Simon Majumdar

Unless they lose

On a recent trip to perdiguier, I stopped off at the market and they had the most amazing chevalier there I bought sausage with rosemary and garlic blood sausage flank steaks ground meat both loose and in burger form ( with garlic and lemon thyme ) We cooked them up on my friends Weber that evening while drinking a bottle of the local Pastis. have to say, all worked very well S

would he want that sort of job S

what does being a janitor have to do with curing cancer? S

Tamarind would be wonderful The coconut idea is also a good one. How about cooking a southern india style dish using coconut milk and a little chilli? S

Lobster Korma 2 lb lobster 1 c light cream 1 tsp sugar 1 c ground almonds 1 tsp turmeric 1 pt boiling water Steam a lobster and remove the flesh. Mix the dry ingredients in a Jug then add the boiling water and allow to sit for five minutes to thcken as the almond oils come out Saute the chunks of lobster meat with a chopped chillie in a little oil and then add the sauce and allow to thicken. Before serving, squeeze lime over the top and mix in chopped cilantro Serve back in the half shells a la thermidore. Keywords: Main Dish, Seafood, Indian ( RG228 )

I wouldn't think anyone would have any objections Anyone? S

I would do three things 1) Steam a lobster and remove the flesh and serve Korma style with a sauce made from I cup light cream 1 tsp sugar 1 cup ground almonds 1 tsp turmeric 1/2 - 1 pint boiling water Mix the dry ingredients in a Jug then add the boiling water and allow to sit for five minutes to thcken as the almond oils come out Saute the chunks of lobster meat with a chopped chillie in a little oil and then add the sauce and allow to thicken. Before serving, squeeze lime over the top and mix in chopped cilantro Serve back in the half shells a la thermidore 2) Serve the other one in the shell chopped into big pieces and cooked in a kharai or big pot in a sauce made from 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp chillie powder 1 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp fenugreek 1tsp sugar 1 chopped onion 1 inch piece of chopped ginger two chopped red chillis ( with seeds ) 2 cloves garlic Sweat the fresh ingredients and then add the spices for one minute to cook until they are no longer raw. Add 1 pint of water and cook for a further 20 mins to create a thickish suace. Add the lobster and stir around to coat well. Cover and cook for a further 5-10 mins until the lobster has cooked 3)for an appetizer, you can make a soup using the shells. i gave a recipe on the dinner thread for an amazing bengali fish soup using these Hope this helps. Sorry aboutthe typing. in a rush S

We may well have a surprise US guest, so that is 25 and counting The person in question is capable of eating pork in Finchian quantities, so they may have to throw another oinker in the pot BTW - We don't get Balic at enough of these do's ( am I really saying this? ) can those who have more influence on him than I ( anyone with THOSE photo's currently to be seen on pigsinsuspenders.com ) persuade him to come to the big city once more? S

I would give you the highest compliment possible for me for that report It could have almost been my itinerary for the week BUT NO WENLOCK ARMS???? Glad you had fun S

can me, Tony F, Martin and Wilf come along and do a slightly creaky and wobbly version of the Chippendales for you? PLEASE! S

It looks like this is a go-er, so I am going to check out some dates for july for 25-30 people So far, to my reckoning we are Me Robin Tony Fahro Charlene Chris Akkiko Chris Ms J Barry ( ?) Jon Tseng JD Melissa ( ?) Martin Hallie Hallie's tasting Partner ( Ahem ) Paul Bell Gareth Samf Scott F Vanessa Gavin J Gary Marshall ( Matthew ) KikuJ So, 24 so far. I think 30 may be the limit Any more? S

we are not f**king amateurs wilf, that's a given S

Just to add that for those of us who turn our noses up at God's good pig for perfectly valid reasons, we were also going to get some other dishes S

Wish it had been a pud, it may have been better with all that carby suety dough but, alas it was a pie. nice crust though S

Maybe this'll keep them up there in a few years time. v Smacks of desperation to me like making Glasgow a city of culture way back when S

Dinner We thought it would keep hoi poloi up north where they belong damn! 8 and counting S

Yes, I don't want to upset our man Fergus as he runs a great restaurant, but to be honest the steak and kidney pie was a disappointing example of the genre.The filling needs to be chunky and thick and viscous. This was indeed very watery and thin. I think with a dish like that you DO need to thicken it with flour or another agent, and the restaurant's apparent unwillingness to do so detracted from the dish IMO What Tony said The weakest bit of the evening apart from Martin & Tony discussing the new workout video they are working on Shape up n' dance with Macrosan and Finchy ( is there a shudder emoticon? ) S

At last nights dinner, gavin pointed out that although St J is almost universally hailed amongst EG's, we have yet to have an event there. Speaking to Tom, the excellent front of house last night, I asked about taking a chunk of the place for an event. The private room holds 18 which I suspect these days would not be enough, but they are happy for us to be in gen pop (to quote Lawrence Block) and have two or three big tables I was thinking in July to give everyone chance to get over the Fat Duck. I was also thinking of a couple of suckling pigs ( about £240 a pop - so £24 per person per table of ten ) + a few extras Anyone up for it? Let me know and I will begin to sort dates S

Much as Martin said. I started with Pig's cheek ham with cornichons. Wonderful and chewy. I followed with Squirrel braised and with the guts pureed on toast. I loved it, i think rob was less taken. The guts particularly were excellent We also ordered a Steak & kidney pie for the table. The crust was excellent, but there was not enough filling for my liking Pud was a ginger something not unlike Parkin. Pleasant Great value, wines fair to middling, excellent company 8/10 S

Enough of your love life Are you coming to St J or not? S

As ever, Jase takes something good and makes it better Me- crappy brioche Jase - Prime USDA hats off to Mr P S

I'm with Smoking Bear. no muss no fuss. if you have a great ingredient, don't bugger about with it Saute in a mix of Butter and Olive Oil and serve on a toasted brioche S

Bugger S

Fergus On my last visit to St J last week, one of your ( excellent ) wait staff told my guest and I that each of the people working the line had been in a senior position at other restaurants. How do you view the recruitment of staff? How easy is it for newcomers to deal with what is often a very different style of both preparation and presentation and does it take a certain mindset to work there? Also, have any of those who have left gone on to take any of ST J's philosophy or indeed dishes to their new places of work? Thanks and best S