Espresso Style Recommends: Irish Pub, Constanta, Romania

I recently visited the Irish Pub in Constanta, Romania, my home town. It has long had a reputation for being one of the best places to eat in town. The relative notoriety and high standards are possible to uphold because of two reasons, in my opinion: one is that they are a franchise and therefor have to maintain a good joint and second because the notoriety of the brand is such that they attract a large number of people from out of town (note, the capital city, Bucharest) and, more important, expats and western business people.

That being said, let's get to the food and drink. We were a party of four, located in the non smoking area (not entirely separate, but good enough) for a semi festive lunch.

I arrived first and ordered an espresso.

First gold star they get for the attention of the waitress who asked me if i wanted my espresso normal or stretto (I already asked for a short one). So far, so good. The water was given as asked, not too cold, and served in nice tall glasses.

Then, when everybody was at the table we were served some fresh baked buns with Lupark (premium brand) butter. They were sooo good! We just ate them right away so I didn't have time for photos.

When it was time to eat, we ordered and the food was brought to us in reasonable time. We started with some salmon crostini, served with a generous helping of green salad, onions and tomato, dressed with a yogurt sauce.  It was good, regarding both taste and presentation.

The others had some eggplant dip and a lovely looking pumpkin cream soup with croutons that I never tasted.

For the main course I ordered a leg of duck (comfit) with orange and blood orange sauce. It was good, the meat fell wright off the bone and the little slices of orange were cut professionally and served without the little skins. The sauce a little too sweet, but ... who am I to complain. On the side were gratinated potatoes, cut in thin slices.

The misses had some carbonara, made with penne as a special request (in the menu were spaghetti) which she said was a little salty from all the parmesan cheese, but very tasty otherwise.

 The other couple had a roll of chicken meat with salmon in the middle (oddly tasting, strong fish taste, nice enough) with mashed potatoes and a serving of pasta with sea food and red sauce.

For desert we went for a chocolate and sour cherry roulade. That was good as long as you only had two teaspoons of it, otherwise it got too sweet.

Anyway, the place gets 4 (out of 5) stars for the food quality, and 4 as well for the service and atmosphere. The chairs were comfortable for eating and lounging (that tends to be a problem in some other places), the hall was populated enough not to feel lonely but not jam packed. The bar was well maned and worked fast and good. The waitress and helpers were also fast and polite and knew the menu. Smiles are important and we received them in proper moderation.
Not the least, the music was good (lounge style instrumental) and not too loud. I was told that it shifts towards a higher  bpm and volume in the evening. They have their own DJ. 

I recommend Irish Pub in Constanta with all confidence.

Plum Dumplings

It's autumn and about this time every year the plums ripen. In our little garden orchard we have two plum trees and nobody did any jam or jelly or anything with the extra sweet and flavorful plum harvest of 2011. So, I decided to make some plum dumplings or "silvas gombot". That is the Hungarian name, as they are a recipe brought in by the Hungarian side of my family, my mother! They could be, originally, a German recipe, but, who cares!?

INGREDIENTS (for 10 dumplings):

• one ripe plum (or half) per dumpling;
• 1 kg potatoes, yellow, crumbly;
• 300 gr. white all purpose flour;
• 2 eggs;
• 250 grams fine bread crumbs;
• 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil; 
• 5-7 tablespoons regular sugar;
• 2-3 teaspoons ground cinnamon.

HOW TO MAKE:

First prepare your plums and your breadcrumbs, both you are going to use later. The plums you deseed and put in a bowl with 2 tablespoons sugar and some cinnamon to taste. Mix a little and let sit for half an hour.

In that time heat a pan with the oil and the breadcrumbs. Mix the oil and breadcrumbs well with a wooden spoon and keep string on medium heat until the content of the pan gets darker and smells a little roasted. Not too dark, just darker. You'll know not to burn it. Set aside to cool and later mix in about 5 tablespoons sugar.

The dough you make from about 1 kilogram of boiled potatoes and 300 grams of flour (it's enough for about 10 dumplings). Boil the potatoes well, about half an hour or however much necessary until soft (test by sticking with a fork). Peal them (if boiled with skin on, I do it like that) and than mash them well. Let them cool for 15 minutes and then you can stir in the 300 grams flour. Always add flour 1/3 the weight of the potatoes. Add 2  eggs and knead the dough a bit, 1 or 2 minutes. Make a sheet of dough about a finger thick and cut it into 5 to 7 cm squares.

In each square you put a plum or half a plum and make a round dumpling as best as you can manage. There are no rules. Just get the plums inside the dough patches.

You bring a pot of water to a rolling boil and get the pan with breadcrumbs close. Put some dumplings into the boiling water. Make sure they aren't to crowded so they don't stick together. Let them boil until they come to the surface all by themselves. That's the sign they are done. Let each dumpling boil 2 more minutes on the surface of the water and then scoop them out one by one and roll them on all sides into the breadcrumbs and sugar pan, as they are still wet and hot. They will get a delicious breadcrumby and sugary coating.

Serve hot or cold with more sugar on top! 

Semifreddo al Caffe

This is a kind of ice cream, meaning that it is a sweet frozen desert. It is easy and (I wish I could say light) quick to make. It tastes light and refreshing, anyway. It contains coffee but not a lot and you can feed it to the kids in small portions. It's an Italian desert recipe that I got from here.

INGREDIENTS:

• 200 gr. condensed milk (can use lower quality);
• 50 gr. (about half a cup) cold coffee (not to strong, not to weak, can use instant);
• 250 gr. whipped cream (I used base and whipped it with 3 tablespoons powder sugar);
• some instant coffee or powder cocoa to ornate.

HOW TO MAKE:

First make the coffee and let it cool to room temperature. Use yesterdays coffee or make some instant with cold water. Do not sweeten, but if you got it already sweet, don't worry about it. Next mix together the coffee with the condensed milk using a hand whisk or hand mixer at low speed. It has to be about pancake batter consistency, no thicker. It drys fast. Next whip your cream with 3 tablespoons powder sugar (mine was vanilla flavored). Many cream bases come already sweetened, so read the  package. You can put some vanilla extract into the coffee mix as well. Do not overmix the cream because it is easy to get butter. It has to be firm (stick to the spoon and not drop if you turn the bowl upside down). 

Next incorporate the whipped cream into the coffee mix with overturning motions. Stir it in gently.

After that just put it into cups or whatever container you want and stick it into the freezer for a few hours. It is ready. I turned mine upside down and decorated it with some instant coffee on top.

Vanilla Ice Cream & Whipped Cream Sweet Glass

It's summer and it's hot. Just buy yourself a big jug of good quality vanilla ice cream (preferably the kind that you can see the little vanilla seeds in) and proceed to assemble a nice glass like I did. 

I cracked to pieces some digestive biscuits with cereal bis and dry fruit in them. I cracked open some pistachios and toasted almonds and I chopped them course with the knife. Then I whipped some real cream from heavy extra fat cream, sugar and vanilla extract. Be careful not to overwork it because it turns into butter and that is not what you want here. Lair the ingreds as you fancy on top of each other along with the nice ice cream that you bought (or made) and top with some dark chocolate shavings and chopped nuts. Delish (but also hyper caloric, so enjoy with moderation).

 

Cool Watermelon of Summer 2011

EspressoStyle Recommends: Casa Cositorarilor, Sighisoara

In june this year we went for a one day trip to the medieval town of Sighisoara, Romania. Among the many things to see and visit, I'd like to recommend the most beautiful terrace I ever sat at, in Romania. No joke, that's how it seemed to me at the time. Of course there is no such thing as the absolute best, because, as we say in Romanian "you cannot compare apples and pears", but lately, there are very few places that are unafectet by that dreadful virus of bad taste. And, in this context, for me, simply the lack of bad taste in a place is a strong point in favor. And Casa Cositorarilor was just that.
 Add to that the old and weathered aspect of the little garden terrace, the proximity of the medieval buildings, the cobble street, the out of the box immaculate uniforms of the girls serving at tables, the old stone walls, the amazing blossoming plants and last but not least, the excellent quality of the food and drink... that sums up to just about the best I've seen lately, if not ever.

So, we had an excellent espresso Kimbo (the only place in Romania where I've been served this Napoli origin brand of coffee), Borsec mineral water (premium brand) and two kinds of cake.

I had a rhubarb cake topped with a light white egg foam and she had an even more tasty wild strawberries slice of fresh cheeseake. We strongly recommend Casa Cositorarilor terrace cafe and sweet shop in Sighisoara, for the summer 2011.

EspressoStyle Recommends: La Turn, Sibiu

La Turn is a restaurant terrace situated in Sibiu, Romania, in the historical center of the city. We are talking about the European Capital of Culture of 2007. It has excellent placement towards both main piazzas of the medieval city of Sibiu. We sat on the terrace in the Little Piazza. The food is good, not the absolute best, but definitely above average. It's Italian based cuisine, which in itself is a plus, especially if cooked well, but for the restaurant market in Romania that is over saturated with Italian oriented menus, it turns into a minus. Well, that being said, it's a good joint. Let's go to the food.

We started with a chicken salad for her and some salmon crostini for me. They were bot good, especially the crostini (although it could have been jut my raging hunger at the time). Anyway, they were baked just enough to melt and brown the cheese a bit. Lovely. Bread was not great, but not bad either.

Next came a dish of penne pasta al forno (baked in the oven) with chicken meat and mushrooms, a pink sauce and mozzarella on top. That was good, not too fat and totally eatable. The reason I save up on the praises is because the ingredients used were average, at best. The lean chicken breast strips, the sliced (maybe even canned) champignon mushrooms, cheap mozzarella. The pink sauce saved the dish by being light enough and smooth. Other than that, great.

The girl who served us was quick and communicative, with good knowledge of the menu. Smiles and everything.

For desert: a fried batter thing called "papanashi" (romanian classic) with cream and fruit jam for her and just espresso for me. Sadly, both of these were below average.  The papanashi was too fat and over fried and the espresso a bit bitter. Considering though that by this time we were full bellied and more indulgent, I got past very well and made it a nice lunch out. 

Scenery in the Little Piazza of Sibiu is just satisfying enough, anyway.

I give it 3 stars out of 5 for food quality, and also 3 for atmosphere. That means it was very nice. 4 stars means I was very impressed and 5 is reserved for the very best in the business.

That also means I warmly recommend La Turn, in Sibiu, Romania.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

The healthier home made version of a munching sweet for the babies of the house, from 1 to 90 years old. My  wife made this for our 15 month old, Diana. Oh, I enjoyed some, too, of course.

INGREDIENTS:

• 300 gr. oatmeal (I used rolled whole grains);
• 200 gr. plain wheat flour;
• 1 cup raisins;
• 6 tablespoons sugar;
• 1 pack baking powder (~10 gr.);
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil (do not use very fragrant);
• 280 ml. milk

HOW TO MAKE:

You simply mix together all the ingredients very well in a bowl. Then, just let it sit for at leas half an hour. After this you can scoop some mixture from the bowl and form cookie shapes. Note: they will thicken in the oven. Arrange them on a oven tray lined with baking paper, keeping some distance between the individual cookies.

Bake in the preheated oven at medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until they look brown and done.

Sweet Mac'n'Cheese

It's one of our favorites in the evenings when one just gets the craving for "something good" but one doesn't have anything good (bought) in the house. It's a tasty and easy to make recipe that totally satisfies the whole family.

INGREDIENTS:

• a pack of pasta (small cut shape: fusili, little macaroni, cavatappi etc. etc.);
• 3 eggs;
• 2 cups grated white cheese;
• 2-3 tablespoons vanilla flavored sugar;
• 1,1/2 cups sour cream or yogurt;
• margarine and breadcrumbs for the baking dish.      

HOW TO MAKE:

Boil the pasta in plenty of water with a lot of salt.

Mix together the eggs, grated cheese, sugar and one cup of sour cream or yogurt. Drain the soft  boiled pasta and let cool for 10 minutes, then mix together with the cheese egg mixture. Take a baking dish and rub the interior good with a knob of margarine, then coat well with breadcrumbs. Poor the pasta cheese mixture into the baking dish and poor the leftover 1/2 cup of sour cream or yogurt on top. Spread it evenly. Bake on medium heat for 15-25 minutes, until the surface looks nice and golden brown. Serve hot or cold with cream, more sugar or better yet with some fruit jam.

Baked Quinces With Mascarpone & Walnuts

This Saturday we had some friends for lunch to sample my very good Osso Buco Milanese and my wife decided to make something nice for desert (as desert is really not my strong point in cooking, ... yet!) She came across this recipe of baked quinces and since we had some in the fridge, she made them. They were so tasty as the natural taste of the fruit cut off the fatty-ness of the cream mascarpone cheese on top. The toasted wallnuts complemented the baked soft quince very nice and the lemon zest was just the perfect touch.

INGREDIENTS:

• quinces (half per serving);
• 20 gr. butter;
• 200 ml. orange juice;
• 80 gr. walnuts (a sprinkle per serving);
• 50 gr. raisins;
• 1 tablespoon honey;
• 150 gr. mascarpone cheese;
• the grated zest from 1 lemon;
• cinnamon on top.

HOW TO MAKE:

First you wash the quinces, cut them in half and scoop out the woody part with the seeds. They should look like little boats with a hole in the middle. You mix together the butter, honey and 3 tablespoons of orange juice and paint the halved quinces with this mixture. Them put the quinces in an oven tray (sliced side up) and poor the rest of the butter honey mixture into the tray. It is better to cover the tray with aluminum foil first. Bake at medium heat for approximately 45 minutes. The quinces should be tender, by now.

In the mean time, you toast the walnuts and then make a mixture with the mascarpone cheese, raisins, honey, lemon zest. 

After you've taken out the quinces from the oven, let them cool by the window for 15 minutes. Then scoop a tablespoon of the cheese raisin mixture on top of each quince and top with the roughly ground walnuts and a bit of cinnamon. Pop them back into the oven for just 1 minute (the cheese composition melts fast). Take them out and let cool. Serve warm or cool. 

People seemed to have enjoyed them.

Surprise Birthday Cake

Today was my 33rd birthday and my dear wife and 1 month old daughter surprised me with this wonderful cake. The cake is not baked by us, it is store bought.

Esspresso Style Recommends: Bread & Roses, Paris

The Bread & Roses cafe and bakery in Paris is simply excellent! I recommend it with all my heart. On the 62 Rue Madame, 75006 Paris, France, that is right next to the Luxembourg Gardens, you can find on a little corner hidden away this little cafe, resto, bakery and tea place. When I was there with my wife we had  two cups of specialty tea (don't remember the blends), and they gave us the tea pots that allowed up to three consecutive refills and kept the brew hot for half an hour. We also had a nice little rhubarb muffin. The muffin was done just wright, more sweet then bitter, but you could still feel the rhubarb distinct flavor in it.

The space isn't that big, but what does big mean in Paris? 

The service was good, for Paris standards.

Anyway, it's a very good place, true Paris style, good food and drink and chic ambiance. After a long walk through the Luxembourg, it's just the place you would want to encounter.