Food, glorious food

Whenever I get a new cookbook (you'll be amazed to hear that's temporarily a thing of the past since we're in Super Saving Mode), I aim to try, if not all, at least a couple of handfuls of recipes from it. Usually, I fail miserably and stick to the two or three that really catch my eye. But I'm pleased to say I've been happily trying recipe after recipe after recipe in The Perfect Scoop, all of them wonderful. I'm hard pressed, even, to say which one I like best. I adore the honey and lavender ice cream, the vanilla is beautiful, the dark chocolate sorbet divine, the fresh fruit ice creams delicious, and the blood orange sorbet was a staple for the few weeks they were in season and available at the Borough Markets. Most recently, though, I've been using the chocolate ice cream recipe, using whatever chocolate I happened to have around. I made a choc orange ice cream last night, using Valrhona cocoa, Terry's chocolate orange and a few drops of orange oil. I'm pretty sure my father-in-law went back for thirds. I'm now longing to try David's salted butter caramel ice cream. I think it will follow nicely from one of my favourite meals:

Pan-fried Scallops with Sweet Potato Mash
Roast, mash and plate a small sweet potato, adding butter and S&P to taste.
Slice 4-6 scallops in half so the discs are less thick. With a small amount of butter in the pan, fry for about 30 seconds each, until just cooked. Place next to the mash and top with a sprinkling of vanilla salt. Serve with a small side salad.

Baby steps

Many of you with know I've been toying with the idea of starting a catering company. Mainly this involved me thinking about it for a bit and mentioning it to friends and colleagues, hoping peer encouragement would push me over the line from thinking to doing. I'm not quite there yet, but I think it's fair to say I'm at least pretty close to the line. This week I approached a business to offer my catering services. Cross your collective fingers for me!

I'm dreaming of a new kitchen

Just like the one... well, no, probably not just like one we have just now. I'm dreaming of porcelein sinks, dishwashers, painted wooden doors and plenty of storage space; a fridge-sized fridge (as opposed to the book-sized fridge we have now), wooden floor boards, cupboards I can reach and hidden bins. The garden is also distracting me from work. I have sketches of garden plans left, right and centre, and the beginnings of a planting calendar. There's a nice north wall just asking for climing roses and honeysuckle, and I've picked out and planned, if not dug, the vege patch and herb garden.

Now all we need is for the sale to go through. This waiting around is going to drive me crazy!