Peanut Butter and Jealous

Sunshine, Blues Skies, and London's Kew Gardens

2010-07-12T01:30:00.000-07:00

We arrived early, coffee in hand, under sunny bright blue skies. We'd never been, and the day was perfect. Summer was in full bloom in London's Kew Gardens which holds the world’s largest collection of living plants.

Kew’s Palm House, a Victorian iron and glass structure, is considered to be the most important building of its kind in the world. It was designed to house the exotic palms being collected and introduced to Europe in early Victorian times.

It's gorgeous inside... with so many interesting and beautiful plants, including the oldest potted plant in the world!

Look at the wrought iron spiral staircase, what workmanship.

This is The Princess of Wales Conservatory, named after Princess Augusta, not Princess Diana, although it was opened in 1987 by Diana, Princess of Wales. The pond within the aquaria section is breathtaking and contains the giant waterlily Euryale ferox. This plant has massive leaves that can span two metres and are strong enough to hold a baby!

We saw interesting sculptures, both indoors and out.

Everywhere I looked, there was something or someone to photograph.

Ever the patient husband, GB posed dutifully for me at every turn.

But even he could only take so much; soon it was lunchtime for us both, and nap time for him while I cruised the rose garden.

Oh, the colors and the scents. I could have stayed forever.

British summertime, when it makes its magical appearance, there's nothing like it anywhere.

Crab Cakes

2010-07-07T07:31:00.000-07:00

Crab Cakes...mmm, they conjure up dinners in the deep south, the deep south of South Carolina. We would travel from coastal town to coastal town, searching out the best crab cakes. Everyone's got a secret, everyone makes them different, but they are all so good. Must be those fabulous blue (or soft ) shell crabs.
Oh, the ambiance of the lowcountry; Spanish Moss laden water oaks, the salt water ocean heavy in the air, sea marshes with mile long tides, a moon low in the sky casting silver white shadows over the sand dunes. It's just a feeling, a feeling that's helped along by a long, deep breath, a long slow look, a "put on the breaks and just be" frame of mind. South Carolina, it's a special place.
We love crab cakes, can you tell? Serve them on a bed of fresh, crisp summer corn and take a little trip down south.

Bed of Crisp Summer Corn

Cut the corn off several ears of fresh summer corn. This is most easily done in a deep bowl with a sharp knife. Do not cut too close to the cob, you only want the tender kernels, not the fibrous cob. Next chop a few green onions, and a bit of red bell pepper. Saute it all quickly (2-3 minutes is plenty) in a skillet over medium high heat in just a knob of butter and a dash of salt. Don't be afraid to judge the amounts yourself, you can't mess this up, I promise. If you only have corn, saute that up and enjoy. It's a great way to enjoy summer corn, much better than boiling.

Crab Cakes

2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 large egg, beaten
¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons freshly lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
2 green onions, green tops only, very thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 ½ cups Japanese breadcrumbs (panko)
2 cans crabmeat

1 cup all-purpose (or plain) flour
Egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water)
¼ cup canola or vegetable oil
Lime wedges, for garnish

Whisk together the mayonnaise, egg, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, green onions, salt and cayenne in a large bowl. Add ½ cup of the breadcrumbs, and stir to combine. Divide the mixture into 6-8 equal portions, forming each into a small cake. Refrigerate for at least 30 minute to set cakes. Dredge the crab cakes in the flour, then dip into the egg wash to coat completely; allow the excess to drip back off. Immediately place in the rest of the breadcrumbs, turning to coat well.

Heat medium-size saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and heat through. Carefully add the crab cakes to the hot oil, and cook until golden brown and crusty on the first side, about 3 to 4 minutes. Using a spatula, gently turn the crabcakes over, and cook the other side, about 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove crab cakes and place on paper towels to blot oil.

Serve with tartare sauce or chipotle mayonaise, which is a dollop of mayonaise mixed with a bit of chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (available in the USA, but haven't found it in the UK yet).They are also tasty with asian chili sauce.

Fruit Pizza

2010-06-29T11:10:00.000-07:00

Fruit Pizza. Two words that equal endless deliciousness. Basically, it's a giant sugar cookie with cream cheese frosting and fruit - you can't go wrong. Fruit pizza in the shape of an American flag is the perfect Fourth of July dessert because it's light and fresh and well, it looks like a giant flag.

If you're American, you know how fun July 4th is... the fireworks, the bbq, ice cold beers in the hot sun. I mean let's be real here - it's the one day of the year that everyone gets to run around the yard yelling and waving a stick on fire in the air (a sparkler, of course!).

We all get to be kids and ooh and ahh at the fireworks. It's a day that everyone should have, a purely fun day filled with hot dogs and things on fire. Therefore, Brits and all others, I suggest that you create your own July 4th, any day you like!

Pick a day, any day, and celebrate. All you need is something to BBQ, something to drink, something to light on fire (safely! like fireworks or a camp fire) and, of course, a flag shaped dessert. So here's one you can make anywhere, and in the shape of any flag you like!

Old Fashioned Sugar Cookie Recipe

1/2 cup (115 grams) butter
1 1/2 cups (340 grams) granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon (5 grams) vanilla
1 cup (242 grams) sour cream
3 cups (330 grams) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon (6 grams) salt
1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) baking soda

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, and sour cream and mix. Sift and add dry ingredients. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and roll (or pat with your hands) cookie dough out so that it evenly covers the entire cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until golden brown, roughly 13 minutes. Remove and let cool completely. NOTE: If you live in the USA, just use one tube of Pillsbury refrigerated sugar cookie dough and pat it out on a cookie sheet and bake according to directions. Be sure to keep an eye on it and remove when light golden brown.

Fruit Pizza Recipe

1 sugar cookie base
1 8 ounce (226 grams) package cream cheese
1 8 ounce (226 grams) container Cool Whip or Dream Whip
1/4 cup (30 grams) confectioners sugar
1 pint (about 300 grams) strawberries
1 pint (about 300 grams) raspberries
1 pint (about 300 grams) blueberries

Whip cream cheese, Cool Whip, and confectioners sugar till blended. If you can't find Cool Whip (Brits, this means you), buy one package of Dream Whip and follow directions, then substitute this for the Cool Whip. Spread mixture evenly over the cookie base and top with fruit. If you want it in the shape of a flag, just pick fruits that match your flag (red = raspberries, strawberries/ blue = blueberries/ green = kiwis/ white = leave black and let mixture show through/ yellow = pineapple/ you get the picture!).

Don't forget to make more than one, these go fast! And just one or two more tips - first, keep this refrigerated! Second, don't pick fruits that yellow (like bananas), or fruits with too much juice (like peaches). No one likes a soggy fruit pizza! Other than that, make them pretty and make them often! Oh, one more thing - share with friends! In the name of friends we don't know, Happy Fourth of July! And to those we do, like Miss Wendy below, Happy Birthday!

The £2500 Coconut Cream Pie or Why You Should Feed Your Coworkers

2010-06-24T13:50:00.000-07:00

I really love this copper bowl, this solid copper bowl. It was a tad expensive, so much so that when my husband asked how much it was, I declined to tell him. I got this bowl to help make my Coconut Cream Pie. Okay, it wasn't exactly necessary, I've been making them for years without one. But just look at it, will you? It works as a double boiler, and it's the only way to whip up fabulous egg whites. Well, cream of tarter works just as well, but again, just look at it. It was made in France. Can't you just tell? And, no, it didn't cost £2500, that would be silly. I'll explain that in just a second, but first I've got to tell you about Jane.

I really like Jane. She is one of those "tell it like it is" kind of people. You know just where you stand with Jane. And she's fun. You just know she'd be a blast to hang out with for a night on the town. Jane is my kind of people. She likes to cook, I know because she makes homemade soup and brings it to work for lunch. And she has chickens. She brought me some fresh eggs; you just gotta love a coworker like that. But wait, the story gets even better.

Right, real quick, back to the Coconut Cream Pie. It's a breeze to make and the best thing is you probably have everything on hand to make it right now. If not, stock up because this is so easy and so good. First of all, you need a bottom crust, baked and cooled. I always make my own, here's my recipe.

Best Pie Crust

1 cup or 190 grams vegetable shortening (Trex in the UK, Crisco in the USA)
2 cups flour or 220 grams (plain in the UK, all-purpose in the USA)
dash of salt
1/2 cup or 120 ml milk
1 tablespoon or 15 ml white vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 F or 180 C. Cut shortening into flour and salt using pastry cutter in large mixing bowl until mixture is in pea size pieces. You can mix as much as you want at this stage. Next, grab a coffee mug and fill it with about 3 ice-cubes. Add the milk to the ice, along with the vinegar. The vinegar should slightly thicken the milk. Next, dribble about half the liquid mixture over the flour mixture. Gently push the flour mixture together with a large spoon. Once you start adding the liquid, it is important to handle the crust as little as possible, because that is what will make your crust tough like cardboard. Dribble a little more liquid and keep pushing the flour mixture together until it will form a ball. You will probably have to use your hands at this point. Again, handle the crust as little as possible, using just enough liquid to get it to form a ball. Once it forms a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in the freezer for about 15 minutes.

Next, remove it from the freezer, cut the ball in two since this makes both a bottom and top crust, although you only need a bottom crust for this pie, re-wrap half and put it back in the freezer for your next pie. Pie crust freezes beautifully. Liberally sprinkle flour on the counter-top, and roll out your bottom crust. Start with your rolling pin in the middle of the crust, and push crust outward from the center. Do this in all directions until your crust is about a 1/4 inch thick. Carefully drape pie crust in pie plate, trim edges, and patch pieces together if it is short in some areas, pinch top edges together. Poke a few holes in the bottom to prevent crust from bubbling up. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until edges are golden brown. Remove and cool.

Is your crust made? Yes? Okay then, back to the £2500 Coconut Cream Pie. By the way, that's about $3700 to you Americans. Not an amount to sneeze at, for sure. I'd been dying to try out my new copper bowl, and Jane had been sweet enough to take an interest in the blog. So, seeing as how I had just made a Coconut Cream Pie the weekend before (it's GB's newest favorite) I thought I'd make one and take some in to work for Jane. Pat, who works with me side by side, is always included, mostly because she's only the sweetest person alive, but also because I adore her.

It was time for a coffee break so I gave Jane a call and as soon as she heard the words Coconut Cream Pie, she materialized by my side. I cut pieces for Jane, Pat, and myself, and because we all happen to be smart gals, we began to discuss the new Chancellor's budget (government budget to you US folk) including public sector salary cuts and freezes. Wow, don't we sound fascinating? One thing led to another, and soon I had my payslip out so Jane could explain a few things to the American girl- that's me, of course. She took one look at my slip and questioned why I pay so much tax. I had no idea, I never thought to question it. Next thing I know, I was on the phone to the tax office who informed me that I had been overpaying for as long as I had been working in the UK! The government is sending me £2500. Now, how often does that happen? So, the moral of the story is, feed your coworkers, it always works to your advantage!

£2500 Coconut Cream Pie

3 cups or 700 ml milk

3 egg yolks, save the whites for meringue

pinch salt

3/4 cup or 150 grams sugar

4 tablespoons cornstarch or 30 grams (USA) or corn flour (UK)

1 teaspoon or 5 ml vanilla

1/2 cup desiccated coconut or 40 grams (dried in a bag from the baking section of the store)

baked and cooled pie crust

Save out a little milk and pour the rest into a double boiler (see pic above- does not have to be copper!), this is just a bowl inside a pan that's filled with boiling water. In another bowl, beat egg yolks, mix in rest of milk that you saved out, add salt, sugar, and cornstarch and mix by hand with whisk. Now, whisk this mixture into hot milk on stove top (or hob). When mixture begins to thicken, about 3-5 minutes later, add vanilla and coconut. Cook for another minute or two and pour into cooled crust. For an old-fashioned look, set in window or outside to cool.

Preheat oven to 350F or 180C. Next, whip up the egg whites to make meringue. Add a bit of cream of tarter to the egg whites, about a teaspoon. Once the whites begin to look foamy, start adding some sugar, a bit at a time. All in all, you'll use about 2 tablespoons of sugar. Beat until stiff and put on top of pie. Sprinkle a bit of coconut over meringue, and bake for about 8-10 minutes, or until lightly browned. This pie is amazing especially when it is cold, so chill and serve!

For simplicity, ease, and wow factor, I don't think there's another pie out there to compare. Give it a try and let us know what you think.

Lemon Bundt Cake

2010-06-15T12:54:00.000-07:00

Nothing says summertime like old-fashioned lemonade. Just sugar, freshly squeezed lemons, and water served in a beautiful pitcher. Don't forget to toss a few slices of lemon among the ice cubes. Now, take a seat on the deck or the porch, take a long, slow sip and just enjoy. Like the best things in life, it's easy and simple. Now, imagine that intense lemon flavour in a moist buttery cake, a lemony rich cake that is first drenched in lemon soaking solution, and then topped with a glaze. Yes, it can be summertime any day of the year when you have a slice of this bit of heaven.

This Lemon Bundt Cake is essentially a moist and very flavorful pound cake. It actually improves when first basted, wrapped, and left in the fridge for a few days. Don't glaze it until you are ready to serve. If you can hold off, I really recommend not skipping this step. Because it is baked in a bundt pan, it doesn't even really need frosting, it looks so pretty as is. But, after basting it with a lemon soaking solution, I like to drizzle it with a pound cake glaze. This cake will put a sunny smile on anyone's face.

Lemon Bundt Cake

(from Bakewise by Shirley O. Corriher)

Nonstick cooking spray with flour
3/4 cup (170 g) unsalted butter cut into chunks
1/2 cup (96 g) shortening (Crisco in USA, Trex in UK)
3 cups (595 g) sugar
1/3 cup (79 ml) canola oil (I use rapeseed oil in the UK)
2 tablespoons (30 ml) pure lemon extract
Grated peel of 4 large lemons
3 tablespoons (45 ml) lemon juice
2 large egg yolks
5 large eggs
2 & 2/3 cups (332 g) all-purpose flour. In the UK, I use plain flour because it has no leavening in it.
1/2 cup (52 g) finely ground almonds. I found this in the baking aisle.
1 teaspoon (5 g) baking powder
1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
1/2 cup (118 ml) heavy cream. In the UK, I use single cream.
Lemon Soaking Solution (recipe follows)
Pound Cake Glaze (recipe follows)

1. Preheat oven to 350F/177C
2. Spray a 10 inch (25-cm) tube pan or a 12-cup (2.8-L) Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray with flour.
3. On medium speed, beat butter to soften. Add shortening, beat until light and pale in colour, about 3 minutes. Add sugar and continue to beat (cream) until very light, scraping down the sides at least once. At this point, check the bowl to see if it feels cool. If not, put the bowl in the freezer for 3-5 minutes and then continue creaming. Next, beat in the oil, lemon extract, grated lemon peel, and lemon juice.
4. On the lowest speed, blend in yolks and then whole eggs, one at a time.
5. In medium bowl, using a fork, beat together the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, and salt for 30 seconds.
6. On the lowest speed, blend flour mixture into butter mixture in 3 additions. Scrape down the sides of the bowl at least once.
7. Place a bowl, beaters, and cream in the freezer for 5 minutes. Whip the cream until soft peaks form when the beaters are lifted. Beat just a little more past this stage, about 1 minute. Now stir 1/4 of the cream into the batter to lighten it. Now very gently fold the rest of the cream into the batter using a flat cake spatula.
8. Pour batter into prepared pan. Drop cake pan onto counter from a height of 4 inches to knock out the air bubbles. Smooth the batter with a spatula.
9. Place cake in oven and bake until cake springs back when touched, or a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean but moist, about 1 hour. Ideally, the cake should not pull away from the sides until just out of the oven. Let cake cool in pan for about 15 minutes. Knock cake against counter to jar it loose and turn it onto a serving platter to finish cooling.
10. While the cake is still hot, baste cake with lemon soaking solution. See recipe below. Next, wrap cooled and basted cake and put in fridge for 2 or 3 days. When ready to serve, drizzle with pound cake glaze. See recipe below.

Lemon Soaking Solution

1/3 cup (79 ml) lemon juice
1/2 cup (99 g) sugar

Stir lemon juice and sugar together until sugar is completely dissolved. If necessary, heat slightly until dissolved. Brush on the hot cake until all the solution is absorbed.

Pound Cake Glaze

1 cup (120 g) confectioners sugar or icing sugar

2 to 3 tablespoons (30-45 ml) cream ( heavy or single, depending on where you live!)

1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) pure vanilla extract

Stir together all the ingredients and drizzle over cake. You want the consistency thick and just barely pourable. Add more sugar or cream until you get it right. Drizzle over the cake so the that it trickles down the sides. Serve to very happy guests. I suggest you put aside a piece for yourself for later, as this cake goes very fast.

Angel Food Cake

2010-06-07T10:34:00.000-07:00

How can this cake not exist in England? That's right, the English don't know what an "Angel Food Cake" is. No surprise really, since it doesn't have the word "sponge" or "pudding" in the title. I just can't help thinking of eating a stinky, dirty dish sponge when I hear someone say that word in conjunction with a dessert! Have no fear my English friends, I'm here to share my recipe with you. Made with a dozen egg whites and no yolks, this cake has roughly 140 calories per slice. Don't worry, I've fixed that by slathering this healthy delight in my very own butter cream frosting!

I'm not sure who claimed it first, but angel food cake is the choice of my mom, sister, aunt, and myself (among others!) for our birthday cakes. We make over a dozen a year, each one lighter and more delicate than the last. The key, whipping the daylights out the egg whites. When you think you're done whipping, whip more. How did they make this cake before electricity? Women with big biceps I suppose.

Nothing goes better with this beautiful cake than sugared strawberries and whipped cream, and if you want a cake worthy of a celebration, just top it with sugared flowers. You can't imagine how easy it is to sugar flowers.

Choosing your flowers is pretty essential. I did a test run with a few varieties and learned something in a hurry. Unless you are Martha Stewart, stay away from dark flowers. They end up looking like something a six year old did in art class - the only difference, when you're a grown up, no one thinks it's cute anymore. Of course, if you want to eat them, pick a variety that's edible. If you are like me and you go for looks over function, as in 5 inch heels walking through London, choose pretty flowers and tell people to eat a salad cause they're not getting their greens on top of your cake!

So, pick your flowers and grab two bowls and a paint brush (any will do, but you'll find that a fan brush with fine bristles will work best). Fill one bowl with a whipped egg white and the other with very fine white sugar (just throw granulated sugar in the food processor if you don't have any on hand). Dip your brush in the egg white, paint the top of your flower, sprinkle with sugar and repeat until the flower is covered.

Either lay your flowers flat on a wire sheet or parchment paper, or if you're like me, string the little buggers up with clothes pins (I think this keeps them looking fuller!). You're done! Once they're dry (a few hours or more), top your cakes, cupcakes, pies, etc and leave people thinking you're a mini Martha in the making!

Light and sweet, make this cake this summer and I bet you'll get a few people asking for your recipe! Enjoy!

Angel Food Cake

serves 8-10

Tube pan or Angel Food Cake pan (10 X 4 inches)
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 dozen egg whites
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 cup caster sugar (fine sugar, put granulated sugar in food processor if you don't have)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and place oven rack towards the bottom of the oven. In one bowl, mix flour and powdered sugar for 30 seconds and set aside. In another bowl, use an electric mixer to beat your eggs whites and cream of tartar until foamy, about 1.5 minute. Add in your caster sugar, roughly two heaping teaspoon fulls at a time, on highest mixer speed. With your last addition of sugar, add in your vanilla, almond extract, and salt. Now beat, beat, beat until stiff, glossy peaks form (at least a minute or two more).
Once stiff peaks form, sprinkle in the flour/sugar mixture 1/4 cup at a time, and fold gently with a spatula until just incorporated. Push into your tube pan and run a butter knife through to get the air bubbles out.
Bake 28-33 minutes until top of cake cracks and it springs back when lightly touched. Pull it out of the oven and turn it upside down onto a metal funnel or bottle (so it hangs there to cool). Let it hang until it's completely cool. Don't forget to loosen the sides of the cake with a knife before inverting onto your cake plate.

Butter Cream Frosting

frosts one Angel Food Cake

1 cup butter
5-6 cups powdered sugar
1-2 teaspoons vanilla
1/3- 1/2 cup cream

Using room temperature butter, whip the butter using a fork. Add in the powdered sugar, cream, and vanilla and whip with the fork until smooth and creamy. If it's too thick, add more cream, a little at a time. If it's too buttery, add more sugar. If you like it to have more vanilla, add more! But above all else, don't eat it all before you frost your cake!

Zucchini Crab Fritters with Grapefruit Aioli

2010-06-01T04:12:00.000-07:00

Fresh crab vs. canned crab – when does it make a difference? You’ll notice that virtually all recipes involving crab (crab cakes, crab balls, crab fritters, etc) call for fresh crab, picked over. Most recipes are asking you to buy a whole, giant, ugly crab and return to ninth grade biology – a.k.a., dissect that little bugger. Yes, take out all the meat, but also remove any tiny bits of shell and other icky bits that you might not want to snack on. But is that always necessary? And if not, when is the short cut okay? Here’s the simple answer. If the crab is standing alone (as in no breadcrumbs, mayo, garlic, etc.) then you need to get out your bio book and go to town on a few of the little guys.
Luckily, or unluckily, however you look at it, crab all alone is rarely on the menu. More often, I’m sure you find yourself making crabby treats like crab cakes, fritters, steak topping, etc. You’ll be happy to know that rarely, if ever, could you even taste the difference between the canned stuff and the fresh stuff after it’s mixed with mayo and fried or piled high on a steak and smothered with béarnaise sauce. So, feel free to make this next recipe and yes, head down the naughty canned meat isle and pick up a few cans of canned crab, guilt free. You can smile smugly while popping the top – we won’t tell. It goes without saying, of course, try to pick out the top quality brands when buying something as delicate as canned crab.

Can I just add, while on the topic of canned meat, it is never, and I do mean never, okay to buy canned chicken. Or meat. In fact, I pretty much draw the line at canned crab and tuna fish. Because really, we can’t pop a chicken breast in the oven? Seriously? It’s too much work to slit open the package and slide it into a pan? Canned chicken was the precursor to the frozen pre-made peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Yes. Didn’t you know? People are now too busy to pull out two jars, open them, and spread the contents onto a slab of bread. Gosh – they don’t have all day here. Hello – the toaster strudel already ate up precious minutes this morning!

Enough of that – now on to the recipe! Crab fritters are delicious. There is no doubt about it, deep fry crab, and people will keep coming back to your dinner parties. Your spouse will probably think he/she forgot your anniversary. For some reason, crab spells special. These fritters are no exception. In fact, they look like you spent all day making them. If you follow the directions for the breading station, you can have them done in no time and happily, these can be made ahead of time. Just store them in the fridge on a few paper towels (the crab, though drained, still holds moisture and can soggy up your bottom bread crumbs). When your guests arrive, just heat up your oil and pop these pretty little packages in.

Though following the directions for these fritters will make you a delightful treat, I suggest that you spice up the crab mixture in the center by adding a few tablespoons of mayo, a pinch of cayenne, and a few tablespoons of chopped caramelized onions. Although the plain crab and egg white mix was good, it can’t hurt to kick it up a notch. Add anything you like, just watch the consistency which needs to stay together in the zucchini strips.

On to the aioli. First, can I say yum? I’d never made a grapefruit aioli and it was lovely – fresh, tart, and sweet with that classic grapefruit citrus zing at the end. Fortunately for you, I messed this up the first time around. In a simple case of not reading the directions, but just the ingredients, I ended up mixing the grapefruit juice and zest into the mayo mix without reducing it by half over the stove. Instead of throwing out the incorrect version, I saved it and made the correct version as well. When my guests arrived I asked them to take the fritters and test both sauces. Guess what? My mistake sauce won! Both were good, though, and both were gone by the time the fritter plate was clean. The only difference, the sauce with the reduced grapefruit was what you would except, more tart and with a much stronger grapefruit taste. If you want to get really adventurous, tempt your guests with yet another sauce – a chipotle aioli. All you do is take about half a cup of mayo, two or three chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped, and a squeeze of lime – mix and taste.

Make these crab fritters and your guests will leave with their tongues wagging and their taste buds buzzing about your great party!

Zucchini Crab Fritters with Grapefruit Aioli

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

2 zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise on a mandolin

1 lb fresh lump crab meat

1 egg white

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups panko bread crumbs

Vegetable oil for deep frying

Grapefruit Aioli:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1 grapefruit

Begin by slicing the zucchini on a mandolin so you have long thin strips. Lay out in a single layer on a tray lined with a kitchen towel. Sprinkle salt on the strips and set aside to allow the moisture to be drawn out and make the strips pliable.

Prepare the crab. Drain the crab of any excess moisture then combine with egg white in a mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper and stir. Take the strips of zucchini and place a spoonful of mixture on top. Roll it up and place seam side down so it sticks and continue until you have used up all the crab. Set up a breading station and coat the fritters in seasoned flour, then egg and finally seasoned panko. Set aside in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to let the coating set. Fry in 350 degree F oil until golden and crispy. Drain on paper towels and

Prepare grapefruit aioli. Add grapefruit juice and 1 teaspoon of grapefruit zest to a small saucepan and simmer until reduced by half. Shut off heat and cool. In a blender, combine mayonnaise, sour cream and grapefruit reduction. Serve with warm fritters.

Borough Market in London

2010-05-30T07:12:00.000-07:00

"By seeing London, I have seen as much of life as the world can show."
-Samuel Johnson

London is my very favorite city and Borough Market is just one of the reasons why. Great food starts with great ingredients and Borough Market is a food lovers dream.

It's open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday with Saturday being the busiest day and believe me, it gets very busy. If you ever happen to be in London, be sure to pay a visit to Borough Market. It is worth fighting the crowds.

Everytime we are in London, we have to go to Borough Market.

First off, GB and I like to start with a glass of something, for fortification...

Next, a nibble for energy...it's a lot of work walking around and deciding what we (read, my hubby GB) can carry all day as we wander the city.

We will NOT be carrying this poor guy around, I can assure you of that!

The vendor wanted a bit of cash for the opportunity to take this pic. Hmmm, how much do you think I dropped in the pot?

A sampling of goodies available, from near and far...

Some of my favorite words to cook by...

From Fat, by Jennifer McLagan

"Eating animal fat didn't kill our ancestors, and there is no proof that a low-fat diet improves our health or lengthens our life, let alone makes us beautiful, rich, or powerful. The best computer projections generated by fat researchers reveal that a low-fat diet may add a mere two weeks to our life."

"After decades of low-fat propaganda, most of what we think we know about fat just isn't true:

All animal fats are saturated. Wrong.

Eating fat makes us fat. Wrong.

A low-fat diet is good for us. Wrong."

Did you know that if you want to know the color of eggs a hen will lay, check her ears? Yes, it's true. Push aside the feathers on the side of a hen's head and white ears mean white eggs and brown ears mean brown eggs. There is no difference in nutritional value.

Did you read the small print? Seventh generation, since 1792!

Foi gras prepared responsibly is an amazingly decadent pleasure. I like it with champagne and a reason to celebrate!

Miss Edna Lewis's Sugared Raspberries

2010-05-24T02:06:00.000-07:00

What could be prettier than raspberry preserves in an old-fashioned jar? Instead of taking flowers or wine as your next hostess gift, try this amazingly simple and amazingly delicious recipe. Just don't tell anyone how easy it was to make!
This is a recipe by Miss Edna Lewis, a legendary southern cook and granddaughter of slaves. Watch a documentary about her called Fried Chicken and Sweet Potato Pie here. I read the recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks, The Splendid Table's How To Eat Supper by Lynne Rosetto Kasper and Sally Swift. Lynne hosts The Splendid Table, a wonderful radio program on NPR (National Public Radio) in the United States. Although I live in England, I can still listen to the program by downloading the free podcast- oh, the joys of technology.

First start with 2 cups of raspberries and dump them in a bowl. Actually, use any amount of raspberries you'd like. You'll see why in a minute, I told you this is simple.

Next add 2 cups of sugar or if you dumped in 3 cups of raspberries, add 3 cups of sugar. Yes, just equal amounts of rapsberries and sugar. It couldn't be easier.

Now mash it together with a potato masher or two forks. Don't put it in a food processor, you don't want to crush the seeds.

Pour the preserves into a pretty jar.

It just doesn't get any easier or prettier than this!

Ok, let's recap. Equal amounts raspberries and sugar. Mash it and pour it. Put it in the fridge and don't touch it for 2 days. This allows the sugar to completely dissolve. Now here comes the best part. It keeps in the fridge for a year, yes, a whole year if not longer. And because the fruit is not cooked, it always tastes incredibly fresh. Serve it on southern biscuits, scones, toast or how about on vanilla ice cream? It tastes great served alongside roast chicken, too. But my very favorite way to eat Miss Lewis's sugared raspberries is on a lovely peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Jealous, yet?

Garden Puree Bruschetta

2010-05-17T04:32:00.000-07:00

It’s that time of year again, the time when you can finally buy fresh vegetables that weren’t grown in South America. With all this lush green produce coming your way, you’ve got loads of options for cooking up some healthy dishes. Luckily, I won’t focus on that here, here we’re more motivated by taste than counting calories. Let’s face it, even if I am counting calories, one spoon full of something divine like truffled mashed potatoes is worth all the Lean Cuisines in the freezer section.

That being said, green vegetables, or most of them, are virtually free foods. Meaning, the calorie count is so low that while indulging on buckets of meaty asparagus, you’re actually doing yourself a huge favor and “indulging” in very few calories. Having a dinner party with a few of your yoga-pad-toting friends? I have just the starter for you - Tyler Florence’s Garden Puree Bruschetta. It’s bright green which screams summer and tastes even fresher than it looks, if that’s possible. You basically blanch a load of fresh green veggies and then puree with ricotta (don’t worry, the full recipe is below). Top onto crostinis and you have yourself a tasty, and yes, very low calorie, appetizer.

Have kids running around? They may not be too excited about sitting down to the table with the grown-ups (yuck!), but toss a little of the bright green garden puree with spaghetti, top with fresh grated parmesan and you’ve got yourself a wicked green spaghetti. This may just do the trick so that the grown-ups can talk about, gasp, grown-up things, a treat rarely afforded to those with youngens.

A few other tips about this tasty starter. One, the recipe makes an absolute ton of puree. I cut it in half and still had quite a bit left over after serving it to four people as a starter. Keep that in mind when buying bag after bag of green goodies at the farmers market. Also, if you happen to notice that asparagus is missing, or for that matter any one of the four green components (snap peas, garden peas, asparagus, or green beans) don’t fret, just add extra of one of the others. My only caveat there is that petite pois (baby garden peas) are quite sweet and add a subtle but sugary deliciousness to the dish that you might not want to forego. Luckily, the baby green peas that you find in the freezer section will do perfectly. Picked for optimum sweetness, these freezer friends are great to have on hand for throwing into pastas and stir-fry’s, so while you’re there, pick up an extra bag (you’ll thank me later).

Garden Puree Bruschetta
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

1 French baguette
2 cloves garlic
1/2 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed
1 pound English peas, shelled, or 1 cup frozen petite peas
1/2 pound asparagus, tips only (about 2 ½ inches)
1/2 pound haricot verts or tender green beans, trimmed
2/3 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
3 green onions, green parts only, roughly chopped
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 bunch of chives, for garnish

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the peas, asparagus tips, and haricot verts and cook until bright green and crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. (If you’re using frozen peas, you can throw them in during the last couple of minutes, to thaw.) Drain, transfer to a bowl of salted ice water to stop cooking, and drain again. Puree in a food processor with the ricotta, green onion greens, a drizzle of oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped chives.

Make the crostini by cutting thin slices of the baguette. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and bake in a hot oven until golden brown on both sides. Remove from oven and rub with a peeled clove of garlic while still warm.

White Peach Sangria

2010-05-12T03:31:00.000-07:00

Tash and I were lucky enough to take a vacation in the Canary Islands this past April. We were intending on staying for one week, but on my birthday (no less) we were informed by our airline that we would have to stay for one more week due to the volcanic ash which closed all the airports in England.

Oh, how we cried into our sangria!

I first made this sangria for Tash's birthday, as peaches are her favorite fruit. It was a hit with everyone and we've passed on the recipe many times.

White Peach Sangria

from 101 Sangrias & Pitcher Drinks by Kim Haasarud.

1 bottle Moscato d'Asti
1 cup peach nectar
3/4 cup creme de peche (peach liqueur)
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 peaches, pitted and sliced
1 lemon, cut into half-wheels

Combine all of the ingredients in a large ceramic or glass container and stir well. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 4 hours. Serve over ice. Garnish with peach slices. Serves about 7 very happy people.

Chipotle Chicken Wings and Cool Blue Cheese Ranch

2010-05-05T03:19:00.000-07:00

It’s almost June. For many, this signals that summer is just around the corner. Not so for us here in England. Oh, I guess if you’re reading this and you’re English, you might be thinking, wait – we have a summer, what’s this about no summer in England? Of course you have a season which you optimistically label summer, comprised of June, July, and August. But Brits, I’m very sorry to say, don’t really have a summmmer. There are no swimming pools brimming with kids. There are no long hot days punctuated with popsicles and ice-cold beers. In short, Brits think summer means a few days reaching roughly 70 degrees. Wow… I mean, 70? Won’t we all melt? If one or two days of shocking weather occur (and I do mean a day nearing 80), Brits complain and mutter that, well they enjoy a few nice days, this is just too hot. Sad, but true. Don’t worry Brits, we still love you, just not so much your summers. In short, Brits don’t really get a summer, but merely a sprinkling of warmish days in which they will still choose to drink their beer at an also warmish temperature.

Happily, this lack of summer weather doesn’t stop Brits, or me for that matter, from using my grill every chance I get. These chicken wings are to die for. But, I have one trick which I think you ought to try. Grab your wings the morning of your barbeque and throw them into a big plastic bag. Cover them with a mixture of milk, a few garlic cloves crushed and chopped, a dash of hot sauce (such as Tabasco), and let them marinate in the milk mix all day (in the fridge of course!). Other than that, this recipe is perfect! And if you’re not a fan of wings, just switch them out for chicken breasts cut into strips, thread them onto skewers and you still have a perfect finger food appetizer!

Also, I must add that the chipotle butter glaze is fantastic and a total keeper. Feel free to make extra and save it in the fridge for up to a week. And lastly, the dressing recipe makes a lot, so if you have leftovers stick it in the fridge and you’ve got home made salad dressing for a delicious wedge later in the week. Just cut a wedge of iceberg lettuce, top with crumbled blue cheese, chopped tomatoes, and cook crumbled bacon. Drizzled with your homemade dressing, you’ve got a winning salad that could be an entrée on a hot summer night.

Enjoy the wings my barbequing friends!

Chipotle Chicken Wings with Cool Blue Cheese Ranch

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

15 Chicken wings (approx 2lbs), whole wing including tip

Extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Leaves from 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro 2 limes, cut into wedges 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar 1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature 2 chipotles in adobo sauce, finely chopped
Blue cheese ranch:
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup crumbled domestic blue cheese
1/4 cup honey juice of 1 lemon 2 tablespoons chopped chives Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pre-heat the grill to medium heat. Use a paper towel blotted with oil to wipe down the grates, this will form a non-stick surface. Toss wings in olive oil and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Lay out flat on the grill then prepare the chipotle butter. Combine the finely chopped chipotles, butter and vinegar in a mixing bowl and baste the wings on the grill while they cook. The wings should take 20-25 minutes to cook. While the chicken is cooking prepare the blue cheese ranch dressing. Combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, honey, and lemon juice and mix well with a whisk. Fold in the crumbled blue cheese and chives and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve wings with cool blue cheese dressing and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and lime wedges.

Pancetta Carbonara with Fresh Baby Spinach

2010-04-28T05:11:00.000-07:00

Warm pasta. Comfort food. But wait, isn’t it almost June? Yes, my warm weather friends, it is. But alas, not so in England. I’ve mentioned English summers before. I suppose if there were an upside to a peak temperature of roughly 60 degrees, it would have to be that I can keep hearty dishes like pasta on the menu without feeling entirely like a fatty. Don’t judge me, you know that you’d look for any excuse to have rich indulgent pasta too.

So there we have it, I made pasta carbonara and it was good. Chewy, cheesy, and loaded to the gills with delicious garden peas. What? I added greens to this one – I’m practically a health nut now. Next you’ll be asking for “light” dishes, with less meat and more “green veggies”! I suppose we all have to eat our greens sometimes. Stay tuned and yes, I will provide some snazzy summer dishes.
Do note that although this recipe calls for only spinach, I added garden peas as well - don't get confused, it was my little addition. Also, Tyler calls for fresh pasta in this recipe, but feel free to use the dried stuff here - the sauce will make up for it.

In fact, I’m on my way back to the States next week! You can expect local restaurant reviews, coupled with my attempts to recreate their best dishes at home. This little game is quite fun and the great part is, you might find out that you can actually makes "the chef's specialty" better than him! Also look for farmers market magic, and recipes bursting with all the things I can’t get in England! Here I come country music and Kool-Aid!

Pancetta Carbonara with Fresh Baby Spinach

Recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence

2 recipes of fresh pasta dough, rolled out and cut as spaghetti (from Tyler Florence's website, or your own recipe, or of course, 2 lbs dried spaghetti will work as well)

Extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 lb pancetta, cut into strips

7 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 bag (about 3 cups) baby spinach

1/4 cup grated parmesan

Parmesan Sabayon:

6 large eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup grated parmesan

plenty of freshly ground black pepper

If you're making the fresh pasta, begin by rolling and cutting the fresh pasta into spaghetti. Toss in a little flour to stop the noodles from sticking together and spread out on a sheet tray to dry while you prepare the dish.

Set a large pan over medium heat, add a splash of olive oil and fry the pancetta, stirring occasionally until crispy. About halfway through, add the thinly sliced garlic and cook until golden. Drain pancetta and garlic on a paper towel. Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook until tender yet firm (“al dente”, as they say in Italian) 2 to 3 minutes for fresh pasta. Drain, and put the pasta into a big pasta bowl.

Make the parmesan sabayon. In a large mixing bowl, add eggs, milk and cream. Set over a double boiler and vigorously mix with an immersion blender until it just starts to thicken and suspends a little – about 7-8 minutes. It should be frothy and creamy when done. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper and parmesan and mix once more to combine. Pour the sabayon over the noodles and mix gently with tongs so the pasta is well

coated. Portion out amongst bowls, top with a spoonful of crispy pancetta and garlic and a small handful of baby

spinach.

Juicy Roast Chicken

2010-04-15T05:40:00.000-07:00

Nothing spells simplicity and satisfaction like roast chicken, some might say it's the easiest thing in world to make. Basically, just throw the chicken in the oven and pull it out when it's done, right? Hmm, sounds like my mom's recipe. Yet, it's one of those dishes that can range from sublime all the way to "not chicken again!"
The first time I made this wonderful roast chicken, GB made me promise to never roast chicken any other way again. And, believe me, coming from a guy who will eat just about anything (he's not that discriminating- he enjoys the English delicacy called Breakfast in a Can) that's quite a testimonial to this method of roasting.

The key to making this chicken super juicy, is brining the chicken first. Sounds complicated, but it's really the easiest thing in the world, and takes about three minutes to do. Just rub one cup of salt all over the chicken, both inside and out, then pop it in a pot, cover with cold water and stick in the fridge for three hours. This step makes all the difference in the world.

After brining the chicken, rinse it well in cold water and pat dry with paper towels (or kitchen roll to all the Brits out there). Now, stuff it with thyme sprigs, sage leaves, a bay leaf, onion, celery, and one small orange quartered.

Step two in making sure your chicken is both juicy and crispy is basting, basting, basting. Shirley O. Corriher in CookWise, has an incredible basting solution that calls for 4 Tbs melted butter and 3 Tbs dark corn syrup. Of course, I am in Europe reading American cookbooks, and some ingredients, such as corn syrup, just can't be found here. So, the next best thing that I have found is Lyle's Golden Syrup.

Ahh, Lyle's Golden Syrup. As the Brits would say, it is gorgeous! So, for incredibly juicy and crispy roast chicken, brine, stuff, and baste.

Shirley Corriher's Juicy Roast Chicken

1 6-pound roasting chicken 1 small orange, quartered

1 cup salt 1 bay leaf

2 onions 3 tablespoons dark corn syrup or Lyles Syrup

3 leaf ends of celery stalks 4 tablespoons butter, melted

10 sage leaves 3 tablespoons cornstarch (corn flour)

10 sprigs fresh thyme 1/4 cold water

1 quart and 1/4 cup cold water

1. Coat chicken is salt and brine for 3 hours in refrigerator. Remove chicken and pat dry.

2. While chicken is in fridge, prepare a simple stock from the giblets by adding 1 quart of water along with some onion and garlic and simmering for an hour or so. Or, just make a simple stock with a bouillon cube and water.

3. Preheat oven to 475 F or 246 C

4. Arrange a V rack for holding the bird over a pan to catch the juices. Pour 1 1/2 cups of stock into the pan and reserve the rest for gravy. Stuff chicken with celery, sage, thyme, bay leaf and orange.

5. Mix the syrup and butter together and brush chicken lightly all over. Place chicken breast side down in pan and roast for 20 minutes, basting with drippings every 7 minutes. Take chicken out of oven and turn it so that one leg and thigh are facing up. Baste with butter mixture and roast for 10 minutes. Remove from oven again and flip bird so that the other leg and thigh are up, and baste well with butter mixture. Return to oven for 10 more minutes.

6. Turn oven temperature down to 325F and remove bird from oven. Keep oven door open for a moment to let the temperature drop quickly. Now turn bird so the breast side is facing up and baste again with the butter mixture. Return to oven, and baste every 5 minutes, checking the temperature of the breast meat with an instant-read thermometer each time you baste. Remove the bird when the breast meat registers between 150F and 154F. Let the chicken rest for 15 minutes before you carve.

7. Add the pan drippings to the remaining stock and thicken with cornstarch (whisk cornstarch into 1/4 cup cold water first). Heat over medium heat in a saucepan, stirring constantly until the gravy thickens.

Grape and Blue Cheese Truffles

2010-04-07T07:59:00.000-07:00

Like blue cheese? Me too. But blue cheese is a really strong flavor so if you’re planning on making this one for a dinner party appetizer, remember that not everyone can stomach all that moldy flavor goodness so consider paring this appetizer with something that everyone will like.

For this recipe, I chose three different blue cheeses and brought them all home to figure out which worked best with the flavors in this dish, namely grape and pistachio. This turned out to be a good idea as the three cheeses were very different. Some blue cheeses are subtle and almost sweet, while others are extremely pungent and will easily overpower any dish. If you’re not sure which blue cheese to go with, it’s probably best to head to your local cheese shop and ask to taste a few. When in doubt, pick the one you like best, and hey, at least one person at your party will like the flavor!

A good cheese shop will usually let you sample any cheese you’d like and trust me, they really don’t mind. They want your business so don’t feel like you’re that guy in the ice cream line who needs to try every flavor before he picks out his cone, you know that guy – I mean, come on, who hasn’t tried plain chocolate ice cream? Cheese is far more complex than ice cream and can change from one batch to another so it’s always a good idea to ask for a taste before you buy.

One more tip – fruit is usually better room temperature. For that matter, cheese should be served at room temperature as well. When you make these little guys, store them in the fridge until about half an hour before your guests arrive and they should be perfect by the time your peckish guests start looking around for a snack. Bonus – these are really pretty and guests will think you’re quite the gourmand.

Grape and Blue Cheese Truffles

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

8 ounces blue cheese, softened

3 tablespoons port

1 bunch seedless white grapes, about 2 pounds

1 cup pistachios, ground

Mash the cream cheese and blue cheese together in a bowl until combined. Pour in the port and mix until blended. Grab a bit of the cheese in one hand and a grape in the other. Put the two together and roll the grape around in your hands until it is completely covered by the cheese. Roll the cheese-covered grapes in the ground pistachios. Chill until ready to serve.