The Hummingbird Bakery in London

So, while I was in Anthropologie yesterday (that in itself could be an entire post by itself, I go weak at the knees, I can't breathe, I want it ALL the time . . . I think it's love) but I happened upon the hummingbird bakery cookbook. Now, let me telllya that I've perused many a baking cookbook - it's genetic - but some are pretty disappointing; they have very few pictures, obscure recipes, a mere lack of creativity. But this book: solid. Such great recipes, easy to follow, with great pictures, essentially the type of book where one might find herself actually wanting to try out EVERY recipe in the book. It was a beautiful thing to behold.

We didn't buy it. My mom (who is a star) vowed she wouldn't spend money on another cookbook (though this lil' lady was quite a temptation) so we decided to do research and find the recipes -for free- online. I came home and did a little research, and as it turns out, this bakery is in London. Under any other ordinary circumstances, I would have resigned myself to sheer imitations of the real deal, but I am NOT living under ordinary circumstances here, come on. So I did a little more research regarding the distance between our hotel in London and the nearest of the two hummingbird bakery locations.

I'm going. That's right, the bakery in south kensington is within walking distance, and I intend to walk it!

oh shoot

Do you ever see such beautiful food and such amazing food through such beautiful photography that you have to remind yourself to keep breathing. I had to prematurely walk myself through the he-he-hoos of over-excitement. The reason: the "O" cookbook. Oprah dear, you have hired some great individuals who have captured my . . . stomach.

Frankly, I'm not all that smitten with the pictures on the cover. I'm rather disappointed actually, but my heartrate sped up at the Biscuits Breads & Muffins, and by the time Desserts rolled around, I was counting up to ten and back to calm my troubled heart.

For instance:
~Bittersweet Chocolate Basil Tart with Honey Grapefruit sauce
or
~12 Layer Chocolate Cake
or
~Coconut Lane Cake
~Fig Galette
~Grown Up Milk and Cookies aka "a warm bittersweet chcolate souffle with a melted ganache center accompanied by a shot of glass of milk eau-de-vie."
and surprisingly
~Port-Glazed Figs with Walnuts and Stilton
~Chocolate Dipped Biscotti.
And some others:
~Banana-Pecan Honey Bread
~Pumpkin Applesauce Muffins
~Sour Cream Maple-Walnut Muffins

Quick Disclaimer:
I am at work, and I only had an egg+banana+half slice bread+an apple . . . so I'm a little more prone to physical reactions to good food than usual, but still.

pierre herme

we all know the name by which the best macarons in paris are known, but what about the man behind that name? it was interesting to read about/see pictures of the man who epitomizes great parisienne cuisine.

via the selby. read more here.

yes, this is what i had for dinner.

Grilled chicken, a little salad, homemade potato fries and hummus. I immediately loaded this picture onto my computer and just stared at it. I have really enjoyed cooking lately, but I may have enjoyed picture-taking of that food even more.

side note: i need a dslr, badly.

FWDGF Part 2: some menus

This is how French women eat:

Spring Menu du Jour

Breakfast:

Yogurt (this woman loves LOVES yogurt, the french kind of course)

Cereal with Strawberries

Slice of whole wheat or multigrain bread

Tea

Lunch:

Asparagus Flan

Green salad

Cherry clafoutis without dough

Supper:

Pea soup

Grilled Spring lamb chops

Cauliflower Gratin

Rhubarb compote

Yummy beverage

Summer Menu du jour

Breakfast:

Sliver of cheese

1/2 cup muesli with blueberries

Tea

Lunch:

Bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich

Cup of raspberries

Supper:

Grilled chicken with Rosemary

Fennel gratin

Arugula salad

Grilled Peaches with lemon thyme

Yummy beverage.

Fall Menu du Jour

Breakfast:

Half grapefruit

Egg Omelet with Mixed Herbs and Ricotta Cheese

Slice of bread

Tea

Lunch:

Lentil Soup

Caesar salad

Plums

Supper:

Halibut

Mushroom timbale

Cooked Pears with Cinnamon

Glass of yummy beverage

Winter Menu du Jour

Breakfast:

Slice of prosciutto

Oatmeal with grated apple

English muffic half

Tea

Lunch:

Veal Parmesan

Squash

Kiwi

Supper:

Soupe aux Legumes de maman

Saumon a l'Unilateral

Mache or endive salad

Grilled Pineapple with honey and goat cheese

Yummy beverage

Finished French Women Don't Get Fat, and I have some things to share . . .

This list was slapped in the back of the book, and I felt it worthwhile to include here.
-French women typically think bout good things to eat
American woemn typically worry about bad things to eat.
-French women eat smaller portions of more things.
American women eat larger portions of fewer things.
-French women eat more vegetables and lots more fruit.
-French women love bread and would never consider a life without carbs.
-French women eat with all five senses, allowing less to seem like more.
-French women balance thier food, drink, and movement on a week to week basis.
-French women do stray, but they always come back, believing there are only dtours, and never dead ends.
-Fench women . . . keep track with tehir hands, eyes and clothes "zipper syndrome."
-French women don't snack all the time.
-French women never let themselves be hungry.
-French women never let themselves feel stuffed.
-French women honor mealtime rutals and never eat standing up or on the run. or in front of the TV.
-French women don't watch much TV.
-French women don't have much TV to watch.
-French women eat and serve what's in season, for maximum flvor and value, and know availability does not equal quality.
-French women love to discover new flavors and are always experimenting with herbs, spices, and citrus juices to make a familiar dish seem new.
-French women eschew extreme temperatures in what they consume, and enjoy fruits and vegetables bursting with flavor at room temperature, at which they prefer their water too.
-French women drink water all day long.
-French women choose their own indulgences and compensations. They understand that little things cont, both additions and subractions, and that as an adult everyone is the keeper of her own equilibrium.
-French women enjoy going to the market.
-French women plan meals in advance and think in terms of menus (a list of little dishes) even at home.
-French women think dining in as as sexy as dining out.
-French women love to entertain at home.
-French women care enormously about the presentation of food. It matters to them how you look at it.
-French women walk everywhere they can.
-French women take the stairs whenever possible.
-French women will dress to take out the garbage (you never know).
-French women are stubborn individuals and don't follow mass movements.
-French women adore fashion.
-French women know on can go far with a great haircut, a bottle of champagne, and a divine perfume.
-French women avoid anything that demands too much effort for too little pleasure.
-French women love to sit at a cafe and do nothing but enjoy the moment.
-French women love to laugh.
-French women eat for pleasure.
-French women don't diet.
-French women don't get fat.

-

Pioneer Woman's Pancakes

PW’s Perfect Pancakes

3 cups plus 2 tablespoons cake flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups milk
2 large eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla
4 tablespoons butter

Extra butter
Maple or Pancake syrup

Mix together dry ingredients in large bowl. Mix together milk, eggs, and vanilla in a separate bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, stirring very gently until just combined.
Melt butter and add it to the batter, stirring gently to combine.
Cook on a greased skillet over medium-low heat until golden brown. Serve with an obscene amount of butter and warm syrup.

BUT- I used applesauce instead of butter (equal proportion) and I made vanilla syrup. I cut the recipe in thirds and got 6 very healthy pancakes so . . . you know.

They were really doughy and delicious. yummy yummy.

*Image and recipe from the newly found Pioneer Woman*

tortilla recipe

this is number two of, well, two, and it far surpassed the first so, for the sake of not having to hold on to this scrap of paper with the recipe on it, here goes.

2 cups flour

1 1/2 t baking powder

1 t salt

2 t oil

3/4 c warm milk (mine wasn't actually warm)

add the dry and the milk; let her sit in a bowl for 20 min(ish); tear and roll into balls; let 'em sit for 10 min(ish); roll them out flat and pop them onto a dry hot pan until they bubble; flip and enjoy. really, quite enjoyable.

L e m o n . M u f f i n s

Yum. I have been using a lot of lemon lately, and thought "what better way to fully use my lovely summery lemons that putting a little zesty-zest into some muffins?" They don't taste that great {maybe because the salt slipped my mind - woops} but nonetheless. They make pretty pictures no?

des crepes

Not necessarily in honor of french cuisine (per se) I whipped up some yummy crepes for lunch. Although I halved the recipe, I ended up with four (and let's be honest - no complaints eh?)

And so for the first two I grilled some tomatoes with evoo and lemon juice and topped it all with basil and feta cheese. Turned out absolutely delicious (as did the photos - yum - the limbs i'd give for naturally great lighting all the time.)

As I still had another two, I decided to allow crepes to live up to their original purpose, which is, to be a mere conduit through which sweet nothings may flow. So I spread a little PB&J on one (you can only see the jam in the photo below, and the raspberry seeds provide a nice point of texture eh?) and then . . .

I had to have one with a bit of chocolate. One could tell how quickly this little dearie was devoured considering i wasn't quick enough to catch anything but the last bite of it. Suffice it to say, I'm hoping this little culinary venture is a mere foreshadowing of things to come. 

Oh la la!!!

So I've been bakin'

Well, as I have a bit of free time on my hands, I've been spending some of it in the kitchen.

I have made: 

*homemade tortillas (yum, sort of a cross between a cafe rio tortilla and a pita)

*Cookies (not terribly successful. the most victorious bit about it was the delicious dough)

*banana bread (with some peanut butter tossed in, why not?)

*granola (yup, it's rather good, and super easy, though i was lacking all the fun add-ins like nuts, dried fruit and coconut which frankly begs the question, "why did i even make granola?")

*salsa (turned out great, and the more that baby sits in the fridge the juicier she gets)

*a really great salad (i know this isn't baking, but neither were the last few, but it had spinach, sliced apples, feta, green pepper, avocado, red onion, and chives with lemon juice, olive oil and balsamic vinegar - it looked gorgeous.)

Anyway, I'm enjoying this. A lot.

Quick Clarification

These are macaroons.
These are macarons. Don't get them confused. {can you tell what's been on my mind lately hmmm?}

New Vocab.

A few things I've learned {the context of which i'll indulge later}

-harissa: spicy, tunisian, chiles, cumin, coriander, olive oil

-tapenade: anchovies, olive oil, olives, lemon juice, seasonings

-polenta: cornmeal based paste

-garlic aioli: type of garlic mayonnaise

-ponzu sauce: lemon, soy sauce, rice vinegar

-jicama: mexican potato

-apricot stilton: type of cheese

-grana padano: type of granular cheese

-mache: (also known as corn salad, no relation) type of lettuce leaf

-cheese croquette: when the cheese is mixed with spices and rolled into a ball

-swiss chard: in the beet family, red celery

-ragout: (based on ragouter: to arouse the appetite) stew of meat

-porcini butter: butter mixed with porcini mushrooms

-black truffle: type of mushroom

-potato galette: flat cake-ish

-roquefort: the cheese, type of blue cheese

-fava beans: flatter, wider lima bean, best eaten young (no pods)

-madeira and marsala: wines

-watercress: part of mustard family, dark crisp leaves

-tandoori: cooking method in tall hot oven

-scallop: sea food (a shell came up for an image)

-gastrique: baked down sauce with vinegar, sugar, fruit

-panna cotta: light, silky egg custard

-emulsion: two liquid ingredients that don't mix very well

-coriander: spice fragrant of lemon, sage, caraway

-lychee: crazy lookin' chinese fruit

bon appetit . . .