Month: December 2022

Chocolate Crackle Cookies

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I have to give props for the recipe to Deborah Robertson @lickedspoon, who I think got it turn from Martha Stewart (I love recipe family trees).

These cookies are a bit of a faff but they are well worth it. You need to chill the dough for at least 4 hours. I made the dough in the morning, then got on with my day while it chilled. You can do this, and by the time you bake them your house will smell devine and you’ll be worshipped as the domestic God/Goddess that you are.

You can make the dough a day or two in advance if you’re busy and it also freezes well. (freeze the dough before you roll it in sugar). These are pretty indulgent, but it is Christmas.

The original recipe says to add Kalhua or Tia Maria. I was making these for kids so I left it out, but definitely looking forward to making the adult version next time.

Makes 30

Ingredients

120 Grams Good quality dark chocolate

180 Grams Plain flour

50 Grams Cocoa powder

100 Grams Butter (room temperature)

2 Tsp Baking powder

1/2 Tsp Salt

2 Eggs

200 Grams Brown sugar

2 Tsp Vanilla extract

80 Mil Milk

2-3 Tbsp Castor sugar

2-3 Tbsp Icing sugar

Method

  • Melt the chocolate in the microwave, giving it 30 second blasts, and stirring regularly (be care not to burn it). Allow to cool slightly
  • Cream the butter and brown sugar together in a stand mixer or with an electric whisk until light and fluffy
  • Mix all your dry ingredients together
  • Gradually add the vanilla and eggs to the butter and sugar and whisk at medium spead. Then gradually add all the ingredients and mix until it comes together as a dough, don’t over mix
  • Put a good sized sheet of cling film on your counter, empty half the dough onto it before forming it into disk. Wrap with the rest of the cling film and refrigerate it for 3-4 hours. Repeat with the second half of the dough
  • When the dough has chilled, preheat your oven to 180 degrees (Celsius), and line a couple of cookie sheets with parchment paper
  • Place the castor sugar and icing sugar into two separate bowls (your hands will get sticky later on, so it’s also a good idea to have a bowl of cold water too).
  • Remove the dough from the fridge and unwrap it, and break of lumps about the size of a walnut and roll into a ball. Roll the ball in the bowl of castor sugar, making sure its well coated. Then roll it in the bowl of icing sugar and place on the baking try
  • Make sure to leave space between the balls of dough as they will spread.
  • Bake for 10 minutes and allow to cool before trying to move as they will very soft until they cool

Kyoto

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Kyoto was the historic capital of Japan, and is pacted full of history but is also incredibly modern.  This is where Super Mario was developed!

There are lots of fab places to see a short train ride from the city but the city itself has plenty to keep you occupied, largely because it escaped bombing during WW2

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Kyoto is the home of the Geisha culture.  The Gion District with its super discreet and exclusive wooden tea houses are still their stomping ground.  There were about 250 Geisha entertaining patrons before Covid.  No one is quite sure how many of the Geisha and Maiko (apprentice Geisha) will return.

You might be lucky to spot one if you are around the Gion, (I wasn’t) They are literally works of art, with their kimonos alone costing up to £10,000.   I’d definitely recommend watching Memoirs of a Geisha  to get an idea of the place.  It’s really common to see young couples in traditional dress (you can rent kimonos) while site seeing and being given tours in rickshaws.

The city is awash with breathtaking palaces (the imperial palace is located here) and temples. We visited Nijo-Jo Castle, which is a UNESCO heritage site. It was built 400 years ago by the first Tokugawa Shogun, who’s family ruled for 14 generations and was also a samurai garrison. The castle complex is made up of graceful gardens and richly decorated audience halls with fabulous gold murals (unfortunately photography is not allowed inside). The buildings have what are referred to as “nightingale floors”. The floors are laid in such a way so that the chirp when walked upon, as an early warning system so they could hear intruders.

Food is also fantastic in Kyoto, and a speciality of the region is kaiseki. This is a multi course meal and these can be up to 11 courses, many are less than this but all are beautifully presented and change with seasons.

Saki glasses are always served in these wooden boxes

We treated ourselves to one of the more modest versions that included the usual miso soup and rice, as well as sashimi, marinated whitebait, tofu, and a beef hotpot. We decided to go native and the restaurant we visited served the food on low tables and we sat on cushions on tatami mats (not be recommended if you’re full of aches and pains from 2 weeks non stop site seeing) .

Nishi food market and the surrounding shopping district is also worth visiting, but go early because it gets extremely busy with locals and tourists. It’s a great place to pick up food souvenirs or try new things like squid lollipops.

Squid lollipops
Fruit sandwiches

Bullet Train to Osaka

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After two busy days in Tokyo, we took the Shinkansen bullet train to Osaka.  If you ever get the chance to do it, please do.

It cost just under £90 per person to travel 319 miles (514 km) and took around 2.5 hours, with an average speed of 200 miles an hour. You can reserve seats with luggage storage in advance.  On a good day you can see Mount Fuji, but we were out of luck.  There is a drinks and snack service on board but most people opt to buy an ekiben (traditional bento box lunch) at the station before boarding.  These were delicious and beautifully presented and cost on average £5.

Ekiben

Osaka has a population of 2.6 million, but according to locals they feel they are more laid back and friendly than Tokyo and everyone we met was lovely, including the world’s sweetest and most excitable bar maid that we almost adopted.

One of reasons I wanted to go to Osaka was to see Osaka Castle, which is really impressive.  Easy to reach by metro, the castle has largely been rebuilt, so inside is more like an exhibition space rather than being able to see original parts of castle and how people lived.

There is a lift for anyone with mobility issues which will take you to the 5th floor but there are 3 floors above this that can only accessed by steps.  The castle is set in gorgeous park land, and with Autumn arriving it was beautiful, but spring is when it’s really popular at the cherry blossom festival.  The castle dates back 450 years and if you’re a history nerd like me, you’ll love the descriptions of various feuds and downfalls of Shoguns, it also has a great displays of samurai armour.

We stayed close to the Dotonbori area, named after the river that flows through it.  This is a busy and cosmopolitan area with high end designer shops on one side of the river and local shops, bars and restaurants on the other.  Street food is really big in Osaka and squid balls are the local favourite.

By the river you’ll find the oblong Ferris wheel, which is built around a 24-hour discount shop locally known as Donki (formal name is Don Quijote). This may have been the busiest shop I’ve ever visited and if you plan to go early because an average Friday evening felt like the January sales. But there is literally everything a human being could ever need in this shop.

Another local speciality is okonomiyaki, this is a very thin pancake stuffed primarily with fried noodles and shredded cabbage and leeks/onion.  Other toppings can include pork, fried egg, bonito flakes, nori seaweed. pickled ginger or kimchi, this is then drizzled with a rich savoury sauce and mayonnaise.  I realise my description is not selling it, but it was one of the nicest things I ate in Japan (and I pretty much loved everything).

Dotonbori never stops. In early evening families are out with their kids enjoying the waterfront and street food. Later in the evening “Salary Men” (office workers) get stupifyingly drunk in the hostess bars, and the local petrol heads hang out and compare cars. People are friendly and the area feels very safe and a lot more pleasant than most UK and European city centres late at night.

I like to think of myself as an adventurous eater, but I stalled at some of the local offerings which included “fish abductor muscle” and “beef nerve”, but maybe next time.