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A Modern Rose

Light Meals and Weekend Treats from an English Woman in Berlin

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Cranberry and Stilton Stuffed Mushrooms

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This is a recipe that can be used right from the start of the festive season when everyone is starting to cook something a little special in the kitchen, right to the end of the holidays when we are all rummaging in our fridges wanting to use up all those leftovers. These Cranberry and Stilton Stuffed Mushrooms can be made as a starter for the first dinner party of the season, served as canapés for your Christmas Eve drinks and nibbles or served at New Years Eve to make the last celebratory dinner of the year go out in style….

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Beef Carpaccio with a Honey Mustard Cream

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Beef Carpaccio is a wonderful dish to serve as a sharing plate. My favourite style of eating is creating a few small plates and putting them in the middle of the table, ready to dive in and taste all the wonderful ingredients laid out in front of me. It is why Beef Carpaccio is best served in this way so that you then only need a few slices of meat per person and can then focus on getting good quality meat. And that is the crucial part to this dish, it needs good quality meat which in this case can get a little expensive. It is however, completely worth it….

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Pint of Prawns with a Marie Rose Sauce and a Chive Dip

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Two pints of lager and a … pint of prawns please! Some days a visit to the pub requires something a little more than a bag of crisps or a packet of pork scratchings. The British pub scene is probably one of the things I miss the most about the UK. Of course I am not talking about the large chains such as Wetherspoon’s that serve plastic food at knocked down prices. I am talking about real and good quality pubs. Pubs that care about their food and actually make the effort to make it something of it’s own, not a cheap two for one fish and chips with a free pint deal, …

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Avocado and Smoked Salmon Salad with a Creamy Dill Dressing

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This salad is one of my favourite dishes. It is full of healthy fats and protein and is a real go to lunch of mine as it gives me plenty of energy while keeping me going until dinner time. I have recently cut down on my avocado consumption. Last year I got a little swept up with the whole clean eating craze that I was adding avocado’s to everything and getting through them like there was no tomorrow. In actual fact, no one needs that many avocado’s in their life! But I love them and especially how versatile they are….

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Goats Cheese Wrapped in Parma Ham with Crushed Hazelnuts and Caramelised Onions

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The working week is a bit chaotic that we often end up working late, eating out or making quick dishes that can be thrown together such as a classic Leek and Spinach Spaghetti Carbonara or a Pad Thai. And so I find that the weekends are perfect for spending a little more time in the kitchen and enjoying good food. While I try and keep my freezer stocked up with mid-week leftovers such as a Classic Chilli Con Carne, ready to warm up after a long day, the evenings are still so short that finding the time to cook a nice meal is difficult….

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White Asparagus with Cured Ham and a Chive Sauce

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It’s here – Spargelzeit! Germany’s obsession with asparagus season, and especially the white kind never fails to amuse me! And I love it! This weekend I popped into my local Galeria Kaufhof and there it was – a Beelitzer asparagus pop-up stand! Beelitzer grown asparagus is local to Berlin and something that Berliner’s take great pride in. This is the BMW of asparagus, not your imported Spanish kind but local, home grown and claimed to be the best and most delicious! …

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Sesame Prawn Toast

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Opening that plastic container to reveal some greasy deep fried bread with just a thin spread of prawns has to raise the question – why on earth do we love this Chinese take away classic? Because we do! It is already on the list before we have even dug out that menu stuffed under a pile of newspapers on the coffee table, or pinned up on the fridge. And while I love sesame prawn toast I can’t help but always feel disappointed with the take away versions that are floppy and the topping resembles something vaguely fishy!…

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Lemon and Parsley Scallops with Crispy Bacon

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Finding fresh fish in Berlin is difficult but not impossible. It takes a little planning but with a bit of organisation my husband and I enjoy plenty of fresh fish. One of my favourite dinners is a fish platter where I pop to my local Galeria Kaufhof and buy a mix of fresh fish they have on offer that day. I try and go on a Friday straight after work as their fish deli still has a good selection, or I go on on a Saturday morning. I like to buy a mix of squid, prawns, cod and scallops and serve them on a bed of rocket and baked cherry tomatoes….

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