Thai Impressions

Thailand was never a place I wanted to visit. I yearn for some destinations, dream of them, plan holidays in future years but Thailand has never made that list. Not sure why.

Then, my mother in law bought a house there, and suddenly it was the next destination. That was four years ago and we have just been back for our second holiday. How do I feel about the country now? I could live there, permanently, without giving it a second thought! Why? Well, the list is long but topping it….it has to be….it has to be:

• The Food. It has to be the food that tops the list! The colours, the flavours, the philosophy under which meals are prepared, the scents that tickle your nostrils and massage your palette. Amazing. If you dare to let go and try things that look strange; things that come out of odd leaves, containers and pots then you are in for a treat.
• The People. Respectful, not pushy, at peace, not stressed, happy, kind, accommodating. Always a smile, always ready to help. We have a lot to learn in the west
• The Weather. Average 30 degrees C in February. Nice. No further comment.
• The Activities. Diving, kite boarding, snorkelling, go-karting, fishing, cooking classes, animal shows, morning market, night markets, fish markets, walk-in streets, trekking to tops of water falls and skinny dipping in them, riding elephants…. We did all of these and could easily have done more.

We took a few hours worth of cooking lessons from a fabulous Thai lady who ran a much acclaimed Thai Restaurant in Australia for 20 years. Short, stout, strict, and bossy as anything, but passionate about ingredients. About when to stir and when to leave, about pestle and mortar, about using every little bit of the raw materials – out of respect for both nature and the client who is to eat the dish. From the lesson came three dishes and I will share them on the blog. Mouth-watering yet so simple and quick to cook!

Before I start recipe writing I want to share my favourites pictures from our trip. Hopefully they will draw you in and let you feel just a little of the magic that is Thailand. It truly is a place where your soul can rest and re-fresh; when you have time to think and focus; a place where stress does not seem to exist and most importantly, to a food lover like I am, a place where the food you find at little road stands is simply divine and different. Where the best local restaurants are nothing more than a wok on fire and you walk through the chef’s living room to be seated. Completely different; completely fabulous!

Enjoy the gallery….and share your experiences! Have you been to Thailand? What was your best bit?

Tom Yum Kung

New flavours

Pad Prik – pork

Slow roasted banana

No stress

Dim sum

Hard work

20 minutes…green curry paste

Coffe to go with breakfast

Breakfast in the making

Breakfast served

Love is – coconut

Green chillies

Thai Pancakes

Surprise

Sweet rice and coconut

Outdoor dining

Fresh, giant prawns

Shells a plenty

Joy

Butterfly Garden

8th one…

9 went up for luck

Treasures…

Croc

Much laughter

Fresh

Me

5 a day

Snack time – coconut rice pudding

Served warm – delicious

Market Bucket

Love the shape

Waterfalls and dipping

Happy

Empty shells

Bombs away

Simple

Floating fish

Fat bananas

Shallots

Proud moment

Catch of the day

Fish Balls

Thai Curry

Friend?

The Ultimate American Pancakes

Shrove Tuesday has come around again – and before we hit the recipe here is a small reminder as to what Shrove Tuesday actually is about.

The name Shrove comes from the old word “shrive” which means to confess. On Shrove Tuesday, in the Middle Ages, people used to confess their sins so that they were forgiven before the season of Lent began. Lent, for many, is a time of abstinence, of giving things up, and being the last day before the period of Lent, Shrove Tuesday is a day of celebration (indulging!) as well as penitence.

Shrove Tuesday is also known as Pancake Day, and throughout the United Kingdom the day used to be (and still is) associated with pancakes because they were a way to use up rich foodstuffs such as eggs, milk, and sugar that traditionally aren’t allowed during Lent. (read more on Wikipedia)

I have spent many Sunday mornings perfecting my American pancake recipe. As a family we have devoured thin, thick, soggy, crunchy, hard, chewy…all types….and finally we have reached the pinnacle of success! This recipe is divine. I am almost tempted to keep it to myself – it is that good – but as sharing is caring here goes! Recipe for the ultimate american pancakes – including reasons why some of the ingredients are used! Enjoy.

Please have a look at other great Pancake Day recipes too….

- Spinach layered pancakes

- Original crepes

- Chocolate pancake layered cake

Why use….?

• Why a combination of cornflour and regular flour? It makes for a more delicate cake because cornflour does not have the two amino acids that wheat flour contains (glutenin and gliadin which combine to make gluten) – not really necessary for cakes. By using cornflour you therefore decrease the gluten content of a cake making it lighter.
• Why vinegar and baking soda? I tried this in some cupcakes and the result was amazing. They turned out to be the softest cup cakes I have ever had. I therefore decided to try to add it to the pancakes..and yes…it works. Vinegar (acetic acid) + baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)= CO2 (carbon dioxide gas). This gas leavens the cake/causes it to rise. Think of your classroom volcano experiment: mix soda and vinegar and you get a big old foamy mess. Add that foamy mess to cake batter and you get a lighter, fluffier cake.
• Why yogurt? When used in cakes it provides moistness..simple as that. If you have never tried, do! It retains that lovely moist feel and taste for days.

Ultimate American Pancakes

Drizzle of vegetable oil (equivalent of 2 tbsp)

115g plain flour

115g corn flour

pinch of salt

2 tbsp caster sugar

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

1/2 tsp white wine vinegar (trust me!)

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

100ml natural full fat yogurt

300ml milk

• I always put my oven on 50C to keep the pancakes warm – that way we all eat together as a family which is much nicer than throwing them over my shoulder to a pack of wolves who devour them and leave the room!
• Sieve the flour and cornflour into a bowl and add the salt, sugar and baking powder to it
• Put the egg, milk and yogurt into a different bowl and whisk to combine
• Place the bicarbonate of soda on a tablespoon and add the vinegar to it – it will bubble up (great for volcano experiments with the children…that’s for another blog!)
• Add this wet mixture to the egg, yogurt and milk bowl – stir to combine
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix VERY briefly until just combined – it will seem like there are lumps of flour in the mixture – do not worry about those. Do not over mix…. 
• Drizzle the oil into the mixture (doing this reduces the need for oil/grease on the pan)
• Put a frying pan over medium heat and brush it with a tiny bit of vegetable oil
• Using a large spoon or small glass, place small dollops of batter onto the pan and cook until they begin to bubble on the top. Flip them over and cook the other side until golden
• Put into the oven to keep warm while you cook the rest of the pancakes
• Serve warm with lots of freshly chopped fruit, syrup, icing sugar, nutella, lemon, jam….so much choice!

Kanel Snegle (cinnamon swirls)

Kanel Snegle

Kanel snegle - what I always picked when I, as a child, was lucky enough to get free choice at the bakery on a Sunday morning.

It is one of many traditional Danish pastries – butter filled, crisp on the outside and soft, sweet and cinnamony on the inside.

Irresistible to be honest and still my first choice today when I am lucky enough to be in Denmark….

Recipe is from Froeken Jensen’s Bagebog – classic Danish cookbook based on recipes from the 1900′s.

Kanel Snegle

250g flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

2 tbs sugar

150g butter

75ml milk

25g fresh yeast (or 2 sachets dry yeast)

Butter/Cinnamon Spread

75g butter

50g icing sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

To make the dough

• Mix flour, salt, cardamom and sugar together
• Add the butter to the floury mix – and combine until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs
• In a small saucepan heat the milk gently until it is luke warm then remove from heat source
• Dissolve the fresh yeast in the luke warm milk with a wooden spoon
• Add the milk to the flour and combine the two; knead until the dough forms a soft ball – slightly sticky and shiny
• Place the kneaded dough ball in a clean bowl and cover with a tea towel
• Leave the bowl in a warm place to rise for 20-30 minutes
• Pre-heat oven to 225C

To make the spread

• Ensure butter is room temperature
• In a bowl, combine butter, cinnamon and icing sugar and keep stirring until a sweet, cinnamon butter is created

Creating the swirls

• Once the dough has risen, roll it into a rectangular shape on a floured surface
• With a big spoon, a spatula or other easy tool, cover the dough with the cinnamon spread
• Loosely roll the dough into a sausage shape – roll it by length
• With a sharp knife, cut slices of the dough (about two cm thick), and place these on a lined baking tray
• Once the tray is full, cover with a tea towel and place in a warm place for 15 minutes
• Once completely risen, brush with egg or cream to create a golden colour, and place in the pre-heated oven
• Bake for about 12 minutes
• Once brown and cooked remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack
• When cooler, decorate with icing (icing sugar and a little water mixed together)
• Enjoy them when still slightly warm – that is when they are at their best!

Kanel Snegle

Soft nougat brioche on a snow filled day!

Soft interior; crunchy exterior

The snow is bucketing it down and strong gusts of wind make it look like we are somewhere in the Arctic – not in a small British town west of London! It is wonderful.

I am guessing the school will text message around noon to say it will close at 1pm and have decided that I want to take full advantage of this! When the children come it will be film, hot chocolate and sweet roll time…Can’t wait!

It is a simple dough and really easy to make; please do not let the word yeast put you off!

The dough for these soft sweet rolls is already made (a bit keen) and the nougat filling is sat next to me on the counter – a few bites already missing….

Sweet Dough Brioche (makes around 12)

200ml milk

1.5 tbs butter

3 tbs sugar

25g fresh yeast (or 1.5 sachets dry)

1 tsp ground cardamom (you can substitute this for cinnamon)

pinch of salt

425g flour

Nougat - lots or 150g (you can substitute with chocolate)

• In a small saucepan add milk, butter, sugar and yeast and turn on low heat. You want to make the milk luke warm in order that the butter melts and the sugar dissolved – however not too hot as this will damage the yeast’s ability to rise properly
• Give all the ingredients a good stir with a wooden spoon and turn off the heat once the butter is half way melted and the sugar seems dissolved
• Pour the mixture into a large bowl
• In a separate bowl add the flour, salt and cardamom.
• Pour the flour mixture into the milk and combine with either your hands or a wooden spoon. Save a little of the flour until you are sure you will need it all
• If it is too sticky and does not form a soft dough ball – add a little extra flour. Conversely, add a little warm milk if you find you have added too much flour and it is too dry
• Once combined, knead for 5 minutes and return to the bowl – covered with a clean tea towel
• Place the dough ball close to a good heat source (over a radiator, next to tumble dryer….) or in a warm room
• Leave the dough until it has doubled in size – takes between 30 minutes and 1 hour depending on what yeast you used and how warm your room is
• Once you are happy with the dough, knead it a bit and flatten it out on a floured surface
• Place the nougat on the dough – do not be stingy!
• Close the dough around the nougat and, using your hands, create little dough balls (sort of like rolling a snow ball)
• Place the finished brioche on a lined baking tray and leave under a tea towel to rise for 30 minutes
• Just before placing in the pre-heated oven, brush the brioche with milk
• Bake in the oven for 12 minutes at 225C – they will be lovely and brown when done (and tapping them underneath should sound hollow)
• Once out of the oven brush with melted butter – this gives a nice, subtle salty taste to the brioche
• At this point you can sprinkle some sugar on top too….(go on, if you are going to be naughty you may as well go for it).
• Enjoy!

Italy again – Foccacia!

Who does not love foccacia!?!? The soft interior, crunchy exterior, the salty bite – the olive oil! It evokes such joy and yet is such a simple recipe with few ingredients! I have taken a basic recipe I found and added some herbs and red onion…My 5 year old helped me make it and all three children, husband and friends devoured it in about 5 minutes! Always happy to see an empty plate – must make double portion next time!

It is, of course, Italian – most wonderful things are… The dough is very similar to that of pizza and relatively wet – which creates the crispness once baked. It is most commonly made with rosemary and sea salt  (recipe found in a Danish magazine) - however I made it with fresh sage and red onion. Delicious! Other great ways to make it is with fresh tomato, with black olives, slices of aubergine…only your imagination can stop you!

Hope you enjoy!

Foccacia with Sage and Red Onion (adapted from above recipe)

350g white flour

1/2 tsp sea salt

20g fresh yeast

210ml lukewarm water

1-2 tbsp olive oil

Sage leaves

Red onion slices

Sea Salt

Black pepper

Olive Oil

 

• Place the flour, salt and yeast in a bowl and mix in the lukewarm water slowly whilst stirring
• Add the 2 tbsp olive oil
• Once the mixture starts to combine, tip unto your work surface and knead for a good 4-5 minutes until the dough becomes smooth
• Place dough back into the bowl and cover the bowl with a lightly oiled piece of cling film – leave somewhere warm to rise for about 1 hour (or until doubled in size)
• Lightly oil a shallow round cake tin
• Knock the dough back on a slightly floured surface and make a relatively fat, large circle shape with it – place this into the oiled cake tin
• Cover the cake tin with the cling film and leave to rise once again - until doubled in size (does not take more than 20-30 minutes)
• Now – this is fun – poke holes in the dough with your fingers – cover again once done and let rise for a final 10 minutes
• Preheat your oven to 200C and slice the red onion and sage leaves thinly while you wait
• Sprinkle the leaves and onion, salt and pepper onto the dough – finish off by drizzling the olive oil over it
• Bake in the warm oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown
• Cool for about 5 minutes and serve warm (with a cold glass of white wine!)

Very Inspiring Blogger Award

I am so happy! Thank you; thank you; thank you so much http://faithrises.com/ for nominating me for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award. How lovely to know that you find it an inspiration; makes every post more meaningful.

Your blog brings not only a smile to my face but makes me think  – and I would not classify myself as particularly religious. Really enjoy your blog.

Award Guidelines:

1)      Display the award logo on your blog.

2)      Link back to the person who nominated you.

3)      State 7 things about yourself.

4)      Nominate 15 other bloggers for this award and link to them.

5)      Notify those bloggers of the nomination and the award’s requirements.

So – 7 things about me!

1. I am a “cup half full” person – will always find the positive in every situation eventually
2. When I enjoy a good book there is almost nothing that can get me away from…escapism!
3. Running always gets me smiling – if ever I am in a bad mood I go run it off
4. I love my three children and husband more than anything in the world
5. I find cooking and baking both therapeutic and relaxing and use it as a great de-stressor tool
6. I refuse to iron…it is probably the one thing I really avoid in life! Cannot stand it and always burn myself
7. I am very clumsy – if there is something to walk into, fall over etc…that’s me….

Now to my nominations – not out there that much yet so may not reach the 15 – I promise to get there eventually so for now my list will have the ones I am inspired by to date….

• Bucket List Publications - Lesley – I am inspired by your energy
• nouveau - your images are always so beautiful….very inspirational
• maggiesonebuttkitchen - your food not only looks stunning but tastes great too – have tried several recipes!
• sweetandweak - Simon you make me smile and laugh with every post!
• mpitellaitalianfood.wordpress.com - inspired to cook Italian….
• http://pursuenatural.wordpress.com/ - great to always find the natural solution
• http://needleandfork.com/ - amazing recipes and creativity; inspires me to cook and to smile
• http://www.pencilkitchen.blogspot.co.uk/ - your food photography is divine…wish to get there one day
• http://www.novicehousewife.com/ - your attention to detail and flavours is incredibly inspiring
• http://francineinretirement.wordpress.com/ - loving the way life continues to inspire you…

Sensory Food

Reblogged from :

"We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are" (Adelle Davis (1904 - 1974))

Food is one of the main pleasures in life as well as human fuel!  Without it, body and soul would suffer. It is therefore, in my opinion, really important to have an opinion and appreciation of food!

Read more… 1,189 more words

This was one of my first ever blogs and want to re-post it as I think it delivers an important message....Enjoy!