tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40037339957595097342024-03-13T06:18:15.778+00:00Lazy Giraffe BlogCambridge food blogger, baker and jewellery maker - baking, Indian recipes and Cambridge restaurant reviews.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06208203551055372708noreply@blogger.comBlogger554125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4003733995759509734.post-54759891846999407082014-03-31T14:03:00.000+01:002014-03-31T14:03:07.815+01:00New Blog - Food MelaI've moved! My new blog is called <b><a href="http://www.foodmela.co.uk/" target="_blank">Food Mela</a> - y</b>ou'll find all my usual kinds of posts over on Food Mela - baking, Cambridge reviews and now more Indian recipes. I'm quite excited about this refresh and I've got lots of inspiration so there will be lots of posts in the next few weeks.<br />
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You'll need to add my new blog address -<a href="http://www.foodmela.co.uk/" target="_blank"> www.foodmela.co.uk</a> - to your feed reader (Feedly for example) if you use one, then you'll continue to be updated when I post a new blog. You can also sign up for email updates on <a href="http://www.foodmela.co.uk/" target="_blank">my new blog.</a><br />
<br />Thank you!<br />
DeepaAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06208203551055372708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4003733995759509734.post-5914572065206138512014-02-09T22:15:00.000+00:002014-02-09T22:15:08.988+00:00North China Dumpling, Cambridge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Mr is my Cambridge spy, as he works in the city, and he mentioned on Friday 'that dumpling place has opened on Regent Street' - feeling like we needed something to shake the damp feeling this weather is giving us, we went along for dumplings on Saturday.<br />
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It's where the Otto Cafe used to be, a small place with about 8 tables and a tiny kitchen. They serve up steamed dumplings with pork, beef, lamb, chicken, fish or vegetable/tofu fillings. There are a few extras too like hot and sour cucumber salad, char sui pork with rice and pickled vegetables. It's a very simple menu and extremely good value too - 12 dumplings are £6 and sides about £3/4. They also do sweet steamed buns, with black sesame or peanut fillings.<br />
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I went for the pork dumplings with kimchi served in a hot and sour soup, Mr opted for the tofu and chive dumplings. The service is a little slow and confused here, but they have only been open a week or so, but the staff are really friendly, I'm sure this will improve with experience.<br />
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The food however is great, it's fresh and packed with flavour. The vegetarian dumplings were filled with crispy tofu and stuffed with lots of chives, and the surrounding pastry was light. The pork dumplings were similarly good, tender on the inside with lots of ginger and kimchi, and the hot and sour broth had a really good chilli kick.<br />
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We spent £19 on 2 servings of dumplings, soup (an extra £1.50) and two cokes. The cheapest lunch I've had in Cambridge for a long time! We'll definitely be back, we had no room for pudding but I will on my next visit.<br />
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<i>North China Dumpling,</i><br />
<i>57 Regent Street</i><br />
<i>Cambridge</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06208203551055372708noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4003733995759509734.post-41800452388072828812014-02-08T17:57:00.001+00:002014-02-08T17:57:25.788+00:00Aloo Tikki Style Celeriac Cakes - Using Up Sunday Leftovers <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Following on from my last post about a <a href="http://lazygiraffeblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/vegetarian-sunday-roast-baked-celeriac.html" target="_blank">Baked Celeriac Sunday roast</a>, here is a quick recipe for using up the leftovers! I had about 1/4 of celeriac left so I combined this with some mashed potato (if you have roast potatoes left these work too) and lots of spices to create an aloo tikki style cake, which made for a simple Monday dinner.<br />
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I served the cakes with a tomato and fenugreek sauce, also made from some leftover tomato soup from Saturday evening dinner. I simmered it for about 20 minutes til it reduced before adding in turmeric, chilli, dried fenugreek (also called methi or kasoori methi) and grated ginger.<br />
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Apologies in advance for the worse than usual photography, let's give it the excuse that I was hungry and wanted to eat them up...<br />
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<b>Spicy Celeriac & Potato Cakes</b><br />
<b>makes 4, enough for 2 </b><br />
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1/2 onion<br />
1 clove of garlic<br />
150g leftover cooked celeriac, mashed<br />
150g potatoes, this can be leftover roasties too, mashed<br />
1/2 tsp chilli powder<br />
1 tsp cumin seeds<br />
1 tsp ground coriander<br />
1/4 tsp mustard seeds<br />
1/4 tsp turmeric<br />
sunflower or groundnut oil<br />
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Fry the onion in a large deep frying pan, until soft with a little bit of colour, for about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and fry for another 1 minute stirring often. Add this to a large bowl with your potato and celeriac, and then add in all the spices, plus salt.<br />
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Mix and then form with your hands in to patties. If they aren't feeling substantial enough, pop them in the fridge for 10 minutes to firm up.<br />
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Heat some groundnut or sunflower oil in your large deep frying pan, and once hot add in your cakes. Fry on a medium high heat for 4 minutes on each side, try not to move them otherwise you won't get crispiness. Flip over and fry on the other side for another 4 minutes.<br />
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Serve with your tomato sauce and a side of veggies.<br />
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<i>This post is part of <a href="http://inspiration.sainsburys-live-well-for-less.co.uk/" target="_blank">Sainsbury's Love your Leftovers Campaign</a> - thank you to Sainsbury's for sending me vouchers to use for this challenge :)</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06208203551055372708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4003733995759509734.post-50152351374676515222014-02-03T22:03:00.001+00:002014-02-03T22:03:29.744+00:00Vegetarian Sunday Roast - Baked Celeriac & Mushroom Gravy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The thing I miss the most about Mr going veggie is the roast dinners. I love putting lots of herbs and butter on a chicken and roasting it for a while before adding all the necessary trimmings. Poussin is not the same before you ask.<br />
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<a href="http://inspiration.sainsburys-live-well-for-less.co.uk/" target="_blank">Sainsbury's</a> got in touch to ask if I wanted to take part in their '<a href="http://inspiration.sainsburys-live-well-for-less.co.uk/" target="_blank">Love your Leftovers</a>' campaign, and come up with a dish to use up Sunday Lunch leftovers. Thinking that I wanted to change up our usual sad poussin plus a few baked mushrooms I took up the challenge to think up a robust vegetarian Sunday roast that would also provide leftovers for Monday.<br />
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Inspired by the fantastic celeriac Mr had at <a href="http://lazygiraffeblog.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/morston-hall-norfolk.html" target="_blank">Morston Hall</a> I decided to bake a whole one, with lots of garlic, sage and butter (olive in the week, butter at the weekend!) and serve it with roast potatoes, green veg and a killer vegetarian gravy (gravy is important).<br />
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It really couldn't be simpler to prep, much like a slow roasted piece of pork or lamb, but without the basting. You wrap it in foil, and leave it in the oven for 2 hours, and for the last hour make your spuds and get your gravy on.<br />
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<b>Baked Celeriac - serves 2 with leftovers </b><br />
adapted from BBC Good Food<br />
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1 medium celeriac, approx 500g<br />
3-4 cloves of garlic, crushed with a knife, but with skin on.<br />
large bunch of sage<br />
2 knobs of butter<br />
seasoning<br />
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Preheat your oven to 160c fan / 180c electric. Wash your celeriac, and if it comes with any frondy bits (technical term) trim those off. Prick with a knife, around 1cm in to ensure it cooks, and the flavour gets into the celeriac. Place a large piece of foil on to a baking tray and pop your celeriac on and tuck the herbs, garlic cloves and butter around, season and wrap in 3 layers of foil.<br />
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Bake for 2 hours, check about 2/3 way through to see if it is cooking through. When you're ready to serve simply cut into wedges, and keep the garlic to serve on the side. Depending on your celeriac, you can eat the skin if it isn't too tough.<br />
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<b>Mushroom Gravy, enough for 2</b><br />
adapted from Food 52<br />
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I made this gravy at Christmas, to serve alongside a vegetarian wellington, it's made with dried mushrooms, shallots and a secret ingredient, soy sauce. The soy gives the deep savoury flavour that you'd otherwise get from meat.<br />
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2 shallots, finely diced<br />
knob of butter<br />
1 tbsp flour<br />
50g of dried mushrooms<br />
1 stock cube dissolved in 250ml of water.<br />
sage or thyme, small handful chopped.<br />
1 tbsp dark soy sauce<br />
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1. Fry your shallots in a small pan with the butter til they are translucent.<br />
2. Soak your mushrooms in a jug, in 75ml of boiling water.<br />
3. Once your onions are soft add in the flour and stir quickly on a medium heat.<br />
4. Drain your mushrooms and add the mushroom stock to your vegetable stock. Pour this into your onion roux and whisk to combine and thicken.<br />
5. Add in the herbs and let the whole thing simmer gently, stirring regularly, til it starts to thicken up.<br />
6. Add in your soy sauce, and check for seasoning.<br />
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You can now serve your gravy, or if you want it to be smooth pass through a sieve and warm up again when you're ready to eat.<br />
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<i>Thanks to <a href="http://inspiration.sainsburys-live-well-for-less.co.uk/" target="_blank">Sainsbury's</a> for sending me vouchers for our Sunday Roast challenge! Coming up next, how to use the leftovers - Celeriac & Potato Cakes, Aloo Tikki style. </i><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06208203551055372708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4003733995759509734.post-23560948414675277422014-02-02T21:30:00.002+00:002014-02-02T21:30:48.791+00:00Indian Supperclub - a 3 course feast - date announced!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've announced a date for my supperclub, and booking is open! It's been a long time in the planning and I'm so pleased to be able to bring you a taste of authentic Gujarati cuisine.<br />
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If you've not eaten for a while I suggest you get a snack as this post will make you hungry.<br />
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My first supperclub is on Saturday 22nd February in a beautiful spot just outside Cambridge, I'll be cooking a very traditional Gujarati meal - crisp samosas spiced with cumin and chilli to start, a range of veggie curries with rotli (chapati), rice and accompaniments finishing with a sweet tooth's dream of a dessert. The menu...<br />
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<i><b><a href="http://www.foodmela.co.uk/" target="_blank">Mela Supperclub</a>, 22nd February</b></i><br />
<i><a href="http://foodmela.co.uk/"><b>foodmela.co.uk</b></a></i><br />
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<i>Welcome Drink: Nimbu Pani (sweet lime drink)</i></b><br />
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<i>Starter: Pea & Potato Samosas with green chilli chutney</i></b><br />
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<i>Mains: Chana Masala, Toor Daal, Venghan Bateta (Potato & Aubergine)</i></b><br />
<i><b>Rotli, Rice, Kadhi (spiced yoghurt sauce), Raita and Pickle</b></i><br />
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<i>Dessert: Gulab Jambu (doughnut like dumplings in cardamom syrup) </i></b><br />
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<i>with Jack's Mango Sorbet & Cumin Gelato</i></b><br />
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<i>~ </i></b><br />
<i><b>Masala Chai & Cardamom Shortbread</b></i><br />
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<b>Places are limited, I've still a few spots left - email me <a href="mailto:deepa@foodmela.co.uk">deepa@foodmela.co.uk</a> to book a place.</b><br />
£32 pp and you can BYOB, there will also be plenty of nimbu pani to go around plus water and juice.<br />
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Read more here, and get a little sneak peek into my new blog: <a href="http://www.foodmela.co.uk/" target="_blank">www.foodmela.co.uk </a><br />
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See you there, come with an empty stomach! :)<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06208203551055372708noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4003733995759509734.post-23828212311925250562014-01-31T19:57:00.001+00:002014-01-31T19:57:42.666+00:00Lemon Polenta Biscuits<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well we made it to February, well done everyone! What got me through the last week of January was these fabulous lemon cookies, made a on exceedingly dreary Sunday afternoon. Once they were cooled we curled up on the sofa with steaming cups of tea and dunked these sunshiney cookies (well I did, I'm the dunker of this household). For the next few days they provided a lovely accompaniment to our after work cups of tea.<br />
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I spotted the lovely Emma's tweet about her <a href="http://silverpebble-jewellery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/one-day.html" target="_blank">lemon polenta biscuit recipe</a>, and immediately got up and surveyed the kitchen cupboards to see if we had the right ingredients in. Everything except the almonds, so I did a bit of searching and came up with this recipe, halfway between Emma's and <a href="http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/4294/lemon+polenta+biscuits" target="_blank">this one on Taste.au.</a><br />
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These are forgiving biscuits, quick to make and if your dough starts to get a bit soft, pop in the fridge for a bit and then bring it back out again to separate into balls.<br />
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<i>Lemon Polenta Biscuits</i><br />
<i>makes 12 - 15</i><br />
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100g butter, softened<br />
100g caster sugar<br />
2 egg yolks<br />
grated zest of 2 lemons, plus juice of 1/2 lemon<br />
150g plain flour<br />
75g polenta<br />
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1. Put your butter and sugar in a large bowl, and cream together. Or if you are fancypants (me) pop them both in your stand mixer and mix for a couple of minutes with the beater.<br />
2. Add in an egg yolk at a time and keep beating.<br />
3. Add in the lemon zest and juice, flour and polenta. Mix with a spoon (if you're using a mixer it's best to switch to a spoon now), and then knead with your hands briefly to allow it to come together.<br />
4. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes, then separate the dough into 12 - 15 balls around the size of a walnut. Preheat your oven to 200c<br />
5. Arrange on a lined baking tray, and then squish with a wet fork to flatten.<br />
6. Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly brown on the edges<br />
7. Leave to cool and then remove from your tray, and into your mouth.<br />
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They keep for about 5 days in an airtight container.<br />
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<i><b>News! I'm holding another food event. My long awaited Gujarati Supperclub is on the 22nd February in Cambridgeshire. Find out more and book one of the last few spaces here: <a href="http://www.foodmela.co.uk/" target="_blank">www.foodmela.co.uk </a></b></i><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06208203551055372708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4003733995759509734.post-17146208454529991842014-01-27T22:55:00.000+00:002014-01-27T22:55:04.667+00:00Restaurant Review - Red Onion Essex & Indian Food in the UK<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was recently contacted by a new Indian restaurant in Saffron Walden (Essex / Cambridgeshire border), Red Onion, to try out their menu. This post is two things really, a review of the restaurant and some ponderings about Indian food in the UK.<br />
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First, the Red Onion. It is a curry house based just around the corner from Saffron Walden Common, which opened last year.<br />
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For starters we had onion bhaji and Aloo Chaat. The onion bhaji was pretty textbook, they were crispy and quite big and not too oily- and served with that random salad that no one ever eats. My aloo chaat, was just a plain potato curry - what I had hoped for is spicy potatoes with crispy sev (chickpea noodles) or fried chapati with yoghurt and tamarind, that is what <a href="http://lazygiraffeblog.blogspot.com/2013/06/bhel-puri.html" target="_blank">chaat</a> normally consists of - it's about textures. This was unfortunately a potato curry with cucumber in it, bizarrely. It was good to see it on the menu but unfortunately it wasn't an aloo chaat.<br />
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For mains I ordered a lamb achari - the lamb was nice and tender and the sauce was tomato based with good heat and a lemony kick. Mr had a vegetable bhuna - a nice tomatoey sauce with good heat, but the vegetables seemed to be from those frozen 'vegetable mixes' you get in big bags. We also ordered muttar paneer, usually cooked with onions and a little tomato with plenty of chilli, and peas of course, our dish was coconut based, which I like with paneer, but unfortunately it was cloyingly sweet. I wouldn't have minded a little chilli powder!<br />
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We decided to try out some different breads - garlic naan, roti and chapati. The naan was really nice, fluffy inside and crispy on the bottom. The chapati was good, nice and soft and mopped up the curry well. The roti, I think it differs from the chapati as it is cooked on a tandoor, was nice too, possibly a bit too crispy.<br />
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To finish we decided not to go for the oddly presented kulfis (in coconut shells, plastic pineapple shells etc) that you always find in curry houses, but for a cup of <a href="http://lazygiraffeblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/masala-chai.html" target="_blank">masala chai</a> each. Like the aloo chaat it was nice to see it on the menu, the tea was good although, I think, made from a spiced tea bag rather than brewed with a masala mix, meaning it wasn't as strong as it should be.<br />
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Overall it was a nice meal, and if you're after a 'British Curry' then that is what it will offer you. We really liked the breads and the sauces in each of our curries were good. The starters could use some work and the paneer was a little bizarre.<br />
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I think food in general has improved tenfold UK over the past 10 years, British food is better than ever, but I feel understanding about what Indian food, and probably that of other countries, is seriously lagging behind. A curry house will tell you that you are eating authentic Indian food when you're tucking into a chicken korma, dipping plain poppadoms into mango chutney, and that strange thin yoghurt sauce. When you're eating orange pilau rice and fighting your way through an oil soaked onion bhaji.<br />
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For me a curry house curry is a bit of a guilty pleasure, a bit like MacDonald's or a fish finger sandwich. It's mostly not authentic (a lot of Indian restaurants dishes are actually based on Bangladeshi cooking with Anglicised additions) but it is comforting in a way.<br />
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I think curry houses can give Indian food a bad rep. Indian food is different in each region you visit - and it is not always as unhealthy as it has a reputation for - yes we like our samosas and sugary snacks, and ghee is used - but everyday Indian food is fresh and nourishing. Lentils, fresh vegetables, wholewheat chapatis and pickles. It's not just cubed meat in a sauce served with a naan or rice.<br />
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This<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2013/nov/29/how-to-eat-curry-take-away" target="_blank"> article in the Guardian about 'how to eat curry'</a> is great - it explains what to look out for (south Indian food, pure vegetarian food) and what to order. Searching out restaurants like this is nearly always a good idea - you'll find plenty of them in Leicester, parts of Birmingham, Southall, Wembley and Ilford. South Indian restaurants will offer you a <a href="http://lazygiraffeblog.blogspot.com/2012/12/thalis-from-pris-kitchen.html" target="_blank">thali</a> (plate) filled with different dishes, or a crispy dosa stuffed with homemade paneer or spicy potato. Pure vegetarian restaurants, which are often <a href="http://lazygiraffeblog.blogspot.com/2012/04/gujarati-recipe-series-essential-spices.html" target="_blank">Gujarati</a> (like me!) will serve <a href="http://lazygiraffeblog.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/chilli-paneer.html" target="_blank">chilli paneer</a>, the best daal, chaat and sometimes gulab jamun for pudding.<br />
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<i>Thanks to the <a href="http://redonionessex.co.uk/" target="_blank">Red Onion, Saffron Walden</a> for inviting us for dinner. You can find out more about them <a href="http://redonionessex.co.uk/" target="_blank">here</a>.</i><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06208203551055372708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4003733995759509734.post-43371730116851618322014-01-07T22:31:00.000+00:002014-01-09T11:31:58.287+00:00The Perfect Healthy Granola Bar<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well now that is a statement isn't it? I've been searching, for so long for the perfect granola bar. I've suffered through batches of bars that just won't stick together (but thankfully do make good granola), and the ones that do stick are annoyingly the ones that are bursting with sugar and golden syrup. This just won't do. Granola bars are supposed to be breakfast food, and whilst I'm not pretending that I haven't passed a chocolate brownie off as breakfast, for a regular breakfast it isn't sustainable to eat sugar laden granola bars.<br />
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So what is the secret to a healthy sugar-free granola bar that will stick? An egg white.<br />
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What goes into your granola bar can be fairly flexible and a combination of coconut oil and honey plus that important egg white will ensure they stay together, and are robust enough to be wrapped up and chucked in your handbag for breakfast on the go (which is why I need them). Plus that egg will give you a little more protein to start the day.<br />
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<b>Granola Bars</b><br />
Makes 6 chunky granola bars, bake in a square brownie tin.<br />
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190g porridge oats<br />
40g of desiccated coconut or coconut flakes<br />
pinch of sea salt<br />
70ml of coconut oil (melted) or groundnut or sunflower oil<br />
60g of honey<br />
70g of dried fruit<br />
60g nuts, chopped if they are large<br />
1 teaspoon of cinnamon<br />
1 egg white<br />
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<i>Optional but nice:</i><br />
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract<br />
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<i>Variations / Additions</i><br />
Swap the coconut flakes for sunflower seeds<br />
1 teaspoon of peanut butter encourages sticking together, and tastes pretty great<br />
grated orange or lemon zest<br />
dark chocolate chips in place of nuts (I won't tell if you don't)<br />
Replace half the honey for maple syrup<br />
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Preheat your oven to gas mark 3 / 160c electric<br />
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Put all of the ingredients into a large bowl, except for the egg white. Mix with a large wooden spoon, or if using a stand mixer (I've just bought a very shiny new <a href="http://instagram.com/p/hgs7l9FNX_/" target="_blank">Kitchenaid</a>!) mix on a slow speed with the paddle for 2 minutes. Add in the egg white and briefly mix to combine, mix for 10 seconds in the mixer.<br />
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Transfer to your tin, lined with greased proof paper. Press down with a spatula, so that it is all tightly packed together and evenly in the tin. Bake in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes until it is golden on top.<br />
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An important bit for when it comes out of the oven - whilst still in the tin, cut the bars into pieces. Don't worry if they crumble a bit whilst they are warm.<br />
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After you've got the bars into slices just smoosh any crumbly bits down again. As they cool the bars will continue to stick together. Leave to cool completely then your bars are ready to be set free from the tin.<br />
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They'll keep for about a week in an airtight container. It makes me all kinds of happy that I can whip these up on a Sunday evening and know that breakfast is sorted for 5 days.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06208203551055372708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4003733995759509734.post-70477101957362254242014-01-05T21:17:00.004+00:002014-01-05T21:17:59.077+00:00Franglais Kitchen, Cambridge Supperclub, December 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://lazygiraffeblog.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjch8Q-TpgNCiIRYl1ObaryIy0tEiSb6A6iebxPUh1vD9xcEwVGfcpSpK36Pi5l1BLJ9DMHHYwqqS2Jl8R98oQfBCzxQSF6zKSnQlZoZOkKtSRA9xG8jtRJPtPRekvsJxS9M8rwelv24I6R/s400/bhel+puri+chevda.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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In December I was fortunate to be able to go to the very first Franglais Kitchen supperclub in Cambridge, hosted by Nazima and her husband Pierre, in their home. The theme was Indian French Fusion to bring together the couple's roots - think of classic French cooking techniques but with spice and inspired by popular Indian streetfood dishes. </div>
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We started off with a glass of a French 75 cocktail - gin, sugar syrup and lemon topped off with Prosecco - perfect with the accompanying appetisers of bhel puri, pani puri and homemade Bombay mix. Bhel puri is one of my favorite Indian snacks - a mixture of small chickpea noodles 'sev', puffed rice, potato, onion topped off with tamarind chutney and green chilli chutney. <a href="http://lazygiraffeblog.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/bhel-puri.html" target="_blank">Find my recipe here</a>.<br />
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A plate of pani puri was also laid out, another classic <a href="http://lazygiraffeblog.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/samosas-from-scratch.html" target="_blank">Indian street food</a>, they are little puffed shells which filled with either potato or chickpea and onion before being topped with a chilled spiced 'pani' (water) which you fill the puri with, and then pop the whole thing in your mouth and crunch! Nazima's were just as they should be, a nice hit of chilli with refreshing pani and soft filling.<br />
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<a href="http://lazygiraffeblog.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZk_4OGnZL-l1by3DgYSg553UPD_hr9hMlH2uzJ9BNLNXCr33PVZ6GUs2p9pkG6iQAvh5hn5Fq8HPb-m2R1YhISjpnwgw35ZAy0_p4du0EIpaQP-btmxJbjeX90qzKqWDUBX_s3nspNP1/s400/peppers+franglais+kitchen.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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After the treat of the appetisers we moved to the mains. I went for a vegetarian main, mini peppers stuffed with homemade paneer served with chilli chutney. I've never had homemade paneer before, it's a lot different to shop bought, crumbly and tender and it takes on spices really well. </div>
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After this we had a soup course, a spiced 'haleem' stew made with squash - comforting and something a little different. The soup was served with gorgeous sourdough naans, cooked on a barbecue, spiced with cumin - the idea of a sourdough naan is something I've never come across before and I definitely want to try making it.</div>
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<a href="http://lazygiraffeblog.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_DmL_c7ZWjXSnGJK5m0vr6UfUQHQ53MoK4oluRgeR19nPaURS4EEy6WgsJGP13xlGOEEmJFC5B-jOLhXJoRXBwiFLM0-XBqHXgEiBeQmAjrOnheE_wx4wZnZKLDeF8YW3JjFbjU35TjJo/s400/spiced+poussin.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Next was the main course, spiced poussin with stuffed okra. This was more French in style but made different by the spicing. Nazima also passed around a jar of her homemade achar, mango pickle to go alongside. </div>
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<a href="http://lazygiraffeblog.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwgwMKs9h6ExkbWUrbI2IlWWdjOLn11fjKSFQdr5XdH8YOZDziaYARUTWzCWbEEFmgmgZwUkyFCScJ78PPPFpnD3bfsdbBtl4bY1PsCSprmPUrpRoorJtl0Vh0zB-tYVnNAStKbhOZQpmc/s400/macarons+mousse.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Puddings, three of them! A delicately spiced masala chai chocolate mousse with popping candy, chocolate burfi (sweet) and a chilli chocolate macaron. A choice of puddings is always welcome and we all enjoyed working our way through each element of the last course.</div>
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Nazima and Pierre are holding another supperclub on the 31st January, this time featuring the cuisines of France and Indonesia. <a href="http://franglaiskitchen.com/events/" target="_blank">You can find out more and book here, not one to miss!</a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06208203551055372708noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4003733995759509734.post-90021949387807538912013-11-24T21:28:00.001+00:002013-11-24T21:28:36.870+00:00Bonjour French Food Hamper - Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.bonjourfrenchfood.com/en/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitQXKUO-y8MhQvWg5jcbCsKmu0CntVE4UV2l9blOXxOmNZCbi_RQJB9qu_d1tzr2P8PBZMVKSwWpynlLjShjpVQLBDezuHEIOenXQT7yJXf9-9q79R7Fvpf8EGQClnujY_AdfHuKm1hYlF/s400/bonjourfrenchfood.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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French food is great, I think we can all agree on that, and I like having a snoop around French supermarkets when we are over there. The cheese, bread and cured meats, caramels, jams, chocolate and everything else in between. I heard about <a href="http://www.bonjourfrenchfood.com/en/" target="_blank">Bonjour French Food</a> on Twitter, a monthly hamper full of unique and sometimes hard to find French treats, with a specific theme each time. They were kind enough to offer me a box to review, and I eagerly awaited their next shipment date at the beginning of November.</div>
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<a href="http://www.bonjourfrenchfood.com/en/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFsv-fTm4-nD1xDArgY5nXD309OsBhLX2ksqGseWH3xdQ5M1LlzVWXG2jY7WQ1Ei4g-cQdU31Ujr2QnHVkEUzU0d-UTBHtEOkSiP0PMOW3YnQrVCcvU7HvA8-_KMJnN03WSu_bu_MbPB7T/s400/photo+2.JPG" width="400" /></a><span id="goog_1264968598"></span><span id="goog_1264968599"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a></div>
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The theme for <a href="http://www.bonjourfrenchfood.com/en/previous-boxes/31-the-november-box.html" target="_blank">November</a> was tartine, a traditional French open sandwich layered with any number of things - cheese, vegetables, pate or cured meat. A perfect quick lunch. My box contained a mix to make Pain de Campagne (country style bread), pork and mushroom terrine, tomato spread, olive tapenade, comte biscuits and apple caramel.</div>
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Our plan for the box was to nibble through the contents for dinner, with some excellent cheese and bread (making the pain de campagne had to wait for another day).</div>
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<a href="http://www.bonjourfrenchfood.com/en/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2LGRpqxZXENblAo18OIfxEKCuw3TOblRZ9RvUKs29CuuK2zQbIbkf12ULL5l4qxQzakgLLuBJH6wd6mhqZ3Mxk4GLpLQZ3fFDcnFuFG_-bRfqnt_cw2VRNve2FfOG-iM6k44UHoaGOYlo/s400/photo+1.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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The tomato spread was by far our favourite - so intensely tomatoey, like fresh summery tomatoes with a hint of herbs.</div>
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<a href="http://www.bonjourfrenchfood.com/en/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAp6_yaE3QJd4yXArSVtV5HQSniWUuGe6_jJNfiegiYpPOqWX9YUeW48Z89xSuMCScUkHKMMou5O7tP6-ZxKpXmKkuJkWIyYrxOS_cThqeN5fJ4VBPM3Jfi1laMPHyoCjpt674P5HJvZux/s400/photo+3.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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Olive tapenade is one of my favourite things, but it is normally not made very well, due to the cheapness of olives used. The Aix & Terra black olive tapenade was gorgeous, so intense and really good quality. You just need a little spread on a piece of bread. I'm sure this would be great stirred into pasta, although it is a little precious for that.</div>
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<a href="http://www.bonjourfrenchfood.com/en/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9cmhTBSBYc4QPq78AfxAyh7t6JAnok4j6Xm02XyeJnKTroxNmebw2E3i9XWADLGIfYytXXjlHzLfMduzn2UXCAZOFT4bW0r7HFGKjghI1MBDTbvVOjqH7-fqQMKfoq7LT-Kp3gQjgnSCe/s400/photo+5.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The little spreads made a lovely addition to a cheeseboard and we nibbled on the gorgeous Michel et Augustin comte biscuits with a glass of wine, after dinner. They were generously packed with cheese and I liked that they are made with wholemeal flour - giving a nice nutty taste and extra texture.</div>
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Finally, the sweet. The apple caramel reminded us of the <a href="http://lazygiraffeblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/a-little-weekend-in-paris.html" target="_blank">apple galettes we had in Paris</a> - intensely fruity, buttery and sweet. I made french toast for breakfast the next day, and the caramel worked perfectly in the place of syrup. </div>
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We really enjoyed nibbling through our box, it was full of interesting brands, most of which are small producers, that we'd not heard of before. The box came with a card explaining the stories of each item, and where you can buy them. It felt like a real insight into French food, and like a great secret that was being shared with us across the Channel. </div>
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Each box is £29 per month, with discounts if you sign up for longer, quite reasonable when you think about the quality of each item, and the time that is spent sourcing them. <a href="http://www.bonjourfrenchfood.com/en/" target="_blank">Find out more here.</a></div>
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<i>Thank you to Bonjour French Food for sending me a box to review.</i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06208203551055372708noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4003733995759509734.post-80155539215906458972013-11-04T17:21:00.003+00:002013-11-04T17:21:59.288+00:00Pint Shop Preview Party, Cambridge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjysMtVwU2RQzDLRSct7FYlR8RhyphenhyphenYEuWZkYzSwUgHKa243kcX34fw8uZpNuekoD2ew26oLN7CjLc9AkQ-PJUwxvN4yqp_AL8D8PYDiOcpeL_AOggLFZ9t3dw5Mp5yAXzk8tPfJ_PihRAxUc/s1600/Pint+Shop+Cambridge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjysMtVwU2RQzDLRSct7FYlR8RhyphenhyphenYEuWZkYzSwUgHKa243kcX34fw8uZpNuekoD2ew26oLN7CjLc9AkQ-PJUwxvN4yqp_AL8D8PYDiOcpeL_AOggLFZ9t3dw5Mp5yAXzk8tPfJ_PihRAxUc/s400/Pint+Shop+Cambridge.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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A very exciting addition to the Cambridge restaurant opens today - Pint Shop. Their slogan is 'Meat, Bread, Beer' and if that doesn't make you happy then you can stop reading now. Although don't actually, because even if you're a vegetarian or don't like beer, there is something here for you. A magnificent vegetarian pie is on the menu, and 40 different kinds of gin!<br />
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I was lucky enough to be invited to their preview party last week to sample what their bar had to offer along with the kitchen. I was greeted by the lovely manager, Clare, who told me simply, there are gin and tonics inside - sold! I was there to see this fabulous new restaurant open but also to celebrating landing a brand new job (yay!).<br />
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Pint Shop is a three story former bank, inside which is a bar area and a dining room plus further rooms upstairs. It's nice that the rooms are split this way so you don't feel lost in a huge open plan restaurant. I believe in the bar area you can just grab a drink and a bar snack or a full meal, and the dining area for meals only.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfVGQJiSKJu96an0nVdg5LziQJKRKBgg1nixmW-SildmqBcODbCv9gozqiy3bu2UzPcNPhhnMnCA59JPOskUxZXgidqhJJInk4IvPKbZKPiENg7Zqtu9NfcJBwELfB3kjbm_tFSoTCBUZk/s1600/Gin+and+Tonic+at+Pint+Shop.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfVGQJiSKJu96an0nVdg5LziQJKRKBgg1nixmW-SildmqBcODbCv9gozqiy3bu2UzPcNPhhnMnCA59JPOskUxZXgidqhJJInk4IvPKbZKPiENg7Zqtu9NfcJBwELfB3kjbm_tFSoTCBUZk/s400/Gin+and+Tonic+at+Pint+Shop.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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I'm not a beer drinker but I have recently developed a liking for gin (my age maybe?) so I was glad to see they have 40 gins on the menu, plus a regular house gin specially picked out. On the preview night it was Adnams Copper House gin so I gladly ordered a G&T which was expertly and quickly made up. I've mostly had bad experiences with G&T but this was really nice, not too bitter and just the thing after a long day.<br />
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Beer wise they are chalked up on a huge blackboard daily, with plenty of variation to suit all tastes. There is a good looking selection of wine but disappointingly no cider - maybe this is something they will have in the future? Hopefully, there is some great cider being made locally and it would be a shame to miss out.<br />
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As we settled down food started to come around, so much of it too! There were chilli 'beer sticks' made from cured pork and spices, a nice hit of spice and perfect with your drink.<br />
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Then we were treated to rabbit and potato mini pasties with pickle, fish pie scotch eggs with saffron aioli, potted pork with plum on lovely Jigsaw Bakery sourdough, rolled shoulder of lamb with welsh onion cake and cabbage and finally beetroot with a herby nutty pesto on more of that lovely sourdough. Everything we tasted was really novel, comforting homely food with a nice twist - I can't wait to dine there again.<br />
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Potted Pork and Plum </div>
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Rolled Shoulder of Lamb, Potato Cake, Red Cabbage</div>
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As part of the festivities there were also talks from their suppliers - we got to learn all about the Cambridge Gin Distillery and their yummy 'P' Gin made from, you've guessed it, peas, in honour of the Peas Hill address of Pint Shop. We first got to taste a pea spirit which amazingly captured that freshly picked pea taste but in booze! Amazing. Their unique vaccuum distillation process means that they can capture delicate flavours in a spirit. The actual P Gin is made from Juniper (as required by gin, to be called Gin), fresh peas, mint and spices. It was very interesting indeed, the peas are less strong but you get a lovely fresh, mint, herby taste backed up with the obligatory juniper. Novel stuff.<br />
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Pint Shop opens tonight, and I believe it is <a href="https://twitter.com/PintShop/status/397410776535035905" target="_blank">already proving to be a big hit</a>. Get there as soon as you can, it will be great. <a href="http://www.pintshop.co.uk/" target="_blank">Find out more here. </a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06208203551055372708noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4003733995759509734.post-81230220655529745792013-11-01T21:52:00.000+00:002013-11-02T17:10:51.911+00:00Morston Hall, Norfolk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Every year we visit an excellent restaurant, with a Michelin star (or <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=lazy+giraffe+le+gavroche&oq=lazy+giraffe+le+gavroche&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i64l3.4199j0j4&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=119&ie=UTF-8" target="_blank">two</a>) to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Last Sunday was our fourth year married and we carried on this excellent tradition with a trip to <a href="http://www.morstonhall.com/" target="_blank">Morston Hall</a>. Located on possibly the most Northerly Norfolk part of Norfolk we drove up on a blustery day looking forward to a sumptuous Sunday lunch in beautiful surroundings.<br />
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This might be the most positive restaurant review I've ever given - everything was brilliant - we started with a Kir and canapés in the cosy lounge - the two canapes were a fresh herb pate with a confit tomato and girolle cream with a crispy piece of ham hock. As Mr is vegetarian they also whipped up an additional vegetarian one, marinated chestnuts with pickled elderberries. The staff are so friendly, and we even had a visit from Chef Rich Bainbridge before lunch - to wish us a happy anniversary - such a lovely touch and excellent start.<br />
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The dining room is split into several rooms meaning you don't feel lost in a large restaurant. First we started with bread - poppy seed & fennel sourdough, a really lovely combination - perfectly crunchy on the outside and pillowy soft inside. As the lovely <a href="http://www.dollybakes.co.uk/2013/10/Restaurant-Story-London.html" target="_blank">Dollybakes</a> said in a recent post, it was genuinely upsetting how good this was. Bread is not going to be the same for me again. I also had some of the white sourdough which was just as delicious.<br />
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Sunday Lunch is 4 courses for £35 which also includes said canapes and coffee plus petit fours - very good value. We started with Cauliflower Soup with a cheese mousse and a chive oil - it looked like a very small portion when it arrived but once we dug in, it was very rich so a small portion is only required. A smooth base of cauliflower soup is whipped up with a rich cheese mousse and finished with a swirl of chive oil - I couldn't taste the chive too much but otherwise it was a fantastic start.<br />
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Second starters arrived - a beautifully poached salmon fillet for me sitting on a tomato butter sauce that tasted so fresh, summer tomatoes concentrated in to a sauce. Mr had gorgeous roasted beetroot with lots of thyme and a refreshing blackberry sauce - so much flavour for a simple vegetable dish. Often you can struggle with the vegetarian offering at fine dining restaurants, but nothing was too much trouble here - the vegetarian menu was just as inventive and tasty as the meatier option.<br />
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On to mains following the tradition of Sunday Roast but like you've never had before. Sage roasted celeriac - such a simple but great idea - fluffy on the side and crispy and smoky on the outside with a herby flavour throughout - they must do this on wood beforehand to get the crispy smokey flavour. Oh, and they put truffles on it too - truffles! Accompaniments included rich buttery fondant potato, silky confit carrot, mini Yorkshire pudding, roast parsnip and a lemon butter sauce.<br />
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Onto pudding - we both opted for a sticky toffee pudding - it had been the subject of much conversation earlier in the week on Twitter as it was being served at a conference I was organising - and it would have been rude not to try it at Morston Hall. This was textbook - dark, rich sponge covered in a dark, sticky sauce topped with a whiskey ice cream. Rib stickingly good, and we both really liked the ice cream, it wasn't too strong with whiskey as they can be sometimes.<br />
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Before our puddings arrived the waiter very kindly offered us a complimentary dessert wine, as we were celebrating our anniversary - such a great touch once again. He recommended an Hungarian dessert wine to go with our sticky toffee puddings, a great choice. I'm not much of a wine expert but the rich, golden dessert wine was a great match.<br />
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After a breather we were offered coffee which came with petit fours. Raspberry marshmallows and little green tea chocolate cakes. The marshmallows were great, and I got to have two as they contain pork gelatine, score! I wasn't so impressed with the green tea cakes, I'm not much of a fan of the matcha/green tea fad, luckily Mr thought they were great, so maybe just a matter of taste?<br />
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We thoroughly enjoyed our relaxed lunch at Morston Hall, the staff could not have been more helpful and each course was cooked beautifully with some surprising touches. We left feeling very happy, full and well looked after.<br />
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Morston Hall also do an Afternoon Tea which looks excellent, so if anyone fancies a trip to the Far East, sorry, Norfolk, there is an exquisite tea waiting for you and a willing companion.<br />
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Morston Hall<br />
<a href="http://www.morstonhall.com/">www.morstonhall.com</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06208203551055372708noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4003733995759509734.post-33598891226833911942013-10-11T18:15:00.001+01:002013-10-11T18:15:37.140+01:00Mushroom Lasagne<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Vegetarians tend to get a raw deal when it comes to lasagne - either rubbery soy mince in a lacklustre sauce or underdone vegetables that tend to not belong in a lasagne. Or sometimes people seem to think vegetarians want to eat healthy lasagne, which is just wrong. I've made veggie lasagnes and despite being quite able to get flavour into soy or being able to cook vegetables, they just haven't had the comfort of a meat lasagne.<br />
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You can always trust Deb at the Smitten Kitchen to make things right - I always have faith in her vegetarian mains as she used to be a vegetarian herself. This mushroom lasagne recipe of hers will make for one very happy vegetarian, and one happy meat-eater who misses making a big pan of lasagne. It is cheesey, substantial and feels like a proper lasagne.<br />
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I splurged on some 'posh' mushrooms for this one, because I wanted it to be fantastic, so I used chanterelles, oyster mushrooms and chesnut mushrooms. However, if you don't want to spend all that much on mushrooms, chesnut mushrooms are just as good, and better than ordinary button mushrooms. Another thing to note, if you are cooking for vegetarians, Parmesan isn't vegetarian (animal rennet is used) but Sainsbury's and Tesco do a very good vegetarian 'Italian Hard Cheese' which tastes nearly the same.<br />
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I bought some fantastic fresh egg lasagne sheets from <a href="http://www.ocado.com/webshop/product/Natoora-Fresh-Egg-Lasagne-Sheets-by-Vittorio-Maschio/66562011" target="_blank">Natoora</a> via Ocado, they are as good as making your own, and the pack makes one lasagne plus enough sheets to cut into strips for tagliatelle.<br />
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Find the recipe on Deb's blog <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2010/10/mushroom-lasagna/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06208203551055372708noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4003733995759509734.post-52821979997364009282013-09-28T22:22:00.002+01:002013-09-28T22:23:00.655+01:00Sunday Lunch at The Hole in the Wall CambridgeI have known for some time that the Hole in the Wall does a brilliant Sunday Lunch, it is one of, <a href="http://lazygiraffeblog.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/hole-in-wall-little-wilbraham-cambridge.html" target="_blank">our favourite restaurants</a>, possibly even our most favourite, and never disappoints. It has even been voted the best Sunday Lunch in East Anglia by the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/oct/21/sunday-lunch-ofm-awards-2012" target="_blank">Observer Food Monthly Awards.</a><br />
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Anticipating a large roast dinner we skipped the starters (pudding is compulsory) and went straight to mains. I ordered the roast pork with (deep breath) crackling, duck fat roast potatoes, cauliflower cheese, carrot, green vegetables and apple sauce. It was everything a Sunday roast should be - homely and generous but with the finesse you expect from the Hole in the Wall. The potatoes were amazingly crispy, I love the chargrilled top on the cauliflower cheese and the crackling was perfect. I also love the carrot, odd as that sounds, I think it was a confit carrot, or else slow cooked in someway - lovely. The whole thing was topped off with a cider and mustard sauce, a nice change from gravy.<br />
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Mr had the mushroom and leek rarebit with potato rosti and a fried egg. It was a lot smaller than the roast I had, which felt a little odd, but around the same size as their usual main courses. The cheesy leek topping on the mushroom was excellent with the crispy rosti and runny yolk. Another great veggie dish from these guys, they always come up with something a bit different.<br />
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Before our mains arrived we were given some bread - beetroot & treacle bread and sourdough. Both excellent, I need to figure out how to make that beetroot bread.<br />
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We both went for the, now legendary, doughnuts for pudding - and they've made them bigger! Three airy sugary doughnuts with a rich chocolate dipping sauce and a scoop of ice cream. The pudding menu was very impressive - 5 choices including black pepper & strawberry panna cotta, sticky toffee pudding and salted caramel pot plus more. I could have had a small portion of all of them really, but I understand that isn't something they offer (!)<br />
<br />
So, if you're stuck for somewhere to go for Sunday Lunch in Cambridge, and are bored with the usual overcooked pub offerings, head to the Hole in the Wall. It is a little pricier than the usual but you will not be disappointed. We spent £55 for 2 courses each plus a couple of soft drinks each.<br />
<br />
The Hole in the Wall<br />
Little Wilbraham, Cambs<br />
<a href="http://holeinthewallcambridge.com/">holeinthewallcambridge.com</a><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06208203551055372708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4003733995759509734.post-51856574220773317842013-09-28T15:15:00.002+01:002013-09-28T16:01:55.539+01:00Samosas from Scratch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I love samosas - they are the best Indian snack food but sadly, as popular as they are, they are rarely good. A good samosa should be crispy on the inside and soft and delicately spiced in the middle. The crispy pastry is made from rotli/chapati dough (not filo) with added salt and lemon juice - the dough discs are half cooked before being filled, folded and fried. The traditional Gujarati filling is a potato and pea with garlic, ginger, onion, chilli and turmeric. Coriander seed and cumin is also added.The other common filling you'll find (in meat eating areas) is minced lamb - flavoured in the same way and sometimes with clove and cinnamon.<br />
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Allow yourself a few hours in the kitchen, samosas have several steps to them and they are perfect if you want to spend a Sunday afternoon in the kitchen. Each step is quite straightforward - as long as you take your time you'll be ok.<br />
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<b>Pea & Potato Samosas - makes 15 samosas, easily doubled</b><br />
<br />
<i>Step 1 - Pastry dough</i><br />
<br />
150g chapati flour or plain flour<br />
optional 2 teaspoons of fine semolina (my addition for crispier samosas)<br />
4 tablespoons of vegetable oil<br />
pinch of salt<br />
2 teaspoons of lemon juice<br />
boiling water - approx 125ml<br />
<br />
Rub together the flour, semolina and oil, til it is all combined. Add in the salt and lemon juice and mix with a fork. Add in half of the water and stir with a fork, add the other half and mix again with the fork. As it starts to come together get in with your hands and knead into a soft but not sticky dough.<br />
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Divide into balls, approximately the size of a lime and then roll each out in to a circle. You want the pastry to be fairly thin, about 2mm. Save a couple of small pieces of pastry, to test the temperature of the oil later (or you can use a cube of bread or potato).<br />
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Heat a non stick frying pan, or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tava" target="_blank">tava</a>, til it is very hot, then turn down to a medium heat.<br />
You can roll out all your pastry circles and lay them out and cook one after another, or roll as you cook - it depends if you can keep an eye on both!<br />
<br />
Cook the circles for 30 seconds minute on each side, just enough to lightly colour them. You want the dough to be half cooked, so they are easy to fill and also to fry later. Stack up on a plate as you cook them. Cover with a clean, damp tea towel as you make the filling.<br />
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<i>Step 2 - Pea & Potato</i><br />
<br />
3 medium potatoes, diced<br />
100g frozen peas, defrosted<br />
1 onion, diced<br />
1 clove of garlic, minced or finely chopped<br />
1/4 green chilli, chopped finely<br />
1 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger<br />
oil<br />
1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds<br />
1/2 teaspoon of coriander seed, crushed<br />
1/4 teaspoon of tumeric<br />
pinch of salt<br />
<br />
Fry the onion til translucent, then add the garlic and ginger and fry for 30 seconds. Add the potato and stir well - then add in the chilli and the spices along with a pinch of salt. Fry for a few minutes on a medium-high heat, stirring all the time. Then add a splash of water, and cover. Reduce heat to medium/low and cook with the cover on for about 4 minutes. Remove the cover, stir, simmer for a few minutes if you need to reduce the water a little. Switch off the heat, stir in the peas, and leave to cool.<br />
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<i>Step 3 - Folding and Filling</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
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<i>Flour and cold water for glue.</i><br />
<i>Teaspoon</i><br />
<i>Large plate for your finished samosas</i><br />
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Make a glue by combining about 2 tablespoons of flour with half that amount of water, adjust til you get a thick but spreadable glue.<br />
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How to Fold a Samosa:<br />
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Dab glue on to the straight sides of the samosa wrapper, fill with potato filling and then glue the top closed. Check for gaps and dab some glue on to the point and squeeze closed.<br />
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At this stage, if you'd like to save the samosas for another time, you can freeze them on a baking tray - once frozen put into a freezer bag. Defrost fully before you come to fry them.<br />
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<i>Step 4 - Frying</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
300ml vegetable oil<br />
medium large saucepan<br />
<br />
Add vegetable oil to a medium saucepan and heat on a high heat for a few minutes, then turn down to medium. Test the temperature by adding a small piece of pastry to the oil, if it bubbles and rises to the surface within 10 - 15 seconds the oil is done.<br />
<br />
Add about 4-5 samosas to the pan and fry for around 4-5 minutes til deep golden colour. Turn them every minute or so to ensure they cook evenly. Too high heat will cause the pastry to burn and not cook through, a medium high heat will ensure they stay crisp but not oily and cook throughout. Once done, remove and drain on kitchen paper.<br />
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<i>Baked Version: I also tried baking some, which turned out nicely, not as flaky but still crispy and crunchy - and of course a little healthier. Brush with oil and bake on a tray in a medium oven for 20 minutes, turning half way through. </i><br />
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I really hope you make these, you won't be disappointed! I've got 10 of them stashed away in the freezer, a smart move as the first batch disappeared in minutes.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06208203551055372708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4003733995759509734.post-88035697320429600392013-09-23T13:36:00.000+01:002013-09-23T13:36:54.336+01:00Lunch at the Pump Street Bakery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A couple of weeks back we were both craving a day off and some sea air, this also coincided with the <br />
purchase of a new (second hand) car so a trip to the coast felt very much the thing to do. We picked Orford/Aldeburgh as we normally do with plans to figure out what all the buttons do in the car on the way there and then grab some lunch at Pump Street Bakery before heading to the beach.<br />
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I've been following Pump Street Bakery on Twitter and marvelling over their breads and pastries, and doughnuts (oh the doughnuts) for some time. They are a small family bakery with a focus on real bread, slow food and lots of fantastic sweets. They specialise in sourdough and pastries and also serve Monmouth Coffee made in their La Marzocco coffee machine (called Percy), loose leaf teas and yummy hot chocolate. Impressively they have also just started producing their own bean to bar chocolate.<br />
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The cafe area serves lunch, brunch at weekends and you can also stop in anytime for coffee and something sweet. There is a large communal table in the centre of the room, plus a couple of other nooks by the windows to sit by. It's a nice welcoming space which I think would be lovely and cosy in the Winter.<br />
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I went for a big mug of 'Real Hot Chocolate' which was delicious, none of that powdery nonsense that you normally get - proper chocolate with foamy milk. Mr went for a flat white, which was made the proper way in a proper flat white sized cup (I'm becoming a bit of coffee geek) and was of course lovely.<br />
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The blackboard lists all the food for the day, it had a pleasing number of vegetarian options alongside the meat and fish dishes - with local meats, fish and cheeses noted where applicable. I went for the roast tomato and feta tart - pleasingly square with lots of tomatoey cheesey filling alongside some super fresh salad leaves.<br />
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Mr went for the toasted cheese sourdough with onion marmalade - this was cheesey to the extreme, and awesome for it. I am planning on recreating this, with some homemade sourdough.<br />
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I always make room for pudding, and you can't go all the way there and not have a doughnut. Mine was filled with rhubarb jam and Mr's with raspberry. Both delicious, light and airy inside and crispy on the outside, and the jams both tasted like the actual fruit. I wanted another three but I had to constrain myself.<br />
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I didn't really want to leave, there is so much to try at the bakery and everyone is so friendly and welcoming. There are lots of holiday cottages in the area, and although Suffolk is very close it would be nice to spend more time there to try all the local delights.<br />
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You can find the <a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_309090006"></span>cafe menu here<span id="goog_309090007"></span></a>, and follow them on Twitter here. If you're visiting Snape Maltings they also have a little Citroen van called Cedric - where you can also buy their fresh baked goodies.<br />
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Orford is a lovely little village, whilst you are there can pop down to Pinneys of Orford after for some fresh fish or something from their smokery.<br />
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Pump Street Bakery<br />
<a href="http://pumpstreetbakery.com/">pumpstreetbakery.com</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06208203551055372708noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4003733995759509734.post-72265618013339097112013-09-15T19:48:00.003+01:002013-09-15T19:48:49.904+01:00Banana Cardamom Bread<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've made this cakey bread three times now. Something about this recipe required me to become a little obsessed with getting it just right so for the last 3 weekends we've had a banana bread of varying quality in the cake tin.<br />
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This is a cakey banana bread, it still has the crumb that a good sponge should, it isn't too dense, but it holds up well and can be spread with jam. The first two versions I made were much too dense - 2 bananas or 4 bananas is too much. 1 banana is just right! Version one had too little cardamom in it (2 pods), version two had too many (6 pods). The magic version had just one banana, and then the crushed seeds of 4 cardamom pods.<br />
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I only had bread flour in, which worked fine in this bread, and it is a bread after all. This makes one tall loaf that will cut in to lots of slices for breakfast, lunch and dinner.<br />
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1 banana - approx 100g</div>
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100g softened unsalted butter</div>
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200g caster sugar</div>
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pinch of salt</div>
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3 eggs</div>
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1 tsp vanilla extract</div>
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crushed seeds of 4 cardamom pods</div>
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1 tsp baking powder</div>
250g bread flour<br />
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Heat your oven to gas mark 3 / fan 170 / electric 180. Mash the banana in a large bowl and then add the butter - mix together well and then stir in the sugar and salt. Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing in with each addition. Then add in the vanilla and crushed seeds of cardamom. Sift in your flour and baking powder and fold in carefully.<br />
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Bake for around 40 minutes on the middle shelf til golden brown on top and cooked throughout. Leave to cool before removing from the tin and slicing.<br />
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You can eat this for breakfast, I reckon, it is totally fine. And I did.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06208203551055372708noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4003733995759509734.post-27989819951866372712013-09-01T22:05:00.001+01:002013-09-01T22:05:17.103+01:00Lunch at Poets House, Ely<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.velvetmag.co.uk/glittering-launch-for-poets-house-hotel-and-the-dining-room" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">image credit</span></a></div>
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A few weeks ago we ate somewhere new, Poets House in Ely. A hotel with a restaurant and bar just steps away from the Cathedral in a beautiful old townhouse - named so because a local author used to live there.<br />
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I've been hearing lots about it from local bloggers - <a href="http://bonewhitechina.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/review-poet-house-ely.html" target="_blank">Sian</a> and <a href="http://www.movingfoodie.com/2013/07/review-dining-room-at-poets-house-ely.html" target="_blank">Heidi</a> dined there and <a href="http://misssueflay.com/review-afternoon-tea-at-poets-house-ely/" target="_blank">Miss Sue Flay</a> recently sampled their afternoon tea. Needing somewhere to go with visiting relatives, I decided upon Poets House for a relaxed Saturday lunch. <br />
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The main dining room is elegant and beautifully decorated in black, white and grey - very swish indeed. It was reasonably quiet for a Saturday lunchtime, which did mean we had the full attention of the staff. The service was excellent, and our waitress explained the various menu options to us and was on hand for any questions we had.<br />
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I spotted an Indian wine on the menu, very intriguing, the sommelier didn't know what it was like, as he hadn't tried it, a little disappointing as far as I am aware from a sommelier - but we ordered it anyway! It was a white wine, <a href="http://sulawines.com/Sulawines/Sula-Whites/Dindori-Reserve-Viognier/3/10/" target="_blank">Sula Vineyards Viognier</a> from a winemaker based in the small town of Nashik, in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It was excellent, I'm not a much of a wine buff but it was a really nice wine, and great to see some interesting wines on the menus instead of the usual European options.<br />
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Wine ordered we proceeded to look through the menus - there are several choices. There is A la Carte, the Set 'House' menu and also the Garden Menu - a special menu based on local produce and all vegetarian. The <a href="http://www.poetshouse.com/downloads/eating/dining_room_house_menu.pdf" target="_blank">set menu</a> is really good value, with decent amount of vegetarian options, £22.50 for 2 courses or £25.50 for three courses.<br />
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I started with 'Flamed Mackerel' - which came with lime jelly, horseradish cream, little slivers of fennel and radish and a cucumber and lime sauce. The mackerel was so fresh and the skin crispy - the little condiments were great to break through the richness of the fish. A nice refreshing start!<br />
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My main was a mushroom tagliatelle - expertly made fresh pasta with lots of different kinds of mushrooms and parmesan. It also came with a foam, which I hate, I find them totally unnecessary and showy - it didn't add anything, and as it dried it left an odd ring around the dish. No foam please!<br />
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Next up was my dessert - simply titled white chocolate parfait with raspberry and caramel popcorn. It was gorgeous - the parfait was rolled in some kind of crispy coating and alongside it was sweet caramelised popcorn, little meringues, freeze dried raspberries and honeycomb. It was a beautiful looking dish and it tasted fantastic - my favourite one of the meal.<br />
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My dining companions were similarly happy with their choices - an excellent tomato soup, pan fried seabass, a vegetarian leek and pastry puff and the richest sticky toffee pudding.<br />
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Our lunch at Poets House was excellent and full of little surprises - a very well thought out menu. The surroundings are very plush and the staff very attentive. We took our coffee in the bar area which is an indoor/outdoor conservatory style area with one side being floor to ceiling glass. Afternoon teas and bar meals are served here - along with cocktails later on.<br />
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I've heard some excellent things about the afternoon tea, and the dinner, so I definitely think it is a place to return to for more treats.<br />
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<a href="http://www.poetshouse.com/eating/index.php" target="_blank">Poets House</a><br />
St Marys Street<br />
ElyAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06208203551055372708noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4003733995759509734.post-79360229701536278092013-08-26T22:14:00.000+01:002013-08-26T22:17:23.616+01:00Sourdough Baguettes <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm having a go at sourdough again. It's a funny thing - something that seems a little scary, looks a little weird and smells quite strong. But it makes amazing bread, like nothing you can buy (except from lovely bakeries) and it feels like such an achievement to make yourself.<br />
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I made my own starter a few years ago but it didn't go so well, it came out smelling a bit like paint and the bread I made also had a very chemical taste. Fellow Cambridge food blogger <a href="http://www.missigs.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Ivana</a> offered up some sourdough on Twitter so I thought it was about time to have another go - plus maybe an already active and healthy starter was the way to go this time.<br />
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This starter is very low maintenance, it stayed in it's jar for a good 5 days before I started to prepare it for baking - I think you can leave it along for up to a week between feeds. It becomes more of a pet when you are preparing for a bake, requiring a feed every 12 hours.<br />
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For the actual dough it takes about a day of going in and out of the kitchen to knead, rest, knead again, prove etc. Ivana gave me a Hilary Cacchia recipe which I'm not sure if I am allowed to reproduce but this <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/nov/27/sourdough-recipe-dan-lepard" target="_blank">Dan Lepard recipe</a> looks similar. I used 150g starter, 225 very strong white bread flour, 5g salt and 100ml room temperature water.<br />
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It's then a case of kneading for a few minutes, leaving for 30 minutes. Then a process of kneading for 20 seconds, leaving for 10, then repeating 3 times. Then leave to double in size. Then dividing the dough, leaving for 15, shaping into baguettes and placing on the baking tray. Leaving to double in size. Then bake for about 15 minutes in a hot oven til golden.<br />
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I think the crumb could have been a little more 'open' but overall the bread was fantastic. A beautiful crispy top and soft fluffy interior. I sliced them lengthways and we had them simply with fried garlic mushrooms and a little parmesan on top.<br />
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I've still got plenty of starter left, sitting happily in my fridge, so hopefully there will be more recipes coming here soon! Watch this space :)<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06208203551055372708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4003733995759509734.post-11388744112609615252013-08-06T16:00:00.000+01:002013-08-06T16:00:44.926+01:00Nankhatai - Indian Spiced Biscuits<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.karohemd.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">photo by Ozzy</span></a></div>
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One of my favourite recipes from my Indian Afternoon Tea last weekend was Nankhatai - they are the perfect cup of tea biscuits and are very easy to make. You can customise them with different spices and once they are baked, different toppings.<br />
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Nankhatai can be found in most Indian bakeries and sweetmarts, they usually bake with a cracked top but I couldn't achieve this - I'm not sure what the technique is - but they tasted just as good!<br />
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Nankhatai are eggless biscuits, a lot of Indians don't eat eggs for religious reasons which is why they are such a popular baked good in India. They contain a pleasingly large amount of butter, which gives them their melting soft texture and makes them very moreish.<br />
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My biscuits are flavoured with cardamom and saffron and I topped them with chopped pistachios (bound with a little runny honey to stop them falling out), and some of them cumin seeds, which I love with sweet things.<br />
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<b>Nankhatai - makes about 30 biscuits (easily halved)</b><br />
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100g softened butter<br />
100g icing sugar<br />
1/2 teaspoon baking powder<br />
Pinch of saffron<br />
3 pods worth of black cardamom seeds - ground finely<br />
250g plain flour<br />
20g gram flour / chickpea flour<br />
30g coarse semolina<br />
Pistachios or other nuts to decorate.<br />
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Preheat your oven 160c / gas mark 4<br />
Cream together the butter and sugar til smooth.<br />
Add in your spices and baking powder and stir briefly<br />
Sift in your flours, mix with a wooden spoon first and then as it comes together use your hands to form a dough - it will be quite soft.<br />
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Line or grease a couple of large baking trays and then make 1 inch balls out of the dough and place on the sheet. They should be fully round, don't flatten otherwise you won't get lovely rounded biscuits at the end.<br />
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Once you've got all the dough balls ready press into the middle to create a small hole, being careful not to flatten them. I used a velun (a rolling pin for rotli) - you could use the end of a tablespoon very carefully to do this.<br />
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Bake for 15 minutes til they are only just a little golden on the edges. Remove from the oven and then add your pistachios or other choice of topping - other nuts work well, as does desiccated coconut, or when they are cool you can add chopped chocolate.<br />
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They keep very well for a few days in an airtight tin stored at room temperature. I recommend you have them with a cup of <a href="http://lazygiraffeblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/masala-chai.html" target="_blank">masala chai!</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06208203551055372708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4003733995759509734.post-29625642592656014572013-08-05T22:35:00.000+01:002013-08-06T10:53:40.686+01:00My First Pop-Up Tea Party - Indian Afternoon Tea<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On Sunday I hosted my very first food event! An Indian inspired afternoon tea featuring Gujarati snacks, sweets and Indian inspired bakes - and of course lots of tea. On the menu were two savouries, various sweets, two cakes and masala chai.<br />
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My venue was the fabulous <a href="http://www.cambridgecookeryschool.com/" target="_blank">Cambridge Cookery School </a>- which was a dream to cook in - especially being as my kitchen is the size of a postage stamp. There were 5 ovens, or maybe 6! I lost count. I had a lot of fun prepping in there. I had the help of <a href="http://www.misssueflay.com/" target="_blank">Miss Sue Flay</a>, Cambridge's afternoon tea expert extraordinaire - her experience was much appreciated!<br />
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My guests arrived and I greeted them with a refreshing glass of Mango Lassi. My lassi was spiced with cumin - based on the traditional Gujarati dessert of 'Rus' - which is mango puree sprinkled with cumin and salt, eaten like a cold soup. Mango Lassi often comes with just a little salt, or fennel, the cumin was a nice change - and very nostalgic for me! <a href="http://lazygiraffeblog.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/mango-lassi-in-approximately-5-minutes.html" target="_blank">My mango lassi recipe is here.</a><br />
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My afternoon tea consisted of two savouries, three sweets and two cakes. As you would traditionally start with finger sandwiches my guests dove into the savouries first.<br />
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Dhokra - steamed chickpea & semolina sponge, with chilli & ginger</div>
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Pea Katchoris - crispy pastries filled with peas, potato, cumin and mustard seeds</div>
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Tea station</div>
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Whilst everyone worked their way through savouries I made two big pans of masala chai with <a href="http://kandulatea.com/" target="_blank">Kandula English Breakfast Tea</a> and a sprinkling of <a href="http://jacobsjams.com/page4.html" target="_blank">Jacob's Jam's Chai Masala</a>. Masala chai is made by bringing water, sugar, masala and loose tea to the boil then adding milk and bringing to the boil once again. If my guests wondered why I was staring so intently at it, it is because it can boil over in seconds if you take your eye off it - a watched pot does boil, <a href="http://lazygiraffeblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/masala-chai.html" target="_blank">full recipe here.</a><br />
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Onto the sweets - again as is traditional for afternoon tea - they made up the majority of my offering for the day. I really wanted to include some mithai on my menu, as they are integral to sweets in Indian culture - served during all celebrations - weddings, births, Diwali and when welcoming important guests.<br />
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My personal favourite mithai is ladoo - made up of tiny deep fried sugar balls which are then formed into large rounds and spiced with cardamom and decorated with pistachio nuts. These are something of a challenge to make, so they didn't make it on to my menu - but if you see them anywhere - buy them!<br />
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Kopra Pak - coconut and milk sweets with saffron and a sprinkling of chocolate</div>
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Ghor Papri - ghoor/jaggery and sesame seeds with pistachio for prettiness</div>
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Crumbly and lightly spiced Nankhatai biscuits are ideal with a cup of tea, and they were a hit with my guests. Thumbprint cookies remind me of Nankhatai - although the Indian biscuits are filled with nuts or sometimes spices. Mine had pistachio on top, and for a few brave types - cumin seeds.<br />
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What is afternoon tea without cake? First up was my <a href="http://lazygiraffeblog.blogspot.com/2013/05/honey-sesame-dream-cake.html" target="_blank">Honey Sesame Dream Cake</a> - not a based on a traditional Indian recipe but the flavours are quite Indian! I made a double batch for an extra tall cake.<br />
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My centrepiece was a Masala Chai Cake which had three components - a light sponge which was then soaked in spiced tea syrup before being sandwiched with cream cheese buttercream with a final flourish of syrup and some pistachios. My cake icing skills need a little work, I have to admit, but I was happy with the flavours. I'm planning on making that tea syrup again, but putting it into a cocktail instead!<br />
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Putting on a food event is such hard work, I'm used to organising conferences as part of my day job, but food is something else! I spent the whole weekend prepping plus all the planning before, list making, shopping, recipe collecting - but it was so FUN. I learnt lots, and some new techniques - a lot of the food I'd eaten before but never cooked before so it was a steep learning curve.<br />
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The majority of the pictures in this post were taken by <a href="http://karohemd.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Ozzy</a> - thank you for capturing my event so perfectly. :)<br />
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Thanks so much to all who came to my tea - particular thanks to Tine at the Cookery School for the venue, Miss Sue Flay for being a fabulous assistant, Gemma at <a href="http://www.lintonkitchen.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Linton Kitchen</a> for lending me her gorgeous china and <a href="https://twitter.com/jmwlls" target="_blank">my lovely husband</a> for being my sous chef/assistant/calmer downer.<br />
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I'm doing this all again soon! Next is a supperclub which will be a 3 course Gujarati (vegetarian) feast. I'm still working out a date so stand by your inboxes (<a href="http://lazygiraffeblog.blogspot.co.uk/p/mailing-list.html" target="_blank">sign up to get emails here</a>) or follow me on <a href="http://www.twiter.com/lazygiraffe" target="_blank">Twitter</a> for tickets. Soon!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06208203551055372708noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4003733995759509734.post-90807372854657351582013-07-28T21:24:00.001+01:002013-07-28T21:29:23.476+01:00Homemade Garam Masala <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've always bought Garam Masala, sometimes from an Indian grocer but more often than not from the supermarket, which I have now learnt is not a patch on making your own.<br />
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Googling for recipes I've learnt that everyone, and I mean <i><b>everyone</b></i> makes theirs differently. I think it depends on what you prefer, spice wise. Some add cinnamon or turmeric, I preferred to leave these out - cumin, coriander and cardamom are the flavours I really wanted to stand out in my masala.<br />
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Ideally you need a grinder, I have an attachment for my blender which grinds spices. Some also use a coffee grinder, but do bear in mind if you use it for spices it isn't wise to use it again for coffee - it will have to be your spice grinder from then on. If you have neither then a pestle & mortar will work, but will obviously take longer.<br />
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It's very simple, just add all your spices to the grinder and give it a whizz until it is a fine powder. Decant into an airtight jar - jam jar or kilner jar is perfect, and store in a cool, dark place.<br />
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My garam masala has a little twist - local chilli purveyor, Ben of <a href="http://www.capsicana.co.uk/" target="_blank">Capiscana Chilli Co</a>. recently tweeted that he'd made his own mix using one of his dried Mexican chillies; I was very intrigued and with Ben's gift of a parcel of <a href="http://www.capsicana.co.uk/shop/whole-chillies" target="_blank">Ancho Poblano and Pasilla Chillies</a> I decided to make my own masala. I used about 1 inch piece of each dried chilli (seeds included) and whizzed it up with the other spices.<br />
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<b>Garam Masala</b><br />
Makes about 70g of masala.<br />
Easily doubled/tripled, but don't make too much, fresh masala is better masala.<br />
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2 teaspoons of coriander seed</div>
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2 teaspoons of cumin seed</div>
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1 teaspoon black peppercorns</div>
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3 bay leaves</div>
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6 cardamom pods - use the black seeds inside only </div>
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4 cloves</div>
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1 inch piece of poblano chilli, chopped</div>
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1 inch piece of pasilla chilli, chopped</div>
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The addition of the<a href="http://www.capsicana.co.uk/shop/whole-chillies" target="_blank"> Mexican dried chillies </a>gave a great kick to the masala as well as a nice fruitiness and smokiness. I've already added some of it to recipes I'm cooking for my<a href="http://lazygiraffeblog.blogspot.co.uk/p/mailing-list.html" target="_blank"> Indian Afternoon Tea</a> and it is 100 x better than any garam masala I've bought before. </div>
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Try it out, it's easy!</div>
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<i>Thank you Ben for sending me the chillies!</i></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06208203551055372708noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4003733995759509734.post-23418221716271992452013-07-25T09:30:00.000+01:002013-07-25T09:30:02.993+01:00Roasted Aubergine - simple veggie dinner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A quick and simple one here. This is currently our favourite veggie dinner - it is super easy to make, healthy and filling. And you can change up the toppings and sides to make it different each time.<br />
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I work to about 1.5 aubergines per person. Cut them lengthways and add to a baking dish with good quality olive oil, crushed garlic, plenty of seasoning (aubergines are spongy and therefore need plenty of help) and chilli flakes. Roast for around 25 minutes at a medium high heat. Then remove from the oven and wrap in foil, leave for a few minutes, this helps them to wilt a little and become silkier and even softer.<br />
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I have some top tips for this recipe, and aubergines in general:<br />
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<ol>
<li>Always always use room temperature aubergines, otherwise they will stay rubbery and won't breakdown</li>
<li>Line your baking dish with foil or greaseproof paper. Aubergines are sticky little things and roasted aubergine will weld itself to your favourite dish and be impossible to wash off. </li>
<li>Wrapping the aubergines as soon as they come out of the oven will allow them to rest and collapse, giving you lovely soft aubergine flesh to eat.</li>
</ol>
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Toppings wise for these we have had several things include:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Salsa verde & feta cheese</li>
<li>Pesto & parmesan/vegetarian Parmesan</li>
<li>Tomato (pasta) sauce and mozzarella (parmagiana style)</li>
<li>Yoghurt & tahini sauce and crisped chickpeas, <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/" target="_blank">Smitten Kitchen Style</a> (in the cookbook)</li>
</ul>
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We usually serve it with a side salad, quinoa or cous cous also works well. Also, you should definitely do this on the barbecue whilst it is still sunny!</div>
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Now go and buy some aubergines and get baking :)</div>
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Other veggie friendly Aubergine recipes:<br />
<a href="http://lazygiraffeblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/sort-of-sea-spiced-aubergine.html" target="_blank">Sea Spiced Aubergine</a><br />
<a href="http://lazygiraffeblog.blogspot.com/2013/05/aubergine-tomato-pasta.html" target="_blank">Aubergine & Tomato Pasta</a><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06208203551055372708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4003733995759509734.post-7713237983257894812013-07-24T08:00:00.000+01:002013-07-24T08:00:08.292+01:00Peach Clafoutis & A Week in Limousin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We spent a week in Limousin last week, a much needed relaxing break after a few crazy months of working too much,<a href="http://www.lazygiraffe.com/" target="_blank"> making a lot of jewellery</a> and generally not finding a lot of time to sit still. We went to the land of clafoutis, madeleines, pottery and cows. Limousin is very sleepy - lots of small towns and even smaller villages and hamlets tucked in to the rolling hills and next to winding streams and rivers.<br />
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We ate reasonably well, being with a vegetarian in France is a little tough and we planned to eat more in the gite (for budget reasons too) so we made good use of the local shops for this. We ate a lot of cheese and bread, as was my target and expectation. There is an excellent bakery in Saint Yrieux la Perche called Tartine which I would highly recommend - otherwise most other places you'll go will be great anyway!<br />
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I was keen to get back in the kitchen, and spend some time recreating local dishes and French classics. We had tartiflette one evening (minus the bacon for the veggie) and I tried my hand at the local speciality of clafoutis. Traditionally it is made with cherries, but I fancied peaches after we bought some gorgeous ones at the local supermarket.<br />
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I didn't realise just how easy clafoutis would be! I had pretty limited kitchen equipment - no scales, a tiny whisk and a casserole was to be my mixing bowl. I baked the clafoutis in a gorgeous old metal tart tin and it didn't stick!<br />
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I went for <a href="http://siw-vegetables.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/summery-dessert-recipe-cherry-clafoutis.html" target="_blank">this adaption of a Julia Child recipe - an American recipe</a> (mon dieu!) because I could estimate about what a cup would be, and use the teacups we had in the house. It worked out just fine, the only change was that I added 1 tsp of baking powder to ensure puffiness.<br />
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I sliced peaches with the skins still on and arranged them artfully(ish) on the top after one layer of the batter had cooked in the oven for a few minutes - this ensures the fruit doesn't sink. Once the second layer was baked I sprinkled the still warm clafoutis with sugar and left to cool slightly.<br />
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Limousin was a very lovely holiday destination, if a little quiet, but if you want to force yourself to do little then it is a great place to unwind, eat too much bread and cheese. :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06208203551055372708noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4003733995759509734.post-41309243621204760452013-07-23T16:37:00.000+01:002013-07-23T16:38:24.939+01:00Hotel du Vin Cambridge, Afternoon Tea<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A few months ago I tried the Hotel du Vin afternoon tea during <a href="http://lazygiraffeblog.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/the-etiquette-of-afternoon-tea-with.html" target="_blank">Miss Sue Flay's afternoon tea etiquette </a>workshop, it was on the whole very good indeed with the exception of some very lurid pink cupcakes which were very strange, given the rest of the selection. They invited me back to try their tea, after making some improvements, I went along a couple of weeks ago with two friends and unfortunately things haven't improved.<br />
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I am all for being fair when I blog, and sometimes I think I can be overly positive - so as not nice as it is to write a bad review, we all have to do it. A blogger's duty ;)<br />
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Between three of us we had a large tier - with sandwiches, scones, pastries and cake. There was a great selection of loose leaf tea, which was served in pretty blue and white floral teapots. They even provide a pot of hot water, something lots of tea rooms do not do - it is essential to prevent you drinking stewed cold tea.<br />
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The sandwiches were the same as before, and very good. Good quality smoked salmon and cream cheese, ham and cucumber. One of my tea companions was vegetarian, which she mentioned beforehand, so they included a separate plate of veggie sandwiches - a nice thought, I can't remember what they all were but I know it wasn't all cheese!<br />
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Next up were the scones, which were quite disappointing. Last time I had afternoon tea there we were treated to tall fluffy scones, just as they should be. This time around they were very flat indeed, chewy and obviously overcooked. Such a shame, the scones are the centrepiece of an afternoon tea, and it should always be the element that is perfect.<br />
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We moved on to the mille feuille - the pastry was nice but not too sweet, and the cream was just cream, not sweetened. There was a little jam/coulis but not enough to taste. Next to that were some fresh fruit tarts with cream pattiserie - the tarts had obviously been filled a little while ago - and the cream had made them soft. Soft soggy pastry, which was also undercooked (they also seemed liked they were bought in, and they are often paler than homecooked) so it was all a bit disappointing. The blueberries were fresh though!<br />
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The last offering was a sort of chocolatey nut cake, it wasn't very rich in chocolate and each was cut at very strange and slightly jagged angles, a little shabby for an elegant afternoon tea. The cake itself wasn't dry but the flavour was a little miscellaneous.<br />
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I really liked the afternoon tea last time around, so I am really not sure what happened this time. I'm quite disappointed. The library, where tea is served, is gorgeous, very cosy in the Winter, and it is a great central location. They have an excellent opportunity here and it will be sad if their afternoon tea offering becomes the same as the rest of those offered in central Cambridge - badly thought out and only appealing to the tourist crowd. Maybe I'll just pop in for a cuppa next time.<br />
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<a href="http://www.hotelduvin.com/locations/cambridge/" target="_blank">Hotel Du Vin</a><br />
Trumpington Street<br />
Cambridge<br />
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<i><b>Do any of my readers have any great central Cambridge recommendations for afternoon tea? I'd love to hear them, between conversations with other bloggers we have slightly drawn a blank.</b></i><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06208203551055372708noreply@blogger.com3