Cocktail Trio (with some assistance)

By Friday afternoon there is a tangible quiver in the air come 4 o’clock as the many young professionals, hipsters and miscellaneous city dwellers feel the urge to baptise the weekend with alcoholic splendour. So, for those of you needing inspiration for that late afternoon tipple, here is a rundown of my 3 current favourites for the essential summer bevvy: the cocktail.

The Lost and Found: Smokey Joe

For those of you who follow my Twitter account @countryboyblog, you will have already seen that I have tweeted about this on previous occasions (and accidentally uploaded about a bazillion pictures of it by mistake...) This is essentially a whiskey and coke, but not like any you have ever tried before. Instead of standard coke, this is carbonated with smoked bubbles and finished with a shot of maple syrup, resulting in a sophisticated warmth to this beverage. At £7.95, this is not the cheapest of drinks, and can certainly be undercut by some local rivals, but what you are paying for is a quality drink, served by knowledgeable staff, in a quirky environment.

Bodega: Blueberry and Elderflour Margarita (Jack) and Raspberry Caipirinha (Sarah)

This was a bit of an impromptu cocktail stop after an afternoon at the Sea Life centre. Sarah and I (being strong willed as we are...) were tempted by the appealing offer of selected cocktails being available for £4 until 7pm. I opted for the Blueberry and Elderflour Margarita (right) and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect! Moving away from it’s more bitter counterpart, this one was edged with sugar and floated with a couple of blueberries. Flavour wise, the two main ingredients worked well together and the tequila (which I usually hate after one too many slammers in my uni days!) added spice and warmth rather than the customary burn. Sarah plumped for the Raspberry Caipirinha (left), a variation on the Brazilian classic, which met with her approval and was deemed ‘fruity but sharp’.  For two cocktails for £8 you can’t go wrong with this, but after 7pm there is a bit of a price hike so get there early to enjoy these creations.

Jekyll and Hyde: Love Heart (Jack) and Lemon Bon Bon (Amy)

The Jekyll and Hyde is part of the same chain as Bodega and as such, has the same offers on cocktails until 7pm. Amy and I had no need for this as we started mid-afternoon... on a Monday (guess that’s one of the perks of being a teacher that during the summer hols you can be slightly sozzled on a Monday afternoon!) True to it’s quirky roots, the Jekyll and Hyde is offering up sweet shop themed cocktails this summer, served in retro jam jars. What I liked about this was right from the offset, our cocktail maker knew what she was doing and was able to alter my Love Heart (left) to make it less sweet and offer her own recommendations. Both mine and Amy’s drinks paid homage to their sweet namesakes, but we were both in agreement that the Love Heart would be the cocktail of choice on future occasions.

The verdict...

Well judging by my tweets, the Smokey Joe is definitely the drink of choice for both quality and innovation, but... where did I end up going back to on Monday evening... The Jekyll and Hyde, and this time for the Turkish Delight cocktail, AND I even coughed up the full £5.50, post 7pm price for this and it did not disappoint. 

Yorks Cafe Bakery Brunch (With Sarah)

One of the things I like most about school holidays is the fact that I can start to really appreciate brunch, and the many places around Birmingham that seem to be jumping on the brunch bandwagon and putting a contemporary spin on classic breakfast dishes and serving throughout the day. I’ve always been a huge fan of Home Cafe Deli (Church Street) which serves a brilliant range of brunch items complimented with a wide range of artisan coffees, but today, accompanied by colleague and foodie side-kick Sarah, I finally made it to the much talked about Yorks Bakery Cafe.

Now I’ve heard a lot of talk about Yorks from both the hipster community and the professionals of Colmore Row, and in the current environment where the independent coffee safe is becoming a fixture in most towns, standards are high. You’ll probably remember my recent visit to BostonTea Party and the high praise that the brownie and smoothie gleaned from my critical palette, so the bar was set high, especially as Yorks is of the same ilk.

Location wise, Yorks occupies a prime spot just off Colemore Row at the top end of Newhall Street; right on the main path up from the Jewellery Quarter, and within a stone’s throw of the city folk of the numerous law firms. Inside, Yorks is bustling and welcoming with a range of seating options including some outdoor seating to make the most of the rare glimpse of sun. With the decor demonstrating a slight inclination to industrialism, with trendy bare light bulbs, exposed masonry and complimentary art work, it provides a sophisticated place for your morning coffee, whilst offering a sanctuary to those hipsters who savour each mouthful whilst pouring over their laptops.

There is a wide range of food on offer, with a standard brunch menu which runs throughout the week as well as an ever changing array of freshly made sandwiches and cakes. I opted for the Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Salmon at a cost of £4.95. For a brunch under a fiver, I was not expecting much if I’m honest, but I must admit I was amazed at what arrived at my table minutes after ordering! The eggs were presented neatly (and for those of you who cook, you will know that this is a near impossibility when working with scrambled eggs!) with a decent helping of salmon and a blob of mascarpone cheese to add more textural variety. What really impressed me was the quality of the bread (a nice artisan loaf, lightly oiled and toasted) which is testament to the fact that serious though has gone into the food that is served here. Sarah went for the other end of the spectrum, plumping for the stack of pancakes served with caramelised banana and maple syrup (£3.95). As someone prone to food envy, I have no shame in saying that these looked awesome! 4 pancakes served with a healthy dash of maple syrup and a whole banana is enough to meet the needs of most people’s sweet tooth!

To accompany my scrambled eggs I was lured into trying one of the array of fine teas on offer, and on this occasion chose the Jasmine Dragon Peal tea (which I won’t try to explain in detail, but essentially is balled Jasmine which slowly unfurls to infuse your brew with a light a delicate taste). Again, I was really impressed by the fact that this was served as loose leaf tea in an individual cafetiere as this shows real commitment to quality without the pretention and price that usually accompanies servings of this nature.

Once again, I had high expectations and once again, they were surpassed. I can see Yorks becoming a weekend favourite, especially in the cold winter months where the lure of a hearty brunch and steaming brew become essential. 

Oatie Cookies with about a million varieties (ish)

When it comes to biscuits, these oat based cookies really deliver! My mum originally discovered these in an American cook book that we bought way back in 1993 when we were in California. Just one of the 365 great cookie and brownie recipes the book promised, these are have become a firm favourite amongst family and friends alike. The base for these is really versatile and lots of things can be added or substituted to make sure that these suit your own taste. The basis I have used for this recipe is dark choc chip, with a slight hint of coffee, however if you scan down you’ll see some of my suggestions for what could be used instead. And the other good thing about these is that that can ready in less than half an hour to provide a great companion to that morning coffee you crave!

These are the coconut and white choc, with a few chilli and ginger I made for work. 

Ingredients (to make between 24 and 28, 2-3 inch cookies):

4 oz of butter, softened

2 oz granulated sugar

2 oz dark brown sugar

1 egg

½ teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 tablespoon of coffee liqueur or 1 tablespoon of instant coffee (cold)

3 oz flour

6 oz rolled oats

½ baking soda

½ teaspoon of salt

6 oz of choc chips.

Method:

Preheat oven to 150 C if using a fan oven like me, or 180 C if using a conventional oven.

Add the butter and sugar to a large bowl and mix well. Add the egg and continue to stir thoroughly. Following this, add the vanilla and coffee.

Add the dry ingredients and mix until it forms quite a thick cookie dough of a dropping consistency.

Drop the dough onto a greased cookie sheet 2-3 inches apart (I usually reckon 8-9 cookies per tray) and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Variations:

Now this is where these cookies come into their own! To strip this back to the bare bones, follow the recipe up to where you add the choc chips and coffee. Instead of this, why not try:

Removing a handful of oats and adding a handful of desiccated coconut and 6 ounces of white choc chips and mixing in to the cookie dough?

Adding a teaspoon of ground ginger and ½ a teaspoon of cinnamon (perfect for a festive variation!) Or maybe omit the cinnamon and add a good pinch of ground chilli for a warm afterglow.

Otherwise try my mum’s favourite: cinnamon and raisin. Or why not try white choc chunks and dried cranberries?

My most recent creation was with dark choc chips with a couple of teaspoons of grated orange zest and a tablespoon of orange liqueur.

And here they are! Choc and orange awesomeness!

The list is endless! Let me know what you try!

Panna Cotta with Raspberry Coulis

After being given some anodised silver pudding basins for Christmas last year I have been looking for something to try these out. I’d already used them with the Chocolate Fondants and they were very successful then, but a fondant in this hot weather wasn’t what I was craving. Panna Cotta on the other hand is a desert quintessential to the warmer summer months, served garnished with fresh fruit, refreshing coulis and finished with a sprig of fresh mint. This creation debuted for Alev’s birthday dinner, and again is completely gulten free. This version is served with a raspberry coulis, but there are many different variations that this can be served with. I’ve even seen it served with a chocolate sauce for those of you who are looking for some serious indulgence!

Ingredients:

(For the Panna Cotta)

3 gelatine leaves

250 ml milk

250 ml double cream

1 vanilla pod (split lengthways)

25 g caster sugar.

(For the coulis)

175 g caster sugar

175 ml water

200 g of raspberries (plus extra for decoration)

Method:

Soak the gelatine leaves in water until soft. They will get considerably larger, and try to resist the urge to touch them!

Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan and add the sugar and vanilla pod (complete with seeds) and heat on a low heat until gently simmering. Remove from the heat as soon as this happens.

Drain the water off the gelatine leaves, and add to the milk mixture stirring until dissolved. Pour the mixture into the pudding basins (this will make enough to fill 4 of approximately 150ml each. Leave these to cool thoroughly before chilling. When I made these, I made them the day before and left to chill in the fridge overnight but they do set within a couple of hours if time is a premium.

For the sauce, place the sugar and water in a pan and heat until the sugar has dissolved. Add the majority of the raspberries and blitz with a hand blender until smooth.

Press the blitzed raspberry mixture through a sieve to remove the unwanted seeds. Allow this to chill before serving.

Turn out the panna cotta when you are ready to serve and spoon the coulis around the base. Garnish with a fresh raspberry and a sprig of mint.

Country Boy says:

When turning these out, they can sometimes be a bit unwilling to leave the pudding basin so either plunge them into a shallow dish of hot water first, or quickly run a blow torch around the basin once upturned.

Variations:

The coulis can be made with any sort of summer berry (or a mixture if you wanted to be really adventurous!) Why not try it with blackberries in the autumn and when it comes to blitzing, throw in a few sprigs of mint to create a cool buzz, or use strawberries with a squeeze of fresh lime to add some zing. Let me know what you try. 

Chocolate Olive Oil Cake (for Sophia)

As you have probably gathered with my previous blogs, I associate the dishes that I make with certain people. This cake is one that I discovered a couple of weeks ago courtesy of the voluptuous Nigella so it probably should come with a warning about how sickeningly delicious it is. Anyway, enough of Nigella, this cake is one that I made with my especially awesome friend Sophia in mind. Like Alev, Sophia doesn’t eat wheat, but this comes with the added bonus (complication?!) of the fact that she also doesn’t eat any dairy either. Yes bakers, I know what you are thinking- worst nightmare and all that! But fear not, help is at hand in the form of this really quite surprising Chocolate Olive Oil Cake, which is a future staple of the City Kitchen. Sophia, this one is for you...

Ingredients:

150 ml olive oil (or any good quality vegetable oil)

50 grams of cocoa powder

125 ml boiling water

2tsp vanilla extract

150 grams of ground almonds

½ teaspoon of bicarb

Pinch of salt

200 grams of caster sugar

3 large eggs

Method:

Preheat your oven to 150 degrees (if using a fan oven like me, 170 otherwise) and grease a 9 inch spring form cake tin (or standard sponge tin works just as well)

Pour the boiling water into a heat proof bowl and sift the cocoa powder into this and whist vigorously. Add the vanilla and set aside to cool.

In another bowl, combine the almonds, bicarb and salt. Meanwhile beat the eggs, oil and sugar until you have a light yellow, creamy batter.

Following this, slowly pour in the cocoa mixture and continue mixing, then slowly add the almond combination to this as well.

Pour this into the prepared tin and bake for 40-45 minutes.

Country Boy says:

This cake should still look a bit moist when it is finished, and it does have a bit of a funky texture even when cool. When removing from the oven, slide a sharp knife into the centre and it should come out clean.

Serving suggestions:

This cake is so versatile you can either serve it warm with a spoonful of Greek yoghurt or crème fraiche, or cold with a cup of tea. I also found that this cake was at its best 24 hours after cooking as its had time to settle properly, so try and resist the temptation for that long, but if not, enjoy it when it’s warm and seductive.

I’ve also debated changing this up a bit with the addition of some crystallised ginger, finely chopped, when you mix in the three main ingredients. Have a go and let me know what you think. 

The Double Whammy: Boston Tea Party and Loki Wine (with Jess)

So it’s the school holidays, a time for teachers to catch up on their social life and hone their drinking skills during the 6 weeks of freedom. Invariably during the holidays, I manage some sort of alcohol and food filled afternoon with Jess as we meander around Birmingham putting the world to right. Our usual haunt is the chic and trendy Bodega (on Bennett’s Hill which I will be mentioning in a future blog), but today, seeing as it is the first week of the summer hols, we went for the double whammy.

First port-of-call: Boston Tea Party, 190, Corporation Street. I’ve come across this chain before in Exeter and was impressed then, so when I heard that a new branch of it had opened in Birmingham, I immediately added it to my list of places to visit. Located slightly out of the town centre, BTP Cafe is situated in a converted pub and still shows a slight inclination to its Victorian past. The interior is reminiscent of an American diner, with distressed red leather booths, but pays homage to the largely young professional clientèle with a trendy vintage décor.

Between Jess and I, we managed to try a good spread. Jess plumped for the tuna melt on a whole-wheat bread which met her approval, especially with the addition of capers, adding a welcoming tanginess which really set off the tuna’s flavour. Along with her standard Coke, she also sampled the Meantime London Lager, which she described as ‘light and hoppy’. Being more of a wine drinker, I will have to take her word for this!

I on the other hand, went for the current trend of super juices, with a Raspberry, Lemon and Mint Cooler. At £3.20 I had high expectations, and I was not disappointed. The flavours complimented each other beautifully and provided a zingy, yet refreshing summer beverage. Along with this, I decided try to homemade wheat-free brownie (in keeping with the wheat-free theme started by the Chocolate Fondant). This again surpassed expectations, and whilst maybe a little dense, the inclusion of dark chocolate made a very rich, indulgent and satisfying afternoon diversion. At £5.80 for the two, it is in line with the typical hipster cafes that seem to be springing up all over the place, but this one really delivered.

Stop two: Loki Wine, 36, Great Western Arcade. What a way to pass an afternoon! For all you fellow winos out there, Loki is a must. Offering a range of up to 24 different wines to taste via an innovative swipe card system, Loki makes wine tasting accessible, yet maintains a level of sophistication that tasting en masse often lacks. A minimum of a £10 top up is required to taste, and with this you can either charge your glass with a shot, ½ glass, or full glass of your favourite tipple. With my more robust palette I started with an 2009 Frescobaldi Chianti (which was probably a bit too full bodied for afternoon drinking without food), followed by a fantastic 2012, Amalaya Reisling which was simply stunning! Slightly more acidic, yet with a pleasing floral note, this is the perfect bevy for a warm afternoon. I might well go back for a bottle of this next time I whip up a Seafood Linguini.

Loki not only offers the tasting experience to passers by, but also various different events and speciality tastings. Also on offer are a range of Gins, Ports and Champagnes. For a more personal service than Selfridges and Harvey Nic’s, Loki will not disappoint

Cool Quesadillas

So you remember the Cool Summer Chilli I posted about? Well I had some left over (which freezes really well by the way!) so I whipped up these super quick Quesadillas. These are great for a mid-week dinner as they are ready in minutes!

Ingredients:

Flour tortillas

Leftover chilli

Cheese (mozzarella is best, but cheddar also works fine)

Butter or margarine

Method:

Heat a large, flat frying pan.

Lightly butter one side of the tortillas and lay in the pan. Cover one half of the tortilla with the chilli mix and top with a sprinkle of cheese.

Fold the other half of the tortilla over and press down onto the chilli. Head this through for about 4 minutes on a relatively high heat then turn over once golden brown and crisp. Repeat on the other side. Serve straight from the pan.

Serving suggestion:

I usually serve this with a light salad of rocket and watercress which was the plan for tonight, but my fridge was on the blink and my salad crisped a little bit too much...

If you want to jazz it up a bit more, top with a squirt of a hot sauce (Nando’s is good, although I hate to be a corporate sell out; maybe a homemade chilli sauce should be a summer project...) and a good spoon full of sour cream to offset the heat. 

Wheat Free Chocolate Fondant (for Alev)

I found this absolute gem of a recipe for my friend Alev when she came over for her birthday recently as she can’t eat wheat. I can hear that collective groan released when you realise that this awesome looking fondant is wheat free as yes, we all know that this means that it will probably have a texture somewhere between cement and sand paper. However, this is a real moist treat that knocks the socks off standard fondants. I think this is probably down to the condensed milk which is added to the recipe which keeps it moist and decadent. Now I will say that this photo is a second attempt at the first batch of these turned out a little bit like chocolate soup (which I was told tasted awesome nonetheless) but you do need to be strict with your oven timer when you make this one.

Ingredients:

55 grams butter

85 grams caster sugar

170 gram tube of condensed milk

4 large eggs

Pinch of salt

1 tsp of vanilla extract

1 tsp of coffee powder, dissolved in 1 tbsp of hot water

350 grams of dark chocolate (approx 50% cocoa solids)

85 grams of wheat free flour (I use Doves Farm, but you can equally make this with the same quantity of plain flour)

4 greased pudding tins (I grease in a downwards direction, then dust with cocoa and chill)

Variations:

This recipe can also be delicious with a couple of small additions. For a slightly boozier, more grown-up taste, a shot of Tia Maria can be substituted for the coffee, or perhaps jazz it up with the grated zest of an orange and a squeeze of fresh orange juice. Let me know what you think!

Method:

Beat the butter and sugar with an electric whisk until smooth. Add the condensed milk.

Whisk in the eggs one at a time then add vanilla and coffee.

Add the melted chocolate and the flour and whisk until the mixture forms a smooth, loose batter.

Spoon into the pudding moulds and chill. Place into a pre heated oven (150 fan assisted, 200 conventional) and cook for 12 minutes (the pudding should have formed a slight dome that wobbles slightly when touched. Some cracks might appear, but don’t worry!) If it needs longer, check it every minute until it has reached this stage.

The joy about this pudding is it’s sauce is hidden in the centre, but if you do want to indulge a little more, this is delicious served a spoonful of clotted cream.

Country Boy says:

When turning these out, run a knife around the top edge of the pudding only to loosen the pudding. Turn these over and cover with a tea towel and give it a good tap to ensure it has popped out neatly. Sometimes a tap can be a little less than required, so don’t be afraid of being quite firm. If it is sticking, ease it out gently with a thin knife.

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Spread the love (and the Marmite!)

Cool Summer Chilli

This is a recipe I originally found on the Jamie Oliver website and have made a couple of times since then. It’s a great alternative to the standard chilli and, whilst it still has the spice and some chilli powder in it, it’s perfect for the warmer summer evenings with generous sprinkle of cheddar cheese or a splodge of cooling sour cream. I recently made this for my friend Jess who, with her partner Scott, is one of the most regular visitors to the City Kitchen. Jess isn't a huge fan of beans in food, but this recipe even managed to win her over. It's a sure fire winner and definite crowd pleaser!

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

Splash of Olive Oil (Extra virgin ideally)

½ an onion, chopped finely

1 red and 1 green pepper, chopped into small pieces

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

1/4 teaspoon of chilli powder (more if you prefer)

1 tin of red kidney beans

Salt and pepper to season and a quick shake of dried basil.

For the crispy shells:

Tortilla wraps

Toppings:

Cheddar cheese

Sour cream

Method:

Heat the oil in a frying pan (I use a wok, but any large frying pan will do) and add the onion. When added the onion should sizzle in the hot oil. Stir immediately until the onion softens but doesn't brown.

Add the chopped red and green peppers and continue to stir for about 5 minutes, until softened.

Once the ingredients have softened, add the chopped tomatoes and stir. Sometimes I add a dash of water at this stage if I am going to leave it to simmer for a while. Add the kidney beans and the chilli powder and leave to simmer for 15-20 minutes, seasoning if necessary and adding the dried basil.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180 degrees (or 150 if you’re using fan assisted). Tear off 4 strips of tin foil (about 2 ft each one) and scrunch into a ball of about 4 inches diameter. Wrap the tortilla loosely around these until each forms a simple ball, and bake in the oven for 10 minutes until crisp. After 10 minutes has passed, remove from the oven and extract the tin foil from the centre.

Spoon the hot chilli into the prepared tortilla shells and serve with a generous sprinkle of cheddar cheese or a healthy dollop of sour cream. I usually serve this with a fresh rocket salad as this really compliments the sweet chilli flavour.

Variations:

If you like your chilli hot, after you have softened the onion, add ½ a teaspoon of chilli powder, ½ a teaspoon of cumin powder and then follow the same procedure as above. A good slug of red wine will add to the richness of the flavours too. (I usually make this version in the winter and serve over home-made potato wedges).

I am also a fan of adding some Quorn mince to this recipe after adding the chopped tomatoes and the kidney beans. This will mean you need to add about ¼ of a can of water to the mixture as the Quorn always seems to soak up loads of the tomato juice. 

Rocky Road (for Amy)

Rocky Road is a firm favourite in the City Kitchen, and what’s great about this is that it doesn't involve any oven time and is so simple anyone could make it! I spent a long time pondering what would be the first recipe on this new blog, but eventually arrived at Rocky Road after a conversation with my friend Amy (aka ‘Bridge’). Amy is someone who has been in the Country Boy Kitchen many times over the years and knows my cooking style as well as anyone. She suggested Rocky Road to premier on my blog after I sent her this rather delicious picture of my creation. So after the ‘rocky road’ of the last year, here it is, recipe 1: Rocky Road.

Ingredients:

100 grams of butter or margarine

250 grams of chocolate (I used dark choc, 50% cocoa, but it works just as well with milk choc)

200 grams of rich tea biscuits (digestives work just as well, but they will be slightly more crumbly once set)

Roughly half a bag of Pink and White Marshmallows

Method:

In a large saucepan melt the butter and the chocolate, stirring until they have formed a thick liquid.

Remove from the heat and leave to cool for approximately 10 minutes. Once cooled crumble the rich tea biscuits into the chocolate mixture and stir in. After this, roughly chop the marshmallows (scissors will do fine) and add to the mixture, stirring until everything is covered with the chocolate.

Line a rectangular tin with baking paper and roughly dollop the mixture in, making sure that it reaches the edges. Don’t try and flatten this down; leave it looking rough and textured.

Leave on the side until completely cool, then chill in the fridge to set (this usually takes a couple of hours to make sure it’s fully hardened.)

Cut into squares and enjoy!

Variations:

Now, if like me, you like raisins or sultanas, you can create a slightly chewier version by adding a handful of these when you are mixing in the ingredients.

For a more grown up palette, add half a teaspoon of chilli flakes (yup, you heard right) which will undercut the sweetness and add a warm after-taste. This variation is great for after dinner treat or a snack served with an espresso. If you do add the chilli, I would recommend cutting into smaller squares, rather than the more conventional bar shape. 

The re-birth...

Afternoon folks!

So after my previous incarnation as ‘Country Boy’ from ‘Confessions of a Country Boy’ I've had some time to reign in my puerile antics (to an extent: they will still feature along the way) and have no re-emerged as ‘Country Boy: City Kitchen’.

This is a project that has been offing for a while, and now, egged on by various friends and family, the motivation to put pen to paper (or in this case, fingers to keyboard) has come to fruition.

The recipes that are on the blog are all ones that I've discovered over the years and tested out on various willing friends who happened to be in the right place at the right time. I do want to make it clear that I do not claim to be the creator of these amazing recipes (although I really wish I was!) but they are things that I genuinely love making, and in some cases I have put my own Country Boy spin on them here and there, so look out for some unusual additions.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I hope you enjoy this whether you’re a regular at my dining table, or if you’re just passing by looking for inspiration. Comments are always welcome and I like to know how people are using these recipes and putting their own mark on them.

Enjoy!

Country Boy