Friday 29 April 2011

Youngberry chocolate cake with chocolate icing

Posted by Unknown at 14:46 0 comments
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Youngberry chocolate cake with chocolate icing

Sometimes when we go on travels we buy gifts which end up not being used which seems a bit of a shame considering the distance that it would have travelled. I decided to make use of something picked up in Cape Town last year which travelled to Mauritius before ending up back home in London. Youngberry jam is a jam I have never tried before so I decided to put it into a cake!

Ingredients:

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125g dairy-free margarine
100g 72% dark chocolate
300g youngberry jam
100g caster sugar
2 eggs
pinch of salt
160g self-raising gluten-free flour

Chocolate icing

100g dark chocolate
50g dairy-free margarine
3 tbsp water
110g icing sugar sifted

Preheat the oven to 180C and grease a cake tin and pop it into the fridge.

Slowly melt the margarine in a pan and just before it has melted pop in the dark chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted, then add the sugar, jam, beaten eggs and salt. When mixed together add the flour and gently mix together until just combined.

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Pour into the tin and bake for 45 minutes. Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before turning out.

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To make the icing, add the chocolate, margarine and water in a bowl and melt in a microwave (about 1 minute on 750w). Mix together then add the icing sugar and blend with an electric whisk.

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When the cake is cold, slice horizontally and sandwich with some of the chocolate icing. Use the remainder to cover the outside.

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The youngberry is a relative of the blackberry and as such has large seeds. These add to the chewiness of the cake but for those who prefer a lighter cake might opt for a smoother jam perhaps. I actually like the contrasting textures!

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It goes very well with a port, in particular one I picked up in Calitzdorp on Route 69, a wonderful town which happens to be the port capital of South Africa. This Boplass pink port comes with its own pink feather!

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So, do you have any foodie gifts from your travels which are gathering dust?

Wednesday 27 April 2011

Tropical Pineapple Cake with Cognac

Posted by Unknown at 10:54 0 comments
Tropical Pineapple Cake with Cognac

The upside down pineapple cake is a classic which sadly says too much about the quality of fresh fruit that some parts of the world have to make do with. Who would be happy with pineapple slices from a tin. On top of it all you have to add more sugar in order to sweeten the pineapple base! I was fortunate enough to come across some tropical pineapples that smelt so gorgeous and tasted so sweet that there was no need for added sugar. There was also no need to turn the cake upside down!





Ingredients:



150g dairy free margarine
2 eggs
100g light muscovado sugar
2 tbsp cognac
100g ground almonds
100g plain gluten free flour
1 tsp gluten free baking powder
1 pineapple peeled and cut into pieces

Preheat the oven to 200C and put a sheet of baking paper into a cake tin - you can lightly grease the baking paper.

Melt the margarine and whisk in the eggs, cognac and sugar. The muscovado sugar helps to keep the cake moist.

In a mixing bowl, combine the ground almonds, flour and baking powder and then mix in the liquid mixture. Once combined, pour into the prepared tin. Add the pineapple pieces on top.


Place in the oven for 40 minutes or until golden on top.


I like this cake as it is wonderfully moist whilst celebrating the natural beauty of pineapple.


So, what other fruits would you prefer not to eat from a can?

Saturday 2 April 2011

Thai Garden Cafe–best som tum in London!

Posted by Unknown at 11:32 0 comments
Thai Garden Cafe – best som tum in London!

It is fitting for the first restaurant review, that it is about a hidden gem discovered opposite the British Museum. When Mrs NMFS and I first discovered it, it was disappointingly empty during our first few visits but of late it has become busier.
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Thai food is all about balance. The balance between sweet, salty, sour and heat. The Thai Garden Cafe achieves that balance with so many of its dishes. The stars of the show are the divine som tum goong sod (papaya salad) and the yummy salmon nam ma kham (tamarind sauce).
Thai Garden Cafe looks very unassuming from the outside and despites its location next to a crowded tourist spot, is not as busy as the greasy cafes and creperies also found on Museum Street.
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The decor is very pleasant though with cafe style tables at the front leading to a more formal dining area at the back.
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Pride in its Thai heritage is seen throughout its decoration with traditional Thai pictures.
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The separation in the dining areas can be misleading as from the outside the restaurant can appear to be deserted which if you have not been to a restaurant can be a bad sign. In this instance though, appearances are very much misleading.
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The menu is extensive, without being complicated and focuses solely on traditional Thai dishes.
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We started with a refreshing but sweet Thai iced tea (although without the ice!). I love the cloudiness when adding the accompanying coconut milk.
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The po pia tod (deep fried spring rolls) (£4.25) were tasty appetizers served with a sweet chilli dipping sauce. They were not oily and the mixed vegetables and glass noodles were not overly seasoned.  These are not the standard frozen spring rolls that can be lazily served up at times.
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We had the pad kee mau with prawns (£7.50) as an alternative to our usual pad thai and we were pleasantly surprised. The basil and chilli combined very well with the rice noodles. Thai basil is such a nice herb but is so hard to find in London it seems.
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We moved next to the stars of the show – the tamarind salmon and papaya salad! The salmon nam ma kham (£8.95) is my favourite as it reminds me of tukka, a tamarind jam served up at Mauritian weddings. The salmon is crispy on the outside but moist on the inside. Covered in the lovely thick, sweet and tangy tamarind sauce with a hint of heat. With the first bite it makes your mouth water but in truth my mouth now water in anticipation. The dish tastes that good. The sauce should not be too runny or too thick and not too sweet. You can tell that it is prepared fresh and does not come out of a jar. It is so good that we guard the serving plate to be able to lick all of the remaining sauce!
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Next on to what is a good test for any Thai restaurant, the som tum goong sod (£7.95). If an establishment claims to be Thai but does not serve this up then it probably is not a good Thai restaurant. If it serves up good som tum then it probably will serve up good Thai food as it understands and can execute the balance vital to Thai food. Mrs NMFS introduced me to the joys of good som tum whilst in Sydney. We spent months hunting down a good source in London and struck gold with the Thai Garden Cafe.
Accompanied with sticky rice, the som tum should taste like heaven. More often than not, we are served up heaven in a salad with this dish. It is a simple recipe but everything has to be balanced correctly. Miss out the peanuts and cashew nuts for example, and it does not hit the mark.
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It is served up very hot in Thailand, so if you prefer something with less heat, ask for only half a chilli to be added. The eating experience does not end when we have gobbled up the sticky rice, papaya, carrots, prawns or cherry tomatoes. The best bit is the sauce that is left in the bowl at the end. A seasoned som tum eater will be able to look at the colour to realise whether you have liquid gold or not. It can be enjoyed and relished on its own. Savouring each spoonful and allowing it to rest on your tongue before swallowing. Again the bowl is guarded well until every lost drop is finished.
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The dessert menu is refreshing and they do the dishes well. We tried the
Kao Niao Sung Khaya (£4.50). The coconut custard is wonderfully rich and sweet and the sticky rice provides a great balance with its subtle sweetness. Again, the small attention to details elevate this dish. The sesame seeds and crystallised egg give another taste for you to enjoy. It is a light dessert which is refreshing after such a mix of sweet, salty and hot flavours.
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The Thai Garden Cafe is a hidden gem even though it sits so close to one of London’s busiest attractions, the British Museum.
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If you come across it and want to try the best som tum in London, pop in even if it looks empty. You may well see Mrs NMFS and Cheeky Chops sitting in the corner together licking the plates clean with contented looks on our faces!
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So, how would you test a good Thai restaurant?

Thai Garden on Urbanspoon

Sticky toffee rhubarb muffins

Posted by Unknown at 06:48 0 comments
Rhubarb is such a wonderfully rich flavoured ingredient, if you can get past its tartness. Today's recipe is an attempt to use toffee to lift that flavour. Again it comes in the form of a muffin as muffins are convenient for packed lunches for little ones or busy partners.




Sticky Toffee Rhubarb Muffins

Ingredients:

3 stalks rhubarb
30g dairy-free margarine
3 tbsp light muscovado sugar
5 pieces crystallised ginger

250g self-raising gluten-free flour
55g caster sugar
55g light muscovado sugar
2 eggs
2/3 tbsp rice milk

Fill a 12-hole muffin tin with muffin cases. Turn the oven on to 180C.

First to prepare the sticky toffee rhubarb. In a saucepan melt the margarine together with the 3 tbsp of muscovado sugar. When melted, add the rhubarb washed and cut into pieces together with the diced crystallised ginger.



Heat over a low heat for about 20 minutes stirring every so often until the rhubarb has broken up and the mix has turned a nice toffee colour. Take off the heat and leave to cool on one side.



In a large mixing bowl add the flour and sugars and mix together. Mix the eggs and milk into the cooled toffee rhubarb. Add to the dry mix and quickly mix until just combined.



Spoon the mix into the muffin cases - about 1 and a bit tablespoons each.

 
Place into the oven and bake for about 25 minutes.


So would you add a toffee icing on top?
 

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