Archipelagos

So my birthday surprise this year was a dinner out at Archipelagos, a restaurant I had had my eye on for a while now for its rumoured exotic and fun outlandish menu.  We arrived, the first for the evening sitting and had to give a 'password' for our table, which was "the smiling budda" if I remember correctly.

Our menus were presented a scrolls and the contents of the menu looked fantastic.  i decided to go for an Australian theme so I had Crocodile fillet seared in vine leaves with a plum sauce, followed by kangaroo marinated in zhug with water spinach and choi.

Between myself and my family we had wildebeast, zebra, ostrich, duck, crocodile, crickets, locusts and probably some other delights I can't remember.  However the deserts are what I was really excited by, especially when I saw something with rose was on the menu as I am a sucker for floral flavours.

The desert menus were printed in old hard back books, with a wax stamp over the page, a really fun quirky touch I thought.

Although none of my family had formally requested the wonderful waitress had got wind of the fact it as my birthday, so my desert came a top with a sparkler!....As it was bought out my family begun the embarrassing sound of an attempted "Happppyyyy Biiiirthday" I hushed them up before it had begun, however the very jovial (and slightly inebriated) table behind of 20 strong saw my horror at a public happy birthday and thought it would be great to start it up again.  It ended up that the whole restaurant sang it, I blushed a lot but it was a lovely place with lovely people and added to the atmosphere and fun.

I ordered a rose water brulee with lemon and lime tuille and a baby bee.  Yes it was actually a baby bee.  The brulee was amazing, light, sweet and flowery and the honey comb the bee was served on was in fact white chocolate moulded around what I think was probably bubble wrap to give that effect.  The lemon and lime tuille cut through the sweet softness of the chocolate and the bee? Well, you'll have to ask my boyfriend, insect eater extraordinaire.

My boyfriend, Tom also ordered an ominous sounding 'visit from the doctor' on the deserts menu...We were not entirely sure what this involved but it sounded fun.  We were right, it was a lot of fun!  Our waiteress appeared with a medicine box full of an array of different 'medicines' ready to repair any ailments of the patient.

She thought best to prescribe him something rather strong....She poured it out...

Two shots of...python absinthe...

Better him than me!  It was a wonderful evening and a brilliant meal made wonderful by exciting food and attentive,  fun service.  I'll be back! 

August Bakes

So I made a Key Lime Pie!

It was lovely but next time I intend to add an extra lime.  Also, the lime part called for eight egg yolks....which left me with eight egg whites.  Far too much for meringue so I called upon Nigella.

I made a fatless hazlenut cake made with egg whites!  It was a bit dry so I topped it off with some vanilla buttercream.

I made banana bread too...

And a loaf of white bread!

And then my family said enough baking! So I began to plan a cake stall for my local table top sale :)

Paul A Yum-Young

I made a trip to Paul A Young's new flagship store on Wardour street in Soho.  A very dangerous location as it is an area I am around a lot, and how his treats are always within reach!

I absolutely loved the shop fitting.  The room is spacious and light with a sizeable round table in the centre showcasing the beautiful plates of chocolate creations.  I loved this layout as it's much more refreshing than having to peer through a glass counter whilst the assistant would wait expectantly for you at order.  Paul's new store is somewhere I feel I can just pop in and have a look.

However, the chance of me looking and not buying is unlikely.
I allowed myself a select box of four to taste and review.

The first I tasted was a 67% ganache truffle.

I found this chocolate fairly mellow, with a slight spice.  Its texture was light, with a runny but smooth ganache which became bolder in taste after a moment in the mouth. The initial hit was from the cocoa dusting followed its warm softy middle and finished with a slight bitter, dry cocoay finish.  I didn't love this chocolate but that is probably because I love Paul for his unusual flavours...

My second selection was an orange and cardadom chocolate.  

Wow!  I think I could detect a very slight armomtic smell before I bit into the shell but I could have just imagined it! The milk shell was filled with a delicious dark chocolate and the immediate hit of cardomon arrived through the nose with the crunch of chocolate.  This was followed by a citrus citrus burst of  sunshine sweetness.  This cardamon wave followed by orange sweet repeated with the second bite and the flavours rose together.  The centre of this chocolate was firmer than the truffle I tried previously. Fresh yet warm.  Yum.  Can I have another?

I went for one which I couldn't imagine the flavour of, a Balsamic vinegar, pepper, and strawberry.

This chocolate made me say wow, a lot but I can't figure out if it was for the right reasons.  The flavours really did say wow and I found it a really interesting chocolate to try but whether or not I would enjoy to eat several or whether it would be one I would lust over again (orange and cardamom..........orange and cardamom..mmm.) I am unsure.    I popped it in and it kind of did a crazy song in my mouth. BAM smack of balsamic, wave of pepper then a big sweetness not obviously strawberry.  In the second bite the flavours came together for a moment but I was still reeling from the punches of different flavours.  The aftertaste was very peppery and the consistancey was great.  I understand the idea of acidic balancing sweet...and all the flavours were great in the own way but I am out on this one.  Great to taste, but not a firm fav. 

The final selection was easy.  Paul had made a batch of limited edition Soreen Loaf truffles.  A big fan of Soreen meant it was a must.

The smell reminded me of a really rich sugar beat smell. On popping it in to taste there was a rising maltiness teamed with the crunch from the exterior which seemed to be flaked crumbed sugary soreen.  I loved the simplicitic impact of this truffle.  It did what it said, bought all thouse malty fruity warm flavours back but with extra added chocolately goodness. Delicious! 

 

The Whoopie-What pie?

So, on a recent wander around  South Kensington I stopped to once more try and understand the Whoopie Pie at Hummingbird Bakery.

This time I went for a pumpkin one, they are pretty huge and I couldn't finish it but it was my lunch after all!  the flavour was really really subtly spiced, sort of cinnamon flavours and warming with (as always) the great cream cheese frosting.  I couldn't really find the pumpkin behind the frosting.

I am sure as far as Whoopie Pies go, it was great but I just don't understand the point of the Whoopie.  I am told (wikipedia, naturally) that a whoopie pie can be considered as a cookie, pie or cake, and was invented in America as wives and mothers used the left over cake batter to make mini cakes for their husbands and kids lunch boxes (which resulted in a Whoopieee! of excitement).

Pie, I understand.  Outer casing and tasty inside.  However, maybe I am being pedantic but a pie is more about the filling than the crust (to me anyway) and this Whoopie seems about the 'outer' sponge and 'inner' frosting in equal measure. So Pie it is not, in my humble, British opinion.

But, nor is it a cookie.  I need to eat it either with both hands or a fork. And cake?  Well, it's heavier and not nearly as fluffy.  

I suppose I am trying to digest what the Whoopie offers me that a cake, cookie, or pie doesn't.  It is more a muffin with cream or a simply, fun, reworked idea on the cake I guess.  I don't hate it, I just don't love it, and can't think when I would go for one over a slice of carrot cake.

Rant over.

Coffolate Jackpot!

My sister asked me to make a chocolatey pudding for a small group of friends she was having over for dinner.  Naturally, I asked her what we were eating for main. It was a laid back Italian lasagne and garlic bread feast.  

I had a flick through my recipe books and landed upon a Chocolate and Espresso Torte.  I thought the coffee and chocolate theme would go well with the Italian menu so decided to give it a go.  It is made of three entirely different layers which, stupidly meant I didn't take ANY photos... I had never made a dessert like this and was convinced it would fail so I didn't document the baking process.  This, I now regret. Ah well.

I began by making the base.  It is essentially a hazelnut biscuit base which you bake for about 15-20 minutes (I ended up baking my for 25 and I think it was bang on....my oven still bemuses me).  This base then has to cool totally.  Next is the chocolate layer made indulgently of  melted mostly dark and some milk chocolate and egg.  This then was poured on top of the cooled biscuit base and baked for again (recommended) 20 minutes but I baked mine for 30.  I was waiting for (as the recipe asked) a just set consistency with a slight wobble in the middle.  30 minutes was great for my oven.

Again, this had to cool completely and then be topped with the coffee cream!  Whisked up a combination of single and double cream and added some fresh extra strong coffee, gelatine and a small amount of icing sugar.   This was then poured a top the biscuit and chocolate layers to form the third and final layer.  At the time I thought a whole gelatine leaf, rather than 1/2 would have been better but I always stick by the rule of following the recipe to the upmost for the first time.

I allowed it to set over night and crossed my fingers...

Before my sisters friends arrived I removed the dessert from its tin and peeled back the grease proof paper.  It stood up!  It had clean lines! It was an amazing  thing.  I sprinkled the remaining toasted (hand skinned....not something I want to repeat) hazelnuts and gingerly took a slice.

I served a slice to everyone and was met with silence - it was a hit!  The three elements all came together.  The hazelnut biscuit base didn't g soggy but was solid and with bite.  The chocolate torte  was rich and smooth and the coffee cream was light and fluffy.  Oh yes and the crunchy hazelnuts on top too added the final flourish.

It worked!  .... Now what shall I try next.

Disappointingly Dark

It's been a long time coming.  I have been craving chocolate cake for a long time, and have had my eye on a particular recipe which includes marscapone cheese and ground almonds.  The image from the cook book showed a glorious three tiered cream filled chocolate cake with a pale chocolate frosting.  I would have made it months ago however marscapone cheese required going to the big supermarket and not my mini tesco express (regular haunt for forgotten/dimishing cake supplies).  This week I remembered to pick up the marscapone and so the cake could commence!

The whole recipe called for 400g of dark chocolate, 150g of which went melted, directly into the sponge.  This teamed with the cocoa powder, 4 eggs, light muscavado, butter, and self raising flour made me excited.  The recipe promised a gooey dark, naughty sponge.  I melted, whisked, folded and baked for the required time.  However as soon as the oven dinger went and I opened it up (a whole hour in the oven) I realized that it had not risen nearly high enough and should have been removed about 5-10 minutes earlier.  Damn my oven.  

However, I had not given up yet.  I allowed it to cool, whisked the cream for the filling and melted down the remaining chocolate and beat it into the marscapone.  I sliced the cake in two filled and iced!

I loved the consistency of the chocolate and marscapone icing.  It was deceptively paler, suggesting a milk chocolate hit but the 70% chocolate still shone through.  I love this photo as I think it looks like a close up of thick oil paints.

So I cut the cake at dinner and it didn't go down so well.  My concerns were realized.  It was just just JUST the wrong side of goey and had gone crumbly.  It didn't cut into three tiers as it hadn't risen enough AND the whole thing was very dark in flavour much to my families dissapointment.  They don't mind dark chocolate but it needs to have (in their opinion) a sweet lift of icing, of filling.  In this case I tend to agree.

For me you get a dark sinfully bitter chocolate fix from a slither of rich chocolate torte or prehps a goey browny.  However, a playfully sweet looking fudgey cake should have a comforting sweetness about it.

I am tempted to try this recipe again as I do love the inclusion of the almonds and marscapone.  However, I think I would add a little icing sugar to the icing, a little baking powder to the batter and reduce the cooking time by about 7 minutes.  Then I think potentially, it could be a winner.

Terre a Terre: Brighton

Following my graduation ceremony, my family and I needed to go for lunch. I thought long and hard about where we would all enjoy. I wanted really and truly to go to Fishy Fishy which is a wonderful modern fish restaurant. However my brother is veggie so I decided on what was rumored as a pretty special vegan friendly place in the heart of Brighton. I did not regret this decision!

The menu was exciting and extremely detailed. Here is the description of what I had for my main course:

Terre à Tiffin (v/gf)


Red onion, mustard seed, cumin crumpets with ginger root chilli jam. Channa tamarind dhal, topped with coconut curry leaf and lime sabayon, with a fresh coriander, mint salad, deepfried chickpeas, chili slivers, tangy lime and mumbai mix spice dust dressing. Served with nimbu bhat cardamom brown onion lemon saffron baked basmati rice with our confit brinjal pickle and pokey cucumber and mint raita.

However, you know me. My main was gorgeous but I was saving room for pudding! I made sure ALL my family ordered pudding as I was so torn between what I should order. I took some snaps on my phone of the beautiful creations.

This was my selection:

Nuts About Chocolate Fondant (gf)
Crisp fondant chocolate nut butter brownie with peanut pralineice-cream, nutty caramel fudge and banana crème.

My sister had:

Jammy Dodger, Jelly and Ice Cream (v/gf) 8.00
Fresh raspberry jammy dodger served with strawberry ice cream and basil syrup, raspberry jelly and almond milk vanilla custard.

My brother (coffee lover) went for:

Moorish Mouthful (gfo) 
Honey glazed pistachio and olive oil cake layered with cardamom and caraway infused apricots and oranges, served with velvety chocolate sorbet, a hot honeyed cardamom espresso shot, finished with a peppery cigarillo.

What is on my birthday list

....

for my 21st please! 

Cakey Carrot

Following a surge of blackberry based baking (blackberry pie...blackerry and apple loaf...blackberry and rubard crumble...) due to a heavy laden of fruit in my garden I wanted to make something different that I knew all my family would be a sucker for.  I thought for a while and then realized...easy.  Carrot cake.

I wanted to make something decadent and wholesome so, in case you haven't already realized from my previous posts I turned to my Hummingbird book (one of the best birthday presents I have ever had...it transpires). I made a delicious carrot cake with chopped walnuts and a cream cheese frosting.

It was devoured in a day!  I was really chuffed with how it rose and it was the first three tiered cake I have made and iced.  I was pretty happy with the result.  Although I liked the sponge I want to add raisins next time.

Yet another Hummingbird hit.

Time for Tea with Heston Blumenthal

It has been a long time since I have uploaded anything onto this blog...which is pretty shameful considering it is a year since I began it.  Since finishing uni two months ago, I have really begun to try and follow a career in confectionery  and figure I should get the blog back on the road.  It isn't that I haven't baked or been places...I just haven't documented it!  Plus, finals at uni got pretty tough and my hobbies suffered a bit.  

I have a couple of photos from my phone of places I have been and things I have made over the last two months which I want to upload in an attempt to fill the gap.  I have promised myself  to keep up now! No excuses :)

During my finals, my sister was interning at the Southbank Centre and managed to get her hands on two tickets to Heston Blumenthal and Jancis Roninson's sherry and tea tasting at one of the SC venues.  I was so excited (I am a bit of a Heston enthusiast) and so got the train back from university in Brighton to attend.

I wan't too sure what to expect, as I have never tasted sherry before!? but I am a big big tea drinker.  The talk was part of a 'best of british' type series put on at the centre, so the tasting was followed by a lecture.  

The main tasting hall was interesting.  The majority of the hall was for sherry tasting, with about 20 different stalls set up with different companies giving out samples.  However, the main issue was the number of people. It was impossible to move, let alone wriggle your hand through the sea of bodies in order to get a drop in your glass.  I hung around the tea tasting counter instead.  My sister and I managed to squeeze up to the front counter and lodged myself there.  They were offering delicious blends of black teas in small glass cups.  Tasty.

The absolute highlight for me was getting to listen to Heston Blumenthal speak.  We entered the theatre where the lecture was taking place and on each seat was a black box.  There was a notice on the stage saying 

DO NOT OPEN YOUR BOX UNTIL HESTON REQUESTS

I managed to restrain myself from sneaking a peak.  Heston began to talk about his efforts to bring the different concepts of' britishness to the afternoon tea...and asked us to open to box.  It looked rather airoplane like (for which he apologized) as he had to roll out a few hundred identical boxes.

Heston took us methodically through each creation which ranged from a toast sandwich, a piece of pork crackling to be served with an anchovy gentlemans relish, a deepfried mince pie 'ball' served with a stliton mousse to an orange cream pastry 'jammy dodger'.  

The most bizarre was probably the mincemeat filled pastry with the stilton mousse.  It was interesting but I couldn't quite understand the logic.  The salty moist anchovy paste however on the crispy pork crackling was delicious!  

At the end of the talk I waited to speak to Heston and made sure I got my embarrassing 'starstruck' shot.  I asked him which chocolate he uses in his cooking and he said Valhrona (of course) and another name I think beginning with 'm' that I couldn't catch above all the din.  

What I learnt from the whole evening...and took away was the power of expectation and surprise.  Two things that I think are pretty central to Heston's whole approach to food.  Simply by not allowing us to crack open the box as soon as we sat down, or gobble the creations in any order made the food an experience, and a discovery.