Dill mayonnaise

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Crayfish season is typically in August and it’s fine to stretch it to September too, but the end of October is a completely different season, which is why I decided to serve my crayfish as a starter instead of the full spread with Västerbotten cheese quiche, caraway cheese, snaps etc, the other day.

As dill is traditionally used in the brine for the crayfish I chose to enhanced that element further by serving a dill mayonnaise together with the crayfish (still to peel at the table) as well as a nice crusty bread and butter. Simple yet lovely.

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Dill mayonnaise, serves 2-4

1 egg yolk, at room temperature

150-200 ml dill oil (I used a Swedish one from Gunnarshögs gård, pictured)

1/2 lemon, the juice

salt, white pepper

1-2 tbsp chopped dill

Place the egg yolk in a mixing bowl and start whisking while adding the oil drop by drop at first and then in a thin stream while whisking continuously until you have a thick mayonnaise. Season to taste with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add the chopped dill. 

Best day of the week

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Grönby, Sweden, the Autumn of 2012.

Friday again. The only day a week I seem to come up for air this autumn. I mean, it was just Monday, wasn’t it?!

This week has been busy work wise (and in general) and I am looking forward to a weekend of cooking and baking. With more recipes up my sleeve I also promise to blog more next week!

Have a great weekend!

Tagliatelle with mushrooms, spinach and parmesan

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When I cooked this yesterday my flatmate asked me if I really liked my pasta with mushrooms, and even though I do, I guess she has seen me eat it quite often since I moved in and I don’t like it that much. But it is a great supper to whiz up when you’re lacking energy but need some comforting home cooking. Adding spinach brightens up the dish and adds another earthy flavour that I love. Plus it makes it feel almost healthy. At least I keep telling myself that.

Tagliatelle with mushrooms, spinach and parmesan, serves 2

2 portion tagliatelle 

2 tbsp salted butter

1 garlic clove, grated

150 g mini portabello mushrooms (or other flavourful ‘shrooms) 

2 tbsp dried ceps (porcini mushrooms)

4 tbsp recently boiled water

150 g fresh baby spinach

2 tbsp philadelphia or double cream

greated parmesan 

salt, black pepper

Cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the packet. Slice the portobello mushrooms. Place the dried ceps in a small bowl and add the hot water and leave to soak for a minute or so. Squeeze out the excess liquid using a spoon and the edge of the bowl. Save the liquid. 

Melt the butter in a medium frying pan and add the grated garlic. Fry the mushrooms (both fresh and dried) until golden on medium heat. Add the spinach and let it wilt. Add grated parmesan. Add the mushroom broth and the philadelphia or cream. Mix until a silky but thin sauce. Add salt and pepper. Drain the pasta and add to the pan and let some of the sauce evaporate until it gently coats the pasta without being runny. Serve with more grated parmesan. 

That Friday feeling!

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Yep, I’m still here. And the fridge/freezer is working again – hurrah! But I still haven’t had much time to cook, but hope to change that over the weekend. This autumnal weather makes me crave cooked breakfast in the morning.

Anyway, the week was busy but good and the weekend is following a similar pattern. Drinks with some girls tonight, dinner party tomorrow and potentially shopping on Sunday.

Have a great one!

Dinner at one of my favourites; Terroirs, West End

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Some things in life we fall in love with. I have definitely fallen hard for London and some of its restaurant. One I always come back to and which has yet to disappoint me (like that’s possible) is Terroirs.

If it wasn’t for all the French people I work with I may have missed out on visiting this gem in the beginning. Now, a few years on, it has been voted best restaurant in London by Time Out and has expanded down in the basement as well as opened sister restaurants all over town. But I am really glad I was there in the beginning, as it feels more like my restaurant that way.

But even if you walk in now and become a regular I hope you will enjoy it here as much as I do. The staff is so friendly and familiar, the food is always lovely and pretty fuss-free and the atmosphere is just nice and relaxed.

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A few weeks ago I met up with Jenny to celebrate a few things and dragged her here. We started off with a glass of bubbly (Dne Agnes & Rene Mosse, Anjou), a lovely deep rosé sparkling wine. In fact we liked it so much we decided to go for a bottle as well.

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And some food. Everything on the menu looked lovely but we both chose the whole crab. The chef thought they didn’t have enough brown meat in them and gave us a crab toast too, which was very kind. The (quite spicy) crab toast on sourdough was really nice, but nothing beat the simplicity of the fresh crab with luscious mayonnaise and lamb’s lettuce, fresh baguette and salted butter.

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Such a nice meal (and rather fun with all the mess, especially as we sat perched on stools at the bar) and a wonderful evening.

And that’s why I recommend Terroirs. Again. And again.

Terroirs Wine Bar and Restaurant, 5 William IV St  London WC2N 4DW

Roll on the weekend…

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Ah, lovely Friday. We’re having pizza for lunch in the office today and after yesterday’s festivities I’m really in the mood for it. Two of my friends hosted a launch party for their fashion label last night, and it was a fab party with a DJ, flowing bubbly, delicious canapés and of course all their lovely clothes!

The weekend will probably be on the quiet side as I feel I need to rest up after weeks and weeks of being super busy… It is just so boring, although I look forward to cosying up at home with a few episodes of a good series, lit candles and a nice glass of wine.

Have a great weekend!

Aubergine parmesan with mozzarella

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This lovely recipe is courtesy of the October edition of my latest obsession; the American food magazine Bon Appetit which I read religiously on my iPad every month.

I am slightly obsessed with aubergine – as you can see in the archives. I just like the soft texture and mellowness you get when they’re roasted and how well they pair with cheese (another of my obsessions).

This dish is more or less a non-layered Parmigiana di Melanzane and I must say I prefer it this way. The aubergine is firmer in these bigger pieces and therefore less floppy and the whole dish requires less sauce so the flavours are more distinct. The finished dish just has a little more finesse and is worthy as starring as the main course at any dinner party.

Eggplant parmesan with mozzarella, 4 portioner

Adapted from Bon Appetit’s recipe.

olive oil

4 garlic cloves

1 tbsp tomato purée

1 tin (400 g) crushed tomatoes (or whole)

2 medium aubergines

4 sprigs oregano (I used dried)

150 ml fresh breadcrumbs

250 g buffalo mozzarella

ca 40 g grated parmesan

Pre-heat the oven to 200 C. Using a vegetable peeler, remove skin from rounded side of each eggplant half, leaving a 1 cm strip of skin around the cut edges. Oil an edged baking sheet and place the aubergines cut side down. Drizzle with more oil, add salt, pepper and oregano as well as three whole garlic cloves. Cover with tin foil and bake until soft, 40-45 minutes. 

In the meantime, make the tomato sauce: Add one clove of grated garlic to a non-stick saucepan on medium heat. Stir for a minute or so, add the tomato purée followed by the tinned tomatoes and a splash of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, until slightly thickened, 15–20 minutes. Season and set tomato sauce aside.

Toss breadcrumbs with oil. Transfer eggplants, oregano, and garlic to two large shallow baking dishes (or simply use the same one), placing eggplants cut side up. Top eggplants with tomato sauce and mozzarella, then sprinkle with breadcrumbs and Parmesan. Bake until mozzarella is bubbling and breadcrumbs are golden, 25–30 minutes.

Serve immediately with a green salad and nice bread. 

 

Dinner at Arbutus, Soho

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Arbutus on Soho’s Frith Street is a very relaxed Michelin starred restaurant. It hold one star, serves up delicious food but there is not a linen tablecloth in sight.

Instead the interior is modern and clean with wooden tables and sparse decorations. The less is more philosophy seems to go for the food as well.

I was here with Laura and Gaby last Saturday to celebrate Laura’s birthday. We had a drink at Lab bar first and then a glass of prosecco here at the table while studying the menu.

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Laura and I chose the same starter and this dish seems to be one of their signature disges with crisy pig’s head with potato purée and pickled turnip. The meat was crispy and soft at the same time and plump with umami. It was divine and matched the smooth puré and sharpness from the pickle perfectly. I can’t praise this enough!

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Gaby’s vegetarian starter was just as wonderful. Both grilled and tempura tenderstem broccoli with an amazing Caesar mayonnaise. This is certainly the nicest broccoli any of us have ever tasted. So so good!

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We were certainly lyrical about the starters and could have had every single one however the maincourses didn’t stand out as well on the menu. We all chose the beef recommended by our waitress and it was magnificent when it arrived.

It was quite a grainy cut but cooked to perfection and full of flavour. The dauphinois potatoes were delicious too and the spinach and onion pieces as well. Such a delight to eat. However, this is quite close to the type of food I would cook myself (although obviously not as well!) which is why I was more excited about the starters that felt less like home cooking and more restaurant-y. With that said though, the hearty mains really work with the rest of the Arbutus’ concept and I really enjoyed my beef.  h14

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After these meat heavy and delicious dishes I was really full but still decided to keep the girls company with a pudding. This one scoop of absolutely perfect dulce de leche icecream and a few spoonfuls of milky custard was a perfect ending to my meal and I managed to finish it despite being so full!

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Gaby and Laura chose a more put together dessert with aerated white chocolate (it looks like pre-sliced white bread), poached pears and an amazing salt caramel mousse. Such a great combination of flavours although the pears were a bit on the harder side.

This was such a fabulous meal. We enjoyed absolutely everything; from the service, the wine, the relaxed interior, the painting made from pencil shavings to the almost pornographic pictures from the 1920s in the restrooms… But most of all the food! Absolutely a-ma-zing!

Arbutus, 63 — 64 Frith Street, London W1D 3JW

TGIF!

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This week has been busy busy with work and looking back I don’t feel I got anything else done. But that’s not actually true. I cooked both Monday and Tuesday making buffalo chicken wings with blue cheese dip and potato wedges one day and pork souvlaki with fried halloumi, pita and tzatsiki the other. 

And on Wednesday I had dinner and fizz with Gaby and Rowena at the pub Thomas Cubitt on cosy Elizabeth Street and yesterday drinks and dinner at old favourite Terroirs.

But I’m still really excited about the fact that the weekend is near. I want to go for walks in the amazing autumnal weather (when it doesn’t rain, I mean), do some more cooking and even baking and just relax. Have a nice one!

Dinner at Bluebird, Chelsea

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I’ve always loved the sight of Bluebird passing it by on the Kings Road. The restaurant empire almost looks like its own little town with a café, cosy courtyard tables, bar, restaurant, shop and function rooms.

And now finally I tried the restaurant for dinner. The interior is very nice; a tad luxurious without being stuffy and I was happy to see Iittala glassware on the table, a nice touch.

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Sinead and I went here on a Friday night and we were both really hungry, so we ordered a glass or champagne each and then went straight for the maincourse. I managed to pinch their last Friday special; Lobster Thermidor with frites and Sinead chose their tiger prawn and monkfish curry.

My half lobster was perfectly cooked and the creamy Thermidor sauce delicious! There was enough sauce to dip the frites in and a simple leafy salad to freshen up the dish. A perfect Friday treat in my world.

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Sinead’s curry was prettily served in a shallow copper dish with the rice in a matching container. Poppadoms were served on a separate plate and both were very nice.

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As it was a Friday we felt we could treat ourselves to pudding. Sinead received this pyramid of still warm donuts rolled in cinnamon sugar served with a thick custard and jam. They were utterly delicious! Although the wooden board it was served on was almost too small to hold them all.

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I went for one scoop vanilla icecream and one scoop raspberry sorbet and they were both delicious. The icecream was creamy and tasted properly from vanilla and the sorbet had a rich raspberry taste.

Bluebird was exactly what I had expected; lovely food with nice ambiance and decor. The service was a bit bumpy, but the waiters really tried their best and were very friendly. It just seemed to be some confusion as to to was covering our table.

Bluebird Chelsea, 350 King’s Road, London SW3 5UU