French 66

For any occasion and just fancying something a bit different, the French 66, is the cocktail to serve. 

French 66

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makes 1 cocktail

1 oz Lemon juice

6 dashes Orange Bitters

Champagne

lemon slice

Add lemon juice and Orange Bitters into a champagne glass. Top up with champagne. Garnish with a lemon slice.

Stay warm and have a great weekend everyone! - JD 

Food Photo of the Day ~ Fried Egg Sandwich

When I want something that has substance however modest; I keep it simple with an easy no frills fried egg sandwich. A handful of mixed greens and sprouts nestle the egg and a heavy scattering of back pepper with a light touch of no salt margarine keeps this sandwich focused. I know I made a compromise with the white bread, sometimes it is a must, although brown or seeded breads are my preference. Regardless, this sandwich hits the spot and keeps me going until dinner. 

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend! - JD       

Dry Martini with a Martini Berry

A classic, shaken or stirred, with a martini berry twist! 

Dry Martini

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makes 1 cocktail

1 1/2 oz Gin
1/3 oz Dry Vermouth
1 martini berry
ice cubes

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice cubes. Add the gin and dry vermouth. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a martini berry.

These intriguing martini berries from Fortnum & Mason are a nice way to change up a cocktail. They taste like an olive however have tiny edible seeds inside that have a mild crunch. So glad we ordered these in our yearly Fortnum & Mason order.    


Stay warm and have a great weekend everyone! - JD 

Food Photo of the Day ~ Pumpkin Poppyseed Loaf

Not having any walnuts means getting creative in the kitchen and a pumpkin poppyseed loaf came together as a result of that. Most of us have had lemon poppyseed loaf or cake however pumpkin and poppyseed came together quite well, that it is definitely worth repeating! Perhaps next time with a bit of drizzle icing or for something more decadent, a cream cheese icing. That being said without icing this loaf was gobbled up in no time. - JD  

Peanut Butter Flax Cookies

Peanut butter cookies always remind me of my childhood as my mum would regularly make them. This is a nice take on a comforting classic recipe and are exceptionally good and did not last long.  

Peanut Butter Flax Cookies

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makes approximately 18 to 24 cookies

1 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1/3 cups ground flaxseed

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup coconut sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line a baking sheet with baking parchment paper. 

In a bowl combine the flour, flaxseed, ground cinnamon and baking powder. Set aside.

In a large bowl stir together the peanut butter, butter, caster sugar and coconut sugar until smooth; beat in the eggs. Stir the flour mixture into the peanut butter mixture a little at a time until a dough forms. Shape into round balls, no larger than a walnut, place on the prepared baking sheet and press down with a floured fork. 

Bake in the centre of the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the baking sheet half way, or until the cookies start to brown. Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Notes: you can replace the crunchy peanut butter with smooth peanut butter and use whole wheat flour instead of white flour. 

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend, we did! - JD 

Alfonso

This aromatic cocktail is a bit of a departure from the traditional Champagne cocktail.

Alfonso

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makes 1 cocktail

1 oz Dubonnet

1 whole white sugar cube

2 dashes of orange bitters

Champagne

1 twist of lemon

Place the sugar cube into the champagne flute. Add the orange bitters and Dubonnet to the glass. Top up with Champagne. Garnish with a twist of lemon, if you wish. 

Have a great weekend everyone! - JD 

Greenfeast ~ Spring, Summer

Although we are settling into fall and winter, Greenfeast - Spring, Summer by Nigel Slater is a comforting cookbook reminding us of the fresh lightness we may so dream of during this time of year. Most of these recipes seem to have come from his daily food diary. Where he saw, amongst his own accounts, how his food... his eating had changed; morphing into more plant based. One could assume that he would like these recipes to be an inspiration rather than be a guided recipe. Flexible... open for interruption, with no set rules or boundaries. 

What I like and really enjoy about this cookbook, besides the simplicity and feature calligrapher, Tom Kemp, how much is conveyed with fewer ingredients and a relaxed approach to these recipes. The format is fitting too, short and compact, bright and bold. It is a wonderful cookbook and is hard to imagine that it truly is plant based driven, which was probably unconsciously done, if I may assume. I feel as though this cookbook was more to do with what he ate then a way of eating. Something perhaps one can relate too; as we age, presumably, we eat less or food becomes more of what sustains us for longer periods of time. How do we keep the internal engine, our bodies, nourished... going. Therefore appealing to anyone struggling or coming to that culinary conclusion within themselves.

It was hard deciding which recipe to share however I did pick one that I thought even though we are in a different season, it still may be enjoyed; plus right now I am gobbling up sweet potatoes... or yams like crazy! 

Sweet Potatoes, Tomatoes
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Serves 2

sweet potatoes 1kg
butter 50g
dried, fine breadcrumbs 120g
lemon zest, finely grated 1 teaspoon
tarragon leaves, chopped 1 tablespoon
an egg
a little flour
groundnut or vegetable oil, for shallow frying

For the quick tomato sauce:

tomatoes 500g
garlic 2 cloves
olive oil 3 tablespoons
basil leaves 10


Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into large chunks, then steam for about twenty minutes till tender enough to crush. Mash with the butter and set aside to cool.

Put the breadcrumbs on a plate, then add the zest and tarragon and combine. Crack the egg into a shallow bowl and briefly beat with a fork to mix the white and yolk.

When the mash is cool, shape into four large balls and pat them, with floury hands, into patties. Dip the patties first into the beaten egg, then into the crumbs. Put them on a baking sheet and refrigerate for thirty minutes.

Make the tomato sauce: chop the tomatoes. Crush the garlic. Warm the olive oil in a saucepan, add the tomatoes and garlic and a little salt and simmer for fifteen to twenty minutes, stirring regularly. Tear and stir in the basil. season with black pepper.

Warm a little groundnut or vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan, then lower the cakes into the hot oil and leave to cook, without moving them, for four or five minutes until the underside is crisp and golden. Carefully, using a palette knife or fish slice, turn the cakes over and lightly crisp the other side. Serve with the tomato and basil sauce.

NIGEL SLATER'S RECIPE NOTES: Drain the potatoes very thoroughly before mashing. Let the mash cool before shopping and allow the cakes to rest fully before cooking. If your mixture seems too soft to shape, stir in a tablespoon or two pf flour. Once you have put the cakes into the hot oil, don't move them until the base has crisped, turn them carefully over and let the other side become completely crisp before removing from the pan. 

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend and is having a good week. It snowed for most of it.  - JD 

Rosso Royale

This certainly seems like a festive cocktail however it's sweet and bubbly fruity taste makes this sip-able anytime when champagne is on hand. 

Rosso Royale

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makes 1 cocktail

2/3 oz Cranberry juice

1/4 oz Simple Syrup

2/3 oz Sweet Vermouth

Champagne

cranberry

Add cranberry juice, simple syrup and sweet vermouth into a champagne glass. Top up with champagne. Garnish with a cranberry, if you wish.   

Stay warm and have a great weekend everyone! - JD 

Sunchokes

Sunchokes, grown in North America however they have been called the Canadian truffle or the Canadian potato. Their appearance resembles a ginger root and may come in a variety of colours, varying from white, brown, red or purple. They have an underlying sweet nutty flavour and are a good source of fibre, iron niacin, and Vitamin B6. 

The best way to enjoy them are oven roasted...

Roasted Sunchokes

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sunchokes, sliced about 1/4 inch thick

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt 

fresh rosemary or dried herbs 

1 clove garlic, crushed

Preheat oven to 425ºF. Line a baking tray with baking parchment paper. Set aside.

Place the sliced sunchokes in a large bowl and toss with the olive oil, salt, rosemary and garlic. Place the prepared sunchokes on the lined baking tray and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the sunchokes are tender exactly like roasted potatoes.

Winter has definitely made an appearance; snow has fallen making everything bright and crisp. The first snowfall is the prettiest. - JD   

The Smoky Nail

If you are still in the throws of Halloween then perhaps this twist on a classic is a must. Straight up, smoky and on the rocks.  

The Smoky Nail (Rusty Nail)

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makes 1 cocktail

2 oz Islay Whisky 

3/4 oz Drambuie or Honey Liqueur 

1 twist lemon zest 

ice cubes

Fill a rocks glass with ice cubes. Add all the ingredients. Garnish with a lemon zest. 

Have a very Hallow weekend everyone! - JD