Reprint/blog from NYT

I want to make this. If anyone else has made this, please let me know how it turned out! (I might make it and bring it to the in-laws for Easter celebrations.

GREEN TEA AND RASPBERRY CAKE

Adapted from Kaori Endo at Rose Bakery, Paris
Serves 10-12

1 heaping cup flour
½ teaspoon instant yeast
½ teaspoon salt
2 heaping tablespoons matcha green tea powder (see note)
¼ cup unsalted butter
⅔ cup crème fraîche
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
1¼ cups sugar
¼ cup raspberries (can use frozen).

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, yeast, salt and matcha powder. In a small pot, melt the butter. Add the crème fraîche to the butter and whisk; remove from heat.

2. Using electric beaters or a food processor, whip the eggs, yolks and sugar until the mixture is white and thick. With a spatula, gradually fold in the dry ingredients. Then add the crème fraîche/butter mixture. (If the result is very thick, don’t hesitate to reheat it a tad.) Pour half of the mixture into a buttered cake pan. Distribute half of the raspberries into the batter. Pour the rest of the mixture into the pan, then the second half of the raspberries, using your finger to press them just below the surface.

3. Bake until lightly golden and a knife inserted comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes.

Note: Matcha powder available at Asian supermarkets, such as Sunrise Mart.

London Food Update!

Attention, all Americans living in the UK and wondering where to get garlic powder... Asian markets. There's two that I went into in Chinatown (London:Soho) that had big bags of it for sale.

Chicken Taquitos... Of a sort

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was going to make the Baked Chicken Taquitos posted in Foodgawker.

I had to make some alterations in the recipe as London is not generally known for being the bastion of Mexican food ingredients.

Green salsa (salsa verde) is not easily obtainable at supermarkets so I used standard salsa. When tomatillos come in season and are accessible via Borough Market, I'll grab some of those and some Anaheim chiles and make a damned fine roasted salsa verde for future use. The good news is that salsas generally freeze well.

For all Americans living in the UK (or UKers using American recipes), be aware that when cilantro is called for in a US recipe, it can be found in grocery stores as coriander in the UK.

Instead of shredding the chicken, I poached 6 chicken thighs (approximately 1 pound/450 grams/2 cups) in chicken stock with some onion powder and garlic powder. When I make this again, I'll probably put some taco or fajita seasoning in the stock. After the thighs were poached, I pulled the additional fat from the meat, put it in the food processor and pulsed until the chicken was akin to mince. Not the same as shredded, but with the mix of cream cheese and spices, I figured it would give more even distribution of meat protein through the filling.

Mexican cheese was another one that isn't exactly ubiquitous over here. I used shredded Monterey Jack (available at Waitrose/Ocado and Sainsbury's), but another substitution would be half cheddar and half a mild, soft cheese like Edam or Mozzerella. I would avoid Gouda. In a pinch (and if I didn't care about plastic cheese), I might use jarred nacho cheese. But only if I were desperate.

Topped with sour cream and store-bought guacamole, these were quite nice. I have four in the freezer for leftover eating this week. They should be quite good.

I wouldn't call them taquitos or burritos. More like sauceless enchiladas.

25 - 28 Feb 2010

Planned dinner menus:

Thai-style scallops with rice and vegetables

Venison lasagne with salad and garlic bread

Erwtesoep with fresh baked bread and salad

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos with refried beans and Spanish rice.

That is, of course, the plan.

The Thai-style scallops with rice are going to be simple; I have a sambal sauce that's pre-prepared, so I'll caramalize the scallops and then toss them with some of the sauce, serve it over rice with broccolini and green beans.

Venison lasagne is just a lasagne with venison mince cooked into the red sauce.

Erwtesoep is a split pea and sausage stew that B fell in love with when he was working in Amsterdam for three years. I have a recipe that's supposed to be wonderful, and we'll give it a shot. It makes about 17 million gallons. Somewhere around there, it serves 8 people or some such. I figure I'll be able to portion the remainder out and tuck it in the freezer for emergency eating. It's a good winter food, and given that it's barely cleared 40°F here in London in the last month, it seems to be a well timed meal. The only issue is that I can't find split green peas here, so it will be yellow. I admit to debating on getting green food coloring in order to get it more to the color B (and I) expect... But I think the yellow split peas will be slightly sweeter than green would be.

The chicken taquitos I came across when I sent a plaintive Gchat message to Ritsuka, saying "HELP! I have three mains, I need a fourth for when B comes home!" I explained what I had planned, and she said, "This sounds like a time to use foodgawker."

"Uh, bwuh, what is foo...oooooooh."

"Yeah."

"POOD FORN! You gave me pood forn!" (Yes, I was so excited I transposed letters. Leave me be.)

I've started digging 'round in there and I've decided that one meal a week will be from foodgawker.

To explain, I only have to plan out four meals a week because B works out of town and I generally eat leftovers or quick food during the week.

I can't wait for Spring to hit so I can go mental at Borough Market. I already have plans and I can't wait to see my fishmonger again. And I'm sure that B would love to get some new and exciting cheese.

Weekend menu

I figure this is going to be the best way of keeping track of weekend foodstuffs.

Thursday:
Dinner - Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

Ingredients:
2-4 chicken breasts
Fusilli pasta
Romaine lettuce
Caesar salad dressing
Parmesan cheese

Recipe:
Take chicken breasts, saute. Boil pasta (some kind with nooks and crannies). Mix pasta with Caesar dressing and chicken. In a seperate bowl, mix romaine lettuce with dressing. Layer plate with lettuce on bottom, pasta on top. Add freshly grated parmesan cheese and croutons (if desired). Nom.

Friday:
Breakfast - Grab 'n go (likely crumpets)
Lunch - Egg salad sandwiches of yumminess (recipe here)
Dinner - Out for Sushi (mmmm sushi)

Saturday:
Breakfast - Pancakes
Lunch - Cold cut buffet
Dinner - Beef stir fry with rice

Sunday:
Breakfast - Eggs Benedict
Lunch - BLTs
Out for Russell Howard show and foodstuffs in Brighton

But that doesn't go in sushi!

I'm probably a little more fascinated with Guy Fieri than a woman has a right to be, but I have to say, as bizarre as 'gringo sushi' sounds, I really want to make some.

It seems that it would be less food than a sandwich, keep better/longer than regular sushi, and have the bonus of not completely grossing people out on the train. Yeah, TheBrit and I do a fair bit of train travel. It's because I'm equally fascinated by trains. I love taking the train.

Anyway, my ideas for take-along 'gringo sushi'...

BLAT (bacon, lettuce, avocado and tomato) topped with a fresh garlic aioli.
Avocado, asparagus and shrimp
Turkey, stuffing, and a bit of cranberry chutney
Chicken tikka
Soft boiled egg and lean bacon with hollandaise dipping sauce (yes, I'm talking about an eggs Benedict sushi roll)

...And pretty much give anything listed on the menu linked above a go.

TheBrit and I keep picking up kinda crap to-go food in the train stations and I'd really quite like to make use of my bento boxes for when we travel, and really, what better to put in bento boxes than some form of sushi? I'm trying to think of other ideas. We generally travel between breakfast and lunch, so those and brunch ideas would be quite welcome.

Run away! Run away!

Wait, maybe that's not the kind of 'retreat' they meant.

Anyway, I get this email from TheBrit around noonish stating "I need a reply, they're sorting out food for the meeting..."

Better him than me working in a company that does those things. I figure after 7 or 8 years of doing the good spouse/partner/whateverIam thing for this, I can beg off for one event per year if necessary.

I digress. So, he sends me this:

Starter

Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup with Smoked Paprika Cheese Straws,Mint Crème Fraiche and Toasted Sunflower Seeds

OR

Salad of Artichokes with Wild Mushrooms, Soft Boiled Quail Egg and Truffle Dressing

Main

Roast Breast of Corn Fed Chicken with crushed La Ratte Potatoes, Ratatouille Timbale and Basil Butter Sauce

OR

Basil Polenta with Grilled Halloumi Cheese, Warm Tomato, Olive and Balsamic Salsa

Dessert

Dark Chocolate and Cherry Delice with Pistachio Ice Cream

OR

Nothing

Meaning that I have to make a decision.

Now, I'd like to think that he knows me well enough to know my answer for everything but the starter, because that one was a bit of a toss up, and I'm kind of hoping that he goes for the soup so I can try it. But... Choice between veggie and meat? Meat. Choice between chocolate and nothing? Please.

So, I sent back an email simply stating: Salad, chicken, chocolate. Which sounds a bit like the world's strangest shopping list. "Honey, I'm feeling fat, but I need protein, and I'm PMSing. Get me something to eat?"

Conversely, it could be a damned good chicken mole (pronounced mole-ay... no idea where the accent goes) salad. (Though I have to admit, I've never developed a taste for chicken mole.)

Now that I've committed to the meal, I have to find a dress.

Fuck.

Recipe Linkdump

Japanese Tempura-don Recipe
Mini Apple Pies
Pan Fried Chicken Lemon Nuggets
Mint Couscous Patties with Bacon and Guac
Couscous Croquettes
Apple and Cinnamon Slice
Herby Lamb Cobbler
Salade Paysanne
Cashew Curry
Crumpets
Roasted Parsnips 1
Roasted Parsnips 2
Manapua
Exotic Meat Supplier in London
White Chocolate Raspberry Scones
Almond Olive Oil Cake