Our Short break at Scotland ( Isle of Eriska)

Isle of Eriska Hotel

Grilled Turbot

Venison fillet



Steak Tar tare



smoked salmon and black pudding

I was invited by my daughter, Cat to accompany to Isle of Eriska hotel review trip in near Oban , Scotland.
we arrived Glasgow on the grey, rainy day and take train to Oban has to  wait for 2 hours.
Tried to find some decent coffee shop or tea room and thanks for her friend's advice, we found a pretty Willow tea room,  charmingly decorated and with tall reproduction of the famous Mackintosh chair, a good place to wait for the train. 
Finally we got on the train to Oban, our station is just before Oban, I was informed to take 2 and half hours. Looking out window, after city scene, we faced beautiful folding hills ( ups! Glen!) and Loch has appeared, it was so beautiful , truly  a Scotland scenic view.  Such a relaxing journey.

we were picked up by the owner of the hotel and this a pretty looking hotel, Not too big, felt visiting a manor house as a house guest. This handsome house, hotel is in island,Eriska, connected by  a tiny bridge.

Our room was spacious and nice chairs, a sofa, writing desk, looking out garden, I felt I ought to produce a nice novella or something like beautiful essay. All hotel feels so cosy and relaxing atmosphere.

3 course dinner were deliciously made by head chef with local ingredients.  I had Roast grouse breast meat with micro salad, red wine reduction, venison fillet , all were perfectly cooked and presented, they were just very Scotland fare, I have not much experience in cooking Game meat, they were so good, no wonder this  Hotel restaurant food is known as one of best Scottish food and ingredients.
Steak tar tare was exceptional without egg, its intense well hanged beef flavour with green herb, tangy sauce was  die for, best one I've had, even better than Korean style.
Chef made smoked salmon was not salty mildly smoked, meaty with creamy Conoway black pudding and egg, they were so good for the cold winter morning breakfast.
9 hole golf course, a long walk to the peer , fishing , shooting are all offered along with Spa treatment.
 After a long walk having a tea with mini cakes were sheer pleasure with a book in my hand. I had a most relaxed short break in years  .

What a shame it 's too far from us to come for a week end break as all Guests seemed live around Scotland.

Isle of Eriska hotel. spa & golf

Web: www. eriska-hotel.co.uk 


Sitting room with Log fire

Tea room looking at the garden

My Pop up Korean Lunch on 26th, October

3 Namul ( seasoned 3 vegetables)

Korean style Sausage roll



Pajeon ( Seafood pancake)

Japchae

My first pop up Korean Lunch was a successful event and all my guest loved my menu and the food.
It was a not easy because having paying guests for the 3 course meal, serving at he same time in my kitchen was a hard work but loved the process of planning and cooking.

They all brought wine for their meal.

Menu:

  Korean style sausage roll with sage leave.

Starter:  Pajeon - seafood pancake - with dipping sauce
Main:  Hansik Set ( Korean Meal set)
           Bulgogi steak with lettuce & Ssamjang, Japchae, 3 colour namul ( seasoned 3 vegetables),  kkakduki kimchi. Rice.
Dessert; Spicy Korean fruit Salad.

It was my valuable experience and I am thinking my next pop up already.
4 course meal with more western style dessert with Korean twist perhaps. the lunch finished after 5:00 PM ,later than I expected. As they knew each other,  all had a lively conversation.
They loved food, and saying I cooked too much as usual.

lunch guest

Kimchi jjigae

 

Oxtail Stew

oxtail stew

Certainly Autumn is here but not cold yet. I love to making heart warming stew in cold and dark windy  days, Slowly cooked Oxtail stew with boiled baby potatoes, mashed potato or just with rice.
It is delicious with rich flavour
I love smell of stew in the house , feeling so homely and cosy. All my family loves this dish, for me it is a perfect dish for Anglo Korean Household, because it can be a perfect Western stew with crusty bread and potatoes also perfect stew ( jjim) with steamy rice and kimchi . I always have in Korean style but rest of Family prefers English style.  How democratic !

My  recipe for this has a Korean twist.

4-5 meaty Oxtail.
1 dry chilli (not bird eye)
3-4 Carrot
4 celery stock
1/2 mooli
1 onion
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. black bean sauce
1 tbsp. tomato paste
4-5 garlic clovers
1 thumb size ginger
2 tbsp. red wine
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves,  thyme , oregano,

First of all cut excess fat from oxtail and grill until brown out side. Cut all vegetables 2 cm cube size.
Put meat and vegetables, soy, bean paste,  crushed garlic, ginger, chilli, pour 3cups of water and , add tomato puree,  and stir well. start boil on high heat and add Worcestershire, red wine. boil for 10 minutes.
Put in the oven ( 130c) for at least 4 hours and take out taste , season , boil in high heat reduce sauce.
Serve with thinly cut spring onion  and chilli on the top,

I always make creamed leek , serve with potatoes or rice and kimchi.
When weather is very cold, make herb dumplings and add to stew, this way you can have real hearty meal. We love sauce and vegetables, I often have only vegetables with rice, dark and rich sauce, tender meat, this is one of best slow cooking dish. you can put in the slow cooker in the morning, you can eat this rich flavoured stew for dinner.

My November Korean Cookery:  2nd.9th, 16th, 30th.
 
 

Korean cookery in October

Korean food at home class in October is 12th and 26th.
If you are interested do email me at kiejosarsfield@hotmail.co.uk.
The weather is getting colder we all need some heart warming dishes, like Korean spicy leek and beef soup or kimchi stew perhaps , red bean porridge or pumpkin porridge?

My informal lazy Saturday Korean Lunch ( at my Home)  on 19th of October, 1:45 for 2:00 Pm late lunch, 3 course Korean meal. first come first serve base.   Do email me for the details.
you can bring your wine or other your favourite drink.

Red bean porridge

Dan & Cristina at the class

Pajeon



Tteokbokggi

Bulgogi ssam

Good Scotch Egg

 

What makes a good Scotch egg? I think first of all egg has to be runny when finished, it is a pleasure to see runny yellow egg yoke when you cut in the middle, surround by the firm egg white and sausage  meat. 

I have tried my new recipes with this delicate quail eggs , it is so difficult to shell off  without making a whole on egg white when you boil only just about 1 minute.

Since famous chef, Michelin 1 stared pub, served quail  Scotch egg , Scotch egg has reinvent itself Some chef has made  with ground prawns, I've tried this recipe, delicious!! I do make usually Christmas time. They are very good at festive season drinks party.
Some does with smoked salmon, not dare to try, it would be so expensive.(  not only too expensive and I love smoked salmon just as it is with dill & capers)

Time to time we have lunch at Bray, pub ( owned by most famous chef in U K and made quail Scotch egg famous) with friends who lives in Surrey, we always have quail Scotch egg and move on to Oxtail & Kidney pudding ( very good) with triple chips .
But unfortunately, last week our Quail Scotch egg was awful, specially egg yoke.
was not there at all . I thought I could make a perfect one why this 1 Michelin stared pub's chef can not ?? After all it is a their signature dish.
I have tried waiter's attention but failed and I do not  like to fuss or delay our friend's meal. Well, it was very disappointing. having said that, I should have showed my egg and sent back.
After all we paid a good money for the meal.

I do make with seasoned rice Scotch egg, more like Korean fried rice. it has received very well from my family, and is delicious.   I am going to put in my Korean cookery book. ( if I can find willing publisher and an agent, soon)



 

Traditional Scotch Egg 

My new recipe Oriental Scotch Egg

 

Choseok (Lunar Thanks Giving Day (추석)) Meal

Today, 19th of Sept. 2013, is Chuseok ( Lunar Thanks Giving Day) in Korea, I do miss this Korean Chuseok always. Family gathering , delicious special food and ceremony for our ancestors and feast!!  never red spicy food in this feast because red colour is associate with devil , this story was told from my dad when I was child. and have to open the door during the ceremony because our ancestors' ghost has to enter the house and have the feast made for them. what a lovely tale!!!

I have tried this ritual ceremonial feast every year some how I could not manage the same as I had in Korea. But still I am trying for 33years, adding salted sea bream makes a such difference. I nearly made as our family feast in Korea, this year.

This year Chuseok meal is simple, made namul ( seasoned vegetable) with bean sprout and spinach, prawn and spring onion stuffed dumplings ( mandu), baked sea- bream with ginger and spring onion.

 Baked fish: sprinkled sea salt ( 2tsp per fish) and put in the fridge for a night, wash off salt and bed with soring onion and thinly sliced ginger, and add 2 tbsp of water and baked in the oven ( cover with foil), when fish is lightly salted , the texture is firmer and delicious. My family in Korea does steam with fresh hay under the fish , I loved this hay flavoured fish,  salty ( just enough ) and with rice and namul.
I decided to cook in the oven, it was a success, luckily. we all enjoyed .

Being a Anglo Korean House, I have to add fig and Parma ham salad with roasted red pepper and smoked salmon.
As usual I made bulgogi but not thin beef as usual, slightly thicker and used skirt beef , it was so tender and add more flavour.

It was simple but delicious Anglo Korean Chuseok meal .




bean sprout and spinach namul

fig and Parma ham salad

baked salted sea bream with ginger



prawn dumplings with dipping sauce
 

Korean food in London

 

Spicy Squid

Finally The Times said the fashionable Food in UK is Korean Food! at the moment.  I was waiting for this statement for some years now, It was an inevitable foodie's choice I think. 
London foodies and public regarded south Asia foods are their choice of fashionable foods, specially PHO, Vietnamese soup.  tourist from UK were in love with this special soup.

As a Korean food writer and running Korean cookery, I 've noticed the popularity of Korean food among 30 something generation more than 5 years ago as same time, Korean drama and Korean movie are popular in South Asia and Australia.

I remember sending an email to The Times food writer more than 3 years ago ,saying ( bravely  or foolishly) The Times food section ought to cover Korean food but surprisingly  the food writer replied that he had visited New Malden , Korean cook's house , experienced Korean Home Cooking and write soon, but never did ( perhaps his boss did not like ) .
Since then  Restaurant critic ( The Times)  had review on Saturday Times but he just said, Dinning Korean food is as a cheap and cheerful experience and some good flavours in Korean food, not much special.
Well. if more than 40 Korean restaurants are in London, it says something!

But the chef created on The Times was too modern for my liking. Chef may thought, introduce Korean taste slowly, gently and move on to more  stronger taste.( I hope)

In my experience all my Cookery students are very keen to lean more gutsy Korean food such as Kimchi ( Baechu  ( Chinese cabbage)kimchi), Kimchi pancake, Pajeon, bulgogi, Stone bowl bibimbab, Specially kimchi jjige, Spicy squid, Bo Ssam are their firm favourite .

Bo Ssam

Stone bowl bibimbab

Kimchi seems  a star of Global fermented food now as general fermented foods are getting a lots of notice from chefs and food writers as a healthy food. Even I had approached by Food historians ,they all seemed like to know about kimchi and kimchi making for their book on World Fermented foods.

Kimchi rice

kimchi jjige

Hope Korean Government siege this opportunity make Korean food firmly on the world food map!!
As I firmly believe the food trend is jut like fashion world, it comes and goes all the time.
Should not miss this chance!!