I love baking. Baking is magic. Baking is the Philosopher’s Stone with icing. It’s edible alchemy. It’s also FUN as Hell and I will take any excuse I can to make baked goods. My engagement with ciabatta and brioche is like Holmes battling Watson over Reicenbach Falls. Just with more yeast. And less punching. Anyhoo. …
Ahh Sugar Chicken. A band I am 90% certain I have albums by. Also the game I played on Tuesday. We are both currently slightly addicted to Pret A Manger popcorn bars. These are bars made ofpopcorn, white chocolate, Rice Krispies and love. Not much love, they are a corporate snack after all, but some. …
AL DENTE: Sugar Chicken Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Make Caramel…Ish
Good news, everyone! Despite appearances to the contrary, youtube is actually good for more than sociopaths screaming at people, classic MMA matches and movie trailers. First off, of course, the magnificent Matt Wallace has his constellation of channels. Start with The Angry Writer which is his daily, blisteringly funny and profoundly clear-eyed vlog. And then, step across to Binging with …
There are certain cooks and cookbooks who jump straight to the ‘Yeah I’m trying that.’ Smitten Kitchen, the culinary magic user responsible for this pile of awesomeness, is one of them. Now, Victor? Cue the music. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVSRm80WzZk] There are many recipes that are easy. That are many recipes that taste amazing. There are not …
I love Mexican food. It’s massively protein heavy, loves cheese, is frequently based around bread and is really simple to make. What’s not to like? That’s why we ended up eating at a Mexican place in Cardiff when we were up there a couple of weeks ago. Wahaca is one of the few Mexican chains in …
Welcome to Al Dente! Where normally I talk about things I’ve made and then eaten. This time round, though, things are a little different. This time round we’re doing a product review. An in depth take down we choose to call… DOUGHNUT OR FAUXNUT? Right then, I love doughnuts. Not the powdered sugar, fried to …
Over Christmas, I conducted baking science. Specifically, Tiffin baking science based loosely on this recipe. Tiffin is brilliant. Picture big lumps of dry wall but the dry wall is chocolate and the insulation is raisins, biscuits and joy. Also you get to play with ALL OF THIS! VICTOR! The suspects! So we have; -Cocoa -Golden …
Welcome to Al Dente! Let’s talk PIG! Specifically, Pig Soup. Which is what Chorizo stew is referred to as in this house. The actual recipe I use is here. I don’t use fire roasted tomatoes because my local supermarket doesn’t carry them and I tend to swap the bean count around a little but otherwise …
I love Breakfast. It’s not just the most important meal of the day it’s the most exciting. After all, no other meal has the potential to turn into a flaming cartwheel of pajama bottoms, bad coffee and a hastily grabbed ‘Breakfast Sandwich’. One usually made by people who read about Breakfast as a concept once …
Coffee contains multitudes. Very nearly everyone’s favourite caffeine deployment system is a huge deal for fans of consciousness the world over and I’m certainly one of them. Coffee is like whiskey for people who enjoy being fully awake, a never ending merry go round of beans and distillation methods and STUFF. Seriously, the gentle nursery …
Al Dente Field Trip: Bulletproof Coffee or Pop Will Drink Itself