I love eating. Even more than I love cooking. My Mum got this thing into me, being a working woman with two kids and still managing to put a two course dinner on the table for us every day. My meals are a lot simpler, I cook for two, with Florian being my most devoted fan and audience. There is nothing more rewarding than a nicely turned out meal. There is nothing more enjoyable that a great plate of food in a decent restaurant with a glass of great red in a nice company. Hence this blog, to share ideas and joy of good food.
Bon Appetit.
This is a legend dish, even the non- vegetarian customers love it and it’s really cheap. I’ve been feeling like having the whole eggplant to myself, so I asked for some den miso sauce at work, I was given it and I enjoyed the nasu tonight. Alex showed me how to cut it neatly on both sides, so that oil could reach it throughout, 2 minutes in the deep oil on each side, then sauce on top and under the grill for a flash, to caramelise. The final touch is the sprinkle of sesame seeds.
I think my aubergine tonight was a bit firmer than those customers have with a spoon at work, but to be honest I found the texture nicer that way! 10 out of 10.
I consider it a success, Florian however, grrrrrr, says if it was a classic one, vanilla flavoured, not the green tea, it would be great. :- /
I used 150 ml of double cream, 50 g of sugar and 3 egg yolks. I also infused about 30ml of milk with 3 tsp of macha powder and added it to the cream. I creamed the egg yolks with sugar until lovely, thick and pale and kept on whipping while slowly adding the infused cream. I then baked the brulees in bain marie for 40 minutes in 150 degrees, gas 2. Yes, I admit, the sugar work is not astounding, but I’m pleased, with the taste and overall. 8.5 out of 10. Yeah. 🙂
It’s been too long since we teamed up in the kitchen, Florek and I, too long since a nice, fresh pasta dish was made. So today we made mushroom ravioli. The stuffing consisted of chopped and sauteed chestnut mushrooms, red onion, ricotta, a bit of parmesan and one last remaining black truffle purchased at Pisa airport after Christmas. All nicely seasoned, lots of pepper. Florek made his awesome pasta, I worked the rest, made a simple sage butter and we enjoyed it thoroughly, while watching ” Due Date”- nowhere near as good as “Hangover”.
This post is just to prove to myself that I am capable of making a brilliant mousse that holds its shape perfectly. This evening I made a simple lemon mousse with a touch of yuzu juice wasting away in the fridge. I added lemon and yuzu juice suryp with 1 gelatine leaf to a freshly whipped cream, saved some of it on the side to make a jelly and here we go- looked like that.
If I could improve something, I’d have made it sweeter, Florek said it was great, for me a touch too zingy. The nutty muesli on the side added to the texture very nicely. Pleased.
And I was so proud when I completed the white dots around the plates! So pretty, I thought! And if I had only paid as much attention to the mousse as I did to those dots, the result would have been awesome.
The inspiration came from the lobster dish I saw from L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, but I made mine as a dessert, so an ordinary fruit jelly, the ring in the middle, before the jelly sets and the mousse in. I won’t bother with the mousse recipe from today, as it was totally and entirely shit, I will do it again though, with more attention to detail.
From some old edition of Good Food. I’ve made it once before and took it to work, it was enthusiastically received. Famous food critic Florian has just given it 9 out of 10. 🙂
For the pastry I used 200 g of plain flour, 100g chilled butter, 1 tbsp icing sugar and 1 beaten egg. I made into a pastry and chilled in the freezer quickly and worked on the filling. I toasted 280 g of chopped pecan nuts and added them to the mixture of 250 ml of maple suryp, 75 g of brown sugar and 75 ml of double cream, which was bubbling on the stove for about 5 mins. The chilled pastry was blind baked in 180 degrees for about 15 mins, was then filled with the nutty stuff and back to the oven for about 25 mins, until bubbly and gorgeous. The kitchen still smells great.
I’m at Mum’s in Poland. This afternoon she kept the promise of making some fresh home made doughnuts for us. The house still smells of oil, while we’re busy destroying the goods.
I was considering adding the recipe to this post, but I think it will be one of those things that I will not attempt making, as they’re only taste awesome at Mum’s. So just the photo reminder, still warm, slightly crunchy on the top, with a greasy layer left on the fingers, when picked up. Mmmmmm.
175 g of self raising flour, 1,1/2 tbsp of baking powder, 50 g of polenta( I didn’t have any, I used corn flower), finely grated zest of 2 lemons, 50 g of ground almonds and 140 g of caster sugar all mixed in a bowl, 2 whole eggs cracked in with 75 ml of rapeseed oil and 25 ml of natural yoghurt. All this roughly mixed, but not overmixed went to the tin with baking parchment and nicely baked for around 40 mins in 180 degrees ( 4). In the meantime, juice from those 2 lemons alongside 85 g of sugar and 75 ml of water was all boiled and reduced down to a nice syrup.
When the cake baked and cooled slightly, I made lots of little holes and spooned over all the syrup into them and all over the cake. It is moist, springy, lemony and enjoyable.
Very simple and tasty dessert. First I toasted the chopped pecans, it’s quite extraordinary how much flavour it brings out of the nuts. Then I whipped the cream with some vanilla paste and lemon juice, tossed in a crushed meringue nest, a good handful of blueberries,some chopped dark chocolate and stuck it all into the rings. Once again blow torch was at hand to help me get them out, but I didn’t overdo it like last time. I topped the thing with some blueberries and nuts and served. While eating it I was already thinking, something sharp like strawberry would be even better, more contrast. the texture is there, brilliant, but it needs more contrast and maybe a coulis or something. To be continued- on Saturday.
Nice one. A Valentine dessert I found in Good Food online. I even asked The Chief how to top a cold mousse with hot chocolate and end up with lovely topping, that lets out this crunchy sound when hit with a spoon.
I used 125 g of peeled and chopped ripe pears, which I cooked off with some lemon juice and a splash of Cointreau- the recipe called for Poire William liquor, I had none, and sugar. I threw a leaf of softened gelatine and cooled it outside. In the meantime I whipped up 150 ml of double cream,not too much, still quite runny, them folded in the chilled and pureed pears. Last thing to do was melting some white chocolate and topping the mousse up, once safely in the rings. They stayed in the fridge for nearly 3 hours, I used the blow torch to loosen them out of the rings, a bit too much, as they melted a bit. Very tasty though, I’m pleased.
