I love, love, love Sea Bass. As Gregg Wallace (Masterchef) would say, " soft soft tender white meat, crispy, tasty skin etc etc."
What makes it even more appealing is just how easy it is to cook. So here is an simple, but stylish recipe to impress with...
I like Heston Blumenthal. I really do. He seems very nice on the telly, and his food looks amaaayzing. So I thought, 'I know! I'll buy one of his cookbooks - maybe I can learn to make disgusting sounding but extremely tasty food. Maybe I'll even learn how to to that crazy dry ice aroma thingie and look dead clever infront of everyone...'
So off I trot to Amazon for a gander. Where, to my dismay, I find that Heston's latest cook book is currently retailing at £215. Yes Two Hundred and Fifteen Quid!
Even more distressing is that fact that it looks so beautiful I want to stroke it. It comes in it's own folder, has silver embossed pages, and little manga cartoons of Heston and his alter ego - Little Heston.
Aw man! I sooo want it. But if I decide to be rash and purchase, it means that while I'll be able to drool over the gastro porn pics and crazy recipes, I won't be able to afford actual real food for two to three weeks (depending where I shop) . At all.
So... The point is - if anyone reading this buys it - maybe you can email me some photographs or something. And then perhaps you can ring me up and read me the recipes over the phone.
Go on - it's on the Amazon widget to your left! :)
The cocktail de rigeur of the Sex and The City girls, the cosmopolitan is a sweet, vodka based cocktail renowned for it's lovely pink colour
To make a cosmopolitan, get out your trusty cocktail shaker and pour in...
Shake it all up, and pour into your glass (it has to be a Martini glass, else it will look rubbish)
Garnish with a slice of lime, slurp it up and repeat all above steps!
This one's easy. A chef who used to be a model!
Dan Green is a healthy foods cook who has appeared on BBC, UK Food, Discovery Health, and Carlton Food. When he was younger Dan was overweight, and started developing recipes to help him drop the pounds, taking inspiration from his favourite british and asian foods.
So he lost all the weight and became a model, at one point working for Gucci. He soon realised that his heart lay in cooking so he decided to drop the modelling and focus on that instead.
He now has his own cooking shows in the US and Malaysia, as well as a variety of cookbooks and is due to appear on QVC during 2009.
I've never tried his recipes, nor have I seen him on television. But just look at his face...
It appears that the price of chocolate is set for an increase due to to worries about the crop in West Africa, as well as the current weakness of the British Pound (in which the key cocoa contract is priced).
Apparently, premium brands of chocolate are likely to be the most affected because currently everyone is skint and doesn't want to pay for posh chocs (that use more cocoa).
After the jump in wholesale prices, Cadbury's, Mars, and Nestle have warned that if the cocoa prices stay high, then they will raise their prices in accordance.
The good news is that the price of chocolate has not gone up today, as in right now. So I suggest we all go out to our local chocolatiers/newsagents/whatever and stock up on milky ways before the crisis hits. I know we are all poor at the mo, but whats worse than being poor? Being poor and not even being able to afford a bar of chocolate. That's what.
Go on then. Do it. Do it.
In the same way I didn't know that Egg Cosies existed, I am now surprised to find out that there is such a thing as a clack egg cracker. While writing this blog, I seem to have discovered that eggs is not just eggs. They are in fact the key to a mahoosive range of gizmos and gadgets out there, designed to aid us with the act of actually eating, well...eggs.
Anyways, I didn't know I needed one of these until I saw this Clack Egg Cracker - Swarovski Crystal Edition, no less!
The idea is to place your eggs under the metal caps and let the ball drop (technically it's called clanging) down on top of it. The result is that the top half of your egg is sliced perfectly so you don't have to pick off all the nasty shell pieces.
It's a little bit genius really.
The Clack Egg Clanger costs £17.99 and can be bought from 'Not On The Highstreet'
I was bemused to read recently, that a best-selling faith magazine has named Gordon Ramsay as an inspiration to young worshippers.
Youthwork Magazine is urging preachers to use Ramsay as the subject of Sunday School sermons, and has even published a 'ready to use guide'.
The suggested sermon talks about the foul mouthed chef's rise to fame through adversity, and also has a series of "What would Jesus do?" style questions, only with Ramsay instead... i.e;
"Imagine you are in the position Gordon found himself when he found out he would never be able to play football again. How would you feel? "
Or...
"Do you think Gordon was able to see the "bigger picture" and not feel angry about giving up football?"
Martin Saunders, a christian writer, and the guy responsible for the piece says
"The fact that Gordon swears does not prevent him from being a good role model for young people. His drive, ambition and passion for bringing on another generation of young chefs are things to be admired and respected."
Fair do's - Ramsays' a go getter, he's achieved a lot at a young age. He's good at cooking and telly stuff.
But... doesn't Christianity promote the sanctity of marriage? If so, then why would a faith magazine ask young people to look up to a man who has recently been accused of having a long term affair?
Maybe they forgot about that bit...
I've chosen Jean Christophe as my first Scrumptious chef because...well, just look at him!
The 47 year old chef (who looks about 30), was born in France. He moved to Britain in 1983, where he worked in Keith Floyd's Devon Restaurant; 'Maltsters Arms', before branching out on his own, and deciding to live in Britain permanently.
What makes him Scrumptious?
Ok, so besides the sexy french accent and intense eyes, he's obviously a talented (and rich) guy. He owns restaurants in London, South Africa and France as well a cooking school at his farmhouse (sigh) in Hertfordshire.
Oh yes, and he loves dogs. So much so that he's got 21 of them. And you know what they say about men who likes dogs?
No? me neither - but I know it's something positive!
Scrumptious Rating - 7/10
Apartment Therapy have just announced that Target are launching a new range of Orla Kiely Homewares in February. The collection, showcasing Kiely's usual bold colours and patterns will include kitchen storage, linens, and dinner and serving ware.
Only one problem - Target do not ship to the UK, so if you want these, then your gonna have to make some American friends sharpish, or pray that someone is kind enough to put some of the products on ebay!
It's back! Masterchef was brilliant last year, and I'm already obsessing over it this year.
Obviously,I love the cooking bits (especially the part where the contestants have to do a lunch service in a pro kitchen), but my main reason for tuning in is the unintentionally hilarious judges.
Gregg Wallace (the one with the glasses) is an 'ingredients expert' who has a wierd habit of sucking the fork everytime he takes a mouthful of food. His judging technique basically consists of describing the food on the plate (ie sweet, sweet, sweet tomatoes, juicy, juicy beef fillet, enhanced by the fluffiness of those chips etc etc)
The other one, John Torrode, is unable to speak in volumes less than 5000 decibels and that's about it.
Every episode, without fail, the two judges 'disagree' about which contestant to put through to the next round, cue lots of pained deliberation and huff-puffing.
It's brill. Watch it!
Forgive me for trying to blog about food, and not knowing that 'egg cosies' existed! Until now that is.
I'm not the kind of girl who gives my egg time to go cold, but if I were I'd cosy them up with these totally cute egg cosies, available in different designs.
These are priced between £5 and £22 and can be bought from Not on The Highstreet
Last July, Walkers crisps launched a competition asking the British public to find them a new flavour of crisp.
The 'Do us a Flavour campaign is in its final stages, and the top six entries include flavours such as 'fish and chips', 'chilli and chocolate' and ...'cajun squirrel' (!).
The contest is being judged by a panel headed by Heston Blumenthal, super chef and inventor of Egg and Bacon ice cream, and the winner will be handed £50,000! Starting to wish I'd known about this earlier - beans on toast flavour, perhaps?
Until the final judging in May, the shortlisted crisps can be bought as a multipack in supermarkets across the country. Votes on the Walkers website will help to decide the winner.
I'm voting for chilli and chocolate (I'll get the chocs in any way I can). You can place your vote here , where Gary Lineker will thank you with a little happy dance...
Just spotted these on my friends shop site, and think they're adorable.
Kitsch, without being tacky, the heart-patterned jug and bowl set costs £10 from House Interiors & Gifts.
Just saw this advertised on the telly. I totally loved it last year (something to do with intense Gordon for a week, perhaps?).
The Great British Foodfight is a series of programs on Channel 4. It follows four of the countries top chefs, as they celebrate British food and take a deeper look into the issues surrounding it.
This year, in addition to Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver, and Hugh Fernley Whittingstall (who I *heart*), the lads will be joined by uber scientific, bald chef Heston Blumenthal who will be attempting to revitalise the menu at ...Little Chef. Seems like a tall order for a guy who charges £200 per dish at his fancy restaurant The Fat Duck, but it'll make for interesting viewing.
So although the Great British Food Fight doesnt involve any actual fights (Boooo). I'm already looking forward to covering the series for Yum Scrumptious.
Hello, welcome to a celebration of all things delicious, in and out of the kitchen. Yum Scrumptious will be taking a look at the world of food; including everything from cookbook reviews and recipe try-outs, to celebrity chef gossip and dinner party tips. I sincerely hope you enjoy... Love Kirsty x
