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Midnight Feast

March 3, 2010 14 Comments Filed Under: Uncategorized

Guests came in their nightwear… and hair rollers…
My sister bought me these small plates, hand painted by Hell’s Angels… ( I have a vision of a burly tattoed ZZtop style biker leaning over the plates with a fine sable brush…)
I bought these black carrots at Fortnum and Mason, incredibly expensive at almost £5. Carrots were originally cream or purple. Legend has it that the Dutch bred them orange to honour William of Orange.
Black Russian shots: a mix of Kahlua and vodka
Black Hawaiian Lava salt. I had fun researching ingredients for this Black meal.
A mosaic of tapenade and herring roe on black bread
Making black sesame seed salmon balls
They were dipped in avocado oil and black vinegar
Hand rolls and sesame balls with black pickled vegetable
Black Imperial rice, which only emperors had the right to eat in Ancient China
Cavalo nero
Handroll with black rice, wild rice, cavolo nero, black carrot and pickled ginger dipped in ponzu sauce
Making squid ink pasta (actually cuttle fish ink which is nicer). It’s best to put the ink in the egg, it mixes better.
A black loaf of pasta
Rolling it out till it looks like inner tubes.
At first I did ravioli, then tortellini, then realised making fresh pasta for 32 guests was a complete nightmare, my arm hurt from cranking the machine. My helper Alissia helped me make tortelloni (bigger) stuffed with goat cheese and lemon zest.
Separating the pasta with semolina
It was served with warm cream infused with trompette de mort mushrooms
Black beluga lentils sweating with leaks, carrots, bay leaves and shallots
The cheeseboard, with ash covered cheese and charcoal biscuits being plated up on the ironing board.
A dessert of chocolate and Marmite XO ganache, liquorice icecream and blueberry coulis. One of the guests put the chocolate marmite in their coffee. Weird.  Douwe Egberts provided the coffee, a smoky blend, perfect for this evening’s black menu. Also helpful in keeping staff going all day and night for this midnight feast!
We did a blind tasting of the new Marmite XO (extra old). It was slightly saltier, deeper in taste. Some people think it’s more like the original Marmite.
Frolicking guests in nighties and pjs over the Aga
Cute cartoon pj’s
One guest was so tired…the last went home at 4am. We were so exhausted… we had meant to take a nap in the afternoon but feared we wouldn’t finish the pasta in time…
The teen did a black playlist, songs with ‘black’ in the title. Unsurprisingly many of them were heavy metal: here is the playlist if you have spotify: http://tinyurl.com/yek7emv

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Comments

  1. Caroline, No.

    March 3, 2010 at 10:43 am

    Wow. That looks incredibly, wonderfully brilliant! I've gone a bit off squid ink, after eating too much SI risotto on a trip to Rome, recently. Lovely, smokey flavour though.

    Everything looks delicious. Did the guests have black-stained teeth?

    Reply
  2. MsMarmitelover

    March 3, 2010 at 10:49 am

    It's an interesting taste squid ink isn't it? Hard to describe, sort of fishy saffron…
    I didn't look…maybe they did?

    Reply
  3. Abigail Blake @ Sugar Apple

    March 3, 2010 at 10:54 am

    Love the Hell's Angels plates! My husband is called Bones and he loves anything skull and crossbones. Where did your sister get them?

    Dinner looks fun. I just tried the black beluga lentils recently and loved them. Wish I was in London to attend one of your dinners, though my pajamas aren't nearly so attractive as yours.

    Reply
  4. ScottCanCook

    March 3, 2010 at 11:00 am

    Who knew black food could look so tasty! Very innovative dessert but it would have made me cry, Cry like a baby. I cannot get my head around chocolate and fruit, let alone chocolate, fruit and licorice. 🙂

    Reply
  5. MsMarmitelover

    March 3, 2010 at 11:26 am

    Bones…just like the doctor in Star Trek! Wish I could get hold of more hells angels crafts. A hells angel quilt perhaps…
    Scott: I think the guests found the mix of chocolate and marmite a little challenging, but I really like it. I got the recipe from Paul A Young's book.

    Reply
  6. Anonymous

    March 3, 2010 at 11:34 am

    I love it! Always look forward to hearing about your creative meals. I wonder if we will ever get to taste marmite xo here in the States?

    Reply
  7. James

    March 3, 2010 at 12:47 pm

    Really good night – it was great to meet you and have such a god chat about food, restaurants and the such…

    still think you're a nutter 🙂

    James

    Reply
  8. MsMarmitelover

    March 3, 2010 at 2:06 pm

    Thanks Liz..I wonder if they will export XO. It's one of the Marmite products that really works I think.
    There are some brilliant Marmite ads in the tube at the moment.
    James: it was lovely to meet you. We were rather flagging at that moment so your help was invaluable.

    Reply
  9. Katja | Driving Like a Maniac

    March 3, 2010 at 8:44 pm

    Those black carrots are intriguing. Are they worth £5 a pop in terms of taste, or is it just the novelty value that sells them?

    I'm in the squid ink fan club – especially good, as Caroline says, in risotto. Yum!

    Reply
  10. Trina

    March 3, 2010 at 11:29 pm

    Midnight Feast was amazing! Suprised to see pictures of myself on MsMarmitelover's Blog in my nighdress and rollers with Aga envy! Marmite XO in Coffee was also good if not strictly on the menu.
    Tx

    Reply
  11. The Curious Cat

    March 4, 2010 at 10:53 am

    You've outdone yourself again – so impressive! Love it all! But I don't understand the semolina with the pasta – what is that about? xxx

    Reply
  12. Lewis William

    March 4, 2010 at 3:07 pm

    Love squid ink pasta!
    I was recently sent a blog award, the sort with which I'm sure you don't bother, but one of the rules is the awarded must be made aware of the fact. Hope you can have a look at some point.

    Reply
  13. shayma

    March 4, 2010 at 6:22 pm

    nice one, Ms. M. everything looks beautiful and black. i love squid ink LOADS. x shayma

    Reply
  14. MsMarmitelover

    March 4, 2010 at 6:33 pm

    Curious Cat: I did that so they wouldn't go soggy and stick together. But I've now heard another trick. You cook them partially immediately then lay them on a tray with vegetable oil. they won't stick.
    william: thanks for the visit…and thanks for the award.
    Trina: wish I'd got to hear about your 52 dates in 9 months….

    Reply

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MsMarmiteLover aka Kerstin Rodgers.

Chef, photographer, author, journalist, blogger. Pioneer of the supperclub movement.

This is my food and travel blog, with recipes, reviews and travel stories. I also stray into politics, feminism, gardening.

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Kerstin Rodgers/MsMarmiteLover
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On the heath on Sunday. Must. Walk. More. #coronal On the heath on Sunday. Must. Walk. More. #coronaloner
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Galette des Rois, made yesterday in 12th night. Mi Galette des Rois, made yesterday in 12th night. Minus Crown and king as I cannot find either. This one is made with Tonka bean. Plus homemade puff pastry (well worth the effort). According to ike delorenzo at The Atlantic:  The tonka bean, a flat, wrinkled legume from South America with an outsize flavor that the US government has declared illegal. Nonetheless, it proliferates on elite American menus. The tiniest shavings erupt in a Broceliande of transporting, mystical aromas.
The taste of the tonka bean is linked strongly to its scent. "Scents," I should say, as the tonka bean has many at once. I register the aromas of vanilla, cherry, almond, and something spicy—a bit like cinnamon. When served cold—say, in tonka bean ice cream—the taste is like a vanilla caramel with dark honey. When warm, perhaps shaved over scallops, it moves toward spiced vanilla. Additionally, the aroma of the tonka bean shavings (it's almost always shaved) is so affecting that it seems like an actual taste in the way that opium, which has no taste in the traditional sense, "tastes" like its rich, flowery smoke.  Here is the recipe: 

Tonka bean galette des rois

Serves 8
Ingredients
* 140 g caster sugar
* 125 g salted butter, softened
* 100 g ground almonds
* 2 eggs, medium
* 1 tonka bean, grated
* 2 packs ready made butter puff pastry on a roll
* 1 yolk for brushing the pastry
Instructions
* Preheat your oven to 200c.

* Blend the butter with the sugar then add the almonds. Make sure it’s well mixed. Add in the 2 eggs one at a time, then add the tonka bean.

* If using a block: divide the puff pastry into two and roll out to 5mm thick. 
* Make two circles about 15 cm’s each in diameter. Lay one circle on a silicone mat/parchment paper on a baking tray and fill with the almond cream leaving a 3 cm border around the edge. 
* Paint the border with the egg yolk. Then lay the other circle on top, sealing the edges with a fork. 
* You could then carve designs into the top. Make a little slit in the middle to let steam escape then brush the top with the egg yolk
Mapo tofu is probably my favourite Sichuan dish. T Mapo tofu is probably my favourite Sichuan dish. This is a vegan version. ***

Ingredients:
- 400 g box of soft tofu not silken
- 5 soaked dried shiitake mushrooms, diced, keep water
- 1 red bell pepper, finely sliced
- 400 g fresh shiitake mushroom, sliced thinly
- 400 ml vegetable stock
- 1 thumb fresh ginger, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 4 tbsps groundnut or vegetable oil
- 3 tbsp fermented bean paste
- 1 or 2 small red chillies, minced or a spoonful of Chinese chilli paste
- 1 tsp heaped sichuan peppercorns, finely ground
- 2 tbsps soy or tamari sauce
- 2 tbsp cornflour in 3 tbsps water, mixed into a slurry
- 4 spring onions, finely sliced
- large pinch fresh coriander leaves

Prepare the tofu by cutting it into one inch cubes and soaking it in hot but not boiling salted water. Drain after 15 minutes.
Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms, covering them in boiling water. Leave until soft, then dice the mushrooms. Retain the mushroom soaking water and add to the vegetable stock water.
Prepare the other ingredients so they are ready to stir-fry: red bell pepper, fresh mushrooms, ginger, garlic.

Using a wok or deep frying pan, add the oil and heat to frying temperature. Add the bell peppers,fry for a couple of minutes, then add fermented bean paste, chilli paste or chillies, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sichuan pepper.
Add the mushroom/vegetable broth and simmer on high for a couple of minutes.
Carefully add the cubes of tofu, taking care not to break them too much.
Add the cornflour slurry, stirring for a couple of minutes.
Serve with rice or noodles, garnishing with spring onions or chives and or coriander leaves.  #veganuary #mapotofu #sichuanfood #tofu  #shitakemushrooms #supperclub #londonchef #msmarmitelover #ham&highcolumn #eatplants #lockdown3 #selfisolation #coronaloner #cooking #recipe #cookingfromscratch
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Happy new year from my bubble to yours! Keep holdi Happy new year from my bubble to yours! Keep holding on...
#happynewyear #happynewyear2021 #supperclub #hootenanny
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#christmasdinner #vegetarianchristmas #vegetarianchristmasdinner #supperclub #londonchristmas #liqueurs #christmasspread #grazing #cheeseboard #port #pavlova
Christmas has started! Home-cured smoked beetroot Christmas has started!  Home-cured smoked beetroot and aquavit salmon with homemade blinis, creme fraiche, dill, Prosecco.  The fire is lit 🔥, the tree is up, 🎄the presents 🎁 are wrapped, we have a #brexit deal- a Christmas miracle. Peace and harmony. #christmas #christmasinengland #homemade #christmaseve #blinis #smokedsalmon #prosecco🍾 #londonchristmas
Done some doorscaping, the latest trend in Christm Done some doorscaping, the latest trend in Christmas decorating. It might also cheer up passersby. #christmas #christmasdecor #doorscaping #doorsofinstagram #londonchristmas #doorwreath #doordecor #doorsoftheworld #doordecoration #exteriors #london #supperclub #covidchristmas
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More #fbmarketplacefinds I find meeting the seller More #fbmarketplacefinds I find meeting the sellers interesting. It’s often about moving on whether through death, a change of circumstances, moving country, loss of a job. Today I visited a gorgeously renovated Edwardian house where the owners, an antique dealer & a master decorator had died with 18 months of each other of cancer.  The sister was there emptying the house, an incredibly painful experience. The husband who died was an expert in putting up lincrusta wallpaper which I’ve pictured here. All that craftsmanship and knowledge lost now.  The piece I got on Sunday, the teal chinoiserie cabinet, was from a Spanish guy returning to Spain. He’d lost his job as a hotel manager, the hotel, a big one, has now closed. The marble coffee table and arepas grill was from a Spanish couple who’d had a restaurant here for 40 years. They are now returning to Spain. Other slides: green Edwardian fireplace tiles, William Morris wallpaper, 2 small scalloped coffee tables, a knife and fork cutlery hook set.  A fireplace for my bedroom if I can find someone to put it in. #lockdownstories #covidstories #movingon #decor #interiors #bargains #secondhandstyle #edwardianstyle #williammorris #tiles #wallpaper #scallopededge #teal #chinoiserie #whitemarble #vintage #kitchenalia #supperclubrefurb #london #lincrustawallpaper
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My new/old rise and fall light over the dining tab My new/old rise and fall light over the dining table. Found for £50 on #fbmarketplace  but originally from @thefrenchhouse.net_ one of my favourite shops. Every day, a little more progress. #supperclubrefurb #supperclub #londonflat #interiors #lighting #riseandfalllights #lightingisimportant #frenchstyle #vintagestyle #rusticstyle #turquoise #diningtabledecor
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Still working on my glass cupboard. I’ve hung up Still working on my glass cupboard. I’ve hung up all my wine bottle openers and cork screws. My favourite is the zigzag bottom left. If you find them at a flea market in France, if you are lucky you may get it for around 35 euros.  #supperclub #londonflat #londoninteriors #corkscrews #frenchkitchenalia #zigzag #tirebouchon #oakcupboard #diy #diyprojects
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