bishop&holland

Dallas Fashion Blog

potato & leek soup

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While we were in London, we had the pleasure of dining at a family friend’s home.  She made a wonderful meal for us.  We started with bubbly (of course!) and caviar, and then moved to the dining room for our first course, leek and potato soup.  It was delicious!  We were all raving about it as our hostess Hilary kept insisting how simple it was to make.  When we returned home we couldn’t stop thinking about that soup so we decided to try to make it ourselves.  Well, Hilary was right!  Making leek and potato soup is simplicity itself.  It’s hard to believe it’s just vegetables, water, and salt for seasoning.  This is a great soup served warm on a cold winter night, and would also be great chilled for a spring lunch or dinner.  We made Julia Child’s version from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and she suggests varying the recipe by adding other vegetables. We like to serve it like Hilary did – a drizzle of creme fraiche or sour cream, and a sprinkling of herbs.

Leek and Potato Soup (Potage Parmentier)

  • A 3- to 4-quart saucepan
  • 3 to 4 cups peeled potatoes sliced or diced
  • 3 cups thinly sliced leeks or yellow onions
  • 2 quarts water
  • 1 Tb salt
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream or 2 to 3 Tb softened butter (we omitted this, and didn’t miss it all)
  • a drizzle  of creme fraiche or sour cream per serving
  • 2 to 3 Tb minced parsley or chives

Simmer the vegetables, water, and salt together, partially covered, for 40 to 50 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Mash the vegetables in the soup with a fork, or pass the soup through a food mill.  Add salt and pepper as needed.  Set aside uncovered until just before serving, then reheat to the simmer.

Remove from heat just before serving, and stir in the cream or butter by spoonfuls. Pour into a tureen or soup cups and decorate with creme fraiche (or half & half) and herbs.

Makes about 2 quarts, serving 6 to 8

Cheers,

traditional gin & tonic

gin&tonic

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Having spent the past couple of weeks in London, we picked up a couple of traditional London habits. One is afternoon tea, along with a cookie or crumpet.  The other is having a gin & tonic, or as we have learned to call them, G&T, ice & a slice, before dinner.  We have been instructed in the traditional way of mixing up a proper gin & tonic, but there all kinds of twists to vary the basic recipe.  Add a muddle of rosemary or fennel, a slice of cucumber or some fresh berries and you have a new spin on the traditional gin & tonic!

Gin & Tonic

  • 1 shot of Gin (we prefer Tanqueray)
  • 5 oz of tonic water (Schweppes is traditional)
  • 2 large cubes of ice
  • lemon or lime slice

Put the ice in a highball glass, add the gin, tonic and lemon or lime slice and mix well.  Enjoy!

Cheers,

 

almond milk

almondmilk

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We were frequent visitors at Number One when it was open at Highland Park Village here in Dallas, and became addicted to their home made almond milk lattes, among other things on the menu.  So, when Number One closed, we were crushed.  We decided we couldn’t live without that creamy deliciousness and started experimenting with making our own almond milk.  We were surprised to find that it’s so incredibly easy!

The process essentially involves soaking almonds in water overnight or for up to two days.  The longer you soak the almonds, the creamier the milk will be. Drain and rinse the almonds from their soaking water and grind them in a blender or food processor with fresh water. The resulting liquid, drained from the almond meal, is almond milk.  If you are a fan of almond milk, we highly recommend trying to make your own.  Let us know what you think!

Homemade Almond Milk

  • 2 Cups raw whole almonds (we like to use organic)water for soaking the almonds
  • 2 Cups water for blending with the almonds
  • Sweetener; organic agave, maple syrup or honey (we find that the milk doesn’t need much of any sweetener)

Place the almonds in a bowl and cover with about an inch of water. They will plump up as they absorb the water. Let stand, uncovered, overnight or up to 2 days. The longer the almonds soak, the creamier the almond milk.  Drain the almonds from their soaking water and rinse them thoroughly under cool running water. At this point, the almonds should feel a little soft if you squeeze them.

Place the almonds in the blender and cover with 2 cups of water.  Pulse the blender a few times to break up the almonds, then blend continuously for two minutes. The almonds should be broken down into a very fine meal and the water should be white and opaque.  Line a fine mesh strainer with cheese cloth, and place over a measuring cup. Pour the almond mixture into the strainer.  Gather the cheese cloth around the almond mixture and twist close. Squeeze and press with your hands to extract as much almond milk as possible. You should get about 2 cups.  Taste to see if you need to add sweetener.

Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to two days.

Cheers,