Wednesday 8 December 2010

It’s official! Festive season is on…

When I spoke to Carol on Sunday morning, it felt like music to my ears when she said lunch at mine …. After Carla’s birthday cooking session on Saturday, the last thing on my mind was to start cooking again ….

When I got to Carol and Alex’s home I realized the festive season was officially on …. With the Xmas tree up and the Mulled wine perfuming the ambiance the only thing that could be missing was the turkey  to complete the Xmas spirit …. It didn’t take me long to figure out there was nothing missing, the smell coming from the oven gave it away … a huge and delicious turkey,  which I normally find a bit dry,  but this time it was moist and tender, coated with smoked bacon which gave it a really nice touch. It was served with perfect roasted potatoes, Brussels sprouts and carrots... just what the doctor ordered !!! And to add to Alex’s  beautiful turkey, Carol made a vegetarian lasagna that everyone loved…
We were all impressed by Alex’s secret, specially because it was the first time he cooked a turkey, but being a good cook as he is, it couldn’t have been first time luck... Later it was revealed that he forgot the turkey’s neck inside, while it was cooking... Could it have been the secret ?!? ;-)

Big thanks to Alex and Carol for the lovely lunch.


Tuesday 7 December 2010

Carla's Birthday Party - A Foodscape Event


Last Saturday, our friend Carla celebrated her birthday and asked us to provide canapés for her guests. We couldn’t resist such a tempting offer and naturally since Carla is the talented creator behind our Foodscape logo, we wanted to impress and had to come up with an original and creative menu.

It took many hours of brainstorming and preparation but with the music pumping in our kitchen, we managed to prepare 8 different dishes and 3 desserts, all based on the theme “The Americas”. From crab and mango wraps with a homemade spicy mayonnaise, to cod and shrimp ceviche and margarita cookies, everything went smoothly and we were very pleased with the results! Oh and the margarita cookies: to die for and certainly one of the most creative cookies to ever come out of our kitchen!

Everything we prepared was home-made, even the tapenade and burger buns. Mayos, dips, sauces, nothing came out of a can, all was made with lots of fresh secret ingredients and most importantly, lots and lots of love!

Music entertainment was provided by the talented DJ G.On while guests grooved to the beats. A great success overall, looking forward to the next party.
Happy birthday Carluski!!

Crab & Mango Tortilla Wrap

Tronquitos de Pepino - Cucumber cups with a spicy tuna mix

Tapenade and Sour Cream Crostinis

Mini Burgers with home made buns

Spicy Potato Chunks

Garlic & Pepper Prawns with Lime & Cilantro Base

Shrimp & Cod Ceviche

Margarita Cookies - Goodie bags for the guests
 


Thursday 2 December 2010

Mini Burger buns


With Carla’s birthday party coming up, we had to find a recipe for the best mini burger buns … In one of our searches we found this recipe on the Smitten Kitchen blog http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/07/light-brioche-burger-buns/. With so many wonderful comments, we decided to try it at home and take it from there …

We followed the recipe by the book, no alterations whatsoever and they turned out fantastic. As soon as they came out of the oven we ate them with some butter... They were delicious: crispy on the outside, nice and fluffy on the inside with a slightly sweet touch at the end.

Everyone who commented (over 200 people) was absolutely right, this recipe is a winner. Now we are ready for our home made mini burgers!!!

Wednesday 1 December 2010

Broadway Market

Do take a trip to Broadway market on Saturdays… even during winter, you can still be entertained by the beautiful colors that surround you…
There are plenty of cute coffee shops, restaurants, pubs etc … So don’t be afraid to get cold, you can always warm yourself up with a nice cup of tea or stop for a pint in one of the many places found here… Just be warned, it can get really busy at the weekends, so it might be hard to find a place to sit down anywhere you go, bear in mind you may have to be a little patient but it’s worth the wait to enjoy the buzzing atmosphere.

Just outside the pub Cat & Mutton, there is the fudge stall… They look absolutely amazing and it’s a great Xmas present for the ones with a sweet tooth. 



For further details on Broadway Market and map location, check out their website :
http://www.broadwaymarket.co.uk/www.broadwaymarket.co.uk/home.html