Patio Drinks: Pimm's Cups

I don't think I'd ever even heard of Pimm's before I moved to England. I think the first time I noticed it was while watching 30 Minute Meals, and Jamie Oliver drizzled some Pimm's over sliced strawberries that were waiting to be spooned on top of cream and meringue to become Eton Mess (I haven't tried this myself but it sounds like a solid idea if you ask me).

I was intrigued. Then summer rolled around and Pimm's Cups started to become a "thing". I was keenly aware of all the signs at pubs and restaurants advertising pitchers of Pimm's and lemonade (i.e. 7-Up or Sprite, to us North Americans). I knew enough to piece together that Pimm's No. 1 is gin-based, and I like gin, and therefore I should probably hop on this sweet, sweet Pimm's train ASAP.

Keep reading »

Millionaire's Shortbread

Can you think of anything more boring than having to go to a philosophy seminar on a Friday afternoon, after a long week of classes and assignments and trying to make sense of the dry, dry texts you were supposed to read? Then, even worse, having to discuss those dry texts, trying desperately to sound like you have a clue about what's going on. That's how I felt before I had my first Friday seminar when I was going to school in London a few years ago - total dread.

... But then I actually went, and it wasn't that bad. We were just a small group of girls having a conversation for a couple hours before the weekend. Our instructor was awesome and made us feel like there were no stupid questions, and gently led us in meaningful, interesting conversations. I started to really look forward to Friday afternoons. It didn't hurt, of course, that we all started bringing wine and chocolate and cookies to these little seminars of ours.

Keep reading »

Villandry Salad with Roast Chicken, Green Beans and Beets

 

When I was going to school in London a few years ago, a bunch of us would usually get lunch at a place around the corner from us called Villandry. They had pretty pastries and imported foods and other gifty things, along with a really, really good salad bar. I would get pretty much exactly the same salad every time: arugula with chicken, green beans and beets. I don't know how I managed to gain so much weight in London if I was eating salad all the time (oh wait... it might have been all the junk food I was eating before and after the salad. Delicious British junk food...)

Keep reading »

Love Bars

 

I know that our sense of smell is supposed to be the sense most strongly linked to memory, but I think you'll all agree that certain foods can act as little time machines, zooming us back to a time and place buried in the past. Love Bars, which are sold at Pret A Manger (a sandwich chain in the UK that sells really tasty to-go meals), have this time machine effect on me; one bite and I'm back on the slow train to Chelmsford, eating my lunch after a long morning in the library. The ironic thing is that I would've been in the library researching nostalgia - the subject of my thesis - and now I'm waxing nostalgic about the delicious treats I enjoyed after studying (...and before studying, and during studying).

Keep reading »

Brown Butter Financiers with Maple Cream

Springtime in Edmonton, with its 5-foot snow banks, brown slush and icy winds, makes me a little wistful for the springs I've had in other places. In England, March through June is a storybook season: a little gloomy at first, then optimistically budding, then verdant, blossoming, and lush. You kind of feel like having a picnic at all times. March in Montreal is icy and cold, sure, but it's also "sugaring off" season - or as I like to call it, MAPLE TIME - when dozens of little shacks set up all over the city, offering every kind of maple confection. The smell of warm maple syrup is in the air, and it's effing magical. 

Keep reading »

Apple & Olive Oil Cake with Maple Frosting

This started out as another tribute to London - it's a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe - and yet, there's something very Canadian about it (it's totally the apple/maple combo). And it feels very appropriate for Fall; "Mmmmm... appropriaaaaaate" is what I said to myself while stuffing my face with cake.


Keep reading »

Green Tea Snog (Matcha Frozen Yogurt)

At the end of last summer, a group of us met for sushi to say goodbye to our friend Ellen - it was sad because she's so awesome, and goodbyes suck. It also kind of felt like the first nail in summer's coffin, if you know what I mean. Anyway, after sushi we wandered over to Snog and got frozen yogurt - I had matcha green tea with berries - and sat in the weird glow of Soho until it was time to finally part ways.


Keep reading »

Lantana Crack Cake

My very last afternoon in London, some of my friends and I planned to meet up to get coffee and say our goodbyes. I was the second of our group to arrive at Lantana, an Australian cafe in Fitzrovia, only to find that it was closing. My friend Jeannie and I had just enough time to make last minute orders – mine was an Americano and a Lantana “crack cake.” With a name like that? I had to.

I can’t be sure what exactly was in them; my memory’s hazy and I can’t find a description online (most of what people write about crack cake online are warnings: the Lantana website calls it “infamous”).  I know there was banana and coconut going on... maybe some pineapple? Cream cheese frosting, definitely. I remember it being extremely good.

Keep reading »

London: Ottolenghi cookbook

I love reading about food almost as much as I love making or eating it, which is why I thought I would feature some of the cookbooks I’ve collected over the past couple years. This is one of my favourites: Ottolenghi, the official recipe book of the much-loved group of London restaurants.

The Ottolenghi shops are probably best known for their salads and sweets, but there’s a bit of everything in this book – sweet potato and puff pastry galettes, cauliflower fritters, turkey sweetcorn meatballs... all photographed in lusciously vibrant detail.

Keep reading »

Apple, Ginger and Fig Tofu

Last summer I was trying really hard to be a full-time vegetarian (I think I must have watched Babe again and my inner child decided it was evil to eat farm animals). It turned out to be incredibly easy - London has hundreds of restaurants, cafes, and grocery stores that cater to veggies (and wannabe veggies). My favourite of these, hands down, is Tibits. Tucked away just off Regent Street, Tibits is a kind of cafe/bar/hangout with a massive vegetarian buffet - salads, samosas, desserts - all priced by weight. The first time my friend Christina and I went there, we sat on the patio and slowly made our way through the 20-or-so different things on our plates. I took a picture. Variety makes me giddy.



Keep reading »