Scones
Scones (pronounced 'sk-on') shouldn't be those lumps of raisin-studded dough you could break a window with. A proper English scone should be light and fluffy, eaten warm from the oven.
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Bread flour unscrambled - 10 Feb 2011
Which flour bakes the best bread? First, know that a grain of wheat has three parts: the endosperm which is the central source of the starch, accounting for 85 percent of the grain. Next to it lies the germ, accounting for only 2 percent. But it's the most positive element. It's the 'seed' that grows new wheat plants and it contains most of the whole grain's protein, vitamins and oil. Plus, pretty much all the flavor lies in the germ. Both of these are covered by the protective outer layer of bran. read more...
Cream teas - a summer staple - 20 May 2010
The British love their afternoon tea in town. Cream teas are another passion and no tourist to Devon or Cornwall should leave without having had one. They're named for the fresh baked scones smothered in jam and a cream so yellow and thick you could hang tiles with it. The great debate between the two English counties is whether the cream or the jam goes down first.
Clotted cream, the ultra heat-treated, stiff white paste sold in glass jars here is no relation to the real McKoy which you can make yourself. read more...
Scones, the English way - 20 May 2010
Eat these scones warm from the oven. You won't recognize them: they've barely any relationship with those marginally edible rocks better suited to breaking windows sold in bakeries. read more...
Clotted cream - home-made - 3 Jun 2009
Real clotted cream is good to dollop on summer's fresh berries. It's a far cry from the ultra heat-treated stiff paste you get in those glass jars in the supermarket. So have a go at making it yourself. read more...
Croissants - 18 Nov 2007
The French probably have the most seductive notion of breakfast - a good cup of coffee and a croissant. read more...
Bialys - 15 Nov 2007
While you can hardly move for bagels, Polish bialys, named not after a character in The Producers but after Bialystok near Poland's north east border, are a rarity. They are baked without prior boiling, and their indent only goes half way through. read more...
Tea for two, ch'a, ch'a - 5 Oct 2007
Ch'a is the Chinese word for Tea but even in Russian - chai, Japanese - ocha, or English slang - char, afternoon tea is a thoroughly British institution. The court of Charles II of England was introduced to the drink in 1662 by his new wife, Catherine of Braganza, a century after the Portuguese had brought it back from Macao. The cuppa at once became the fashion. read more...
Tea tidbits - 5 Oct 2007
The difference between English tea and High Tea. read more...
The lunch shift is over and chef Peter Smith, owner of PS 7’s restaurant is surrounded by gin. No, he’s not relaxing over a drink. The gin is in bowls in an pre-formed state. It’s the mash, a mix of herbs and berries and peels and roots that Smith has worked out how to use in his food as flavorings.
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