The Crispy Duck

I've just come back from a weekend trip in London, in which Doireann and I paid a visit to The Crispy Duck Resteraunt. I'd been dying to go to this resteraunt after hearing so much about it from Doireann, and it was everything she'd said and more! Its a hidden treasure in china town, that I would normally walk right past. The photos aren't the best, so the only solution is to visit it yourself!



I can't find a website for them but heres the address

Chinatown, 7 Gerrard St., Soho, W1D5

Chilli chicken ramen

This might just be one of my favourite meals in the world! I first had it in Wagamamas a few years ago and I've since had it way too many times in Cafe Mao, infact, I find it impossible to order anything else when I'm there. Its a very spicy dish and not the easiest to make, but its definitely worth it.

I decided last week that it was about time I tried making it so Doireann and I decided to give it a bash. Unfortunately I don't really have a reciepe to put up because we put together a mix match of several reciepes!

The dish is full of flavour and really spicy. It needs to be served really hot and be warned....it's deceptively filling!!

Dime bar ice cream

I've never made ice-cream before last week, when I came across this Nigella Lawson recipe which I couldn't resist trying out. I always thought ice cream was really hard to make but this really wasn't that bad, just a bit time consuming. It was delicious and I was surprised with how ice-cream-like it turned out, so it'll definitely be something I'll be making again! The only problem is that it doesn't feed that many people, I'd consider trying to double the recipe for the next time I think.

http://www.notquitenigella.com/2007/11/03/nigellas-dime-bar-ice-cream/

The recipe here says to pour into an ice cream maker at the end but if you don't have one, pour into a covered container and put it in the freezer. Then give it a quick beat on the hour, every hour for three hours. Its not as bad as it sounds once you're not in a rush!!

Calamari

Yum. A few weeks ago Sally and Paul cooked up these little tasty numbers, they were very very tasty! They got some squid, chopped it into rings, dipped it in a batter and deep fried them. Well thats the basic gist of it anyway, I'll have to get the propor details off them! As you can see, they were served will plenty of pepper and lots of lemon. I can't wait to try it out and cook them myself.

Patatas bravas

Wow, I'm literally just finished eating this delicious dish about 2 minutes ago, and decided it was about time me and Laura gave The Giddy Goat a little attention.

I followed a simple recipe (www.cheapeats.ie/2010/09/23/recipe-patatas-bravas/) which is cheap, quick and easy. I've never made patatas bravas before but Laura makes it all the time and its been something I've wanted to try. Laura arrived to the house in the nick of time to add some extra touches to this basic recipe... some chopped corriander to the tomato sauce, and also sprinkle some over the diced potatos with a squeeze of lemon and plenty of salt and pepper. We also threw in some thickly sliced chorizo for the last 15 minutes, and served it with some natural yogurt. The cool yogurt contrasts nicely with the spicy tomato sauce, and the chorizo turns the dish into something more substantial.

Falafel pittas...

I never really new what falafel was or how delicious and easy it is, until recently. I made this the other day in the house when there was nothing in the house for lunch for mum and I. Basically all you have to do is whizz up a mixture in a food processor and then squish into little patties and fry them on the pan for a few minutes, then pop them in a pitta with whatever you have handy... some lettuce, tomatoes, humous, or whats really nice is natural yougurt with some chopped mint. This is really good because the falafel can be a little dry sometimes.

Heres a recipe I used by Rachel Allen

Drain a tin of chickpeas and pop in the food processor along with 2 or 3 cloves or garlic, a teaspoon of both cumin and corriander, and some salt and pepper. Whizz it up, then mix in a spoon of flour and make into into small patties. Fry them on a medium to high heat in a bit of olive oil - they should take about 4 or 5 minutes. Yum Yum Yum.

Cabanosi

This dish is a popular one amongst the Caulwells, Its quick and easy to make and it can be varied easily depending on what ingredients you have in the house. I made it yesterday for myself and Laura for lunch. It might not have been the best option for lunch right before a hockey match but it was tasty all the same!

Recipe
1. Finely chop 1 or 2 large onions. Put on medium heat in frying pan with olive oil. Add 3-4 cloves of chopped garlic and 1 or 2 chopped red chillies (depending on how spicy you want leave the seeds in/out). Peel the thin skin off the chorizo sausage and slice very finely (tedious job). Add to the pan also. Cook altogether for about 10-15minutes... the longer the better I say. Add some tomato puree if you have some... about a spoon or so. Then add 2-3 tins of tomatoes. Preferrebly chopped. Bring to the boil and them simmer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, Finely Chop up lots and lots of basil to the pot (can never have enough). This bit is optional - if you have a hand blended, take out about one third of the mixture and hand blend it and then return it to the pot - this will thicken the mixture and make it extra-yummy. Take the pan off the heat and add half a carton of cream (about 3/4 of a cup or so). Make sure it doesn't curdle as you add it. 9. Put back on the heat and bring to the boil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. I like to add a bit of red wine vinegar then too... its up to you. Its lovely served with pasta or rice and a fresh sprinkle of basil on top!

Waffles with rasperries and maple syrup

Yum Yum Yum. I just made these oh-so-delicious waffles for my folks, their friends and myself. Mum rang me from lidl the other day saying they had waffle makers so she got one and what do you know - I made waffles!

http://www.waffle-recipe.com/

Homemade praline ice-cream with red berry coulis

Mum and Dad had friends over last night for dinner and Mum cooked the most delicious dinner, finished off with this tasty ice-cream for dessert. I haven't gotten a chance to get the recipe off her yet but I will do soon! She did say it was quite easy to make though which is always a bonus. My sister Jos favourite ice-cream has always been Häagen-Dazs Pralines and Cream ice-cream, and in the last year or two its definitely made its way into my top 3! Anyway, this homemade ice-cream is similar enough, but doesn't have the same smooth-caramel texture that the Häagen-Daz version has, but its without a doubt worth a try.

Sunday grub

Today both myself and Eva and the rest of the family (minus one plus one) had a big Sunday dinner at home home. Mum pulled out all the stops. To start, we had falafel with lemon and a cucumber and yogurt sauce. The fresh herbs and spices gave the little balls of chick pea joy a nice, delicate flavour. Then we had 'the famous goose'. I call it the famous goose because mum has been trying to get us together for ages to eat this goose that she had in the freezer. And today was the day. The famous goose was cooked to a golden crispy perfection. The spuds were impregnated with the flavour of the delicious goosey fat. The gravy came from the very unappetizing goose gizzards. There were also leeks in cheese sauce, and for me, the star of the show, cheesy parsnips. Mum boiled them on the hob, then mashed them up to a thick and chunky consistency. She added creme fraiche, lots of grated cheese and some seasoning, and mixed it all up and tipped it into an oven dish. Then she topped it off with even more grated cheese, and baked it. Oh wow. It was delicious.
Dessert was courtesy of Joanna. She made a perfect pavalova. The centre was light and gooey and the outside lovely and crispy crumbly. She put whipped cream and raspberries (or razzleberries as Sally would say) on top. They're not quite in season, but they were reduced in Tesco and were too lovely to resist! This pavalova recipe
 has been knocking around our house and among our friends for years and is still one of our favourite desserts.

Pizza Saturday

Yesterday I was a little bit under the weather and not really up to cooking a big feast. But this didn't effect my appetite, and I still fancied something tasty for dinner! Homemade pizzas are already pretty easy, but if you buy the bases ready made, they couldn't be simpler. I made a tomato sauce with some good quality tinned tomatoes, loads of torn fresh basil, fresh chilli, crushed garlic and some seasoning. Then with some sliced chorizo, fresh mozzarella and a little grated parmesan... pizza heaven. With only 12 minutes or so in the oven, they're so quick and easy. Oh and they can be really fun if you have a few people over and everyone makes up their own pizzas from a selection of toppings. Personally, a straightforward pizza with some spicy sausage is unbeatable. Myself and my housemates scoffed two pizzas and were very happy with ourselves! (Pictures to follow!)

Sweet potato and chorizo stew

I've just made this dish after a long day in college for my folks and I've been craving it all day and it did the trick perfectly!

This delicious stew is a real winter-warmer. It doesn't take too long to make and its a great crowd pleaser. Also, one of the best things about it is that its a great dish to make on a budget!

Slow down with sloe gin

My sister Jo made a bottle of sloe gin, and a bottle of sloe vodka back in October, giving it enough time for the sloes to steep in the alcohol and share their lovely pink colour, just in time for Christmas divilment. It's lovely on ice, with a splash of icy cold tonic, or to give (grudgingly) as a present. Here's a handy recipe, courtesy of the BBC.

Granny's eclairs

So after a big dinner of Mexican soup and then a slice of HFW's cake and a cuppa, my sister Sally arrived in the door with a plate of eclairs. She had brought them fresh from Joanna's house, who made them according to my granny's recipe (which you can find below). You can see the eclairs are nice and fat and squidgy and oozing with cream. I couldn't resist having a little taste! In the picture, you can see my granny Laura's old biscuit tin, which used to be kept up high on top of a kitchen press, out of our reach. I'm not surprised...

Mexico liquidised

As today was my first day back to work after the Christmas hols, and I went for a run, I decided I deserved a reward! Tonight I put together a soup that reminded me of Mexico. It was so thick and filling, and I ate it with an avocado salsa plopped on top. Perfect for these cold wintry evenings. I can't remember where I originally read this recipe, but it was also served with a dollop of sour cream and parmesan toasts. I decided to leave them out, this is just a regular Tuesday after all!

HFW's honey wholemeal cake

My housemate Paul made this delicious cake yesterday, following a recipe of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall from his River Cottage Everyday book. The wholemeal flour gives it a slightly coarser texture, but the honey keeps it moist and delish, tasting fresh even the next day. The recipe can be found here, on the Guardian website.