Food

My Current Projects: Gluten Free / Bread for a "Treasure Island" fairSubmitted by Juergen Krauss on May 24, 2013 - 1:31am. At the moment I am pursuing two totally different themes in my baking: Gluten Free bread and bread for a school summer fair themed "Treasure Island".This blog post is intended as a journal for my thoughts and ideas, nothing is final yet.The photo above is my take on "Pease Bread", the 18th century wheat-free alternative. See below.Let's start with Gluten Free (GF) bread:After my initial success with a Buckwheat-Millet Sourdough I am aiming to understand more indepth how GF flours behave. I will be using Psyllium husks as a gelling agent, avoiding all processed ingredients like gums etc.My plan is:To determine the optimum amount of Psyllium needed for several GF flours. I will use a 60:40 flour:starch mix and instant yeast for these experiments. I will aim to adjust hydration in a way that makes the doughs feel similar. To determine the fermentability of the individual flours Plus Psyllium  using Raisin Yeast Water, Rye Sourdough and Yeast.To develop a reliable GF StarterTo work on flour combinations and tasteThis is a lot of work, but i am really excited to do this.Having spoken to several people with food allergies it is clear to me that it is almost necessary to design a bread for an individual person and their specific sensitivities. "Treasure Island" baking:My son kindly volunteered me to have a bread stall at their school's summer fair. This fair is meant to be organised by the children, and the theme is "Treasure Island". It took me a few days to figure out what I could do within this frame of reference, and the pieces are starting to come together.I looked into 18th century baking, and Andy (ananda) generously pointed me to an article about the history of flour usage in Britain.I will have a group of children do most of the work on the day before the fair, using the school kitchen.And this is what I intend to bake with them:Ships Biskets (Hardtack): the staple food of the sailors; this will be more for curiosity. Wholegrain Wheat flour 100%, Water 50%, Salt 2%, Mix until evenly hydrated, rest for 1 hour or so, shape flat palm-size biscuits 4oz each, dock, bake until completely dry, but not brown (I have to figure that one out). 4 of these was a sailor's daily ration.Pease Bread (see the picture at the top): The staple food of the very poor, or in times of bad wheat harvests.This is my take, quite tasty: Ground Haricot Beans: 30%, Ground Pearl Barley: 30%, Oatmeal 30%, Water 80%, Salt 2%, Rye Sour (100% HL) 20%. DT 28C. Bulk fermentation 2 hours, proof in basket 1 hour, long bake in falling oven.Maslin Bread: This would have been the staple bread of the lower classes in south England. My take on this: Wholegrain Rye: 50%, High Extraction Wheat: 50%, Water 75%, Salt 2% Rye Sour 20%. DT 28C. Bulk fermentation 2 hours, proof in basket 1 hour. Bake in falling oven starting hot.Manchet Bread: This is what the Squire, Doctor and Captain would have eaten. There are several historical recipes about, this is my first take. Everybody loved it: Stoneground White Strong flour: 100%, Water 54%, Salt 2%, Instant Yeast 0.7%. Mix, knead and beat the living daylights out of it with a rolling pin, until very silky. Get those carotenoids oxidized. They want WHITE bread!  Proof 2 hours. Shape into batard. Proof 40 minutes. Bake at 210C.I will try out some other recipes for Manchet, and I intend to use ale barm - this afternoon I will pick up some from the brewery.Here is a picture of Manchet and Maslin breads:And here is a crumb shot of Maslin, Manchet and Pease Breads:I am off to my kitchen now...Cheers,Juergen

Shut up and play the hits.

Magic Hat Brewery Sues West Sixth Brewing, Claiming 6 Looks Too Much Like 9 - #beer #logos

Post by Stefan Van Eycken, Tokyo Today sees the official release of the 3rd Memories of Karuizawa. It’s available to members of Bond#1 right now; from next week, it will also be on the shelves of selected retailers here in Japan. The 3rd release is one of the few casks left from the 1996 vintage, and it is – in fact – a sister cask (#3684) of our very own Nonjatta Karuizawa (#3681). There’s definitely family resemblance so it won’t surprise you to read that we are quite fond of this new single cask. On the nose, there’s fruit, of course – assorted berries, dried apricots and raspberry meringue – but there’s also fresh ginger ale and grass in early summer with some very subtle wood smoke in the background. After a while, a nice orange marmalade note comes to the fore, accompanied by over-ripe kiwis, honey-roasted almonds, shiso leaf and a touch of eucalyptus. On the palate, it packs quite a punch neat: orange zest and raspberries on the attack, then slightly under-ripe grapefruit and gooseberries. It really needs water – only then does it reveal its charms on the palate: milk chocolate, hazelnut cream, nougat, candied orange peel again, ramune candy, then caramel pear mousse and pumpkin seed spread. Resistance is futile… it’s a phenomenal amalgam of flavours. The finish is long and lingering on sweet jam notes but with a lovely tart edge. Now for the bad news: there are only 303 bottles. Since no one will bother to ready any further, we’ll just sign off wishing you a nice weekend... and it will be if you manage to score a bottle of this. Read more about Karuizawa Distillery here.

Served up an easy Tofu Spinach Lasagna dinner for a Forks Over Knives movie watching party. SO GOOD!

Things to do on a Friday: and RT @mumbaykar @catchanuj #GoodTimes

Kale chole or black chickpea is consumed popularly in Indian cuisine, with roti or rice. Kale chole can be either made dry or in curry form, with the dry version usually consumed with roti and the curry one eaten along with rice. Here we shall give you the recipe for the curry version of kale chole.

As we gear up for Summer, London’s restaurant scene shows no sign of slowing down – read on for Bon Vivant’s guide of the best new London restaurants to keep on your radar for the next few months. Hutong at The Shard On the 33rd floor of The Shard, Hutong will showcase the cuisine of Northern China from the team behind Hong Kong’s Aqua Group. The 130 cover restaurant will be based on the restaurant of the same name in Hong Kong, with a menu inspired by the culinary styles of Peking, Shandong and Sichuan provinces. Hutong’s signature dishes in London will include Crispy deboned Lamb; Red Lantern crispy soft shell crab with Sichuan dried peppers; ‘Kung Po’ wok fried prawns with cashew nuts and chilli; Chilli spiced bamboo clams steeped in Chinese rose wine and chilli sauce and Imperial Peking. Hutong will be open for lunch and dinner as well as late night drinks with a three-storey high atrium bar, serving cocktails with an emphasis on gin and tea. Hutong will open in July. Tartufo, Chelsea From a chef who has worked at Gauthier Soho as sous chef and management who have worked at Galvin at Windows, Le Gavroche and Roussillon, Tartufo is a new Modern European restaurant on Cadogan Gardens in Chelsea. Situated on the lower ground floor of a red-brick Victorian mansion-block, Tartufo offers a fine dining experience with reasonable set menus (two courses £25, three courses £30, four courses £40). Casa Negra, Shoreditch Following last year’s successful Soho hit La Bodega Negra, Ricker Restaurants will launch Casa Negra in Shoreditch on 6 June 2013, adding to the group’s portfolio that also includes E&O, XO, Cicada and Eight Over Eight. Casa Negra will offer a menu of Mexican style street food, including ceviches, coctèls, aguachiles and tostadas, along with a number of different tacos. Casa Negra’s signature dish will be the Carnitas de lechon – a suckling pig ‘served at the table with fresh salsas and traditional garnishes’. Casa Negra’s dining room will seat 82, with space for 30+ at the bar, which will be open until 2am. The Grain Store, King’s Cross Following the success of Bistrot Bruno Loubet at The Zetter Townhouse (one of our favourite boutique hotels in London), chef Bruno Loubet will open Grain Store on 10 June in the redeveloped Granary Square area behind King’s Cross station, next to Caravan King’s Cross. The menu is said to be eclectic – ‘a culmination of Bruno’s extensive travels and the years dedicated to his beloved vegetable patch’. The bar will be headed up by Tony Conigliaro, the man behind some of our favourite London cocktail bars, including 69 Colebrooke Row and The Zetter Townhouse bar. aqua shard Aqua Restaurant Group will also launch ‘aqua shard’ on level 31 of The Shard offering contemporary British cuisine from chef Anthony Garlando, who previously worked with Pierre Gagnaire for several years. The 220-cover aqua shard will be split into two areas, with the Gin Wing focusing on gin and tea that will link up to Hutong on level 33 of The Shard. aqua shard will be open all day, serving breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. Christopher’s Christopher’s reopened in the middle of May following a 4 month closure for a full refurbishment. Christopher’s offers a menu of modern American cuisine in a gorgeous dining room. A grand, sweeping staircase with gentle candle light takes you to a dining room with stunning detailing on the ceiling. The ground floor martini bar feels glamorous and elegant. Menu highlights include Maryland crabcakes and the lobster bisque with lobster dumplings, along with classic main dishes of USDA Prime steaks and surf ‘n’ turf. The Five Fields, Chelsea The Five Fields launched in Chelsea on 21 May 2013 as 40-seat restaurant with a modern, seasonal menu with a focus on rare herbs and vegetables, grown at the restaurant’s own East Sussex gardens. The Five Field

Craft beer craze arrives in Brandon area with pubs, home brewing

The Shins, Tom Petty, White's Costata, Beer Garden: NYC Weekend