taste2taste

June 11, 2016

New York Cheese Cake – Happy 1st Anniversary taste2taste

Hard to believe but this month marks the 1st Anniversary of the launch of this blog, taste2taste, onto the internet

Strangely enough, my London-based co-blogger, Lindsey and I are both in the same country this weekend, albeit she is as far away from New York (where I am based) as you can get. She’s hanging out in Sunny California, while I swelter here on the humid stormy northeastern seaboard

I thought that to celebrate the occasion, what could be better than a cake. As it happens, it’s also the Jewish Festival of Shavuot this weekend (which commemorates the giving of the Law to the Israelites at Mount Sinai) and its a tradition of that Holiday to consume dairy products

Ingredients

What better way to mark both occasions than to make a fantastic classic NY Cheese Cake from this half of our blog in Westchester County, NY with a British twist in the recipe. A perfect creamy soft sweet, crunchy sensuous dessert for all festivities

Ingredients

4 1/2 oz (130g) unsalted butter
12 oz (350g) British McVities Digestive Biscuits (or Graham Crackers if you cannot locate the former in the British section of your store US readers)
3 eggs (lightly beaten)
12 oz (350g) full fat cream cheese
12 oz (350g) sour cream
12 oz (350g ) of caster sugar
2 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
Mixed berries and icing (confectioners) sugar to serve

Method

Blitz the digestive biscuits in your food processor until they form largish crumbs or crush them by hand, melt the butter and mix into the crumbled biscuits
Grease a 9″ spring form tin (pan) with a little extra butter and pre-heat your oven to 375 f / 190 c
Add the buttered crumbs to the tin and squish down with your fingers and hand to level and fill the tin
Using a hand blender blitz the cream cheese until it softens then add and beat in the eggs, followed by 9 oz (250g) of the sugar and 2 tsp of the vanilla essence
Layers of the Cake laid out to assemble
Then, pour the resulting mixture on top of the crumb base in the tin and level, place in the oven for 45 minutes
Next, mix the sour cream, remaining vanilla essence and sugar together with a fork
Remove the tin from the oven once cooked (check with a cocktail stick to see, if it comes out dry its done) and let it cool for 10 minutes
Pour over the sour cream topping and level, placing it straight back in the oven at the same temperature for another 5 minutes, or so to glaze
Once that’s done, remove the cake from the oven and chill it in the fridge for a few hours until very cold (or you can even freeze it if you like to eat another day)

View from the edge

Serve with berries, or any other summer fruit of your choice dusted with icing sugar

A guilty pleasure but a taste of heaven

Happy Anniversary taste2taste!

June 3, 2016

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Shakshuka – Sunshine on a Plate

The start of Summer has been grey & cold in London. Apparently caused by the cold blob sitting in the Atlantic Ocean – sounds like something out of a sci fi horror movie. In contrast New York has been hot & humid. This week I was excited to use my brand new food mixer, a fabulous birthday present from Mum & Dad. I look forward to using it for future recipes as Simon & I approach our one year Anniversary as food bloggers. For a bold & beautiful vegetarian dish perfect for brunch, lunch or any time of day you can’t beat Shakshuka. The dish originates from Tunisia and has become popular throughout the Middle East and in London.

Ingredients (Serves 1-2)

Ingredients

1 red bell pepper, chopped
10 red & yellow cherry tomatoes, chopped
227g (8 oz) tin of chopped tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon of tomato puree
1 tablespoon of Harissa paste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium eggs, at room temperature
1-2 tablespoons of Greek natural yoghurt

Chopped peppers, cherry tomatoes & garlic

Method

Heat the olive oil on a medium heat in a small frying pan
Add the peppers, tomato puree, harissa, garlic, cumin & salt and stir
Cook on a slow simmer for 10 minutes until the peppers are soft
Add the tomatoes and cook on a low medium heat for 8 minutes until the sauce is thick

Tomato & pepper sauce simmering

Make a dip with a spoon and carefully break the eggs on top of the sauce
I break the eggs into a cup first to ensure I don’t break the yolks

Eggs gently cooking

Gently swirl the egg white taking care not to break the yolks
Cover and gently simmer for 5 minutes until the egg whites are set and the yolk still runny
Happy Face!
Take off the heat and leave for 2 minutes
Serve with a dollop of Greek yoghurt and some sourdough toast

Shakshuka – a dish to brighten up any day.

Bring Me Sunshine!

May 30, 2016

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Mediterranean Chicken Kebabs for Memorial Day

Here in the US, on the last Monday in May, the nation officially honors those who served the country in its armed forces both past and present in a National Holiday called Memorial Day

My BBQ startin to smoulder!

This day also marks another significant event. Yes, it’s the official first day of the Summer! To celebrate, folks up and down the country from NY to LA will be dusting off their BBQs. Smoke will fill the warm summer air, as a/c units whirr and mosquitoes whine and we all douse ourselves with sun lotion and deet. What joy…

Being an ex-pat with a bit of a thing for the tastes of the Mediterranean, I thought this year I’d rustle up something a little different for my Memorial Day BBQ. The recipe I used is a great healthy alternative to the regular holiday fare of steak, burgers and hot dogs. The marinade with its subtle exotic, slightly hot fresh flavor makes the chicken soft succulent and delicious. It works perfectly in contrast with bright colorful crisp summer vegetables I skewered together with it. Yum!

Ingredients (4 servings)

For the Chicken

Ingredients for the Chicken & MarinadeJust over 1 lb of boneless chicken thighs

Just over 1 1b of skinned boneless chicken thighs
1 handful of fresh coriander, picked
1 handful of fresh mint leaves
3 cloves of garlic
5 spring onions
1 small red chili
The zest and juice of one lemon
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season
Olive oil

Additional Veggies

One large red bell pepper
2 yellow or green zucchini / courgettes
1/2 large red / spanish onion
Olive oil

Method

For the Chicken

Cut the chicken into 1 inch cubes and place in a bowl
Blitz all the ingredients (except the chicken and the olive oil) in your food processor,
Add a lug or two of olive oil to the marinade and blend in, so it forms a paste .
Mix the chicken pieces thoroughly in the marinade
Refrigerate for an hour minimum.
Kebab assembly line

I usually leave it overnight

For the Veggies

Chop the onion and pepper into 1 to 1 and 1/2 inch chunks and slice the zucchini / courgettes into rough 1/4 inch wide rounds
Rub all the vegetables in olive oil

Now, assemble the kebabs.
I use metal kebab skewers and spear each vegetable adding a piece of chicken in an identical pattern
Now fire up your BBQ to a high heat, I like to use a natural charcoal, to which I add some mesquite wood chips to increase smoke and flavor
Place the kebabs on the BBQ and cover, turning the skewers every so often until the veggies start to char and the chicken cooks through