Adam Balic

I see that you answered the question, but yes, the chemical groups that cause the heat in garlic, onions etc belongs to a different class to that in chilli and they are heat labile. One of the issues with Haute cuisine is that it is Haute. Aside from issues of more refined palates etc, there is a definate social aspect. What you eat is a way of differentiating your class. For example, one of the reasons why spices were dropped from Upper-class European cooking in the 17th C. was that they were becoming more widely available. In the same way, they use of chilli and garlic in Haute cooking can be viewed as 'vulgar' or 'common' etc, because that it what The People eat.

For capsicum heat, I nominate "fiery" as the best word. Would this encompass Black Pepper heat? Do you happen to know the chemistry behind the pungent flavor of black pepper? Is there any capsicum or a similar substance in there or is it a totally different thing? I'd probably distinguish between black pepper pungency and capsicum heat, but maybe there's some overlap. Certainly my brain has interpreted black pepper as fiery on occasion. Yes the active ("burning") componants are structurally related (eg. "Capsaicin" (red peppers), "piperine" (black pepper), and "zingerone " (ginger)) and are thought to operate through a similar set of receptors, although capsaicin is the most potent. "Long Pepper" which is related to black pepper, has higher levels of piperine and was the spice of choice in Europe from Roman to Medieval times before the introduction of the New World chilli. Horseradish, mustard and wasabi (also horseradish) operate through a different set of receptors I think.

I think the problem there is that the textural differences will always remain. What we need, I think, are two products with identical mouthfeel/texture but different flavor. OK. Tapioca v Frog Spawn. How much chilli do you have to add to tapioca before it becomes less tasty then frog spawn? or Chicken breast meat? Bresse v commercially reared. Simply grilled, cut into 12 slices. Slice 0 =no chilli, chilli increased to slice 12 = v.hot. Have slices randomly switched and made to look as close to each other as possible. Would be fun to combine with chilli eater v non-chilli eater. eg. can a chilli eater taste the quality ingredient at any level of chilli or is their palate buggered?

For capsicum heat, I nominate "fiery" as the best word. Would this encompass Black Pepper heat?

I was invited to lunch yesterday and one of the other guests bought and interesting desert. From what I could tell he was a German pastry maker and had recently become a Master baker/pastry maker. I think that this means he is good? Anyway he bought a "Baumkuchen" which is a cake/bread baked on a spit. Basically a metal spit is rotated in front of a fire and a layer of enriched sponge batter is applied. This is rotated a speed which is slow enough to evenly spead the batter around the spit and prevent it falling off. Another, and another layer are added, each layer being cooked before the next is applied. Each layer is about as thick as a crepe and the cake ends up being 1.2 metres (4 feet) long and 10 inches in diameter. The whole is moistened with apricot jam and covered in a rum glaze. When cut in thin slices you get a layered effect, like tree rings, and hence the name. It takes about 3 hours to make. It is utterly delicious and I have never heard of anything like is. A great experience. Is there anyway of getting a similar effect without the spit etc? Maybe under a grill?

See misgabi's post above. Basically, in Australia the yellow fleshed type was the variety first introduced and this is known as a paw-paw. Later the red fleshed type was introduced and this tends to be calles a papaya.

Rice. A good qualtiy aged basmati and a par-boiled American long grain. Or would the deifference be too subtle? N.B. I have found the US usage of "Spicy" to be very confusing, is there a more interational term that would be acceptable?

Some information is avalilible in the eGCI pasta course: Pasta As mentioned dried pasta is made of semolina/durum flour (mostly), as soft wheat flour pasta is too brittle when dryed. Fresh pasta can be made out of durum wheat flour (with and without eggs, the former is more likely) or soft wheat flour depending on the region. In Emilia Romagna they would used soft wheat flour for there fresh pasta. This is mostly bound with eggs, but in some recipes from poorer villages it contains no egg (which makes it a more difficult pasta to work). You can buy dried papadelle/tagliatelli etc, which would be normally made from soft wheat pasta, but the dried type are userly durum wheat flour, even if they contain egg.

Yes I thought so. Explains the great merriment in the local butcher when I asked for a 'Hoe'.

"Hough" is pronounced "Hock"?

That's true, but if you then poured in melted butter of lard and then stored the dish you would have "potted" meat in the sense that we are talking about. Obviously metal is to expensive to to this with and can taint the product, so it was either done in earthenware ("Terrine" from 'terra') or in a crust, when it would become a pie (or 'pate' = in paste). Whole joints of mutton, beef and venison where often baked in a crust, the airspaces being filled in with melted butter/lard. If they were intended for transport or storage rye flour was often used. In these case the crust were not meant to be eaten.

Potted userly refers to the storage aspect of the dish, rather then what it is cooked in, although they are often the same. Potted beef of the 19th C. in Scotland would be a shine of beef that is very slowly cooked in a pot with stock, veg, spice and a cople of pigs/veal feet (for the gelatine). the meat would be removed, shredded and mixed back with the reduced stock, placed in a ceramic pot and covered with butter, lard or oil. In effect beef 'Rilletes'. Different containers used. With potted herring, the fish would be layered with herbs and spices, covered im meled and clarified butter, then slowly cooked. When done they would be taken out of the oven and allowed to set in the same pot.

Yeh, I love potted meat recipes. I have numerous Scottish (18th C.) versions. Much potted fish (herring, salmon, crab, oysters etc) and also meat (beef, especially shin, venison), and much game and poultry. As mentioned this was mostly a means of storage, as were pies etc. What is unfortunate is that they have fallen out of favour, I suspect that this is due to the rubbish-war time, potted meatoid, stuff that people still associate with the word "potted". In the case of the potted seafood, some of the recipes are what now people are describing as 'confit'. Take seafood, season, pour over melted abd clarified butter, cook very slowly until done etc. Change the word to "Terrine" (they both basically mean the same thing) and it is a completely different reaction that you get. "Potted", "Terrine", "Confit" and "Pie" = MMMmmmmm.....

Charles Perry et al. Have recently published a transaltion of several Medieval Arabic cookbooks. I have adapted several of these recipes, so I shall post some of these soon.

Interesting article. I really enjoy collecting old cookbooks. To date I mostly have re-prints or facsimile additions of 17-19th C British cookbooks, but I also have found a few originals in junk shops etc. Of these I have; Meg Dods (1829) - Meg Dods is a character from Walter Scot's St. Ronan's well and used as a pseudonym by his publishers wife (although Scot may ahve ghost writtern some of it). Excellent book, very funny and much better then Beeton. Mrs McIver Cookery book (1763) - She ran a cooking school in Edinburgh, interesting recipes, including how to make goose in the French style (Confit recipe actually, plus instructions for force feeding) and how to make a domestic duck taste like a wild duck (=beat it to death with a stick) Mrs Marshalls Cookery Book of Other recipes (1897?) - Ran a famous cooking school in London, very fussy French style food. A coverless late 19th C cookbook from Australia - interesting recipes for steamed date pudding and mincemeat for mince pies that still contains meat. Cooking from these can be interesting as they rarely mention amounts and I suspect that some ingredients are left out as they are assumed (salt for instance), but it is very interesting to attempt it. Mostly if I am cooking from pre-18th C English recipes I just tell the guests that it is North African or Middle-Eastern. Which isn't such a bit fib.

Bergamot = Bergamot orange which is more an orange then an orange as the original oranges in Europe were sour/bitter oranges which the bergamot is one of and not the sweet kind. Different species to the sweet orange though ( sub-species of the sour/bitter orange as mentioned). Buy a still and make homemade cointreau.

Yes and kinda like Ortolans in France.

Ah Basildog corrupt and willing to destroy the UKs very fragile wild fish stocks for a profit ( ), but not stupid.

I have had this a number of times and it has held up well. I was under the impression that it also had Semillion, or is this completely incorrect? edit; I am wrong, I am thinking of another wine. However in a blind tasting I held, the della Sala ('92?) did very well against Ch. Coutet and Ch. Climens (both 1990).

True, but "15" isn't a pub, and given that Jamie is banging on about "Know your source" etc, one wonders if this means that he has as much credibility at the restuarant as in the case of his "They should stop feeding the kids shit", whilst selling it for Sainsbury's?

It is very tough and is a corner stone winter green in Tuscany. I like it well enough, but only when others are cooking it.

The produce in Scotland can be of out standing quality, except for Veg. Especially look out for raspberries when they are in season - Amazing. The problem with Scotland is that apart from a very few places the restuarants are poor or just plain boring. So look on it as an oppertunity to perfect your cooking skills with some of the best ingredients in the world.

Sumac is from the Rhus genus. Some of these plants are toxic and can cause contact irritation to the skin, plus breathing problems.

You can make you own sushi. Some of the best wild atlantic salmon in the world spawn on the east coast of Scotland. Tuna, not so much.

Well its proberly safe to say that Aberdeen won't be like a French town foodwise. The area does have several fine local products: Butteries/Rowdies which are local pastry, not unlike a croissant, in flavour (different shape etc), smoked fish and fresh seafood. This site may be useful: Aberdeen But in general the food will suck, if it is anything like Edinburgh.