27.12.08: Out to Le Mercury

The bread. The wine. The candlelight (trust Us, it's there).

For Her b-day, They decamped to Le Mercury, Their favourite Frenchy restaurant ever - the one with the perfect buzz of romantic atmosphere, low prices, and, of course, good food. We first sampled the mussels and frites here together over 14 years ago, and we love it no less now than we did then. We pay it fewer visits now we no longer live in North London, but we think of it often.

We'll let the captions do the description on this one.

His moules marniere: mussels in white wine with
cream, shallots, garlic, lemon and parsely

His entrecote a l'echalotte: rib-eye steak chargrilled and served with shallot sauce

HE SAYS: Mmmm, mussels in creamy wine sauce. What's not to like? With the added bread basket I was set for an evening of soaking up and savouring the delicious nectar. And then came the steak in all its perfectly cooked and succulent splendidness. The fries were a marvelous crispy, sauce dipper when all the bread disappeared and the shallot sauce waited to be devoured. Did we have a salad? I remember little of it (must of been the wine). For dessert, I thought the coconut sorbet was perfectly paired with the pineapple, and I left full and satisfied into the very chilly north London night, secure in the knowledge that Le Merc still delivers a fantastic night out for pennies.

Her tiger prawns cooked in parsley and butter, with chili aioli

SHE SAYS: I was so happy to sink into our window seat after a l-o-n-g (but good) day at the after-xmas sales. I simply cannot believe we've not paid Le Merc a visit all year long. The thin, perfectly crisp frites are reason enough to go, but my fall-apart pork with its jus and baked apples gave me even more reason go mmmmm. The prawns were yumsome and indulgent, tho' the sauce was simply run-o-mill chili mayo, nothing special in the aioli dept.

Our frites and green salad, and Her poitrine de porc: slow-roast honeyed
pork belly with confit celariac and granny smith apple

Being the b-day gal, I chose dessert, and chose with restraint. Two days of cheesecake will do that to you. While I thought the glaze could have been a bit less rushed, the flavour combo of coco-pineapple was deeply divine and refreshing. Happy b-day to me, and make no mistake.

Our glazed pineapple with coconut sorbet, plus a decaf coffee for Her and a latte for Him

25.12.08: Traditional turkey dinner and birthday cheesecake

Dessert first: He made the most sumptuous birthday cake She's ever had (yes indeedy, he made it), the macadamia toffee cheesecake from Ottolenghi. Behold and be jealous: that's a deep cheesecake base made with real vanilla bean; a handcrafted macadamia nut-brittle topping; and lashings of praline-like caramel draping the base. (We did wait til after dinner to dig in, but it deserves top billing, doncha think?)

He also sourced the giant prawns you see before you, and boiled 'em up good to serve with some M&S salmon mousse and fresh leaves for a jolly xmas starter at His family 'ome.

By the time we got to the main course, we were all a little out of focus. His mum and youngest bro tended to the turkey; His mum did the sprouts and red cabbage (it's her recipe, after all); bro sorted out the roast potatoes with a rubbing of goose fat, and the two bros together managed a gravy. What was She doing, you ask? Chilling out in the den with a movie (a birthday girl has certain privileges).

HE SAYS: The cake was a little daunting but came out great, lots of steps and only a few mishaps along the way to create a very tasty volcano from close encounters. The rest of the meal was also satisfying; the turkey especially came out all nish and tender (maybe it was the ample strips of bacon that were laid on its back while cooking). Me mum's red cabbage was not better then my modified version but a little less vinegary and intense. The 'taters roasted in the goose fat also never fail (well, how could they?). Oh, and the giganto shrimp were surprisingly tasty for their size. Loads of food with no drama makes for a happy christmas.

SHE SAYS: I admit to misgivings about the prospect of xmas dinner his year, and quite happily also admit they were unfounded. The monster prawns were sweet and easy-peel, given extra flavour by bro-in-law's coriander-chili dressing. The big bird was perfect: golden, tender and juicy. I didn't really need gravy, but took a smidge for tasting purposes (not bad, not fab). The potatoes were equally amazing, but I could only eat one by the time I got around to them, much as I wanted to have more.

Red cabbage was the main course stunner, prompting me to ask what might be different from the 14-yr-old recipe we've so carefully archived, and lo! All these years we have missed out a few cloves to spice things up. I could have guessed but didn't. Notes will be made.

Now, the cheesecake. Oh my. The base was so densely rich and mildly sweet, I would have happily had it alone. But then I would have been denied the delights of the fudgy caramel, plus the crackling roasty macadamias. A blissful balance of nutty and nectar, not to mention creamy and crunchy. (Thanks, sweet thang.)

14.10.08: Red prawn and mango curry

Five days, aaaand we're back: He stirred up the red prawn and mango curry from Nigella, already, pairing it with a brown and wild rice mix. A heartily varied salad of avo, figs, radishes, sweetfire beetroot, spinach and watercress did its best to upstage the bowl, aided and abetted by leftover wasabi-lime.

HE SAYS: I think I put in the right amount of fish sauce this time around. Also, the shrimp were cooked just enough - instead of turning rubbery, they were fresh tasting and delish. Agree with Her about the rice not being cooked enough, I added more water but it just wasn't enough. The salad was a cornucopia of freshness, hitting sweet and savoury notes. The dressing added the peppery tang we luv and after the last bite and the washing-up, it was all over until tomorrow.

SHE SAYS: Really perfect balance of coconut milk to curry paste (heat!) and fish sauce (quite a bit less than recent versions). Rice could have used a little more cooking time for the wild rice to soften up some more, but it's a small quibble. Salad was a sweet-tart delight made zingy with the dressing, but do prefer fewer types of veg in the salad in general or it becomes a kitchen sink kind of thing.

08.10.08: Red prawn and mango curry

He whipped up the weekly red prawn and mango curry made with butternut squash and sweet potato, courtesy of Nigella Express. A mixed leaf, tomato, olive, Apetina cheese and physalis salad tried to muscle in on the action.

SHE SAYS: Soothing, sweet, tangy and yet mild - a soothing bowl of sumpin' sumpin' to offset yet another trying workday. I appreciated the generous coconut milk content, and he got the rice nice and tender this time. The lightly marinated Apetina-garlic-olive combo was mighty pleasing, too, though it's somehow not as salty as the plain variety.

HE SAYS: I was back to the easy pre-cubed squash and and sweet potato variation tonight and I am not sure if it made too much difference in taste compared to the chopping-your-own version we've had of late. The consistency was definitely more soupy then we've recently had, that's for sure. I may have put a touch too much fish sauce in (again) but the depth of flavour was good and spicy. A welcome return of the Apetina with olives provided the salad with a special guest segment enjoyed by all.

24.09.08: Red prawn and mango curry

He once again wheeled out the family fav, red prawn and mango curry made with butternut squash, sweet potato and mango, courtesy of Nigella Express. A rocket, pear, tomato and radish salad tried to get in on the action.

SHE SAYS: Curry had that nice tangerine hue that signals plenty of coconut milk, and the soft yet substantial sauce did not disappoint. Really good balance of sweet to savoury, with a pleasing mango zing pulling it all together. Mildly sweet slices of pleasurably grainy pear made up for overly strong rocket in the salad - maybe rocket contains an especially high concentration of iron this time of year?

HE SAYS: Since the store was out of ready-cubed squash, potato and mango I picked 'em up fresh and chopped them by hand. This didn't take any time at all and I would do it again (the packaged stuff yields less and costs more anyway). Because of the larger amounts of key ingredients I let the curry cook longer then usual and a lot of the sweet potato dissolved nicely, creating a more substantial portion and a creamier texture all round. This was quite a hot and spicy batch and I may have put a touch too much curry paste in but was careful not to over do it with the fish sauce. Overall, I was pleased with the results, a very rich and comforting meal with low prep is always nice. The reappearance of the pear in the salad was appreciated and the I enjoyed the mix of soft and crunchy bites (of pear and tomato vs radishes) too.

11.09.08: Faux pho part deux, and Willie's BBQ

Play it again, ma'am: She took the easy option after a somewhat aggravating day and heated up some of Tuesday's shrimpy broth with rice noodles, then tarted up the leftover salad with some more leaves and eggy avo - not to mention the wasabi-lime dressing in its cute li'l lunchbag bottle, originally a tiny soy sauce container that came with some packged sushi. Don't you wish you had one?

SHE SAYS: Good enough, but this was not the kind of soup that improves in the fridge. It wasn't any worse either, just remarkably, exactly the same: light, in need of copious spritzes of fish sauce, and filling. I'd like it a lot if I had a cold, b/c it's so innocuous but with just enough floral/grassy lime-leaf flavour to make it mildly interesting. The avo was particularly good tonite, and with slicks of wasabi-lime it was a treat of smooth near-decadence.

HE SAYS: Went off the beaten path and got me some ribs at Willie's bbq joint here in Austin, A tiny little down home place I found at the bottom of this link. I felt a little intimidated to take any actual food shots (this shot taken in the safety of my car) but the grub was great; the meat on the ribs was falling apart tender with little fat and smothered in a spicy, not too shweet sauce.

This was not the most healthy dining option, especially compared to Hers (then again, I only got the half rack) but oo-weee, it was fine dining. The ice-cream scoop of potato-mustard salad with sliced pickles and smokey baked beans had me salivating before I proceeded to devour everything in my path, including the two slices of plastic "sealed for freshness" bunny bread (which did incredible mopping up duties), and not forgetting dem crackers. All washed down with a glass bottle of A&W. Burrrp.

09.09.08: Faux pho and NY home cookin'

First, an announcement for all two of Our Gentle Readers: He's travelling on family-related biz for a bit and so will have to update with His own good eats from the road, while She does the cooking AND the washing up all lonesome-like.

But tonite, She may make him a little jealous with Her pho-like interpretation of Jamie's fusion broth from last week, subsing prawns for chicken, cheating a bit with some M&S readymade fish broth, peppering the pot with some dried lime leaves and adding several spritzes of stinky fish sauce. Meanwhile, carrot prepared with the KTOTY, some cherry toms, toasted sunflower seeds, and mixed leaves conveyed a fresh batch of wasabi-lime dressing from plate to palate.

SHE SAYS: I was craving something simple and nourishing to keep up me strength while the mister's away, and this proved mighty fine for the purpose. It desperately needed the fish sauce, though - the M&S broth, while authentically shrimpy even before the prawns went in, proved far too delicate to carry a soup. Top tip: dry-grilling prawns is only a good idea if you prefer vigorous grill-pan scrubbing to reading, websurfing, watching telly, and various other enjoyable evening pastimes. Overall, the chicken version of the soup is more impressive, but this one's worth repeating with sturdier stock. Prettily piquant wasabi-lime dressing paired up with the deeply toasty seeds to make plain salad unusually mmm-worthy.

HE SAYS: Wow, She does make me jealous but I still had me some good nosh. After a long journey to NYC, I sat down with the family to a hearty roast chicken and vegetable plate which definitely surpassed all the airline crap I was offered on the plane. The salad was a simple crunchy lettuce affair with a balsamic dressing, not a carrot or beetroot in sight unfortunately, but still good. Ended the meal with a nice palate cleanser of mixed raspberries and blueberries. Lots of red wine was consumed and I collapsed into bed, tired but content. [Photo to come.]

KTOTY - kitchen tool of the year, aka julienne peeler

29.08.08: Out to Sheesh Mahal

It's just the kind of Friday nite where you exhale, walk around the block, and plunk yourself down for comfort-inna-curry.
First up: the inevitable poppadoms with the sweet chutney, the minty coconut thingy, and the raita, with sliced onion standing by.

Pilau rice and - what else? - chicken tikka masala...

...plus (new!) king prawn pathia, billed as 'sweet, sour and hot', and, making a 2nd appearance, lamb rezalla ('fairly hot and sour').

SHE SAYS: Lamb rezalla is one serious curry, deeply flavoured and tender, with no hint of the cloying that affects some of their dishes (such as the saag paneer, otherwise a surefire fave in any Indian eatery). I don't know if I can resist ordering it from now on. The new prawn dish barely rates an 'enh', though; it almost tasted off, even, and was only saved by a hint of smokiness; the tomato sludge it sat in didn't add anything nice, either. Chicken tikka masala was as rich and creamy with that nice charcoaly taste offsetting the sweetness just so.

HE SAYS: The CTM was great, creamy and not too shweet. I agree with Her that the prawn dish was a little fishy tasting and I count myself lucky that I felt okay the next day. The lamb dish was probably the best thing on my plate, really quite a hot one but also very aromatic and satisfying. I missed the chickpea dish we usually choose but we were a little legumed out by the end of the week.

07.08.08: Big Salad and black bnz

They both put together the big, big serendipitous salad which included prawns, eggs, beetroot, tomatoes, physilis, radishes, and carrot with wasabi lime dressing. The leftover bnz helped fill in the corners.

SHE SAYS: It was impossible to plan dinner tonite due to work overload mixed with potential (but not realised) social calls, but various freezer and fridge odds 'n' ends came to the rescue. while overall it was v. good, and it was fun to have the bnz as a sort of hot treat rather than centre-plate, there was one letdown - those frozen prawns were wrinkly, tough and not-nice in flavor at all. Only the wasabi dressing made them palatable. All the rest made a great combination, though, and it was quicksmart to boot.

HE SAYS: The big salad was a big hit with me. The egg was the crowning glory of the plate, agree with her that the prawns were a little tasteless and rubbery. I added a few slices of smoked salmon to my serving (She didn't fancy it, even though She is a smoked salmon fiend) and drizzled on the dressing o' the week (or the year?), thus making the big salad a little bigger and a smidgen mo' tasty too.

17.06.08: Chickpeas with rocket and egg

Nigella's chickpeas and rocket, without rice, but with a nice boiled egg on top, plus a salad of young mustard leaves, cherry tomatoes, avo, boiled prawns (prawns!) an the last-minute star of the show, Nigella's wasabi lime dressing.

SHE SAYS: Always a convenient, wholesome option, but I couldn't get the chickpeas to develop that velvety texture I prefer. Wonder if the organic ones we use now are less prone to the velvety thing? Firmness seemed to be a theme: I boiled the prawns too long, which detracted from the aura of 'extra special' we wanted to add to the salad. But my quick mixin' of the wasabi dressing lifted it all up to another level of flava-flav and made us wonder why it took us so long to make this green goddess of a dressing again.

HE SAYS: The chick peas like she said were a little on the tough side, still tasty and not at all musty like some other canned verities can be. The salad dressing was wonderfully tart, zesty and hot at the same time, could have this more often and same goes for the prawns, nish touch.

06.04.08: Spring prawn, tomato, and green bean stir-up

Something a little lighter for spring, even if it is snowing: She turned her hand to a slight adaptation of the 'pan-cooked giant prawns with mangetout, peas and butterbeans' from Jamie's Dinners, subbing fine green beans for the mangtout (snowpeas) and less-than-giant prawns, plus sneaking in a couple of slugs of white wine near the beginning The salad nudging in on the scene brought pear, grapes, Apetina feta cheese and mixed leaves to the party.

HE SAYS: A nice, lighter meal compared to recent dinners. Thought the inclusion of white wine was a genius stroke, as it proved the vital base note for the other flavours after simmering. The organic butterbeans had a very interesting and complex taste to them. Will have to try and include them in more recipes. The salad was greatly improved by the inclusion of my favourite feta (I'm very particular about my feta, anything remotely goaty makes me gag) - its saltiness and sharp flavour do it for me, baby.

SHE SAYS: Tasting as I went along, I wasn't sure this was going to be anything but a bland, soupy mess, but the lemon juice and parsely stirred in at the last minute really pulled it all together. Also, I thought this combination of stuff surely cried out for a few cloves of garlic, but I'm so glad I stayed my hand: the result was tangy and shrimpy, with a hint of bisque to it, and garlic would have disrupted the lightness of flavour with a taste too pungent. Felt rather virtuous to chomp down all those green veg as well, esp after last nite's brunchy extravaganza. Like Him, I enjoyed the intensely salty feta, but as you may already know I have a soft spot for goaty cheeses, too - bring on the feta in any form, sez I!

24.02.08: Laksa with prawns and scallops

Sunday cooking for friends, with hastily snapped photos: Jamie Oliver's Laksa-style scallops served over rice noodles, accompanied by a salad of oven-dried tomatoes, fancy mozzarella, and a simple lemon vinaigrette. And for dessert: scoops of Green & Black's Vanilla ice cream plus some of the remaining margarita ice cream, topped with sliced strawberries and granadilla passionfruit.

HE SAYS: Scallops were perfectly seared, and had a delicate flavour - very tasty. The rice noodles could have been a little warmer, but the laksa broth was fragrant and I gladly mopped it up with a few pieces of French bread. I enjoyed the ice cream selection, especially the margarita one, with a few crushed Jules de Strooper almond thins.

SHE SAYS: I'm always up for some scallops, they're probably my favourite seafood treat. The laksa was light and tangy, less heavy than a normal curry. Agree noodles would have been nicer if piping hot. Thought the salad was particularly yummy with the intense thyme-infused tomatoes and subtle mozzarella. Two thumbs up on G&B's vanilla, though our own margarita effort more than held its own. Agree with Him, you can't go wrong with the almond thins.

28.01.08: Stir-fry with rice

A reliable side gets promoted to a main: the fancy veg paired with prawns, straw mushrooms and water chestnuts over rice.

SHE SAYS: Enh. Not particularly inspired, but not bad. Would have been improved with some hoisin sauce, but I opted for light over sweet.

HE SAYS: I think I enjoyed it more than She did. Healthy and tasty.

24.01.08: Home and away

SHE SAYS: The M&S crayfish sandwich is always decent filler on the train when I have to jet to a nighttime activity. I prefer their poached salmon sandwich, but this one was tasty and soothing, with just enough rocket to give it some kick.

HE SAYS: A quick, improvised dish of trofie pasta with king prawns, butterbeans, spinach and canned crushed tomatoes. Turned out nice, but the pasta could have been cooked longer, it was more al dente than I would have liked. Next time, I would add a little olive oil to the pasta...

20.01.08: Seafood lasagne

A worthwhile Sunday effort layered with prawns, cod, salmon, and a creamy white veg sauce. This one's from Cook with Jamie. Plain crunchy salad with radishes and cucumber do a cool balancing act on the side.

SHE SAYS: Outstanding. Fine dining in me own home.

HE SAYS: The sauce was delicious; it was like a shrimp bisque. The corn pasta sheets are just as good as regular - you can't taste the difference, in my opinion. It was like a very fancy fish pie, without the bloaty potato consequences.