Ladurée

Unit 1, Covent Garden Market
London
WC2E 8RF

A's mom was in London before Christmas so we had a fun girls' day out - a bit of window shopping, and then tea and macarons at Ladurée in Covent Garden. When you consider the luxury of being in a beautifully decorated tea room in central London and being served tea in silver pots with elegant china and some of the best macarons in the world, the prices are actually quite reasonable. The three macarons we split were salted caramel, orange blossom and black forest. My favorite was the salted caramel, followed closely by the black forest, which managed to taste exactly like a piece of black forest gateau. We then bought a boxed set of macarons as a gift for S - who we found out later had just asked T to buy some for her in Paris... so double macarons were received, but that was fine with everyone - it just meant more for sharing!

Chicken, Lemongrass, Cauliflower and Potato Curry

When I saw this recipe on Serious Eats, and found out the little fruit and veg shop at the end of the road had lemongrass, I knew I would try this out - I was given several different curry powders by a friend and am always looking for interesting ways to use them. The original recipe didn't include cauliflower, but I thought it would be a nice addition (and it was). I also didn't have as much chicken as the original recipe called for, but you know what, with the extra cauliflower, I didn't miss it.

Chicken, Lemongrass, Cauliflower and Potato Curry
Adapted from Serious Eats
Serves 4 generously

Ingredients

3 to 4 hefty lemongrass stalks, trimmed and coarsely chopped (about 2/3 cup total)
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons Madras curry powder (or other curry powder)
1/2 teaspoon dried red chile flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
One 13 1/2-ounce can coconut milk
800g bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
1 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1 lime, cut into wedges
4 cups cooked long grain or basmati rice
Handful cilantro

Method

Toss the chopped lemongrass into a food processor. Process until it turns into a "fine, fluffy mass," scraping the sides with a spoon occasionally, about three minutes. Add the ginger, and pulse until it is chopped finely. Then add the onion. Process, scraping the sides with a spoon occasionally, until it is a paste.

Pour the oil into a large saucepan set over medium heat. When shimmering, add the lemongrass paste. Cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until very fragrant, about two minutes. Add the curry powder and red chiles flakes, stir well, and cook for a minute. Add the salt, pepper, and coconut milk. Stir well with the wooden spoon, and then add the chicken pieces. If the liquid does not cover the pieces add a little bit of water to do so. Once liquid starts to boil, reduce heat to maintain a slow simmer. Cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Add the potatoes and cauliflower, stir well, and turn heat up again to bring to a strong simmer. Then reduce heat to maintain a bare simmer, and cook until the potatoes and cauliflower are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. When done, turn off the heat, cover the saucepan, and let rest for at least 10 minutes. (This dish just got better and better in the fridge - by day 3 the leftovers were incredible.)

Serve the dish with the lime wedges, cilantro, and white rice.

Black Bean Soup

During our kitchen clear out, I found some extra packages of dried beans, including some black beans. A coworker had been reminiscing recently about the black bean soup she had in Cuba, and that reminded me of the black bean soup I used to have at Tex-Mex restaurants back home. I cobbled together a few recipes to come up with the below - the bacon is an addition due to my belief that very little makes beans taste as good as a bit of smoked pork. Cumin gives it some warmth, oregano is thrown in because it was in one recipe and I am trying to use up some dried herbs, and I added a few drops of Tabasco to give it a little kick. The picture is quite drab looking, but the flavors are anything but. I topped servings with a little grated cheddar and cilantro/coriander - sour cream would also work for those of you who like that kind of thing.

Black Bean Soup 
Serves 8 generously

Ingredients

500g black beans, soaked
8 cups water
1 tablespoon kosher salt
8 rashers smoked streaky bacon
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup green pepper, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
6 garlic cloves, peeled
2 teaspoons cumin (or to taste)
4 teaspoons white vinegar (I used rice vinegar as it was all I had on hand)
1 tsp dried oregano
8 dashes of Tabasco (optional)
grated Cheddar cheese (optional)
chopped cilantro/corinder (optional)

Method

In a large pot, add the water and salt. Add beans and simmer until soft (approximately 90 minutes). Cut bacon strips into lardons and fry until crispy. Remove bacon with slotted spoon and place into pot of beans. Sauté onion, pepper, celery and carrots in remaining bacon fat until the onions turn golden brown. Add garlic, cumin, oregano and vinegar. Cook, stirring for 3 minutes. Drain about 1/2 cup water from beans and add it to the sauté.

Cook over low heat for 30 minutes.

Combine vegetables with beans.

Cook for another 30 minutes, adding more water if necessary. Add Tabasco if using. If you like a smoother soup, you can use a stick blender to blend some of the soup - I did this for a few pulses so that it remained quite chunky but thickened a bit. Also, if you want it to be vegetarian, just omit the bacon and saute the vegetables in olive oil instead.

Fat Cat Cafe

119 Church Street
London
N16 0UD

While F was visiting we thought a walk to Stoke Newington might be fun. We'd been out late the night before, watching some bath-related comedy, and the thought of some rejuvenating brunch was quite motivating. We ambled down Church Street, pausing to look at menus of various restaurants, and Fat Cat caught our eye with its promise of bacon and sausage sandwiches. A and F quickly ordered those, while I went with eggs benedict with some of the thickest cut bacon I have ever seen. The hollandaise was bright, creamy and lemony at the same time, and the toasted English muffins provided a nice crunch. Eight quid isn't the cheapest price for this dish, but at least it was executed well, and when I was finished I was full, so it's not like I needed larger portions. All in all, much better than I expected for a place none of us had ever heard of.

Hotel Chocolat Valentine's Chocolates

The cheesiest holiday of the year is fast approaching. Thankfully, while I try to avoid eating out with the crowds, A and I still like to have a nice dinner at home. A nice dinner isn't complete without some sweets at the end, and Hotel Chocolat is here to oblige with some tempting Valentines Chocolates. In the Season of Love Goody Bag they sent me, I found what is possibly my favorite chocolate in the world, ever - chilli caramels. They have a dark chocolate shell with a spicy liquid caramel filling, and it was hard for me to not just stuff all six in my mouth. I'm not even much of a sweets person, but these chilli caramels have converted me. A also raved about them and has asked for more, so I know where I'll be heading before February 14th...

Mushroom Caviar

So J makes this amazing mushroom caviar. It's her mother's recipe, I think, like many good recipes are, and it comes out every Thanksgiving, placed strategically around her flat with pita chips to dip in. One year Andy's mum was at J's Thanksgiving and asked for the recipe - ever since I have had a copy of it. Now it's coming to Christmas in Suffolk with me as a lovely snack. Ignore how unappetizing the picture is - it really makes up for that with loads of rich mushroom-y flavor.

Mushroom Caviar
Adapted from the Great J

Ingredients

500g fresh mushrooms
1 medium (1/2 c.) onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 eggs, hard-cooked
2 Tbl parsley, minced (original calls for 1 Tbl)
2 Tbl butter
1 tsp thyme leaves (original calls for 1/8 tsp)
1 Tbl brandy (optional)
2 Tbl mayonnaise (optional)

Method

Rinse, pat dry and finely knife-chop mushrooms or coarsely grate in food processor. (I put all the mushrooms and the onion in my mini food processor to save on chopping time). In large skillet melt butter. Add mushrooms, onion, salt, thyme and pepper. Cook over moderate heat, stirring often, until all liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. (I find this takes longer than 10 minutes - I did a double batch today which definitely took about 40 minutes). Add brandy. Stir constantly until brandy evaporates, about 1 minute. (I omitted the brandy step). Cool. Reserve 1 egg yolk. Finely chop remaining one whole egg and one egg white; add to mushroom mixture with mayonnaise (which I also omitted) and parsley; mix well. Turn into 1 1/4 cup container; cover and chill. At serving time, pack into small serving bowl or unmold onto lettuce or serving plate. Using a small fine-mesh sieve held directly over serving bowl, press reserved egg yolk over top.

Apple Butter

A generous bag of apples from our neighbors resulted in some impromptu apple butter today. It took ages but resulted in a sticky, spicy, appley spread - one jar is going back to said neighbors, and the rest is for us.

Apple Butter Recipe

Adapted from Simply Recipes

Ingredients

4 lbs of good cooking apples
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cups water
Sugar (about 2 cups, see cooking instructions)
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon allspice
Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon

Method

Cut the apples into quarters, without peeling or coring them (much of the pectin is in the cores and flavor in the peels), cut out damaged parts.

Put them into large pot, add the vinegar and water, cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cook until apples are soft, about 40 minutes. Remove from heat.

Ladle apple mixture into a chinois sieve (or foodmill) and using a pestle force pulp from the chinois into a large bowl below. Measure resulting puree (I got about 4 cups). Add 1/2 cup of sugar for each cup of apple pulp. Stir to dissolve sugar. Add a dash of salt, and the cinnamon, allspice, lemon rind and juice. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Cook uncovered in a large, wide, thick-bottomed pot on medium low heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Scrape the bottom of the pot while you stir to make sure a crust is not forming at the bottom. Cook until thick and smooth (about 1 to 2 hours). A small bit spooned onto a chilled (in the freezer) plate will be thick, not runny. You can also cook the purée on low heat, stirring only occasionally, but this will take much longer as stirring encourages evaporation. (Note the wider the pan the better, as there is more surface for evaporation.)

There are several ways to sterilize your jars for canning. You can run them through a short cycle on your dishwasher. You can place them in a large pot (12 quart) of water on top of a steaming rack (so they don't touch the bottom of the pan), and bring the water to a boil for 10 minutes. Or you can rinse out the jars, dry them, and place them, without lids, in a 200°F oven for 10 minutes.

Pour into hot, sterilized jars and seal. If you plan to store the apple butter un-refrigerated, make sure to follow proper canning procedures. Before applying the lids, sterilize the lids by placing them in a bowl and pouring boiling water over them. Wipe the rims of the jars clean before applying the lids. I use a hot water bath for 10 minutes to ensure a good seal.

Makes a little more than 3 pint jars.