I'm Home!!

Well after a lovely break away in the glorious county of Dorset i'm back home in Kent and finally have strong enough internet access to be able to blog again (Dorset I love you, but your internet strength is a little hit or miss....which in all honesty isn't bad for a "get away from it all" holiday).

As my now expanded waistline will account to, the food and drinks industry in Dorset is very much alive and thriving. Having totally indulged in Dorsets foody delights, i've eaten at the very aptly named The Wild Garlic ( http://www.thewildgarlic.co.uk ) meeting the lovely Mat Follas, to enjoying the wonderfully creamy ice creams at The Barford Farm ( http://www.barford-icecream.co.uk ) whilst walking around their beautiful gardens, to the delights of Mark Hix's Oyster and Fish House ( http://www.hixoysterandfishhouse.co.uk ) whilst watching the sun set over the Cobb in Lyme Regis.

Over the next week or so, i'll be blogging my reviews, foody finds and recipes from this wonderful county, I hope you enjoy them.

It has truly been an amazing holiday and would thoroughly recommend Dorset as a getaway venue.

My Dorset Foody Adventure

On our first night in Lyme Regis, hubby and I walked to the very pink, The Mariners Hotel and Restaurant, and treated ourselves to a meal out (well after the long drive, I didn't want to cook....that's my excuse and i'm sticking to it).

Anyway, the Mariners is a wonderfully quirky place with porthole windows and large comfy sofas in the lounge. The friendliest of staff, who cannot do enough to accommodate you, chat to all of their guests in between doing the necessities of their working roles.

We were shown into a sitting room and given the menu and wine list and the waitress went through the specials and highlighted a couple of dishes as well as suggesting a few different wines with these dishes.

We had an aperitif whilst waiting and got chatting with a wonderful couple from London who also suggested dishes to try in the future.

Anyway, we were called through for dinner and we were soon tucking into our starters and some lovely homemade bread and butter.

Although we both ordered fish, I far prefer red over white wine, so ordered a nice bottle of red wine, an Italian Merlot Corvina. I don't usually like mixed grape wines but this wine was easily drinkable and went actually well with our meals.

As some of you know, I had a lung transplant 8 months ago and because of it, there are certain foods I am now unable to eat like shellfish, pate, unpasturised cheeses and cured meats and fish. After excluding all of these factors,it usually leaves me little choice (usually soup, soup or soup). However The Mariners offered Feta and Courgette Fritters with a Spicy Tomato Sauce.

I have to say the fritters themselves were fairly bland and tasted a little floury from the batter (a good pinch of S&P and a touch of fresh chilli would have really elevated them) but the spicy tomato did help them. It had an acidic, rhubarb taste and the spicing was just right. Overall, not bad.

Main course time and I had the Fisherman's platter (minus the shellfish). This was a delicious plate of salmon, cod and sardines with a herb butter sauce. Two large bowls of jersey new potatoes and vegetables accompanied the dish and for the most part, it was delicious. For me, there was too much butter sauce on my plate but it was delicious especially the sardines (the highlight of the meal) The fishermans platter was one of those dishes that, when served, looked small and you think "where's the rest of it" but, by the time you've eaten half of it, you're not sure the other half is going to fit...lol.

To finish I ordered warm chocolate brownie with homemade vanilla ice cream.

Having been on a diet for what seems like forever, to be able to have a total indulgence like this amazing brownie and not just a tiny slice or small nibble was an absolute treat. It had a wonderful fudginess and was filled with chunks of pecan, giving a lovely crunch. The accompanying chocolate sauce was a little thin but full of flavour and the ice cream was packed full of vanilla and was silky smooth. Absolutely perfect.

This lovely three course meal for 2, a bottle of wine, 2 coffees and aperitifs to start came to about £80 which I thought was pretty good value. I would happily go back and eat here and know I would receive good service and eat in a comfortable and friendly atmosphere.

Off on Hols

So, after my mum being in and out of hospital, me having my transplant, my grandpa passing away, my sister having pelvic girdle issues through her pregnancy, her eldest daughter being rushed into hospital with gastroenteritis and her 3 week old son being diagnosed and hospitalised with a heart condition, I am finally getting a break away from it all....lol

Hubby and I are off to Dorset for rest, relaxation and a bit of a foodie tour. On top of planned visits to Wild Garlic, River Cottage Canteen and Mark Hix's place, we are going to a couple of microbreweries, an elk & moose farm, various cheese producers and a couple of recommended pubs and tearooms (any other suggestions welcomed).

I also promise to update with a couple of recipes and lots of pictures of wonderful Dorset food.

So Happy Easter to you all and will blog soon

xxx

Back in the land of the living

Sorry, sorry, sorry for not being around and updating you with the lovely recipes i've made recently.

Unfortunately last Thursday, my 3 week old nephew was rushed to a London hospital due to a heart defect. It was very touch and go for a while but, being the little fighter he is, he is well on the road to recovery.

During all of this, i've been babysitting my 2 year old niece (so that my sister and her husband could be with nephew), been to a friends wedding and baked for my mums 60th birthday (although we reduced the party to just a small group of immediate friends because of my nephews situation).

All in all it has been utter chaos. I will however, put some lovely new recipes on the blog soon. I would also like to thank you guys for all of the lovely follow tweets on twitter x .

Thanks again for your patients, hope you're all ready to get your baking aprons on......

.....lets bake x

To Die For Brownies

As promised (although a little late) I made brownies using one of the many brownie recipes in Alice Medrich's Chewy, Gooey....cookbook. Out of the many different recipes and cooking styles she writes about the New Bittersweet Brownies where the ones I decided to make.

I should also just point out that as this is an American book, all the measurements are in cups and tablespoons although there are a few conversions to imperial measures.

The verdict can be summed up in 3 letters OMG!!!!

I did have a lovely big plate of brownies but, by the time i'd got my camera and come back to the table, this was all that was left (9 have gone MIA...lol)

New Bittersweet Brownies

8 oz Bittersweet (70%) Chocolate - broken into small pieces

6 Tbsp (3oz) Unsalted Butter - small cubes

3 Eggs

1 Cup (7oz) Caster Sugar

1/4 tsp Salt

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp Plain Flour

• Line an 8 inch square baking tin with foil ensuring all 4 sides are covered.
• Pre heat the oven to Gas 4/180 C/350 F and put the shelf in the lower third of the oven.
• Put the chocolate and butter in a glass bowl and melt either in a microwave or over a pan of simmering water.
• Stir the chocolate until smooth and combined with the butter then set aside.
• In a medium bowl, beat (with a kitchenaid or electric whisk) the eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla until the mixture is thick and pale.
• With the beaters still beating on slow, pour in the warm chocolate until well mixed.
• Carefully fold in the flour and then pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes until a skewer comes out with a few crumbs but no gooey batter.
• Allow to cool in the pan.
• Using the foil, lift out onto a cutting board and cut into squares.
• Will keep in an airtight contained for up to 3 days.

Book Review - Chewy, Gooey...

Crispy, Crunchy by Alice Medrich.

(Sorry the picture isn't great)

Just bought this amazing book full of recipes from bread to buns, tarts to cakes with each recipe sounding more yummy than the previous.

The pictures, although not available for every recipe, look inviting and nearly all recipes feature "upgrades" of different flavour combinations.

There is a great section at the back of the book that looks at how to make component parts to a dish like chocolate ganache and buttercream and a section on measurement conversions to help convert the american/imperial weights into metric.

Tomorrow i've managed to secure a baking day to myself (no babysitting duties) and i'm going to attempt a couple of the recipes including the Sticky Pecan Bites and Gooey Turtle Bars (no turtles will be harmed in the making of these bars ;-) ) and i'll post my results tomorrow.

From what i've read, this book was well worth the buy for all of the inspiration it has given me with different flavour and texture combinations. By tomorrow, the results will hopefully confirm this.

Happy reading

xx

Planning a 60th!!!

In a rare break from baking (and babysitting for my sister), I am planning a 60th birthday party for my mum next weekend.

In a break from the usual party fayre of sausage rolls, quiche and birthday cake, she has asked for the next level up in the baking steaks.

Have scoured lots of lovely bakers blogs for inspiration, I now have many ideas, correction, I have too many ideas and need to pare it back.

Do I go for a chocolate triple layer cake with raspberry buttercream or a coconut cream cake? A lemon and lime cake or a coffee and walnut cake? Decisions decisions and that's just the cake. Then i've got to look at sweet and savoury tarts, nibbles and breads. Aaarrrggghhhh!!!

Think i'm going to sit in a dark room for a while and hope the clarity angel gives me a nudge....well that of wait for some comments from you lovely readers with suggestions.

Hope you like the blog and the recipes i've been posting.

Vicky x