ARBUTUS

Jenny and I required feeding so we took a culinary visit to Soho, home of Arbutus. This place is a bit of a gem. Think relaxed atmosphere with michelin starred dining and a sleek band of staff who are as friendly as they are unobtrusive. I've been a number of times and find it a reliable and not overly expensive delight - particularly at lunch when they do a deal of £22.50 for three courses!

Happily, this visit was another success story. The place is amazingly untouched by the mayhem of Soho that lingers just down the road. Having said that, the chatter can get very noisy in the intimate space but this didn't bother us. If, however, you're after a mellow evening involving fewer decibels, this may not be the one for you.

We began with deliciously refreshing watermelon lemonade - who'd have thought? But watermelon and lemonade turned out to make a blissful union. Shortly after arrived an offering of bread from a rather deep box with hardly anything in it. Delving into this fathomless container it seemed rather a shame that there was so little bread to go round in such an affluent establishment but this was soon forgotten...

For our starters Jenny chose their famous squid and mackerel burger, she claimed it was a little too salty - but without trying it I can only disagree! Especially as my chosen lamb with kashk e bademjan was so under seasoned. By that I must explain: kashk e bademjan is a Persian dish (Anvari heritage) and one of my favourites. It seemed quite bizzare to find it on a French/English menu so I was intrigued enough to try it. I must say it looked more beautiful than it's ever been presented to me in any Iranian establishment, but it just didn't have the taste. Not enough salt and the onions hadn't been fried enough before adding the turmeric. (Quick aside on international onion frying - the French and the Iranians deal with theirs using two very separate techniques. The French most commonly soften the onions, sometimes sweating them for hours to gain a sweet melting taste and texture. The Iraninans like to fry them on a high heat quickly caramelising them and gaining an unmistakable onion wallop.) No wallops in sight. Having said that the lamb was delicious, beautifully cut and this middle eastern protrusion made sense against it's new backdrop.

Mains were masterpieces. My beef with dauphinoise (however rich) was a delicious feast involving caramelised onions and asparagus with a nutty jus - divine and plenty of it! Jenny's rabbit with it's perfectly sweet gravy and side of rabbit shepherds pie was jowl shakingly droolsome - not a morsel was left 'pon plate.

Following these huge portions of food Jenny declined a dessert but I, like the hero I know I am, insisted we share one and along came the "cold chocolate fondant with stout ice-cream". I must admit stout ice-cream did not have me overly excited but when it arrived, nothing could have kept me from it. I'm happy to say that although we shared, my expanding waistline was able to engulf the larger half.

The bill came to a little over £80 including a glass of wine and service but, as mentioned earlier, at lunch they do a 3 course menu for £22.50. Certainly a better deal but considering how sluggishly Jenny and I could move afterward - even on sight of our imminent bus (we missed it) - and considering the quality of food and service, I'm not sure where else one can find such good value in this neck of the woods. Try it!

Arbutus 
63 — 64 Frith Street
London
W1D 3JW

Tel: 020 7734 4545

DOUBLE DIPPING

Bonjour summer! Amazingly, it seemed to have arrived for a few days there! In celebration, one gloriously sun-kissed day at Clever Hands HQ we decided to indulge in this colourful, simple and sunny selection of dunking delights. These dips or spreads, depending on how greedy you are, are quick to whip up, easy to keep and quite healthy (good God, what is happening to me?!)

On our menu was hummus, tzatziki, broad beans with coriander and yoghurt, mirza ghasemi, tabbouleh, a chunky chilli sauce, borek and falafel. A vegetarian feast lay before us.....

HUMMUS 
A staple in most fridges, especially these days what with middle eastern food becoming more and more popular. Hummus is also health central. Its core ingredients are chick peas which contain no cholesterol or saturated fat, whilst garlic and lemon juice - both antioxidants - help to boost your immune system and to top it all off, olive oil, which the adverts say help Italians to live longer. Hooray! The only fatty little fly in the ointment is our friend the tahini which, alas, is fatty and calorific but there's not that much in here, soooo...

Recipe
1 can of chickpeas
2 tablespoons tahini
3 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons very cold water (this is going to help you decipher your consistency so you may have to play around to get exactly what you're looking for)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil, and more to garnish

Whizz up chickpeas with tahini and garlic, add the olive oil. Add lemon juice to taste and water for creaminess. Season it with salt and whizz again. Finito! ps. I threw in some sweet paprika and parsley at the end for a bit of colour.

TZATZIKI 
For years I've made this with fresh mint, hoping that the glorious aroma of the mint would permeate the yoghurt and cucumber mix in a refreshing yet subtle sort of way... don't bother. It doesn't. If anything the yoghurt kills the mint and then you're left with a wierdly textured yoghurt concoction with annoying leaves in your mouth.  My Persian father has always said dried mint is best and it turns out (for once) he is right.

Recipe
3 tablespoons greek yoghurt
half a cucumber, chopped into baby chunks
1 tablespoon dried mint
2 cloves of garlic crushed
olive oil - add to taste and required consistency
lemon juice, I reckon about half a lemon
salt, lots - but taste it as you go

Combine all the ingredients, taste as you go. This is also a good thing to have to serve with lamb, not just for dipping bread!

BROAD BEANS WITH CORIANDER AND YOGHURT 
This does exactly what it says on the tin. I just add a bit of chilli (just because I had some for colour) and lots of lemon, oil and salt.

Recipe
3 tablespoons greek yoghurt
juice of 1 lemon
a good handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped
2 tablespoons of broad beans , cooked and cooled
olive oil for consistency and taste
salt to taste

Simply combine all ingredients, tasting as you go.



TABBOULEH 
What you see pictured below isn't really a taboulleh - the real deal has bulgur wheat running through it though it's essentially herbs with a little bit of wheat rather than the other way round. This herb fest is gloriously fresh (with or without the wheat) and is a must have at any BBQ. I know there's a lot of boring chopping to do, but just bring your laptop into the kitchen and watch/probably just listen to an episode of something while you do it. What you see below is a recipe for tabbouleh. Remove the bulgur wheat to get what's pictured here.

Recipe - serves 4
30 g bulgur wheat
two hands full of flat leaf parsley, chopped
hand full of coriander, chopped
hand full of mint, chopped
half a red onion finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
2 tablespoons of olive oil
hand full of pomegranate seeds

Wash the wheat in cold water until the water runs clear. Dry and combine with all the chopped leaves, onion, garlic and pomegranate. Dress with olive oil and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

CHUNKY CHILLI SAUCE 

Say hello to zest! Chopped raw onions bring a wonderfully bright zinginess to this salsa. They add crunch and are helped along by delicious lime juice.

Recipe

6 tomatoes chopped into 8

tablespoon olive oil

2 chillies chunkily chopped, leaving the seeds in

1 red pepper chopped to the same size as the chillies

3 garlic cloves crushed

1/2 a diced onion

1 lime zest and juice

salt and sugar to taste

Just chop tomatoes into 8 and pop into a pan with the chillis, peppers and a little olive oil. Once the tomatoes have boiled to a chunky sauce, throw in the garlic. Switch the heat off, in with the chopped onion and all the limey goodness. 

Mirza Ghasemi

This really is saving the best til last. This dip is ideal for throwing together - it takes 10 mins total. Mine is a quicktime cheat, but it's still DELICIOUS. It's unusual (a bit of Iranian heritage food) and without exception a favourite amongst all my friends and clients. Here I served it in one of my quaint pretty bowls, but this has the thick consistency that would allow for the classic Ottolenghi style -  spread flatly over a plate. I highly recommend providing a spoon as it's a bit thick to simply dip, it's also outrageously moreish (especially when served with toasted Turkish bread) and the spoon will slow everyone down a bit!

here I've garnished with mint - I reckon coriander is better suited though

Recipe

2 aubergines

4 garlic cloves

1 chopped fresh tomato (for the longer cook - optional)

olive oil

2 tablespoons tomato purée

2 eggs, whisked

salt

Smoke your aubergines either by just resting on flaming hob, and turning once the skin has burned OR sticking under the grill. Keeping the skins on is what traps the smokey taste inside. Once your skins are nice and burned peel the aubergines. Chop the pulpy flesh and throw it into a pan with 4 crushed cloves of garlic and cook it gently with a bit of oil. Now add the tomato purée. At this point, if you have a bit more time throw in a chopped fresh tomato and cook the mixture for 30 mins on a low heat. If you're going for fast and simple just make sure the aubergine and tomato purée is nicely combined and the pulp in the pan has a nice reddish colour, cook for 4 minutes. Next blend the mixture til smooth(ish) in a food processor or in/with a blender. Put it back in the frying pan on a high heat, along with more oil and the egg mixture  - yes, you're frying eggs. Wait til the eggs are cooked before combining everything and season with salt. I really like serving this with flaked almonds and fresh coriander....not sure that's very traditional, but it looks pretty!

Here's hoping the sun comes back soon!
S x

BARRAFINA

I've been hearing a lot about Barrafina recently so when I happened to find myself on Frith Street one Sunday I was determined to try it out. On this particular Sunday I was with oldest friend Sophinna (oldest not in age but in length-of-time-knowing and who would kill me if she wasn't mentioned) - it was one of those deceptively cold numbers which in classic British style we chose to ignore and opted to sit outside under a well-placed heater.

I realised when we found it that I must have been unwittingly walking past Barrafina quite often but had somehow never been inclined to go in. Perhaps it was the stooled interior – a lot of filled stools does tend to put me off at first sight - I'm only little and it's tough to get up on those things. Plus, they're not exactly comfortable.

Anyway, the first thing to happen upon being seated outside was being told to move our table and chairs closer to the restaurant window because the council weren’t keen on the tables being there. Good.  Surely don't put them there!? Following that we were told that the restaurant was too busy so they could only serve para picar (or 'nibbles' for the uninitiated) for the next 30 minutes. Fine. But from then on, every time we wanted to order, the waiter would dismissively shout "one minute!" or "one second!" and then scurry inside. It became almost hurtful when he gave the table next to us the specials menu, completely failing to acknowledge us or our pleas.

The menu is a little bit weird. Not the food they're selling, just the language -  it was neither consistently in Spanish nor English. Perhaps written by an Englishman who knew a few Spanish words and thought that would do? I'm not sure it makes much difference... it's just rather peculiar!

Service and menu writing aside, the food when it finally came was DELICIOUS. The best croquettes I've ever had in this town. My mouth is salivating at the mere memory of those little morsels. The tortilla alone is worth returning for - so yolky and well seasoned. Everything we ordered - which was a lot (Sophinna interprets sharing plates as an opportunity to order as much as she possibly can) was amazing. It was authentic and the kind of food that really makes you smile. 

I must admit we did order too much... I wasn't convinced we'd make it through those final plates and it was only on the merit of everything that had come before that greed won out.

crazily creamy croquetas

"pan con tomate", we also had "bread with alioli" (see what I mean about the menu?)

chorizo, always a winner

these prawns were flavour sensations

gooey tortilla - so cool you get your own freshly made little number

more goo

asparagus a joy to see on any menu when the season arrives, and it has!!

beef - rich, a bit overwhelming after all the food we'd devoured

grilled quail with alioli

For a moment with the sun shining down on us in our puffer jackets we could almost have been in Spain. Then the bill came. Not Spanish prices, but the sad fact is that we were not in Spain and if you consider that Bar Italia across the road charges £7.50 for a take-away panino, a £90 bill for two people to eat glutinously was not unpredictable. Definitely worth a visit if you're up for splashing a bit of cash and aren't in a hurry.

http://www.barrafina.co.uk

54 Frith Street

W1D  4SL

CROQUE MY BOUCHE UP

The croquembouche: the tower of delight that looms large at a wedding reception.  It knows that you know that you want some, with its sweet, fluffy, sticky, crunchy buns.  What a tart.  And with wedding season almost in full swing we have been experimenting with the croque construction conundrum: how to build?  

To pile or not to pile?  Upside down in a cone or upside up on a cone?  And crucially, what glue is the best glue?!  If feeding an army of half-cut wedding guests, the traditional stacking looks like a winner; the pile will be plentiful and hold its own as it’s demolished by greedy fingers.  But for the smaller party, sticking them around a cone provides the drama of height and presence without squashed profiteroles at the bottom (and if you’re going to croque it you may as well show off)(not a natural Local Sauce trait, obviously).  In this weeks Local Sauce lab, we opted for cone.

The building blocks for this sugary skyscraper (this construction analogy is just too good to let go) are so simple: choux buns with a creamy filling.  For an added bit of fluff to our buns, we tapped into the knowledge of a Mr.J.Martin, throwing half a cup of water into a hot dish at the bottom of the oven to steam them as they rose, before piercing and crisping.  He doesn’t lie! It works a treat, with plenty of space for the filling - crème patissière (or ‘chefs concrete’, I thank you Raymond Blanc for that one) for a proper job, or whipped cream for a quicky.

And so to glue: Chocolate vs Sugar syrup. In method one, our recipe championed melted chocolate as means to fix buns to base; a nice idea if building in, say, a fridge or a wind tunnel, but not in a little kitchen on a summer’s day.  The little bunners just wouldn’t hold!  With little warning and no fanfare, they gently slid down before an avalanche of buns hit the counter.  Not so much a thundering collapse as a sticky thud. Thud. Thud thud thud. Thud.  The thought of a sobbing bride, face awash with mascara and snot as she wails at the chocolatey heap is not appealing, even with the back-up arsenal of the ever comforting, “but it tastes great!”.   Suffice to say, the chocolate method is a potential minefield.  Avoid that one.

Croque and choc carnage.

Method two: sugar syrup, which again requires some fairly rapid cooling to prevent subsidence (still going....).  In House of Clever Hands we have at our disposal a fan; a massive, turbo, hyper-cooling beast with the thrust of a Boeing 747.  I cannot recommend the cooling fan enough; when choux + glue hit cone, and they really aren’t going anywhere.  As we worked from the foundations up (okay, that’s enough), the buns kept their shape beautifully, keeping their crispiness for the contrast of crunchy shell and explosion of the sweet, creamy filling.  But before punching the air, there is of course the taste test...  The Boy Wonder came home to find a monument to pastry and joy, and couldn’t help himself. “That’s really good that”.  

Achieved.  

Croquembouche with white chocolate and almonds

Phoar.

The recipes

You can find a good profiterole recipe here.  

For the sugar glue we dissolved 150g caster sugar in 250ml water before boiling the mixture for about 5  - 8 minutes until the mixture was super glue -py! It's handy to have a pot of water and a pastry brush to hand just in case the sugar crystallises at the side of the pan while it boils. Allow the glue to cool and thicken before use as croque glue. Good luck!

DRUM ROLL, PLEASE!

It's been a long time since I've written on my lovely blog. The end of last year was a really busy time for Local Sauce Catering and once I stopped writing, not dissimilar to how I stopped going to the gym, I got the fear and wasn't sure how I could possibly return.

As you'll have spotted, I'm back! Now is the time to embrace a new beginning and introduce you to two very important people before we continue on our merry culinary way.

The first is my brand new partner and old friend, Rachel Antonio. She has the cleverest hands you will ever come across - not only has she worked for top fashion designers, she runs her own fashion label and even has some architectural know-how! 'Clever Hands Rache' or 'Cake Bitch' as she's fondly known is bringing her design expertise and creativity to Local Sauce, specialising in cake decoration and food presentation. Sugar paste is putty in her hands. Fact. 

"Clever Hands", Rachel Antonio 

The next is the possessor of the voice which has coaxed me through blogdom thus far - Miss Jenny Lewisohn. Amongst her other talents she is the wittiest of women who is consistently exasperated by my determination to put as many commas into each sentence as I possibly can. You'll notice there are none in this paragraph.

Wordsmith, Jenny Lewisohn

As the blog continues you'll now also get to hear from Rachel as she gives tips on sugary things, gluten-free recipes and whatever else we may stumble across along the way.

TACOS GET JAZZED UP

With the wild success of last month's Jazz Nursery behind us, tomorrow holds the next in the series and some new culinary ventures to boot: Korean Tacos!

Not my own idea, I must admit. I have stolen it from the famed Korean taco trucks that roam the streets of LA. It's not been easy to try them out - while some people are obsessing over "50 Shades of Grey", boyfriend Matt appears to prefer my Korean cookery book and refuses to return it to me, resorting to sending photos of select pages to placate me. Thankfully my new techni-capable phone means I can now carry these precious recipes everywhere I go! Hooray!

Indeed last week he hosted a small soiree where he revealed a new favourite - barbecued pork rib in chilli sauce. This treat was excessively spicy and yet through the tears of agony our taste buds were screaming with frazzled joy! Last night I made my own attempt at it and triumph was ours for a second innings. This time it was a little less spicy because my sister and I, she is staying through the trials of the Olympics, are delicate creatures who have been known to cry at the furor of an extra strong mint.

Herein lies the recipe for the sticky saucy pork which will be one of the taco fillings tomorrow night at Arch 61 Ewer Street, SE1 0NR. Also on the menu will be - Korean Chicken/Pork/Mackerel
with pear salsa, kimchi fried rice and special slaw. So come down, doors 7.30 listen to some amazing music from 8 and guzzle some tacos ALL NIGHT LONG.

INGREDIENTS
Serves 4

500g pork shoulder cut into slithers (the original recipe uses 1kg ribs, which you cut the meat off before marinading, this seems unnecessarily labour-intensive and costly to me)
4 tbsp gojochang paste
1 tsp Korean chilli powder (the original recipe suggests 4 tbsps, which I think is insane)
2 tbsps mirin
4 tbsps sugar
2 tbsps light soy sauce
1/2 white onion, grated
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsps grated fresh ginger
3 tbsps maple syrup
2tbsps sesame oil
salt and pepper
sesame seeds to garnish

First make the marinade by mixing everything together, add the meat and coat thoroughly in the mixture. Place it in the refrigerator and leave to marinate for at least 3 hours.

Heat a frying pan over a medium - low heat and cook the pork for about 20 minutes. If you do choose to use the rib meat you should cook it for longer as it is a little fattier.

Just before you serve it sprinkle it with sesame seeds to garnish. Tadaaa, see you tomorrow. Doors at 7.30

IN SEARCH OF THE PERFECT GAZPACHO, JAZZ NURSERY PROJECT

Tomorrow, 5th July, I'll be donning my chef hat for the new and fabulous Jazz Nursery - an exciting new Jazz night held once a month under the railway arches in Southwark. Eccentric, underground, and trendy with a penchant for variety: Pintxos seems an ideal food accompaniment. Inspired by the pintxos bars of Barcelona, I'll be serving miniature tapas in an entirely unique atmosphere.

First on the menu are some refreshing gazpacho shots. Delicious! Thinking of doing this at home? Be warned: many gazpacho recipes you find suggest adding cream, eggs, stock, and even mayonnaise. GRIMSBY. Gazpacho should be made from easily available ingredients and served nice and cold, perfect for the heat we all long for this summer.

I've been given two recipes by two of my most esteemed chef friends: one a head chef at a two michelin star restaurant and the other a clever git who has cooked in some incredible michelin starred places and now teaches at Leiths School of Food and Wine.He's not really a git at all but his recipe caused me some serious pain and this is his punishment. 

The first recipe demands the best tomatoes around - you want them to be slightly soft. Whizz them up in a food processor with basil and sherry vinegar, loosening with water if your tomatoes aren't juicy enough. Then pass it through a seive and add salt, pepper and olive oil to finish. 

Love it. Simple, delicious, fresh and so distinctly without peppers. I hate peppers. But is this now simply tomato juice?! As far as I'm concerned that's a joy.

Second recipe calls for twenty tomatoes, two red onions, two cucumbers, two red peppers, one red chilli (deseeded) basil, thyme, salt ketchup and cab sauvignon vinegar. The idea is to chop everything chunky and leave it over night in the salt. In the morning the salt should have released all the juices. Then blend and pass it through a seive.

I got excited about this plan mainly because I love salt; the effect it has on things is magical. But tragedy truly struck during the chopping process. Yes...I put my finger in my eye after deseeding the chilli and then while blowing my nose I somehow got chilli up both nostrils. I then cried a lot, which in turn hurt more. Turns out water and chilli are a no-go: lesson, very painfully, learned. The result? After scanning the internet threw bleary eyes for chilli burn remedies I sat for 40 minutes (that is not an exaggeration) with two olive oil soaked tissues one held to my eye and one to my nose until the burn went away. The recipe creater proved himself to be even more dislikable when he said I'd obviously been tricked by a joke remedy web site. Rubbish. Olive oil totally works.

Pain aside, it's looking pretty cool. To find out how this one turns out come along tomorrow, the rest of the menu will include:

Traditional spanish tortilla

Chorizo skewers

Chicken liver pate

Olive and Goats cheese loaf cake

Gazpacho shots (!)

Prawn and Octopus skewers

See you there!

7:30pm, Arch 61, Ewer Street, SE1 0NR. Nearest tube Southwark Station (Jubilee Line), 5 mins walk down Union Street