Seasonal Eating: Soon time for Samphire I am blessed to have a Fishmonger who turns up weekly at the local market. During the season, he includes a handful of emerald green samphires for free. In Britain, Samphire grows naturally in muddy salt-water marshes and estuaries around the coast. It’s a seasonal delicacy, at its best from May onwards until September. …
Elderflower Cordial – making the perfect summer drink
Elderflower Cordial – making the perfect summer drink Right now, I can’t think of a more quintessentially British summer drink than Elderflower cordial. The Elder (Sambucus nigra) is in full bloom in summer, so why not do a bit of easy foraging and make Elderflower cordial yourself? It’s swift and easy*. The result is brilliant refreshment when you don’t want …
Chocolate Cake from Gascony with Maydie
Chocolate Cake from Gascony with Maydie Here’s an adaptation of a chocolate cake recipe by French Chef Marie-Claude Garcia, in the village of Poudenas in Gascony, Southwest France. This cake resembles a big chocolate brownie, while the secret weapon here is the inclusion of Sea Salt*, which adds a whole new dimension. This cake also improves if left to mature over several …
Samos Anthemis wine with Gulab Jamun Cake
Samos Anthemis wine with Gulab Jamun Cake Let’s be clear from the outset, Gulab Jamun isn’t cake. But a Gulab Jamun Cake is. Hence, this article pairs this cake with a famous and fabulous sweet wine from Samos in Greece. It also involves a couple of Greek philosophers, albeit tangentially. It’s time to tell all. Gulab Jamun Who can resist Gulab Jamun? Whether …
Chenin Blanc with Baked Lemon Cheesecake
Chenin Blanc with Baked Lemon Cheesecake This Cheesecake is properly home-made for the third article in the occasional Wine and Cake series, not out of a packet, featuring actual baking! It pairs brilliantly with the sweet styles of Chenin Blanc, so here are two examples, one from South Africa and one from its original homeland in the Loire Valley of …
Macarons and Recioto – Wine & Cake #2
Macarons and Recioto – Wine & Cake #2 Welcome to the second article in an occasional series about pairing wine with cake. This time its Macarons with Recioto della Valpolicella, the classic sweet red wine from Italy’s Veneto region. Macarons Who invented Macarons? There are rival claims aplenty. While proto-versions have Arabic origins, France and Italy claim it as theirs. One of …
Wine and Cake – the first of an occasional theme
Wine and cake – the first of an occasional theme Let’s try some word association. If I say the word wine, do you reply with cake? No, I thought not. Pairing wine and cake together only occurred to me on a miserable winter afternoon. Given the current spate of storms battering these shores (Storm Xena Warrior Princess* will be along …
Artichoke Sauce with Spaghetti – effortless sophistication
Artichoke Sauce with Spaghetti – effortless sophistication Globe Artichokes are tricky to pair with wine, and the usual culinary advice is don’t. Putting them together usually results in metallic or bitter flavours. That’s why the dressing for globe artichokes often employs the sharpness of lemon juice or vinaigrette. Wine-friendly, they’re most certainly not. However, marinating artichoke hearts changes their flavour …
Summer Pudding – a classic dessert
Summer Pudding – a classic dessert Summer Pudding is a classic dessert for the British summer. Here’s a super-easy recipe that makes a Summer Pudding serving six, inspired by Jane Grigson’s Fruit Book – which is a great read. Redcurrants and Blackcurrants are the two essential soft fruits for Summer Pudding. If you have a handful of Whitecurrants, Loganberries, Raspberries, Tayberries …
Porchetta – An Italian Food Classic
Porchetta – An Italian Food Classic One of the joys of cuisine in Italy is finding mobile food vans selling hot Porchetta, especially on weekends and national holidays. I recommend that you ask if there’s a van visiting nearby wherever you stay in Italy. It might be at a market or village celebration. Sometimes the regular vans are pitched on the …
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