Here’s a couple of fool hardy recipes to get you flipping and flopping through the day, one for proper French crepes and the other for a good old fashioned Drop Scone or Scotch Pancake as they’re sometimes known. Try them with fruit and honey so at least it’s mildly healthy or go all out and indulge yourself with lots of maple syrup and ice cream. However you eat them, have a great day!

French Crepes – You will need:

125g Plain flour

250ml Milk

2 Eggs

1 tbsp Caster sugar

45g Butter, melted then cooled slightly

Sunflower oil for frying

Equipment: Shallow frying pan, palette knife or spatula, paper towels

Preparation:

1. Melt the butter and set it aside to cool slightly while you prepare the pancake batter.
2. Put the flour and sugar in a large bowl, whisk in the eggs, gradually adding the milk to produce a batter with a double cream consistency, so not too runny or too thick.
3. Whisk in your cooled, melted butter.
4. Transfer the batter to a pouring jug, cover with clingfilm and set aside for 30 minutes.
5. In a shallow frying pan pour in a drop of oil and allow to heat up, wiping away any excess with a paper towel. Allow the oil to heat in the pan over a medium heat until it reaches smoking point.
6. Now pour in some batter, just enough to cover the base of the pan, making sure to spread it around by holding the frying pan in one hand and gently tilting it from side to side to spread the batter evenly as you pour it in.
7. Crepes don’t take long to cook at all so be ready to flip. You will see the sides brown and come away from the bottom of the pan as the heat cooks the pancake.
8. Use your palette knife and glide it under the pancake so it doesn’t stick to the pan. Now push the knife under and the middle of the pancake to lift up and flip over very quickly in one action!
9. Put the cooked pancake on a plate and cover with a tea towel whilst you make the rest.

Tip: Apart from the regular lemon and sugar, why not try eating your pancake with golden syrup, nutella, melted chocolate or even something savoury like roasted veg and hummus, or cheese and spinach!

Drop Scones (Scotch Pancakes) – You will need:

250g Self-raising flour

225/250ml Milk (you may or may not need all of it)

1 Egg

25g Caster sugar

25g Butter, melted then cooled slightly

Sunflower oil, for frying

Equipment: Shallow frying pan, palette knife or spatula, paper towels

Preparation:

1. As with crepes, put the flour and sugar in a large bowl and add the egg and half the milk, whisk lightly.
2. Gradually add the rest of the milk and the melted butter. Keep whisking to iron out any lumps. You should have a thicker consistency than crepe batter, like semi-whipped cream.
3. Transfer the batter to a pouring jug and set aside.
4. Put a little oil in the pan, wiping away any excess with a paper towel and heat on a medium flame until the pan is very hot but not quite smoking.
5. Remember, these are smaller pancakes so you will be able to make 3 or 4 small ones at once.
6. Pour a little batter into the pan in three or four places and allow to cook for longer than crepes. They should brown on one side and you will see bubbles appear in the uncooked batter on the top part of the pancake.
7. Now flip each pancake over using a palette knife or spatula.
8. These pancakes are fun to make but can be a little messy as the uncooked batter can fly around as you flip them over but don’t worry, this is normal!
9. Put the made ones in a plate and cover with a tea towel whilst you make the rest.

Tip: Jazz up your drop scones: At the batter stage, you can add cooked, stewed apples or blueberries and mix in then make the pancakes as normal. Serve with golden syrup, lemon and sugar or butter and jam for a perfect afternoon tea! Kids especially love these thicker style pancakes and they’re perfect for little hands.

“The aroma of money and sexy charm floats through the air like a heavenly scent.” I think if I was to sum up my feelings on Novikov Asian dining, that would be it. However, this is the beginning of my review and I think you’d like a bit more than that to tempt you to try it out.
Upon entering Novikov you immediately feel like you are part of a secret club, where only the elite have a special gold and diamond encrusted card to enter. Or maybe it’s just an unspoken and very exclusive nod and a wink. Hospitality and a mass of staff seem to be one of Novikov’s secret weapons. Clearly, being handsome or beautiful is a prerequisite to working here too. The hostesses are all in pretty, flowery dresses and the waiters in black. Very smart but not pretentious. Here you are made to feel comfortable and part of the ‘family’. Our waiter, Tiano, fresh back from Portugal was charming, smart, knew his menu well and very cute ta-boot! The restaurant has a warm, Asian style feel to it, without feeling like a chop house. The glassed in open kitchen, gives you the voyerism without the noise fronted by a beautiful display of vegetables, fish and shellfish, for you to choose your own dinner for the evening and ask for it to be cooked ‘how you like it’. Another winning touch for anyone wishing to dine here, you can certainly do it well.
The menu was a little long and confusing, It seemed that whatever we ordered, though it was all quite delightful came in small portions. Not quite amuse-bouche but neither feast nor filling. Should we forgive Novikov this one little foible? If you have a big fat wallet then maybe…
We ate a ‘New Style Sashimi’ of sea bass, sliced into the thinnest slivers and soaked in a Yuzu vinaigrette, beautifully presented and so moreish we probably could’ve had another plate. This is one of those dishes you never forget and should you be passing by, worth popping in for. For a more traditional Sashimi we ate Akame, a Barramundi fish in Australia and a kind of tuna style if you’re looking for a comparison, albeit a flimsy one and not worthy of this fish. It was so buttery and soft, it virtually melted on your tongue, dancing it’s way down to your stomach like a nimble ballerina.
The highlight of my evening was the Prawn tempura and Avocado Maki roll, I was speechless to even describe the preposterous deliciousness of this morsel of food at the time. How genius, they clearly knew I was coming, Prawn Tempura in a roll..what can I say…bang on the money and some. We also had the most gorgeous little foie gras and beef fried dim sum, dribbling foie gras juice down our chins, my colleague, Christina, just managed to squeeze out an ‘oh wow’.
The desserts were OK, slightly lost in translation but still worth a look in. The sorbet selection is probably the best of them all.
If a suitor should bring you to Novikov consider it a sign, as I remarked to my colleague, “If you were looking to get your leg over…well…you’ve come to the right place.” But we don’t mean this in the trashy sense, oh no, Novikov is far from that. The food is gorgeous, exciting, immerses you in a sea of passion, more than any oyster could ever do. It is an aphrodisiac and all you can say is, “Yes, yes, yes!” When Harry met Sally eat your heart out.

Novikov exudes sexiness without being tardy or cheap. You know you have arrived when you enter this stylish establishment. Yes the price tag is not for the faint hearted but well, that’s the point isn’t it. Let’s hope Novikov can remain this attractive and charming for a long while yet without the need for Botox.

Novikov, 50a Berkeley Street, Mayfair, London W1J 8HA
Tel: 020 7399 4330
www.novikovrestaurant.co.uk/

Sassy and debauched: the ultimate Valentine’s Day indulgence for Britain’s busy women

Need a little last minute luxury for the gorgeous, busy woman in your life this Valentine’s Day? Or celebrating solo and want to lose yourself in a universe of shamelessly selfish indulgence? New British luxury relaxation label, Pretty Idle, is here to save the day with its first blissed-out collection of artisan chocolates.  

• Pretty Idle Spice – Our secret blend of decadent spices in velvety dark chocolate
• Gem de la Mer – Sexy sea-salted caramel encased in shimmering milk chocolate
• Passion Rocks – Glitzy little squares of indulgent passion-fruit praline
• Boozy Floozy – Fabulously retro cognac and raisin in deep, dark chocolate
• Ooh La La – Sumptuous layers of Parisian praline, feuilletine and white chocolate
• Ruby Rouge – Raspberry ganache with a shameless pinch of saffron

Life as a chef may not be a necessarily glamorous one (no killer heels here darlin) but it’s certainly colourful, full of interesting moments and of course great food (not that we ever really get to eat any of it but I’ll come to that).  It is also a good opportunity to meet lots of interesting (sometimes quirky) clientèle.

As a private chef we tend to go where the work takes us.  If you’ve read the tweets, looked at my site, facebook and all that jazz,  you’ll know I cater all over London and the Essex region but I have been as far Dorset, Somerset and even Whitstable!  It’s an adventurers life for me!  And the work has been varied.

I even catered on Christmas day! Yes, that was fun, whilst the client and her guests enjoyed the merriment of Christmas day (that’s drinking to you and me) my team and I slaved away in the kitchen (OK, so not quite slaving but hard work nonetheless) roasting deboned and stuffed turkeys, beef wellingtons and potatoes plus a whole host of other trimmings!  I love my client, she’s a regular of mine and so I didn’t mind obliging her on that special day.  She doesn’t cook either so I felt it was also an act of goodwill to her guests and I am sure I will go to heaven.  She did ask me though, “So, Hulya, what will you do for your family that day? Will you go home and cook your Christmas dinner?” Theirs was a lunch. I laughed, “You’re jokin’ aren’t you love?” Although, I did then cook our Xmas dinner on Boxing day and the entire holiday thereafter for the many friends that just happened to be ‘passing by’ ..yeah right. I think the only breaks I had was to sleep. The word ‘Relentless’ springs to mind!

Which brings me round to another popular question a chef is asked is, “So what do you eat?” It’s a known fact that Chefs as a breed, generally don’t eat what they cook (I think Gordon Ramsay was spotted coming out of Burger King once). Mainly due to no time, especially if you run a restaurant, but also if we ate everything we cooked then most of us would be the size of a house. Some argue that a fat chef makes for an excellent chef…I think the jury’s out on that one… I prefer to stay trim and healthy so I can pick up those huge pots and pans.

Chefs do get asked some of the funniest questions. I had a client once ask me if I could speak French. I said if he wanted to communicate via French food terms, then yes….make of it what you will.  Another client asked me if I offered any other services, I suggested cooking lessons but I don’t actually think that’s what he meant.

Of course, life as a private chef is also about discretion so I can’t reveal too much about my clientèle, that would be telling….well, maybe if you twist my arm…maybe… Now I need to cook so until next time…!

This is a fave recipe of mine, a spicy blend of fine bulgur cracked wheat, chilli, peppers, onion and a tangy dressing of olive oil and lemon juice.  Enjoy the simplicity of such a beautiful dish and be glad I am not peering over your shoulder whilst you prepare it….

Kisir (Bulgur Cracked Wheat Salad) Recipe – Serves 4

This is a delicious recipe that can work equally eaten on its own or as a suitable accompaniment to roast chicken or lamb kebabs. The versatility is that you can use any vegetables or salad items to mix in with the bulgur cracked wheat but traditionally spring onions, red and green peppers are used.

You will need:

• 350g Fine Bulgur Cracked Wheat – can be bought at most Mediterranean or Middle Eastern delicatessens
• 500ml Vegetable or Chicken stock, boiled
• 2 tbsp Tomato paste
• 1 Red sweet Pepper
• 1 Green chilli Pepper
• 1 Small bunch of Spring Onions
• Juice of 1 or 2 lemons and about 3 tablespoons Olive oil, mixed together
• Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Put the bulgur in a large bowl. Add the tomato paste to the stock and heat to just below boiling point. Pour over the bulgur and mix well, at this point you should also season with a little salt and black pepper. Cover with cling film and allow to stand for approximately 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile, finely slice the spring onions and finely dice the peppers. Once the bulgur has expanded in size and cooled use a fork to fluff and loosen the bulgur grains. Mix in the the vegetables and you instantly have a salad or accompaniment. Dress with the olive oil and lots of lemon juice for an extra tangy kick.

This is the Turkish equivalent to pizza minus the cheese. It is a soft flatbread made simply from flour, salt and water. Rolled out thinly using a special Turkish stick like rolling pin known as an Oklavi, it is then smeared with a light covering of raw, seasoned, spicy mince, parsley and onion mixture.

The Lahmacun is then baked in the oven for a matter of minutes till the dough and the mince are lightly browned.

To enjoy, top with more fresh, flat leaf parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice then roll up and eat!

My cousins are known to knock back around 6 each in one sitting and when in a local restaurant or ‘Lokanta’, you are generally asked, “How many would you like?”

Admittedly, they are quite moreish although I think 6 is a little extreme!  I would suggest two as a more conservative and healthy option.

Nowadays, Lahmacun is mostly shop bought and there are some fantastic Turkish restaurants to get them. Try out the long stretch of Kingsland Road, London from Dalston to Stokey (Stoke Newington) for some of the best.

*Pic taken from the Internet*