Category Archives: Food
Perfect scones
There’s always been something tremendously daunting to me about the prospect of making scones. Maybe it has something to do with all of that butter being crumbled or cut into really small pieces. I say, life is too short to do any of that. Maybe it has something to do with cutting out triangle shapes of dough. (Way more complicated than circles, right?)
I don’t know. I can’t put a finger on it. But after a co-worker brought in some fresh baked scones, still warm and slathered with butter, I became a believer. I decided to throw caution to the wind and try to make a batch at home.
What I’ve discovered is that a cream scone recipe is infinitely easier – no butter to mix in! – and the results are light, flaky, fluffy gorgeousness. My go-to recipe comes courtesy of Epicurious.
Pancake Day Part Deux: Electric Boogaloo
Every Pancake Day, I completely forget the one sticking point to making good crepes: refrigerating the batter for two hours (or overnight). Sure, the crepes are delish but we end up late, the kitchen’s a mess, my evening downtime is wiped and so am I.
Not this year!
I did a Google search for “crepe recipe without refrigeration” and alakazam! There it was! A recipe from The Inadvertant Gardener for immediate satisfaction crepes, no refrigeration required.
It worked like a charm, crepes were on the table in less than a half hour, and I had my evening free to catch up on American Idol. All was right in the world. Props to The Inadvertant Gardener for giving me my time and life back on Pancake Day/Night. I owe you!
Basic crepes
(Based on the recipe from Mark Bittman’s How To Cook Everything)
(Makes 10-12 crepes, depending on the size of your pan)
1 c. flour (all-purpose or whole wheat)
Pinch of salt
1 1/4 c. milk (I used nonfat)
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. butter, melted and cooled
Whisk the flour, salt and milk together until the mixture is bubbly. Whisk in the eggs, and then the cooled butter.
Heat a nonstick skillet (I used an 8-inch skillet) until drops of water tossed in the pan skitter across the surface. You’ll probably want to adjust the heat as you go, because you want to keep the pan very hot, but not so hot as to burn the crepes.
Using a small ladle, add somewhere between 1/8 and 1/4 of a cup of batter to the pan. Swirl it so it covers the bottom. You’ll need to work quickly, because the batter should start to cook immediately, and if you don’t swirl fast, you won’t get it to cover the whole bottom of the pan. Let it cook about a minute, until the top of the crepe is starting to dry but hasn’t yet bubbled, then flip the crepe over.
Cook the second side for about 20 to 30 seconds, then remove the finished crepe to a plate. You don’t want them to be as brown as pancakes would be – just slightly golden.
Top with whatever you fancy and serve! Enjoy with American Idol!
Happy Pancake Day!
Photo credit: Chocolate & Zucchini
In honor of Shrove Tuesday, we will be dusting off the crepe pan and celebrating Pancake Day with a big stack of French-style crepes tonight. There will be lemon ones with sugar and Nutella ones.
Here’s some history of the origins of Pancake Day in the United Kingdom along with a link to the crepe recipe that we’ve used for years now, courtesy of Clotilde Dusoulier from Chocolate & Zucchini.
Happy flipping!
An ode to Ode
I love the story of the tortoise and the hare, of David and Goliath, or any time when the little guy triumphs over the big.
Best case in point this past month: Ode in Shaldon, a charming little Devon seaside restaurant that has been named Sustainable Restaurant of the Year by the Sustainable Restaurant Association.
Photo credit: The Telegraph
It beat out Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage, which took second place.
Chef-proprietor Tim Bouget got top marks for local sourcing as well as energy and water efficiency and waste management. Check it out the next time you are in the West Country!
Happy Valentine’s Day
A box of Thorntons chocolate
Happy Valentine’s Day!!
May your day be filled with the best chocolate, along with the appropriate chocolate identifier glossary (which British chocolatiers smartly include so you know just what you’re getting before you take a bite. No surprises!).
The U.K.’s best gastropubs
The Harwood Arms in Fulham made the top 10.
I love a good gastropub and as far as I’m concerned, the U.K. is king for this blessed blend of good pub and grub.
Budweiser Budvar announced the UK’s top 50 Gastropub Awards yesterday, as voted by 750 chefs, food critics and writers.
Sweet breads!
Does this make me look fat?
Have you heard of breading? The Daily Mail reported on it yesterday and I have to say it might be the best thing I’ve ever seen. I know it’s quickly becoming a global phenomenon and is not exclusively British, but I couldn’t resist.
As an aside, I’m sure Brits would use a nice farmhouse loaf for this kind of thing.
Happy Burns Night
Haggis, clapshot and whisky sauce. Photo credit: BBC Food
Happy Burns Night!
Today is the day to celebrate the life and work of Scottish poet Robert Burns. It’s an evening to eat, drink, read great poetry (including my favorite Burns poem), play the pipes (particularly when “piping in the haggis” before sitting down and enjoying it) and finishing the night with a wee scotch. I have fond (but fuzzy) memories of Burns Night in Scotland, thanks to the gracious hospitality of Scottish friends who were keeping with tradition.
Check out a typical running order of the evening. I’ve always been particularly impressed by how scripted this dinner at home can be.
And if you have no idea what to cook for Burns Night, BBC Food has compiled an array of appropriate dishes (including some vegetarian options for the offalphobes in the house). Personally, I’ve only ever eaten the vegetarian version of haggis (and it really was delicious)!
‘The Layover’ in London
Anthony Bourdain walking Marco Pierre White's dog in London. Photo credit: Travel Channel
Anthony Bourdain, I love you. Despite the fact that you’ve ruined my ability to appreciate hollandaise sauce at a restaurant, I forgive you and have faithfully read your books and watched “No Reservations” without, well, reservation.
When I heard about Travel Channel‘s latest incarnation, “The Layover,” where Anthony Bourdain spends 24 hours in any given city, I was all over it. And when I heard the London episode of “The Layover” was airing last weekend, well, ditto a hundred times over.
If you haven’t seen the episode yet, you can watch clips and see photos.
If you missed it, I am sure they will repeat it, but you can catch the highlights and one-liners, courtesy of Eater.com.
British pub crazy in Monterey
We spent the long weekend on the Monterey coast and enjoyed some beautiful sunshine in the middle of January. We really are so lucky to live in California!
I’m not quite sure if there is a huge population of Britfolk in Monterey but for a population of 408,000, the city has not one, not two, but five British pubs to speak of.
* The Crown & Anchor, 150 W. Franklin St., Monterey. (831) 649-6496.
* The Bulldog British Pub, 611 Lighthouse Ave., Monterey. (831) 658-0686.
* London Bridge Pub, Wharf Number 2, Monterey. (831) 372-0581.
* Brittania Arms Pub & Restaurant, 444 Alvarado St., Monterey. (831) 656-9543.
* Bullwacker’s, 653 Cannery Row, Monterey. (831) 373-1353.
We went to London Bridge Pub since it welcomed kids and had a kids’ menu (I’ve since discovered that Bullwacker’s is also welcoming of wee ones …) and were instantly transported into your typical British pub atmosphere, which is actually very comforting. There was plenty of London signs, Guinness ads, tea pots and British posters as well as a menu with the usual suspects – pasties, bangers and mash, curry and rice, cottage pie. With a pint of Boddington and some fish and chips, I was, as they say, happy as Larry.
Just who exactly was this mythical Larry?
My guess is that he was a British ex-pat who made his way to Monterey and discovered a home away from home.
BRITRISH.COM 