Good Living Site

Even for we Americans, there is something truly special about visiting “the Motherland,” Great Britain.  A visit to the Tower of London is easily a full day’s adventure and teaches us so much about our Founding Fathers’ heritage.

Why separate Church and State, for example?  Centuries of turmoil, as royalty shifted from one faith to another, had resulted in countless imprisonments, persecutions, and executions.  Religious tolerance continues its slow evolution.  But visiting the tower, reading personal accounts, and hearing stories told, all bring the enormous site into perspective.

The Tower of London, with its many walls, towers, chambers, and wide array of purposes, clearly illustrates a dark and oppressive time, while it celebrates generations of royalty.  Touring included the famed crown jewels and a stunning array of armor, including the legendary set belonging to King Henry VIII, revealing signs of his need to also appear sexually “well-armored.”   

This day literally sizzled with discovery and broadened our perspectives.  I’d visited London before and toured Westminster Abbey, stood under Big Ben, and watched the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace.  Somehow, amidst all my sightseeing and visits, I had failed to visit the famed Tower complex.

Be sure to take a nice, compact digital camera with you.  There are delightfully worthy sights to snap at every turn.  Or try some of those snazzy new video camera eye glasses.  You simply must capture the images to delight and relive your memories after you return home.

Hmmm… a month ago in the blog, I got talking about seeing Ron Howard at Racine in London and totally forgot to share our beautiful evening of food with you.  For this French dining experience, I started with Seared Foie Gras while The Ronald (my husband, not Ron Howard) opted for an Heirloom Tomato Salad with Crème Fraiche.  He also had medium rare Sliced Leg of Lamb for an entrée, while I relished my pair of perfected Roasted Quail.

Just go there.  The service, atmosphere and food are wonderful and truly French.  Besides, Brompton Street provides a pleasant walking atmosphere, plus another strong cultural dimension, specifically Lebanese.

Reflecting back, after Ron Howard’s departure from the restaurant with his companions, we chatted with our waiter.  He’d had no idea who he had just been serving at the table beside us.  Someone had tipped him off, so he went to Google it.  He was young, but he remembered “Happy Days” reruns in France, where he’d grown up.

We told him of the directing prowess of this former child star and even sang songs from “Music Man.”  Hey, wait staff deserve some silly entertainment from time to time.  We all had a lot of laughs.

Apologies to Ron Howard.  We tried to protect your privacy while you were dining, but we still wanted to do right by your well-earned positive reputation.  Restaurants love knowing stars dine in their establishments, especially when they are truly first class acts!

London, as is the case with most European cities, presents an eclectic collection of cultures and cuisines.  If true English fare doesn’t suit your taste, then skip the meat pies, the bubble and squeak, and even the fish and chips. 

You’ll find superb restaurants, reflecting a wide range of cuisines, from Indian to French, Italian to Lebanese, and Japanese  to (God forbid) American. 

Now, if you happen to find yourself in the West End theatre district, stumble into Li Posito.  We did, following a superb production of “Wicked.”  Li Posito served up what is possibly the best Italian food we’ve ever enjoyed in the UK… fresh, flavorful, the real deal.  We spoke with the owner and learned they also opened a small location in Kensington.

I hesitate to name everything we tasted, but I must mention the Grilled King Prawns.  Perfect.  Utterly perfect!  If you are a shrimp fan, this marks a most unexpected taste delight in London.

The following night, The Ronald (my hubby), wanted French cuisine.  The concierge at The Cadogan Hotel made us a reservation at Racine, a splendid French restaurant on Brompton Street.  We were seated at a little round table in the front window.  Value-added is an understatement when I tell you how giddy The Ronald was, as he giggled and chortled intermittently at the regalia of the passersby.  He always loves people watching best of all.  We humans are rather intriguing creatures.

Amidst his various guffaws, I was able to interject that Ron Howard’s “twin brother” was seated beside him just to his left.  Being of the theatre ilk and a broadcast journalist, I am not taken aback by folks of celebrity, but this gentleman brought out childhood smiles.  He was Opie, for crying out loud, and lisped adorably through “Music Man.”  Okay… that’s way before “Happy Days,” but we of a certain age had watched Ron Howard grow up and blossom.  More importantly, we’d cheered as he earned respect as a wonderful film director, somehow managing to avoid or escape what I call Hollywood Hell. 

There he was, blissfully orchestrating a movie industry meeting.  He and the two men with him relished both ice cream and their global cinema discussions, before Howard donned his baseball cap and they all slid past us and back out onto the London street.

A nice surprise I found at the Fifth Floor Café in London were the fresh fruit smoothies.  I chose their Tropical Smoothie, which oozed with freshly pressed (or squeezed, as we Americans say) pineapple, papaya, mango, and coconut.  The balance was perfect and yields the most luxurious color!  To mirror this at home, I recommend the following free recipe:

Super Simple Tropical Breeze

 1/3 c papaya nectar  (or 1 c papaya chunks)

1/3 c pineapple juice (or 1 c pineapple chunks)

1/3 c mango nectar (or 1 c mango chunks)

¼ c coconut milk

 Blend with 2-3 large ice cubes until smooth.  Makes 1 serving.

KISS Tips:  Fruit chunks work far better than juices for a thick, fruity smoothie that doesn’t even need the ice!  Add some spiced rum and garnish with a tiny paper umbrella and fresh fruit chunks, and you’ll feel as though you’re sipping on the shore of some exotic island, rather than in your own kitchen.

The English have long-suffered a somewhat less than celebratory reputation for their cuisine.  Well, much has improved!  Even my hubby now relishes the “Full English Breakfast,” with its eggs and bacon, beans, mushrooms, and toast.

While in London, if you are in the Knightsbridge neighborhood, check out the Fifth Floor Restaurant & Café directly over Harvey Nichols.  The food market there is also delightful and highly diversified.  In the café, you can enjoy a variety of traditional English dishes.  I heartily recommend the Bacon Sandwich.  Don’t picture typical bacon from the United States.  These slices are thick, wide disks of English bacon, perfectly crisped on the edges and truly bursting with taste bud-delighting flavor.   The slices are served on a golden grilled, soft ciabatto roll with your choice of Ketchup or Brown Sauce.

If you hail from the UK, you will think me daft to try explaining Brown Sauce.  However, this staple condiment is non-existent on tables in the USA.  Brits may scoff because they are as accustomed to its presence as we are to Ketchup.  However, if you have not yet tasted Brown Sauce, go for it!  I found it blended perfectly with the Bacon Sandwich, as it would with any pork product or poultry for that matter.

I can only describe its flavor as a very close match to clove-rich Raisin Sauce my Mother always made to serve with her Baked Ham.  Brown Sauce seems virtually identical, but with thickeners added.

Here is Mom’s Free Recipe for you, straight out of “50 Years of Fabulous Family Favorites,” Volume2, from Quiet Thunder Publishing in 2008.

Raisin Sauce for Baked Ham

1 c seedless raisins

1 c sugar

½ c vinegar

¼ tsp cloves

½ tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 (8-oz) jar grape jelly

Pinch salt

Heath together slowly in the top of a double boiler over simmering water, stirring several times.

OR this Variation:

Mix ½ c brown sugar, 1 tsp dry  mustard, and 2 T corn starch.  Slowly add 2 T vinegar.  Add 2 T lemon juice, ¼ tsp lemon rind, 1-1/2 c water, and ½ c raisins.  Stir over low heat till thickened.  Makes 2 cups.

Obviously, either way you may it, the flavor is similar to the thick Brown Sauce, but Brown Sauce has no raisins.  Dip a crispy bacon sandwich in that!

You can enjoy hundreds of time-tested and true family recipes in both Volume 1 and Volume 2 of “50 Years of Fabulous Family Favorites.”  They are available in convenient e-book formats at SuperSimpleDiscount.com and PartyCentral123.com.

Anyway, check out the real Brown Sauce.  I found the most popular bottled variety to be called “The Original HP Sauce,” with the label indicating they’ve been making it since 1899.  The label ingredients include malt vinegar, molasses, glucose-fructose syrup, spirit vinegar, sugar, dates, corn flour, rye flour, salt, spices, flavourings, and Tamarind.  Check it out on their website:  www.hpsauce.co.uk.  HP Sauce notes it’s great on sausages and bacon sandwiches, but they also suggest trying it in casseroles, pies, or gravy.  Definitely try it on the Bacon Sandwich at the 5^th Floor Restaurant over Harvey Nichols by the Knightsbridge station of the London Underground.

Ephesus ruins in Turkey

Traveling, for me, is much about absorbing the culture, the people, the lifestyle, and the rhythm of the area.  Food is paramount for this dedicated foodie.  For many years, I simply have said that I travel on my taste buds. 

I have not been around the world, by any means.  However, I have been privileged to visit a wide variety of places and cultures.  Articles in this category will reflect travels, naturally highlighted by great foods, delightful restaurant “discoveries,” goodies to gobble up if you go there, and recipes to replicate the yummy flavors found. 

My Taste Bud Travels range from most of the states in the USA to Denmark, Russia, Mexico, Greece, Italy, Sweden, Israel, France, Turkey, Spain, Costa Rica, Croatia, England, Honduras, Argentina, Panama, Canada, Uruguay, Monaco, Colombia, Malta, Brazil, and a variety of Caribbean Islands.  I love to travel.  My passion is good food… and sharing where my Taste Bud Travels take me.

Naturally, I will include a few travel highlights, but great food remains the centerpiece.  I will look forward to your feedback, too, so feel free to share great spots you’ve “discovered” along the Taste Bud Trail.