Coffee Definitions
This via Boing Boing...
Sometimes there can be confusion at the counter as to what each coffee on our menu actually is. Not everyone has the same definition of what a cappuccino or a latte should be and if you're not a coffee aficionado (and certainly it is not a requirement) all those fancy sounding names can be a little confusing and pretentious. If you are a coffee expert and thus used to all the jargon and terminology, you should keep in mind that the language of coffee is open to some interpretation.
I liked very much this well designed chart system of coffee definitions ... though to illustrate my point above, I'm not sure I see any discernable difference between what they're calling a "latte" and "cappuccino" - the North Star latte is more of what they're calling a "Flat White". But a lady who called in to the deli last week and asked for a "Flat White" was horrified when we suggested she might want a latte! It's the same darn thing madam!
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North Star Named Checked #2
A nice mention for North Star in the 19th of July issue of the South Manchester Reporter - with photo - in an article detailing our nomination for two awards in the forthcoming Manchester Food & Drink Festival. The article features an interview with Deanna who comments on Chorlton having become a really wonderful destination for Manchester foodies.
The winners will be announced at a gala dinner at Manchester Town Hall on October 15th.
If you've not already voted (for us, obviously!) please do so via the link on the right. We sincerely appreciate your support.
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North Star Birthday Cakes
Ahh! Deanna's daughter, our very own Katie Bo, had her first birthday on Saturday, and mummy laid on a fantastic party. Here is the centre-piece of the spread - a cake every bit as delicious and pretty as the birthday girl herself!
North Star Delicatessen really excels at producing bespoke, home-made cakes for any occasion. Our fantastic, freshly made in-store cakes - carrot cake, chocolate cake, the gluten free lemon almond & polenta cake and our coffee and walnut cake - are all available to order whole. Just as easily we can create pretty much any flavour cake you like and ice and decorate it to your specifications. All we require is at least 24 hours notice.
So, if you're looking for a real talking point for your party table, why not contact us directly?
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Top 10 Uses for Used Coffee Grounds
This from Curbly via Lifehacker...
I don't have a clue how much North Star produces in coffee grounds over the course of a year - but thinking about it, we go through a good few kilos of coffee per week and all those grounds just get tipped into the bin. I've often thought that there must be some sort of use that all this waste can be put to (to be fair, I was aware that they made decent compost, but then again, I don't have a garden!) ... so here is a definitive list entitled "The Top Ten Uses for Used Coffee Grounds".
It's a shame they're all a bit lame! I was hoping for some alchemical method of turning them into gold dust!
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North Star Name-checked (Kind Of)
We had nice mention in The South Manchester Reporter on Thursday June 7th. In the Who's Who section Beth Buxton, 26, a local resident involved with the Chorlton Arts Festival was asked in an interview ....
Where is your favourite place in south Manchester?
"I absolutely love food [replied Beth], so I have two favourite places, The North Star Delhi [sic] and Barbakan. The North Star Delhi do the most amazing goats cheese, rocket and honey bagel..."
Later on Beth was asked...
How would you spend a perfect day in Manchester?
"I'd get up in the morning and go to the North Star Delhi for a really nice breakfast..."
Thanks Beth for those nice words (I owe you a coffee next time you're in!), but a note to the reporter, the copy editor and, indeed, the editor of The South Manchester Reporter... It may surprise you to learn that "Delhi" is not the diminutive for the word "delicatessen", but is in fact India's second largest city and you should all hang your heads in shame at such a pitiful copy error.
Let us know of any North Star name checks you spot, won't you - even if they're spelt wrong!
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Deanna’s Recipe of the Week #4 - Quick & Easy Pasta Sauce
Quick & Easy Pasta Sauce
Here’s a simple and delicious pasta sauce using some wonderful products available at North Star Delicatessen. This recipe has been written by Adam, who I must admit, makes a mean pasta sauce - and curries too, but we'll save that for a later recipe blog. I'm not sure what to call it but it's somewhere between an Amatriciana and a Puttanesca (if you substitute the chorizo for anchovies and capers)
You can adapt this for smaller or larger quantities but the following method will serve two
2 tbsp good olive oil
1 or 2 cloves garlic, crushed
Dried Chilli flakes to taste
1 jar or tin peeled plum tomatoes with basil
1 tbsp Tomato puree
a few pitted green olives
200g Chorizo Picante, sliced (or chopped anchovies and a few rinsed capers)
Freshly ground salt & black pepper to taste
a pinch of sugar
175g Penne pasta
Put a large pan of salted water on to boil & cook the pasta following the instructions on the packet.
Meanwhile, place a deep frying pan on a medium heat and add the olive oil.
Add the chopped garlic and ground chilli flakes, fry for a minute.
Add the chopped tomatoes & stir well, then add the tomato puree.
Simmer the sauce on a low heat, for a few minutes, add the olives to the sauce, and then the chorizo (or anchovies/capers)
Finally, add salt, ground black pepper and sugar to taste.
When the pasta is ready, drain it, and then stir into the sauce.
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What’s For Breakfast?
It's no secret that North Star serves the best cooked Sunday breakfast to be found anywhere in the Chorlton area, but for those seeking to recover from a busy weekend’s revelry with something a little lighter than our usual breakfast option, we’ve introduced the North Star Muesli Breakfast.
Consisting of organic muesli with milk, fresh banana, bio-yoghurt, and organic honey, this breakfast has fruit, fibre, bio cultures, and slow-release carbs making it a most delicious way to begin the day, and it’s now available every day for only £2.49.
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The Liquid Donut
This from Coffee Geek, a site for aficionados of ... well, coffee, obviously.
I can't help but admire those who enter the barista championships and work hard to develop their signature drinks. On the other hand, it must be nice to have the time to be that self-indulgent! I can't quite imagine using liquid nitrogen in our coffee prep here at North Star, as the Australian national barista champion apparantly did with his winning creation - it'd mean you having to wait longer for your order (did I just hear someone say even longer???).
UK barista champ, James Hoffman came up with this extraordinary creation - The Liquid Donut - an odd and fascinating coffee concept, though in the same way that many of the outré confections that appear on the fashion catwalks of Milan are too outlandish for our proletariat tastes, there is little commercial potential for a coffee that takes this much trouble to put together.
I am, however, thinking of creating a North Star equivalent - this would involve a donut that you dunk in your latte! Any takers?
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House Wines of the Month
Until the end of June at North Star we have two fantastic Australian wines available to take away, or to enjoy in the deli by the bottle or the glass.
Marktree Soldier’s Block Chardonnay (2005) £7.25
‘Fresh and ripe with citrus and peach fruit flavours combining with crisp finish yet some roundness in the mouth,’ say Marktree, a description to which I’d add 'melon, fig, and a touch of creaminess.' This is a richly textured and elegant Chardonnay, perfect for summer drinking with smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwiches, salads or summer soups such as carrot and coriander. Try it with our Chorlton Guacamole as a pre-barbeque tipple, before cracking open a bottle of the Shiraz.
Marktree Soldier’s Block Shiraz (2005) £7.25
The winery’s tasting notes describe an ‘attractively fruity Shiraz in a cooler-climate style, with concentrated mulberry and black pepper notes combining with elegance and structure on the finish.’ I love full bodied Australian red wines, and this is one of my favourites. It’s a concentrated, richly-flavoured wine. Spicy, smooth and distinctive - it’s one of the best, most elegant and complex Shiraz I’ve tasted. A perfect accompaniment to Deanna’s Eurovision Lasagne recipe.
Get two bottles of our featured wine in any combination, & we’ll knock ten percent off the price. Here comes the summer!
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Deanna’s Recipe of the Week #1 - Chorlton Guacomole
Here's a little feature that we're hoping will become a regular posting here on the North Star site. Keep checking back (or simply subscribe to our blog feed) to keep up to date with all my recipes.
With the unseasonably warm weather, I'm sure some of you will have started barbequeing. Here is a recipe for Guacamole which originally came from Adam but which I took the liberty of improving a little.
Incidentally, we would love to sell this in the deli counter but avocadoes have a nasty habit of turning black when exposed to the air and serving up food choc-full of preservatives isn't really our mission. Mind you, this guacamole is so tasty and moorish, I bet it wouldn't last more than hour in the counter before it was sold out!
Serves 2 (easily doubled or tripled etc)
1 ripe avocado, roughly chopped
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1 spring onion, chopped
a small handful of coriander, chopped
the juice of half a lime
1 red chilli, chopped (seeds taken out)
Place all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
If you don't have a blender, you could make this into a more chunky salsa by chopping everything more finely and mixing it all together. Serve with raw vegetables, tortilla chips or warm pitta bread.... and remember to share it with everyone else.
If you're hooked on Guacamole, you can find a bunch of other fabulous recipes over at www.avocado.org.
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NEW PRODUCT - Rapeseed Oil
At the IFE, it's easy to identify trends in the retail food industry. Many producers and distributors use the show as platform from which they can launch new products.
One such product that kept appearing was rapeseed oil and I was particularly interested in this, following enquiries from customers.
As ever at North Star, we work very hard to find the best examples of products and we're therefore pleased and proud to now be able to offer you the Great Taste Gold Award winning rapeseed oil, Mellow Yellow, made by small British producer, Farrington Oils.
Apart from its great taste - and it really does taste good (I was an instant convert), rapeseed oil, and specifically Mellow Yellow, may well dint the huge popularity of olive oils. Here are just a few reasons why...
* Lowest saturated fat – less than half that of olive oil.
* Omega 3 – ten times more than olive oil.
* Vitamin E – a powerful antioxidant, occurring naturally within cold pressed rapeseed oil.
* Virgin cold pressed – the oil is gently squeezed out, retaining all the natural goodness.
* Versatile – its subtle, nutty taste is perfect for salad dressings through to high temperature roasting and frying.
* Farm produced in Britain – to LEAF Marque standards.
Mellow Yellow is available at North Star right now.
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