Recipe: Corn and Bacon Strudel

 

This is an all around pleaser that can be eaten for dinner, brunch or even at afternoon tea. It disappears quickly and with good reason.

Ingredients

• 350g (3/4 lb) of thick cut bacon
• 1 large brown onion
• 1 cup corn
• 2/3 of a cup of cheese 
• 2 sheets of puff pastry 
• 1-2 eggs for glazing
• (Optional) Seeds or Everything Bagel seasoning to top 

Method

• Prepare the filling by frying the bacon and onion together until the onion is sweated. 
• For a vegetarian alternative substitute the bacon for your favourite vegetable like butternut, pumpkin or peppers. You may need additional frying oil when omitting the bacon
• Then add the corn and fry, turn the filling off the heat and set asside
• Dice whatever cheese you have in the fridge. Smoked cheese, Gouda, cheddar and Harvarti all work well. 
• Let the filling cool before adding the cheese and set asside
• Roll out a sheet of puff pastry and then place half the filling in the middle of the sheet

• Cut the sides of the pastry into strips and then braid while brushing with beaten egg, make sure to brush between the braiding strips

• Once finished sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds, salt or everything bagel seasoning

• It is easiest to bake by cutting the strudel in half and then transferring to a baking sheet, be sure to use silicon mats or baking paper to ensure it does not stick

• Bake at 180C (350F) for 25 mins or until golden brown

• Repeat the process with the second sheet of pastry and the other half of the filling.
• Let cool and cut into strips or serve warm with a fresh salad

Recipe: Stilton and Walnut Biscuits

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1. Ingredients:

   80 g walnuts 120 g unsalted butter, diced 340 g Stilton, crumbled 200 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting ½ tsp dried thyme ½ tsp fine sea salt ¼ tsp ground black pepper 1 medium egg, beaten

   Method

• Chop the walnuts and set aside
• In a mixing bowl put 120g of unsalted butter and 340g of crumbled Stilton and mix.
• Add 200g of flour, ½ tsp dried thyme, ½ tsp fine sea salt, ¼ tsp ground black pepper and work the dough
• Tip the dough on a lightly floured surface. Shape the dough into a log (approx. Ø 4 cm, 50 cm long).
• Cut log in half, forming 2 x 25 cm logs, then set one aside. Distribute ½ reserved chopped walnuts over work surface.
• Lightly brush log with beaten egg, then roll in walnuts until the whole log is covered. Repeat with remaining log and chopped walnuts.
• Wrap logs in cling film and chill in fridge for 2-3 hours until firm
• With a sharp knife, slice chilled dough logs into thin rounds (approx. 5 mm thick) and arrange on a tray. Bake for 10 minutes (180°C) then rotate trays and bake for a further 3-5 minutes (180°C) until evenly browned.2. In a mixing bowl put 120g of unsalted butter and 340g of crumbled Stilton and mix.
• Tip: Pairs well with very strong jams (e.g.: onion, garlic). I made roasted garlic jam and it was nice pairing.

Mozzarella making class at Murray's Cheese, Bleecker St

When we go on vacation we like to do local cooking classes and there seemed to be no reason to keep this just to travel time! NYC is filled with cooking classes, especially one shot items designed for couples and friends to have a fun  night out. 

Murray's Cheese is a legendary cheese monger in Manhattan's Greenwich Village that seemse to stock just about every cheese I could think of to order and every accoutrement one could see fit to add to a cheeese board. They also offer high end food products like small batch meat and dairy, imported pastas and charcuterie and a lot more. 

We were here for the class though! Now we expected a cheese making adventure but what I wasn't expecting was a tasting and drinks before hand. This turned out to be a really excellent deal with bottomless Prosecco and Red Wine and a table full of nuts, pickles, dried fruit and bread. 

Here you can see my tasting board with a variety of mozzarella products - plain curds, fresh mozzarella, buffalo mozzarella, burrata and smoked mozarrella. 

The teacher walked us through tasting notes of each item provided while everyone sipped wine. Then there was as small break while the cheese making portion of the event came up. 

Here you can see the cheese curds and hot water that form the basis of the Mozzarella; the process is surprisingly simple and easy to do at home. It mostly involves pulling hot salted cheese curds and then forming into a ball of cheese. If you want to try it at home then Epicurious has a great guide to the process. 

Here's my completed Mozzarella balls, to be honest I wish I'd ignored the instructor and made one large ball of cheese instead of two but the results were still delicious.

This class was the gift that kept on giving! First of all we had 4 balls of fressh Mozarrella to use up so we made home made pizza and caprese salad later in the week. Hmmm!

They also sent us home with an extra box of cheese curds, now... we were meant to use these to practice making more cheese but husband requested poutine instead. Honestly New York is filled with high quality fresh mozzarella and no poutine so I felt like this was a great choice!

The class was fun and an easy event to fit in after work since it only added up to a couple of hours and included both nibbles and drinks. They offered a discount voucher for the cheese shop that we abused thoroughly. All in all an excellent night out and a memorable date night; the store offers a large range of classes for tasting and making and we'll definitely be back.

Murray's Cheese Making Classes 

https://www.murrayscheese.com/current-events

Foodie mecca offering an array of fine cheeses plus breads, cured meats, olives & other deli items.

254 Bleecker St

New York, NY 10014
Phone: (212) 243-3289

Review: South City Kitchen, Atlanta

It's January and that means a lot of us are eating healthy and trying to take off Christmas weight; but at least I get to look at some of the reasons why that's necessary!

South City Kitchen is a high end Southern restaurant in Atlanta offering traditional local dishes with a flourish. We went in a large group and had a set menu but it meant I got to see what everyone had to eat. The food in Atlanta is definitely "hearty" and harks back to days when Georgia was an agricultural center of the South. It's sticky gooey comfort food as far as the eye can see and while I might need to run a few extra miles this month it sure was worth it!

Pimento Cheese with pickles and crackers $7USD

Pimento cheese is one of those American things I don't understand. Sharp cheese is mixed with bell peppers and mayonnaise. This is a good rendition of the dish but I think this requires a little nostalgia. The pickles and benne seed crackers were very good though. 

Fried Green Tomatoes $10USD

Stuffed with goat cheese and served with a sweet red pepper coulis this is a morish vegetarian delight that pairs great with cold beer or white wine. 

Salad $8USD

All the fried food in Atlanta really needs some greens to cut through it. This was a good simple side salad with fresh vegetables and a light vinaigrette.

Buttermilk fried chicken with potatoes and beans $19USD

Boy do they know how to make fried chicken in these parts. Brined in a buttermilk bath overnight and then dipped in a slightly spicy batter then fried. The chicken was crisp and the oil not too heavy, great with mash and beans for a simple Southern delight.

Shrimp and Grits $21USD

Shrimp and grits is another very American traditional dish that was unknowns to me before moving to the US. Grits are a corn based porridge similar in taste and texture to polenta made by boiling ground corn. Some grits is made with "hominy" which are corn kernels treated with alkali and give a slightly chewy texture. Shrimp and grits comes with grilled or fried prawns and a gravy often made with pork belly or porcetta. 

Southern Pork Chop with succotash and fried onions $27USD

A very hearty double thick pork chop was basted with a Georgia peach relish and grilled to perfection served over a succotash of corn and beans. The sweet glaze was to die for and this dish was just amazing but we could have easily shared one between two people.

BBQ pork with scallion "hoecake" and horseradish slaw $9USD

This was a main meal sized version of what is usually an appetiser so the serving size may vary. The hoe cake is rather like a vegetable tortilla that soaks up the juices from the meat. Served with a sticky BBQ sauce and cut through with the tangy slaw. Yum.

Dessert platter - Peacan pie, banana pudding and buttermilk chocolate cake ($8USD each for full serves)

We got a sampler plate of tiny versions of these desserts but I'm not going to lie after smothered chops and fried chicken most of us could not eat dessert and a lot of the plate went lonely. Sticky and very sweet desserts seem to be common in the south but I love the user of Buttermilk and custards which give a surprising lightness and destract from all the sugar.

South City Kitchen came well recommended by many and to get a good sample of Southern cuisine it was a great choice. The restaurant was buzzing but the service was excellent. I would definitely avoid eating lunch before hand though. 

 South City Kitchen

http://midtown.southcitykitchen.com/

1144 Crescent Ave NE
Atlanta, GA 30309
Phone:(404) 873-7358

Ferry Building Food Market, San Francisco

We do love food markets and I've been making more of an attempt to visit them in various cities. I admit that I had not taken the time to go to the Ferry Building despite it being in my city primarily because of it's location at the Embarcadero - a busy and touristy area of town. Don't let that put you off though the markets are well worth a visit and the crowds are manageable if you go mid week or early morning on weekends. 

The San Francisco Ferry Building was converted into a food hall after the decline of ferry transport in the city and earthquake damage. Large renovations have been completed to bring the beaux arts building back to its former glory. 

I had heard it touted as a farmer's market but there's no flimsy marquees here, this is high end boutique eating from California creators like this Golden Gate meat company stall. The Ferry Building is one of the few places in the Bay Area that you can reliably get dedicated butchers and game meat. 

Drying hams and beef can be found on display at a number of butcher and charcuterie vendors. You can see the deliciousness forming over time. 

Prather Ranch Meat Co. is another specialty butcher featuring sustainable and humane meat, free of antibiotics and hormones common in the US.

Mariposa is the gluten free bakery that amazes my coeliac friends. This is no dull heavy brick style bread that some wheat free bakers produce but instead a huge range of bread, cookies and pastries that have the mouth feel and density of wheat based products. I don't know what their magic is but Mariposa makes for great gifts for those with dietary restrictions and always delights. 

This nut stall offers a huge arrange of raw and roasted nuts but also the most amazing natural nut products like additive free nut butters and brittles. Try the cinnamon almond brittle it's amazing. 

Finding good quality honey in the US can be hard and shockingly honey is often watered down with glucose or corn syrup. Beekind is the answer offering pure local honey from a variety of orchards and wildflowers.

There are plenty of options for the tea lover like this stall from Heath Ceramics with a wide array of tea cups and pots as well as crockery. Or try the Imperial Tea Court for an Asian traditional tea house offering Chinese and Japanese teas in a formal setting. There's even a dim sum restaurant included for those who like their tea with a side of pork. 

A number of the bakery vendors like the Acme Bread Company sell sandwiches pre-made or on custom order and featuring the meat and cheeses of other vendors on display. This makes it a great option for a brunch or lunch outing. Be warned though there are only a couple of venues that have actual seating. Consider buying yourself a picnic and heading down to Pier 39 to watch San Francisco's infamous urban seal lions.



We decide to stop at Boccalone - a charcuterie store run by celebrity chef and Top Chef Masters winner Chris Cosentino. This is a great stop for the cured meat fan or the foodie TV obsessive. You can buy cones of shaved cold meats - great for a low carb lunch option or buy yourself a pressed sandwich filled with melt in your mouth charcuterie.

Prosciutto cotto with provolone and whole grain mustard $8.50USD

Hot italian sausage sandwich with peppers and onions $8.50USD

Of course my favourite offering has to be the Cowgirl Creamery Cheese shop. They offer a huge range of cheeses direct from Cowgirl and other local cheese producers from Marin and Sonoma Counties where goat's cheese is a speciality. They also have a small sandwich shop called Cowgirl Sidekick offering the fanciest grilled cheese one could imagine. 

Buy local artisan cheeses by the round or tub and take home plenty of sides like fresh pickles, jams and nuts to make the perfect cheeseboard dinner. 

They don't stop themselves at local cheeses though. European cheeses from Scandinavia, Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey and more are available as well as American cheeses from Wisconsin (which rival the European cheeses in taste and quality). 

All in all the Ferry Building is a fun day out if  you can handle the crowds or plan around them. Definitely take the chance to buy local organic produce to take home or to have a picnic around the northern tip of San Francisco with beautiful ocean views and the usual eclectic San Francisco Culture. 

San Francisco Ferry Building 

http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/

San Francisco Ferry Bldg

San Francisco, CA 94105

High end food market and boutique eateries

Culinary adventures at sea on Celebrity Solstice

I recently got married and for our Honeymoon we went on a cruise to Alaska. After some research I found a great ship for us to board - the Celebrity Solstice is a culinary flagship for the Celebrity Cruise fleet and had many delicious adventures on board.

Put asside your ideas of cruises as endless cheap buffets and check out some of the wonderful food we had on board.

State Room

On arrival we were presented with hors d'ouvres and sparkling wine to enjoy on our balcony while we embarked.

Every day we had the option of additional canapes served in our room - great for those relaxing days at sea with no day trips. A decent room service was also available 24 hours with standard offerings included in our ticket price or more upscale affairs for an additional cost. Not a bad option for late night snacking after checking out the ship's many bars!

Drinks

Being our Honeymoon we wanted to celebrate and not worry about the bill so I opted for a premium alcohol add on to our package. This meant endless arrays of cocktails, spirits, beers and wine at the bars. The Premium option included mixology madness like this ice bar.

Of course it wouldn't be a vacation without the occasional tropical cocktail - this is their version of my favourite the Pina Colada. 

A reasonable array of wines was available at all the restaurants - limited options for by the glass but an extensive cellar by the bottle. For those wishing to have high end vintage wine there were many options to buy bottles as an add on or even add a dozen bottles of wine to your state room.

The spirits on the premium package surprised me with multiple options for single malt Scotch, sparkling wines, Cognac and high end options for liqueurs, vodkas and gins.

Not a drinker? The ship had a marvellous cafe offering espresso, teas and plenty of cakes

The pastry cabinet

Tres Leches Cake

Blu Restaurant

Being our Honeymoon I'd opted for the "Aqua Class" suite which included access to our own restaurant. Cheaper classes of ticket had set dining times in a dining hall built for 1000 or so seats at shared tables. Hardly the romantic Honeymoon experience I was after!

The Blu Restaurant however had free seating times and offered excellent breakfast and dinner options. As well as a rotating seasonal menu they included repeated healthy and "plain" food options for the diner with specific requirements.

A healthy low carb breakfast - cold meats and salad with cottage cheese, coffee and sparkling water.

Blueberry yoghurt parfait

Sausage, bacon and eggs with vegetables

Tuna Nicoise 

Arugula Salad with Goat's Cheese and antipasto

Two "formal nights" were included in the cruise. Everyone dressed up to the Nines and there were dance parties with live bands all over the ship. During formal nights the restaurants offered special dishes like this lobster tail. Hmm!

Of course, I couldn't go on a cruise to Alaska without having a Baked Alaska. What a cute presentation.

Casual Lunch Options

The Blu restaurant didn't offer lunch and often we were either on day trips off the boat or relaxing in the spa or heated pool area so a formal seated lunch wasn't really what we were after. 

On deck there were several lunch options including a "Spa Aqua" meal of healthy salads and parfaits

Vacation is no time to think about calories so we also visited the holiday mode Pool Grill where we indulged in burgers, hot dogs and fries by the pool - complete with Australian beer!

A full service buffet was on offer open all day and included healthier options like salad, quiche, sandwiches and less healthy ones like cookies, cake and fried delights. 

Want some privacy? There's always room service and a view over the ocean on your balcony. 

Specialty Restaurants

What really set the Celebrity line asside was the number of truly high end specialty restaurants on board. These needed to be booked for an additional cost on top of your cabin but for a special occasion like ours they really hit the right notes. 

The Tuscan Grille was a high end Italian steakhouse with a magnificent view out the back of the boat which made for ideal sunset relaxation. 

Beef Carpaccio

Fillet Steak with jus and Cafe de Paris butter

A display of Tuscan Grille dishes

More of the Tuscan Grille menu

A Pan Asian restaurant had an array of Japanese, Thai, Chinese and Vietnamese dishes. 

While it looked lovely we started running out of meals to try the restaurants and I was only able to get a look at their dish display during their Food Fiesta. 

Murano was a high end Italian formal dining restaurant offering both a degustation and an a la carte option.  This pork belly with heavenly crackling came in a sauce that was worth chasing around the plate to the last drop.

This surprised me as being the best lobster dish I'd ever eaten. Indulgent with a butter, cognac and shallots I could have come back for this dish alone multiple. 

They had an amazing cheese board as well - so we just had to opt for one of everything. Triple creme, soft brie, Roquefort and Delice de Bourgignon. Enough to make the eyes water and a foodie cry into the plate. 

They even sent us a gorgeous little cake - sadly after 5 courses, an amuse bouche and petit fours this was really pushing what even my celebratory stomach could handle!

Touring the Galley

I was so excited for this activity on board I could barely contain myself! 

As a culinary ship they offered a huge food program including lectures from the executive chef on prepration techniques, suppliers and recipes. 

Best of all though was a full tour of the Galley on the main restaurant. We got unique insight into the machinations of the kitchen including all the healthy and cleanliness processes required to keep the ship free of onboard illness. I was particularly impressed to see how they handled allergens with special parts of the kitchen reserved for customer meals noted as having allergies and separated handling of milk and meat. 

These buffet displays were a work of art!

Mass plating Caesar Salad in preparation for a meal about to be served. 

Checking out the recipes - these are all approved by central corporate executive chefs and designed to control quality and portion size. I was impressed to see how the ingredients list made sure to use some ingredients earlier in the cruise and to ensure that there was plenty of crossover in ingredients across various dishes. A great way to control the food pipeline.

The dish closet

With 3000 passengers to serve and multiple restaurants offering a variety of specialty dishes there was an impressive range of crockery and glassware. Here you can see some of my favourites like Spanish terracotta cazuelas and divetted escargot plates.

It was super fun to watch a chef plate a hundred slices of Pecan Pie with a deft flick of the wrist. Where else do you get to see mass food production with such quality?

Cooking Class

After enjoying our meal at Murano so much we were delighted to discover they had a cooking class. 

Together with the executive chef we learnt to cook and plate our own three course meal with matched wines. They even gave us a book all about Celebrity Cruises food culture!

A delightful avocado and crab choux puff with flying fish roe and smoked salmon with micro greens - made by me!

My new husband learns to plate Chilean Sea Bass

Enjoying the fruits of our labour!

This was my first cruise - but also one of the only practical ways to see Alaska. I was worried going into this trip that the food would be mediocre but boy were we surprised. Admittedly we had skipped the budget options of buffets and mass dining but the food quality was amazing for us - easily equal to eating at good restaurants in a large city. 

We loved all the options they had like mixology classes, wine tastings, food tours and cooking classes. The chefs were all extremely friendly and remembered us from all our dinners, questions and happy moments. I think I received more blessings on our marriage from the food staff on Celebrity Solstice than I did at the wedding itself! I cannot recommend this cruise and cruise line enough, if you're looking for a splurge or a way to see Alaska definitely consider this option.