Saturday 29 November 2014

Week beginning December 1st - Kaffeine Mince Pies

It’s the first of the month, which means two things, advent calendar begins and we start selling our own Christmas mince pies. Every year since Kaffeine opened I've been making our own Christmas mince a month before the 1st of December. I use a mix of fresh and dried fruit peels, dark sugar, calvados and spices; mixed together and stored until the flavours have infused and mellowed into a tasty festive filling. 

Growing up in the southern hemisphere you would often find mince pies were the last thing to be touched or eaten. Regarded as too old fashioned by the younger generations, the brandy and spice notes were considered over powering, only fit for older people whole were used to these kinds of flavours growing up. I was never overly fond of Christmas pies in Australasia, these were mostly sold through charities at Christmas time. The pies were made cheap with budget sweet pastry and poor mass-produced filling. I grew thinking proper Christmas pies we're dry with overly spiced brown sugar filling. It wasn't until I moved to the UK 7 years ago I tasted a decent Christmas mince pie with buttery sweet pastry, fruity and gently spiced filling with brandy butter. 

Now I'm converted and every year we make our own filling and leave it to mature. Once ready we then make our own all butter sweet pastry and bake Christmas mince pies. Often at this time of the year we have a few new staff that are relatively fresh off the boat from New Zealand or Australia. I like to test our first batch on them knowing they're generally sampling the mince pies out of obligation. The result is always a change of perception as with a lot of our antipodean customers. 

So please come into Kaffeine this week and get some action with a Christmas mince pie under the mistletoe.  

Jared Bryant
Lead Chef
Kaffeine

Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 4.00 (V)
Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 4.00 (V)
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passion fruit) 3.90 (GF, V)
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
Cinnamon and Raisin Toast (V) 2.50
Banana bread 2.50
Porridge (V) 3.00
served with condiments muscovado sugar, dried fruit, chopped nuts, golden syrup or honey

Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissant 2.00
Pain au chocolat 2.50
Almond croissant 2.80

Baked Treats
Sweet muffin: Apple and blueberry (V) 2.40
Savoury Scone: Pear, mustard, thyme and mature cheddar (V) 2.40
Friand: Orange and honey (V,GF) 2.40
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.50
White chocolate blondies 2.50
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 2.00
Almond and custard slice 2.50
Canele 2.40
Kaffeine Mince Pies 2.00

Lunch
Soup 4.50
Celeriac and pumpkin with sour dough bread (V)

French retro baguettes 5.30
Pancetta, lemon mayonaise, saute mushrooms, basil and rocket
Baked courgette, fried red onions, feta, oregano and spinach (V)

Foccacias 5.50
Ham, red pepper pesto, avocado and spinach
Crumbed aubergine, goats cheese, sweet chilli and rocket (V)

Salads: 5.50/7.00
Sticky kale with bacon, clementine, thyme and maple syrup (GF)
Raw brussels sprouts with pecorino, rosemary and lemon (V, GF)
Parsnip and beetroot braised in cider (VE, GF).

Tart: 4.40 or 8.00 with salad
Turkey, camembert, chestnuts and cranberry pie 


Weekend Salads
Each weekend we offer different salads to the weekdays and we run them for a three week period, allowing our second Chef Khan to showcase her own creativity.

Salads: 5.50/7.00
Roasted HG Walters Organic Chicken with sprouting broccoli, chestnut mushrooms, chives and three mustard dressing
Slow roasted plum tomatoes, feta, green beans, red onion, basil and pine nuts
Roasted Chantenay carrots with honey, orange and pumpkin seeds


Tart: 4.40 or 8.00 with salad
Dried cranberries. mixed nuts, mixed herbs, soft goats cheese in a puff pastry pie

Saturday 22 November 2014

Week beginning November 24th - Organic beef slow roasted in sherry, Corn Chowder with our own sourdough

Here we are the last week of November, now is the time for festive sweaters and consumable's that have been mulled with citrus, spice and pine needles. Whether you like it or not now is the time to decide if you'll be inebriated, celebrate or humbug your way into 2015. No matter where you are in London there is a constant reminder of the one day that truly matters to most. Though most retailers are closed on Christmas this is where they make their money, which is great for the economy and will provide jobs in the New Year. Personally I'm more into the food and spending time with the people I love, shocking my digestive system with rich over the top indulgence and getting drunk on wonderful company. 

So on this week’s menu we kick off the festive season with hearty foods that will slow burn throughout the day. Just the ticket for fuelling the manic weeks ahead of shopping, queues, work parties, preparations and possible de-icing windscreens. 

This week’s pie has organic slow roasted beef that has been cooked in dry sherry, making the meat sweet and tender. We'll also be adding a few winter foraged goodies to the filling. Hen of the woods or better known as Maitake is a mushroom that is used to fight cancer and strengthen the immune system. Hen of the woods are clustered, overlapping greyish mushrooms that appear at the bottom of some trees and when cooked have a deep, rich flavour and chewy texture. Also to this pie the kitchen will be adding seabeet, which is a pointy leaved green with a glossy appearance. Found in coastal areas this vegetable can be utilised in much the same way as chard and spinach, salty and very so slightly bitter. 

Every year I make our own sour dough starter for the soup bread that is served alongside a bowl of hot stuff. A bit late in getting the starter started this time round. But as of this week our own sour dough is back on the soup (or chowder) menu. By simply adding a little flour and water from the kitchen into a jar with a seal lid we can create our own and totally unique sourdough starter that is different from any other sourdough in the world. 

Over 5 days I feed the water and flour with more flour and water. This feeds the natural air borne bacteria that is found in flour and allows for it to grow and expand. This good bacteria is formed from its current environment which makes it individual from any other location. All it needs is moisture, bacteria and time; after about 5 days the sourdough starter should smell pleasantly fermented like bleated fruit. 

A portion of the starter is then added to bread flour and kneaded into a dough then left to prove until doubled in size; once doubled the dough is ready to bake. The wonderful part is that once you start using your sour dough starter you can keep it for life. Whatever amount you use from your starter you simply replenish with more flour and water to feed the yeast, leave it for a day or 2 and the bacteria will grow. 

Come into Kaffeine this week and get into the festive mode the right way. 

Jared Bryant
Lead Chef
Kaffeine

Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 4.00 (V)
Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 4.00 (V)
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passion fruit) 3.90 (GF, V)
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
Cinnamon and Raisin Toast (V) 2.50
Banana bread 2.50
Porridge (V) 3.00
served with condiments muscovado sugar, dried fruit, chopped nuts, golden syrup or honey

Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissant 2.00
Pain au chocolat 2.50
Almond croissant 2.80

Baked Treats
Sweet muffin: Black rice pudding and raspberry (V) 2.40
Savoury Scone: Olive, rosemary and red Leicester cheese(V) 2.40
Friand: Orange and honey (V,GF) 2.40
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.50
White chocolate blondies 2.50
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 2.00
Almond and custard slice 2.50
Canele 2.40

Lunch
Soup 4.50
Corn chowder with Kaffeine's own sour dough (V)

French retro baguettes 5.30
Parma ham, onion chutney, parmesan, basil and rocket.
Pickled carrot, feta, Dijon, red onion and spinach (V).

Foccacias 5.50
Salmon, aioli, dill, red onion, capers and rocket.
Saute mushroom, welsh rarebit, tarragon and spinach (V).

Salads: 5.50/7.00
Honey baked ham, roasted chestnuts, carrots, parsnips, red onions and cranberry and prune dressing (DF,GF).
Poached red wine pears, walnuts, Bath blue cheese, watercress and golden saxifrage (V,GF).
Roasted swede with satay dressing (VE,GF).

Tart: 4.40 or 8.00 with salad
Slow cooked sherry beef with hen of the woods and seabeet.  


Weekend Salads
Each weekend we offer different salads to the weekdays and we run them for a three week period, allowing our second Chef Khan to showcase her own creativity.

Salads: 5.50/7.00
Grilled beef with roasted red peppers, roasted cashews, green beans, mushrooms and oyster dressing
Roasted pumpkin with cherry tomatoes, couscous,. feta, mint, basil and yoghurt dressing
Roasted vegetable salad with a reduced sticky balsamic vinegar, thyme and date dressing

Tart: 4.40 or 8.00 with salad
Pancetta and leek quiche

Friday 14 November 2014

Week beginning November 17th - 30 month aged Parma ham

This week we received a very special delivery of limited edition 30 month aged parma ham from one of our best and favourite suppliers, Villanova. Obtained from the best thigh of the heavy pig then rubbed in sea salt and left to hang for 12 months in a loose environment at about 14 degrees. Afterwards the parma is then vacuum packed and stored until 30 months old. Because of the specially formulated diet the pigs are feed a natural sweet, strong and pleasant taste comes out in the meat. 

We’ll be using the parma ham and the bone in 2 menu items this week, a salad and the soup. The salad will have very thinly sliced pieces of parma ham, plum tomatoes slow roasted overnight, buffalo mozzarella, basil and foraged scurvy grass. If you’ve never experienced scurvy grass it has quite an intestine horseradish kick followed by a medicinal and cabbage after taste. At first the flavour can take you by surprise then becomes strangely addictive.  

The parma ham also comes with a large bone and knuckle which is ideal for making a broth, which can then be used as a base for Italian stews or soups. This week Kaffeine’s kitchen will be combining these 2 dishes making a very hearty soup that can almost be eaten with a folk. Chicken cacciatore is a stew traditionally baked in a rich tomato sauce with olives. We’ll also be making our own bread for mopping up the bowl remnants. This week’s soup loaf is packed with extra savouriness olives, basil and parmesan. 

Come in and sample the best of Italy’s POD (protected designation of origin) products, specially put on our menu for all our meat and Italian food lovers. 

Jared Bryant
Lead Chef
Kaffeine
@redjar50


Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 4.00 (V)
Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 4.00 (V)
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passion fruit) 3.90 (GF, V)
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
Cinnamon and Raisin Toast (V) 2.50
Banana bread 2.50
Porridge (V) 3.00
served with condiments muscovado sugar, dried fruit, chopped nuts, golden syrup or honey

Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissant 2.00
Pain au chocolat 2.50
Almond croissant 2.80

Baked Treats
Sweet muffin: Coffee and mango (V) 2.50
Savoury Scone: Cheese and onion (V) 2.50
Friand: Orange and honey (V, GF)  2.50
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.50
White chocolate blondies 2.50
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 2.00
Almond and custard slice 2.50
Canele 2.40

Lunch
Soup 4.50
Chicken cacciatore made with parma ham bones and served with basil, olive and parmesan bread

French retro baguettes 5.30
Ham, poached pears, brie, pommary mustard and rocket.
Saute mushroom, leek, mature cheddar and spinach (V).

Foccacias 5.50
Pancetta, sweet corn cheese, roasted fennel and spinach.
Roasted red peppers and courgette, avocado, gruyere, aioli and rocket (V)

Salads: 5.50/7.00
30 month aged parma ham, slow roasted plum tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, basil and scurvy grass (GF). 
Wild rice with feta, roasted peppers, chickweed, pumpkin seeds and three cornered garlic dressing (V, GF).
Poached leeks with pink sorrel (VE, GF)

Tart: 4.40 or 8.00 with salad
Lentil and vegetable bake with red pepper hummus

Weekend Salads
Each weekend we offer different salads to the weekdays and we run them for a three week period, allowing our second Chef Khan to showcase her own creativity.

Salads: 5.50/7.00
Grilled beef with roasted red peppers, roasted cashews, green beans, mushrooms and oyster dressing
Roasted pumpkin with cherry tomatoes, couscous,. feta, mint, basil and yoghurt dressing
Roasted vegetable salad with a reduced sticky balsamic vinegar, thyme and date dressing

Tart: 4.40 or 8.00 with salad
Pancetta and leek quiche

Sunday 9 November 2014

Week beginning November 10th - Lady Smock Leaves and Rape Greens

It's official, the lights have been lit on Oxford Street by one of Santa’s ambassadors to the North Pole, this year it was an elf disguised as a pop princess. We can now enjoy or humbug in the festivities, gifts, families and most importantly lack of diet plans. This weeks menu isn’t too divinely rich, we’ll wait for December before we breakout the champagne and Camembert. As it is wet, wet, wet and autumn produce is all around we’ll still be utilising what’s available in slightly more festive interpretations.

In this weeks first of the salad options sweet potato and brussels sprouts will be roasted together served with smoked pancetta and drizzled in a dressing of leek and sea campion. Sea campion, which is a foraged vegetable found mostly on beaches and coastal cliffs, has waxy leaves with a sweet flavour combination of honey and peas.

On Kaffeine’s third salad you’ll find another foraged ingredient garnishing our roasted beetroots: lady smock leaf. We’ve used lady smock on many occasions, these clover leafed sprouts have an amazing horseradish kick that only lingers for as long as a sneeze.

Lastly this week’s soup is a hearty vegan favourite of customers and staff alike. A chunky tomato based soup with cannellini beans which are high in protein, fibre and low in fat. We’ll be adding yet more cream of the crop foraged rape greens. Belonging to the cabbage family rape greens are a robust vegetable that grows throughout the British’s Isles. Leaves and steams have a slight bitter/ broccoli flavour, perfect for soups and stews. Our soup will be served with aromatic oregano and sesame bread.

So come into Kaffeine this week and treat yourself even if it is the healthy options.

Jared Bryant
Lead Chef
Kaffeine
@redjar50


Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 4.00 (V)
Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 4.00 (V)
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passion fruit) 3.90 (GF, V)
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
Cinnamon and Raisin Toast (V) 2.50
Banana bread 2.50
Porridge (V) 3.00
served with condiments muscovado sugar, dried fruit, chopped nuts, golden syrup or honey

Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissant 2.00
Pain au chocolat 2.50
Almond croissant 2.80

Baked Treats
Sweet muffin: Cranberry and almond (V) 2.50
Savoury Scone: Slow roasted tomatoes, cheddar and basil (V) 2.50
Friand: Passionfruit (V, GF)  2.50
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.50
White chocolate blondies 2.50
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 2.00
Almond and custard slice 2.50
Canele 2.40

Lunch
Soup 4.50
Cannellini bean, tomato and rape greens (VE, GF)

French retro baguettes 5.30
Bresaola, roasted red peppers, creamed parsnips, basil and mozzarella and rocket. 
Roasted sweet potato, mature cheddar, red onion, aioli and spinach (V)

Foccacias 5.50
Ham, avocado, gruyere, tomatonnaise and spinach.
Veggie and nut loaf with brie, tomato and rocket (V)

Salads: 5.50/7.00
Roasted sweet potato and brussels sprouts with sea campion, pancetta, and a creamed leek dressing (GF). 
Radicchio, dates, blue vein cheese with a clementine dressing (V, GF)
Roasted beetroot with a raw kale dressing and lady smock leaf (VE, GF)

Tart: 4.40 or 8.00 with salad
Pork, pomegranate and pumpkin pie

Sunday 2 November 2014

Week beginning November 3rd - Foraged Autumn Goods and Movember Cookies

This week we will be mostly combining comfort foods with a bit of autumn foraging. Something new and exciting that we’ve not used on the menu before is checkerberries. These bright red fruits resemble shrunk miniature apples. However when checkerberries are visually looking their best this is not quite the time to consume. Rather once picked checkerberries need to be stored in a box and left to bleat. This process turns the fruit a russet brown and develops the natural sugars. The result is toffee and cinnamon with a little zing, much like medlars. 

This week the kitchen will be incorporating our foraged checkerberries in a cheddar tart with another foraged ingredient, charlock. This green leaf vegetable is much like black mustard only milder and less coarse in texture. In conclusion this tart is salty, creamy, sweet with a little mustard kick.

Elsewhere in Kaffeine’s edibles you’ll find one of my all-time favourite foraged veg, the very much underutilised ‘broad bean tops’. These leafy green are as the name suggest the tops of a broad bean plant. Succulent and distinctly taste of broad beans and peas minus the sweetness. You’ll find these wonderful greens in a salad with chicken that has been battered in creamed corn and fried to crispy perfection then served with mango and tomato salsa. Fresh and with a touch of comfort.

We must mention our second salad which has another foraged ingredient that comes out in an abundance this time of year, ribwort-plantain. Another green weed that commonly grows wild in grassy fields, Ribwort-plantain is related to the banana tree and randomly taste nothing like a banana. Instead it taste of mushrooms, looks like salad and taste of fungus. You’ll find ribwort-plantain layered in a salad of Spanish manchago, which has a grassy aroma, blackberries and savoury polenta dumplings.

Lastly I must mention during the month of November the kitchen will be making movember biscuits in the shape of a moustache. The flavour variety is yet to be decided. At the time of writing this blog I'm on my way to Paris for the weekend. I will be looking for Parisian inspiration while there as the french love a sweet and a tashe. We will be selling our moustache biscuits for £1 and all proceeds will go towards supporting mens health. Whether you're a man or love a man, or both; this is a simple tasty way to promote mens health.

So please come in this week and explore some of autumn’s finest foods.


Jared Bryant
Lead Chef
Kaffeine
@redjar50

Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 4.00 (V)
Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 4.00 (V)
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passion fruit) 3.90 (GF, V)
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 2.00
Povitika bread 2.50
Banana bread 2.50
Porridge (V) 3.00
served with condiments muscovado sugar, dried fruit, chopped nuts, golden syrup or honey

Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissant 2.00
Pain au chocolat 2.50
Almond croissant 2.80

Baked Treats
Sweet muffin: Rhubarb, pear and hazelnut (V) 2.50
Savoury Scone: Curried peas and feta (V) 2.50
Friand: Passionfruit (V, GF)  2.50
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.50
White chocolate blondies 2.50
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 2.00
Almond and custard slice 2.50
Canele 2.40


Lunch
Soup 4.50
Curried red lentil soup with caraway bread (VE, GF)

French retro baguettes 5.30
Bresaola, slow roast tomato, gherkin, Camembert and rocket
Baked pumpkin and sautĂ© mushrooms with tarragon mayonnaise and spinach (V)

Foccacias 5.50
Ham, cranberry jelly, roasted chestnuts, mature cheddar and spinach
Salmon, dill, red onion, capers, aioli and rocket (V)

Salads: 5.50/7.00
Chicken fried in creamed of corn with broad bean tops, mango, tomato salsa and rocket
Ribwort plantain, manchego, blackberries and polenta dumplings (V)
Chantenay carrots and fennel cooked in sambuca and caraway seeds (VE, GF)

Tart: 4.40 or 8.00 with salad
Checker berries and matured cheddar with charlock (V)