Short break to Wales: Pembrokeshire Coast

I’m back! The last few years have been full of travels and memories and I’ve been itching to share them so here I am again…my little diary of adventures.

For the first time, we decided to spend Christmas away from home. I had never been to Wales and wanted to get away from the city so we packed a car full of food (typical for our family 😅) and headed west.

On our first day, luck was not on our side, but with bags full of energy (turned out it was just me…) we braced the rain and the cold and walked along the Pembrokeshire Coast.

Tip: If it’s raining and you want to be outside/go for a walk, wear the full gear…(waterproof, hat, scarf, gloves) and pack a towel and dry clothes in the car. The wind on the coast is pretty brutal.

We made friends along the way 🐑 but the pelting rain cut our walk short. Turns out it’s pretty cold when you’re soaked through! Nonetheless, the cliffs and rock layers that we did see were stunning.

For Christmas Day, we stayed local. Since the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path runs all along the coast, we were spoilt for choice for walks. We did a short stroll from Abercastle and were rewarded with spectacular views of the cliffs.

Let me know if you have any other recommendations for Wales – I’m sure I’ll be back one summer!

Peach Galette with Rye and Spelt Flour

Summer is here and that means an abundance of sweet summer fruits! And using seasonal fruit means that you don’t need to do much to make the most of them. Galette is a great way to showcase the ingredients and it can look so professional just by the way the filling is arranged, even though it’s deceptively easy to make!

The pastry for galette is pate brisée, which is wonderfully flaky and buttery. For this recipe, I’ve used a combination of rye, spelt and wholemeal flour for nutritional value, and it creates a very slight earthy flavour to accompany the tartness of the fruit.

Pastry, fruit and a sprinkle of vanilla sugar and maybe a drizzle of honey…that’s it! Easy.

There are several types of “pate” doughs, so their uses can be confusing. Here is a quick guide to the most common:

• Pate Brisée (flaky pastry – used for pies and galettes)
• Pate Sucrée (sweet shortcrust pastry – used for tarts)
• Pate Sable (sweet with a sandy texture, from the addition of egg and ground almonds – used for tart bases and biscuits)
• Pâte feuilletée (puff pastry – used for mille feuille)

Pâte Brisée
Yields 1 large galette

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup rye flour
• 1/2 cup spelt flour
• 1/4 cup wholemeal plain flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 cup (110g) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
• 1/8 to 1/4 cup ice water
• 3 large peaches, sliced
• 1 tbsp vanilla sugar
• egg, beaten
• honey, optional

Method

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, and sugar. Add the chilled, cubed butter and, squeeze the cubed butter between your fingertips until it resembles coarse sand.
2. Add 1/8 cup of ice water and mix together the dough with your hands until it holds together when squeezed. If needed, add more ice water by the tablespoon until the dough reaches this consistency.
3. Form dough into a disk, and refrigerate at least 1 hour before using. Dough may be stored up to 1 month when frozen.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
5. Roll out the refrigerated dough to a circle about 3mm thick. It is easier if you roll it out on parchment paper so it can go straight into the oven.
6. Arrange the sliced peaches on the dough, fold the edges in, egg wash the edges, and sprinkle vanilla sugar all over.
7. Bake for 40 mins until pastry is golden. Serve with a drizzle of honey.

Chocolate Raspberry Brownies

Chocolate and raspberries together make brownie perfection!

I love the ways these turned out – so creamy and rich! And the slight tartness of the raspberries complement the sweetness so well. The raspberries can be replaced by your favourite add-ins. I’d recommend cherries, walnuts, white chocolate pieces or macadamia nuts – get creative!

The important thing to remember is not to overbake brownies. I have done it on one too many occasions and the result is a disappointing, dry cake. You also don’t want a mouthful of sticky dough, so try to get the balance right. The aim is a soft, moist interior and a deliciously crunchy top.

Chocolate Raspberry Brownies (makes 9 squares)

Ingredients

• 185g unsalted butter
• 185g dark chocolate
• 85g plain flour
• 40g cocoa powder
• 3 large egg
• 200g golden caster sugar
• handful of raspberries (can be frozen)

Method

1. Line a 20cm square tin and preheat the oven to 180c
2. Melt the butter and dark chocolate in the microwave and set it aside to cool slightly
3. Whisk the eggs and sugar until thick and light
4. Add the cooled chocolate mixture to the eggs and fold together
5. Sieve the flour and cocoa powder into the mixture and fold gently
6. Add the raspberries and fold
7. Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 mins. If the middle is still wobbly, keep baking for another 5 mins and keep checking – make sure not to overbake!

Best bites in Amsterdam

Here’s a guide to some of the best bites in Amsterdam – enjoy!

Winkel
Apple pie should be on the top of your list of things to eat in Amsterdam and this cute cafe is the best place for it. It’s recommended by the locals, and at the rate that they churn out these pies, it is definitely popular. Although it’s not a looker, it is by far the best apple pie I’ve tried. Crunchy, sugary exterior, perfectly textured sweet apples – it’s a cross between a cake, a crumble and a pie. All-in-one, what more could you want?

Two For Joy Coffee Roasters
This relaxed, trendy cafe is known to serve the best coffee in Amsterdam – even recommended by a local we met at Winkel.

Zuivere Koffie
A great local place for a brunch, cake and coffee near our Airbnb. Salmon, cream cheese and avocado bagel – you can’t go wrong with this simple combination.

Dutch Homemade
Treat yourself to beautiful chocolates and colourful macarons. The range of unique flavours will make you spoilt for choice. My raspberry macaron had such a great texture flavour.

Senses Restaurant
Lars Bertelsen at Senses has created a surprise menu concept, so you simply pick 2, 3 or 4 courses and leave it to hands of the very capable chefs. True to the name of the restaurant, each course plays with the senses in terms of taste, colour and texture. Our 3 course meal started with the most intriguing amuse-bouche of liquid beetroot carpaccio encased in white chocolate and dusted with raspberry powder. A delightful burst of juice as you bite into the creamy chocolate, and a strange flavour combination that somehow worked. The starter was my favourite for presentation – the colours and patterns were just spot on! Flavourwise, it was too mild – raw mackerel, tomato, pickled radish, tapioca cracker with squid ink. The main course was rump of lamb with sweet potato pie, crispy pastry filled with harissa lamb neck, aubergine tapenade, basil crumble and onion sauce. A good, rich sauce but the dish needed some bolder flavours – the basil was not evident. The dessert redeemed the meal for flavours, although a bit too much! Strong, citrusy yuzu cremeux with sweet meringue, pandan ice cream, pandan cake, basil sauce, sable biscuit and fried dough. A lot of flavours and textures that didn’t all work together but each element was delicious.
Senses is a great restaurant if you like to be adventurous with your food and it is such good value for the quality of ingredients and execution (€32.50 for the 3 course lunch).

Trattoria Toto
This homely restaurant near Vondelpark and the museums is a little piece of Italy in Amsterdam. Popular with locals and a good choice of pizza, pasta and risotto. The 4 Stagioni pizza was crisp and flavourful, the salmon tagliatelle and octopus pastas were also tasty and served al dente.

Amsterdam – Things To Do (With Map)

The first thing to do when you get to Amsterdam is walk. Everywhere. This is the best way to absorb the beauty and quirks that the city has to offer, and enjoy the slower pace of life. There is so much to love about the city!

If you get a chance, rent a bike – it’s Amsterdam’s best mode of transport (and much faster than the trams).

Cute cars and beautiful frontages provide perfect photo opportunities!

And not a straight house in sight…

Here are some interesting Amsterdam facts:

• Ever wondered why the houses are so narrow? There used to be a tax on the width of houses!
• Narrow houses means you need to find an alternative way to get your furniture to the top floors. This explains the wonky houses. The slight forward tilt reduces the risk of items colliding with the building as they are hoisted up from the outside of the building.
• Take a glance upwards when you walk along the streets, and you’ll see an arm and hook protruding from the houses. Don’t be alarmed next time you see furniture dangling from the front of a house!

Keukonhof – Flower Garden

The Netherlands is known for its flower production, and their appreciation of flowers is exhibited at Keukonhof. A beautiful park that has been lovingly designed to display the beautiful blooms. Mid April is the best time to go to see the flowers in full bloom, and we were lucky that the weather was good for at least half of the day as it makes all the difference. Being outside in the cold for hours is never fun. However, the park does have a massive indoor building where even more unique flowers are displayed, in case you need to hide from the weather.

Rijksmuseum

Rijksmuseum is one of the largest and most beautiful museums in the Netherlands that is dedicated to the country’s art and history.

Did you know that the Dutch were considered to have established the first multinational corporation, The Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie or VOC) in 1602? The company monopolised trade in Japan from its trading post on the artificial island of Dejima, where this was the only place Europeans could trade with Japan for more than 200 years. VOC traded throughout Asia and profited from the spice trade among other goods, allowing them to amass huge fortunes. The Dutch were influential around the globe throughout the 17th century, a period referred to as the Dutch Golden Age.

The layout of the museum is so user friendly, allowing you to absorb all the key elements of Dutch history. Don’t miss Vermeer’s “The Milkmaid” and Rembrandt’s “The Night Watch” – just some of the most famous pieces housed in the museum that are more breathtaking in real life. Art is definitely better appreciated when you can see the details up close.

Red Light District

Walking around the RLD is a must for anyone visiting Amsterdam as it is a true eye opener. The tranquil, cobbled streets along the canals are transformed by the glaring neon lights and red lanterns, as women parade themselves in the red-fringed windows. The country has had a long liberal attitude towards prostitution and leisure drugs, where the practices have been legalised and controlled. Even as we walked around the district at 10pm as a party of three girls, I did not feel unsafe at any point. You can read more about the area here.

Other things to do in Amsterdam: Anne Frank House, Van Gogh Museum, Bloemenmarkt, Heineken Experience, Coffeeshops

Holidays always begin with my crazy, obsessive planning, so feel free to use the below map that marks the places (mostly restaurants/food) that I wanted to see.

Beautiful Chocolate Marble Bread

Beautifully golden-brown – the most divine chocolate marble loaf!

A chocolate slab is used in the dough and plaited to create this gorgeous marbled effect – even I’m surprised by how neat this turned out!

This bread was made using the tangzhong method, which creates wonderfully soft bread. It involves cooking a paste using flour and water, before adding it to the main dough – a simple addition that makes such a difference to the texture of the bread, and helps it to stay soft for a few days. It has been my go-to method for making soft bread for a few years now. Give it a go and let me know how it goes 🙂

Chocolate Swirl Bread (makes 2 small loaves)

Recipe adapted from Christine’s Recipes

Main dough ingredients:

• 25g bread flour
• 125ml water
• 350g bread flour
• 6g instant dry yeast
• 60g sugar
• 4g salt
• 24g milk powder
• 150g milk
• 30g unsalted butter

Chocolate dough ingredients:

• 50g plain chocolate
• 20g margarine/ butter
• 20g bread flour
• 10g cocoa powder
• 5g corn flour
• 60g milk
• 30g sugar
• 1 egg white

Main dough – Method

1. To make the tangzhong, whisk 25g bread flour and 125ml water together in a small saucepan over a low-medium heat. The mixture will thicken quickly and when lines appear in the mixture, remove from the heat.
2. Add tangzhong and all ingredients except the liquid and butter in a bowl, gradually add 1/2 of the water and knead well (gradually add milk if required). Add 30g butter and knead until the window pane stage is reached (simple guide here).
3. Spray water on doughs and place in separate containers. Cover and let it proof for 60 mins.
4. Punch down the doughs, roll into respective balls, cover and let it rest for 10 mins.

Chocolate dough – Method

1. Melt the chocolate and margarine via double boiler method, and set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, and cornflour. Then add in milk and sugar. Mix well and then add the melted chocolate, margarine mixture. Lastly add in egg white. Whisk till all well combine.
3. Cook the mixture on a low heat and whisk constantly. The chocolate filling is ready once the mixture turns thick (obvious lines appear on the mixture surface as you stir).
4. Transfer the chocolate dough onto clingfilm. Cover and leave aside to cool (about 3-5minutes).
5. Separate into 2 portions and roll each out to about 18cm x 12cm. Wrap and keep in the fridge to set.

Assembly

1. Roll out one of the main doughs into a rectangle shape 20x15cm. Place one chocolate dough on top of the white dough. Roll out to 30x20cm.
2. Cut into 2 equal portions. Place one piece on top of the other. Roll out the dough to 30x20cm, repeat another two times.
3. Cut it into three strips and plait them together. Place the dough into a greased tin. Spray water and cover.
4. Repeat with the other main dough and chocolate dough.
5. Let it proof for 40-60 mins or until doubled in height.
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 200C for 30-35 mins.
7. Remove from the tin and let it cool on a wire rack for 2 hrs before cutting.

Battenburg – Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone!

As usual, it’s grey and rainy in England this Easter bank holiday (why is the weather like this every bank holiday?!) but this Battenburg will sure brighten things up! The pink and cream checkered pattern just screams SPRING! 🙂

This cake looks so simple but it epitomises the best of British cakes –  moist sponge cake coated in jam and wrapped in marzipan. Oh we British love our jams!

Working with marzipan involves a little mess with kneading, but it’s so much fun and a great activity with kids. Store-bought is the convenient, cheat’s way of doing things, but I will get around to making homemade marzipan – promise!

I used some off cuts to make the mini Battenburg – isn’t it cute?

Hope everyone’s enjoying the long weekend!

Battenburg (makes 1 cake)
Recipe adapted from BBC Good Food
Ingredients

• 175g very soft butter
• 175g golden caster sugar
• 140g self-raising flour
• 50g ground almonds
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 3 medium eggs
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp almond extract
• pink/red food colouring

To assemble

• 100g apricot jam
• 1 x 500g block marzipan

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line a 20cm square tin with parchment. Add an extra fold in the middle of the pan so you can bake the pink and cream mixture in one pan without the colours mixing. Otherwise, you can bake the mixtures separately in 2 rectangular/loaf pans.
2. To make the sponge, beat the sugar and butter until fluffy. Then add the eggs and a tablespoon of the flour (to prevent curdling) and beat.
3. Add the rest of the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, vanilla and almond extract. Beat until the mix comes together smoothly.
4. Split the mixture in half, and mix in the pink (or red) food colouring to one mixture.
5. Add the pink mixture to one side of the prepared tin, and the cream mixture to the other side.
6. Bake for 25-30 mins until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool.
7. To assemble, heat the jam in the microwave for 20 seconds, until runny.
8. Cut the almond slice in half to create 2 rectangles, and do the same with the pink slice. Trim so they are all the same length and width.
9. Roll out the marzipan block on a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar to just over 20cm wide, then keep rolling lengthways until the marzipan is roughly 0.5cm thick.
10. Brush with apricot jam, then lay a pink and an almond slice side by side at one end of the marzipan, brushing jam in between to stick sponges, and leaving 4cm clear marzipan at the end. Brush more jam on top of the sponges, then sandwich remaining 2 slices on top, alternating colours to give a checkerboard effect. Wrap the marzipan tightly and trim.
11. This will keep in an airtight box or well wrapped in cling film for up to 3 days, and can be frozen for up to a month.

Must Eat Treats in Hong Kong

Hong Kong is heaven for anyone with a sweet tooth! Everywhere you turn, you’ll find amazing treats to satisfy your cravings. And all made to perfection! These are some of my favourite must-eats from Hong Kong:

Kam Wah Cafe

Most of the good food finds in Hong Kong are from tiny and obscure venues. The famous Bo Lo Baos at this little cafe definitely lives up to its hype. They are, without a doubt, the BEST bo lo baos in town. The ratio of buttery, crunchy topping and soft, shreddable bread was out of this world! And for $6 (equivalent to 60p!), it was amazing value! They also serve the baos with different fillings such as a slab of butter, ham etc. The milk tea at this cafe is also renowned – it is a simple, good, strong cup of black, milky tea.

Via Tokyo
One of the most famous soft serves on social media in Hong Kong is from this little dessert store in Hong Kong. They specialise in Japanese tea flavours and we were hoping to try their famous green matcha but Wednesdays are “Reverse Tokyo” days, when they do not serve matcha, and focus on their special flavour of the day, which was Hojicha, another Japanese tea. BUT we were not disappointed! Hojicha has a distinct and strong tea flavour, which you often find lacking in matcha desserts, so we were pleasantly surprised. The 3 flavour waffle cup consisted of Royal Milk Tea, Hojicha and Hokkaido Milk soft serves with adzuki red bean, mochi and a chestnut. Shared between 2, this was a very satisfying ice cream treat!

Mammy’s pancakes

This waffle store serves a variety of different flavours (sesame, matcha, chestnut, coffee…) as well as the original egg waffle. The queue at 8:30pm just shows the popularity of this tiny store. I had the matcha green tea with chocolate egg waffle, which had soft and crunchy textures, and the two flavours were a great combination.

佳佳甜品

Puddings in Hong Kong are a popular treat, and this little venue is known for its tong yuan (glutinous rice balls) and thick puddings. We had the thick walnut pudding, which had a light flavour and the perfect sweetness. We also had the original black sesame tong yuan in ginger soup. The ginger was strong, spicy and refreshing, which balanced the sweetness of the black sesame filling.

Tai Cheong bakery

This famous bakery chain serves the best egg tarts in Hong Kong. The filling was light, not-too-eggy and slightly sweet, and the hint of salt in the pastry accentuated the short, buttery flavour.

McDonald’s

Don’t judge me for including McDonald’s! Hear me out first! McDonald’s in Asia is a treat – they serve food that actually looks and tastes like what it should be. We had a few sweet treats from the specials menu: purple sweet potato ice cream ($5.5 = 50p!!) and red bean pie ($7 = 70p). The ice cream tasted surprisingly earthy and true to the sweet potato flavour. The pie was super crunchy but the filling was overly sweet.

Seemingly, at every street corner in Hong Kong, there is a small local bakery serving delicious, fluffy bread. This Bo Lo Bao with red bean was amazingly light. I mean, how do they get so much air in the bread?? I want the secret!

Let me know if you have any recommendations – I will definitely be back to Hong Kong!

*** Bo Innovation – Hong Kong

As testimony to my priorities in life, our first stop in Hong Kong was Bo Innovation. A 3-michelin star restaurant serving experimental Chinese food using molecular gastronomy. We saw Mr Bo (Alvin Leung) himself – a very casual man and a far cry from the refined surroundings of the restaurant. He’s a celebrity (as a judge on Masterchef Canada) and has opened restaurants around the world, including Bo London, which has one Michelin Star in London.

We treated ourselves to the set lunch menu, which was amazing value and I’m pretty sure is the cheapest 3 Michelin star meal in the world! 430HKD for 3 courses (not including drinks)!

Appetiser: Scallion & sausage egg waffle – a complimentary snack to share – this was a savoury twist on the popular street food that is traditionally sweet. There was no filling in the waffle, but had a great, crisp texture, and was deliciously moreish. Even though there was seemingly little ingredients, the slight salty flavour from the sausage and the scallion was intense.

Starter: Foie gras – the foie gras had a thin skin from being pan-fried, and the interior had an extremely rich and slightly salty flavour. The muy choi caramel ice-cream was a creative touch, and provided a contrast of temperature and texture, but the rich flavour added too much saltiness to the plate. This was slightly offset by the cucumber foam, which was very light, and the crunchy gingerbread.

Main: Red mullet – the torched skin was amazingly crispy and created a captivating pattern. The fish itself was flaky, melt-in-the-mouth and fresh. The black bean sauce was, again, very salty, so a little went a long way. The sweet peppers were coated in a …that added texture and a powerful flavour, and the shitake mushrooms finished off the oriental theme of the dish.

Dessert: Coconut – the entertaining touch to the meal was saved to the end as the waiter brought over a bowl of dried coconut ice and dropped it onto each plate from a height, creating a waft of smoke. This provided a crunchy texture and a strong coconut flavour, that was well balanced with the light caramel ice-cream, which was not too sweet. The vivid green pandan mousse complimented not only the tropical flavours, but also the colours on the plate. The only downside was the texture of the cherry jelly which was too hard and chewy for my liking.

My parents had the following:

Appetiser: Molecular char siu bao (90HKD) – a thin layer of pastry encasing a juice with the flavours of char siu bao – we were told to close our eyes and imagine the real char siu bao!

 

Starter: Scallop ceviche with Shanghainese “jolo”, woba, sugar snap peas, avocado, lemon

 

Starter: Langoustine with black truffle, cauliflower risotto, salty duck egg sauce, pickled cauliflower, english mustard foam, duck jus

Main: Suckling Pig with roasted sichuan pineapple, pork jus

Main: Pigeon with shiitake mushroom cake, black carrot, sour plum pigeon jus

In my honest opinion, the Michelin quality in Hong Kong is not as refined as in the UK. Even though this was my first 3 star experience, I had expected more. Maybe I set my standards too high, but the food and the whole experience did not wow me. I expected more surprises, more bursts of flavour, more artistic presentation, and a more unique experience.

Price: Set Lunch 450HKD for 3 courses, $70 for a bottle of still water

Rating: 4.5/5

Bo Innovation: Shop 13,2/f,J Residence, 60 Johnston Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong (Private lift entrance on 18 Ship Street)

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

These are definitely the FLUFFIEST pancakes I have ever had or made! It is embarrassing how excited I was whilst making these and they are ridiculously easy. The ricotta adds a lovely richness and the lemon flavour is spot on – the perfect brunch!

I only used 2 eggs as the original recipe called for 3, which seemed a bit too much and would make the batter too runny. The consistency of this batter was perfect to form the thick, fluffy texture I was looking for.

The tanginess of the lemon works great with honey or maple syrup, so feel free to drizzle these babies with a spoonful!

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes (16 x 12cm diameter pancakes)

Recipe adapted from Cooking Classy

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups self raising flour
• 3 1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup milk
• 3/4 cup ricotta
• 2 large eggs
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp oil

Method

1. Mix the dry ingredients until combined and make a well in the centre.
2. Add all of the wet ingredients into the well, use a whisk (which helps to remove lumps), and being whisking the wet ingredients and slowly incorporating the flour mixture.
3. Heat a non-stick pan with a light coating of oil, and pour about 2-3 tablespoons of batter for each pancake.
4. When the underside is golden brown and bubbles form on the surface, flip the pancakes over for another 1-2 minutes.
5. Serve warm with a drizzle of honey, maple syrup or jam.