Week beginning April 27th - Canele recipe

This week’s menu is seafood heavy as the waters begin to warm up in the northern hemisphere creating ideal temperatures for multiplying. Other than the previous statement that is really all I can say about this week’s menu. Most weeks our menus are based on a holiday or national day. However the month of May is pretty dry on such events unless you consider freedom day or workers day in Africa.

So instead we are going to share a Kaffeine recipe every week for the month of May. These recipes will be slightly technical to highlight the skill of some of our products and to hopefully encourage you to improve on your kitchen skills. So please twitter us your results to @kaffeinelondon and we will re-tweet your images to our 9000 plus followers.

This week we will start with possibly our hardest of recipes the infamous Canelé, these tricky to bake pastries originate from Bordeaux France and the true recipe is a closely guarded secret. However over several weeks of testing we think we've perfected our own version. Things to consider when baking these pastries are tin and cooper moulds, leaving the batter to mature overnight, a very hot oven and beeswax. Our recipe is as follows: 

Canelé 

500ml full fat milk

50g butter

1 vanilla pod

100g plain flour

250g golden caster sugar

2 tsp salt

6 yolks

5 tbsp. dark rum

12g beeswax 

28g butter

Method:

First place the milk, butter and vanilla pod sliced in half lengthways in a pot and bring to a simmer, once butter has melted remove from the heat and leave to cool until lukewarm. 

In a bowl mix together flour, sugar and salt until well combined. Then stir in the warm milk into the dry ingredients, afterwards pass batter through a sieve to break up any lumps. Then gently beat in the yolks and rum trying not to incorporate air into the batter. Once made cover and place in the fridge overnight.

To prepare the moulds place on a baking tray lined with foil and put in a hot oven to warm up. In a bain-marie add the beeswax, once fully melted remove the moulds from the oven and add butter to the wax, stir until melted. Wearing a pair of marigolds brush a thin layer of wax in warm to hot moulds. Turn the moulds right-side up on a cooling rack with parchment underneath, this will remove any excess wax. Place the moulds in the freezer for at least 1 hour before baking. 

When you’re ready to bake the canele turn the oven up to 260°C, line a baking tray with foil dull side up; and heat in the oven. Once the oven has come to temperature, stir the batter and carefully, pour into cold moulds filling 1cm from the top. Place canele on hot tray and put back in the oven, turn the temperature down to 220°C for 5 minutes. Afterwards rotate the tray and bake for a further 5 minutes, then rotate again and turn the oven down to 170°C and bake for 30 minutes rotating the tray every 10 minutes. Once cooked turn the canele out gently onto cooling rack, do this when the moulds are still hot. Leave the canele to cool for 30 minutes before serving. 

Please enjoy the menu this week, as well as making canele, and please send us via twitter @kaffeinelondon your own results if you make them.

Jared Bryant

Lead Chef

Kaffeine

@redjar50

Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.60

Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.60
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passion fruit) 3.70
Ciabatta roll with omelette, pancetta, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Ciabatta roll with courgette omelette, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Croissant with Italian roast ham, talleggio cheese, spinach & plum tomatoes 4.90
Seven seed bakery bloomer toast with home made preserves 1.90
Pumpkin seed and apricot fruit toast 2.40
Banana bread 2.40
Porridge with choices of cinnamon, dried fruit, chopped nuts, honey, golden syrup or compote 3.00

Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissant 1.90
Pain au chocolat 2.50
Almond croissant 2.80

Baked Treats
Sweet Muffin: Mixed berry 2.40
Savoury Scone: Red peppers and feta 2.40
Yarrow and blood orange friands 2.40
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.40
White chocolate blondies 2.40
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 2.00
Afgan Biscuits 2.00

Lunch

French retro baguettes 5.00
Ham, red wine mayonnaise, raspberries, brie and rocket
Slow cooked tomatoes, cucumber, parmesan, red onion and spinach

Foccacias 5.30

Pancetta, roasted fennel, salsa verde and spinach
Tuna and onion melt with avocado and salsa

Salads: 5.50/6.90

Hot smoked salmon with raw asparagus and champagne rhubarb

Baked purple baby aubergine with crushed roasted peanuts and scruvygrass flowers with a sweet fish sauce dressing

Yellow bean succotash

Tart: 4.40 or 7.90 with salad
Fish cake with sea kale broccoli and Buckthorn curd

Week beginning Tuesday 22nd April - West Fitzrovia - It's all happening

My wife used to work on the corner of Great Titchfield and Mortimer, from about 2007 to 2009. That is how we found our location. We knew that the demographic of fashion, media, design, advertising was suitable towards our business concept, and also that we would enjoy opening and running a business with that demographic. It is also three minutes from Oxford circus.

I define it as sort of the area of Oxford street, Regent street, Wells Street and Foley street.

But in 2009, it was a pretty quiet area, except for the pubs on a Thursday and Friday night of course, which were rammed. Market Place with it's few restaurants and the Market Tavern existed but that is closer to Oxford street really, while up our end were the trailblazers that are Scandinavian Kitchen. There was not too much in between and the further up you went, the quieter it got.

Things have changed in five years and have/will be changing a lot recently and over the next few months.

There is now a neighbourhood forum, put together by some of the local residents who work and live in the area. This has been recognised by Westminster council and the premise is that the forum will be used to represent the views of both the local residents and the local businesses with anything going on in the area. More information can be found here. (the designated area of the forum is different to what I have defined just before)

http://fitzwest.org/wordpress/

Riding House Cafe openned across the road from us 3 years ago. Owned by the guys who run the amazing Village East and The Garrison in Bermondsey, it has been packed since day one. We are very happy to have them as quality neighbours.

I'm not sure of the dates, perhaps two years ago, the amazing Bonnie Gull seafood shack opened around the corner on Foley street, and they have just opened up their second store in Exmouth Market, bigger and better than the original.

A year ago, the BBC finalised their move to the headquarters at the top of Regent street, bringing 7,000 people to the area. Around that time, Attendant cafe opened in an underground Victorian toilet just up the road next to the Crown and Sceptre. Then, in the middle of last year, on Great Portland Street, a great restaurant called Picture opened to critical acclaim. Speaking of the Crown and Sceptre, in January this year they took a month off to refurbish, moving the bar to a more practical, service orientated spot and improving their menu offer.

This Monday coming, Honest Burgers will open their doors on the corner of Great Titchfield street and Market Place and in a about a month or so, Burger and Lobster will open on Little Portland Street. A minutes walk along this little street towards Regent street, is another great coffee place, Mothers Milk which opened about six months ago.

Two weeks ago, at the top of Regent street, just down from All Souls Church, Byron Burgers opened and news in this week is that both Workshop Coffee and Curators Coffee will soon be opening just off Regent street. Workshop will be in Mortimer street, Curators will be in Margaret street.

Adding to this is the news that Wahaca have been granted a licence to open on the north-east corner of Great Portland and Margaret in a 2,500 sqf ground and basement location with massive windows overlooking the junction. I'm sure building works will probably start soon.

Of course we also have Fitzroy Place opening on the site of the old Middlesex Hospital at the end of the year with over 220,000 sqf of office space. Estee lauder have taken one of the whole offices with 140,000 sqf, and there is over 300 apartments already sold on site as well, and a 5,000 sqf restaurant opening in the middle of building, overlooking the square and old church.

So yes, it's all happening in Fitzrovia West. We hope you can come and visit too.

Please enjoy the menu this week, as we will enjoy bringing it to you.

Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.60

Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.60
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passion fruit) 3.70
Ciabatta roll with omelette, pancetta, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Ciabatta roll with courgette omelette, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Croissant with Italian roast ham, talleggio cheese, spinach & plum tomatoes 4.90
Seven seed bakery bloomer toast with home made preserves 1.90
Pumpkin seed and apricot fruit toast 2.40
Banana bread 2.40
Porridge with choices of cinnamon, dried fruit, chopped nuts, honey, golden syrup or compote 3.00

Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissant 1.90
Pain au chocolat 2.50
Almond croissant 2.80

Baked Treats
Sweet Muffin: Pear and passion fruit 2.40
Savoury Scone: Apple, mustard, thyme and cheddar 2.40
Yarrow and blood orange friands 2.40
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.40
White chocolate blondies 2.40
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 2.00
Afgan Biscuits 2.00

Lunch

French retro baguettes 5.00
Bresaola, pear, gorgonzola, candied walnuts and rocket.
Asparagus, mustard and cheese fondue, gherkin and spinach

Foccacias 5.30

Pancetta, avocado, tomato, aioli and rocket
St Georges mushrooms, sautéed red onions, brie and spinach

Salads: 5.50/6.90

Chicken adobo salad with camargue red rice and coriander

Fennel, radicchio, goats curd, lemon and green olives

Roasted spring vegetables tossed in a spicy Mediterranean dressing

Tart: 4.40 or 7.90 with salad
Baked risotto tart with maple, parma ham and thyme

Week beginning April 14th - Easter week menu

It's that time of year again where one bank holiday seems follow after another in a joint effort to make us all believe there are only 4 days in a working week. This sadly isn’t true.

The first of these holidays is Easter, which has a more religious significance to the bank holidays that occur in May. Therefore gives us a lot of inspiration for menu items, as this holiday is based around chocolate eggs, roast lamb and fruit-buns with preachy symbols piped on top.

So instead of our usual muffins, for the 5th year in a row we will be baking a fresh batch of hot cross buns during the week leading up to Easter. These are a specialty of ours and best served toasted with loads of butter and eaten during the morning so you have the rest of the day to burn off the calories. And if you’re wanting to accommodate some extra energy then add one of our jams, this week we will have marmalade, carrot and lemon; and strawberry made with the first of the English season.

We also welcome back two types of meats synonymous with this time of year, rabbit and lamb. Not together in one dish however, that would be just weird. Rabbit was very popular meat in the UK and was once commonly eaten. Until several out breaks of illness within the their breed which stopped the masses from consuming their tasty friend Peter Rabbit. These days they are mostly seen as a cute pet or if you’re a farmer they’re considered pest that burrow the land and consume produce. Rabbit is an excellent source of protein and very lean in fat. Most people would have a hard time telling the difference between chicken and rabbit meat, unless you’re a vegetarian then there is really is no reason to not like lapin meat. This week you’ll find the rabbit on our menu has been cooked in cider and baked in a pie with new season carrots. The second of our meat offerings lamb will be incorporated into a one of our three salads with poached quince, foraged chervil and the best of newly available turnips.

Lastly I must mention the return of Japanese knotweed. This time of year you can find it almost everywhere in the UK, more so along roadsides and especially alongside railway tracks. This dreaded plant originated around Japanese volcanoes and was imported during the Victorian era as an ornamental plant. It has since spread throughout the UK reeking havoc on infrastructure with their ever growing roots that wont die no matter how much pesticide is used. Japanese knotweed can lay dormant for 20 years before it decides to grow at a strong force of up to 10cm a day. What most people don’t realise is that it’s an edible vegetable, much like rhubarb. Japanese knotweed has quite a sour citrus flavour and is great eaten raw or made into a sauce or preserve, in terms of eating this plant it is very diverse and could potentially solve famine with its never ending growth spurt. This week I will be making a mayonnaise with mother natures revenge and incorporating it in with roasted Jerusalem artichokes.

Before you head off and bask in a four-day weekend come and enjoy our Easter menu downed with a cup of hot coffee.

Jared Bryant

Lead Chef

Kaffeine

@redjar50
 
Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.60

Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.60
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passion fruit) 3.70
Ciabatta roll with omelette, pancetta, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Ciabatta roll with courgette omelette, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Croissant with Italian roast ham, talleggio cheese, spinach & plum tomatoes 4.90
Seven seed bakery bloomer toast with home made preserves 1.90
Pumpkin seed and apricot fruit toast 2.40
Banana bread 2.40
Porridge with choices of cinnamon, dried fruit, chopped nuts, honey, golden syrup or compote 3.00

Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissant 1.90
Pain au chocolat 2.50
Almond croissant 2.80

Baked Treats
Sweet Muffin: Hot-Cross Buns 2.40
Savoury Scone: Foraged pesto and cream cheese 2.40
Yarrow and blood orange friands 2.40
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.40
White chocolate blondies 2.40
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 2.00
Afgan Biscuits 2.00

Lunch

French retro baguettes 5.00
Smoked salmon, tarragon mustard, asparagus, capers, watercress
Courgette, red onion, crushed minted peas, brie and spinach

Foccacias 5.30

Ham, raspberry vinegar strawberries, mature cheddar, basil and rocket
Crumbed aubergine, tomato sauce, mozzarella, spinach

Salads: 5.50/6.90

Lamb, poached quince and chervil, turnips, with a wild chervil and mint dressing

Virgin caesar salad with fresh peas and wild cherry blossom

Roasted Jerusalem artichokes with Japanese knotweed mayonnaise

Tart: 4.40 or 7.90 with salad
Rabbit and carrot cider pie

Week beginning April 7th - Canele and Pão de Queijo (Breakfast pies)

This week we welcome some new additions to Kaffeine’s staples; we tend to review our more familiar and regular edibles once a year. Whether it is improving on the recipe or visually giving everyday baked goods a little facelift. After all food evolves just as much as fashion, often needing to move with the times and seasons.

One new addition is a French pastry called canelé originating from Bordeaux. I admit I’ve seen these rather unremarkable pastries from time to time and never gave them much attention. That is until I read an article on how truly challenging they are to make if done correctly. Kaffeine's kitchen likes new challenges and has dedicated our labour to master the art of these mahogany striated cylinders. First a batter consisting of milk, eggs, sugar, flour, dark rum and vanilla pods is made, making sure no air is incorporated into the mixture while mixing. In this rare case air is bad.  Secondly the batter must sit for 2 days before baking. In order to give these French custards a shiny, crisp, caramelised exterior and a soft aerated custard centre they need to be baked in cooper moulds lined with a mixture of bee’s wax and butter. Lastly the canelé must be baked in an incredibly hot oven on a preheated baking tray. The various recipes on canelé are more of a guideline as it really does depend on your oven and the quality of the ingredients. I’ve been spending my weekends in Paris lately and have not found a decent canelé yet, all have been soft, soggy and rubbery which has made me all the more determined to help revive them back to their forgotten laurels. After several trials and testing’s I’ve nearly perfected Kaffeines version, so expect to see them on our display sometime this week.

Our next new big thing is Pão de Queijo, which means cheese bread in Portuguese. The bread is more of a pastry texture and is made using tapioca; tapioca is a starch that is extracted from cassava root from northern Brazil. The fine powder is then made into dough with milk, eggs and cheese and usually baked in small dough balls that puff up quite dramatically in a hot oven. Traditionally cheese bread is served with a slightly crispy crust and a chewy almost elastic cheesy centre. However after making it at home for my Brazilian partner I’ve realised if baked longer it makes great wheat and gluten free pastry and resembles a hybrid of puff pastry and choux pastry. So as of this week we say so long to our breakfast ciabattas and a warm cheesy welcome to Pão de Queijo Breakfast Pies. Currently we are filling them with the same filling as our ciabattas, however with time and once people begin to fall in love with their texture the fillings they will evolve once more. When asking for the Pão de Queijo Breakfast Pie be patient and let a staff member toast it in our sandwich press for a minute or two, this will bring them to life and crisp’n the pie to perfection.

So please come in a sample our new offerings along with our tasty seasonal lunch menu as seen below.  

Jared Bryant

Lead Chef

@redjar50

@kaffeinelondon

Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.60

Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.60
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passion fruit) 3.70
Ciabatta roll with omelette, pancetta, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Ciabatta roll with courgette omelette, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Croissant with Italian roast ham, talleggio cheese, spinach & plum tomatoes 4.90
Seven seed bakery bloomer toast with home made preserves 1.90
Pumpkin seed and apricot fruit toast 2.40
Banana bread 2.40
Porridge with choices of cinnamon, dried fruit, chopped nuts, honey, golden syrup or compote 3.00

Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissant 1.90
Pain au chocolat 2.50
Almond croissant 2.80

Baked Treats
Sweet Muffin: Blueberry and bran 2.40
Savoury Scone: Four cheese and ramsons 2.40
Yarrow and blood orange friands 2.40
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.40
White chocolate blondies 2.40
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 2.00
Afgan Biscuits 2.00

Lunch

French retro baguettes 5.00
Crispy chicken with chilli, mint yoghurt dressing, red onion, avocado, rocket
Tomato, mozzarella, chimichurri, spinach

Foccacias 5.30

Ham, tomato, spicy oregano dressing, parmesan, rocket
Sweet potato cooked in sugar and vinegar, brie, basil, spinach

Salads: 5.50/6.90

Sang choy bow salad with pork and breakfast radish

Orange, watercress, chicory, garlic mustard and chalky white cheese (forage item)

Roasted beetroot with raspberry vinegar

Tart: 4.40 or 7.90 with salad
Crab, baked apples, sea kale and dattander (mustard leaf)