A dear Chinese friend gave a cooking class the other day, in aid of charity of course but it was a fun day.

She described her style of cooking as Home Cooking, but whatever it was, it was delicious.

There were a couple of things that really caught my eye, or rather my taste buds, Steamed Sea Bass, Stir Fried Mango Duck and a sauce, which I will call, Shiitake Mushroom Chinese Sauce. Every cook has a secret ingredient or recipe, which they refuse utterly to share with anyone, and this is Annie’s! So after a lot of google-ing and recipe testing I have finally come up with my own version of Annie’s sauce, I could be totally wrong, and only time will tell if it keeps, it has been sealed in sterilized bottles, so watch this space, and if it is successful, I will divulge.

So onto Steamed Sea Bass and I apologise to Annie for stealing her recipe.

For two people:-

• A large Sea Bass, gutted and de-scaled
• a large knob of ginger, peeled and finely sliced
• a bunch spring onions , sliced lengthwise ( about 5 cm)
• 2 Tablespoons Low salt Soy Sauce
• 1 Cup Vegetable oil
• Bunch of fresh coriander chopped
• 2 teaspoons of sesame oil

Now Annie, used a steam pan to cook her fish, in fact any pan can be used, and made into a steamer, simply by placing some kind of rack into the bottom of a saucepan and make sure that the boiling water keeps below the rack. A bit complicated? Well, an easier way is to use the dishwasher, Annie steamed her fish for 35 Minutes or so, and I steamed my fish on the lowest WASH ( apart from the rinse programme) for an hour. Of course my fish was completely sealed.

Wash the fish and pat dry, ( assuming you have had it gutted and de-scaled by the fishmonger), Slash the fish and insert some of the ginger, the spring onions and some of the chopped coriander. Pour on some drops of the sesame oil, and wrap in aluminium foil, or if using the dishwasher method, seal in a polythene bag ( I have a vacuum sealer, but a zip lock bag will work well, but I would double bag it)

Steam for about 35 mins in a steam pan, or as I say, my shortest programme with the dishwasher is about an hour, and it works really well.

Just before the fish is ready, heat some vegetable oil, , place the fish onto a serving dish and pour over some of the hot oil and garnish with ginger, coriander and onions. Pour over a little soy sauce and/or sesame oil.

Of course some people do not like eating fish on the bone, so a variation of this would be to have sea bass filets, and put some of the ginger, onions and coriander in-between the filets as a form of stuffing and cook in the same way.

The next thing that Annie did was to cook Duck with Mango, again a fast dinner, but a visual and tasty joy.

For 2 people

• 2 duck breast
• 3 spring onions finely sliced
• 1 small red onion also finely sliced
• 1 large ripe mango, peeled and sliced
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tablespoon low salt soy sauce
• a fresh red chilli sliced

1. Slice the duck into 1/2″ strips
2. mix together the red onion, some of the ginger, some of the oil and the soy sauce. Add the duck and leave to marinate, for at least 15 mins, but it is also possible to leave it overnight ( as I did almost by default).
3. Heat some oil in a wok or deep pan along with some salt and pepper. Add the duck and cook for about 5 mins. Add the rest of the ingredients , leaving the mango to the end, so as not to over cook it.

This might be the traditional Chinese method, but the downside is that Duck has a fatty breast, which of course imparts flavour, but some people might object to the relatively raw fat ( himself and Willowy brunette for starters) , so I adapted the method slightly. I grilled the duck fat side down, after marinating,

then added to the wok as above.

And lastly, I am always fascinated by what I find in Supermarkets, especially when I am not in the UK.

My father once told me that his all time favourite as a boy was being able to afford a can of condensed milk and eating it all straight out of the can. It would seem that little has changed since then, as I found this in a french Supermarket recently. Pocket size, just incase you get a little peckish! Willowy Brunette ( She’s a Dentist will not be recommending that to anyone soon!)

Well so far we are only at a rate of 50% positive, which means of course 50 % negative!

Each year after our stay in our mountain home, where we do not eat out very often, given the sameness of the local cuisine ( ham, cheese, potatoes in many disguises)  we choose a hotel  which is 6-8 hours drive, which has a good restaurant, preferably one with a Michelin Star, nearby. The first year we tried this, we ate in a Michelin star restaurant in Reims, the home of champagne. The restaurant was good, the hotel not so good! The following year in wanting to avoid Calais because of the migrant crisis there, we stopped on St. Omer. The town faded and sad, the hotel, basic but new and clean, And with secure parking. But the restaurant!  Upon inspection on arrival, we were rather dismayed, but a surprise was in store, every table was taken, the linen, clean and crisp, the service perfect as was the food!

Last year we detoured to Colombey Les Deux Eglises, the spiritual home of Charles de Gaulle, a quaint, very touristy town, accommodation quaint but the restaurant a big disappointment. Although it holds a Michelin star, in my mind not warranted. The food, faddish ( serving a piece of steak on a huge beach pebble, impossible to eat) and the service decidedly not up to scratch, when himself left the table with napkin duly dumped, it was reassigned to a new duping ground ( in the middle of the table, whilst the next course was served, minus himself being at the table. Next, his red wine had a fly in it, which was removed, wine discarded but not replaced!!

So here we were again, it is August and despite it being the height of the holiday season, many of the good restaurants and hotels are closed, After all it is August and France shuts down for August! I finally settled on Le Touquet Paris Plage, about an hours drive from “Le Tunnel sous la Manche ” ( the channel tunnel to you and me) Perfect? No! The chosen restaurant was full, so plan b came into force. The restaurant that was recommended ( a bit of, You scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours, springs to mind) was Les Cimaises, in Hotel Le Westminster, part of the Barrière group, An expensive hotel for a quick overnight stay! And on top of that just in case you abscond, they automatically add an extra €200 to the deposit Credit card!! Umm !!!

As it was a quick overnight stop, we did not see too much of Le Touquet, but it looks a really nice town, not at all Margate more like Padstow. That is being unfair to Margate, memories of a former life, but really nice tree-lined avenues and lovely looking  thatched houses, must go back I have said to myself, but not to the Le Westminster. Apart from the price, the bar was so old-fashioned ( and empty), dark and gloomy, the restaurant unsatisfactory and the rooms? well the rooms, spacious enough, clean and bright, comfortable, but the bathroom, well, the shower one could kill oneself, in getting in and out of the bath, the hairdryer, on of those hot air tubes, attached high up on the wall, and the Bidet??? to use it, if you must, shove a table halfway around the room, to get to it!

So, onto our “Gourmet” dinner. The our amazement the restaurant was full ( lucky us we had reserved), and very noisy. Uncle Tom Cobley and all were there, along with screaming kids, and snotty nosed geriatrics ( not us you understand) but one of whom was in my direct vision, who used his napkin constantly to wipe his nose!!

We soon discovered why the restaurant was so popular, a Buffet, !! every Friday but maybe on other days as well, and even though I did not even look at the buffet, I knew at once, that there would be a few choice items and then the rest would be fillers, in the form of salads and starch. Sure enough, there was the constant flow of diners marching up and down to the buffet, returning with their plates laden sky-high, half of which would be then left on their plates!

So we ate a la carte, the menu was fine, not very imaginative but there were two things on it that I really wanted to try. The first, was something I had never eaten before, L’Os à Moelle Rôti, ( Roasted Marrow Bone) and the second something that I like,

Riz de Veau ( Veal Sweetbreads).

The roasted marrow bone was a revelation, tow large pieces of bone was perhaps a little too much, but was in fact very tasty. The Riz de veau on the other hand was decidedly odd, served with some rather dry macaroni ( I never eat macaroni) and some melted Mozarella, the Riz de veau alone were nice though, but forget about the other bits! We skipped dessert, decamped to the bar, which is when we discovered it to be really rather dull!

The final insult for our little jaunt in Le Touquet, was the morning Tea. Given the fact that they charge a Caution, in case we abscond, the morning tea cups, were paper!!However on my return to the UK, I visited my local Waitrose, only to find that they had Marrow Bones cut lengthwise! Whole foods often has Marrow bones, but cut across so to make Osso Buco.

Needlessly to say I just had to buy them and headed home to try for myself. Easy it is. According to Fergus Henderson, in his book The Complete Nose to Tail Victorians would serve Onion Soup and Bone Marrow  Toast to sickly children, to make them grow big and strong.

All that is needed to make Marrow Bone toast, are the bones, and a baquette cut in half lengthwise, rubbed with some olive oil, toasted and sprinkled with some Fleur du Sel. Simply roast the bones, marrow side up in a fairly hot oven until the marrow is soft and brown. Serve with the toast and a spoon to scoop out the marrow. Yummy !!

I have often said that mountain food comprises four or five ingredients served in any number of variations. Often I am very dismissive of this type of food, Boring says I But sometimes, just sometimes, it beats any Invention test !

Today we wandered down to the local supermarché, not my favourite place in the world, but for someone who actually likes grocery shopping, it is purgatory, however, it is not Pooperama, of Mexico City fame!  It is a small supermarket, which actually sells almost everything, motor oil, electric small appliances, underwear, kids clothes , it is quiet amazing ! However the main objective, the food, to my mind needs HELP! Strawberries, or raspberries which go Off in a day, or Rocket likewise and on a Sunday morning they are out of bread ( actually we are lucky that they are even open on a Sunday morning!)

So today, as it was seriously wet here in the Haute Savoie, all the world and his wife were shopping ( well what else to do on a wet day in the mountains). We had our list and little Sam had his cart and helped, no melt down in the sunglasses section today ( thank goodness). However himself and I could not decided on what to have for dinner. We almost forsook my rule of ‘ I have food in the freezer, we need to use that ! We looked at the fish,  tired looking specimens, and now they have a rope around, a barrier, just in case you get too close and smell that which  has seen better days! Last year eldest daughter noticed that there is a section of Marked Downs, umm she said do they really think anyone will buy that ? Rather green looking Salmon that had very much better days,but hey it was – 25% , still not give away though !

So the neighbourhood kids played all day and the lovely Carolyn, fed them all, except young Sam who decided that Pasta was not his thing ( for today at least), so it was just himself and me, what to have. Well the obvious was of course, open a bottle! The most recent report is that wine staves off dementia ! So more wine please !!

The invention test is ” Open the refrigerator and make dinner with some of the contents” so our dinner was a Brie that was so ripe, it was about to run out of the door, assorted Saucissons bought at the market in Chamonix last Saturday, French bread left over from Breakfast, potatoes, steamed in the microwave and some Parma ham. And so it was, the Brie was put into a dish and put into the oven, along with the bread to crisp, the potatoes put into the microwave, the saucisson sliced and hey viola dinner was served !

On another note, I always find it very interesting what I find in supermarkets. Last year it was butter with chocolate chips in, and today, it was pocket size condensed milk ( just in case you need a sugar rush whilst out and about.)

Here in the French Alps, it is like a time warp. The neighbourhood, at least in summer come out into the streets, and chat ( where do we do that in London? In the elevator maybe) but more than that the kids of all ages come out to play, wandering from one house to another, as their fancy takes them. And when I say kids they currently range in age from 2 1/2 to 13!  A big age gap but it does not seem to matter. French, Swiss, French/Irish, and my ex Mexicans! It doesn’t matter that they might not have seen each other for 6 , 9 or 12 months, they continue where they left off, a little older, a few more social skills but really just the same.

So, we are here with three of them ( the ex Mexicans), yesterday, there were 8 kids here and what do kids do, have a water fight of course! The girls said they won, and that is because they recruited young Sam to be on their team, and he is pretty mean with a water gun! Don’t get in his way, you will get wet !

The next adventure was making Slush Puppies, or Snow cones. A very American thing but oh so much fun and just think of those E numbers!! I bought a slush puppy machine, basically and electrified ice shaver, a bunch of paper cones and special flat ended straws ( easier to slurp up the ice) and three different syrups to flavour, Pink Bubblegum, ( sounds disgusting) , Red Strawberry and Blue Raspberry. Slush puppies made and Slurped to everyone’s enjoyment!

And so, onto today, today was the turn of the Eton Mess. As written about in the last blog, simple as can be. Sophia, the eldest child had made Meringues with her dad in the trade way, but was she surprised by this method, so much so, that she zoomed across the street and promptly made some more, which her grandad in particular really liked. Her Dad on the other hand sent me a text in the middle of the night about the sticky fingers everywhere! What else does he expect !

The only difference to my last comment on Eton Mess, is we used more icing sugar, and I assume that this was because I used larger eggs! Just remember the mixture must be stiff enough to roll into balls about the size of table tennis balls! Sophia commented that one of her subsequent meringues was on the large side( she admitted to making her balls on the large side!)

So get cooking with the kids, from 2- 15 they will love the instantaneous of this recipe! Don’t worry about the sugar, more veggies tomorrow !

Who doesn’t like Eton Mess?, A carefully constructed then deconstructed mess.
According to Wikipedia, it is a traditional English dessert, made with Merinques, Strawberries and whipped cream. It was first mentioned in print in 1893 and is believed to have originated at Eton College, Berkshire, although Lancing College in West Sussex also serve something similar ( surprisingly called Lancing Mess ) and is made with bananas.
It is a surprisingly simple to make and even those of you who think that maybe making meringues, requires a great deal of expertise, time and patience, will be suprised at how easy it is.
Making meringues in the Microwave oven is the way forward, it take just 90seconds to make three of them ! Yes, just 90 seconds., The end result is something that many chefs can only dream of. They are light and fluffy, very breakable, so absolutely suitable for an Eton Mess.
To make these meringues, all you need is 150 grams icing sugar( powdered sugar) and one lightly beaten egg white.
Add the icing sugar to the egg white and mix ( easiest with you hands) until you have a thick stiff mixture. Then take a small amount and roll it until it resembles a ball the size of a golf ball. Place it on a plate, either one which is covered with Rice Paper ( this is edible, but no idea where to buy it these days) or place on a silicone mat. Bake three at a time , in a microwave oven, on high for 90 seconds, and be amazed at your end result.

So all you need to do now, is to whip some cream ( there is a German product from Dr. Oetker called Klop Fix not sure what it contains, but it makes cream stay very stiff once whipped, so useful here) , crush the meringues, add some traditionally strawberries, (but weirdly my French supermarket did not have strawberries, even though it is summer) or raspberries and there you go, an instant dessert!

Alternatively of course the meringues can be sandwiched together with raspberry jam and cream, makes for messy eating of course but who cares! Another instant , well almost instant dessert/ confiture is Microwave Lemon curd. Never made Jam or Lemon curd, then try this. It does not keep for long but makes about three jars, must be kept in the refrigerator until used, but also freezes well!

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup granulated sugar
2. 3 eggs (yolks and whites)
3. 1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 4-5 lemons)
4. zest of 3 lemons
5. 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

In a large microwave-safe bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until smooth and thoroughly combined. Whisk in lemon juice, lemon zest and melted butter.

Cook in the microwave on full power for one minute intervals, stirring after each minute. This process will take about 3-5 minutes depending on the strength of your microwave. You will know the lemon curd is done cooking when it coats the back of a wooden spoon.

Remove from the microwave, beat and pour into a sterile jar.

Once the curd has cooled to room temperature, cover it with a lid and store it in the refrigerator for about 3 weeks. The curd will thicken as it cools.

This great for toppings on yoghurt, vanilla ice cream becomes something much more and of course more or less an instant lemon tart when poured into a ready made pastry and topped with some slices of lemon and popped under the grill! Or uses to sandwich two meringues together.

All of this is easy peasy, I think I will get Miss Tess to try it next week when my  now ex Mexicans come to stay!

Ever since going to Mexico City about five years ago to visit number one daughter ( The svelte Blond) and her family ) I have become addicted to Avocados and poached eggs. And so it would appear that the rest of the world has also fallen in love with Avocados, at least.

According The  Telegraph a couple of months ago, the world demand for Avocados ( a Mexican staple) has caused Strikes in Mexico and a crime wave in New Zealand!

£128 million was spent in the U.K. On Avocados, which was more than what was spent on oranges, last year. The UK demand has risen by 1/3 year on year. Coupled with poor seasons in New Zealand and California Avocados have reached world high prices. The Mexican farmers obviously want their share of profits as well, hence the strike. The UK gets most of its Avocados from Chile, Israel, Peru and South Africa, but in the meantime there has been a drought in South Africa and China has put in a demand for 10,000 tons of the green fruit annually!

Theft from Avocado farms in New Zealand has become common place and in Australia some are equating Avocados with Cash! Hence the amusing picture from the Telegraph, taken outside an Australian supermarket! 

Many restaurants, both large and small now in London at least, have started serving this my current favourite breakfast.

I feel I am on a mission to find the perfect Avocado breakfast ( apart from me cooking it myself that is) ! Lardo in Condesa Mexico City is pretty much perfect, but sadly that is a tad too far to go for a regular “Fix”. The newish chain of “Bills” does a fairly satisfying version and there is one such restaurant just around the corner from my home. The Famous Ivy restaurant and now all of the “Baby” Ivy cafes also serve Avocado with poached eggs. This version I am less keen on as they serve it on toasted granary bread! Ugh! It goes soggy just looking at the smushed Avocado and when it is served with the poached eggs and a delicious sesame sauce, might just as well have the toast on the side as it ends up being a bit like a soggy bath time sponge!

My current favourite cafe in which to to eat my current favourite breakfast is Baker and Spice on Elizabeth Street, a smart street, halfway between Victoria and Sloane Square. Full of small independent shops and cafes, Baker and Spice is a cafe come bakery, come deli. A few tables inside and half a dozen or so outside which come supplied with blankets to snuggle under if the weather is chilly. Too lazy to smush your own Avocados? But want to eat at home, then head to Selfridges food hall and there one can find a Baker and Spice stand, selling much of what is available in their Elizabeth street store.

Last week however, for a birthday breakfast, we tried a new venue, not new in so much as, being physically new, and not New as a restaurant for us, but newish for us for breakfast. This is, a sister restaurant to The Wolseley. Fischer in Marylebone is much more low key than some of its other sister restaurants ( The Delaunay, Colbert, The Wolseley) it is based on an Austrian theme, more like a smart hunting lodge. And they now have Avocado breakfast! This time it was served on Sourdough with poached egg and a tomato salsa! Yummy, so now I have three go to places, Bills, being almost next door, Baker and Spice, ( the preferred one, but further to go) and Fischers ( walkable).

Above are some pictures taken in London recently and below two examples of Avocados on Sourdough toast.

Of course super simple to make at home but sometimes it is nice to be treated and eat out, especially when it is with the lovely willowy brunette.

On our recent visit to Berlin, we went on a nostalgia trip around the city.

Himself was at University here a life time again, when indeed it was two cities, with the wall keep the two Germanys apart. Back then, on every street corner and in particular on the smart shopping streets were Konditoreis, where the black clad war widows ate their daily portion of Cafe Kuchen , ( coffee and cake). The most famous of these was Café Kranzler, we knew exactly where it was, on the Kurfürstendamm, not far from the equally famous Department Store Ka We De. We eventually saw the awning announcing the cafe, but wait a moment, didn’t it open onto the pavement? No! We had to climb 2 flights of stairs through a trendy clothing store to find, a small coffee bar and not Café Kranzler at all, and no cakes !!

Walking around it took us back to the late 60’s, on visiting the DDR one was obliged to exchange Deutsche Marks for DDR Marks, and could not change them back, they had to be spent. Shops were few and very un exciting, but we finally found a cafe, and although the cakes were not a patch on the western ones, at least we could spend our money.

Back to today. The traditional cafes were not to be seen, ( lots of Starbucks !) but not to be out done, we ventured into KA WA DA, which is still there and smarter than ever. Up on the top floor , we found a large cafeteria type restaurant, but very much up market, and what did they have? Cakes!!! And in abundance! Cakes are not something I usually crave, but we were on a mission, and it was hard to choose!!!

Having eaten at the Wonderful Facil, the previous night we went down market  and decided to go to a Beer Hall, more in keeping with München maybe but fun nonetheless. We had stopped for a drink previously and thought that the food looked copious to say the least, even if not refined.

The place was extremely popular with students and older people alike. The speciality seemed to be “Die Beste, Krosse Ganze Hinterhaxe vom Schweineschinken, ein gutes kilo, mit bayrisch Kraut !!! Translated as a whole pork shank, which weighs at least a kilo and comes with Sauerkraut!  It was indeed very popular, so much so, that I wonder if there are any pigs left!! And amazingly, the crackling was superb!

Me on the other hand, had the Weiner Schnitzle, which was great but I chose to forgo the Potato  and gherkin  warm salad and had Pommes Frites instead. Needless to say we did not have a starter nor a dessert. It was very much for old times sake and not something to experience everyday. It would appear that the beer hall very much catered for groups and students.

Berlin is a very nice city today, but although we stayed in Potzdammer Platz, which in the cold war days was very much a no mans land today it is smart and bustling. The hotel where we stayed was the venue of the recent Global female Leaders conference       ( read Ivanka Trump). The Berlin Bear could be seen in many guises. We toured around, though this time not on a bicycle, though the city is flat and bicycles are everywhere.

Brandenburg Gate

A Dress made out of plastic spoons

berlin Bear

Berlin Bear

Female Leaders Forum poster

We saw what is left of the Wall, which is in the EAST side as well as Alexander Platz, which was the centre of the old East Berlin, along with its TV tower. Many of the residences  still date from the times of the DDR, rather austere and propaganda paintings on the walls.

We went to Potsdam, the city once the home of the Prussian Kings but more recently the site where Churchill, Truman and Stalin, met to decide the fate of Germany after WW2.

Today it is only 40 minutes on the train from berlin city centre and seems a little run down, remnants of the old East. However there si a Chateau worth seeing Chateau Sans Souci, which was the summer palace of  Frederick the Great. It was his answer to rival Versailles and is well worth a visit, but a guided tour only.

Bottom line? Berlin is a city with a wealth of history, easy to get around, either by bus, UBahn, S Bahn or of course Taxi.

I have found the perfect diet!

Forget the calorie counting, forget the 5:2, forget the Atkins and the South Beach! Forget them all! The best way forward is the Millionaires Diet! The clue to succeeding with this diet, is to only eat in Michelin starred restaurants, a) because the portions are usually small and b) one can’t usually afford to eat in them everyday! Or alternatively go for the other sure thing diet ” And only keep Champagne in the refrigerator”

On our recent nostalgia trip to Berlin we ate in a two Star Michelin restaurant, and it has to be said that himself has been waxing lyrical about it ever since. To his mind it replaces his former favourite ” Indian Accents” in New Delhi ( a bit too far to revisit, maybe)

Facile was exceptional, I am sure that in our former life, we could not afford such an outing, but back in divided Berlin, maybe such a restaurant did not exist. Actually I do not remember too much about what we ate back then except for some amazing cakes, but that is not for this blog.

From the moment we arrived, it was just spectacular. The table decorations all beautiful and even though we were in the city centre, looking outside was just an array of garden lights.

W decided to take the tasting menu, simply because, such a menu usually show cases the chefs talents well. And from this, we both chose the Brown Crab, but himself chose the Grilled Mackerel, whilst I, the Venison, and for the main course there was Lamb. We could have chosen, 4 from the list or more, but thought that four savoury courses would more than suffice and we could always decide later on the dessert.

The wine we chose, ( although it says Stockholm on the bottle) was from the Baden region of Germany as well as a Graubunder White Wine from the Pfalz. Again this was nostalgia, having lived in Southern Germany when first married. We were served an assortment of breads, with these being the prettiest, along with some pre-dinner nibbles.

The picture on the left is just sheer invention, it looks like yellow caviar, but is in fact lemon . There is a Tofu chip and then a kind of lemon mascarpone cream with lemon caviar on top. The caviar is little balls, of intense flavour filled lemon , just amazing. The dish on the right is the brown crab  with grapefruit, basil and green asparagus.

Here, we have the grilled mackerel with turnips, kale and curry.  The middle picture is tartar of venison, with fois gras, apple and burdock root, and finally the veal sweetbreads with smoked eel , mushrooms and cider foam.

And finally the rump of lamb, which had been cooked sous vide, with some moussaka, whisky and cucumber and caramelized eggplant ( aubergine).

In the end we could not resist trying the dessert which was simply called Rhubarb. As himself loves rhubarb, it really became a no brainer., However it came with Gianduja chocolate, Sorrel and Yuzu ( the Japanese/Chinese/Korean citrus fruit )and as you can see from the photo, it was picture perfect. and then we were served some petits fours as well.

And finally a photograph from the entrance hall, as you can see, everything was done to perfection, BUT not in any way was it pretentious, there were like us couple dining as well as a group of 17 business people, but everything was calm, and if I ever go back to Berlin, it will be number one on my hit list !!