Cafe 21

The Perfect Pancake

February 16th, 2012

Shrove Tuesday is just around the corner (Tuesday 21st February) and this week we had a visit from The Journal to speak with our pastry chef, Helen Doyle about how to make the perfect pancake.  You can see the full feature in The Journal next week but here is our recipe and a few top tips for the perfect pancake.  This recipe will make approx. 12 pancakes.

Ingredients:

100 grams Plain Flour

Pinch Salt

1 Egg

250ml Milk

1 ½ table spoons Melted Butter

Method:

Sift the flour and salt into a bowl from a height to aerate the flour.  Break the egg into a well in the centre of the flour and whisk until all the flour is incorporated.  Slowly add the milk while whisking all the time and keep whisking until any lumps disappear.  Melt the butter in a separate pan then add 1 table spoon to the batter and whisk it in.  Use kitchen paper to smear butter onto the pancake pan to cover the base.

Get the pan really hot then reduce to a medium heat, add 2-3 tablespoons of the batter to the pan and immediately tip the pan to coat the base evenly.  After around 30 seconds lift the edge with a palette knife and flip over, cook for a further 10 seconds.

Top tips:

Get some air into the flour by sifting from a height.

Keep whisking until any lumps disappear.

Use kitchen paper rather than greaseproof or foil to smear the pan with butter.

Don’t use excess oil or butter in the pancake pan – a thin coating is fine.

The first pancake often doesn’t work – don’t panic if this happens.

Get the pan really hot but turn down to a medium heat before cooking.

Silverado Wine Dinner

February 13th, 2012

Silverado Vineyards @ Café 21

Wednesday 29^th February 2012

Arrival at 7.00pm – Dinner from 7.30pm

Silverado Vineyards was established in 1981 by the Miller family whose original intention was to sell their grapes to other winemakers.  It wasn’t long before they started producing their own wine with the philosophy of making the best wines that the estate can produce at a fair price.  Silverado now has seven vineyards throughout the Napa Valley.

Russ Weis – General Manager of Silverado grew up in rural California surrounded by the vineyards where his father and grandfather worked, which set him up for a career in fine wines.  Russ will be joining us for an evening to show case these excellent wines matched to a special menu from terry Laybourne.

Spiced Nuts & Truffle Popcorn

Blanc de Noirs, Domaine St Michelle

Neil Robson’s Smoked Salmon, Heritage Beets, Blood Orange and Goats Cheese

Millers Ranch Sauvignon Blanc

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Potato Terrine with Caviar

Carneros Chardonnay 2010

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Grilled Rump Cap, Bone Marrow Pudding, Braised Artichokes and Sauce ‘Dijonaise’

Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 and Cabernet Sauvignon 1991

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Rhubarb and Custard Soufflé – Ginger Beer Sorbet

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Coffee and Chocolates

£55.00 per person

Please call us on 0191 222 0755 as soon as possible to reserve your table as places will be limited at this event.  Please advise us of any dietary requirements upon booking.

Newcastle Restaurant Week: 23rd – 29th January 2012

January 9th, 2012

They’ve been doing it in New York for years and now Newcastle Restaurant Week has taken up residence on the calendar of events in January.

Now in its second year, Restaurant Week offers diners the chance to eat out for as little as £10.00 per person between Monday 23^rd & Sunday 29^th January 2012. It’s a great opportunity to pay a visit to a favourite restaurant or to try out somewhere you haven’t been before.

Our special menu price at £10.00 per person for 2 courses and £15.00 for 3 courses will be available at lunch and dinner all week excluding Saturday evening.

Download a voucher here

To reserve your table please give us a call on 0191 222 0755 or online and mention ‘restaurant week’

Our sister restaurants Caffe Vivo, The Broad Chare and Cafe 21 Fenwick are also taking part.

Peter Franus Wines @ Cafe 21

December 5th, 2011

We were absolutely delighted to host Peter Franus earlier this week for our final winemakers dinner of the year.  Peter makes exceptional wines in California respecting tradition and relying on his intuition.

Peter Franus Wines is a small operation producing less than 1000 cases of each of their artisan wines.  With access to the best grapes in the Napa Valley, their philosophy is to produce delicious wines that stand out from the crowd.

Guests enjoyed a four course menu featuring an Asian Seafood Salad with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc, Monkfish paired with a Napa Valley Albariňo, Slow-cooked Shoulder of beef  both cooked in and served with Zinfandel all finished off with a compote of Winter Fruits.

Our winemaker’s dinners will be back next year, keep a look out for details.

Bang in Season – Cabbage

December 1st, 2011

When the weather is ruthlessly cold, cabbage makes such a comforting vegetable. It originally grew wild on Northern coastlines, as sea kale, the ancestor of all cabbage varieties; a hardy plant with thick, smooth, waxy leaves. Appreciated first for it’s medicinal qualities, the cabbage soon became a source of good nourishment and is the base of many good stews.

There  are two groups of cabbage grown in cultivation, the round type with very tightly held leaves which may be white, green or red and kale which has curly green or violet leaves. Everyone has his or her favourite.

Try and buy fresh cabbage that has been recently cut. It should seem heavy for its size. The leaves should be shiny and firm, they should squeak under your fingers and give off a drop of water when they are torn. The cut of the stalk should be clean, without discolouration.

Cabbage does not keep particularly well so it should be cooked without delay and remember, cabbage shrinks by more than half during cooking.

To prepare cabbage, begin by removing and discarding the large outer leaves. Cut out the stem and quarter the cabbage. Remove the central core without separating the leaves too much. Wash in a large bowl of water, spreading them out well to remove any dirt or insects. Place the quarters in boiling, salted water, boil on a high heat for 10 – 15 minutes until the cabbage is fairly tender. Cool the quarters in iced water, and then drain quickly. Press them firmly between two flat plates to squeeze out excess water. Cabbage can be then be prepared in many ways, either  very simply by slicing into ¾” wide strips and putting in a saucepan with a knob of butter and seasonings over a low heat . Great as an accompaniment to fish, poultry, pork or game ( a young spring cabbage does not need to be blanched, it can be simply sliced and stewed in a little butter) Or, in more complicated preparations such as cabbage stuffed with pork and vegetables and braised slowly to create a heart warming winter lunch.

Things that work well with cabbage: – pork, bacon, cream, game, truffles, caraway, juniper, apples, butter, carrots, onions, foie gras,