'A Slice of Cherry Pie': The Cookbook

At long last spring is almost here. I do love winter, as much as I love all of the seasons for what they each uniquely bring, but there does come a point in time when I start to long for the turning of the season and the changes it brings. That point has now come for me and I’m really happy to see spring flowers starting to pop up and the days gradually staying lighter for longer. I’ve just come back from a lunchtime walk and the sun is shining brightly and the air feels warmer. It seems the perfect time to tell you the news I’ve been bursting to tell you for so long: I’m busy working on my very own cookbook, based on this blog, which is due to be published next year.

I’ve had the idea for a book for a long time and it’s taken quite a while to get to this point - the idea needed development, a proposal had to be written, an agent and then a publisher found - but now the publishing contract is signed, sealed and delivered and I can finally share this wonderful development with you all. I hope to be able to tell you a little more as the finer details are worked out and share with you some of the ins and outs of my own personal experience of writing a cookbook.

I’d very much like to thank each and every one of you; those of you who’ve been with me since the beginning, those who found me more recently and everyone who’s ever engaged with me and the blog. You’ve given me the encouragement and confidence to keep going and, without a shadow of a doubt, you’ve helped to turn my dream of writing my own cookbook into a reality. It’s exciting, it’s thrilling and, I don’t mind telling you, a little bit scary too. But I’m enjoying every moment of it and I truly hope that you’ll continue along this wonderful journey with me.

Bring Me Sunshine

'A Slice of Cherry Pie' Book Club

Aside from cooking, one of my big loves is books. Of course I own lots of cookbooks but I have books on many subjects and lots of fiction. Like many people I've always enjoyed reading; losing yourself in a good book is such wonderful escapism, good for the mind and soul. No matter where you are - on a train; sitting at the bus stop; in the bath; on the sofa; in a park - you're instantly transported to another world as soon as you open a book. I can spend hours browsing Amazonfor books to add to my 'to read' pile and I get so excited when the packages arrive. I eagerly open them up and take out the pristine new books to flick through and - here's a confession - to smell! I simply adore the smell of new books; strange, perhaps, but I've found I'm not alone. Once I admit that confession I find lots of people say 'oh yes, me too!'. My husband still looks at me like I'm crazy when I do it though.

Over at the 'A Slice of Cherry Pie' forum, we have a book club running for like-minded individuals. It came to a bit of a halt for a while but the lovely Holler from Tinned Tomatoes has started it up again with a brand new choice:

Here is a review to give you an idea what it's about:

"While looking for a place to buy for his 76-year-old mother after his father's death, Benjamin Mee, living in France with his wife and two children, received details of his "dream scenario" by his sister. Unusually, the property in question was a struggling zoo.

We Bought A Zoo tells the story of how the dilapidated Dartmoor Wildlife Park, populated by around 400 exotic animals, was transformed into the busy Dartmoor Zoological Park by an ordinary family using a trial-and-error method. Along the way, Mee has to deal with an escaped jaguar, fighting (among people as well as animals), an escapologist wolf, and a tiger which stands up during general anaesthetic.

The book also describes how the family coped during the gradual deterioration of Mee's wife Katherine due to a brain tumour and how they coped with her loss."

Another reviewer says: "It is superbly written, filled with interesting titbits of info about animal and human behaviour, adventure, sadness and is sprinkled with humourous moments (I laughed out loud at least 20 times). I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend reading it."

We'd love for you to join us; simply join the forum, leave a comment on the March book club thread to introduce yourself and get hold of a copy of the book. You don't have to be a blogger to join in the fun, anyone can join in and the more the merrier!

P.S. Don't forget it's Pancake Day today. Let's get flipping!

Divine Venison

I bought these fabulous venison steaks from one of my local butchers who cut them from a piece beautifully deep, rich red in colour which the knife went through like butter.

Like all good butchers he asked me if I’d cooked venison before (which I had) to make sure I knew not to cook it for too long as, having pretty much no fat content, it can quickly turn tough and rubbery; and that would be a crying shame as these really were beautiful steaks.

When I got them home I season the steaks well and fried them over a high heat for about 3 or 4 minutes each side. They really were absolutely delicious and so flavoursome. If you haven’t tried venison I urge you to. Buy the best quality you can and make sure you cook the cut appropriately; quick frying for leg or loin steaks and long, slow cooking for cuts such as the shoulder or shin (similar to beef cuts). If in doubt ask your butcher for advice, which any good butcher will be more than happy to give.

In the Bag: Cooking the Month of February

This month we're livening up what can be a dreary month in the kitchen with colourful, cheering fruit bursting with flavour. I'm so looking forward to seeing what inventive dishes you come up with. The ingredients in February's bag are:

Passion Fruit
White Chocolate
Pomegranate

Head on over to Real Epicurean, this month's host, for entry details.

Bloom

The Times Online's Top 50 Food Blogs

When I heard that 'A Slice of Cherry Pie' had been listed as number 2 in The Times Online’s Top Ten Blogs for the Home Cook I was both stunned and delighted. But imagine my utter surprise to receive an email from The Times this evening, just over a week later, informing me that 'A Slice of Cherry Pie' has also made it into their 50 of the World's Best Food Blogs! I didn't blog about the first list but, forgive me, I feel two is worth a mention.

I feel very honoured indeed for my blog to have been recognised in such a way when there are so many fantastic food blogs out there. Do take some time to take a look at the blogs on the lists and also all the brilliantly inspiring blogs listed on The UK Food Bloggers Association's blog.

I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome new readers who have found me thanks to The Times online – I’m so pleased you have and I do hope you enjoy your visit here and come back again very, very soon.

Steak, Mushroom and Camembert Pancakes

This is such a quick and easy dinner, yet tasty and impressive - what more could you want? Rather than a recipe I give you some basic instructions for you to play with.

Slice some onion and mushrooms and fry for a couple of minutes in olive oil over a medium heat. Turn the heat up high, add some good steak, sliced, and continue frying, stirring regularly, until everything is cooked through. Keep warm.

Cook up some pancakes and then put some of the steak mixture into the middle of each one. Add a thick slice or two of camembert to each pancake. Roll the pancakes up and bake them in the oven at 200c for 5 minutes or so until the cheese starts to melt. Serve straight away.

February's Newsletter

February's newsletter will be going out very shortly. If you'd like to receive a copy, along with monthly updates from 'A Slice of Cherry Pie', sign up now by entering your email address into the newsletter box on the left-hand navigation menu.

In the Bag Detox Special: The Round-up

Last month for our 'In the Bag' event we had a special detoxifying bag containing healthy carrots, celery and beetroot and here's what you cooked up (click on each picture to go to the blog and recipe):







Contributors:

Yum in Tum

Simpilicious

Real Epicurean

R Khooks

Ogla's Recipes

Occasional Martha

My Cooking Hut

Joelen's Culinary

Gato Azul

eCurry

DK's Culinary Bazaar

Coco Bean


Thanks to everyone who entered!

'In the Bag' is a monthly food event run by Julia from A Slice of Cherry Pie and Scott at Real Epicurean

Vitality

The Galvin Cup 2009

There’s a touch of glamour to Galvin at Windows. This prestigious restaurant is set in a prime location right at the top of The Hilton on Park Lane, offering spectacular panoramic views right across London. You can start your evening with a delicious pre-dinner cocktail sipped at the dizzying heights of the 28th floor in the sleek Galvin Bar before sitting down to an exquisite meal served by attentive waiting staff.



I was invited to the restaurant to try a complimentary tasting menu, which I highly recommend if you're going to visit. The French cuisine is delicate yet intense with flavour with spot-on wine pairings which make for an immensely enjoyable culinary experience.



Galvin at Windows has a fabulous event coming up this summer: The Galvin Cup; a cocktail mixology competition dreamt up by Chef Patron Chris Galvin and General Manager Fred Sirieix. The competition, now in its third year, allows professionals from the West End’s top hotels and restaurants and non-professionals from catering colleges all over Europe to showcase their skills in mixing the finest cocktails in London. I’m thrilled to be able to tell you that I’ve been asked to join the panel of judges of this year’s competition, which will be held at The Dorchester on Monday 15th June. You can be sure I’ll be blogging all about it and bringing you the inside info. on what promises to be a very exciting event. In the meantime be sure to check regularly on The Galvin Cup blog for news and information.



(All photographs in this post are courtesy of Galvin at Windows)