Well as you’ve probably noticed, the blog has been a wee bit neglected as of late so apologies for that. My love flew away to thailand and with him seemed to go my deisre to cook, but finally, i’ve stopped bumbling around and got back down to some cooking. Now, in all honesty, this is partly because i no longer have a resident Alex whipping up delicious Asian creations for me on a daily basis and the cravings are getting BAD! I needed a chilli fix, pronto. Also because the boredom of the countryside struck and i needed something to do. Since my return, mum has been asking for one thing and one thing only, cheesecake. It’s her big weakness so one of those was in the works today as well. Her favourite is the plain, new york style cheesecake so that’s what we went for. The good thing about this kind of cheesecake is you can basically please everyone. Make up one of these and then you can make up some different compotes or sauces and plonk them all down on the table and let everyone help themself, voila you have several differnet cheesecakes for the price of one. It’s also just a good base recipe to have as you can use it as a starting block and add a whole host of flavours and it’ll completely change it. For example, add some lemon juice and zest or some grated cinnamon, swap out the ginger biscuits for another flavour, anything you want really. I will admit, this isn’t the speediest thing to make, whilst the actual making of it is easy and has hardly any ingredients, you do have to fiddle with the oven temperatures a bit. You also have to show super-human self control not to eat it straight away as it needs to chill in the fridge over night, i know, i know, you really won’t want to but it’ll be worth it, i promise. This cheesecake serves 6-8

Cheesecake

25g unsalted butter
70g biscuits (i used ginger ones)

300g full fat cream cheese
85g caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
75g 0% fat greek yoghurt

First things first, preheat the oven to 180C/160C if you have a fan oven 350F. Then melt the butter and crush up the biscuits, either in a food processor or in a bag with a rolling pin- this way is good for taking out some frustration. Combine the melted butter and the crushed biscuits and press into the bottom of a springform cake tin lined with parchment, bake the base for 10 minutes and then remove from the oven.

Turn the heat up to 220C/430F.

If you have a kitchenaid stand mixer then use that, if not then grab out an electric hand whisk and a bowl and get to work. Put the cream cheese in the bowl and beat on a low speed, gradually adding the sugar, mix until combined. Then add the the vanilla extract and eggs, one at a time, mixing slowly until combined and scrape down the sides. Lastly add the greek yoghurt and mix until everything is smooth and glossy, the mixture will be quite runny, don’t worry, it’s supposed to be.

Pour the mixture over the biscuit base and cook for 10 minutes before turning the oven down to 110C/230F. Leave the door over for 3 minutes to get the temperature down, and cook for 25 minutes.

Turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in there for 2 hours, run the knife around the outside of the tin and then put back in the oven for an hour and a half.  It’ll be a bit jiggly in the centre but thats what you want, anymore and it’ll be overdone and just crack.

After that, get it nestled nicely in the fridge and tuck it in for the night. In the morning you can finally indulge, cut a much anticipated slice and enjoy.

Spicy Thai-ish Meatball Noodle

So, i don’t know if this is technically thai but it’s damn good, and honestly, when something is this yummy, i’m not sure you’ll really care how authentic it’s origins are. I was jonesing for something spicy and soupy and noodley and this just ticked all the boxes. I’m not entirely sure where the idea for this came from, i guess it had something to do with my brother not wanting shredded chicken – my go to meat for spicy noodle soups, in part because it’s something i usually have knocking around the fridge. It’s so easy to just roast or poach a chicken and have it in the fridge to chuck in salads, sandwiches, soups, pastas, anything that takes your fancy really. So, banned from chicken, i went to rummage in the fridge and found some minced beef i’d bought the day before to make chilli, spicy meatballs seemed like they might be the way forward, and after receiving the thumbs up from the frere, that’s just what i did. And it was good, by cooking the meatballs in the stock it took on a deep beefy savouriness that was just delicious and so satisfying. Combined with the heat of the chilli and the freshness of a bit of coriander and i had something i’ll be making again and again.

For the Meatballs:

1/2 carrot, finely diced
1 clove of garlic, finely diced
1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
6 finely diced coriander stalks

1 spring onion, finely diced
2 thai birds eye chillis, finely diced

450g lean (10% fat) minced beef

Fry the 1st four ingredients in a little oil until soft and then combine with the beef, chillis and spring onion. Smoosh everything up together so that you have a nice, even distribution of all the ingredients. Roll the mixture into balls about the size of large walnuts and fry on a high heat until they have a nice dark colour, you might need to do this in batches. Drain the meatballs on kitchen roll and set aside until you need them.

For the soup part:

2.5 litres of chicken stock
4-6 kaffir lime leaves, depending on the size
2 galangal chips
1 1/2 inches of fresh ginger, roughly sliced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
20 thai chillis, bruised (just bash them a bit so they can release their oils)
4 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp shaoxing rice wine
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp tamarind paste
1/2 tsp palm sugar

4 bundles ramen noodles

to serve:
coriander leaves
chopped spring onions

This is pretty easy i have to say, you pretty much just bung everything into a big pot and bring it to the boil, then simmer for about 20-30 minutes until you like what you’re tasting, removing the lime leaves about halfway through. Add the meatballs and simmer for 10 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through. Now, for some reason, my chillis were just not doing it for me heatwise (i think waitrose are having a couple of blah batches at the moment) so i added 10 dried red chillis to the mix after the soup had been on for 5-10 minutes. Obviously you don’t have to add this many chillis, it’s completely up to you, depending on how spicy you like things, but, as they say, some like it hot.

Whilst all this is blipping away, cook the bundles of ramen noodles in boiling water for 4 minutes, then drain and rinse under cold water.

Plating up is simple, put a nest of noodles in the bottom of a bowl, add some of the meatballs and ladle over some over the strained soup. Top with coriander leaves, sliced spring onions and some diced chilli (i fished out some of the dried red ones that had softened in the soup and chopped those up). All you need now is a spoon and a fork and to curl of somewhere and slurp greedily away, this is not a delicate little meal, it’s a great big bowl of comforting deliciousness, so just go for it.

Well we’re back from Nassau, back in my rather chilly homeland of England. When informed upon landing that the current temperature was 12 degrees, we both visibly winced. It was quickly decided that the only way to sustain ourselves was slight hibernation and some delicious food. Obviously this is all a tad over dramatic but when you get off the plane and it’s a good 40 degrees less than when you got on, it comes as a bit of a shock to the system.
After a measly little nap we motored up to london for the evening for dinner with alex’s sisters. We got off the train and jumped straight in a cab to Itsu sushi on Draycott Ave. Now originally i wasn’t thrilled about this choice as i was tired and grumpy and wanting something a little more comforting than raw fish, however, once we got inside and were seated next to the little conveyor belt, needless to say, i changed my tune. I love this kind of sushi place as i’m someone that gets pretty serious food envy, with this wondrous little system you can preview everything before making your decision (well decisions as obviously you get a few tasty little morsels). There were five of us, so we just got a big selection and everyone dove in, from tuna sashimi to gyoza, duck crystal rolls to yellowtail snapper sahimi, miso soup, squid, chicken and coconut soup, finishing everything off with a couple of big bowls of edamame. Now my love of edamame is verging on an addiction, they are, i do believe, the perfect pre-dinner pick/drinks party nibble. The healthy alternative to the crisp if you like. They’re also stupidly easy. Even if you can’t cook, you can do this. All you have to do is get some edamame beans in the pods, boil or steam for a few minutes until tender, toss with some good salt and you’re good to go. We had one bowl of the regular salted ones and one bowl tossed with chilli and soy and other yummy things ( i wasn’t paying that much attention, i was too busy eating). The duck crystal rolls would have been vastly improved by some decent hoi sin sauce, what we were presented with was thin and pretty insipid, not great. The miso soup however was awesome, i could easily have wolfed down several more bowls had i had room. We were all feeling a little virtuous at dinner so the wildly exciting drinks were endless rounds of green tea. This was definitely needed however as the combination of several weeks boozing in Nassau, combined with some rather mean jet lag meant that i was feeling lethargic, dehydrated and generally not too healthy.
After dinner i obviously scuppered this though when we were whisked off for drinks at the newly opened Playboy club. It’s still in it’s first week but so far so very good, the restaurant will definitely have to be sampled before too long but i would advise to steer clear if you’re on any kind of bikini diet. It’s not exactly what you’d call a healthy menu, good for the mouth, not so good for the waist. The real crowning glory however is Salvatorre’s, the ground floor bar. He’s a world-renowned barman and one taste of the cocktails and you can see why. I went for one of his signature cocktails, the Spicy Fifty, a perfectly balanced blend of vanilla vodka, elderflower, honey, lime and chilli. Definitely something i would recommend.
The next day it was off to Marylebone, our old stomping ground and location of Alex’s favourite pub. After running in, eager to see some familiar faces, only to be greeted by a girl we’d never seen before, i dragged a rather dejected Alex for brunch at Providores on Marylebone High St. It’s a great little fusion restaurant with a new zealand influence. A cosy, relaxed tapa room on the ground floor and a more formal restaurant on the 1st floor. I always head for the tapa room, especially at the weekend (we used to live 5 minutes round the corner) as their brunch menu is great. Having the usual brunch items as well as things for the more adventurous, those who are bored with the usual eggs benedict routine. If you do go for the standard – as i did because they use such high quality ingredients that it raises the bar, you won’t leave unsatisfied.
So, as i said, i went for the the Tapa room fry up, scrambly eggs, bacon, slow roast tomatoes and mushrooms, all on a nice bit of crunchy sourdough. This was all yum, if a little under seasoned. I’ll tell you what wasn’t though, the Boston baked beans. Dear lord, way too much smoky bacon and way too much molasses. The result was a bit of a sickening smoky mess. Not so successful. Nor was Alex’s i have to say. He went for the turkish style eggs, a delicious sounding combination of poached eggs, whipped yoghurt and a hot chilli butter. Sadly the end result was distinctly under-whelming, the yoghurt being so overpowering that in the end it was really the only thing you could taste. Our friend Mark come to join us just after we ordered and his banana and pecan french toast with bacon was a real hit though. A distinctly on and off meal, definitely not as good as the last meal i had there by a long way, i guess a lot can change in 5 months. I will say this though, whilst we stuck to tea this time, they do a Mango Bellini that is out of this world so if you find yourself there you should definitely try one (or two, or three)….

We headed back to the country for a couple of days to recouperate but sure enough, tuesday rolled around and we found ourselves back on the train and london bound once more. The evening passed in a haze of Mexican food, margaritas and champagne (along with a couple of others thrown in for good measure) and before we knew it, we were waking up, bleary eyed and in need of something to sustain and soothe and set our sights on The Breakfast Club in Soho.

This was mainly because, whilst perusing the menu the week before, i espied a cheese and marmite toastie. Now, i definitely am a lover not a hater, firmly believing that many things can be improved by a loving lash of marmite so this was right up my street, especially when i’m not feeling my brightest.I also love that it does brunch every single day until 5pm. Excellent. Don’t worry, there’s also a regular menu from midday onwards if you’re not a brunch obsessive like us and in the evening you can bring along the booze of your choice and merrily consume to your hearts content.

Now that, a fruit smoothie with hangover boost (why don’t more places do that by the way?) and a shared plate of potato wedges with aioli (which was actually a bit weird, kind of sweet) and a was feeling like a new person.

Alex went for eggs benedict – no surprises there then and informed me that you could tell everything was super fresh which is always a good thing, especially as we ordered just before they stopped doing breakfast.

After all this we just relaxed for the evening, deciding that venturing out was simply not on the cards. Nothing like breakfast followed by an early night, totally the wrong way round and just what we needed that day.

The next day brought with it some delights of it’s own. Firstly, coffee and homemade alfajores with a friend followed by dinner at As Greek As It Gets, a restaurant in Earls Court that i’ve been meaning to try for over a year. Now, just in case you’re thinking “what the hell are alfajores?’ fear not, i’d never had one before either but my god are they something i’ll be having again. Made by my friend angelina, a fellow cordon bleurian, they’re 2 shortbread biscuits glued together with Dulce de Leche (surely the best kind of glue ever?) and then the outside rolled in coconut. Utter heaven, and something i’ll definitely be making before too long (or begging at her door for more).

After that, as i said, we headed off for greek food, something i never get enough as there seem to be so few good greek restaurants. I find this so strange as it’s something that almost everyone that tries it falls for but just never seems to be around. We decided to go for a selection of starters and skip the mains, mezze style, as there were too many tempting options to narrow it down any further.

First out there was Halloumi which was grilled to perfection and finished with just a squeeze of lemon juice, simple and moreishly good. Although, as you can see, the garnish left a lot to be desired.

Alex ordered an Avgolemno, a traditional chicken, egg, rice and lemon soup which i really wasn’t a big fan of. I usually like it but this one was just a bit insipid, some more lemon and some seasoning would have gone a long way. It kind of tasted like bland chicken rice pudding. Does that sound appealing? No, not so much.

There were also some very good garlic pitta breads with tzatziki and a dip of whipped feta and chilli which was so good we actually packed up what we couldn’t eat and took it with us! One of my favourite dishes to arrive was a spicy sausage cooked with onions and aubergine, soooo tasty, i actually didn’t share this very well.

Next up it was the turn of some broad bean fritters and squid stuffed with feta, peppers and onions. I liked the fritters, Alex didn’t. I don’t really like squid, he thought it was good. It’s all a matter of taste when it comes down to it but overall it was a pretty scrumptious little meal.

Last but not least were some courgette fritters topped with a little grated kefalotyri cheese. These were cooked so perfectly that the inside became perfectly creamy and fluffy whilst the outside was still crunchy. Finished with a squeeze of lemon and it all came together nicely, especially when i added a little salt.

Overall, although there were a couple of things we weren’t crazy about – me with the soup and alex with the croquettes – on the whole we had a pretty good meal. it’s somewhere i’d definitely check out again if i was in the area, i’d just maybe make a few menu substitutions. When it comes to the wine though, beware. Alex had a carafe of rose which was not good, i’d reccommend you go for a non-greek option if you want rose unless you like it cloyingly sweet as this one really was. It’s also pretty good value so it’s somewhere you can just pop into if you’re feeling lazy and not worry about breaking the bank.
I’ve finally got down to some cooking this week as well so keep your eyes peeled as there’ll be new recipes up soon.