Hot Chocolate - Best Ever Recipe

When The Mr and I went to London in March of 2011, we had cold weather.  Cold and windy and damp.

One haven of warmth was Harrod's.

If you haven't heard of it, Harrod's is a famous upscale department store which is known the world over as the purveyor of “all things for all people” and that includes animals. Apart from conventional pets such as cats, dogs, fish and birds, Harrods offers hamsters and mice for the less traditional.

But when the staff at London’s biggest department store was faced with a question from a man who was to later become President of the United States, they weren't the least shocked. They could have balked, of course, when Ronald Reagan asked a salesman at Harrods if they sell elephants, but more surprised was Mr. Reagan himself at the salesman’s immediate response  – “Would that be Indian or African, sir?”

When we went to Harrod's, we didn't try to buy an elephant.  I'm not certain how we would have gotten it through customs.  And it probably would have put our suitcases over the weight limit.

We did go to the Chocolate Bar and taste their famous hot chocolate.  And wow, it was worth it.

Fortunately for both my pocketbook and my waistline, we don't live near Harrod's.  We tried to visit again when we were last in London, but they were too busy and we couldn't get in before it closed.  My Mom was quite disappointed.  I decided to try to reproduce it so that she could taste it when she came to visit at Christmas.  And here's what I made:


Best Ever Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:

• 9 ounces good quality milk chocolate (Harrod's uses Jivara chocolate, but I used a mixture of Godiva and Galaxy)
• 9 ounces full fat milk
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup

Directions:

The basis of Harrods hot chocolate is a ganache mix, which can be made and then stored in the fridge for up to three days. Roughly chop the milk chocolate. Bring 9 ounces full-fat milk to boil, add corn syrup (this makes the ganache silky smooth) and stir. Pour the milk over the chopped chocolate and stir until it’s all melted. Store in the fridge until needed.

To make a thick chocolate drink, heat one espresso cup of the ganache per person in the microwave. Alternatively, for a lighter hot chocolate, dissolve 1-2 tsp ganache in a small cup of hot milk.

This is the most amazing drink.  And my Mom loved it, which was icing on the cake!  This would be wonderful on a cold winter evening - definitely worth the extra effort!

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Galactic Burritos (Galaktoboureko)

On our first trip to London, we stayed near Santorini Taverna, a wonderful Greek restaurant.  We ate there several times in our ten day stay, and have been back both times we visited London since then.  Our very first dessert was a Galactic Burrito.  Or at least that is what I heard.  And it was amazing!

I have since found that the actual name is Galaktoboureko (gah-lahk-toh-BOO-reh-koh) and is a divine combination of creamy custard and flaky phyllo dough that is baked to golden perfection then drenched with a lemon and orange infused syrup.

We had a Greek-themed Christmas Eve dinner, and I knew that I had to make it.  

This dish has a lot of steps, but is actually pretty easy to make.  I was galactially (ha!) busy and neglected to get any pictures of the preparation, but if you follow the recipe, you'll have a fabulous dessert.

Galaktoboureko

Ingredients:

For the filling:

• 6 cups milk
• 1-1/4 cup fine semolina (you can substitute Farina)
• 6 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter

For the syrup:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 inch piece of lemon rind
• 2 inch piece of orange rind
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon

For the crust:

• 1 lb. phyllo pastry sheets
• 1/2 lb. unsalted butter, melted (for brushing)

Preparation:


Make the Filling: 

• In a large saucepan, heat the milk over medium high heat until just boiling. Add the semolina and stir with a whisk. Lower the heat to medium low.
• Using a whisk, beat the egg yolks with the sugar. Ladle a cup of the warmed milk into the egg mixture to temper and then add the egg yolk mixture to the pot.
• Continue to cook over medium low heat until the cream starts to thicken, stirring continuously.
• When the custard has thickened, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract and the butter. Set aside.

Unwrap the Phyllo:

• Carefully remove the Phyllo roll from the plastic sleeve. Most packages come in 12 x 18 inch sheets when opened fully. 
• Using a scissor or sharp knife, cut the sheets in half to make two stacks of 9x12 inch sheets. To prevent drying, cover one stack with wax paper and a damp paper towel while working with the other.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Assemble the Galaktoboureko:

• Using a pastry brush, brush the bottom and sides of a 9 x 12 rectangular pan. You will use approximately half the phyllo sheets for the bottom of the pastry. 
• Begin by layering sheets one by one in the bottom of the pan, making sure to brush each one thoroughly with melted butter.
• When you have almost layered half the sheets, drape two sheets of phyllo so that they extend half in the pan and half out of the pan horizontally. Add the custard in an even layer on top of the sheets, smoothing the surface with a spatula. 
• Fold the phyllo sheet flaps in over the custard layer. Add the remaining sheets on top, brushing each sheet with melted butter.
• Before baking, score the top layer of phyllo (making sure not to puncture the filling layer) to enable easier cutting of pieces later. 
• Bake in a preheated oven for 45 minutes or until the phyllo turns a deep golden color.

While the Galaktoboureko is baking, prepare the syrup:

• Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and add the lemon peel and orange peel. 
• Boil over medium high heat for approximately 10 – 15 minutes. 
• Remove the lemon and orange peel and stir in the lemon juice. 
• Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Do not pour hot syrup over the hot custard. Allow both to cool to room temperature and then carefully ladle the syrup over the galaktoboureko and allow time for it to be absorbed.  Slice and serve - I served with Coconut Lemon Ice Cream - yum!  I'll share the ice cream recipe tomorrow.  Be sure to come back - you won't want to miss it!

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In the next week and a half...

And in between, just a little of this:

• London Eye
• West End Ghost Walk
• Cutty Sark / Greenwich
• Haunted London Walk
• London Olympics Venues
• British Museum
• Harry Potter Studio
• Eton College
• Windsor Castle
• Salisbury Cathedral - Magna Carta
• Stonehenge
• Brunel's Tunnel
• St. Paul's Cathedral
• Tower of London
• Tower Bridge
• Britain at War
• Southwark Cathedral
• Shakespeare's Globe Theater
• Westminster Hall
• House of Commons
• House of Lords
• Westminster Abbey
• Cabinet War Rooms
• Royal Mews @ Buckingham Palace
• National Gallery
• Kensington Palace
• Harrod's
• Santorini Taverna
• Victoria and Albert Museum

Dragging my mom along with us this time.... hope she has banked some extra sleep time!

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Shepherd's Pie

I'm a big fan of shepherd's pie.  We've made it lots of times in the past - even once in bunny form!  Once again, since this is made with turkey and pork, it is not technically shepherd's pie which is made with lamb or cottage pie which is made with beef.  Nevertheless, it is based on the traditional British recipe and is tasty comfort food whatever you would like to call it.



Shepherd's Pie


Ingredients:

• 2 pounds turkey sausage (I used some of the Turkey and Sage Sausage we made the other day but did not make into sausage links)
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 jalapeno, finely diced
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 2 cups mashed potatoes (you could use Creamy Pepper Mashed Potatoes - that would taste fantastic!)
• 1/2 cup cheddar or mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions:

Brown the sausage, onions and peppers in medium saucepan.

Add the corn and peas.

Mix in the tomato sauce and simmer over medium heat for another 15 minutes.  Spoon into a baking dish or pie pan.

Cover with mashed potatoes.

Top with cheese and put under the broiler until cheese is melted and golden brown.

Serve!

Delicious.  I'm in British pub food heaven right now.  I should have served this with my favorite ale, but sadly didn't have any on hand.  Perhaps next time.


Any idea why I might be making shepherds pie right now?  This picture gives a clue as to why.  The first person to figure out exactly what the reason is wins a prize!  Leave a comment!

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Visiting London - For Less!

Are the Olympics inspiring you to take a London vacation?  We love visiting London, but it is quite expensive (the Brits might say "quite dear").  Today we would like to share our best tips on vacationing for less, and getting the most out of your stay.

1.  Timing is important (Saving time and money)

Best (cheapest) times to go are late fall and early spring.  While the weather mostly likely won't be ideal (cold and wet) the flights/accommodations will be at their least expensive.  And you aren't going to London for a beach vacation anyway.  If you think you are, you have mixed up your travel books.

Late fall/early spring are also when the fewest tourists are in town.  (hence the lower prices)  This means fewer (or at least shorter) queues.  "Queues" is British for lines.  ;-)

One important thing to note in this strategy:   not everything is open all year long, particularly some of the royal-related spots.  For example, Buckingham Palace is only open to the public July - early October.  If you really want to see something particular, you want to make certain that it will be open when you get there.

2.  Do your research (Making the most of your time)

This is an important one if you want to make the most of your time.  Know the things that you want to see and the places you want to go.  Find out where they are, when they are open and how much they cost.  We made a website for our trip - http://london.zentmyer.us/ - with our itinerary, map, and all the places we planned to see.  This helped us make sure that we got to see everything that we wanted to see, and kept us on schedule when we needed to be.

3.  Take the non-stop flight if you can. (Making the most of your time)

We live in San Diego.  When we went to London last year, we didn't have the option of a non-stop and took a flight that stopped in Minneapolis.  That made about a 4 hour flight to MSP and then another 8 or so to get to Heathrow.  This year, British Air started a non-stop flight out of San Diego to Heathrow, and it takes about 10 hours.  A single 10 hour overnight flight gives you a much better opportunity to sleep, which will definitely help with jet-lag.

And once you get there - if coming from most of the United States, sometime in the afternoon - you are best off staying awake until after dinner.  Plan something for after you've checked into your flat or hotel.  The London Eye is a great place to start your London vacation.... and it works if you are tired.  Or take a walk around a nearby park.  Have dinner at the Hard Rock.  Then, head back home and enjoy an early night.  You should be able to head off quite a bit of the jet-lag.

4.  Stay at a vacation rental flat instead of a hotel  (Saving money)

You can find a number of different websites that will help you find a flat to rent.  We've used findaflatinlondon.com and homeaway.com, but there are others out there.  

Advantages of a flat over a hotel:

• If you would have more than one hotel room, a flat will be cheaper 

•  You will have kitchen facilities

• You can get laundry facilities 

•  You will have more space

• You will probably have free internet

• You will have a more authentic "London" experience

• If you have a large group, houses are available and will save even more 

Disadvantage of a flat over a hotel:

• You don't know exactly what you are going to get

• May be louder

• No room service 

We had a great experience with our first flat.  The owners were very friendly, easy to deal with from the US and easy to contact.  The flat itself was clean, modern and well-furnished.  And we had a great location.  We loved having laundry - we just put the load in the washer/dryer unit when we left in the morning and it was done when we came back later in the day.  Having the kitchen allowed us to have breakfast and occasionally dinner at the flat, which saved a lot.

I'll let you know about the next flat when we return from our trip in October.

5.  London Pass (Saving time and money)

The London Pass is a city sightseeing card which allows you free access to more than 55 attractions, and allows you to go the front of the queue in a number of different attractions.  The London Pass can be purchased for 1, 2, 3 or 6 day periods.  And here's where your research comes in to play.  Take a look at the list of things you want to see and compare it to the list of attractions on the London Pass.  You can figure out your savings to determine which of the alternatives is best for you.

If you do get one, spend some time reviewing the list of attractions.  We found some really interesting things on that list that we never would have done if we didn't have the Pass. 

6.  Make the most of the free things (Saving money)

Many London museums and attractions are free.  Free!  

The British Museum is one of the best museums in the world.  Free.  If you go (and you definitely should go), take some of the short guided tours.  They are given by Blue Badge Guides (certified tour guides) and really add a lot to your experience.

 The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) is another amazing museum.  Also free.  As is the Imperial War Museum, the National Gallery, the Bank of England Museum, The Museum of London and the National Maritime Museum.  Even Tate Modern.  (though I am not sure that Tate Modern is worth the cost....)

Did you know that you can visit the Houses of Parliament?   And that it is free?

Certainly one of the most popular tourist spots in London is Westminster Abbey.  And rightly so.  The Abbey is incredibly rich in history, and a sight not to be missed.  St. Paul's Cathedral is also right up there in terms of history and architectural beauty.  And the views from the top are breathtaking!  If you happen to be visiting on a Sunday, get up early and go to the 8:00 AM services at Westminster or St. Paul's.  In fact, stay for two Sundays and go to both.  Free (which is nice as both the Abbey and St. Paul's charge an entry fee when not attending services)!

And don't forget to take in the many parks in the city.  Walk along the River Thames and cross the famous bridges.  This is a great way to enjoy London!

7.  London Evenings (Making the most of your time)

One thing you will notice is that attractions tend to close between 5:30 and 6:00.  To make the most of your trip, you will want to find the things that are open late and save them for the evenings.  Some attractions that are open late:

• The British Museum (some nights)

• The National Gallery (some nights)

• Houses of Parliament - viewing debate in the House of Commons and House of Lords from the public gallery

• Tate Modern and Tate Britain

• Harrods

• Ceremony of the Keys

Another great evening activity is the London Walks.  London Walks puts on reasonably inexpensive walking tours of London, with many different themes.  And many are held in the evening!  We did a Harry Potter tour, Westminster by Gaslight, Jack the Ripper's London, and the Ancient City at Night.  Wonderful way to see the city!  And, London Walks gives a discount to folks with the London Pass. 

8.  Getting Around (Saving time and money)

London has great public transportation.  Best transportation for distances of a half mile or so?  Walking!  Walking (1) is free, (2) allows you to see things as you go from place to place, and (3) is fastest.

When walking isn't an option, consider the bus.  The bus is the cheapest form of public transport and you can get a bit of a free tour as you go.  It is probably also fastest for trips of up to about 3 miles.

The London Underground (known as the tube) is a great option for other trips.  It is quite easy to navigate, quite clean and safe.  You may find it quite crowded if you are travelling at rush hours, and people move quickly.  And the tube is more expensive than the bus.  Be sure to mind the gap between the train and the platform when you ride!

If you plan to be in the city for more than a couple of days, consider getting an Oyster card, which is a re-loadable card for use on the London public transport.  This will save you time.  Plus, you will look like one of the cool kids if you keep your card in its flap and wave it over the sensor. 

9.  Eating (Saving money)

The cheapest places to eat are generally pubs.  And they have great food!  Often free wi-fi too.  Breakfast at your flat is a quick and inexpensive option too.  Do splurge on a good English High Tea - it is worth the experience!

Hopefully this gives you a few ideas for your London vacation.  We'd be happy to answer any questions you might have.  We're planning a trip in October and we will be taking my Mom who uses a wheelchair, so we are doing our research on accessibility as well.  If you've got suggestions for me, leave a comment or send me an email.

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Strawberries and Cream Anyone?

What do these have in common?

That's right - Wimbledon! 

 Today is the Men's Singles Finals, where Andy Murray will attempt to win one for Britain and Roger Federer will attempt to tie Pete Sampras' seven Wimbledon Finals titles.

They'll have to kick the birds off the court first of course.

And fill the stands.  Which will not be difficult.

Last year the scoreboard looked like this....

And this year?  Prediction?

As for the strawberries, well, Strawberries and Cream is the traditional breakfast at Wimbledon.  Here's an easy recipe so you can have some along with the Queen.

Strawberries and Cream Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 Cups Strawberries
• 2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
• 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 2 Tablespoons Granulated White ("Table") Sugar

Directions

1. Cut the strawberries in half. 
2. Add the vanilla and sugar to the cream; stir them together; pour them over your strawberries; and serve.

Really, breakfast doesn't get much simpler than that.  Enjoy some while watching the Men's Finals from Wimbledon this morning.

Sheepy will be!

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The Longest Day

The summer solstice occurs exactly when the axial tilt of a planet's semi-axis in a given hemisphere is most inclined towards the star that it orbits. Earth's maximum axial tilt to our star, the Sun, during a solstice is 23° 26'. This happens twice each year, at which times the Sun reaches its highest position in the sky as seen from the North or South Pole respectively.

The summer solstice is the solstice that occurs in a hemisphere's summer. In the Northern Hemisphere this is the Northern solstice, in the Southern Hemisphere this is the Southern solstice. Depending on the shift of the calendar, the summer solstice occurs some time between December 20 and December 23 each year in the Southern Hemisphere and between June 20 and June 22 in the Northern Hemisphere in reference to UTC.

Though the summer solstice is an instant in time, the term is also colloquially used like Midsummer to refer to the day on which it occurs. Except in the polar regions (where daylight is continuous for many months), the day on which the summer solstice occurs is the day of the year with the longest period of daylight.

People often think of Stonenhenge with they think of the solstices. An enigmatic 5000-year-old World Heritage Site, it pre-dates even the pyramids of Egypt. Its stones weigh up to 60 tons.

Though no one has quite figured out exactly why Stonehenge was built, we have determined that it was built to correspond to the changing of the seasons, specifically the solstices.

Stonehenge was constructed in three phases. It has been estimated that the three phases of the construction required more than thirty million hours of labor.

Speculation on the reason it was built range from human sacrifice to astronomy, though the current thinking is that it may have been used as a place to perform burial rites for many different religions. These rites, archaeologists believe, would have occurred at the solstice.

However it was built and whatever its use, it is awe-inspiring.  Not many things are as old or well-preserved as Stonehenge, with such mysterious roots.

What do you think will last for 5,000 years from our society?  Anything?  Maybe this blog about a 5,000 year-old archaeological site?  :-)

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Happy Jubilee QE2!

Queen Elizabeth has reigned for 60 years.  60 years!

Here are some facts and figures about her reign and the jubilee festivities:

-- Queen Victoria was the last and the only previous British monarch to celebrate a diamond jubilee, in 1897. Queen Elizabeth II is the oldest British monarch to celebrate one, being 85 on the 60th anniversary of her accession, while Victoria was 77.
-- Only three other world head of states have celebrated diamond jubilees during Queen Elizabeth's reign. Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej marked his in 2006; the Sultan of Johor, which is now part of Malaysia, celebrated his in 1955; and Emperor Hirohito of Japan celebrated his in 1986.
-- Queen Elizabeth II is the 40th monarch since William the Conqueror who obtained the crown of England in 1066.
-- There have been 12 British prime ministers since the queen acceded to the throne. Winston Churchill was the first. She met current premier David Cameron when he was nine years old and acting in a production of The Wind in the Willows, playing a rabbit to the mole of her youngest son Prince Edward.
-- There have been 11 U.S. presidents during her reign. She has met all of them except Lyndon Johnson.
-- There have been six Popes during the queen's reign (Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I, John Paul II, Benedict XVI).
-- The queen has launched 21 ships.
-- The queen has sat for 129 portraits during her time on the throne.
-- The queen has answered around 3.5 million items of correspondence during her reign, and she and her husband Prince Philip have sent around 45,000 Christmas cards.
-- She has been on 261 official overseas visits to 116 different countries since becoming queen. She has visited Australia 16 times, Canada 22 times, Jamaica 6 times and New Zealand 10 times.
-- Almost 1.5 million people have attended Queen Elizabeth's garden parties at Buckingham Palace in London or at Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.
-- The queen has owned more than 30 corgis, starting with Susan, who was a present for her 18th birthday in 1944. Many have been direct descendants from Susan. She currently has three corgis: Monty, Willow and Holly.
-- The queen introduced a new breed of dog known as the "dorgi" when one of her corgis was mated with a dachshund.

I'm a great fan of Queen Elizabeth.  There are those who say that she leads a privileged life, and I suppose she does.  One British friend of mine joked to me that she wherever she goes, she smells fresh paint!

But I doubt anyone could argue that she has (and still does) devote her life to the service of her country.  And at 85, she's got an insanely busy schedule!

Long Live the Queen!

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What We Ate

Sheepy would like to give you a glimpse at some of the places we ate while in London.

Our first morning in the City, we had breakfast at Starbucks after services at St. Paul's Cathedral.  Sheepy likes St. Arbucks.  

Salaam Namaste - delicious Indian food, and had the bonus of being just around the corner from our flat.

Breakfast at The George Inn in Lacock.  This pub dates back to 1361!

The original Hard Rock Cafe.  Though this only dates back to 1971, this Hard Rock is the one that started it all.

Another cup of coffee, though this time we opted for somewhere other than Starbucks.

Lunch and an ale at The Edgar Wallace near Temple and Fleet Street.

Starbucks.  See?  I told you that Sheepy likes Starbucks.

A pub dinner near our flat at Calthorpe Arms.  Good gravy.  ;-)

Late but lovely dinner at the Mug House under London Bridge.

And a dessert of treacle tart.  Divine!

We always have lunch at  Pizza Express when we tour Shakespeare's Globe Theatre!

A tasty pub dinner at the Friend At Hand, near Russell Square Station.

High Tea at The Orangery.  Very fancy.  Sheepy loved it!

Another visit to Starbucks.

Dinner at our favorite restaurant in London, Santorini.

With our favorite dessert, the galactic burrito!  (OK, galaktobouriko, but the very first time the waiter told us about it, it really sounded like galactic burrito to me)

Dinner at The Old Garage just outside of Wimbledon.  Fabulous food, and good prices.

We ate twice at L ulivo, a really great Italian restaurant in Baker street.

Dinner at the foot of The Monument (after climbing all 311 steps to the top) at The Brittania.

Lunch at the Kitchen Front Cafe in Churchill's War Rooms Museum.

One of the few places we saw Shepard's Pie - yum!

Another meal at L ulivo!

Breakfast at The Old Brewery Cafe in Greenwich.  A lot of our time in restaurants was spent planning our next route, just like this!

Sheepy, Sheepy, Sheepy and Sheepy all enjoyed lunch at the British Museum!

One last dinner in London.  Fish and chips in Trafalgar Square, at The Silver Cross.

Judging by the food we ate, I think it is a good thing that we walked more than 12 miles each day we were in London!

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