Cake.

For those of you who have stuck with my blog for a while, you'll know my affection and fondness towards British food and this post explores that exact streak of mine. I've really had some of the best cake, pies and pudding in England and you can tell how different they are to some of the commercial ones you taste at other places. I love 'tea' in Britain. It means so much more than just the hot beverage we know (and in my case, love). Tea is an occasion. Tea can't possibly be served by itself; it has to have a teacake, a scone or two and at least one type of cold sandwich. What I enjoy especially about cake in England and even Ireland for that matter is that more often than not, it refers to a big, fat, wholesome and rustic affair. The flavour is more important than the appearance and in my opinion, this enhances creativity while baking to a great extent. When you aren't concentrating on the exact measurements of food colour, fondant and marzipan, your attention can be focused on the actual ingredients going into the cake. It's this kind of baking that I find soothing, not making highly temperamental meringues like macarons. These kind of cakes let your creative juices flow and result in fewer disasters because the end product is less glamorous and thus, in my opinion, more welcoming. 

So I was forced into going for a safari holiday with my family last week and my sole saviour in the lodge was TLC. I'm not really into nature, wildlife or birds. Food, clothes and lazing are more my speed. So anyway, I watched Rachel Allen's Cake Diaries and saw her make this Marbled Chocolate Crumble Cake. I couldn't take down the recipe cause I couldn't pause the channel (grr) but I knew how to make the individual components so it was just a case of putting them all together. Don't worry guys, I found the exact recipe she used and I'm sharing it with you so you don't have to jigsaw puzzle your way into making a cake.

MARBLED CHOCOLATE CRUMBLE CAKE
I really enjoyed baking this cake cause it's basically combining two desserts into one; a simple sponge and a crumble. It's surprisingly light and not very decadent- perfect for teacake!

I think a picture of a slice is really important cause there's no hiding anything then. You can see how nice the crumb is, judge the moisture and, in this instance, see the wonderful marbled effect. To take it just over the edge, warm custard is a great accompaniment, failing which, just pour some warm milk over the top.

Now that you know I made this without a recipe, you know just how easy it is. So try it, and tag me in pictures of the finished product. Here's the recipe: Marbled Chocolate Crumble Cake. Enjoy!

This second cake is my absolute favourite, The only downside to me mentioning it is that I don't have a proper recipe. I learned this cake at cookery school in Dublin and made it at home last week for the first time after a year. It turned out so great that I couldn't believe it. For starters, at school, we used love;y, big, Irish cooking apples but at home I just made them with our regular ones. What I did though, is squeezed some lime over them to give them a little tang and it worked perfectly! So, incase you want to try this cake yourself, how about some research? Look for a basic almond sponge recipe, place the apple pieces marinated in lime juice in the middle and put half the sponge batter below the apple and the other half above. This is my favourite teacake. Just look how great it turned out.

IRISH APPLE CAKE
The flaked almonds (which I flaked myself) at an amazing crunch and great textural depth to this already phenomenal cake.

Slice. Crumb. Perfect.

Lastly, you can cheer cause it's a Jamie Oliver recipe. I used it as an outline and tweaked it according to the ingredients I had and the flavour I liked. I love carrot cakes as a rule and this one is just beautiful and bloody expensive to create. It contains almonds, walnuts, orange juice and zest (I use Malta Oranges), 5 eggs and mascarpone for the icing. So, save up and make it for an occasion. 

Here's the recipe: Carrot Cake and here's how mine turned out!

CARROT CAKE WITH MASCARPONE LIME FROSTING
This cake is just teatime decadence. When you add so many splendid ingredients in one cake, you realise how much it paid off when you see the finished product.

CARROT SLICE ANYONE?

So that's it from my #CakeWeek. Hope these recipes are helpful. This post made me feel like my old self again, when I blogged often and about absolutely anything that popped into my mind. Working on getting that side of myself back, and this sure feels like a start.

As usual, let me know your thoughts in the comments below and for regular updates, follow me on Twitter & Instagram, I'm quite the addict.

Stay Hungry!

xoxo

D

The Foodie Diaries: Brent Owens.

Spoiler alert! For those of you who haven't finished the latest season of Masterchef Australia, don't read any further cause you're about to know who won. What a great season this was and I have so many favourite dishes. I downloaded all 60 episodes and was pretty much addicted. Now that you know it's someone from Masterchef, let me tell you that it's also the winner of Masterchef Australia 2014: Brent Owens!

We loved his Pile of Dirt during Heston Week and the Popcorn Grits as part of Team America. Now, he's let me pick his brain about cooking, Masterchef and a life dedicated to doing what you love. Don't worry, cause I'm sharing all of that with you in this year's third Foodie Diary; I present to you:



BRENT OWENS.

Me: What was your favourite moment on the show, apart from meeting Heston for the first time in your onesie (haha)?

Brent: That's an easy one. Winning (LOL).

Me: How has the Masterchef journey changed you as a cook and a person?

Brent: The MC 'journey' has taught me to be incredibly patient, but the most I took out of it was that even in a competitive environment, keeping your cool and trying to see the bright side to every situation makes everything you do so much more enjoyable. In terms of cooking, I've learnt so much, with respecting the produce being the most important.

Me: The dish or moment that made you the most emotional on the show?

Brent: Definitely when I cooked "light at the end of the tunnel" which was dedicated to my dad and his incredible struggle through life post marriage.

Me: Things you'll miss the most from the show.

Brent: The speed of learning, hanging out with my buddies, the contestants.

Me: What's your favourite kind of food to eat and your favourite kind to cook?

Brent: I love eating the traditional Aussie food. BBQs, burgers, summery foods but I'm obsessed with South east Asian flavours. Indian food has become a huge favourite in my household these days. We love it! 

Me: What are your thoughts on Indian food? Did you know how big the show was in India?

Brent: I wasn't a huge fan of Indian food before I entered the Masterchef competition. I realise now, that's because I'd never eaten good Indian food. Man oh man, it is delicious. I'm in love now, cooking it at least once a week. I knew it was big in India, but I wont know how big until I'm over there. Soon hopefully!

Me: Favourite tool in the kitchen and why?

Brent: Knives. I get so excited by knives. I don't know why, I just do! (LOL)

Very quickly, describe the following-

Masterchef: Best cooking competition in the world!

Gary Mehigan:  Pork crackling obsession.

George Calombaris: Incredibly creative and funny. 

Matt Preston: Food genius.

Cooking: Life.

Me: Tell us what you're up to right now!

Brent: Just finished writing my first book. Dig In, which will hit the shelves in Australia mid November. That was full on but a lot of fun. Hopefully i get a chance to do another one. Going overseas for 10 days in a week and a bit to just relax and have some time to myself. That's exciting, and trying to plan a few longer term ideas, food production, potential TV opportunities, etc. Cant reveal too much. 

Me: Anything you'd like to say before you hit the barbecue?

Brent: Don't cook to live, live to cook. Its the best therapy you can have, part of the best entertainment you can share and once you start to develop, you will be addicted. I am and look where it got me. Also thanks so much for the support. Hopefully I'm over in India before next February, so I look forward to thanking every single one of my supporters and sharing my journey with them all.

Me: Any last thoughts?

Brent: Life is great!

To top this off, Brent's shared a very special recipe just for you guys! 

*drumroll*

AMERICAN STYLE STICKY PORK RIBS.

This dish is a 'fingers only' one to eat. Its messy, its fun, its sticky and its damn good. Adding the coke gives the ribs a complex, molasses sweetness and when caramelized, it intensifies.

Serves 2

Ingredients.

2 x 375 ml  bottles cider, dry

125 ml (1/2 cup)  cider vinegar

500 ml (2 cups)  water

1 large rack pork ribs [check weight at shoot]

Dry rub.

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

Marinade.

1 x 375 ml can Coca Cola

125 ml (1/2 cup) tomato sauce

125 ml (1/2 cup) dry sherry

55 g (1/4 cup) brown sugar

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tablespoons Tabasco sauce

Method.

Preheat a barbecue to high with the hood closed.

Put the cider, cider vinegar and water In a large roasting dish and place a roasting rack on top.

Dust the ribs lightly with the dry rub then place them on the roasting rack. Cover tightly with foil and cook in the barbecue for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, place all marinade ingredients in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook for 20 minutes or until thick and sticky, stirring every few minutes.

Remove the ribs from the rack and brush on a thick layer of the marinade. Place the ribs directly on the barbecue over high heat then grill to char the outside. Cook until both sides are charred, about 4-5 minutes brushing with marinade every few minutes. 

Brent’s tip: Char marks are great on the ribs but try not to burn the marinade or it will turn bitter. Serve this dish with a fresh salad of apple and fennel. 

***

HOW great was this guys? The life and lies of Masterchef 2014 himself! I had a great time writing this post and getting in the way of Brent's busy schedule. Hope you guys enjoyed reading this #FoodieDiary as much as I enjoyed creating it. You can see what Brent's up to by following him on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.

Also, led me know your thoughts or feedback in the comments below!

Stay Hungry!

xoxo

D

Of Birthdays and Blogs.

Originally, I'd planned to title this post Postcards from England; but given my dismal procrastination I've had to combine two posts into one.

Let's start with Birthday.

This blog completed 3 years this August and I can't believe it's been so long. I started this blog as a seventeen year old with a lack of a hobby, to get myself into some sort of discipline, to not while all my time away. Now, 3 years later, it's become so much more. The more I wrote the more I realized my passion and undying love for food. I should have realized it a bit sooner I guess so that my blog name wouldn't be so misleading :P I know guys, I'm sorry I lost track of the fashion bit as time went by. But I've made a decision to bring it back in some way cause I did promise that when I began. 3 years later, this blog has shaped my future career and has given me a clear goal. Food is just my life. Cooking it, talking about it, writing about it and of course eating it is what makes me happy. I hope you've enjoyed this journey as much as I have and I promise to deliver as much as I did when I first started of. I wish my blog a very Happy 3rd Birthday! 

Next, Blog.

POSTCARDS FROM ENGLAND.

I finally found a word for my love affair with England. It makes me an Anglophile. I had a brilliant 10 day vacation in my favourite country this July and I'd love to share it with you.

HELLO ENGLAND :)

HEATHROW  TO NOTTINGHAM. SERVICES. BURGER KING. WHOPPER.

POACHED EGG, WHOLEWHEAT TOAST, THE BEST PORK SAUSAGE, BACON, HASH BROWN, MUSHROOMS, BAKED BEANS, MUSTARD. BREAKFAST DOESN'T GET BETTER THAN THIS.

WAGAMAMMA!
CRISPY CHILI SQUID

EDAMAME WITH SALT

SAIEN SOBA RAMEN. SLURP.

CARAMEL AND NUT BAR FROM PRET A MANGER, NOTTINGHAM. SO GOOD.

GOURMET BURGER KITCHEN, NOTTINGHAM.
ONION RINGS!

THE TAXIDRIVER: AMERICAN CHEESE, ONION RING, CAJUN RELISH, SMOKED CHILI MAYO, DILL PICKLE, SALAD, BRIOCHE BUN.

FALAFEL:
HANDMADE FALAFEL, CUCUMBER RAITA, CHILI SALSA, GARLIC MAYO, RED ONION, TOMATO, ALFALFA SPROUTS

THE DON:
AMERICAN CHEESE, GORGONZOLA, BACONNAISE, ROCKET, ONION JAM, HOUSE MAYO, PICKLED ONION, BRIOCHE BUN

ROYAL MOJITO AT REVOLUTION, NOTTINGHAM.
RUM, PROSECCO, SPARKLING WATER, MINT

SUSHI SALAD AT PRET A MANGER, NOTTINGHAM.

BEST SNACK IN THE WORLD: BERRIES

BABY RIBS WITH A JACK DANIELS SAUCE AT HARVESTER, NOTTINGHAM.

DAY IN EQUALS ODDS AND ENDS; TUNA AND ROCKET SALAD FROM PRET, FRIES FROM BURGER KING AND REKORDELIG STRAWBERRY LIME CIDER

TESTTTTTTT

GAME GRUB

MATCHDAY STRONGBOW CIDER LOVIN'

TRENTBRIDGE, CRICKET, CHIPS = GREAT DAY

MAPLE AND BACON POPCORN FROM WAITROSE. WHAT!

GOODBYE NOTTINGHAM

ROAD TRIP!

HELLO CHELSEA BRIDGE :)

BEAUTIFUL CHRISTMAS TREE IN LONDON

ARGENTINIAN MEAL AT GAUCHO, LONDON.
EASILY, THE BEST BREAD I'VE EVER HAD

SALMON CEVICHE

STEAK WITH CHIMICHURRI

LAMB CHOPS

SNAPPER

SWEET POTATO WEDGES WITH CHORIZO

AUBERGINE FRITTERS

MANDARIN, SALTED CARAMEL AND CHILI TRUFFLES

PIZZA PILGRIMS, SOHO, LONDON

CHEERS!
PROSECCO

MARGHERITA WITH PROSCIUTTO

MUSHROOM AND TRUFFLES

CARBONARA PIZZA. MARRY ME WILL YOU?

DESSERT: VANILLA ICE CREAM WITH OLIVE OIL AND SALT. ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING COMBINATIONS I'VE TASTED AND OOOH IT WORKS!

LONDON BRIDGES BY NIGHT

SELFRIDGES WINDOW DISPLAY, OXFORD STREET, LONDON

MIL CHOCOLATE PRALINE COOKIE FROM BEN'S COOKIES. OXFORD STREET.

TORTILLA CHIPS AND GUAC AT MY FAVOURITE MEXICAN RESTAURANT IN THE WORLD: WAHACA

PORK PIBIL TACOS AT WAHACA, SOHO, LONDON

CHURROS AT WAHACA, SOHO, LONDON

BLACK BOTTOM CUPCAKE FROM THE HUMMINGBIRD BAKERY IN SOHO, LONDON. LOVE.

A SUCCESSFUL TRIP DESERVES A TOAST:
CHAMPAGNE, STRAWBERRIES, LADUREE MACARON

SEE YOU LATER LONDON!
LONELY BREAKFAST OF AVOCADO SUSHI AT YO! SUSHI, HEATHROW. MMMMMM...

Phew. That definitely took me longer than usual. I'm definitely going to try and post often so that I can avoid this lengthy amalgamations. Hope you enjoyed this post, my fingers feel sore now. As always, leave me comments below if you have anything to say. It's almost September, gosh, shame on me! I'm off now to watch some Masterchef Australia!

Stay hungry!

xoxo

D