Fried gnocchi with salad and pesto

Well this isn't really something hard to create. It's one of those meals when you have things in your cupboard but you want to do something a little different with it.

So one Saturday night I wanted to try something a little different with it. Why don't we fry it for a change? The texture is amazing, almost like a roast potato. Crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middle. Why hadn't I don't something like this before?

What you'll need:
x1 packet gnocchi (we used the one that you buy off the store shelf)
olive oil
salt & pepper to season
chilli flakes (optional)
red pepper pesto
sundried tomatoes (optional)
fresh basil (optional)
rocket or any other salad leaves
parmesean cheese

How to make it:
1. Heat a splash of olive oil in a large frying pan.

2. Tip in the packet of gnocchi and lightly fry it until they turn light brown and crispy. Add the chilli flakes at this stage, then the sundried tomatoes.

3. Season well with salt & pepper, add some fresh basil and serve on top of the rocket or salad leaves.

4. Drizzle some red pepper pesto over the top and sprinkle with parmesean cheese.

5. Stuff your face and wonder why you hadn't done this before!

"Skinny" sweet & sour chicken

I love a good takeaway and usually it's good ol' fish & chips if I'm honest, but sometimes I feel like a curry or maybe Chinese.

Recently the Hairy Bikers went on a mission to lose a bit of their excess weight that they'd put on over the years. To be fair, I'd rather cut down my portion sizes rather than make recipes "low fat", but I thought I'd give one of theirs a go.

We made this last Friday night, served it with some flavoured rice and the result was lovely! We both agreed it tasted better than a shop bought one and it was minimal effort so you could even make it mid-week.

I substituted the bamboo shoots with carrots and it worked perfectly for us. I recommend you give it a go.

You can find the recipe on the BBC Food website: Sweet & sour chicken, by the Hairy Bikers

Cheese and beer in Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace has a great new foodie shop - Good Taste Food and Drink.  To quote from their facebook page about their store:

"To offer a well-selected variety of tasty produce that are unlikely to be found in any supermarket."

I've been keeping an eye on these guys on facebook and Twitter and I have certainly noticed the locals commenting on how great the food is.  So what did I do about this?  Well, went and had a look for myself of course!

Firstly we looked at their fine collection of beers and purchased a few for a friends birthday.  They only stock British beers and there was certainly a large range to look through.  Manish (the owner) helped us choose each beer.  His knowledge on each was brilliant!  Some of the names like 'Nanny State' and 'Hardcore IPA' grabbed your attention and made you giggle.  We chose a variety and included a lovely sounding Espresso beer from Darkstar.

The following day we went back to sample some cheeses.

I had an appetite for blue cheese and I mentioned that to one of the staff and he suggested a couple of blues for us to try.  We were offered slivers to taste and ended up buying Harbourne Blue (Devon, England) and Lanark Blue (Lanarkshire, Scotland).  Both were delicious, one slightly creamy and the other quite crumbly.

Next I asked if we could try a hard cheese, something sweet and nutty.  We were offered some Comte AOC (French-Comte region of France) and this was perfect!  It was certainly nutty and it was difficult not to eat it before we even got it home.

To help you remember what you bought, you are given a little card with the name of the cheese, the price and it's flavour.  Very helpful for my next visit.

The shop also sells wine, cured and cold meats, breads, chutneys, tea and coffee.

So if you are ever in South East London, I recommend you drop by Good Taste Food and Drink and sample some of their delights.  Actually, why not make a special trip down, you won't be disappointed.

More information on Good Taste Food and Drink can be found on their facebook page.

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal

On the last May bank holiday we were lucky enough to get a reservation (that I booked back in March) at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal.  This quite new restaurant is located in the Mandarin Oriental hotel in London.

The location is wonderful and the entrance to the hotel as grand as you'd expect from a 5 star hotel.  

We arrived a little early so were seated at the bar where we ordered a couple of Asahi beers, served in chilled glasses and bar snacks.

Just after midday we were taken through to our table and to my delight, we were seated overlooking Hyde Park.  The restaurant is very modern with minimal furnishings and enough light so that you can enjoy it, but it is still intimate.  One thing we noticed straight away was the light fittings on the walls were made of the same shape as old jelly moulds.

The staff are extremely attentive and are quick to get you water and take any drink orders as they explained the specials and recommendations.  While they bring you breads to nibble on, you look through the menu and it brings a smile to your face.

Not to be mistaken with the Fat Duck, Heston has taken recipes from 1500's through to the 1800's and recreated them for his menu.

To start:

I opted for the Fruit Meat (c.1500).  A "mandarin" but filled with a rich velvety chicken live parfait, served with grilled bread.  I absolutely loved it!  Not only did it look fantastic, but tasted wonderful.

My boyfriend had the Salamagundy (c.1720), which is chicken oysters, bone marrow in a salad and served with a horseradish cream.  Bone marrow is not my cup of tea, but the chicken was extremely moist and very tasty.

The main act:

Now the Sommelier comes along and helps you choose an amazing wine to compliment your main dish.  As I was having duck, I had help choosing a lovely rose wine and my boyfriend a red to go with his steak.  This is where the money comes into the equation.  The wine list is huge but very expensive.  Since this was a lunch setting, we though a glass of wine each would suffice.

My Powdered Duck (c.1670), was served with smoked fennel and a smooth potato puree.  It also came with a rich duck sauce.  Again, this tasted amazing.  The duck was extremely rich as was the potato puree and it all went together so well!

My boyfriend was in a steak mood, so indulged in the Sirloin of Black Angus (c.1830), with mushroom ketchup, red wine juice and Heston's famous triple cooked chips.  I was amazed at the intense flavour in the mushroom ketchup and the chips were fluffy on the inside of a crispy shell.

 

To finish us off:

I usually can't find room for dessert, but it's not often we get a chance to go to a restaurant with such amazing food.  We also indulged in a dessert wine each, which mated the food perfectly.  I was so glad when the waiter put this infront of me, my face just lit up!

Taffety Tart (c.1660) with crystallised rose petals, fennel crumb topping, and lemon and blackcurrant sorbet.  The main ingredient in the tart was a deliciously dense apple filling.  As you can see, it was beautiful! 

 I'm sure my boyfriend ordered the most rich sounding dessert on the menu, the chocolate bar (c.1730).  This is filled with passion fruit jam and served with a ginger ice cream, which we think had hints of clove in it.  It was like an extremely decadent mars bar!

We finished with coffee and also another sweet ganache they bring to you with a cardamom flavoured shortbread 'dipper'.

The entire experience was brilliant.  It's what you expect from a high end restaurant.  The service was really lovely and helpful, but without being intrusive while you sat and enjoyed the food.

£182 for both of us, which given how great everything was, seems reasonable to me.  If you are in London and want to do something special, I recommend dining here...but book now, tables can be all booked up months in advance.  Enjoy!