Light Lunch

If you are lucky enough to be living in a country where it is still summer, then I hope this will be a useful hint for a light summer lunch.

It is very basic, yet it beats your everyday sandwich. It is also good for you in so many ways, I like to eat this with slabs of cold salted butter just to off set that though. 

The list of ingredients is more 'say what you see' than any secret, but I'll make it clear for you anyway. This is for two hungry people:

2 honey and soy smoked mackerel fillets

2 small eating pears

1 ball of the best mozzarella  you can get your hands on

bag of roquette

1 white stonebaked flute (or any baguette you feel like eating)

chilled salted butter, for bread

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 tbsp runny honey

1 1/2 tbsp good olive oil

plenty of salt and pepper

Put the lemon, honey, oil, salt and pepper into an empty jam jar and shake it until your arms ache - or ingredients are combined. Voila, your dressing is ready, and you have something to keep it in should you have dressing left over. It might be easier to double the ingredients list and just keep the rest for next time (which will come soon, I assure you).

Cut the pears into even slices and remove any core. Split the roquette between two plates, scatter with torn off chunks of the mozzarella and arrange the pears over this. Drizzle with plenty of dressing. If you are making a huge bowl for several people then just chuck everything into a bowl and toss it together lightly, there's no need for extra mess when there's just two of you.

Divide the mackerel and bread between the plates and enjoy with a large cold glass of sparkling elderflower cordial.

Quick Tip: Cake Decorating!!

Kristen was one of our first blog followers so, other than giving her our undying love and appreciation, I decided it would be nice for me to make her b-day cake. When I asked her what kind of cake was her fav, I was expecting something along the lines of a hazelnut, chocolate, raspberry torte. Instead, she wanted a simple yellow cake with choco frosting. This classic is so yummy but I panicked as I looked for a yellow cake recipe. I have never known anyone to make one without a ready-made mix (gasp). I e-mailed my friend Lauren, who went to school for baking, and she sent me a delish recipe which i tweaked to create my masterpiece. So ditch the box and get with it.

When you are at the grocery store, buy some amazing sprinkles so you can decorate! After you have iced the cake stick in the fridge. Draw out a design/letter/symbol and cut it out. i did a K for Kristen (duh). When the icing is hard, stick your cut out on the cake. It should hold in the icing but not be a goopy mess... it kinda sits on top. Take your sprinkles and sprinkle A LOT over/around the symbol.. lift up and your design with be left (look below)! Perfection.

Here is the recipe!!

http://www.joyofbaking.com/YellowButterCake.html

Brunch: Leek, Parmesan, and Potato Frittata

My friend Caroline took me to Governor's Island (a quick ferry ride from Manhattan) for the Jazz Age Dance Picnic sponsored by the Brooklyn Brewery. I have to say it was one of the loveliest days I have had in ages. People were dressed in 20s attire (we didn't get the memo.. awkward) and there was a jazz/swing band. We brought a picnic. She made a delish leek, parmesan, and potato frittata. I used to make frittatas often till eggs and I fell out of love. I don't really enjoy the slimy factor of the incredible edible ingredient but this particular treat is more substance than goo. If you need a little bit of meat, throw in some cooked lardons (thick-cut bacon). The frittata can pretty much include any ingredient you want/have laying around. Try out some different combos.

LEEK, PARM, and POTATO FRITTATA

serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 large clove garlic crushed
• 1 lb red potatoes, very thinly sliced
  
• 1/2 cup chopped leeks
  
• 10 large eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1/2 cup Parmesan
• s&p

DIRECTIONS:

• Pre-heat oven to 45oF/230C
• Melt butter in large skillet
  
• Toss in garlic and chopped leeks.. sweat (meaning cook on low-ish heat.. you don't want them to brown) for two min.
• Toss in potatoes. Season with s & p.
• Turn frequently and cook for about 12 min.
  
• While the mixture is cooking, whisk the eggs, parm, and cream together.
  
• Add the egg mixture to the skillet. Make sure it is mixed in and evenly spread.
• Put skillet in oven for 10 min.
• Remove from the oven and serve.. can take out of skillet and serve it luke warm later (at the park perhaps???)

* NOTE: They are doing this again on Governors Island on the 28th-29th of August. The tickets are only $7. GO! Here is the link:

http://www.dreamlandorchestra.com/calendar.php

Loves,

A
xxxxx

Quick Dinner #1: Grilled Steak with Avocado and Black Bean/Corn Salad

My friend from college, Chels, requested recipes for quick dinners so i am going to do a series of them.. this is the first. If you notice there are no carbs in this dish. Reason= I was exercising at the gym the other day (a rarity indeed) and a personal trainer approached me. Oh God. She proceeded to tell me what a lovely figure I had "except for the middle section". The truth was spoken.. and I was not pleased. She suggested that I not eat "white carbs" and I suggested she remove herself from my presence. Despite my annoyance, I am going to try it.. so here is a delicious meal that is quick, easy, and perfect for summer.

P.S.- I love corn... just in case you wanted to know.

STEAK with AVOCADO & BLACK BEAN/CORN SALSA
serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 LARGE bone in-rib-eye steak
  
• salt and pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
• olive oil
• 1 large avocado
• a splash of lemon
  
• sour cream
  

for the salsa:

• 1 can black beans
• 1 large tomato, deseeded and chopped
• 1 green pepper, deseeded and chopped
• 1 cup corn, you can cook it on the cob or use canned.
  
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 lemon, juiced
• salt & pepper
• 1 large glug extra virgin olive oil
• a sprinkle of chili powder (to taste.. i like mine spicy)

DIRECTIONS:

• Marinade steak in garlic, olive oil, and pepper... do at least 4 hours in advance
  
• If you are going to grill the steak, get the bbq going to med-high heat!!!! (if you don't have time you can always cook it stove-top)
• Make the salad.. combine oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, chili powder, and cumin in a mixing bowl. Whisk
• Add beans, corn, tomato, and pepper, You're done!
  
• prepare the avocado by removing stone, and cut into thin slices.
  
• Sprinkle with lemon juice (to keep the color) and add some s &p... put aside.
• Throw the steak on the grill.. let it go until it is done to your taste. medium should be about 20 min.. it will register at 120 F/49 C on a meat thermometer.
  
• Let meat rest for 5 min after off grill.. slice.
• Serve with avocado and salad.. and a dollop of sour cream.
• GET YOUR EAT ON.
  

Cherry Crumble

There has been a large windfall of cherries and they compliment just about any fruit, mostly those which go well with nutty fruits - peaches, nectarines, plums, pears. I made this one with some eating pears, but at this time of year you should really use plums or nectarines. Try peeling any fruit that has a considerable flesh but all you need to do with the cherries is pit and wash. 

700g cherries (weight including stones)

substantial amount of any other fruit you wish to use

1 tbsp caster sugar

3 tbsp amaretto

for the topping:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup caster sugar

1/2 cup flaked almonds

1/2 cup jumbo rolled oats

Preheat oven to 180C/350F

In a pie dish place all the ingredients for the fruit filling. Cover with the liqueur and sugar and let it sit for half an hour to release some juices.

For the topping rub together the flour and butter until combined, then stir in the rest of the ingredients. Scatter over the fruit and press down. You can always scatter over some demerara sugar at this point for a little extra crunch, but it's totally up to you.

Bake in the oven for about 30-40 minutes (depending on the ripeness of fruit you have used, try and use fruit that is firm). Check after 25 to make sure the top isn't burning, if it is, simply cover with foil for the rest of the time.

If you are eating it hot then you must serve it with a good vanilla icecream, if you're eating it cold, some pouring cream with a dash of vanilla essence is just as dreamy.

I hope you enjoy!

Some Picnic Fare

A friend of mine works at the Opera Holland Park in London and I was fortunate enough to go along recently to see Fidelio (incredible in case you were wondering).
The evening starts off with a picnic in the park. As it's supper time you want something that is substantial but also easy enough to transport. Something that tastes delicious cold would also come in handy.

Therefore I turned my hand to the age-old picnic staples: quiche and potato salad. For the greater part of my adolescence I hated this tart. Something about the savory custard base never appealed to me. Over the past few years I have increasingly found that this tart is in fact delicious. This was enjoyed at the picnic and hopefully it will appeal to you:

For the pastry:

85 g (3 oz) cold unsalted butter cut into small cubes

175 g(6 oz) plain flour

1 egg

1 egg white (save the yolk for the custard recipe)

splash or two of cold water

• Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and rub in the butter with your finger tips to create fine bread crumbs.


• Sprinkle in the salt and add the egg with a splash or two of water - bring the dough together with your fingers (if it's looking dry add a little more water).


• Knead lightly to form a ball of dough, then wrap in clingfilm and leave to rest in the fridge for at least half an hour.


• I don't have a quiche tin so used a pie dish - it worked perfectly well. Preheat an oven to 200 C/400 F. Lightly grease a loose-bottomed flan tin or pie dish and sprinkle with flour - tip out any excess.


• Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until a few millimeters thick. Lay the pastry in the tin and trim off any excess. Line the pastry with greaseproof paper and fill to cover with baking weights (this can be anything from actual weights to rice to lentils).


• Bake in the middle of the oven for 10-12 minutes then remove the baking weights and paper. Brush the pastry case with the egg white as this will help seal the pastry. Return the pastry to the oven for a further five minutes or until pale golden.


• Remove and leave to cool before you add your filling.

For the filling:

There is a quiche filling for every season of the year but I decided to stick with something simple - leek and Parmesan. Two strong flavours so you don't need to faff around with lardons and herbs etc.

3 eggs + the egg yolk left over from the pastry

250 ml/1 cup whole (full fat) milk - most recipes call for creme fraiche or cream so consider this a virtuous version

1 tbsp of unsalted butter

4 leeks - washed, trimmed and sliced

50g/half a cup of finely grated Parmesan

sea salt and freshly ground pepper - you wont need too much salt as the cheese should take care of that for you, but the leeks will need seasoning and a little for the eggs as well.

• Preheat the oven to 170 C/330 F


• Melt the butter over a medium heat. Add the leeks and let them sweat down until soft


• Whisk the eggs together and add the milk, parmesan and seasoning


• Once the leeks are cooked and cooled slightly add to the egg mixture and pour into the prepared pastry case


• Bake in the middle of the oven for 35-40 minutes - if it starts to brown too quickly, cover with foil and continue baking

Leave to cool in it's tin and if you are taking it along to a picnic I would recommend transporting it in the dish you cooked it in - just remember a knife!

Potato Salad

Easiest thing to make yet cold potatoes are so delicious. I've opted for a non-creamy one as there could be a little too much dairy if you have it with quiche.

750g/26 oz of jersey royal potatoes cut into roughly 1 inch bits

2 bay leaves

1 tbsp whole grain mustard

2 tbsp good olive oil

2 tsp cider vinegar

1 tsp of sugar

3 tbsp cornichons, chopped (this is about 8 cornichons)

1 tbsp capers

2 tbsp chopped fresh dill

pinch of salt and fresh black pepper

• Put the bay leaves in a large pan of water and bring to the boil. Season with plenty of salt and add the potatoes


• Whilst the potatoes are cooking, add the rest of the ingredients to a jam jar and give it an extremely vicious shake


• Drain the potatoes once cooked (they should be on the softer side of done as no one wants a hard cold potato)


• Pour over the olive oil mixture immediately so that the potatoes get a chance to absorb the flavours. Leave uncovered so that the potatoes can continue to release their steam


• Let it cool to room temperature before covering and placing in the fridge

That amount should serve six, but with other sides and salad. I would strongly recommend some homemade coleslaw or remoulade as well as savoury muffins. Some sausage rolls wouldn't go amiss either and you can a recipe for those on this here blog too.

Hope you are making the most of your summer!

Yes, it's a Smart Car cake...

Rather than a recipe I just wanted to show what two people were capable of with an afternoon filled with food dye and royal icing...


That's right. It even has license plates. Front AND back.

My friend Kaori had the inspirational idea to build a Smart Car cake for her boyfriend's birthday. Naturally, I asked if I could help. What I learned along the way was that measuring a cake with a ruler is really hard and that if you try most of the afternoon you will be very pleased with the results. It may be a little rough around the edges but when it comes to culinary experiments this is definitely the most awesome product I have ever had a hand in.

So get creative with loaf trays and make various other box shaped cakes! Who knew rectangles could be this much fun?

You may not be fortunate enough as me to have someone like Kaori who knows how to put stuff together. In fact, she is also an amazing seamstress, check out some of her creations:
www.kaori.co.uk