Romantic Food Ideas For Valentine’s: Queen of Tarts

Posted on February 11, 2015 by Frostie

The perfect savoury starter developed from the Good Housekeeping Institute’s famous Triple-Tested recipes, a team of expert GHI chefs have created and tested this dish to ensure it satisfies every time.

Queen of Tarts

Hands-on time: 15min

Cooking time: 25min

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

For the puff pastry:

225g (8oz) strong white bread flour
225g (8oz) butter, chilled
1tbsp lemon juice

For the filling:

300g (11oz) light cream cheese
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
200g (7oz) pack hot-smoked or smoked salmon, skinned and flaked
4 spring onions, finely sliced

Method:

Sift the flour into a bowl with a pinch of salt. Dice 50g (2oz) of the butter. Flatten the rest into a 2.5cm (1in) thick slab.
Rub the diced butter into the flour. Then, using a knife, stir in the lemon juice and about 280ml (9½fl oz) cold water to make soft, elastic dough. Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Cut a cross through half the depth.
Open out the ‘flaps’ and roll out the dough, keeping the centre four times as thick as the flaps.
Put the slab of butter in the centre and fold the flaps over it. Gently roll out to make a rectangle measuring 40.5 x 20.5cm (16 x 8in). Mark off three equal sections from top to bottom. Fold the bottom third of the pastry up over the middle, and the top third down. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30min (or freeze for 5-10min).
Repeat the rolling, resting and turning four more times, ensuring the folded edges are to the sides each time.
To make the tarts, preheat oven 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6. Unroll puff pastry and cut or stamp out six individual-sized heart shapes, about 9cm (3½in) diameter. Arrange hearts on baking sheets, spacing a little apart. Score a border 1cm (½in) from the edge of each heart. Use a fork to prick pastry well inside the border.
Bake pastry hearts until golden and risen – about 20-25min. Remove from oven and use the back of a spoon to press down the pastry carefully inside the border to make room for the filling. Cool completely, then tip/scrape out any loose crumbs from the cases (so they won’t get into the filling).
To make filling, mix together cream cheese, most of the lemon zest and dill, and some seasoning (if mixture is too thick, loosen with a little milk). Spoon into cooled tarts, level gently, then top with the flaked salmon and spring onions. Scatter over the remaining lemon zest and dill, and some freshly grated black pepper. Serve.

Fattoria La Vialla 2015 Review: Glorious Organic Food From Tuscany

Posted on February 5, 2015 by Catherine Balavage

Anyone who reads Frost regularly knows that we love Fattoria La Vialla. In fact, I love it so much that I bought their wine in cases for my wedding. Everything from their food to their wine is superb. Which is why we were delighted when a present arrived. We promptly got to work reviewing it.

I never knew I loved salami until I tried Fattoria’s salami. It is wondrous. So superb, fresh and delicious. I could eat it everyday. Their Olive Oil is the real deal, you will never go back to the supermarket stuff. It has that green tinge that lets you know it is the genuine article. Their pasta is everything you think it would be. We try the fusilli and the linguine. Both are divine.

In this box of delicious heaven is the pecorino, their mature cheese. The ageing process takes nine months and it is amazing.

Vernaccia di San Gimignano is the most prestigious white in all of Tuscany, and you can tell. Smooth, full and complex with almond, dried fruit and floral notes on the nose. Fattoria make the best wines and I don’t say this lightly. Their Casa Conforto Chianti Riserva is superb. On the nose is a variety of aromas: violet and wild berries, secondary notes are mushroom, meat, light pine resin and sweet wood. I usually prefer white or rosé wine but I love this red. I had a Casa Conforto Chianti from a previous year as the red wine option at my wedding. The guests loved it and said it was the best wine they have ever had at a wedding, along with the others. Lo Chiffon is a sparkling white wine. It is cloudy and a straw yellow colour with metallic highlights. It tastes wonderful, both dry and smooth.

Their olive all’ arancia is wonderful. These dried orange olives are based on an old Tuscany recipe. Unusual and delicious.

Sugo Pomodori, olive & capper is a fabulous sauce. It has a kick to it and is a great combination of tomatoes (which are the star of the show), capers, olives, hot chilli pepper, parsley and garlic. Yum.

La Rosmarina is a rosemary tomato sauce. It also has a kick to it and is both fresh and unbelievably tasty.

Also in the parcel was an interesting, good book about Fattoria. Along with a wonderful card and other literature. Fattoria is a wonderful family business that really makes you feel like you are part of the Fattoria community.

Our love affair continues.

Fattoria La Vialla

Where To Go For Valentine’s Day

Posted on February 3, 2015 by Catherine Balavage

Hakkasan

Romantic and stylish. You can’t go wrong with Hakkasan. It is decadent and romantic.

Read our Hakkasan review.

Gaucho Sloane

Argentinean and with a reputation that precedes it. The steak is amazing and the waiters really know there stuff. The Mojito mocktail tastes just like the real thing.

Read our Gaucho review.

Yauatcha

Their food is out of this world. I would eat here everyday not just for the food, but also the atmosphere. Perfect for Valentine’s Day, and they also have an amazing patisserie. Buy up everything for the one you love.

Read our Yauatcha review.

Charlotte’s Bistro

Just brilliant food. Their gin soaked salmon was one of the best starters I have ever had in my life. They also do amazing cocktails and have a Gin School. Yes, a Gin School. Sign me up.

Read our Charlotte’s Bistro review.

Cinnamon Soho

Quite possibly the best Indian food in London. Reasonably priced and the food looks great too. Their house white is superb.

Read our Cinnamon Soho review.

Bob Bob Ricard

Deserves a mention for their ‘Press here for champagne’ button alone. Incredibly stylish and the waiters look great in their pink waistcoats. Their sea bass is just brilliant.

Gillray’s Steakhouse & Bar

It has a wonderful location on the South Bank. Great view, amazing steak and brilliant cocktails. You couldn’t ask for much more.

Gillray’s Steakhouse & Bar review

Don’t know what to buy your love for Valentine’s Day? Check out our Valentine’s Day gift guide.

Spiralizer Review: Is This The Coolest Kitchen Gadget?

Posted on January 26, 2015 by Catherine Balavage

I never thought I would be the type to write about a kitchen gadget but here it is: my love for my Westmark Spiromat 11332260 Spiralizer. My spiralizer was actually a birthday present from my brother. Even weirder for me, to ask for something domestic for my birthday. Anyone who knows me knows that I am not domestic. But if anything will turn anyone into a (one-time) domestic goddess it is the spiralizer. I made vegan bolognese with it. (Above picture)

So what does it do? Well it turns vegetables into noodles and pasta. Yes, that’s it. Why so good? Well it’s fun to use and instead of having carbs you can have courgette pasta. Which is absolutely delicious and very healthy.Frankly I am obsessed and I am not the only one. Blogger Deliciously Ella featured the spiralizer on her blog and it sold out on Amazon.

Although the Spiralizer looks hard to clean, you can just pop it in the dishwasher. It comes with a few different attachments for variety and it is very easy to use. Because it is fun to use you use it more, therefore you eat more healthy. I should stop now as it is ruining my street cred to gush so much about a kitchen appliance but I really do love it. Vegetable noodles and pasta are great and less stodgy than the real thing. I still love pasta but I do find it heavier and more filling. This gadget is also perfect for the gluten intolerant.

You can buy a spiralizer here.

One In Eight British Adults Are Now Vegetarian

Posted on January 19, 2015 by Catherine Balavage

Something is afoot. A change in our eating habits which has become more than a trend. Sparked by people becoming more environmentally conscious and not wanting to contribute to the damage that cheap meat causes. More people are becoming vegan, pescetarian (eats fish but no meat), vegetarian and flexitarian (has a mostly plant based diet but occasionally eats meat. I would put myself at the end. I have tried vegetarianism before but it never worked out. The first time I got really ill and when I started eating meat again I always made sure it was organic, free-range meat and that the animal had had a good life). To be honest the thing that most put me off vegetarianism was, and is, aggressive vegetarians. There are few things worse in life than an aggressive vegetarian who is always getting on their high horse and telling everyone else what to eat and how to live their life. Debate is fine, not lecturing. My husband is now mostly pescetarian, we eat mostly vegetables at home. This has been a learning curve when cooking meals and has also been a trial whilst pregnant and constantly craving meat. My husband and I are not alone however.

According to Mintel, around 12 per cent of people now follow vegetarian or vegan diets – rising to 20 per cent of those aged between 16 and 24. Millions more are flexitarian. A staggering one in eight British adults are now vegetarian. The truth is, we are all eating less meat. The meat-free market is now worth £625million a year and growing all the time.

That is quite something. We will be doing more vegetarian recipes on Frost and will also be doing a lot of cooking videos on our YouTube channel. So watch out for both and let us know what you think.

Leek And Lentil Hotpot Recipe | Vegetarian Food

Posted on January 13, 2015 by Catherine Balavage

My husband has stopped eating meat, which means I have had to develop something of an imagination when it comes to cooking. I came up with this dish after being inspired by a lentil and tomato dish I had at an Italian restaurant in Putney called The Italian Boys. This is completely different, but I was greatly inspired by the combination of tomato sauce and lentils. So here is my take on it.

I have called it a hotpot after my husband suggested it. It tastes amazing, if I do say so myself.

Cooking time: 30-40 minutes

You will need:

3-4 Leeks.

A tin of chopped tomatoes.

Lentils (150-200g)

3 carrots

A tablespoon of olive oil

A dollop of butter

La Rosmarina sauce. (We get ours from Fattoria La Villa but you can buy it from somewhere else or make your own. The ingredients are tomatoes, extra virgin oil, fresh rosemary, garlic, salt and hot chilli pepper. Only use a tiny amount of the hot chilli pepper, you want a slight kick, this is not a spicy dish).

Method

Thoroughly clean the lentils and then add them to a pan. Pour cold water over them and then bring to the boil. Cook for 20-30 minutes. Next clean and chop the leeks and the carrots. Then take a frying pan and add a dollop of butter or spread. Add the leeks and the carrots and sauté them for 10 minutes. Add a tablespoon of olive oil. When the leeks and carrots are cooked add the lentils and then the rosemary sauce. Finally, add the tin of tomatoes. Stir it all together and make sure it is all hot. Job done: Leek & Lentil Hotpot. It is quick and easy.

If you can’t get your hands on some La Rosmarina sauce, although I recommend that you do, add some fresh rosemary, a clove of garlic, a touch of salt and a very slight amount of hot chilli pepper to the dish. The hot chilli pepper can be taken out altogether if you do not want any spice, or add a little more if you are so inclined.

This is an amazing dish that really locks in the flavour and is very healthy. If you cook it for yourself, let me know what you think.

The Wellington: Margaret Graham’s Local in The Heart of London

Posted on January 13, 2015 by Margaret Graham

OK, so it’s the middle of winter, the wind is hurtling along the Thames, and you’re crossing Waterloo Bridge, head down, unaware that the bridge was rebuilt in the 2^nd World War, and the workforce included women. The only thought in your head is food and shelter.

Such was the situation a couple of years ago as Penny Deacon and I (writers and organisers of Words for the Wounded) reached the Strand, and there it was; this beacon in a sea of misery, the fantastic, fantabulous Wellington on the Strand. Straight across the road we powered, and hit the stairs to the restaurant at a run, resembling nothing as much as drowned rats.

That was the start of our Wellie adventure: within a few months it was the Graham’s London ‘local’. Penny lives in the West Country so looks on enviously, but I’m in High Wycombe, which is just a hop skip and jump from town. Often I meet Jan Speedie (besties since we were nine and she is also an organiser of Words for the Wounded). We spend an inordinate amount of time in the National or Portrait Galleries, in St Martin’s in the Fields poking about, or at the theatre, or exploring the City. Where do we eat? The Wellie of course.

Sticky slow-braised pork belly.

But why? Isn’t one pub much like another? I think, quite frankly, that whoever said that, needs to go and wash out her/his mouth with soap, as my mother would say.

The Wellington has the knack of becoming special to everyone we’ve brought along; the ‘grands’ love it, our friends too. It dates from 1903 and its neo-gothic exterior is a bit of a landmark. It is named after Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington whose historic victory over Napoleon in 1815 ended the Napoleonic Wars. (If you haven’t been to Apsley House, home of the first Duke of Wellington and his descendants, you should. It stands right in the heart of London at Hyde Park Corner.)

The Wellingon sits next to Covent Garden, a name derived from the Convent Garden, which belonged to Westminster Abbey. It was to Covent Garden that I went to buy a gift for my granddaughter with money presented by Jose on behalf of the staff, as she was having a serious operation that day.

The staff are gorgeous. There’s the manager, Ruth, from Australia, Jose the team leader, (Spanish) who wins the rosette for character. There’s Michal, assistant manager, who grows a moustache for charity from time to time and who has read Maeve’s Afternoon Delight, so has a big tick from me. There’s our lovely pal Eszter from Budapest who we love because of her great kindness, and Thomas from Krakow who I’m trying to get to write a feature with me about Krakow for Frost Magazine.

The ambiance is smart as a button, especially after its recent makeover but so many of the original features are still there that it’s hard to go wrong. One of the highlights for me is the Art Nouveau windows.

So, now we come to the food, of course. My favourite is the belly pork, Dick seldom strays from the sausage and mash, but Jan plumps for the fish fillets or seafood pie. We invariably add a large glass of Pino Grigio each. It’s always the right temperature, always rather too nice.

Let’s not forget the bar… The Wellington boasts a gorgeous long bar, and that brings me to the ales, which Dick and his bestie, Tim Norman, swear by.

The ales change seasonally so the Wellie rotates between 18 seasonal ales 4 times per year and also rotates between 19 National favourite ales. Nicholsons Pale Ale is always stocked – it is a classic English-style Pale Ale and brewed exclusively for Nicholson’s by St Austell Brewery. It is brewed with the finest Cornish Maris Otter barley.

If you’re after a super friendly attractive venue, with great food and drink, you don’t need to be freezing. Just head to the Wellie (The Wellington on the Strand, 351 Strand. London) www.nicholsonspubs.co.uk/thewellingtonstrandlondon

The Queensbury Pub and Dining, Willesden Green

Posted on January 9, 2015 by Paloma Kubiak

In the cold air as we walked up to The Queensbury, the decorative lights and laughs from within welcomed and warmed us inside where we were led to the back of the pub to the separate and more formal dining area.

As we were seated, in my head, I kept saying ‘mirror, mirror on the wall’ as one side was wholly decorated with retro mirrors while the back of the room featured wallpaper with rows upon rows of faces. The interior was homely and relaxing and the guests kept coming in throughout the evening to be wined and dined.

I started off with the crispy butternut squash and ricotta risotto balls with pine nuts and sage butter (£6.50). They were beautifully presented as a trio on the plate, and the individual bundles were surrounded by the sage butter and the flecks of pine nuts.

Perfectly brown and crispy on the outside, inside the risotto rice was sticky and was speckled with a whisper of butternut squash that added a hint of fleshy sweetness.

My fiancé went for the gin cured salmon with cucumber relish, caper berries and lemon dressing (£7.45). The dish was beautifully smoked and the deep-orange slithers had a tangy, moist texture which complemented well against the bitter taste of the capers.

He then plumped for the slow cooked lamb and vegetable stew with colcannon mash (£12.95) from the specials menu. It was a hearty meal delicately spiced and the lamb was very tender. The distinctive smell of the meat was masked by the herbs and spices and the colcannon mash, an old Irish recipe, was sweet, smooth and sour all at the same time.

Hoping to be a bit more adventurous, I ordered the seared pheasant breast and confit leg with spiced cabbage sweet potato rosti and a juniper jus (£13.95). The pheasant, a slightly darker, gamier meat to its competitor, the chicken, was again presented perfectly. The deep red of the tangy, soft cabbage against the deep green crispy kale was both pleasant on the eye and on the palette.

For dessert, we ordered the pear bakewell cheesecake with a mulled berry compote (£6.50) and a sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce and vanilla ice cream (£6.50). Every mouthful of the sticky toffee pudding was deliciously wicked and sweet and the blueberries added little bursts of sharpness cutting the sugary rush. The cheesecake was a refreshing twist to the cold American classic and you could really taste the grainy flavour of the pears.

Throughout our three courses, Saul, the assistant manager and our waiter for the evening, was polite, friendly and knowledgeable.

We don’t venture out much to north London as we live in the south east, but we had a lovely evening at The Queensbury. The voices and laugher remained as we made our way back to the station heading for home.

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