Recipe: Mini Apple & Cinnamon Loaves, perfect for afternoon tea

For the want of the price of tea and a slice

When I was a youngster I was obsessed with all things tiny. In fact, I can boast that I managed to squeeze 52 items into a matchbox once. In a similar vein, miniature cupcakes, cookies, apples, chipolatas were exponentially more fun than regular sized foods. I believe this may be a product of being an '80s child, when all foods were either shrunken or enlarged. To some extent I have not grown out of this, and when I spied small baking loaves, well, they had to be mine. The inaugural baking event was apple and cinnamon loaves served with spiced honey cream.

When As well as having that homely, domestic goddess appeal to them, the loaves taste great too. They are beautifully spongy with a subtle spice. Together with the spiced, honey cream you have an amazing teatime treat. Feel free to play with the quantities if you would like more kick from the ginger or sweet from the cinnamon. We are at the tail end of the apple season, but there are still good quality fruit out there.

For the cake:

• 3 tsp vanilla extract
• 8 tsp ginger syrup
• 80g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 200g self-raising flour, sieved
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 100ml milk
• 25ml buttermilk
• 2 tbsp apple sauce
• 1 red apple cored and thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 medium red apple
• Knob of butter, melted
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

For the cream (for two cakes):

• 8 tbsp double cream (low fat)
• 1/2 tbsp honey
• Shake of ground ginger
• Shake of ground cinnamon

Method

1. Grease 4 mini loaf tins (but depending on the size, this could make more)
2. Pre-heat the over to 160C / Gas Mark 4
3. Beat the butter, sugar, vanilla extract and ginger syrup until light and fluffy
4. Add the egg and beat further
5. Gradually stir in the flour, baking powder, milk and buttermilk
6. Add the apple sauce
7. Transfer to greased loaf tins
8. Lay the slices of apples on top in a concertina fan
9. Mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle about 3/4 on the cakes
10. Lightly baste the apples with the knob of melted butter
11. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden
12. Remove from the oven and sprinkle remaining sugar and cinnamon.
13. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before removing from tins and allowing to cool on a rack.

We accompanied the mini loaves with the spiced cream, but you can also serve with custard or ice cream. Enough loafing around, get baking!

Review: Indali Lounge, Baker St. …the guilt free curry house?

He was sitting Indali Lounge of the Empire Hotel

We felt compelled to complete our week of posts on UK National Indian Curry week by reviewing a restaurant. It is freezing in London at the moment and a curry seemed just the ticket for warming us up. We decided we wanted to eat at a healthy Indian restaurant.  We found two, one of which was Indali Lounge in Baker Street. The principle and credo of the Indali Lounge is to avoid butter and ghee in their foods altogether.  We were eager to taste the results.   

We arrived a little early so that we could enjoy an aperitif in the bar, which looked quite appealing on-line.  Indeed it was chic and sleek, with sprays of lilac and Eastern influences.  I enjoyed the house champagne cocktail an Indali Royale, whilst Keith chose a Passion Mojito. Our cocktails were served with light poppadums and three types of chutneys, all of which were delicious; onion, mango and mint. 

The wine menu had a number of wines of good reputation a Gewürztraminer Pfaffenheim, Chateau-neuf du pape, Chablis.  However, the menu was safe and unambitious.  It would have been interesting to have had a choice of more experimental options.  We picked the Gewürztraminer Pfaffenheim, which of course in a perfect pairing with spice. 

For Starters I chose the Goa masala grilled prawns and Keith picked the Salmon in Kerala spice.  Both were fabulous.  You would not have an inkling that they were in any way low fat.  Keith’s salmon had been slow cooked (one of Indali’s many methods for retaining flavour) and the texture was amazing.  It was so soft it just melted on your tongue like ice-cream.  There was some heat in the spice coated around the salmon, but it was not overpowering.  My chunky prawns were also fabulous; Aromatic with just the correct amount of sweetness from the coconut. We were off to a good start. 

For our main courses I picked the Chicken Tikka and Keith went with the Old-Delhi Chicken kofta curry.  Both were fine  tasting, but we did feel there was room for improvement.  For example, the chicken tikka had all the correct flavours but was missing something in the consistency.  We debated whether Indali Lounge should have perhaps called it something different, but I will come to that. Keith’s koftas lacked texture and the sauce needed a kick.  The “naan” bread meanwhile was delicious.  It was oaty and fluffy.  

By dessert we were surprisingly stuffed, partly because we fell in love with the naan bread and when the waiter popped around with extra fresh hot bread, my weak willed nature kicked in, and I accepted an extra slice (or two).  We decided to share a dessert of Homemade Fresh Kalakand Mawa with Almond & Pistachio which is a North Indian traditional desert of milk pudding concentrate baked with ground almond flavoured with saffron and cardamom, served with a section of Kulfi.   The milk pudding was slightly too rich and sweet for our palates and the presentation was not great, but the Kulfi was fine and tasted of vanilla ice-cream. 

We love the Indali Lounge concept of healthy eating, because we know that with fresh ingredients, texture, consistency and carefully crafted flavours it is possible to achieve amazing results.  We believe that Indali Lounge has made a great start, one which we hope people will go and enjoy for themselves, if for no other reason than to have an opinion.  There are some areas which we think they could improve upon. 

Firstly, weirdly there is no dhansak on the menu.  This is strange.  A dhansak can be a great healthy curry with is packed with flavour and rich in texture and consistency. 

Secondly, rather than linking back to commonly known dish like the tikka, they chould perhaps consider creating standalone Indali Lounge signature dishes.  The fact that you constantly have this comparison in your mind, makes it harder to judge the curry for itself.  In this way, for example, the naan bread, could actually be called a flat bread, which is what it more closely resembled. 

Thirdly, where they lack taste through fat, they should concentrate on creating texture to their food.  For example Keith’s koftas were made of fine-ground chicken. Had they used minced meat, it would have added coarseness to the food and therefore more of a contrast to the sauce. 

We also felt that made they could cut back some of the sauce based curries and perhaps introduce sizzling or grilled dishes, which whilst healthy could also add some excitement to the menu. 

Lastly, the restaurant should work on show casing their food.  To that end, introducing a tasting menu of their signature dishes may be a great way of doing this. I walked away disappointed I had not had the opportunity to try more. 

We hope this does not sound like a negative review as we really loved the concept of Indali Lounge and would consider returning, especially through a health kick period.  We feel that even though they have been open for two years, they need further development to achieve excellence.  We love their philosophy and look forward to hearing more about their successes in the future.

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Related posts

• UK Curry Week: Original wine pairings to enjoy with your curry
• 10 Essentials for cooking an Indian Curry
• Recipe: UK National Curry Week. Kingly Lamb Korma, a kingly curry!

UK Curry Week: Original wine pairings to enjoy with your curry

Sugar and spice and all things nice, kisses sweeter than wine

Think about Friday evenings after work.  Being at home.  Appraising your wine options.  Selecting. Uncorking. Pop.  Glug, glug, glug. Sip.  Heaven.  God we love wine.

There are many passions in our life.  One which we have not had an opportunity to write about in depth is our love of wine.  God we love wine. 

Today we attended An Around the World Wine Tasting event ay Vinopolis, in London Bridge.  Rather than walk around with our glass pointing at wine and saying “can we try the red?”, we thought since it is UK National Curry Week (21^st to the 27^th November), it would be interesting to investigate which wines paired well with spicy eastern foods, in particular Indian curries.  We wanted to avoid the contrived Riesling, Gerwurztraminer, Zinfandel options and investigate what else is out there.

The overwhelming consensus was that a wine pairing with spicy foods should either compliment or contrast.  Anything in the middle will get lost.  General advice was to avoid wines which were too tannic (therefore a full bodied red), or too sweet or dry.  Several of the stands, straight of the bat, mentioned rosés.  This is due to their light, fruity and demure nature.  In no particular order are the top seven wines which were recommended to us. The last two were quite good fun, so we threw them in for good measure.

Clos Poggiale, Corsica (white)

This Corsican wine is ideal with food of all sorts.  Its unusual weighty flavours, acidity and richness makes it robust enough to take on the mighty spice.

Stockists:  Tescos (when in stock), wineandco.co.uk £11.82

Vega de la Reina, Spain (white)

Apricot, aromatic and sweet, this wine naturally lends itself to spicy food.  We would recommend it with a prawn dhansak.

Stockists:  Fine Wine Sellers £7.99

Yalumba Barossa Bush Vine Grenache, Australia (red)

This versatile wine would be perfect with red or white meat and even fish. It has a beautiful crimson depth and the aroma of black fruits.  We loved the delicious, smooth and creamy texture commonplace in a Grenache.   This wine would be perfect at room temperature or even slightly chilled in the summer.

Stockists:  Majestics £8.99

Louis Roederer 2004, France

Vintage Champagne.  Nobody cares if it pairs well or not with spicy food.  No truly, sparkling wines do not lend themselves readily to spicy food.  If you were to do this correctly, then a sparkling rose bottle of fizz would suffice.  Now back to that vintage champagne…

Stockists:  TheDrinkShop.com £52.82

Durbanville Hills, Pintotage, South Africa (red)

We chatted to one the sommeliers at River Café, Emily O’Hare about our quest.  One of her recommendations was this sweet clove flavour wine.  We were warned that the smoky flavour of this wine can be quite overpowering.  However, she recommended pairing it with a spicy grilled or tandoor meat, which we agree would be perfect.

Stockists:  SAwinesonline.co.uk. A bargain at £6.99

Duc de Vendome, Saint Mont, France (white)

The fresh acidity of this white wine will cut through the heaviness of a spicy curry.  Whilst, the presence of exotic fruit and frail sweetness would also offset the heat.  This winery is actually located in the lesser known sub region of Gascony in south west France.

We will leave it to the experts to provide the detail.

Stockists:  Waitrose:£6.64

Chateau Civrac, France (red)

35% Mabec, 50% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, this brooding red is quite robust looking and tasting.  The tannin structure of the wine may appear to be unsuitable for spicy foods, but its richness would probably put up a good fight.

Stockists:  Commercial only

If you have the cash and are curious:

Theophile, France

This creepy sounding wine is one to watch out for we believe.  There is a lot to say about the strange name (Homage to the trend setting Theo champagne of the 1930s) and unusual art deco packaging.  The champagne is quite interesting.  As a sister champagne to Louis Roederer, this sparkling wine is hot off the press (wine press that it is).  It has only just (and we mean just), been released.  Pale in colour and with a subtle bouquet, this champagne is made of young Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines.  We believe this wine would make the perfect aperitif to accompany a wide selection of canapés.

Stockists:  Still an orphan in that it is looking for a stockist, but available at Simpsons on the Strand

Inniskillin Rielsling Icewine 2007 – Niagra Peninsula, Canada

A wine from Canada?  Yes folks.  The wine is naturally frozen on the vine and picked when the temperature drops to -10C.  Only a fraction of nectar is captured from the grapes, which is fermented into what is known as icewine.  The syrupy wine is similar to a Sauternes in some ways, except it is lighter and has an excitement to it.  Perfect with dessert, you could possibly find this wine too heavy with a rich pudding.  However, the heaviness of the wine would complement a blue veined cheese perfectly.  Strange, we know…

Stockists:  DrinksDirect.co.uk £54.94

God we love wine

10 Essentials for cooking an Indian Curry

Spice up your life

This week is National Curry Week in the UK (21^st to 27^th November) and yesterday we began our celebration by cooking a Shahi Korma (Kingly Lamb). To continue the theme we are sharing with you what in our opinion are the essential ingredients and kitchenware needed to prepare a whole host of curry dishes.  Keith aka “Penn and Teller” has reluctantly agreed to share this with you.  You would think he was a magician who has taken “the code” rather than an amateur chef.  Anyway, have fun and enjoy some improvised fun. Just add your favourite meat, fish or vegetable! 

1. Whole Spices

Whole spices are the best to use when flavouring your Indian dish. The main reason is they still have retained the majority of their oils and this is where spices get their flavour. To get the most out of whole spices, it is a good idea to "toast" them slightly in a hot frying pan with no oil. Transfer the toasted spices to a mortar and grind with a pestle. Alternatively you can use a coffee grinder which has the same effect.           

• Cumin seeds
• Coriander seeds
• Cardamom pods
• Cloves
• Fennel seeds
• Bay leaves
• Black pepper
• Saffron

2. Powdered Spices and condiments

There are some spices and condiments that are more convenient when used in their powdered form. When putting together a dish on a weekday evening for instance, it is not always practical to toast and grind everything, so the below are recommended items to have in powdered form.

• Cinnamon
• Ground cumin
• Ground coriander
• Ground turmeric
• Dried chilli powder or chilli flakes
• Salt
• White pepper

3. Grains, Lentils, Pulses and Nuts

There are many different flavours you can extract from the spices in Indian cooking but the texture of the food is also very important. Texture can be achieved through the different methods of cooking lentils and rice.

• Red and split pea lentils - forms the base of dhal dishes and adds a thickness and boldness to a dish
• Peanuts, cashews and almonds - add crunch, nuttiness and richness to dishes, whilst providing good oils.
• Basmati rice - Indian dishes are usually served with rice. Fragrant Basmati rice particularly absorbs flavours of cardamom, saffron and cloves to make a delicious pilau.

4. Other Ingredients

To be able to reach out to a whole host of flavours, how you use the ingredients will distinguish the overall taste of your dish.

• Sugar - use sugar as a sweetener to balance sour and salty flavours or enhance other sweet ingredients such as tomato
• Coconut milk - provides a creamy texture and a subtle sweet and nutty flavour
• Tamarind paste - adds a bitter sweet flavour to savoury dishes and chutneys
• Root ginger - used to enhance blends of spices and add subtle heat
• Onions or shallots - used as the base flavour and sweetens a dish
• Garlic - not only is it great mixed with butter and spread inside a sliced baguette (although it is the future, I've tasted it!). When cooked cloves can offer a subtle sweetness, compliment the aromas and flavours from onions.
• Plain low fat natural yoghurt - used in korma dishes to make them creamy, also adds a slightly tart flavour.  The tartness should be mellowed out by the onions and garlic or alternatively add a little sugar.
• Fresh chilies - adds heat to dishes
• Lemon and limes – the acidic flavour adds spark and excitement to dishes to awaken the taste buds

5. Groundnut or vegetable oil

It is best to use these oils as they are neutral and will not interfere with the spices and flavours.  We especially prefer these in place of ghee, the traditional fat used in curries.  Whilst ghee is fine to eat as a treat, it is very unhealthy and for everyday cooking you get the same effect by using the above mentioned oils. 

6. Food processor

Preparing curries from scratch can involve grinding, pummelling, chopping and shredding. When you are short on time we would recommend you invest in a compact processor / blender to shred minutes off your prep time. 

7. Pestle and mortar

As mentioned before, get the best out of using whole spices by toasting and then grinding with a pestle and mortar as this is the best way of exciting the oils and maximising the flavour. 

8. Dedicated saucepan with lid and heavy based

It is a luxury, but if you can invest in a dedicated heavy based pan to cook your curries in, it can help avoid contaminating other types of meals you make with the stronger and pungent spices 

9. Heavy bottomed frying pan or skillet

A lot of Indian food requires frying with strong spices in a pan so make sure you have something that's up to the task. 

10. A fine grater

This is a great way of mincing garlic, root ginger and zesting lemon and limes.

We wanted to help demystify the curry and encourage you to open your pantry rather than a jar from the supermarket!  Whilst this is not an exhaustive list it is a sound foundation and demonstrates a desire to invest time in learning how to cook Indian meals, as well as open doors into other Eastern cuisines. Please feel free to add your own comments below.

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