Christmas present

A beautiful memory from summer in Dorset...

 

Cardamon & Lime frozen yogurt

It's been a while since I posted any recipes, and I came across something recently that was so mouth-wateringly divine, I had to find out how to make it.
At a pop-up restaurant at Vulpes Vulpes recently, I tasted the most amazing home-made cardamon frozen yoghurt, topped with pomegranate and rose water. I went home and tried to find a recipe for this - and found lots of recipes but not quite the right one. So I improvised, and it turned out brilliantly! Also, all the recipes called for an ice-cream maker - which i do not own, and I'm sure a lot of other friend's don't have one lurking in their cupboard :-) So if this is the case, it's still easy to make with a bit of (wo)man-power, and a few hours to spare to keep checking on it and mixing it up.

The best type of yoghurt to use for this is greek yoghurt because of it's fatty nature. I used more cardamon than I should have, more like a tablespoon rather than 2 teaspoons! It depends on your taste, I liked the added kick however it was a bit much for some. I guess put in a little bit to start with and taste in and see what you think... add more if necessary.

Ingredients
200g extra fine (granulated) sugar
scant 1 cup 200ml water
3 cardamon pods lightly crushed (or 2 teaspoons of cardamon powder)
juice of 1 lime (I grated some skin in too for extra zest!)
400ml Greek yogurt


Method
- In a plastic square container, mix the yogurt with the sugar, fresh lime juice and zest, and cardamon powder
- Put straight into an icecream maker according to manufacturers instructions - OR, if you don't have one do the following::


- Put in freezer without lid. After 45 mins check on it, it should be going frozen around the edges. Vigorously whisk the mixture so it is smooth and creamy again.
- After 30 mins do the same thing. Keep checking the mix for about 3 minutes, whisking every 30 mins
- leave to freeze over night, amazing!!
- To serve, spoon into bowl with a few drops of rose water, and add fresh pomegranate as a topping.

Picture taken from the Dictionnaire encyclopédique Trousset,  Paris, 1886 - 1891.

Test Card F

Happy Halloween!!!

Don't wake me, just take me

RIP Ari UP

            

October soundtrack

October is here and what better way to get into the Autumn swing of things than listening to this spooky mix by the Grave Lady, Camella Lobo (from Tropic of Cancer). Thanks Lionel for the tip off!

(Click the image above to download...)


Tracklisting:
Lure of the Space Goddess // Delia Derbyshire/David Vorhaus
A Seancing Song // Broadcast
Brand New Head // DVA DAMAS
The Cave (Part One) // Gary “Spider” Webb
Jungle Fever // The Tornadoes
Some Call It a Grave // Woven Bones
The Zombie Dance // The Cramps
Werewolf // Gary Warren
The Spider and the Fly // The Monocles
UFO // ESG
Death Disco // PIL
Primal One Drop // African Head Charge
Bad Moods // Geneeva Jacuzzi
She’s Lost Control // Grace Jones
Moonlite // Bush Tetras
We Are Machines // Animals and Men
At the Munsters // The Munsters
Ghost Rider // Suicide
Rattling Death Train // Indian Jewelry
Dead West // Moon Duo
Romeo’s Distress // Christian Death
London Dungeon // Misfits
Life of Crime // The Spits
Teenage Lobotomy // Ramones
Born to Kill // The Damned
She’s Fallen In Love With The Monsterman // Screaming Lord Sutch
Midnight Monsters Hop // Jack And Jim
The Blob // The Five Blobs
Monster in Black Tights // Screaming Lord Sutch, Geoff Goddard and Joe Meek
Evil One // The Girls at Dawn
Bombón // Je Vous Veux
Killr Punx, Scary Demons // Wavves

VIGIL: Participatory Observation and Field Work

Starting today!

VIGIL is a participatory investigation into alleged paranormal phenomena at the Royal Academy Schools. Audience members take an active role in a vigil within a haunted site.

An Investigation into Haunted Space, Psychometry and Spectatorship
 Royal Academy Schools, 1-2 October 2010

Researching a series of unexplained incidents at this historic building, artist Blue Firth uncovered a first-hand account of apparent poltergeist activity in the artists’ studios.

While patrolling the 18th century corridors one night in 2008, Red Collar guard Nathan Phillips experienced something that prevented him from finishing his shift: ‘When I got back to where the skeletons are kept, the doors all slammed shut — like boom, boom, boom one after another. I tried to make out what it could be and checked all the doors again. I got to the same point in the same sequence and the bangs happened all over again. I didn’t finish my patrol that night.’

To make sense of what happened to Nathan, Blue has collaborated with parapsychologist Dr David Luke and writer Mark Pilkington. As preparatory research they undertook investigative training sessions with the Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena (ASSAP).


Bringing together their knowledge and experience of the paranormal and arts fields, the trio have devised an event that merges Blue’s art practice with David and Mark’s expertise in making sense of the unexplained. The end result is a unique participatory experiment in which the audience are both observers and the observed, the haunters and the haunted.

Participants will be asked to complete psychological and physiological assessments before and after entering the site of the haunting, which will be monitored for any unusual occurrences. The vigil will take place under carefully controlled conditions and in total darkness.

Combining authentic investigative procedures with subtle performative aspects, Vigil examines and subverts the roles of audience expectation, spectatorship and belief.

More information here

John Cooper Clarke

I went to the Greenwich Comedy Festival on Saturday, attracted by the chance to see John Cooper Clarke perform inside the beautiful Spiegeltent. He did not disappoint! As well as playing some new stuff, he ended with this classic, Twat.



I dug up some old photos from 2007, when I had to look after him the weekend of his performance at ATP (curated by Portishead).
He also performed an intimate show in a chalet, which is also documented in the ATP Film.

  

Camping in Osmington, Dorset

I have finally got round to updating this blog with some pictures from my camping weekend to Weymouth in August.
When we left London by car, it was raining heavily, as it had been for days. So much for our lovely sunny August holiday! Halfway through our drive, suddenly, the sky cleared! and there was sun! Everything was drying out.
We got to the lovely Eweleaze farm (off the beaten track and on a cliff overlooking a private beach) which is very eco-friendly with solar showers, eco toilets and organic food vans. Just as we had finished pitching up we heard the rumble of thunder, and looked up to the sky to see a big dark grey cloud. So then it rained.

After 30 mins of rain it stopped. It was quite magical really.... where we were camping overlooked the sea, and view was gorgeous - misty and very atmospheric.
From then on the sun came out, and we could kick off the boots and wear shorts and sandals. I had very cleverly brought along my rubber dinghy rowing boat, and took it out into the sea. We went on a long walk along the Jurassic coast which was stunning, and ended up at an old favourite of mine - 13th century Smugglers pub called The Smugglers Inn.

Five Go Mad in Dorset

I've just returned from a rather "smashing" long weekend in Osmington, Dorset. More to come soon, but in the meantime enjoy this from The Comic Strip...


The Comic Strip Presents... Five Go Mad In Dorset - Part 2:4

Vintage Internet

Moma agency have released a set of images which show a vintage take on our modern-day lives...

Mum Style Icons

I'm really enjoying this blog today, especially the 60s and 70s Mums. What amazing style and hair they had, it's so interesting to explore how other peoples Mum's dressed and looked during those decades. Each Mum had a special style, and a story too.


I'm going to have submit photos of my Mum in the 70s, in her late teens, early twenties... the beautiful clothes she had that I would *love* to have now. And her story.

The author of the website, Piper Weiss, is collecting together these images and stories of Mum's styles, not just for her blog but eventually for a book too due in 2011.

Check out my favourite, the "Red Hot Mama" what a babe!

My Aunt definitely should get a mention too, about 5 years older than my Mum, and definitely rocking it as a teenager in the 60s.

Pevensey Bay

 South England was hit by a heatwave at the weekend, which luckily coincided with a holiday Laurie and I had been planning for a couple of weeks now. We decided to get out of London and go to the south east coast to a small beach in East Sussex, called Pevensey Bay.

Pevensey is located in "1066 country", so we knew that the area would be brimming with history. We took our bikes down on the train which was undeniably helpful once we got there, as it seems the area has a very limited bus service and very winding roads which would have proved quite a walk to get that one mile down to the beach. We stayed at this lovely family-run farm called Fairfields which wasn't too busy (despite the glorious weather) and with incredibly clean facilities.

Not far from the farm was a medieval castle that was built shortly after the arrival of William The Conqueror in 1066. Pevensey castle was actually originally a Roman fort (called "Anderitum" - said to date back to 290 AD) and the remains of this still remain around the edges of the castle. It's a beautiful castle with a bridge over the moat, and dungeons that you can explore (one which you get to via a spiral staircase!).

We went on a ghost walk of the castle grounds and the immediate area near the castle, which also led us to the St Mary's Church - the first Norman church of England. In the church yard are seven stones in a form of circle which is the Stuart Plague Pit. All those who sadly lost their lives during the plague in the 17th Century were buried here. Nearby are the remains of the old village cross, which was converted into a sundial in the 18th Century.  

There was a very cute little cafe right next to the castle that I adored - Castle Cottage Tea Rooms - that served up a great english breakfast as well as traditional cream teas (which you could have with cucumber sandwiches and champagne too).

The beach at Pevensey Bay was a pebble beach - similar to Brighton but far cleaner and much quieter. It was quite a small beach and we felt safe leaving our belongings there as we went for a swim.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

For Nathan's birthday, Kacey and I made these delicious home-made red velvet cupcakes in a handmade box (pictured above!)

I have been wanting to make red velvet cupcakes since trying them for the first time last September whilst working in New York. It was two of my colleague's birthday's, and so Priya picked up a large red velvet cake, from Magnolia (which is really near the NY office!)
Jude also bought me red velvet cupcakes from Hummingbird in Soho for my birthday last month, that were so delicious.

My version weren't exactly as good as the bakery-bought ones, for a start I misread the red food colouring quantity and ended up only putting in a fraction of the amount and therefore the cakes ended up brown. But the cakes themselves were yummy, very rich and quite heavy, similar to a tasty brownie.

Here is the recipe, courtesy of The Guardian:


Magnolia Bakery's red velvet cake with creamy vanilla frosting

Makes around 24 cupcakes (no kidding, these quantities made a lot!)

Ingredients

For the cakes:
500g plain flour
165g unsalted butter, softened
500g sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
6 tbsp red food colouring
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1½ tsp vanilla extract
1½ tsp salt
330ml buttermilk
1½ tsp cider vinegar
1½ tsp baking soda

For the Icing:
6 tbsp plain flour
440ml milk
450g unsalted butter, softened
450g sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Method:
Preheat oven to 180C/gas mark 4. In a small bowl, sift the plain flour. Set aside. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about three minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Whisk together the red food colouring, ­unsweetened cocoa powder and vanilla. Add to the batter and beat well.

Stir the salt in with the buttermilk and add to ­the batter in three parts, ­alternating with flour. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are fully ­incorporated, but make sure you do not overbeat.

In a small bowl, stir together the cider vinegar and baking soda and add to the batter and mix well.

Divide the mixture into cases, then bake each tray of cakes for 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 ­minutes. Remove from the tins and cool ­completely on a wire rack before mixing together the frosting ingredients and applying the icing.

Play me I'm yours

We currently have a street piano in the small bandstand on Hampstead Heath. I guess it hasn't been there long as it's not been vandalised (yet) although there are a few keys missing it still plays pretty well.

 

“Play Me, I’m Yours” is an artwork by British artist Luke Jerram who has been touring the project globally since 2008.

Mount Wittenberg Orca

This album arrived in my inbox today. Absolutely beautiful.
 


Have a listen to one track here. All profits made from the album will go to the National Geographic Society Ocean Initiative, an organization which protects international marine areas.

Walthamstow Marshes

Saturday was apparently the hottest day of the year
so far (31c!) and boy, did I feel the heat.
Laurie and I went to Walthamstow Marshes which is just a fifteen minute walk from his warehouse. Going there is like stepping out of the city for a minute, and suddenly finding yourself in the countryside. There are, of course, the odd tower blocks in the distance to remind you you haven't strayed too far, but apart from that, as soon as you cross over the water (which apparently is home to diverse wildlife) you're surrounded by nature. The area was lucky to escape the development of the surrounding area - and hopefully it will never be developed upon, as it's undeniable this has become a refuge for a lot of wildlife.

After our sunbathe in the middle of the field, we walked further along across, which led to horse riders and numerous nature walks and pathways. According to friends, there are cherry trees on the marsh, as well as wild rocket, and blackberries in late summer. Sadly I didn't come across either, but there were plenty of elderflower trees!

Photo by Katherine MacDaid

Secret Cinema presents Blade Runner

Cool for Cats

Devo hosted a cat listening party in LA on Tuesday, to promote their new album Something For Everybody which comes twenty years after their last album.

To see the cat party in full swing, visit here.

Elderflower season again

It's the time of the year again for Elderflower cordial-making. I recently picked about thirty heads of the flowers from Abney Cemetery to make a fresh batch of cordial (as to the recipe from my blog entry last July. I was wondering about what other things elderflowers can be used for, and I stumbled across a couple of new recipes online. There are some good recipes here that include elderflower sorbet, elderflower fritters, elderflower jam, elderflower milkshake and many more.

Elderflower Folklore

* One name for it is the Judas Tree, as it was thought to be the tree Judas Iscariot hanged himself from

* To fell a tree without suitable protection could free a spirit called the Elder Mother to take her revenge

* The elderflower was said to be a protection against witches, and a knotted twig kept in the pocket was a charm against rheumatism

* Elderflowers were apparently never struck by lightning, and a cross of elder fastened above stables would protect the animals from evil Medicinal benefits

* Elderflower cordials and elderberry wines are high in vitamins A, B and C

* In A Modern Herbal of 1931, Mrs Grieves recommends an elderflower infusion, taken hot before bed, as a remedy for colds and throat trouble

* Mrs Grieves swears by elder leaves as an insect deterrent. The foul-smelling bruised leaves around tender plants and buds prevent attack by aphids and cater-pillars, and gardeners can add a sprig to their hatband to ward off midges

* Medical herbalist Christine Houghton says a daily elderflower infusion, made with fresh flowers, is helpful in preventing hay fever

Primavera, Barcelona

Waverley Abbey

This weekend Laurie and I went to my hometown in North Hampshire. I took him to the once all-powerful Waverley Abbey nearby, which was Britain’s first Cistercian Abbey, built in 1128.

The Abbey is set near a beautiful river and in a peaceful valley by the river Wey, very close to Farnham in Surrey. The beautiful setting is in slight contrast to the grey, desolate remains of the Abbey (which had been destroyed during King Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries in 1536). A lot has been disappeared now, but however haunting and stark they may look, the ruins still possess this strange and thought-provoking quality, and I could feel my imagination wander into overdrive as I tried to piece together what transpired nearly 900 years ago.

I came across this article recently, that explores the role of the Abbey during the Second World War. Apparently this area played an important part in Britain's defences, particularly in protecting London and the 'industrial heart of England' from an invasion. Somehow I missed the 'Dragon's Teeth' which were set close to the river and ruins, with the intent to prevent the German tanks crossing the river. I did, however, notice there was a low brick building, which I pointed out to Laurie suggesting it was an old bunker from the war, to which he replied: "Why would they need a bunker out here in this peaceful wooded area?" It turns out this was actually an anti-tank gun emplacement, where guns would have been located to fire across the river floodplain.



All photos © me. More photos and info can be found here

Journeys into lesser known territories of Public Space

My wonderfully talented friend Blue organised a walk on Saturday on Hampstead Heath, taking us on an alternative journey through the area's history. It was fascinating - we heard stories about the Highgate Vampire (an incident from as recent as 40 years ago), the legend of Boudicca (pictured above) who apparently is buried under the mound in the middle of the heath, as well as a real life crucifix that happened in 1969.

The walk was also lead by Strange Attractor Mark Pilkington.

More information here and some Highgate stories here.

Brooklyn, New York

More here

Queen of Heart shaped biscuits

Tomorrow I have a double special occasion to bake for. It is my Granny's 80th Birthday, and she is in London for the weekend staying with my Aunt in Forest Hill. I 'm really looking forward to seeing her, in all honesty it's been about 18 months since we were last together as she doesn't come down to London very often.
In the afternoon, I am heading West for Alex and Matt's wedding (party) to celebrate their civil ceremony that took place on Wednesday.

We all know how much I love making heart shaped biscuits, so I thought I would experiment away from my usual "lavender shortbreads" and try a jammy dodger style instead.

These are actually surprisingly easy to make! But they do require a little time and patience. I found the recipe online and thought I would share it with you.


Heart-shaped jam biscuits

Ingredients

* 225g unsalted butter, at room temperature, diced
* 100g caster sugar
* 200g plain flour
* 100g ground almonds
* 150g seeded raspberry jam
* icing sugar, for dusting


Method
1. In a bowl or food processor, mix the butter, sugar, plain flour and ground almonds until the mixture forms a dough.

2. Knead the dough into a large ball, then cover in clingfilm and leave to chill in the fridge for at least 5 hours.

3. Preheat the oven to 140C/gas 1.

4. Remove the dough from the fridge and knead it until softened. Divide into three equal portions and roll each portion out into a sheet 5mm thick.

5. Using a heart-shaped cutter of 6cm, cut out an even number of biscuit shapes. Using a palette knife, carefully place half of the biscuits onto a greased baking sheet.

6. Using a smaller (preferably 2cm) cutter shape of your choice, punch out the middle portion of each of the remaining biscuit shapes. Carefully transfer these onto a baking sheet using a palette knife and bake both batches of biscuits for 30 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown.

7. Remove the biscuits from the oven and take them off the baking tray straight away and put onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

8. Spread a generous blob of jam onto the centre of the whole biscuits, then place the biscuits with the cut-outs on top and press together so that the jam peeks out through the heart.

9. Sieve a little icing sugar over the top.

(By Tana Ramsay - From Market Kitchen)

Delicious! My finished product is below:


All photos © me.

1940's Wartime blitz swing party

photo © me

London in the 1920s.

I just came across this film. It's beautifully shot and the colours are remarkable for its time. This section of the film is from a bigger piece which captures a journey across Britain, ending up in London. It was made in 1927 by Claude Friese-Greene (cinematographer and son of moving-image pioneer William) who used an experimental biocolour process to produce it.

It's interesting to think back to the events of this period - The Great War had finished 9 years before, and I imagine nobody was really expecting there to be a second World War. Women still did not have suffrage - this came one year after the film was made.

There are so many contrasting scenes throughout - with images of the Thames, the Tower of London, Greenwich Observatory, the London docks, Whitehall, the Cenotaph, Trafalgar Square, Hyde Park, Marble Arch, Petticoat Lane, the Oval, the Changing of the Guard, Rotten Row, and the Houses of Parliament.

I adore the romantic visions of Hyde Park (04:47 mins in), contrasting with the hustle and bustle of the 'gentlemen' on Petticoat Lane (05:59) and the sweet scene of little children packing the roasted peanuts into tiny paper bags (06:52 mins in).

The BFI had recently restored this video using digital intermediate technology to remove the technical defects of the original.

There is more information on the BFI website, here

Having a Seizure

I went back to the exhibition 'Seizure' today, just a couple of days before it is finished for good. I first went after it opened in September 2009 - Al took me there when we got back from ATP NY and wanted something fun and positive in London to look at post-NY depression. We met up in Elephant & Castle and I had no idea where we were going, and soon enough we were walking through a derelict estate on Harper Road. I still had no idea what to expect when we arrived at the dreary social housing. First of all we had to queue to get into one flat, to swap our shoes for welly boots, which was exciting but also made me nervous. What exactly was I getting myself into? Next we queued outside the exhibition itself, and it was then that I stepped into another world.
All around me were blue crystals. Everything I touched, everywhere I looked, were blue crystals. It was exciting but freaky. I felt out of my comfort zone, it was like stepping onto a new planet when I never knew of it's existence.

Re-visiting the project today was exciting again. This time I was prepared (and sadly there was no welly boot experience, just a one hour queue into the main exhibit) and I was looking forward to getting back in. It didn't disappoint.

There are only two days left before this exhibition closes and the site is demolished, I would definitely visit before it's too late!


All photos © me