I was invited by a colleague from law school to give a few tips about London for her website, it is in Portuguese but the tips are good ;) I really enjoyed writing this and some of the tips are a good day out even for Londoners.
07/04/2011
Sharing Experience - Sallsa
I was invited by a colleague from law school to give a few tips about London for her website, it is in Portuguese but the tips are good ;) I really enjoyed writing this and some of the tips are a good day out even for Londoners.
22/03/2011
Lovely Experience – Finger Food
Well, this is a post I wish I had actually taken photos of the food, but I didn’t. My idea of preparing finger foods was because we were having a few friends over and there was not enough space for everyone to sit down at the table and have a proper meal. So, I did a little research on the web on how many finger foods needed for each person, ideas of recipes and how to serve. Here is how it went…
We were having around 9 people over and I needed around 15 finger food per person. I arranged the menu this way:
Nachos and Dips
Crisps
Bloody Mary Tomatoes (recipe here)
Mini Stuffed Mushrooms (a collection of recipes)
Mini Jacket Potatoes on Salt Crust
Spicy Chicken Kebabs (recipe here)
Brigadeiro de Colher with Digestive Biscuit Crumble (good mix between Brazil and England)
I prepared the Bloody Mary Tomatoes one day in advance, as described in the recipe. All the other I started preparing on the same day, which was crazy and left me with no time to take picture.
For the Mini Stuffed Mushrooms:
1 pack of white button mushrooms (washed and peeled)
Bread crumbs (2 slices of whole meal bread should do)
1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil
A tablespoon of butter
Half an onion (finely chopped)
Oregano
Preheat the oven to 250°C.
Initially, you have to take the stems off the mushrooms so you have space for the stuffing. The easiest way is to cut with a sharp knife around the stem, without cutting all the way into the cap. Chop the stems finely.
Place the mushrooms caps, stemmed sides down in a lightly oiled baking pan and bake until the mushrooms exude liquid. This takes approximately 10 minutes. After this, remove the mushrooms from the oven and set them aside.
I don’t have a food processor, which would possibly make the chore of crumbing the bread a lot easier. So, I toasted the two slices of bread and crumbed them by hand in a bowl. Mix the crumbs with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread the mix in a shallow baking pan and bake until golden. 5-8 minutes should do. Then, transfer it back to a bowl.
While the mushroom caps and the bread crumbs are baking, melt the butter in a skillet until foam subsides, then add the chopped stems and onion until golden. Season with oregano, salt and pepper. Let this cool a bit and add the bread crumbs and the grated Parmesan cheese and toss well.
Turn the mushroom caps over and mould the stuffing in the caps, pressing gently. Place the stuffed mushrooms back in the oven until the mushrooms are tender and the stuffing is golden brown. This step should take about 15 minutes.
For the Mini Jacket Potatoes
1 kg of baby potatoes (washed and dried)
Olive oil
Coarse sea salt
A pack of smoked salmon
5 tablespoons of (hot) horseradish
5 tablespoons of cream cheese
Preheat the oven to 250°C.
Prepare a plate or a bowl with the salt. You can add herbs if you wish to. Grease the potatoes with olive oil and roll the potatoes on the salt. Place them in a baking pan and place it in the oven. It should take around 20 minutes for the potatoes to become soft and golden.
Meanwhile, prepare a paste mixing the cream cheese with the horseradish. Cut the smoked salmon into small pieces.
Once the potatoes are ready, wipe them with a paper towel to get rid of excess of salt. Cut them into halves and fill them with smoked salmon and the cream cheese and horseradish paste.
For the Brigadeiro de Colher with Digestive Biscuit Crumble:
1 tin of Carnation Condensed Milk
3 tablespoons of Cadbury Original Drinking Chocolate
Half a pack of Digestive Biscuits
Place the condensed milk and the chocolate in a bowl (suitable for microwave). Mix the two ingredients until a pale brown mix is formed. Place it in the microwave for 3 minutes and stir it well. Cook it in the microwave for another 3 minutes and stir it well. You will have a rich brown mix - brigadeiro.
Crumble the digestive biscuits. Place the brigadeiro in small bowls or roll them into balls. Either sprinkle the brigadeiro with the digestive biscuit crumble or roll the brigadeiro balls on the crumble, either way – it is heaven!
Everyone loved the finger food!
We were having around 9 people over and I needed around 15 finger food per person. I arranged the menu this way:
Nachos and Dips
Crisps
Bloody Mary Tomatoes (recipe here)
Mini Stuffed Mushrooms (a collection of recipes)
Mini Jacket Potatoes on Salt Crust
Spicy Chicken Kebabs (recipe here)
Brigadeiro de Colher with Digestive Biscuit Crumble (good mix between Brazil and England)
I prepared the Bloody Mary Tomatoes one day in advance, as described in the recipe. All the other I started preparing on the same day, which was crazy and left me with no time to take picture.
For the Mini Stuffed Mushrooms:
1 pack of white button mushrooms (washed and peeled)
Bread crumbs (2 slices of whole meal bread should do)
1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil
A tablespoon of butter
Half an onion (finely chopped)
Oregano
Preheat the oven to 250°C.
Initially, you have to take the stems off the mushrooms so you have space for the stuffing. The easiest way is to cut with a sharp knife around the stem, without cutting all the way into the cap. Chop the stems finely.
Place the mushrooms caps, stemmed sides down in a lightly oiled baking pan and bake until the mushrooms exude liquid. This takes approximately 10 minutes. After this, remove the mushrooms from the oven and set them aside.
I don’t have a food processor, which would possibly make the chore of crumbing the bread a lot easier. So, I toasted the two slices of bread and crumbed them by hand in a bowl. Mix the crumbs with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread the mix in a shallow baking pan and bake until golden. 5-8 minutes should do. Then, transfer it back to a bowl.
While the mushroom caps and the bread crumbs are baking, melt the butter in a skillet until foam subsides, then add the chopped stems and onion until golden. Season with oregano, salt and pepper. Let this cool a bit and add the bread crumbs and the grated Parmesan cheese and toss well.
Turn the mushroom caps over and mould the stuffing in the caps, pressing gently. Place the stuffed mushrooms back in the oven until the mushrooms are tender and the stuffing is golden brown. This step should take about 15 minutes.
For the Mini Jacket Potatoes
1 kg of baby potatoes (washed and dried)
Olive oil
Coarse sea salt
A pack of smoked salmon
5 tablespoons of (hot) horseradish
5 tablespoons of cream cheese
Preheat the oven to 250°C.
Prepare a plate or a bowl with the salt. You can add herbs if you wish to. Grease the potatoes with olive oil and roll the potatoes on the salt. Place them in a baking pan and place it in the oven. It should take around 20 minutes for the potatoes to become soft and golden.
Meanwhile, prepare a paste mixing the cream cheese with the horseradish. Cut the smoked salmon into small pieces.
Once the potatoes are ready, wipe them with a paper towel to get rid of excess of salt. Cut them into halves and fill them with smoked salmon and the cream cheese and horseradish paste.
For the Brigadeiro de Colher with Digestive Biscuit Crumble:
1 tin of Carnation Condensed Milk
3 tablespoons of Cadbury Original Drinking Chocolate
Half a pack of Digestive Biscuits
Place the condensed milk and the chocolate in a bowl (suitable for microwave). Mix the two ingredients until a pale brown mix is formed. Place it in the microwave for 3 minutes and stir it well. Cook it in the microwave for another 3 minutes and stir it well. You will have a rich brown mix - brigadeiro.
Crumble the digestive biscuits. Place the brigadeiro in small bowls or roll them into balls. Either sprinkle the brigadeiro with the digestive biscuit crumble or roll the brigadeiro balls on the crumble, either way – it is heaven!
Everyone loved the finger food!
Bitter Experience
Well, this is the type of post I would never thought I would do, however, this is something that does not get out of my head.
War against Libya.
Right, so Europe for the past couple of years has been all about the economic crisis, cutting costs, cutting of benefits, raising taxes, etc. So far, it is understandable with the credit crunch, bank issues etc. What I don’t understand is – where does the money for war comes from? Does war actually make money? Is there something I am missing? Is just that I don’t understand, England just removed the troops from Afghanistan and now they are going to attack Libya? A country which is being attacked by its own governments. How they are going to do that without hurting, even more, the people?
This is just a thought…
12/02/2011
Dining Experience – Ladurée Bonaparte, Paris
Ladurée Bonaparte
21 rue Bonaparte, 75006 Paris
T 01 44 07 64 87
http://www.laduree.fr/v1/public_en/maisons/bonaparte_accueil.htm
I went to Paris last summer for a few days and convinced my husband to splurge a little and have breakfast at Ladurée. We went to Ladurée in Saint Germain, it was quite close to our hotel and the neighborhood is delightful, lovely shops and bistros.
You can see the entire menu from the Ladurée website. The tea room has a beautiful decoration, with Chinese motifs, beautiful wallpaper and furniture – as you would expect in a Ladurée tea room.
We ordered the Bonaparte Breakfast (EUR 27.00) which included a basket of mini viennoiseries and traditional bread with butter and jam, orange or grapefuit juice, coffee, tea or hot chocolate and a boiled egg and fresh fruit salad. It is a great brunch to start a day in Paris, specially when so much walking is involved.
The viennoiseries were perfect, one of the best pain au chocolat ever (although not as good as the Pâtisserie des Reves though – I will make a post on that soon), everything done to perfection. The only exception was the service, not as good as you would expect. It was lovely to sit there and see Parisian ladies having their breakfast together.
10/02/2011
Lovely Experience – Dream Buy
I love baking and usually you need a good beater to prepare cakes, meringue, dough, etc. I usually to it all by hand as I have not bought a beater when we moved to our flat. Sometimes I think they are so difficult to use, clean, that I prefer to do the beating by hand, which of course is much more tiring and the result is not as good as with an electric beater. Anyhow, if I could afford one, I would have this one:
It would be part of my kitchen décor and would certainly not be shoved away in some odd cupboard. It is just beautiful!
*In case you are interested, you can find it at John Lewis, Debenhams, Amazon, House of Fraser, Wheesh (always the best prices for appliances) and many others.
Lovely Experience – Grilled Salmon, Warm Potato Salad and Asparagus
Today was a productive day in the kitchen. Sometimes I feel like eating junk food and not cooking so I don’t have do go in the kitchen at all. Which can sometimes really happen and I don’t even know what we have in the fridge. I am very lucky to have a husband who cooks and makes me tea and doesn’t mind when I have those days, maybe because he is quite happy to eat junk food!
We are both in a sabbatical, doing our Masters Degree which means we have lots of time to cook, if we feel like it. So, today I decided to make us a nice lunch. We had frozen salmon, fresh asparagus and organic potatoes from our Abel and Cole box. Here is what I’ve done. Serves 2.
Start with the warm potato salad, as potatoes take longer to cook than the other ingredients:
3-4 medium to small size potatoes, washed
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons of horseradish
1 tablespoon of mayonnaise
Parboil the potatoes until tender. Drain and wait until it cools down a bit. Season with salt and pepper. In a bowl, mix the horseradish and mayonnaise together, then add to the potatoes and stir gently (be careful not to break the potatoes).
For the grilled salmon:
2 fillets of salmon
Butter
Freshly ground salt and pepper
Fines herbes
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
Once the potatoes are cooked, heat up a non-stick frying pan, add some butter (approximately half tablespoon) and let it melt. When the butter is bubbling (hot) place the fillets and season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper and the fines herbes. Leave the fillets for about 4 minutes each side and keep en eye on them to see how they are doing. You'll get an idea of how they're cooking as you'll see the salmon change color. I did the salmon still frozen so it took a little longer to cook than it would if it was fresh. The fact that the salmon was frozen did not change the texture or the taste, it was still great. When the salmon fillets were nearly cooked, I added the lemon juice on top of the fillets.
Asparagus:
6 asparagus
Butter or olive oil
Salt and pepper
Half a lemon (zest and juice)
Trim off and discard the woody ends of the asparagus, quickly rinse the tips, and add the butter or olive oil on a non-stick pan. After the butter is melted, lay the asparagus and keep gently turning them until cooked. Add the lemon zest and juice.
Bon appétit!
09/02/2011
Lovely Experience – Spicy Fruit Salad
The weather is getting better in London and today was sunny, dry and lovely. I went out for a walk/jog and when I came back home later in the day I felt like having something fresh. In this week’s Abel and Cole fruit and veg box there were blood oranges and I also got some regular oranges and seedless grapes… So, here it goes:
1 orange
1 blood orange
10 grapes
1 small piece of fresh ginger grated (around 1 inch would do)
I have a suggested soundtrack for this recipe (I always like to listen to music when I cook): Noah and the Whale, 5 Years Time.
Dining Experience – Paul’s
82A Holland Park Avenue
This is a patisserie which you can find virtually everywhere in London (check the website for the addresses) and I particularly like the one close to home. It is a lovely place to go and have breakfast or tea in the afternoon. They have the very best viennoiserie in London. I don’t think I have enough words to explain. Usually they are small with 4-5 tables, which is quite cozy. It is difficult to choose between croissants, pain au chocolat, escargot raisin… Just lovely!
London
W11 3RB
T 0207 727 3797
http://www.paul-uk.com/content/whats-news.php
Lovely Experience - Apple & Blueberry Crumble
I usually cook without measures and many of my recipes are a mixture of many recipes, ideas and tips (from my Mum, Grandma and Sister mainly). But I have been trying to think when I cook so I am able to share here.
For the filling:
3 Bramley apples (any other apple should do)
1 box of blueberries
4 tablespoons of sherry
3 tablespoons of sugar
1 teaspoon of mixed spices
1 teaspoon of ground ginger
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Peel and core the apples. Cut the apples into chunks (not too small, otherwise it will melt completely when baked) and place the apples, blueberries and all the ingredients in a pirex (which goes in the oven), mix them together and bake it in an oven at 200°C. About 30 minutes should do. The apples will be tender and golden.
For the crumble:
You can be quite creative here and mix your preferred nuts, oats or just plain flour, sugar and butter.
15g rolled oats
25g wholemeal flour
20g sugar (I prefer brown sugar, but any sugar will do)
35g margarine or butter (I prefer butter)
Place the flour and oats in a bowl and mix well. Cut the margarine or butter in to small cubes and add this to the oats and flour. Mix with your fingertips until it resembles an even crumb texture. Add the sugar and mix through. Also, if you like, you can add some cinnamon.
Cover the roasted fruits with the crumble and bake it in the oven at 200°C for 20 minutes.
Hello Again!
So, I haven’t been very dedicated to the blog lately, a lot of things changed in my life recently and I didn’t feel like writing or sharing. Now that I am settled and life is back on track again, I felt like sharing my little gourmet experiences and recipes I have been trying. As I have had much more time to cook lately, I have tried many other recipes. I hope you’ll enjoy them! xxx
16/07/2010
Dining Experience – Fifteen London
15 Westland Place
N1 7LP London, UK
Old Street Tube Station
Sempre tive curiosidade de conhecer o restaurante do famoso Jamie em Londres. Fui a primeira vez em Janeiro de 2008 e novamente em Dezembro de 2009.
O Fifteen funciona como uma escola de chefs para jovens, muito deles que não têm experiência e mesmo não sabem o que querem fazer da vida. No Fifteen o Jamie dá uma chance para que eles aprendam um novo trabalho e tenham mais chances de conseguir um emprego. Muitos dos jovens que fizeram a escola do Fifteen ocupam posições em cozinhas de chefes renomados no mundo. O primeiro Fifteen abriu em Londres e hoje já possuem “filiais” em Amsterdam, Melbourne e Cornwall.
O restaurante é divido em dois andares, no térreo fica a Tratoria e no basement fica o Dining Room. A Tratatoria é mais simples e relaxed, está aberto para todas as refeições do dia e com cardápio de inspiração totalmente italiana.
O Dining Room tem um estilo retro, decorado com grandes espelhos venezianos, e a cozinha que tem uma janela de vidro e dá para ver o pessoal da cozinha trabalhando. No DR tem um set menu para o almoço e para o jantar.
Com tudo isto anotado e sabendo da upcoming trip to London com a family, fiz a reserva para um jantar no DR, o que é necessário, como todos os bons restaurantes ingleses.
Na chegada, fomos muito bem recebidos pela hostess que nos indicou o caminho para nossa mesa. O serviço é feito por um único garçom, que se apresenta no início do atendimento e, no nosso caso, foi super solicito e gentil. Um exemplo da gentileza deles é que quando uma pessoa da mesa se levanta para ir ao toilette, o garçom vem à mesa para dobrar o guardanapo.
Bem, indo ao que interessa, o menu do jantar é composto de 5 courses, um couvert, uma entrada, uma massa, um prato principal, sobremesa e café. Também é possível pedir a degustação de vinhos que harmonize com os pratos do menu.
O menu muda conforme a época do ano, pois são apenas usados ingredientes frescos, portanto, não necessariamente o que comi estará disponível em determinas épocas do ano.
Nas duas visitas ao DR de Londres foi servido no couvert uma focaccia quentinho, mix azeitonas (tinha um tipo de azeitona verde gigante e deliciosa), salame artesanal e azeite.
De entrada pedimos siri de Devon e carpaccio, ambos muito saborosos. De massa, da primeira vez pedi um nhoque com cogumelos – ressalto que antes do Jamie Oliver eu não comia nhoque, achava horrível, grudento, etc e hoje sou fã – e da segunda vez nhoque com ragú, também muito gostoso, mas confesso que o primeiro estava melhor.
De prato principal pedi (das duas vezes) o cordeiro com verduras. Tudo é tão gostoso, um sabor tão divino que não dá nem para descrever em humildes palavras. Não tem nada de snobish na comida, são os ingredientes frescos com o sabor ressaltado.
Na primeira vez pedi a panna cotta de sobremesa, outro que virou um dos meus doces favoritos, com calda de framboesas. A textura da panna cotta estava incrível. O DR é super recomendado!
A próxima visita será ao Jamie’s Italian em Bath! Quem sabe desta vez eu tiro fotos!
N1 7LP London, UK
Old Street Tube Station
Sempre tive curiosidade de conhecer o restaurante do famoso Jamie em Londres. Fui a primeira vez em Janeiro de 2008 e novamente em Dezembro de 2009.
Foto Clicrbs
O Fifteen funciona como uma escola de chefs para jovens, muito deles que não têm experiência e mesmo não sabem o que querem fazer da vida. No Fifteen o Jamie dá uma chance para que eles aprendam um novo trabalho e tenham mais chances de conseguir um emprego. Muitos dos jovens que fizeram a escola do Fifteen ocupam posições em cozinhas de chefes renomados no mundo. O primeiro Fifteen abriu em Londres e hoje já possuem “filiais” em Amsterdam, Melbourne e Cornwall.
O restaurante é divido em dois andares, no térreo fica a Tratoria e no basement fica o Dining Room. A Tratatoria é mais simples e relaxed, está aberto para todas as refeições do dia e com cardápio de inspiração totalmente italiana.
O Dining Room tem um estilo retro, decorado com grandes espelhos venezianos, e a cozinha que tem uma janela de vidro e dá para ver o pessoal da cozinha trabalhando. No DR tem um set menu para o almoço e para o jantar.
Com tudo isto anotado e sabendo da upcoming trip to London com a family, fiz a reserva para um jantar no DR, o que é necessário, como todos os bons restaurantes ingleses.
Na chegada, fomos muito bem recebidos pela hostess que nos indicou o caminho para nossa mesa. O serviço é feito por um único garçom, que se apresenta no início do atendimento e, no nosso caso, foi super solicito e gentil. Um exemplo da gentileza deles é que quando uma pessoa da mesa se levanta para ir ao toilette, o garçom vem à mesa para dobrar o guardanapo.
Bem, indo ao que interessa, o menu do jantar é composto de 5 courses, um couvert, uma entrada, uma massa, um prato principal, sobremesa e café. Também é possível pedir a degustação de vinhos que harmonize com os pratos do menu.
O menu muda conforme a época do ano, pois são apenas usados ingredientes frescos, portanto, não necessariamente o que comi estará disponível em determinas épocas do ano.
Nas duas visitas ao DR de Londres foi servido no couvert uma focaccia quentinho, mix azeitonas (tinha um tipo de azeitona verde gigante e deliciosa), salame artesanal e azeite.
Foto do blog Cookies
De entrada pedimos siri de Devon e carpaccio, ambos muito saborosos. De massa, da primeira vez pedi um nhoque com cogumelos – ressalto que antes do Jamie Oliver eu não comia nhoque, achava horrível, grudento, etc e hoje sou fã – e da segunda vez nhoque com ragú, também muito gostoso, mas confesso que o primeiro estava melhor.
De prato principal pedi (das duas vezes) o cordeiro com verduras. Tudo é tão gostoso, um sabor tão divino que não dá nem para descrever em humildes palavras. Não tem nada de snobish na comida, são os ingredientes frescos com o sabor ressaltado.
Na primeira vez pedi a panna cotta de sobremesa, outro que virou um dos meus doces favoritos, com calda de framboesas. A textura da panna cotta estava incrível. O DR é super recomendado!
A próxima visita será ao Jamie’s Italian em Bath! Quem sabe desta vez eu tiro fotos!
10/07/2010
Lovely Experience - Pancakes
Another lovely recipe, taken from the River Cottage cook book we got as a Xstmas gift from our lovely uncle. Husband made it for a Sunday breakfast treat!
Ingredients
250g plain white or fine wholemeal flour
To serve:
Caster sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice. (However, I do love it with Golden Syrup or Maple Syrup hummm)
Directions
Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and make a well in the centre.
Pour in the eggs, add about 50ml of the milk and start to whisk, gradually incorporating the flour into the wet ingredients in the centre.
When you have a thick batter forming in the middle, add a bit more milk and whisk in a bit more flour.
Keep going in this way until all the milk has been added, all the flour has been incorporated, and you have a smooth batter - about the consistency of single cream.
Now let it rest for 30 minutes, and if it is has thickened up a bit, add a dash more milk to bring it back to the right consistency.
To cook the pancakes, heat a non-stick frying pan or crepe pan over a medium heat.
When it’s hot, swirl a tablespoon of oil around the pan, then tip out the excess.
Add a small ladelful (around 50ml) of batter, just enough to cover the base of the pan and swirl it around until it covers the base.
Cook for a minute or so, until lightly cooked underneath, then flip over and cook for a minute more.
Voilá!
15/06/2010
Dining Experience – The Hoste Arms
The Hoste Arms, The Green, Burnham Market, Norfolk PE31 8HD
T +44 01328 738777
Seguindo a recomendação da minha tia e primas, fomos passar um dia em Burnham Market (costa de North Norfolk).
Burnham Market é um lugar super tradicional inglês, assim como Holt, todos vestidos em seus Barbour jackets e Hunter boots, e atualmente conhecido pelos londrinos como Chelsea on sea (uma referência ao elegante bairro londrino).
Como recomendado, reservamos uma mesa no restaurante do hotel The Hoste Arms, um dos hotéis mais chiques do vilarejo. A construção é do século 17 e super bem conservada.
O hotel tem um pub e o restaurante que fica ao fundo. O vilarejo é realmente uma graça e a estrada pelos campos de Norfolk é de encher os olhos.
Chegamos no horário marcado e o restaurante estava lotado. Pedi o cod in beer batter, minted crushed peas, chunky tartare sauce & home cut chips, ou seja, um tradicional Fish&Chips, que estava bom.
No final, pedimos o assiette of hoste desserts, ou seja, uma degustação de sobremesas da casa, que vinha com petit gateau, creme brulee, panacota, sorbet de frutas vermelhas e uma torta- tudo muito gostoso. Uma ótima opção para dividir.
Para quem gosta de traditional British shopping, ao lado do The Hoste Arms tem uma loja do Jack Wills, tipo uma Abercrombie inglesa, com roupas femininas e masculinas.
T +44 01328 738777
Seguindo a recomendação da minha tia e primas, fomos passar um dia em Burnham Market (costa de North Norfolk).
Burnham Market é um lugar super tradicional inglês, assim como Holt, todos vestidos em seus Barbour jackets e Hunter boots, e atualmente conhecido pelos londrinos como Chelsea on sea (uma referência ao elegante bairro londrino).
Como recomendado, reservamos uma mesa no restaurante do hotel The Hoste Arms, um dos hotéis mais chiques do vilarejo. A construção é do século 17 e super bem conservada.
O hotel tem um pub e o restaurante que fica ao fundo. O vilarejo é realmente uma graça e a estrada pelos campos de Norfolk é de encher os olhos.
Chegamos no horário marcado e o restaurante estava lotado. Pedi o cod in beer batter, minted crushed peas, chunky tartare sauce & home cut chips, ou seja, um tradicional Fish&Chips, que estava bom.
No final, pedimos o assiette of hoste desserts, ou seja, uma degustação de sobremesas da casa, que vinha com petit gateau, creme brulee, panacota, sorbet de frutas vermelhas e uma torta- tudo muito gostoso. Uma ótima opção para dividir.
Para quem gosta de traditional British shopping, ao lado do The Hoste Arms tem uma loja do Jack Wills, tipo uma Abercrombie inglesa, com roupas femininas e masculinas.
17/03/2010
Lovely Experience - Créme Brulée
Adoro créme brulée e decidi postar a receita tradicional que encontrei no site da bbc.com que uso quando faço em casa. Fica ótimo! Aqui vai (sem tradução):
Ingredients
500ml/18fl oz double cream
1 vanilla pod
100g/4oz caster sugar (plus extra for the topping)
6 egg yolks
Method
1. Pre-heat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2.
2. Pour the cream into a saucepan. Split the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape the seeds into the cream.
3. Chop the empty pod into small pieces, and add them to the cream.
4. Bring to boiling point, then lower the heat and simmer gently for five minutes.
5. Beat the sugar and egg yolks together in a large heat-proof bowl until pale and creamy.
6. Bring the cream back to boiling point. Pour it over the egg mixture, whisking all the time until thickened - this indicates that the eggs have begun to cook slightly.
7. Strain through a fine sieve into a large jug, and then use this to fill six ramekins about two-thirds full.
8. Place the ramekins in a large roasting tray and pour in enough hot water to come halfway up their sides.
9. Place on the centre shelf of the oven and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the custards are just set and are still a bit wobbly in the middle.
10. Remove from the water and allow to cool to room temperature.
11. When ready to serve, sprinkle one level teaspoon of caster sugar evenly over the surface of each créme, then caramelise with a mini blowtorch.
12. Leave to cool for a couple of minutes, then serve.
Fonte: Saveafewbob.ie
12/02/2010
Dining Experience – Fifteen Amsterdam
www.fifteen.nl
Jollemanhof 9
1019 Amsterdam, Netherlands
0900 3438336
Como eu disse no post anterior, estava nevando muito em Amsterdam e estava muito frio. Na maioria dos dias tínhamos muita preguiça de sair do hotel para jantar. Mas, decidimos que seria legal conhecer um restaurante legal, mas que fosse pertinho do hotel. Fizemos uma pesquisa no Google Maps e encontramos o Fifteen. Inicialmente, achei meio sem graça porque já tínhamos reserva para o Fifteen de Londres. De qualquer modo, os 20cm de neve do lado de fora do hotel me convenceu rapidamente de que seria ótimo andar rapidinho até o restaurante.
O Fifteen de Amsterdam é mais simples que o de Londres (que tem dois ambientes diferentes, a Trattoria e o Dining Room). Fica na parte nova da cidade e o restaurante parece um galpão. As paredes são todas pichada e a cozinha é visível do salão.
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Nós dois pedimos a mesma coisa, o char grilled Rib-eye (equivalente ao miolo do contra-filé) com batatas assadas "Nicola". A comida estava bem gostosa. De sobremesa pedimos o bolo de chocolate com sorvete de cardamomo e pêra ao vinho. Gostoso, mas nada excepcional.
Sem dúvida, o Fifteen de Londres é melhor. Em todo caso, se quiser conhecer, vá cedo, a cozinha fecha às 21:00h.
Vale lembrar que a proposta do restaurante do Jamie Oliver é dar oportunidade a 15-20 jovens de mudarem suas vidas e aprenderem a ser chefes de cozinha.
11/02/2010
Quick Fix Experience – Amsterdam Streets
As gaufres me lembram da vida na Bélgica, passear nas ruas com os quiosques de gaufres sendo feitas na horas e sentindo o cheiro de açúcar e baunilha no ar...
Quick Fix Experience – de Bijenkorf Restaurant
Dam 1, Amsterdam
Comi o risoto de funghi da ilha italiana, uma delícia!
Para quem está com fome no meio das compras, ou no nosso caso, com MUITO frio e preferiu ficar dentro de uma loja para se esquentar um pouco e aproveitou para comer rapidinho e não perder o dia, o restaurante do de Bijenkorf (uma loja de departamento enorme em Amesterdã) é uma ótima pedida. Fica na praça do Dam, ou seja, bem no centro da cidade, no meio do caminho do Museum Quarter e da Centraal Station.
Fotos: Amsterdamtips.com
O restaurante é todo em metal preto e fica no último andar da loja. São várias ilhas, cada uma opção de comida, italiana, japonesa, tailandesa, pâtisserie. Tem de tudo mesmo!
Comi o risoto de funghi da ilha italiana, uma delícia!
10/02/2010
I'll be back
Pessoal, apesar do abandono do blog (2 meses!!!) vou voltar a escrever com dicas de Londres, Amsterdam, um pouco mais de São Paulo e receitinhas! Aguardem!
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