Cinnamon Bread

A few weeks ago Donal Skehan posted a picture of some scrummy looking baked eggs on twitter.  I'm not a big egg fan and only eat them scrambled but knew my husband would like them.  I resolved to make him a special breakfast of them the following Sunday.  It didn't happen that weekend, or the one after that or the one after that.  I finally got round to making them for him this weekend.  We've had a pretty hectic few weeks so I decided on a lazy weekend with lots of time to bake and cook and eat. 

On Saturday I came over all domestic goddess and after scrubbing the house donned my apron.  I started the process for a sourdough bread starter (more to follow on this).  I then toddled off with my pretty floral shopping bag and filled it with all manner of yumminess so that I could cook a special dinner followed by a delicious breakfast the next morning.  Another recipe I had been meaning to make for Mr. Boo is The Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Bread.  He is a fan of all things cinnamon and he enjoyed a similar bread in Ruby's Diner in Huntington Beach, L.A., so much that he hasn't stopped talking about it since.  He had that bread six years ago!

The following morning my sister text to say she had some cakes from Roly's Bistro for me so I told her to join us for our late breakfast.  Donal's eggs went down very well with all at the table and his Spanish potato and chorizo hash (without the fried eggs) that I made to accompany them was positively hoovered up by my sister and the recipe requested.  After breakfast we managed to squeeze in some cinnamon bread and even a little cake or two.  A perfect Sunday morning.

These are the Roly's cakes that we didn't quite manage to finish off

for breakfast so Mr. Boo & I had a nice dessert.

While the end result for this bread was totally scrummy toasted and smothered in butter I did find it required a bit of effort to make.  The dough requires mixing with a dough hook for 10-15 minutes, not an issue if you have a freestanding electric mixer, but I was using a hand held so it took a little arm power.  I also felt that the dough was very moist and sticky, so much so that it was impossible to handle without it sticking to hands and generally making life very messy.  There is a note on the original recipe to add 30g of extra flour if this is the case.  I had to do that 3 times to get it to a manageable consistency.  It was most definitely worth it though and I think next time I make it I will have a better understanding so can add extra flour as I am kneading with the dough hooks to avoid extra kneading time afterwards.   Don't be put off by this though, it is a delicious bread, almost cake like, so definitely worth it for a weekend breakfast treat.  I found it similar to a brioche with a delicious swirl of moist, sweet cinnamon running through it.  Enjoy!

I have linked to the original recipe above but have converted it to g/oz measurements below. 

The Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Bread
(makes 1 x 1lb loaf)

240ml Milk
90g/3oz Unsalted Butter, plus extra for greasing
7g Sachet Yeast
2 Large Eggs
75g/2.65oz Caster Sugar
420g/14.82oz Plain Flour
1tsp Salt
1 Egg and some milk to glaze

For the filling
2tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted
75g/2.65oz Sugar
2tbsp Cinnamon

1.  Melt the butter and milk until very warm but do not allow them to boil.  Allow them to cool until still warm to the touch, but not too hot.  Sprinkle the yeast over the top, stir gently, and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
2.  Mix the eggs and sugar in the bowl of a free standing electric mixer until combined.  Add the milk mixture and mix until combined.  Sieve in half of the flour and salt and mix until combined, repeat with the remaining flour.  Alternatively you can do this in a large bowl using a hand held electric mixer.

3.  Switch to dough hook attachments and knead on a medium speed for 10 minutes.  If the dough is overly sticky at the end of this time add an additional 30g(a little over an oz) of flour and knead for a further 5 minutes.  Repeat this if necessary until you have a consistency that you can work with (I had to add 90g of additional flour in 3 stages as I found the dough very wet).
4.  Spray a bowl with a little oil.  Transfer the dough to the bowl and toss in the oil.  Cover the bowl with clingfilm and place in a warm, draught free place( I use my hot press) for 2 hours.

5.  Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.  Melt 2tbsp of butter.  Grease a 1lb loaf tin.
6.  Generously flour your work surface and turn the dough out onto it.  Flour your hands generously, then flatten with your hands and shape into a rectangle.  Measure the width against your loaf tin to ensure it will fit in.  When you are happy with the shape smear with the melted butter and sprinkle the sugar on top in an even layer.

7.  Roll from one end of the dough to the other keeping it as tight as possible.,, pinch the seam to seal.  Place into the prepared loaf tin, seam side down,  and flatten slightly to fill any gaps.  Cover with clingfilm and return to a warm, draught free place to rise again.

8.  Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4.  Mix 1 egg with a little milk in a small bowl.  Glaze the top of the loaf with the egg/milk mix and place into the preheated oven, below the centre, for 40 minutes.  Remove for the oven and allow to cool in the tin for a few minutes before turning out and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Scones

In my mam's last few weeks of feeling well she became rather fond of high tea in the Westbury Hotel.  I'm not sure how we ended up there the first time but she liked it enough that we found ourselves back there every Friday morning.  I was lucky in that I was in college at the time and would return home an hour after leaving the house to say that my classes had been cancelled or that the pipes had frozen or that a dog had eaten the college and I had been sent home for the day.  I'm sure she knew that no such thing had happened but she would happily declare that sure wasn't it great that I could come for tea and scones with her. 

Friday had always been her morning to meet her sisters in town anyway so they would meet us too and more often than not a couple of friends and my sisters, if they could wangle some time off work.  We sat in the same place each week, at the window overlooking Harry St., and my mam would make herself comfortable in a big armchair.  The small table would heave with plates of scones, clotted cream, jam, pots of tea and a pot of hot chocolate just for me.  We were never in a rush; sitting, chatting, laughing and of course eating.  Sometimes we sat so long we had to order another round of scones or sandwiches before we had the energy to leave. 

They were wonderful mornings, all the girls together doing what girls do best, gossiping and laughing.  One of my favourite treats now is to indulge in afternoon tea in the Westbury (or anywhere for that matter).  If that same table is free I will sit there and savour the atmosphere, and the sweet treats, luxuriating in the decadence of those couple of hours.  While I don't treat myself to that often, I can treat myself to those lovely scones in the comfort of my own home.  I hope that you enjoy them as much as I do.  Sit down in your most comfortable chair, fill a mug with steaming tea and dollop on some extra cream.  Why?  Well, why not?

Scones

(makes 12+)

450g/1lb Self Raising Flour, plus extra for dusting
1/4tsp Salt
100g/4oz Cold Unsalted Butter, diced
85g/3oz Caster Sugar, plus extra for dusting
280ml Buttermilk
2tsp Vanilla Extract
30ml Milk

1.  Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas Mark 7.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and dust lightly with flour.
2.  Pulse the flour, salt, butter and sugar in a food processor until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.  Alternatively grate the butter into the dry ingredients and cut in with a knife until there are no lumps of butter left.

Apologies for the poor picture quality but I don't have natural light in this part of my kitchen.

3.  Place the buttermilk and vanilla into a small saucepan and warm gently.  (Be careful no to heat the milk too much as it will separate)
4.  Place a third of the flour mix into a large bowl with a third of the buttermilk.  Mix with a knife and repeat in two more stages, but be careful not to over mix. 
5.  Dust a work surface with flour and turn the mixture out onto it.  Lightly flour your hands and gently bring the mixture together to form a dough.  (If you find the mixture is very wet at this stage gradually add a little flour at a time until the consistency becomes manageable)

6.  Wrap the dough in some clingfilm and refrigerate for 15 minutes - half an hour.  Place back onto a lightly floured work surface and flatten with your hands to a depth of approx 4cm.
7.  Using a floured scone cutter stamp out rounds and place on the prepared baking sheets.

  Brush with milk and dust with some caster sugar.

8.  Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes until golden and risen.
9.  Allow to cool on a wire rack.

Gingerbread Cookies

When the Irish Foodies Christmas Cookalong was announced I knew instantly that I wanted to make gingerbread cookies.  There is something about the sight of a cute little gingerbread person that always brings a smile to my face.  I have a stash of cookie cutters cluttering up the kitchen so couldn't wait to get stuck in.  I was really pleased with the results, a deliciously moist cookie with just the right balance of Christmas spice.   Although you will have to excuse my icing skills, they are not quite what they should be.  Enjoy!

Gingerbread Cookies

(The amount of cookies you yield will depend on the size and shape of your cookie cutters, depending on size you should yield between 12 and 36.)

350g/12oz Plain Flour
1.5tsp Ground Ginger
0.5tsp Ground Cinnamon
1tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
100g/4oz Unsalted Butter, chilled
175g/6oz Dark Muscovado Sugar
1 Large Egg
2tbsp Black Treacle
30ml/1floz Milk

Icing and sweets of your choice to decorate.

1.  Sieve the flour, spices and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl.
2.  Grate the butter into the dry ingredients and rub in until the mixture has a breadcrumb consistency.  Add the sugar and stir in. (you may notice some dark spots in my cookies, my sugar had some lumps that I didn't take the time to break down as I was a bit up to my eyeballs in flour so take the time to break them down to avoid this happening.)
3.  Break the egg into a separate bowl and mix with the black treacle.  Add to the flour mixture and stir to form a smooth dough.
4.  Add the milk to help to bind the dough together, form into a ball, wrap in clingfilm and pop into the fridge for half an hour to chill.
5.  Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4.  Line 2 baking sheets with grease proof paper.
6.  After half an hour remove the dough from the fridge.  Place on a floured work surface and roll out to a depth of 5mm.  Flour cookie cutters, cut out shapes and place onto the lined baking sheets.  If you are left with off cuts form them into a dough ball, roll out to 5mm and repeat the cutting process.
7.  Place the cookies into the middle of the preheated oven and bake for 12-15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

8.  Decorate as you wish with icing and sweets of your choice or leave plain if you prefer.  The cookies will keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

*** If you do not have cookie cutters you can simply cut into squares or use an upturned glass or cup to make rounds.  To make the houses in the picture above simply cut the dough into rectangles and then cut two small triangles from the top to form the point of the roof. ***

Eggnog

Ireland has been experiencing snowy weather these past few days.  On Friday night I was witness to a lightning storm, the like of which I have not witnessed before in Ireland.  The whole night sky was illuminated with each flash and they grew progressively more frequent as the night went on.  A quick check in with the lovely @yddib over on twitter to pick the brain of her very own personal weather man explained that it was the result of hail clouds colliding.  When I woke the next morning we had the lightest dusting of snow and sure I was only delighted with life, until I phoned my sister that is.  "Oh we have a few inches here, can't even see where the kerb ends and the road begins."  Show off!  That was me on snow watch for the rest of the day, willing the clouds to empty their load so I could concur, "oh we have inches here, won't be venturing outside the door in that".  Alas it was not to happen.  I toddled off to bed to dream of snow angels and snow ball fights.

There was still quite a nip in the air on Sunday morning and imagine my delight when I stumbled down the stairs & threw open the curtains to be greeted by a pure white blanket of snow, thick on the ground.  I was up the stairs in a jiffy and before the hubs knew what was happening I had burst through the bedroom door and decided there was nothing else for it other than to bounce on the bed and scream "snnnnooooooooooooooooooooooooooowwww".  Needless to say at 8a.m. on a Sunday morning he wasn't too impressed.  We did have a little snow ball fight as we walked to the shop later that morning before we tucked ourselves up indoors for a cosy day.

I wandered into the kitchen in the afternoon with the intention of whipping up a batch of mince pies but instead emerged half an hour later with a glass of eggnog in hand much to the hubs amusement.  I'm not much of a drinker you see but the sight of the marshmallow world outside was screaming Christmas at me, so a glass of eggnog was the only man for the job.  I then spent a blissful afternoon on the sofa eggnog in one hand, large Toblerone in the other and Love Actually on the old telebox.  Bliss. 

It really is beginning to look a lot like Christmas.  Enjoy! x

Eggnog
(serves 8-10)

6 Large Eggs, separated
180g/8oz Caster Sugar
1tsp Vanilla Extract
250ml/8floz Milk
500ml/16floz Cream
100ml/3.5floz Brandy
100ml/3.5floz Rum
Nutmeg, freshly grated to serve

1.  Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until well combined, the sugar is dissolved and the mixture thickened slightly.  Gradually beat in the vanilla, milk, cream and alcohol.

2.  Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks, then thoroughly whisk into the cream mixture.  Pour into glasses and sprinkle each with a little grated nutmeg.

CPM: Chocolate, Peanuts & Marshmallow (GF)

*Before we get started, apologies for the atrocious pictures in this post, I was feeling a bit lazy. Soz!*

I was watching Food Network the other day, not like me I know, when this popped up.  It was one of those snippets of a Food Network chef talking about 'The best thing I ever tasted...'.  You know the ones I mean.  The theme for this particular one was sugar and Chef Duff from Charm City Cakes was in the hot seat. 

I wasn't paying too much attention to him as I was also scribbling something or other onto a piece of paper at the same time.  I very rarely just do one thing at a time, I always have one eye here and t'other there.  It's just the way I like to roll.  Even when I look like I am only concentrating on the task at hand my brain is generally 2 hours ahead thinking of the next thing I intend to do.  Anyhoo, I digress.  My attention turned solely to the tv when the chef who had created Duff's favourite dessert started to describe it.

First you pop 3 scoops of vanilla ice cream into the bottom of a glass, then you scatter on some sweetened peanuts, follow that up with a layer of chocolate ganache and then top the lot with some warm marshmallow fluff.  Naturally at that stage I found myself on my knees licking the tv screen. (Note to self, dust the tv.) 

I was giddy with excitement at the prospect of recreating this sweet confection and kept dreaming about it for the 24 hours that followed, so last night I gave in and made it before dinner.  I know, I shouldn't have but I was alone in the house and it was a good hour and a half before dinner so I did it.  This is one of my favourite things about being an adult, you can decide what to eat and when and if you want to eat dessert before dinner, you can go right ahead and do it!

As this was not part of an actual cookery show there was no recipe to accompany it.  The following is a rough guide:

CPM: Chocolate, Peanuts & Marshmallow
(the following quantities are for one serving but can very easily be multiplied)

*** NB Check that the brand of marshmallows you use are gluten free if making for someone with coeliac disease***

2tbsp Salted Peanuts
A squeeze of Honey
A handful of white Mini Marshmallows
4tbsp of Milk
3 scoops of Vanilla Ice Cream
3-4tbsp of Chocolate Sauce

1.  An hour in advance of assembly place the peanuts into a small bowl.  Squeeze over just enough honey to coat them all evenly.  Cover and set aside until required.
2.  Place the mini marshmallows and milk into a small saucepan and set over a low heat to melt.

3.  While you are waiting for the marshmallows to melt remove the ice cream from the freezer and allow to soften slightly.
4.  Once the marshmallows have melted remove them from the heat. 

5.  Place the 3 scoops of ice cream into the glass.  Flatten down with the back of a spoon.  Spoon the peanuts on top of the ice cream.  Cover the peanuts with the chocolate sauce.  Finally, cover the chocolate sauce with the melted marshmallow. 

6.  Grab a BIG spoon.  Lock yourself in a room on your own and dig in.  It is very important to get a bit of each layer in every spoonful.  Trust me, you will be glad you did.  Enjoy!

Notes:

• I had no vanilla ice cream in the house so used a homemade honeycomb one I had been meaning to taste.  It worked perfectly and I will post the recipe for that soon.
• Marshmallow fluff is not something that is readily available here.  I know Avoca sell a jar of pink marshmallow fluff but I think the melted marshmallow I used worked perfectly well.  Actually, I know it worked perfectly well because it was feckin delicious.
• I used a shop bought chocolate sauce but feel free to make your own ganache if you wish.  If I was serving it as a dessert I would most probably opt for a homemade version.

Cheddar Cheese & Thyme Scones

As the weather has turned a little autumnal this week I have been craving warm and comforting snacks to keep me going between meals.  Yesterday I baked up a batch of yummy cheese and thyme scones.  They are only gorgeous.  I had one straight from the oven with a little butter and oh my, it was only beeuriful!  Jesus, ok ok I had TWO straight from the oven with a little butter.  Who died and made you lot the diet police, wah?!  The rest are individually wrapped and in the freezer just waiting for a little hunger pang to strike.  Enjoy these cold, toasted or quickly warmed through in the microwave.  The only thing missing I think is a big bowl of stew to go with them.  Honest to God, it's freezing here right now.  I'm off to pop the kettle on, you lot go and get your aprons on.  Enjoy!

Apologies for the picture quality here but I didn't have my camera to hand so had to rely on my phones camera

Cheddar Cheese and Thyme Scones
(I yielded 11 scones from this recipe)

225g/8oz Plain Flour
1tbsp Baking Powder
Pinch of Sea Salt
50g/2oz Butter
125g/4.5oz Mature Cheddar Cheese, grated
3-4 sprigs chopped Fresh Thyme
125-150ml/4.5-5floz Milk

1.   Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6.  Oil a baking sheet (I used a silicone sheet on my baking sheet instead).
2.   Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl.
3.   With clean hands, rub the butter into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.

4.   Stir in 2/3's of the grated cheese.

5.   Stir in the chopped fresh thyme.

6.   Gradually pour in the milk until you have a soft dough.

7.   Roll the dough out on a floured work surface to a thickness of approximately 1cm/0.5". 

8.   Using a floured pastry cutter, cut out circles and space out evenly on the baking sheet.

9.   Sprinkle the remaining grated cheese on top of the scones.

10. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden around the edges.

11. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack for 5 minutes.  Enjoy whilst still hot with some butter. 

12. Store any leftover scones in an airtight container for up to 3 days or wrap individually in cling film and freeze.

Double Chocolate Flower Pots

We had some people over for dinner last Sunday.  I have already posted about the tears & tantrums and the disasters but thankfully something went right on the day.  Despite the aul fellas at the table complaining that they don't eat dessert and me telling them in no uncertain terms that I didn't care just to take the thing and let it sit in front of them, this provided a very pleasant end to the meal.  These are another little gem that I found on Tasty Kitchen, the food blog on the Pioneer Woman.  When I saw a picture of them I knew instantly that my life would not be complete until I made them.

As it was a dessert for adults I decided to adapt the recipe.  The original recipe basically calls for an assembly of shop bought items.  I chose to make the various components, replacing pound cake with chocolate brownie and ice cream with white chocolate mousse.  I was slightly lazy and stuck with shop bought biscuits and given the success of Oreo Chocolate Creme's in my Mint Crisp Pie base I gave them another outing.

Feel free to stick with the original recipe and offer your guests a wow factor dessert for practically no work, or if you fancy something a little more decadent you can whip up the brownie and mousse with very little effort.

***Before you read the recipe be warned that it looks like a lot of work but the brownie and white choclate mousse recipes only take about 10 mins each to make and assembly of the finished pots take about another 10 mins, after that it is just a matter of popping them in the fridge to allow them to set.***

In addition to the recipes below you will also need:
75g/2.5oz Oreo Chocolate Creme's (crushed)
8 Drinking Straws
8 cut flowers (ensure the stems will fit into the drinking straws)
8 small terracota pots

Chocolate Brownie

(this recipe will make a tray of brownies, approx 15 depending on the size you cut.  You will have some brownies left over to enjoy later with a cup of tea)

250g/9oz Good Quality Dark Chocolate (I use 70% Cocoa Solids)
200g/7oz Unsalted Butter
200g/7oz Caster Sugar
3 Large Eggs
125g/4.5oz Plain Flour
50g/1.75oz Cocoa Powder

1.  Line a baking sheet with foil.  Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/Gas Mark 3.
2.  Put some water into a small saucepan and bring it to a gentle simmer over a medium heat.
3.  Break up the chocolate and dice the butter and place them in a heatproof bowl and place over the pan of simmering water.  Turn off the heat and stir occasionally until melted and smooth.
4.  In a seperate bowl mix the sugar and the eggs using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
5.  Add the chocolate mixture to the egg and sugar mixture and stir to combine.
6.  Sift in the flour and the cocoa powder and again stir to combine.

7.  Pour into the lined baking sheet and smooth the top with a spatula.
8.  Place into the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes.  A clean skewer inserted into the centre should come out with a little of the mixture smeared on it.  The brownie is best if still a little squishy and moist rather than completely firm.
9.  Allow to cool for approximately 5 minutes before removing from the tin and leaving to cool on a wire rack.



White Chocolate Mousse
(makes enough to serve 4 as a dessert on it's own or 8 when added to this dessert)

175g/6.2oz White Chocolate
90ml/3floz Milk
2 Egg Whites
1/4tsp Lemon Juice
225ml/7.5floz Double Cream

1.  Put some water into a small saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer over a medium heat.
2.  Break up the chocolate and place in a heat proof bowl.  Put the bowl over the pot of simmering water and turn off the heat.
3.  Once the chocolate has melted, stir in the milk and set aside.
4.  Whip the egg whites with the lemon juice until they form stiff peaks and then gently fold into the chocolate mixture.
5.  Transfer to a pouring jug.

To assemble the pots:

1.  Once the brownie has cooled cut out rounds that will fit into the bottom of the flower pots.  You can use a round cookie cutter if you have a suitable size, cut around the bottom of the flower pot or I used a 1floz measuring glass turned upside down.  Press the brownie into the bottom of the pots.  If they break or crumble slightly don't worry, just press it all down for a nice snug fit.

2.  Take a drinking straw and push it into the centre of the brownie base.  Once in place snip the straw below the rim of the flower pot.
3.  Carefully pour the white chocolate mousse mixture in, dividing evenly between the 8 pots.

4.  Place the pots into the fridge and leave for at least 2 hours to set.
5.  When you are ready to serve place the Oreo biscuits in a resealable bag, expel all of the air and seal.  Crush the biscuits with a rolling pin.  Sprinkle over the mousse layer.
6.  Finally place the stem of a cut flower into the straw.

When the Moon Hits Your Eye, Like A Big Pizza Pie...

I think it was The Glutton who mentioned homemade pizza on Thursday afternoon.  I had a huge longing for that exact thing earlier that day but as it was Thursday and as I try to eat healthy meals on weekdays I banished all such yummy thoughts from my head.  Then she just had to go and dangle it in my face again.  A little discussion arose on Beaut.ie with some of the lovely ladies advising that as it was homemade it couldn't be all that bad for a person and to go on ahead and indulge myself.  I held my resolve though and decided no, not a morsel of pizza would pass my lips before the officialdom of the weekend.  A request was then submitted for a pizza base recipe which I duly posted and on Friday morning I was informed by Emz that she had made said pizza and twas yum and munched with great appreciation from her Mr. I caved and decided that instead of waiting until Saturday night as I had resolved to do I would have to, HAVE TO, have pizza on the menu for Friday instead.  It was gorgeous, so much nicer than any shop bought, frozen or takeaway options. Which brings me smoothly on to the best pizza I have ever eaten.

We are gonna have to take a little stroll over to New York for this one peeps, so pop on your most comfortable walking shoes.  On our first trip stateside, Mr. Boo and I, travelled with a group of friends, one of who is a professional holidayer (it is a word before you go off and check, well maybe not, but it is now).  He researches everything, checks out all of the best restaurants and bars and does a little map recy so he knows exactly how to get everywhere with minimum hassle and time.  This is the best type of person to make a virgin voyage to New York with in my humble opinion.  It is such an overwhelming place that an out of towner could feel a little intimidated by it's size and pace and miss out on so much.  So with our tour guide at the helm we were bound to find some greats whilst there.

On our 1st night, weary from travel and time zone changes we decided to ease ourselves in with his recommendation, John's Pizzeria in Greenwich Village.  We ordered 3 pizzas between 8 and in all my life as a little Irish cailin I had never seen pizzas as big, well except in Friends and the like.  They were mahoosive, and oh so yummy.  We filled our tummies and were reenergized for the rest of our holiday.  Almost as good as the pizza themselves is the atmosphere that is always present.  The place is a hive of activity, always, and the graffitied wooden wall panels fit it just perfectly.  John's has remained our 1st night haunt every time we have visited since.

We started our honeymoon in New York and as always had planned a trip to John's on arriving.  We were both pretty whacked; understandably, we had just planned a wedding and had the most hectic week of our lives.  I decided a quick shower to freshen up was the order of the day and then a little 'rest' on the bed while Mr. Boo showered.  When he emerged form the shower I was out cold and no amount of prodding or poking from him could wake me.  We both woke the next morning, me feeling completely refreshed, him feeling a little off colour.  That evening he was still not 100% but would not hear any suggestions from me that we head back to the hotel and order room service so he could rest. No, he couldn't come to New York and NOT visit John's so off we went.

We were seated in a booth along the wall.  Next to us was a long table with a large group of friends, and we both remarked how it was reminiscent of our own group on that first trip.  Our pizza was delivered to the table and perched atop one of those stands usually reserved for an order of two pizzas.  We both ate a slice but it was clear Mr Boo would not be able for anymore.  He reached for his drink and as he did so he knocked the pizza from it's stand and sent it flying through the air.  We both looked on open mouthed as it flew up into the air and then came crashing to the floor with a very large bang, smearing it's toppings down the jacket of the man sitting with his back to us.  Not good.

At this stage everyone was looking at us, except one person who was looking at his jacket.  Oh no, I was wrong, now he's looking at us too.  Crap!  Our waiter was at our side in a jiffy, cleaning up the mess and apologising.  We were blushing horrendously and apologising.  Your man was attempting to clean his jacket and scowling.  Our waiter then declared he would be back shortly with a replacement and would not take no for an answer.  We just wanted to leave.  Mr Boo could not face eating another bite and now he was going to have to eat at least two slices to be polite.  Your man was still scowling and making exaggerated attempts to clean his jacket.  OK, OK we know we just destroyed it, we're sorry.  A couple of pitchers of beer sent to their table by means of an apology and it would seem we made a friend for life, no more scowling and a very warm goodbye as he left.  Phew!  Now we just had to worry about how we would get through a fresh pizza.  We managed it, we ate enough to be polite, left a very generous tip for our kind waiter and have returned since to enjoy the hospitality and our pizzas, event free, thankfully.  So there you have it, my favourite pizza ever comes courtesy of John's Pizzeria, but the ones that are made in my own kitchen are definitely my second favourite, hands down.

Yeast Free Pizza Base

425g Flour
1tsp salt
2tsp baking powder
200mls milk
80mls olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas 7.
2. Combine all of the ingredients and knead the dough for 3 mins.
3. Place the dough in a bowl, cover with cling film and rest for 20 mins.

4. Divide the dough in half.
5. Roll out the dough to 5mm thickness.

6. Place on a baking tray.
7. Dress with toppings of your choice.
8. Place in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Tomato Sauce
(this recipe will yield enough to cover the 2 pizza bases from the above dough recipe)
This recipe is not from a book, it is just one that I have made to accompany the base and is to my taste.  Feel free to make any adjustments to suit your own tastes.

2tbsp Olive Oil
2 Cloves Garlic (finely chopped)
2tsp Dried Rosemary
350ml Tomato Passata
1tsp Sugar
Salt and Black Pepper to season

1.  Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat and when it is warm add the garlic and rosemary.
2.  Allow the garlic to cook for a couple of mins to release it's flavour and then add the tomato passata.
3.  Add the sugar and stir to ensure it is evenly distributed.
4.  Turn up the heat and allow the passata to bubble, reduce the heat again and leave to simmer for at least 5 mins.
5.  When the sauce has thickened slightly taste and season with salt and pepper if required.
6.  When ready to dress the pizza base spoon on some of the tomato sauce and spread evenly over the dough stopping approx 5mm short of the edge.

I dressed my pizza with buffalo mozzerella, parma ham, black olives, green olives stuffed with pimento paste, capers and sundried tomatoes.  You can choose toppings of your choice.

Stay tuned peeps as I plan a follow up to this post over the next few days.  I'm sure you just can't wait.

BLT Prime Popovers

On our last trip to New York, in August of last year, myself and Mr Boo had a very indulgent time altogether.  We were there alone so had no one but ourselves to please and could follow our own schedule and abandon it at will if the fancy took us.  We made reservations for dinner for each night of our stay at least a month in advance of travelling and had decided on suitable eateries for lunch.  We planned our days activities around our luncheon venue so as to find ourselves in the vicinity just about the time our tummies would start to rumble and mapped out bars to stop at on our travels should an unmerciful thirst take hold (we were thirsty enough to mark approx 80% of them off our list).

The days flowed by in a swirl of champagne bars, scrummilicious restaurants, cocktails sipped on hotel rooftops and copious amounts of cupcakes and ice cream.  The day the evil red wine struck was no different.  We started off with a Frappucino in Starbucks as we strolled from our hotel to Grand Central Station.  From there we took the subway to Canal Street where we disembarked and climbed the stations steps to emerge again into the glorious sun.  We strolled around China town to soak up the wonderful atmosphere and the hustle and bustle of all of the 'designer' shop fronts.  A little turn off and we were on Mulberry Street and transported to the heart of Little Italy, restaurant after restaurant bustling with tables full of families settling down for lunch.  A couple of blocks in we stopped at a restaurant with a bakery for some mouth-watering cannolis and on we travelled happily munching our sweet delights.

Before turning from Mulberry Street to East Houston we always like to duck into The Market NYC and this time was no different.  As well as picking up some quirky pieces made by emerging fashion designers it also offered some welcome respite from the stifling midday heat.  With my new jewellery in hand we continued on our way, turning onto East Houston and walking the few blocks to Katz's deli (the venue of the famous "I'll have what she's having" scene from When Harry Met Sally).  We took our tickets at the door and then entered the mayhem of meat cutters shouting, waiters shouting, bus boys shouting, customers shouting, there always seems to be a lot of shouting in here.  We joined a queue and when we reached the counter the giant behind promptly carved some slices of corned beef for us to sample before ordering.  While he was making up our order he made a very crude comment to Mr Boo that made the crowd behind us howl with laughter and me blush uncontrollably.  Good job I am not easily offended, but that's New York baby, and it is best to just roll along with it.  Once suitably stuffed we headed out in search of liquid refreshment.  An afternoon of bar hopping and shopping led us back to our hotel to shower off the heat of the day and fabulise ourselves for the evening.

A quick cab ride brought us to our first destination of the evening, the Rose Bar in the Gramercy Park Hotel, for a couple more mojitos, and then we ventured around the corner to BLT Prime.  Once seated we ordered a bottle of bubbles and a steak each (you don't visit BLT Prime and not order steak).  Our champagne was poured and popovers were brought to the table to tide us over whilst the cow was being wrangled out back.  I had never had a popover before and OMFG they were scrumptiously, mouth-wateringly I could happily cancel my order and just eat these all night, delicious.  Smothered in butter and sprinkled with some sea salt we both devoured them and expressed our longing for some more.  Our steaks were soon delivered to the table and the Somellier promptly followed with the red wine we had ordered to accompany our meat course.  It was a beautiful red.  Velvety smooth, full berry flavuors that went down very easily, oh how easily it was guzzled.

The most amazing steak of my life and one glass of red wine later and I was finished.  No good to anyone.  A giggling, bleary-eyed vision in fuchsia, sitting like a mischievous child on a bold step.  I giggled my way through dessert and spoke a little too loudly about the NBA player and his squeeze at the next table that had never heard of garlic and asked for an explanation from their very patient waiter (seriously, they were only short of asking him to explain what water is).  We finished our dessert and bubbles and Mr Boo very wisely decided it was time to get me home to bed.  I insisted I was fine as I didn't want to cut short a night of our holiday, but after trying and failing to pose outside for a photo with the beautifully lit Chrysler building in the background I conceded it was indeed time for bed.

Sleep came very easily to me that night once Mr Boo managed to steer me to the bed and stopped me from giggling uncontrollably.  Alas, it was not to last.  At approximately 4am I found myself in the dark and kneeling on the floor in front of the mini bar in nothing but my undies trying to decipher which bottle was water and which was JD, not my finest moment I admit.  15 minutes later and I had it sussed and retrieved the 2 teeny weenie bottles of aqua from amongst the melee of alcoholic beverages.  A further half an hour sprawled across the vanity in the bathroom praying for death and I managed to crawl back to bed only to be woken the next morning by a disgustingly chirpy (and highly amused) Mr Boo, rearing to go and completely unsympathetic to my plight.  A while later a very delicate me emerged into the baking heat, sunglasses on, and vowing never to drink again.  Two hours later having consumed litres of water and cranberry juice and still praying for death I caved and asked the very nice barman in Cipriani in Grand Central Station to make me a Bellini.  It was akin to the elixir of life and instantly stopped the world from swaying so nauseatingly.  Our holiday regained it's momentum and I have since declined all offers of el Diablo's nectar and will continue to do so.

I learnt some very valuable lessons on that trip:
1)  I can drink bubbles and mojitos in vast quantities without any adverse affects.
2)  Red wine is the work of the devil and is not my friend.  Bold, bold vino rouge. Bold.
3)  The hair of the dog really is much better than rehydrating with water and trumps alka seltzer with ease.
4)  Red wine is evil and is not to be consumed by me EVER again.
5)  BLT Prime makes the best steak I have ever tasted.
6)  Red wine is the devils nectar.
7)  I love popovers.

The following recipe is American and so is measured in cups and not grams/ounces.

BLT Prime Popovers
(Makes 6 but recipe can be doubled to yield 12)

For this recipe you will need a popover tin, something I haven't managed to acquire in Ireland even though I have tried kitchen supply stores in Dublin, stalked the kitchen aisle of my local TK Maxx every weekend in the hope they might magically appear and googled to no avail.  They are available on Amazon but I bypassed that option and visited my local garden centre and purchased 6 small glazed terracotta pots and saucers. *

2 cups of Milk, warmed
4 Eggs
2 cups of Flour
2tsp Salt
1 cup of grated Gruyere or Cheddar Cheese

1.  Place the popover pan or terracotta pots into the oven and preheat to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4 (if using terracotta pots line with greaseproof paper.  Pictures posted below).
2.  Gently warm the milk over a low heat and set aside.
3.  Whisk the eggs until frothy and slowly whisk in the milk (do this slowly so as not to cook the eggs).
4.  Sift in the flour and the salt and combine until mostly smooth.
5.  Once the mixture is combined, remove the popover pan from the oven and brush each pan with a little oil.  If using terracotta pots brush the greaseproof paper with a little oil.
6.   While the batter is still warm transfer to a jug and pour into the popover pan/terracotta pots until 3/4 full.

7.  Sprinkle approx 2 tablespoons of cheese on top of each popover and place in the oven for 50 mins, rotating the pan a half turn after the 1st 15 mins.

6.  After 50 mins remove from the oven, if a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean they are cooked.  If not return to the oven for a further 5 minutes.
7.  Allow to cool for a few minutes, then serve immediately with some butter and freshly ground sea salt.

To serve popovers for breakfast leave the cheese out and serve with butter and jam.

*As with all new kitchen utensils wash terracotta pots in warm soapy water before using to ensure all garden centre dwellers have been washed away.  Line with greaseproof paper as the batter will stick to the sides when baking.

To line terracota pots with greaseproof paper:

Cut a square of greaseproof paper

Fold the square in half

Then in half again to form a smaller square

Now fold in hald diagonally to make a triangle

Place point side down into one of the pots and mark a point approximately 1" above the rim

Cut off any excess above this point

Fold in half again to make a skinny triangle

(these fold lines will make it easier to place into the pots)

Open out the paper and stuff it into the pot, use the fold lines to flatten it inside the pot

Turn the top down over the edge of the pot

Brush some oil on the greaseproof paper before pouring in the batter.