It’s been great being with wordpress for the past few months, I have now moved urban apprentice to www.urbanapprentice.com

Please visit the new site and make sure you tell your friends about it as well. Many new features have been added including:

- You tube video of the week

- Urban eats and drinks – Reviews of people favourite places (if you would like to submit a restaurant, bar, deli, food hall etc email me the details and a blurb to troy@urbanapprentice.com)

- new fresh and easy layout to navigate around

I look forward to your comments and feedback and I hope that  will visit www.urbanapprentice.com every second of the day

Eat Well

Troy

I have done a quick google search today on what are great winter warmers and came across the great article by Danny Millar from the Guardian (5/12/2009) titled: 

British winter warmers: Recipes from Northern Ireland

When it comes to comfort food, you can’t beat a proper pie. Or a steaming bowl of broth. Or a proper crumble

  Have a read through it. He has presented some real mouth-watering recipes in this article. Personally I am not a big fan of broth however ‘Beef Shin, Stout and Oyster Pie’ is making my knees wobble. I can taste it now.

Check out Danny’s article at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/dec/05/northern-ireland-winter-warmer-recipes

One of my new years resolutions or the way I prefer to call it is one of my new goals for 2010 was to ensure that I write as much as I can In my blog as possible. I have failed this goal already as it is already the 5^th of January and this is my first entry.

 From here on I promise you that I will be constantly giving you updates on my blog, that will hopefully make your taste buds dance as much as Kylie’s back up dancers.

 So how exciting is the new year. Wow 2010. I can’ believe that the last 10 years has just flown by. Who would have thought that 10 years ago we were all sitting around waiting to find out the effects of the K2 bug (if that is what it was called).

 I am so pumped for this year as I have a feeling a lot is going to be happening in my world. I am going to dive in head first in the world of food and urban life. Starting off with looking at recipes to cook at night that have no carbs in them as Klaus and I have decided to shred some pounds this month by cutting carbs out of our diet in the evening. So when I come across recipes and try them out I am going to share them with you. So far we have mainly been eating steaks with veggies etc however I want to get creative with this.

 Last night I did a search and found some amusing recipes that included a cheese bottom quiche (no carbs but hugely high in fat), along with some other dishes that just seemed bland and boring.  

 I am also going to share with you some of my travels this year. Between Christmas and new years I spent 3 nights at the very lovely Der Alpinehof  http://www.der-alpenhof.com/ which is located around an hours drive from Munich. Here I experienced some lovely relaxing time (along with a day of snowboarding) as well as some amazing food from their Michelin star restaurant including the most amazing sorbet I have ever had, apple and coriander sorbet served on a lavender jelly – jum jum jum. It is another of my goals this year to find this recipe and try it out with some friends.

 So I now bid you farewell for another day and wish you all the very best of luck with 2010. Be sure to return and look at my blog and of course give me as much feedback as you possible can.

 Troy

Flicking through Issue 7 of Jamies Magazine last Friday I came across the feature Edible Gifts.

A few years back when I first moved to Munich I decided to get through the December winter blues I was going to bake Christmas cookies. By the time I had finished I had baked around 300 cookies and decided then and there to wrap them up and give them to friends for Christmas. What a great idea you are saying – well not really as I nearly broke everyone’s teeth as I was hailed at the time one of the worlds worst bakers….

A lot has changed since then. So after reading the article in Jamies Magazine I decided to give baking another try. I said to myself  that my 2009 Christmas gifts to friends is going to be Pistachio & Saffron Biscotti – sounds yum yum right. Last Friday after work I went out picked up all my ingredients and returned home to start baking. As I was peeling the shells off the pistachio nuts my partner said, ‘aren’t they meant to be un-salted Pistachio nuts’? Good call. I have no idea and Jamies Magazine unfortunately to provide any further information regarding this, so instead of causing another baking disaster I decided to switch Pistachio nuts for almonds and Saffron for Vanilla. The result of the first batch was great, the second batch on Saturday was even better as I actually put in some Vanilla essence as well.

Once my Biscotti had cooled I put a handful of them in little white paper bags and closed it with a  silver bulldog clip on the top. A great looking present.

At a friends Christmas party on Sunday I handed out my little packets of edible gifts and since then my phone has been ringing off the hook with friends complimenting me on my Biscotti (and thanking me for not breaking their teeth this year). Once again…. Thanks Jamie

Jamies Pistachio & Saffron Biscotti recipe can be found on page 54 of Jamie Magazine issue 7. For further information visit www.jamiemagazine.com

A great friend of mine was over last weekend from London and before he arrived I told him ‚you must bring me a copy of the latest Jamie Magazine’, and lucky for him he did.

You all need to race out and pick up a copy. It is filled with such great ideas to fill yours, your friend and your family’s tummy’s this Christmas.

At the moment I am reading the section edible gifts for friends and family, and this weekend I am going to make the Pistachio & Saffron Biscotti that Jamie recommends and give them to friends at a Christmas Party this Sunday afternoon. Check back in a few days for my reviews and recipe details.

Visit www.jamieoliver.com to find out where you can pick up a copy of this months magazine.

I love British Pub Food. Nothing beats a good dish up of Bangers and Mash and a cold beer in your favourite pub on a Saturday afternoon. In London it became a tradition for me and some mates to meet in our favourite pub at 3.00pm and treat ourselves to some great pub food. This book is a must and I hope it will be in my stocking this year.

 Le Creuset should change their motto to “Making Troy’s life easier”. 

Le Creuset should be in every kitchen, it is easy to cook with and easy to clean. In this picture are the crockery range. Great for a lasagna a potato bake and even roasting a chicken in. They come in a variety of colours including the trademark red. A must for someone who you think has everything.

River Cottage Everyday Cookbook….      

I believe that every cook out their must have a copy of a River Cottage cook book in their house. Not just for the great recipes but also to understand and learn where the food we use everyday actually comes from and how we should treat it.

River Cottage DVD set

AS the same with the book this is a must have. I learnt so much about food from these DVD’s then what I have learnt in 20 years in my kitchen. For me I learnt a lot about respecting the way things are grown or brought up and also learnt a lot about why, yes why Organic and free range is the way to go.

Indoor Grill

I picked one these up recently and have no idea how i lived without it. What this grill does to a steak will put most steak houses out of business as everyone will stay at home and cook their own. I love that I can still BBQ in winter when it -20 degrees outside and snowing. This one is of course from Le Creuset

The Good Food Guide 2010

I dont know much about this book but when I saw it I thought its one I would love to flick through. Just the words good food guide make me curious. Visit www.amazon.co.uk for further information.

Pasta Maker

People say why buy one you will never use it. I use mine weekly, I love it. If you love pasta and you love fresh pasta this is a must to put on your xmas wish list. Pasta makers are easy to use and the recipes are more simple then going out to buy fresh pasta from the market. Let the Italian Chef come out of you with this little utensil that is a must for every Italian home kitchen.

This is a must buy for every kitchen. Finally a company has designed a peeler that is comfy to hold, ergonomic and one that actually works quickly and with ease. The KitchenAid potato peeler comes in a range of colours and makes peeling fun fun fun. Visit www.kitchenaid.com for further information on where to buy.

Did you know….

- in the 1800′s over 500 different varieties of potato peelers patents were patented.

- There are 3 main varieties of potato peelers: The  Lancashire, The Australian and Y Peeler.

- A Potato peeler is mainly used for peeling potatoes and apples.

Christmas Markets, cold night … yep it’s Glühwein time!

Last Friday in Munich saw the opening of the Christmas markets (my Last count I think there was 32). Along with gift ideas, Christmas decorations and wonderful food is the Christmas market trademark drink Glühwein.

Glühwein is a traditional German drink to have during the Christmas season.  I believe you should only drink  Glühwein when its minus 5 degrees and snowing.

 Glühwein generally consists of warm red wine, sugar, cloves, cinnamon, and citrus fruit. There is also a weiss (white) Glühwein which is just made with white wine instead of the red wine and of course there is also an alcohol free version as well (which is virtually warm punch).

Am I a fan of Glühwein, well not really. I don”t mind having one but the drink is way too sweet for me. As well have more than 3, then you may find it difficult to be able to walk home.

 Following is a  basic Glühwein recipe I found on the BBC food website www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/gluhwein_2495.shtml

Ingredients

1 litre bottle cheap red wine
30z/75g sugar (to taste)
1 tsp whole cloves
1 tsp ground cinnamon or stick cinnamon
juice of 1 orange and 1 lemon

Method

1. Pour wine into a saucepan and add remaining ingredients (you can put whole spices in muslin).
2. Heat until nearly boiling and strain (if necessary) into a warm bowl.
3. Serve warm.

I love cookies, and nothing is better than home baked cookies straight from the oven…….yum yum. I discovered this recipe from Nigella Lawson’s “Feast” cookbook around 3 years ago and since they have become very popular in our home every Christmas. 

One hint thou, make sure you watch the eat of your oven – if it’s too hot these cookies will still taste great but they will be really hard to bite into.

For other great recipes like the one below: visit www.nigella.com

INGREDIENTS

100gm butter
40gm sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla essence
100ml Amaretto
1 egg yolk
140 gm flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
125gm ground almonds
150gm white chocolate buttons, chopped into slivers
1 cup dried cranberries
50gm icing sugar

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INTRODUCTION

A cookie for Xmas time.
METHOD

1. Cream butter and sugar, add vanilla, Amaretto and egg then mix until combined. Add flour, baking powder and almonds, then mix lightly until combined. Stir the white chocolate and cranberries into the mix by hand until evenly distributed. Roll tablespoonfuls into balls and bake on greased trays ( they will spread so leave enough room) at 150ºC for about 15 mins or until cooked and lightly browned. Cool on wire racks until they are cool enough to handle and roll in the sifted icing sugar. Leave to cool completely on rack.

 

3⅓ cups (500g) raisins

250g sultanas

125g currants

¾ cup (125g) candied mixed peel

125g slivered almonds

125g chopped dates

¾ cup (185ml) brandy or sweet sherry

250g butter

1¼ cups (220g) brown sugar

4 eggs

2¼ cups (335g) plain (all-purpose) flour

¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of (baking) soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground allspice

brandy, extra, for splashing

Place raisins, sultanas, currants, mixed peel, almonds and dates in a bowl and pour over brandy. Cover and allow to soak for at least 8 hours and up to 2 days.
   Preheat oven to 140°C (285ºF). Beat the butter and sugar in an electric mixer until light and creamy. Add eggs one at a time and beat well. Combine butter mixture, soaked fruit mixture, flour, bicarbonate, cinnamon and allspice in a large bowl. Spoon into a 20cm-square cake tin double-lined with non-stick baking paper and bake for 2 hours. While still hot, splash cake with a capful of brandy. Allow to cool before serving. Serves 8–10.