Coconut lemon shortcake with muddled balsamic berries

After Bubba's I treated RL to some delicious shortcake. Not to toot my own horn, but it turned out really well. While really yum, it was also quite heavy. Make sure you have a light meal before hand or better yet, just wait until much later in the day when you can whole heartedly pig out.

Coconut lemon shortcake with lemon whipped cream and muddled balsamic berries

To make the shortcake:

2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
115 grams (1/2 cup) chilled butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp lemon rind
1 egg
1/4 cup coconut

Preheat oven to 200°C (390°F).
Line baking sheet with parchment paper
Mix first 4 ingredients in large bowl
Add butter and rub with fingertips until well blended
Add coconut milk, lemon peel and egg together in small bowl
Add wet mixture to dry until smooth dough forms
Put some flour on the parchment paper and flatten dough out
You want the biscuits about 2-3 inches wide so find a glass that has a similar diameter and use that to cut the dough in circles (it should make about 7-10 and they should be about 3/4 inch thick)
Space them out on the baking sheet and bake them for about 15 minutes or until they are lightly browned on the bottom
Cool. (You can reheat if you want when it's time to serve)


To make the lemon whipped cream:

1 cup double cream (heavy or whipping cream)
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4-1/3 cup sugar
Dash vanilla extract

Beat all ingredients with an electric mixer until whipped cream consistency forms

To make muddled balsamic berries:

1 pint fresh blueberries
1 pint fresh strawberries
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsps sugar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Mix all 5 ingredients together.
Remove half of berry mixture to another bowl and muddle with the back of a spoon releasing the juices from the berries...don't release too much anger on them - keep them slightly intact!
Combine berries back into one bowl again and let sit for 20-30 minutes

Assemble!
Cut shortcake in half, cut side up
Add a big dollop of the lemon cream on top
Add a big scoop of berries and juice on top of cream
Top with top-half of shortcake

Yankee Doodle

I don’t feel one lick of guilt about admitting to the fact that the best thing about today’s BBQ adventure was the imported Sam Adams I had with my lunch. Since the 4th of July is on a Wednesday and I’ll be working away in the dark and rainy Work-ington, I “forced” RL to celebrate the 4th with me on Sunday, July 1st. The day entailed BBQ at a place called “Arkansas”, followed by a home-made American summer-time dessert at Chez Dana’s (see next entry).

Arkansas BBQ is a little joint located inside Spitalfields market. Complete with sticky bbq sauce bottles and plastic menus and cutlery, they don’t stand on any pretence.

The owner is an America guy named Bubba, who I am convinced made up the name to ham up (no pun intended) the whole Yankee in London thing. He must have picked the most honky-tonk name he could find to give Arkansas an “authentic” feel, whereas I’ll betcha anything his real name is Norman or something similar.

Bubba’s feet stuck to the linoleum and the floor seemed to sag just a little too much as he strolled our way to make some small talk. Straight away, he started telling us he’d only just found out he was distantly related to George Dubbya! And, low and behold, could we believe that his family had come over on the Mayflower? RL was doing most of the talking (I was doing the eye-rolling) so when I finally started speaking and he realised I was a fellow Yank he sort of did a double-take like he’d just been found with his hand in the cookie jar. He asked where I was from, and I told him Boston. Apparently, not the right answer. Bubba responded with “well why are you so nice then?”

I’m sure he was just joking around, but something about him was just a teensy bit annoying. Still, since he meant no harm, and seeing that Arkansas is closing for good and going kaput on the 4th of July this year – I let the Boston bashing slide.

On to the main event! I ordered the pork rib and RL ordered the beef rib. Both dishes were served with an assortment of quite unsavoury sides (no selection process, you get a bit of everything). There were a couple different coleslaws, a potato salad, and a bean, corn and pea salad. RL inquisitively asked if the bean, corn, and peas were “baked beans”? “Um, not quite” I said. I explained that nothing on that plate resembled any sort of “side dish” I typically enjoy when I go for some good BBQ. Where was the MacNCheese? The Sweet Potatahs? The Baked Beans? A TASTY coleslaw? I mean, for the love… England is a country that prides itself on it’s infatuation with baked beans. They put them on their toast and baked potatoes – Bubba couldn’t even find some Heinz to serve up??

OK, now to be fair I didn’t go to Arkansas for the sides, I went for the BBQ – so I was still willing to forgive the lack of tastiness surrounding my plate in exchange for some good meat. My pork rib (no, not ribs – uno rib) was actually quite tasty. The meat was tender and not too fatty and the sauce was actually quite good, a nice balance of sweet and vinegar. I wish there’d been at least 1 more! RL’s beef rib on the other hand was so-so. The flavour was pretty good, but the meat was a bit dry and fatty. It just didn't do it for me.

I think Bubba was trying to capitalise on the Brits lack of knowledge about what really good American BBQ is. Unfortunately at the end of the day – Arkansas just isn’t that good, isn’t that tasty, and isn’t that enjoyable of a venue. It’s sort of fitting and ironic that it’s closing for good on the 4th of July this year.

I’m sure it won’t be too big of a deal though, Norman probably has plans with this cousin, George Dubbya.

Note: There is totally a great market for some seriously good American BBQ here in London – there’s only one other place I know of…and it’s owned and run by a guy from Belgium. Any takers??

A Home-Slice of Barcelona

Photo 1
Photo 2

I probably didn’t do my due diligence before heading to Barcelona this past weekend. Because I was traveling with 8 others I figured I wouldn’t have too much say in where we would be eating…others would have received recommendations from friends/family/or guidebooks. However, what I didn’t take into account is that most people aren’t really too fussed about food. This weekend was more about good friends and good fun. Still there were a couple highlights, even if they are less about delicious freshly made tapas and more about comical Spanish culinary adventures.

The company was excellent and the sangria was cold at both of the restaurants we ate at on Friday and Saturday night. However, to say the food was not rock-star status would be putting it kindly. To sum up, both restaurants’ menu's had numbers and pictures of the food for easy ordering. Saturday night's dinner was a bit fancier than Friday's - the menus were plastic, not paper place mats like Friday (Photo 1).

Another funny little bit was the "Pizza Pastry" (Photo 2). Last week I had been sold by DU on this "amazing bakery" he was going to take me to. Now I know my standards are much higher than the average Joe - but what I got was the farthest thing from what I expected. I was taken aback because it literally looked like pizzas in the window - but no - they were pastries made to look like pizzas. Each one looked exactly the same! Complete with lime fruit slice "peppers" and maraschino cherry "tomatoes" - it might be one of the funniest things I had ever seen. I mean seriously folks; you even bought it by the "slice".

Hummus Pizza

Tonight I spent my second Thursday night ever here in Work-ington as I'm flying straight to Barcelona with a few of the WBQ crew tomorrow (yahoo to my first weekend away as a real Londoner)!

Since it's been a bit gloomy and raining, the plan was pizza and cards this evening. So while the others debated over Dominos vs. Papa John's (Papa John's winning out only to end up NOT getting delivered) - I made my favourite home-made pizza. Pizza as good as this (if I do say so myself) makes it ok to peer out of my corporate flat and see a highway, half a dozen smoke stacks, and some dodgy characters most likely doing unsavoury things near by. Viva la Work-ington!

Hummos Pizza

The thing with this pizza is that when you describe it to people they sort of pull a face and usually respond with something along the lines of “that sounds interesting”. Made best when assembled and cooked in the pizza ovens of the “Pizza Stand” in Weirs Beach, NH, it was still a success here in Work-ington, England.

1 pizza base
1 onion, sliced thinly
1tsp sugar
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp olive oil
1/3 -2/3 cup hummus
1 courgette*
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp water
1 tsp lemon juice
¼ garlic powder
As much or as little feta cheese as you like (I think I used about ¼ cup)

1. Preheat oven to 220 Celsius or 428ish Fahrenheit

2. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in skillet over medium-low heat

3. Add sliced onion and 1 tsp of sugar and caramelise onions – you may be tempted to lose patience and turn the heat up on the onions, resulting in fried onions. While tasty in their own right – that’s not what we’re going for here! Relax, crack open a bottle of wine…and slowly cook the onions until they are lightly browned - make sure you stir frequently. (Personally I like them a bit well done, but that’s up to you – remember they will cook a bit more in the oven)

4. While the onions are cooking prepare the courgette. Note: I’ve also used broccoli on occasion and it’s equally tasty

5. Ok, so the chef in me would take you though the fancy shmancy way of preparing the veg – however, I’m going to instruct “straight-up” – exactly how I prepared….Slice the courgette thinly to start.

6. Place in microwavable bowl with 1 tsp olive oil, garlic clove, water, lemon juice and garlic powder. Cook in the microwave for about 1.5 minutes. Put aside

7. To prepare the pizza crust, take a dash of olive oil and spread on the base. On top spread the hummus as thickly or as thinly as you’d like – I usually spread about an 1/8 of an inch thick

8. Place onions on top, then courgette, and then sprinkle feta on the tipity-top of everything else

9. Cook in the oven for approximately 15-20 minutes or until it’s to your crispiness preference

* Courgette = Zucchini (Why the American’s adopted the Italian word and not the French word I don’t understand?)

Coiffure Cocktails

Yesterday I headed to a new salon, Taylor Taylor to have a long over-due cut/colour. About halfway through my 4 hour appointment I started to have a bit of a panic. I realized that my lack of knowledge about the hair colouring/highlighting process was really going to be my downfall. About halfway through I realised that I hadn’t actually chosen the colours myself. Yuki, my colourist, who’s legally in the UK on a student visa to learn English had unbeknownst to me already decided. I swear I heard her say something like…”we’ll put a little colour in and then decide the highlights after.” Argh no, completely not. So you may be wondering – what on earth does this have to do with nibbles and/or tipples?

At Taylor Taylor you can tell that they really love what they do and enjoy being there. It also helps that they have a bar in the middle of the salon. Not a “pay as you go” type bar – but one that provides whatever type of liquid comfort you might enjoy (at no additional cost of course). I started out my consultation with a lovely cappuccino, followed not too far behind by a glass of champagne. I was feeling a teensy bit loopy from the residual affects of my cold medicine, and the chemicals from the colour seeping into my brain – so figured that would be it for me. About halfway through Yuki putting the colour in my hair, the lovely James popped over to me and said “I’ve just mixed the most gorgeous cocktail with fresh blueberries. Would you like one?” Now seriously folks, how could I resist? Side Note: One can probably read between the lines and now see how maybe I misunderstood what Yuki was doing to my hair and/or had a wee panic attack as to what I’d done to myself.

So when all was said and done, I was a bit shell shocked by the change. If popular opinion is any indication though – I think it’s been a winner – at least with the WBQ crew in Work-ington*. DU was so lovely and told me it was very Julia Roberts-ish and that I looked stunning (no prompting necessary)! I had another person tell me I looked younger (hip-hip hooray!) and PW told me I looked 100% better (um, ok…not entirely sure how I was meant to take this one)!

*Work-ington = Warrington, the northern city near Manchester where my current client is located.

Courtyard Cookies

Sunday evening was the first of many a summer night of eating outdoors at my flat. FM and I decided to test out our patio for the first time, KS joining in for the festivities. As our patio opens out to the ground floor of our Melrose-Place like courtyard we thought not only would it be a lovely way to spend an evening, but would also be an opportunity to perhaps meet a few of our neighbours.

To celebrate the event, FM and I had our first joint purchase - a hot-pink mini-bbq. FM would have been happy with either the blue or the pink – but I insisted on the pink (surprise surprise). So picture this - no furniture yet, just a picnic blanket spread out on our concrete patio, and a mini table-top pink grill. We “cranked" that bad-girl up...and were hysterically pathetic in the process. To make a long story short…our mini-pink grill wasn’t all that useful (although to be fair we didn’t allow the proper amount of time for the charcoal to go grey). Halfway through we abandoned the grill and thought to bring our meat inside to cook…well, ¾ of a bottle of red-wine, 4 ciders, a smoke detector going off, and 4 dried out chicken sausages later…we decided that whilst eating outside was a lovely idea…perhaps our mini pink bbq was not. Thankfully, there was still a little foodie treat that night. I’d whipped up some cookie dough in the afternoon and while I’d no idea if they’d be any good…I’d say they turned out delicious. I think the 5-6 that FM and KS ate each would have them agree as well. In honour of the Buckler Court* Courtyard…here you have the recipe for some super easy and scrummy “Courtyard Cookies”.

Courtyard Cookies

1 cup coconut, toasted

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

bit of salt

141.7 grams (UK) 1 1/4 sticks (US) butter

½ cup packed light brown sugar

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon-ish vanilla

¾ cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 191°C (UK) 375°F (US)
Toast the coconut in the oven for about 3-5 minutes – keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn
Sift flour, baking soda, and salt.
Beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy
Add egg and vanilla and stir in flour mixture.
Add chocolate chips and coconut and combine.
Arrange dough on cookie sheet about a teaspoon in size and about an inch apart.
Cook for about 5-8 minutes (basically keep a keen eye on them as they cooked way faster than I would have thought.
Cool cookies.Eat cookies!

*Buckler Court - Where my flat is located.

Gilga's

Last night after a few drinks at a bar in Camden which hosted a disproportionate number of clientele sporting “school girl” and “school boy” uniforms – hen* and bachelor parties, I believe. The WBQ crew with the addition of a few extra friends headed over to Gilgamesh (Gilga's for those in the know). I had been there before with RL and had absolutely loved it. The venue is a massive restaurant and bar right in the heart of Camden. It’s surrounded by carved wood and ornate designs and rightly feels like a Babylonian palace. It’s a very sexy place from the seating to the lighting to the mix of western and eastern music.

The star of the night both this and the last time I was there were the Spicy Crunchy Tuna Rolls. I have had many a tuna roll in my day, and the ones served at Gilga’s might just be the best. The tuna is silky smooth and is surrounded by a teensy bit of the most gorgeous tempura crunch. The spiciness tingles the mouth without overpowering it. It is quite simply, a little bit orgasmic.

Tied for the best bit of an evening at Gilga’s are their cocktails. I think after drinking a cocktail at Gilga’s you realise that 90% of the drinks you order at other bars are pretty much cr@p. Order anything fruity and the fruit is so fresh you feel as if it’s been same-day couriered from some exotic tropical climate – just for your consumption. My first drink of choice, chosen by DU, and enjoyed by 3 of the 5 of us was a Strawberry, Passionfruit Caiparoska. Oh my god, so good. I had a taste of GF’s Ararat Cocktail which consisted of Green Apple, Tanqueray Gin, Nijizaki Lime sake and ginger and elderflower. Amazing! We finished off the evening with Passionfruit martinis – served quite appropriately with a freshly opened passionfruit floating at the top of the martini like a little cherry on our grown-up sundaes. OH MY GOD. (Yes, it really was that good).

Of course as the 80’s rock band Poison once sang – “Every rose has its thorn” – our thorn was the £9.50 price tag of each cocktail – for you lovely yanks – that’s (eek!) $19 a drink. Was feeling a bit guilty about it today, but then thought of all the vitamins I must have received from all of that fresh fruit. Can’t really feel guilty about that now can I?

*Bachelorette