There is a lot in the news about food, always has been and I assume always will be. What is good for you, what is bad for you, too much sugar, too much fat, eat lots of it, avoid as much of it, and so on it goes. Recently the news was processed hams, bacon and sausage were terrible for you. However it all has to be taken into consideration. If you had nothing but a diet of Bacon ( bad), baked beans ( Bad) sausages ( Bad) fried eggs ( ?) steak ( red meat =Bad) along with ketchup ( Bad) then one would assume that you would not be long for this world. However, the average person does not eat like this, everything in moderation and most importantly Variation.

In this weeks Sunday Times ( UK) there was an interesting article on Granola, another of the “In” foods, and of course depending on the brand or type of Granola you choose there are many variations in quality and price.

“As the clean-eating epidemic ravages the middle classes, scoffing a flapjack (oats, sugar) feels like a filthy-pawed act of rebellion. Munching granola (oats, sugar), however, is a byword for wellness, a superior lifestyle breakfast choice for the savvy and nutrition-conscious. From Hemsley and Hemsley to Gwyneth Paltrow, every healthy-living guru has a seed-heavy, coconut-friendly recipe ” (The Sunday Times.)

One of the “in” Granolas, is the one created by 22 year old model and food blogger  Danielle Copperman. 

According to the Sunday Times , Copperman is in New York, but her cereal venture began after she’d moved out of her parents’ house in Bath and was eating granola three times a day, not realising it was “full of sugar”. After discovering her mistake, she says, “I set myself a rule that all I was going to eat was going to be natural”. However, she “was always running out of the door at 6 or 7am for shoots”, didn’t have time to cook eggs, didn’t like porridge, and had complicated her breakfast habits by banning gluten. “I just wanted something that would give me more of a boost.”

Experimenting in her kitchen, Copperman created the blueprint for Qnola, a granola that is 25 per cent quinoa which she says is much higher in protein, has amino acids and antioxidants and is relatively low in sugar. “I didn’t want to be eating something that was still really high in sugar even if it was natural.”

However, I am not sure how much of a nutritionist she is. When looking at the Glycemic index of various types of sugar, with Glucose weighing in at a hefty 100, Sucrose ( table sugar) 65, Honey at 61,  and moving down the scale Maple Syrup at 54, Otange Juice 50 and Agave and Fructose at a lowly 13.

So, Agave which is a plant native to Mexico and Agave syrup is 55-95% Fructose and Fructose is metabolised by the liver. It is not suitable for diabetics and has no nutritional value whatsoever . It also can not be heated as it gives off harmful toxins. And finally on agave syrup it has been banned by the Glycemic Research Institute of Washington.

Meanwhile, I like Granola, sprinkled over my yogurt and berries, but I like to make my own as then I have a better idea of what I am eating.

 

 
So to make my Granola, I use 

200 grms nuts, ( I prefer pecan or a mix with unsalted cashews)

1 Cup large cut oats

1/4 cup oil, ( I use light olive oil)

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 beaten egg white

 Heat the maple syrup with the oil, when warm, add the nuts chopped, keep on the low heat and stir for about 5 minutes. When the nuts are golden add the beaten egg white and stir in. Remove from heat and stir in the oats until throughly mixed. Spread onto a nonstick baking tray and bake at 170 C for 20 mins. Be careful to keep an eye on it and stir from time to time to avoid the edges burning.

Leave to cool and mix well, when totally cool put into an airtight container, will keep for two or three weeks easily.

 

  
 Further reading can be found on the Times website. http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/life/article4604660.ece?shareToken=cb593d9f450a8b8204d1504164c2cb6d

Many restaurants have sister restaurants but this is a one and two for the eponymous restaurant that is the Ivy. The Ivy is in fact in two parts, the Ivy and the Club at the Ivy. Anyone can go to the Ivy, (providing you can get a reservation) it is affordable and a fun place to go and people watch. The Club at the Ivy, is a private members club and I assume that is where all of the A-Z listers hide out. The Ivy, is part of Caprice holdings, which includes Daphne’s Caprice, J. Sheekey and Scotts (16 in all). The Ivy is very discreet, hidden down a side street in Londons west end, as is Caprice and J. Sheekey. The new off shoots, The Ivy Chelsea Garden ( March 2015) and the Ivy Market Grill ( November 2014)  are more visible, one on the Kings Road in the Chelsea area of London and the other right on the very busy square of Covent Garden. 

 We tried the Ivy Market grill and the first thing we noticed was that we were able to book for 8 people. Many of central London better restaurants will not take such a booking, maybe for lunch but not for dinner. The second thing that we noticed was it was the same very smart interior and very smooth service. So how was the menu? It too was similar in feel to the Ivy. An eclectic choice to suit all tastes and for central London it was affordable. The restaurant is open from 8 am until late, so open for Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Afternoon Tea, Pre theatre dining, Dinner and Post theatre! So fine dining all day ! We were spoilt  for choice, but I chose the seared scallops which were just wonderful, they were served with truffle creamed potatoes, Parmesan crisp and shaved truffle.  

 However for me the test was Fish and Chips. This is my all time comfort food, and if I were a condemned woman, it would be my request for my last meal. But, if it were not up to scratch then I would be sorely disappointed. Although this my number one meal, I rarely have the chance to eat it hence I am really fussy where and when I eat it. Not for me if the batter is soggy, not for me if the chips are floppy and cold. They both have to reach my standard. The batter has to be crisp and dry , the chips, firm, hot and crisp. 

Deal on the south coast is a small old town ( dating from before the 13 th Century) is the home to an old fashioned Fish and Chip restaurant, the kind which sells Take Aways in the front and has a small un inspiring restaurant in the back. Their Fish is perfect, but the chips are very English, a bit boring. Then there is Sittingbourne, a town in the middle of Kent, which has seen better days. They too have an old fashioned kind of Fish and Chip restaurant, where they even serve Kiddie size portions ( you have to be a big kid to eat it as the portion size is not small) for OAP’s. Again they reach the mark with the fish, but fall short in the chip department.  

  Move on to Marlow in Buckinghamshire to the award winning 2 Michelin starred Pub of Chef Tom Kerridge. He, who currently has a Pop Up restaurant in Harrods. Again, he has great fish with wonderful crispy batter, but for the chips again fell short. I am convinced that they are extruded, they were crisp but the interior was just not right and in dong some research I discovered that many chefs use this method,i.e.  make mashed potato and pipe it out in exact lengths before deep frying. 

So onto the Ivy Market Grill, and bingo, the Fish and Chips hit the spot, the batter was crisp and dry and so were the chips and hot! Wonderful. And the Mushy Peas, well forget those, no one serves real mushy peas these days. 

 Mushy peas are dried marrowfat peas which are first soaked overnight in water with bicarbonate of soda then rinsed in fresh water and simmered with a little sugar and salt until they are soft and mushy. Very often food colouring is added to keep them green. Nowadays, many restaurants serve “Mushy Peas” but in fact what they do is take peas ( probably frozen) cook them and then mush them a bit. I have to admit this way of eating peas is preferable to either balancing them on the tines of your fork ( English style) or using your fork as a shovel ( American style) , but they are Not Mushy Peas!

Only one of us tested the desserts, but it looked an impressive Baked Alaska. We left the Ivy Market  Grill more than satisfied with our new find and I am sure we will return. 

 One final note, according to my sources, Richard Caring who owns this group of restaurants, was the man behind the Brasserie style cafes called Côte. This chain has now been moved on but the new kid on the block from th same team is Bills. Cheaper than Côte, marginally, not as slick as Côte, but it works, we love it as there is one about 30 seconds from my front door, so what’s not to like?

I love markets, be it a local one in France, England or Mexico. The fish market in Palma, Majorca is wonderful as is the main market in Barcelonaor Florence. The weekly market in Condesa, Mexico City is a riot of colour and flavours, everything can be tasted before buying and if you are to lazy to chop or grate your own vegetables for a stir fry, then these too are readily available. 

  

  
  One of the best markets that I have been to is in southern Yunnan, in China. Here the ethnic mix is Han Chinese long with Chinese ethnic minorities, many of whom are also ethnic Burmese. The women in the market place, traditionally have painted faces and are very beautiful. Whereever I travel, I always make a point of visiting the markets, I feel they give a true reflection of life for the real people who live there. Case in point is Cuba. When the Russians left Cuba, the average Cuban lost over a third of his body weight, because the local economy could not produce enough food and funnily enough, Cubans do not eat fish, as most of it is exported. Consequently the food on offer in the markets was indeed of a very poor quality. 

 
London on the other hand, has a multitude of markets, many of them ethnically biased, depending on the neighbourhood . The North End road, in west London is predominately African, whilst Church Street Market , just north of the Marble Arch is mostly Middle eastern. Borough Market near London Bridge station is the complete opposite, it is the weekend Yuppies paradise. 

  

  

  

 

If I need upmarket good quality produce I will go to Borough Market. Never go on a Saturday, it is unbelievably crowded, and is a real food fest, people everywhere eating. If I want more local, in season produce, then I go to Church Street and jostle with the shrouded middle eastern ladies. Here too are some eateries, but are  not of the Foodie variety, more the local ethnic foods.

For an interesting exercise, I have compared some prices for cheese. I bought in France some local cheese, called Abondance ( I love the name) and it makes the most delicious Cheese tarte ( quiche type of tart but heavy on the cheese), in France I paid about £13, per kilo, in Borough Msrket, it was £24, so almost double BUT in an up market cheese shop ( La Fromagerie, in Marylebone)  it was a whopping £32, so although Borough is not a  cheap venue for shopping it is certainly cheaper than a specialist cheese shop. 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

 
We also visit Billinsgate, which is in Docklands, this is the main fish market not only for London but for the UK. It opens about 3 or 4 am, I tend to go on. Saturday at about 7 am, there will be fewer people there and a few fewer traders, but nonetheless it is well worthwhile, not only in terms of price but certainly in quality. The market inspector, checks each stall daily to check the quality of the wares on sale.If you know nothing about fish, then it could be worth your while to take a class at the Billinsgate Seafood Training School. Here they will take you on a tour of the market, choose some fish, go upstairs to school and learn how to prepare various types of fish and then cook them.

Another stop on our market tour is to Smithfield market. This again is a wholesale market but this time for meat. The best buys are certainly on ribeye steaks and filet of beef.

And finally the last of my regular stops , is the New Covent Garden, this is for plants and flowers ( and all related items ) in the first half and in the second is the wholesale fruit and vegetables section.i have to admit to not having been in the fruit and veg section, but about three times a year I buy plants for my terrace in the plant section. Where else do you think the garden shops and florists buy their wares? Which brings me on to Columbia Road. Nothing to do on a Sunday morning, then a visit to Columbia Road is a must! It is the Sunday morning version of Brough Market, but for plants and flowers and yes, you have guessed it, food!

Jimmy Choo, the real life shoe designer ( not the high street brand, which went global under Tamara Mellon) the man originally behind the brand and his couture shoe company, has branched out into the restaurant business. Well, he is the man behind,  Maximini, a Chinese restaurant in the Marble Arch area of West London. It is a relief to have something different from the Persian /Arabic restaurants in this neighbourhood, as this is where the inhabitants of many of the gulf states de-camp to in the height of the summer. 

Surprisingly Jimmy Choo has labeled his restaurant Fine Chinese dining, he is from Malaysia, and his favourite local restaurnt is the Satay house, (Malaysian) which is near Paddington Station. We have not been to the Satay House for a long time now, but it is a bit of a hole in the wall type of restaurant, but full of Malays, which usually means that the food is good, and it is!

But back to Maximini, our dinner there on a warm summers evening, was very pleasant though we will not be rushing back. Trip Avisor says that although Maximini has only been opened a couple of years, it is in need of a face lift, but I can not comment, as we sat outside.  

 The Menu, is in fact a mix of Chinese, Malay, Indonesian and Peranakan cuisine, which is of course, Jimmy Choos heritage. We started with a Mixed Hot Platter, which consisted of Satay Chicken, Prawn toasts and Vegetarian Spring Rolls, all very good. We then chose, myself the Crispy Duck, ( Peking Duck) with spring onion and chinese pancake, Willowy Brunette chose the Sambal Prawns, and himself, the Malay Beef Curry. We also chose, stir fried Pak Choi, Penang noodles and stir fried Broccoli. The vegetables were absolutly delicious and plentiful, actually all of the food was delicious and no complaints there. However, the service certainly needs attention. My crispy duck arrived a good 10 minutes before the rest of the meal. Not good at all, but on re-thinking, we might try again, as the food was outstanding, and given that the Willowy Brunette, would not normally go to a restaurant that smacks of being chinese ( overcooked, precooked and MSG) but she enjoyed her dinner, it could be worth giving it a second chance.

 

 
 

  

  

   
   

During the summer months, dining heads towards the lazy side with BBQ being the name of the game, fish, kebabs, homemade hamburgers, steak or whatever takes our fancy. However, something needs to accompany the grill food, one of our favourites is grilled Baby Gem Lettuce, which is simple beyond belief.

Allo 1/2 a Baby Gem per person,trim the end off and discard some of the less desirable outer leaves,, run them under water and shake dry or pat on paper towel, smear with olive oil and some smashed garlic if desired. Place on a hot grill and grill for about three minutes before turning, turn and grill the second side. Of course do not over cook ( read Burn) and timing will depend upon the strength of your grill.

The other time that is really simplicity itself is what I call, grilled vegetable salad with couscous and Harissa. 

 Prepare a quantity of vegetables for grilling, include, red, green and yellow peppers, aubergine, courgettes, tomatoes cut into 1/4’s and red onions cut into thick slice’s . Grill on a BBQ ( can be done in. Grill pan on the stove top) when cooked ( do not overlook) put into a polythene bag to sweat, whilst cooking the remainder of the vegetables. Put all of the vegetables into  bowl or box, pour over some salt and pepper and some olive oil and mix well. At this point the vegetables maybe left until ready to use or refrigerated until needed. 

 Take 8 oz of easy cook couscous, add a knob of butter and a pinch of salt. Pour over some boiling water, enough to cover plus an inch. Leave to stand until all the water has been absorbed, stir. Leave to one side to cool.

  Make the Harissa dressing by mixing together, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons of ground cumin, 1/2 tube tomato paste, 1/2 can Harissa paste and 1/2 cup lemon juice. 

Assemble when ready to eat, put the couscous in a bowel, add the grilled vegetables,top with assorted salad leaves  and then dollops of the Harissa mix. Cut 4 Oz of Feta cheese into cubes, add this to the top of the salad. Toss altogether with small amount of vinaigrette and sprinkle over some white or black sesame seeds .

When himself went to Berlin to University ( a life time ago), he spoke no German, whatsoever. Arriving at the Hauptbahnhof, near midnight, the station restaurant was still open. Looking at the menu he recognised Nothing! But wait a moment Steak Americain! STEAK, that will do! So he chose that but to his great surprise, it was raw meat!

Times have changed, and steak Americain, or steak tartare, is one of our favourites. Of course it got a bad rap after the various BSE scares, but honestly we find it a delight, especially when it is prepared in front of you, at your table. One restaurant in London that I like and which has recently been re vamped is The Ivy in Covent Garden . I have checked and it still serves Steak Tartare either as a starter of as a main course. We were in Montreux Switzerland recently, and ate at the Jazz Cafe ( it was the Montreux Jazz festival) . On the menu we found Steak Tartare and of course we both chose it. Our friends newly arrived from Houston Texas, where they like their steaks ( big and cooked) were not so keen but JB did choose the duck and asked for it rare, and then he had food envy when he saw ours!   

 It easy to make yourself, but especially easy here in France, as the butcher will mince top quality steak for you. However, in the UK I would recommend either you mince the meat yourself, or chop it by hand but make sure it is chopped finely.

To make your own Steak Tartare you will need:-

500g of beef fillet, diced or minced.          25g of shallot or red onion finely chopped

40g of cornichons, chopped.                       40g of baby capers, rinsed

20g of Dijon mustard.                                   90g of mayonnaise

5 drops of Tabasco.                                        14ml of brandy

1 pinch of parsley, chopped.                          Salt and pepper to taste

To serve:-

4 egg yolks.       4 slices of sourdough bread And or Double cooked French ( Belgian ) fries.    100g of rocket 

 

 

 
 

     

     
 

Michaël Torfs reports that the Belgian government is working on a new law which determines the composition of mayonnaise. You might think that this is a bit weird, however, Mayo is an important part of “Frites et Mayo” “frieten met mayonaise” (chips with mayonnaise). De Morgen and Het Laatste Nieuws, Belgian newspapers, and this has been picked up by The Times and the Guardian of London. The current law (1955 ), decrees that real Mayo should contain 80% fat and 7.7% egg yolk. But in times of food consciousness many manufacturers make a healthier options, which puts the Belgian producers at a disadvantage.  Actually not sure why someone would choose a lighter Mayo with the French fries after all they themselves are highly calorific, especially as in Belgium French fries are always double cooked and the best triple cooked. By the way, French fries were not apparently invented by the French but by the Belgians in the 17 th century, which strikes me as odd, as Belgium as a country did not come into being until after the Napoleonic wars! Ah Well!

Himself, when asked the other night “what would you like for dinner?” came up with the idea of Boulliabaisse. Great idea, I thought, but we had to compromise as if you read French cook books, One can not make a true Boulliabaisse, without  Racasse, ( a fish of the Scorpion Family) and alternative in the UK is Gurnard, or possibly monkfish. Acording to the orginal doyenne of cookery, Elizabeth David, said there are as many “Authentic” Boulliabaisse recipes as there are cooks!

So lacking Racasse. or anything similar, we connocted our own recipe, using that which was available, so I guess it could be called a fish stew along the lines of Boulliabaisse. The whole principle of this dinner was that himself would cook dinner. And he did.

So for our version of Bouillabaisse, he used.

1. about 200 grms each of white fish, salmon, wth the skin removed and cut into chunks. 200 grms each of Shrimp( large ones, de-veined and heads off) Squid, cleaned and cut into slices.12 od so mussels.
2. 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 onions chopped, 2 sticks celery chopped, 1 fennel bulb, chopped, 6 cloves garlic, chopped.
3. 2Tbsp tomato puree, 1 can chopped tomatoes 
4. a bouquet garni composed of thyme, bay leaves and fennel sprigs
5. 1/2 bottle white wine. plus some Rouille for eating.( see later)
6. a splash of lemon juice
7. a splash of pernod ( optional of course)

1. Boil together the oil and the wine. Add the vegetables and cook until soft. Add the canned tomatoes and the tomato purée. Add the  bouquet Garni,  along with the lemon juice andPernod.
2. add each type of fish  separately , and cook gently, when cooked remove and put to one side, and then cook the next, until you reach the the shrimp and  mussels.. return all the fish to the stew, taste and season, add more wine of stock to create enough liquid to be able to add the shrimp and mussels. Simmer, and the shrimp and shell fish will only take a few minutes to cook.

To try and be a little more authentic this should be served in large bowls, along with some  slices of French bread toasted with some garlic butter, AND Rouille stirred into your bowl. Rouille is a fiery sauce, from theMediterranean, It is made by whizzing together, several cloves of garlic  along with 2 small red chili peppers and 1 red pepper. Take a thick slice of bread, remove the crust and soak in a little of your fish soup. Squeeze it and add to the garlic etc., Whizz in little by little an egg yolk and then add bit by bit up to 4 Fl Oz of Olive oil ( as if you were making Mayonnaise. If you think this is a bit of a faf, which I can understand, then you can by it ready made in many supermarkets.