DISGRACED.

Food and Clothes.

FOOD.

S A N  S E B A S T I A N:

I recently got back from an amazing trip to ‘the food capital of the world’ AKA San Sebastian in northern Spain. This so-called gastromnic gold mine did not disappoint. My poor friend Milla was dragged in and out of almost every tapas bar in the labrythine and heaving old town in search of the perfect ‘Pintxos’. These substantial Basque take on the traditional Spanish tapas were invented in San Sebastian. Pintxos often begin with a foundation of bread, upon which is built a tower of creative and delcious Basque ingredients. Seafood and fish seem to be the most common choices (San Sebastian is, after all, a seaside resort), with the traditional cured meats and cheeses of Spain coming in a close second.

PINTXOS:

 

Milla and I’s fave Pintxos had to be this warm, melted bundle of stringy cheese encased in filo pastry. Sadly we never found out the name of the cheese but I assume its a Basque speciality (perhaps made from sheep’s milk?). They served it with a sweet red berry jam- D E L I C I O U S:

Milla LOVES it:

A typical tapas bar in San Sebastian (below)- they work on an honour system. You point to or grab the pintxos that takes your fancy, order a drink (usually traditional Basque cider- very very strong!) and then tell the bar staff at the end how much you’ve eaten. If the tapas lived up to expectations then you simply throw your napkin on the floor to show your appreciation. The messier the floor, the better the food!

We also went to the famous mussels bar La Mejilonera and ate as many mussels as we could muster! At 3 euros a plate its a pretty cheap way to enjoy some the the juiciest, freshest and tastiest mussels you’ll ever eat. You can choose from a selection of about 5 different sauces- I recommend the vinegar, shallot and lemon juice one. Y U M  Y U M

Finally- it isn’t just food that this town is famous for. San Sebatsian was recently voted the best city for Gin and Tonic in the WORLD! We went to a bar that recently won the best G & T in San Sebastian- making it officially THE BEST G&T IN THE WORLD- I have to say it tasted pretty good and (in true Spanish style) there was a lot of it! Can’t remember name of bar (should really write these things down) but its just opposite main church in old town.

VIETNAM.

I went to Vietnam over Easter and was completely bowled over by their food- so fresh, healthy and tasty. I learnt loads of fantastic new recipes that I will share with you over the next few months- so stay tuned in!

Meanwhile here are some photos to get your taste-buds tingling!

Vietnamese handrolls made by your’s truly!

Fresh veg in Hanoi

FOOD.

CARIBBEAN RUM AND BANANA BREAD:

I fell in love with banana bread at Brunswick food market (every Saturday at the Brunswick centre in Bloomsbury). There is an amazing Creole stall with the juiciest banana bread I have ever tasted. With this recipe I have tried to capture all my favourite elements of banana bread- spices, rum, nuts and sticky syrup. I took the basic recipe from Nigella but spiced it up a little!

100g medjool dates (pitted)

75ml  dark rum

175g plain flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

125g unsalted butter, melted

100g golden caster sugar

50g dark brown muscovado sugar

2 large eggs

4 small, very ripe bananas (about 300g weighed without skin), mashed

50g chopped walnuts

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

23 x 13 x 7cm loaf tin, buttered and floured or with a paper insert

Dried banana coins/chips and pecans to decorate

Maple Syrup

  1. Put the dates and rum in a smallish saucepan and bring to the boil.
  2. Remove from the heat, cover and leave for an hour if you can, or until the dates have absorbed most of the liquid, then drain.
  3. Preheat the oven to 170ºC/gas mark 3. Put the flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, bicarb and salt in a medium-sized bowl and combine well.
  4. In a large bowl, mix the melted butter and sugar and beat until blended. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the mashed bananas. Then, with your wooden spoon, stir in the walnuts, drained dates and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture, a third at a time, stirring well after each bit. Scrape into the loaf tin and decorate with the dried banana and pecans.
  5. Bake in the middle of the oven for 1-11/4 hours. When it’s ready, an inserted toothpick or fine skewer should come out cleanish.
  6. With a skewer poke holes in the top and drizzle over some maple syrup. Leave to be absorbed.
  7. Once cooled, turn out and eat thickly sliced!

NB: If you like chocolate then add chunks of chocolate with the walnuts.

Mine burnt slightly in the oven. To avoid this simply cover in foil after half an hour of baking.

FOOD.

LEMON MERINGUE PIE:

Firstly: Sorry for being so quiet over the last few months. I have just come out of a long period of exam-related stress but it is all over and now I can cast aside Chaucer, in favour of some food and fashion related fun.

We had a house full this bank holiday weekend and I spent the whole thing baking away in the kitchen. I embarked on my first attempt at Lemon Meringue Pie. We used to get this on a weekly basis at school and it consisted of cardboard-like pastry, gelatinous lemon curd and dry meringue on top. It is therefore not surprising that I had delegated this pudding to the bottom of the pile for the last 5 years.


Pokhra

Everything changed in Nepal. My friend Tally and I had come to the end of a very difficult month of travelling which involved copious visits to hospitals due to a nasty bout of gastrocentrinitus. Recovered, but still slightly shaky we found ourselves in Pohkra, amoung the foothills of the Himalayas. On our last evening in this little pocket of heaven, I gazed at the menu of a generic traveller’s eating joint only to see that they specialised in Lemon Meringue Pie. I had to try it. I did. It was delicious. Buttery melt-in-the-mouth pastry, topped with a sharp but sweet lemon curd, followed by lashings of gooey, sticky, chewy, crispy meringue.

It has taken me two years to get round to attempting this bundle of lemony sticky fun and the results were pretty god damn delicious. 

RECIPE:

PIE CRUST:

260g plain flour

100g unsalted butter

Pinch of salt

LEMON CURD:

8 egg yolks

2 tins condensed milk

8 squeezed and zested unwaxed lemons

ITALIAN MERINGUE TOPPING:

7 egg whites

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

400g caster sugar


METHOD:

Pre-heat oven to gas mark 3

  1. Make the pie crust by mixing all the ingredients in a free standing mixer. Once flour and butter have reached a sandy consistency add 1 tablespoon cold water, then add another and the pastry should start coming together. Bring it together with cold hands and add more water if needed (be careful though as too much water is not good for the pastry).
  2. Wrap in cling film and rest in fridge for 1 hour.
  3. Grease a pie dish (roughly 23cm) and roll out dough so it is nice and thin. Line pie dish and place greaseproof paper and baking beans on top.
  4. Partially blind bake the pie crust (using baking beans on greaseproof paper). After 10 mins take off the grease proof paper and beans and bakes for another 10 mins until slightly cooked but still pale.
  5. Make the lemon curd in free standing mixer. Pull all yolks and lemon juice/zest in bowl and whisk. Add condensed milk and wait for mixture to thicken slightly.
  6. Pour into pie base and bake in oven on gas mark 3 for 20 mins (may take a little longer). The curd should have set- remember it will firm up more in the fridge overnight.
  7. Allow pie to cool and put in fridge overnight.
  8. Make Italian Meringue topping: Whisk egg whites on slow speed until light and foamy. Meaning while cover the sugar with water and bring to the boil. once the sugar has been boiling for a while it will reach the soft-ball stage. To see if your sugar has reached this stage simply dip a teaspoon in to the syrup and drop it in a glass of cold water. The syrup should firm up on contact with the water and you should be able to form a soft ball with it. Alternatively, stick in a thermometer and wait for it to reach 116 degrees.
  9. Take sugar off heat and SLOWLY put into the egg whites (while whisk is turning on slow speed). Once incorporated turn speed up high and leave for 10-15 minutes until mixture has tripled in size and become glossy and marshmallowy.
  10. Spoon mixture on top of cold pie and make pretty swirls with the back of a spoon.
  11. Bake for 20 mins in a LOW over, checking regularly (gas mark 2).
  12. It is done when the top is golden and hard on the outside, soft in the middle.

The finished product.

10 mins later…

SUNGLASSES

After much deliberation I have finally settled on a pair of sunglasses! I knew it was always going to have to be Cutler and Gross- for me their quality and fit is unbeatable. These are the ones I got. I decided to go for a slightly bolder look, with the bone frame, over a black pair in the same shape. Still don’t know if I made the right decison- I’ll have to wait until the holiday snaps before I fully make my mind up!

FOOD.

GOAT’S CHEESE AND RED ONION TART:

Sorry this is a real quick one- so I haven’t had time to give measurements. I never use scales with this though so you don’t really need them!

  • Ready-made all butter puff pastry (either pre-rolled and in a block).
  • 3 large red onions
  • 2 cylinders of good quality CHALKY goat’s cheese (not the younger softer stuff!)
Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees.
  1. Slice the red onions and in a large frying pan gently soften. Once the onions are soft add about 3 table spoons of soft light brown sugar. Let the onions caramelise. Don’t burn the sugar! Sprinkle in some dried herbs (like herbs de Provence). Once the onions have caramelised splash some good quality balsamic vinegar over them (not too much as you don’t want it to be watery). Once the balsamic has reduced slightly take the pan off the heat.
  2. Roll out the puff pastry on a floured surface to a rectangle (it should fit the baking tray you are using).
  3. Spread the onions evenly over the pastry.
  4. Slice the goats cheese into discs and place evenly on top of the onions.
  5. Place the baking tray in the over for 15 minutes. Depending on ovens this could take up to 30 mins but keep checking after 15. The puff pastry should be golden and have puffed up round the edges and the goats cheese should be bubbling away and slightly bronzed!
ENJOY!
Great with a green salad and balsamic dressing. Try also with basil oil. Figs work well here too, but make sure you include some sharp flavours otherwise it will be too sweet!

FOOD.

PANCAKE PARTAY CONTINUED…

PEOPLE EATING

BEST PANCAKE TOPPINGS

FULL AND HAPPY

FOOD.

PANCAKE PARTAY!

To celebrate my favourite religious holiday of the year I held a pancake party at my flat. I decided to go for American Pancakes this year as can’t get enough of the light fluffy texture- tastes so good smothered in maple syrup, bananas and creme fraiche (secret ingredient!). Now because I’m a banana I forgot to take some photos of the finished product (I was way to focused on the food on my plate). BUT I can assure you that they looked and tasted DELICIOUS.

Here is the recipe I used (courtesy of Jamie):

• 3 large eggs
• 115g/4oz plain flour
• 1 heaped teaspoon baking powder
• 140ml/5fl oz milk
• a pinch of salt

First separate the eggs, putting the whites into one bowl and the yolks into another. Add the flour, baking powder and milk to the yolks and mix to a smooth thick batter. Whisk the whites with the salt until they form stiff peaks. Fold into the batter – it is now ready to use.

Heat a good non-stick pan on a medium heat. Pour some of your batter into the pan and fry for a couple of minutes until it starts to look golden and firm. At this point sprinkle your chosen flavouring (see below) on to the uncooked side before loosening with a spatula and flipping the pancake over. Continue frying until both sides are golden.

TOP WITH:

NUTELLA

CREME FRAICHE

BLUEBERRIES

BANANAS

PEANUT BUTTER (so naughty but so nice)

MAPLE SYRUP (of course)

Below are some photos of full people.

PANCAKE PREP.

V. IMPORTANT TO WHISK EGG WHITE SEPARATELY TO STIFF PEAKS.

TABLE LAID AND READY.

LFW.

Sadly I missed most of London Fashion Week because I was in France shivering away in -8 degrees! However, on Sunday I jumped off the plane, got changed in Paddington Station loos (oh so glam) and rushed off to the Matthew Williamson after party at Nobu. I was so sad to miss the show. Apparently the venue at the Royal Opera House was incredible. Here is my favourite piece from the collection:

I think these trousers are FAB. I can’t get enough of paisley at the moment.

The party was great fun- lots of yummy cocktails but sadly none of that famous sushi (pretty much the reason why I went!). Here are my friends at the partay:

CLOTHES.

GREENE AND SHEPPARD SHOWROOM:

Today I was lucky enough to be shown around the showroom at Greene and Sheppard. They have some amazing clothes there by some fantastic new brands. Trying on everything got me really excited about Spring/Summer. Below are a few of my favourite pieces:

These shoes by New York brand Be&D are TO. DIE. FOR. I want them so so bad- they would be so great in the summer with jeans/shorts or a dress. You could rock the black in the winter and the patent white in the summer.

Be&D also do these lovely clutch bags that would go really well with the shoes:

This shirt by JERVOISE DIFFUSION is great. I love a white shirt and the coloured gems on the collar jazz it up a little. This would be perfect for office—party transition.

This jacket by MUUBA was fab. The leather was super duper soft and the sheepskin collar is detachable which makes it great for day/night and autumn/spring and summer too. 

DAISY jewellery is my new obsession. I love love love it. I think they makes great presents for people and I love the fact that each piece has a meaning behind it. The Chakra bracelets and my particular favourite.