Recipes and Restaurants
New Gem: Reynolds 'Love Grazing'
Comments (0) | Sunday, March 21, 2010
Being proud of my knowledge of coffee shops in my surrounding area in London, it took me quite by surprise when i stumbled upon this little cafe on my way to my usual local for my morning dose of caffeine. Newly opened two months ago, their business is growing weekly and its becoming a hit amongst the students given the cheapish coffee, good lighting, large tables, free wireless internet and its motto of grazing - to eat little portions constantly.
Interior design consists of modern renovations compounded onto a jumbled set of tables and chairs giving it a look of a yard sale. With the large lights and a wall covered with wood panels, they definitely tried to put effort into creating an atmosphere, but somehow, even with the miniature pot plants the cafe gives off a generic atmosphere.
The coffee itself is acceptable. Though the large-ish cup forces the coffee to be diluted with an excess amount of milk. So if you want to have a good strong cup of coffee, order an extra shot - you'll need it. their supplier is Union Coffee, using a Brazilian/Guatamalan blend. I didn't get a chance to try to the food, but they serve snacks to soup for a reasonable price.
It's definitely worth going again, if not to try out the food, then at least its a place conducive to spend a few hours working on an essay or just reading a book.
53 Charlotte Street,
London
W1T 4PA
Tel: 020 75800730
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Galileo's Restaurant, Observatory Hotel
Comments (0) | Saturday, March 20, 2010
We decided for a night of extravagance so decided to head down to Galileo's on Kent street.
First came our amuse bouche. It was an arrancini ball drizzled with lemon infused olive oil.
Next came our entrees. First was the quail confit with peppercorn jelly.
The other entree was scallops with cauliflower puree and celeriac.
Lastly, Crab Mille Feuille, layered with sliced avocado and tomato coulis.
Mains were next, this was the Assiette of Rabbit, different cuts of rabbit cooked in three different ways on truffle infused risotto and vegetable puree
This was the foie gras pie, in port sauce.
Desserts: Grand Mariner Souffle with green tea ice cream and raspberry coulis
Apple gallette with mandarin and vanilla bean ice cream
Chocolate assiette, Galileo's ice cream and mystery item.
All in all, a great night: great food, great atmosphere, and more importantly, great company.
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Recipe: Roast Chicken, Duck Fat Potatoes, Pigs in Blankets
Comments (0) | Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Sunday roast chicken with duck fat potatoes, pigs in blankets and roasted greens. It cannot be considered a quick meal, but the end result is worth the time and effort. Time needed: 3 hours.
Roast Chicken
Preheat oven to 180 Celsius. Rub onto chicken herbs and seasoning, feel free to shove some under the skin. We used rosemary, thyme, mint, salt and pepper. Some butter on top. Chop a few onions in half to prop up chicken on roasting tray. Cover whole tray with foil creating a gap between the foil and the chicken for the air to circulate. Roast for 30 mins per 500g, basting it every 30 mins to keep it moist. For the last 30 mins, remove the foil to brown chicken. (Our chicken was 2kg, hence 1.5 hours with foil, 30 mins without). Leave to stand for another 30 minutes wrapped in foil before carving and serving.
Gravy
The juices and grease from the roast should never be wasted! Skim the oil off and separate the juicy goodness from the oil (roast oil can actually be kept for future use). Pour juices into a saucepan and add a bit of liquid stock (depends how much gravy you want). Let it simmer and reduce, taste and season appropriately. Add flour to thicken. Serve whilst hot.
Duck Fat Potatoes
Skin/wash and chop potatoes to prefer size, and boil in lightly salted water till half cooked (when there is still resistance at the core when poking it). Grease roasting tray. Strain and scatter the potatoes. Spread duck fat uniformly over all (how much is discretionary). Shove into oven until crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside (this depends on how big your potatoes are).
Pigs in Blankets
Usually made by wrapping sausages in streaky bacon. I feel that its just as effective and cheaper to just buy sausage meat and wrap that instead. You may want to mince some onion and/or garlic into the sausage meat but its not essential. Size depends on how much meat and bacon you have. (Ours were similar to a pingpong ball). Shove in the oven for 20-30 minutes (vary for size). (This will slot in nicely with the last 30 minutes of the roast chicken. Juices from the pigs will also add to the roast juices.)
Roasted Greens
Cut capsicums and courgettes into strips. Onions into quarters. Sprinkle olive oil and herbs and shove in oven until cooked (i think 15-20 minutes).
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Recipe: Spicy Gammon Steak with Apple Mustard Sauce
Comments (0) | Monday, March 8, 2010
It's an amazing feeling when you are roaming the aisles of the supermarket and out of the corner of your eye, you see a bargain that you're willing to experiment with. Today: Gammon steaks!
Spicy Gammon Steaks
Some soak it in water overnight to rid the excess salt. (I didn't have time but end result wasn't excessively salty) Marinate briefly with cayenne pepper and paprika. Heat up the pan. Glob of butter (I actually used left over grease from my sunday roast, but same effect). Medium high heat to sear it a bit, then I turned it down. Flip intermittently. Make sure both side browns nicely. Should be ready within 15 mins.
Apple Mustard Sauce
Experimental from a random recipe online. Skin and core apple. Finely grate it. Mix into it a dash of lemon juice and generous spoonful of whole grain mustard (if using a stronger mustard, you might want to go easier on it). Melt glob of butter on low heat. Add mixture and stir. Use spoon to break down any bigger bits of apple. Season and serve.
Goes amazingly with mash.
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Sweet Potato Mash and Chicken Wings
Comments (0) | Saturday, March 6, 2010
In order to revive this blog and make posts less of a burden, I'm abandoning the facade of professionalism and embracing the casual stream of colloquial language and prose.
Simple meal. Simple flavours. Simple recipe.
Sweet Potato Mash
Peel and clean sweet potatoes. Boil till tender. Strain. Add glob of butter with salt and pepper to season. Mash like no tomorrow (use a fork). Optional: Add bits of capsicums (above), leek, or whatever other vegetables you like. I have also been advised to either add milk or a raw egg during mashing to make it smoother.
Oyster Sauce Chicken Wings
Preheat oven 200 degrees, upper and lower grill. Cut chicken wings into sections. Marinate in oyster sauce and a dash of sesame oil. Wait (need not long, 20 minutes will do). Shove them in and wait (time depends on size of chicken wings, stab with fork to check readiness. If juices run clear, its time to eat.)
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