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Ok so we’re all in love with Hidden Restaurants with Michel Roux Jr (as if we weren’t all fans to begin with) and I must say I am utterly in love with the chatter I’ve been having on Twitter. In case you missed it (how dare you!) then you can catch the episodes here. And if you’re interested in what Michel Roux Jr is really like then read my blog about my day filming Hidden Restaurants.
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.It’s a fast paced program with so many amazing restaurants so I thought I’d gather them all in one place (because seriously, this is my summer plans sorted!) and so I give you the ultimate list.
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Episode Two
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I wanted to visit everyone on last week’s episode and this week was just as enticing!
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The Treehouse which inspired No Bake Raspberry Ripple Cheesecake
How I missed this incredible place when I visited Alnwick I have no idea.
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Website: www.alnwickgarden.com
Twitter: @AlnwickGarden
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Riley’s Fish Shack which inspired the Gourmet Fish Burger
Lobster cooked over fire? This girl is in love!
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Website: www.rileysfishshack.com
Twitter: @rileysfishshack
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Gondola Raclette
A kitchen in a gondola? How fabulously bonkers!
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Website: www.gondolaraclette.com
Twitter: @GondolaRaclette
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Cook House which inspired Roasted Carrot Hummus Dukkah
Don’t you just want to be friends with Anna? I adore her approach to shopping!
Website: www.cookhouse.org
Twitter: @thegrazer
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Recipes
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Lime and Mint Granita (my no bake pudding)
When I lived in KL I used to frequent a little Lebanese restaurant. They were often quiet in the afternoons and didn’t find me sitting cross-legged for several hours on their bright rugs and just watching the world go by as I tried to make progress on my thesis. I always ordered an ice-blended lime and mint juice. The heat from a fire isn’t quite the same as the all-encompassing 32°C daily temperature in KL but the sharp contrast of this granita is.
2 limes
8 mint leaves
100ml water
50g caster sugar
2 egg whites
- Zest and juice the limes. Add all other ingredients and mix with a fork until the sugar has dissolved.
- Place in the freezer for three hours, stirring hourly with a fork to break it up.
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Mee Goreng (my street food)
It always amuses me when the authenticity of dishes gets debated. I lived in KL (Kuala Lumpur) for a year and ate many variations on Mee Goreng, Nasi Lamak, Roti Canai and Chicken Rice. As with everyone else in the city, I found the stalls and restaurants whose variation I particularly liked. When I returned to the UK I made my own variation based upon the ingredients I could source and the memories of my favourite meals. This incantation utilises the ingredients from my larder so is even further from anything you’d find in Malaysia. Serves four.
250g noodles
2 carrots
200g cabbage of your choice
4 cloves smoked garlic
2 tbsp ginger
2 tbsp blended sesame oil
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp chilli jam
- Cook the noodles according to packet instructions then run under cold water to stop them cooking.
- Use a vegetable peeler or mandolin to create ribbons from the carrots. Slice the cabbage (I used kale for the shoot). Finely chop or grate the ginger.
- Cook carrots, garlic and ginger in the sesame oil until the carrots have softened. Add cabbage, noodles, fish and soy sauces and chilli jam and stir until the cabbage has softened.
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Stuffed Pumpkin (super fresh veggie dish)
This is an excellent centrepiece for vegetarians. Too often the main event is meat and the non-meat eaters are left with side dishes. This turns that idea on its head. I suggest a glorious stuffed pumpkin with an assortment of kebabs (both meat and vegetarian) is a brilliant way to structure a party menu. The thick skin protects the cooking flesh from direct heat. Serves six.
1 large pumpkin
200g cous cous
100ml vegetable stock
2 carrots
2 beetroot
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- Cut a lid off the pumpkin then scoop out the seeds and membrane while leaving as much of the flesh as possible.
- Peel the carrots and beetroot. Grate into a large bowl. The beetroot will make you look like you’ve committed a horrific crime so you may want to use gloves but I always forget.
- Cover the couscous with hot stock and put a plate over the bowl.
- Add the couscous to the vegetables. Stir through the mustard then use mixture to stuff the pumpkin.
- Place the entire pumpkin over a fire for about an hour. It’s cooked when the flesh is cooked and the filling is hot.
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For more recipes like these, buy The Pyromaniac Chef Cook Book.
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