Tag: holiday food

Posted on

Destination: London

A quick trip to London was called for last week with so much taking place in and about the metropolitan area of the District of Columbia. A fast exit was necessary and with one of the best itineraries drafted, we found the perfect balance of scheduling key items of interest that allowed room for flexibility as we traversed the city streets.
Our list and recommendations were placed in a “Notes” document entitled {London 2025}, then added to a Google map so, all the sites and information were easily accessible. Two art exhibitions were the primary reason for visiting London, and both were ending on Sunday, January 19th …… Francis Bacon at the National Portrait Gallery and Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers at the National Gallery so, it was imperative that we get to the museums for our timed-entry.

Located in Covent Garden is one of the oldest chippies in town. This was the best meal of “fish n’ chips” I’ve ever tasted. The fish was very light, crispy and extremely fresh. The homemade tartar sauce added to the dining experience along with their coleslaw.
Rock and Sole Plaice for Fish n’ Chips
47 Endell St., London, WC2H 9AJ

We attended the King’s Gallery to see Renaissance period drawings. To see the diversity and accomplishment of drawings from Italy between 1450 and 1600 was astounding. There are around 160 works by over 80 artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael and Titian. What I wouldn’t give to have these works of art in a gallery near my home.

Travel stylishly,
Kathleen

Posted on

Cookbook Reviews 12.17.2014

IMG_0369IMG_0310 I am back in the Library scouring the shelves for supplemental reading material to peruse in order to find quick and easy, but most importantly tasty recipes that may be incorporated into holiday menus this season. The seasonal display of cookbooks arranged from around the world caught my attention with various recipes on traditional holiday cuisine. So with iPad in hand I began transcribing notes to use during the Christmas season.
The first book that caught my eye was All about Roasting: A New Approach to a Classic Art by Molly Stevens. Flipping through this book was quite nostalgic and reminiscent of my early days of learning to cook. Chapters on “what is roasting”, “the science behind roasting” and my favorite the chart on “conversion tables” as, Stevens indicates when a recipe calls for 1 pound of peaches, and the market sells them in ½ kilo {500 gram} sacks, there’s no need to fuss around trying to weight out 453 grams of peaches…this is no fuss at its finest!!!
The recipe for the One-Hour Rosemary Rib Roast was a page I could not ignore. Using a high-meat method of cooking works perfectly for this meat, you have the opportunity of sliding sprigs of rosemary between the bottom of the roast and the bones, which gives the roast a dramatic appearance and adds depth to the flavor.

IMG_0372The second book was Elizabeth David’s Christmas, edited by Jill Norman, which is a marvelous summary of English holiday recipes such as plum puddings, mincemeat with suet }and my absolute favorite the variety of chutneys and pickles. David writes extensive notes, which are incorporated at the end of most recipes so; the cook is guided on how to prepare a dish correctly or most importantly in the traditional sense.
She writes a note on her Pork and Veal Loaf being a useful dish to serve at Christmas, when extra guests may turn up, and or for picnics or buffet suppers. Serve it either as a first course with toast or French bread or as a main course with a salad and perhaps jacket potatoes. Love this type of cooking!!!

Read stylishly,
K