A Classic Little Recipe that Popped Over There

Posted on September 16, 2015 by Christian Gott

As the time for long, lazy, Sunday lunch barbecues in the garden looks to be coming to an end, for this year at least, I thought I would publish a couple of recipes to polish up your classic roast to chef like standards. What can be more symbolic of Sunday lunch than the Yorkshire Pudding, the traditional accompaniment alongside roast potatoes, parsnips and spicy, hot English mustard to a hunk of rare roast beef. You can find this most English of dishes cooked around the world, where ever a few expatriates gather together, but I am always surprised to find Yorkshire Puddings, albeit under another name, over in the USA.

Let’s call Yorkshire pudding
A fortunate blunder:
It’s a sort of popover
That turned and popped under.

Ogden Nash

Of the Yorkshire pudding it has been said, it can only successfully be made by someone from that most august county of England. Grand, my mum is from Yorkshire and makes wonderful Yorkies and perhaps the skill is inherited because I am pretty proud of most of my attempts. A Yorkshire Pudding is made from a milk, egg and flour batter, which was originally poured into a tin set under the roasting joint. The pudding cooked in the hot meat fat and absorbed any juices from the roast. A large slice was served to each dinner with meat gravy before the main course. The meat and vegetables then followed, usually served with a parsley or white onion sauce.

In 1747 in ‘ The Art of Cookery made Plain and Easy ‘ by Hannah Glasse, one of the first English, famous female cookery writers, there is a recipe for Yorkshire pudding. This is the first time a batter or dripping pudding is recorded with the name, although a flatter less aerated dish had been cooked for many years previously. Traditionally any left over pudding could be eaten as a dessert with sugar and perhaps orange juice.

The Yorkshire pudding recipe popped over to America ( excuse the pun ) and the first recipe for a Popover is recorded in ‘ Practical Cooking ‘ published in 1876 by M. N. Henderson. Popovers may be served either as a sweet, topped with fruit and whipped cream for breakfast or with afternoon tea, and with roasted meats at lunch and dinner. Popovers tend to be individually baked in muffin tins and often include herbs or garlic in the recipe. Another popular variation replaced some of the flour in the batter mix with pumpkin purée. The name Popover is thought to come from the fact that the cooked batter swells or pops over the top of the baking tin.

In 2008 the Royal Society of Chemistry held a competition, carried out to create a vouch safe Yorkshire Pudding recipe and somewhat arbitrarily decided that a true Yorkshire Pudding cannot be less than four inches tall. They examined the effects of temperature, ingredients and even altitude in the search for perfection. My knowledge of chemistry is limited to an ancient ‘ O ‘ level but quite simply the heat causes the two raising agents, the egg and beaten in air, to expand the batter mix. My tips for success are simple are make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature and get the fat in your baking tray smoking hot. There I have shared the secret and that is because as they say in Yorkshire ‘ I’m a reight gud sooart ‘.

Individual Yorkshire puddings can be cooked after your joint while it is resting before carving.

Perfect Yorkshire Puddings

90 gr Plain Flour

1 fresh Egg

Around 250 ml half full fat Milk / half Water

¼ teaspoon Salt

A good pinch of freshly ground White Pepper.

1-2 tablespoon of good Beef Dripping.

Preheat your oven to 220C/425F/Gas mark 7. Place a damp cloth on your work surface to stop your mixing bowl slipping and place the bowl on top. Sieve the flour, pepper and salt into your bowl, make a well in the middle and add the egg. Start to beat together then gradually add the milk / water. Continue adding the milk/ water until the batter is smooth and the consistency of pouring cream. Leave the mixture to stand for ten minutes. While the mixture stands, divide the beef dripping into Yorkshire Pudding tins and place the tins in the oven until the fat starts to smoke. Give the batter a final stir and pour quickly into the tins. Put them back in the oven and cook until well risen and golden brown, this will take about fifteen to twenty five minutes depending on the size of your tin.

For the full Royal Society of Chemistry press release

Steak & The City & A Fabulous Party Atmosphere | The Trading House Review

Posted on September 15, 2015 by Aidan

An absolute wow of a venue with live music and amazing reasonably-priced food.

If you’re a Londoner bored of the West End or a tourist looking for a slightly different night out in London, check out The Trading House near Moorgate in the heart of the city of London. The second you step foot in the place, it’s buzzing – with a live pianist, a packed bar and seriously eclectic decor (including stuffed birds and animal heads). And all of this is set in the former Bank of New Zealand, an amazing building with a curved ceiling and wall-to-wall warm, luscious wood. Tucked at the back is a slightly calmer restaurant section which boasts some of the heartiest, tastiest pub food in London.

To start you off, there is a huge drinks menu in the form of a small book. The specialities here are gin, cocktails and beer. I opted for a Hendrick’s cucumber gin and tonic – there was a choice of four tonics, and I chose 1724 which was less bubbly than your average tonic and very palatable.

The food menu is broad – whatever mood you’re in, The Trading House has it covered – but we decided to stick to traditional pub grub. We started off with asparagus soup (which was very creamy and came in a mug) and baked camembert. This was served on a wooden platter and was surrounded by fresh fruit, salad and flatbread – it was a big platter which cost just £6.95 and would have been perfect for keeping hunger at bay whilst downing beers for a few hours. But were here to try the food, and we ate on.

For the main courses we chose a steak pie and classic steak and chips. The pie was beautiful with soft pastry and a tender tasty steak filling – it came with a jug of steaming hot gray, a large swirl of creamy mash (far too generous a portion for me to get through) and mushy peas. My partner ordered a steak and chips, with salad and sugar snaps. He declared the steak perfect.

A break was necessary before we could even think of dessert – we ordered one between us as we were so full. We went for the sticky toffee pudding – it did not disappoint. This was the lightest ever pud, soaked in sticky toffee sauce (rather than just having the sauce plonked on top) and with a dollop of ice cream on the top.

I will go back to The Trading House – oh yes, and I thoroughly recommend it. I also recommend a walk through the city afterwards to burn off some of the calories. This part of London is stunning at night. And if you come out of The Trading House and turn right you will stumble upon The Guildhall, with its amazing array of architecture. Keep walking and you may hit St Paul’s which is well worth seeing at night. Walk a little further and you’ll hit the West End and will be left wondering why it is heaving with tourists when the city of London, not so very far away, is quite so stunning.

The Tradiing House, 89-91 Gresham Street London EC2V 7NQ; tel 020 7600 5050

Communication And Safety Tips For Parents

Posted on September 15, 2015 by Frostie

As a parent, you already understand that good communication is a necessary skill whether you are talking to a toddler or a teen. If your children are little, you can use communication as a way to teach them how to be safe around cars. This is an invaluable lesson you can teach them when they are out in the garden or when they are with you on the street.

You may also want to teach them that not all strangers are to be trusted. This is particularly useful when they first go to school. If your child is older, then good communication with your child will be instrumental in building up a sense of self-esteem and develop a feeling of mutual respect.

10 Tips to Build Rapport

1. If your child wants to play, let your child know that you are interested in the things that interest them. Agree to help them with their game if they need it.

2. If your child has something they feel important, let him or her know that they are more interesting to you than some form of media entertainment. For instance, if your child is talking to you while you are watching television, pause to. If they have something that they urgently want to say, then turn off the television and give them your full attention

3. If your child is chatting with you when they are sharing something with you, let him or her know that they are more important than a casual telephone call. Rather than excuse yourself when your friend calls, let the answering machine pick up the message.

4. If you get to spend some personal time with your child, let your child know how much you enjoy your private chats with them.

5. If your child does something foolish when you have company, don’t rebuke them in front of everyone. Scolding them in front of others can be embarrassing for them. Public humiliation only leads to a feeling of resentment.

6. If your child has to constantly look up to talk to you, occasionally drop down to their level when you talk.

7. If you are really angry about your child’s behavior, give yourself time to cool down so that you can have an objective talk.

8. If your child is telling a story, don’t correct their grammar or how they narrate the story. Instead, show an interest in the story rather than how it could have been told better.

9. If you get a negative report about your child from another parent or a teacher, don’t simply launch into a tirade. First, listen to your child’s side of the story. They may have behaved badly because they misunderstood the situation and did not know that their behavior would upset others.

10. Be open and receptive to your child’s attempts to communicate and explain their point of view. Encourage your child to communicate by asking leading questions.

5 Ways to Make the House Safe for Kids

While safety in the home can be improved through communicating about dangerous things—like not jumping on the bed, climbing on the pipes, or touching hot plates—safety can also be ensured by taking proactive measures.

Here are some common household dangers that you should either warn your child about or use safety measures to protect them.

1. The danger of scalding when turning on a tap. Teach your child the difference between the hot and cold taps.

2. The danger of falling out of an upper story window. One solution is to install window guards.

3. The danger of falling down stairs. This can happen if your child is learning to crawl or it can happen if your child is rushing around the house. It’s only too easy for a child to roll down a flight of stairs.

4. The danger of leaving your house unprotected. One ADT security company discusses the need for extra precautions for your family. “The list of potential threats that could affect their safety includes burglary, fire, carbon monoxide and flooding.”

5. The danger of medications or poisons. Your curious toddler likes to taste all sorts of things. Make sure that you don’t leave your medications lying around and that you have locked all detergents and garden supplies in a safe place.

From our contributor Jenna.

ASDA Protect Kids Ice-Cream Scented Sun-Care For Kids Review

Posted on September 15, 2015 by Frostie

Asda has launched a UK 1st for the sun-care market with its own brand ice-cream scented sun lotion for kids. In an effort to help make applying children with suncream fun and easy, the lotions and creams feature a delicious vanilla scent and are priced a just £3.50. All products featured in the range are highly water resistant, 24 hour moisturising and have been dematologicaly tested. You can also get two for £6.

We tested them and…yes, they do smell like ice cream. Not in a sickly way, but in a nice way. Hopefully the smell will make your little ones stay still long enough for you to get the lotion on them. Some of the sun protection even comes in a handy spray container. They are water resistant and protect little ones skin well. Recommended.

Tanqueray London Dry Gin Review & Cocktail Recipes

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Frostie

We are quite particle to a Gin & Tonic at Frost. In fact, we love cocktails with gin in them, it is the perfect spirit for cocktails. We are quite fussy about quality but Tanqueray London Dry passed our taste test. It is a vibrant gin which is both sweet and savoury. It has a blend of four of the finest botanicals: juniper, coriander, angelica root and liquorice. It is a superior and high-quality gin. Frost loves.

Tantalise your taste buds with adventurous umami cocktails

When you think cocktail, do you think of a fruity and sweet concoction? Well think again with three delicious, yet savoury cocktails from Tanqueray London Dry Gin.

Over the last year, any cocktail bar worth its salt has featured savoury cocktails on the menu, allowing adventurous drinkers to enjoy the flavour sensation is known as umami – translated from Japanese as a ‘pleasant savoury taste’, which is actually one of the five basic tastes (along with sweetness, sourness, bitterness and saltiness).

Tanqueray London Dry Gin (70cl £21.50, stockist suggestion Waitrose.com) has an elegance and versatility of flavour that makes it the perfect spirit for cocktails – both sweet and savoury, as well as vibrant gin and tonics. The sophisticated flavour profile is achieved by the blend of four of the finest botanicals: juniper, coriander, angelica root and liquorice.
Impress your friends and join trend-setting mixologists with these piquant potions that you can make at home.

Beetroot Shocker

Ingredients:
50mls Tanqueray® London Dry Gin
15mls Lemon Juice
50mls Beetroot Juice
Pinch of Celery Salt
Top with tonic water

Method – shake first four ingredients with cubed ice and strain over cubed ice in a hiball glass, top with tonic water and garnish with a Lemon wedge and a mint sprig
Units – 2.1

Peppered Apple Martini

Ingredients:
35ml Tanqueray® London Dry Gin
15ml Apple liqueur
30ml cloudy apple juice
3 x fresh basil leaves
5ml lemon juice & 5ml sugar

Method – add all ingredients to shaker and shake with cubed ice, double strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a floating basil leaf and fresh cracked black pepper
Units: 1.5

Tanqueray Snapper

Ingredients:
35ml Tanqueray® London Dry Gin
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
Dash Tabasco sauce
4 dashes red pepper sauce
Pinch salt and pepper
Pinch white pepper
Squeeze half fresh lemon
100ml tomato juice

Method:
Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass, add ice, then roll back and forth to mix. Strain over fresh ice into a Collins glass. Garnish with a lemon wheel and celery stalk.
Units: 1.3

Month 8 of My Reading Challenge By Frances Colville

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Margaret Graham

This month I deliberately set out to base my book choices on recommendations from other people. This decision in part came about because my first book The Book of Lost and Found by Lucy Foley (Harper Collins 2015) was lent to me some time ago by a friend who has been wondering why I hadn’t yet got round to reading it. So now I have. And a good story it is too, telling of the relationship between two people over the course of the 20^th century from the viewpoint of a younger family member. It’s well-written and well-constructed. I enjoyed it. But it isn’t memorable in any way and I suspect I’ll have forgotten all about it in a month or two.

I met Harry Bucknall, the author of my next book, Life of a Tramp, Life of a Pilgrim (Bloomsbury 2014), at a recent creative writing workshop. He mentioned his book and I was intrigued enough to pick up a copy the next time I was in a bookshop. He writes about a pilgrimage he took from London to Rome on foot, following the old Via Francigena. This is a fascinating mix of travel book, history and memoir and I recommend it to anyone who likes any of those genres. I also found a personal link to the book – the author mentions Eric Newby, who escaped from a prisoner-of-war camp in Italy during WW2 and went on to write about his experiences. My father was in the same camp as Eric Newby and frequently talked of him and his successful escape. As I’ve said before, I like to look for connections in and between books and this one was very satisfying!

Next up was The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver (Faber & Faber paperback 2010). I read The Poisonwood Bible (about Belgian colonialism amongst other things) by the same author many years ago when I was living in Belgium and it has stuck in my mind ever since. So I was very pleased when her latest book was suggested by a member of one of my book groups. It’s a long book, and has been 10 years in the writing. It took a bit of getting into, but the language is memorable from the start and I was soon completely hooked by the story as well. This novel works on many different levels. It’s full of information about life in Mexico and the US in the 20^th century, about Trotsky, his exile from the USSR and murder in Mexico by Stalin’s men, about the art world of the early 20^th century, Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo in particular and about McCarthyism in the US. A fascinating mix of fact and fiction. Above all a book about people, their inner lives and their relationships. But I think what will stick in my mind most of all is the power and beauty of the descriptive passages. This is a book which has so much to admire, it might require reading several times. When though? That’s the problem.

My youngest son has been recommending Moby Dick by Herman Melville for a long time (years probably) telling me that my life is much the poorer for never having read it. However, having tracked down his copy and had a flick through I decided to opt instead for another of his recommendations, the much shorter The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes (Vintage 2011) . It proved to be a great choice, reminding me of On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan and Stoner by John Williams, both of which I enjoyed very much. Much of it resonated with me, having grown up in the 60s and 70s, and the idea of writing a novel out of relatively little appealed to me greatly. What I didn’t get – ironically given the title – was any sense of the ending. I’m not sure it fitted the rest of the book. And Moby Dick? On my list for the future, but probably not this year.

Three words: Men AND Cats | Men And Cats Book Review

Posted on September 11, 2015 by Frostie

Based on the French blog Des Hommes et Des Chatons. The Huffington Post asked “We just have one question: Why did it take so long for someone to come up with this?” and we are wondering the same thing. It is hot men and cats in the same poses. Sigh. Out 24^th September priced at £8.99, it is the perfect present. Frost Loves.

What do you think?

Win a £35 Hamper That’s oh so Divine

Posted on September 11, 2015 by Frostie

When the sun comes out, we Brits love making the most out of outdoor summer indulgences, whether it’s baking up treats ready for picnics or laying on a spread for celebratory street parties. And as a chocolate-loving nation, combining the heat with the sweet is always going to be a winner.

Divine is the perfect ingredient to any chocolate recipe, with a smooth texture and excellent flavour. This is because all Divine chocolate is made with the finest quality Fairtrade cocoa beans from Kuapa Kokoo, a cooperative of smallholder farmers in Ghana. The cocoa is grown in the shade of the tropical rainforest, and slowly fermented and dried in the sun by the farmers, who take great pride in the chocolate company they co-own.

If you’re looking for Divine chocolate recipes to try, then visit www.divinechocolate.com/uk/recipes for inspiration.

Now it is your chance to win one of their Divine baking hampers worth £35 filled with five of their finest 100g chocolate bars: seriously smooth milk chocolate, gloriously creamy white chocolate, milk chocolate with toffee and sea salt, rich 70% dark chocolate and 70% dark chocolate with raspberry, plus tubs of Divine cocoa powder and drinking chocolate.

But that’s not all. The hamper also includes their recipe book containing over 100 delectable recipes, exclusively created by chocolate expert Linda Collister.

To be in with the chance of winning this fantastic prize, follow @Frostmag on Twitter or Instagram, or like us on Facebook. Alternatively, sign up to our newsletter. Or subscribe to Frost Magazine TV on YouTube here: http://t.co/9etf8j0kkz.Then comment below saying what you did. Competition finishes on Monday.