Making Banana Cake - add a twist of your own creation.

I'm back after a break while I moved house and got engaged! 

Here is a staple in our house - Banana Bread.

I have several different recipes for banana bread. This one is my favourite because it is so so easy and so so so quick. All you do is measure out the ingredients, put them into a food processor, mix and bake. No folding in, no difficult steps, that's it.

We sometimes use it for breakfasts during the week as, once it's made it needs no prep time. For the breakfast version, I use wholemeal flour and add a teaspoon of baking soda to help the heavier mixture to rise. This makes it healthier and more filling.






So, the basic recipe is:
2 ripe bananas
170g caster sugar (brown sugar can be nicer though)
170g self raising flour
170g margarine
3 eggs
A few drops of vanilla essence







Yummy things to add: chocolate chips, dried apricots, raisins - your call. Whatever you put in,  make sure you save a small amount of the banana to slice and put on top, it looks good as well as tasting good!

This time, I decide on raisins and as a bit of a twist - I soaked them in Pimms first! This guarantees that the cake will be moist and also that it will be richer than usual. I find this recipe comes out differently but well every time. 

Give it a try! x

Restaurant Review: The Jolly Scholar

The Jolly Scholar - a 'bastion of good food and drink'? 

Only two days after this Restaurant/ Cafe/ Champagne Bar opened, I went along to find out if it could live up to this accolade.

Previously 'The Bun Shop' you can find it at:

1 King Street

Cambridge
CB1 1LH
Tel: 01223 316877

Arriving at this restaurant it was clear that they had made big changes - no more the dark wood traditional pub. Now you see a modern, clean and open dinging area. The doors were open wide and the room was light and airy. What was really lovely was that they had kept some of the old wooden panels and booths making it a more friendly environment. 

We were greeted by a very friendly and polite waitress who took very good care of us. If anything the staff were a little over attentive as we were asked if we needed anything several times per course! Perhaps because it was quite empty - but unsurprising for day 3. 

The menu is very user friendly and is broken down into: In the Beginning..., To Share - Or Not, A Little Bit of Veggie, Food from the Sea, Full Blooded, The Nippers (kids menu) and Scrumptious Puddings. This means that everyone should find something that they will enjoy.

We decided to share a seafood platter and it was quite some platter! Some parts were absolutely amazing. For me, there was a little too much fried food but the more simply prepared elements were really delicious. The mains were good but not great. Considering the quality of the ingredients it was just a little tasteless. 

The deserts were delicious and I'd love to try a few more next time! The one odd dish was their 'Cambridge Mess'. Their version of the classic Eton Mess. It looked and tasted OK but why oh why a Cambridge Mess includes banana, macaroons and kirsch I will never know! 

Our shared starter, mains and a side, 2 deserts and wine came to £75.  I didn't think that that was too bad at all. However some of my other favourite restaurants would have provided slightly better food at a similar price. There was also none of those little added extras that I like so much! You know, bread or olives or something. I'm greedy and so missed those yummy bits and bobs.

I would recommend... the Passion Fruit Pannacotta, it was amazing. Other highlights include excellent service and a lovely décor.

Would I go back? Definitely. As the Scholar had only just opened, I expected a few teething problems... and there were some (e.g. the phone lines and card machine didn't work yet). But I will definitely be going back to see the restaurant at its best and to try out that champagne bar opening upstairs soon!

Surviving the Post-Drinking Blues

So, you wake up in a panic... why oh why does it feel like someone tried to open my head with a meat cleaver? Why, please, is my mouth like sand and my stomach performing death-defying leaps? And then you remember. That's right, I drank my body-weight in beer. 

I may indeed have overindulged yesterday, due to arrival of the Cambridge Beer Festival featuring over 100 (mainly) very fine ales, cider and wine.

It was well worth it but getting your food intake right, can help a great deal in smoothing the road to recovery. I am not suggesting that cooking of any kind should be attempted until the latter symptoms have died away but this recipe is what I crave after that, when the hunger sets in and your body is desperate for proper nutrition. 

The recipe is my own creation and it utilises classic Asian flavours that are both comforting and reviving. The base is a fine broth and I have used dumplings but you could easily substitute these for noodles or anything else that you fancy. Prep and cooking time = 15 minutes.

Wonton Destruction (Serves 2 hungry people)

1/2 chilli

3 spring onions
1 clove garlic
4cm piece fresh ginger
bunch fresh coriander
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 pints stock
(chicken or veg)
1 pack Wonton Dumplings

• Bring your stock to a gentle simmer and add the dumplings. They will take about 12 minutes to cook and all the other ingredients need only 5/6minutes so that they keep their fresh vibrant flavours.
• While they bubble away cut the onions, coriander stalks and chilli in fine strips. 
• You can just chop the garlic and ginger too but I think it's easier to grate them using a mid/fine grater. It's quicker but also it becomes paste-like and will dissolve into the broth. 
• After the dumplings have almost cooked add the ginger, chilli and onions.
• After 12 minutes the dumplings and vegetables will be cooked. Turn the heat off and add the coriander leaves, sesame oil and soy sauce.
• Leave for around a minute so that the flavours infuse and the soup becomes a drinkable temperature.

                                 

Happy Bank Holiday Everyone!