more thorough investigation revealed a wall of the Hotel Chocolate range. I may be a total and unrepentant chocolate snob, but I don't care for Hotel... I first encountered them at The Southbank Chocolate Festival this past spring and was impressed by their marketing and corporate strategies but was unimpressed by their chocolate. It turns out that Rabot is just a rebranding of Hotel, single sourced, smaller batched but much the same. Now, if you like Ghiradelli Chocolate or Cadbury, you'll like Hotel and Rabot, I just don't care for it.

So my first stop in the market is generally Monmouth Coffee. A great place for a flat white, latté, filter drip, name your poison. Mind the line if you get there later than the crack of dawn, but they do have kind people who move down the line jotting down orders when the queue is out of hand.

Nest stop, Neal's Yard Dairy, where you can sample your way down the counter and might very well feel like an expert on British cheeses at the end. Make sure you check out the humidifying system- a beautiful marriage of a rainfall shower head and an old wine barrel.

Now return to the market, taking note of the German Deli across the street. Go in if you like german things, they have some nice bits and bobs...

Proceed to your left and across the street from Monmouth, right next to Ginger Pig, is Brindisa Spanish Foods Shop (the shop counterpart to the tapas bar down the road and numerous other lovely places in the franchise). Outside you can't miss, mustn't miss the lovely chorizo + piquillo pepper + rocket + crusty grilled bread drizzled in grassy olive oil sandwiches. The double is tempting, but there's a lot more eating to do, so go single. Browse inside the shop and emerge on the other side, perhaps with your carry bag a little heavier from some gran reserva jamon or PX vinegar. Turn to your right and pop into the queue at Shellseekers and have some of their lovely scallops or any of the other delicious critters they're serving up on a shell.

Keep moving in the direction or detour through the Jubilee Market and settle in for a cooking demo, sample some lovely scrummy truffle goodness. Or stop in at The Cinnamon Tree stand and pick up a cinnamon biscuit imprinted with a gorgeous elephant image (their shortbread owls are nice, too, but you'll never regret the cinnamon elephant).

At the intersection of Rochester Walk and Middle Row you'll find Roast's little stand (full restaurant is upstairs) where you can have an amazing pork sandwich with crackling.

Just before you cross the road into Green Market take one last detour, wiggling in between the two butchers (Wyndham House Poultry and Northfield Farm), down a side avenue and pick up a creme caramel and a Chegworth Valley juice. I can highly recommend the Apple Beetroot and the Rhubarb. Or really any flavor.

Now make your way to the Green Market and definitely pass up the offerings at Fish! Nothing really amazing there. In the Green Market you'll find some great charcuterie from Spain, France, etc etc. But the best thing going there is the non-raclette Raclette at Kappacasein. Really, how could you go wrong with broiled cheese, potatoes and bread and pickly bits? You can't. So fill your belly a little more, if you can, with this NR-Raclette. And keep your eyes peeled for Richard Haward's oysters on the half shell. You'll want them with fizz if they're offering.

Now if you have any dessert you feel like enjoying picnic style, you can go fight your way to a grassy patch in the garden of Southwark Cathredral. It's a nice little spot, but the pigeons are ruthless so beware and be watchful!

Now to walk all of this off you'll be happy to know that there's a very pleasant walk along the Thames stretching all the way to The Tate Modern and once they've finished the Blackfriars Tube Station extension all the way to the London Eye and beyond.

Loveli Fungi

2010-09-06T11:24:00.000+01:00

I went on my first London foray yesterday in Hampstead Heath, led by Andy Overall of A Fungi To Be With, London's longest standing fungus group. It started around the end of punk, a good time to shake off the noise put your nose to the still and silent ground and start foraging.

Like anything good and fun, this foray started at the car boot

Telling the edibles from the toxic

Andy is a wealth of information about these clever little colonists, with 20+ years of research under his belt. As an enthusiast and ranger at Kenwood House estate, he's cataloged hundreds of species in the Heath over the years, and even with that, we managed o find a couple of fungi that stumped him! Foraging for mushrooms has been a London pre-occupation for a very long, most notably since the second world war and the many european communities who settled here, so there's competition for harvesting in good spots. Still, I managed to come home with enough to show for my not-so-hard work!

My first edible Russula!

A lovely Penny Bun, probably only a day old. It will mature in 3 days.

I was lucky enough to have found some great things- a couple of edible Russulas, a few Penny Bun Cepes and a couple of Blushers. The Russulas were right next to a stand of sloes so I did my first picking of London's favorite foraged fruit right there. The cepes were a bit more tricky, hiding under the fallen seed pods of a very happy Hornbeam tree.

This Bolete oxidizes to a lovely azure blue when cut or bruised

Andy offers a packed schedule of guided forays and even a breakfast foray that includes eating a hearty breakfast at the end of a tour hour search.


The fungal booty. Caution: Mushrooms with brittle		gills will crumble in flat bag.

I learned that some of these fungi people (from the good old days and from now) have a good sense of humor, too. Smell is important in identification and while most smelled of almond or cleaning agent or "normal" things, one of the olfactory terms is "spermatic" as in, smells like sperm. Yes, that sperm. Ick. Then there was the species named for hemorrhoids, the charcoal burner, etc etc and other names that would scare the pants on any unknowing diners. Also, there's a definite sense of danger in this kind of foraging. Andy wove tales of what happens when you get the wrong mushroom, blood being cleaned through liquid charcoal, full body tranfusions, kidney transplants... so beware!

I'm waiting for my husband to return from Helsinki to eat them. Although I've been assured that they are all edible by the pro, just to be safe, we'll dine on them together. And watch for symptoms...

Cookshops and Bookshops

2010-06-15T13:08:00.000+01:00

I'll be attending a lecture this week on Jellies. It's the inaugural talk by The Experimental Food Society featuring Bompas and Parr and it will be at The Cookbook Café in Hyde Park Corner.

"...the event celebrates the launch of their eagerly anticipated book ‘Jelly’ published by Anova.
Operating in the space between food and architecture, Bompas & Parr’s works include Jelly Banquet for the London Festival of Architecture, Barajas Airport for Lord Richard Rogers and Funeral Jellies for San Francisco Museum of Modern Art to name a few. Exploring how the taste of food is altered through synaesthesia, performance and setting, they have made jelly de rigueur again. Find out what makes these incredible culinary creatives tick at the Experimental Food Society Talk, as Bompas & Parr take you through the history of jelly from BC to today, demonstrating how to make some of the world’s best loved jellies such as the Jelly Hippocras, a favourite of Henry V111. Covering topics such as jelly and seduction, Bompas & Parr will show you how to touch someone’s most sensitive organ, their belly, whilst offering a tasting of a variety of jellies whose recipes have been taken from their book."

All this talk of cookbooks and shops twirled up with preparations for the Salt Tasting dinner next week have lit me into a fervor of finding interesting London shops that I haven't yet tried. In my internet travels I've now come across Gill Winn shops in Islington, who seem to carry not only items that the chef in all of us would moon over but a healthy display of shoes, jewelery and gifts in other storefronts and they also have a 140 acre organic farm just south of Tunbridge Wells. They'll likely stay on my radar for a while!

Another vendor I have had on my list for quite some time and need to research in person is Divertimenti. In addition to the usual selling-things-people-like-to-buy, they also offer a score of cooking classes catering to the novice as well as the expert. An impressive list of CVs on these instructors as well!

And finally, tomorrow I shall track down to Notting Hill to check out The Spice Shop and see what exotic salts and other things they have to offer. I know one thing I'll be investing in is "American French Fry Salt". And I'm intrigue by the Rose Vanilla Chilli Salt, although it may end up making my palate feel like it's on a trip on a busy roundabout with no exits!

Time permitting I'll also visit a few other Notting Hill spots:
Books for Cooks
The Hummingbird Bakery (still never been!)
The Grocer on Elgin

Organ meats in East Dulwich, Afternoon Tea in The City...

2010-06-10T14:13:00.013+01:00

I've finally made it out to East Dulwich and Franklins and I have to say that it was well worth the trek. I had my first ever rolled spleen (sounds awful I know, couldn't they have come up with a cuter name like "sweetbreads" gets?) and enjoyed some perfectly prepared wood pigeon. I'm not sure how often I'll want to walk to bus to tube to bus to walk there, but I imagine it will be once in a while.

I've been researching places for afternoon tea for my sister and her daughters when they come to visit in August. My nieces are 7 and 10, so they will enjoy much of the food and atmosphere at most places, but I'm hoping that they will want to attend somewhere a bit more interesting and unique than Harrod's. I may have to go on a fact finding mission to Sketch, though. I've read very nice things about their interiors and the things that come on the tiered plates, but I also read a little tidbit about a sculpture of two dogs copulating in the corner of the room. Not exactly age appropriate for the girls...

Perhaps it will have to be Fortnum and Mason for tea. Or Liberty...

SECRET RESTAURANT, UK

2010-06-08T12:21:00.000+01:00

I've been very excited about a couple of different ventures for Runaway Kitchen- but the most exciting is that we'll be having a monthly underground restaurant at our flat and other venues. Thanks to good friends and good vendors, we had a very successful run in San Francisco and when I wax sentimental about my good old days spanning two decades as a chef, these are the stand out memories. (That and hanging out with Joe Strummer back in my private chef days in Los Angeles).

Our first underground restaurant will be June 24th at 7 pm and we're hoping for a full and lively table. There are 12 seats (some already reserved, so email for a spot!) at our communal table, elbow to elbow, so it's a first email, first served thing. We'll be serving a 5 course meal and asking for contributions of £40 per person. It will be bring your own beverage, see attached the menu for pairings.

Future events will be 5 course Hot and Spicy!, 4 course Tea Pairing Luncheon, Dinner and a Movie Night and the list goes on...

The first event will be a 5 course Salt Tasting:

A long row of various salts will be placed down the center of the table.
Amuse Bouche:

Infarinata

         little toasts of "bread" made with chickpea flour and olive oil. great salted!

Butternut squash soup

         Drizzled with Nettle Sauce and Truffle Oil

Dorade with a Kosher Salt and fresh Rosemary crust

         Served with a little salad of greens tossed in oil, ready to be sprinkled with salt at the table.

Gardener's Delight Tomatoes

         Topped with melons, avocados and quail eggs. A perfect way to sample the row of salts.

Salt roasted chicken

    A marvelous chinese process. Rock Salt is heated in a wok and the chicken is buried in it, searing the skin and trapping all of the bird's juices inside. The chicken ends up tasting like duck. Served with hoisin sauce and chinese greens.

Dessert:

Caramels with fleur de sel

         French candy's delicious answer to the super sweet aftertaste of caramel. Salt!

Pears Roasted in Salt

         served with Balsamic vinegar reduction. Tastes like chocolate.

Dining out and way out

2010-06-05T12:13:00.000+01:00

When we first relocated here in London, I was equipped with a long list of places I wanted to visit, well a list of food places and then other lists for other interests. But since we've settled in and become "locals" the list continues to grow. I've managed to make it out to many, but there's still the nagging list.

Back in January I discovered Le Café Anglais. Wow! That was a great meal, I can't wait to return. The meal started with cocktails in the bar while we waited for our table (we arrived early, they were punctual). I had my first and definitely far from my last sip of the White Lady. Promptly ordering a second. Highlights of the meal were the Pike Boudin, made in-house with fines herbes and served with the most delicate bearnaise I've had in years; the fois gras terrine with PX jelly; a gorgeous cheese course for dessert paired with a lovely Stichelton.

With posh art deco interiors, generous booth seating and an impressive view into the kitchen (a chef's dream complete with gorgeous cast iron rotisseries and well sized stations for everyone from garde manger to plongeur) it was a great place for a beautiful meal with friends or as a date. Although I feel the dining with friends experience would facilitate more dishes on the table to try and perhaps some help with that generous portion of fois gras. Wow. That was a great meal. Can't wait to return...

Bread from the Start: Part 1

2010-06-01T18:28:00.009+01:00

Several weeks back, my friend Florence and I got to talking about baking our own bread at home. Not the soft textured, easy to eat hot out of the oven breads that you can turn out in under 4 hours, but the toothsome, slightly nutty and perhaps a touch sour breads you can make when you birth and nurse a starter. Florence and I consulted different cookbooks (she chose Moro, I chose La Brea Bakery) but started out nearly the same- with a bag of flour, a clean container, some cheesecloth and 500 g of black grapes.

Since the first day of the experiment, I've had a roving eye. I see starter recipes everywhere now and am making a list which I plan on writing about in this series. I will explore a recipe sent to me by a friend which is copied from Fergus Henderson, another from Seattle chef Leslie Mackie who owns and operates Macrina Bakery, another from Clothilde of the ubiquitous Chocolate and Zucchini blog...

Before this whole process of testing starters began I was a full fledged, no questions asked devotee of Nancy Silverton. In the mid 90s, I spent countless days veering off of my path from work to home or home to work to stock up on loaves of her spectacular bread, tossing other wonderful delights into the grocery bag as well- smoked paprika I could find nowhere else, lovely cheeses, divine sweet pastries. I was truly delighted when I left LA and was able to find her bread in San Francisco later in the 90s. And then in 2009 when I relocated to London, I was astonished to find her bread (now being made by an Irish concern who bought her out years ago, but still honor her recipes and use her branding) in my local Tesco Express. I am still a huge fan of her work, but with withholding some of my former blind enthusiasm. And I have to blame starter for my mixed feelings...

The process was very straightforward, crushing grapes, adding flour and water, letting it sit for several days while it matured and then beginning a series of feedings over the course of 15 days. Once I started baking I found the starter to be very resilient and alive, and began making gorgeous loaves of bread! The only drawback is the amount of flour sent down the drain in the process of keeping the starter alive and the reviving it back from sleep. To get to that first batch of bread I used up 20 pounds of flour. At the start of every day, around 2 cups of starter were retained while nearly 2 quarts were poured off. As a sentimental former pet owner, I became very attached to my yeasty friends, but unless I open a small bakery in my home and buy a couple of full sized fridges, this process will always require a fair amount of waste. So onwards and forwards to other recipes that require a bit less waste. To be continued.

Oh! And if you're in the London area, ping me and I will shoot some starter your way.

Ottolenghi, a bit stale. Fig, understated perfection.

2010-05-29T12:44:00.051+01:00

I should always remember that when a place has expanded from one brilliant restaurant to many, then to many with cookbooks and products out everywhere, that they are not likely to have food that inspires me. Truly, they can still bring generally good food to the public and serve it up in interesting ways. They can have a lovely environment in which to enjoy that food and they can also satisfy the appetites and palates of countless others who are not me. A year after he won the James Beard Award for Best Restaurant, we had a mediocre dinner at Mario Batali's Babbo, but had to wait for ages to get a table... I guess perhaps I'm just one of those "No one goes there anymore, it's too crowded" people.

I've heard so many great things about Ottolenghi since we relocated to London over a year ago. I planned my visit on a day when I would be able to savor my meal alone, tasting every morsel, but not influenced by good conversation nor would I be distracted by it... but instead of being lost in the sublime and clever flavor combinations I expected from a brand so convincingly obsessed with food and "loud" ingredients. Their blog reads well and is absolutely studded with links to other people and places committed to food. But.

The interior design is impressive but not imposing, guiding you past their "deli" which seems to be more sweet than savoury. Good for dashing in and grabbing something quick for tea or dessert after dinner. Very nicely displayed, well made pastries, cakes, cookies and a mountain of meringue.

I found the staff to be very accommodating, giving me a nice seat in the middle of the gorgeous communal table in the middle of the Islington branch. They were quick to bring me my menu and then to take my order. But I wouldn't give them proper marks for delivering the food so quickly that it appears to have been plopped onto the plate by a cafeteria matron. I ordered using the style they recommended on the lunch menu- one entrée and and three sides. I also had them bring me a nice glass of rosé as it was the perfect weather for it. Oddly, the rosé took a very long time to arrive as did the water I requested (a pet peeve that it is so difficult to get water in most restaurants and yet salt and pepper are plopped down on the table without any compunction).
I ordered the Lamb Koftas which I found bland and served far too cold. The side of yogurt sauce was pleasant but nothing extraordinary. For salads I chose a chargrilled broccoli which was adequate in its preparation, but perhaps not sourced so well, having so much white and not very tender stems, both of which I find important in the look of the dish. Onto the Grilled Peach Salad (which I ordered out of curiosity considering the early time of year for fresh peaches... I am still curious) with a nice combination of greens, candies pecans and blue veined cheese. Sadly, they pushed the palate too far by adding rosewater. This with the underripe peaches, some of which had not been grilled well, made it a not very satisfying salad. Finally, I had the Aubergine Roasted with Tahini, which was perfection.
I imagine I will return to try them out again or to dine with a friend. Perhaps I should try another branch. I have heard raves about their fish preparations. And I never took advantage of their gimmicky toasters (they bring you slices of bread, you test them a la minute. Gimmicky, I know, but the Dualit toasters are pretty and hot toast is indeed a nice thing. Fred 62 in Los Angeles has been at this for over a decade).

A restaurant that has been around for several years has just, happily, come into my view. Fig happened my way on a search for an address in Islington and friendly google maps pinpointed it off in the distance. How could I not be attracted to the word "fig" loitering off in a somewhat residential corner? After browsing their website, I set a reservation and was there, fork in hand within a few days. We decided to see what the chef could do and had the tasting menu with wine pairings. I was thoroughly impressed with all of it. The waitress was informative, excited about the food and eager to see us happy with what we had. The room was filled with all kinds, locals, first dates, a mum and her two tweenie sons (who obviously have amazing palates as they were trying to guess what they ate and how it was prepared!) and us. They have a small dining room but it feels uncluttered and simply decorated with beautiful worn woods and small bits of art, graphic studies and some palm sized sculptures carefully placed here and there. The food felt much the same- carefully selected ingredients, thoughtfully handled and arranged on the plate with aesthetics in mind just as much as taste. And none of this felt fussy.

Several months back we dined at Fat Duck for lunch. A memorable and mind blowing experience but one I won't revisit often in my life- I don't need to eat like this every day. At this meal at the lovely Fig, I recognized elements of Fat Duck, especially in their preparation of mackerel- they had interpreted this plated seaside visit very well, but in their own voice and not in Mr. Blumenthal's. Their foam was tasty and the "sand" genius. The fish was amazing but did not require the attention (no headsets with sounds of gulls and waves in your ears, just conversation) and worship given at FD.

The rest of the meal was filled with happy moments and gorgeous wine pairings (the best I've had yet in London, very informed and open to suggestion or redirection should we have chosen). I missed the pressed rhubarb dessert but plan to return soon and try. As we chatted with the waitress at the end of our meal about our experience, she asked us what we would give them on a scale of 1 to 10. I said a solid 9. Of course, how can you give anyone else a 10 though after you've been Fat Ducked?

A quick mention of the lovely drink we had in the neighborhood before dining at Fig. Just kitty corner from the restaurant on Roman Way, we found an interesting tapas bar and popped in for a Mojito fitting the unusually summery weather. It was prepared individually and carefully, muddling the sugar and leaves, adding rum and freshly crushed ice (employing one of those great windup ice crushing gadgets straight out of your dad's 1960's tiki bar).

I would also, finally like to mention Modern Pantry a new discovery for me in Clerkenwell. Keep your eyes peeled for posts about here and and numerous excellent meals at St John...

Cookery Classes in Hampstead!

2010-05-28T10:49:00.002+01:00

I'm very excited to announce that Runaway Kitchen is offering cooking classes!

The first class will be June 15th, 2010 and we'll be focusing on Fish Cookery, exploring techniques, complimentary ingredients and discussing sourcing. The class begins at 10:00am and will end around 2 or 3 pm and will be at my home in Hampstead.

Here's what we'll be up to:
We'll begin with a quick introduction, then go downstairs to meet my fishmonger, Glenn Fuller, who drives out from the Port of Grismby with fresh fish every week.

We will select our fish and then go back upstairs and roast it, cure it, fry and grill it. There will be a lunch break towards the end of class when we'll be rewarded with our lovely cooking and a fine glass of wine to compliment.

The class size is limited to 5, so please do email me back to save your place. I plan to run this class with regularity, so if the first fills up fast I'll email a new date out soon!

Looking forward!
Annick

Green Lemon Olive Oil

2010-05-27T15:21:00.000+01:00

Well, I've done it. I've managed to savour my last drops of Green Lemon Oil from O&Co (RIP London store which closed its doors this year in February). I only used it for the best recipes and when the can started to get very very light, some would say empty, I turned it on its side to let the drops gather better and then onto its top for the final pool of green lemon magic.

My discovery of this sumptuous oil came late. On a visit with my parents my mom was thrilled to find the oil on the very very picked over, last days, while shops last shelves. She told me how she uses the oil, tossing it with a medley of pre-cooked canned beans and a wee bit of salt. Perhaps a squeeze of juice from their abundant Meyer Lemon tree out back (Southern California is quite generous with its citrus). Since then my variations on her recipe have gone all the way to clay baked gigantes with greek oregano.

And I branched out, too. I bought some lovely little wild sea bass filets from my fishmonger and diced my way to ceviche heaven, adding just a bit of lime juice and some shallot and coriander leaf. I tried it again with mackerel, sublime. I oven dried tomatoes and served them on slices of bread drizzled lightly with the nectar. I imagine that had I been able to hold out until peach season the oil would have lent its delicious bitter and warm flavor to the stone fruit, maybe with a touch of avocado, some fresh feta and heirloom tomato.

I suppose I could find the O & Co genius oil somewhere else, maybe online, maybe in Paris. I will look. But until then I will wax sentimental and leave the tin on the shelf as a reminder.

Olive Oil Cake, Banana Cake, Cake, Cake, Cake!!

2010-04-09T00:23:00.000+01:00

In preparation for my son's second birthday party and the ensuing fairy cake madness, I have launched myself headlong into the world of cake baking once again. Since we arrived in the UK over a year ago I have been interested in self-raising flour, but have had little excuse to try it out. I have grown used to my little teaspoons of baking soda/powder and sift sift sifting my way to risen cakes.
But I recently realized that it was silly of me not to give it a shot. And now I am pretty convinced that adding the leavening in before the mixing begins is nothing short of genius! It's a simple equation, so I'm left a little puzzled as to why this hasn't made it over to our side of the pond.

The first big trial of these magical flours (they come in white and wholemeal) was a half batch of Banana Muffins which I decided to fill with some leftover ganache I had. I'm a little in love with the recipe I found in The Baker's Dozen, which I've modified slightly by using lard instead of the suggested vegetable shortening (ugh, Crisco). I know that there are many out there who think lard in cakes sound awful, but never a lighter, chewier texture will you get than when using our porcine friends' fat.

As I was pressing my very ripe bananas through my ricer (this really beats hand mashing, done quickly, less mess) I realized that I also had some very very ripe pears waiting to be put to use. I had some non-lard-eating friends coming over the next day and knew I would just end up with way tooooo much cake if I used lard in both baked goodies, so I decided to fiddle with my "Kona Inn Banana Bread" recipe once again. Lots of substitutions this time. Cross out mashed banana, insert chopped unpeeled pear. Cross out baking soda, half the salt and insert self-raising flour. Cross out walnuts and insert stem ginger (crystallized in the States)... and so on. But I just couldn't bring myself to use vegetable shortening. Not only do I dislike using it, I don't have any around and I didn't want to leave the kitchen this particular morning. So I thought on it and decided olive oil was definitely the way to go.

I pulled out my Maryann cake pan (some call it a Charlotte pan, I am one of those, but this one I bought at Crate and Barrel 2 years ago used the former), did a poor job of prepping it, which ended in the cake sticking very well to the pan all the way around the edge. But I was undeterred after smelling the cakes baking, how could this cake fail? I needed something to pretty everything up and spackle the cake back together. Of course, mascarpone! And then the final touch, little toasted hazelnuts on the peaks of all of the icing. The whole new recipe was a success. All guests loved it, and now that there is only one slice left, I am already missing it.

Here's the recipe:

Pear Ginger Cake with Mascarpone Hazelnut Top
2 cups chopped, unpeeled anjou pears
1 cup wholemeal self raising flour*
1 1/2 cups white self raising flour*
generous pinch of salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup fruity extra virgin olive oil
4 large eggs, at room temp
3 T coarsely cut stem ginger

*if you don't use self raising, add 2 t baking soda and 1 t salt for the whole recipe

Preheat the oven to 180º C (350º F). Lightly butter and flour a charlotte pan or 9" springform.
In a large bowl, mix the olive oil and sugar and then add the eggs, one at a time incorporating well after each addition. Stir in the pear and stem ginger. Fold the flour and salt in in two parts. Pour into prepared pan and smooth the top.
Bake for an hour, until a skewer comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 20 minutes then loosen the edges with a small offset spatula and carefully de-pan.
Let cool completely before topping.

Mascarpone Topping
2 cups mascarpone
1/2 cup soured cream
3 T turbinado sugar
1/2 cups toasted, peeled hazelnuts
Mix all ingredients in a bowl and blend until it stiffens again. Transfer the mixture into a large piping bag fitted with a large, open tip. First pipe a large circle around the interior edge of the circle. Follow the pattern of the circle with mounds or a spiral, depending on how you'd like it to look. Top with hazelnuts.

We had ours with strong Lapsang Souchong Tea. (We drank Twinings brand from their Aromatics range, but my first L.S. way back in the mid 80s was crafted by Taylor's of Harrogate and it was sublime, I still remember being stunned by the smoke and sweet). The smoky flavor was a nice foil to the earthy pear and ginger and the creamy mascarpone.

Tiny, perfect, local organic greens

2010-04-02T09:46:00.000+01:00

I am so thrilled that the Farmer's Market at Swiss Cottage is back in full swing! I ambled through on Wednesday and paused a little longer at the stall for Wild Country Organics. I was encouraged to grab a handful of anything I wanted to try and nibble away... so of course I did. I started with the Bubble Cress, which fits its utterly delectable name. The flavor comes on mild then sort of percolates over your palate and gives you a little hint of pear and persimmon on the way out. Mmmmm. I moved on to Land Cress (wow! It sure did pack a wollop!) and then Claytonia (we called it Miner's Lettuce in California, mostly because of the gold rush miners who used it for nutrition and Vitamin C, I've been told), sorrel, lovely sweet broccoli called Kaibroc and so on and so on down Mizuna Lane just past Rocket Way- a lovely drive for my palate.
I brought my lovely bag of greens home with two beautiful mahogany colored radicchio, spotty and loose leaved, which I plan to braise in some brown butter and serve with pork roast this Easter Weekend. The bag of greens I shared with my lovely friend Florence and then made a simple salad dressing the greens in Winter harvest Olive Oil, mandarin orange juice and a pinch of Maldon Sea Salt. After all of the sharing and salad making I still had a good 2 cups of greens, so I decided to pull out an old recipe for Sorrel Sauce.
I first made this as an accompaniment for Salt Roasted Thai Snapper at a Secret Restaurant we used to host in our flat in San Francisco. I had quite a bit of greens other than sorrel, so the flavor was a bit less lemony and a bit more peppery. I imagine that I will poach some lovely eggs tomorrow and serve them on crostini with generous dollops of the Wild Greens Sauce on top.

Wild Greens Sauce

4 oz butter

2 cups chopped fresh sorrel, claytonia, land cress, bubble cress or the like

1/2 cup dry white wine

3 T minced shallots

1 1/2 cups tomato peeled, seeded and diced

1 cup double cream

1 T fresh lime juice

fresh ground white and black pepper

Melt butter. Combine sorrel, wine and shallots in heavy small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sorrel wilts, about 2 minutes. Add tomato, cream and lime juice. Simmer until reduced to sauce consistency, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat and purée until smooth. Season with ground white pepper and salt. The sauce is good right away but matures overnight if you have the willpower to wait!

Makes approximately 7 cups

Chocolate Festival at Southbank Centre

2010-03-31T07:17:00.001+01:00

I was lucky enough to be able to catch the Chocolate Festival at Southbank Centre last weekend. The usual suspects all showed up, plus some newcomers; there were chocolate fountains, filled and painted eggs, tamales filled with chocolate, chocolate lollies made to look like anything that would appeal to kids and then loads of people making very refined chocolates- carefully sourced and delicately made confections.

I had my first encounter with Hotel Chocolates who are attempting to grown their own cacao, a noble enterprise. However, I'd have to say that while they have their marketing down- setting up corporate packages offering year round chocolate delivery- and the looks of their product is very sleek, it feels in no way handmade and the chocolates themselves left me pining for Criollo, Masdagascar, Ghana, Costa Rica. Instead I tasted sugar, cocoa butter and well, additives. I wish that I could rave about them since they are attempting something noble- to extricate themselves from the world of chocolate's dirty little secret.
I browsed my way through Rococo's offerings and now am a devotee. They have gorgeous packaging, which always leaves me wondering how things will taste. A+ in both arenas! The Gull's Eggs gave forth a lovely, not runny, salted caramel and had the perfect bite on the shell. Their Scorched Hazelnuts must be a classic in their collection because I ate four in quick succession, continued to snack on them until the bag was empty and then have been dreaming about them since (they are easy enough to get, I just might need to curb my appetite for them!). I have yet to try the flavored bars they offer, but plan to soon.
My favorite vendor by far was a newcomer on the scene (although she has quite the chocolate background having worked with Rococo and other confectioners)- Raffaella Baruzzo. She sources her ingredients in Italy- the freshest walnuts from Piedmont, the loveliest hazelnuts as well. She is working with confectioners making many wonderful treats, but one that caught my eye was i Tochi (what we call bark in the stateside) in clever combinations. I brought home a packet of Pistachio and Golden Raisins enrobed in white chocolate. Not too sweet or cloying, these were made correctly.
I also made a little trip to heaven tasting her chocolate covered nuts- the aforementioned walnut and hazelnuts. I am slowly devouring the bag of Gianduja she makes- rolled in dark cocoa powder rather than the usual cloak of couverture. Raffaella and I talked of setting up a special tasting and when that happens I shall post about it here.
In the meantime, I will be nibbling my way through the spoils of my trip out to Southbank.

New excuses to bake

2010-03-23T10:35:00.000Z

I know it's the done thing to bake in the winter, starting in the fall and just baking baking your way through the dreary months. I always seem to forget this and start thinking about baking only when it's begun to warm up, making the hot oven sometimes a little bit of an inconvenience in the peak of summer. But this year I have an even better reason for my crazy spring baking than in year's past- my son's 2nd birthday party is just around the corner and I need get cracking on the perfect carrot and the perfect chocolate fairy cake recipes.

Luckily, I discovered a great online cook shop called Lakeland (oh, they sell some other things, but I am the girl who always lingers in the kitchenwares aisle, even online). I started out just needing a new cooling rack, but then realized that there were other things I should plop in my trolley. For instance, I have been mourning the loss of my beautiful Madeline pans since they slipped into the wall behind our boiler months ago. It seems there's a 3 for 2 sale on, so 3 pans in the trolley later... then I realized that these fairy cakes would need colorful decoration (I want the to turn out like the ones I found a photo of online, with the Totoro casually sitting on top in rolled icing), so a set of Wilton's food coloring went in. Since that brought me to the cake decorating area, my eye caught on these wonderful piping bags that are silicone lined, bumpy on the outside and come in a 50 pack. Just like we used to use years ago when I was a baker and wedding cake decorator. All for home use. A few other needed items in the trolley, check out and then, tick tock, wait wait wait.

Well, the baking bug had properly set in since the order was sent, so this morning I decided to put some carrots to good use. I also thought it was high time I tried out a Gordon Ramsay recipe. Just as the mini carrot cakes were ready to pull out of their pan, the bell rang and there was my order- 6 days sooner than I expected! Hooray. The jury is still out on the carrot muffin recipe, they're not nearly moist enough. Once I come up with my best recipes for these birthday fairy cakes I will make sure to post!

I also plan to get cracking on Madelines and Financiers soon! First I have to corner the market on butter...

A new sandwich, thanks to a wonderful Preserves Workshop

2010-03-22T14:57:00.000Z

A couple of weekends back I had the great pleasure of attending a Preserves Workshop here in North London. It was given by Anna Colquhoun, who has a terrific website- Culinary Anthropologist. These cookery classes were brought to my attention by Riverford Farms (for whom I have broken up with Abel and Cole in search of better, more truly local produce) and they are a great way to meet other like-minded people who want to get in the kitchen and get cooking.

While we were having what Anna called a light repast (it was anything but, a feast of pairings for the wealth of superb offerings all brought out from her very impressive larder!) a particular conserve caught my attention- Butternut Squash and Quince.

We had dinner guests coming over a few nights later and with these flavors still on the tip if my tongue I dove in and made a nice tagine out of the basic combination of Butternut Squash and Quince. Add in a little Harissa for spice, simmer simmer simmer and voila! Way more tagine than can be consumed by 5 adults and one hungry child in one night. So I had to get cracking on the leftovers.

Which brings me to the sandwich at hand- I cut some lovely, airy and chewy rolls in half, toast, drizzle with winter harvest olive oil, add a handful of Gigantes which have been nicely cooked in a tomato sauce, a large dollop of tagine, a slab of freshly fried eggplant. Try to eat it slowly... you can't! The flavors just burst in your mouth and when they're done, you want more! I have also tried them in small wholemeal pitas. Delicious. Also good without the beans should you not have any lying about.

But trust me, these sandwiches, sarnies, stotties, panini (without the press!) and delicious.

2010-03-17T21:07:00.038Z

I adore living in a country where I can buy short crust and puff pastry of acceptable quality at nearly every large grocer AND I can source some pretty excellent ones from the more boutique grocers. Because of this, the wealth of Plum Tarts I inherited this week were easily transformed into a gorgeous Plum Tart in as little time as it took to slice them in half and shuck out their stones.

The whole process was made even easier by using some lovely Grapefruit Curd I had left over from the delicious preserves workshop I attended, led by the very talented and organized Anna Colquhoun of Culinary Anthropologist.

The class lasted about 5 or 6 hours and the skill levels of attendants varied from absolute novice to very serious dabbler. Everything we made was delicious and the presentation was polished thanks to some very pretty jars and extra things from Lakeland.

We made Grapefruit Curd, Carrot Chutney, Pickled Beets, Preserved Lemons and Bitter Orange Marmalade. Some of these things will be put up for a while- the marmalade I'll save for a year and then open, the pickled beets might make their debut in the summer when it's too hot out to turn on the stove or run the oven, the curd is already eaten up and the carrot chutney, well I imagine I can break that one open sometime next month. Thanks to Anna for a great class, thanks to Riverford for getting me there!

Tracing Paper

2010-02-08T13:45:00.000Z

There are times when I want to copy Nick Hornby's Believer column theme and have a section here called "Blogs I'm Reading/Should be Reading". This would be on the top of the list this week- Tracing Paper.

Since we moved to the UK, I have been a bit more complacent about my food sourcing than I was in the states. Just the removal of high fructose corn syrup from ingredient lists made me shift my feelings about label reading. However, Nick Saltmarsh's discoveries and insights have made me question more about whether I have landed in free-range, humane harvest Nirvana.

Just read about the chapter titled Food Tracer and see about the food distribution centres. They are very much like Walmart or Costco really. And the amount of waste and plastic generated by these places is astounding. I have never been very good at shouting my food politics, but I am more than happy to pass along Mr. Saltmarsh's discoveries.

Best to stay a locavore, support small farms, eat small.

Delicious carnage

2010-01-30T06:27:00.005Z

On a recent trip to Borough Market I was lucky enough to be around for the delivery of a huge batch of wild game. Geese, ducks, grouse, pheasant and the list goes on.

Of course, all birds, no wild boars or reindeer or moose, but still very pretty and majestic, this catch.

I shot a few pictures and noticed as I took them that I was not alone in my admiration of the beauty of these colorful feathers and still bodies.

I'm sure not everyone would feel the same glee and appreciation over these boxes of birds. I'm sure there are many who would lose their appetites over these birds, but there's just something very romantic to me about food that comes from field to table and I see this as just one step in that process.

While I'm on the topic of the visceral side of cooking and dining, I had a stock making marathon this month. I recently quit my regular deliveries from Abel and Cole and replaced them with Riverford Organics.

In order to have a chilled meat box packed, the minimum order is £25. Now between my tiny under counter fridge and the quantity of meat a family of 2.5* this is a challenge, to make up a box that costs that much and not waste much of it. So I seized the opportunity to fill in the order with necks, backs and shin bones.

I chopped up some leeks, onions, carrots, celery, grabbed bunches of herbs, added splashes of wine. To the first stockpot, I added beef bones, chicken went into the second

and fish bones (from my fishmonger, however) and heads to final pot making myself some very nice stock. After carefully straining

and reducing each batch I froze every drop as ice cubes I can use throughout the year here and there in soups, sauces and myriad other recipes.

It's so nice to always have stock around, in the winter it can be such a nice way to warm up the kitchen- simmering meat and veg away while the aromas make your palate tingle.

*our toddler generally eats about half a grown up portion, with no insinuation that he's half a person, if you'd heard him playing or screaming you'd know he is certainly not a half!

Chocolate Teas and Salmon Terrines

2009-12-28T20:33:00.000Z

Several months ago I used up the last crumbs of Dark Chocolate Tea made by genius confectioner Lan Wong of Petits Noirs in Milton Freewater, Oregon. This was black tea blended with yellow rose petals and infused with the dark chocolate- a really delicious treat when you want a little taste of chocolate but nothing so heavy as hot chocolate.
I thought I might not find another for a long time, but just last week I stumbled upon a very good facsimile in Toppers Chocolate Teas- a blend of chocolate, coconut, almond, vanilla, rooibos and black tea. I found it in West Hampstead at the Kitchen Stores on Mill Lane, a great little gourmet food boutique that carries items ranging from recent harvest olive oils, to fine charcuterie to responsibly sourced meats.
Of course, the Petits Noirs tea is much more caffeinated but the lovely warm mug of subtle flavors wrapped in earthy chocolate flavor is still there in the Toppers tea. What better thing to curl up with midday when you're in need of a warm beverage?

Especially in your new MR Tea mug from Folksy...

Back in 2007 I first became aware of Stéphane Reynaud when a good friend gave me a spare copy of Pork & Sons, she's a food writer so always seems to have spares of amazing cookbooks sent by the publishers, lucky girl. I immediately pored over the recipes wishing I had access to a fresh whole hog so I could make my own black pudding and when I found myself at a good friend's farm a few weeks later I was able to successfully roast pork shoulder in hay with jerusalem artichokes... the pork frenzy went on for months. So it should come as no surprise that when it was hot off the presses I bought the next cookbook installation- Terrine. But the end of pregnancy and the beginning of being a parent what they are I found myself a little too busy to put my beautiful lapis Le Creuset enameled work horse to, em, work. But in the past weeks I have brought the cookbook off the shelf and given it the coveted position of window ledge of the kitchen, where only a few other books reside. Just ask me for the list, it's short.
For Christmas Eve dinner, I wanted to have something involved that we could all enjoy, but that wouldn't produce too too much food. I do have one of those very tiny refrigerators and leftovers during the holiday season have to compete to the death for storage space with the fresh, raw ingredients that have yet to be made into holiday memories.

I bought some lovely smoked salmon, fresh salmon and turbot from my fishmonger, some asparagus from our local produce stand and tore into the recipe with grand results. Some fresh grated horseradish and creme fraiche poured over the top of slices and it was the perfect meal. And the perfect snack on Boxing Day!

Christmas cookies- a recipe ready for a transatlantic move

2009-12-21T23:17:00.001Z

I have to admit it, I love my copper cookie cutters. They're heavy enough to cut through clay, shiny and perfectly formed. But they are seasonally themed- a reindeer and a snowflake. So I get very little opportunity to pull then out and put them to use and when they come out, I have to show off the pretty pretty cookies they make.

My favorite cookie to make this these are ginger molasses spice, but molasses is a bit tricky to find in London, black treacle's not quite the same... but the cookies turned out tasty although the tiny changes in the dough made the cookies not as sharp as my US versions. I have a year to find a better short recipe, hopefully I'll remember my challenge to myself and find the perfect chemistry. And what a fun task to sift through the recipes that might bring me to the perfect reindeer cookie in 2010.

A busy summer: lots of eating, not much picture taking

2009-12-17T21:38:00.000Z

As I grow more and more aware of how much time has passed since my last post, I am equally guilt ridden and proud. Guilty that I neglect my blog so much, proud that I have been having too much fun dining and cooking and enjoying life to post. Or perhaps I'm merely lazy. You be the judge.

Waaaay back in October I picked a morning that I thought I could get to Billingsgate Market to shop. They open at the crack of dawn but stay open until mid morning. There are many markets in London that do this. But I am quickly finding that if you wait until the last few hours of trade, there will be no one around. Seriously. Crickets. That was the case at Smithfield at 10:30. The market is advertised as staying open until noon, but I think that they only mean the doors are left unlocked until then. By the time we arrived not only had the trade closed but everything was hosed down and tidily put away. Like I said, crickets.

Billingsgate Market turned out to be still bustling in their final 15 minutes of open hours. About half of the traders were still selling, while they were putting things away, mind you, but they were also hawking some very good deals. I bought the last of two gorgeous varieties of clams for £10. It seemed to me that was around 3 kilos I brought home. Also, there was a gorgeous salmon which was wrapped up for me with the greatest of care in a black garbage bag (read in sarcasm), but who had crystal clear eyes and every scale intact. I believe that was £9. Wow. It was a mob scene in there at the end, so I imagine that during the peak of trade it's much like Columbia Flower Market- the only air space is overhead.

I wish that I could boast an elaborate presentation on the clams and the salmon, but no. The clams were steamed with wine, butter, garlic and herbs. The salmon was slathered in butter and green herbs for one side and olive oil, ras el hanout and paprika on the other side. All delicious.

I do plan to return to Smithfield Market during peak trade one day, which would mean some interesting tube riding at 5 am, and once I have I shall report back as soon as I can.

Other things I have eaten since my last post:
The Mad Hatter's Tea Party at Fat Duck
Bones and Offal at St John
On the bone Lamb Shank Pie at The Fox and Anchor

One day when I am feeling inspired enough to compete with much better writers I may wax on about the meal at Fat Duck. It was inspired theater combined with culinary prowess. Worthy of the high price tag indeed. In fact I would go so far as to say that it was a steal at that price!
Who can resist a picture of a well baked Dutch Baby?

What to float on Squash Soup

2009-09-16T19:53:00.000+01:00

Early this week I found myself thinking about the Onion Squash I had at home, plotting my return home to roast, puree and doctor it up into a nice soup. Well, I did, but I put too much salt in and true to my trade called it an opportunity rather than a failure. The addition of cream and water and a couple of cooked potatoes and the squash flavor re-emerged from hiding under the thick layer of salt. And it was scrumpy. But having this much soup to eat with not a lick of space in my freezer meant a lot of repetition.
I decided to take a page from a fashionable gal in NY who is doing what is called The Uniform Project, and to use the soup as a base for many other things I would make and float on top.
Day 1 was the original meal I had planned. A dear old friend, Anne, was coming to dinner and I needed something easy that I could assemble while I bounced the toddler on my knee (well, practically). So I slow roasted some pork belly slices in apple cider and then cooked up some kale and chard in the juices. Ramekin formed bed of greens, pork belly slices on top and soup as a moat. Voila! Impressive meal. And easy.
Day 2 A semi impromptu lunch with brand new expat Kelly. And it was conveniently on the day our fishmonger comes. One a tiny amount of chopping and a dirty mixing bowl later and we had crab cakes on top of the squash soup. The only repetition was the soup and only for me, so what did I care? I love seconds, even if they are 16 hours apart.
Day 3 A pre-planned lunch with neighbor Yuriko who is also a fish lover so I made Hot Smoked Salmon cakes abundant with herbs and did a little fine oil drizzle. This was by far the best presentation.

Who says a girl can't get clever with her soup? Truth be told, I'm glad I'm not having the soup again tonight or tomorrow or for a while. It's all been used up. But I'm terribly proud of my craftiness at making all three dishes. I may not be cooking for a living anymore, but I think I haven't yet lost my chops.

Mehlspeisen Küchen

2009-08-28T11:21:00.000+01:00

Several years back I started reading a book called "The Fig Eater" which is set in Vienna in 1910 and under the guise of being a murder mystery is really just a means of sharing all sorts of facts about Vienna in Freud's era, there is some writing about psychoanalysis, much about forensics, some about culture, some about feminism (or it's precursors) and some about food. I of course focused in on the food aspects...
In the book there is a character who travels from house to house cooking, very much like today's personal chefs but with one great distinction. The mehlspeisen küche only bakes delicious sweets. She pulls sheets of pastry as thin as gossamer to fill and roll into strudels, she kneads sweet doughs to make into tiny cakes, fills layers with creams and custards and mixes batters to bake into warm, sweet and comforting cakes.
Of course, upon reading this I thought what a wonderful idea to recreate this old custom- to travel form house to house filling it with delicious nibbles and desserts, to warm the hearth and, well, let's be honest, fatten everyone up. We did live in health conscious Berkeley, CA at the time and I imagine I was a bit fed up with granola and raw food. So with only the Atkins Diet as an obstacle I set about organizing myself as a Mehlspeiser. (Pardon my Germlish). I put together brochures that listed pastry after pastry, all stamped up with my running bitters bottle logo and my fancy new mobile number and email address. I distributed these at the local fancy food stores, shops and such and I waited. I waited patiently to start a new trend- the traveling baker.
Well, the phone never rang. Oh, well, it did but it was to cook for a lovely family in Napa who I had the pleasure of spending many years with. They liked desserts, but they preferred barbecue and bread. They longed to be leaner, so a daily addition of sweets and cakes wasn't in their plans.
Which left me with the occasional dream of rolling and pulling and throwing out sheets of pastry, ready for a life as a strudel filled with fruits and drenched in glaze. The perfect friend to a piping hot cup of coffee.
But maybe I was in the wrong city? Maybe London needs some fattening up?

Cuisine Economique

2009-08-14T17:43:00.000+01:00

These days I've been looking for ways to streamline my cooking. Between having a toddler and now a European sized fridge and pantry (one cabinet with three narrow shelves) I have to make the best use of my limited space and time. After years of cheffing in the sprawling kitchens of the rich and famous as well as some nice sized kitchens of my own, it's been a bit of a shock to the system. But I find myself doing more of what I'd call junk cooking or "cuisine economique" as a hat tip to one of my kitchen heroes, Jacques Pépin.

When I was a teenager aspiring to have an important first job- as a baker; so serious was I that I agreeably started my days at 4 am- I learned a lot about the economy of re-using foods that were still good but that everyone was less than charmed with on the 2rd or third round. I know this sounds horrible, like chicken becoming a tetrazzini in it's final incarnation but it's much more tasty and practical than that. It started with a cookie and a brownie and the cut ends of cake... we would chuck all of these things into the mixer with loads of spices and some oil and a bit of molasses, mixing in sugar and other things to correct the dough, roll it into logs the length of a sheet pan, bake and glaze. The final product was called a spice bar and it was always a hit. Joggers (it was the 80s) would come our way on their runs to get a few- for energy- always saying how healthful they were. Many asked for the recipe, which my boss would always retain with a wink- old family recipe, guarded for generations.

So now in honor of all who have taught me, I am making bread puddings from the endless bits of puddings that keep finding their way into our kitchen. I buy a chicken now not just with the intention of making a stock from the carcass after the bird has been roasted and consumed, but with the menu worked out for the next few and final days of that chicken's existence as anything resembling fowl. You see, my freezer is the size of a shoebox, I have no space to make and save endless bits, stocks, demi glaces or other delectables.

The toddler helps me stay honest in my cooking and grocery shopping because I have to always keep space on his buggy for toys, nappies, books and extra clothes in case the weather turns. So when I shop I can only bring home what will fit. Sometimes I'm amazed at what I can fit, but I no longer buy things in bulk and let them sit for years while I figure out how I will cook them.

An oversized batch of de Puy lentils became patties for the babe, a pilaf for us (with cumin seeds and cilantro) and was ground up to thicken a soup. I have always known how to cook like this, I just got lazy with my american sized fridge, freezer and a whole room dedicated to the saving and cataloguing of foods of every ethnic persuasion imaginable.

I have no pictures of these junk dishes I'm been making, part of the economy of preparing them is lacking the time for glamour shots, but I shall fit some in here soon. That or I'll just make up some recipes like this.

Bread Box Pudding
2 cups of stale breads, preferably with some fruit or nuts
1-2 cups milk
1/2 a homemade granola bar, 1/2 a bran muffin, odds and ends
a handful of dried fruit
2 eggs
tiniest pinch of salt
1 T sugar
1 T ground almonds
2 four ounce ramekins oiled with 1 T butter

Cut or tear the stale bread into 1/2" pieces and soak for 40 minutes in milk (you may need a little more than 1 cup).
Preheat oven to 200º C.
Gently squeeze the milk out of the bread and put into a second bowl. Add the granola bar/muffin/etc and lightly toss to incorporate the bits evenly. Measure out the milk and add a bit more to total 1 cup, beat in eggs, salt and sugar.
Put 1/2 of the bread mixture into each ramekin, sprinkle with 1/2 of the almond and then pour the milk/egg mixture over the top slowly letting it soak in.
Bake for 30 minutes in the middle rack.

Let cool for 10 minutes before eating, although this will be hard!

Past successes, perhaps future successes?

2009-08-14T13:03:00.000+01:00

Now that we've fully settled into our thoroughly British new life I become wistful about things I have done in my 15 years of cooking for a living.

I always loved throwing a party which I attended only as a host, coordinator, go to gal... etc etc. I know that for many it defeats the whole purpose of the party. Don't misunderstand, I love throwing my own parties, drinking cocktails with my friends, losing my cocktail plate a million times and only eating once the attendees has dwindled down to w mere handful and all partake in one rollicking conversation. But relieved from the expectations of hosting as a friend- maintaining a thread in a discussion, keeping your fabulous and frivolous outfit together, making sure glasses are full, people are attended to- the minutiae of the event can be checked, rechecked and perfected. There is a large part of my personality this appeals to and it just doesn't exist outside of the vocation of event management (what a unflattering job title that is!) unless you don't mind your friends thinking of you as a bit eccentric.

When I first began cooking for a living I was in the better part of my 20s, the time when you're too broke to notice, too cheap to lavish yourself with things, too young to bother with sleep, too busy to stop socializing. I knew multitudes of people who were always ready to dash over, slice off a hunk of roasted cheap meat, scoop up some kind of cozido, tear off a claw of homemade bread, wash it all down with a cheap but solid glass of wine and then stay for hours while others filtered through my home doing the same. So I threw parties, impromptu affairs that started with calling (no texts, no email, no facebook) about 50 people, inviting all, ending up with friends of friends of friends and often well over 100 people milling around my loft in downtown LA. I hosted parties so large that there were times I met people for the first time in my own home, "guests" who had attended my parties numerous times before figuring out who I was in the crowd and coming over to say thank you. But as wonderful as my memories of these times were, there was very seldom anything that stood out about these parties, making them unique events.

As I approached 30, I had thrown many of my own parties but also hundreds of events for clients. Events that included live concerts, people being flown in, elaborate floral arrangements, changing the color of pool water, hiring ping pong tables, hiring musicians... I had become an event planner. The thrill of having strangers approach me in my own home had shaken hands and traded places with the thrill of "pulling it off". Having a laundry list of the unique needs of clients and fulfilling it...

When we moved to Berkeley, I found a group of like minded eaters and cooks who liked to gather around a roast, a paella pan, make gnocchi, share recently foraged ingredients, celebrate the harvests of stonefruits, apples, arugula, berries, nettles. From this community I grew as a cook, but I also learned to teach people how to cook, I learned to talk about food. I found all of this enriching to my menu planning for even clients with the plainest palates.

As I approached my mid 30s I missed cooking more challenging food, and my desire to widen my circle of guests beyond friends had been rekindled. It was not yet the rage when my husband consented to me taking over our entire San Francisco flat and hosting a "secret restaurant." We convened twice a month, an email went out to what began as a small list and then expanded to a large list. Twelve seats filled each night, 5 courses were served at a polite pace with very polite pours of wine. Once the amuse bouche and the first glass of wine were taken in, rooms full of strangers (a four top in our makeshift hallway dining room, an 8 top in our living room with a view out the bay window and the fire lit) became acquainted. I took breaks to get feedback, explain ingredients, cooking techniques, see how things were going, but for the most part I was hidden in the kitchen. We had dinners that focused on outdoor cooking, or just salt, or just one region of the world.

So now I wax sentimental about these times in my life- when I hosted an event people would remember. It is not the most important thing in the world to do, but it is something we do to carry us from day to day. Relax, uncoil, explore our palates, break from the every day.

Delicious things from Abel & Cole

2009-08-02T07:05:00.000+01:00

Among the many delectable treats we have been getting from our organic produce and grocery delivery peeps is perfection in a slice of toast- 100% rye sourdough bread from Long Crichel Bakery. They hand form the loaves after a long ferment and then fire them up in a wood oven. This with a little butter and jam in the morning and I'm set for the day.

Also among the notable box items this and every week- Eccles Cakes! I swear, these British sweet treats will be the end of me. And if they can get to me, who has never had a sweet tooth even when I was 8 and trick or treating only to give the candy away at the end of the night, they can get to anyone!

Of course, the food research is the driving force behind all of this new nibbling. How can you move to a new country and not sample the foods that are the backbone of their history. And it's not all just mobray pork pies and jellied eels, my friend. No no, there's Victoria Sponge, Puds (puddings, abbreviated in a way I can't get used to), Hot Cross Buns and the list goes on.

It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make for the sake of knowledge.

Ginger & White, a delightful addition to Hampstead's Village

2009-08-01T20:40:00.000+01:00

While out on errands today the family and I made a discovery that may be so good it's bad.
Walking down Perrins Court in search of non-food items we saw a new beautiful brown awning poking it's head out, sheltering a few trim tables and their occupants. The rain threatened to drizzle down, but no one seemed deterred. We quickly walked over to see what new cafe had sprung up overnight in our tiny berg.
Already from the outside you could see the people behind Ginger & White have excellent taste as evidenced by their teapots and china- hybrids of Heath heft and Victorian flare. Peeking inside there was a lovely cozy room at the entrance where coffee and tea were being prepared, sweet toothsome snacks were out out on display and things were bustling. To the right and nestled in was another room with beautiful modest furnishing that had obviously been painstakingly chosen to represent comfort, design and cafe style. All that and still the room felt uniquely cozy.
So even as we had satisfied bellies from our full English only a few hours prior, we thought it best to sample a little of what G&W had to offer. We had some lovely carrot cake made by a local and fresh brownies, the babe had a flapjack that I later noticed came wrapped in cellophane but was fresh and delicious as if it had been made on site. My husband had a flat white to drink and I had a perfectly prepared Silver Needle White tea. The coffee was apparently good enough to win allegiance as the new morning commute coffee even at a slightly higher price than the current choice of Gail's. High praise.
The sweets were just as I like them- full of flavor and then sugary only at the end. I was happily surprised by a very slight saltiness of the carrot cake, which stood out nicely against the flowery undertones of my white tea.
We had a lovely chat with Emma, one of the co-owners, who in spite of the crazy schedule she must have of late (opening the new cafe with her husband and a 3rd business partner AND being mommy to a 9 month old!) was charming, poised and friendly. She and her business partners have some great ideas of what Hampstead needs in a cafe- along with normal weekday hours, they are currently offering brunch from 8:30 into noon on weekends; of course they make a mean cuppa and they also seem to know how to make some great nibbles and how to source the rest. I hope that people discover their cafe and love it as we did, and from the looks of it, they already have. But as I said at the start, it may be a bad thing we found them so soon (they only opened 6 days ago!), just on the heels of a new ice cream shop opening on Flask Walk- my waistline may have regrets!

A first stab at Ddukbokkie and other things

2009-06-11T12:05:00.000+01:00

I discovered two great Asian markets by the Finchley Road tube stop (ergo, near our flat) which I have now visited twice in as many days. When you are a white gal with a huge buggy and extroverted baby, they remember you; so I'm sure that the next time I go in they will greet us even more heartily. One is called Natural Natural and the other is creatively named SK Mart.
Now onto the food part of things. I was inspired to cook up some new Korean dishes. It's nice to experiment on "ethnic" dishes when your audience is not ethnic, so I didn't do any of this cooking for our son's Korean nanny or our dear friend Myong while we still lived in Seattle, nor have I tried making any bebimbap or the like for the bi-coastal Kwons. I can safely experiment and get my chops on the non Asians and then open myself for criticism later.
Here's what I made, assisted by a great website with recipes and video!
Yachaejeon- Omelette with prawn and sprouted beans (all kinds, adzuki, garbos, mungs... not totally authentic, but tasty)
Ddukbokkie- Rice Cake with hot pepper paste and scallion. A spicy soup which gets the song "Chewbacca! What a wookie!" stuck in my head...
Bolgogi- broiled skirt steak with sesame and kimchee sides
and then some not Korean things:
Tofu and Seaweed Salad
Roasted Butternut Squash with miso, lime and sesame dressing
Braised Eggplant with soy sauce, ginger and rice vinegar
Sunomono

I made one huge blunder when I shopped. I don't speak Japanese or Korean. Don't read them either, but I went to the sake area (or so I thought) found two bottles that looked good (how I assess good when something is covered in a language I don't read is purely aesthetic. I am a former book designer, so I gravitate toward nice typesetting) and bought those and later some beer. While setting the table, down went a bottles of beer and bottles of "sake". We opened up the sake, poured and out came some very very brown liquid. Soy Sauce! Serves me right. When in doubt, ask.
So I guess now I will be making lots of soy sauce based dishes. Perhaps it will be an asian summer...

Jellied Eels, Pickled Wild Shallots, picnicking to the sounds of brass bands and BISCOTTI

2009-05-28T19:43:00.000+01:00

There's a dearth of pictures on this post. And to be honest, I'm writing it out of guilt. Unabashed, full tilt guilt. Haven't posted in over 7 weeks. And it's not like I haven't been eating.

I finally tried jellied eels. And to put it mildly, I love them. Gross to some, mildly interesting to others and an obsession to a small niche group in London's East End, I was really amazed at how "like nothing else" they tasted. People compare to pickled herring but I would wholeheartedly disagree. No jellied eels taste like, well, jellied eels. Lovely with some toast heavily buttered with french butter, or english jersey butter.

There's a man at the Swiss Cottage Farmer's Market who hawks all things brined, pickled and salted from the middle eastern food lexicon. Every time I pass him he spikes these three things onto a toothpick: 1) his own pickled wild shallots 2) his own oven dried tomatoes in oil with wild oregano 3) his own young smooth cream cheese consistency feta. No barrel aging here, soft, smooth and mild as can be. I always yield. I always buy some and pore over it with rye crackers until my tummy can stand no more pickle.

We joined some friends this bank holiday weekend for a picnic in the Heath just by the Golders' Hill Bandstand where a brass band set up. We sipped gorgeous champagne, lovely chardonnay and some thick, chewy bordeaux while they played through the Disney song book. Nothing could sully our fun as we gorged our way though some lovely, lovely cheeses (my favorite was Stichelton, a very old, authentic recipe for Stilton that uses unpasteurized milk to gorgeous results) and smoked fishies and other delicious goodies like semolina cake.

And this brings me all the way back around to posting a recipe.
I made the biscotti I've been making for over a decade now, almost 2 decades (wow, that makes me feel OLD). And I decided for all the times I've typed it out, I should just post it here...
So here it is:
The best damned biscotti

2 cups sugar
1 cup melted sweet cream butter
1/4 cup pastis or anisette
3 T bourbon or brandy
2 T each: fennel seeds, anise seeds
6 large eggs
2 cups pistachios (filberts or almonds are nice, too)
Combine in large mixing bowl, then add in three batches:
5 1/2 cups unbleached white flour with 1 T baking powder

ASSEMBLY: 1 egg plus 1/4 water for egg wash

Transfer dough to another bowl lined with Saran wrap, cover and let chill at least 3 hours. I usually make the dough the night before, otherwise the baking goes late into the night.

Remove dough from bowl and divide into 6-8 pieces. Roll each piece out on a lightly dusted board into a log 2" in diameter. On an ungreased baking sheet, place two logs lengthwise several inches apart. Press the tops down just a bit and brush with a little egg wash. If you haven't enough sheet pans to assemble and bake all dough at once, return the unused dough to the fridge, as it works best chilled.

Bake for 20 minutes at 375. If baking more than one sheet pan at a time, place them in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and switch after the first 10 minutes. Do not let the logs bake beyond a pale golden brown. Remove from oven and cool (baked logs can be carefully removed from sheet pan and transferred to cooling rack if the pans are needed for the rest of the dough). Reduce temperature to 275. Cut each log at a 45 degree angle into cookies. Lay them flat on sheet pans. Bake again for 30 minutes, turn over and bake 25-30 minutes again. For a much drier cookie, leave sheet pans in oven overnight with the pilot light on.

This recipe yields 6-7 dozen cookies.
Enjoy!

I really should add some pics. I may do that soon...
Dine in, eat out, have fun.

Foraging, fishmongers and sandwich baskets

2009-04-08T11:10:00.000+01:00

Spring has definitely sprung here in London. Along any feral pathway you'll find nettles ready to sting and borage ripe for the clipping. I plan on doing a harvest next week or on the weekend and making a bit of nettle sauce for pasta. If I'm feeling super adventurous, I may even make some Jerusalem Artichoke Gnocchi for the sauce and get a bit of Sheepdrove Farm beef for the fresh horseradish I've spotted at the green grocer in Hampstead.

One of the most amazing things about our new flat is nothing to do with the brick and mortar. It has do with someone who comes to visit weekly to pawn his wares from the back of his van. His name is Glenn and he drives down from the port of Grimsby every Tuesday right to our front door, van loaded with refrigerated, freshly caught (and some smoked!) fish. In only one try, we have the drill down: Glenn arives, rings my doorbell, I run down with cash in hand and he pulls, filets or cuts anything for me. Weighs it on his scale, wraps it up and I return home upstairs with fresh sea critters for dinner for one or two days (and even some lunch). The best part about it is he comes during Eamon's morning nap, so I can have a leisurely look and chat. I believe that as we get more familiar I'll be able to ask for special things, like oysters and urchins and cockles and things. Yesterday we got two fresh mackerel, fileted beautifully, which I seared and broiled, topped with cilantro+hot pepper+basil+lime and Maldon Sea Salt. Mmmmm. Tonight it'll be salmon. A whole guy.

Last week I discovered a gorgeous butcher shop in Maida Vale called Sheepdrove Organic Farm. Everything in their shop they raise, butcher and make into charcuterie themselves. We had lovely spicy Merguez, a brisket which I slow cooked with prune, apricot and shallot and I plan to go back for their pork roasts which are said to have wonderful cracklings. When I think of how much I love this shop I am a little bit shocked that I was ever a vegetarian. My 20 year old self would cringe!

The most wonderful opportunity is created by moving to a country that has a completely different electrical grid. It means you have to buy all new kitchen appliances. I have yet to see if I fall in love with my slices/dices/does the laundry kitchen machine by Kenwood, but no matter! I am absolutely over the moon about my Dualit toaster. Sandwich cages! What a revelation, to pop a bit of leftovers in between some bread, into the cage, cage into the toaster. Cary on with my "work" and then return to a gorgeous sandwich. Hot, no less. I am hoping the US starts to carry this model by 2012 or whenever it is we return...

One more discovery in Hamsptead has been the crepe stand that lures me in every time I "pass" by, in spite of its ridiculously long line. Shortest wait time yet was 35 minutes. Longest was 1 hour, note to self, don't go just when school lets out. Teenagers come in droves to get sugar and butter crepes. Okay, salivating just writing this. I should be embarrased that I took this picture of their trash, but you have to commend them on their quality ingredients. That is my favorite creme de marron, and they use only free range eggs, plus the flour is high grade. Now the butter... they literally use about a half stick for one savory crepe, so I wonder how the quality is on that. Still, this is England and therefore the EU and therefore a bit more consciencious about the provenance of foods.

Battenberg Cake, Sausage Rolls and Ploughman's Pickle

2009-03-19T10:08:00.000Z

There have been many walks around London, some resulting in great little bites, some starving and settling on just a quick bite of my new found love, Sausage Rolls. They come in many forms, freshly made at small boutique style food shops like A. Gold near Spitalfields Market, maybe pre-packed and warmed at a kebab shop or just after a quick pop into Marks and Spencer... No matter what form, I love them!
While on a walk with a good friend covering the Southbank of the Thames we found ourselves at the Borough Market. Unfortunately it was a day that the market was not open, so instead of seeing how the market functions, loading up on fruits and veggies and gorgeous charcuterie, we saw the inner workings. The smell was lovely by the way, so I am looking forward to another visit with great anticipation.
Another place that we found, which I have coveted for so very very long was Neal's Yard Dairy. Of course, it was Sunday, so the only day of the week they are closed! Also on the walk was Gabriel's Wharf, a giant open air courtyard poised in between print shops, food shops and some small galleries. We had a mediocre crepe that was in no way french (filled with gooey cheese, bacon, egg and frankfurter!) but kind of hit the spot! The really great part about Gabriel's Wharf is the common area in between all of these shops- there are enormous carved benches and tables and strange scultpures that kids crawl all over. Some rock. Fun.

Our friends Dave and Wayne joined us recently for a simple homemade dinner and brought this gorgeous red wine. I have to start studying up on my European wines... the studying is so fun, I don't mind the task at all!.

There was another food discovery on yet another walk through Chalk Farm/Primrose Hill/Camden along the canal that takes you through these areas and to the zoo... Battenberg Cake! This one was from Melrose and Morgan, a place which is fast becoming very dear to me. Eating a Battenberg Cake is a treat but also a little slice of history, knowing that Ernest Shackleton loaded up his Antarctic expedition ship with a great stock of them. It makes you feel well fortified for walking around the mucky streets of London, which they were on this rainy day. Also on the walk was a great looking place Sean and I will have to visit called Belgo Noord, a gastropub which seems to specialize in Belgian Ale, Moules Frites, etc etc. We'll have to go soon, since the just the mention of it makes me crave what they have to offer.

Now there are two more places I would like to try. One will probably happen sooner: Everyman Theatre in Hampstead. It seems like an upscale version of The Parkway in Lake Merritt back in Oakland, California.
Last but not least, there is the crazy Chinese Restaurant, Feng Shang Princess, which I saw with our friend Wayne on the canal that leads into The London Zoo. It's a funny little floating pagoda. We'll see if it's ptomaine on water or something special.

Things I've been eating in London

2009-03-09T08:54:00.000Z

Well, things have been pretty hectic since we arrived. My photography has been spotty and a lot of our eating has been uninspired, like warm up stuff from

The gallery at the Liverpool Tube Station has a Marks and Spencer and encased in glass. Haven't been yet, but imagine it'll come in handy one day

Marks and Spencer. But I realized that it's been over a month since I posted last.

Parsnip Soup and Melt Chocolate were a couple of things I took away this time from Melrose and Morgan. A 2 mile walk from our flat, worth every single step every time!

Here's a few pictures of what I've been having.
Things I didn't get pictures of were a lamb pie with pea and potato mash and gravy from Square Pie,

What tea cupboard would be complete without teas from your favorite places. When my Pac NW stash runs out I'll have to find some replacements. Of course there'e Taylor's of Harrogate, but what about the smaller ones? Will have to keep my eyes out at Borough Market.

Banbury Cakes from A. Gold and then there was a nice tasting at Oliviers and Co which resulted in lovely oil harvested late in the season from Aix en Provence and a very potent balsamic vinegar.

I love this old ghost of a sign on the wall above a non descript corner shop by Abbey Road. Classy.

Frijoles de Olla, Treacle Tart with Clotted Cream and Fig Balls

2009-01-29T20:27:00.000Z

Easy beans.
A couple of years ago, my cousin Nesteren, who is a talented ceramist made me three beautiful earthenware pots- great for a hearty portion of dinner or lunch. I could fit in a confit duck leg on leftover lentils, a spot of pork shoulder, stew, cozidos, you name it, all in a tidy little package. About a year ago I decided to cook more beans for use during the week and these pots were the perfect piece of equipment for my technique. They are literally pint sized (14-16 oz each), and if you don't have a gifted cousin who can whip up some earthenware pots for you, an alternative is using a small bean pot, Staub or Le Creuset's smallest tight sealing casseroles.
Here's the recipe:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Pick through 1 cup of dry beans (cannelinis, garbanzos, pintos, black turtles, christmas limas, limas... etc, just not lentils). Add to pot, throw in a fresh or dried bay leaf, cover with water to the brim and place it in the oven. After about 2 hours, check the beans for tenderness. If they have softened, add 1t kosher salt (or more if you like your beans salty) and 1T olive oil. Return pot to oven for 20-30 minutes. The beans are now ready to eat!
So, you can add in other seasonings at the start of the process: whole black peppercorns, thyme, sage, a small cinnamon stick, a piece of allspice... just no salt until the end.

Treacle Tart
After I made this tart, I read that it's a favorite of Harry Potter. Still not sure if that makes me feel excited or a little silly. On our recent visit to London, we sought out a gorgeous and very British fancy food deli called Melrose and Morgan. We had a delicious Beet and Kohlrabi Gratin as well as Sausage Rolls, Cornish Pasties and some nice Lentil Salad.
Of course I've been obsessed with their menus since we left, so today they had Treacle Tart listed, so I had to make it. I found a recipe on BBC online and after a couple of hours, mmmm, Treacle Tart.
It's ridiculously simple to make and very, very nice. At the end of making it I needed clotted cream, which also turned out to be quite simple. I imagine I'll continue to make clotted cream at home, although I'm moving to the Land of Clotted Cream.
Here's the recipe:
Cook 1 pint of heavy cream (raw is best) in a bowl over simmering water until it's reduced my half. It will thicken and form a golden crust. Cover the bowl and let stand at room temp for 2 hours, then refrigerate at least 12 hours. Stir the crust into the cream before serving. The cream will keep for up to 4 days.

Fig Balls
I have my good friend Sara to thank for my most recent obsession... Palloni di Fichi (Fig Balls).
The Cosentinan recipe is fairly simple but quite specific- Calabrian figs are slightly roasted, tossed with honey and molasses, then 20-25 are shaped into a ball, wrapped in a fig leaf, tied in straw, then roasted again. The flavors are earthy and slightly smoky. The consistency is chewy and sticky and they are an impressive companion of soft ripe cheeses, fresh pecorino, drippy gorgonzola. I bought mine from D'Italia.

quince parfait, seattle snow job and more

2008-12-27T15:23:00.000Z

I have neglected you little blog, through the holidays, but I've been busy cooking and eating. Time for catch up in list form:

1) I returned home from a trip with over 6# or quince, so after they scented my fridge with the most mouthwatering smell (I do suggest using a quince over baking soda!), I peeled, cored and cooked them to soft perfection in sugar syrup (1:1, water:sugar or honey), strained that off and reserved it for later, cooked the quince down to mush and pureed it. Then there sits the quince paste in the fridge, waiting to be spread on rosemary toast and made into QUINCE PARFAIT. To be fair it's bastardized version of a dessert in a Gerard Hirigoyen cookbook- The Basque Kitchen.

Dunk ladyfingers in the quince syrup very briefly (you could add a little dessert white wine to the syrup to give the dish kick) and put down a single layer in a ramekin, layer on quince paste, repeat and then top with a mixture of barely sweetened goat cheese and heavy cream (it should be the consistency of think oatmeal), Then top that with caramelized pinenuts. To pretty it up when you serve it, sprinkle a little powdered sugar.

2) That leftover quince syrup is delicious mixed with Rye Whiskey and serve on the rocks in a highball... start at 1:1 and then let the booze and the sweet duke it out according to your palate. We found the ptcher of the stuff jelled up, so I cut the drinks with a tad of citrus to thin. I used orange, lemon and lime juice all separately with equally delicious results.

3) Speaking of drinks, I invented another one- THE SEATTLE SNOW JOB, in honor of our recent, brief Ice Age. It sounds very much like we're about to move overseas, can't take our booze with us and are getting very creative with our cocktails... well, that's how it happens isn't it?
Seattle Snow Job
1 oz Orange Rhum or Brandy
1 oz Plum Eau de Vie (Clear Creek Distillery Mirabelle is what I used)
1 oz Benedictine
.5 oz Almond Syrup
1.25 oz heavy cream

Shake copiously with ice and serve up. Garnish with fresh grated nutmeg or grated, toasted almond. Repeat for extra cheer.

4) Remember that Lamb I had to butcher in our sink? Well, with Sean gone to London last week, and him being the primary lamb vetoer, I decided to defrost that neck and make some stew, which became Lamb Tagine due to the excessive amount of prune, date and onion I had in the pantry. Plus it didn't hurt that I have homemade Ras al Hanout on the spice rack and I don't plan to move my spices either. So Lamb Tagine over cous cous was on the menu for Emily and I for a delicious lunch the day after my brilliant idea. It was delicious. My only regret was taht I didn't add any pepper to make it more spanky. Of well, there are many lambs in my future.

5) We had an excellent grass fed, Oregon beef standing rib roast for Christmas. I would go out on a limb and say it was the best standing rib roast I have ever had. Not the beef from Whole Foods we had last year which made me frown and shae my fist at those Whole Foods bastards; this was tender and flavorful and the crust was amazing (a mixture of rosemary, fresh black pepper and Maldon Sea Salt, all mixed up with dijon mustard and slathered on think just before searing in a super hot oven). Maybe the new stove made a difference, too.

6) Of course the best part of prime rib is the sandwiches made from the leftovers. Okay, maybe we don't have to say what the best part is, but if I made a prime rib and didn't have leftovers like this, I would be reduced to tears...
I took a roasted garlic loaf from La Brea Bakery, cut it in half horizontally, cored out he soft stuff and filled it with Eggplant braised with Tomato and Chili Pepper, mayo and thin slices of the prime rib. Ate them a few hours later on the road. Perfection.

7) Holiday baking and Holiday Bacon! Mustard Seed and Cheddar Crackers in abundance chez nous, Cornmeal Thumbprint Cookies filled with Ginger Jam, Gingerbread Reindeer, Cinnamon Chocolate Eggnog and of course, some bacon from Monteillet!

Okay, gotta go out there and eat some more food, we're in Portland after all! At the vey least I'm having some canelles from Ken's Artisan Bakery.
Eat well!

Department of Food and delicious quince

2008-12-13T01:32:00.000Z

I just got an email from a good chef friend in SF linking me to a very good Op-Ed piece in the NY Times, which had me whooping along in agreement by the end:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/11/opinion/11kristof.html?_r=1&em

Please read it and if you agree think about signing that petition...

Not since Carter did I feel so hopeful (okay, I was only 10 by the time his presidency ended, but he is the only Prez to get the nobel peace prize after all) about a president and therefore about our ability to be involved in what goes on in Washington.

Wouldn't it be great to see less money going to the production of high fructose corn syrup and other things on labels that make me put foods back on the shelves and make it myself (not that you could stop me from cooking).

Just one fun note/suggestion: maybe they could call this person the Food Czar?

Okay, now off my soap box and onto the food.

I spoke with my friend Matthew last night about a delicious cocktail he made using poaching syrup he had cooked some quince in. What he made the quince into is a whole other mouthwatering topic... I just happened to have a 6 pound bag of quince in the fridge, brought back fresh from Dayton after Thanksgiving. So now I have my own quart of poaching syrup, ready for the bottle of Rye and some curious drinkers at the ready. Perhaps Matthew, you could send me some more specifics on the drink.

One more thing I'm eating these days- Cuban Roast sandwich and corn from Paseo. I will miss these in London.

That's all for today. I'll post the skinny on that quince again soon.

what I've been eating

2008-12-11T07:02:00.000Z

Well, all that frenzy at first and then just no posts for almost a month. But what a month. Confirmation we'll be moving to London for a few years (more on that later), colds all around for everyone, a trip out to Waitsburg/Walla Walla/Dayton/Milton Freewater for Thanksgiving... So now in the spirit of catching up, and en homage to Nick Hornby's regular "What I'm Reading" column in the Believer, here's an overview of what's been in our fridge, cooked in our oven, seared on our stovetop, purchased in restaurants and on the street, etc etc etc.

1. Freshest of the fresh lamb. From our friend's farm out in Dayton- Monteillet. Sure they make the best cheese I've ever had in the US, but they also raise animals for meat. And what wonderful meat. Joan called me on a Monday and by that night I had a group of us putting in a very hefty order. One whole lamb, 4 pork shoulders, 5 chickens, some eggs and pounds and pounds of cheese later, I'm out in front of Tilth in Wallingford transferring food from cooler to cooler, money changing hands under the cover of night. Such a wholesome activity, but something felt very sneaky about it all, like we were in on some kind of secret no one else was to know. Of course, that small group of us got in on some things you can only get in some of the nicer restaurants in Seattle get, the ones who are committed to local eating. Final page in this story comes with a picture. I got home and pulled out the lamb for divying and lo and behold it was in only 3 pieces. So I had to polish up on butchering 101, using my sterilized sink as a prep area and very happily carving with my boning knife. I managed to make sense of it all, the ribs, the saddle, the shanks, etc...
2. Handmade Buckwheat Noodles with Preserved Gourd and soft Tofu. Topped with that lovely bright red Korean Hot Pepper paste or Ponzu or those crazy msg laden nori/bonito/sesame seed packets they make in Japan.
3. Well, it's a drink, but Presbyterians.
4. Petit Noirs confections, far more caffeine and sugar than I should have at night. I should curse Lan for being so dang talented but instead I praise her highly. Best toffee I've ever had in my life.
www.petitsnoirs.com Go there. Buy things. Don't worry about the shipping charges, they're worth it. Buy lots, because it goes so fast!
5. Monteillet cheese. I'm out of Larzac and craving more. Soon we'll be living just 2 hours from Paris and loads of this great cheese, minutes from Neal's Yard, just a few hours from Roquefort... but now, right now, I want some Larzac on a wheat cracker. Mmmm...
6. Squash. Acorn, butternut, delicata, kabocha. Tis the season. I think my fingertips are beginning to go orange.
7. Hibiscus Tea. I know, it's a drink.
8. This lovely citrus salad. With Cara Cara Oranges, Grapefruit, Lime, Cucumber, Fennel, Capers and copious Olive Oil. Winter olive oil is best. And a liberal sprinkling of fleur de sel. Slice all hard things very, very thin, wafer thin. Section the citrus so it is pulp only, arrange and drizzle oil and salt. A crank of pepper et le voila! Perfect.
9. Nuts. Holiday time, you have to have a bowl of unshelled ones out, don't you?
10. Vanilla confiture. Left by our friend Anne who has moved to London ahead of us. Wonderful on complex cheeses. Then again it could be delightful on Petit Basque. Mmmm...
11. Duck legs on Yellow Eyed peas.
12. Homemade Blueberry preserves sweetened with honey from our friends at Monteillet again.
13. And I will be eating soon- a gratin of dried Matsutakes (foraged by a friend's folks) and cauliflower.
I'll leave it at 13. My lucky number. I'm not totally caught up, and I'll try to be better about my posts. Aaah, life.

The Grand Yogurt Experiment!

2008-11-16T16:34:00.000Z

Well, I've tried out the pilot light method for incubating my yogurt now and while I'm not terribly discouraged, I'm rather disappointed with the results.
I made a double batch so that I could compare notes with the batch made in my trusty, though cumbersome Yogurella (I cannot claim naming rights to this guy).
The results:
OVEN YOGURT

Firmness- very loosey goosey, more the consistency of undercooked custard than the firm yogurt I like
Mouthfeel- smooth enough, but without the firmness, not so great
Acidity- a little stronger than mild, definitely sat in the oven for too long
Look- not so pleasant once a spoonful was taken out, became shaggy and broke apart once 1/2 was removed
Flavor- still excellent flavor, but hard to overcome the lack of firmness
Separation- extreme, the whey was definitely separating out before even the first spoonful was removed

YOGURELLA

Firmness- good, held it's shape even after the first spoonful was removed
Mouthfeel- smooth
Acidity- mild, in fact, milder than the oven batch
Look- very nice, light color, inviting
Flavor- excellent flavor, the greek yogurt starter makes every batch taste so rich
Separation- only the slightest bit of visible whey

As I said, I am not deterred by my less than excellent results. I think that the oven method is great. I'll try my other oven or maybe leave the door ajar. And I'll definitely go less than 8 hours the next time.
I will get this right! Much as I love the name Yogurella, I'd rather go Luddite on this one and just use the most basic kitchen equipment. I am a purist after all!

Delicious Inspired Food

2008-11-15T06:15:00.001Z

We just dined at Spring Hill in West Seattle last night and I have to say it was well worth the drive. First off, we had a charming waitress who happily chatted away with us about the virtues of using local ingredients, including using a very good water filtration system so that they could offer a filtered still water carafe and a sparkling one. Lovely! No need to have the stuff shipped in from France, Italy, The Alps or even farther. Sorry Panna, I will endeavor only to drink you when there are multitudes of italians jumping on their Vespas and hailing each other "Ciao Bella! Ciao Ragazzi!"
After the water congratulation-fest, we met our regular waitress who answered our every question, even the recipe ones, brought us our food at the perfect rate (of course the place was not packed, but even in some restaurants where you can hear the crickets, the servers seem to be incapable of doing this... no I'm not picky.) and she even had some friends in common with us out in delightful Waitsburg*
We had a delicious fresh Diver Scallop appetizer which had perfectly cooked apple, the skinniest cut leeks ever and a very nicely sharp apple cider gastrique. Perfect. Then we moved on to the Razor Clam Sausage with lightly pickled oysters. Who knew such deliciousness could be wrought from my grinder?
I had a delightful cocktail of Dry Fly Gin and Douglas Fir Eau de Vie.
We ate so many other things that delighted us: Braised Short Rib with a nice Celery Leaf Salad on top, a Duck Egg Yolk Raviolo (think consistency of brie, but flavor of warm egg yolk) with green herb oils, and finally, but among the most inspired, the ice creams we gobbled just before closing the place down- Salted Popcorn, Ovaltine and Cinnamon Toast.
We have some good friends who dined here before us, one of whom is a vegetarian, and they had the same delightful experience as we did. Seems consistent enough for me to be excited about our next outing to West Seattle for inspired locavore cooking.

*more on Waitsburg after Thanksgiving when we feast and wine our way through the Walla Walla Valley.

Delicious Inspired food

2008-11-14T16:10:00.000Z

We just dines at Spring Hill in West Seattle last night and I have to say it was well worth the drive. First off, we had a charming waitress who happily chatted away with us about the virtues of using local ingredients, including using a very good water filtration system so that they could offer a filtered still water carafe and a sparkling one. Lovely! No need to have the stuff shipped in from France, Italy, The Alps or even farther. Sorry Panna, I will endeavor only to drink you when there are multitudes of italians jumping on their Vespas and hailing each other "Ciao Bella! Ciao Ragazzi!"
After the water congratulation-fest, we met our regular waitress who answered our every question, even the recipe ones, brought us our food at the perfect rate (of course the place was not packed, but even in some restaurants where you can hear the crickets, the servers seem to be incapable of doing this... no I'm not picky.) and she even had some friends in common with us out in delightful Waitsburg.
We had a delicious fresh Diver Scallop appetizer which had perfectly cooked apple, the skinniest cut leeks ever and a very nicely sharp apple cider gastrique. Perfect. Then we moved on to the Razor Clam Sausage with lightly pickled oysters. Who knew such deliciousness could be wrought from my grinder?
We moved on to perfect dessert and perfect dessert wine. I will return to Spring Hill as often as possible- they are a treasure!

I should go into more detail on Waitsburg and producers and venues we love out there, but for now, here is the short list (all must go and stay a while, or must buy a quantity to take home and consume):
Monteillet Fromagerie- make sure to make time for lots of cheese tasting, charming conversation and nice wine pairing with Joan.
jimgermanbar and Amo Art- house cured prosciutto, perfectly mixed drinks and gorgeous art.
The Whoopemup Hollow Café- delicious comfort food and Coca Cola Cake!
Laht Neppur Brewing Company- take home a growler or a mason jar of brew. Root beer, too.

and outside of Waitsburg, just across the Oregon border in Milton Freewater:
Petits Noirs- chocolate confections you'll dream about long after your last morsel has been devoured.

Notes from Mom

2008-11-11T18:11:00.000Z

As it turns out, granola isn't on my mom's menu anymore, but its wonderful European cousin Muesli is.
Here's some notes Mom and I have been exchanging over this other breakfast yummy:
Also, a post script on the granola 'situation.' I no longer make this as I don't have the time nor can I afford the calories. I now opt for muesli. I buy the big box of Quaker Oats at Costco and each batch uses one bag. To that I add a couple of cups of raw almonds, a cup or two of raw hazelnuts, a TJ's bag of orange cranberries, a like amount of Montmorecie (sp?) cherries and a cup or so of TJ's dried currants. When Daddy serves it up, he adds TJ's Mediterranean yogurt, non-fat milk and sugar to taste. This is not a crunchy cereal but it does cut the time, fat and sugar out of the granola...and it's really good for you!

And:
I also sometimes add TJ's dried bananas (potassium) or candied ginger (good for digestion) bits for a little change up. The dried fruit is strictly to taste. I like the fruits I have chosen for health reasons. I used to use dried blueberries (antioxidant) but the flavor wasn't to my taste (I prefer fresh or frozen blueberries). The cherries are good for arthritis and the cranberries help the urinary tract and with the citrus is full of vitamin c... I know that you know all of this already.

As you can see I come by my attention to detail naturally.
Thanks Mom!!

Locavores

2008-11-11T17:09:00.000Z

I just got a call from my friends Joan and Pierre Louis Monteillet who have a wonderful fromagerie out in Dayton.
http://www.monteilletcheese.com/

They used to be wheat farmers but now they are up to much more interesting things. First off, they make delicious cheeses, but they (like so many in their area) have had to do a little dabbling in other areas. Well, they do far better than dabbling though, they raise some of the best meat and eggs around.
As it turns out, Joan and Pierre Louis will be making a big round trip loaded up with goodies tomorrow and they called to see if I wanted in on a spring lamb. Not some spring lamb, but the whole 35 pound guy. Of course, being someone who likes to cook for multitudes, I immediately got on the horn and rounded up some other like minded locavores and in less than 8 hours we've divvied up all 35 pounds. Pretty impressive for city slickers!
I imagine there will be posts on what we made and how delectable all of our farm food was. Of course, Dayton is a bit more than 100 miles away, but at least our lamb didn't have to travel far to reach our tables.

I guess three posts in one day would make me an addict... but it just looks so empty

2008-11-10T01:52:00.000Z

Anyone who knows me knows that I am very bad at leaving things empty or near empty. Well, except a nice cocktail glass...

So I promised an entry about yogurt and a yogurt entry I shall deliver!

When I was a kid my mom used to make us yogurt all the time in one of those Salton brand incubators. I think it made 6 jars at a time, so enough for a week. Of course, the grown me goes through that quantity rather quickly, so I've been poring over recipes and trying to come up with the most efficient way to make yogurt for our house that is tasty, uses local milk and requires the least amount of fuss.
In reviewing several dozen recipes online, I kept running across people who believe that there is deep chemistry involved in making this lovely little inoculated dairy treat. Not so. I tried recipes that fussed over getting the milk to an exact temperature, holding it there EXACTLY for 10 minutes EXACTLY and then quickly quickly cooling it to another temperature using an ice bath and a conductive bowl. The milk HAS to be pasteurized to begin with or else! No raw milk, even though by the very nature of scalding the milk it can no longer be raw... These people have far too much time on their hands. Obviously they don't have a series of 5-8 minute windows all day long in which to achieve great things while their baby is preoccupied.

I threw my hands up and decided to just go back to the plastic tub, which just bothered me using those big tubs up every week, even though I was recycling, it just seemed wasteful. Then I found, in my own recipe file, a card that just read yoghurt (I think I must have written this when I was feeling particularly groovy). It reads:

YOGHURT
1 qt. milk (whole or skim)
2-3 T of yoghurt

Put milk on stove. Let boil. Cool; then add starter (yoghurt). Needs 10 hours in incubator to grow. Refrigerate 3-4 hours.

That's it! Now, to clarify, let boil means scald, not boil-for-10-minutes-while-you're-in-the-other-room-watching-YouTube-videos. So bring to a boil then remove from heat. I put the whole mess into a 4 cup pyrex measure and then when it reaches 115-120 F I add the starter. This cools the milk faster AND provides a tidy way to pour the pre-yogurt yogurt into the glass jars of the incubator.
Now that I'm an old pro at the new method I'm going to play around with leaving out the incubator part altogether. Tonight I will try my hand at incubating in the oven with only the pilot light to keep it warm. Should work though!

Breakfast, a good place to start

2008-11-09T20:06:00.000Z

I suppose the best way to start talking about food is to begin with breakfast. It's a meal I used to always skip, giving my stomach a chance to "wake up" but now it seems to have become part of a slow morning ritual for me and Eamon and on the weekends with Sean, too. Out of nostalgia, I asked my mom for her granola recipe a few months back but since the first batch have been unable to live without it. One day a month I spend a few minutes up to my wrists in oats, nuts, honey and other wholesome things and then a few minutes at the oven door stirring the whole mess. It's great to have every morning with our homemade yogurt, but especially delectable when it's still warm out of the oven.
I've posted the recipe for those of you who want to try this at home. Hope it's okay, mom! Maybe it's just me though, I have a pretty strong memory of my mom doing the same ritual with some variations- it was 1970s granola of course so there are some wild variations in my version... So in my version, wheat germ is traded out for my new millennium ground flax meal; not being a huge fan of sunflower seeds, I use whatever dried fruit I have handy or I buy dried cranberries, cherry or raisins; and 1 box of sesame seeds is 2 cups by my measure. I end up throwing in about 2# of nuts altogether and leaving out the coconut and caschews (sic)... oh and if you want to just put this altogether in the bulk section of your local grocery store, 1 box of oats is really 2 lb 10 oz. If you're feeling like really going for it, sub melted butter for the oil. I'm no doctor, but I imagine that would beef up the cholesterol count for those who have to mind such things (or you could just eat some mackerel at lunch to even the balance!).

For those among you who want to go whole hog on this small carbon footprint, good for your tummy breakfast kick: make your own yogurt. I'll have a post on yogurt very soon. I've been playing around with which started to use, how to prep the milk, raw vs. pasteurized, etc... There have been some successes and some thinly veiled disasters.

Stubborn chef finally talked into blogging

2008-11-09T16:33:00.000Z

Okay, so I've used every excuse in the book, the most current being that I have a newborn baby and couldn't possibly have time to blog about food. Especially when there are so many others doing it so much more capably. However, last night I was convinced that I should start writing things down for the record, or at least just to share some of the things I've been cooking, eating, fantasizing about eating/cooking so that I don't keep having the same conversation over and over and over again. Keep your eyes peeled, my first effort will start small, probably just the ponderings over recently resurrecting my mom's granola recipe and making our own yogurt so that we can start the day with a smallish carbon footprint AND yummy food in our bellies. Who knows if that will be my first post that's less in diary form. Could be I'll start ranting about something else... you never know with me.