Keith McNally London Home

This Month's House and Garden is a cracker.

Is it me or is this publication getting better and better

I was both surprised and delighted to find amongst it's pages photograph's

of the Home of Keith McNally

I have never seen press on any of his homes before

If you don't know who Keith McNally is then you are certainly not a New Yorker 

and if you have ever visited NYC then you have certainly eaten in one of his Restaurants

Balthazar

Pastisse

Schiller's

The list is extensive 

(for a full list and an interesting article on Keith you can go HERE)

And now he has returned to his place of birth, London and opened up a London Balthazar

Keith just gets it right every time

One of things that is mentioned in the H&G article and that I have always felt 

"it is key to his restaurants that while they are stylish they are never elite"

I think Keith changed the way we eat, the way we socialise.

He levelled the playing field in a way 

His restaurants are not inaccessible 

Ok, they may be pricey for some pockets and we're not eating there every day 

but what I mean is 

Prior to the Reign of Keith 

hip restaurants were stiff, extortionately  expensive and elite 

His restaurants changed that

 and his house is just as stylish as you would expect 

all images are from the pages of House and Garden 
Photographer Simon Upton

Also IN H&G this month is a beautiful home in London belonging to the founder of

Made.com

and a beautiful award winning home belonging to Sebastien and Lucy Fenwick

I highly recommend you hit your news stands and purchase it

just in case you are wondering 

this is my opinion and NOT at all, in any way paid for or endorsed by anyone 

as is everything I post on my blog

Buttery shortbread

OK, so most people will be posting ways to help you cleanse or detox

But I say what better way to start the year than with the recipe for crumbliest butteriest shortbread

You can make this keep it chilled in your fridge and slice, cook serve mouth melting cookies with the click of a perfectly manicured finger

RECIPE

100g sugar

180g plain flour

120g corn flour (cornstarch)

200g soft butter*

METHOD

throw everything into your food processor and blitz until it starts to form a dough

alternatively

throw everything into a bowl and rub with your fingers until it starts to come together

You do not want to overwork this dough

a light hand equals a crumbly cookie

tip mixture which may be breadcrumby and not quite like a dough into 2 freezer bags 

I use a 1kg bag that measures 25cm across the bottom

You can use clingfilm but I like the freezer bags as everything is contained and you can squish the dough together without fear of crumbs escaping

now squish the dough down and form into a cylinder 

now chill for at least 20 mins but up to a week (probably last longer than that really)

when you are ready to eat your cookies

preheat oven to 160c

cut cylinder into 1cm discs and lay on an ungreased cookie sheet

bake in the oven for 20 mins or until just turning golden at the edges

turn oven off, leave door ajar and leave the cookies to cool in the oven 

this will make them really dry and crumbly

you can dust with icing sugar

a few of these plonked in a Kilner jar 

make a wonderful hostess gift 

let me know if you make these 

and how you get on

HAPPY NEW YEAR

WISHING THAT ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE IN 2013

PHOTO FROM PINTEREST SOURCE UNKNOWN

Christmas Cake

 Made Christmas cake today
This is not your traditional black dry tasteless cake
but a warm caramelly fruit filled delight with the warmth of ginger singing in its flesh
(ok maybe I am getting a little carried away)
But seriously this is a really delicious fruit cake
I sometimes bake it in 2 loaf tins during the year as a rich fruit loaf perfect for an afternoon snack or to pop in a lunchbox

I chose to decorate with a layer of marzipan
dusting of icing sugar and blanched almonds nestled into the top
but if you like you can of course decorate with the usual frosting also

I also put a layer of marzipan in the middle
just because I am a big fan of marzipan

RECIPE 

225g sultanas

225g raisins

110g candied peel

100g stoned dates

75g chopped dried apricots

50g crystallised ginger chopped very fine

125 ml hot strong tea

2 tspns vanilla essence

juice of half an orange or a whole clementine

275g softened butter

200g soft light brown sugar

75g dark brown muscovado sugar

5 free range eggs

1 tsp orange or clementine zest 

50g ground almonds

275g plain flour

1tsp mixed spice

1tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

50g flaked or nibbed almonds

METHOD

Pre heat oven to 150c

line a 20 - 23cm cake tin with parchment including a high collar around the sides

(that is a lining that stands proud of the tin)

to protect the cake during the long baking time

place dried fruit in a bowl and cover with hot tea, van essence and juice

leave to steep

Cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy 

add eggs, 1 at a time incorporating each completely before adding the next 

stir in ground almonds and zest, 

sift in flour and spices

stir to combine

add steeping fruit with liquid and the flaked or nibbed almonds 

Transfer mixture to prepared cake tin

Your cake will not rise a lot as their is no raising agents in this cake but the eggs will make it rise a little 

place in the oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours 

or until a skewer comes out clean

leave to cool completely in tin

when the cake is completely cool tip out of tin and carefully peel away parchment paper.

brush cake with warmed apricot jam 

roll out your marzipan to fit over the cake 

carefully place marzipan over cake and smooth

add blanched almonds around the edge pushing them into the marzipan to secure

This cake will keep for up to 3 weeks in an airtight container

Passing

 My Father and I

The Alhambra, 

Granada,

Spain

1997

This is a difficult post to write

I honestly don't feel like posting

but I think I must write something to break the spell

2 weeks ago my Father passed away

I had the privilege of being by his side for his final moments

He was an amazing man 

I may tell you about him someday 

but for now I just wanted to explain my absence

x x

Tim Ryan C12

Tim Ryan C12 collection

Stunning and glamorous

One of Ireland's true Fashion talents

Available through Browns London

........ and I am not sure, sadly if it is currently stocked in Ireland

Crab Apple Ice cream

 This year's crop of Crab Apples was not as prolific as last,

but still there were quite a few

I thought about what to do with them

Last year I made Crab Apple Jelly

and while it was delicious the truth is we still haven't worked our way through it all

So inspired by this post 

I poached my crab apples 

and used the syrup to make 

Crab Apple Ice cream

I added yoghurt to my Ice cream mix 

which gives it an added depth of flavour

and I particularly love yoghurt

You can use any basic ice cream mix you like 

and simply swirl in the syrup at the end

I wouldn't really call this a recipe

more like a bunch of stuff that you throw in the ice cream maker until it tastes good.....

If you don't have an ice cream maker then you may want to use another method that adds more air prior to freezing

This one looks particularly good

although I haven't actually made it 

I saw Mary Berry make it last week 

and it looked easy, simple and delicious

To Make the Crab Apple syrup

Place the Crab Apples in a sauce pan

(I left the stalks on because they look pretty and also because it makes them easy to pick up )

cover with equal parts water and sugar

simmer until you get a thickish syrup and the crab apple skins start to split

(about 5 min)

You can keep the Crabapples in some of the syrup in a jar in the fridge 

to serve alongside the Ice cream

RECIPE (If you can call it that)

250g of cream

250g of yoghurt( I use Greek)

Icing sugar to taste

5 TBSP crabapple syrup

combine and pour into ice cream maker

when it is ready 

place in a tub and swirl in about 5 more TBSP of the syrup 

there you have it

Crab Apple Ice cream