In memory

Sorry for the delay folks.

January 2013 was the first month since starting my blog back in 2007 where I didn't have any entries.  (Ahem, of course you noticed).

I get so much joy from eating, cooking, reading about food - and clearly writing about it too.  The reality is that even if I only have on average 1-2 entries per month, there's always a backlog of little snippets, stories and recipes that I think of sharing but never find time to.  I know, I know - more is usually better right?  Well certainly when it involves spilling 2/3 a bottle of maple syrup on my Egyptian cotton sheets (not an inappropriate X-rated story, more one of me being greedy in bed with pancakes thank you very much) or perhaps more recipes from my recent adventures in the kitchen (crispy chilli asian inspired pork belly or pastry cream filled donuts anyone)?

The reality is that I don't write more simply because well...I'm living life. Now of course, there's a part of this basic "living" that's a bit tedious.  Last week's examples might be numerous stupidly early mornings in the office or perhaps a plumber finding what appears to be 6 years worth of lint tucked away in the washing machine filter.  Pretty it was not.  However, the reality is that there's a lot of good and a fair share of great happening as well.  Blessed with some of the most wonderful friends a girl could ever ask for and a great family - that even spread across the globe tries to connect as money, time, and space best allows.  Most recently there was a planned trip in December with time spent chatting (and of course eating) with the 5 Shinnicks, Mama Cupcakes and Papa (cupcakes) Bear.

Which brings me to the point of my non-food related ramblings...

The reason it's so important to live, play, enjoy your work? You never know when something is going to happen that will to knock you flat on your ass.

For me it was Papa Bear (aka Daddy) passing away on January 18th.  I'm not going to get started on the "what it feels like" crap. It's emotional and physical and hits you at both expected and unexpected moments. Breathing is hard and there's a numbness that sticks with you.  But that said and done, let me try, at least in this forum for a few minutes to move on to sweeter notes.

I thought that in small tribute  I might cook up some of his favourite foods. But in doing a little bit of research (double checking with mom) she reminded me that while he did have some distinct likes, he could also be a bit fickle (e.g. I do remember many an occasion growing up with mom making something for dinner and Dad all but licking his plate, only to have it served to him a few weeks later to an "eh, that's just ok" response.  Not clocking he'd loved it a few weeks before).

He loved traditional Jewish foods, chopped liver and brisket, knishes and kugel. Never said no to a thick soup ala split pea, and couldn't get enough chinese food - be it Marlborough's Royal Mandarin in the '80s or Framingham's Uncle Cheungs in the '90s.  The last time visiting with him I picked up some General Tsao's chicken.  A small debate over brown or white rice, and then agreement with me that the brown was as good when doused in duck sauce.

All of that said, you couldn't even mention "beet" near him, he hated them in every way shape and form. I can only equate it to my relationship with bell peppers and yellow mustard.  Essentially I'd rather poke my eyes out with raw onions than eat these items.  Dad felt the same way about beets. He never could get his head around some oatmeal chocolate beet cookies I made last year - "disgusting" he kept saying when I told him about it...which of course made both of us laugh.

Which reminds me of another little side story...

Growing up, mom did 99.23% of the cooking.  I have vague recollections of him sometimes whipping up breakfasts at the weekend and mom says he made a french onion soup, including the stock, by scratch.  But there's one food related memory that I'll never forget and that was a particularly special lunch he made for me.

It must have been the weekend and with Mom off somewhere Dad decided he could manage lunch for us kids. Placed in front of me moments later a good ol' early '80s bologna sandwich (who didn't love that Oscar Meyer song)? One bite and the next thing I knew I was barfing* my morning's breakfast up.

Dad had slathered yellow mustard onto the Wonder Bread.  Rookie mistake with 6 year-old Dana.  He learned the hard way...but next time there was mayo there instead.

Daddy wasn't ready to leave us.  Even with his personal struggles he was a fighter and none of us expected him to leave so soon.  One of the greatest gifts he gave me was the belief in living life and enjoying it as best you can.  Squeezing out as many good memories and experiences as possible.  So for him that's exactly what I'm going to do.

Just without a side of yellow mustard.

loved and never forgotten 

* I remember being in second grade and being asked by the teacher if anyone knew a "grown up word for throwing up" (aka vomiting)  Always the super nerd, I raised my hand only to shout out with full confidence "barfing".  Not exactly what she was after.  I blame the influence of older siblings.

India Calling

I have 3 critical points to make here.

1. November is definitely the time to take your summer holidays.  While I spent most of July and August in the sweltering (ahem) rain of London my colleauges were off in the South of France, or at their lake cabins on the coast of Norway, or a few for good measure, in the grand ol' USA. As they say someone needed to "hold down the fort" so I opted to stay tucked in at my desk (and the Olympic Park) over the summer and instead make a cheeky getaway from the 9th -21st November.  Coming back to two days in the London office and then a week in Oslo, followed by 1 day in the office and then another week in Oslo, I am not surprised at how quickly Santa and all of that palaver has snuck up on me.  Just one more week in the office and I get to have another few weeks off. November is definitely the new black.

2. Delhi Belly / Non shmelly belly.  The stats all say, "50-70% of all people travelling in India will have stomach problems within the first two weeks".  In addition to this frightening statistic, I had half a dozen people warn me of what was to come.  So much so that my pulmonary doctor I see for my asthma was so traumatised by a trip he'd taken last year he insisted that along with a refill prescription of my inhaler he give me two mega doses of ciproflaxin. I wasn't allowed to leave his office without it.  It would have been a bit comical if he wasn't so convinced I'd need it.  Little did everyone know how OCD I'd be about everything I ate on this trip.  (Note: I was going to write how anal I was about cleanliness but that just doesn't seem right here).

Clearly I avoided all of the shadier food options put forth to me but I also lived with an antibacterial gel in my pocket. Add to the mix about 50 individually wrapped Wet Ones perpetually floating around the bottom of my bag - any time there was an even quasi chance that something unsantised was coming near my mouth - I whipped out the antibacterial gel /wipes.  I did get a couple of funny looks wiping down the outside of the coke can and straw, but hey ho - I had 12 days of spicy, rich, glorious food and all along had a stomach of steel to match.

3.  I love Indian food.  Just how much was an epiphany to me. In particular the heavy, fried, creamy and buttery food of Northern India. No salady stuff washed in water allowed, see my Number 2 (no pun intended) point above. It's definitely not something I could have 3 meals a day for weeks on end but for most of our trip it was to-die-for and consumed with my (sanitised) hands scooping up gorgeous curries with even more delectable Indian rotis and parathas.

Tandoori Aloo
(Potato barrels, stuffed with nuts & house spices) 

One of many buttery delicious breads (some spicy and stuffed, this one just with mint)

The "best chai in Jaipur"
NOTE: TWO Wet Ones used on the glass (I saw the milk boiling)

No clue what everything was called, but gorgeous aubergine curry at our boutique Jaipur hotel, The Farm

Foodie Pen Pal - Take 3

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This month's Foodie Pen Pal came from the lovely Jade over at http://wildpickings.co.uk.  A "forager" which was a somewhat new concept for me in today's day and age - Jade sent a lovely package over from West Wales with an assortment of fun treats.  This experience with FPP has been fabulous so far, putting me in touch with all sorts of talented food lovers  - Jade certainly not being an exception to this. In my package? Blackberry and crab apple fruit leather, wild dukkah, dried chanterelles, rose petal vinegar, hawthorne ketchup, and rosehip syrup.  Certainly any number of items not accounted for in my bi-weekly Waitrose run! I've not had a chance to try some of these fun treats, but hopefully in the next few weeks I'll be able to give them a go.

All Wrapped Up in One

It's not just the people who are beautiful in Paris. 

Jacques Genin's ultimate lemon tart.  See how we spit it? We are nearly virtuous!  (PARIS)

Worth their weight in gold (literally). Passion fruit puree and gingerbread caramels from Jaques Genin. (PARIS)

Gorgeous birthday lunch at Bistrot Bruno Loubet: Beetroot ravioli with shredded rocket and crispy parmesan. (LONDON- CLERKENWELL)

Birthday cocktails at the Zetter Townhouse (LONDON- CLERKENWELL) 

Birthdays, Paris, Lots of cake, VIP guest lists.  Each in their own right could warrant their own blog post. But seeing as I appear to have been out for 15 of the past 17 evenings (I now realise where my new accessory called "the belly" has come from) I thought I'd try and wrap up some of the most exciting news for food happenings in Dana's world  - and maybe, if lucky, come up with one mamajama of a story for you.

Let's start in Paris.  The last weekend in September I was invited to visit the gorgeous YL for a pre-birthday celebration.  Her pitch?  "Come visit and let's do a patisserie crawl around the city!"  SOLD.  So while in the end we didn't venture too far out of the Bastille / Marais area we were well onto our sugar high by noon having consumed more chocolate croissants slathered in homemade apricot jam than is healthy (I say "we" but the honest truth is that it was just me - but thanks YL for taking one for the team).

After browsing some lovely shops and buying and assortment of treatakins at le petite atelier de paris (seriously how cute is their stuff?) we headed over to Jacques Genin.  Immediately upon entering the holy shrine to all things both gorgeous and delectable the heart palpitations began, the seratonin started flowing, and the general state of patisserie perfection began clouding my vision and making everything go a bit soft and fuzzy.

Side bar: This is why I never got into recreational drugs.  Exquisite baked goods/confection appear (for me) to have what I imagine would be a similar effect of such narcotics.  

Even though we were already filled to the gills from brunch we decided to share a tarte au citron.  At a delicate size and the perfect ratio of pastry and tart and creamy filling, YL and I had many a moan worthy moment.  Even though we shared, we were also served two (each) of Jacques handmade chocolates (basil ganache and cinnamon ganache).  All were slowly savoured with tiny mouthfuls.

Jacques Genin is also famous for his hand made caramels.  Having read about his passion fruit puree caramels and knowing that Mama Cupcakes loves passion fruit (arguably more than some of her offspring now and again) I thought I'd try and work on my standing in the favourite child category. Certainly if I could send some over to her in New Hampshire I could move myself up a notch or two?  She reported back that she savoured every single one.  However, in response to my "am I your favourite child now?" question, what was returned back was a laugh and nothing more.   I think she's playing me for more caramels. Smart woman.

I'd like to say that the desserts ended there...but alas...there was more to come, manifesting itself in a pair of hot from the oven custard tarts from Comme a Lisbonne.  Funny thing though, after going back to YL's apartment for a bit of a power nap (sugar coma) we (again, just me) woke up starving! All I could think about was sinking my teeth into a bloody piece of meat after all that sugar. Successfully accomplished later that evening at a nearby Bistro.

Now fast-forward one week and I was able to celebrate my birthday in London with a few friends.  I had a bit of an internal debate (party? dinner? lunch? cocktails?) on what to do.  Unlike the past few years when I've thrown a shindig, invited the masses, cooked and baked for weeks before to prepare, and quasi bankrupted myself in the process, I decided on the simplest of activities for me, a late lunch followed by cocktails for those who couldn't make one or the other.

In the end I went for lunch at Bruno Bistro Loubet which was absolutely wonderful.  My favourite eat of the day was my starter of beetroot ravioli, rocket salad, fried breadcrumbs and parmesan.  I could have stopped there and been happy (of course I didn't).  My main wasn't nearly as exciting although it was certainly tasty - having another craving of red meat I went for the grilled steak with little gem caesar dressing, and a red wine sauce. We opted against dessert and went on straight to the Zetter Townhouse, without a doubt one of the coolest cocktail bars in London - complete with experimental cocktails to match.  Having been out the night before until 4 am drinking pink champagne with an assortment of characters (eccentric artist, professor of art history, former military/expert in middle east relations) my birthday festivities on the Saturday ended at a very civilised (read: getting old) hour of 8 pm.  But to be honest, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. For those of you wonderful friends who did make it out to join me - muchos gracias from the bottom of my 29 year old heart.

Foodie Pen Pal - Take 2

Foodie Pen Pal Treats - Take 2

This month's foodie penpal was the lovely Suzzane over at avocado and basil. It's arrival coincided on my birthday, which was an absolute treat! I know that wasn't part of her master plan, but thank you Suzanne and the Postal Service for a job well done.

As soon as I opened the package I was overtaken by the wonderful smell of fresh basil which Suzanne had lovingly picked from her windowsill and wrapped in some tissue.  She'd also spent the weekend before in Italy so I benefited from some chocolates and cavatelli pasta.  Added to the mix were some of her favourite food stuffs like pukka tea (also in my tea caddy - but some new flavours for me to try),  a nakd bar (looks healthy AND delicious - who knew?) some ginger candies (not yet consumed but waiting patiently for me on my kitchen counter) and some chocolate and hazelnut meringues (must stop eating but can't stop eating)!

Thank you Suzanne! Job well done! :-)

Bagel Nosh

Boiled and ready to be baked 

The Finished Product

The recent Jewish holidays left me craving lots of good nosh, and in particular, bagels. Convinced that the only way to get them in London is either en masse in horrible roll format in supermarkets, or to take a half day and schlepp to the outskirts of North London I figured the best option would be to take the challenge to bake some myself.  As a virgin bagel maker I scampered the internet for quite a while until I found a recipe I liked.  Considering the great number of positive reviews (minus some of the donkeys that didn't follow it correctly) I figured I had as good a chance of success as any.  And come on now - look at these babies! I know every good Jewish mother thinks her kids are the best looking and well, I kinda feel that same way about these little guys.

As I opted for a slightly longer boil time they were nice, firm and crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.  I ate three within 12 hours - which is probably more than I've consumed collectively in the past 6 months.  Luckily they have frozen really well.  I'm planning to have some friends round for brunch so I can make another batch and serve them fresh and warm from the oven. You know those one-off food items that are just so absolutely delicious that you scarf them up so fast you almost don't taste them (I realise this is not a good habit but NEEDS MUST)  - well straight out of the oven and with just a bit of butter, they were just that.

So without further ado... http://www.sophisticatedgourmet.com/2009/10/new-york-style-bagel-recipe/  (although is it a bit cheeky to say I prefer the more bronzed bake of mine over hers)?  

Foodie Pen Pal - Take 1

Christmukah in July!

Treats from the US and Bristol

Perusing the web a few months back I came across Foodie Pen Pals via The Lean Green Bean. Lucky for me there is a small (but growing) group over in Europe that's started up as well - and I jumped right on in.

The basic premise is that you randomly get paired up with someone (either a fellow food blogger or just someone who really enjoys getting his/her grub on) and send through a surprise foodie package spending less than £10 (not including shipping).  It's monthly and you can be as active or not as you'd like.

I was paired with Sue in Germany over at http://sueintraining.wordpress.com/ and sent through some of my favourite treats (jam, spices, candy) from Ottolenghi's Upper Street store. Unfortunately the prized (and pricey!) passionfruit jam didn't make it in one piece. Dang UK to Germany shipping. Apparently in transit the glass jam jar broke into a thousand shades of inedible. Hopefully she'll still enjoy the homemade raspberry lollipop and za'atar spices.

On the flip side, I received the care package of goodies above from Karen in Bristol.  After a brief introductory email (giving the basics which mentioned my Yankee heritage) she very sweetly decided on a hybrid package.  Thinking I might be homesick (I was, but was also packing for a flight home to the USA 2 days later) she sent through some "all-american treats" as well as some local Bristol goodies such as clotted cream fudge, local cider, and marmalade.  I've not yet tried the latter two but the fudge went down a treat.

On the Stars and Stripes front I got two candy-bars (the Reese's NutRageous has already been demolished) and a Cookies and Cream Hershey's bar (possibly to be used in some chocolate brownies this weekend).  Also in the package? Kool-aid and Fluff.  Now both of these products are something I've not consumed for over thirty years*, which is certainly ironic since I'm not older than 29 (roll of eyes).  I vaguely remember them making their way into my Montessori smurf lunch box though. Man, I wish I still had that thing...but I digress.

My challenge if I choose to accept is to work these classic lunchbox treats into some sort of baked good.  Well, let's be honest - the fluff will become a baked good and the kool-aid in some sort of cocktail to be consumed while making the baked good.

Ironically I've promised some "American themed treats" at a work meeting next week.  I see the possibility of some fluff rice-krispy like snacks in their future.

*I have quite possibly consumed Kool-Aid more recently than the age of 4.  I have a vague memory of an Alpha Delt "Purple Passion" party my freshman year at University. I'm pretty sure this cocktail (if you can call it that as it was served out of plastic bag lined garbage cans) consisted of Everclear and Purple Kool-Aid. I choose to forget.