London | From Patty's Pantry

The Nordic Bakery- OMG

Mar 212013

I had a doctors appointment this morning, and conveniently my doctors office is right near the Nordic Bakery in Marylebone. (There are two locations in London) The design of the shop is clean, simple, almost barren. It does not matter- they have these Cinnamon Buns that I think are to die for. I usually like a lot of icing on my cinnamon buns, theirs have non and I am completely okay with that. They are baked throughout the day and always fresh and hot. Now they sell other Nordic treats, I can’t say I have tried any of them. Why would I, when all I want is the Cinnamon Bun. I am probably missing out on something great, in this case I am okay with that.

Nordic Bakery

So my treat to myself since I was going to the Doctors was I got to get a Cinnamon Bun! I should make Doctor’s appointments all the time! OMG, I later today I was walking down Dorset street and smelled CINNAMON, there is another Nordic Bakery that just opened. This could be trouble, there is one even closer to me!!!

The Cinnamon Buns

I love them so much ,I would work there for free to learn how to make them! They do have a cookbook which I want to get, with the Cinnamon Bun recipe, I am skeptic though that it will taste the same… Will let you know when I try. Here is the recipe is you want to try…

Brought it home and still warm!!

Golden Square, London

14a Golden Square
Soho, London W1F 9JG

New Cavendish Street, London

37b New Cavendish Street
Marylebone, London W1G 8JR

Dorset Street, London

48 Dorset Street
London W1U 7NE

Pork Chops with Sautéed Apples and Onions

London, Mains No Comments »

Mar 202013

Pork Chops growing up were part of staple in my life. It would usually be pork chops, apple sauce, some kind of potato, a green, and a salad. The pork here is amazing. So now in March and it is still cold and cloudy sometimes I want what I consider, a proper meal. I find it easy to whip up and totally satisfying. Now Applesauce is hard to find here so I will usually do something with fresh apples instead of finding applesauce or making my own. I had gone to my local Sunday Farmer’s Market in Marylebone and gotten some beautiful braeburn apples so I used one of them

Pork Chops a Classic Quick Meal

2 or 4 pork chops depending on how hungry or how many your are feeding- seasoned with salt and pepper

2 medium size yellow onions- cut into 1/8s and then sliced about 1/4 inch

1 Large Apple- Cut into 1/8s and then slices 1/4 inch slices (I kept the skin on)

3 Tablespoons of Apricot Jam

1 Teaspoon of Cinnamon

2 gloves of chopped Garlic.

2 tablespoons of Butter

3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to Taste

1/2 Cup of White Wine Optional ( I had some and I thought at then end I would deglaze the pan with it. Made for easy cleaning.)

Pork Chops with Apples and Onions

In a large saute pan melt the butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil and cook the garlic and onions for about 3-5 minutes. Then add the apples and 1 tablespoon of oil and sauté for about 5-8 minutes until apples have softened and cooked through. Add the Jam and Cinnamon and cook for about 1 more minute. Add the remaining oil and cook the pork chops for about 3 minutes on each side. At the end add the wine and put a lid on and turn off the heat and let stand for 5 minutes.

As you can see I served this with simple roasted potatoes and steamed green beans, oh and my glass of wine.

Duck and Waffle – A restaurant with a great view

London, Restaurants 1 Comment »

Mar 182013

Perched up on the 40th floor of the Heron Building close to Liverpool station, sits Duck and Waffle. Unlike most of London that shuts down at a certain hour, Duck and Waffle stays open 24-hours a day. From the name you would think there would be all different variations of Duck dishes and waffles, but actually there is only one dish that serves both duck and waffle with a fried duck egg. This restaurant is great because the views are amazing, the best I have yet to see in London. Better than the London Eye. The menu is small plates with a few large plates.

Now,the Shard (Europe’s Tallest Building) has recently opened their viewing platform charging £40 pounds per person to go up and see it. Now this seems insane to me because I can’t believe the views are any better there than they are at the top of the Heron Building, so I might as well have some food and drink to go along with my view!

A view from our table, looking out towards East London

The friend I went with was very hungry when he arrived and decided to pretty much order a lot of the menu so I got a fairly good tasting. The food is good but not incredible. I would come back with someone who is visiting London but would not go with someone who lives in London again. The Views are truly spectacular and worth a visit.

Cocktails!

Chorizo and Octopus – AMAZING

BBQ Spiced Crispy Pig Ears- Interesting

Bacon Wrapped Dates- Recommend

Spicy Ox Cheek Doughnut- So So

Duck and Waffle!

Duck and Waffle

Heron Tower 110 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4AY
020 3640 7310

Lemon Cake, Super Lemon Cake Recipe

London, Sweets 3 Comments »

Mar 132013

Lemon Cake

So today is Neil’s birthday. Happy Birthday NEIL! Now, I thought I loved Lemon, Neil brings it to a whole new level. That was one of the reasons I knew he was perfect. Every year growing up his Mom, on his birthday would make him this Lemon Cake. A few years ago, I asked him what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday and he asked me to make the cake his mom would make for him. I was so nervous, thinking this was some old family recipe, that she has made it so many times she doesn’t really know the recipe it just kind of comes naturally to her. So many thoughts were going through my mind, and then I got the recipe. Relief! Neil’s favorite cake comes from a box with a few additions! I did import these few ingredients when we were home over the holidays just to make sure I had them.

Ingredients

Lemon Cake Recipe

Preheat oven @350 F

1 Lemon Cake Box

1 Box of Lemon Jello (small box)

3/4 Cup of Water

3/4 Cup Wesson Oil

4 Eggs

2 greased 9 inch round cake pans.

1 batch of Lemon Buttercream Frosting

In a bowl place all the ingredients and mix together until all combined. Evenly distribute in cake pans and bake for 30 minutes, until tester comes out clean. Let cool on rack before frosting.

Frost one side of the cake and I then put a layer of Haribo gummies. To some, this may sound a bit much, but Neil has the biggest sweet tooth and it is his Birthday, so I thought I would go overboard on the Sugar.

Layer of Gummies

The add the next cake layer and frost the remainder of the cake. I decorated the top with some Lemon Heads. If you like Lemon and Sugar- then look no further this is the cake for you!

Lemon Buttercream Frosting

London, Sweets 2 Comments »

Mar 132013

Now to go with the super artificial flavored lemon cake, here is some super lemony frosting. I find with the french buttercreams, there are a couple of tricks. 1) you have to let it cool before adding the butter, I don’t always have patiences, but it is key. 2) You really need to whip it for a good 6-8 minutes once butter has been added, it looks soupy and lumpy before it become thicker and smooth. I always am nervous it won’t work out but then I continue to whip and somehow it comes together in the end, just how I wanted it!

3 Eggs

3 Egg Yolks

1 1/2 Cup of Sugar

3/4 Cup of Water

1 Pound of Butter

2 Teaspoons of Lemon Extract

Yellow Food Coloring

In a sauce pan melt the sugar and water stirring occasionally until it reaches 238 F. Remove and pour into a heat proof bowl to stop the cooking.

Sugar and Water Reaching 238

While the sugar is cooking, whip the egg yolks and eggs on high until fluffy about 5 minutes.

Whipped Eggs & Yolks

Slowly pour in sugar and continue whipping for 5 minutes adding the lemon extract and food coloring. Once the mixture has COOLED completely add the butter in a little at a time. (Cut the butter into little pieces) And continue to whip on high until it is smooth. This could take up to 7 or 8 minutes. And now ready to frost the Lemon Cake!

Lemon Buttercream Frosting

Giant Meringue Nests

London, Sweets No Comments »

Mar 112013

Giants Meringues, I see all the time here and also in Paris. I was kind of surprised with the prevalence with which I see them and I had never seen them in the States. As Easter approaches, I thought it would be fun to make these Giant Meringues and scoop out the center to make a nest then fill with chocolate eggs. These are actually super simple and turned out really cute.

Giant Meringue Nests

7 Egg Whites

2 Cups of White Granulated Sugar (Heated in oven in a heat proof dish at 375 for 5 minutes)

1 Teaspoon of Vanilla

1/2 Teaspoon Cream of Tartar

Food Coloring Optional

Mini Chocolate Eggs

In a standing mixer with a whisk attachment whip the egg whites and cream of tartar until frothy then slowly add the warmed sugar and vanilla and whip on high for about 5-7 minutes until holds peaks.

Add this point if you want you can drop a couple drops of food coloring and lightly stir in to give a swirl of color.

Make 1 and 1/2 cup heaps of meringue on top a baking sheet with a silpat. Scoop out the center of the mound to form the nest. This will make about 10 nests. Bake at 230 F for 1.5 hours.

Let cool before adding chocolate eggs to the center. You could use jelly beans too!

Raymond Blanc’s Cocktail Tips

Drinks, London, Tips, Terms & Tools No Comments »

Mar 062013

Raymond Blanc is one of my favourite chefs to watch. I am dying to go to his restaurant in Le Manoir in Oxfordshire. I recently came across his tips to making cocktails on a recent trip on the Eurostar in Eurostar Magazine.

He spoke how the cocktail has changed from 20 years with swizzle sticks and bright paper Umbrellas now the cocktail is having a revolution and I would say more of a bespoke experience. Here are some of his tips for the next time you are making a cocktail.

- That just like great dishes that are based on contrast, created by a build up of flavours. The same applies to cocktails.

- Follow the 3 S rule for cocktails

1) Strength, or the alcohol base, you should never blend to spirits

2) Sour,usually a fruit or a fruit juice. You should only stir a cocktail when it does not contain fruit juice, lemon juice is the exception

3) Sweet, which is liqueur or something sugary and fizzy.

He uses the classic gin and tonic as an example- the gin the strength, the tonic the sweet, and the the slice of lemon or lime the sour.

I hope this helps next time you are coming up with a cocktail concoction. I think it is important to sometimes go back to basic principals.

Rocky Road Bars Recipe

London, Make Your Own, Sweets 1 Comment »

Mar 052013

Why in the world we don’t seem to have these bars in the US? I see them everywhere here, so simple and how can you go wrong with chocolate, marshmallows, and digestive biscuits? Almost Impossible. The British version does not have nuts, but since in the US and I am American, Rocky Road Ice Cream has nuts in it, I decided to add peanuts. Plus I had leftover honey roasted peanuts so I thought they would make the perfect edition.

Rocky Road Bars

Rocky Road Bars Recipe

18 oz of milk chocolate

8 digestive biscuits broken up but not ground/graham crackers would also work (about 4-5)

150 grams or 5.2 oz of Mini Marshmallows

3/4 Cup of Honey Roasted Peanuts or a Nut of your choice

Optional you could add 1/2 cup of raisins or dried cranberries- I did not want to give these any nutritional value so mine did not have them!

8×8 inch baking dish- line the bottom with greased parchment paper.

Rocky Road Bars

In a Double Boiler melt the milk chocolate. Once the milk chocolate is completely melted remove from heat and let cool slightly for 2-3 minutes. Then add your ingredients and mix together with a large spoon until all the biscuits, marshmallows, and peanuts are covered. Pour the mixture into the dish and evenly spread out. Refrigerate it for 2-3 hours until the chocolate had harden. Now ready to cut and serve.

It is great to eat on its own, but I took a little with some chocolate ice-cream to make my own version of rocky road ice cream!

Bermondsey Antique Market

London, Places/Markets 2 Comments »

Mar 042013

Every Friday morning in Bermondsey, which is about a 10 minutes walk from London Bridge Station, there is a small antique market. I think it is fun and there usually are some little gems among some junk. When my sister was visiting, I took her here and I found this fabulous antique copper pot from France. Now the thought of carrying it around all day was daunting so I went back the following week to pick it up. Of course, I then found another item I could not live with out, a 1930s Champagne Bucket. Clearly something I needed, but definitely, something that I will put to use and thought I could not live without. Clearly, Neil feels the same way about these purchase.

The market opens at 5am and wraps up at around 1pm. Management of the market has recently changed, so there are a few more vendors and more push to promote the market, I hope this is a good change to the market, but time will tell.

Bermondsey Square, Southwark, London SE1 4QB

Bermondsey Antiques Market

One of the stands at Bermondsey Antiques Market

My Copper Pot!

The Champagne Bucket

Stephan Pyles Blue Corn Skillet Stars

Appetizers, London, Sides No Comments »

Feb 282013

So a few people asked me for the Corn bread recipe that I mentioned in the Heavan and Hell Cake post. It was silly of me to talk about how I was obsessed with the corn muffins, that I tracked down the out of print book for the recipe and then did not share the recipe! My apologies. Now I haven’t found blue cornmeal here so I can’t make them- but hope you have it where ever you are, enjoy!

Blue Corn Bread/ Blue Corn Skillet Stars Recipe

1/4 pound of unsalted butter

8 Tablespoons Shortening

4 Serranos, seeded and minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 Cup of All- Purpose Flour

1 1/4 Cups of Blue Cornmeal

2 Tablespoons of sugar

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoon of salt

3 large eggs

1 1/4 Cups of Milk, room temperature

3 tablespoons of chopped fresh cilantro

Olive Oil for brushing

Makes 50 stars

Preheat Oven 400 F

Place a well seasoned cast-iron star mold in the oven to warm for at least 5 minutes. (A cast -iron skillet or muffin pan will work as well)

Gently melt the butter and shortening in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the serranos and garlic, and sauté for 10 minutes. Sift together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Beat the eggs lightly in a medium bowl. Add the serrano mixture and stir in the milk. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients beat just until smooth. Add the Cilantro.

Remove the cast-iron cornbread mold from the oven and brush generously with the oil. Reheat the mold for about 2 minutes, then fill with the batter.

Bake in the center of the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the cornbread is lightly browned but still blue and springy to the touch!

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

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