Dinner's Herbed Parmesan Dutch Baby

Initially, I was looking at a fritatta recipe but I couldn't find some of the seasonal ingredients, so after flicking through Melissa Clark's new cookbook Dinner: Changing the Game I switched to her recipe for Herbed Parmesan Dutch Baby.

Growing up in the UK, Yorkshire Puddings are a staple for Sunday Roasts, so any kind of puffy, crispy and larger scale version of it is going to catch my eye!

Yay or Nay: Yay

This was rich and flavourful yet being fluffy and light (in texture!) when it came out the oven. However, it did turn dense and deflated after leaving it out for a while. I would've left this in a little longer than on the recipe, only because I wanted the outsides to be more browned and crispy. Note, this will rise in the oven so make sure you have a pan/dish that is deep enough to handle that. - I had a lot of cleaning to do after this dish.

Bon Appetit's Best Eggplant Parmesan (October 2016 issue)

I love flicking through Bon Appetit magazine for its up-to-date food trends and inspiration, however they can be slightly unreachable due to the hard-to-find ingredients or time involved in making them. In an effort to get The Hubby to eat more veg - especially veg he doesn't like has been hard. I knew the cheese would be a major swaying factor, and even though I have cut out cheese from my diet, it would be worth it to convince him.

I chose Bon Appetit's Best Eggplant Parmesan recipe as on the surface it didn't require a gazillion ingredients and it seemed simple enough to follow. No fancy techniques or blowtorches needed - plus I've never made anything like this before. We usually go to his parents for Italian after all!

Yay or Nay: Yay on taste, Nay on workload!

This was delicious and was given a huge thumbs up from The Hubby. I just did not anticipate the amount of work required - it took two hours from start to finish! I mean, I had to make the marinara sauce from scratch, it was worth it for the taste and it was pretty easy, but it added to the washing up pile which I definitely did not enjoy! I guess you could use store bought marinara and do the rest of the recipe and it would still be tasty. 

I ran out of flour so used cornmeal instead but it just added to the crispiness, also I didn't have enough basil from my now, dead, winter garden so just used parsley in the cheese mixture and it didn't take away from the recipe.  In addition to these subs and changes, I couldn't be bothered to make three layers or properly encourage the water out of the eggplant but again, it was still delicious!

What Katie Ate Next's Shepherd's Pie

Growing up in England, Shepherd's Pie is ingrained in you - that and cottage pie. There's the confusion to which one is which, and the only difference is the meat. Shepherd's tend to sheep so it is made with lamb mince rather than beef. 

For me, shepherd's/cottage pie is ultimate comfort food and especially as the weather gets colder. This meal is a real comfort as I think it was one of the first meals my mum allowed my sister and I to make on our own - so it conjures up happy memories of being in the kitchen together!

What Katie Ate Next's recipe is called shepherd's pie but gives you the option to choose lamb or beef for the meat filling. I went with beef as I'm not really a lamb fan. I found a similar recipe here.

Yay or Nay: Yay

A little more effort than my version but tastier! I can't say that I tasted the garlic and cheese in the mash, but sprinkled on top was a nice addition. The recipe for the filling was lengthy but the filling had a rich, ragu-like taste that was definitely moreish! 

Holiday Hiatus

This month was vacation time hence the hiatus on posts - I took a trip back home to London and ate my way through the weeks. It was a month to indulge in new hot restaurants, home cooking courtesy of my mum and friends, cooking classes and favourite UK snacks! Here are some pics to hopefully convert you into thinking England hasn't got any good food!

Kimbab made by a friend

 

 Fish and Chips in Oxford

 Proper Roast Dinner in Oxford

 Pie and mash with mushy peas from Pieminster in oxford

 Salted Creme Brulee Doughnut from Bread Ahead Borough Market

 Japanese Breakfast at Koya, London

 Learning to make Ramen at Yuki's Kitchen, Crystal Palace

 Spicy Fried Chicken and Beef Carpaccio at Bao, Soho London

 Lamington Doughnut by Crosstown Doughnuts, Broadwick Street London

 My Mum's Pho, London

This was only a small portion of what I actually ate, not including junk food like Salt & Vinegar Hula Hoops, M&S Strawberry Trifle and Profiterole desserts, Thai Food in Clapham, Spicy Chirashi from Wasabi, Pork Pies and Scotch Eggs from South Bank Food Market, Bubble Tea and Matcha slushies and so on - it was endless! 

I will be back tomorrow with a new post, so check back!