Red velvet cake

This isn't actually a recipe, it's more an homage at a cake. Having said that, it's more about the look than the actual taste.
When I went to New York, I stayed with friends in Greenwich Village. It was the perfect location in an otherwise imperfect city. I didn't enjoy New York per se much, but Greenwich Village with all its continental bakeries, eateries and Marc Jacobs outlets was different. Bleaker Street was my favourite. Not only because that's where out apartment was, but that's where almost everything else was as well. Especially all the nice bakeries and cake shops.
On cake shop in particular caught my attention. I cannot remember its name, but the long queue outside this little shop. Long queues always look promising, so I expected a lot when I joined it to get a taste of the famous red velvet cake.It was ok. As ok as if Betty Crocker herself made it.
So I couldn't help but wonder: did they really just use a white cake mix and spike it with some colouring?

An ode to a cocktail

New York is not my favourite city, but it's the city that hosts my favourite cocktail.
I cannot even remember the name of this heavenly creation, but I remember how it's made and where to get it from. But I reckon it must have been called something like Tomartini... the list of ingredients is nice and short: tomato water, vodka, pickles.
Alright, it sounds revolting. I admit, it was sheer curiosity that made me order this cocktail and I rememer even enquiring about the degree of its revoltingness with our waiter, who just replied: "Very good choice, it is lovely". And so it was.

The place to get it from is the Savoy in Soho. Or my place, if I ever find out about how to make tomato water. Trust me, try it. You will not regret it (like the Olive Martini in the Soho Grand Hotel which basically consists of nothing but cheap olive brine and vodka. Yuk.)

Mickey's head

I wouldn't dare to disagree with anyone who says France is the culinary capital of the world. But there is still one part of France this honorary title doesn't apply to: Eurodisney.
The food served in this little fairytale land is far from being magic. It is not only overpriced, but also unimaginative, bland, boring and above all: unhealthy. Burger, American style pizza, fries and fizzy drinks.
The Disney eatieries might all look a different interior design theme, but the theme in the kitchens remains the same across them all. Of course, there are exceptions: the Blue Lagoon restaurant, part of the Pirates of the Carribean attraction, gets top ratings even in the world outside of Disneyland. But when you already pay 17 Euro for 2 drinks and one tiny Mickey Mouse head pizza in one of the other places, I don't even want to imagine what pricetag the foie gras in the Blue Lagoon comes with.
My tip: should you ever go to Disneyland, take a picnic with you: baguette, salami, ham and cheese. One third of the price of the Disneyland food but three times as nice.

For dessert, try the only edible thing Disneyland has to offer: a brioche bun filled with Nutella. No need to mention though that it comes in the shape of Mickey's head.

Pancakes, kroketten and buttermilk

I am a big fan of the Netherlands. 10 years ago I lived and studied there for a few months and ever since I return on a regular basis to enjoy the two things I like most about the Netherlands: Dutch interior design and proper pancakes. Last week when I visited my friend in Groningen I had the chance to eat the best pancake ever. It was served to us in a small village in the area of Drente. Drente is one of those places where half of the country's population comes for a weekend walk or cycle trip with the whole family. Being such a touristic hotspot the area is full of cafes, resaurants and of course pancake houses. But you really need to walk or cycle for miles to work off the pancakes. I had an apple, raisin and speck pancake drizzles with syrup. The most satisfying thing you can eat on a Sunday afternoon. For a weekday lunch however I would opt for something a bit lighter. "A bit" in its true meaning... you wouldn't see Kate Moss feasting on a kroket with potato salad. Not if the kroket is deep fried and the salad dressed with mayo. But you can disguise it as a healthy option if you order a glass of buttermilk with it. Yes, buttermilk. Or just milk. Both of which can be found on every Dutch menu. Lekker.

Mediterranean salad, the Styrian way

People from the South-East of Austria (province of Styria) are hooked on pumpkinseed oil. I am one of them. I always make sure that there is at least one spare bottle in my cupboard - for emergencies.
It is a very versatile little helper in the kitchen. Most people use it for salad dressings only, but you can make fab scrambled egg with it and even bake cakes with it! Newest culinary invention using pumpkinseed oil is pumpkinseed pesto. It isn't that different in the making from Pesto Genovese. Use pumpkinseeds instead of pine nuts and pumpkinseed oil instead of olive oil. Or take some ready made pumpkinseed oil pesto with you on your next trip to Austria just like I do! Aubergine and zucchini salad with beans and pumpkinseed oil pesto, for 6
: 1 large aubergine, sliced lengthways
: 2 large or 5 small zucchini
: 2 cans of beans (e.g. borlotti, cannellini)
: 1 bunch of parsley
: 2 tbsp pumkinseed oil pesto
: pumpkinseed oil
: Maldon sea salt
: freshly ground black pepper

Slice the aubergine lengthways into thin slices and cut the zucchini into chunks/wedges. Fry both vegetables on a hot, well oiled griddle. When ready, arrange the aubergine on a large plate and top with the drained beans. Finally, add the zucchini and a few dollops of pumpkinseed pesto. Season with salt and pepper. Roughly chop the parsley and sprinkle over the salad. Finish off with a drizzle of pumpkinseed oil. Serve with grilled meat or freshly baked brown bread.

Zuericher Geschnetzeltes

I remember having Geschnetzeltes at least twice a month when I was younger. First came the Zuericher Geschnetzeltes, but inspired by her weekly woman’s magazine, my mother soon added all sorts of things to her Geschnetzeltes. Two family favourites were Geschnetzeltes with asparagus and curried Geschnetzeltes with tinned peaches (still my number 1 among the all the Geschnetzelte).
There are times when your body screams for the comfort food from your childhood. Plus, I found a pack of dried Spaetzle in my cupboard, had turkey breast and cream at home, so nothing could stop me… apart from the lack of white wine. Time to improvise then: a splash of white wine or cider vinegar diluted with some water turned out to be a rather successful substitute. Zuericher Geschnetzeltes, for 2
: 250g thinly sliced turkey breast
: 1 small onion
: 100ml single cream
: splash of white wine or cider vinegar
: lemon pepper
: salt
: small bunch of parsley

Fry the onion in a little olive oil until soft. Add turkey breast. Once the meat has browned a little, add a splash of vinegar and some 150ml of water. Let the liquid reduce a little, then pour in the single cream. Season with lemon pepper and salt, sprinkle over some fresh parsley and serve with Spaetzle.

Berlin

How did I manage to stay in Berlin for four days without having Currywurst?! ... but then, I shouldn't complain. The reason for not having the opportunity to grab a Currywurst was simply the sheer amount of lovely Bohemian style cafes with their good value meals and breakfast buffets.

But there is more to Berlin than cafes. In the area in and around Prenzlauer Berg you can find practically everything your stomach could ever ask for. Especially Asian treats. We popped into a tiny sushi place one night. Three tables and one Lebanese sushi chef. It was the first time I tasted deep fried sushi. Ok, admittedly, it wasn't served with 24-carat gold leaves like the one on the pic... but even the less posh version was very satisfying. For us and our purses.

It was freezing cold in Berlin, so we welcomed the idea of going to _the_ Vietnamese restaurant in the capital, Monsieur Vuong, for some soup and lecker tea. And how lecker it was. Freshly squeezed lime juice and lime peel - plenty of - muddled with big pieces of ginger, shreds of Kaffir lime leaves, some lemongrass and cane sugar.

Newly hooked on Vietnamese cuisine we went for a second helping the day after. Well, actually we wanted more fried sushi, but the passionate and apparently moody chef Gingi refused to serve customers that day. So we went for beef broth in a lovely environment instead.

And as for the Currywurst... We will just have them back here in the UK. After all, KaDeWe sells about every kind of sausage there is. Anyway, all an ordinary Bratwurst needs to be transformed into a Currywurst is a generous splash of curried ketchup and a little bit of curry powder sprinkled over it.