This is a quite classic dish which used to be served in every hotel dining room across the continent as Shrimp Cocktail. A few decades ago everybody served the shrimps mixed with the cocktail sauce (Marie Rose) on a fine chiffonade of lettuce leaves, and the whole spectacle was served in ice cream or Coupe Bowl. The coupe bowls are now kind of cool and retro again, you can even buy beautifull colored ones in one of my favorite shops, Scandium on Marylebone High Street. You can also use them for floating candles or coupe Denmark (vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, drizzled with loads of hot chocolate sauce, so yummy) In whichever dish this is served, it is a all time favorite. Check out Simon Hopkinson’s and Lindsey Bareham’s book The Prawn Cocktail Years…)

Anyway, “Our shrimp cocktail” is a version from Chef Michel with kind of a new twist, quite interesting I also find that it reflects some of his travels. i.e. he was in Mexico before = with avocado and some lime juice. It’s a fabulous simple starter dish and so many people asked for the recipe that I thought to post it now.

Click here for the recipe: Shrimp Cocktail

December 25th

On Christmas Day there is a festive Lunch with various Market Tables with Carving Stations and Pastry Workshop @ £ 45.00 per guest, click here to see the menu: Christmas Day Lunch Menu , from noon until 3 pm. Santa Claus will be visiting the youngsters and we have a cookie tin decorating workshop for the kids.

December 26th

Boxing Day Brunch, from 11.30 am until 4 pm with wood fired breakfast pizza, beef fillet with bubble and squeak, many starters and main dishes, breakfast and sweets @ £ 35.00 per guest, click here for the menu: Boxing day brunch

December 31st

New Years Eve Dinner and after dinner party in the lounge. Dinner at Cookbook Cafe with Wild food from Sea and Heaven served from 7 pm until 10.30 pm @ £ 75.00 per guest, click here to see the menu: New Years Eve Dinner

After dinner party in the Lobby Lounge with Live Music entertainment, Disco and DJ. (no entry fee) The band Three at last is a modern and original music combination with DJ, Sax and Flute player and one parcussionist. Based in Paris and South of France, the three musicians used to perfom festive house mixes together since almost 8 years. In 1999 while at the Badrutt’s Palace Hotel in St. Moritz, they decided to adapt their punchy electronic mix with live performance over the DJ’s mix towards a smoother chill out and loungy mix, matching the different Palaces and Five Star Hotels they have performed at.

One of my favourite meals that I try to serve every year is Fondue Chinoise! What makes this meal so special is that everyone takes their time eating it, leaving more time for conversation. (Depending on your guests, I guess this could be a good or a bad thing!) Although very popular in Switzerland as a Christmas dinner, this fondue extraordinaire actually originated I am quite certain in the Far East. I have many a memory of sitting along the sea in Kota Kinabalu on the island of Borneo, in one of my favourite local restaurants, perspiring like a madwoman as I consumed the local catch-of-the-day. The perspiration was due partly to the high temperature and humidity, but mostly because the soup stock I chose was Thom yum (one of my all-time favourites). Thom yum is a spicy lemon grass/lime-leaf based soup, which is a staple food consumed in Southeast Asia, especially in Thailand.

Getting back to the Swiss version: the stock should be either chicken or beef. You’ll need one or more fondue pots, depending on the number of guests. I suggest one pot for 4 to 5 people. I prepare platters of thinly sliced chicken, beef, veal, and if you so desire fish (cod works well; you can also use prawns). Just as in an ordinary fondue, skewers are used to cook the meat in the broth.

But the brilliance is actually all in the sauce (and of course, the quality of the produce you purchase). The following are my suggested sauce recipes for dipping your meat into…. (more…)

Ricotta pancakes with blackberry butter sauce

I love Sunday brunch! Of all the countries I’ve lived in and places
I’ve travelled to, my favourite Sunday brunch was close to home a
joint less that a mile from where I grew up. What made this outing
such an event was its home-style approach big omlettes, filled with
all your heart’s desires, with a pile of the best home-made fried
potatoes with onions that you have ever tasted, served sizzling and
piping hot in the very pan it was cooked in.
Their pancakes were equally spectacular and also served from the
frying pan. There was a choice of a delicious blackberry or
blueberry butter, although I liked them plain with maple syrup and
whipped cream. So what was the secret ingredient that drew in the
locals and forced them to queue up for what seemed like an
eternity? Ricotta cheese! And to add a twist, served with
blackberry butter! (more…)

This salad goes great with just about any meat you choose to serve over the holidays. Easy to prepare, healthy - and sure to please the most discriminating palate…

Cider walnut dressing:
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
4 tablespoons walnut oil
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Salad:
1 radicchio, trimmed and cut into strips
1 endive, trimmed and cut into strips
1 bunch watercress
Few baby beetroot or red silverbeet leaves (optional)
2 firm ripe pears, peeled
1/4 cup walnut halves
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

In a large bowl, whisk together the cider vinegar, walnut and olive oils and mustard. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

Wash and dry the radicchio and endive and remove the outer leaves and cut into strips. Wash and dry the watercress and remove any tough stems. Peel, core and slice the pears.

Toss the radicchio, endive, watercress and pears with the cider dressing. In a small frying pan, toast the walnut halves over a high heat for a minute. Divide the salad among 4-6 chilled salad plates. Top each with walnut halves before serving.

If you are like me, you are spreading yourself thin, especially at this time of year.  Aren’t you exhausted from Christmas shopping, wrapping, decorating, baking and cooking..? I know I am! The thought of trying to be creative when entertaining is equally draining.  Right about now I am sure a few suggestions on some saucy dishes to serve up for the holidays would come in handy.

From now until the New Year we would like to provide you with some recipe ideas, quick tips on shopping and preparation for your holiday feast.  So let’s start with the basics…are you thinking turkey, roast…or perhaps seafood?

Let me start you off with one of the best chicken dishes I have ever tasted! This outstanding dish - Chicken with figs - was served to me about 15 years ago at a dinner party in California, and it has remained one of my favourites ever since.

I just think it’s nice to have an alternative to the traditional turkey dinner…why not give this remarkable dish a go!

Chicken with figs:

The flavour and appearance of this dish are equally spectacular.  Marinated overnight, the fruit plumps and the chicken becomes tender and moist.  Madeira, sugar, and pecans finish off this version of an old Silver Palate favourite.

2 chickens (2 and a half to 3 pounds each), cut into 8 pieces each
6 large cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons dried thyme
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup best-quality olive oil
4 teaspoons green peppercorns (packed in water), drained
1 cup imported black olives
1 and a half cups dried apricots
1 cup dried small figs or large fig pieces
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup Madeira
1 cup large pecan pieces
Grated zest of 2 lemons

1. One day before serving, combine the chicken, garlic, thyme, cumin, ginger, salt, vinegar, oil, peppercorns, olives, apricots, and figs in a large bowl.  Marinate covered in the refrigerator overnight.  Remove the bowl from the refrigerator 1 hour before cooking.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

3. Arrange the chicken in a single layer in a large shallow baking pan.  Spoon the marinade mixture evenly over the chicken.  Sprinkle with the sugar and pour the Madeira between the pieces.

4. Cover the pan with aluminium foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake, basting frequently with the pan juices, until the juices run clear when a thigh is pierced with a sharp skewer, 40 to 50 minutes.

5. Using a fork and slotted spoon, transfer the chicken, olives, and dried fruit to a large serving platter.  Drizzle with a few large spoonfuls of the pan juices and sprinkle with the pecans.  Sprinkle the lemon zest over all.  Pass the remaining pan juices in a sauce boat.

(6 portions)

We believe in gently stirring the pot to get the ingredients just right!  We launched our soft-opening of the CBC about 3 weeks ago and have enjoyed meeting some of you at our first book launch. For those of you who have attended our recent event evenings, we hope you enjoyed taking part in them as much as we enjoyed hosting them.

We will be operating in full-swing by mid-March 2007, which is timed to coincide with the Grande opening celebration of the InterContinental Park Lane.  In the meantime, we look forward to mixing and mingling with you at our upcoming events.  And don’t forget to post your thoughts and comments as we progress into the new year.

Following are some of the highlights of our upcoming events for the remainder of 2006 and into 2007.  Keep checking into our daily blog for detailed information on these events, and possible changes to the program. (more…)

My friend Billy in Las Vegas has a scientist friend who suggested the following remedy to cure the common cold:

Pantothenic Acid - B5/ 200 mg per hour

Vitamin C/ 1,000 mg per hour

Zinc/ 75 mg every other hour

I’ve tried it and it works!

At the first sign of a scratchy throat, runny nose…all over body aches, give this combo a try. And don’t forget to write me and let me know how your feeling. Just trying to keep you healthy for our upcoming events!

x Lola

James Bond first ordered his trademark drink when he met CIA agent Felix Leiter in an early chapter in Ian Fleming’s debut Novel Casino Royale, first published in 1953. And here is the extract of Fleming’s book if you didnt get time to read it yet:

“‘A dry martini,’ he said. ‘One. In a deep champagne goblet.’
‘Oui, monsieur.’
‘Just a moment. Three measures of gin, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it’s ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon-peel. Got it?’
‘Certainly, monsieur.’ The barman seemed pleased with the idea.
‘Gosh, that’s certainly a drink,’ said Leiter.
Bond laughed. ‘When I’m . . . er . . . concentrating,’ he explained, ‘I never have more than one drink before dinner. But I do like that one to be large and very strong and very cold and very well-made. I hate small portions of anything, particularly when they taste bad. This drink’s my own invention. I’m going to patent it when I can think of a good name.’

‘Vesper,’ she said. ‘Vesper Lynd.’… She smiled. ‘Some people like it, others don’t. I’m just used to it.’
‘I think it’s a fine name,’ said Bond. An idea struck him. ‘Can I borrow it?’ “

So next time out with your friends, order a Vesper rather then a Watermelon Martini, the Vesper is  in the know , Watermelon out of season anyway. Kina Lillet was created at the end of the 19th century in where wine-based tonics flavoured with quinine were popular. The same tonic which is used in Tonic water, and Gin and Tonic, and the Vesper Martini with Gin and Kina Lillet The ingredient acts as a muscle relaxant and has been used for centuries to treat malaria.

PS: we can arrange a Cocktail Masterclass for you and your friends where everybody gets behind the bar to shake his own drink(s) with our mixologists.

My favourite Christmas movie ever - is Elf! And to quote my favourite little guy, Buddy…

“The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!”

Well, we intend to do just that at this year’s CBC kids holiday baking event.

When I was a child, every holiday season my Mom and I made homemade fudge and cookies, which my brother and I would elaborately decorate and then deliver to family and friends in tins. I have since carried on this tradition with my own children, and thought you might want to share this annual event with your family.

What better gift can a child give their grandparents and relatives, than something made from their own little hands and heart?

CBC has organised a very special Christmas event for children between the ages of 6-14. Each child will have the opportunity to bake (with a little assistance from our chefs) a brimming tin-full of Christmas cookies or homemade fudge. And what makes this gift even more unique is that each child will be able to decorate their own cookie/candy tin with holiday ornaments which will remain a keepsake for years to come.
The event takes place on Saturday, December 16, 2006 from 3:00 - 5:30pm and costs £25 per child, if you would like to buy additional cookie tins or fudge, it’s £7 per tin. Also in the price included are beverages and light snacks for children,
Champagne and CBC food for attending parents and lots of Christmas cheer and music.The event takes place on Saturday, December 16, 2006 from 3:00 - 5:30pm and costs £25 per child, if you would like to buy additional cookie tins or fudge, it’s £7 per tin. Also in the price included are beverages and light snacks for children,Champagne and CBC food for attending parents and lots of Christmas cheer and music.To join us please contact Sayoko, Clifford or anybody from the CBC team on 0207 318 8563 or by email to hello@cookbookcafe.co.uk

Thanks Stevan Paul for the image.