taste2taste

April 15, 2016

Party at Parlour – A Chef’s Table Celebration

I have had so much fun combining my birthday celebrations with some amazing foodie experiences. I wanted to share my long anticipated visit to the Chef’s Table at Parlour, Kensal Green, London NW10 5LG that I had booked two months previously. The restaurant has a cool gastropub decor & vibe in a converted Victorian pub with some funky artwork designed by head chef’s Jesse Dunford Wood’s Dad. We knew we were in for a treat when Jesse, the owner, head chef & host introduced us to the whole Chef’s Table experience. He was such an engaging host – a combination of ringmaster & raconteur – stories delivered with fun, humour & a touch of the Willy Wonka ( more of that later). The evening started with a swish & pop- namely sabrage – the technique that uses a special sword to remove the cork & top of the bottle of Prosecco which Jesse expertly did. We then toasted my birthday with a selection of sparkling cocktails.

Chestnut Hummus with Rosemary Pitta & McTucky’s Popcorn Chicken

Then followed a selection of delicious and eclectic starters to share, that were innovative, creative & tasty, each introduced with an accompanying story of their creation. We tucked into chestnut hummus with rosemary pitta bread, McTucky’s Popcorn chicken nuggets with actual popcorn, pistachio topped duck liver profiteroles with blood orange chutney, home smoked salmon with home made soda bread, raw vegetable goats cheese ravioli.

Raw Veg & Goats Cheese “Ravioli”

Duck Liver Profiteroles with Blood Orange & Pistachio

We had steak tartare with rye crisp crackers and stilton savoury custard topped with hazelnut crumble served in an egg shell with home made grissini to dunk in the funkiest holder I’ve ever seen!

Stilton Savoury Custard with the coolest egg cup holder!

The glass had a reserve of wine beneath & a spout so you could sip the Argentinian Malbec whilst enjoying the rich custard. Main Courses included the famous Chicken Kyiv – crisp, golden & spherical and the famous Cow Pie, with stuffed marrow bone in the centre, served with sides of creamy mash & cabbage.

The Famous Chicken Kyiv

The Famous Cow Pie

We also had some beautiful lamb, cod, sea bream, duck & scotch egg.

L – R: Lamb & Duck Scotch Egg Mains + Bell – just ring to swap!

Jesse kept reminding us to pace ourselves with some great references to Monty Python’s “Meaning of Life”. After a welcome break we were then handed headphones, and watched in amazement as the spectacular dessert was assembled to music before our eyes. A fabulous Willy Wonka -esque experience and the picture at the start is only a little taster to whet your appetite. We had an enormous selection of desserts including toasted marshmallow wagon wheels, macarons, arctic roll in funky flavours, souffle ( with birthday candle) and lots more fabulous sweet delights. There were a few other exciting things but rather than share them I really urge you to experience for yourself, either in the main restaurant or at the Chef’s Table. A fabulous, foodie, quirky, creative experience which we all thoroughly enjoyed. So thanks to Jesse and his team for a fantastic birthday party at Parlour.

April 10, 2016

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Pears Poached in Wine are Divine

I cannot exactly recall from whom I obtained this wonderful Italian recipe but it is one of the best desserts that I have in my food armory. It is really easy to execute requiring minimal effort for maximum results. As a result it has become one of my signature dishes impressing and wowing dinner guests over the years

So, when a week, or two ago, I saw juicy sweet soft yellow organic Bartlett Pears start appearing back on the shelves at my local Trader Joe’s, it was only a matter of time before I found the excuse to make this sweet treat.

2. Ingredients including the beautiful Bartlett Pears

Ingredients including 1/2 dozen beautiful Bartlett pears

This time, the beneficiaries of these vanilla, cinnamon and lemon poached pears was a friend (and her family) whom I last saw well over 30 years ago, when we were both at School overseas for 5 months

Ingredients

6 x firm pears (I used Bartlett as they are in season here in the US, but other types will work just as well)
14 oz / 400g of sugar
Zest of 1 lemon – peeled
1 piece of whole cinnamon (2″ / 5 cm long)
1 Vanilla pod
A bottle of dry Italian white wine such as Soave, Pinot Grigio or Orvietto Classico

Skin on and naked pear

Method

Peel the pears preserving the stalks and place them in a deep pan
Then add half (7 oz / 200g) of the sugar, all the wine, the lemon peel, the cinnamon and the vanilla pod. Placing the lid on the pan and bring to the boil
Place the lid on pan and leave on a low light for around 30 minutes – the aroma whilst these cook is heavenly for a fan of vanilla and pears…..
Check with a knife to see if soft
Remove the pears from the pan
Pour the remaining sugar into the syrup, bring to the boil and then simmer for another 20 minutes
Chill the syrup and pears

Fire burn & cauldron bubble – divine aromas emerge, as the pears poach

Serve by pouring the syrup over the pears adding a large dollop of Vanilla Ice Cream (tip: also great if you serve with the syrup warm).

A divine dessert when entertaining one’s long lost friends, or family!

April 1, 2016

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It’s All about the Coffee – from the World’s Youngest Barista

I am a fan of freshly ground coffee however it’s my co blogger Simon who is the expert when it comes to making and drinking it- he can’t start the day without his 6.30 a.m Macchiato!

Ben in Coffee Coaching Mode

I was lucky enough to be invited to the first coffee tasting evening organised & run by Ben Garnett, the World’s Youngest Professional Barista and Coffee Entrepreneur last week. Ben’s interest in coffee grew when at 13 years old he started a part time job working in Penny Blacks, his local independent coffee shop in St Johns, Woking, Surrey, UK. He started his barista training culminating in his Professional Barista Qualification last year, aged 15. Ben had already invested in a small coffee roaster and was roasting beans from Malawi, and selling at his school fete, to raise money as part of the school’s link project with a Malawian school.

Profile Coffee Company founded in 2015

This link has grown from strength to strength (excuse the pun) and now is one of the core coffee beans Ben sells on line along with 12 other coffees from Brazil, Costa Rica, Columbia, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya, & Papua New Guinea at Profile Coffee Company, the business he set up in 2015. Ben has invested in a larger roaster and now has his own dedicated production room.

At the coffee evening I learnt all about the types of coffee beans, the difference between Arabica & Robusta beans, where they are grown, how coffee is harvested as cherries, processed, roasted and finally ends up as a great tasting cup of coffee.

Cupping in Progress

Ben demonstrated the cupping process, the method professionals use to taste & evaluate coffee. I had a go at slurping 3 different coffees off a spoon, between sips of water, expertly roasted & brewed the same day. Amongst the 20 of us, there was a pretty even split on preference between the Malawi, Papua New Guinea & Brazilian Coffees. My preference was the Malawi Chikali Medium Roast: smooth, rounded flavour, slightly fruity with a nutty/mocha aftertaste- pretty complex. Malawi only produces 0.01% of the World’s Coffee so it is pretty rare, as well as tasting delicious. I also enjoyed the Brazilian coffee which was darker, with a caramel & nutty taste. Profile’s unique selling point is freshly roasting coffee, which at 2 days old, tastes quite different from the stuff you buy in the supermarket which can be several months old. I can vouch for that as Ben showed us the difference from the cupping to the tasting!

Brewing with a Chemex

Ben also demonstrated a few different methods of brewing coffee using a Chemex, Aeropress & Syphon.

No Chemistry Lab – Just a Syphon

I learnt a lot and it was a great way to spend a rainy night tasting coffee with Ben the World’s Youngest Professional Barista.

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