Month: September 2012

Quick pudding: Lemoncurd whip with raspberries

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If you like me, really dislike wasting food, but stand there one evening with a big dollop of homemade lovely lemoncurd but is also feeling a bit too lazy to use it in baking, well then this is the perfect recipe for you.

All you need is lemoncurd (homemade or storebought doesn’t matter), whipping cream and fresh raspberries. Just whip the cream lightly, fold in the yellow goodness (aka the curd) and scatter with raspberries. It is almost like a lemony mousse but only takes minutes to prepare. It is also fresh and extremely satisfying.

Yum.

Lemoncurd whip with raspberries, serves 2

300 ml whipping cream

 1 dl lemoncurd

2 handfuls fresh raspberries

Whip the cream lightly and fold in the lemoncurd. Divide between two bowls and top with raspberries.

Back in the kitchen and baking

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I have now settled into the new flat and the kitchen (most important obviously) and have therefore started to bake for the office again.

Since it was the first time I used the new oven for baking I made sure to use tried and tested recipes.

I made a classic Victoria sponge that at least my office never can get enough of and the lovely chocolate cake with the most amazing chocolate frosting, a cake impossible to grow tired of. I also made some fresh lemon cupcakes with lemoncurd whipped cream as frosting. They were really yummy too!

I also tried one of my birthday presents when I decorated the chocolate cake; a cake stencil from a set Laura gave me. I love how the cake so quickly transformed from boring to stunning just with the stencil and icing sugar. 🙂 Thanks, Laura!

Lemon cupcakes with lemoncurd whipped cream, makes 12

The cupcake recipe is courtesy of the Hummingbird Bakery

Cupcakes, makes 12

120 g plain flour

150 g caster sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp grated lemon zest

40 g softened butter

120 ml whole milk

1 egg

Pre-heat the oven to 175 C. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, zest and butter in a bowl with an electric whisk. Add the milk while beating. Then add the egg and mix well. Divide into 12 cupcake cases in a cupcake tray. Bake for 10 minutes or until done. Leave to cool completely before decorating.

Lemoncurd

50 g butter

1 egg

100 ml caster sugar

1 medium lemon

Grate the zest and squeeze the juice from the lemon. Place in a sauce pan with the butter and half the sugar and bring to the boil and cook until the sugar has dissolved. Leave to cool.

Beat the egg and the remaining sugar pale and fluffy and add to the saucepan. Let the mixture thicken on low heat while stirring. It must not boil. Leave to cool. Will keep for a week in the fridge, covered.

Lemoncurd whipped cream, for 12 cupcakes

1 batch lemoncurd (see above)

300 ml whipping cream

Whip the cream and fold in the lemon courd using a rubber spatula. Pipe onto the cupcakes once they’ve cooled completely. Decorate with candied citrus peel.

New York: Baseball

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Our last evening in the big apple was the third game in the row between New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. The teams had won one game each which made this a big game. Claes was super excited and although excited, Emma and I were a little bit calmer.

But it was such a cool experience to go and see this baseball game. It is just sooo American and we loved the atmosphere. First the subway ride there with everyone in a Yankee jersey from the age of 3 to 75, youngsters going with their grandparents, some people going alone and some whole families going.

The stadium was also impressive and it was full this particular evening, of around 47, 000 people. When Yankees made a homerun everyone cheered and it was just amazing.

Being hangover this day we also really appreciated the food. We had lots of nachos with lots of guacemole, hot dogs, coke and beer, popcorn and sweets. The Yankees one and this was so the perfect activity for a Sunday evening and also our last evening in the city.

The first plate of nachos.

One of many vendors coming to your seat this various edible things (they sold beer, ice cream, peanuts etc). Good service but quite annoying when trying to watch the game.

The game has finishes and Yankees won.

New York: Picnic from Bouchon Bakery and Magnolia Bakery

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One day when walking around Rockefeller Plaza I noticed the Bouchon Bakery and got really excited. I absolutely adore Thomas Keller and his cookbooks.

So when we wanted to have picnic in Central Park on our second to last day in New York, we went here to buy sandwiches and to the famous Magnolia Bakery fpr cupcakes and cookies.

Some Sundays the roads in Centeral Park are closed for car traffic so it is perfect to go here then. And as you can see, we were not exactly alone.

Picnic!

The sandwiches from Bouchon Bakery were delicious! Sour dough ciabattas filled with a moist chicken salad with apple and cranberries. Such a great sarnie!

Cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery. Red Velvet at the top and German Chocolate cupcakes underneath. I have to say it is hard for me to write this, but I was sooo  very disappointed with these cupcakes. The actual cake was a bit dryish and not exactly full of flavour, and the red velvet frosting tasted artificial with an after taste of margarine. The German chocolate topping was nicer (sticky syrup and shredded coconut) but far from amazing.

I just don’t understand how the Magnolia Bakery can be so popular with ordinary bakes like this?! I expected something more along the lines of British Hummingbird Bakery, but these were not even close to being that good. I actually think Tesco make nice cupcakes than Magnolia Bakery…

We also had some cookies from the bakery and thankfully they were a lot better than the cupcakes. Well, the chocolate chip cookie was average too, but the brown sugar cookies (left) were very nice.

New York: Lunch at Battery Gardens

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The first whole day in New York, when we went for our super long walk, we stopped for lunch in Battery Park. It is a lovely park just by the water front but there weren’t many food options. Mainly a few kiosks that only sold snacks and then the proper restaurant Battery Gardens. It could have been a real tourist trap, but I think it was a bit too expensive to be that, luckily.

We started off with a glass of white each, a Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zeeland that was very refreshing.

We sat out on the patio underneath an umbrella and shading trees and it felt like a real oasis in the August heat. Really nice surroundings!

Claes had the spaghetti bolognese, and he was very pleased with it. It looks really good, don’t you think?!

I had a cobb salad with cold smoked salmon and roquefort, which was a great combination. It also came with a boiled egg in slices and avocado which made it more substantial. The only thing I thought odd was the bacon which I actually removed. I don’t know, salmon and bacon, does that work?

Emma also had a salad, with very succulent chicken confit and quinoa.

Happy campers!

All the food was very frash and nice, but what really made it such a nice lunch was the ambiance and stunning surroundings.

Battery Gardens Restaurant
Inside Battery Park ,  Opposite 17 State Street
On The Water,  New York, NY 10004

 

New York: Brunch at Norma’s

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When I ask my ex-New Yorker friend Caroline what she’s been up to at the weekend or when she’s been in New York, I always get the same answer: We went for brunch. So I understand that this is a big thing in the Big Apple. Located in the same hotel as Burger Joint, you find the restaurant Norma’s who offer of course, brunch.

We went to Norma’s at 09.05 in the morning, as we had a table booked for 9am, but it wasn’t ready until 15 minutes later. The staff was apologetic and we were not the only ones waiting. but when starving after a night out the day before, waiting was the last thing we wanted to do.

The waiter was then quick to offer us tea, coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice and a complimentary mini blueberry smoothie. We ordered our food and then the waiting began. It took the kitchen about 40 (!) minutes to get our food on the table. It was nothing complicated or something not on the menu, so we still wonder how it could take so long.

And for the kitchen to be backed up at 9 in the morning, that just shows that something isn’t right. The waiting staff was very apologetic, and quite embarrassed but it was out of their control.

The food was actually very good, but it couldn’t make up for the bad experience we had here. I really do hope it gets sorted out as Norma’s has great potential.

But back to the food. Emma’s granola with berries and yoghurt was a huge portion with the yoghurt on the side and lovely homemade granola. The boys had Belgian waffles that were huge, served with whipped cream, berries and a caramel sauce. I wanted something savoury first thing and had a breakfast quesadilla with crambled eggs, crispy bacon, cheese, avocado and salsa. Really yummy!

To summarize: greta food, good waiting staff, nice ambiance, but very slow kitchen and way too long to wait.

Norma’s
Le Parker Meridien Hotel
119 West 56th Street  
New York, NY 10019