Bombay Foodie

A Dessert to Remember

noreply@blogger.com (Simran) — Mon, 13 May 2013 12:53:00 +0000

With cake shops, cafes and tea rooms at every corner, you will expect fabulous desserts easy to come by in London. Not really so. Dry cakes, soggy pies and mediocre cookies, I had to battle the whole lot before I found my favourites. Just so you don't have to kiss all these frogs on your next London trip, here are my top 5 picks from all the sweet goodies I sampled:

1. Honey Cake at L'Eto: As you walk down Soho's Wardour Street, a display of desserts will stop you in your tracks. The window belongs to L'Eto and I dare you to pass by without going in and eating something sweet. On my first visit to the cafe, I complained to the server that all cakes in London are dry. She cut me a slice of honey cake right there and promised this will be the fresh, moist cake I was looking for. Several thin layers of honey cake intercepted with light and not too sweet sour cream frosting, this cake is simple but sublime.

2. Honeycomb Icecream at Wild Honey: A friend and I walked by this Michelin star restaurant after lunch. We were still craving dessert so we asked if the crowded place could fit us in. The response was "I'd never say no to anyone looking for dessert". And some dessert it was. We both ordered individual plated desserts that took a while to arrive. So in the meantime, they brought us their honeycomb icecream on the house. Crunchy honeycomb shards at the bottom of the bowl and a couple of scoops of honey ice cream - this is an experience you don't want to miss.

3. Chocolate Gelato at Gelupo: Despite the cold weather, Londoners are big fans of icecreams, gelatos and frozen yogurts. The bestest of them all is Gelupo. It first started as a cart outside the Italian restaurant, Bocca di Lupo. Over time, Gelupo got into a cafe of its own, right opposite the sister restaurant. It now sells coffee and desserts and what not but the biggest draw is still the Italian style gelato. Blood Orange sorbet made them famous but my personal favourite is dark chocolate. It's so chocolatey it feels like eating a very soft, very cold and very good chocolate.

4. Sticky Toffee Pudding at The Salt House: This date and toffee confection is a standard at all pubs in London. After sampling more than my fair share, the one I recommend is the version with crunchy nougat at The Salt House in St. John's Woods. As as added bonus, it comes paired with a sublime brown sugar ice cream.

5. Chocolate Glory and Eton Mess at Bob Bob Ricard: This Russian restaurant has tons of old world charm and plenty of eccentric touches. Once you are past that and done with the excellent food, there come the desserts. Chocolate glory shows up as a golden ball on your plate. Once the server pours hot fudge sauce on the globe, the chocolate shell melts away and you are left with a plate of chocolate mousse, brownie bits and passion fruit jelly. And there is nothing messy whatsoever about the Eton Mess. It is all packed in a tidy meringue globe that will impress you with how restrained it is in its sweetness. You have to break this crunchy shell to get to berries, marshmallows and sorbet hidden within. Both desserts are quite small but will leave you impressed.

And as a bonus, let me also tell you about the best scone in London. Sold everywhere around tea time, the scone is a British institution. And it's only fitting that the best scone can be found next to timeless art at the cafe inside the iconic National Gallery at Traflagar Square. The fruit scones are warm and studded with raisins, perfect with clotted cream and a great strawberry jam.

A Londoner at Heart

noreply@blogger.com (Simran) — Mon, 06 May 2013 05:29:00 +0000

I can't tell you the exact moment I knew I had become a Londoner. I know it wasn't when I guided the umpteenth tourist to Madam Tussauds or Beatles's Abbey Road studios. Or even when I took yet another friend on a tour of Soho restaurants or my beloved Borough Market. For you are only a Londoner when you accept all of the city's quirks and even find them charming. Like how I now find it completely normal to dedicate at least half of every conversation to weather. And I no longer find it strange that all stores close in the middle of the day on sunday, on what should be the busiest shopping day of the week. I've even stopped being amazed when pubs close their kitchens at 10 pm, and never mind the roomful of hungry customers.

If you are wondering about the reason for this rant, it's because I've recently left London to start on the next journey of my life. And I realised how little I've shared about hundreds of food experiences in London on these pages. So before memories fade, here is the first in the series of my London posts - the top 5 restaurants dishes I ate in London last year. Top 5 savoury dishes actually, since desserts would get their own separate post.

1. Pea and Truffle Croquettes at Copita: In a small side lane in Soho, Copita is a crowded tapas bar. It has a small menu that changes frequently. On my first, second and third visits, the main draw was a pea croquette, loaded with truffles and deep fried. This one's now off the menu but go to Copita anyway for their Andulucian white soup, a cold almond soup filled with beetroot, nuts and a cacaphony of flavours. Timeout voted it the best dish in London when they listed their top 100 dishes so you can't go wrong with this one. Get there early for they don't take reservations.

2. Endive Salad at Galvin Bistro: I didn't see any merit in endive until I encountered it at French brasseries in London. And the most classic French of them, Galvin, does this salad version that first got me hooked. It's endive leaves topped with blue cheese, crunchy walnuts and pear, then topped off with a vinaigrette so you get a full flavour profile in each bite.

3. Gorgonzola Pizza at Pizza East Kentish Town: What I like about the Pizza East menu is that they aren't hung up on mozzarella. Now I agree mozzarella is traditional in Italian pizzas and everything but there are hundreds of cheeses out there and the folks in Kentish Town (or the other pizza east branches for that matter) aren't afraid to experiment. They don't have the same menu at every branch so you will need to trek to Kentish Town to find a spectacular blue cheese and caramalized onion pizza. Also try the wild mushroom and fontina one while you are there. It makes quite a changes from your usual margaritas.

4. Bhel Puri at Dishoom: Indian food is everywhere in London but you won't believe how bad most of it is! There are only two places that break the stereotypes of onion bhaji and chicken tikka masala and serve Indian food the way it's served back home. Both Roti Chai and Dishoom are set cafe style with an emphasis on street food. And while I've been at Roti Chai far more times, Dishoom's bhel puri wins by a narrow margin as that little bowl of comfort food when you are missing home.

5. Truffle Toast at Spuntino: First things first - never go to Spuntino for dinner. Another no reservations place and this one gets long queues that you really don't need when you are hungry. Go instead, for lunch or an evening drink, when the crowds are still far away. As soon as you grab a stool at Spuntino, they plonk an enamel mug of popcorn in front of you. That alone makes the restaurant a winner in my book. And then they have truffle toast. A cheese toast with an egg yolk in the middle and the whole thing brimming with truffle oil. Then save space for dessert.

Spring Risotto

noreply@blogger.com (Simran) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 13:30:00 +0000

Spring has given London a miss this year. Never mind that we are already well into April, it was still snowing yesterday and you can go nowhere without heavy coats and full winter gear. Thankfully, the no spring memo didn't reach the farms and the spring vegetables have been out in time. Last week's trip to farmer's market yielded asparagus and purple sprouting broccoli, both of which go into this risotto.

If you've dealt with mushy vegetables in your risottos in the past, this recipe also tell you how to get that creamy rice without overcooking the greens. And as a bonus, there is no butter or cream anywhere so pay attention.

For half a cup of rice (which I found is enough for two servings at least), cut 4-5 stalks of asparagus in 1-inch pieces. Cut broccoli into small florets and also, if you are using the sprouting version, add leaves to the mix. Now put 1 1/2 cups of stock to heat in a saucepan. If you don't have stock, plain water will do. No really, this recipe is fine with plain water. Once the water/stock comes to a boil, drop the asparagus in. Let in cook for 3-4 minutes until it's a bit softer but still crunchy. Take the stock off heat, sieve out the asparagus and put the stock back on a simmer.

In another pan, heat a tsp of olive oil. Add broccoli and stir fry on a high heat for 2-3 minutes. Remove the broccoli and add another tsp of olive oil to the pan. Add 2 cloves of minced garlic and stir fry until it starts to brown. Now add the rice and stir it around until most grains are coated in oil. Add 1/3 cup of white wine. Once the white wine is almost absorbed in the rice, start adding the stock, 1/3 cup at a time. A good rule of thumb is to add more stock when grains of rice start popping on the surface. Keep checking after 8-10 minutes, you want the rice to be cooked through but still retain a bit. When you add the last round of stock, check for salt and add some if you need it. You will certainly need it if you used water but most stocks are quite salty anyway.

When the rice is done, stir in asparagus and broccoli. Serve with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese and fresh ground black pepper.

Colour Me Pink

noreply@blogger.com (Simran) — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 01:35:00 +0000

Friends often ask me why I take the trouble to go all the way to Borough Market every weekend. It's crowded, it's touristy and London has so many other farmers markets that are much quieter and easier to shop in. But Borough is nicer because it's touristy -which means that competitive farmers and traders show up not just with fresh rhubarb and raspberries but also with unique treasures like these pink mushrooms I got last week. I got two other things from the mushroom forager - a bulb of smoked garlic and advice on how to cook these mushrooms.

Although they are pink, these are just a variant of your standard oyster mushrooms. So I just tore them roughly with my hands. The mushrooms were quite delicate and didn't even need a knife. Next, I finely chopped two cloves of smoked garlic. Heated a tbsp of olive oil and added the garlic. Once it started to brown, I added the mushrooms and cooked for 4-5 minutes until they looked done. I added a dollop of cream to the pan and some roughly chopped marjoram leaves to finish. Mixed in with some fresh tagliatelle, from my favourite Italian store in the market for a gorgeous lunch.

How to eat mincemeat in March

noreply@blogger.com (Simran) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 00:44:00 +0000

But then, you may wonder why someone would want to eat mincemeat in the first place. To begin with, there is the whole confusion with the name. For years, I kept away from mince pies as I assumed they had meat. It was only around last christmas that I figured that this was a misnomer and the mincemeat referred to a concoction of dried fruit, sugar and booze. At around the same time, I learnt that mince pies get a bad rap for being too sweet and too stodgy and generally not good.

But then, I tried them and fell in love with mince. I think my lack of experience with mince pies of yesteryears helped. This year, London supermarkets were stocked with Heston Bluementhal's dreamy puff pastry pies that came with sachets of pine needle sugar. Even my school did some great take with filo pies and there wasn't a stodgy shortcrust one in sight.

Of course, the jars of mincemeat went on sale at the same time and I brought one home. But then I didn't get around to baking with mince in December and it sort of went to the back of the shelf. After all, you can't possibly eat mince pies in the new year. Instead, you call them fruit cookies.

The recipe comes from Jamie Oliver, naturally given the British obsession with mince and thus his long experience with leftovers from christmas. First off, leave 250 grams butter out of the fridge to soften. A few hours later, set the oven to preheat at 180C and beat the butter with 140 grams sugar until light and creamy. Add an egg yolk and beat to combine. Add 300 grams plain flour and mix to form a dough. Now add a jar of mincemeat (which for some strange reason, is always 411 grams) and mix well. The dough will be fairly wet and I found it best to mix with my hands.

Pinch out balls of dough and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment, pressing down a little to flatten. Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden. Wait until cookies start to cool and harden, then transfer to a cooling rack. The cookies are very delicious but also soft and moist so its best to eat them the day they are baked. Not that that's going to be a problem!

Brownie Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Simran) — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 19:33:00 +0000

One upside of having a large bunch of classmates is that it solves the perennial problem I've had with trying out new recipes - finding enough people to eat what I bake. What was even more fun was baking birthday cakes and surprise birthday parties.

This cake is from one of the first surprise birthday parties I planned. While there were a few others after this one, this cake was my favourite among all the cakes I baked so I thought I'd tell you where to look if you are planning to bake a decadent chocolate cake.

The recipe's from Dorie Greenspan. In her book, it's a rather elaborate cake topped with caramel and peanuts. What I did was bake the cake, then pour a layer of ganache to cover. And while you don't see it here, the cake then had a happy birthday written on it with a tube of "white chocolate writing icing". Of all the things I discovered on the London supermarket aisles, this little tube of icing is my favourite. Takes the hassle away from piping bags et al, tastes like real white chocolate and even works for people like me who can't ever write with a piping bag. You should get one too, and plan some surprise birthday parties. They are such fun!

Tahini cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Simran) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 17:46:00 +0000

One of the first things I did when I got to London last year was seek out ingredients hard to find in India. Like tahini, the sesame seed paste used to make hummus. What I didn't realise though was that good hummus was equally easy to buy, practically at every supermarket and there was no need to fuss with making your own. Which is why the jar of tahini has been lurking in the cupboard ever since.

I decided to look up other uses for tahini, apart from hummus, and found it to be a good addition to cookies. Other bloggers advocated using tahini just like peanut butter and so these cookies came into being, adapted from multiple peanut butter and oatmeal cookie recipes.

First off, mix a cup of oats, 1/2 cup plain flour, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp baking soda. In another bowl, mix 60 grams softened butter with 1/4 cup tahini. Add 2/3 cup castor sugar, a tsp of vanilla extract and an egg. Mix with a whisk until everything is blended. Pour the flour mix from the first bowl into this one and stir to combine.

At this stage, I added about 1 1/2 cups of walnuts and raisins but feel free to add other dried berries or chocolate chips.

Drop the batter by the tablespoon on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake in an oven preheated to 170C for about 10-12 minutes until the cookies look set but are still a bit soft. Wait for a few minutes, then use a spatula to transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.

Gozleme

noreply@blogger.com (Simran) — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 12:53:00 +0000

Yesterday, I decided to make a trip out to Stoke Newington in North London, quite far away from my Central London home but known to have one of the best South Indian restaurants in the city. Coming from my part of town with Starbucks and Pret A Manger at every corner, the quaint and charming Stoke Newington blew me away. Tiny stores selling toys and mugs and pottery and not a single chain store in sight. I didn't know places like this still existed. The restaurant alas, was a lot less impressive and when I left, the bland food was still half uneaten, I still a little hungry.

Then I remembered a sign I'd seen from the bus on the way. Right opposite Newington Green, a tiny hole in the wall promising gozleme. I first heard of gozleme on Masterchef Australia last year when a Turkish contestant made them. I've been intrigued by this filled flat bread ever since but this was the first time I've seen it being advertised in an actual store.

So I got off the bus at the right stop and entered this little patisserie called Basak. They had shelves of cakes and desserts on display and right at the shop entrance, a woman sat rolling dough into pastry so thin and into a circle so big it was fascinating. She then put some fresh spinach and some feta cheese on one half of the pastry and folded the other half over to make a semi-circle. On to the hot pan, where the gozleme cooked until golden on both sides, getting brushed with either oil or butter on the way.

Basak Patisserie is a takeaway but that shouldn't bother you because you can take your gozleme and sit in the park right opposite. I found myself a bench and bit into the very hot pastry. It then gave way to fresh spinach and then I discovered there were other flavours too. I spotted onions first and then some chilli. The whole package was like a stuffed parantha but so much different with a plain flour pastry rolled real thin and cooked out so crisp.

It was nothing fancy but out in a cold day, on the park bench, the gozleme somehow became the most sublime food experience I've had in a long time.

My Newest Toy

noreply@blogger.com (Simran) — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 16:33:00 +0000

I've done it again. After telling myself that I have way too many gadgets and no space to put them in, I've gone ahead and bought the one gizmo I've been eyeing for years - an ice cream maker.

It isn't anything fancy. In fact, it was the most basic and the cheapest model around. In this version, you get a tub that you put in the freezer for about a day. This frozen tub does the actual freezing and the rest of the ice cream maker is just to churn the ice cream to make it nice and soft.

I still haven't mastered the art of making custard without scrambling eggs so the new gizmo was christened with David Lebovitz' strawberry yogurt. Once blended, it took around 15 minutes to churn into delicious frozen goodness.

The tub's now gone back into the freezer and I am now on the lookout for my next ice cream flavour to be churned tomorrow. With small batches I can eat in a day, it's practically like having your own ice cream parlour. Now how cool is that!

Tagliatelle in tomato sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Simran) — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 22:57:00 +0000

Weekday dinner at its simplest.

The pasta is fresh tagliatelle bought from the farmers market this weekend.

The sauce is a take on my perfect pizza sauce.

The two are mixed together and topped with rocket, a salad leaf that makes everything better in my view. Sprinkle some parmesan and mondays couldn't feel better.

I'm going to write down the sauce recipe for you because it was made from canned tomatoes this time round. It took a while to cook but most of this time was the sauce simmering away on its own.

First off, finely mince 2-3 cloves of garlic and thinly slice an onion. Grab 7-8 olives and give them a rough chop. If your olives aren't pitted, bashing them with a rolling pin will do the job nicely.

Heat a tbsp of olive oil in a pan. Saute garlic on a medium heat until it starts to brown. Add onions, lower the heat and let cook slowly until the onions start to caremalise. Now add the olives, a hearty pinch of salt and if you like, some chilli flakes. Add a can of peeled and chopped plum tomatoes, then fill the can again with water and add it to the mix. Also add juice of half a lime. Give everything a stir, bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. You can now go watch the TV or catch up on your reading while the sauce simmers away for an hour or so. Give it an occasional stir if you like but it's really not necessary. Once the sauce thickens to a consistency you like, cook the pasta and add to the sauce pan. Mix well to combine and that's really it.

To Blog or Not to Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Simran) — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 00:31:00 +0000

So you know I went back to school last year. At first, I tried to keep up with the blogging. But as life got busier with classes and assignments, I found it hard to keep up with the social aspects of blogging I so enjoyed - visting other blogs, chatting with other foodies both online and in real life. Eventually, I found it impossible to even update the blog regularly and rather than keep up a half hearted effort, I stopped blogging completely a few months back.

Now that poses a few problems. Like, on days like today, when I come back from my favourite farmers market in London. And I want to share the excitement, the marvels that Borough Market offers - fresh pasta, sourdough bread with a lovely goat cheese, gorgeous rhubarb and wild blue mushrooms I've never seen before. And a tart au citron baked by two French home bakers just this morning.

Then there's another, bigger problem I've had with not blogging. For the past five odd years, this blog has been a place for me to store recipes.And then a few months back, I baked this caramel apple cake, inspired from a recipe I saw on some website. But I didn't blog about it and now I can't find the recipe - and they were such good cakes too!

Not wanting to lose any more good recipes, I am back to blogging. I may not be here every day or every week, but I will make sure to come back and tell you about exciting foods and recipes that come my way. Stay tuned!

The Fat Duck

noreply@blogger.com (Simran) — Sat, 22 Sep 2012 10:57:00 +0000

How do you describe the most amazing meal of your life. It's almost a whole day since I got back from lunch at Heston Bluementhal's "The Fat Duck". And I still can't find the words to explain what you experience as you sit there for four hours, enjoying his decadent 14 course tasting menu.

Maybe I'd start where he starts, the amuse bouche that was one of the my favorite courses. Sweet aerated beets with horseradish cream, the whole package looking like a tiny red velvet whoopie pie. The next course was an apertif. In mad scientist way, the server brought liquid nitrogen and converted vodka and lime or campari and orange into meringue like things that numbed your tongue and set you up for flavor assault about to hit you.

The other courses that would make my top 5 hall of fame include this risotto you see above. It's not from his main menu, and I only got it because I am a vegetarian. This is beetroot risotto topped with radish carpaccio, some kind of foam and frozen sour cream pellets. The other unlikely candidate to make it to the bestseller list was smoked mushroom jelly with frozen pea like thingies (I am pretty sure they were not actual peas).

And rounding up the top 5 list is what I thought was the best course of the day - the black forest gateau. I've read Heston's book where he went in search of the best black forest cake. What came out of that search is a cake with flavors so complex they overwhelm you. Heston also revels in cold and frozen foods (there were plenty of them through the meal) but nothing came close to the kirsch ice cream that was served alonside our black forest.

I also need to tell you about the weird and whacky stuff. You've probably heard of sound of the sea already - where they hand you ipod in a shell so you listen to the waves as you eat a course made to look like a beach with sea foam and sand and fish. But even whackier was mad hatter's tea party. Inspired from alice in wonderland, you get served a mock turtle soup, a gold pocket watch that you dunk in the said soup and "toast sandwich" - which is quite literally a toast sandwiched between two other slices of bread. Made very interesting of course, with the addition of truffles and mustard and cucumber.

The tasting menu is pricey but the service standards there kind of make up for it. Tons of people hover around you, making you feel special. Every course comes with its own set of instructions and the servers know enough about the food to answer any questions that come to mind. Given how whacky the food is, I certainly had plenty of questions.

Once you've finished your meal and are on to coffee, they will even quietly order a taxi to take you to the station. And away from the wonderland. But you still have a copy of the menu and a bag of sweets (the last course that no one ever manages to eat!) to remind you it was not all a dream.

Chop!

noreply@blogger.com (Simran) — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 14:07:00 +0000

Just when I thought he was getting old and a little bit fat, Jamie Oliver has landed himself another winner. His new "store", just opposite Notting Hill Gate, is called Recipease. On the ground floor is a takeout-cum-Jamie's signature cookware kind of shop. And some cooking counters, and stairs leading up to what at first glance is a chilled out cafe. But then, it's also a cooking school.

I signed up for knife skills class last week. It's something I've wanted to do for a while but also felt that it could be a bore - what's fun about chopping vegetables for a couple of hours. Well, let me tell you then, the class at Jamie's is actually fun. You walk in and get offered a glass of wine. Given that I was just about to be handed some very sharp knives, I stuck to water and saved that wine until after the class.

Then the class started. But it didn't feel like one. It felt instead, like you've walked into a friend's house, and she wants you to stand in the kitchen and chat while she fixes the dinner. Dinner in this case was an Asian prawn salad. And so the two women teaching the class started by cleaning the prawns. Then they showed us how to finely chop chillies, ginger, garlic and onions. At this stage, everyone went to their own stations and practised chopping everything that went into the dressing.

Next, we went back to the demo station and learnt to do a chiffonade with the cabbage that went into the salad. And chopped other assorted vegetables. Back to station, repeat the chopping for yourself, add the dressing and that's your dinner. Here's a picture of my finished salad, just before we sat down at one of the cafe tables to eat.

So was it all fun and chatting and eating out with friends? Oh no! although it never felt like we were in a class, I went home having learnt a lot about the proper way to handle knives, how to save your hands from getting cut and that "rockstar" cutting movement TV chefs always awe you with. The teachers make sure you have fun but they also make sure you learn something at the end of the class. Therein lies the genius of Recipease!

When in Rome...

noreply@blogger.com (Simran) — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 04:30:00 +0000

It is impossible to do as the Romans do. Because there aren't any! Every person I saw on the streets of Rome was a tourist carrying a map. Ah well, travel is meant to burst long held myths and this was certainly not the only one. From the last month of travel, I picked for you what I think of as three top myths:

Myth No. 1: China is Cheap
It has to be, right? After all, they export everything to the whole world. But no, it isn't. At least, not where we were in Shanghai. Every restaurant meal I had was way more expensive than what I would pay in London. Shopping was nowhere less than London prices either. Even Starbucks sells their cappuccino at prices at least 30% higher than anywhere else. Now you go figure.

Myth No. 2: French people are unfriendly and won't give you the time of the day if you don't speak French
Now come on, they were all so friendly. And absolutely everyone, not just the hotel people but passer-bys you ask directions from or wait staff in cafes, spoke some form of English. Or at least tried to, and made themselves understood. And they were amazingly helpful. When my friend got a little sick and went to a pharmacy, the lady not only offered suggestions for over the counter medicines but as a prescription was required in this case, phoned up a doctor and got an instant appointment.

Myth No. 3: You find good pizza everywhere in Italy
Not in Rome for sure! I assure you I went to more than one pizza place the guides recommend. And I insist I have eaten way better pizza in Mumbai. In fact, Rome turned out to be much harder to navigate than Paris, with far fewer people speaking English (and they were all tourists anyway! where are the Romans???). And even when, after lots of searching, I found a much recommended pizzeria or a restaurant, it usually disappointed.

What you do eat very well in Rome is gelato. Since I could not make myself understood well enough to find decent restaurants, I resorted to eating at least 5 scoops of gelato a day. And on this one, you can't go wrong even if you go to that chain called Blue Ice. But if you want to be completely blown away by how good ice cream can get, you have to look for artisan gelato makers. Like this one I went to repeatedly near Trevi fountain, where the lady sold us the most amazing melon and coconut flavors. Or the one next to piazza navona where the peach flavor was completely mindboggling. I don't remember the names of these gelato shops because I went to so many, but I never ate a bad scoop so just eat at the one nearest to you. A pity I can't say the same for their pizza!

Top 5 Things to Eat in Paris

noreply@blogger.com (Simran) — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 10:44:00 +0000

When I planned my trip to Paris, I paid little attention to museums and art and all those things first time tourists think about. In fact, I only had two spots on my to-do list - Pierre Herme and Laduree. But because you can't live on pastry alone (well, you can, but let's say you need some variety!), I also bookmarked this highly informative post from my favorite American in Paris, David Lebovitz.

I stayed pretty close to the program, even though an occasional trip to Eiffel Tower or art gazing at a museum crept in, a temporary diversion from the feast in Paris. From all those meals, I've culled for you five things you should not even think about missing if you find yourself in Paris:

1. Start your day at Pierre Herme with a fantastic croissant. Or better still, a kugelof or a buttery koign amman.

2. If you find yourself at Pierre Herme after breakfast time, treat yourself to an ishpahan.

3. Or go to Laduree instead. You can linger in their tea room. But what's the fun in that. Instead, tell them to pack you as many salted caramel macarons as you can carry and eat them as you walk around the city or sit in a park.

4. People will tell you Angelina has the best hot chocolate in the world. On this, I disagree. But I urge you to go there anyway and eat a pain aux raisin. What makes this flaky confection different, and better, at Angelina is the addition of candied orange peel.

5. This is going to sound like really strange. But the best meal I had in Paris was a falafel. Guided by David to L'As du Fallafel, I found a crowded hole in the wall making the most amazing falafels.

But then, the best meals of Paris are not in any of its restaurants or cafes. What you need to do is make your way to Rue Cler, a pedestrian lane near Eiffel Tower. And there, you buy a grainy baguette, some soft cheese (tell the cheese shop what kinds you like, and let them find the perfect one for you) and fruits. Mirabelle plums were in season when I was there, and so were little wild strawberries. Add a bottle of wine and take it all back to your hotel for a picnic. Or better still, do as Parisians do - find a sunny spot on the bank of Seine and spread your picnic. A better meal you will not find anywhere else in the city!

Ispahan

noreply@blogger.com (Simran) — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 12:00:00 +0000

We need to talk, you and I! In the two months I've been gone from these pages, I've collected so many stories I need to tell you. Stories of course, of experiences in London and school and what not. But also of travels to China and a trip out to Europe.

Or I could just sum up all these new experiences in one word - Ispahan! For the uninitiated, ispahan is a pastry created by the legendary Parisian pastry chef Pierre Herme. And in one little treat, it sums up everything that's right with the world.

What you see up there is a crunchy rose flavored pink macaron. The filling is a rose petal buttercream, which has some lychees mixed in. This is then topped with fresh raspberries.

A trifle sweet, a little tart, and very, very pretty - that's how life's been lately. And this time, I am going to be back and blogging regularly so make sure you check back to hear the stories.

Julia Child's Life in France

noreply@blogger.com (Simran) — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 07:58:00 +0000

This may seem like a long time ago but back in May, our book club - This Book Makes Me Cook - picked the iconic book "My Life in France" by Julia Child. I've read this book before, I've seen the Meryl Streep movie based on the book and I readily re-read this highly enjoyable saga last month. I even created a dish inspired from the book. But it's been so crazy around here with exams and assignments that I've only just gotten around to telling you about it.

First the book, it's all about Julia. And the way she immersed herself in France the moment she arrived. In all the culinary surprises Paris has in store for her, her trips to the coast to see that special food and her training at Cordon Bleu, the real Julia shines through. Her passion and her personality then reflect in the book she writes with her two new found friends. A book that has inspired home cooks ever since.

I could have picked a French dish from the book. But to me, the message that Julia is trying to send across is that cooking should be simple and it should be perfect. So I decided to look for the perfect version of one recipe that's been out of reach so far - chocolate cake. Well, I do have a fabulous eggless chocolate cake I swear by and a fantastic flourless cake I will tell you about sometime. But so far, I had nothing going in the normal chocolate sheet cake/cupcake world.

I only tried one recipe but I agonized over which one to bake for weeks. The final choice was Chocolate-Chocolate cupcakes from my other baking icon, Dorie Greenspan. Perfectly moist, and topped with an intense chocolate topping, these cupcakes were an instant hit at a party I took them to.

And we might have some exciting book read coming up this month, so write in if you would like to read along.

Orange Berry Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Simran) — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 16:34:00 +0000

Now people claim all sorts of distinctions between muffins and cupcakes. But except for the fact that one has icing and the other doesn't, muffins are really just an excuse to eat cake for breakfast. A concept I am totally in favor of. These are even healthy, with so many blueberries in there.

The recipe is from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My home to yours and it produces a tender, light cake that I loved. There is also loads of citrusy sparkle in there that simply makes the muffins shine.

Outside of these small touches, its your standard muffin recipe. You line 6 muffin tins with paper (I got 8 muffins but then I have tiny tins!). Then you mix up the liquids whisking together in this order: 1/4 cup orange juice, 1/4 cup buttermilk, one egg, 1 1/2 tbsp honey and 50 grams melted and cooled butter.

Next the dry ingredients. Rub 2 tbsp sugar with zest of a lemon. Mix in 1 cup plain flour, 1 tsp baking powder, a pinch of baking soda and another pinch of salt. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients, stir to mix and finally add 1/2 cup fresh blueberries.

Divide the batter among muffin cups, filling them 2/3rd the way and bake for around 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean.

Halloumi

noreply@blogger.com (Simran) — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 15:42:00 +0000

This is officially my new favorite cheese. It's not that I hadn't seen the appeal of halloumi before. But living in India, it is hard to replace paneer with any other choice. London, on the other hand, has slim pickings as far as paneer goes. The packets of frozen or stale paneer don't really excite me and rather than compromise with bad versions of my favorite, I've been eating more of the other varieties of cheeses. And before you ask, yes, I know how to make my own paneer. But i have a rather hectic class schedule and paneer making doesn't fit in currently.

So back to halloumi. And London's short lived summer. For about a week, the temperature rose to 28 degrees and it was sunny. And everyone was wearing short skirts. Then it started raining and we are squarely back into the 14 degree weather and warm jackets all round.

I did have halloumi on a barbeque during the summer week. But then, I wanted to have it again yesterday amidst a rainy storm. So I made it on a grill pan. I cut thin slices of halloumi. Put them in a wide bowl and drizzled over a tbsp of olive oil and juice of a lemon. The cheese is already over salty so this is all you need. Half an hour later, I put the cheese slices on a hot grill pan and cooked both sides until browned.

You see it served here over sharp rocket and sweet baby plum tomatoes, both flavors that work very well with the cheese!

Tomato Bruschetta

noreply@blogger.com (Simran) — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 16:27:00 +0000

Do you know where to find the best tasting tomatoes in the world? Head to Pioneer Woman's recipe for bruschetta. I've never been disappointed by anything Ree's recommended but these tomatoes are really special.

Step one - you halve a whole lot of cherry tomatoes. I used all red tomatoes but Ree says to add half yellow if you can find them. And when I say plenty, I mean plenty. Because you're gonna miss them when they are gone. I think I had about 400 grams in there.

Step two - mince five cloves of garlic. Heat olive oil in a pan, add garlic and fry until it's golden but not too brown. Move the oil/garlic mixture to a bowl that will fit all your tomatoes and let cool a bit.

Step three - To the bowl with garlic, add tomatoes, a tbsp of balsamic vinegar, chopped basil, salt and pepper. Mix everything up, cover and put in the fridge for a couple of hours for the flavors to mingle.

You can then toast some bread and top with the tomatoes to make bruschetta. Or you can do a zillion other things with them. Like serve them with pasta. Or cheese. Or just eat on their own.

Oh! and see if you can spot some Greek basil for this one. It's got leaves that are much smaller than your regular basil. I bought a pot from my local Waitrose a couple of months back, and it just keeps on living and giving out leaves of fragrant basil. Looks very pretty on the window sill too!

Is that beer in my cake?

noreply@blogger.com (Simran) — Thu, 31 May 2012 15:00:00 +0000

I don't drink beer. Even in London, where there is a pub at every corner (one right inside my school in fact!), I refuse to touch ales, stouts or lagers. But then I saw this cake on Valerie's website and was hooked. It's guinness and chocolate cake, people and there is a nutella and cream cheese frosting to go with it.

I still might have given it a miss - buying guinness here means buying at least 4 bottles and what would I do with the rest! But I showed my flatmate the pictures and she showed up the next evening with guinness all purchased and waiting to be turned into a cake.

I made this for a girls' night out and it was a total sell out. The texture is different from your typical cake but the guinness makes it so moist. And the frosting...well, if I wasn't taking this cake out for company, I just might have eaten the whole bowl. It was that good!

My favourite salad

noreply@blogger.com (Simran) — Tue, 29 May 2012 16:45:00 +0000

Since I eat this salad at least twice a week ever since I came to London, I thought I might as well tell you about it. It's pretty easy to assemble too - all the effort really happens at the grocery stores.

First the leaves. I am happy for you to pick any of the designer packages of salad leaves. Just make sure it contains some form of rocket. Rocket (or arugula), let me repeat, is a must. In fact, sometimes I do this just with plain arugula. The one you see in the frame above is called baby salad leaves. A couple of months back, my absolute favorite was a brand called Steve's Leaves that sells pea shoots and baby salad leaves.

Once you've washed a couple of handful of leaves and plonked them onto the salad bowl, halved cherry tomatoes are next. Again, the supermarkets have at least 3-4 varieties to pick from over here. But the ones I like best are called baby plum tomatoes. They are sweetish and a great match for spicy leaves.

Next, enough crumbled parmesan to make you happy. Some salt, a couple of twists of fresh ground pepper and finally, a dash of the best balsamic vinegar you can find. I use the one that's aged 5 years. You can find older vinegars but they tend to be too sweet and are best kept aside for an occasional dipping pleasure.

That's it; a perfect lunchtime salad!

I went to a cake decorating class...

noreply@blogger.com (Simran) — Sat, 26 May 2012 14:17:00 +0000

Sometimes you need to do certain things before you believe you don't need to! Take cake decorating. I always look wistfully at beautiful cake displays and sigh at the lack of my piping skills.

Now you know I am a self taught cook. If I can't figure out a technique from a recipe or a blog, there is usually a youtube video out there to help. But cake decorating and those neat flowery cupcakes were just not happening for me. So I decided to go to a cupcake decorating class.

London has loads of these 2-3 hour classes and the one I picked was from Sugarshack. It's a lovely way to spend 2 hours. You are given some buttercream, then shown techniques to pipe shells, stars and swirls. Also in the course, the way to color and tint buttercream and make it sparkly.

Once the lesson's done, we were given four cupcakes each to decorate and take home. The one you see above is my pride and joy. I piped in the rose, then sprayed it with pearl lustre spray for that sparkly finish. In fact, I went quite overboard on the bling and covered all cupcakes in glitter and gold dust.

Then I brought the cupcakes home and ate them. And well! they didn't taste half as great as they looked. And with all the buttercream, they were way too sweet for me. That for me is a lesson learnt. I'm going to appreciate these decorated cakes from a distance now. They're great obviously; but they're just not for me!

In the Land of Heston Bluementhal

noreply@blogger.com (Simran) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:57:00 +0000

I just got back from a jaunt down to London's Oxford Circus and happy to report that everything's just as it should be. Flowers and heart shaped balloons everywhere, stores decked out in pink and red and almost all guys on the bus carrying elaborately wrapped gifts. Pretty much your typical Valentine's Day.

Selfridges (one of my favorite stores) had long queues in front of chocolate and macaron counters. It's gotten slightly warmer here so I treated myself to Pinkberry frozen yogurt instead.

And here's another treat. A chocolate exploding cake, courtesy none other than legendary Heston Bluementhal. Heston does a weekly show on BBC here. He picks an ingredient and shows simple yet quirky dishes on the theme.

The week he picked chocolate, he made this cake. It's very quick to put together and is way too simple on first glance. But nothing's simple in Heston's world.

The bottom layer is store bought shortbread cookies, baked again until they are golden brown. These are then bashed up and mixed with butter, caster sugar and a secret ingredient. Depending on where you grew up, you are looking for either pop rocks or space dust. Either way, this is the exploding bit in your cake.

The top layer is ganache infused with passion fruit. What may seem like a simple addition isn't. I tasted the ganache plain and then after I added passion fruit puree and the transformation was unbelievable.

You then freeze this cake and in Heston's world, spray chocolate all over it with a paint gun. I didn't but it was a decadent dessert all the same.

A word of warning - don't unleash this on unsuspecting guests with weak hearts. This really does explode!

Four Years of Bombay Foodie

noreply@blogger.com (Simran) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:00:00 +0000

February 3, 2008: I baked my first cookie. I also wrote my first blogpost.

I didn't know this blog will change so many things in my life.

I didn't know Mumbai food blogger community will grow to 40-odd people. And we'd have so much fun when we meet.

I had no idea I will make so many blogging friends in so many parts of the world.

I also didn't think I will stop buying flowers or wine or other gifts when I go visit a friend and will bake them cookies instead. And they'd all love them so much.

I couldn't imagine the way people's eyes light up when you talk about food, and the way everyone's interested no matter what they do or who they are.

But most of all, I didn't know I'd have so much fun on the way.

To everyone who stopped by Bombay Foodie to read my posts, or leave a comment: A HUGE THANK YOU!