chocolate and jasmine

Easy-Peasy Mini Scones

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:35:00 +0000

You know, I'd forgotten just how quick and simple scones are to make! I remember making them at school, and several times at home but as my baking skills matured the modest and pretty scone got left by the wayside. With a move to London approaching, I was looking at my cupboard ingredients the other day and wondering what I could make to use up as much flour as I could without the need to buy new ingredients. Scones were the perfect solution and mini ones to me are rather cute. Served (and eaten the Cornish way!) with sweet strawberry jam, cool and silky clotted cream and a pot of hot tea, I couldn't think of a lovelier home-made English summer afternoon treat.

Easy-Peasy Mini Scones
Makes 12

225g plain flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
50g unsalted butter, left at room temperature and cut into small pieces
2 tbsp caster sugar
80ml milk, plus a little extra

Preheat oven to 220C. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a roomy mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub together with fingertips until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar. Add the milk and bring mixture together with a knife, then use your hands, adding a spot more milk if necessary to form a dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to 2cm thick. Stamp out rounds with a 5cm round cutter and place onto baking tray. Re-roll dough and stamp out the rest. Brush tops with a little milk. Bake in oven for 12-15 minutes until golden.

Raspberry Lime Drizzle Polenta Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:08:00 +0000

I made this cake for a picnic at the beautiful Dyrham Park last week and it went down a real treat. I think it embodies the glorious, heavenly summer we are (were!) having at the moment in the UK, as much as I feel orange and cranberry muffins embody winter. Actually the two are really quite similar in theme and flavour yet are seasons apart.

The first time I tried polenta cake was when an Italian friend introduced me to a lemon one and since then I've been hooked. Given a choice of a rich, moist chocolate cake or a citrus polenta cake to go with a cuppa, even an indecisive cake-lover like me will not hesitate to opt for the polenta. There's something exquisite and refined, and almost healthy, about polenta cake. I can't help but feel quite lady-like whilst eating it!

My recipe is adapted from this one and I am chuffed to bits with how it turned out. The polenta gives the edges a bit of a crunch and the inside is lovely and moist. I was worried the cake would be either too sweet or too sour but neither were the case at all. It was such a success I've already made it again since!

Dyrham Park

Raspberry Lime Drizzle Polenta Cake
Makes one 8 inch square cake
For the cake:

200g softened butter
200g golden caster sugar
3 medium eggs
zest of 2 limes
juice of 1 and a half limes
150g polenta
120g plain flour
1 and a half teaspoon baking powder
225g raspberries

For the syrup:

juice of 3 and a half limes
zest of 1 lime
120g golden caster sugar

Line 8 inch square tin (not loose-based) with buttered greaseproof paper and preheat oven to 160C. Cream butter and sugar together until light. Gradually beat in eggs then the lime zest. Fold in polenta, plain flour and baking powder followed by the lime juice. Fold in half of the raspberries and turn the mixture into baking tin. Scatter the remaining raspberries on top which will sink as the cake rises. Bake for 1 hour (cover cake with foil if it starts to brown too much) or until a skewer pushed into centre is clean when removed.

Meanwhile make the syrup: put the lime juice, zest and sugar into a saucepan. Put over a low heat and stir, allowing sugar to dissolve. Do not allow to bubble. As soon as cake comes out of oven, prick all over with skewer and spoon syrup over it. Allow to cool and cut into 12 pieces to serve. To store, wrap in paper and/or foil.

Rocky Road

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 19:00:00 +0000

Unfortunately my scales weighed their last bit of flour a few weeks ago before packing it in meaning I have not been able to bake for a while. However there is one substitute that doesn't always require the use of scales and is staving off the baking withdrawal symptoms: traybaking.

I think rocky road has to be one of my favourite traybakes. You only have to look at the ingredients in front of you to know that in just over two hours you will have an irresistable chunk of chocolate satisfaction waiting for you to sink your teeth into.

I like mine made with a mixture of milk and dark chocolate which does not have to be the expensive stuff. This isn't about sophistication or the best ingredients you can find, I hate to say it but it's about pure junk food. To ensure it didn't turn out impossible to slice I added olive oil spread, honey and maple syrup to the melted chocolate because that's what I happened to have in the fridge although just the spread or some butter would suffice. I also topped mine with dessicated coconut, again because I happened to have some.

These came out really well which isn't hard to achieve really because nomatter how wrong the proportions might be, tastewise it's still bound to hit the spot. Chocolate, marshmallows, cherries and digestives - you can't fault the combination!

Rocky road
Makes one 8x8 inch tray

300g chocolate (mixture of milk and dark)
2-3 tbsp olive oil spread (reserve the third and add if the melted chocolate is still too thick, I find this differs between chocolate brands)
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp runny honey
7 digestive biscuits, crushed into random sized pieces
10 marshmallows, quartered
20 glace cherries, halved
2-3 tbsp dessicated coconut (optional)

Line baking tray. Melt chocolate, olive oil spread, maple syrup and honey together in a bowl. Once melted and combined reserve 75ml of mixture and set aside. Add digestive biscuits, marshmallows and glace cherries to chocolate mixture and mix. Press mixture into baking tray. Spoon and spread the remaining 75ml chocolate mixture on top, and sprinkle with dessicated coconut. Cover and chill in fridge for 2 hours or overnight. Can be kept in fridge for a fortnight but it's so yum that it's unlikely to last that long!

Goat Cheese Galettes with Baked Figs & Honey

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 17:16:00 +0000

What I love about Shrove Tuesday is that you can eat as many crepes or pancakes as you like without feeling like a freak. Crepes for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Go ahead it's Shrove Tuesday! Three course meal of blinis, galettes and crepes? Why not? It's Shrove Tuesday! I relished a two course meal of an egg, ham and cheese galette and chocolate crepe in the wonderful Creperie de Josselin in Paris a couple of years ago. Portions were huge and while my boyfriend sat struggling with his, I sat as if I was in pancake heaven. Only in a creperie in France or on Shrove Tuesday would I be able get away with it. I have received astonished looks from those who have witnessed me munch through pancake after pancake in one breakfast sitting. In nursery school when I tried my first pancake ever on Shrove Tuesday, I remember my teacher laughing "Another one?" as I went back for a third. I still remember clearly how they tasted. Soft, squidgy, warm and buttery.

As I have a busy week ahead and it's been since Paris that I had my last galette, this year Shrove Tuesday is Galette Sunday. Made with buckwheat flour rather than white or wholemeal, galettes are darker and crispy and make for nicer savoury dishes than its softer, paler cousin the crepe. Buckwheat is also gluten-free so these are a great alternative for coeliacs, plus vegans get a look in too because the recipe I've used is free of eggs and milk. Fillings obviously would need to be adjusted to suit. Be sure to make the batter ahead of time to let it rest, preferably the night before, otherwise the galettes will be too brittle to fold.

It may have been the recipe I chose, but my experience today taught me the perfect galette takes a lot of practise. They say the first crepe in the pan is always the worst, but in the case of galettes, or maybe more specifically my galettes, it is the first three or four. The trick is to have the batter at the right consistency and not to pour too much into the pan. The thicker it is the longer it takes to cook and nomatter how long I left it, it remained very wet. When I did manage to make a lovely crisp galette, it was when just enough batter was poured to thinly cover the base of the pan, so thin that several little holes appeared as it cooked but don't worry about these. Better to have a crispy galette with a few holes than a big brown mushy mess in your pan. I should have taken a picture of my pile of failed attempts which just seemed to get bigger and bigger.

Opting for the sweet-savoury sensation I filled them with goats cheese seasoned with black pepper and thyme, and served them with warm baked figs and honey. Delicious.

Goat cheese galettes with baked figs & honey
Makes 8 servings

For the batter:

250g buckwheat flour
125ml water
125ml sparkling cider (or water which would do just as fine)
5g salt
300ml water for after batter is allowed to rest

For the filling:

500g soft goats cheese, crumbled
thyme
black pepper

For the baked figs:

8 figs
5g butter
5 tsp sugar
lemon juice

Add salt to the flour in a bowl and mix in the water and cider in two parts. Once combined mix on lowest setting if using a mixer or by hand for 10 minutes. Allow batter to rest in fridge for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight. Add 300ml water, going slow with the last 100ml which should be added gradually to achieve the required consistency of somewhere between that of single and double cream. Mix on slowest setting or by hand for 5 minutes.

Figs can go in the oven before the second mixing of the batter. Preheat oven to 200 degree C and smear butter on base of baking dish. Trim stems from the figs and cut figs in half. Place figs cut side up on baking dish and sprinkle with half the sugar and a little lemon juice. Place in oven for 15 minutes. Baste with juices before sprinkling over the remaining sugar and baking for a further 5 minutes.

To make the galettes, heat a frying pan or round flat griddle until hot. Smear with a little butter. Pour just enough batter to cover base of pan thinly. Allow to cook then top with goats cheese according to how the galette will be folded. You are not meant to flip galettes but I cheated and flipped mine (which was a feat in itself) to get them to cook. Sprinkle cheese with some fresh thyme and ground black pepper. Allow cheese to melt before folding galette and serving with baked figs and honey.

Baozi Inn

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 20:28:00 +0000

As I was in London for the weekend, we had planned to have sunday lunch at Little Bay in Farringdon to take advantage of their current 'pay what you think it's worth' February promotion (get there while you can!). This was until we realised that in typical London fashion all underground lines to Farringdon were closed for engineering works. To save from further disappointment we decided to head towards Chinatown where we were bound to find a place for some tasty eats before I boarded the train back home.

Leong's Legends was first in our list of preferences. I have wanted to try this well-reviewed Taiwanese restaurant for quite some time, especially having experienced the real deal in Taiwan and missing the food there desperately. Looking at the menu in the window not many dishes struck me as Taiwanese but we wanted to give it a go anyway as it was also recommended by a Taiwanese friend. So in we went. The place was packed and the staff were busy. So busy that we were completely ignored for the whole time we stood there feeling like right plums. Pushing past us several times to grab whatever they were grabbing not a single member of staff made eye contact or offered "We're full right now, you will have to wait a while" including someone who appeared to be the manager. Having eaten in all sorts of Chinese places I'm quite used to abrupt or unfriendly service but I've never been blanked so rudely before. It was particularly poor and surprising especially for quite a nice looking restaurant so I'm torn between trying again in the future or not. Feeling slightly, though mainly wrongly, embarrassed off we went in search of somewhere else.

Dan dan mian

Baozi Inn was next on the 'to try' list. Specialising in Bei Jing and Sichuan dishes, was Baozi Inn to be our third time lucky? Well we managed to get fed so I guess so! We walked in to be immediately greeted and seated by the window in a 1950's China kitsch setting. Low wooden stools, exposed brick, red lanterns... it all looked quite charming but possibly a little polished for what it was trying to convey. And the plastic vegetables looked a little out of place to me and more suited to a French or Italian.

My boyfriend ordered a set meal which consisted of pork rib noodles in broth, dragon dumplings in broth and pickled cucumber salad. I went for the Northern China pork baozi and the dan dan mian which is a very traditional Sichuan noodle dish. I also ordered a glass of coke which I oddly crave with spicy foods in anticipation of the mouth-numbing noodles. While the food was generally tasty and definitely filling, as I left I couldn't help feeling that it was ultimately disappointing, too salty and over-priced. My dan dan mian was very oily and barely hot and spicy enough to warrant the breaking of my usual avoidance of fizzy drinks. Instead of the heat I was after, I was left with an uncomfortable parched feeling in my mouth which I could only put down to copious amounts of salt and MSG. They were also very sparing with the topping of pork. And while the baozi was good, it was not good enough for a return visit, or maybe I'm just too attached to their Cantonese counterparts. The cucumber was tasty with a nice refreshing crunch but I think I appreciated these more for cleansing the palate which was much needed with my dishes but not in a favourable way. Positive notes were that the ribs and broth of my boyfriend's noodles were very flavoursome and the one dish I really couldn't fault were the dragon dumplings. The broth was light and just right, and the dumpling casings were lovely and silky. I could have had more of these very easily.

Clockwise from top left: cucumber salad, dragon dumplings, pork rib noodles, dan dan mian, and my half-eaten pork baozi!

Service was quick but there was some hovering which was quite distracting at times. When we arrived, there were two other sets of diners but by the time we left, the restaurant was steadily beginning to fill up. So while I was not impressed, I may be in a minority. All in all Baozi Inn was ok but didn't live up to the hype or to the prices. I've eaten better Northern Chinese and Sichuan cuisine cooked by friends from the regions. We paid £18 for our meal including drinks.

Baozi Inn
25 Newport Court
London
WC2H 7JS
Phone: 0207 2876877

Masala Chai

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 16:27:00 +0000

When lectures are cancelled for a second day running
And it's cold and slushy outside,
I delve into 'The Little Prince'
Whilst sipping a brew of masala chai.

Masala chai
Makes 2 servings

375ml water
8 cardamom pods
8 whole cloves
1 inch stick of cinnamon
3 slices of fresh ginger
165ml milk
3 tsp brown sugar (or to taste)
2 black tea bags

Put the water, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and ginger into a pan and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down, cover, and simmer very gently for 10 minutes. Add milk and sugar and bring back to a simmer. Turn off the heat, add the tea bags, and cover. Let steep for 2 minutes. Remove tea bags and strain masala chai into two cups and serve immediately.

Slushy on the roads but gloriously snowy in the fields. My first snowman in years!

Reine de Saba Brownies

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 14:58:00 +0000

What do you do when when lectures are officially cancelled because of snow? Jump for joy and bake brownies of course! I've made brownies twice before and both times they didn't turn out how I wanted. Texture-wise, taste-wise, everything. The perfect brownie recipe I think is one of the most elusive and this along with previous failures certainly made me wonder whether I should try again. However when the idea of that yummy chocolately dense fudgy gooeyness enters my mind I always want to be able to make it into something tangible, through my own efforts.

So here is my latest attempt which I made today and they're actually really good, my best attempt yet. Prevous mistakes have taught me well. I've learned that recipes with too much 70% chocolate and cocoa powder make brownies that are far too bitter. I've learned that I should not leave it baking for just a little longer. I've learned that plain brownies are better than those loaded with chocolate chunks or nuts. And from bakery or coffee-shop bought brownies, I've learned that I have a preference for brownies which have gound almonds in them.

So a bit of a google search brought up Reine de Saba (Queen of Sheba) brownies which are a French brownie. These are based on the Reine de Saba chocolate and almond cake which requires the separating of eggs and the whisking of egg whites, and the addition of rum amongst some other ingredients. However the Reine de Saba brownie recipe which seems to be quoted all over the internet omits these.

The recipe makes soft, dense brownies and although they lack the flaky top layer, the top still has a slight bite and crack to it. I personally would prefer them slightly richer because I do like my brownies quite intense, then they would be perfect!

Reine de Saba brownies
Makes 9 squares

125g dark chocolate (I used 70%)
125g butter
125g sugar
3 eggs
60g ground almonds
50g plain flour

Preheat oven to 180˚C and line an 8x8 inch square cake pan. Melt the chocolate in a large bowl over simmering water. Mix in the butter until melted. Remove bowl from heat and mix in the sugar, then whisk in the eggs, and finally incorporate the ground almonds and flour. Pour mixture into the cake pan and bake for 15-20 minutes.

I baked mine for 20 minutes however I think less would have been better, or 20 minutes at a lower temperature, as the edges were a wee bit overdone. The middle was however lovely and dense and gooey.

Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 00:26:00 +0000

Finally! The deadline I had been waiting so long for has passed.
Finally! I can catch up on all the foodie blogs I love.
Finally! I can catch up on The Great British Food Fight!!
Finally! I can take the time to cook again!

When I'm studying hard or know I should be, even just ten minutes to make a simple pasta dish feels like an eternity. If I'm not sitting infront of my laptop, I start stressing that I should be, despite the fact that a lot of the time even infront of my laptop I'm procrastinating as opposed to actually working.

I had wanted to write about a Chinese dish I made recently as Chinese New Year has just come and gone. It turned out really well, really delicious. However I kept it on the hob a little too long and certain components ended up looking a bit too worse for wear for photographing. Once I've perfected the dish though you will surely see it here.

Or maybe I should simply stick to the baking! Baked things are without a doubt easier to pretty up and photograph. I baked these dog biscuits after the new year for when I went to visit a friend who only just got a miniature schnauzer puppy last autumn. Incredibly adorable! And very funny! I'm such a dog (or animal) person but as I'm not yet in the position to love my own, I happily adore everyone else's instead.

Hence the reason I made these biscuits! I came across the recipe on Chubby Hubby. They're incredibly easy to make and come out quite soft therefore good for the older doggies too I should think. I did a bit of a google search just to double check because I heard nuts can be poisonous to dogs, but peanuts are deemed a legume rather than a nut so all is ok.

Popped into an empty Ferrero Rocher box (of which there were plenty lying around after Christmas) with a stray ribbon added for cheer, I had a cute little gift for my new little puppy friend.

Peanut butter dog biscuits
Makes many biccies!

230g wholewheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
260g natural peanut butter (I used unsweetened organic)
225ml milk

Mix together the flour and baking powder in a large bowl. In another bowl combine peanut butter and milk. Whisk with a fork until it has the texture of a thick milkshake. Add the peanut butter and milk mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix well and knead until it forms a uniformly mixed ball of dough. Wrap in clingfilm and chill in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.

Using half the dough at a time, on a lightly floured surface roll out to 6-7mm or 1/4 inch thick. The dough is very greasy so I found it easier to roll with cling film over the top. Using a cookie cutter (or in my case improvise with a shot glass), cut out shapes and place 2cm apart on a baking tray. Roll the dough scraps together and repeat. Place the unbaked biscuits in the freezer for 15-20 minutes. This is easier if you place them all on the baking tray first. Meanwhile preheat oven to 200˚C.

Remove the biscuits from the freezer and bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until very lightly browned. Cool on a rack and store in an airtight container.

Orange and Cranberry Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 00:40:00 +0000

One batch of muffins is never enough when I come home which explains the two muffin recipes back to back. Orange and cranberry muffins are by far one of my favourites and I always look forward to making them at this time of year when there are fresh cranberries in the shops.

I first discovered the tangy orange and cranberry combination at, ahem, Starbucks quite a few years ago as one of their Christmas limited editions and was entirely addicted for a whole winter. However I wasn’t going to let the obsession burn a hole in my pocket a second winter running so it became only wise to attempt to make my own. I played around with various recipes, some using marmalade, some using cranberry sauce, and the one I settled on draws from a couple. It makes gorgeous muffins that are not too sweet so the tartness of the cranberries really zing on the tongue which is just the way I like these. Although dried cranberries would do fine I’ve only ever wanted to make these with fresh berries for all their brightness, tanginess, juiciness and loveliness. They burst and wrinkle in the heat of the oven oozing their juices everywhere so when I pull the muffin tray out the whole thing looks like a delightful pink and orange explosion. These muffins don’t rise into the cute mounds I’m used to I think because of the weight of the cranberries. Instead they tend to ooze over the sides onto the tray further adding to that look of explosion but don’t let this dissuade you because they are still wonderfully moist and the scent that fills the kitchen as they bake is so uplifting. In fact I love to savour the scent of one of these first before I tuck into it.

Orange and cranberry can’t help but refresh the taste buds with their zest and sharpness combined. But I also love how their bright deep pink and orange together dance at the eyes and their tangy aroma awakens the nose. If like me you are not a morning person in the slightest, one of these muffins along with a strong cup of caffeine will at the very least give you enough zing to get you out of bed.

Orange and Cranberry Muffins

Adapted from ‘Muffins Fast and Fantastic’ by Susan Reimer

Makes 10-12

280g plain flour

3 tsp baking powder

½ tsp bicarbonate soda

½ tsp salt

110g caster sugar

1 egg

Finely grated orange zest of 3 large oranges

Juice of three oranges (about 260ml); add water to make total of 260 ml if not enough juice

85g butter or 90ml vegetable oil

110g fresh cranberries left whole, plus more for topping (increase the volume of liquid by 3 tbsp if using dried cranberries)

Preheat oven to 190-200˚C (375-400˚F, Gas Mark 6) and prepare muffin tray with muffin cases. In a large bowl sift together flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and sugar. In another bowl beat egg with a fork then add zest of orange, juice (plus water if needed), followed by oil/melted butter. Pour all of wet mixture into dry and stir until just combined, adding the cranberries during the final strokes. Batter will be lumpy. Spoon immediately into muffin cases and top each with a few more cranberries. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until tops are lightly browned and spring back when pressed gently.

Chocolate Muffins with Chestnut Filling

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 22:40:00 +0000

I’m back home for a couple of weeks now to spend Christmas with my family which is a great excuse to get muffin-baking not least because I have plenty to share them with and my muffin tray is at my parents’ place. As a fan of chestnuts especially at Christmas I wanted to incorporate some into a muffin recipe. Chestnut puree is quite often used as a layer in gorgeous Chinese cakes and this combined with the idea of muffins with fillings - think rhubarb muffins with custard inside - led me to chocolate muffins with chestnut filling.

Chestnut puree goes really well with delicate vanilla sponge in Chinese cakes because the cream enveloping the cake tempers the puree down to a lighter, milky chestnut flavour and the fresh fruit topping maintains the lightness of the overall cake. The muffin however lacks this room for manoeuvre so I felt the chestnut needed to be paired with something heady enough not to be overpowered by it, chocolate being the most obvious, although I think coffee would work well too. Chocolate it was and the result went down a treat with my only regret being that I didn’t fill the muffins well enough with the chestnut. I was quite hesitant in putting more than a small-sized blob into each because the chestnut filling was a culmination of guesswork and my faffing with a blender and some chestnuts. The materialisation of my efforts in the bowl therefore initially didn’t taste as good as I was expecting. It was a strange mixture of sickly sweet vanilla and salty however to my relief once baked in the muffins it mellowed out a lot to let the earthy nuttiness come through. My mum who loves chestnuts but has an odd aversion to chocolate still managed to gobble a couple of these down and like me would have preferred more of the chestnut please!

For the chestnut filling

200g roasted chestnuts
1 tbsp icing sugar
150-200ml water, hot from the kettle
Couple of drops of vanilla essence
Tiny pinch of salt

Puree the chestnuts in a liquidiser or blender with the icing sugar and 100ml of the water. I wanted some texture to the filling so I avoided completely blitzing the chestnuts and retained a good amount of coarseness. Scrape puree into a bowl, add the vanilla essence and salt and combine. Add enough of the rest of the water to make a light paste and set aside.

The texture of the filling is down to personal preference but I found that once cooked in the muffins, it became very set which I hoped for over a runny filling (adding butter would have made a more fluid filling I think). The 200g chestnuts made more filling than I needed but next time I make these I plan to incorporate more into each muffin anyway.

For the muffins
Adapted from Muffins Fast and Fantastic by Susan Reimer
Makes 10-11

225g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate soda
½ tsp salt
110g caster sugar
4-5 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 egg
260ml milk – I intend to up this quantity a little next time as the muffins didn’t stay as moist as others I have made before
1 tsp vanilla essence
85g butter or 90ml vegetable oil
100g dark chocolate chips plus more for sprinkling – I use 53.8%

Preheat oven to 190-200˚C (375-400˚F, Gas Mark 6) and prepare muffin tray with muffin cases. In a large bowl sift together flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, sugar and cocoa powder, then add the chocolate chips. In another bowl beat egg with a fork then stir in milk and vanilla, followed by oil/melted butter. Pour all of wet mixture into dry. Stir just until combined and no dry flour is visible. Batter will be runny.

Half fill muffin case with muffin batter. Spoon one slightly heaped teaspoon of chestnut filling onto middle of muffin mix. Cover chestnut filling with more muffin batter and fill to three-quarters full. Sprinkle top with a few chocolate chips. Repeat for rest of muffin cases and bake for 20 minutes or until muffins are risen and tops spring back when pressed gently.

Damian Allsop Chocolates

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 18:16:00 +0000

For a blog named 'Chocolate & Jasmine' it's been a long time coming but it's finally here: the first entry on chocolate! And what could be more inspiring than the Milsom Place Chocolate Festival that took place in Bath on Saturday. It was a tiny and quaint affair with only a handful of traders but there was still plenty of indulgence to be had: the sights, the smells, the samples. So many samples! And the skies gave us the most perfectly crisp Winter afternoon in which to amble around and admire the expertise and creativity behind everything on offer.

And when I speak of expertise and creativity I could not have been more intrigued by Damian Allsop Chocolates. Damian Allsop is a former pastry chef who has been creating a bit of a buzz in the chocolate world by adopting and developing the revolutionary method of using water rather than cream or butter in his chocolate fillings. This came across as very odd to me because as far as I knew, chocolate and water don't mix, and apparently the science behind making them work is far from simple. His reasoning however is that using flavourless liquids allows the purer flavours of the cocoa to come through more intensely, and the palate appreciates a flavour profile that is truer to chocolate as it should be. He himself was there to explain the thinking behind his concept and allowed us to experience it for ourselves by heating up his drinking chocolate mix with water into luscious, thick samples. So taken with the novel idea and always wanting to try something new I purchased a bag to explore and appreciate at home. Blended with hot water the mix made a thick and intense chocolate drink. It's not indiscernible that it has not been made with milk however the bitter tang of the chocolate definitely comes through with more clarity and as a lover of dark chocolate this can only be a good thing.

A bit of a google since the chocolate festival led me to a recent interview with the chocolatier himself which is an insightful and inspiring read. With such a passion for the alchemy of chocolate it comes as no surprise that he has been likened to Merlin, Willy Wonka and Heston Blumenthall. The flavour sensations of his water-based ganaches sound so exquisite and exciting I suddenly have a huge hankering for the beautiful long box of them that caught my eye on Saturday. Presented so elegantly and proudly like chocolate jewels I couldn't help but admire them. They are definitely one to put on the 'to try in 2009' list.

Christmas Shortbread Stars

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 23:23:00 +0000

Whilst browsing through Cox & Cox I came across the brown sugar hearts pictured below and thought they were utterly adorable. When I first caught sight of them though I thought they were cookies and my heart sank a bit when I realised they were sugar lumps. I don't take sugar in my tea and I like my coffee only barely sweet.

Picture of brown sugar heart taken from Cox & Cox

The disappointment however inspired me to create my own cookies for perching so cutely off the side of a mug. I found a recipe for a basic vanilla shortbread dough and set about on my plan. With Christmas fast approaching (yes I know I know, but it is almost December now and I can't help but be excited) I thought why not be a bit seasonal and decided to go for stars rather than hearts. For added Christmas cheer I divided my batch of dough into two and added orange zest to one of them.

Carefully cutting nicks into my stars of dough I kept my fingers crossed this would work. The last thing I wanted was for their little arms to snap off after baking but as you can see they hung on in there! There were a couple of casualties but needless to say, they weren't wasted. The trick is to mould them slightly to your mug before they go in the oven. I've presented these with a mug of tea but I'd imagine they'd be just as happy clinging onto the side of desserts as well waiting to dive in! Countless biscuit recipes would lend themselves well to the idea. I can see ginger snaps with servings of vanilla ice cream... brazil nut biscuits with warm chocolate pots... elegant shortbread (again) with glasses of summery desserts of berries and cream... and homely oat cookie-bites on ramekins of stewed autumn fruits and custard.

The recipe made a nice crumbly shortbread. If I had dried cranberries or chopped almonds I think they would have complemented the zest very well. The basic vanilla ones were not as buttery as I would have liked but still very moreish nonetheless.

I'm really chuffed with how the idea turned out. Now mugs can enjoy getting into the festive spirit too. And looking at these pictures I wonder how cute the stars would have been had I iced smiley faces onto them!

Banana Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:48:00 +0000

Everyone I know likes banana bread. It's one of those cakes that spans all tastes and ages. Young and old alike love it, even some who hate bananas love it. It's that very true and unassuming quality about banana bread which makes it appeal to the masses. It's the labrador of the cake world. It's a hug in a cake.

At home our most baked cake without a doubt is banana bread (or 'fanana fred', as we like to call it for some odd reason). This is no surprise because it is so quick and easy to make. At the same time it tastes scrumptious and fills the house with a welcoming aroma as it bakes. I'm certain that when I go home my mum buys more bananas than we can eat so she can dupe me into making batches of banana bread. And as the dutiful, banana-bread-loving daughter that I am, I pretend to be oblivious to her wily ways and bake double batches at a time with glee.

Traditionally we used to follow a recipe in one of my mum's cook books until I, like many the nation's domestic bakers, was drawn by Nigella Lawson's alluring love of food and I decided to try her recipe one day. What a revelation. I already thought our banana bread was good, but her recipe makes for one that is so much fluffier in texture and more melt in the mouth but without losing any of that all important hardy sponginess. Everyone I have made it for or I have passed the recipe to raves about how delicious and soft it is.

Nigella's recipe can be found here but I haven't mentioned yet that all my gushing refers to my version in that I omit the alcohol, fruit and nuts. I can't have foreign bodies in my banana bread! Banana bread is best enjoyed without crunchy nuts and chewy fruits disrupting its lovely squidgyness and comforting flavour. As I said it's the unassuming constitution that makes it what it is. Blinging it up is like trying to turn it into something it is not. I am so adamant of this that I will not even have chocolate in my banana bread. That is how stubborn I am about banana bread but it is only because I love it so, just the way it is.

The Naked Chef's Truffles - Jamie's Italian

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 11:00:00 +0000

Last Saturday I made my first foray into the world of celebrity chef dining, not that I intend to make it a habit you understand, but in the British celebrity culture where chefs have carved quite a niche for themselves in the past few years it's hard not to notice the buzz when one of them decides to open a group of authentic restaurants dedicated to being affordable and accessible to everyone. And it's especially hard not to notice the buzz when one of them is located in the small town you currently reside in.

I wish I had more photos, but I was too busy eating!

Atmosphere and setting were lovely and what I'd describe as contemporary rustic. Cheeses and hams were hung from the ceilings above the antipasti kitchen and bar, tins of tomatoes were gathered in and around corners, large sacks of flour decorated steps and there was even a pasta-making machine quietly churning out fresh pasta where we had been enjoying our drinks. This was all dimly lit with the warm glow of low-hanging exposed lightbulbs and lamps, and scattered tealights to create a genuinely welcoming and relaxing ambience.

So what about the food? Well I am no expert on Italian food but I am an expert on what pleases my taste buds and they were for the most part pleased. Having perused the menu I decided on a pasta dish which is a very rare occurrence for me - the pasta machine sitting amongst the bar tables had obviously worked its charm. Cynicism aside, I should say I had arrived with the intention of ordering pasta the reason being I had not eaten fresh premise-made pasta before, only fresh out of a supermarket fridge. And on a roll for trying new things I went for the truffle tagliatelle which I decided to accompany with pan cooked garlicky green beans with tomatoes. I was going all vegetarian, another first. The boyfriend decided otherwise and opted for good old grilled steak with a side of skinny potato chips with rosemary salt. Good choice.

I also should not forget to give a special mention to Jamie's tomato ketchup which was presented in its own rustic glass bottle. It was tastily tomatoey and Jamie may want to cane me for saying this but as it touched my tongue I found myself reminiscing of my childhood when I loved to eat what all children loved to eat: fish fingers with Heinz tinned spaghetti. Sorry Jamie but believe me when I say this is a good thing. Your ketchup is like a grown up version of the tomato sauce I enjoyed as a child which is something Heinz themselves have not been able to bottle.

And of course despite feeling quite full I could not have a meal out without rounding it off nicely with dessert. The boyfriend was swayed by the idea of a bowl of Italian ice creams of the day which disappointingly had already started to melt when they arrived. We played a game of guess the flavour and concluded with vanilla (easy), rhubarb (I got that one) and what I think was toffee, he thought was cookie, then it all melted together so what it was will always remain a mystery. I ordered Gennaro's amalfi orange tart because I love citrus-based baked goodies and this one, which was of a sizeable portion, fulfilled my expectations. As we enjoyed these the chef approached us to say hello and asked if everything was ok. Another happy first for me. and I couldn't end without saying that the service from everyone who served us from the moment we joined the queue to when we left was faultless and friendly.

For the quality of food and dining experience prices were reasonable and quite competitive compared to other high end high street restaurants. Whatever your budget I recommend it to those who want to enjoy good simple food within a laid back but well executed setting. It seems reviews have been mixed but I can only go on my own experience which was on the whole positive.

Jamie's Italian
10 Milsom Place
Bath
BA1 1BZ
Phone: 01225 510051

9th November 2008:
Since making this entry I have realised I lied! I only just remembered that in June this year I had some cracking fish and chips at Rick Stein's fish and chip shop in Padstow therefore when I said my visit to Jamie's was my first foray into celebrity chef dining I may have inadvertently told a fib. That said, my views of the old fuddy-duddy Stein's 'celebrity' status remain very dubious anyway although my brother would challenge me to the ground for saying that. I best be on my guard, he - my brother, not Stein - knows martial arts, and he may have Chalky on his side!

early winter munchies

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 12:17:00 +0000

The clocks turned back two weekends ago and the boyfriend was remarking that if there is a being out there who flicks the switch for the nation to put us all into sync, they must have inadvertently flicked the winter switch too. It has been bitingly cold this past week and a half which means a further switch has been flicked inside me: the insatiably peckish switch.

Nomatter how well I plan my meals and try my best to assert some will power over the hunger pangs in my mind, I still end up quite indiscreetly reaching for the chocolates, the crisps, the cake. I'm quite astonished by my tendency towards excessive squirrel-like stashing of snacks during the colder months. However there really is something about the darker evenings and colder temperatures that bring out the instinctive squirrel in me as timely as they urge me to dig out the cosy scarves and gloves from the back of my closet. On a cold evening there is nothing more soul-warming than wrapping myself up in my duvet with a mug of hot tea, a good book or dvd on the laptop, and a sweet comforting bar of chocolatey goodness, knowing there is a lot more where it came from.

Yesterday I allowed myself to make yet another stash. It is the treasure of all my stashes. Not long ago supermarkets here stopped stocking one of my favourite ice creams of all time: Ben & Jerry's cherry garcia. For me, chocolate and cherries is one of the most complementary pairings that could be when you want something a bit feminine, decadent and heavenly, and I melt when I think of dark chocolate with kirsch cherries. They simply belong together and I believe such pairings create moments to savour or treasure in all aspects of life. Think of birthdays and candles, focus and achievement, stillness and snow. If all things could go so well together life would be nice.

Ben & Jerry's cherry garcia ice cream was inconsiderately replaced with the healthier frozen yogurt version in UK supermarkets which is pleasant enough but lacking in that all important creaminess which leaves it aiming quite a bit off-centre when it attempts to hit the spot. However, as if the ice cream angels were looking down upon me, I serendipitously came across what must be the last few tubs of cherry garcia ice cream in all of Britain at a local convenience store. And to top it all off with a cherry, at half price! Resistance didn't even dare enter my mind but unfortunately student budgetary constraints did so I restricted myself to two tubs, brought them back and tucked them nicely into the back of my freezer as a wave of contentment warmly swept over me. Ah, my little stash of chocolate and cherry treasure. Perfect to pair with those chick flick moments.

introducing my blog

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 23:50:00 +0000

I love food blogs. I could spend hours wandering through all the food blogs I've bookmarked, plus more, taking in the sights, the smells, the ideas. It is these journeys that have inspired me to create chocolate & jasmine my attempt to write about the food in my life as a very amateur foodie, and I do stress the 'very'.

I currently live in university halls therefore share a somewhat forlorn electric hob with many flatmates, I can only dream of owning an SLR with which to produce delicious food photography, I keep a very limited array of kitchen utensils because I know I'll be moving again, and while I am a competent enough cook, I am still very much a beginner with regards to the vast world of ingredients and flavours. If I had to choose one phrase with which to describe my cooking, it would be 'hit or miss'. I often surprise myself how well or bad something can turn out although I'm a baker at heart so at the very least anything containing flour that comes out of the oven tends to be a hit. On top of all this I live on a (mature) student budget so I often have to restrain myself and therefore recipes are always kept simple.

But for now, I do know that I love to eat and I love to cook. I also know I love taking photos however one thing I've yet to discover is whether I love blogging! So at the moment all I can do is try and hopefully I can nurture this blog into capturing the essence of food according to me.

So why 'chocolate & jasmine'? Well it combines two of my most foodie-loved: sweet delights and Chinese food. Anyone who knows me is aware of my lifelong addiction to chocolates, cakes, pastries, desserts and puddings and the tardis-like second stomach I have to contain such treats (it's evolution I tell you).

The jasmine conveys my ethnic roots. I was born in the United Kingdom however my parents come from Hong Kong therefore my favourite cuisine would have to be what I have grown up with: traditional Chinese, accompanied by lots of fragrant jasmine tea of course.