Lemon Drizzle Cake

Well, second time lucky uploading this recipe, my first attempt reigned triumphant for two days before mysteriously disappearing without trace....Lesson learnt? Always, always, always, back up in word! For those of you reading this perhaps for the second time, hopefully this one will be better than the last. Its also very late now, because i've been having a barrel of laughs in Sunny Portugal-more of that soon.

Mercier Champagne

Firstly a quick round up of our trip with Mrs & Mrs Brown in the Champagne region of France, a great area hosting some of the best drinks in the world, Pol Rodger, Moet & Juliet Perrier to name but a few. The trip was filled with tours, picnics, meals out & dodgy banter. We did tours of Tattinger & Mercier which were fun & informative, although i spent most of the time anticipating the tasting afterwards. Mrs Brown & i proved that cycling & champagne do not always mix after an amusing double fall on Avenue de Champagne...

Chicken & Fois Gras Terrine with Prune

We had a fantastic meal out courtesy of Mrs Brown's research. La Table Anna a small & cosy restaurant in the center of Reims was outstanding. Reminiscent of your nan's sitting room in the 80's it's a totally unassuming place & the food is fantastic. After an amuse bouche of Courgette Soup with Goats Cheese Cream  i chose the Chicken & Foie Gras Terrine with Prunes. I am a big fan of prunes used in savoury dishes & they went very well with richness of the foie gras. I avoided eating fois gras for years thinking the process quite cruel, but embarrassingly after my first taste all thoughts flew out the window & i now love it. I do appreciate the methods used offend some people.

Pig Trotter with Mushrooms & Duck Liver Mashed Potatoes

My main wasn't any lighter but was even more delicious. Pigs Trotter stuffed with Cheese & served with mushrooms. This was also accompanied by a small pot of buttery mashed potato with believe it or not, a ducks liver in the middle. Possibly the richest dish i have ever had... The meat was amazing, very tender after being cooked slowly for hours. The Houseboy's snails were fantastic & the best I've ever tried, served in individual little pots with toasted tops, the were hot, earthy & very very garlicky. 

On return to London we spent a fun Friday night celebrating Mrs Philips' birthday at Vinoteca, a busy a lively place in Farringdon. I started with Razor Clams served with Samphire, the dish was done well but i did keep thinking back to the wonderful ones i had in Scotland over Easter. The highlight was definitely the main - Gressingham Duck with Polenta & Blood Orange. The duck was perfectly cooked cooked, seared on the outside & pink in the middle. The polenta was an interesting addition, i never cook with it a home for some reason but i will certainly add it to my repertoire now. Mrs Rhodes once made a Chocolate Polenta Cake when i was growing up, but if my memory serves me correctly it didn't quite make it to the afternoon tea table. Pudding was a Triple Chocolate Mousse which nice but quite sweet, despite dark chocolate being used.

The Bake Off Entries

Sunday morning was spent baking a Lemon Drizzle Cake for a continuation of Mrs Philips' birthday celebrations in the form of afternoon tea. Mr Philips proposed a 'bake off' (Australians love a bit of competition) Mr Philips produced a stunning Bill Granger Chocolate & Mandarin Cake which was dense, moist & very good with whipped cream. Miss Challen's Toasted Coconut Cake finally convinced me that sweet coconut is actually delicious, Miss Lummis rustled up a traditional Teacake which had great flavour & perfect density. Miss Holford, the busiest socialite i know brought beautiful cupcakes, and lastly the Houseboys splendid Summer Fruits Tart pipped everyone to the post & was declared clear winner. (i hate it when he cooks something better than me)

Toasted Coconut Cake

This Lemon Cake is a really simple recipe with great results. It's actually originally a reader submission to Delia Smith's website, but i have made a few changes. You could also make this with limes for something a little different.  

Ingredients:

• 4oz butter
• 6oz caster sugar
• 6oz self raising flour
• 4 tbsp milk
• grated zest of 2 lemons
• 2 large eggs
•  
• juice of 2 lemons
• 2-3oz caster sugar

Start by setting your oven to 160c, then lightly grease a 2lb tin (you can use a square or round tin of you wish) Add all the cake ingredients to a bowl & gently mix until well incorporated. Pour into the cake tin & cook for 35-45 minutes. Check it every so often to make sure that it cooking evenly & not browning too much, if you feel that it is, carefully lay a sheet of tin foil over the tin (don't seal round the edges) & this should prevent it happening. While the cake is baking mix the lemon juice & caster sugar together & gently heat until the sugar dissolves.  Leave the cake to cool for 10mins before carefully pouring the drizzle over the cake. Leave to cool completely before turning out. In my experience it's better to keep this wrapped in greaseproof paper, as tin foil sticks to it. It should keep for 4/5 days if wrapped up carefully.

The Baking Crew

Easter Eating!

Well, not many chances to cook over the Easter break but there were many opportunities to eat! The Houseboy & i escaped London, firstly heading north to visit Mrs Rhodes & to explore some of the Highlands & Islands. Mr & Mrs Brown who are currently on their campervan tour of Europe joined us in my home village of Ayton, a bustling metropolis of activity & we spent a few days relaxing days playing tennis, heading on walks & teaching the oldies how to play the card game Scumbag. The houseboy was shocked to see Mrs Rhodes' fiercely competitive side coming out...it is certainly something to behold! As usual Mrs Rhodes stuffed us full of food and wine while the Houseboy & Mr Brown attempted to drink her out of whiskey.  

After waving the Browns off towards Holland, we headed north to the town of Oban on the West Coast with Mrs & Mrs Robinson. In true army style the Robinson's shunned joining us in the B&B & headed off to a nearby campsite to set their tent up. Mrs Robinson is the only person i know who can rock up to dinner looking glam after getting ready in a tent...

Razor Clams in Ginger Butter

In the evening we had a seafood extravaganza at The Waterfront  down by the harbor. We started by sharing a plate of huge fresh Oysters, which were the best i’ve had in a long time (possibly since our OZ trip last year) Mrs Robinson, not being a huge oyster fan settled on locals seared Scallops with Chorizo which looked fantastic. I then chose Razor Clams in Ginger Butter, a great choice, but i find them slightly strange, they have the salty earthiness of a mussel along with the texture of squid, but with the sweetness of scallops,  i 'm a fan but i can understand peoples reluctance.  My main (which was huge) was a Trio of Seafood with Asparagus Risotto & Piquant Leeks. A first class decision  copied by Mr Robinson but, by that time, i was starting to think my eyes were bigger than my stomach (physically impossible i know, especially given the fact the houseboy claims i have the tiniest eyes he's even seen) The Salmon, Sea Bass & Scallops were cooked perfectly & the risotto was well flavoured. Mr Robinson (a joy to cook for) who sports one of the most impressive appetites i know made short work of the dish!

Trio of Seafood with Asparagus Risotto

The next morning the Robinson's heading back to Edinburgh while we carried on north. The drive from Oban to Mallaig was stunning, the coastline was beautiful & the unusually sunny & dry weather made it all the more lovely. We drove via Ballachulish & Fort  William (where we had the worst Scotch Pie of all time-sad time for the Houseboy) & thanks to my excellent map reading & spot on driving time predictions we arrived in good time to catch the boat. The boat is an excellent way to arrive on Skye-quick easy & great views as you approach. 

Harbor at Mallaig

Our first night on Skye was eventful as i typically got my dates mixed up (as previously mentioned i am not a fan of numbers over ten, if we could count by colours i would be Einstein) which meant we were temporarily homeless for the evening, thankfully our hostess for the following evening made a quick booking for us round the corner (around several corners actually- the only thing keeping me from being ill was the thought of the Houseboy's reaction) & we ended up at Kilmuir Park which was a very lucky find. Despite it being very late notice & having family staying, Agnes could not have been more friendly & fun. A comfy & cosy B&B its well placed to visit the more popular parts of the island. In the evening we drove to The Stein Inn,  a small & charming place which is said to be the oldest pub on Skye. We shared a Homemade Chicken Liver Pate & award wining local Black pudding. We then both went for the Langoustines. It was all perfectly nice, but i was slightly disappointed with the main, its a dish which they should be able to turn out perfectly every time, but they were a little overcooked. Anyhoo, we finished the evening by sharing an ice cream boat which would make any child happy. Especially the rum ice cream. 

Beach at Bualinter

We started the next day with a nice walk along the beach & into the hills-not too far as we had no maps & my legs could not keep up with the lanky Houseboys who bounced through the heather easily, but enough to get a lovely view over to Isle of Canna. For lunch we headed to Skye's 'capital' Portree where we had great fish & chips, probably most memorable for the fact that the houseboy came under fire from a seagull which rewarded his failure to feed it buy pooing all over him. I have to admit.  I was a horrible girlfriend & just laughed until  i nearly fell in the water. It's the THIRD time he's been pooped on by a bird this year...must mean hes going have some luck coming his way! We then headed to the Talisker Distillery for a look. After an interesting tour, a quick sign up the Whiskey Society & the purchase of nice 18 year old Malt & we were back on our way.

Our second night on Skye we stayed at the brilliant Carters Rest near Dunvegan. Julie & Steve were great hosts, friendly & hospitable, they run a lovely welcoming B&B which boasts stunning views from the little dining room. We opted to eat in the B&B that evening & we were both very glad to have done so. After a game of pool (i very very nearly beat the Houseboy) Julie served a delicious meal including fantastic local venison which definitely lived up to to saying of melt in the mouth. The Sticky Toffee Pudding was enough to floor a giant but was so good i ate every last bit of it. The house boy did not get a look in-but then again, nobody does when it comes to me & a plate of anything. The next morning we began our drive back to Ayton. A long but lovely drive through Perthshire with a quick stop on the banks of Loch Garry for a lunch organised by the Houseboy which included sitting on the shore beside a very dead duck & eating Cheese Coleslaw. Yes people, in fact this food item does exist, but i urge you to give it a miss. After arriving home there was time for dinner & early night as the next day we were heading off to the Champagne region of France to meet Mr & Mrs Brown (yes them again! i think Mr Brown & the Houseboys are in the throws of  a bromance)  for some serious cheese & champagne intake. The french adventures, & there were many, will be the next posting! 

                            The Cuillins, Skye