The Beat That My Heart Skipped – A blog dedicated to daily design inspirations. By Rohini Wahi.

I haven’t posted any food for a while… but just when I’m working on a summer detox I stumble across this wonderful food blog, Sprouted Kitchen. So much yum!

A fresh and colourful re-brand of Mexican patisserie Theurel and Thomas – the first patisseries in Mexico specialising in Macarons! I love how everything else is white except for the candy coloured Macarons. Yum!

There has been much activity on our allotment lately. Earlier this year we decided to take on ‘Co-Workers’. This is allotment terms for the official and vetted persons who the plot holder shares their piece of land with. In real terms we now have an allotment family; Jodie, Jess, and their lovely children Misty (aged 4) and Sollie (aged 2). The plot seems to be enjoying the attention it now receives on a regular basis from us all.

It is a full plot of 10 rods, so with just myself, David and Lily trying to keep it going on our own it was likely to be an up hill struggle, particularly now Arthur is on the scene; an allotment isn’t the best place for a crawling 1 year old! Jodie, Jess, Misty and Sollie are the perfect allotment family … we only wish we had thought of this ‘veg plot marriage’ before. Four pairs of hands are certainly better than two, the kids keep each other entertained for hours and it means we get to spend extra time with our dear friends – a win win situation!

With the weather getting warmer and the lighter evening stretching out the day, it is great to plan a bit of early evening pottering down the plot at the end of a hard days work. It’s the perfect for of relaxation. Recently Jess and I spent an evening down the allotment before going round to a friend’s house for a few glasses of wine and girlie chat.

With no time for dinner, I made us a picnic tea to eat on the plot – Smoked Salmon, Spinach and Kale Tart with a simple salad and granary rolls. The tart started off as a Jamie Oliver recipe, but I  changed and altered it to make it fit the ingredients I had to hand … and it tastes all the better when eaten outdoors with slightly muddy fingers!

Louise x

Smoked Salmon, Spinach and Kale Tart

Ingredients

1 block of frozen shortcrust pastry, defrosted
A knob of butter
olive oil
2 red onions, peeled and finely sliced
1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
350g of spinach / kale (you could also use chard), washed, thick stems removed
a few sprigs of fresh thyme (marjoram or oregano would also work well)
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
500g creme fraiche
150g grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for grating
3 eggs
200g smoked salmon, cut into small strips

1. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface until it is about 0.5 cm thick and big enough to line a shallow baking tray about 30 x 40cm. Grease the tray with butter and line it with the pastry. Trim any excess pastry off, leaving a 1cm overhang. Pinch this overhang dough up to create a rim. Prick the pastry case all over with a fork and chill in the fridge for 30mins.

2. Preheat the oven to 190C/ 375F / Gas 5. Remove the pastry case from the fridge and place it in the preheated oven for 6 to 8 mins until lightly golden.
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It’s summertime, and all I can think about is food… quiches and avocados, mangoes and crumbly pastries… I just have to look at My Tartlette…

Provencal Filled Zucchinis

Savory Greens, Tomatoes and Goats Cheese Tarts

Vanilla Bean Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwich

Roasted Root Vegetable Soup

We seem to have experienced a few false starts to spring, with the sun coming out for a few days only to give way to a chilly grey gloom that is very dull and uninspiring. We’re now in the latter part of May, and the weather forecast is looking promising once more, so I’d like to think this is it, and there will be no turning back! So with this optimistic view, I am bringing you a lovely springtime recipe from an amazing chef, who leads the kitchen team at the prestigious Dolada Restaurant in London’s Mayfair.

Riccardo was born in the Veneto region of Italy and represents the fifth generation of the De Prà family of restaurateurs, passionate about agriculture and producing ingredients of the highest quality, at the family-owned Ristorante Dolada.

Riccardo has a rich culinary background with his early experience gained working for the best Italian and French Michelin starred restaurants. He has lived and cooked all over the world to broaden his wealth of knowledge for food. In the UK Riccardo has worked with Stefano Cavallini at the Halkin Hotel, and the Roux brothers in Suffolk; further afield he has worked under the guidance of his mentor Hiroisha Koyama in Japan at the Basara Restaurant and the Tucshima at Aoyagi Restaurant.

For us he is going back to his Italian roots and sharing his sublime recipe for Zabaione. Zabaione is a delicate, foamy custard made from eggs and Marsala, but can also be made using other wines or coffee; it can be served as it is, in little cups, or served with cookies and such, as a dip, or served gratinated with fruit as desserts. Riccarddo strongly advises that to do this recipe well you must use a copper pan as only copper can transmit the heat in a very uniform way and cooks the egg very softly and evenly.

In short: tasty and versatile!
Louise x

P.S. If you’re mouth is watering whilst reading this post and you don’t have access to a copper pan, you can book to eat at Dolada. With lunch starting from as little as £17 per head and no washing up to do, it is a rather tempting option don’t you think?

Riccardo’s Zabaione Spring Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

6 yolks
120 g sugar
120 g Marsala wine

Preparation: 
Beat the yolks and the sugar until the mixture is pale yellow [tending towards white], then beat in the Marsala and cook in a copper pan over a very light heat. Do not let it boil, and remove it from the heat as soon as it thickens. 
Warm up the cups before serving it and enjoy!