Chocolate Vs. Cheese

A question that I like to ask people is whether they would pick chocolate over cheese? Or vice versa? This question is rather appropriate when you are in Switzerland/France. Also with it being Easter weekend last weekend there is going to be a lot of chocolate on the menu. As you know from my previous post, I definitely have a sweet tooth! I’m not going to lie, I have been eating chocolate every day for the past week. I mean how can I resist when I’m in a country that produces some of the best chocolate. For me you definitely cannot beat; Frey, Cailler, Lindt…

However, if you asked me whether I would pick chocolate over cheese I would most probably say no. I have a huge penchant for some good old cheese. Whether it is hard, soft, gooey, blue and stinky! I could not live without it. So it is no surprise that I have over two kilograms of cheese in the fridge to bring back with me. My love for the cheeses I bought this week is due to the fact that they make some of my favourite meals:

• Fondue: “Moité-moité” which is a combination of Gruyère and Vacherin Fribougeois. This makes the ideal cheese fondue!
• Raclette: Another type of gooey melted loveliness but this time the cheese is melted under a grill and is scraped off onto boiled potatoes served with plenty of cracked black pepper, cornichon, pickled onions and dried/cured meat.
• Tartiflette: a French dish from the “Haute Savoie” region. The dish is made up of slices of potatoes, lardons, onions and reblochon cheese.

The above three dishes are very typical meals you would eat if you came to Switzerland or France during the winter season. However, there are many more that are not as ‘common’, such as Mont D’Or, Tomme de Savoie, Blue de Bresse, Saint-Mercillion, Tete de Moines…the list could go on. But my love for cheese expands past just Swiss and or French cheese.

Here are some facts about cheese:

• Animals were bred to produce milk over 4000 years ago and from then on the production of cheese commenced
• Macaroni cheese is one of the most popular cheese dishes
• Almost 2000 types of cheeses exist
• One tenth of milk is used to produce cheese
• A wheel of cheddar weighing over one thousand pounds was given to Queen Victoria as a wedding gift
• Cheese can be produced from the following types of milk; cow, goat, buffalo, sheep…..
• To enjoy cheese at its best you should let cheese come to room temperature

So now I am going to ask you: Chocolate or Cheese?

Happy Easter!

-HC

Luck of the Irish

As it is St Patrick’s Day this week I thought it would be appropriate to share a recipe that you could recreate for the Irish festivity. Also, I found out that Birmingham is believed to have the largest Irish population in England and has its very own Irish Quarter in Digbeth.

Some favourite foods and recipes that are traditionally consumed on St Patrick’s Day are:

• Stews
• Corned beef & cabbage
• Shepherd’s pie
• Soda bread
• Recipe(s) link

For this St Patrick’s Day I have combined one of my favourite foods with my boyfriend’s favourite drink: Guinness Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting! 

Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 75g/2¾oz cocoa powder
• 175g/6oz plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 225g/8oz caster sugar
• 3 free-range eggs
• 225g/8oz cooked beetroot (no added vinegar)
• 100ml/3½fl oz Guinness
• 100ml/3½fl oz corn or rapeseed oil

Note: You cannot really taste the beetroot but they keep the cupcakes moist and fluffy and don’t forget they are one of your five a day 🙂

Method:

1. Line a muffin tin with cupcake cases and preheat the oven to 200C/180 Fan/Gas 6
2. Combine all dry ingredients in bowl
3. Blend the following together; eggs, beetroot, Guinness and oil- until smooth
4. Fold in the wet mixture into the dry ingredients, do not over mix.
5. Fill the cupcake cases with the mixture and bake for 20-25 minutes. The cupcakes should rise plenty and spring to the touch when cooked.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

• 100g/ 3½ oz unsalted butter, softened
• 100g/ 3½ oz full fat cream cheese
• 1 tsp vanilla essence/flavouring
• 225g/ 8 oz icing sugar

 

Method:

1. Beat the above ingredients together until smooth.

Tip: If you get lumps of butter in your icing, pop it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds at a time and mix in the melted butter. Make sure to refrigerate the frosting until it set/firm.

To finish, you can spoon or pipe the icing onto the cooled cupcakes and enjoy!
Happy St Patrick’s Day to you all.

-HC

Sugar Addict

I have come to the realisation that I am an absolute addict when it comes to all things sweet. I am a sugar addict. Quite literally. This came to my realisation at the start of the week, I woke up Monday morning with a ‘foggy head’- almost like I had been out the night before. But I had not touched a drop of alcohol. This is when I realised that I had indulged in far too many sweets and chocolate on Sunday night.

The reason behind my indulgence is because I let stress get the better of me. Especially since I handed in my dissertation last Monday. So I am sure there are some other final year students out there that can sympathise with me. My sugar hangover unfortunately has a negative effect on my Monday – making it hard for me to concentrate on anything.

Our diet contains plenty of sugars from natural sources such as; starchy products, milk, fruit & vegetables etc. Then added sugars are found in; sweets, cakes, biscuits and drinks. We tend to crave these sweet treats more and more – especially in the evening for me.

Do not get me wrong, we need sugar in our diet to survive but unfortunately with the evolution of technology and mass production there are so many tempting sweet treats out there, and these products contain refined sugars- the worse type for us! But the reason we need sugar is to help maintain brain function. The brain needs to be fed a source of sugar as neurons cannot store glucose themselves, so when we eat something sweet it is absorbed into our intestines, into our bloodstream and then distributed into our body. So our brain has a need/want/desire and because our brain controls our thoughts, we have then become addicted to sugar. This started at birth, as babies we drink milk which contains lactose and that is also a type of sugar. Due to this we have ended up in a sugar hangover. But when we over consume sugar we end up feeling groggy, low and unmotivated, and your brain is sending you signals saying that you need more sugar- but we do not! This is why we are essentially sugar addicts.

This is part of the reason we have seen an increase in the UK population developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Here is the recommended daily sugar allowance:

• 30g of sugar a day for an adult, this is the equivalent of 7 sugar cubes
• No more than 19g for children aged 4-6, the equivalent of 5 sugar cubes
• No more than 24g for children aged 7-10, the equivalent of 6 sugar cubes

To put things into perspective, a can of Coca Cola contains 9 sugar cubes! This is why it is no surprise that the government is trying to enforce a sugar tax. I personally think something needs to be done to tackle this issue, but unfortunately I am not sure a sugar tax will cut it.

However, a recent article was released in The Independent stating that after conducting a 40 year study they have discovered that chocolate can make you smarter. This could be good news for us chocolate lovers! Also, drinking a glass of red wine is not bad for you either. According to research, it has been found that red wine contains polyphenols and antioxidants which in turn reduces the risk of heart attacks.

So personally, I think I need to be monitoring my sugar intake by taking more notice of labelling on products and thinking about what foods I have already eaten that contain natural sugars. It looks like a glass of red wine and a few squares of good quality chocolate may be the way forward in satisfying my sugary needs. However, remember that we should eat anything in moderation! That is something I had to remind myself of this week.

How do you cope/deal with stress? Does a nice sweet treat hit the spot? Please share your thoughts/opinions on the matter.

-HC

P.S. Well done to you 3rd year students on handing in your dissertation draft- not far to go now!

 

Lasan

Last week I took my other half out for dinner in the Jewellery Quarter, to the restaurant ‘Lasan‘ as a surprise birthday treat. It was a restaurant we had been wanting to go to for a good few months.

The restaurant is Indian fine dining at its best, and has most definitely become my favourite cuisine. It takes exquisite Indian flavours and adapts them to modern/Western cuisine- creating a perfect balance.

Chef Aktar is the head chef. You may know him from the BBC Two programme ‘The Great British Menu‘. Aktar grew up in Birmingham and worked with his dad in his restaurant from the age of 13! With no official training he opened Lasan, his first restaurant, at the age of 22. Since then his restaurant has received numerous awards:

• British Curry Awards
• Gordon Ramsay’s ‘F-Word Best Local Restaurant’
• Top 100 UK restaurant featured in The Sunday Times

It is safe to say he is truly inspirational and should be a motivation for us to succeed in what we love doing in life.

Here are a few snap shots of the food we ate. Sorry about the quality of the images, the restaurant was candle lit, making it hard to take clear photos.

Starter

The starter was a tandoori sharing platter, with chicken, salmon, lamb cutlets, potato cakes and two different dipping sauces – a pea and mint puree and a tamarind paste. The meat and fish was succulent and the flavours well balanced.

My main: Batakh Ki Salan

British sourced duck from Devonshire, with confit duck, red cabbage, caramelised red onion all infused with cumin and coriander. Served with a cashew, cumin and Kashmiri chilli gravy. Mouth-watering and beautifully tender.

Pudding

An Indian carrot cake with ginger ice cream. A match made in heaven!

More pudding!

An Indian rice pudding infused with cardamom served with a poached pear and peach.

The meal was absolutely delicious, and at an affordable price considering the portion sizes and high standards of both culinary skills and front of house service. Would highly recommend going as you will not be disappointed. Perfect for Mother’s Day this Sunday. However, I know as a student budgets can be tight. So would suggest ordering a take-away from ‘Raja Monkey’ which is another of his restaurants. I have been told it is one of the best take-aways in Birmingham, and they offer gluten-free options!

Please share any new food sensations you have recently tried as I am always on the look at for new foods/restaurants to try.

Have a good weekend and I hope you enjoy some fantastic food!

-HC