The Sugar Bar » jam

Tea at Blenheim Palace

diva — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 21:21:16 +0000

I was in Oxfordshire since last weekend soaking up some good ol’ countryside. If the weather had been a little less harsh and a little more forgiving, I think I’d have more pictures to share. Frankly speaking, however, I was just a tad bit lazy. Knowing this was probably the only ‘break’ or ‘holiday’ I was gonna get for about another 2 months, I wanted to be as lazy as I could and to enjoy myself thoroughly without having to frustrate physical movement with camera-slung-around-neck or camera-held-tight-in-both-hands. Getting away from any sort of technology was very refreshing as well. I admit I was still visibly active on Twitter but my Blackberry got minimal usage. The beloved laptop was left back home in London, the iPod got squished into a corner of my bag very often saved for used sweet wrappers and crushed receipts hardly given a second thought. And believe it or not, I barely touched my camera. It was food shoveled into mouth (or if it was busy chomping, it was engaged in very precious conversation with H) before the clicking of shutters. It may not have been the vacation of a lifetime but the sense of peace and zen, and the joy I had in reuniting with a friend who’s practically my soulmate would’ve beaten any holiday package hands down.

In the span of 5 days, we covered much ground. We (or rather I) woke up to beautiful breakfast spreads, coffee-ed at our much loved Morton’s and lunched at Maison Blanc where I missed the man himself by literally 30 minutes! The awesome thing was that H got speak to the man in all his glorious French-accented English. H’s mum got his book autographed. And wait for it, our dear Raymond Blanc even gave her an emergency number to ring lest she needed his help in the kitchen! Now if only I’d booked the earlier train, I might’ve had the chance to witness this most delightful affair.

I didn’t mope about for long as the fresh breads and grassy flavoured olive oil dip at Quod wiped my brain of any other thoughts. Mind became blank, and mouth awash with drool. A bit like a blank canvas ready for painting, I was starving and eager to begin my meal. Two glasses of crisp white and a spankingly good duck confit with this scrumptious orange-laced sauce.

You might already know we did some Easter baking. H has two ovens. I have zero at the moment. Or rather, I’ve one but it’s half a world away and I have no hopes of turning this microwave/grill crap that’s lodged into my kitchen wall into something fairly able to churn out cakes and cookies. If you’re presented with the opportunity, pounce on it. And so I did. But a holiday’s all about being decadent. Decadent to the point where you’re not even making the effort. So of course we ate more sweet treats and had tea. And whereabouts? At Blenheim Palace. Yes, where Winston Churchill was born. And where the house (as it used to be called, rather than ‘palace’) was later refurnished in the style of Versailles.

If you’re wondering, no we didn’t have afternoon tea at The Orangery or The Indian Room. The Water Terrace Café, a self-service cosy little one, was good enough for us. And when I say good, I really mean good. Cakes, scones, biscuits all homemade and generously portioned; tasting like bits of heaven and not factory-produced blocks of sugar and shortening. Really helps that the hot drinks are served in large cups (with a saucer) so you feel like you get your money’s worth and enough hot liquid to warm up your soul and fight that bone-chilling damp cold. No kidding. The weather that day was so awful. It did not help that I was wearing ankle cut offs and low-riding little loafers. Where was my performance gear when I needed it!

Nevertheless, Blenheim Palace was enjoyable and this little jewel of a café was like spotting a glowing hearth of a little cottage deep in a cold, dark, unforgiving forest. I can totally say I ate well, rested well and indulged up to Easter weekend. I’m back in the big smoke fighting the tube crowds, uneven cobblestone and sordid transport prices, with only M&S speckled eggs to keep my poor heart settled and at peace.

Happy Easter Sunday everyone.

Blenheim Palace
Woodstock
Oxfordshire
England
OX20 1PP

Spicy Lamb Burgers and an Onion Marmalade with a Kick

diva — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:18:15 +0000

This past week’s been great – I’m very food-involved and there’s much talk about cupcakes which couldn’t make me any happier. There’s even been a cupcakery feature in the latest British VOGUE. Surely there are too many signs?

And then the bestie was in London all week on an audit job so she popped in on Friday night for my homecooked meal before we went out to catch up and unwind over a couple of drinks (we managed to fit in some awesome boogying as well).

After graduating from uni, our crew of friends were like a a bunch of seeds that went dispersing in the air. Some went back to the their hometowns, some went further out to look for jobs, some wandered south-wards (like moi) to continue with their studies, or not. Some stayed put and welcomed the next stage in life with somewhat hesitant and nervously open arms. It may seem like we’ve split ways and gone forward, hopefully a positive step towards our goals in life. The latter I reckon is true but the former, I hope will never happen. Partings can be sad and goodbyes are such bittersweet moments. But again, they are also a chance to say ‘hello’ again. So it’s good. Think positive.

We’re doing the best we can to stay in touch and sometimes, being such a laidback/chilled out bunch can mean there are long periods of time when the only contact we’ve had is the odd text or 2 minute phonecall. But even those moments are great. And whatever chance we get to see each other, we make sure that we have a great time in such a way that we might be said to re-define the phrase ‘quality time’. In the past few weeks, it’s been superb as most of us have done our best, booked our train tickets early, etc. to get down to wherever for a birthday bash, a dinner, a wicked nightout, a quick weekend meet-up. It’ll definitely get harder as everyone’s getting busier with work and it’s very tricky to try and sort something out between everyone’s schedules. Because of that, I’m over the moon when someone comes to visit even for a short while. These moments become all the more precious since they’re so hard to come by.

Since bestie and moi had gone for that ridiculously divine meal at Murano the last time she was down in London (and flippin’ gave myself indigestion because of it, not that I’m complaining – I’d do it all over again even if you added something more injurious to my body to the mix!), it was time for a homecooked meal, with a slight touch of sophistication I say. I’m fortunate to know girls who have hearty appetites and enjoy sitting in front of the telly with a plate of good food, scoff it down unabashedly whilst sipping daintily on a glass of whine. A bit of an oxymoron appearing in that sentence but that’s sorta like what we are. Chilled out, reaal chilled out the two of us, sophisticated (I hope!) with brains to boot, do I dare say with a touch of class and yet always eager to eat food like it should be eaten in real time. Here I am proud to announce two real women in real time! The others I’m sure you’ve either heard of on this blog or I shall, in good time, schedule in their grand entrance.

Yes, real women eat real burgers. Unless pardon me, you’ve special dietary requirements, no offense anyone!

I love sandwiches. I love good bread – especially when baked fresh so it’s crusty warm outside and almost melting buttery soft on the inside. Some good extra virgin olive oil that almost tastes grassy as a dip and some butter on the side, it’s a heavenly combination. And because good bread’s such a luxury, I like homemade burgers in anything but the cheap burger buns you can get in the shops. It jazzes things up a little, makes it look and taste better and surely makes the whole eating experience a lot more exciting?

I chose a seeded bun for this as I’m like a bird, or a squirrel, whichever. I eat loads of seeds and nuts a day. I’m addicted to them things. They make me happy. And looking at the generous sprinkling of seeds on the bun tops, I was well chuffed. I was hoping to get sourdough bread, which is what the Handmade Burger Co. we often visit serves their burgers in and I do love the texture of good sourdough. Unfortunately, my (eeks) last minute trip to the shop came back with nothing and I had to settle with the leftover stuff in the bakery section.

These burgers have a special ingredient. What’s that? Chutney! What kind of chutney? A totally spanking Mr. Vikki’s Tomato & Nigella Chutney I got from the BBC Good Food Show. It flavoured, along with the added spices and fresh coriander, the lamb very nicely and I was a little shocked how good it tasted with just a couple of simple things like that. The lamb burger also retained all it’s moistness so when I squished my bun together with the burger fillings, it oozed out all that juice and caramelized liquer which the bottom bun bread was very eager to absorb. Yum yum. Will definitely make this again and again.

For 2 servings
Spicy Lamb Burgers
Ingredients

Put all the ingredients, except the cheese and lettuce, together in a large bowl. Mix well and then split the mince mixture into two. Form into balls, gently pat down and form the round sides in a burger pattie.

Add some oil to a hot frying pan and cook each side about 4 minutes on medium heat. Serve in a bap, burger bun, ciabatta roll, seeded bun, etc. Top with fillings, onion marmalade and eat!

Onion Marmalade with a Kick
Ingredients

Add oil to a hot pan. Sauté the onions until they are soft and slightly translucent. Add white wine, thyme, chopped chili, salt and pepper. Lower heat and let it cook gently and caramelize for about 45 minutes. You may want to let it caramelize to a stage where it’s a lot wetter and gooey but I like to have the onion pieces still fairly whole and visible.

When cooked to your preference, stir in the balsamic vinegar and honey to taste. Serve on top of your burger.

Pear and Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

diva — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 07:49:53 +0000

The pear is a particularly humble fruit often forgotten in my house or outshone by the more appealing apple,the milkshake-worthy banana, the stunning golden kiwi or the refreshing watermelon. If it were a game of ball, the pear would be the last to be picked onto the team. It may be its delicate flavour, subtle sweetness and generally modest but spotty complexion that causes it to be overlooked, to fade into the background of other more colourful, juicy, sweet and tangy fruit. Nevertheless, I have a special fondness for this bottom-heavy fruit, especially the conference and packham variety; I love them on its own, in salads or poached and served with cream or custard. They’re quite the versatile fruit and cooking them releases its delicate honeyed flavour all the more.

The last upside-down cake I made (years ago, geez) was a recipe from Bill Granger and I remember using heckloads of maple syrup in it. I’d used bananas in the base and so the cake was pretty rich and intensely sweet. Mindblowingly so in fact. I believe the post-cake sugar high lasted for bout half an hour or so, which isn’t quite a good thing for sugar-maniacs like me. But this recipe – Bill Granger’s Banana Maple Upside Down Cake from Bill’s Open Kitchen – is still gorgeous if you aren’t too calorie or sugar-conscious. Instead of using this same Granger recipe, however, I wanted a recipe that wouldn’t have too many flavours working in the syrupy base so as not to overpower the pears. I found one from Ottolenghi and was really excited to give it a go since many have raved about Ottolenghi. Because I have yet to taste their gorgeous food for myself, I simply cannot wait to be in London next year to taste Ottolenghi amongst other equally, if not more, amazing restaurants like Maze, Nobu and dans le noir?. Reckon I should start organizing a list of restaurants to visit with my future flatmate (if she’s nice and amiable!). Someone pass me my diary please…Diva’s got an important restaurant visit-list to note down! Figures I’ll have to work doubly hard to earn a wage that’ll support my shopping, my desire for shoes and that insatiable hunger for yum yummy food.

I’m really pleased with this recipe. I admit it’s a lot of work since you’ve got to poach the pears, make the caramel topping from scratch and basically make sure nothing burns and that you don’t burn yourself, but the results were fantastic. The recipe uses cranberries which I thought would be quite a wonderful marriage with pears, giving it a sweetness boost and a light touch of tanginess. The cake batter incorporates lemon and orange zest amidst spices like ground star anise, cinnamon and nutmeg. The ground almonds also gave it a lovely fluffy texture. Any recipe that uses ground almonds I love. Something about ground almonds that gives all baked goods a special x-factor. So anyway, this is sort of an autumnal cake which I found delightful especially since September is finally here and we’ve gotta say goodbye to summer. I might add a little more cinnamon and nutmeg to the batter in the future as I quite like a bit more spice in cakes like these. The pears which were poached in lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar and spices tasted wonderful with the caramel topping and cranberries soaked in the pear poaching water. Together with the cake, served warm, it was lush! I loved the lemoniness and laces of orange together with the cinnamon-sweetness of the pears and cranberries. I’m not that great at describing how good food tastes to me but honestly, this was good. Moist, very tasty and not overly sweet such that you couldn’t even taste the pear.

Gorgeous.

One problem I had with the recipe, aside from all my kitchen accidents which I’ll get to in a bit, was the baking time. The recipe states that you bake it for 35 mins but I had to bake mine in the oven for nearly 50 mins. I’m not too sure why that was and I have a nagging suspicion that my oven wasn’t preheated long enough to get to the right temperature for baking the cake and thus, required a longer cooking time than advised in the recipe. Any ideas?

I chose not to glaze the cake with jam a little watered down in a saucepan as I felt the caramel topping was sufficient and the cake moist and pretty enough. Like I’d mentioned before, I wanted to keep the recipe simple so I’d stay true to the pears. Any other jam, apricot, strawberry or marmalade would just be unhelpful.

Right, so some of you might be wondering about those kitchen accidents and if you’ve kept up with me on Twitter, you’d have some idea of the silly things I’d done to myself. I guess today’s just one of those days where hand-eye coordination totally fails you. On days like that, I usually ruin everything and by the end of the day, I feel exhausted and emotionally drained. Ie., I feel like a failure. The upside down cake gave me hope but the process of making it was utterly chaotic. Whilst preparing the lemon zest, I’d grated my thumb into the zest as well. Quite a mess I created with the blood streaked across the white sink. Yes. My kitchen’s got a white, dark brown and silver theme to it. All the table tops are marble white and mum loves to keep it absolutely spotless. She’s anal. And I’m OCD-ed. Great. Picture me freaking out and washing away all the blood, picking out the bad zest and all – don’t worry. It didn’t really get onto the lemon but totally irked me out.

So what happened next? Yes, there’s more. The caramel was a successful event. As I stirred the butter into the melted sugar, the itchy-fingered bit of me suddenly stuck a finger into the beautifully browning (and still, bubbling) mixture. Yep. I burnt my finger through and through. It’s now red, sore and still throbbing. To top it off with the cherry on the icing, I’ve got a bulbous white blister on the tip of my finger that really gets in the way of typing, washing my hair, etc.

Wally brain in the kitchen. Stay away.

I’d like to stop here and end your pain. I mean, seriously, you can hurl me some verbal abuse and I wouldn’t mind. Haha. Getting my cake out of the oven was interesting as well. As I’d placed my cake tin on a cookie tray to prevent any accidental spillage, I had to get the cake out of the oven with oven mitts by grabbing the cookie tray and pulling it out. I gather my brain had executed complete shutdown or just decided a simple act like this didn’t require complex thinking – I turned 90 degrees to my left without moving my right arm away from the oven and seared the flesh of my upper right arm with the cookie tray. WOW. The skin’s kinda like welded down where I’ve burned it. A burn line of about 1.5 inches. If anyone asks, I’ll just say I was in a fight or something. My life’s way cooler than ‘Whoops. I burned myself with a cookie tray.’ Oh no. I can already imagine the looks on their faces when they find out the truth. Scarred for life I am, pun not intended.

Right. But the cake was good so I’m a happy chappy. Off to go reap the rewards of my efforts today. If you’re looking for that recipe, check it out over at Ottolenghi’s website. They’ve got loads of other cool recipes as well.

The Wandering Graduette eats Shrewsbury, tastes Jamie’s in Oxford, slurps Paris & gets crooked in Windsor

diva — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 10:55:30 +0000

Although our English summer always comes with a nasty price-tag, one demanding the patience for silly rain and general grey and the necessary sad goodbyes and partings, the brighter side of things must certainly be acknowledged. Summer = travelling. And what kind of travelling is best but food travelling?

Before I get on to the food-traipsing-about bit, however, might I thank Cannelle et Vanille for a wonderful yoghurt panna cotta recipe? I followed her recipe (found in the link shown), including the strawberry mousse but was a little too lazy to carry on with the strawberry gelee. This was lush, especially the strawberry mousse. Tasted absolutely delicious and so creamy! I reckon my panna cotta could have been a little less gelatiny but it was a hit with the special someone (and a good mate of mine). I took the licked glass sides and spoons to be a good sign. My home-prepared dinner date was a success; well, fairly. Strawberries are my feel-good fruit and on a typical summer day, cold strawberries topped with honeyed yoghurt is something I love. Combine the two in this recipe and I couldn’t think of a more suitable summer pudding – sweet, pretty, refreshing and uncomplicated. Threw on a few pink pearl dragees for luck (and yes, a touch of elegance to a student-prepared dessert) and voila!

As the weeks went by, I found myself re-entering the baking zone after a month of exam-induced unhealthy eating and consumption of convenient foods. I was in the zone! Baked a lemon poppy seed cake for Steph in Shrewsbury, her 21st birthday sponge-cake at a bbq in Fleet and then a chocolate torte with brandy cream in Kent (did not take any pictures of this but will soon recreate this pudding as it was too good to chuck the recipe out). I couldn’t be happier. I may have lost a bit of the baking touch from being idle in the kitchen but I’m quite sure it’ll all come back to me very soon. It’s like riding a bike – not that I can ride a bike, unfortunately! But I’m just saying…so don’t judge me.

When the end of June came and went, I’d lost so much weight from lugging huge suitcases and tea boxes about, painting walls and bedrooms, climbing up and down to paint ceilings and skirtings or wipe down hard-to-reach surfaces, I could see no better way to treat myself than to eat all the sweeties I desired whenever and wherever the urge sprung up. First stop in my travels was Shrewsbury – the birth place of Darwin but more importantly, a very dear friend of mine – Steph who was recently our newbie-21. Thanks to her food enthusiast of a mum, we had a road trip to Much Wenlock, Church Stretton and a little farm shop on the way home.

I know few who do not love lemon curd, or as Steph’s mum calls it, lemon cheese. Sabrina’s Cottage Kitchen lemon curd was star quality. We found this little stand of jams, preserves, fruit & nut butters and curds in the guild-house of Much Wenlock. Everything was prettily packaged the traditional way and I admit I got very carried away with the tablewater crackers and jam testers on the side. Couldn’t help ooh-ing and aaah-ing at everything because it isn’t an every day thing to find homemade jams and preserves as pretty and tasty as these in Birmingham city. It was unfortunate I had little luggage space or I would have bought quite a few jars of their lovely product. We did, however, leave with a humble jar of lemon curd which we had nearly every day for the rest of my stay with fruit, on toast, on lemon poppy seed – every available opportunity to have it! I realize I have yet to talk about why this lemon curd is so good. It’s just curd isn’t it? Yes and no. I love my M&S lemon curd but this topped it. Using a recipe that uses no water, this baby uses only eggs, unsalted butter, white caster sugar and lemons! Simple, uncomplicated and so good (this is totally my motto in life). The recipe was leaked out to us, very kindly. But if I tell you it, I’d have to kill you because this simple curd recipe isn’t just a curd recipe. It’s a recipe for a curd that’s so lemony and so creamy, it gives you a party in your mouth every taste. Unfortunately, the lack of preservatives means this must be consumed in a few days. Really now, it’s so good it won’t last more than 3 days max in all honesty. I can guarantee that.

With the taste of lemons still lingering on my tastebuds, we were ready for a coffee and some heartily good homemade cake. So where to in Much Wenlock for none of that mass-produced coffee shop sweets but the real homemade stuff with real butter? In the cosy basement of the sweetest gift shop, Rainbow’s End, I was taken to this little gem providing some of the moistest and most tasty cakes I’ve had – retreat Coffee Shop. And what a name! Going to the Rainbow’s End where I find not the leprechaun’s secret stash of gold but a little retreat serving up coffees, drinks and little sweets. What a treasure of a find and a great place to put your feet up for a bit before wandering through Much Wenlock’s array of quirky, antique and lifestyle shops. Want cake?

Have cake! The St. Clementine cake (if you love orange and lemon) is my no.1 and the Carrot Cake is quite lush too. The icing on both is to die for! If you want something less sweet, the English scones available are lovely too. They are served with butter and strawberry jam.

The rest of the day was spent lazying about in Steph’s garden, checking out the blackcurrant and gooseberry bush, and designing a cherry-picking plan for the rest of the week. By the end of the week, we’d picked loads of the reddest, fattest cherries before the birds got to them and a little box of blackcurrants. Joy! The next day, Steph took me into Shrewsbury town. I thoroughly adored all the Tudor houses, the quaint backstreet shops, giftstores, chocolatiers and traditional sweet shops. There was just something quite fairytale-like about the whole experience. Walking on cobblestone through little streets, turning a little crooked corner to find a small giftshop selling a collection of handmade trinkets, odd boy paraphernalia, indie designer dresses, etc. I loved it! Every corner was something fascinating, something to see and wonder about.

At lunchtime, we popped into The Cornhouse Restaurant and Wine Bar which was much raved about by Steph’s mum and coincidentally where Steph’s aunt and partner had first met. I had high expectations of this restaurant and I wasn’t disappointed at all. I ordered the Honey Roasted Ham with free range eggs, homemade chutney, chips and salad main. The chutney was probably one of the best I’ve tasted. The chef was pretty generous with the ham and the free range eggs were fried but without the brown crispy sides which is just the way I like it. With fried eggs, I hate it when the sides of the eggs start to crisp up and the whole egg is just an oily, greasy mess. Mine were perfect with the egg yolk about halfway cooked, so it was cooked on the outer most ring of the yolk and then gooey in the middle. Aaah. I hate to sound utterly silly but I tend to judge a restaurant (the ones that serve chips) by their chips. Good restaurants make the chips themselves and if they’re served chunky, are real solid chunks that are properly cooked. Crisp and golden brown on the outside but fluffy inside. These chips were just that. Very golden brown which I believe was due to a special seasoning that wasn’t overpowering at all. Even doused with vinegar and salt, they were quite perfect. Steph ordered a burger which came with chips and a salad as well. A fat chunky burger with lots of herbs inside. Sitting across the table, I couldn’t help sneaking looks at that glorious burger of hers. Really good food is all I can say. Not poncy and not overly-priced. Just good food made with fresh, top-quality ingredients and served with a personal touch and warm, friendly service. The interior is well-decorated with warm lighting so you sorta feel like you’ve come home for a relaxing meal. Comfy chairs, smooth dark wooden tables, the whole shebang. Lovely! If you decide to check out The Cornhouse ( click the link for their website) or here’s where you can find it:

59a Wyle Cop
Shrewsbury
SY1 1XY
Tel: 01743 231 991

24-26 George Street
Oxford
OX1 2AE
Tel: 01865 83 83 83

I was sad to leave Shrewsbury for another bit of England but am delighted to say I visited Jamie’s Italian in Oxford! The reason I was in Oxford was because I was visiting a close friend of mine, Hansey, who’d recently returned to England from Marseille. And we were just meeting up before jetting off to gay Paris the morning after. Talk about over-scheduling my holiday! The Oxford restaurant, the first of Jamie’s casual dining chain, is situated right in the heart of Oxford amongst a cosmopolitan offering of other very lovely restaurants. Once in the restaurant, you’re overwhelmed with the smell of gorgeous food, of people with happy faces bonding over antipasti and a glass of wine, busy waiting staff expertly maneuvering their way between tables and chairs with plates of steaming pasta, risotto or some other luxurious dish. I think I was sold the moment I stepped through the doors, over the threshold into Jamie’s world of food.

We ordered a few starters: a little box of various breads and breadsticks, a plate of gia-normous fresh olives on ice and seasoned fried chickpeas. The verdict? All good. I wanted more! My main was (I do not remember the exact name of the dish) but stuffed pork skewers served with a caramelized lemon and a salsa dip. I paired the main with a side of seasoned vegetables which tasted like it’d been curried but was so lovely, it sort of melted in your mouth. The pork skewers were delicious but I knew I should have scrutinized the menu a little bit more for the sake of blogging the dish as I now cannot recall what other ingredients went into the stuffed skewer. All I know is that it was moist, it was tasty, it was lush with the caramelized lemon! The only beef I had with it was probably that the food had gotten a little cold by the time it’d been served.

Throughout the whole dinner, the conversation was flowing as well as the food was rapidly being consumed. The wine was good, the ambience was great and totally suited for family meals or casual gatherings between friends. Although the waitress could have been a little friendlier and less stressed out, my ice cream pudding could have been a lot less melted, the whole evening was lovely and I’d still be eager to mark a dinner date in my diary to return to Jamie’s.

From Oxford we jet-setted to Paris and boy was I excited about having croissants, brioche, crepes, macarons, tarte au citron and loads more! One of the mornings in our week-long stay, we zombied (this is us, caffeine-less and breakfast-less braving the morning metro crowd) it all the way on the metro to Montmarte, getting off at Abbesses station for a 2-3min walk to the highly-recommended café/boulangerie Coquelicot which is poppy in French; hence, the poppy red theme of the café. Absolutely loved this little place. It’s quite crammed in there and really hard to move about especially if you’re a tourist with ridiculously big bags stuffed with maps, cameras, camera equipment, mineral water, yada yada. But the waiting staff in there are friendly despite the early morning start. The ladies behind the counter zip about at lightning speed, slipping freshly baked baguettes, croissants, sugar rolls, madeleines, etc. into brown paper bags. Don’t get too carried away staring at this morning hustle-bustle though. Find yourself a seat quick, whether it’s outside facing the street or inside, slotted about 2 inches away from a stranger – it’s fine! The scrambled eggs are good, the orange juice is freshly squeezed, the brioche comes in a little bread basket warm and so soft, tearing it apart is like tearing up warm cotton candy. Best of all, they serve morning coffee the traditional French way – in bowls!

Yes-a-roonie. Un bol de café noir, s’il vous plait!

That’s all I need to say. No more typing, or trying to pimp this place out. It’s GOOOD. Go find Coquelicot:

24 rue des Abbesses
Paris 18e
Tel: 01 46 06 18 77

Another special place we went to in Paris was Le Beouf sur le Toit, a place recommended to me for great seafood: oysters, mussells, lobster, the works. We went, we ate, we conquered, and had a mammoth amount of pudding. That, all on top of a bottle of wine between Hansey and I. That explains why there weren’t any pictures. Woops. My bad!! Nevertheless, we ate Paris through and through. I did have a small moment of food poisoning but that’s beside the point.

So leaving Paris was another moment of goodbye for me. Saying goodbye to friends, going separate paths, planning the next reunion. It was sad. But I’m excited about doing my Masters in London next year and the food opportunities in London! Anyway, before I start gushing about that and before I end this ridiculously long entry, would like to tell everyone about the little Crooked House of Windsor teahouse. Unfortunately, the parents and I weren’t hungry enough to have their traditional selections of teacakes but we did sample their coffees and teas which were delightful. Dad ordered a chocolate cappuccino of some sort – he was going through a phase of having chocolate in his usually black coffee after travelling to Switzerland and Mum had a rose-infused black tea which smelt divine. I ordered a black coffee which I believe was of an Indonesian roast that smelt like chocolate but tasted quite smooth and intense. I would return at some point to taste their teacakes and scones but I am proud to say I left happy and caffeined-up.

Sainsbury’s has recently launched an ‘Eat Britain’ campaign and I’m excited about this campaign to eat locally produced foods and so forth. I don’t think I have done exactly that by traipsing about the country and then to Paris but I’m glad something like that has been launched. Hope it goes well and if you guys have anything to say about it, drop me a comment!

Diva shall now attempt to unpack and sort out her clothes and all. Yikes.

Grilled Salmon, Courgettes & Apricot Jam with Lemon Herb White Wine Sauce

diva — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 21:39:25 +0000

If someone invented a giant comfy grandfather chair that recharged your ‘life’ levels, I’d totally get it – crumple straight into it like dead batteries to a charger and stay in there lifeless till I’m good and ready for the world.

Completely maxed out in terms of energy today. Never realized 4 hours in the library could be so soul-sapping (since it has never left me so dead tired before), to the point that I turned down a pub quiz night and pound-a-pint, and an invitation to Gatecrashers. Normally, if there is a lack of events for the evening, I’d happily light my row of candles by the window sill, turn the lights down, slap on a face mask and cuddle under the covers with my readings. My brain is completely fried, my eyes red and tired, and my neck stiff as hell. I can’t seem to do anything else other than sit my laptop on myself and struggle immensely hard at completing this post.

What I’d give my life for right now? A back massage, an eye mask and the comfiest king-sized bed with the most luxurious bedspread and most decadent down duvet in the world!

If my week (subtract last week’s amazing nights out and my 21st) of bad karma was not depressing enough, it would be laughable to think the people up there were letting me go scot free without a next round of setbacks. Round Two is a fucked up shower that might fall through the ceiling, a injured right hand that got caught in a door and being woken up by a deafening faulty fire alarm. Some tribes somewhere believe that your soul travels out of your body whilst you sleep. Hence, one should be gently woken up (if truly necessary) to give the soul sufficient time to return to the body that houses it. Reckon, not only was my body shattered from lack of sleep, my soul has been given a right electric-shock from that horrible alarm. If I were crazier than I already were, which is really a bad thing, I’d go up to that dastard manmade invention and give it a good talking-to. Only I was taught in school that there’s a difference between living and non-living things. Cheeky as I am, I ain’t gonna try and provoke that barrier between them. Not all binaries of the world can be exploded.

The pictures for this post aren’t much. 3 out of 4 of the lightbulbs in the kitchen went bust and I didn’t have a spare lamp anywhere for extra lighting. I forget that a return to student life is equivalent to foregoing little luxuries like not having to pay the bills, groceries bought and ready-stocked in pantry and fridge, and err… lights?

The sauce is power-packed and inspired by a gorgeous sauce paired with scallops from Melonfish. The strength of the garlic and lemon were pretty superb with the sweetness of the courgettes. The flavour of the salmon, it being an oily fish, pulled everything together and tamed the piquancy of it all.

Lemon Herb White Wine Sauce
Ingredients

Courgettes & Apricot Jam
Ingredients

Grill salmon steaks as you normally would.

For the sauce:
Melt butter in a heavy-based saucepan. Add olive oil. Sauté garlic in the fats, be careful not to let them brown. Add wine, tomatoes, lemon juice and zest and mix well. Next, add the rest of the ingredients. Lower heat and let it simmer until thickens. Season to taste.

For the courgettes:
Heat olive oil in large frying pan. When oil is hot enough, add the courgettes and stir-fry till slightly browned. Remove from heat. Add jam and stir, making sure to coat all courgette strips with jam. Season a little. Serve.