Carrot cupcake for Amani's Birthday

Following Amani’s birthday party “Barrio Latino@Minories” her birthday celebrations was not quite completed without the cake

On Tuesday (her actual birthday) I decided to surprise her by baking my most “famous” carrot cake (“famous” simply means everyone has heard me talking about it but no one has had it for at least the past 13 years) … after baking so many carrot cakes for a Brazilian café I worked  when I first arrived in London, somehow I had a super block and could never bake it again

…Until I decided to leave my fears behind  and try again … this time I swapped the traditional round tray for cupcakes which was much more fun, I also changed the recipe slightly from the old one , and frankly it turned out much better, especially with the lighter icing with some twist on the original recipe, instead of full cream cheese you half the measures with yogurt …hmmm (see below full recipe)

So now I’m back in the game , I can officially bake carrot cakes again ...

Makes: 12

Ingredients

Cake

2 large eggs

175g golden caster sugar

150ml sunflower oil

200g self-raising flour, sifted

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

2 medium carrots, coarsely grated

1 tsp vanilla extract

Finely grated zest of 2 lemons  (save some for topping )

Icing     

150g Light Soft Cheese

150g natural yogurt

100g icing sugar, sifted

Preparation

Step 1.Preheat the oven to 180°C . Place 12 paper muffin cases in a  muffin tin

Step 2.Put the eggs, sugar and oil in a large bowl and beat with an electric whisk for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy

Step 3.Using a baking spatula gently fold in the flour, spices, grated carrot, vanilla extract and the lemon zest, until thoroughly combined. Optional you can add some nuts of your choice

Step 4.Divide the mixture between the muffin cases then place in the oven for 20-25 minutes until well risen and golden brown. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack.

For the icing :

Beat together the soft cheese , yogurt and icing sugar until smooth. Chill for 10-15 min in the fridge until ready to use.

Using a food pipe spread the icing over the cooled cakes and top with the remaining zest and some nuts

Barrio Latino - A very hot Foodscape event!

Hello food lovers!

To celebrate Amani's birthday, Foodscape went on an exotic adventure and paid tribute to the entire Latin American continent. While salsa tunes mixed with hot cumbia grooves, people danced away until the early hours in what was probably the most exciting event of the year so far...

Guests enjoyed a little taste of Brazil and Mexico with delicious bite size food meticulously prepared by the Foodscape team. We would like to thank all our friends who joined us for the celebrations and hope they enjoyed the party just as much as we did!

Till the next event…

Potato, cheese & chorizo Quesadillas

Beef Empanadas & 3 Cheese Quesadillas

Sanduiche de Frango louco ( Chicken rolls )

pao de queijo

Romeu e Julieta ( Comte Cheese with Guava paste aka Goiabada)

Lime & Meringue tarts

Happy Birthday Clemence!

With Clem’s birthday approaching and Valentine’s day last Monday, Paulo put his chef hat on and embarked on a mission to impress his Valentine and obviously all his guests too …

He started by arranging a surprise birthday lunch with the closest friends, unfortunately he failed miserably on the surprise part as Clem overheard the conversation he was having over the phone.  He thought it was safe to speak Portuguese but he totally underestimated her language skills as she understood everything!! Luckily for Paulo, otherwise the 8 hours “car wash” excuse would not have gone down too well …

Back in the kitchen, Paulo and Michelle got everything prepared the day before but the real action began on Sunday morning. By the time we all arrived for lunch, everything was beautifully done and we all sat around watching the platters being put together … the colors of the vegetables were so pretty and inspiring that we spent hours photographing them. Thank God our friends are very supportive of our obsession of taking pictures of food: they all patiently wait for us to finish taking shots before attacking the food. Obviously once the food is served, we have to act quickly so that nothing gets cold.

Roasted Vegetables

Starters including Bolinho de queijo , mini Kibe and  Coxinha

Roasted butternut squash, courgettes and aubergines

Roasted peppers, fennel and onions

Everything was amazing, the “Bife a role” was to die for, literally melting in your mouth in the first bite. This is a typical Brazilian dish made with thin beef steak rolled with bacon, carrots and onions on the inside, then slow cooked with beef stock. This recipe normally works best when you using a pressure cooker.

Bife a Role

Roasted vegetables and farofa

Michelle took care of the desserts and made a beautiful marble & chocolate cake with fresh strawberry cream inside and Cadbury's Fingers on the outside! Carol was so entertained with the cake, she couldn’t stop eating it... So she sat in front of it and decided to just eat it off the platter!

Chocolate Marble Cake

Happy people!

What a great way to impress your Valentine, well done Paulo for “surprising” Clem with such a lovely and delicious lunch!!!

Smile ... It's Nutmeg !!!

Nutmeg and their first photo shoot with Alex Gavinho... they look happy ...

Nutmeg is a seed used as a spice in culinary dishes but it also has other properties such as medicinal. It is always used in ground or grated form and is best grated fresh. This spice has been flavoring many dishes in many countries from Indonesia to India, the Mediterranean and Europe ...It is predominantly used in baking sweets for example pies, milk custards, puddings, fruit dishes, biscuits, muffins, cakes and breads. It is also widely used for savory dishes, soups, stews, mash potatoes etc... It has a warm, spicy and sweet flavor… Great for winter dishes.

PS: Apparently they can be poisonous in very high quantities, specially the extracted oil, but not to worry, you're safe on the cooking side, since we are only talking about small quantities per dish. 

 

Get inspired ....

Good Morning All

Feeling inspired? Why not take a closer look around you...
We challenge you today to create something beautiful, whatever beautiful  is in your conception. 
We all can ... the magic is in your hands !!!
Enjoy

 

Another Dinner Hit by Jad Fadl

There is no better day than Sunday to spend some time in the kitchen and get creative. Last Sunday however, I had the pleasure of being invited for dinner, for a change! It’s nice to actually have the chance to sit back, be served a glass of chilled white wine and watch while someone else prepares a meal for you. I really enjoy eating at Jad’s house because he never prepares the same meal twice. And this time I was in for a great surprise: an avocado humus for starters served with garlic bread and pan-fried sea bream with a sumac and toasted cumin-seed crust! His inspiration came from Silvena Rowe's Purple Citrus & Sweet Perfumes cook book - a must have for all Mediterranean food lovers with a twist.

Simply delicious - Thanks for dinner Jad, round two next Sunday?

Avocado Humus (serves 3-4 people)

Ingredients:

2 ripe avocados

the juice of 1 lemon

3 x tablespoons of olive oil

4 x tablespoons of tahini

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground sumac

3 garlic cloves

1 fresh chili

Salt & Pepper

Place all ingredients in a blender until smooth and serve with garlic bread - It doesn't get much easier than that!

Pan Fried, Spice-Crusted Sea Bream (serves 3-4 people)

Ingredients

4 x sea bream fillets, bones removed, skin on

2 x tablespoons olive oil

3 x tablespoons crushed cumin seeds

1 x teaspoon ground sumac

3 x shallots, chopped

100ml dry white wine

50g fresh chives

50g fresh parsley

Salt & pepper to season

1) Toast the cumin seeds on a pan until slightly darkened, crush with a mortar and pestle and set aside.

2) Chop the shallots, chives and parsley and set aside.

3) Rub the sumac, cumin seeds and salt & pepper on both sides of the sea breams. In a pan, heat the olive oil and sear for a couple of minutes on each side.

4) Once the fish is cooked, using the same pan, add the chopped shallots, chives and parsley in 100ml of dry white wine. Let it reduce to half and serve on top of the fish. Add the juice of a few lemon wedges and serve with a glass of white wine – Bon Apetit!

Kafta & Salads

Hello Bloggers and Friends

I’m sure many of you have made this dish or have eaten it somewhere, but it’s always good to add a piece of your imagination with very simple ingredients found in your fridge or cupboard. One of the things we find absolutely essential to have in our kitchen  is a full shelf of different spices and herbs. The amazing flavors and smells add character to the dish and compliment meats and vegetables so well, it’s a combination made in heaven.

Today , we have Lebanese Kafta marinated with different spices and love, Potato salad with yogurt sauce and Cucumber and Chili salad. This is not a heavy meal and can be prepared in just 30 mins. It can also be a great suggestion for casual dinner parties so you don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen. 

Enjoy!

Tip : stock up your cupboard with amazing spices from all over the world , it will give you a taste of adventure. 

Serves 4 people

Kafta

Ingredients :

½ kilo of lean ground beef

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2  teaspoon of cumin seeds and ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon black pepper or to taste

1 slice of bread of soft bread (cut the borders and moist with a bit of water )

Optional : 1/2 cup of finely chopped fresh parsley or coriander

Preparation :

Step 1 : In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients until evenly blended (onion, parsley, spices, salt, pepper and the moist slice of bread). The bread will help the meat and the spices stick together.

Step 2 :  Divide into small portions, and press around one end of the skewers to form a log shape

Step 3: Preheat the grill for high heat or If using  the pan sprinkle some olive oil on it (you may have to remove the skewers depending on the size of the pan )

Step 4 :Grill for 10 to 15 minutes, turning occasionally, until meat is golden brown

Potato salad

Ingredients :

½ kilo of new potatoes

1 medium onion, finely chopped

200gr natural yogurt

1 tablespoon of fresh parsley or coriander finely chopped

1 to 1 ½  tablespoon of olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste  

Preparation :

Step 1 :leaving the skin on place the potatoes in a sauce pan and bring it to boil until its tender. Let it cool down for 15 min.

Step 2 : cut the potatoes in half in half and place it in a large bowl

Step 3: adding the olive oil , salt , pepper and for last the yogurt

Step 4 :mix it gently and sprinkle the fresh herbs on top

Cucumber salad

Preparation :

Cut the cucumber in fine slices , add some finely chopped chilies and dress it with olive oil and lime juice

Tip: you can also add on top some fine slices of onion marinated in balsamic vinegar  ( drain the vinegar before serving ) , the balsamic vinegar reduces the acidity of the onion and gives a fabulous flavor

Chocolate Chip Cookies - for dark chocolate lovers!

Hello food lovers,

Following Fabiana's wonderful, exotic food stories brought back from Brazil, we're back in London to give you some of our latest home cooked recipes. And today, we have another dessert to share with you: chocolate chip cookies! 

I remember my mom used to bake cookies for my sisters and I for our birthday parties when we were kids. It was by far my favorite treat in the world... She used to make variations, including versions with Smarties or M&Ms. I remember the warm, sweet smell coming out of the oven, it was like being in a bakery. Just a few years later, I learned how to make my mom's cookies and today I have become the official cookie baker of the family! (to my mom's greatest delight of course). And the smell that comes out of the oven always brings back sweet childhood memories...

Try baking these at home, they're really fun to make and your friends will love you for it! 




Cookie Dough 

 

Place in the oven and  let the magic happen...

Chocolate Chip Cookies (makes 35-40 cookies)

Ingredients:

2 cups plain flour

2 cups Muscovado brown sugar

250g good quality butter

2 eggs

1 tea spoon vanilla extract

1 tea spoon baking powder

1 tea spoon salt

300g dark chocolate (70% cocoa)

Preparation:

1) In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla extract and salt together.

2) Dissolve the baking powder with 1 tea spoon of hot water in a cup until it starts foaming, then add to the mix.

3) Add the chocolate. You can use ready made chocolate chips but I prefer chunkier bits of chocolate in my cookies so I break 3 x bars of chocolate into bits. (You can use a Ziploc bag and gently beat the chocolate bars inside with a rolling pin. Be careful though, don't beat too hard or you'll end up with chocolate dust!)

4) On a non-stick baking sheet, place 9 x balls of dough at equal distance. Make sure the balls are no bigger than the palm of your hand, otherwise they flatten out too much and the cookies will stick to each other. 

5) Bake each tray for approximately 7 mins at 180C until golden. Once ready, take the cookies out the oven and let them cool for a few mins before serving.

TIPS: it's important to use good quality butter. I find that French butter usually works best (as with most desserts in my case). Apologies to all other countries but you just can't beat the flavor and texture of French butter. (Vive la France)!

Served with a glass of cold milk - perfect combination!

Mmmmmmmm.....

Pão de Queijo Haddock Lobo

“Pão de Queijo”  is a cheese flavored roll , usually eaten either at breakfast or as a snack. This is probably one of the most popular snacks suitable for both vegetarians and meat lovers.  Made of polvilho (cassava starch) they are easily available at supermarkets in Brazil. In London you probably need to look for more specialized places. A lot of people buy the mix and bake them at home rather than buying it ready, although pão de queijo is broadly sold at snack bars and bakeries , everyone likes to bake them at home and talk about different variations, textures and processes. They can also be bought frozen at supermarkets. Some mainstream brands are 'Yoki' and 'Hikari' if you want to buy the ready mix.

Based on the original recipe, the main ingredients are polvilho (flour), eggs, salt, oil and cheese but the recipe has been recreated with many special ways, “ingredients and secrets” that makes it taste slightly different from one place to another, i.e. more sour , less sticky , softer , harder , crunchier, etc. Minas Gerais, one of the states of Brazil, claims to have the BEST Pão de queijo ever but others could argue against that. 

My friend Renata took me for a walk around Jardins – São Paulo and told me about the BEST pao de queijo ever so I had to try it …. As we got there I was overwhelmed by the smell coming from that tiny place and with so many reviews on the wall  I doubted she was mistaking. Their Pão de Queijo was indeed gorgeous, they come out of the oven every so often (10 /15 min), are placed in a big basket and covered with a clean white cloth to keep warm. The texture is perfect and there is a slightly sour after taste,  not to mention the other “quitutes”  found there. Everything is delicious and the staff is super friendly, well worth checking out! It's no wonder they have been established for over 35 years selling this amazing snack!

Rua Haddock Lobo, 1408, Jardim Paulista, +55 (11) 3088-3087 &  +55 (11) 3082-4772

Mercado Municipal de São Paulo

“Mercado Municipal de São Paulo” is situated in the old center of the capital, built in 1928 and inaugurated in 1933, it is not only an important commercial warehouse of wholesale and retail products but also one of the MUST see places of the big city of São Paulo today. The market not only captivates Paulistanos for its quality products but also for its beautiful architecture of eclectic style and magnificent glass windows designed by Conrado Sorgenicht Filho, showing some aspects of the food production.

The market is specialized in the commercialization of fruits, vegetables, cereals, meats, spices & herbs, cheeses, olive oils and many others local products. It also includes a huge selection of world products that you don’t normally find in supermarkets. The variety and choice of products certainly impresses anyone who visits the market.

The building was renovated in 2004, creating an extra space and mezzanine, which today is a meeting point for many Paulistanos who are looking for delicious snack bars with lots to choose from. There you will find pastel & bolinho de bacalhau, mortadela sandwiches and much more …

You cannot miss out on the Hocca Bar, it’s the best Mortadela Sandwich of São Paulo, you have to be hungry though because it is huge! Don’t’ forget to order a refreshing chopp with it too (unpasteurized beer) it will go down like a treat ;-)



Photos by Fabiana Boarin