Chinese fried rice

Every time I make fried rice I cannot help but call it flie' lice. I know it sounds stupid, but I can't shake that inner voice calling it out loud. Now I've lived for a substantial part of my childhood in China. And rice, or noodles, with scrambled eggs has been a recurring digestive theme for my stomach back then. Once I've left Asia, however, not so much anymore...there has been at least a decade-long flie'-lice lull in my life. Well, I've been back at for a few years now. And I must admit, I cannot think of a better way - suggestions are welcome - to use leftover rice than this. It is also one of my favorite quick breakfast fixes.

Baked lemon custard 'au lieu de la tarte'

I intended on posting about a my attempt at classic lemon tart adapted from a recipe in James Martin's book Desserts. Instead this was me after two unsuccessful late-night attempts at sweet shortcrust pastry:

Yes... well, I generally consider myself a good baker. But I always struggle when making my own shortcrust pastry (also known by its posh French name - pâté brisée). And this latest episode of Daniel vs Shortcrust Dough was a clear knockout win for the lifeless-yet-evil edible substance. I was tired, frustrated and above all very upset at the thought of having to toss the filling for the tart (which I've made earlier).

Hotel breakfast review: Hesperia London Victoria

About twice a month my work requires me to travel abroad for a couple of days. Naturally I get to stay in a variety of hotels. Whatever the official star rating of the hotel, somehow the quality of the breakfast does not seem to factor. But it should. A good breakfast provides a quality start to the day which is vital when you'll be spending the day in meetings or at a trade show. So I've decided to make reviewing of the breakfast offerings at the hotels I'm staying at a regular feature of this blog.

First up is the 4* Hesperia Hotel, just outside Victoria Station in London, where I stayed for one night this last week.

My Easter lamb, Méchoui-style

Just to make something clear right away: this is probably THE best lamb recipe I've ever tried.

Now I was planning on cooking lamb for Easter, but was struggling to settle on the approach and recipe. Grilled lamb chops? Braised lamb shanks? Lamb stew? I was getting a bit disoriented. I wanted a lamb dish that had a similar wow-factor to the Christmas roast rib of beef. Them on a recent business trip to London I bought the Feb/March issue of Jamie Magazine  (Yes! Jamie Oliver has a magazine. And it's not bad)...and found what I was looking for: Méchoui lamb.

The main article in that issue is about Jamie exploring the food markets of Marrakesh and eating Méchoui-style lamb. As 'real' Méchoui calls for the whole lamb to be roasted on a spit in a specially designed oven dug in the ground, Jamie is kind enough to provide a recipe that can easily be cooked in a normal Western kitchen. The outcome is full of spiced flavors and wonderfully tender and moist.