Frangipane Frolics

For the past few weeks a group of four intrepid slow foodies: Cath, David, Holly and myself (Lottie), have been meeting every Sunday to cook delicious food, exchange cooking tips and generally have a great time!

When we last met up we made incredibly tasty pesto, sun dried tomatoes, and mozzarella bread rolls. We found the recipe on BBC Good Food, just a Google away! These are so very easy to make, if you know how to make bread then you're ahead of the game. But if you haven't, (or even if you have!) the trick’s in the kneading - when a recipe says knead for 10 minutes they really mean it! I’ve always cut corners before, kneaded for 3 or 4 minutes and left it at that. When I tasted these rolls though I knew all the effort we’d put in had been more than worth it! The texture was amazing - Paul Hollywood would have been proud. 

While the dough was proving we made a side dish of layered aubergine mozzarella and chopped tomatoes - the perfect accompaniment for the rolls. As someone who hasn't eaten nearly enough aubergine in her life I can recommend giving this dish a go. It's the perfect way to introduce yourself to it, because even if you discover you don't like aubergine you've still got oozing mozzarella and chopped tomatoes. No dish include mozzarella has even been bad. Fact. 

But next we all wanted to bake something sweet and delicious. So frangipane it was!

As the great Mary Berry says why make pastry by hand when it comes ready made (no really she does!) If that doesn’t strike you as a very slow food-esque statement then comfort yourself with the knowledge that we layered the base in Cath’s dad’s homemade (and hand picked!) plum jam.

Like the bread rolls Frangipane was surprisingly easy to make. We also found this recipe online, on Tesco’s website, so you’ll easily be able to track it down. Making the almond paste for the filling was the work of a moment, nothing tricky simply weigh and combine. As with all baking the real key to this pastry was in the measurement - if you stick to the recommended amounts you won’t go far wrong. That sounds obvious, but so much of my baking has gone wrong because I’ve winged it and added just that little bit more chocolate!

But this time we all stuck to the book and the results bore that out. The flavours were all perfectly balanced; the sweet richness of the plum jam, the juicy bursts of blueberry all brought gloriously together with the buttery almonds.

We decided to cook this fantastic French pastry a week ahead of time, but seeing the tragic events unfold in France we couldn’t let the chance pass up to pay some kind of tribute to the victims of the Paris attacks. So we made a pastry disk and melted chocolate in the shape of Jean Jullien’s “peace for Paris” symbol.

 

A little update

So things have been a bit quiet lately... but fear not!

Because *drum roll* we finally have funding! We have funding and ideas and we are very, very excited - as should you be!

And let us just introduce you to the wonderful new space we will be using for some of our events this year...

Hidden down in Birks Grange, this absolutely amazing space is going to be a venue for some of our cooking classes and food evenings for the rest of the year!

There's a brilliantly long table that doubles up as a worktop for our cooking classes - there will be space for 12 of us in total to work together, create some delicious food and then sit around in the cosy space enjoying the fruits of our labour!

Then there's the kitchen area. It's a little small but it serves our purposes just fine. There are two ovens, an electric hob, a fridge and even a dishwasher! Hallelujah!

And it's just so nice and clean and modern - it's practically crying out for us all to practice our Nigella/Jamie routines on it!

As well as being the perfect social space for foodies, there's even a football table for after dinner tournaments...

In short, it looks like we may have just hit the jackpot. 

We're envisioning great things for Slow Food on Campus. Cooking classes, food tastings, dinner parties, Come Dine With Me showdowns...

We're very, very excited. Are you?

The Pig & Pickle, Heavitree

Lately, I've been exploring a little more.

I'm currently studying my MSc, having already completed my BSc here in Exeter. Add my year abroad on top and this is the fifth year that I will have officially been an Exeter student! 

And I'm ashamed to say that throughout those long years, I haven't really ventured past the city centre that much. 

Making most of the glorious autumn whilst the sun was still out to play meant getting my walking shoes on and having a good old hike around.

Which apparently took me to Heavitree (I know, I know, the wilds of Dartmoor are next on my list I assure you). It started as a ramble around the 12 mile Exeter Green Circle (I promise you now, I only did about 10% of it, max), turned into a bit of a lost traipse out the back of Lafrowda, falling down a rabbit hole into the Mount Pleasant area and deciding to head on out to Heavitree from there.

There was a certain amount of interest in directing us there; after all, the best antidote to a good walk in crisp air is a nice pint of ale.

My boyfriend and I are diehard Rusty Bike fans and the Fat Pig happens to be our local pub. But we'd never quite made it to any of the other outposts of the group (in case you're wondering, the Rusty Bike, Fat Pig, Tabac and Pig & Pickle are all owned by the same wonderful people).

If you like your beer local and well done, you can't go wrong at one of these places. They serve other drinks of course but their home-brews are just exquisite. We both had a half pint of the Porco Rosso, a deep, smokey ale that perfectly complemented our autumn mood.

And it would have been rude not to try the food!

The menu is rather sparse seeing as they don't have the same kitchen facilities as the larger pubs. Here, the offerings revolve around cured meats, local cheeses and homemade pickles. 

We both went for sandwiches, he for the cured deli meats and I for the local cheeses.

As the barman was making them up, he leant over the counter and double checked if I approved of his cheese selection which I thought was a nice touch.

When they arrived... oh my goodness. 

Let's just say, I don't understand how a cheese and chutney sandwich could ever taste that good. It was delicious. Perhaps the bartender is a particularly talented sandwich maker or perhaps it was just a winning combination of flavours and textures but the mixture of cheeses (cheddar, goats and blue, all local of course) with the fresh, sweet chutney and mixed salad leaves on huge hunks of soft bread made me want to renounce all other sandwiches forever.

We were only in there for our quick bite to eat but if you fancy hanging on for a bit longer, there's a great selection of games. I taught the Italian how to play snap (a great game if ever there was one) but it would be a brilliant place to take a group of friends to.

So don't shun this corner of Exeter, come down and have a look. You really won't be disappointed.

Dinner at Oddfellows

Last week we had our first restaurant social at an old Slow Food favourite, Oddfellows.

They pride themselves on crafting delicious meals from fresh, local ingredients and have recently started brewing their own beer too! Whilst none of us got round to trying any that night, we did conduct a rather thorough investigation of their menu; here's how we got on...

By 7:30pm, we were all sat down and ready to go! Our table was right next to the kitchen (this photo in fact was practically taken from inside the kitchen) so we could see everything that was going on. 

Sometimes open kitchens can detract from a night out; the clashing of pans and personalities can be a bit too noisy and make the evening feel stressful rather than fun. There is none of this at Oddfellows and so the open kitchen experience is quite an enjoyable one.

Most of us plumped for wine; there's a nice wide selection for those of you who know a thing or two about wine (not me...). There's even a Brut from Devon for those really looking to keep things local!

But now onto the food...

The Starters:

Top to bottom: 

Rabbit and smoked bacon bon bons, English mustard mayo and mustard cress (£6)

Pigeon breast, roasted beetroot, artichoke and red chard salad, honey & cider dressing (£5.50)

Celeriac soup, roasted garlic oil and crusty bread (£4.75)

As soon as the starters arrived, cutlery was seized in anticipation and those of us who hadn't ordered looked on in jealousy as the lucky ones tucked in.

Luckily though, it was soon our turn. The starters were polished off at an impressive speed (with many exclaims of delight in between) and soon we were getting ready for the next course...

The Mains:

From top to bottom:

Roasted cod with pommel puree, roasted tomatoes and mustard butter sauce (£15.50)

Fig, shallot and goat's cheese, rosemary polenta and Madeira dressing (£13)

Pan roasted duck breast, confit leg croquette, peach taste satin, sautéed kale and peach jus (£16)

Oven roasted venison loin, celeriac fondant, mini wild mushroom pie, heritage carrots and damson jus (£16.50)

The mains were even more delicious than the starters. There was a lot of excitement surrounding the mini wild mushroom pie that came with the venison but apart from that, the table pretty much fell silent apart from the sound of blissed-out munching.

I had the cod; the first mouthful was heavenly. It tasted like real comfort food with the roasted fish, the wonderful potato puree and the sauce adding that extra kick. However I do feel that the dish would have benefited from a little less potato and some extra vegetables in its place. There was a lot of potato to get through (don't worry, I did the job) and the flavours became a bit monotonic after a while, especially as there wasn't much sauce to go with the potato. I'd like to see a little more variety on my plate next time but I think this was just down to the dish in question as the meat dishes were much more creative.

My little niggles aside, it should probably be emphasised that as soon as the mains were over, absolutely everyone at the table who hadn't ordered a dessert then proceeded to do so.

The hero of the day was the white chocolate and vanilla panna cotta with elderflower poached raspberries and shortbread (£5.50):

Pretty much everybody had this (until the kitchen ran out! So sad!) and scraped their jars clean.

The flavours were brilliant and half of the texture was absolutely dreamy. I say half because the one I had hadn't settled too well - the top half was very luxurious and creamy whereas the bottom half was a bit gelatinous and almost grainy. Just a small thing though as I was more than satisfied by the smooth bit up top.

The other pudding chosen by our diners was the sticky toffee and ginger pudding with fudge sauce and vanilla ice-cream.

Again, Oddfellows really knows how to do comfort food - it was absolutely delicious!

In all, I think it's safe to say that Slow Food will be returning to Oddfellows. We had a brilliant night and made lots of new friends. The service was great and although we were a large table with plenty of demands throughout the night, everything was prompt and friendly.

Hope to see you next time!

I've Joined Slow Food! Now What?

Hello and welcome to all of our new and returning members (and anyone else who's still thinking about joining - it's not too late!)

You've paid your fee, you've liked us on Facebook and now you're settling into academic year 2015-2016. But what's next for Slow Food on Campus at the University of Exeter? And what exactly can you expect from us over the next three terms? This post is here to answer some of those questions!

1. What exactly is Slow Food?
Slow Food is an international movement committed to reshaping the way we think about food. From encouraging the production and purchase of local food, to minimising food waste, to campaigning on a grander scale, this is all about returning to our roots and savouring food in all its glory.
The organisation started in the Piedmont region of Italy (where they now have a university dedicated to the gastronomic arts - seriously, what are we doing at Exeter??) but has now spread all over the world - including to your campus.

Piedmont, where it all started - image source

2. What does the society do?
We help spread the Slow Food word and help get like-minded foodies together. If you spoke to us at the Freshers Fair, you'll know that we like to arrange restaurant visits, dinner parties, free cooking classes and trips further afield. We also want to help encourage foodies to break beyond their comfort zones. Perhaps this means increasing the amount of local produce you buy or trying out a new recipe once in a while - or maybe even discovering an entirely new cuisine or gastro-ideology!

3. Where does my money go?
We charge £5 for membership which is the minimum recommended by the Guild. In an ideal world, this money would come directly back to you in the form of foodie goodies and where possible, we will subsidise our events and socials. However (and we want to be completely honest here) - running a society costs money!
At the end of every year, the society committee has to leave a legacy to the new committee - this is around a few hundred pounds that helps pay for freshers week activities, recruitment campaigns and equipment. We used ours to pay for the freshers' week activities such as the cooking class. When the membership money comes in, we have to pay VAT on that (so we don't even see the whole £5!)
Our freshers week cooking class used up a large chunk of the legacy left from last year but the income from membership has topped that back up so we now have something for next year's committee. In simple words; your joining fee helps keep us afloat. To say thank you, we are working on cutting costs for you wherever we can, as we will now discuss...

The benefits of eating slow and appreciating tradition (admittedly in Italy)

4. What will I gain from Slow Food on Campus?
We are currently waiting to receive news about funding for our cooking classes - so keep an eye on our Facebook page and emails to hear when they will be! It's likely that you will get about a week's notice for these - we're sorry and wish we could give you definitive dates further in advance but it just isn't up to us!
Otherwise, we will be arranging socials, dinner parties and foodie trips with an aim to have at least one event for you every fortnight. We will be making sure that we have events for a range of budgets, from trips to local farmers' markets to dinners in top local restaurants. If there's something you want to get out of this society, don't be shy - let us know!

5. Can I get involved?
Yes! If you're interested in being on the committee either this year or next year, get in touch! It's great for your CV and basically just involves a bit of admin work and a lot of eating.