Drinks

A very warming brew

12.29.2014 by georgie // 6 Comments

Well, Christmas has been and gone (hope you all had a good one!) and I’m back on the blog. I’ve missed this place! I thought I might get a chance to share some treats with you over the festive period but alas, it didn’t really go to plan (it’s been a roller coaster of a fortnight). I do have an epic mulled pear frangipane tart to share this week, but for now a simple one, to ease back in.

Today I was on my own for the first time in 2 weeks. It was a gorgeous sunny day and as much as I willed myself to go for a walk I actually quite liked just curling up in doors, it was lovely. Being on my own and a bit chilly made me want something nostalgic though – cue Cypriot tea. ‘What is Cypriot tea?’ I hear you all ask! It is simply tea, made in a teapot, with cinnamon sticks and whole cloves thrown in. (We drink it with milk and sugar- if you like- a bit like a mild chai). I really love this stuff, it’s like a hug in a mug. I need to cut back on the caffeine though, which got me thinking about roobios, and I’m glad to say not only does it work, but its darn delicious. It takes on a different dimension, and I pimped it a little by adding some pink peppercorns (picked by my Yiayia) which adds a wonderful fruity heat to the tea. No word of a lie, this is a truly perfect wintery afternoon brew.

A VERY WARMING BREW

A perfect non-caffienated winter warmer.

Makes 1 teapot

3 roobios tea bags or 2 heaped tablespoons of loose tea
A stick of cinnamon (a large one if you have them)
10 cloves
15 pink peppercorns

Place all the ingredients into your teapot and fill with boiling water. Leave to infuse for 3 minutes and then pour! Simple and delicious.

Wild plum liqueur

10.23.2014 by georgie // 5 Comments

I am lucky to have many wonderful friends in my life, some food lovers, some not (it isn’t friendship criteria but if you don’t appreciate/ love good food I will probably try and convert you). However it must be said that my friend Holly is easily be one of the biggest food lovers I know. I love Holly time, we’ll chat about all sorts of stuff but there will always be some pretty geeky food chat going on. The last time I saw her she had a log of Norwegian butter in her bag, that she had brought me all the way back from Norway, and a bag of frozen wild plums from a foraging trip to Kent. The time before that she brought me a tray of homemade coconut ice cream with rippled tamarind caramel. Seriously… it’s like crack.

So, the Norwegian butter I have eaten simply on fresh bread and it is wonderful, but the plums, well there was only one thing for it. Pre-weighed into 400g batches and frozen (this girl doesn’t mess about), it had to be booze. I love flavouring alcohol, and always have a few bottles on the go at any given time. Sloe gin, bergamot gin, limoncello, kumquat brandy… It is easy to do, tasty as hell and they make great gifts (we made a load for our wedding favours). For some reason I have never used plums or damsons before so was excited to add a new bottle to our collection. Now the obvious pairing for these autumnal treats is gin, and by all means use that! However it is not a joke when they call gin ‘mothers ruin’ so for now I am staying clear. I used good quality organic vodka instead, I just have to wait another month till I can try it…

WILD PLUM LIQUEUR

400g wild plums or damsons, washed and frozen
125g golden caster sugar
750cl good quality vodka or gin

You will need a 1L kilner jar, as the plums won’t fit in a bottle.

This recipe could not be more simple. Just layer up the plums with the sugar in the large clean kilner jar and then pour over your chosen alcohol. Seal tightly and give it a shake.

Store the jar in a dark spot, away from sunlight, and give it a little shake every day for a week till the sugar dissolves. Leave the jar well alone for 2 – 3 months, only disturbing it to give it a little taste after a month to see if it needs more sugar. Check the sweetness, adding another spoonful or so of sugar if it still feels a little tart. Then seal back down, give it a shake and return to your dark spot.

You can strain it after a few months, but if you can wait a little longer I would leave it. The more patient you are the tastier the booze.

If you want to add a little extra flavour to your liqueur, try popping in a split vanilla pod, or a few bay leaves. You could also make it a spiced plum liqueur for christmas, just add a cinnamon stick, a few cloves, a couple of cardamom pods and a few peppercorns half way through steeping. You don’t want them to overpower the plum flavour, just add a lovely wintery warmth.

Finished booze shot to come…

Sweet like chocolate

10.07.2014 by georgie // Leave a Comment

Like a lot of people I often need a 3pm pick me up. A caffeine hit. A sugar high. But since I made a real effort to cut out most sugars from my diet (me and the rest of the world) and cut back on the caffeine, I’ve been at a bit of a lose end. My go to option for most of the year is a hot chocolate. It ticks a lot of boxes for me – sweet, warming, delicious, easily consumable and I don’t feel too guilty (with skimmed milk, obviously). However, at the risk of sounding smug I genuinely find a lot of hot chocolates too sweet now. Cutting out a lot of sugars has been interesting, my palate has changed and foods I adored before have become less desirable and less tolerable.

My favourite hot chocolate which I will make a bee line for is Paul A Young’s, which he sells in his beautiful London shops. At around £4 for a small cup it isn’t cheap, but I think it is worth every penny. The smell that hits you when you walk into the shop is insane, and then you spot this vat of hot chocolate simmering away in the corner, with a little spice rack alongside it… Well, it’s all very ‘Chocolat’, very sensual. Interestingly the hot chocolate is dairy free, using just water instead of milk, which is said to get the most out of the chocolate. So with the days a little colder, I’m needing my fix again, and have decided to make my own.

PURE HOT CHOCOLATE

If you are thinking creamy milky hot chocolate, think again. This is rich, short and intense. I use Hasslacher’s 100% pure Columbian cacao for this recipe, and it is heavenly – very pure, nothing added and naturally high in antioxidants . You can order it on Amazon for only a fiver.

Serves 1

15g of 100% pure cacao chocolate (2 squares from a bar of Hasslacher’s)
A tablespoon of agave syrup, honey or light muscovado sugar
a stick of cinnamon or a few cardamom pods, lightly crushed

Melt the chocolate in a small milk pan, over a low heat (as per packet instructions) being careful not to burn the chocolate and letting it melt slowly. As soon as it has melted whisk in 200ml of water with your chosen sweetener and spice. Simmer over a low heat for a few minutes until smooth and hot, but not boiling. Whisk again, taste (carefully!) and add a little more agave/ honey/ sugar if necessary and serve.

Hasslacher's chocolate — Hasslacher’s chocolate