Travel Update

As my more faithful readers have noticed, I have not been posting as frequently since the beginning of our overseas journey. I apologize fervently, however even doing so will not increase the number of wireless connections at our disposal. I know that I could post text and forgo the pictures, but I feel that the pictures are half of the fun, so I can't bring myself to do that.

I have added a sidebar list to the left that chronicles where we have been so far and I will do my best to keep this up to date. Hopefully this will pique some interest and you won't forget about me. Over the next few weeks we will be traveling through Hungary, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Russia, and China. If anyone lives in these areas, it would be lovely to meet up and sample your favorite food in the area, to be made aware of wireless connections to be utilized, or if you have space, I bet we could use a couch here and there.

Munich, Germany

I spent the last few months traveling from London to Beijing. Here is a taste of one place we spent time. Follow the links to read about others.

September 30th- October 4th, 2005

We are in Varaždin, Croatia right now staying in a gorgeous apartment with a jacuzzi and wireless for one night. We spent the last few days in Zagreb and we are heading to Hungary tomorrow. Over a month ago now, we spent a few days in Munich, Germany with our friend Gretchen after visiting Gent, Belgium. We know her daughter Meg quite well and subsequently Gretchen sees many of our other friends from time to time.

Gretchen hand-delivered a birthday card to me that a number of my friends in Chicago made (as well as a pretzel that had been purchased in Munich). It was so nice to read small personal notes from people that I miss quite a bit. It made my birthday. We enjoyed the pretzel with the mustard that we received in Gent, Belgium.

That evening Gretchen took us out to the Augustiner Keller near Marienplatz where John and I drank liters of beer and I had some delicious seasonal mushroom cream soup.

Unbeknownst to us, we ended up in Munich during Oktoberfest. John and I decided that we were somewhat obligated to pay the festivities a visit, though in the end it was a superb waste of time. Oh well, now we know.

I really enjoyed Munich. If you visit I highly suggest the free English-language tour (they also provide the same service in Berlin). I miss the pretzels.

Next stop, Paris.

Gent, Belgium

I spent the last few months traveling from London to Beijing. Here is a taste of one place we spent time. Follow the links to read about others.

September 28th- 30th, 2005

After Devon John and I spent one last night with friends in London and travelled to Gent, Belgium (by way of Calais, France where we unfortunately got stuck for a night-- though you should read our travel page for that story).  We stayed with a lovely young woman and had a great time.  I highly suggest Gent to anyone travelling through Belgium.  The people we met were fantastically sweet and the city was gorgeous.  Canals thread through the city and oh, the Belgian beer!

Near the center of the city we stopped at a chocolate shop, Jacqlin Handmade Belgian Truffles.  The ornate pieces were quite expensive, but after a few minutes of hemming and hawwing, John and I decided on these two.  A pistachio buttercream and a praline.  The pistachio buttercream was quite good, but very sweet.  I would have enjoyed a bit more of the subtle bitter flavor that lurked below.  The praline was not nearly as good. 

Next we stopped at a fantastic bread shop near the castle.  It has no sign and I failed to learn the name however.  We ordered a cheese and poppy seed breadstick and lovely roll. 

Both were excellent.  The cheese breadstick especially.  It had a flaky, buttery texture and melted in your mouth.

Directly next door stood a "Belgian Waffle" stand.  We ordered one from a delightful man in an oversized hat and savored it on the street.

This waffle was warm, soft, and superb.  It tasted of apples and toffee and was far-too-fleeting.

Visit Gent!

Next stop, Munich.

Devon, England

I spent the last few months traveling from London to Beijing. Here is a taste of one place we spent time. Follow the links to read about others.

September 22nd- 26th, 2005

After York we made one last stop in the U.K. and stayed with some friends of John’s mother. Chris and Tom were some of the most hospitable people I have had the opportunity to meet.

They have a gorgeous and ancient farm named Little Pirzwell where they raise sheep and Devon cattle as well as tend to some extensive gardens.

Their lovely farm is lined with blackberry bushes (as is much of the surrounding area) and we picked and enjoyed plenty of the fresh sweet fruit.

We went along with Chris one morning to the general store in the next town over and reveled in their stock of almost entirely locally produced goods. We picked up two loaves of bread from Common Bakery, one was a spelt loaf and the other a gorgeous tomato and herb. These breads were delicious, organic, and wheat free.

Chris is also a superb baker and would daily make fresh bread (her olive bread is especially coveted) and pies with effortlessly perfect crusts

On our final night in Devon Chris prepared a glorious feast of Greek beef stew, baked potatoes, roasted pumpkin, stuffed bell peppers, green beans, fresh bread, and delicious pie--with much of the meal coming directly from their farm. A superb and fresh meal.

Next stop, Gent, Belgium.

York, England

I spent the last few months traveling from London to Beijing. Here is a taste of one place we spent time. Follow the links to read about others.

September 20th- 22nd, 2005

After a fantastic time on the Isle of Bute we traveled to Yorkshire, England. While there we visited a great bakery, thanks to a tip from our host Emily. This bakery is named Via Vecchia and is marked with nothing but a blank red sign and nestled among the other businesses on the Shambles.

A sweet older woman sold us a cheese and marmite loaf, a cheese bagel, and an olive and thyme loaf whilst congratulating us after each selection with, “Good choice.” This tiny store front boasts a constant stream of patrons as well as a large number of posters of topless women. Fear not, their prices are far more modest.

We next walked a few yards to the market and bought some cheeses, Derby sage and Highland mustard and herbs, also at a very good price.

The olive and thyme loaf was soft, white, and moist with whole garlic-steeped green olives, flecks of thyme, and a dusting of flour.

The cheese bagel was good, though definitely not even close to a bagel. This light and airy roll was extremely soft and compressed with even a slight grip.

The marmite and cheese loaf was the real treat. I would venture to say that even those who dislike marmite could enjoy this bread. It was dense and hearty with a fantastic and substantial crust and a soft and creamy interior. The crumb was moist and had loads of cheese and gorgeous swirls of marmite.

The cheeses were also quite good. The Derby sage had a strong taste of sage and a creamy texture. The Highland mustard and herb had whole mustard seed which provided a strong and pleasant flavor. This cheese was much softer than I expected and could easily be spread if brought to room temperature.

Also along the Shambles we found Mr. Sandwich, a shop run by a very jolly older man that sells dozens upon dozens of sandwiches for only one pound. Amazing! These were good sandwiches, well worth their cost. We ordered a fig, goat cheese, and cucumber and a mozzarella, tomato, and basil. If you cannot find something to tickle your fancy on the 30+ list, he will gladly make you the sandwich you crave.

Next stop, Devon.

Goodbye Garden

Since John and I have left Chicago and our garden will look substantially different when we return in February, I wanted to publicly thank it for turning it's back on the drought and producing tasty things. Also, thanks to Ben Spicer for sharing his plot with John and I. I learned a lot about gardening and I now hope to have garden space wherever I live next.

We are in Paris at the moment.  I have had no luck finding a way to get pictures up.  Thanks for your patience.  I have so much I want to post!

Isle of Bute, Scotland

I spent the last few months traveling from London to Beijing. Here is a taste of one place we spent time. Follow the links to read about others.

September 17th- 20th, 2005

We recently stayed in Rothesay on the Isle of Bute after spending time in London. It was absolutely gorgeous and we had a fantastic host. After visiting a few pubs one night he took us to the only bakery on the island, The Electric Bakery. It was about 2 am, though after a few discreet knocks on the bakery window the baker came to the door to sell us hot rolls with butter and savory pies. There really was nothing that could have been better to fill our stomachs after a night of Scottish pubs.

The next morning I visited their store front and bought some scones (cheese, fruit, and cherry), a soda biscuit, and a crumpet (though this last item was from the shop next door, as The Electric Bakery had sold out).

Our host lived across the street from the 11th century castle that you see in the background of this photo.

The scones were very good, however they were quite different from the heavy and flaky variety that I am used to. These were very light and airy as if they had a fair amount of egg in them. The cheese were our favorite by far.

The crumpet was also very nice yet different from those I am used to. This was a very flat and thin crumpet, almost like a pancake yet still with the characteristic hole pattern. It took butter excellently.

We returned to the bakery the next night and had a chance to go inside and speak with the baker, Colin. We ate sandwichs of warm cheese and onion pies inside warm morning rolls with butter.

Colin was nice enough to let us look around the bakery and watch him work for a few minutes. The breads smelled amazing and the heat from the ovens took off the evening chill from outside.

After leaving the bakery we went to an old abandoned building which once held another bakery long ago. It provided gorgeous views of the Rothesay bay at night.

Next stop, Yorkshire.

London, England Post 3

I spent the last few months traveling from London to Beijing. Here is a taste of one place we spent time. Follow the links to read about others.

September 12th- 16th, 2005

While in London John and I made a trek to Paul Boulangerie and Patisserie near Covent Garden. Paul boulangeries can be found in many other cities. I had never visited one before.

John tried this Quiche Lorraine and gave it a very favorable review. I nibbled on the crust and found it very tasty indeed. You can see some of the Paul cakes and pastries in the background of this picture.

We sampled their sugar-coated chouquettes, tiny crowns on choux pastry dusted with sugar. These sticky sweet little puffs melted in your mouth and were delicious, though left your hands needing a wash.

We also tried their mini-croissants. These were some of the best I have had. The flaky crust had sincere integrity and did not compress in your hand after the first bite.

The interior was soft and golden. I think these could have been a touch moister, but to be fair we did visit in the afternoon and they may have dried out a bit. Overall, these were superb croissants.

We also tried the brioche. These were good, but nothing to write home about. They also suffered from tasting a bit too dry.

Lastly, we bought a loaf of two-olive bread for our long bus ride to Glasgow the next morning. We packed some fruit and cheese to enjoy with it as well. This was a nice bread, it would have been lovely toasted but it was tasty right from the loaf as well. The baker did not skimp on the black and green olives and the crumb was soft and hearty, making this a lovely lunch. I could have gone for a bit more substance and character in the crust, but then again I could have also gone for six more inches of leg-room on the coach. We can't always get exactly what we want I suppose.

Next stop, the Isle of Bute, Scotland.

English Muffins

These English muffins were one of the last yeast breads that I made in our old apartment. I used a recipe from The Old West Baking Book by Lon Walters. This is also what I used the last of my sourdough starter on, though I have learned from my readers that I had a plethora of other options.

I used my molds to get the shapes correct and to encourage tall and fluffly muffins. Be careful not to fill the molds too much, or you will get thick and cakey muffins instead of light ones.

Enjoy, of course, toasted and with plenty of butter.

London, England Post 2

I spent the last few months traveling from London to Beijing. Here is a taste of one place we spent time. Follow the links to read about others.

September 12th- 16th, 2005

While in London John and I spent a day with our new friend Ian.  He lives in Cardiff yet was a wealth of knowledge about London and the history of the U.K. in general.

We walked around a number of the touristy sites and put in a few hours in a pub later in the evening.  In between we stopped at the Cornish Bakehouse for pasties.  The Cornish Bakehouses are a chain and can be found in many areas.  I ordered a spicy vegetable pasty which was quite good.  They were served warm and had a delightfully flaky crust.  These little pies have quite a bit of sodium, so the following stop at the pub becomes quite necessary.

To read more about our time in London, follow the link.

Dulce De Leche

My Uncle Jack was recently in Argentina and he brought my family back some real dulce de leche. This creamy dessert spread is made by carmelizing sugar in milk. This process can take hours and results in a unique flavor and texture that cannot be reproduced. It is fanastic on ice cream, spread on toast, or even sampled right out of the container.

London, England Post 1

I spent the last few months traveling from London to Beijing. Here is a taste of one place we spent time. Follow the links to read about others.

September 12th- 16th, 2005

John and I walked down the Thames today in London. We became quite hungry around the Tate Modern and decided to duck into this colorful and no-doubt touristy enclave which contained a small bakery. We ordered a delicious focaccia and two espressos from Maison Brillant.

The focaccia was quite nice and non-greasy. The goat cheese was melted on top of fresh tomatoes, green and red bell peppers, mushrooms, and some dried thyme. They warmed it for us to share and it hit the spot.

This was a pleasant place for a snack and reasonably priced.

To read more about our time in London, follow the link.

Apple, Banana, and Strawberry French Toast

As you read this post I should be arriving in London to begin our journey. Today, Saturday, my mother made a delicious breakfast of french toast using apple bread that is sold at a coffee shop in Woodstock. She also added some bananas to the egg mixture and topped the stacks with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Mmmm, this was a great meal to have as my last breakfast with them for a while. I will miss my mom and dad.

Bruschetta with Impressive Wilted Greens

Our garden has recently produced some beautiful tomatoes. Just before we packed up our kitchen I made John and I some bruschetta using a recipe from a cookbook that my brother edited at Grinnell College. The book, Fantasia of Flavors, was named after the food house my brother lived in last year at school.

I had been wanting to make something from this cookbook ever since he had given it to me a few months ago and this recipe title tickled me. I made a few changes due to the ingredients we wanted to use up.

Bruschetta with Impressive Wilted Greens

1 baguette (cut lenghtwise)
greens (I used swiss chard)
1/2 cup of shredded parmesan
1 cup of whole almonds
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
garlic clove
coarse sea salt
ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400F. Boil a pot of salted water. Add the greens once it has reached a rolling boil and remove it from the heat.

Cut the garlic clove in half and rub each piece of bread with it. Coarsely chop the garlic and arrange on the bread. Place on a baking sheet and then into the preheated oven for about 2 minutes or until lightly toasted. Remove the greens from the water and dry on a paper towel.

Remove bread from the oven and and sprinkle each piece with olive oil, coarse sea salt, and ground black pepper. Spread the dried greens evenly over the bread to cover. Sprinkle with the parmesan, dot with the almonds and pour olive oil and balsamic vinegar generously over this. Add a bit more coarse sea salt and ground black pepper to taste.

Place into the preheated oven once again and bake about 10 minutes. Serve at once.

I also made another type of bruschetta following the above recipe, though omitting the swiss chard, parmesan, and almonds in favor of basil and fresh tomatoes.

Thanks Evan! (I would also like to thank the writers/contributers: Katie Kleese, Brendan Mackie, Ilan Moscovitz and the photographer: Serge Giachetti)

Hot Sauce

We are growing several varieties of hot peppers in our garden and they have just started to ripen this past week. John decided we should try to make hot sauce and he did a bit of research on the subject. The method is basically to steep the peppers and a few other ingredients in a liquid for a few days, then to boil the mixture, blend the mixture, and boil again to reduce a bit.

John diced and combined about seven hot peppers, two sweet peppers, one large chive, two small tomatoes, one large clove of garlic, a handful of mint, some salt, 4 oz. of malt vinegar, 4 oz. of tequila, 4 oz. of white vinegar, the juice of one lime, and a tablespoon of honey. He let this steep for 2 days in the refridgerator.

We then gently boiled all of this for about 15 minutes and proceeded to liquify the mixture in a blender.

We transferred these contents back to the pot and reduced the liquid for another 15 minutes. We bottled our hot sauce in order to allow it to age, though it was delicious right from the stove and could be used immediately if desired.

If you are able to, please consider a donation to the American Red Cross to help aid in the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts for a part of the world that truly knows their hot sauce.

IMBB #18: Fried Eggplant

Linda from At Our Table is hosting this month's IMBB and the theme is "Summer's Flying, Let's Get Frying!" Our garden produced a lovely little eggplant this past week and I decided that this event would be the perfect excuse to use it.

Peel the eggplant and cut it into rounds. Then sprinkle each side of each piece with coarse sea salt and arrange the rounds in layers with paper towels between them and a weight (like a heavy pot) on top of the stack to leach some of the moisture out. Leave about 30 min.

Meanwhile mix three bowls of ingredients. In the first put about half a cup of flour and season with salt and pepper. In the second mix an egg or two with a tablespoon of water. In the third mix half a cup of bread crumbs a teaspoon of dried basil, a teaspoon of dried oregano, and a teaspoon of parmesan.

Coat each piece of eggplant in the flour mix, then the egg mixture, then the bread crumb mixture. Lay on a piece of wax paper as you coat the other eggplant rounds.

In a large pan heat enough oil over low-moderate heat to coat the bottom of the pan with a bit of excess. Proceed to lay a few pieces of eggplant into the pan carefully, without letting them touch each other. Fry for a few minutes on each side, flipping and removing with tongs. Lay the fried pieces onto a paper towel to drain. Repeat with the remaining pieces.

Stack and top with tomato sauce (John made a delicous tomato sauce with tomatoes and hot peppers from our garden).

La Petite Crêperie

Last Saturday John and I went out to see my parents in Woodstock and attend a concert at the Opera House. Before we headed back to the city the next morning we all ate breakfast at a new restaurant on the square, La Petite Crêperie.

Located on the Woodstock square, this tiny French restaurant was quite nice. We opted to sit outside, hence the pink cast from the umbrella that you see in the following pictures.

I ordered a breakfast crêpe, la compléte, of "fried egg with country ham, mushroom, Gruyere and pommes rissoles" and a lightly dressed side salad.

My mother ordered the french toast du jour with carmelized apples. Though a bit too sweet for my tastes, this was comfort food at its finest. John and my father each ordered the eggs benedict and my parents shared their dishes with one another.

Everything we ordered was made with fresh ingredients and great attention to detail. The owners, Kristine Ferru and the French-born Frank Ferru, were very pleasant and friendly and spoke with all of the patrons.

Before leaving I was sure to buy a tiny brioche. It was excellent. I highly reccomend La Petite Crêperie if you are in the Woodstock area. The service was excellent, the restaurant attractive, and the food was high quality.

My only complaint is that the second time I dined at La Petite Crêperie I ordered the Santa Fe benedicte which is described on the menu as "two poached eggs, fresh salsa, avocado, and sour cream." When mine arrived it had these things, as well as Canadian bacon and Hollandaise sauce. They either made me a regular eggs benedict, realized they messed up, and put the other ingredients on top because they didn't feel like making another or they just neglected to include these ingredients on their menu so vegetarians should beware and ask their server about these "extra" ingredients.

La Petite Crêperie serves lunch Tuesday to Saturday from 11 am to 2:30 pm, dinner Tuesday to Thursday from 5 pm to 9 pm and Friday and Saturday from 5 pm to 9:30 pm, and breakfast on Sunday from 9 am to 2 pm. Dishes are priced between $4 and $20.

La Petite Crêperie
115 North Johnson Street
Woodstock, IL 60098
815/337-0765

Bonnie's Chocolate Zucchini Cucumber Muffins

I decided to use more of the chocolate that Patrick sent me in a batch of Bonnie's Chocolate Zucchini Muffins.

After mixing up the dry ingredients I began grating the zucchini for the wet ingredients. Lo and behold I found myself grating a cucumber. My friend Jane recently moved to Chicago and with her she brought bags of produce from Minnesota. Apparently the vegetable had tricked me from the moment I laid eyes on it in the brown bag at her apartment.

I decided to give it a go, making what John dubbed "highly experimental" muffins. I was sure to thoroughly drain the cucumber, as it holds much more water than zucchini. Amazingly, these muffins turned out quite well! The muffins obviously did not boast the lovely flavors that are created when zucchini and chocolate combine in a baked good, however the subtlety of the cucumber was quite nice.

I don't know that I would make this substitution again on purpose, however next time I feel like making these muffins and there are no zucchinis in the house, I won't hesitate to reach for the cucumber.

Sourdough Bread

We are moving soon and due to the length between leaving this apartment and when I will next have an apartment, I decided I would have to abandon my sourdough starter. Had I thought it was exceptional, I could have possibly conscripted a friend to feed her while I was gone, but I am viewing this as a clean slate to start over when I return.

Rather than tossing it wantonly into the trash, it seemed appropriate to try to use the remainder up. On Sunday night I made a sponge with the the starter and on Monday afternoon I baked two loaves of sourdough bread.

I followed the recipe in Lon Walters' Old West Baking Book for Classic Sourdough Bread.

This is one of my favorite cookbooks. Walters has created a fascinating and well-researched historical account of pioneer and Native American baking in the old west. I highly suggest this book if you are interested in bread baking. I can't claim the recipes are always the best, but they are always authentic and the stories behind each entry are worth reading. The trials these pioneer cooks worked through in order to get their team fresh and warm bread are quite amazing. If you did not before, this book will make you appreciate bread in the fullest sense.

The loaves turned out alright. I thought the flavor and the crumb were quite wondeful, however the crust could use some work.

Pane Al Cioccolato

My lovely friend Patrick mailed me some fantastic chocolate to bake with as an early birthday gift.

E. Guittard Bittersweet Dark Chocolate and Sharffen Berger Unsweetened Dark Chocolate. I decided to make bread using the bittersweet chocolate.

I followed the Pane Al Cioccolato recipe in Bread by Christine Ingram and Jennie Shapter.

Pane Al Cioccolato

3 C unbleached white bread flour
1 1/2 tbl cocoa powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tbl caster sugar
1 envelope yeast
1 C lukewarm water
2 tbl butter--softened
3 oz high quality chocolate--coarsely chopped
Melted butter for brushing

Sift flour, cocoa powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
Stir in the sugar.
Make a well in the center.

Cream the envelope of yeast with 4 tbl of the lukewarm water.
Allow to sit for about 10 min. or until frothy.
Add this mixture and the remaining water to the well and gradually mix into a dough.

Knead in the butter and transfer to a lightly floured surface to knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 min.

Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with clear film.
Leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk (about 1 hr).

Turn out on to a lightly floured surface and gently deflate.
Gently knead in the chocolate.
Cover again with film and leave to rest about 5 minutes.

Shape into your desired shape and place into the desired cookware. (I shaped into a round and placed in a lightly greased Pyrex bowl to bake.)
Cover and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk (about 45 min).

Bake in a preheated oven at 425F for 10 min.
Reduce temperature to 375F and bake for about 30 min.

After baking, brush the top with melted butter and cool on a wire rack.

(If you choose to make two small loaves with this recipe instead of one, be aware that the baking time should be reduced about 10 min. Watch carefully.)

I substituted a mid-sized Pyrex mixing bowl for the bakeware, hence the odd shape. This bread is fabulous served with mascarpone or cream cheese, it also fares quite well alone.