Thursday 27 February 2014

Why Tiramisu will always be with us

Simple recipes are the most likely to be customized by the home cook. Resulting in every home cook having his/her particular take on Shepherds Pie, Spaghetti Bolognese, Victorian Sponge Cake and Tiramisu to name just a few.
My first move when confronted with Tiramisu is to check out the colour of the Savoiardi biscuits. If they have soaked in good unsweetened espresso they should no longer be recognizable as biscuits and have a dark brown almost black, treacle like appearance.
Once that's been confirmed I'm ready to try any take on the classic original from Le Becherrie in Treviso.
The restaurant is due to close at the end of March. It's sad.

But that original recipe is so simple. Try it and at least give the simple unadorned recipe a chance to shine without confusion. Although some local recipes do add alcohol, at Le Becherrie they used no alcohol in the Tiramisu (literally translated - Pick me up)  it's all about the coffee.


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Thursday 20 February 2014

Anyone for transparent Ravioli? Rocket science and Red Cabbage Pesto.


Molecular cooking may not sound very appetizing. The results however can be quite spectacular and radically change the way we experience tastes, textures and colours in food. Once a bastion for food scientists and cooking laboratories it now has become integrated to some extent into most restaurants cooking procedures. I have no doubt that it will throw up some highly interesting new takes on old favourites now that it moves into the restaurant mainstream. 


It's not without it's critics and recently there has been a move away from the more hardcore molecular methods to a softer more natural incidental use of molecular techniques combined with provenance, traceability and appreciation of best quality produce. 

The accepted headquarters of the molecular movement Spain's El Bulli recently closed it's doors citing a desire to do something new and expressing a need to reconsider how it would proceed. 
That was not the result of a drop off in trade.  The world famous restaurant still receives upwards of one million requests for 8,000 reservations annually, with all the bookings for the upcoming year being snapped up in one day in mid October when the reservations are up for grabs. 
If however you find it all a little too clinical here's a recipe for a spectacular dish that couldn't be less molecular if it tried and it really does look spectacular. Not a bunsen burner or a bit of dry ice in sight. 

We have a love hate relationship with cabbage but it can be most wonderful when not cooked totally into submission as is often the case. Try this red cabbage pesto with your favourite pasta.
  • one small head or half a red cabbage
  • 4 tablespoons of good olive oil
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • a handful of sunflower seeds preferably roasted
  • one lemon
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • a dash of agave or coconut syrup.  Blend the lot in a kitchen processor retaining a little crunch. Nom nom.


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Friday 14 February 2014

Applegreen Valentine

Valentines day wishes to all our customers...


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