I decided to pay my hobbies a little more attention this month and found myself signing up for a class at one of London’s top cookery schools, Leiths School of Food and Wine, in an attempt to learn new skills and up my success rate in the kitchen. Leiths boasts “ an international reputation as a first class culinary institute for chefs” but how good would it be for a hit-and-miss home cook like me?
As an enthusiastic amateur baker, I enrolled for the specialist 1-day Cake Class. We were promised that we would leave five recipes, three cakes and a whole bunch of techniques better off.
The workshop was held in a bright, spacious professional kitchen and we were indeed taught, with the help of two friendly teachers and two invaluable assistants (who kindly took care of all the washing up), how to bake: pistachio mini-loaf cakes; gingerbread loaves; vanilla, raspberry and elderflower Vicky sponges; brownies; and cupcakes. While the recipes themselves weren’t exactly ground breaking, learning the science behind good baking was really interesting. Within an hour I’d found out how to stop cake mix splitting (add a generous scoop of flour and keep beating), the weight of an egg in recipe-terms (55g), why you should make batter fresh for each oven-load when baking batches (the gluten is released as soon as the flour is added to wet ingredients and chemical processes start before the cake gets near the oven), and what method of baking needs bicarb rather than baking powder (melting method cakes – like brownies – or ones that use oil, such as carrot cake ).
Best tip? Add fruit cordials to icing mixes rather than bottled flavourings for a more varied range of flavours. Second best tip? Only attend this course if you’re happy in the company of smug yummy-mummies and slightly inept nannies. Pretending to be interested in Tarquin’s favourite brioche was almost as difficult as constructing a triple-layer gateau.
That said, the session was really rewarding and I ran home, arms loaded with full-to-bursting cake boxes, to show off the results of my busy day at school. I’d definitely like to try some different courses. Perhaps pasta making at Divertimenti or shellfish preparation at the Billingsgate Seafood Training School? What would you recommend?
February 20, 2010 – 10:42 pm
Lego’s slogan: Add fun to the learning experience! Economy Candy NYC’s slogan: Add Lego to the eating experience!
So, Munchmun.cher Ben lives in the USA and has access to as much Hershey’s (slightly odd tasting) candy as his heart desires. David and I, however, have to rely on infrequent holidays in order to get a hit of the massive array of unusual American confectionery. In New York recently, we came across Economy Candy. Based in the Lower East Side, Manhattan, family-owned store Economy Candy has been around since the 1930s. Dangerous-if-consumed-by-children Lego has been around since the 1940s and, in foodie logic, it makes perfect sense that these two great historical names should combine and create one of the most educational sweets of our time: Candy Lego. We’d recommend getting some of these fizzy, tangy, Love-heart-esque blocks via mail order and creating your own edible scenarios. David’s colleagues at Last.fm built this cute jungle pastiche for your enjoyment…
Economy Candy are also purveyors of the first jelly beans in outer space, Jelly Belly. We managed to get hold of almost half a kilo of these precious beans for £4.50 (awesome considering a kilo bag is twenty quid on the Jelly Belly UK website).
Sweet things aren’t hard to come by in New York: we sampled world-renowned Magnolia Bakery cupcakes and marvelled at the over-sized treats in FAO Swartz’s sweets shop. Let us tell you, you’ve not lived until you’ve experienced shopping for Harry Potter merch alongside eight-year-olds who’ve been chomping on 6inch gummi bears and sucking gobstoppers the size of a grapefruit. Scary stuff!
January 25, 2010 – 11:45 am
I promise this is my last baking post for a while. My colleagues and housemates are getting fat from the proceeds of this blog and someone has to think of the burden on the NHS.
The cake on the left is Nigella Lawson’s chocolate and hazelnut goo fest. The recipe can be found on her website here but I would recommend reducing the ingredients by as much as a quarter as my version rose to 20cms in height and nearly consumed the oven. This soufflé-like cake was pretty great served warm (and might have been further enhanced by a scoop of Ben and Jerry’s).
The cake on the right is a classic lemon drizzle loaf, sweet and tangy and great with a cup of tea. This is one of the easiest recipes in my repertoire as it’s a straight-forward sponge simply jazzed up with the zest and juice of a couple of lemons. It only takes about 10 minutes to prepare and 40 to cook. Have a go at the following recipe:
Ingredients
- 225g unsalted butter, softened
- 225g caster sugar
- 4 eggs
- finely grated zest 1 lemon
- 225g self-raising flour
And for the drizzle you’ll need the juice of 2 lemons and 100g caster sugar
Instructions
- Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.
- Beat together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy, then add the eggs, one at a time, slowly mixing through.
- Sift in the flour, then add the lemon zest and mix until well combined.
- Line a loaf tin (8 x 21cm) with greaseproof paper, then spoon in the mixture and level the top with a spoon.
- Bake until a thin skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
- While the cake is cooling in its tin, mix together the lemon juice and sugar to make the drizzle.
- Prick the warm cake all over with a skewer or fork, then pour over the drizzle – the juice will sink in and the sugar will form a lovely, crisp topping.
- Leave in the tin until completely cool, then remove and enjoy.
January 21, 2010 – 12:13 am
It’s a well-known fact of baking that things can sometimes go extremely wrong. Case in point would be my lovely recipe for chocolate fondant that is usually about as reliable as you can get for this notoriously temperamental pudding. I’ve made it a few times before and it’s been known to bring grown men to their knees.
However, this time I thought I’d try something new. We bought five bars of unusually flavoured bars of organic chocolate (chilli and lime, butterscotch, vanilla and peppermint, geranium and orange and nutmeg) from Montezuma’s beautiful little shop in Spitalfields market before Christmas and I’d been keen to cook with them from the instant I got them home.
I thought the geranium and orange variety would be perfect for a fondant; floral and light but with a bitter kick of dark chocolate. I was wrong, so wrong. If you remember parma violets with fondness then this is the recipe for you. If, like me, you hate the bloody things then steer clear of the flower beds and make this dish using a nice slab of Green & Black’s 85% Cocoa.
Ingredients
- 50g unsalted butter, plus extra to grease
- 2 tsp cocoa powder, to dust ramekins
- 50g good quality chocolate (any flavour but geranium), in pieces
- 1 free range egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 60g caster sugar
- 50g plain flour
- Icing sugar to dust
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 160 degrees
- Butter two large ramekins and dust with cocoa powder, shaking out any excess.
- Melt the chocolate and butter in a bain marie, then take off the heat and stir until smooth. Leave to cool for 5 minutes.
- Whisk the egg, egg yolk and sugar together until pale and thick, then add the chocolate mixture. Sift the flour over the mixture and fold in, using a large metal spoon. Divide between the ramekins and bake for 12 minutes.
- Turn the chocolate fondants out and sprinkle with icing sugar
The moral of the story: cooking experiments can be really exciting but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
January 12, 2010 – 9:59 pm
A very british food and one of my top 5 comfort foods (particularly when hung over), beans on toast is a classic dish. Dead simple, delicious and utterly unpretentious.
Heinz have opened a temporary “It has to be Heinz” cafe. It’s open from 7am-3pm for the next couple of days (closing Thursday 14th) on Shoreditch Highstreet (map). I popped down at lunchtime today to give it a go.
The menu is pretty simple, there’s beans on toast with white bread, beans on toast with brown bread, beans on toast with tea or beans on toast with coffee. Even the bill is simple, there’s a recommend donation of 50p that goes to Help a London Child.
The food is simple, delicious and perfect for a cold winter day. If you can make it before it shuts, only 2 days to go now, i’d really recommend it. Obviously the beans are Heinz and the place is decked out in their branding and products, but it’s not too over the top, it’s actually quite nice. Plus it is for charity and can’t get a cheaper than a 50p lunch round here.
via Londonist.
January 6, 2010 – 11:06 pm
Adapted from an Ocado dhal recipe, it’s less of a traditional Dhal and more of a creamy stew. It took about 40 minutes and claims to serve 4, though I reckon it would stretch to at least 6 with rice.
Packed with fresh spices and vegetables, especially the fresh tomatoes, I was disappointed the dish wasn’t as flavorful as I’d expected. I added more fresh coriander, lime juice and chili to kick it up a notch.
Ingredients
I made some minor substitutions with the spices, like grinding cumin seeds or coriander leaf. Seemed to work OK.
- 400ml Coconut Milk
- 1 Large Onion (diced)
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 1 tbsp Root Ginger
- ½ small red chili (deseeded)
- 1 small Butternut Squash, diced in to approx 3 cm squared cubes
- 6 large Tomatoes, cut in to 8 segments
- 1 tbsp Tomato purée
<li>1 tsp Ground Cumin</li>
<li>½ tsp Ground Turmeric</li>
<li>.3 tsp Mixed Spice</li>
<li>2 tsp Ground Coriander</li>
<li>400g Puy Lentils</li>
<li>½ bag Garden Peas</li>
<li>½ bag Spinach</li>
Instructions
Peeling the butternut squash is an utter chore and almost put me off making this, I wish you luck and hope your knife is sharp.
- Cook the onions until soft and golden, add the garlic, ginger, chili for another minute then the butternut squash, tomatoes and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add the spices, mix well and cook for another couple of minutes
- Shake the coconut milk well before opening and add it. Cover the pan the cook on a low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the peas and drained lentils, cook for another 10 minutes
- Remove from the heat, squeeze the juice from a lime, stir in fresh coriander and the spinach
If you want a bit more heat, add some more chili during the second step. If it’s too hot, or a bit dry then stir in a bit of natural yoghurt
It turned out pretty well, although a bit plain. It really needed the extra coriander and lime to give it a kick, i’d be tempted to add even more chili next time.
I was impressed with how “meaty” the dish is, it’s a solid meal and nice on a cold winter evening (and it’s vegan to boot).
December 23, 2009 – 6:40 pm
Evan Sung takes outstanding photographs of food. (via. Notcot)
December 18, 2009 – 12:02 pm
James Hoffmann (founder of Square Mile Coffee Roasters and ex World Barista Champion) has posted a rather wonderful idea from current Word Barista Champion Gwilym Davies. Between a stall at Whitecross Market, Columbia Road and a shop on Shoreditch high St (though i’ve not seen him in it yet) he’s a busy man, but he doesn’t half make amazing coffee.
The idea is pretty simple, while a regular loyalty card would earn you a free coffee for visiting him the Disloyalty card rewards you for visiting other excellent coffee vendors around (mostly East) London. There’s a wonderful array of coffee available in London (particularly out east) and encouraging people to try other places is a genuinely nice thing to do.
You can collect the card itself from Prufrock Coffee in Present at (140 Shoreditch High Street), i’ll be getting mine later this afternoon.
There’s 10 places to tick-off, a couple of which weren’t on my London Coffee map so i’ve added them and given them a yellow marker so they’re easy to find.
View London Coffee in a larger map
I’ve been to a little over half on the list and all have been excellent. Some of the ones further East may seem like an effort but are entirely worth it. I just need to make the trip out west to collect, the rest (and finally make my way to Taylor St).
So if you like coffee and you’re in London this is a nice little challenge, can you collect them all? (Bonus points for doing it in one day).
December 14, 2009 – 12:22 am
Friend of ours Ben Darlow has blogged about how he learned to cook steak
December 13, 2009 – 5:20 pm
I love winter in London. There’s nothing like heading home bearing shopping bags laden with market-sourced comfort food and battening down the hatches against the freezing drizzle that’s the hallmark of a grey weekend in this city. One of my favourite dishes takes advantage of the treats available at Borough Market and our local stalls at Broadway (if you can avoid the tourists at the first and dodge the hipsters at the second).
This fish pie is the result of a combination of recipes from three very different cooks: shouty, sweary Gordon Ramsay; glam homebody Sophie Conran; and hit-and-miss me. Don’t be put off by the different cooking stages – with practice this is actually a really good bung-it-in-the-oven-and-forget-about it type meal that will serve four people. You will need:
- 25g butter
- 4 shallots, finely chopped
- ½ fennel bulb, finely chopped
- 250ml dry white wine
- 200ml of Absinthe (or other aniseed-y flavoured alcohol of your choice)
- 500ml fish stock
- 500ml double cream
- 1-2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
- salt and pepper
- 800g mix of fish fillets (I used sustainably sourced smoked haddock, salmon and pollack)
- 200g king prawns (the recipe pictured shows some fresh scallops that I picked up to chuck in – I’d just been paid and it seemed sensible at the time. However, this recipe is luxurious enough as it is and they were probably overkill!)
- Squeeze of lemon juice
- Few sprigs of thyme
- Small handful of flat leaf parsley
To make the filling heat the butter in a pan and sweat the shallots and fennel until soft. Add the wine and absinthe and reduce by half. Add the stock and bubble away again until reduced by half. Pour in the cream and boil until reduced to a sauce like consistency. Strain through a sieve, discarding the shallot and fennel. Stir in the mustard, season then leave to cool.
While the sauce cools for a bit, heat the oven to 180 degrees. Cut the fish into chunks (removing any obvious ‘you will choke on me’ bones). Poach the fish in enough water to cover, with a squeeze of lemon juice and the thyme, for about 15 mins. Remove the fish from the poaching liquid.
Fold the prawns, fish and optional scallops into the sauce with a little extra lemon juice and chopped parsley. Transfer to an oven proof baking dish or, as I did, portion out into individual pie bowls.
Everyone has their own perfect mash recipe and here follows mine (courtesy of Mr Ramsay). Cook 5 large Maris Piper potatoes in boiling salted water until tender, and mash with a little milk and butter until smooth. Beat in 2 egg yolks, then spoon the mash evenly over the fish mix.
Bake the pie for about 20 minutes until bubbling and golden brown on top. Serve with whatever veg takes your fancy and gobble down until you slip into a food coma that will last the rest of the evening. Heaven.
