Homemade Apple Pie

Apple pie is perfect in winter. And in summer, spring & autumn too, but especially in winter. Lots of warm, winter-time spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice. Add some custard or vanilla ice cream, and you have perfect comfort food.

I got home from work on Tuesday with an almost frantic need to bake something. So I stopped by the market for two humongous Bramley apples, made some shortcrust pastry (sugar, flour, butter, water), cooked & ate my dinner while I let the pastry chill in the fridge, added my apples soaking in sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg & allspice to my pastry lined pie dish, then put this bad boy in the oven.

The pastry was soft and thick and flaky, though the bottom layer was a bit soggy, and I was a little overenthusiastic with my cinnamon, to the joy of one flatmate who loves the stuff, but it was delicious.

My flatmates were very happy. And I loved my cold apple pie the next day in my lunch-box. Between the four of my flatmates, the pie didn't even last a whole day before disappearing. The best kind of compliment for a cook.

Happy winter baking,

student_gourmand

What does gourmand heaven look like?

Hong Kong. Having arrived this Friday on the island where Gourmands go to die and reach heaven, I cannot claim at all to be disappointed when it comes to my expectations of culinary delights. I am visiting my friend, fellow blogger and President of the Cooking Society at the University of Sheffield, for a holiday which I was promised would leave me fat and satisfied. I've only been here for a day and already experience the latter, and at the rate I'm going I'll soon be fat too. The first thing I did when I arrived at my destination was indulge in trying something I've always wanted to experience: bubble tea. And after being hit by a solid wall of humid heat once I left the air conditioned airport, a cool taro bubble tea was just the thing to cool me down. Plus it was bright purple! My favourite colour. I don't think the taro was for me but there was a wall of varieties just calling my name, and I loved chewing on those tapioca pearls. Dinner the night I arrived was livelier and larger than I was really prepared for having just ended a twenty hour journey. Still, I attempted to pick up and use my chopsticks and dug into a lovely Chinese meal out with my friend's extended family that seemed to go on for ages. As soon as we thought the meal was over, a new large dish was placed down. I had to take a time out at one point but I loved the grab and share atmosphere as we sat around the classic round table to eat. And we ate duck, char sui pork, pork with a lovely crispy skin chicken or goose feet in a plum sauce, snap peas and red peppers with something else I ignored I favour of the peas which I love, fried rice, noodles, vegetarian sea food, jellyfish, and something my friend tried to. Convince me was Swallow's nest, but which I think were actually battered shrimp balls with stringy bits of batter that looked like a bird's nest. I lost track of the dishes at some point, finally snapping out of a food induced pseudo-coma at the arrival of something gelatinous with a red bean paste filling, which were deliciously sweet and chewy, along with some watermelon to clear my tongue of the almost overwhelming sweet taste. Today was a bit more moderate, in both length, content and cost. Lunch was Korean, at a restaurant my firnd stumbled across in the classic way that the best restaurants are found - while lost. We arrived at the restaurant to be greeted with a pitcher of tea, and a selection of mini starters which I must stress came free. Potato salad with apple, spicy kimchi (fermented Chinese cabbage), sweet potato in a sweet sticky sauce and two other dishes I did tnot try. What a lovely way to be greeted. The main I actually paid for was Bulgogi (marinated barbecue beef) on a bed (veritably king sized) of rice. I usually avoid beef when I eat out, but this was the juiciest, most tender & flavoursome beef I've had in a loooong time. This also came with a side of seaweed flavoured with pork bits in a mini bowl of broth. The main was eaten before I could take photos but once I figure out how to upload my photos I'll delight you with images of my starter. The real kicker was the bill though -at HK$55 which roughly translates to £5, I think that meal was not only delicious but in credible value for money. I doubt I could eat as much as I did today in England for the same money. I'm still full from dinner and a day of sightseeing so I'm afraid you'll have to wait for a description of the lovely meal my friend's lovely mum made, but be sure to expect something yummy, filling and served with fluffy rice. Happy summer-holidaying, student_gourmand

La Viennoiserie, the International Market & that Envied European Lifestyle

I've mentioned "la viennoiserie" before. The Viennese delicacy umbrella, covering a range of French baked goods, including brioche, pain au chocolat, danish pastries and, of course, the ever loved croissant.

I mention it again because it is one of those wonderful things I never get enough of. Especially in England. Especially in the north of England, where the closest to fresh viennoiseries are the slightly stale industrial croissants in the Tesco Express bakery section. Luckily however, there has been the International Market in Sheffield for the past couple of days, and I found myself drawn to the French stall in particular, where I indulged in half a loaf of brioche, some palmiers and some madeleine fingers, as well as some pear and ginger jam from another stall, and some Italian/Sicilian pastry treats which I'll talk about in another post. This Sunday I decided I was in the mood for a continental breakfast, so as well as the usual bowl of cereal, I fed myself with a cup of Lady Grey tea, and a small selection of my market goodies.

In the top picture above we have what's left of a loaf of sweet, slightly chewy brioche. Below that we have 2 slices of brioche with a tart and strongly scented raspberry & lavender jam my flatmate bought in Scotland, and the mild but punchy pear & ginger jam I bought at the market. Pear jam is one of those little things I first encountered as a little girl, during my travels in Europe, which I haven't been able to find in English supermarkets. At the top of the plate is a palmier, delightfully sweet puff pastry layered with butter and sugar and rolled together. To the right of the plate are two madeleine batons, one of which is marbled, both of which I love to soak in my tea.

This plate sums up what I love about la viennoiserie even if I don't think madeleines technically fall into that bracket. Buttery, light, crispy, fluffy, moist, delicious. All it needed was a croissant, a danish pastry and really thick, European grade chocolat. I remember being in Barcelona with my mum once, and she'd gone out for an early morning breakfast run, bringing back what she thought was to be bog-standard hot chocolate. What she actually brought back was heaven. Thick and creamy, I could only drink so much before it all became too much, and I switched to using it as a dip for my croissants.

The International Market brought up so many wonderful feelings that it's a shame that it only lasts a few days. I've often longed to have a boulangerie right on my doorstep, so I could buy my daily baguette fresh, and get my morning croissant before I go to school. Get that tarte aux pommes my flatmates wanted for dessert on the way back from work, &c. This is the lifestyle that makes me want to move to Europe once I've graduated from University. 'Cause right now, Tesco Express just isn't cutting it.

Here's to the European Dream.

student_gourmand

Top Class Train Food, and Travelling in Style

I love travelling, and travelling by train is my ultimate favourite mode of transportation. Don't get me started on how much I love Eurostar. So, I am grateful that I go to university in a city where I live roughly 10 minutes' walk from the train station, which can take me home to a train station that is right behind the bus stop that takes me straight to my home village. Good transport links are so convenient.

This blog post is about food, of course. Specifically train food. Now, people complain all the time about plane food. But no-one ever talks about train food. I guess there are two reasons for this. 1) Most train journeys aren't long enough to justify spending money on snacks; 2) They hide the good stuff in first class. And it's hard for Economy travellers to complain about decent tea and pastries when they don't realise they're serving steak for the big spenders.

So this Easter, I used my inner-thrifty and found some cheap first class return tickets home for the holiday. Nothing to report on the journey home, but when I came back to my Uni town, it was a midday train and as soon as I arrived and left the train station, I would have to go to work and not eat again til 5. So I was starving, and worrying about passing out at work. I decided to splurge.

There was the complimentary tea and chocolate biscuit. But I wanted more - this time, in the form of Coronation chicken in a wholemeal baguette. Sounds simple. Simply delicious, is what it was. Creamy and sweet, with that little tang of curry. The bread was filling and soft, but not too doughy. Along with a side of crisps (They'd run out of salad, not that I minded) and a complimentary bottle of water, I was set. At £3.95 I didn't feel completely ripped off, especially since people always try to push off those flimsy, floppy, wet catastrophes as sandwhiches in shops for about the same. I really felt like a juice cheeseburger, which they had, but as I was on my way to work, in a new outfit I might add, I wasn't sure how well that would work.

All in all, I'd eat there again. Next time I hope I can catch an early enough train to get complimentary breakfast. Below I show you a picture of my new outfit, since I forgot to photography my lunch before I demolished it. Sometimes I think my job is just an excuse to dress up. But I do enjoy business wear, however much I push the business/casual boundary.

The dress is from Mango and the bag is from Urban Outfitters. I love the dress so much because of the dfferent fabric textures. We've got this smooth silky cotton bodice with an almost burlap feel skirt. Not scratchy but very textured. And I was pleasantly surprised by how well the bag matched considering I'd bought it a couple of weeks before the dress. It was nice to leave my arms bare with the weather getting so nice, so I definitely took advantage. But I still wore tights - Thank You Fenwick for having such lovely tights.

Happy travels and Happy Easter,

student_gourmand

Anywhere in the world...

If I could choose anywhere in the world to go, just to eat (no fees, no jetlag, and no limitations) I wouldn't know where to go first. So, when this question popped into my head, I decided to make a list.

Italy - No explanation needed really, but here it is: The food culture. I tend to eat quite quickly, but I absolutely hate rushed meals. So the idea of spending hours over a meal is heaven to me. I'm always sad that meals with friends tend to only last 2 courses. I wish British culture would slip some antipasti and relaxation into their basic courses. I was in primary school the first time I visited Italy; a naive little girl who didn't know the difference between gelato and ice cream (or even that there was one). But I was immediately won over by the large bowl of tagliatelle at dinner, the margherita I ate at lunch and the gelato eaten beside the Pantheon. My next trip to Rome in my early teens featured a side trip to Sorrento, which included a cheeky first taste of limoncello, apparently the area is famous for it. Delizioso. I'm thinking of making a special lemon cheesecake if I ever get my hands on the lovely liqueur, because it gives me such pleasant feelings that I bet it would be utterly sinful in a dessert.

France - I could live without some of the French restaurants in England, except for one where I had a lovely sea bass. But what France has is this: Damn good pastry. And bread. And cake. I've been learning French for years now, but this summer was the first time I'd heard the word used that would utterly consume me, la viennoiserie. Finally a word that encompasses everything that sets France above the rest for me: pastries. Or rather, Viennese pastries (hmm maybe a trip to Vienna is in order). Anyway, it includes croissants, pain au chocolat, brioche &c. I also appreciate the fact that there are bakeries everywhere, something which fills me with envy when I pass one bakery (Coombs or Coopland) and a Greggs when I stroll down my English high street. When all these pastries and breads are added to a proper cup of chocolat so thick you could eat it with a fork, you know you're in heaven.

Hong Kong - never been. But one of my closest uni friends is from there and I've heard stories. A hub of gourmet treasure troves, I yearn for a HK egg tart, to visit the Cantonese bakeries, and street vendors selling fishballs, and to eat dim sum with friends. More recently, I read about the soulmate equivalent of a bar/restaurant. As in, this bar was made for me. It doesn't serve main meals, but it does serve three courses of desserts, with dessert wines. Did you read that? Three course dessert menu. Need I say more - I have to get to Hong Kong while the chef is still there at Riquiqui Dessert Bar.

Jamaica - a lot of Jamaican food I eat at home, or at least I eat variations, since my Nana's actually Antiguan. But it would be nice to eat my favourites when the ingredients are fresh, in season, and maybe grown just down the road. I want to eat good curried goat, peas and rice, ackee and saltfish, some decent seafood, and maybe if I'm lucky a little oxtail and festival. I'm also having good memories of fruits like guineps, with its green skin, orange flesh, sweet but tart taste, and large stone. And don't get me started about sugar cane. Sigh, hopefully soon.

Brussels, Beligum - for the gaufres (waffles) and the chocolate, and weirdly enough, the Thai food. yum yum yum. Unfortunately those are the only three foods that fill me with excitement in Brussels, but what they do, they do well. The first time I ever ate frogs' legs was in a Thai restaurant in Brussels and they were incredibly well cooked. Also, there's a shop called la Cure Gourmande, which also has shops in France with slightly different regional stock, that sells the loveliest biscuits. My favourite are the navettes, these lovely long biscuits that melt in your mouth and have the most amazing fragrance. Maybe I'll write a review one day.

Those are the main places I love, or would love, to go and eat. Although there are lots of individual places I've heard of through TV shoes or word of mouth I'd like to go to, but I'm not going to another country to eat at one restaurant. Though I might make an exception for IHOP to indulge my childhood memories of stacks of pancakes and maple syrup.

Happy eating, happy travelling, and with any luck I'll be jetting off to have a lovely dinner abroad sometime in the next few holidays I get.

student_gourmande

Late Night Snacks

I have a very bad habit. In fact, it's become less of a habit and more of a tradition, an institution. The late night snack for me has become like breakfast, lunch and dinner: indispensible.

So my facebook posts invariably show the slogan "Today's late night snack was..." at around 10pm, and I figured why not blog it? Something quick but regular. Because I've had some interesting snacks. Things I find tasty, but maybe others haven't tried yet, or wouldn't anyway.

Tonight's late night snack consisted of a plain omelette, seasoned with milk, salt, pepper and parsley, in a toasted, buttered and mayonnaise-d pitta bread, with some fried tomatoes and tomato sauce.

Despite the frying and the mayonnaise, I like to think of this as a healthy snack. Everyone knows that eggs are good for you, and I once read that the majority of benefits carried by tomatoes need cooking to do any good. Plus, in general, I don't eat bread. The play dough that passes as white bread isn't fit for consumption, and the brown bread I do like tends to be too thin, falling apart on the slightest touch, or with the taste of nutty cardboard. So, pitta bread and tortilla wraps, and of course fried dumplings, are the closest I come to eating bread out of a restaurant setting. And let me tell you, even though my body loves me for avoiding bread, it also craves carbohydrates. So the pitta bread fulfilled these cravings nicely while being light enough not to affect my delicate constitution.

I blame my need for late night snacks on being nocturnal. It's like my body thinks I've already slept and my being awake means it's morning and time to eat. I'm feeling it now, even though I only ate that snack a couple of hours ago. When I was younger, and it was my mum's kitchen I'd sneak into to have my snack, I would usually make do with a cup of tea and an ungodly amount of biscuits, or even some cream crackers and mango juice, or peanut butter on toast. Looking back, I wonder how I'm not a size 20 right now.

Regardless, the late night snack has only been encouraged by moving out for university. Now I have my own kitchen and groceries bought with my own money, so there is no late night snack guilt. Especially when I tell myself I've been working, and so need sustenance.

In other news, I made a brownie cake for my friend's birthday tomorrow. Unfortunately I made the holes but couldn't make the ganache to fill them, because *someone* ran off with my whipping cream. Which I accidentally scanned twice while at Tesco. That soneone also happens to be the president of my Cooking Society actually. He and my flat mate, and technically, myself, were all making a chocolate ganache and rasperry tarte to practice before an event.

I hope my friend likes her holey cake.

Ooooh more good news: my piping set came in the post. Tala, very retro looking with a little pamphlet of piping tips. But this is good because it means I can make macaroons, macarons for the french lovers who, like me, prefer the french word because the english makes them think of racoons. (Nonetheless, I find it odd when English people in England speaking to English people call them "macarons". Even if their accents are good). So now my only question is if I should make them for my next visit home or if I should save them for mum's birthday, which I'm sure she'd appreaciate as a gift, and since I will probably be too broke to buy her anything nice. Maybe both? We'll see. To be honest, I've never been very moved by macaroons. Gourmande I may be; but almond lover, I am not. So it's not like when I cook them affects me besides the buying of ingredients, and the time needed for cooking. We shall see.

As it is late anyway, I'll wish you happy eating and be on my way,

student_gourmande

Day 13 - A fictional book.

The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense. - Tom Clancy

I like that quote because it's generally true. Life is weird and unpredictable, but there's always the one who complains about a books ending being unrealistic, or even the whole plot being unrealistic. That is strange because, for me at least, reading is a kind of escapism. Maybe the allure is the idea that these fantastical situations are actually possible.

So for escapism, the fiction book for me would be His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman. Although this is actually a trilogy made of "Northern Lights," "The Amber Spyglass" and "The Subtle Knife." The characters have a huge amount to do with this, but a lot fo it has to do with the parallel world idea. Nothing excites you more than the idea that there is this fictional world that is so different to yours that you know it's a story, but which is similar enough to your own world that you can imagine it potentially being real. You can envisage yourself in that situation. Then the kicker of a twist is when the boundary between this fantastical world and your own world suddenly rips open, and because the world Pullman describes is your world, and the characters there are so much like you, and just as shocked as you are that this world exists, that the possibility of it being real increases in your imagination, it makes more sense. Because it's all very well and good imagining that you live in a world where people have daemons- physical embodiments of their soul represented by animals- but it's another level to imagining when you imagine you live in the same world you do live in, where a doorway to another world appears.

There's a lot of science theory that goes with it, and if I could stand Physics more than I do I'd talk about that. I think it has something to do with Schroedinger's Cat, but aside from owning the book, the deepest I've ever though about that was how sick it was to make a scientific game out of life and death. Maybe it's the Christian in me, but I'm certain I know a few scientific atheists who are cat lovers. (Note: this is humour for those who don't get me. Though I do know a few atheist cat lover scientists.)

Anyway I love His Dark Materials, and am annoyed that it's classified as a children's book, because that always happens to me. I can read a book and enjoy it, then also get some deep spiritual/philosophical meaning from it, or it can really move me, but the book is "meant for kids". Sometimes the really good books are just going over these kids' heads. Like Terry Pratchett. When I get into some of the better books and their social commentary/political jokes, I think, "Surely no nine year old is going to appreciate the genius that this is." But then again, I know some adults won't, and mayne I'm not giving these kids enought credit. Few gave me the credit I deserved as a kid. Ha, funnily, one who did was the guy who gave me "In Search of Schroedinger's Cat" when I was about 9. If you don't know what it is, look it up, and see why the memory makes me laugh now. I think that one maybe gave me too much credit. And we see it all comes back to physics.

happy escapism,

student_gourmand

Day 12 - My fancy is quite ticklish it seems

So, it's ladies chooice (or this lady's choice) for the blog. Unfortunately today I had an exam that wiped me out, so it's gonna be a short one.

Revision Food

When I revise, the domestic goddess that I seem to have become simply disappears. I need to do laundry, I haven't cooked, I haven't cleaned, and I'm barely functioning after being on the computer for 12 hours a day. So the food I've been eating has been a bit sub par, even though I've gone upscale when I could.

The higher standard fare seems to be fried fish, macaroni and cheese, TEsco's finest lasagne, and Pizza Express pizza. Otherwise, instant noodles, jaffa cakes, cereal and pasta with pesto have become staples. The low point was eating an entire pack of Cadbury's mini rolls yesterday while stressing about today's exam.

So so far my favourite has been the pasta and pest, and through trial and error i've decided the cheaper oests in a jar are nicer.

Right so I'm nodding of in my chair. So I think it's time so say goodnight.

much love,

student_gourmand

Day 11 - A recent photo of me.

So I went to London the summer before last as a goodbye trip with one of my best friends, Tanya. We got a deal to get oour hair and makeup done and go to a photoshoot. Sounds dodgy, but Tan's a good planner and had it all checked out. There were some awesome shots taken, and this was the day I was truly converted to GHD straighteners. Not that I can afford them. I don't think I've changed much since I was a kid - I had my growth spurt early, I guess.

The dress was an Easter present from my Grandad. BCBG, one of my favourite designer brands, (as though I have the money to buy any), was first introduced to me by my fashionista Aunt as a present in the form of a summer dress. I'm very grateful to my Aunt and Grandad for hooking me up with these designer dresses. Maybe I owe my Aunt more thanks than she lets on, because I love my Grandad, but he's a man, and he was half-blind the last time I saw him. I think he had some help.

Anyway the trip was a success, and they managed to make a bit of money from me buying some portraits, the dress up part was fun and free otherwise. I would have been content just dressing up but these pics were too good. And before we dashed off to catch our train home, we managed to grab a bite at a tiny Chinese restaurant near the Station. I think I ordered Singapore Fried Rice. It was yummy and cheap, so I was double happy.

happy posting,

student_gourmand

P.S. BCBG is a French acronym "Bon chic, bon genre" which means, "Good style, good class" or as my teacher once put it "preppy." All those years of French put to good use :p

Day 10 - A photo of me taken (not quite) 10 years ago

I don't think I had a camera 10 years ago; my mum is not the sentimental, picture-taking type; and any pictures from back then are probably either in an album somewhere at my Grandma's house, or they've all been burnt. However, I do have couple of a picture of myself and my Daddy, when I was probably 12, so 8 years ago. It's the best I can do. But these would have joined the burning, as I'm in that awkward, embarassing puberty phase. Sigh. I can only be grateful that I'm no longer a teenager.

The first was taken at the airport in the Bahamas on our way to Atlantis Resort in Nassau, where I, unfortunately, wasn't staying but went to a New Year's Eve Party. The second was taken at the hotel. I was actually in Jamaica for Christmas, but my Dad decided we should take an impromptu trip to visit my Godfather. One of my better New Years celebrations I must admit. Sure there were mainly only old people (middle age, but to a preteen everyone is old), but I learnt how to do the Electric Slide and the Hustle.

happy holidays (you can tell I can't wait til Easter holidays, or Spring Break for the Yanks),

student_gourmand

PS Since no post is complete without a food mention. Carnival food is the best type of food, and I was lucky enough to go to a Junkanoo while I was there. Even though it rained hard near the end, it was still an amazing experience.

Day 9 - A photo I took.

I'm no photographer. I don't have an amazing SLR camera, or any mad photoshop skills, but I do have a lucky habit of buying phones with decent camera functions, and a knack of coming across wonderful scenery in city centres. So I have 4 photos for you. My favourite, taken with my phone, happened to be taken just as my friend gestured with her hand. The effect made me laugh, especially as she looks so surly. I love how relaxed and skater she looks, despite the fact we were all furiously revising for a GCSE Physics exam.

The second and third photos were taken in the city of Brussels, one of my favourite cities in Europe, possibly the world. It is the kind of city that every now and then, in the odd alley you'll come across a masterpiece of art that, despite the modern art love of graffiti, could never be called such. The home of Hergé (creator of Tintin and The Smurfs) it is no surprise that the residents are allowed to expose the artistic nature of the city on public and private buildings alike. The first was taken after getting off a tram and the second, was on the way back from the Mannekin Pis.

The fourth picture, which I've just decided to add, is of the Mannekin Pis itself, because it is the funniest fountain statue I've ever seen. Apparently it is usual for a historical society or a museum to dress up the statue in traditional dress. You'll see.

Photo 1 - Before we knew what emo was

Photo 2 - The World Behind the Stone Facade

Photo 3 - On the painted cobbled streets of Brussels

Picture 4 - Yes, the little boy-statue really is peeing into a water fountain

happy photographing,

student_gourmand

PS on the subject of Brussels, it was there that I first ate frogs' legs, at a Thai restaurant in a yellow curry. As much as I hate saying this, yes it tasted a little like chicken. But it had its own distinctive flavour, was slightly chewier and much lighter. It was delicious! Luckily, I still remember where the restaurant was, though not the name, so I will definitely be returning there if I ever visit Brussels again.

Day 8 - A photo that makes me sad

Well, this is tricky since I usually take photos of happy, momentous occasions. Or food. None of these makes me sad. But I do have the one.

This is the main building of my old school, Leicester Grammar. I studied here from the tender age of eleven til the ripe old age of 17. Unfortunately, it was decided that this old traditional school, based in the city centre of Leicester, could no longer meet our needs, and we were all uprooted to the middle of knowhere in the countryside known as Great Glen. Big mistake. Sure we didn't have our own playing fields in the city, but there were so many more advantages. Veing able to go to the City Library during breaks, the cafe that was right next to the school that we would sneak out to at lunch, where the "cooler" teachers did the same, the shops, the easy access by bus, train and car, but most of all, it was ours. It was a real school, lots of nooks and crannies for the little kids to hide in, the Computer Room in the attic, up what felt like millions of flights of stairs.

And what did they move us to? A prison. We may have gone in the countryside, but none of the old manor style came with us. All the locals complained, the students have complained, the parents complained - heck, my mum was the one who suggested the similarity to the prisons from her experience as a Criminal Lawyer - the only one who seems to like it is the Headmaster, and that's because it's his "pet project." The place has none of the soul of the old school, and I was glad I only had to endure it for my last year of Sixth Form.

I was very sad to say goodbye to my old school. And if I ever take my (future, not yet existing) kids back to where I went to school, I know which one I'll be showing them. That place is filled with good memories, and bad, and it's where I made some of the best friends I'll ever have. So while this photo holds happy memories for me, it will always sadden me to see it, and know that I'll never study there again.

happy reminiscings over your own school past,

student_gourmand

Day 6 - Whatever tickles my fancy?

I'm tempted to talk about French Fancies but then I'll start craving it and go down to the shops. In fact, it's too late. Here come the cravings.

So onto the topic of cravings. Hated by health nuts and dieters worldwide, the craving comes in many forms. The weird thing for me is that I've never had a craving for anything healthy, or at least somewhat healthy, except for wheatabix, and even then I pour in the sugar. My cravings are either dessert based, meat based, or snack based. But I rarely snack. I eat four square meals a day, and unless I drink tea outside these meals, I only have snacks/sweets at the time of the meal.

My snack cravings tend to happen during the holidays when I'm bored, and then the biggest craving is for peanut butter. On toast, on cinnamon bagels, from the jar with a teaspoon, in a PB&J sandwhich. I love the softer peanut butters that melt when placed on hot bread/bagels. I suppose I should take advantage of this love to eat healthier with that American favourite, ants on a log. Celery stick slathered in peanut butter and topped with raisins. Though I do know people who just use the celery stick and dip straight in the jar. But celery makes me shudder.

My meat cravings tend to be for Nana's home-cooked goods, special occasion stuff, like baby back ribs & ox tail, or stuff I only eat in Jamaica, like proper Jerk Chicken cooked outside in a hut off the side of the road, or curry goat, or the slightly unhealthy comfort food Mum cooks like corned beef with dumplings, and proper fry-ups. I love meat in general so much, that if I had a choice between never eating either sweets or meat ever again, I would give up sweets.

My pastry & cake cravings are all over the place. I crave the simplest things the most. Doughnuts, yumyums, croissants. Shortbread and biscuits on a cold night when I need a cuppa. The worst thing ii the world happned to my weight when a bakery opened in the village near to my house. Everyday without fail, they'd see my pretty face. Pastries are an obsession, one that only self control, and the knowledge that my family genes favour very hippy women, can temper.

Those are my cravings to eat. I get these for all reasons: nostalgia or homesickness, if I feel low, the monthly curse, boredom, and when I watch the Food Network :) I also have a craving to feed people, or, if I'm feeling stressed, to bake something for the sake of it.

What do you crave?

student_gourmand

PS I did go and get the French Fancies halfway through writing this post. As well s some pesto, baked beans, and bread.

Day 5 - Quotes, I collect them

Here's a random fact about me that I'd forgotten til now. In the golden old days of MSN Messenger, I used to collect quotes, save then in notepad, then use them as display names. They ranged from the slightly crude: Why buy the pig just for a little sausage? (After the cow quotes, I liked the idea of an anti-marriage quip that serves women); to the inspiring and the true.

My favourite:

Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition.

Now here come the cries of "feminist!" Here's also where I get annoyed. Now this may be a generalisation, but if this doesn't apply to you then speak up and remove this impression from the world. Modern feminists seem to fall into 2 categories. 1) the men haters who wish to dominate anything without ovaries, who've let the years of suppression and anger drive them to forget that, like men, they have no right to claim superiority or greater basic rights than men. 2) the ones who seek the movement as an excuse to act as disgustingly chauvinistic as some men, engage in sexual acts without pause, objectifying themselves, and who use the reasoning that if men are able to do it women should be too.

This quote, said by a man named Timothy O'Leary, falls into neither category. In fact to me, it has very little to do with gender. It says to me, "Sure we want an equal footing, as a starting point, but as a woman, you are capable of so many things. Be the best, why don't you? Fight for equality sure, but if you as an individual woman are content to be always on a par with your male peers, then there is no hope for you, no fire in you, no strength in you." It tells me to always do my best. (Though the quoted man might disagree, I shrug).

Though the quote is aimed at women, I don't believe as a feminist statement, but because we have to strive so hard even for equality that is hard to remember that we could be striving for more. So you, in that male-dominated field or office, don't be content with earning a comparable wage for your work, earn a higher wage by being even better. Show them.

Maybe for women in general this is difficult, it's known that men are more likely to ask for a raise than women. However there are other dimensions to add for me. I am black. Yup, I brought out the race card. Nevertheless, it's been made clear to me that, because of my colour, I will almost always be at a disadvantage; some people will look at me and believe I am less capable, less intelligent, than my white contemporary.

Mum always told me that it wasn't always enough to be good, but to get it through their ignorant skulls, you had to be the best. This works for gender too. How to bring down the cocky chauvinist pig of a boy that picks on little girls? Beat him at arm-wrestling. How to shut up the boys that won't let you play rugby with them on the playground at Primary? Tackle the one with the ball and run so fast they'll never catch you unless you stop. How to get the politely racist teachers at your private school to respect you? Score so highly on your entrance exams that you place first and embarrass them for not offering you that Scholarship straight away. Let them be surprised, then question themselves as to why it should be surprising for a black girl to be smart, ambitious and driven. Beat them, and say: How can you look down on me when I have beaten you? You are not better than me because of your sex, your race, your social class, your education. Here is my proof. If you don't want to be the one to say this, then yes, you do lack ambition. Unfortunately, in this world, equality is not yet a right, but a political ploy. The strugle for equality is a hard fought for battle that won't be won until it doesn't need to be fought for. Can anyone really see that happening anytime soon?

So 'til then, I'll aim just that little higher than you, and hope I reach it.

student_gourmand

xxx

PS Another favourite quote of a poem my granddad told me, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:

Heights of great men,

Reached and kept,

Were not attained by sudden flight.

But they, while their companions slept,

Were toiling upwards in the night.

Day 4 - A Passion Above Cooking; My Favourite Book

Now, I love cooking. And baking; and eating. But life would not be worth living for me without the comfort of a good book. If further proof of my love is needed, take into account the library inspired database I created to catalogue these prized possessions of mine. Yes, I am a nerd.

Funnily enough, a big part of my love of reading has its roots in pastry. It's true. My greatest incentive to read was at my Primary school. My best friend and I would spend breaks and lunchtimes sitting inside reading together, and our Scottish English teacher, Mr John, would supply us with his secret stash shortbread. Good memories. To this day, I still believe that nothing complements a good book so well as a cup of tea and a tray of shortbread.

So the question today is...What is your favourite book? My response: Can I have an easier question, Miss?

How can I answer that? My tastes are so wide ranging and eclectic that it's like asking a chef what his favourite food is. We love so many things for such different reasons. I have favourite books that cover the inspiring, the lyrical, the thought-provoking, the completely moving, the absolute escapism, the list goes on. But if I had to pick one book......I couldn't. Wow, I actually couldn't. So here are my favourites, just a few to give you an idea.

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand - this kind of book, if it was a human, would be the kind to provoke a statement: "That is a face only a mother could love." It is, not badly, but, not well written. It is too long, overdone, and the author rambles. The ideas are debatable, being a book of fiction written by a philosopher about, and to promote, her ideologies. Still, the main character, Dagny Taggart, is the kind of woman that makes ambitious young girls want to look more closely at their Science books, and take on the world. She is a heroine who is smart, strong, and completely capable, while still being attractive and female. It is hard to find heroines like her nowadays. It is a book intended to show the need for a type of capitalism that I admit is more palatable than actually exists in America now, but I must admit, it helped me put more defintion to my own rather Socialist ideals, while letting me know that Capitalism isn't completely evil. This book is a feat. It took my a Summer to read, and a year to understand, and I'm sure Randites would pick apart my own understansding of her book, but even if you disagree with her philosophies, it is a book anyone with an idea of social issues and responsability, or interest in economy should read. If only to argue against it. Reader Beware: not for the weak hearted or short sighted. The text is small and the book is thick.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - Now lots of girly girls would start giggling about Rochester, and lots of feminists would start ranting about the treatment of his first wife, Bertha. I'm none of those. I am however a Christian, however liberal, and what gets to me from this novel is Jane Eyre's resolve and determination that she does what she believes is right. She has her beliefs and no man was going to sway her against them. Right on, girl. She does what it is so hard to do- she removes herself entirely from a possibly corrupting situation instead of risking her beliefs on the hope that she is strong enough to resist Rochester and his "love". Although, it annoys my that she doesn't take any of her things with her. I mean, I'm all for independence and not relying on the one who betrayed you, but forward planning woman! Anyway, this is my depression-busting book. I read it in the bath when I'm feeling low. (Still, I am a girl, and I do love the romance.)

Children of the River by Linda Crew - Duty or love? Maybe this book is where I first started to show my Asiaphile tendencies. I love learning about other cultures, and this book, which may or may not be based on a true story, is an insight into family culture and the tensions of a Cambodian family after they flee Cambodia to America in fear of the Khmer Rouge. Okay, so it is a children's book, but maybe it's a "belong to both worlds" thing, but I totally understood the tensions when the Western influences come into contact with the Eastern culture. Like how an American ruffling a kid's hair doesn't seem such a big deal until that kid is Cambodian, and then apparently the head is where the soul is believed to reside. So ruffling = bad. Regardless of belief and scepticism, it is always important to understand the traditions of other cultures. Especially if you want to date the daughter of a traditional family, as is the case in this book. It is a nice light romance, with the somber background of war and torture from which the main character, Sundara, has escaped. Good read; maybe too good because I lent it to a girl 3 years ago, and I haven't seen it since.

Anything written by Terry Pratchett. Because the man is a legend to be able to create such a wonderful universe. Start with the Discworld, a flat world balanced on the backs of four elephants, that stand on the back of a giant turtle called Great A'Tuin. Then add diverse cultures and people that both mimic and parody real life, along with the cultural, political, bureauracratic, and religious realities of our world. One feature of his books which I adore, and which, unfortunately, don't always feature, are the footnotes. Because in a world as complex as his, bearing in mind that we ourselves know only so much about our own world, there will be things to confuse and amuse us. Though the footnotes only serve to add to the last. His books are at once hilarious, and serious. He can cover topics such as racism and land disputes in "Jingo", to death in "Mort", and one of my favourites, gender equality (using witches and wizards as examples) in "Equal Rites." I must add however that Pratchett is English and as such, some readers, typically Americans, won't necessarily understand the humour. There's no shame in this, I'm not anti-American. British wit is just not always easily understood. And Americans tend to feel this the most, as well as having a completely confused grip on the idea of irony. (The Canadians too in this case - yes, Alanis Morissette, I'm talking to you.)

Speaking of British humour, this next book isn't a favourite, but I laughed so hard when I first read it that I felt it deserved special mention, as well as a link. The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse. It's a little outrageous, so the easily offended need not read. It is like a demented fairytale become real, and seen through the eyes of a teenage boy, so no worries of it being mushy and girly! Robert Rankin, the author, seems to be an eccentric fellow, so this book makes sense from him, but I would recommend it to anyone as a quick but satisfying read, full of slightly-off colour but not overly offensive humour.

happy reading,

student_gourmand

PS Sorry this is so late, but I'm more productive at night anyway. Also if you want to chat books, just message me. There's nothing I'd love more. x

Day 2 - Movies and Pizza

So my day today did not go to plan after getting back from church. I was meant to have defrosted some capon, which my Nana gave me after Christmas, for my dinner with the leftover Ginger Rice. Capon is my family's turkey alternative. None of us really like turkey as it is too dry, and we eat so much chicken generally that that would be boring. Same foes for most other meats. So before Christmas my Nana will find a capon for us. I assume with great difficulty since I was told they're illegal to rear in England. But they are delicious and juicy and a decent size.

Anyway, I forgot to take it out the freezer, so I decided to be lazy and order pizza from Pizza Express, along with their famous dough balls. In my opinion, this fits neatly into todays question. Favourite movie? Becase when you're at home with your friends, there's nothing better than a film and some pizza.

I had a Pollo Ad Astra, the lovely tender chicken well accompanied by sweet pappadew pepper (which I've never heard of but which are out of this world) and red pepper that goes nicely with the overall soft sweet taste of the pizza. Those dough balls I ate as I walked into my living room, half gone before I sat down. I would post a picture but the whole meal disappeared before I had a chance to remember. My flatmate had a boring Margherita, but with my 50% voucher (I'm a penny-pincher me) it cost her only £3, and together we watched Legally Blonde on the telly.

I have a lot of favourite films I've realised, which is strange since I've only really been a true movie goer in the last couple of years. I could probably give you favourite film by category but I'm very bad at telling genres. So here's a shortish list. Amelie - for a light hearted surrealism that leaves me feeling optimistic and hopeful about people. Also the soundtrack, music by Yann Tierson, is smply amazing.

Changeling - so many people give Angelina Jolie such a hard time, but to be honest I don't care. This film made me cry. It made me bawl my eyes out and my heart clench thinking of such a convincingly played mother of a kidnapped child fighting for the authorities to do something. Watch it!

Spirited Away - pure fantastical escapism. Even if you think animé is a childish past time, or can't tell the difference between animé and cartoons, watch this film and see how the artwork is so beautiful and real. I love this film, not only a little because of one scene where a train is travelling over an area that has flooded and looks like a calm sea, interrupted only by the waves caused by the train. The score behind this scene was composed by Joe Hisaishi and is called The Sixth Station; it fits the scene almost as though the artwork was made for the music, not the other way round.

The Joy Luck Club - a story that follows two very different generations of Chinese women from four families, it talks about the experiences of the first generation while in China, amd how these motheres hope for their American-Chinese daughters. Very moving, powerful stuff, based on the book by Amy Tan. I love this film because it makes me think of, and tolerate more, the strangeness and the differences of culture and attitudes in the women in my family, as a second generation British-born Antiguan on my mum's side. This film is my favourite of the four, maybe tied with Spirited Away.

30 Day Challenge - Day 1 - I always have to tweak things to my taste

So I decided to do a 30 Day Challenge on my blog, despite having exams, but of course, this being MY blog, I have to change things a bit to suit my tastes.

So everyday for the next thirty days I will post about food but, with an added element linked to myself. For example, some people started the Challenge with a post about a favourite song. But I might talk about a dish that makes me think about music. Just an idea.

Speaking of taste, here is Day 1:

So those who know me, and now you dear reader, are all aware that my music taste could be described as eccentric, unusual or, to the very few, just plain cheesy. Mainstream is all very well and good, but whenever I find myself liking mainstream music, it tends to be the mainstream of anther country :P My favourites can range from reggae, rocksteady and soca, to punk-rock, to J-Rock and Mando-pop (esp by Taiwanese artists). At the moment my favourite songs are So Exclusive by Japanese hip-hop group m-flo feat. Sowelu and Reeewind! by m-flo feat. Crystal Kay.

I loved m-flo as a teen, and I was raised on R&B, and rediscovering their music kinda reminded me how I like my music (as well as my food)...International, baby! And so maybe this, as well as being near a market and having a freezer full of fish from my Antiguan Grandma, is why today's meal is so...everywhere. Drawing from Caribbean, Asian and American cuisine:

Fried Tilapia in a Tomato Sauce, Sweet Potato and Raisin Mash, with Ginger Rice

So you must be scratching your head. How on earth do these fit together. Truth is, they're not suupposed to, but like any pacifist, I asked the question, "Can't we all just get along?" And they said "YES!"






So for the recipe:

The Ginger Rice was lifted from a chicken recipe book as a side-dish to sesame chicken strips. Although I substituted a few thing I didn't have. I'll put the original ingredients in brackets where they are different.

1 cup of Basmati rice - a short grain rice would work too, probably better
A knob of butter (sesame oil)
A can of ginger beer - 330ml - I must point out that I used D&G Old Jamaican, cause I'm patriotic like that.
1 spring onion
A thumb sized piece of ginger
Salt

• Chop off the very end of the spring onion, and chop the green of the onion into pieces. Keep the whole white/colourless end and tap with the end of your knife to release the juices.
• Fry the onion and the, peeled and chopped, ginger in the butter.
• Add the rice and stir in the butter, cooking over a high heat for a couple of minutes.
• Then add the ginger beer and cover, stirring occasionally until the ginger beer has mostly gone, leaving a slightly wet rice.

For the sweet potato and raisin mash, which is I think an American twist on a West Indian staple plant. This is probably the most basic recipe, and come nowhere near my New York-Jamaican Aunt's version. Usually I only have roasted sweet potato or boiled in soup at my Grandma's house.

• I peeled and chopped 1 average purple skinned sweet potato - marketed as Jamaican sweet potato by the grocer. (I panicked when I saw white liquid seeping from the veggie as I chopped, but that is apparently just starch.)
• Boil the chopped sweet potato in salted boiling water for 20-25 minutes, til. Use about half a tablespoon of salt. Meanwhile soak a couple loose handfuls of raisins in warm water.
• Mash the potato, adding a couple tablespoons of soft butter and a bit of cream.
• Now add some allspice (or cinnamon/nutmeg). Maybe a teaspoon.
• Add the drained raisins, and mix in.

The Tilapia I had cooked the day before.

• First I washed 2 Tilapia fillets with water and lemon juice, then seasoned the fillets with fish seasoning; 1/2 an onion; 1/2 a red pepper, finely sliced; thyme; salt; and black pepper. I left the fish overnight.
• Next I fried the onions on the fish in oil, then added the fish to the pan, frying on both sides until the fish was cooked through and completely white inside, breaking the fish apart to be sure.
• I added half a tin of chopped tomatoes to the pan, added parsley and thyme, then a dash of light soy sauce, and let the sauce cook down for 10 minutes or longer. If the tomatoes are sour, I add a half-teaspoon of sugar.

Tilapia is such a rich fish, has lots of valuable nutrients and vitamins, and when cooked by my Nana, is meaty enough that you don't always realise it's fish. China is apparently the largest source of tilapia for eating and it is eaten in most of East Asia, though maybe not in my way.

The funny thing about this meal, is that so many of the ingredients are cross-culture. Basmati rice is typically used by both Indians and West Indians (Caribbeans), ginger is universal, but again heavily used in East Asia and the Caribbean, sweet potato is a staple in the West Indies and South America and even North America and Africa.

So yes, when we share so much culture (at least the culture of food) why is it so hard for us to all get along? Ha, trust me to turn a meal into a philosophy blog. The philosophy of food... So there's my meal - an international melange of tastes and textures and cultures. Just like my music taste.

Peace, love, and happy eating,

student_gourmand

Phew this was a long one :D

Something a bit...French

So tomorrow morning I'm helping out at my church's Coffee Morning. I just started going to this church, so I'm not sure what to expect. Anyway, I asked the lady organising it if I should bring anything, and she replied "If I would like to."

The question wasn't Would I like to? but What would I bring?

The answer: Madeleines.

For Christmas my mother gave me a cook book from the Australian Women's Weekly set of cookbooks named "Afternoon Tea". It is absolutely stunning, and the recipe chapters range from tea sandwiches, to scones, to pastries and cake. In the book is a recipe for Madeleines. Basic enough, tried it out and the outcome was nice but blah. So I tweaked it a bit. A bit of lemon here, more sugar there and voila! Madeleines fit for church.

So what is a Madeleine? In the simplest of terms, it is a little sponge usually shaped like a seashell. A bit more high brow response would be that it is a "light French sponge made from a génoise batter" and shaped like seashells. Now you can google 'Génoise' and you'll get all sort of links, but unfortunately, after doing my own research the recipe I've been given I can't admit to being truly génoise but rather a lazy, "hey it works" version. Shame on you Women's Weekly. Nevertheless, here it is:


Slightly-Lemony Madeleines

2 1/2 heaped tablespoons caster sugar
2 heaped tablespoons icing sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
35g plain flour
35g self raising flour
75g melted, then cooled, butter
1 tablespoon hot water
Zest of half a lemon

• Beat the eggs, then add the sugar by the spoonful, while whisking, until the mixture was frothy and creamy looking.
• Add the vanilla extract and the lemon juice, and mix in.
• Add the (twice-sifted) flour and fold in a little. Then add the melted butter and hot water, folding the ingredients until everything is mixed in thoroughly.
• Add the lemon zest.
• Cook at 200°C for 12 minutes, until the middle is firm but springy under the touch.

Et voila, easy madeleines. I hope no French patissier stumbles across my page to chew me out for publishing this instead of a genuine madeleine recipe but if a reputable establishment like The Australian Women's Weekly can do it, then I can do. The important thing is that they taste good and go well with tea and coffee. This should make about 24 madeleines, but I spread my batter thinner and made 33 slightly smaller ones. Unfortunately my madeleines aren't all golden brown like the cookbooks make out, but those have clearly been photoshopped. But FYI, they're lovely.

Look out for my attempt at madeleines made from classic Genoise batter.

Peace,
student_gourmand