Yorkshire Puddings

It seems like my post about Yorkshire puddings last week was rather timely as it turns out Yorkshire pudding makers in Yorkshire are seeking EU protection for this food in an attempt to boost sales. Check out this article on the BBC news website.

It they get their way, I guess that means I won't be able to make "Yorkshire" puddings anymore as I live a long way south of Yorkshire!

Beautiful Cakes

I love baking cakes, and I get lots of compliments when I do, but I've never been one to make fancy decorated cakes. This isn't because I don't like them, it's only because I find the whole idea of them very intimidating because I don't consider myself very artistic! One day I'm going to try my hand at decoration, but for the moment I'll content myself with icing and a few carefully placed adornments - like the odd sugar flower or some shiny chocolate discs.

My cousin Esther on the other hand, makes and decorates the most amazing cakes.  When we had our tenth anniversary party nine years ago, Esther made us an anniversary cake that was tastier and even more beautiful than the one we had at our wedding.  One time when we visited for a family dinner there was a beautiful cake spread over the dining room table of her Mom's house, all decorated with gorgeous sugar flowers. The only thing that has stopped her from turning her cake making into a business so far is a lack of time, but she does occasionally make cakes to order for customers in the Sarnia and Bright's Grove, Ontario area. Here are a few of her creations:-





Check out these cupcakes - yummy!



And the pièce de résistance - a 16th birthday cake complete with a hand made iPod Touch!



Esther is really generous with her recipes and shared this recipe for her chocolate and banana cake with me a few years ago. It’s one I make quite regularly as it is keeps so moist and delicious. It even freezes well (without icing).  I tend to freeze slices as opposed to the whole cake as then you can just thaw a slice or two at a the time. 

I have played around with the recipe a bit, as some of the ingredients – like Crisco - are not easily available in England.  No matter what I do though, this cake is always delicious.  Esther recommends you frost it with your favourite chocolate icing which is fabulous, although when I’ve been pressed for time or wanted to freeze some of the cake, I’ve just sprinkled it with icing sugar. It’s very tasty that way too.
 
Esther’s Amazing Chocolate and Banana Bundt Cake 

1 cup Crisco or softened butter
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup sour cream
(I have used crème fraîche when unable to find sour cream - and I use the low fat variety as well so I am sure you could use low fat sour cream)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2½ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/3 cup cocoa
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup boiling water
 
Preheat oven to 160ºC or 350ºF.   Grease and flour a Bundt or tube pan.
 
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, cocoa and salt.  Set aside. Cream together the Crisco (or butter) and sugar in a large bowl.  Add eggs, one at a time, and continue creaming.  Add bananas, sour cream and vanilla.  Blend well.  Now add the dry ingredients you set aside earlier and stir until mixed.  Carefully pour the 1 cup boiling water over the entire mixture.  This sounds silly, but it really does work!  Blend the water in.  The batter will be quite loose, but that is okay. 
 
Pour the batter into the pan and bake for about 40 to 45 minutes until just starting to brown and a cake tester comes out clean.  Allow to cool for 20 minutes in the pan before attempting to remove the cake.  If you are planning to frost the cake, or dust it with icing sugar, be sure to allow it to cool completely first. 

The Difference Good Service Makes

I have always believed that the quality of service you get in a restaurant affects your enjoyment of the meal more than anything else. Even if the food is only just okay, good service can make or break an evening. I had first hand experience of this the other night in Santana Row, San Jose.

A few evenings before, my husband and I had gone into Maggiano’s restaurant in Olin Avenue just on the off chance of getting a table. They were really busy, but the hostess said that if we waited in the bar for about 45 minutes she could get us a table. We were in no rush and I was very happy to have a cocktail, so pulled up a chair at the bar and settled in for a chat. While we sat there, I noticed plates of food coming out that looked absolutely wonderful. My mouth was watering, especially when I saw a side dish of asparagus that had more of my favourite vegetable on it than I had ever seen in one place before. I was just commenting on it when our pager went off. It was less than half an hour later so our expectations had been managed beautifully.

Everyone was really welcoming as we walked into the restaurant, and our server was with us before we knew it. She was really chatty and informative, and helped us to get to grips with an absolutely huge menu. There were so many choices. She mentioned that “small plates” would actually serve two people, and that we should only order a large if were really, really hungry. As servings are generous in the US anyway, and we had no fridge back at the hotel for a “doggie bag”, we decided to take her advice. So we ordered a small Caesar Salad, a plate of lobster linguini and one of those lovely side orders of asparagus I had seen when I was sitting in the bar.

When it came to the wine list, our server was really well informed, and helped us to choose an excellent wine at the price point we wanted. She did not even attempt to up-sell us, and brought us a really interesting wine with a great story behind it from Seven Daughters Winery. It was a blend of white grapes and my goodness it was delicious – nicer in fact than many other wines I have paid a lot more for.

The Caesar Salad was just right for sharing, and it was beautifully prepared. Our pasta was wonderful, and not only was the “small plate” enough for the two of us, we actually could not even finish that. The side of asparagus was absolutely loaded with beautifully steamed spears that in the end even I - the queen of asparagus lovers – could not finish. Seriously, there were at least three dozen spears of asparagus on that plate. My husband and I were just pleasantly full, and we had brilliant service throughout the meal at just the right speed – not too fast, not too slow.

We really could not manage dessert, and our server did not attempt to push us to have any. Instead she brought us a complimentary plate of beautiful half moon shaped lemon iced cookies – on her! They were light and delicious, and we managed to find room for every single one of them. The whole bill with wine was less than $75 (plus a generous tip) and we had a fantastic evening. In fact, it was so good that my husband, who was in San Jose on business, decided we should bring some of his team to dinner at Maggiano’s when they arrived in San Jose from the UK on the weekend. We booked a table for six people on the Sunday evening.

It was busy when we arrived with the others on Sunday, but no busier than on the night we had come on our own. We didn’t have to wait long for our table, but I was sad to see that our server was not working that night. Never mind, there was a nice chap assigned to us so we were sure all would be well. Unfortunately, he was clearly overwhelmed. He offered no explanation of the menu, leaving our guests a bit bemused when we tried to explain that you really did not need to order one dish each, and that it was better to share. I could see them thinking that perhaps we were trying to be cheap.

We ordered the wine straight away, choosing the one we had the first night we visited. I kid you not, it took nearly thirty minutes for the wine and soft drinks to arrive and the server still had not taken our order. We had to ask for the drinks twice. No one wants to feel rushed, but this was ridiculous. When the server finally came to take our order, he further reinforced the idea we might be trying to be a bit cheap by doing nothing to indicate he agreed with what we were saying about the serving sizes, encouraging us to order quite a lot. It was embarrassing because we knew there would be far too much food, and yet we did not want to appear to be inhospitable to our guests. We had three starter dishes between six people, all of which were very good, but by the time we had finished we were all getting pretty full. The three main courses – large plates this time – we ordered were more than enough food for seven or eight people. They were all well prepared, especially our by now favouite lobster linguini and a dish of steak medallions with garlic mashed potatoes. Sadly the delicious Shrimp and Angel Hair al’ Arrabbiata was barely touched as no one had any room for it. The service was mind-bendingly slow throughout and we were in the restaurant for almost three hours – this on a night when most of party were severely jet lagged and just wanted a nice meal before retiring. It was like pulling teeth trying to get a second bottle of wine as well.

We were so disappointed, and the other members of our party were at a loss as to how we could have raved about our previous experience. Needless to say our bill was expensive, particularly as we left a huge amount of food on the table.

And this is where it all falls down. Our four guests will never return to Maggiano’s again. Although the food was very good, the service was so poor it has put them off completely. It has certainly made us think twice about going back again or recommending it. Although we hardly live locally, we and many of our contemporaries visit the area regularly. The company my husband works for has a base in that area with a huge number of employees – and word travels fast about good or bad places to eat. It’s a bit like the old shampoo commercial – “and she told two friends, and so on and so on”. It’s not like they are going to go bankrupt over it or anything, but they will lose potential business. As for us, we’d probably give Maggiano’s one more try based on our first experience and the quality of the food. But there’s only two of us, and I’d hesitate to recommend the restaurant based on our second experience.

So often there is not enough importance put on the fact that good service can make or break a restaurant. It’s not just about the tip a server gets (or doesn’t get) that night, it’s about whether people tell their friends good things about a restaurant and whether they come back. It’s also about what people say and write. If I had only gone to this branch of Maggiano’s in Santana Row the once it would have made it on to my Recommended Restaurants page no problem. As it is, I really cannot put it there, and it is completely the fault of the server on the second night.

Waiting staff are a huge part of a restaurant's lifeblood. They need to be trained and nurtured, and their performance needs to be monitored if a restaurant wants repeat clientele. Leave things to chance and a restaurant won’t just lose the people who dine there on a particular night, they'll lose future business as well. It’s a timely lesson in these days of a wobbly economy, and one restaurants will ignore at their peril.

Yorkshire Puddings

There is something so wonderful about having everyone home again after having spent two weeks in various different parts of the world. First our son was in Spain while we were in California, then he returned to England a few days before I did, at which point my husband was still several thousand miles away while our son and I were at home. Yesterday however, we were all n in one place once again and my sense of contentment was so great that I was inspired to cook a traditional Sunday dinner - roast beef and all the trimmings - including (and especially!) Yorkshire pudding.

Whether or not Yorkshire pudding was actually invented in Yorkshire is a matter of debate (except amongst those who live in Yorkshire) as the original version was actually called "dripping pudding" and first appeared in a cookbook back in the mid 1700's. Dripping of course referred to the meat drippings the pudding was cooked in - and those first puddings were plate-size, not the small individual Yorkshire puddings more commonly served today.

People seem to fall into two camps; those who feel they can make Yorkshire puddings and those who feel they cannot. Certainly these fluffy accompaniments are temperamental souls, rising and falling seemingly at a whim. I have to confess that if I am cooking for large groups I almost always buy ready-made Yorkshire puddings to avoid the unbearable suspense as to whether they are going to turn out as I want them to or not. The embarrassment of deflated puddings is just too much for me. I'd rather have the shame of hiding the wrappings from the ready made ones!

My Mom made amazing Yorkshire puddings, the kind that stayed puffed up even after they had cooled. In fact, it was a favourite shared treat of my Dad and I to enjoy the cold puddings for dessert the next day with a spoonful of strawberry jam tucked inside them. Sometimes my Yorkshire puddings stay puffed up like that, sometimes they don't. However there are rarely any left over to enjoy the next day - like any treat, they have a habit of disappearing.

Of course people still make plate size Yorkshire puddings and when I enjoyed one filled with sausages, potatoes and onion gravy one evening in the Midlands I understood why. I've never attempted that sort, although the recipe is virtually the same. Mine are always made in large American style muffin tins. I also use olive oil instead of dripping or fat from the roast. It means that my Yorkshires are suitable for everyone, even if they don't eat meat, and I feel it gives them a lighter flavour. (I've never been a fan of using beef drippings for gravy or for cooking. It's a controversial stance in some cases, but one I have always stuck to!)

So this is my recipe for Yorkshire puddings which (almost) always rise to fluffy gorgeousness. There are two key things to note about making Yorkshire puddings. The first is that you want the oven as hot as possible. I always cook them after I have removed the meat from the oven to rest and then I put the heat up to about 225℃ or 450℉. The second thing is, once you put them in the oven, don't open the door no matter what. You can see if they are done when they are risen and brown. Open the door at your peril, for they will almost certainly collapse. I speak from bitter experience here! Also, although they are pretty good at staying risen and puffy, I leave nothing to chance and serve them immediately after I take them out of the oven. (I often plate the food up while they are cooking.) Oh and one more thing - I'm never one to add an extra step to a recipe unless I feel it is utterly necessary, but please do sift the flour. The results are so much better when you do. And don't leave out the secret ingredient - it gives the Yorkshire puddings a lovely texture.

And now I will stop being bossy and share my very simple recipe for The 21st Century Housewife's Yorkshire Puddings!

1 -1/2 cups milk
4 eggs
pinch salt
2 cups plain flour, sifted
scant 1/4 teaspoon baking powder (my now not-so-secret ingredient!)

Put about a half teaspoon of olive oil in each of the muffin cups of a 12 cup muffin tin (the large American style muffin size). Put the pan in a very hot oven.

Beat the eggs and milk together until light and fluffy. Sift in the flour, salt and baking powder.

Carefully remove the pan from the oven and pour the batter into each muffin cup until about three-quarters full. Put the pan back in the oven, and shut the door carefully. Cook for about 15 minutes until risen and golden. They should look something like this:-



Serve immediately.

Rice Krispie Squares

Remember these? If you live in North America you’ll remember them from every buffet table and every school bake sale of the 1970’s and 80’s. They were a huge part of my childhood.

I have fond memories of making these with my Mom. I can remember painstaking counting out the “40 marshmallows” the recipe called for. My Mom always said, “Honey, you don’t have to count the marshmallows. There’s usually about 40 in a package – maybe a little more, maybe a little less, but it won’t matter.” I was okay with the more, but not with the less – so I kept counting!

I used to make them with my son when he was little. Then one time when we were making them, he slipped on the stool he was standing on to stir the marshmallows. I couldn’t grab him in time and he managed to catch his neck on the pan and burnt it as he fell. (Yes I know now that it was a dumb idea to have a five-year old standing on a stool to reach the stove, but at the time it seemed perfectly safe. The stool was especially for kids and I was standing right there.) Although it wasn’t a serious burn (I took him to the doctor to be sure) and it didn’t leave any mark, we never made Rice Krispie squares together again, despite his numerous requests that we do so. In fact, although he is scarred neither physically nor emotionally from the burn experience, it took me years to get over it. The first time we made Rice Krispie squares together again was about a month ago. My son is seventeen years old.

Anyway, since then I’ve been making up for lost time, and we’ve been having Rice Krispie squares quite regularly. You’d be amazed by how much people love them. Over here in England where I live now, not every one remembers them from their childhood, but they still love them! Marshmallows over here are somehow different in taste and texture, making them pretty much unsuitable for melting, and it used to be nigh on impossible to get North American style marshmallows. (I used to bring marshmallows back with me in my suitcase when I visited Canada.) Now you can get what I consider to be “proper” marshmallows fairly easily, at the big warehouse store Costco and from speciality importers of foods from Canada and the US like American Sweets in Aldershot and the Canada Shop in Covent Garden in London. Both have on-line stores too.

To make these sweet treats, I use the time-honoured recipe that Kellogg’s post on their North American website, with the addition of one extra ingredient. My best friend’s Mom used to make the most amazing Rice Krispie squares and she shared it with my Mom. Just add one to two tablespoons of corn syrup as you stir in the Rice Krispies. If you are familiar with Rice Krispie squares you will be amazed at the difference it makes to how they taste. Okay, okay, it’s yet more sugar in something that is already alarmingly sweet, but nobody ever said Rice Krispie squares were healthy. Kellogg’s may have tried to imply it, but seriously – 40 marshmallows and three tablespoons of butter definitely negates any health benefit of eating something made with rice cereal, no matter how nutritious that rice cereal might be to start with. A little corn syrup isn’t going to make that big a difference! If you live in the UK and can’t get corn syrup easily (the Canada Shop does stock it) you can always use Lyle’s Golden Syrup.

Anyway, I urge you to give these delicious squares a try, whether you have ever made or tasted them before or not. For me, they are a blast from the past but even if they are new to you I’m sure you will enjoy them. And seriously, next time your little one mentions those dreaded words “school bake sale” – these take about ten minutes to make and they definitely qualify as home-made. Just cut them up in small squares make little packages of three or four in food safe cellophane bags, tying them with a ribbon. I can tell you from experience, they disappear from bake sale tables almost before anything else, no matter what country you are in!

Rice Krispie Squares

3 tablespoons butter
40 marshmallows - American style, a brand such as Rocky Mountain, not European-style marshmallows like Haribo
(This is about 1 large package or half the very large package of Rocky Mountain brand. You can also use 1 large package of mini marshmallows.)
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
1 to 2 tablespoons corn syrup

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low to medium heat. Add the marshmallows, and melt into the butter, stirring almost constantly with a wooden spoon. Be careful the marshmallows don’t start to catch on the bottom of the pan.

When the marshmallows are melted, remove the pan from the heat. Quickly stir in the Rice Krispies and the corn syrup, making sure the cereal gets totally coated in the buttery, sticky marshmallows.

Now here’s the tricky bit. Transfer the mixture to a 9 x 13 inch pan that is about 2 inches deep. Now, using two buttered knives (just run them along a block of butter to lightly coat them), firmly press the mixture into the pan until it looks like this.



Allow to cool at room temperature. Then cover with Saran Wrap or cling film and put in the fridge. They will keep for a couple of days in there, if they last that long!

Serve cut into small squares with a knife. Once they are cool, they are not so sticky so are pretty easy to serve. As I said, it’s hard to qualify these as a nutritious snack, but I comfort myself with the knowledge that as this recipe involves cereal, there must be some good in it! Perhaps it is nostalgia on my part, but for some reason, they taste particularly lovely with a glass of ice-cold milk.

The 21st Century Housewife's© Club Salad

I invented this recipe on a busy weeknight a couple years ago, and it has become a family favourite. Based on the flavours in the iconic Club Sandwich, it makes a delicious and satisfying meal. The best part is that in my experience, kids really like it too.

If you are watching your pennies (and who isn’t these days!) there is no reason why you could not wash and prepare your own salad leaves. I was just in a hurry the night I developed this recipe and as I had some bagged salad on hand, I used it instead.

This should serve 3 to 4 people.
  
1 very large bag of ready washed mixed salad
1 to 2 cups cherry tomatoes, rinsed and drained
2 or 3 cooked chicken breasts, chopped in bite-size pieces
(the ones you buy ready-cooked from the grocery store are fine)
1 cup cubed pancetta or unsmoked bacon lardons
(or 5 to 6 slices of bacon, chopped)
Honey Mustard or Ranch dressing
Croutons
 
Place the salad leaves in a large bowl.  Add the tomatoes and cooked chicken.  Fry the pancetta or bacon until done, and then add them to the salad while still they are still warm.  Dress the salad with the dressing, toss and divide between three to four large salad bowls. Garnish with croutons.  That is all there is to it!

Guglielmo Winery

You don't have to travel to the Napa Valley for the best of California wine. About 20 minutes south of San Jose and an hour south of San Francisco, there is lovely vineyard tucked away in the countryside - the Guglielmo Winery. Family owned and operated since 1925, this Morgan Hill based winery is now being run by third generation brothers, George E, Gene and Gary. It's a real family affair and each of the brothers specializes in a different area; in university one studied wine making, one marketing and one finance, making them the perfect family winery team.



Whether you enjoy white wine, red wine or Port, this is definitely the place to go for inventive flavours and a great day out. Tastings cost only $10 and include several reds and whites. The staff are incredibly knowledgeable, friendly and clearly love their work. The atmosphere was so convivial I felt more like I was in a friendly local pub or wine bar than in a winery. We met some really interesting people and learned a lot about some really delicious wines. There is also a wonderful gift shop with lots of interesting wine-related gifts and accessories.



Guglielmo Winery holds lots of special events including a quarterly "Cork Equity' event. The vintner blends the leftover wines from several different grapes into a delicious blend and offers it for sale at $5 per bottle. The only catch is you have to bottle and label it yourself. Based on the number of folks we saw having fun doing just that, this is really no hardship at all. Indeed it is such an enjoyable process that these 'Cork Equity' days have become incredibly busy - so much so that the vintner actually makes sure he has extra wine for leftovers and blending. I tasted this Cork Equity blend and I was blown away by its wonderful balance of flavours.

I can understand why Guglielmo's blends taste delicious - because the single grape varieties we tasted were also extremely good. I particularly enjoyed the Petite Syrah 2007 (which goes on sale in March) and by their Sangiovese. Their 'Tré' line of wines are excellent too - particularly the Chardonnay and the Merlot. We were also delighted by their delicious ports. Emile's Port is a lighter, fruitier wine which would be lovely with almonds or tapas and their Eredita Port -made with Portuguese grapes grown at the winery - is a more traditional full bodied dessert wine.

If you find yourself in the Santa Clara area, I highly recommend a visit to this beautiful winery. It's a great day out in some beautiful surroundings and if you are anything like me you will definitely want to bring some of their delicious wines home with you. I only wish I lived closer!



Our tasting at the Guglielmo Winery was complimentary however I was not asked to write this piece which contains my honest personal opinion.