My girls and I arrived in New York City last night (via way of London Mexico and Geneva, and we arrived almost at the same time). We arrived to much excitement. The willowy brunette has a birthday and we are here to celebrate. Consequently eldest sister and I have several things up our sleeves and some other things that were not up our sleeves, have poked out as options.

We are staying in a small boutique hotel,  a short hop from Times Square. So after a bottle of wine had been delivered and the champagne stashed in the refrigerator, the next question was “Where to eat?” somewhere not too far away, if possible.

A quick “google” on the “Open Table ” App, found us the perfect place, Marta, just around the corner, well almost around the corner. We were at 31st St. and they are at 29th St, so not too far to walk. So we quickly booked a table for three and descended to the lobby where it was “Happy Hour”, and a happy hour it was indeed as wine, white or red, was on the house !

Onwards to Marta, and thank goodness we had booked, the place was full and buzzing. People were standing in line, seated at the bar, and just hovering and hoping!

Marta is Italian and Pizza, but a distinctly up market pizza place. I am not known for my love of pizza and as such found it difficult, or so I believed. One is used to seeing pizzas along the lines of a Margharita, 4 cheeses or Calzone, the ones on the Marta Menu left me in a state of panic.

To start with there was a choice of red Pizza, or white Pizza? oh Help! I used o make pizza for the kids, and it was always Red, because of the tomato sauce and of course the tomatoes and the pepperoni, but white pizza?? So to clarify these were the choices on the Red list .

MARGHERITA •Mozzarella, Basil, STRACCIATELLA •  ( Home made shredded Buffalo mozarella type)House-made Stracciatella, Basil, Olio Verde, MACELLAIO •
Sopressata, Guanciale, Pork Sausage, Mozzarella, Grana Padano, SALSICCIA •
Pork Sausage, Cremini Mushrooms, Pecorino,and  MERCATO •
Marinated Sweet Peppers, Crushed Tomatoes, Provolone, Ricotta

And then onto the White Pizzas*PATATE ALLA CARBONARA •
Potatoes, Guanciale, Black Pepper, Pecorino, Egg, FUNGHI •
Fontina, Mozzarella, Hen of the Woods, Yellow Foots, Red Onion, Thyme, CARCIOFI •
Artichokes, Mozzarella, Fontina, Garlic Breadcrumbs  and  TESTA •
Pig Head Terrine, Mozzarella, Fontina, Arugula, Red Onion

So forgive me my confusion, however the slender blond came to my rescue by saying, “Mommy try the Funghi”, not that she would ever ,having an aversion to mushrooms, but she was right, this was for me.

We shared three different starters, way too much of course, but hey ho, we were in Birthday holiday mood. :-BIETOLE AI FERRI ( Ember-roasted Beets, Salmoriglio, Ricotta Salata)  ZUCCA FRITTA •Crispy Butternut Fries  and CAPESANTE • Grilled Scallops, Romanesco Cauliflower, Pine Nuts.

All of these were delicious, especially the roasted beets and the butternut squash fries. Then onto the Pizza. The slender Blonde chose the STRACCIATELLA, the willowy bruneete the SALSICCIA  and me the white pizza funghi. the mushrooms on this pizza were not just boring old mushrooms but hen of the woods and yellow foot mushrooms ( a type of chanterelle). Yummy !

We ate our full, drank our wine, declined dessert and tumbled along the road and bed.

What will await us tomorrow? wait and see!

An interesting little fact about Marta, SERVICE IS INCLUDED!

 Today, for a change we went out for breakfast but to somewhere completely different. We went to El Moro in the central district of Mexico City. This establishment is open 24 hours a day and they only serve variations of Churros, hot chocolate ( and maybe the odd coffee)!
It was found in 1935, by Francisco Iriarte,who had arrived in the city in 1933. Previously he had sold Churros from a cart in Spain and this he did in the beginning, in Mexico City but within two years he had bought the premises which now is the home of El Moro. The operation is very simple, Churros, which are a form of doughnut, are pumped in a stream from a machine into boiling oil, twirled around to make a maze like structure and cooked until golden brown, about 4 minutes. They are then lifted out with elongated chop stick like tongs, drained and then coated with sugar, either plain or cinnamon flavoured.
Apparently Francisco died young but the business was run by his siblings and today it is Santiago,the grandson of Francisco, who runs the churrería. Santiago has expanded the business and now has three new branches one in the Mercado Roma one at Rio Lerma and one at the upmarket shopping centre Palacio de Hierro in Polanco ( the Mayfair of Mexico City ). For Mexicans and tourists alike it is a must visit place !The way to eat Churros is to have a mug of hot chocolate of which there are several types to choose from. The one I favoured was the Chocolate light. We also tried the Especial and the Mexicano one of which was literally melted chocolate,so thick you could stand a spoon up in it ! Delicious for a sip or two, but not for a whole cup. Alternatives for an accompaniment for the Churros one can choose, melted chocolate, condensed milk or nuts, or if you are really daring try the Consuelos  which is basically a Churros ice cream sandwich ! It all makes for a really healthy breakfast !!

The place is always crowded, usually having to wait for a table, and even those who want take away have to stand in line. All of the waitresses are in a uniform of a bygone era, blue dresses, hats and white shoes.

Following on from sugar overload, we visited the wonderful exhibition on the City of Mexico, which is a light and sound show over an amazing scaled model of the city, which took several months to build. From there we scaled the Torre Latin Americas up to the 42 nd floor, this was  a great place to view the whole of the city. All of these activities should be included in any visit to the city. We also found a great boutique Bed and Breakfast hotel just around the corner!

We have been eating out quite a lot recently, Not really totally by choice, but just the way it has happened. Hopefully we will not add too many pounds by the time we have finished.( and  I haven’t even mentioned Mexican Breakfasts yet !)

 We were in Texas, for less than 5 days, but managed to eat out three times, which I  suppose was not too excessive! Visiting old friends gave us all the perfect opportunity.‪ In Texas everything is bigger, even a simple Caesar Salad can be made using the heads of 4 Romaine lettuce, and that is just for one person !
Upon our arrival we were served Grillades and Grits! Grillades is a typical New Orleans dish of pork in a sauce, and normally served at breakfast, but good anytime. Grits, is a typical Southern dish made from Hominy corn, it looks like a mushy soft rice pudding, ( if anyone has seen he movie ” My Cousin Vinny ” you will know about grits). Grits would not be my first choice, but mixed with cheese, it becomes a bit like Polenta with cheese. I asked my friend, what happened to left over grits, after all waste not want not. I soon learnt. Grits can be recycled, in the form of French Toast Grits,( it solidifies when cold and can be sliced)  not bad actually, especially with crispy American bacon and maple syrup.

Going out for lunch, we went to a Mexican restaurant in the Galeria area of Houston, Caracol, one of Hugo Ortega’s ( he has three or four in the Houston Area). We shared a starter of baked oysters, oysters are plentiful in the gulf and cheap, on the half shell or baked. To bake oysters is really simple, drain them put on a dish and sprinkle in this case with Parmesan cheese, but add spinach and Worcestershire sauce and then you have Oysters Rockefeller. I just love oysters, on the half shell, in a ceviche or baked, any which way will suit me. In the UK where oysters tend to be expensive, I have found that in the Chinese supermarkets, they can be bought frozen, which are perfect when cooking them!

For our main course I chose Oysters again, this time as Oyster Tacos, but with fried oysters, Yummy could have done without the a pyramid of rice though!
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The following night we went local to where we were staying. The Liveable Forest, so named because when they started building in the ’70’s, they left most of the trees and therefore the animals, deer, amardillos, snakes and the like ( today they just plough down the trees when building a new area.  It was decided to eat in a restaurant called the Veranda, I would say that Kingwood, is not much different to many USA, sub divisions, most people want something fast and not fine dining. The Veranda, hits the spot insomuch as it is not a chain and is small. Fine dining, maybe it is not, but is good especially for a noisy group ( which we were). However on a Saturday evening, before Christmas there were only three other tables occupied.

My friend chose a starter that had me baffled, it was called a Wedge Salad! Yes a Wedge! ( My grandson  did suggest that it could give you a wedgie!) I could not imagine what it was, however, all it is, is a chunk of usually iceberg lettuce with blue cheese dressing, and bacon bits! The girls all chose the Crab Cakes, which were mildly disappointing insomuch as there was too much potato in them. Usually in the States, especially the areas that have good seafood, crab cakes are made with lump crab meat, chopped celery, cilantro, chopped peppers and maybe some Chilies blended together with sour cream.

For my main course I chose Hanger Steak with Chimichurri sauce. Hanger steak is almost never to be found in a supermarket and might have to be asked for in a butchers. It is sometimes called Butchers Steak, as there is only one piece from each cow and is rich in flavour, hence the butcher might just keep it for themselves. In France it is called Onglet, in Spain and Mexico it is arrachera, whilst in Texas and the southern USA it is either flank or more often fajitas. Served rare to medium rare to avoid toughness it is a delicious cut of meat.

To make Chimichurri sauce ( a South American spicy sauce for steak)

small bunch parsley, roughly chopped, ½ tsp oregano preferably fresh but dried will do. 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 shallot, finely chopped ½ tsp chilli flakes , 3 tbsp olive oil juice ½ lemon, 2 tsp red wine vinegar.

To make the chimichurri, blitz the parsley, oregano, garlic, shallot and chilli flakes in a food processor , hand blender or chop very finely by hand. Add the olive oil, the lemon juice, vinegar and some seasoning, and blitz to combine everything to a chunky sauce consistency.

Heat a griddle or frying pan and cook the steaks for 2-3 mins on each side or until done to your liking. Rest for a few mins, then spoon the sauce onto the sliced steak. Serve with French Fries, creamed potatoes  or baked potatoes and salad.

I know it is only November, but thought I would have the girls to lunch, just 18 of them! Little did they realise that they would form the basis of my next blog.

So himself, decided that the house had to be ready to receive everyone, and scurried down to the vaults to find Christmas decor, tree ( artificial I am afraid) and not forgetting the wreath for the front door, along with angels and santas and other such things.So whilst I pottered in the kitchen, he chilled wine, set tables, polished glasses and silver ware. His middle name is Jeeves ! He would have stayed and performed the butler roll, but was sent packing to the golf course.

I made an assortment of foods for the main course and just two desserts.

There was a chicken salad, made with chopped chicken, celery, asparagus, green onions, chopped walnuts and some chopped coriander, all  mixed with a sauce made with a mixture of 50/50 sour cream and mayonnaise, some lemon juice and a dash of Worcestershire sauce.

Then, I made a modern twist on Blini with smoked salmon. I made several crêpes and sandwiched them together with smoked salmon that had been blitzed together with cream cheese and dill. This then looks like a cake and is served in wedges, along with a slice of lemon.

The next was with apologies to Yotem Ottolenghi, for the inspiration. A very healthy salad, it consisted of the following, and quantities are irrelevant. Cooked brown rice ( could be red rice) cooked quinoa, a mango – chopped, two avocados – chopped,  green onions -chopped,  pomegranate seeds, two grapefruits segmented and cut into bits, an orange zested and juiced, a couple of cloves of garlic – crushed , a cup of pistachio nuts – chopped , a can of chick peas , drained and a bag of rocket, mixed together with some olive oil. It is a very pretty salad and I thought about adding some cooked chopped beetroot as well, to give added colour, also chopped green celery would be good. Do not chop into tiny pieces, a bit of a pain to eat. I had such a healthy salad in Fischers the other day, it was fine in taste, but I gave up on eating it as the tiny pieces kept falling of the fork and apart from using my fork like a shovel, it was impossible to eat. My girl friend in Texas also cuts all of her salad ingredients into tiny pieces, again, too difficult to eat

Finally I made Kedgeree, this Anglo-Indian fish dish, which not only tastes just great, a  hint of curry, creamy and smooth but is so easy and can be made ahead of time and frozen.

Again I use anything fishy with no care to quantities, but to be little more helpful I will try to quantify here. The dish is basically in three parts. The rice, the fish and the curry sauce.

Cook your rice ( long grain ) the way you prefer, I usually make it more of a Pilau rice, by sauteing some onions, adding some  dried but ready to eat apricots, maybe some sultanas, and some cumin seeds, salt and pepper of course.

Then you will need about 1 Kilo of fish,gently poached in either milk or white wine, flaked when cooled and any skin and bones removed. I used a mixture of smoked haddock, salmon, cod and some shrimp, but really anything will do. It is a good way to use some of the fish that has been lingering in the back of the freezer!  250 grams mushrooms sliced and gently fried, 6 hardboiled eggs, mashed gently with a fork

For the curry sauce, you will need 100 grams butter (unsalted is what I use,) or Ghee as it will not splutter on melting, 1 onion finely chopped, some garlic and ginger paste, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp ground cumin, 2-3 tablespoons curry powder ( depends on your love of curry ) 1 tsp tomato paste, 100 ml fish or vegetable stock, salt and pepper,250 mls cream.

Melt the butter, fry the onion, add the garlic/ginger paste add all of the spices fry for a moment to release all of the flavour. Add the tomato puree and the sock and simmer to reduce and thicken. Add the cream.

Then,  just simply combine all of the above, taste adjust seasoning, put into an oven proof dish and bake for about 15 mins on a fairly hot oven to heat through, you can garnish it with some slices of tomato. If you wish to make ahead of time, put it into the dish, cover with cling film and freeze until ready to use. Defrost and when defrosted reheat for a little while in a fairly hot oven until heated through.

I was asked the other day, what was my favourite thing to cook for a dinner party. Actually, I was taken back as I do not have a favourite at all. I experiment, try new foods, try new recipes and ideas. I never know what we are going o have for dinner on any given night until I open the refrigerator or freezer and get inspiration.
During the summer, in France I resolved to use as much as possible from my freezer, so when Himself, said I fancy ?? For dinner, it was a NO unless the basis for the meal was there, in the freezer. And so now it is , back here in London. I am trying very hard to reduce the contents of my freezer, to make way for something new and exciting. Like venison filet! Umm had that last year and it was just wonderful!
So currently in my freezer, there is some white fish, ( some Hake, some cod and some Pangasius ( an Asian white fish available frozen), some salmon, some tuna, some prawns, some oysters ( they freeze really well and no shucking !) some calamari, some squid tentacles and some crab.) 

So for my fish pie, I used a mixture of fish, some white and some salmon, some prawns and eggs. Then you need some white sauce and cheese and tomatoes for decoration.

Quantities are a rough guide only, these amounts will make enough to fill a rectangular dish 30 cms x20 (11 ” x8″).
About a kilo in total of fish any mix is fine.

4-8 oz of shrimps or prawns or even crawfish 

3 eggs hard boiled and roughly mashed

About 700 grams cooked potatoes 
Then I always make my sauce by the One Stage method, Stork Margarine came up with this idea in 1969 whilst I was teaching cooking in a dilapidated school in central London. I embraced this method as did my pupils! Here was something they could do, chuck it in and hey it works! Not quiet that simple but pretty much! So this is my 2106 version as Microwave ovens were not around in 1969.
50 grams butter

50 grams cornflour

1/2 litre milk

120 grams grated cheese, ( I do not like cheddar but use Emmental or you could use goats cheese for something different.i actuality used Abondance, just because I had a surplus of it in the freezer. Did you know that cheese freezes really well)!

Pinch of salt to taste

A teaspoon of dry mustard.

To make this sauce,mix all of the ingredients in a Microwave proof bowl or jug, heat on high at one minute intervals, stir well and heat again. Repeat until the sauce is thick. IF it should go lumpy, just whisk to remove them! You might think it a bit of a paff hearing at one minute intervals, but in the meantime, you could be doing something else,( read your emails, until the Microwave pings)
Cook the fish in some water, wine or milk until cooked and flakes well, but do not over cook ! Flake the fish, mix with the shellfish, the eggs and the potatoes . Mix all into the thickened sauce.pour into the greased dish, top with some grated cheese and some sliced tomatoes. Can be made a day or two ahead and refrigerated until needed. Bake in a hot oven for about 15 mins until golden brown, serve with green Vegetables or a salad!
Easy Peasy and not much washing up either !

This week, the Ladies who lunch, did what they should do , they had lunch!
We have not “Lunched” in quiet a few months and thought it time to resurrect our little lunch club. Not for us a version of ” Come Dine With Me” more like a Bevy of well dressed ladies.
We look for restaurants which are either new, have a good lunch time menu or, and most importantly will take a group. Many restaurants have a maximum number of 6, this is normally to help regulate the kitchen whilst others are only too happy to accommodate a larger group.
So our victim this time round involved a trip to the country to La Caldesi in Campagne, which is in the village of Bray in Berkshire.
Bray,  is a small village about 20 miles west of London, with several Michelin Starred restaurants. There is The Waterside made famous by Albert and Michel Roux, along with their Riverside Brasserie and then the Fat Duck, owned by  Heston Blumenthal, and also the Crown pub and the Hinds Head, also owned by Heston Blumenthal. For such a tiny village, there is an abundance of high-class restaurants.

We were on this occasion, 10 for our lunch, and we had a room to ourselves, probably just as well, as we tend to be rather noisy. There was a lunch set menu with a choice of two dishes on each of the three courses.

STARTER
Parmigiano
Aubergine Parmigiano, basil oil                   or
Bresaola
Northern Italian cured beef, rocket,parmesan and salad

MAIN

Tagliatelle with clams   or
Calves Liver with mashed potatoes

DESSERT

Bomboloni
Italian style doughnuts, vanilla custard, Sambuca and berry jam  or
Tiramiso

Funnily enough, 9/10 chose the Parmigiano, so I felt I had to choose the Bresaola, I wish I had chosen the Parmigiano. The Bresaola, along with the parmesan was very dry and not very exciting, I ended up by adding Olive oil and Balsamic to make it more palatable. Of the Parmigiana, only praise.

For the main course the choices were about 50/50. The calf’s liver was apparently very nice indeed, but I am afraid, that the appearance did not do so much for me ( and I don’t like mash). the Tagliatelle, tasted lovely, but am afraid that it was a bit on the soft side, so not at all Al dente.

And so onto desserts, the Doughnuts, were, well doughnuts, the Tiramiso, apparently tasted great but I was again not impressed with the appearance. It was served in avery large Martini glasses, but was very yellow, maybe it was the liquor that had been added but it looked exactly like the custard that came with the doughnuts.

My personal thoughts, were that it was a nice venue, we had a very pleasant lunch with friends, but would I rush back? Probably not, though I might give their Marylebone venue a try.

Sitting here in Mexico City, mariachi music playing outside and the sun shining ( it is currently about 20-23 during the day). Mexico City because it so high (2,250 M , 7,200 ft equally a mile and half) has very much goldilocks weather. Never too hot in summer, never too cold in winter.

Mexicans eat out all the time, especially for breakfast, ( and lunch and dinner!) and this could be just the corner taco or tortilla stand, or in one of the numerous cafes and upmarket restaurants.

One of our favourites whilst in Mexico City is Lardo in Col.Condesa. We arrived this morning at about 8.30 and it was already packed , we were lucky to get  a small table, but the atmosphere is always amazing, happy and relaxed, never rushed. People have business meetings which last for hours, and the staff are always cheery and willing to help.

This was my fourth visit in as many days and I make a point of trying something different every day.The pastries always look very tempting, but not having a sweet tooth, I do manage to avoid these!

Sunday saw me eating an Estafado de Tomate, Albehahca, Parmesan  y Huevo estrellado, which was a kid of tomato-y ratatouille , with basil, Parmesan cheese and a fried egg along with sourdough toast.
Monday, I chose the classic Chilaquiles verdes, ( day old corn tortillas with a spicy green sauce) but this version, instead of using cream or scrambled egg, came with mozzarella cheese.

Tuesday,  was the turn of the Tortilla de Flor de Calabaza, Epazote, Quelites,y Chile Cuaresmeno. This was a very pretty omelet filled with courgette flowers, amaranth ( more commonly known as pigweed!) and chilli. 
So onto Wednesday,so today I chose the Kale, Hongos, Curry verde y Huevo estrellado! This was kale, ( I think I would prefer spinach to kale, mushrooms, curry sauce, more like Thai green curry, with a fried egg and sourdough toast. Again,  absolutely nothing to complain about,very  tasty and just enough to satisfy any hunger, without going overboard.

Makes me wonder why in the UK, we seem to have the choice of a plain omelette, a ham and cheese omelette , full English or something similar, whereas our experience in France, consisted of, ranging from a bit of banquet to a croissant or if lucky a petit pain au chocolate. In the USA it seems, huge is the criteria. Whereas here in Mexico, the possibilities are endless, be it as, I said the local cafe, street vendor or restaurant.

Moving swiftly on, we mooched through the local market, where there are numerous stands selling pre-chopped vegetables, the ones that caught my eye today were the courgette flowers and the Huitlacoche. Huitlacoche, is a naturally occurring fungus on corn and it dates back to the Aztecs. I have yet to try this, which some view as a delicacy, apparently it has a very earthy flavour.

And so continuing down the street, we come to the Neveria Roxy. This a really old fashioned ice cream parlour, which has been in business for 70 years. It is a local instituion, and they make ice cream and sorbets the traditional way. Is cheap as it only costs 22 pesos for a large scoop. It opens at 11 am and by late afternoon early evening it is buzzing, people come from far and wide, either to buy to take home but more often just to sit and enjoy and ice cream, and if the tables are full, then there is always the bar, the tall outside tables or even the garden benches along Mazatlán.

It would seem that eating ( out) is a national past time, here in Mexico,and long may it continue. The general misconceived impression of Mexican food, is more along the lines of Tex Mex, and it is so much more than that, in fact nothing at all like the so called Mexican food that we ate in Texas, where it was refried beans with everything.Maybe they have a lot to learn!

On a recent drive through the French countryside we over nighted at Colombey-Les-Deux-Églises, the spiritual home and resting place of General Charles de Gaulle. Although he was born in Lille, northern France, he chose this village of a mere 400 inhabitants as his home, as he felt it epitomised La France.  It is indeed a very pretty village, sandstone cottages and manor houses, tea rooms, cafes, small hotels and a Michelin starred restaurant , and all because of de Gaulle.

Long before you reach the village, you see it, as you drive across the fields of rural France. In Colombey ,there is a hill and perched on top of the hill is an enormous Cross, it is the cross of Lorraine, which he made his own and it can be seen for miles .This cross is 44 metres high and was erected to commemorate the landing of De Gaulle in Normandy in June 1944 and became a symbol of the free French . There is an excellent museum as well as his former home La Boiserie, which is also open to the public.

But why were we there? Not necessarily to pay homage to this former general and politician who had a reputation of being cantankerous , but to try a Michelin restaurant ,which was about half way between the French Alps and the Tunnel de la Manche.

We stayed in one of the small hotels, which at €60 was a steal. We wandered up to take a look at the cross and went to the churchyard where De Gaulle’s grave is fairly unremarkable, given his place in French history. Then onto dinner at restaurant Natali.

Restaurant Natali can be found in the Hostellerie La Montagne, a beautiful stone Manor House, set in equally beautiful grounds. There are only 8 rooms at this small hotel, hence the reason we were obliged to stay elsewhere. Many restaurants in France take their summer vacations during the month of August, which always spikes me as rather odd, travellers are on the road and many would like to eat in fine restaurants along the way. But the French take holidays in August and so do many of the restauranteurs.

There are several options for dining here, a la carte or the choice of three different fixed price menus, one at €55, one at €66 and the menu decouverte at € 88.

We chose the menu decouverte and the courses were as follows:-

1. Gazpacho with vegetables and tuna
2. Warm consommé with macedone of vegetables and a courgette flower stuffed with fois gras and summer truffles 
3. Tuna with ham and a sorrel ice cream, with coriander and pink pepper corns, and more summer truffles
4. Hake served on top of a stone, with a mild curry sauce and a vodka orange drink on the side
5. Another fish dish ( not sure what fish though) a very smooth mash, girolles, asparagus slivers and summer truffles
6. Duck breast, topped with nougate artichokes and girolles
7. A Relatively small cheese board
8. Chocolate mousse with a Mirabeau sorbet
9. Ice cream biscuit meringue, strawberries

All in all it was a nice meal without being WOW, the service was very indifferent, wine was served with a mosquito in it, Oh c’est une mouche! A used napkin just dumped in the middle of the table. 

Although all of the dishes looked very beautiful, they lacked taste and the adding of the nougat to the duck was a step too far, but the aagian the French love nougat!

Better luck next year is all I can say !