Paris And The Return of the blog in Feb 2011!

How do you prefer to take things? 

Good news first and then bad news or good news after so it gives you a "oh no" ...."oh that's ok then feeling?". Well I like to do it bad first and then good and seeing as I'm the one typing, that's just the way it'll have to be :p 

The bad news is I won't be able to update the blog often, or even at all perhaps until late Jan/Feb 2011. I canny be certain!

The good news is however that I went to Paris a few weeks back and experienced the most beautiful fresh tantilising flavours! I thought as this may be my final post for 2010 I'd make it an international one ;)

"THE NUN!"

So...back to Paris. Whilst I was there, I had the pleasure of visiting one of the many cute, effortless and fresh bakeries.  I had my two lovely friends with me who treated me to a little selection of 7 or 8 (little meaning their size) delicacies. Saying that, they may have been little but they were so utterly packed with flavour. I could tell what each one was...strawberry and cheesecake, praline, coffee, chocolate- despite not knowing the french for it. These little beauties came in a tent shaped paper bag, served with a smile by the friendly french lady behind the counter. She advised me in french about bread that stays the most fresh as I looked on lost at my friends with an awkward smile like PLEASE TRANSLATE I swear I'll be fluent in french next time I come!

I also had the honour to eat a little fresh brownie style cake, a moulded mountain of rice and chicken...creamy and soft. This was all courtesy of my host, she'd gone to such effort to make a 3 course meal on the first night I got to France.  And what makes good food even better? Great company. Each portion plenty and not excessive. It was so enlightening to be in a country that cared about fresh baked food, to smell it down a street and know YES THAT'S FRESH BREAD. It's one thing I wish, well many things, that the UK had. I'd love a little patisserie shop on every couple of streets- to know that what has just entered your mouth isn't infested with E numbers and preservatives. I'd love to own one, one of those cute little shops.

Although I'd rather own a chocolate shop (like chocolate-the film) and be spinning a plate round telling people what chocolate was best suited to them. A kind of chocolate pharmacist. Someone would come in with a broken heart and I'd put them on a daily dosage of the most intense and unforgiving chocolate until I felt they had gained...not weight no! But a better outlook on life, a kind of distraction from the ups and downs in life.  Or someone would say, "excuse me...do you do milk chocolate or dark chocolate" and I'd say "Do you REALLY know what you want?" And so I'd educate people in the history of chocolate, where it originated from, the importance of the minimum cocoa solids...Oh I can dream!I'd analyse them with a pair of spectacles I didn't really need (I've always wanted to do that) and have a tilted head. A sort of pharmacy/counselling + chocolate service. And ofcourse on their way out I'd tell them to confide in God above everything  :o) And if they said they didn't believe in God, I'd hand them a piece of chocolate and say..."when you eat this, think about what you just said" and as if by a blessing, the skies would part and they'd be giving thanks <3

Childhood Memories

Strawberry Laces. <3

-I recall childhood memories- being allowed '1' lace before dinner at my friends house. This came as a shock to my system as there were no 'before or after dinner rules' existant to me. We had a magic cupboard which opened everytime I had my friends around, it was always full of crisps and chocolates. Mind you, this was before I attended weekly consultations with my dietician who told me to use ankle weights infront of the T.V. It was as simple as, if you're hungry-eat. But then again, when you're asian and you socialise you eat regardless of whether you are hungry or not. Otherwise you risk 20yrs of family relations. Although, I admit such sweets shouldn't be a way in which to get rid of hunger, they were one of the most exciting and simple sweets to eat. Not too sweet or sour, you could stretch them, knot them and wrap them around your fingers. A pack delivers atleast 20laces so there were so many to share amongst sisters, cousins and friends. Although, it is a tight competition between the sugary sour strawberry laces and these. Childhood memories were long green snakes, little buttons and boasters cookies my naano and mum would give me if I was ill.  Now,I look at the packet of boasters chocolate and nut cookies and smile, not at the thought of being sick but at the the simplicity of making a child happy. Perhaps it's not as simple to make an adult happy, but hand them something small- a memory from their childhood and there's a good chance that you may just see that child again...

Zouk-Manchester

Have a gander!

A little flower pot of hand-cut potato chips

The wooden chopping board with the little bunch of chips blossoming in the flower pot just infront of the carving knife. Accompanied with a baby saucepan of garlic and butter- a carnivore's dream.

Raspberry Mojito with mint and crushed ice- J'adore!

Having a cold and sore throat has it's benefits- you remember what it's like to have good health and are 10x's more appreciative for it when things normalise. Although, it does tend to make those who are slightly ill want more flavoured foods...

Speaking of flavours, I visited a restaraunt called 'zouk' the other day in Manchester and the food was of such good quality with beautiful presentation (but the waiters were a bit slow). I had to spend 20minutes trying to get them to 'surprise' my friend with a sparkler in a cute little chocolate cake slice. He had me winking, shaking my hands, tilting my head and widening my eyes...with the pathetic intention of being discreet. He was too busy running round to notice half of my epileptic motions but thank God he got there in the end.

Zouk has a mocktail bar in the entrance where those who don't drink could get the fruit/crushed ice equivalent. I got a raspberry mojito and it was so refreshing. The mint wasn't overwhelming but gave it enough 'pazzaz'-a real eye-opener. I also ordered steak with vegetables and hand-cut chips...I LOVED it! The steak was juicy and well-done, no raw/ blood for me thanks! I fail to understand why ANYONE who had a choice would order food in a restaraunt with red blood oozing out of it.  Why don't you slice your finger and suck the blood 'edward cullen' style if you fancy red juice? No thank you, not for me. Anyway, less of the rant, it had a a handful of vegetables that were just enough and I was stuffed for the whole night. I didn't have any regrets though. You know sometimes if you over-eat at someone's dinner or a restaraunt you feel like whyyyy? Well, I can proudly say I never get 'arghh im stuffed feeling' because I get it packed and then finish it off at home ;o) One step @ a time!

Birthday Cake

I needed to make a birthday cake, I decided it would look  more asthetically pleasing if it were 3layers and so I did this last minute. I used the strawberry cream cake recipe which is lower down in my blog but adapted it. I used two sponges from the recipe below and one sponge recipe in which I halved all the ingredients so it came out as enough mixture for one sponge and not two. 

In the 3rd sponge I threw in a handful of flaked almonds to give each layer a different taste and texture. On the top I scattered toasted almonds with shreds of white chocolate. The best thing is you can make it your own. Part of me was tempted to use 2 different types of nuts; maca and almonds (in the sponge) but I thought I could try that another time. Plus, would everyone at that party be obsessed with nuts the way I am? That was a question I couldn't answer.Also I added two layers of fresh cream with macarpone and strawberries instead of one, and on the third sponge put a hefty amount of juicy strawberry jam. The frosting is my favourite though, I was licking the bowl clean after the cake was finished and my sister dipped some strawberries in the frosting. I didn't know how easy it would be to cut it, but it would certainly provide a burst of fresh flavours on the tongue<3 x

Brownies

Brownies have been my obsession to give as a present, to eat on a "who gives a poop about kcal" kind of day or when guests are coming around. There are so many different types of brownies, you can have them gooey/firm, bake them or not bake them at all [refrigerated]. There are some tips I've learnt over the past 2 or 3 yrs, since they were one of the first things I started baking.

1. Do not put the heat on the highest setting when melting chocolate on a hob as it will burn and loose its shine. 

2. Do not keep opening the oven door- heat escapes and your baking will dip very quickly. Only open it rightttt at the end if it's totally necessary, otherwise wait until you know time's up. (This applies to cakes etc too)

3.After you have baked your brownies, leave them to cool in a larger dish filled with very cold water or ice (this cools them on the outside whilst maintaining a certain gooeyness inside).

4. Once you've whisked the eggs and chocolate together treat the mixture like a baby. Use a gentle 8 motion, folding it, taking it under and back up again. Be gentle or else you'll lose the air that you just incorporated into it.

5. If you want them to taste divine, then you HAVE TO BUY DECENT INGREDIENTS. When I say decent I mean 70% cocoa solids in your chocolate and best quality cocoa. Many brands like Dairy Milk have less cocoa solids than Tesco's own brand of chocolate. Shocking I know.

Here are a few pictures to urge you 

chocolate lovers to get onto baking brownies.

Round Roti's {The Life of A Peyrah}

"Rho-tee- defined as an unleavened flatbread made from atta flour in the Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Assamese, Indonesian, Malay, Bengali, Thai, Marathi and Somali languages. It is also known as rotli in Gujarati, "Maani" in Sindhi and phulka in Punjabi and Saraiki"

As my dad went on his way out, this is what he said "I got the dough out, two rotis ready by 5;45" and that was it. I plodded downstairs, made a keema (mince meat) salan with the usual haldi [tumeric powder], tomatoes and chopped onions. Then I did the washing up because it's frustrating to try and use the kitchen work surface when one half of the kitchen looks like kabul. I used my fingers to claw into the dough and rolled a ball of it into my palms, dipping it in the flour and then taking each corner whilst rotating it and folding it back in to itself. Admittedly I enjoy making rotis (chappatis) from fresh dough, or dough which has reached room temperature from the fridge. However, if the dough is more than 2 days refrigerated I always manage to make a roti which looks like it should be on 'without a trace' . 

So here it is, the life of a peyrah (blob of dough) transformed into a chappati. I don't know what the obsession is with perfectly round rotis, many south east asians understand how it isn't a hard and fast rule, but it sort of is. You wouldn't reject it if it were another shape but for some reason the beauty of it is in its circular nature. Or is it somehow inextricably linked to the rumour that a brides mother in law will be horrified by any sense of imperfection in it's shaping and rise? In that case, PRESSURE'S ON LADIES. I say ladies not to be sexist but because I am yet to know an asian male on a personal basis who knows {or wishes} to make roti. If you're there, drop a comment otherwise I'll take that as a 'no i'm alright thanks'. 

For me it's equally about the thickness, if its too thin it will tear and there will be holes before it even reaches the hot plate [tavaa]. Yes, it's fun popping your eye through the hole and saying "hello" to the person opposite you but on a more serious note being able to have a good tear when you go to rip off a piece is just what I like. The elasticity is key. The flour for these rotis is 50% white and 50% brown because brown dough is best used fresh. White on the other hand is a tad more versatile.  Bread is amazing, in all it's forms with so many shapes, textures and looks. Carbs should be my worst enemy, but what can I say. An asian is married to carbs from the moment they taste it- rice, roti, naan, is coupled with everything. It's like a bad asian drama, every angle has the echoing of carbs and shocked faces but it's inescapable and yet so addictive. <3

Have A Porridge Hug

I really like the idea of warm honey porridge on a cold, wintery morning. This morning I woke up to grey skies married with rain. So I decided I'd drizzle honey into my porridge with 5 or 6 whole almonds and randomly got 2 small squares of white chocolate which melted with the heat. The white chocolate was extremely subtle and the honey gave a warm flavour. Last time I had porridge I added a pinch of cinnamon and it was most definitely earthy and wholesome. Part of me wanted to reach for the salmon and toasted bread as I usually do but this time I wanted that huggable mix of ingredients that feel like they've lined my stomach with soft wool. That's what is so versatile about cooking, you make it your own. Whether it's breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert you are able to experiment with different tastes and scents. Winter's coming and I think I'm going to be having many porridge hugs in the weeks to come...