tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65827293962569630982024-02-07T19:31:37.590-08:00The Ravenous ScientistAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06847178194668037090noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6582729396256963098.post-29847203138140632232013-04-30T15:00:00.000-07:002013-05-01T04:47:34.616-07:00Mille-feuille brilliance- Pâtisserie Sadaharu Aoki [Paris]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the hardest thing I had to do during my visit to Paris- was to decide on which tantalising creation to purchase from Pâtisserie Sadaharu Aoki.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I know. First world problems eh.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pâtissier <a href="http://www.sadaharuaoki.com/">Sadaharu Aoki </a>was trained in Japan and France and is famed for beautifully infusing traditional French pastries with Japanese accents like yuzu, matcha and black sesame. I thought that this marriage of cultures is perfect, especially in desserts. Aoki applies the Japanese sense of intricacy and perfectionist attitude to the rich history of French pastry-making, producing strikingly beautiful works of art using unparalleled ingredients.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Guardian has rated Sadaharu Aoki as one of the top </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">pâtisseries in Paris, alongside big name</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">s like Pierre Hermé, Jean-Paul Hévin and La Pâtisserie des Rêves. Seems like his eclectic take on French pastries have won the hearts of Parisians, who raved about the matcha, wasabi and joyfully tastebud-assaulting violet macarons.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_wc5yANxGdoUYa9TKd3V0_uEhumkzO876TSkbt8HETcD5po1zwFRTL-oPWzzvxLG354xeBb6nIYBdosLvTFjJx2mBMx_NoeCIaRaNEOUVjdAAOW9K-k5sXqaIVUrtV4P2Umpjj60aQUI/s1600/sadaharu+aoki+paris+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_wc5yANxGdoUYa9TKd3V0_uEhumkzO876TSkbt8HETcD5po1zwFRTL-oPWzzvxLG354xeBb6nIYBdosLvTFjJx2mBMx_NoeCIaRaNEOUVjdAAOW9K-k5sXqaIVUrtV4P2Umpjj60aQUI/s400/sadaharu+aoki+paris+1.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The sleek little boutique at rue de Vaugirard</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Facing the neat rows of aesthetically pleasing gateauxs and entrements with colours jumping out at my face. All that's whirring in my mind was: <b>What to choose?</b> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 28px;">I wanted to try so many things. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Shall I opt for the unadultered French classics? Sampling Aoki's interpretation of classic French pâtisserie like the fraisier (strawberry cake) or the traditional mille-feuille à la vanille, both of which are apparently perfection incarnate?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oh who am I kidding, being a matcha addict, of course I zeroed in on his array of fabulous matcha infused creations.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mind you, it was still no easy task despite having narrowed down my choices. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrX-gen3bskydrG2oMb1X4Rht_T4fULWmMluwbw3prYkIHM_8_Bf3qSmVb0R0XgBUZOGTARMuUaBTKgoN4jNf93yfQC7pwaH6FoXfiWg6piNR7DyDV0y7y2AX3v2Jc-geq6BP8SMiQON0/s1600/sadaharu+aoki+paris+1+%25284%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrX-gen3bskydrG2oMb1X4Rht_T4fULWmMluwbw3prYkIHM_8_Bf3qSmVb0R0XgBUZOGTARMuUaBTKgoN4jNf93yfQC7pwaH6FoXfiWg6piNR7DyDV0y7y2AX3v2Jc-geq6BP8SMiQON0/s640/sadaharu+aoki+paris+1+%25284%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Matcha azuki praliné bar</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A layered pastry of matcha and azuki, a classic Japanese sweets combination. There is a layer of praliné at the bottom and nestled on top is an adorable mini matcha macaron.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Zen (</b>left)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Matcha dacquoise and cognac infused sesame cream sandwiched between layers of beautiful off-white chocolate cream.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Bamboo</b> (right)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Aoki's acclaimed matcha rendition of the classic opéra. A neat stack of alternating layers of green tea sponge, chocolate ganache and matcha buttercream. Love love love the cute bamboo motif!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The famous </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Matcha </b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Black sesame eclairs,</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mille feuilles </b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tarte au Citrons.</b>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Matcha croissants </b>(left). <b>Matcha almond croissants </b>(right) - the latter looked so lovely dusted in icing sugar, matcha powder and toasted almonds!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Colourful Chocorons</b>!-Chocolate covered macarons. I really liked the chic polka-dots on top of the brightly coloured chocolate coating.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Every single pastry was incredibly gorgeous and looked delicious. Naturally, I would have liked to buy everything.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Curse you meagre PhD stipend! (indignant fist in the air..)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After a long and difficult deliberation, I chosed the <b>Matcha mille-feuille</b>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.davidlebovitz.com/">David Lebovitz</a> and <a href="http://chocolateandzucchini.com/">Clotilde</a> have lauded Sadaharu Aoki as a <b>Parisian master of buttery, crackly puff pastry</b>. So, a fusion specialty of delicate green Matcha pastry cream and golden mille feuille, one of the most traditional pastry of French origins that Aoki happen to be particularly talented in? I think I made a good choice, no?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Talk about killing two birds with €4.60!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I watched as the friendly and immaculately dressed Japanese salesperson deftly packed my lovely mille feuille into a sleek white box with gloved hands. As she rang up my purchase, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I finally succumbed to temptation and added a matcha croissant. Those spiral babies were really calling out to me!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was a lovely day, and I decided to take the metro to place de la Concorde for a leisurely stroll through the Tuileries garden (<i>Jardin des Tuileries)</i>. This beautiful park is the largest in Paris, at 25.5 hectares and was created as the garden of the Tuileries Palace in 1564 by Catherine de Medicis. With some 20 species of very fine trees that includes mulberry, oak, elm, maple...just to name a few; as well as up to seventy thousand plants and bulbs, this garden must be spectacle to behold in Spring.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I enjoyed my wintry walk no less. There is certainly something whimsical about the intertwined bare branches against the Parisian backdrop.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Also, it does help to have an amazing matcha croissant to nom on along the way!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ambling along, I was suddenly caught by a strong gust of wind that swung my Sadaharu Aoki bag a full 360 degrees.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Stifling a yelp, I quickly settled on a nearby bench to inspect the damage. My beautiful mille feuille was overturned and the matcha powder was strewn all over.
I cried a little on the inside at the sight of the messed up topography of matcha powder on the top as I carefully flipped it back upright.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJcnbXZtO_bTsmPoL8rFD7xKtaIYFHkKdVNfz6Fm9jCvUkkzqZKe-F9kPlz0K65u8JsiMVJekOQ3IcAO8Wei4WdvlZ0qCEi-nBXOzEFJNRhQx2ce8ZuRHxo7u3GuQH-YuwTyKcz6WZKAk/s1600/sadaharu+aoki+paris+1+%252813%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJcnbXZtO_bTsmPoL8rFD7xKtaIYFHkKdVNfz6Fm9jCvUkkzqZKe-F9kPlz0K65u8JsiMVJekOQ3IcAO8Wei4WdvlZ0qCEi-nBXOzEFJNRhQx2ce8ZuRHxo7u3GuQH-YuwTyKcz6WZKAk/s640/sadaharu+aoki+paris+1+%252813%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As you can see, pastries are very well packed in Paris to prevent any damage to it while traveling on the cramped metros. But certainly not to withstand erratic strong gusts of wind! Gah!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyway....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My mille feuille was oustanding. Truly befitting what it means in French- "<b>thousand leaves</b>".<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"> </span></span>I quivered with excitement at the sound of the light crackle of pastry as I sliced it with my fork. The delicate layers of puff pastry were perfectly <b>thin, flaky and wonderfully buttery</b>. The vivid matcha "<i>crème pâtissière</i>" was light and smooth with just the right touch of sweetness and the thin nougatine topping was delectably crunchy. The best part was the irresistible perfume of good quality matcha, lending its unmistakably exquisite hint of bitterness to the pastry. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Utter perfection.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">So alluring...</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alas, I was down to my last bite. This will no doubt haunt my dreams for awhile.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For sure, I will return to Sadaharu Aoki the next time I am in Paris. Or perhaps visit his flagship boutiques in Tokyo and Taipei. Those lucky gits...</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;">25 rue Pérignon </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">+33 (0)1 43 06 02 71</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;">(M10: Segur)</span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><br style="border: 0px; display: block; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 4px; padding: 0px;" />56 Boulevard de Port-Royal <br style="border: 0px; display: block; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 4px; padding: 0px;" />+33 (0)1 45 35 36 80</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;">(RER B : Port Royal, M7: Les Gobelins/Censier Daubenton)</span> <span style="color: blue;"><br style="border: 0px; display: block; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 4px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="border: 0px; display: block; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 4px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="border: 0px; display: block; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 4px; padding: 0px;" />35 rue de vaugirard <br style="border: 0px; display: block; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 4px; padding: 0px;" />+33 (0)1 45 44 48 90</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;">(M4: St Sulpice / M12 : Rennes)</span> <span style="color: blue;"><br style="border: 0px; display: block; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 4px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="border: 0px; display: block; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 4px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="border: 0px; display: block; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 4px; padding: 0px;" />Lafayette Gourmet<br style="border: 0px; display: block; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 4px; padding: 0px;" />40 Boulevard Haussmann </span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06847178194668037090noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6582729396256963098.post-46842039185919092672013-04-18T17:33:00.001-07:002013-04-30T15:30:53.944-07:00Dutch fish and chips- Kibbeling! <span style="background-color: #e8e7e7; color: #324850; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN_GvS23yKV457-YDjTzDNf3OdfzQt_nm_dweMXrmKlGWHLrq4eeRHnT2OqUUR6HnOpYuRJs6zcJYWy_PDeyC8gNPjGWPrHEapE0P3ybx6uCDZSmG3-JTvDaWMKdoU1ZfI5BASNAsoIQ4/s1600/Kibbeling.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN_GvS23yKV457-YDjTzDNf3OdfzQt_nm_dweMXrmKlGWHLrq4eeRHnT2OqUUR6HnOpYuRJs6zcJYWy_PDeyC8gNPjGWPrHEapE0P3ybx6uCDZSmG3-JTvDaWMKdoU1ZfI5BASNAsoIQ4/s640/Kibbeling.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>Kibbeling</i>- Dutch version of battered fried fish</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Prior to coming to England, I was really looking forward to the experience of standing outside a chippy with my paper wrapped, piping hot portion of crispy battered fish and crunchy thick chips, ready to be doused with salt and vinegar. Just the way <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_the_Menace_and_Gnasher">Dennis the Menace</a> and his sidekick, Gnasher enjoyed it in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beano">The Beano</a> comics.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Having lived here for close to three years now, I am sadden to say that...<br /><br /><b> I have yet to taste good fish and chips!</b><br /><br /> After having my fair share of dismal or sometimes abysmal fish and chips. I gave up the search. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Most of what I've had were often:<br /><br /><span style="color: red;"> 1. Overly greasy- with oil-trapped pockets in the batter that let loose tiny burst of oil with each bite<br /><br />2. Battered too thickly - poor batter to fish ratio<br /><br />3. Gummy due to undercooked batter *shudders*<br /><br />3. Flavourless fish fillet</span><br /><br />and to top that off, <br /><br /><span style="color: red;"> 4. Soggy, limp chips (aka. fries)</span><br /><br /> If you can't get the fish right, at least serve up some decent chips! <br /><br /> It is likely that I might have unluckily visited lousy chippys for my fish and chips fix. However, since it is one of the national dish of Britain, it shouldn't be that hard to find palatable ones right? For instance, I can easily find hawker stalls that sell pretty decent <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laksa">Laksa</a> or </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasi_lemak">Nasi lemak</a> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">around Malaysia. Even the random Pizza al taglio parlours that I've visited in Rome also served up tasty bites.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /> During my visit to university city of Groningen, I was introduced to the Dutch version of fish and chips. In the Netherlands, it is known as '<i>Kibbeling</i>' or '<i>Lekkerbekje</i>', both of which refer to battered fried cod or whiting. The main difference is that <i>lekkerbekje </i>is served as a whole fillet whereas <i>kibbeling </i>is cut into chunks, much like fish nuggets. These snacks are usually sold by mobile seafood trucks or fishmonger stalls at weekend markets.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">As we approached the fish-stand in the central market square, <i>Grote Markt</i>, my dear hosts went ahead and ordered a portion of <i>Kibbeling</i> for me. </span></span><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20px;">Because of the tall Dutch population, display counters are ridiculously high for a midget like me. </span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">I was excitedly tip-toeing and craning my neck </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">to catch a glimpse of the vendor that was preparing our orders in action. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">I watched hungrily as he coated big juicy chunks of fresh cod fish in a thin layer of batter and then dunked them into the deep fryer. The smell that was emanating as the fish cooked was amazing. </span></span><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20px;">My heaping portion of <i>kibbeling </i>looked mouth wateringly lovely, with each piece fried to a perfect light gold.</span><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20px;"> </span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">I stabbed my fork into one of the golden nugget and eagerly took a bite. The unmistakable crunch as the <b>crispy and delicately thin batter</b> gave way to reveal <b>sweet and tender fish fillet</b> left me speechless. Among the other spices, I could taste lovely hints of sweet paprika and garlic salt in the well seasoned batter. </span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Tender and flaky cod fillet encased in crispy thin batter. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20px;"><i>Kibbeling</i> is usually served with a mayonnaise-based remoulade, much like tartar sauce.</span><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20px;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20px;">I took a second bite of my juicy morsel with the sauce and was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't as cloying as I expected. The slight acidity of the sauce gave the fried fish a refreshingly piquant lift.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">After 'working' through my portion of <i>kibbeling</i> at lighting speed, I was very glad to find that there was no pool of oil at the bottom of my container. These were indeed fried to perfection! </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">You know it is tasty when it makes an Austrian, a Malaysian and a Catalan that happy!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In this particular stall, you can also order a side of crunchy chips, '<i>Patat frites</i>' to go with your fish. Which apparently is a rarity in The Netherlands because you can't usually buy both fish <i>and</i> chips from the same place, much to the dismay of my British friends. Chips (or Fries) are often sold separately in a Frites stall or shop. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Aside from other types of fried seafood such as mussels, shrimps and squid, the stand we visited also sold <i>makreel </i>(mackerel), <i>bokking</i> (herring) and <i>gerrokte paling </i>(smoked eel).</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG5Kqa5SX0RhS2LgaIPCnPruA-8TcaAO7VaqQ_s4taKRAVjHO5GIYZu1E3oO7PCKqIRiSB7jaRKzFN6nGokGGgSbYxlojW-8P8mCmifzOy4OJE8DkFDUYMvSEnKtjmi2XOyLykaqmo8-E/s1600/Groningen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG5Kqa5SX0RhS2LgaIPCnPruA-8TcaAO7VaqQ_s4taKRAVjHO5GIYZu1E3oO7PCKqIRiSB7jaRKzFN6nGokGGgSbYxlojW-8P8mCmifzOy4OJE8DkFDUYMvSEnKtjmi2XOyLykaqmo8-E/s640/Groningen.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Stacks of steamed mackerel (<i>Gestoomde makreel</i>)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What's the best thing to do after a hearty <i>kibbeling</i> snack/meal? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Take a walk around the city. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Explore its nook and crannies, people watch a little then head to the roof top cafe for coffee. Since it was a really warm day, we had ice-cold smoothies to sip away whilst enjoying the view.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiShCY60O3HIsLIkVwptZvI_aWIWfcy9QQEiVDs2bLH7lQFEBdzrV-pwYINKiIQ-g2DBegodcK50F9FP-xxMLQ6GUbJGuC5QqzEvY4acHNkz8FPQLtVi7GpZpg3tvP5lZoTBUAwo8WVX2o/s1600/Groningen+1+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiShCY60O3HIsLIkVwptZvI_aWIWfcy9QQEiVDs2bLH7lQFEBdzrV-pwYINKiIQ-g2DBegodcK50F9FP-xxMLQ6GUbJGuC5QqzEvY4acHNkz8FPQLtVi7GpZpg3tvP5lZoTBUAwo8WVX2o/s400/Groningen+1+%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1CQ3lgeUQ81CBcc1FqpHun-SNVNxcmxFV4wMxHNLS36eX_V-Gt6gmDaA4MQos7801Ukuymy7yLGxLaB0jCMn94jfOyxBCxzdSaL__oziPFpeX6B2ncIzM7fvFRTjLp73m9uPMQ6TQG_g/s1600/P1020477.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1CQ3lgeUQ81CBcc1FqpHun-SNVNxcmxFV4wMxHNLS36eX_V-Gt6gmDaA4MQos7801Ukuymy7yLGxLaB0jCMn94jfOyxBCxzdSaL__oziPFpeX6B2ncIzM7fvFRTjLp73m9uPMQ6TQG_g/s400/P1020477.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Random bike wheel contemporary art? (left) and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goudkantoor"><i>Goudkantoor</i></a> (right)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The '<i>Goudkantoor</i>', known as the Gold Office in English was originally built in 1635 for the tax collector of Groningen. It later housed the office that authenticated gold and silver. Hence the name I guess.. It is now a restaurant.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBXOKms0OlzeuUQYN9-VVTNf-FduKlLF_0okq09cRMKoKzQEijWeCACo7NV8xEoiOC_E6ONlGU_zcRcgqcgFhJbabc4wk2K7HSwsuBOfCk22q2eC6d7JxWpE1nMah_J7pPTfgO9A4UlPM/s1600/P1020499.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBXOKms0OlzeuUQYN9-VVTNf-FduKlLF_0okq09cRMKoKzQEijWeCACo7NV8xEoiOC_E6ONlGU_zcRcgqcgFhJbabc4wk2K7HSwsuBOfCk22q2eC6d7JxWpE1nMah_J7pPTfgO9A4UlPM/s400/P1020499.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZHc6S4rmD1OMIg2DdDRYrq-LI2ZuOBSbv6kwzRwRBARgRqp-ckP6XPYKPvrcvKhFridvahoymlqra9YDJD-6ndgn6_lmVVn7NUkeygvmE2r9ZALsIvxH3d8hXYl1KbLj1VVoS4NIwGKQ/s1600/Groningen+1+%25286%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZHc6S4rmD1OMIg2DdDRYrq-LI2ZuOBSbv6kwzRwRBARgRqp-ckP6XPYKPvrcvKhFridvahoymlqra9YDJD-6ndgn6_lmVVn7NUkeygvmE2r9ZALsIvxH3d8hXYl1KbLj1VVoS4NIwGKQ/s400/Groningen+1+%25286%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Which will you opt for? The gas guzzler or the charming bicycle?</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Rooftop cafe with <i>'Martinitoren' </i>(Martini Tower) - The highest church steeple in Groningen in the background</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">Do yourself a favour and don't forget to grab some tasty <i>Kibbeling </i>the next time you are in The Netherlands!</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06847178194668037090noreply@blogger.com4Groningen, The Netherlands53.219231 6.575370000000020853.1431755 6.4140085000000209 53.2952865 6.7367315000000207tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6582729396256963098.post-17101851335101526982013-04-11T16:30:00.000-07:002013-10-17T17:15:28.282-07:00Eurochocolate 2012- A pilgrimage for chocolate lovers!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGHzQVeNFw_uBKZP2pcnNfJyf-2aCv067eEpg3j9WHlweVG2kkgV7KeSL0qYgm36is7Y20uL4Z2P0FQwzcf-H2z5_uI_xMgX2insCtsz1bJdZEsORMNWsofEQ_hyphenhyphenMmErEdyeQVMkAzOdA/s1600/Perugia+Eurochocolate+7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGHzQVeNFw_uBKZP2pcnNfJyf-2aCv067eEpg3j9WHlweVG2kkgV7KeSL0qYgm36is7Y20uL4Z2P0FQwzcf-H2z5_uI_xMgX2insCtsz1bJdZEsORMNWsofEQ_hyphenhyphenMmErEdyeQVMkAzOdA/s640/Perugia+Eurochocolate+7.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Every year, the capital city of Umbria, Perugia, becomes the ultimate destination for chocolate aficionados by hosting one of the largest chocolate festivals in Europe. The city is known locally as the " <i>Costruttori di dolcezze</i>"- designer of sweet things. During the week-long festival, over a million chocolate lovers from all over throng the city to enjoy free chocolate tastings, indulge in all sorts of chocolate delights, attend workshops by chefs and also feast their eyes upon chocolate art displays and huge chocolate sculptures. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ling and I were gleeful attendees of Eurochocolate 2012.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since I only found out about this festival after we've already booked our flights to Rome, it was indeed a stroke of luck that the dates for our trip co-incided with the first 2 days of Eurochocolate 2012 . Instantaneously, a day trip to Perugia became <strike>my</strike> our top priority.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIDO0oNun3aK241K_VANRmnmJjlJD2IRf9j_r-dcdjcb4yv4snGtv_UdQze_Lp-GK9VMKimU16-d2DZlYZtbz31HjKUdXo4yWtNcaIJQTJkAX9iDrAMtu_XgDi-HPsPxxZStr_8Ju_jsM/s1600/Eurochocolate+scenes+14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIDO0oNun3aK241K_VANRmnmJjlJD2IRf9j_r-dcdjcb4yv4snGtv_UdQze_Lp-GK9VMKimU16-d2DZlYZtbz31HjKUdXo4yWtNcaIJQTJkAX9iDrAMtu_XgDi-HPsPxxZStr_8Ju_jsM/s640/Eurochocolate+scenes+14.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 21px;">On the first day of the festival, we set out early in the morning to catch the 2 hour long train ride to Perugia, followed by a bus all the way to the top of the hill where it was held.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Upon getting off, I felt as if I was transported into one of the glorious lands on top of The Faraway Tree. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Faraway_Tree" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Faraway Tree</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, written by Enid Blyton was my absolute favourite series of books when I was a child. It is based on the adventures of three children and a gigantic magical tree that is inhabited by a myriad of magical creatures, all set in an enchanted forest, </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">of course</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.</span><br />
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So the very top of this big S tree was a ladder that leads to a magical land, which changes every time to make way for another land. You get unpleasant lands like the Land of Slaps, but sometimes, there are amazing ones like the Land of Goodies, Land of Take-What-You-Want or my personal favourite, the Land of Presents.</span><br />
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Sorry, I digress.</span><br />
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The point here is, I was in the <b><span style="color: red;">Land of Chocolates</span></b>!</span><br />
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The whole place was brimming with festivities. It was really a feast for the senses. I was gobsmacked by the sight of rows and rows of tents with mouth watering chocolate goodies piled up high, the hypnotic aroma of chocolate lingering in the crisp Autumn air, the sounds of the vendors hollering :"Cioccolato! Cioccolato! Cioccolato! with music playing in the background. All these set against the backdrop of the beautiful medieval walled, hill town of Perugia.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><b>Truly Magical!!!</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">There was chocolate as far as the eye can see! </span>I </span>was tempted to hop, skip, and whoop in joy, but my brain intervened just in time, reminding me once again that I am too old to express my excitement in such ways.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We each bought a 5 Euro ChocoCard that entitled us to <b>freebies</b> from several stalls (Including Lindt and Milka!), discounts and also a map of the entire fair. The glorious day was spent walking around and tasting chocolate samples (Mostly by me actually...), drinking/eating thick hot chocolate and buying all sorts of chocolate creations.</span><br />
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Warning:</b> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">From this point forward, reader may suffer from:</span></span><br />
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1. An insatiable craving for all things chocolate.</span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Uncontrollable drooling- I suggest a protective film for your keyboard</span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. May attempt to scratch and sniff computer screen.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOuxe07Kjs4R_-sVJTkLdvcEWwnfYtB90xDk9xeqK-X3CVVjEQX27LW2aUzELqVRrpFrcuSAlgpVpkOEOyMj4ZkWIbUAg6aEkjRKuV-_nXbKzivochKqwJvqIx0_O3TQleF7v4QNc2gyA/s1600/Eurochocolate+scenes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOuxe07Kjs4R_-sVJTkLdvcEWwnfYtB90xDk9xeqK-X3CVVjEQX27LW2aUzELqVRrpFrcuSAlgpVpkOEOyMj4ZkWIbUAg6aEkjRKuV-_nXbKzivochKqwJvqIx0_O3TQleF7v4QNc2gyA/s640/Eurochocolate+scenes.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This vendor was slicing up squares of Sachertorte, which is actually an Austrian creation of 2 moist layers of chocolate cake with apricot jam in the middle and coated in thick chocolate icing.</span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Massive dark, milk and white chocolate discs studded with fruits and nuts. The white chocolate with loads of cranberries was divine!</span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNFNosZne6wRxjghFPeawYtBvEV5tSEnIGQehfQM1qvHGEJJpd15wDEL4C8Hzd9B05L59noKUbQMAWtAQknJRmvj1IotlQw92OfisfvFSZHdYG5f42IjhITJdUpUANK5VcLEXI07c_Wrs/s1600/Eurochocolate+scenes+8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNFNosZne6wRxjghFPeawYtBvEV5tSEnIGQehfQM1qvHGEJJpd15wDEL4C8Hzd9B05L59noKUbQMAWtAQknJRmvj1IotlQw92OfisfvFSZHdYG5f42IjhITJdUpUANK5VcLEXI07c_Wrs/s640/Eurochocolate+scenes+8.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Cork-shaped chocolate truffles and big slabs of pralines.</span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The first freebie that we claimed with the ChocoCard were espresso cup sized samples of Italian hot chocolate from the Ciobar stand. It was so thick and spoon-lickingly satisfying. I really love that Italian hot chocolate is rich, thick and decadent- a far cry from the run-of-the-mill liquid-y stuff. It has an almost pudding like consistency and packs a really bold chocolate flavor. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hot chocolate or chocolate pudding? So so good...</span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">More hot chocolate!</span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlMmFQZFSFnqSyYlfRYzJNkEUid6c89vido-NrUJhvhWGIKh7Mf1XQgWE5HidcI2V0-Qt8q7p0bplMS13CVn20tuIG8LMJU3Zt7CfysjSW17Mofy4f1vy5aABZJIxq88bVMTrtbNA_1Ic/s1600/Eurochocolate+chocolate+tools.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlMmFQZFSFnqSyYlfRYzJNkEUid6c89vido-NrUJhvhWGIKh7Mf1XQgWE5HidcI2V0-Qt8q7p0bplMS13CVn20tuIG8LMJU3Zt7CfysjSW17Mofy4f1vy5aABZJIxq88bVMTrtbNA_1Ic/s640/Eurochocolate+chocolate+tools.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I could do with a chocolate horseshoe for some edible luck</span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX7hyphenhyphennoyPRyom_XRCtM1cH3nKX2LBAwCuo7zstWW6nkglgdn1ywdbDvv15H7XLc3Ow75kwfjKNUgVoVxQ25nsOJgsEbWebAaGHDA65WioooBF4mWOdMjvJXcJRt_vErVDM1KXDuDe5NQE/s1600/Eurochocolate+chocolate+lego.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX7hyphenhyphennoyPRyom_XRCtM1cH3nKX2LBAwCuo7zstWW6nkglgdn1ywdbDvv15H7XLc3Ow75kwfjKNUgVoVxQ25nsOJgsEbWebAaGHDA65WioooBF4mWOdMjvJXcJRt_vErVDM1KXDuDe5NQE/s640/Eurochocolate+chocolate+lego.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chocolate lego bricks in all sorts of flavours. Build it up and eat away!</span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUVyMkZrCkXy_eCdNIvIyLVwUgudG3gVcRgVhA0EDFC5lgcVEtEljR8sWlMOIOkahgx7QQdRzMsFJeuntKYrTyDySkvdcJA0254A0hTkZSCkJcRvolSXAXMdQtGbay1ZTMT19KxOXm9z4/s1600/Gianduiotti.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUVyMkZrCkXy_eCdNIvIyLVwUgudG3gVcRgVhA0EDFC5lgcVEtEljR8sWlMOIOkahgx7QQdRzMsFJeuntKYrTyDySkvdcJA0254A0hTkZSCkJcRvolSXAXMdQtGbay1ZTMT19KxOXm9z4/s640/Gianduiotti.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">My new love. Gianduiotti, which is made of ground hazelnut paste and cocoa. It tastes like a solid version of Nutella!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaWEiUBg_30iy8iJDM7e5lEceWtYRqKtWRtUutIgnl55xdp86MyJ1EF3Ye3tmqb-wpKzXNegdu5yvK0ycjWT3_bLRJ01OBgZMYAZCwXjCIKSEmXiGePVvibNM9Q_tcGn39ehwy-rhGif8/s1600/Eurochocolate+scenes+7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaWEiUBg_30iy8iJDM7e5lEceWtYRqKtWRtUutIgnl55xdp86MyJ1EF3Ye3tmqb-wpKzXNegdu5yvK0ycjWT3_bLRJ01OBgZMYAZCwXjCIKSEmXiGePVvibNM9Q_tcGn39ehwy-rhGif8/s640/Eurochocolate+scenes+7.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Cremino rounds. A type of Italian confectionary consisting of three layers of chocolate, usually with a top layer of gianduja (hazelnut praline)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Venchi! One of the most popular Italian gourmet chocolate manufacturer.</span> </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chocolate covered bananas, fruits and more hazelnut studded bars.</span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This pretty Italian was serving up samples of chocolate liqueur soaked cherries. I really love the cute dark chocolate cherry booth, which was perpetually surrounded by a huge crowd! It was a struggle to get through the horde of people that were pushing and shoving to get their fill. What a great marketing strategy: An eye-catching booth and a hot girl to serve up boozy chocolate cherries!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Plump and juicy cherry in creamy chocolate liqueur. Decadence.</span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chocolate kebab</span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The chocolate kebab was basically a piece of thinly sliced cake that they topped with ample shavings of white and milk chocolate followed by whip cream.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">More lovely nuggets of chocolate truffles. </span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hazelnuts everywhere!</span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Butchering slabs of chocolate</span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We came upon a stall manned by a very friendly AND enthusiastic guy who was singing and yelling Cioccolato! Cioccolato! Cioccolato! at the top of his lungs. It was hard to miss.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He spied me clicking away with my camera and immediately flashed a toothy grin and thumbs up for a photo op. I was rewarded handsomely for my "efforts" with several chocolate samples that he handed to me with a cheeky wink.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">My favourite chocolatier at the festival</span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Another lovely sample from him</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chocolate pasta. I really wonder if it should be for a sweet or savoury dish.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ling bought some chocolate liqueur, which I then used as the star ingredient for his birthday tiramisu upon our return from Italy. It was delicious! The chocolate flavour was so much more intense!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Love the chocolate liqueur bottles</span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">White chocolate spread with nuts. Breakfast indulgence?</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Eurochocolate adopts a different theme each year. In 2012 the focus was on social networking and new technologies. That was why they had small gourmet chocolates packaged to resemble smartphones and various gadgets.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: small;">"Like" this!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Description of Lindt chocolate bars in Italian somehow make them seem so much yummier. "<i>Intenso e Armonioso</i>"....has such a decadent ring to it.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There were also vendors that were selling Norcia specialties. This city is a 90 minute drive from Perugia and is best known for <b>black truffles </b>and top notch salami and primo sausages. I was delighted to try the various truffle products. Who in their right mind wouldn't be??!! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The little shavings of black truffles were to-die-for, and the Norcia salami?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let's just say that I was in foodie heaven.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Truffle infused olive oil, white/black truffles in jars, and salami with truffles. Literally truffle in everything!</span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Truffle studded cheese</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 21px;">Perugia is a beautiful city on a little hill in Umbria and there is a lot to see apart from the festival. Ling and I tore ourselves away from the hustle and bustle to explore the tiny town with its winding medieval streets and pretty piazzas. The hilltop views are just breathtaking!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihVyBt-zYfMMNE1tNBWcglfqH3CI6cvqPxWC_2D8zMJ4Kr8biWCzCuH0X72lKjmZtBa91MthyNliKNoUEGqhhUXbUhV192ahnKeDBwnDSHcUHL2uZkpYFq1HIYbnKpxmYJ-BNLhMPzio8/s1600/Perugia+Eurochocolate+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihVyBt-zYfMMNE1tNBWcglfqH3CI6cvqPxWC_2D8zMJ4Kr8biWCzCuH0X72lKjmZtBa91MthyNliKNoUEGqhhUXbUhV192ahnKeDBwnDSHcUHL2uZkpYFq1HIYbnKpxmYJ-BNLhMPzio8/s640/Perugia+Eurochocolate+2.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Vibrant green trees blending seamlessly into the mountains in the distance</span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Rows of terracotta roofs stretched out below </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This city is also home to Perugina, the Italian confectionary that is famous for "<a href="http://www.baciperugina.ca/about_baciperugina_history.html">Baci</a>"-kisses. The Italian "kisses" are filled with hazelnut and wrapped in a multilingual love note. Packaging and taste wise, I have always thought that "Baci" reigned superior to Ferrero Rocher and Hershey's kisses. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Check out the freebies we got thanks to the ChocoCard. Some of them were already settling well in our tummies well before the photo below was taken!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Our loot, which included Lindt balls!</span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">My favourite freebie of the day. A chocolate bar Iphone pouch that came with an actual chocolate bar in an Iphone-esque box! Truly befitting the Eurochocolate 2012 theme.</span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I would definitely recommend this festival to anyone who happens to be in Italy during October. It is really a chocoholics dream!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06847178194668037090noreply@blogger.com2Perugia, Italy43.1107168 12.39082789999997742.9251818 12.068104399999976 43.2962518 12.713551399999977tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6582729396256963098.post-20946833551210504402013-03-31T12:04:00.000-07:002013-04-30T15:31:26.803-07:00A perfect evening in Budapest: Café Gerbeaud and Tosca<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you happen to flip through my trusty lonely planet Budapest guide, you will notice a folded page at the entry about the legendary<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> </span><a href="http://www.gerbeaud.hu/">Café Gerbeaud</a> which yours truly have<span style="background-color: white;"> highlighted</span><span style="background-color: white;"> and scrawled</span><span style="background-color: white;"> next to it in bold letters : MUST GO!!!. Yeap, three whole exclamation marks.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">This exclusive </span><em style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; line-height: 16px;">café </em><span style="background-color: white;">was quoted to be "<b>the most famous of the famous </b></span><em style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; line-height: 16px;"><b>cafés</b></em><span style="background-color: white;"><b> in Budapest</b>". As a </span><em style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; line-height: 16px;">café</em><span style="background-color: white;"> junkie, not paying homage to </span>Gerbeaud <span style="background-color: white;">would be a grave insult to the great confectioners, </span><span style="background-color: white;">Henrik Kugler and Emil Gerbeaud</span><span style="background-color: white;"> who both started this cafe more than 150 years ago. I</span><span style="background-color: white;">t has stood proud on the northern side of Pest's </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">Vörösmarty Square </span><span style="background-color: white;">since 1870, AND boasted the loyal patronage of the famous 19th century Hungarian composer, Franz Liszt</span><span style="background-color: white;">! Princess Diana, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, and stars like Madonna, Ralph Fiennes, Brad Pitt have also graced </span>Café Gerbeaud's impressive guest list. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Name dropping aside, I had to try some of Emil Gerbeaud's confectionery creations. Born in Geneva, Emil Gerbeaud came from a family of confectioners and acquired experience from his travels to England, France and Germany. He even has a pastry named after him- The Gerbeaud Slice. </span></div>
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(It is obvious that I tend to find justifications of all sorts for my foodie excursions.)</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Cappuccino* and cake in front of the 40-foot marble counter showcasing a vast array of classic Austro-Hungarian layer cakes and bon-bons.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: blue; line-height: 20px;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />* Dear Italians, please refrain from rolling your eyes at my 5 pm cup of </span><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; line-height: 20px;">Cappuccino</span><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; line-height: 20px;">. =<span style="font-size: x-small;">)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><br /><br /> We decided to enjoy a leisure coffee and cake session in Café Gerbeaud before heading to the Hungarian State Opera House for an evening of Puccini's Tosca. Do not be fooled by the understated entrance of this café, the interior décor is opulent and lavish. A gilded hall with hanging chandeliers, rich wood paneling, marble-topped tables with chairs engraved with the Gerbeaud name makes it a more than elegant spot to satisfy a sugar/coffee craving. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">However, in spite of the luxurious surroundings, there was nothing stuffy about the ambiance, or so I tried to convince myself as I mentally chanted: "I do not feel under-dressed at all" over and over again. Just kidding, I had a lovely time reveling in my sugar rush. <br /><br /><br /> Now ladies and gentlemen, feast your eyes on some cake porn.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlx6RC0dov3-SnyIRJJ_IaK8NkqEu1Bc2gPRzJjWjrf2FpLc3pN9eCLInxJaOb3HZnMiBM_S2-RXhwet21OUJqu5e5ngDyQMyLE3segCaQWnKA7hYWj6LNdTvTAY1LJZu4MyxTyztT6Vg/s1600/Gerbeaud+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlx6RC0dov3-SnyIRJJ_IaK8NkqEu1Bc2gPRzJjWjrf2FpLc3pN9eCLInxJaOb3HZnMiBM_S2-RXhwet21OUJqu5e5ngDyQMyLE3segCaQWnKA7hYWj6LNdTvTAY1LJZu4MyxTyztT6Vg/s640/Gerbeaud+5.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">"<b>Bailey's</b>"- French Linzer, cocoa sponge, coffee-dark chocolate ganache, marzipan-Bailey’s bavarois, encased in milk chocolate-Bailey’s icing</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjizoifyXEovvta0UXg7RM_g3suw_WsMF01wZmVPD6uPbGFm9WT6tSG8fZyl6csn-ZG0D_XAUfP-aKI1YZgtCAgcA88bAPJIhoGPpm6R4uJDwoiTpuM92gut3CBuVY5R9XXV1gBodhIFA/s1600/Gerbeaud+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjizoifyXEovvta0UXg7RM_g3suw_WsMF01wZmVPD6uPbGFm9WT6tSG8fZyl6csn-ZG0D_XAUfP-aKI1YZgtCAgcA88bAPJIhoGPpm6R4uJDwoiTpuM92gut3CBuVY5R9XXV1gBodhIFA/s640/Gerbeaud+4.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Delicate coffee mousse and chocolate sponge slice, I unfortunately forgot to jot down the name of this cake.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_IXy0PVwJc6VRb9Y-nUb26ocl5EWc7sJwmCr51UnwY33ZJUIvnCXMfpN3_-gkAzJOw-uM284Wy4DeT6oeaIrgLkRCEZ_R1nMHoDc_h4b1OWMFbay8Ldq6qkvSeBYKX9C7_oRV7foGZiE/s1600/Gerbeaud+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_IXy0PVwJc6VRb9Y-nUb26ocl5EWc7sJwmCr51UnwY33ZJUIvnCXMfpN3_-gkAzJOw-uM284Wy4DeT6oeaIrgLkRCEZ_R1nMHoDc_h4b1OWMFbay8Ldq6qkvSeBYKX9C7_oRV7foGZiE/s640/Gerbeaud+2.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The famed Dobos torte- 5 layers tall quintessential Hungarian creation of sponge cake pastry layered with rich chocolate cream, and topped with caramel</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Gerbeaud Slice,</b> also known as <b>Zserbó </b>in Hungarian. <br />A delicate layer cake with with walnuts, apricot preserves, chocolate... that was created by Emil Gerbeaud. You can try your hand at making this delicious confectionery by referring to the lovely recipes from <a href="http://theeccentriccook.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/hungarian-zserbo-gerbeaud-cake.html">here</a> and <a href="http://www.withaglass.com/?p=4435">here</a>.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><br />The cake I enjoyed most from our visit was 'Bailey's'. The booziness was just enough to cut through the richness of the chocolate ganache. I know that this cake is not traditionally Hungarian, but, who does not love an exquisitely velvety icing made from a combination of milk chocolate and Bailey's??!! <br /><br /><br /> You can also get light bites, pastries, as well as ice-cream sundaes and milk shakes made with Gerbeaud's own home made ice cream. I had my eye on the Caramel-Dried Plum Sundae, a colossal creation of: 2 scoops vanilla ice-cream + 2 scoops caramel ice-cream + dried plum ragout + caramelized hazelnuts + walnut croquant + whipped cream + caramel bonbon + walnut crisp". Oh my...<br /><br /><br /> After the pre-opera cake feast, we hauled our sugar laden bums to the Hungarian State Opera House on Andrássy út. The neo-Renaissance building that was designed by Miklós Ybl in 1884 was one of my favourite structure in the city. The famed composer, Gustav Mahler was the director from 1887 to 1891. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Very very cool fact...at least to me.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;">Hungarian State Opera House</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><br />We were ecstatic about having the chance to watch Tosca in this richly decorated building. The major plus was that we managed to purchase highly affordable student priced tickets. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the few perks about having a valid student ID with my 'deer in the headlight' mug shot to flash around! <br /><br /> While waiting for the performance to begin, I took my time to admire the beautiful and ornate chandelier that was illuminating a magnificent fresco of the Greek gods in Olympus. The<b> 3050 kg </b>(You read that right, it weighs over 3000 kg!!!) bronze chandelier cast a warm glow over the plush gold paneled main hall. Watching Tosca in such an opulent surrounding certainly adds so much more to the already amazing experience.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Frescoe of Greek gods by
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%A1roly_Lotz" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; color: #0b0080; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none;" title="Károly Lotz">Károly Lotz</a></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Magnificent concert hall</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After the final fall of the curtains, with the lovely melody of Tosca's aria still lingering in my head, we strolled leisurely along the Danube river back to our hostel. A perfect way to end a perfect evening in Budapest.</span><br />
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<br /><span style="color: blue;"><br /><b>Café Gerbeaud </b><br />051 Budapest Vörösmarty tér 7-8.<br />POBox: 1364 Budapest Pf. 211.<br />Tel: +36-1/429-9000</span></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06847178194668037090noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6582729396256963098.post-59712647883129542192013-03-27T04:13:00.000-07:002013-04-11T17:30:26.136-07:00Fat Rascals and Hog roast in York<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><br />I spent a lovely weekend in the beautiful English city of York, wandering through its well preserved medieval streets, stumbling upon the tiniest street with the city's longest name: Whip-ma-whop-ma-gate; visiting the Stonegate Teddy bear shop which sells all kinds of teddies, including the highly exclusive limited edition gem studded Steiff bear that cost up to £28,000. <b>What!!! A five-figured teddy???</b> Well you can also opt for a non-limited edition Steiff bear that will set you back by a mere £100. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Needless to say, I just ogled at them in disbelief.</span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">From Saxon times, meaning "neither one thing nor the other". Such a mouthful. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Every type of bears, from Paddingtons to Poohs to satisfy your Teddy fetishes</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I chanced upon an old school candy shop and was immediately drawn to a tray of delectably beautiful golden home made peanut brittle. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Golden nuggets of crunchy caramel-ly peanut brittles</span></td></tr>
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When in Stonegate, it is a must to visit Little Bettys. Walk in through the front door of this quaint little cafe and you will be greeted by the delicious aroma of freshly baked scones, cakes, and cookies that are displayed on antique dressers and cabinets. Up the winding stairs, the cozy cafe has an actual working fireplace. Imagine sipping hot tea while enjoying buttery warm scones with clotted cream and homemade preserves next to a roaring fire on a blistering cold winters day. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ahhhh....bliss.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are currently six Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms, which are family owned traditional English tea rooms that was founded by a Swiss confectioner, Frederick Belmont in 1919. The nearby St Helen's Square Bettys Cafe has a much more refined and elegant interior as it was inspired by the magnificent RMS Queen Mary cruise liner that so enthralled Frederick Belmont when he went on its maiden voyage. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Cute, old fashioned display windows </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Lovely packaged teas and cakes that will make great edible gifts. Photo courtesy of <a href="http://www.bettys.co.uk/">Bettys</a>. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sultana scones and Fat Rascals!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><br />After much deliberation, I settled on a beady-eyed ( or Cherry-eyed?) '<a href="http://www.bettys.co.uk/product/Bettys-Fat-Rascals%2C19172.aspx">Fat Rascal</a>' to go. The name and distinctive appearance of the 'Fat Rascal' is a registered trademark of Bettys. It is actually a Yorkshire tea biscuit, or round tea-cake with a rich brown crust made of juicy plump currants and candied peel. As I ambled along the cobbled streets, happily savoring the warm fruitiness of my rascal,the glutton in me couldn't help but wish that there was a pat of lovely salted butter to slather on each bite to add to its richness.<br /><br /><br /> I next visited York's famous and iconic structure, the monumental York Minster. An entry ticket allows multiple entries on the same day, giving you access to the treasury, crypt and undercroft for a glimpse of York's Roman and Viking past.The York Minster is both a Minster and a Cathedral; a Minster is an Anglo-Saxon name for a place for missionary learning whereas a Cathedral is a later conquesting Norman term to signify the seat of a Bishop. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I huffed and puffed my way up 275 steps and 230 feet (definitely burned off a significant portion of my Fat Rascal calories!) of the Central Tower to enjoy a lovely panoramic view of York's picturesque city centre. </span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">York Minster- The largest Gothic cathedral north of the Alps</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">View from the top of the central tower- Medieval pinnacles atop the Minster</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Many of the stained glass windows, especially the Great East Window are under massive conservation and restoration efforts. You can book a space via the York Minster box office to see the glass conservators at work on a Bedern Glaziers Studio Tour, which I did and thoroughly enjoyed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Trust the nerd in me to try and make any trip just a tad more educational. Huzzah!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Working on an ancient jigsaw. Photo courtesy of <a href="http://www.yorkminster.org/whats-on/2012/10/19/bedern-glaziers-studio-tours.html">York Minster</a></span></td></tr>
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Check out the difference between an unrestored window (left) and a a much clearer and vibrant window that have been painstakingly reworked by the conservators (right). In ancient times, when the glass fragments shattered, lead was used to join the broken fragments together which led to heavily webbed windows with marred images dangerously buckling under the weight of too much lead. The conservators painstakingly cleaned every dismantled piece, being careful to not strip the original paint, and then made use of modern resources (i.e. thin copper/epoxy/silicon) to patch smaller fragments together so that less lead joints were required for the entire stained window.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjLg7ijedHUnGH3qV8J3dZy4WsCdxr_-kNkPR6HSa9vgGTyjSCmqFXi9dr-RH22u_1GYPpbMcAx5JajbeuEMGN8dACtu7Nms0SdnijRjkxBXd1PNlyhzLcgm4YNOtN8uMhCC4HRE_NhsI/s1600/RIMG4563.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjLg7ijedHUnGH3qV8J3dZy4WsCdxr_-kNkPR6HSa9vgGTyjSCmqFXi9dr-RH22u_1GYPpbMcAx5JajbeuEMGN8dACtu7Nms0SdnijRjkxBXd1PNlyhzLcgm4YNOtN8uMhCC4HRE_NhsI/s400/RIMG4563.JPG" width="300" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbiMUhSj2Ova8TmJmf0rw9dwea7jL5JOWuwiAL0NFwJFeawDVDaoPNEM4YpIuiZGOArHdLdZLM0EbA_xsDKU5rOa9RntZswJ02WMAuiYXKHGnh98_J29MMghGX8FIWad6zfqlJG1iAW50/s1600/RIMG4562.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbiMUhSj2Ova8TmJmf0rw9dwea7jL5JOWuwiAL0NFwJFeawDVDaoPNEM4YpIuiZGOArHdLdZLM0EbA_xsDKU5rOa9RntZswJ02WMAuiYXKHGnh98_J29MMghGX8FIWad6zfqlJG1iAW50/s400/RIMG4562.JPG" width="271" /></span></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The beautiful Chapter House in York Minster</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTeZoe4iaIB7kZYqZz2i0SoaRB6O-iJa5ODEJWchkjqArY0rLfXX5MRkB9UzhcxweOUezfS2VMC-QNHP6Kz9WLyq1kGdDmRa4xgvxn9zgj_qF8GpqWIOhlgJY-3287diw7WtrOu7jciu4/s1600/RIMG4615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I later allowed my nose and growling tummy to guide me in search of a bite to eat. The tantalising smell of spit roast pork was the definite path to follow. The York Hogroast is cheap, fast and delicious! I ordered a sandwich filled with leg of pork, apple stuffing and extra crackling. Yes, you read that right, Extra Crackling! The tender and juicy roast pork was hand sliced in front of me, added to that a dollop of sweet tangy applesauce, and the 'cherry' on top, salty and crunchy crackling all stuffed into a soft bun. So simple and absolutely brilliant! You can savour all that deliciousness for less than 4 quid. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Dang! Should have tried the roast potatoes in dripping too.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Crunching through the crackling. Porky goodness in a bun.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My next stop was La Cremeria, which is a small cafe recommended by a friend for their yummy home made ice cream. This busy little cafe is a stones throw away from the York Minster, making it a popular pit stop for a spot of tea or hot chocolate with marshmallows. Mmmmm..... </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While perusing the ice cream display, the proprieter kindly offered me a taster of some of their more unique flavours such as Blueberry and liquorice as well as peanut butter and toffee with maple syrup and bacon crunch (Tres American?). They were nice but I finally decided on a vanilla cone. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Don't you dare roll your eyes. The misconception of vanilla=boring is a grave injustice. People who say that clearly haven't tasted good vanilla ice cream. Luscious v</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">anilla ice cream is like a blank canvas to dress up in an infinite amount of varieties. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That being said, the overall taste of La Cremeria's ice cream was good. The texture was smooth but a bit on the airy side. I usually prefer thick and creamy versions. Then again, homemade ice cream after a warm crackly hogroast bap? I am a happy camper.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Queuing to get into the tiny cafe</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Not gelato but it still made my day!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #3e3e3e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Dear readers, do you enjoy having ice cream on a chilly day as well? Fancy flavours aside (i.e. Ben and Jerry-esque Vermonster,Phish food etc), what is your go to classic ice cream flavour? Chocolate? Strawberry? Or are you a vanilla person like me? </span>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Little Bettys Cafe</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">46 Stonegate</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">York</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">YO1 8AS</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Telephone: </span><span style="background-color: white;">+44 (0)1904 622865</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b>Bettys Cafe</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6-8 St. Helen's Square</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">York</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">YO1 8QP</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Telephone:+44 (0)1904 659142</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>York hogroast II </b> </span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4,Stonegate</span></div>
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<b>La Cremeria</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">20 High Petergate, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">York,</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">North Yorkshire YO1 7EH</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06847178194668037090noreply@blogger.com0North Yorkshire, UK53.962549441950827 -1.093139648437553.663557441950829 -1.7385866484374999 54.261541441950826 -0.4476926484375tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6582729396256963098.post-4708145218764985302013-02-16T14:57:00.000-08:002013-04-11T17:31:06.304-07:00Moist and fluffy banana bread<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I love banana bread. </span><br />
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There are more than 10 different banana bread recipes that I have saved and bookmarked, biding their time to be baked and <strike>greedily wolfed down by me</strike> shared with friends and family. After much consideration, I have decided to grace my first ever blog post with this simple and oh so yummy banana bread recipe. </span><br />
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I have made these twice so far, and I must say that it is a very forgiving recipe. A very essential element for a novice (note: clumsy) baker like me. One thing I need to stress is - <b>Please use overripe bananas!</b> I am sure fellow banana bread aficionados out there would agree with me on this critical point. Those sad looking, mushy and speckled skinned bananas will no doubt rise to the occasion and give you the best ever moist banana bread bursting with delicious banana-y flavour. It stays moist and fluffy even when I substituted 1 cup of flour for wholemeal flour. Also, overripe bananas are much sweeter, meaning that you can get away with reducing the amount of sugar in the recipe. </span><br />
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I don't know about you, but knowing this makes me feel a little less guilty when I'm stuffing myself silly with these lovely baked morsels. Yes, I am 'one of those bakers' who tend to try and 'healthify' recipes. Hey, I love to be able to indulge and still fit into my skinny jeans! </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Don't you just love that brown bottom ?!</span></td></tr>
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I am now fervently waiting for the bunch of bananas at the background to turn all speckled and black just so I can make these again. *rubs hands together in eager anticipation*</span><br />
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Moist and fluffy banana bread</span></u></b><br />
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<b>Adapted from <a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/banana-banana-bread/">all recipes</a></b></span><br />
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Yields: 1 <span style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4f; line-height: 17px;">9x5 inch loaf / 12 standard muffins</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #4e4e4f;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 17px;">Ingredients:</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4f; line-height: 17px;">2 cups (250 g) all purpose flour </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;"><span style="color: blue;">(I substituted 1 cup with wholemeal flour)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4f; line-height: 17px;">3/4 cup (150 g) brown sugar </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;"><span style="color: blue;">(I used 1/2 cup = 100g)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4e4e4f;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 17px;">2 eggs, beaten</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4e4e4f;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 17px;">1 teaspoon baking soda</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4e4e4f;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 17px;">1/4 teaspoon salt</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4e4e4f;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 17px;">1/2 (115 g) cup butter</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4e4e4f;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 17px;">2 1/3 cups (500 g) mashed overripe bananas </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #4e4e4f;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">Directions:</span></span></span><br />
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<ol>
<li><span style="color: #4e4e4f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 17px;">Preheat oven to 175 C. Lightly grease or line a 9x5 loaf pan.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #4e4e4f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 17px;">Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, cream butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #4e4e4f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 17px;">Stir banana mixture into flour mixture until just moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan or muffin liners.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #4e4e4f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 17px;">Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes for loaf and 18-20 minutes for muffins, until a toothpick inserted into centre comes out clean.</span></li>
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