Nourished

Recent Vegetarian Recipes

Get your bake on…

Where to Eat…

A Few Thermomix Recipes

Book Review

Good Things to Eat… by Lucas Hollweg

Author’s Bio:

Lucas was a food editor and features journalist, and now writes a food column in the Sunday Times Style Magazine.  His articles feature easy to make dishes, which combine the freshest of ingredients in a laid back style.

The book is divided into the following sections:

Berries and Cherries  |  Birds  |  Cakes  |  Chops  | Fennel  |  Figs  |  Fish  |  Gratins  |  Ice cream and sorbet  |  Mussels, squid and other creatures  | Peaches and plums  |  Pies and tarts  |  Pudding  | Risotto  |  Roasts  |  Spaghetti  |  Stew  |  Summer salads  |  Summer Soup  |  Things on toast  |  Winter salads  |  Winter soup  |  A word about booze  | Bits and pieces

The Concept:

This is a collection of recipes which Lucas enjoys to cook – they are long on flavour, and short of effort.

There are between five and nine recipes in each section, and they include Strawberries in red wine with cream cheese and basil; Cherrymisu (!!); Raspberry and basil sorbet; Kale and pancetta risotto; Spaghetti with crab and mint; ruby chard with lemon and feta; and Peas broad beans and ricotta on toast.

Who’s going to buy it?

All of the recipes are very straight forward – I would expect almost anyone be able to cook these  The food combinations are familiar, and yet often include a variation that you know will eat well – an example of that is the cherrymisu – you know it’s going to be delicious!  There’s a strong emphasis on fresh ingredients, eaten simply.  Lovely book.  Will definitely use this one…

You can buy Lucas’s book on Amazon:

Bryn Williams

Bryn’s Kitchen: 5 Brilliant Ways to Cook 20 Great Ingredients, by Bryn Williams

Authors’s Bio: 
Bryn comes from Denbigh in North Wales, where he grew up shooting and fishing, and working in a local bakery. His cooking career is impressive:   In 1997 he began work under Marco Pierre White at The Criterion, went on to work under Michel Roux at Le Gavroche for three years, was senior-sous at The Orrery for four years and then moved to open Galvin at Windows with Chris Galvin, before opening Odette’s for Vince Power in 2006. Bryn is now the Chef Patron of Odette’s in Primrose Hill, taking over the property in the autumn of 2008.

The book is divided into the following sections:

Beetroot  |  Mushrooms  |  Potatoes  |  Crab  |  Scallops  |  Salmon  |  Sole  | Mackerel |  Chicken  |  Lamb  |  Pork  |  Game  |  Apples  |  Berries  |  Chocolate  | Cream  |  Baking  |  Bread  |  Preserves

I’ve been eating at the restaurants mentioned for some time, and must have eaten some of Bryn’s food.  I think I might also have met Bryn when he was at the Criterion, right at the beginning of his career – my mother-in-law was a strict vegan in those days, and the chef came out to find out exactly what she could and couldn’t eat.  The resulting meal was incredible she thought – in those days a vegan was invariably offered salad, a stuffed mushroom, or a pepper stuffed with rice.

The Concept: 

There’s a very pleasing combination of familiar dishes, such as lamb stew with rosemary dumplings, and a number of new and innovative combinations, such as Crab Cocktail with Cucumber and Lime Jelly – a much cleaner variation of the classic prawn cocktail.  Another example is the Salt and Vinegar Cured Mackerel, with the fish curing in chardonnay vinegar – a softer variation of the citrus ceviche…

If you choose a section, crab for example, you’ll be given 5 recipes using that ingredient.  Three of the five recipes will be accompanied by a photograph of the completed dish, and Bryn will give his inspiration for the dish at the tope of the page.  If you need some unusual equipment, it will be highlighted in the ingredients section.

The dishes I’d most like to eat are the Salt and vinegar cured mackerel, and the Crispy Black Pudding, Poached Hen’s Egg & Fresh Peas.

Who’s going to read it?
It’s one of those books you can grab on a Saturday morning and knock something yummy up for brunch.  It’s also a good book for men, not too fussy, and full of big flavours.

You can buy Bryn’s book on Amazon:

French

Pierre Koffmann, Belgravia

Age has its drawbacks, but it also brings its rewards. I’m lucky enough to have eaten in each of Pierre Koffmann’s London restaurants – one meal at La Tante Claire remains on my favourite five meals of all time. Pierre now presides over a lower key restaurant at the Berkeley Hotel, and remains on my list of favourites. As I was organising a lunch to meet my new chum Charlotte Lynham and we had lots to discuss, I wanted a room which where the food would be delicious, but where conversation could flow. Frankly, I rarely need an excuse to go back to visit Monsieur Koffmann, and so the booking was duly made.

The restaurant is bright, comfortable and always very cheery. I’d identified my guest as a coeliac on the booking notice, and once we had been seated, the waiter discreetly inquired who was who. Charlotte was offered two kinds of gluten free bread, a white bread, and a seeded variety. At every stage of the meal Charlotte was advised which dishes contained gluten and what the alternatives might be. As Charlotte was effectively barred from the bread, I was offered the whole fabulous selection to myself. The star for me was the rosemary brioche feuilletée – light, amazingly crisp, the rosemary neatly punctuating the richness of the buttery brioche.

Determined to get to the pistachio soufflé on the dessert menu, I opted to have two starters. Charlotte decided to join me as, having mentioned that she loved the game pie, the kitchen had kindly saved a duck pithivier for us to try before our mains.

To start I had fresh crab with a celeriac and apple remoulade. The dish arrives hidden beneath the carapace of a spider crab, which is lifted to reveal a beautiful delicate tower. The lightly dressed crab sits on top of a layer of crisp and slightly tart apple remoulade. The tower is topped with frisée, and disks of radish, all contributing to a light, crisp dish. Charlotte had the langoustines and scallops with shellfish broth, which I’ll come to in a minute.

As a middle course, we were brought the aforementioned duck pithivier.  With the finest layer of perfectly scored puff pastry, the interior of the pithivier contained finely diced meat, placed on top of a rich unctuous red wine jus. It was rich, intense, but didn’t overwhelm the senses.

Charlotte decided to try the squid Bolognese-style as her main dish, and I managed to steal some from her.  The squid had been cut into the finest, flattest tagliatelle, and served with a bolognese sauce.  The sauce had been enriched with squid ink, intensifying the flavours.  I thought the squid tagliatelle was absolutely exquisite, and frankly much nicer than pasta – perfect for coeliacs!

For my main course I had the langoustines and scallops with shellfish broth.  The broth is presented inside another spider crab shell, and is delicate yet deep and earthy.  The tender and barely cooked langoustine sit with scallops and clams in a shellfish bisque scented with finely sliced chives.  The bisque is a much lighter and brighter one than I’ve ever had before, and supported the delicacy of the shellfish, rather than overwhelmed it.  Nestling amongst the bisque were also tiny little croutons, and we noted that these had been left out of Charlotte’s dish – the attention to detail in the kitchen is duly noticed out in the restaurant.

To celebrate the Epiphany, the lovely staff brought me a slice of Galette des Rois.  This traditional holiday cake is made with layers of dense frangipane and crisp pastry, and here the top was beautifully scored and glazed. Charlotte was offered a lemon sorbet, and found that delicious.

Finally, desserts.  I’ve had Pierre’s pistachio soufflé with pistachio ice-cream on many occasions, and have even described it in this blog as my joint favourite soufflé of all time. Today’s offering did not disappoint: a most perfect combination of pistachio paste and egg whites, the soufflé is presented whole and then pierced with a quenelle of pistachio ice-cream.  This slips through the centre of the soufflé, creating an even more luscious layer of pistachio scented foam.  As the soufflé dish is lined with shavings of dark chocolate, the outer layer adds the necessary bitter and slightly salty counterpoint to the soufflé.  It remains in first place on my soufflé leader board.

The staff again advised Charlotte which dishes would be most suitable for her.  She plumped for the chestnut and chocolate mousse.  This is beautifully presented and the mousse is sandwiched between three layers of crisp chocolate.  I couldn’t tear myself away from my soufflé, but Charlotte said that the mousse was delicate in flavour, and the portion just the right size to satisfy without overwhelming her palate.

More than fully sated, we sat for a while absorbing the atmosphere of the room, drinking tea and coffee.
I’ve been to Koffmann’s on several occasions, and the standards are definitely going up. I find the restaurant reliable, the staff extremely courteous, and the food of an extremely high standard. I’ve always loved it, and I look forward to seeing it gain the recognition it deserves.

Pierre Koffmann
The Berkeley Hotel
Wilton Place
Knightsbridge
London SW1X 7RL

Koffmann's on Urbanspoon

__________________________________________________________
HORS-D’ŒUVRES 
SOUPE DE POISSONS, CROÛTONS ET AÏOLI
Provençale fish soup with croutons & aïoli — £9 —
CRABE, CÉLERI-RAVE ET POMME RÉMOULADE
Fresh crab with celeriac & apple remoulade — £15 / £24 —
CASSOLETTE D’ESCARGOTS, CHAMPIGNONS SAUVAGES ET PERSIL
Snails, wild mushrooms & parsley — £12 —
ARTICHAUTS ET HARICOTS VERT, VINAIGRETTE NOISETTE
Artichokes & green beans, hazelnut vinaigrette — £11 —
FOIE GRAS CHAUD, BETTERAVES ET CACAO
Hot foie gras with beetroot & cocoa powder — £15 —
PATÉ DE CANARD ET RIS DE VEAU SUR CROÛTE, SALADE
Encrusted duck & sweetbread paté & salad — £10 —
COQUILLES ST. JACQUES À L’ENCRE ET BROCOLI
Hand dived scallops, ink sauce & broccoli purée — £16 / £28 —
CALAMARS FAÇON BOLOGNAISE
Squid Bolognese-style — £10 / £18 —
TERRINE DE FOIE GRAS, BAGUETTE ET BRIOCHE
Terrine of foie gras with baguette & brioche — £15 —
LANGOUSTINES ET ST. JACQUES, NAGE DE COQUILLAGES
Langoustines & scallops with shellfish broth — £12 —
JAMBON NOIR DE BIGORRE, RADIS BEURRE
Noir de Bigorre ham with radish butter — £14 —
BOUDIN GASCON, BETHMALE, OIGNONS ET BETTERAVES
Gascony-style black pudding with Bethmale cheese, onions & beetroot — £9 —
__________________________________________________________
ENTRÉES 
LOTTE RÔTIE, LENTILLES DU PUY ET SAUCE BORDELAISE
Roasted monkfish with Puy lentils, Bordelaise sauce — £26 —
CABILLAUD EN POT-AU-FEU, SAUCE VERTE
Cod with herb sauce — £23 —
SOLE POÊLÉE, GRENOBLOISE
Dover sole Grenoble-style — £40 —
PIED DE COCHON, TANTE CLAIRE
Pig’s trotter stuffed with sweetbreads & morels — £28 —
ENTRECÔTE DE BŒUF USA AU POIVRE NOIR
USA rib-eye steak with black pepper sauce — £29 —
DAUBE DE JOUE DE BŒUF, GRAND-MÈRE
Home-style, braised beef cheeks in red wine — £24 —
QUASI D’AGNEAU EN CROÛTE D’HERBES
Herb-crusted rump of lamb — £27 —
CÔTE DE BŒUF ÉCOSSAISE, SAUCE BÉARNAISE (FOR TWO)
Scottish rib of beef on the bone with Béarnaise sauce — £54 —
RAIE BOULANGÈRE, BEURRE D’HERBES ET OLIVES
Baked skate with herb butter & olives — £22 —
HOMARD ÉCOSSAIS, ÉPICES DOUCES ET RATTE
Scottish lobster with mild spices & ratte potatoes (600g) — £60 —
FLÉTAN SAUVAGE, LÉGUMES RACINES ET CITRON CONFIT
Wild halibut with confit lemon & root vegetables — £29 —
PIGEONNEAU D’ANJOU RÔTI, JARDINIÈRE DE LÉGUMES
Roasted Anjou pigeon with mixed vegetables — £26 —
ROGNONS ET RIS DE VEAU AUX CHAMPIGNONS DES BOIS
Veal kidneys & sweetbreads with wild mushrooms — £25 —
CANETTE DES DOMBES LAQUÉE AU MIEL MILLE FLEURS
Honey glazed duckling — £26 —
LAPEREAU RÔTI, HARICOT MAÏS ET CHORIZO
Roasted young rabbit with beans & chorizo — £23 —
POULET DE LAVERSTOKE PARK FARM RÔTI, CROÛTONS PERSILLES (FOR TWO) Roasted organic Laverstoke Park Farm chicken with parsley croutons (Allow 45 mins) — £54 —
All our fish are wild & ingredients come from sustainable sources
__________________________________________________________
LÉGUMES SÉLECTION
HARICOTS VERT
Fine French beans
CHOU-FLEUR
Cauliflower
GRATIN DAUPHINOIS
Potato gratin
PURÉE DE POMMES DE TERRE
Mashed potatoes
BROCOLIS
Broccoli
ÉPINARDS
Spinach
__________________________________________________________
SOUFFLÉ AUX PISTACHES ET SA GLACE
Pistachio soufflé with pistachio ice-cream (Allow 15 mins) – £14 –
GLACE POUSSE TOUT
Armagnac & Agen prune ice-cream – £10 –
ŒUF À LA NEIGE CARAMÉLISÉ
Caramelised floating island – £9 –
MOUSSE DE MARRON ET CHOCOLAT
Chestnut & chocolate mousse – £9 –
TARTE TATIN
Tart Tatin with vanilla ice-cream – £10 –
BABA AU RHUM, ANANAS
Rum baba with caramelised pineapple – £10 –
PAIN PERDU, BANANE RÔTIE
French toast & roasted banana – £9 –
GLACES ET SORBETS
Laverstoke Park Farm ice-cream selection & sorbets – £8 –
PARFAIT AUX CACAHUÈTES
Peanut parfait – £9 –
FROMAGES
Selection of cheeses – £15 –
__________________________________________________________
EARL GREY
ASSAM BLACK
MUTAN WHITE
SENCHA GREEN TEA
LEMON or MINT VERBENA
CHAMOMILE FLOWERS
ROOIBOS CHAI
WHITE VANILLA
GRAPEFRUIT
JASMINE PEARLS
ENGLISH BREAKFAST
CAFÉ your choice
– £3.50 –

Baking

Lemon Meringue Tart

The quest for a suitable pudding for Sunday lunch is a long and arduous one – with four children to please, let alone the Hubby – I’m never going to please everyone all of the time.  But we seem to have discovered a new favourite: lemon meringue pie!  A couple of weeks ago I bought one, and frankly it was pretty meagre and insipid.  I didn’t want them to think this was actually lemon meringue pie, and I remembered that there had been a tart in the Great British Bake-Off book.  Not being a massive pudding fan, I knew a tart would work for the grownups too!  The result? A zingy, luscious curd, a crisp base, a dense high tower of soft meringue…

Ingredients:
Pâte sucrée (sweet shortcrust pastry)
175g plain flour
pinch of salt
115g of butter, chilled and diced
1 medium free range egg yolk,
mixed with 2 tablespoons of ice-cold water
1 tablespoon of  caster sugar

Filling:
3 medium unwaxed lemons
40g cornflour

50g unsalted butter, diced
85g caster sugar
3 medium free range egg yolks
300ml water

Meringue:
4 medium free range egg whites
200g caster sugar

And a 22cm loose-based deep flan tin

Method:

For the pastry:

Sift the flour and salt onto a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the butter, egg yolks and sugar. Using just your fingertips, rub everything together until you form breadcrumbs, and then lightly bring the dough together. Knead lightly until smooth, wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.  Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and line a 9 inch fluted flan tin. Prick the base with a fork, then again for chill for 30 mins. Bake blind at 190′C for 25-30 mins until cooked and lightly browned.  Don’t forget, you could also cheat this stage, either buying ready-made shortcrust pastry (make sure it is a sweet shortcrust), or buying a pre-prepared tart base.

Filling*:


Grate the lemon zest into a heatproof bowl, with the juice from the lemons, and the cornflour.  Mix together until the mixture is smooth.  Heat 400ml of water until just boiling, and then pout onto the lemon juice and cornflour.  
Stir until well mixed, and then tip the mixture back into the saucepan.  Bring the entire mixture back to the boil and allow to thicken. Allow to cook out for a further minute.  
Remove the mixture from the heat, beat in the egg yolks gradually, then beat in the butter bit by bit, then beat in the caster sugar.  You should now be left with a smooth lemon curd (smooth apart from the zest, obviously). 

Meringue:

Whisk the egg whites in a bowl until they form stiff peaks. Gradually whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, whisking well between each addition, until very stiff and shiny.  If you feel a little of the mixture between your fingers there will be no grittiness if the sugar has dissolved into the egg whites.




Make sure that you’re making the meringue mixture at the same time, and when reaching the finishing point for both, pour the curd mixture into the tart case. You’re to place the tart onto a pre-heated oven tray, so I already had my tart on a sheet of baking parchment. This allowed me to pull it straight onto the tray when required.


I looked at my very full case and then wondered how on earth to tip all that meringue onto the tart without displacing the filling.  I decided to spoon the blobs of meringue around the outside of the tart and then gradually work my way to the centre.  That achieved, I swirled a few peaks up and popped it into the oven.  Bake in the oven at 190′C for 20 minutes until a light gold colour. Leave to cool before serving.




*Now for the advice bit: bread makers weigh everything.  When we say 4 eggs whites, we generally give an equivalent weight, because obviously not all eggs are the same size.  Herein lies the problem with the recipe for me.  My lemon curd was a little too loose, and I think this is because the quantity of lemon juice isn’t specified exactly. When you make the curd, make sure that it is thicker than perhaps you’d expect it to be.  As soon as it started to thicken, I removed it from the heat and gave it a thorough beating :0).  Perhaps given that I was then to add further liquids (in the form of the beaten egg yolks and the butter which would melt) I should have ensured that the first stage of the curd was much thicker than it needed to be.  I would also say, make sure you have a deep enough tart case!  I made a very short tart, which of course meant that I had a very fine layer of lemon in the finished product.  It also left me with a little spare lemon curd (hurrah).  Personally I preferred it that way, but it really is a lemon tart then, not a lemon meringue pie.  I think you also end up with far too great meringue to curd ratio.  Having said that, the tart was delicious, and very popular.

You can buy the Great British Bake-Off here >

Baking

Bara Brith

If I’m baking, this is the recipe I must make the most often.  Bara Brith is a Welsh speckled bread made with tea soaked fruits.  It’s an absolute doddle to make, and can sit perfectly happily in an airtight container for several days.  I always have so many people in my house, that I usually double up the batch and make two loaves at the same time.  I use the recipe from The Great British Book of Baking, just because it’s always near the top of my book pile, and never makes it back onto the shelf!

Ingredients:
250g mixed dried fruit (and do mix up your choices, this on has giant crimson raisins, dried pineapple, orange river sultanas etc)
100g dark muscavado sugar
225ml strong hot tea (no milk)
a good pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinammon
1/4 teaspon grated nutmeg
1 large free range egg, beaten
250g self-raising white or light brown flour

And you’ll need a 450g loaf tin.

Put the dried fruit and sugar into a large heatproof mixing bowl. Pour over the hot tea and stir well. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave to soak overnight.

When ready to cook, pre-heat the oven to 160ºC. Sieve the flour into a bowl and mix in the rest of the dry ingredients. Beat the eggs then mix into the fruit. Lightly mix together the dry and wet ingredients.



Pop the mixture into your prepared tin and spread evenly.  Bake in the oven for around an hour, until a skewer comes out cleanly.  Leave to rest for a few minutes before turning out onto a cooling tray.

Start checking your cake from around 40 minutes onwards – when I baked this during the week, it was fully cooked at 45 minutes.

You can buy The Great British Book of Baking here…

Restaurant

Cheyne Walk Brasserie, Chelsea

We were introduced to the Cheyne Walk Brasserie abut three years ago now, and eat here regularly.  But no matter how often I mention it, it appears no-one else is aware of it.  It’s always busy, there’s a fabulous wine list, and the steaks are cooked over a huge open fire in the restaurant.

It is elegant, stylish, and very… French…

The brasserie itself is set inside an old corner pub, just by the Thames.  From the outside it’s very understated, and it’s definitely the kind of restaurant you need to be seeking out, rather than stumble across.  The interior is equally discreet, and there’s a very nice shabby-chic velvet seated salon upstairs.  The banquette is a beautiful duck egg blue, and there are French chandeliers, tablecloths, and a roaring fire on which much of the food is cooked.  The staff are predominantly French too, and the there’s a lovely French female sommelier, who remembers your preferences from visit to visit.
Once seated, you’re given a bowl of different breads which have been seared on the open fire, and served on wooden boards.  I wish I could describe the full variety of the menu to you, but in reality I only ever eat the same thing here – wagyu beef!  Before we get to that, there are a variety of starters –  there’s always a foie offering – but I usually opt for the plump scallops, here served with crispy bacon and a little pea puree.  The Hubby will often try the foie offering, which always comes with absolutely excellent brioche.
It’s worth recounting that on my first visit to the CWB a large table next to us ordered the crudités and dips – my word… A basket of the freshest and most varied vegetables imaginable arrived – it was incredible!  If I thought it would even remotely allow room for my main, I’d order this.  Perhaps if you’re in a large group you might consider it.
On every visit we have the wagyu.  Always.  It’s seared on the fire in the middle of the room, and comes with a variety of sauces and sides.  I have the Bearnaise sauce, which here is thick, intense with  tarragon, and with enough acidity to truly cut through the charred richness of the outside of the steak.    The Hubby usually has  the mushroom sauce, which is rich and dense, and he has a side order of chips – always perfectly cooked – in a little silver pot.  I have a side salad, properly dressed, and full of soft leaves, rather than the bitter ones you find in many restaurants.  The steaks are delivered to you on a board having been rested, with a burning stem of rosemary, and cut in front of you.  The charred and burning rosemary really does evoke all kinds of food feelings, the scent of barbecues, outside cooking, it works very well with the sweetly charred scent of the steaks.
This certainly isn’t the cheapest steak in london, but if you’re looking for a little more French elegance than American diner, do give the Cheyne Walk Brasserie a go…   It’s elegant, grownup and, for me, the best steak in London.

Cheyne Walk Brasserie on Urbanspoon

A La Carte

 

ENTRÉES
Soup of the Day (v) £7.50
Onion Soup (g) £9.50
Fresh Salmon Tartar Dressed with Capers, Gherkins and Parsley (n) £12.00
Selection of Charcuterie (for 2 people) £19.00
Aubergine Rolls with Red Tuna, Red Pepper Coulis and Aubergine Caviar £12.00
Basket of Crudités with Sauce Trio (v) £16.50
Lobster and Crab Ravioli with Lobster Bisque £17.50
Selection of Salmon Tartar, Scallops, Oyster and Cornish, Tiger Prawn and Lobster Bisque £18.00
Jerusalem Artichoke Gratin with Roquefort Cheese and Walnuts (v) (n) £10.50
Pan fried Scallops with Crispy Bacon and Pea Puree £16.00
Foie Gras of the Day £14.50
Crab in Mayonnaise with Dill, Pink Grapefruit and Martini Blanco £14.50
Wrapped Goat’s cheese with Pistachios on Poached Apple (v) (n) £11.50
Cassolette of Snails with Cream and Garlic Sauce, Toasted Bread £11.50
Rock Oysters £12.00/£22.00
Mussels with Mariniere Sauce or Provencale Sauce £7.50/£13.00

 

SALADES
Green Beans Salad, Pistachios and Fresh Mint (v) (n) £9.50
Salad with Smoked Duck Breast, Gizzards, Crispy Bacon, Foie Gras and Croûtons, Raspberry Dressing £13.50
Ste Maure Goat’s Cheese Salad, Asparagus and Parma Ham, French Dressing £12.00

 

AU GRILL
Whole Grilled Sea Bass with Provencal Herbs (n) £24.50
Whole Native Grilled Lobster with Garlic Butter £36.00
Grilled Sea Bream with Lemon and Bay Leaves (n) £23.50
Duck Breast from “Les Landes”, with a Honey Sauce £21.50
Ribeye of Beef 350g £23.50
Wagyu Ribeye 350g £39.50
Sirloin of Beef 250g £21.50
Half a Grilled Chicken from “Les Landes” £15.50
Rack of Lamb from “Pyrénées” £23.50
Veal Chop from Limousin £23.00
Rib of Beef on the Bone for Two 1kg £58.00
Beef Board for 3/4 people (Grilled T-Bone and Rib, Pan Fried Chateaubriand) £98.00

 

AU FOUR
Seafood Parpadelles £17.00
Spinach and Goat’s Cheese Ravioli, Basil Veloute and Beetroot Julian (v) £13.50
Pan fried Beef Fillet, Potato Cake and Madera Sauce £27.50
Lamb Medaillons with Caramelized Parsnip, Fresh Mint Puree and Gooseberry Sauce £23.00
Pan fried Pigeon Breast with Tomato Polenta and Prune Sauce £16.50
Salt Encrusted Royal Sea Bream £26.00

 

ACCOMPAGNEMENTS £4.10
Dauphinois Potatoes
Wilted Spinach
Mixed Seasonal Vegetables
Pan Fried Green Beans with Crispy Bacon
Pan Fried Wild Mushroom, Shallots and Parsley
Homecut Chips
Mash Potatoes
Mixed Salad

 

SAUCES
Béarnaise
Mayonnaise Maison
Red Wine Sauce
Peppercorn Sauce
Mushroom Sauce

 

DESSERTS £8.00
Red Fruit and Rhubarb Crumble with Custard Cream (g)
Bourbon Vanilla Crème brulée
White Chocolate Mousse with Red Fruits and shortbread (g)
Selection of Ice Creams and Sorbets
Apple Tart Tatin flambéed with Calvados and Vanilla Ice Cream (g)
Chocolate Fondant with Tonka Seeds and Vanilla Ice Cream (g)

 

FROMAGES
£9.00 for 3 pieces
£13.00 for 5 pieces
Selection of Fine French Cheeses with Tomato Jam

 

TEAS & INFUSIONS
GREEN & WHITE TEAS
Sencha
Japanese green tea		 £3.50
Jasmine
Chinese green tea		 £4.00
Silver Needle
100% white tea		 £4.50
BLACK TEAS £3.00
English Breakfast
Earl Grey
Ceylon
Darjeeling
Lapsang Souchong
INFUSIONS
Fresh Mint £3.50
Camomille £3.00
Cut Peppermint £3.00
Vervain £3.00
Rosehip with Hibiscus £3.50
Apple & Lemon £3.50
 
 

Baking

Rachel Allen’s 30 Day Muffins

Yes, more muffins.  Actually this time because I have a shocking cold, and I can’t sleep.  Seemed as though it might be fun to make breakfast muffins for everyone to have in the morning!  Adapted from Rachel Allen’s 30 day muffin mixture, the theory is that you can leave the mixture in the fridge for 30 days until you next want to make muffins… Does it work? Absolutely!

At the weekend I made a batch of Rachel Allen’s 30 day muffin mixture, and made a batch of blueberry muffins with half of the mixture, and made breakfast muffins with the other half.

Ingredients:
3 eggs
500 ml milk
125 ml sunflower oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
125g dark brown sugar

100g caster sugar
460g plain flour (or 300g plain flour, 160g wholemeal flour)
25g bran (which I omitted)
½ teaspoon salt
2 round teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

Method:

Whisk the eggs, sugar, milk and vanilla.  Add the sunflower oil and stir well.  Sieve all of the dry ingredients into a bowl.  Tip in the wet ingredients and barely mix – store in the fridge until required.
When you’re in a baking mood (or can’t sleep), preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4.  Decide on your variation, and ensure you stir the stored mixture before using.  I use those cafe-style muffin cases – you do need to cook them in a holey tin, or they’ll unravel.  Fill the muffin cases until three quarters full. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until firm to the touch and golden.  In the big cases I find they take around 20 minutes.  I leave the muffins to ‘set’ in the tin for 10 minutes or so, before allowing to cool on a wire rack.
So, in the first variation I used about half of the mixture, and stirred in about 100g of blueberries.  I put a couple on top of the muffin to ensure they didn’t sink, which is why some look as though they’ve burst, perhaps you’d want to pop them just below the surface.
In the second variation, I really wanted a breakfast muffin, so I put in about 1 cup of Rude Health’s Top Banana Porridge mixture (which also contains roasted hazelnuts and maple flakes).  I wanted some fruit in the mixture too, just in case the oatflakes dried out the mixture too much.   I chopped in about 100g of blackberries, and distributed them through the mixture.  
The muffins definitely were more dense than the blueberry version, and decidedly more breakfast than dessert.  Very good, and the general consensus is that they’re better than straight fruit muffins.  I assume this is what the bran would bring to the original recipe, but bran can be a little difficult to digest – so the oats are a good alternative.  The Rude Health mixture gives just a hint of the sweetness and perfume of the banana, but the acidity of the blackberry cuts through that!  Add the crunch of the hazelnuts, and the chewy oats and you’re on to a breakfast winner.
I will definitely make up another batch of the mixture, and will keep posting variations as I think of them :0)
You can find the recipe in Rachel’s book, Bake >

Breakfast Tart

Breakfast Tart

I’ve been away all week, and there’s so little left in my fridge.  I was trying to work out what to make everyone and was flicking through my copy of Breakfasts, when I came across this recipe.  What could be nicer than pastry, bacon and eggs on a Sunday morning?

In reality the version in the book is much prettier than mine, but now I know how to improve my own version.

The best thing about this recipe is that I was able to modify it to use what I had in my fridge.  the original recipe calls for smoked back bacon and quails eggs.  I had do make do with parma ham and hen’s eggs.  No matter.  Take some shop bought puff pastry and roll it out to a thin layer.  Cut the edges to ensure a good rise, and cross hatch the pastry about 1 inch from the edge. Prick the base of the pastry to ensure it crisps properly.

Spread a little crème fraîche across the uncooked pastry, and season with pepper.  I didn’t put any salt on, as I was using parma ham.

Place the parma ham, or smoked back bacon rashers across the crème fraîche, and pop into an oven at around 220oC for 10 minutes, or until you can see that the pastry is risen, but only just golden.  I didn’t manage this, despite setting my timer – do watch your tart!

As I was using hen’s eggs, not quails, I lifted out the yolk from the majority of the egg white, I didn’t want it swimming in white.  The dark patches you can see are where the parma ham has shrunk away from the crème fraîche, leaving it exposed.  As a result the crème fraîche has browned.  Either make sure you cover the crème fraîche adequately, or do watch your tart!  Pop back into the oven for around 4 minutes, you want the white to be just set, but the yolk to still be runny…

Et voila… In my case an overcooked Parma ham and egg breakfast tart – but one which still tasted amazing.  I will definitely make the version in the book with quails eggs, especially for guests – it tastes delicious, but would look much better done like that!

Update 12/02/12: Okay made it again this morning, this time actually with bacon and quails eggs – was delicious!

There are lots more yummy recipes in Breakfasts… You can find it here…

2 Michelin Stars

The Hand & Flowers, Marlowe

For absolute months now I’ve been looking forward to meeting up with fellow blogger ElizabethonFood at the Hand & Flowers.  Elizabeth and her lovely husband, Xavier, had been there before and we were excited to catch up in convivial surroundings!  Could the Hand & Flowers ever live up to those expectations?

Tom Kerridge has a reputation for big, bold and gutsy food, and shot to fame after twice winning the Great British Menu.  Indeed Tom will be back as a judge in this years’ competition… Tom’s previous experience includes Adlards, Hampton, Odettes, Rhodes in the Square, Stephen Bull and The Capital.

The Hand & Flowers is a sweet little pub in Marlow and has two Michelin stars.  The building has exposed wooden beams, wooden floors and low ceilings.  The tables are wooden, without tablecloths.  It’s all rustically laid out, lots of wood – bespoke wooden accessories, such as the little wooden container for the complimentary whitebait etc…  It’s pretty dark inside, so please forgive the awful photographs!

To begin I had the parfait of duck and foie gras, with orange chutney and brioche – the brioche was crisp on the outside and soft and dense on the inside – very good.  The chutney added both the required acidity and sweetness, cutting through the richness of the parfait.  I tried a tiny bit of my chum’s braised pearl barley – utterly scrummy – and truthfully I wish I had ordered that.

Next was a breast of Suffolk chicken with pistachio crumble, lovage poached turnips, soft polenta and winter truffle.  The chicken was flavoursome, scattered with breadcrumbs (I think made of grated sourdough, like rough panko), shavings of winter truffle, chunks of pistachio, and some popcorn chicken.  There were fragrant little shards of lemon thyme in the breadcrumbs too, adding piquancy.

The lovage in the turnips was nice, but by far the best thing about this course was the polenta – ironically I’m not a polenta fan, but buried deep inside the smooth concoction was some lovely lemon confit – oh my word, Oh. My. Word…  The polenta had also been spiked with a little truffle oil – a perfect little dish – worthy of any two Michelin starred restaurant.  I did also try one of the duck fat cooked chips – definitely not for me.  In the way that you occasionally pickup up a shard of über crispy roast potato from the bottom of the pan without thinking, this tasted overwhelmingly of fat.

 

For dessert I ordered the pear soufflé – I’ve been blogging about soufflés lately and, rather ironically, had made the point that finding a good soufflé is rarely about the technical ability of a kitchen, and more about the flavour combinations.  Here, I’m very sorry to say it was entirely about the technical skill of the pâtissier – our soufflés were undercooked, and we left them… There was no discernible pear flavour, instead they tasted of scrambled egg whites – bleh!  The apparent quenelle of ice-cream you can see in the picture was actually a lukewarm quenelle of cream spiked with mace – both Xavier and I took a big mouthful thinking it would be cold ice-cream – a bit of a shock!  I know it was listed on the menu, but it was just a little incongruous..

For over a year Elizabeth and I have been debating about whether it’s fair to blog poor experiences in restaurants, as it can seem that all you’re doing is knocking the kitchen.  However, now our debate turned to whether or not you could let such things slip.  The is especially true in a two starred restaurant –  except this is a two starred pub.  We raged endlessly, comparing different two starred restaurants: how did they compare to this; was it relevant to compare them; are there different rules for pubs; why are restaurants like Koffman’s ignored entirely; was it because they were in London and this was in the countryside?

There are some really delcious things going on in Tom’s kitchen – that polenta was majestic.  The rest of the meal was good, but not up to two stars.  I had to pass L’Ortolan on the way the the Hand & Flowers, and frankly I know where I’d rather eat next time.
If I lived locally I’d be in there frequently – but could I, in all good conscience, tell you to seek this place out – to make a journey here to eat the food?  Honestly, no.  If you find yourself in the area – please do eat there – the atmosphere is friendly – the surroundings are relaxed and rustic – and you’re going to find some yummy things on the menu.
We didn’t go into the kitchen – we were too busy arguing with each other, but I know there were two other bloggers there that day,  and one did go in to meet Tom.
The same kitchen, the same service, the same day – varying experiences – perhaps this is the best reflection of the Hand & Flowers

The Hand & Flowers Menu
STARTERS
Braised Pearl Barley with Somerset Hare, Orange Oil and Foie Gras. £11.00
Salmon Tartare with Poppy Seed Crackers. £9.50
Crispy Pig’s Head with Artichokes, Crackling and Pancetta £9.00
Truffled Pork Terrine with Dill, Pickles and Toasted Sour Dough. £10.95
Parsley Soup with Smoked Eel, Bacon and Parmesan Tortellini. £8.50
Parfait of Duck and Foie Gras with Orange Chutney and Toasted Brioche. £11.50
Glazed Omelette of Smoked Haddock and Parmesan. £10.50
Moules Marinière with Warm Stout and Brown Bread. £9.50
MAINS
Slow Cooked Duck Breast with Savoy Cabbage, Duck Fat Chips and Gravy. £22.50
Red Wine Braised Shin of Beef with Hand and Flowers Carrot and Shin Sauce. £19.50
Essex Lamb “Bun” with Sweetbreads and Salsa Verde. £23.50
Spiced Sea Bream with Smoked Aubergine, Dahl, Sea Aster and Moilee Sauce. £19.50
Cornish Day Boat Skate with Bacon Roast Parsnip, Trompettes, Clams and Lardo. £23.00
Fillet of Lancashire Beef with Hand and Flowers Chips and Béarnaise Sauce. £32.00
Breast of Suffolk Chicken with Pistachio Crumble,
Lovage Poached Turnips, Soft Polenta and Winter Truffle. £21.00
SIDES
Salt Baked Potatoes (for two) £6.00
All at £4.00 Hand & Flowers Chips
Crushed Swede with Cracked Black Pepper
Buttered Brussel Tops
Winter Leaves with English Dressing
Bucksum Kale with Crispy Ham Hock Pomme Boulangère
DESSERTS
(All at £9.00) Selection of Cheese Served with Grape Chutney. £10.50
Tonka Bean Panna Cotta, Poached Plums, Honeycomb and Plum Sorbet.
Glazed Cox’s Apple Tart with Blackberry Sorbet.
Warm Pistachio Sponge Cake with Melon Sorbet and Marzipan.
Vanilla Crème Brulée.
Hand & Flowers Chocolate Cake with Salted Caramel and Muscovado Ice Cream.
Pear Soufflé with Poire William Purée, Sweet Cheese and Mace.
Hand & Flowers on Urbanspoon

Japanese

Tsumami, Clapham

As much as I love my dear Michelin chefs, the place I eat the most in London is undoubtedly Tsunami.  There is something terribly comforting about finding a good local restaurant, who always greet you with warmth, and where you trust the chef implicitly.

I don’t say the latter lightly – if you’re going to eat raw scallops or sashimi, you need to be confident of the kitchen’s sourcing.  I’m often frustrated by diners who complain about the prices at their local Japanese restaurants – sushi grade fish and shellfish does not come at a knockdown price.

We eat in Tsunami so often that the staff know exactly what we’re going to order, which water each of us have, and which wine we’re likely to prefer.  As a result, it’s very easy to become complacent about what’s being put in front of you.  This week as I was taking the 10yo too, I thought I ought to pay attention and attempt to write it up!

So, to begin with, it being a Japanese restaurant, there’s always edamami (the soya bean in it’s pod).  This were crisp, hot, and had a good sprinkling of salt.

We moved immediately to our yellowtail sashimi with chilli’s and coriander, in a ponzu dressing.  Several different fish are commonly called yellowtail, though in sashimi terms it usually refers to Japanese Amberjack.  There are also two stages of yellowtail development, the young yellowtail is called Hamichi, but the older version is called Buri.  Buri with a darker strip along the belly (which is the fattier bit of the fish) is called Buri Toro and is favoured by the Japanese.  I’ve had all three served as this dish, and they work equally well.

We followed that with three different kinds of tempura : salt and chilli pepper squid; shrimp tempura; and king crab tempura with yuzu butter and creamy garlic sauce.  The squid is savoury, salted and topped with shards of chilli, and by contrast the shrimp is delicate, almost sweet.  The king crab could honestly be anything, as it’s almost like little scampi, but with sauce is so addictive I could spread it on bread!  The sauce is so difficult to describe, but it’s tangy hot and spicy, creamy, citrussy… I know – how can it be all of those things? But anyone who’s eaten at Nobu will know the sauce well.


Next we had truffle rib-eye with exotic mushrooms and truffle sauce.  The rib-eye is ordered to your taste, and comes on a bed of creamy moreish leeks.  The mushrooms are cooked in a heady reduction spiked with truffle oil…  The whole dish is then topped with a pile of what looks like saffron, but is actually shredded chilli’s.  This isn’t perhaps what you’d expect in a Japanese restaurant, but actually with all your umami bells ringing already, it fits right in, the rich earthy depth packing a punch after the delicate fish.

Our final absolute essential is the roast duck and foie gras nigiri.  You can have this as eel (unagi) too, but the duck is like eating a Chinese duck pancake.  The roast duck strips are placed on top of a piece of handshaped rice and tied with a strip of spring onion, the foie gras is then pan fried and placed on top of each piece of nigiri.

As a precaution against the 10yo rejecting the sashimi (sometimes she likes it, sometimes she doesn’t) we had ordered a couple of other safer dishes for her.  There was snowcrab shumai – steamed dumplings filled with snowcrab and prawns – and sizzling chicken teriyaki.  All of these were good – the teriyaki unctuous and the dumplings soft and dense.

I love Tsunami, I must do, I eat in there all the time.  Okay, it’s not Nobu, but it’s not trying to be… Therein lies the problem.  Some diners feel it should be Nobu at these prices, but it’s the food you’re paying for, not the location!  Ultra fresh fish and ingredients cost the same, no matter your post code.  It’s a bit like my review of the Hand & Flowers – would I recommend you cross town to come here? Perhaps not (though the sister restaurant in Charlotte Street may be closer to you).  If you’re local, and want to eat consistently good Japanese, absolutely.  It’s not the sea urchin wielding kind of Japanese some like, but it’s lip smacking good, I really look forward to eating it, and I know exactly what I’m having next time!

Other dishes which are equally good:
Chicken gyoza – deep fried chicken parcels
Gin dara – blackened cod in miso sauce
Shrimp tempura roll

All of the sashimi (!)
Grilled scallops with masago & creamy spicy sauce, which is flambéed and brought to the table – very pretty with high blue flames!  (Masago is capelin roe, similar to tomago (flying fish roe), but slightly larger in size).

Tsunami Restaurant
5-7 Voltaire Road
Clapham
London
SW4 6DQ

T. 020 7978 1610

Tsunami on Urbanspoon