The Cherry Tree, Jesmond

In order to celebrate a special occasion in a truly special way one must do something different from their ‘norm’ and for me this means indulging in a fancy meal.

I am the first to admit that posh places make me a bit nervous. 

I would much rather spend an evening in a get-your-own-utensil hodgepodge combination of tables & chairs establishment where my loud American voice blends into the background rather than visiting a restaurant with flatware perfectly placed on blindingly white linen where you don’t want to interrupt the smooth jazz tunes by speaking. 

I’m also happy to admit that I am the simpleton who likes to eat dessert with a teaspoon and not even touch the huge spoon lined up ‘just so’ above my plate.

Contrary to the above, I am also a very open-minded individual and would always give a place a try at least once if the opportunity presents itself. I reserve actual judgement until after I’ve indulged my taste buds.

So, when the chance to celebrate a very special occasion gave me the opportunity to try this little gem of a place in Newcastle who was I to say no?  I was looking forward to the indulgence, even if I was nervous about it. 

The Cherry Tree was a lovely restaurant and I’ll be damned if I wasn’t going to take photos of everything I tried. Why not? It was extremely photogenic food.

The beet root risotto was amazingly pink, with shaved bits of parmesan and hints of leafy green while the tempura shrimp was crispy and succulent all in one delicious bite.

The fish dish came elegantly stacked on top of the creamiest puree accompaniment and the marbled slice of coarse pate arrived with a flourish of salad and chutney. What fun it must be to create these dishes!

Of course, no meal would be complete without the most mouth-watering pudding of all time. This is my first choice when it comes to British desserts.

Drum roll please...... Sticky Toffee Pudding!

Artisan Express, Gateshead

Tucked away in the railway arches on the Gateshead side of the high level bridge, it is quite the little gem of a coffee shop.

Artisan Express is my kind of place – it is cosy, welcoming, and the service comes with a smile. Contrary to national chains (which have their place, don’t get me wrong) this is a one off with a unique & local flare.

Of course it didn’t hurt that I happened to visit on a lovely sunny afternoon which gave it an extra warm & friendly glow.

The Mars Bar Slice and the Caramel Shortbread Square arrived at our table on sweet little china plates, while the Levu Latte(a latte with 3 shots) was served in a large white ceramic cup.  In contrast, my dainty Macchiato came served in a funky silver & glass espresso cup.  

I watched as other drinks were skilfully made at the espresso bar and each drink had its own individual personality.

The unique decor is reflected in the furniture as well combining large comfy cushions, cosy couches and wicker chairs with leather foot rest cubes. Whatever your mood may be, there is plenty of seating to choose from to suit.

I envision many an afternoon will be spent by folks relaxing, reading their newspaper or chatting whilst sipping their handcrafted coffees and tasting some local treats. 

Worth a visit for sure the next time you are near Gateshead!

Pumpkin Muffins

In recent visits home to the states I have had pumpkin lattes, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin (filter)coffee, pumpkin spice Hershey Kisses, pumpkin preserve on toast, pumpkin ice cream, and of course pumpkin pie. The delicious list of pumpkin related foods grows every time I visit, yet many Brits I know have not had the chance to try pumpkin flavoured anything.   

Thankfully Fenwicks Food Hall here in Newcastle seemingly has a love of American foods. They always seem to stock those odd American treats such as Marshmallow Fluff, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Pop Tarts, Lucky Charms cereal, Bisquick Pancake Mix and all variations of Jelly Belly jelly beans.  Since they are imported items these normally reasonably priced sugary delights cost a ridiculous amount over here.  

However much it may cost, I am just thankful to be able to purchase a can of Libby’s Pumpkin to bake some of my favourite pumpkin flavoured treats. These Pumpkin muffins have been well received by both friends and colleagues who have taste tested them, so they remain on my list of favourite recipes.

They are uniquely flavoured but not offensive although I think it is difficult to describe them to someone who has never had pumpkin.  I will say that they taste best still warm slathered with cream cheese accompanying a cup of coffee but are equally delicious for afternoon tea with a cuppa (and don’t forget to make sure your pinky finger daintily points up).

Whatever the flavour you really can’t go wrong with homemade muffins.

Pumpkin Muffins

(from Muffins Fast and Fantastic, Third Edition 2001 by Susan Reimer)

Makes 10-12 standard-size

9oz(255g) plain flour (with self-raising flour, omit baking powder: do not adjust bicarbonate of soda)

1 tsp (5ml) baking powder

1 tsp (5ml bicarbonate of soda

½ tsp (2.5ml) salt

1 tsp (5ml) ground cinnamon

½ tsp (2.5ml) each of ground ginger, nutmeg, and cloves

4-6oz (110-170g) fine white granulated sugar

1 egg

4-5 fl oz (120-150ml) milk or water

2 TBSP (30ml) honey

Half of a 425g tin of pumpkin – that is, 7 fl oz (200ml) the remainder can be frozen in an airtight container

3 fl oz(90ml) vegetable oil or 3 oz(85g) butter, melted

2-3 oz (60-85g) chopped walnuts or raisins

Prepare muffin tins. Preheat oven to 375-400 F (190 -200 C) for a conventional oven, Gas Mark 5-6.

In a large bowl, sift together: flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, spices and sugar.

In a separate bowl, beat egg with a fork. Add milk/water, honey, pumpkin and oil/melted butter. Stir well.

Pour all of liquid mixture into dry. Stir just until combined and no dry flour is visible. Add walnuts/raisins during the final strokes.

Spoon batter into tins. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until tops spring back when pressed gently.

Pancakes for Brunch

A Sunday morning spent making thick American-style pancakes to smother in maple syrup and enjoy for brunch is my kind of weekend morning. 

Throw in a glass of fruit juice and share it all with loved ones and you’ve created the winning combination of great food & great company.   

It’s not difficult to achieve since pancakes are pretty straight forward to make.

All you need is the simple ingredients put together in the correct quantities and combined with the right technique.

I’ve included links to two simple recipes below for reference.

The main difference is that American pancakes use a thicker batter than their British counterpart (which is more like a crepe then the cakey American-style pancake, in my humble opinion).

I love the fact that each recipe uses similar ingredients but produces a completely different result.

Whichever type of pancakes you prefer, why not go ahead and make yourself some this weekend?

American Pancake recipe: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/fluffyamericanpancak_74828

British Pancake recipe: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/basicpancakeswithsuga_66226

Another Make & Mend Market

It may already be obvious, but my favorite Saturday of the month is the one on which the Make & Mend Market is held at the Grainger Market in Newcastle upon Tyne. 

cookies from Poor Girl's Kitchen

This is simply because on these Saturdays I get to choose some beautiful (and tasty) treats to indulge in with no guilt what so ever (well...in theory there is no guilt). 

Bailey's Cupcake

I practically start drooling when I enter the market hall on these magical days as I imagine what delights I am about to set my eyes on.  The stall holders never let me down and for this I am always grateful. 

Vanilla Cupcake

The homemade treats are both visually stunning and absolutely delicious. I tend to focus on the edible delights, but let me tell you, there are amazing crafts, artwork, vintage items, quirky doodads and much more for anyone who ventures in to explore the stalls. 

Jammy Dodger Cupcake

It is quite a little gem of a market, and one to keep watch out for and make the effort to get to since it is only held in Grainger Market once a month.


  

A Weekend at the Hotel Du Vin

A little decadence is a big treat and a weekend away in festive Edinburgh is a great opportunity to try some of the local specialities. 

Fried Duck Eggs on Haggis

Staying at the Hotel Du Vin, described on its web page as "Nestled deep in Edinburgh's Old Town and housed within a former city asylum" was a treat in itself.

There was an eery feeling in the twists and turns of the corridor as though you might be sharing the hotel with former residents. The random deep nooks and crannies in the exposed stone walls didn't help matters in this particular department. 

Mini oat muffin with butter

The fancy-pants monsoon shower, fluffy over sized robes and underfloor heating in the bathroom plus the amazing breakfast was the icing on the cake (let me tell you I felt pretty darn spoiled and it wasn't even my birthday!). 

Along with the 'let's stuff ourselves' breakfast on offer, the Nespresso machine  was an unexpected extra bit of culinary fun in the hotel room (who expects to fall in love with a coffee-maker while on a weekend city break?).

Nespresso!

Consequently I am now debating which cute colourful Nespresso machine will share my kitchen counter with my toaster & kettle, roll on January sales!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of those unique holidays which most Americans look forward to and which we try our best never to take for granted. 

It is a holiday revolving around being thankful for what we have, being surrounded by family and close friends, and not a single gift is exchanged(except maybe a hostess gift or two).


I am always so grateful when I am able to spend it back home with my family and this year is one of those special years. 

I haven't yet graduated to being the main cook on Thanksgiving (what a scary thought that is!) but I like to contribute something to the table.  

As a member of the family who enjoys baking (and there are quite a few of us) I decided to make a dessert and in my eyes there are two main Thanksgiving desserts: Pumpkin Pie and Pecan Pie.  

One of these traditional desserts was already spoken for but no one had baking rights to the Pecan Pie yet, so I was quick to claim it.

I envisioned little individual pecan pies, a muffin-sized pie to be exact (I'm slightly obsessed with muffins) the perfect portion that no one can say no to really.

So I set about finding a recipe that I could mutate.  I found a recipe for Mini Pecan Pies on the Myrecipe.com web page which was from Southern Living magazine November 2008. 

The recipe used a package of frozen tart shells which I decided could easily be substituted with my clever unbaked pie crust plan.

Long story short, I followed the Southern Living recipe for the pie filling and created my own little plan for the crusts.

My dad supervised as I hesitantly put the muffin pan with the half-baked crusts filled with delicious pecan goo into the oven and 25 minutes later.....voila!

Here is the recipe, which I've slightly adapted, from Southern Living November 2008:

Mini Pecan Pies (adapted from Southern Living NOVEMBER 2008)

Ingredients

• 3 cups chopped pecans
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup dark corn syrup
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• two unbaked, ready rolled pie crusts
• some flour for sprinkling on the crusts

You will need: muffin tins totalling at least a dozen

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant.

2. Unroll the crusts. Dust some flour on both sides of each pie crust. Using a wine glass turned upside down as a rough estimate cut rounds out of the crusts.  I was able to get 7 or 8 from each crust, although I did get creative and have to mush together the scraps and re-roll them to get the last round. 

3.  Push the rounds gently into the muffin tin, being careful not to put any holes through the dough as you press them in, the edges may overlap or be somewhat wrinkled as it is pressed into the tin but this is OK. Bake in the oven (without the filling) for roughly 10 minutes at 350ºF just to part bake but keep watch so it doesn't burn.
4. Stir together sugar and corn syrup in a medium bowl. Stir in pecans, eggs, and next 3 ingredients.
5. Spoon roughly a TBSP of pecan mixture into each crust. Ensure there is a good amount of the liquid in each and not just pecans since the liquid is what binds the filling together.

6. Place muffin tin with filled individual crusts into the middle rack of the oven.
7. Bake at 350ºF for 25 to 30 minutes or until set.

8. Remove to wire racks, and let cool completely (about 30 minutes). Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.