Throughout December, in an attempt to stop Christmas taking over entirely, I’m putting together a few posts to review my 2016. They’ll range from the best things I’ve eaten, to the places I’ve visited and the things I’ve bought. And of course, this one was the one I looked forward to most. The one where I deliberated the most about the entires, debated retrying things and basically umm-ed and ahh-ed about everything. That’s right, it’s the food one.
Food is a huge part of my life. I am definitely one of those people who “lives to eat” rather than eats to live. I can (and often do!) think about food most of the day. Whether it’s what to make for dinner that night, next Tuesday or on my next date night, to which restaurant I want to visit – I love food. The majority of my day dreams feature food, and probably a fair chunk of my actual overnight dreams too.
Discovering A Liking For Beetroot
This Autumn I’ve had three new food obsessions. Goat’s cheese. Butternut squash. And beetroot. All three were things I was convinced I didn’t like only a few months ago, and now there’s not a week going by when at least one of them isn’t on the menu. Risotto is obviously my go-to and works beautifully for both the squash and the beetroot (and if you want to stir in a spot of goat’s cheese, well I’m not complaining!). Whilst it’s not exactly the most attractive of dishes, beetroot risotto really hit the mark between comforting and hearty, but different and special enough for date-night. The black pudding scattered over the top might not have improved the look of the dish, but it tasted damn good – as I knew it would thanks to the salad W had whipped up the week before. Roasted beetroot, crispy fried black pudding, chunks of oozy and slightly smelly goat’s cheese, crushed walnuts and a few leaves for vitamins. Yum.
S’mores Concept Dessert
Far fancier than something I’d ever attempt, W is definitely the pastry chef in this relationship. For a cosy date night-in he made a twist on the traditional S’mores – and it was a good’un! Biscuit base, a perfect scoop of homemade chocolate and whisky ice-cream (so smooth and creamy it was more mousse-like that ice-cream), covered in Italian meringue and blowtorched for a toasted marshmallow flavor. So, so good. And the ice-cream kept me going for the next fortnight.
Burgers!
If you’ve read any of my posts previously, you’d have probably guessed burgers would feature highly on here. I love them – the messier and cheesier the better. I’ve made it my mission to find my ultimate burger, but I’ve had a few this year that have come close. Mac & Wild’s Venimoo was damn delicious, but it suffered due to it’s size. Burger & Cocktails was more of a fast-food kinda feel, but mac’n’cheese in a burger was an idea that deserves a prize. Plus they did the best onion rings I have ever, ever eaten. And chocolate-orange-alcoholic milkshakes. The new GBK menu also has a Camembert burger which I seriously, seriously loved.
Next on my list – Honest, Patty & Bun and Bleeker Street. Anywhere else?!
Wine’n’cheese Time! #flatlaying #flatlayingfood #flatlay #wheninFrance #wine #wineandcheese #cheese #cheeseandwine #cheeseandbiscuits #cheeseboard #holiday #france #southoffrance #summer #whatastudenteats
A photo posted by Chloe Ellen (@ninegrandstudent) on Jun 7, 2016 at 6:41am PDT
Cheese, Cheese & More Cheese
2016 will be forever remembered as the year I discovered cheese. I mean, properly discovered. Before I would nibble on a little bit of (extra mature) cheddar, and maybe (at a push) a little brie. Now I’ve leap-frogged all levels of cheese and will happily eat the smelliest of blues, the ooziest of bries, the…goatiest (?!) of goat’s. I definitely blame thank France for kick-starting my love of cheese. I can’t explain how much I’m looking forward to Christmas and all the festive cheeseboards!
Couldn’t resist another pizza date!
A photo posted by Chloe Ellen (@ninegrandstudent) on Jul 21, 2016 at 12:58pm PDT
Influx of White Pizzas
Oh, how I’m loving that “pizza bianca” is now becoming more popular here! I had so, so many tomato-free options in Rome, so to have even some of them over here is a delight. Franco Manca has become my fav after discovering them in Brighton (apparently they open in Putney early next year – I’ll be the one camping outside!). The Dynamo is a dangerous three-minute walk from my flat with a total of 3 white pizzas on the menu. I had a special the last time I visited – smoken chicken, pancetta, herbs, mushrooms, plenty of cheese, truffle. The dream pizza.
Of course, I’ve been making my own to. Turns out black pudding on pizza is a real winner!
Getting Over My Fish Fear
Now, I’m scared of fish. I love eating it, more often that not it’s my favorite dish on the menu. But sometimes my body just doesn’t like it. The last three times I’ve been properly sick I’ve eaten fish. And fishy sick is probably the worst kind of sick. I have no idea why it can make me so violently ill, but it definitely puts me off!
That said, I’ve been pushing myself to try cooking it a bit more and (grabs the nearest wooden object) it’s been over a year since it made me ill. I’ve perfected Jamie’s Fish Pie (solution = add more cheese). And my Chorizo-Crusted Cod was delicious!
Other Worthy Mentions
There’s been far too many good eats this year to fit into this posts, but several do deserve a mention. Eating a crumpet topped with a poached egg at Tiny Tim’s (genius). My dad’s Malteaser Blondies. The perfect Bonfire Night snack of S’mores Brownies. A Peanut Butter Bakewell Tart that was wonderfully instagrammable. And a gloriously gooey nutella-stuffed cookie dough dessert. Oh, and it wouldn’t be me talking about my favorite foods if it didn’t include mac’n’cheese. Almost my ultimate comfort food (risotto edges just ahead), I’m constantly looking for different recipes. I’ve tried healthier versions, I’ve added cauliflower and even created a beer’n’bacon mac…
What’s been your foodie highlight of 2016?
