Glitter Cosmopolitan

Glitter Cosmopolitan 

Happy New Year everyone - I wanted to have a cocktail that wrapped the idea of new years in one, that had a kick, sweet with the element of Glam.

I took the must loved recipe of a Cosmopolitan and added a few festive ingredients.  

To make this show stoppers cocktails your self all you need is; 

1.5 oz Vanilla Vodka 

1    oz Cointreau or Triple Sec

1.5 oz J20 Glitter Berry - make sure you shake the bottle to get the glitter moving. 

Shake over ice and pour in to a martini glass and garnish as you wish, i added a strawberry, so it was not over complicated due to the glitter in the drink.

Perfect drink as aperitif or to toast the new year in. 

Christmas Red Velvets

Red Velvets - Christmas Style 

If I had to choose my favourite cupcake, it would be the Red Velvet.  I remember my first one, I was in London and it was from the legendary Hummingbird Bakery.

When mum got me my first baking book this summer, It was The Hummingbird Cookbook. I was so excited and with out fail I was in the kitchen making my own batch of Red Velvets.  Over time I have added my own bits and taken away from the recipe to make it my own.

This Christmas, I went to the indulgent side and used 70% dark melted chocolate, rather than coco powered, and added my secret ingredient. To decorate them I used two types of red glitter, rather than adding some of the crumbs of the cake back on top, just a simple finishing for my favourite. My taste team (brother and his friends), said that these where the best batch yet.

I had this is with a cup of tea, in my snowman mug of course. Went down a lovely treat! 

Bon Appétit 

Christmas Dinner

Christmas Dinner. 

Each year mum and I set the table. We always add something new or fun. This year we added the bauble and a red bow and last year were the tea cup candles. 

Menu: 

Fois Gras de Tonton Edgar 

Chapon Farci - Choux-rouge aux marrons, carrote aux ail et fines herbes, parsnips a l'anglais and English  trimmings 

Bûche de Noel aux marrons et chocolat

The preparations to the main meal.

The vegetables and the sides all ready to go, sitting on the aga keeping warm. While we carve the chapon. 

Served ourselves with all the sides, and had a lovely red wine with it. The red wine we had was a Vin Du Languedoc. Montpierre, Reseve, Fitou. 

My dinner plate, just added a generous amount of gravy and good to go, it was Yum!! 

Bûche de Noel aux marrons et chocolat

This is the french equivalent of a Christmas Pudding, usually mum gets them from a patisserie but this year i took on the challenge and made it my self - after a summer of baking a variety of cakes, it was quite fun to make.  I ended up taking to cake and sharing it my whole family.  I was slightly nervous as this is the first time I made this type of cake, and it went down a treat. 

The chocolate glaze is 70% dark chocolate with a small about of butter and icing sugar.  The centre is creme du marron, (chestnut cream), and vanilla and rum sponge. 

Bon Appetit.  

Introduction - Kitchen the heart of the home.

Merry Christmas everyone, what better time of year to start a blog about food and other luxuries than at the holiday season. So here goes.

This is my first post on my new blog, just a little introduction I've always had a love for food. Being brought up with my french influence, cooking is second nature to me, I've always found that when at home we sit and chill out in the kitchen. I do agree that the kitchen is the heart of any home.

Im 21 years old, in my final year at uni, Arts University Collage Bournemouth (AUCB) studying BA photography.  This blog is a way of mixing my two loves, food and photography.

Keep an eye out, my Christmas Dinner is on the way!

Thanks Sophie