The Darina Allen Column

This month Darina shares her coveted London List!

London, just a little hop from any of our airports in Ireland has been one of the hottest food destinations in the world for over a decade now.

There are many multi starred establishments but also lots of small and teeny weeny restaurants run by passionate young chefs and cooks who are creating links with farmers and food producers and turning out edgy modern British as well as multi ethnic food.

I get regular requests for my ‘London List’ so here are some of my current favourites.

Raw Duck in Richmond Road is one of my favourites, lots of concrete and metal windows there, long wooden communal tables with random pots of herbs and flowers down along the middle, a tempting list of natural wines, drinking vinegars and shrubs. The menu is made up of lots of little plates of carefully chosen combinations, I had brunch there recently and loved the coconut porridge with a blob of persimmon jam in the centre and chopped cashew nuts sprinkled on top. That was so good as was the avocado, poached eggs, bacon, coriander and chilli on sourdough toast. Lots of little plates of ferments and pickles, kefir, brownies...

Bao started in a little timber shack at Netil Market in Hackney from 12 o’ clock on Saturday mornings. They serve a Chinese steamed bun with pulled pork and the veggie bao, filled with a fried daikon cake not dissimilar from a hash brown. Chicken bits, crispy breaded morsels of juicy chicken with a hot sauce. An eager queue starts to form by 11.30; Bao are still in the market but have now moved into ‘bricks and mortar’ at 53 Lexington St, W1F 9AS. Like many cool London restaurants, they don’t take bookings so once again there’s a queue across the road from the restaurant – Bao is hot and deservedly so, the steamed buns are like fluffy tender pillows stuffed with the tastiest pork.

The Smoking Goat in Denmark Street, in the midst of the ‘guitar district’ does barbequed wood ember food with strong Thai influences. I loved the scallop roasted in their shells over charcoal with chilli, coriander and lime and the barbeque smoked lamb ribs with nahm jiim jaew and the cornish mullet with pomelo salad. Rare breed meats and day boat fish from small production farmers and fishermen. They’re not big on puds and they don’t serve coffee...

Cooking over fire is a strong trend at present and an atmospheric bar and dining room named after an 18th century courtesan, Kitty Fisher’s Wood Grill in Shepherd Market, is worth checking out, A widely travelled friend loved the escalop beef from an 11 year old Galician dairy cow, how about that for a rarity.

Lyles the tea building in High Street Shoreditch – where it’s all happening - is a must for your London list, you’ll definitely need to book ahead for dinner but it’s slightly easier to get in for lunch, more clean and simple lines a semi open kitchen and a cool cocktail bar. James Lowe and John Ogner offer a beautiful selection of small plates; I particularly loved the smoked eel, beetroot and horseradish. The beets were sweet and earthy still warm from the oven, the smoked eel also gently heated, horseradish cream cold and a seemingly simple combo made magical by superb ingredients and contrasting temperatures. Don’t miss the pumpkin ice cream with whey caramel and meringue.

The Portland is my top tip for a Michelin starred experience. It’s pulling in lots of plaudits for simple accomplished food, great ingredients and superb service.

If you haven’t already had the Honey & Co experience – you will make lots of new friends, now this is quite a squash. Everyone is super excited to have bagged a table in this darling little restaurant owned and run by Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer where the Middle Eastern food is instantly appealing and the cakes and puddings are the stuff of dreams.

Finally Violet Cakes in East London is another of my favourites, a tiny café and cake shop on Wilton Way, here are some recipes to make at home.

Just one more hot tip, it’s worth going to the airport early to grab something to eat at Leon in Terminal 2….well done Allegra McEvedy who said one couldn’t get decent food in an airport!

RECIPES - from LEON Baking and Puddings by Claire Ptak and Henry Dimbleby

Violet Coconut Macaroons

There is a sublime crispy gooiness to these biscuits that makes them like nothing else on earth. Warning: they are very addictive. Violet is the name of Claire’s bakery and shop on Wilton Way and her stall at Broadway Market, both in Hackney, London

Makes 12

3 free range egg whites
150 g (5 oz) caster sugar
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons honey
150 g (5 oz) desiccated coconut
½ teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

1. Heat the oven to 150°C/300°F/gas mark 2. Line a baking sheet with baking paper.

2. Combine the egg whites, sugar, salt, honey and coconut in a large pan over a medium heat.

3. Stir the mixture constantly until everything is dissolved and it just begins to scorch on the bottom.

4. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the vanilla.

5. Let the mixture cool completely, then use an ice cream scoop to scoop out 12 even sized macaroons, and place them on the baking sheet.

6. Bake in the oven for about 10-15 minutes or until golden and set. Let the macaroons cool completely before peeling off the paper.

7. Tip: The key to getting these macaroons just right is to stir the ingredients in the pan until they begin to dry out.

Claire’s Healthy Granola

You will not believe how good this tastes. It is light and clustery.

Makes 1.5 kg

500g buckwheat flakes
125g (4 1/2oz) whole almonds, skins on
50g (2oz) ground flax seeds
50g (2oz) sesame seeds
50g (2oz) pumpkin seeds
50g (2oz) amaranth
250ml (9fl oz) agave syrup
50ml (2fl oz) olive oil (not extra virgin)
100g (3 1/2oz) coconut oil
100ml (3 1/2fl oz) water
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
a grating of fresh nutmeg
a pinch of sea salt
100 g (4 oz) sultanas
50 g (2 oz) desiccated coconut

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas Mark 2.

2. Line two baking trays or roasting tins with parchment paper.

3. Combine the buckwheat flakes, whole almonds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and amaranth in a large bowl and set aside.

4. In a saucepan, combine the agave syrup, olive oil, coconut oil and water. Place over a medium heat and whisk constantly to melt it all together.

5. Remove the syrup mixture from the heat and stir in the vanilla, spices and sea salt. Pour the syrup over the dry ingredients and stir well to completely coat all the nuts and seeds.

6. Spread the mixture out on the lined baking trays or roasting tins and bake in the oven for approximately 1 hour. Remove from the oven, toss well with a metal spatula and return to the oven. Lower the temperature to 140°C/275°F/Gas Mark 1 and bake for another 35-40 minutes, until the mixture is golden.

7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before stirring in the sultanas and dessicated coconut. Store in an airtight container.

8. Serve with fresh dates and natural yoghurt for a naturally sweet treat.

Leon Pecan Pie

A simple, rich, gluten free pecan tart that has become a firm favourite.

Serves 8-10

For the sweet pastry

150 g (5 oz) butter
100 g (3½ oz) caster sugar
1 free range egg, plus 1 yolk
270 g (9¾ oz) gluten free plain flour

For the filling

50 g (2 oz) butter
225 g (8 oz) golden syrup
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1 teaspoon cornflour
2 large free range eggs
200 g (7 oz) pecan nut halves

1. Cream together the butter and sugar with a wooden spoon or in a free standing electric mixture until smooth.

2. Add the egg and egg yolk and mix until fully incorporated. Add the flour and quickly bring it together in a ball. Wrap the pastry in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

3. Butter a 23-25 cm (9-10 inch) fluted flan tin. Roll the pastry out on a floured surface to about 3-5 mm thick and line your tart case with it. Trim the edges and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 160°C/325°F/gas mark 3.

4. Line the chilled pastry case with baking paper and fill it with baking beans to stop it shrinking while it’s being baked. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes then remove the baking beans. Return to the oven and bake for a further 5 minutes. The pastry should be a nice blond colour. Set aside to cool.

5. Put the butter and golden syrup into a medium saucepan over a low heat. When it becomes runny, take it off the heat and whisk in the sugar.

6. In a small bowl, whisk the cornflour and eggs until smooth then add to the saucepan.

7. Fill the baked pastry with the pecan halves. Pour the golden syrup mixture on top and fill it up to just below the edge of the case. Put into the oven, taking great care not to spill any liquid over the sides, as this might make it difficult to remove from the tin once it is baked.

8. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the tart is a dark golden colour and has slightly risen in the middle. Take out of the oven and leave to cool in the tin.

9. Serve cold for tea or warm with vanilla ice cream

If you haven’t already done so, get booking the Kerrygold Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine 2016. Taking place over the weekend of 20-22 May 2016, it promises to be another ‘knock out’! www.litfest.ie

 '30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

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Once again, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2016. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie