tagged ‘cheese’

Agathe Cerezo from Champagne + Fromage

in The Others -

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Agathe Cerezo, Assistant Manager of Champagne+Fromage, from Metz, France, lives in Bethnal Green, London

As clearly indicated from last week’s posts, cheese is only one of my absolute favourite things to eat (baked camembert anyone? or a bite of an ever so fancy comté grilled cheese?). So when I discovered Champagne + Fromage in Brixton, about 6 months ago, it quickly became one of my go-to destinations both for shopping and for a relaxed night out: the cheese and charcuterie platters are a ‘best of’ of what’s in store and the small dishes they offer, such as the champagne/ pear crostini, are delicious and taste even better with a glass of champagne- or two. [READ MORE]

Quince paste with lemon & ginger

in Desserts, Small bites, Taste -

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Here’s the story of the quince and I: my parents dine out quite a bit and when I was in college,  when I’d come home for the holidays, we’d often all go for dinner at my parents’ favourite local restaurant. Everything about it was old school: the decor, the grumpy-looking, yet surprisingly friendly staff, the customers (mostly bachelors in their 50s, journalists, artists and writers, wolfing down their dinner, while reading the paper or spying at other diners) and, mostly, the food: simple, old fashioned one pot meat dishes, casseroles and seasonal salads served with red and white house wine. For dessert, my parents almost always ordered the baked quince, cooked with a sweet wine sauce and flavoured with cinnamon and cloves- or at least that’s how I remember it. [READ MORE]

Baked camembert with fresh & dried fruit

in Small bites, Taste -

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This weeks is all about cheese, only one of my favourite things to eat. I’m not a snob when it comes to it- I love almost every kind, in almost every form. Growing up, there was always a few different cheese varieties in our fridge (popular Greek ones, Stilton, parmesan and often a French one); that’s still the case with my fridge. I stock up on cheese almost every week and even though I don’t discriminate, I’ve noticed that here in London, I’m quite partial to French varieties. [READ MORE]

Crunchy pumpkin & feta turnovers

in Savoury, Taste -

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One of my favourite treats during the holiday season was the little cheese pies (tyropitakia) my maternal grandma used to make; shaped like teeny tiny croissants, filled with feta and brushed with lots of butter, they were delicious and irresistible- like, really irresistible: I usually ate three in a row, took a break, then had another three, and repeat all over again, as practice makes perfect.

[READ MORE]

Cavolo nero, pine nut & cranberry quick pasta

in Savoury, Taste -

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Last Friday night I arrived back home in Athens for the holidays. Ever since, I’ve been in the midsts of a tornado of love, affection, confrontation and laziness. Along with my sister, I’ve also been caught up in a semi-frantic, absolutely childish, totally satisfying holiday mode, which includes blow up candycanes, so many fairy lights, very moderate wine drinking, beautiful festive flowers, gift buying and wrapping and lots and lots of menu and party planning. [READ MORE]

Banana bread with mascarpone, maple & lime cream

in Desserts, Taste -

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Banana bread was one of the first successful desserts I ever made. I started off with some almost-black, sad looking bananas, some sugar, butter and flour. It was a no-brainer, really. I chopped up whatever was left from a dark chocolate bar (chocolate bars can always be found in my kitchen- black chocolate, so it’s all good, right?) and, in a moment of culinary inspiration, I decided to also include some crushed cardamom in the mix. I felt proud and grown up. [READ MORE]