Brunch Time - Crepes and Sausages

Sunday brunch at this house usually consists of some kind of sausage, some form of pancake or crepe, and whatever fresh fruit we can scrape up.  I am amazed at the presence of wonderful blueberries, raspberries and strawberries available at the market this time of year.  I suppose our proximity to Mexico and South America has its advantages.  Even though it feels strange to eat strawberries and raspberries in December, we aren't going to complain!  (Yes, yes...we try to eat locally grown produce, but sometimes we have to indulge, don't we?)

Crepes:

• 2/3 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) sugar
• 3/4 cup(s) nonfat milk
• 1 tablespoon(s) corn or canola oil
• A little additional oil for greasing the skillet

Directions

1. Combine the flour, eggs, sugar, and 1/4 cup of the milk in a bowl, and mix with a whisk until smooth. (The mixture will be fairly thick.) Add the remaining milk and the tablespoon of oil, and mix until smooth.
2. Lightly grease the bottom of an 8- or 9-inch nonstick skillet with a little oil or butter, and heat the pan over medium to high heat. When it is hot, add about 3 tablespoons of the crêpes batter, and quickly tilt and move the skillet so the batter coats the entire bottom of the pan. (Move quickly, or the batter will set before the bottom of the skillet is coated, and the crêpes will be thicker than desired.)
3. Cook for about 45 seconds on one side, and then turn and cook for about 20 seconds on the other side. As you make the crêpes, stack them on a plate, first-browned side down, so that when they are filled and folded this nicer side will be visible. The crêpes are best made and filled just before eating.

From Jacques Pépin's Table ©2003 Bay Soma Publishing

The Buche De Noel Debacle - A Moment of Stupidity

 

Last year, Christmas Day Dinner was at Dr. Tex and Bacon’s house.  Because Bacon was putting in so much effort to make the ham and turkey, I wanted to bring something really special for dessert.  Celebrated pastry chef and chocolatier Francois Payard had shown off his famous Buche De Noel on Food Network.  "Buche de Noel" is the French term for that ubiquitous Yule Log cake we see at every bakery around this time of year.  

When Chef Payard revealed how it was made, two things struck me as poignant.  First, he did not roll the cake into a log.  Instead, he cut the sheet sponge cake into 3 rectangles.  In addition, he covered the entire concoction with a decadent chocolate ganache so that the Buche De Noel looked less like a traditional yule log and more like an enormous gourmet Hostess Ding Dong.  I also remembered that my mom filled her yule logs with chocolate mousse instead of the traditional pastry cream.  (Now that I think about it, she may have also spiked the mousse with Grand Marnier or DiSaronno). 

 

With all of these ideas in mind, I set out to put together a more do-able Payard Buche de Noel and pay homage to my mom at the same time.  I made a traditional Genoise sponge sheet cake and cut it into 3 rectangles.  Then, I wrapped each rectangle separately and froze them so that the cakes wouldn’t absorb any refrigerator flavors.  I made a chocolate mousse and stored it in airtight Tupperware in the refrigerator to let it set, foregoing any liqueur because the kids might not have liked it. 

 

On Christmas Day, after the presents and pancakes, I layered the cakes with the chocolate mousse.  Then, I covered the whole thing with homemade buttercream.  Now I was all ready for the ganache.  At this point, I was a bit nervous because I had forgotten to thaw the cakes out of the freezer, but we wouldn’t be eating the dessert for several more hours, so I crossed my fingers.

 

Before I started to make the ganache, I announced to my family that I was going to be very busy and that I couldn’t possibly be interrupted.  I knew that immediately after the ganache was finished, I had to confidently dump the molten chocolate all over the cake.  I had about 15 seconds to spread it and encourage it to spill over all of the corners and sides.  Fifteen seconds before everything hardened into a permanent statue. 

 

Right after I made the ganache, I held the bowl of chocolate over the cake and watched it tip.  I held my breath as the ooze went over one side readily.  The corners took some nudging with my spatula, but soon 3 were covered with smooth, velvety ganache.  I was about to grab the plate to get the luscious chocolate to spill over the other side of the cake, when Major Obvious burst into the kitchen with the following announcement, “There is red paint all over the couch!”

 

Furious, I set down the bowl.  I walked over to the couch to inspect the damage.  Little Man had accidentally waved his paint brush and red paint had landed on an arm and cushion of our white canvas couch.  True to male form, Major Obvious had attempted to get out the stain by grabbing some baby wipes and smearing the red spots into red streaks.  I sent Major Obvious to strip and bathe Little Man while I attempted to get out the red paint.  Who sends indelible paint to a 4 year old?  (Several friends).  Who lets a 4-year old conduct a painting project 1 hour before our departure to a dinner party?  (My optimistic husband).  Who lets her husband entertain the fantasy that he can effectively supervise any kind of craft project more complicated than coloring with washable Crayolas?  (I did).  Who buys a white canvas couch, anyway?  (Again, my optimistic husband).  These were the angry questions I kept asking myself as I scrubbed away. 

 

While I was creating pink and red foam on the couch with the bubbly soap and wiping that away with a towel, Bacon called several times to report a crisis on his end.  He had completely forgotten to pick up fresh green beans at the store and no other stores were open at this point.  Our menu could not possibly include his fresh green bean casserole at this stage.  I pulled it together long enough to answer the phone each time and tell him that the dinner would still be great.  I thought about telling him about my own troubles, but the wounds were too raw. I just told him that we were coming in 90 minutes and that we’d check both grocery stores on the way for green beans.  After about 15 minutes of persistent scrubbing, our couch returned back to a somewhat respectable state.  Believe it or not, the stain actually came out. 

 

I sighed and went back to the cake.  Like an industrial-strength MagicShell, the chocolate coated the log in a solid, hard casing.  There was no way I could possibly change anything at this point.  When Major Obvious came downstairs, I pointed to the cake and said, “There it is.  It’s ugly and terrible and there is nothing I can do about it.  I had, no joke, 15 seconds.  FIFTEEN SECONDS!  Seriously, you couldn’t give me FIFTEEN SECONDS?!  It was against my better judgment to let you ‘supervise’ a craft project!  Why on earth did I let you talk me into it?”  As if that ridiculous tirade wasn’t enough, I am ashamed to admit that I then ran into the kitchen and broke down into tears.  I do not rule out the possibility that PMS may have played a role in this drama.

 

My husband stared at me, dumbfounded.  His first instinct was to argue on his behalf, but one look at my angry eyes had him quickly playing the Sorry Spouse card.  I listened to his apology, then I turned away to wrap everything up.  He knew that I would eventually forgive him, but that I just needed some time to distance myself.  After about 20 minutes, I remembered that Christmas wasn’t really about perfect pastry.  We were all together and we all loved each other.  My kids had a father who wanted to be there for them while they painted.  I had children who were kind (and smart) enough to quietly excuse themselves during my blow up, sparing me the chore of explaining to them why I was acting like a 2-year old.  Major Obvious and I each apologized and hugged.  Then, we went to Tex and Bacon’s.

 

When Bacon saw the cake, he said, “It looks great.  What’s wrong with it?”  I shrugged, trying to concentrate on not conjuring up past emotions.  He grinned, rubbed my shoulder, and said, “I know, you wanted it to be perfect.”  I tried to give him the same reassurances about the vegetables.

 

Instead of fresh green beans, we made brussels sprouts sautéed with, naturally,  bacon.  They were fabulous.  And everyone at the party was gracious enough to ooh and aah for about 5 minutes before diving into the Buche de Noel.  My guy even made some sort of speech as I cut into the cake, indemnifying me of all responsibility concerning the cake’s imperfect appearance.  It was incredibly embarrassing and heartwarming at the same time.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that the cake had thawed out perfectly and that the Buche de Noel, while not gorgeous, tasted divine.

Holiday revelers, as you are swearing at yourself (or loved ones) because the royal icing on your Christmas cookies is not as perfect as Martha’s, or your grandmother’s German pastry recipe is proving unwieldy, or your homemade mince meat is refusing to thicken and your guests are due to arrive any minute, remember that we are fortunate to have each other.  Our loved ones don’t really care what the Buche de Noel looks like.  It’s just nice to give it a try.

  

Kono's Surf Club Cafe - San Diego, California

Overlooking the ocean at Pacific Beach in San Diego, Kono's Cafe offers an extremely casual and tasty breakfast or lunch.  Customers order at a counter and then sit down outside for the gorgeous view or inside to catch the morning football games.  The pancake syrup is not maple, the plates are styrofoam, and the chairs are of the plastic lawn furniture persuasion, but the burritos are stuffed with fluffy eggs and the potatoes covered in plenty of cheese and scallions.  Everything is so enormous that you should consider sharing...or asking for some foil to wrap up your delicacies to enjoy later.

704 Garnet Avenue, San Diego, CA 92109 (858) 483-1669 () ‎ 

Taco Asylum - Costa Mesa, Orange County, California

When we are in Orange County visiting grandparents and friends, we LOVE to eat at Taco Asylum.  This eatery cleverly taps into cuisines from all over the world to bring customers tasty fillings such as ghost chili pork, short ribs, duck with brie, pork belly with hash browns, and wild mushroom.  The tortillas used to house these delights are like none I've ever had before; they are something of a tortilla-flatbread hybrid and are simply delicious.  Sweet Pea and Little Man like to eat the tortillas by themselves filled with little non-spicy selections of meat from our tacos.  You can order the tacos a la carte, in a flight (so that you can sample different kinds), or with Israeli couscous and lentils.  I always stuff myself silly at this place because I can never decide which taco I want, so I eat too many.  Which one is the best?  The meats are often in different marinades, so it's hard to have a "favorite," but I have never been disappointed with the pork belly, no matter what they've put with it.

Avocado & Salad Pasta

We will often come across an evening when I just don't feel like breaking out the saute pans or chopping up a lot of different ingredients.  For such times, or when I just want to whip up a quick lunch, I will turn to this fantastic idea from Giada De Laurentiis.  She takes avocado and arugula and zaps it all together in the food processor with some other tidbits.  Since I feel the need to cut corners with every recipe, I've taken her idea and omitted a few things.  I'll often just serve it by itself or sometimes I'll pair it with sauteed scallops, chicken or fish.

Avocado & Salad Pasta (aka Green Spaghetti)

adapted from Giada De Laurentiis'  Linguine with Avocado and Arugula Pesto

Ingredients

• 1 pound linguine pasta
• 2 medium avocados, halved, peeled, and seeded (about 12 ounces total)
• 1/2 - 3/4 bag of supermarket salad (50/50 Mix or Spring Mix work well)
• Juice from 1 lemon
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup grated Parmesan (4 ounces)

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water. Place in a serving bowl.

Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh from the avocados and place in a food processor. Add the salad, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and cheese. Blend until smooth.

Pour the pesto over the pasta and toss together. Add some pasta water if you need to loosen the sauce. 

Homemade Granola - Perfect for Breakfast, Recess or After School

This looks like a whole lot of granola, but you'd be surprised how quickly we go through this pan.  I cut it into bars for the kids to eat at school (wrapped in foil), sprinkle it on top of yogurt for afternoon munching and serve it with milk in the morning for breakfast.  When I'm feeling peckish during dinner prep, I will often just put some in a little bowl and pick at it.  I thought that the kids wouldn't be able to distinguish it from supermarket granola, but they actually request it frequently!

Homemade Granola
largely inspired by Ina Garten's recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
• 2 cups sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ (or raw wheat germ toasted in a frying pan)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup chopped dried fruit (cranberries or blueberries are great)
• couple of handfuls of chocolate covered seeds or chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 12-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper.

Toss the oatmeal and almonds together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.  If you are using raw wheat germ, you may want to toast the wheat germ at this time.  Spread it out onto a nonstick frying pan and toast it on medium-high heat, gently swirling the pan occasionally for a few minutes until the wheat germ seems darker.  

Put the browned oatmeal and almonds into a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ.  

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F. 

Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the dried fruit and stir well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares or bars. Serve at room temperature.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Calzone - The Glorified Pizza Pocket

I have had a checkered past with homemade pizza dough.  Following Alice Waters' recipe, I would often find myself elbow deep in sticky stuff and swearing in the kitchen as the phone would ring at that precise moment.

One thing I came to realize was this - even if a recipe says that you may use all purpose flour, do not do it!!!  It is a lie.  In the world of pizza dough, AP Flour is, to quote Principal Edward Rooney, "a first class ticket to nowhere."  Bread flour is the answer.  Bread flour will prevent the sticky mess.  Bread flour will provide a dough that obediently rolls up and becomes a cute little ball from which one can craft pizzas or calzones.

So for pizza dough, I now enjoy using Lorraine Pascal's recipe:

• 250g/9oz strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp fast-action dried yeast
• 125–145ml/4½–5fl oz warm water
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for oiling and drizzling

1. Mix the flour, salt and yeast together in a large bowl and make a well in the middle. In a jug, mix the water and oil together, then pour the liquid into the well of the flour mixture and mix to make a soft but not sticky dough.
   
   
2. Knead for 10 minutes by hand on a lightly floured work surface or for five minutes in an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Bring the dough together to a smooth flat ball and place in a well-oiled bowl.  Cover loosely with a damp kitchen cloth or paper towel and store in a warm place for about 30 minutes.

You can put anything into a calzone, but last night I threw together a mixture of:

frozen spinach, thawed and drained
ricotta cheese
mozzarella cheese
1 egg
freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7.

After rolling out the dough, I spooned a little leftover spaghetti sauce onto the disc and then put some of the mixture on top.  Then I folded the whole thing on a piece of parchment paper (very important, otherwise your dough will stick to the baking sheet).  Naturally it would be better if you used a pizza stone, but your movers might have misplaced this item and perhaps you haven't had a chance to visit the Crate & Barrel outlet yet.  Maybe you are waiting for school to start so that you can go to the store child-free.

Bake for 20 minutes, then check.  I like to put on little silicone mittens and flip the calzone over so that the other side gets nicely browned, too.  Bake for another 5-8 minutes if doing this, or until the other side is golden brown.

More Relocation and Chocolate - Whole Wheat Brownies

A fun aspect about moving is that one uncovers things that she didn't know she had.  I managed to find a few back issues of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food as I was organizing my cookbooks.  After thumbing through them, I came across this recipe for Whole Wheat Brownies.  "Hmmm...this looks like the perfect way to break into that enormous 500 gram chocolate bar I bought last week!"

The recipe offers many reasons to pause.  Whole wheat flour?  Applesauce?  Less than 1 stick of butter?  What kind of brownies are these going to be, anyway?  Well, it turns out that they're actually really yummy!  They're moist and fluffy.  Though they're not super fudgy in texture, the chocolate flavor really sings out.  I even skipped the chocolate chunks on top that the recipe includes because I do not particularly enjoy chocolate chips in brownies, and the delights were still chocolate-y enough!  Now I can serve them to my kids and enjoy the fact that there's some whole grain goodness in there.  Yes, that's right, I made them because of the kids.  Naturally I had to try them first to make sure that they passed muster...

Relocation...and Chocolate!

So Perficious Eats has relocated!  Yes, our tour in the United Kingdom was up, so now we're in San Diego.  Sorry I won't be able to provide you the scoop on as many European delights as before, but I am determined to uncover all of the delicious treats that San Diego has to offer.  As a Southern California native we naturally had to reacquaint ourselves with the usual spots like In N Out and Din Tai Fung, but surely there are other treasures to discover!

One such place is Chuao, a San Diego-based chocolate piece of heaven owned by Venezuelan-born brothers Michael and Richard Antonorsi.  This shop sells delicious chocolates (truffles, hot chocolate powders, potato chips, you name it) along with coffee and gelato.  You can even get affogato, that awesome combination of espresso and gelato together.  The coffee and gelato are both locally-sourced from San Diegan vendors.  The staff who work there are extremely friendly and eager to sell you their products.  Why do I have a feeling that I will be going there all the time?  They need to have some kind of Chocoholic Card for frequent shoppers like myself.

Springtime Treats - Macaroons!

 One of my favorite springtime treats is the macaroon.  These delights are not necessarily seasonal, but I have always found their pastel prettiness to coincide nicely with daffodils, chocolate bunnies and pink ribbons. 

    

    Now these are kind of tricky to make the first time out.  The good news is that even if they are a little deformed, few people will turn them down.  So a few tips to help you:  

1.  Do not use a tiny little oven where the heating element is only 2 inches away from the macaroons.  You may burn the darlings and cause your kitchen to fill with smoke.  And your smoke alarm might go off.  (I may have had some personal experience with this). 

2.  Try using an oven with a window so you can check your progress and hopefully avoid the debacle from #1. 

3.  You will probably have to break out the scale to measure the ingredients:

125g/4½oz confectioner's sugar 

125g/4½oz ground almonds (may have to hit up a gourmet store for this)

2 tbsp water

110g/4oz granulated sugar

your favorite ganache, buttercream, or whipped cream for filling

optional:  your favorite food coloring and decorations

 

1.    Preheat the oven to 170/C/325F/Gas 5 and line a large baking tray with baking paper.

2.    Put the icing sugar, ground almonds and 40g/1½oz egg whites together in a large bowl and mix to a paste.

3.    Put the water and caster sugar in a small pan and heat gently to melt the sugar, then turn up the heat and boil until the mixture starts to go syrupy and thickens - I don’t use a thermometer but if you prefer to use one, it should read 115C/239F at this stage.

4.    Whisk the remaining 50g/2oz egg whites in a small bowl until medium-stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed from the bowl, then pour in the sugar syrup, whisking until the mixture becomes stiff and shiny. For coloured macaroons, add a few drops of food colouring. Tip this meringue mixture into the almond paste mixture and stir gently until the becomes stiff and shiny again.

5.    Spoon into the piping bag. Pipe a little mixture under each corner of the baking paper to stop it sliding around. With the bag held vertically, pipe 4cm/1½in flat circles onto the lined tray, about 2cm/¾in apart, twisting the bag after each one. The mixture should be quite loose to give a smooth finish. The piping will leave a small ‘tip’ on each circle so, when they’re all piped, give the tray 2–3 slams on a flat surface to flatten them. At this stage, sprinkle with desiccated coconut if you want.

6.   Leave to stand for 30 minutes to form a skin then bake in the oven for 12–15 minutes with the door slightly ajar until firm. Remove from the oven, lift the paper off the baking tray and leave the macaroons to cool on the paper. When cool, sandwich the macaroons together with filling.

recipe from Lorraine Pascal, BBC Good Food's Baking Made Easy 

The British Sweet Tooth - Bakery Treats in London

One of our favorite activities on vacations is exploring local bakeries.  London has many from which to choose, but the good news is that if you are in South Kensington and you have just eaten at Byron, you are only a couple of steps from Hummingbird Bakery and a couple more steps away from Ben's Cookies.  Now, you may ask yourself, who on earth shops at a bakery after eating an enormous hamburger (complete with cheese and bacon), fries, a large beer, a large chocolate malted, and courgette fries?  Why, Major Obvious, naturally.  And the offspring of Major Obvious.

So, what to get when you arrive?  How to choose?  Our favorites from Ben's Cookies are Coconut and Dark Chocolate Chunk.  My university Big Sister swears by Lemon.  At Hummingbird Bakery, the Red Velvet Cake is extremely attractive, but not particularly flavorful and tragically lacking pecans on the cream cheese frosting.  The Carrot Cake, on the other hand, is pretty tasty, if tooth-achingly sweet.

Byron - The Sequel at Old Brompton Road, London

It was very naive of me to think that I could partake in a euphoric Burger Experience all by myself without any consequences.  My family insisted on trying Byron out for themselves, so we skipped over to the Old Brompton Rd. one which is conveniently located to those great South Kensington museums like the Natural History Museum or the Victoria & Albert. 

Major Obvious had the Byron Burger complete with homemade special Byron sauce and bacon.  Little Man tried the Macaroni & Cheese while Sweet Pea had the Mini Cheeseburgers (both children's meals came with generous helpings of fries).  Everyone loved the Courgette Fries.  To cap everything off, we also ordered a chocolate milkshake with malt.  The shake came served in the tin canister, large and in charge.  Super chocolate-y, super decadent.  We had 2 servers and both were extremely friendly.  When they asked, "How is everything?" Sweet Pea responded (pointing to the shake canister), "This is YUMMY!"  Our server responded with eyes lit up, "I KNOW!  You know what's even better?  OREO."  Well, we had to leave something to look forward to next time! 

The Best Sushi I've Had In The UK - Atari Ya, London

I've FINALLY eaten sushi here in the UK that I find noteworthy!  To be fair, I haven't conducted an exhaustive search.  I tend to shy away when someone comes up to me, "There is a new sushi joint in X, we should try it out."  Rather, I'm more inclined to research and poll, asking questions such as, "Is it Japanese-operated?"  (Although I am Chinese, I do not trust my people to prepare raw fish for my consumption.  We are too inclined to cut corners).  "What are they known for?"  (If it's a place that does mostly rolls with imitation crab, I will run in the other direction).

I am pleased to report that Atari Ya is definitely Japanese.  On an early Saturday evening, my family and I attempted to eat here, only to realize that every table had a little "Reserved" sign on it.  One Japanese family after another came in and happily ordered lovely looking meals.  The waitstaff was particularly gracious to them and us, even though we had opted to just takeaway.

We ordered sashimi (yellowtail, tuna, salmon), nigiri (fattiest tuna), rolls (spider, spicy tuna, cucumber avocado), chirashi, chicken teriyaki, shrimp tempura, and edamame.  Ok, I will admit that I was really hungry when I was ordering.

Everything was delicious!  Everything was awesome!  I can't wait to go there and sit down to eat.

Hoarders Beware: Coconut Cream and Coconut Pancakes

There are some ingredients that I seem to have a lot of difficulty finding at the grocery store when I need them.  One of these is cream of coconut, aka coconut cream.  In America, this ingredient is not stocked with baking ingredients, but with liquor and cocktail ingredients.  In the UK, I can't really begin to tell you where it is located. 

Because I have so much trouble with this ingredient, whenever I see it while I'm roaming the aisles, I will usually just throw it into the grocery cart.  It never goes bad and I save myself the problem of having to relocate it at a later date.  The problem with this strategy is that I often do not take inventory of my pantry.  Imagine my surprise when, two weekends ago, I discovered that I had been hoarding SIX cans of coconut cream.  4 were from the commissary and 2 were from Waitrose.  Shame on me! 

Now, another problem is that apart from the occasional coconut cake, I don't use coconut cream very often (hence my difficulty in locating it at the store).  I did a little research today and realized, to my delight, that I could just use some imagination and basically substitute it for milk or coconut milk in a lot of recipes.  Soon, ideas for coconut tapioca pudding, coconut bread pudding, and coconut rice came to my head.  And since I had been craving pancakes for a couple of days, I decided that we all needed to have coconut pancakes for afternoon tea.  As Jamie Oliver would say, the cream coconut "worked a treat" and I was pleased with the results.  These pancakes have the same texture as regular pancakes (and no crunchy little coconut bits, which some people really abhor).

Coconut Pancakes

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk (or regular milk with some lemon juice squirted in and left to sit for a few minutes)
1 cup cream of coconut
vegetable oil/butter

1.  Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  In another bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk and cream of coconut.

2.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk to combine.  Stop whisking once everything is combined. 

3.  Heat a pancake griddle or frying pan, add some oil or butter to prevent the cakes from sticking (be generous with this...these cakes seem stickier than regular ones).  Cook the pancakes until bubbles appear all over the batter.  Flip the pancakes and continue cooking them for a minute or two longer.

4.  These are so sweet that I don't think they need any syrup, but if you want a real treat, warm up some maple syrup and sprinkle with chopped pecans or macadamia nuts. 

Byron - A Tasty Burger in London

The quest for the perfect burger in the UK poses a fun challenge.  Jamie Oliver's Italian restaurant chain gives you a fine one, but unfortunately, the burger changes.  Sometimes it's Italian-inspired, other times it's more American.  The quality of ingredients is always high, but often the flavor isn't exactly what I'm seeking at that moment.

Byron, the London chain that has multiple locations, offers a consistent burger that thankfully pushes all my buttons.  It's like someone picked into my brain and came up with 3 characteristics that I most love about hamburgers, putting them all together.  From the American school of burger-making, the meat is not manhandled too much into a dense hockey puck.  The sandwich takes advantage of its British roots and comes with a sharp, tangy mature cheddar cheese.  And the coup de gras is that the burger is charred on the outside, pink all the way through and even a little bit raw in the middle, which the French embrace.

Now, not everyone would want mature cheddar or a rare, bloody hamburger.  Byron thoughtfully allows you to specify how well-done you'd like the meat and allows you to choose from a variety of cheeses that include Monterey Jack and American.  You can also get bacon, portobello mushrooms and avocado.  You can choose the condiments.  A default burger comes with iceberg lettuce, tomato, red onion, and a bit of mayonnaise.  There are a million choices to be made, which I think also comes from the American school of dining.

But wait!  Your choices aren't over yet!  What sides do you want?  You can have french fries, special skin-on chips, courgette fries (gorgeously straddling the line between tempura and beer-battered), and macaroni and cheese.  There's also milkshakes and fun American-inspired desserts like cheesecake, brownies or a sundae (which the Brits insist on calling Knickerbocker Glory). 

When it comes to describing this marvelous culinary treat, I think Homer Simpson says it best, "Mmmm.....burger."

Hyde Perk Bistro - London

Somehow I ended up with the chance to see Totem, the latest Cirque du Soleil show, at the Royal Albert  Hall in London.  Amanda and I had an hour to kill before curtain, so we wandered by Hyde Park in search of some munchies.  We dodged the raindrops and came across the Hyde Perk Bistro, a cozy little venue with a surprisingly extensive menu.  There were pre- and post-theatre meal options along with breakfast served all day and specials like the lovely leek, potato, and rocket soup I enjoyed.  Amanda got the pain au chocolate and hot chocolate (gotta give props to a girl who lives large and orders everything chocolate).  After our meal, we ordered takeaway sandwiches for our journey home after the show.  I happily chewed my brie, cranberry and lettuce on walnut bread as we drove through Old Brompton Road and saw the National History Museum, the Victoria & Albert, Harrod's and Harvey Nichols.  My compatriot's sandwich looked just as delicious with its mozzarella, tomato and pesto goodness inside an enormous ciabatta.  Hyde Perk was such a great, lucky find on a rainy afternoon! 

Ren and Stimpy's Chicken Pot Pie

Ren and Stimpy are a vulgar animated dog and cat duo that had odd adventures in the 90s.  One of their favorite dinner dishes was Chicken Pot Pie, that great childhood classic many of us treasure.  I thought about them traveling in their space ship as I was making this dish and sure enough, after I served it to my family, Major Obvious thanked me in his best grating Ren voice, "Thank you for my Cheeeckin Pot Pie."

Pie Crust
(Pate Brisee recipe from Martha Stewart Living)
Ingredients:
Makes 1 double-crust or 2 single-crust 9- to 10-inch pies.

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

Directions:

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.
2. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
3. Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.                   
   
   
   The Pot Pie 
   heavily borrowed from The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook
   
   
   Ingredients
   6 skinless chicken thigh fillets 
   4 carrots, peeled and cut into ½ in. pieces
   2 zucchini, cut into ½ in. pieces
   1 onion, chopped
   4 T. flour
   1 c. chicken broth
   ¼ c. Cognac
   1 t. dried tarragon
   1 ½ t. salt
   pepper to taste
   a knob of butter and a glug or two of olive oil
   
   pastry for a single crust pie
   milk
   
   Directions
   Lay chicken thighs in a single layer in baking dish. Salt and pepper.  Bake at 350, 20-25 minutes. Let the chicken cool and then cut chicken into 1 inch pieces.
   
   Blanch carrots in boiling water for 5 minutes. Add zucchini and blanch 2 minutes more. Drain.
   
   Warm butter and olive oil in large dutch oven over medium heat.  Add onions and sauté until translucent. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Add broth, and whisk until thickened. Stir in Cognac. Cook over low heat until thick. Stir in tarragon, salt, and pepper.
   
   Fold in chicken and vegetables. Pour mixture into deep casserole or soufflé dish. Roll out pastry and place on top of dish. Trim pastry and crimp edges. Brush milk over top of crust. Cut steam vents.
   
   Bake at 400 for approximately 30 minutes.

Triple Caramel Shampoo Birthday Cake

Sweet Pea had her 7th birthday a couple of weeks ago.  I tried a new cake recipe for her special day instead of the usual chocolate cake.  When I was putting the finishing touches on the cream and making it look fluffy on the cake, Bacon walked into the kitchen and exclaimed, "That looks great!  It looks like a head full of shampoo!"  Well, I don't know if that was the look I was trying to emulate, but the dessert was a big success.  Slice, eat, repeat.

Adapted from Fine Cooking magazine and Best American Recipes 2005-2006.

INGREDIENTS
3 cups whipping cream
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS
In a 2-quart saucepan on medium heat, gently bring 2 cups cream to simmering.  

Meanwhile, put 1 cup sugar in another medium pan on medium heat. Leave undisturbed until sugar begins to melt and darken. Gently swirl pan to distribute sugar. Remove from heat when sugar has all melted and is dark amber, about 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325F.

While stirring constantly with wooden spoon, slowly pour in hot cream to make caramel. Return pan to burner. Turn heat to low. Boil gently, stirring often, 5 minutes. Set aside at least 30 minutes, stirring often, until cool.  Set aside 1 cup of the caramel for the batter and store 1 cup of the caramel in the refrigerator.


Grease and line with parchment paper two 8" or 9" cake pans.*   Using electric mixer at medium speed, beat butter and remaining 1-1/2 cups sugar in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time until blended. Scrape sides of bowl. Beat on medium-high until fluffy.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into medium bowl. At low speed, mixing until barely incorporated, beat 1/3 of dry ingredients into batter, then 1/2 cup caramel, then 1/3 of dry ingredients, then 1/2 cup of caramel, then the remaining dry ingreidnets.  Scrape sides of bowl. Finish blending gently with spatula.

Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake on lower rack of oven until tester comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes.  Flip cakes out of their pans and cool completely on rack.

When ready to assemble the cake, bring refrigerated caramel to room temperature (a quick 3-5 seconds in the microwave can help if necessary).  Spread half of it between the two cake layers and set the other half of the caramel aside.

Whip the remaining 1 cup cream until firm peaks form. Fold in the rest of the caramel, leaving streaks. Makes about 12 servings.

*You can use a Bundt pan for this recipe...just drizzle the caramel sauce over the cake and then serve with dollops of whipped cream on the side.