Latest from Taste Festivals

Thursday, 17 June 2010 00:00

High Hops for Beer and Food

Beer - fermented goodness since 10,000 BC. As old as agriculture, it has bubbled along with civilisation for millennia. The incredible variety of beers around the world reflects the local and seasonal ingredients, environment, culinary culture and method of fermentation where it's brewed.

Given its ubiquity, there'll be a brew for every palate. Britain's cask-condition ales and bitters, Belgium's legendary abbey lambics, Czech pilsners, Irish stout, Bavaria's astonishing array of breweries, American and Australian craft brews and Japanese lagers - beer's reach is truly international and refreshingly democratic.

There's a growing consciousness of food and beer pairing as an alternative to wine: try a British bitter with sweet Gouda or mild Leicester, wheat beer with mussels, or porter with a rich beef and oyster pie. And as large brewers and the emerging crop of boutique breweries concentrate on high quality niche products such as single estate beers, ageing in oak barrels and champagne style maturation and bottling (think cork-and-wire cages), beer's position as a respectable drop with a huge dose of history can only improve.

Tuesday, 15 June 2010 00:00

Shaken, but not stirred - cocktails make a comeback

A lot of ritual goes into a cocktail: the associated names, ingredients and paraphernalia have an unmistakable aura of jazz, art deco clubs and Hollywood's golden age. Martinis, flips, sangarees, shrubs, and sours; lemon zest, bitters, olives and cherries; Boston shakers, ice strainers and mixing spoons - the variety and ritual of cocktails glitter with the memories of the bars, bartenders and drinkers that played a part in their creation.

Whether it's a masculine Manhattan - a Rat Pack favourite - a sultry Singapore sling, with its tropical and literary associations or the hot toddy, there's something of the 20th century's highs and lows in the recipes, as well as where and how they were drunk.

Despite a growing interest in wine, as well as the rise of bottled alcopops, a new generation of New York 'mixologists' have revived the art of the cocktail. Combining its glittering heritage with a healthy dash of molecular gastronomy - a style that in turn has reinvigorated haute cuisine - the trend has caught on with inquisitive drinkers after something more than an unwooded chardonnay. Lately, London has caught on, with bijou bars serving up scrupulously constructed cocktail alchemy alongside the traditional elegance of great hotel bars like The Dorchester, Brown's and The Ritz.

Tuesday, 01 June 2010 00:00

It's a scoop - ice cream goes molecular

It's some irony that the origins of modern ice cream probably lie near the desert with the sherbets, or sorbets that became popular in the Middle East after the art of storing ice was transmitted along the silk routes from China. Explorers brought the techniques to Europe, and aristocratic courts popularised the now ubiquitous dessert. Britain played its role too: iced creams - made with milk, cream and eggs - have been enjoyed here since the 17th century.

There's something wonderfully retro about ice cream, despite the increasingly processed stuff that bears little resemblance to the basic milk, cream, sugar and eggs recipe. Classics like fried ice cream, bombes and baked Alaskas, rainbow coloured gelati and sundaes: ice cream recalls childhood, summer days, art deco ice cream parlours and beachside vans.

Historically rooted in the science of refrigeration - not an easy thing in ancient Persia - it's no surprise that ice cream has appealed to the contemporary crop of chefs exploring molecular gastronomy. The past decade has seen exotic and nostalgic flavours on the menu - pumpkin and Mini Milk, bacon and egg, or liquid-nitrogen vapour 'poached' instant ice cream anyone?

Tuesday, 04 May 2010 00:00

Food & Drink around the world - Vienna

Great cities often have dishes and methods of preparation named after them in classical gastronomy. Most of the dishes are sweet: Parisien sponge, Berliner doughnuts, Moscovite desserts. Viennoiserie defines a whole baking tradition. The ubiquitous croissant or kipfel, 'Danish' pastries, milk-bread and strudels of apple, sour cherries or quark - a curd cheese - share the trolleys of Viennese cafés alongside cakes such as Linzer and Sacher tortes.

The food of Austria reflects the country's position at the heart of Europe. German, Hungarian and Italian gastronomy, as well as Jewish and Ottoman influences have played a role in its varied cuisine. Paprika in goulash, classic fish dishes of trout and fried carp, the well known Wiener schnitzel, and tafelspitz - a boiled beef dish - feature on menus that emphasise regional dishes.

Eastern Austria is home to an old and vibrant wine industry, producing among the best sweet wines in the world. The best known variety of Austrian wine is the white grüner veltliner planted in vineyards along the Danube, which is best served young and pairs well with food.

Tuesday, 27 April 2010 00:00

The butchers are back

Regulated butchers shops have been plying their trade at least since the Romans, but over the past 50 years many traditional butchers have closed in the UK, replaced by the conveniently packaged meat on supermarket shelves. Despite the loss, that were for many a cornerstone of good cooking and British food, a new generation of butchers have moved into the market, restoring original Victorian tiles and vintage butcher's blocks along the way.

This new crop of butchers appeal to a nostalgia for knowledgeable, personal service and the growing interest in seasonality and sustainability, provenance and quality; where the farmers know their counterparts and British game, offal and other 'forgotten' cuts that feature in a crop of contemporary recipes touting the charms of traditional nose to tail eating are available. An increase in sausages made from scratch, quality stocks and other preparations are also the result of the demand for excellent ingredients.

And supermarkets have caught on too: installing counter service inside their stores, providing a selection of locally sourced, aged, seasonal and unusual cuts that are a world away from the chops and mince pressed into piles of plastic packaging.

Wednesday, 07 April 2010 00:00

Food & Drink around the world - Malaysia

Bordering Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei, as well as being a member of the Commonwealth, Malaysia is one of southeast Asia's true gastronomic melting pots. A heady mix of cooking styles and ingredients ensure that Malaysia is one of the best places to eat in a region that's no slouch in the kitchen.

With a menu so diverse, it would be hard to choose a favourite. Malaysian food reflects its regional cultural fusion as well as distinct Malay, Chinese and Indian dishes, and a southeast Asian tradition that employs coconut milk and lemon grass in soups like laksa, and otak-otak - fish cake grilled in banana leaves.

Satays, spicy grilled fish ikan bakar, rice dishes nasi lemak and goreng; naan and roti canai; pao and sambal are a few entries on this multicultural menu, and to finish, locally grown fruits such as durian, rambutan, lychee, mango and longan are eaten fresh or find their way into delicious desserts like rojak, tapioca and sago.

www.tastefestivals.com/london/taste-of-malaysia

Thursday, 25 March 2010 00:00

Jam session

2009 saw a major retailer taking an unconventional step at the takeaway counter - launching jam sandwiches. Whether or not it was a nod to conspicuous austerity or retro nostalgia, the move caught the mood: cheap, straightforward comfort food, home cooking and home-grown was suddenly hip, and there's nothing quite like picking fruit then cooking, setting and potting the preserve to make a weekend feel worthy.

With a wonderful variety of perfect for preserving fruits, Britain is great for jam. Producers in Worcestershire, Kent and Essex bottle some of the best, with an English garden's array of mulberries, quinces, medlars, strawberries and plums. Scottish 'Dundee' marmalade - an inimitable variant of a Portuguese quince preserve - has become an international culinary shorthand for British breakfast.

As producers celebrate British jams with traditional techniques and increasingly organic, local and heirloom ingredients, it's worthwhile seeking out good suppliers for the best: whether at your local supermarket, posh department store or local delicatessen, a connoisseurs of any stripe should find something surprising for breakfast.

Tuesday, 16 March 2010 00:00

Food & Drink around the world - Ireland

Probably known more for its high quality produce and excellent bread and cheeses than for its cooking, Ireland nonetheless maintains a great tradition of local cuisine employing seasonal ingredients.

It might be difficult for Dublin's restaurants to compete with the larger European capitals when it comes to recognition from Michelin - seven stars awarded to London's 59 - the excellence and variety of Ireland's seafood, game birds and venison, meat and dairy sees them increasingly exported across Europe. Dublin scallops, Galway oysters, and langoustine are particularly favoured in top menus across Europe. Over the past 20 years, there has been a revival of traditional production methods, particularly in organic, artisan cheeses - Cashel Blue from County Tipperary, Crogan, from Wexford and Gubbeen - as well as charcuterie, with drisheen - blood sausage - bacon and hams particular highlights.

Irish whiskey and great stouts are consumed around the world, and the Irish diaspora has brought an international recognition to soda bread, boiled fruit cakes like barm brack, colcannon and, of course, Irish stew.

Tuesday, 09 March 2010 00:00

Know your knife

One of the fundamental tools in the kitchen, the knife is often overlooked. How many of us have blunt, poor quality blades rattling around in the cutlery drawers? Compared to a quality oven or top-notch kitchen mixer, a good knife or two is a relatively inexpensive investment, worth the outlay for a bit of professional flair when it comes to chopping, carving, slicing and paring.

While a domestic kitchen might not need a full complement of chef's knives, a handful of quality choppers wouldn't go astray. An all-purpose chef's knife is the best place to start. Perfect for slicing, dicing, shredding and mincing, the curved blade allows speed cutting and its size and strength gives it the weight to tackle the toughest cut. A smaller, thin profile utility knife tends is a great help in the kitchen in the preparation of most food, and can double as a small carving and filleting knife.

For home cooks and foodies, there's a bewildering range of knives available: a basic range and single purpose specialty knives in steel and increasingly ceramic, mid-priced German, French and Japanese products and the high quality, traditionally made Japanese knives that are works of art rendered in multiple layers of high carbon steel using techniques employing handmade, traditionally crafted precision.

At Taste of London
The Japanese Knife Company
Kin Knives

Tuesday, 09 February 2010 00:00

February 14 - Valentine's Day

It might be a boon for florists and greetings card touts, but what's best to eat on Valentine's Day?

There are a lot of clichés when it comes to Valentine's Day and food. Aphrodisiac oysters, suggestive asparagus spears and juicy, ambrosial tropical fruit downed with double vision inspiring draughts of champagne. There's a forced atmosphere of romance that inspires overwrought dinner invitations to stuffy restaurants we can't afford and dinner for two with a dangerously ambitions menus; not to mention a media overload of top 10 sexiest/naughtiest lists, lingerie tips for uncomprehending males and silliest places to propose.

Beyond ignoring the date completely, there are alternatives: cooking something great for two - and it doesn't have to be dishes beyond your culinary skills; a brilliant meal in a restaurant you like - some of London's best pull out the stops and put on a great dinner on the night - or grabbing a few basic ingredients and keeping things at home and simple. We've come up with a few stress-free palliatives to tease out your inner amore.

Cooking for two: choose a dish that suits your skills, and for the sake of freshness and the environment, seasonal.

Starter
Straightforward: caramelised pear, chicory and goat's cheese salad from Jun Tanaka at Pearl.
Main
Medium difficulty: Bryn Williams of Odette's in Primrose Hill cooks fried turbot with oxtail and cockles.
Dessert
Simple if using store bought meringue, medium if cooking from scratch: Pascal Aussignac's Gascon mess.

Restaurants: the Italians know a thing or two about wooing - hours of opera attest to the fact. Go to one of the best Italian restaurants in the capital, headed by Taste of London regular Francesco Mazzei, the southern Italian influenced L'Anima. The £70 per person Valentine's menu includes a glass of Cuvée Rosé ‘Jeio’ Bisol prosecco; scallop and langoustine carpaccio with sea urchin and orange dressing (you'll find the recipe here); Burrata tortelli with Norcia black truffle; veal fillet with a pistachio crust and marjoram; and mandarin soufflé with chocolate and chilli sauce. Contact the restaurant for booking information.

Another Taste of London favourite pulling out the stops for Valentine's is South Kensington Malaysian, Awana, with a £48 per person set menu including a glass of champagne. Think salt and pepper soft shell crab, baked fishcakes in banana leaf, chargrilled lobster tail with okra and onion sambal, roast duck curry; chocolate and lemongrass mousse, banana and baked sweet potato fritterse. Contact the restaurant for booking information.

Simple ingredients at home: oysters - shuck them yourself and keep the dressings basic, like this classic from The Dorchester. Then find yourself some seasonal fruit.