offcentre

I only wish I ate half as well as some of you bloody lot! 1. Jolly Sportsman - about the best gastropub in the area. Had braised ox cheek w/ parsley, pheasant w/ chestnuts and apple crumble. Not as good as it has been. Discovered that Head and Pastry chef had moved on since I was last there. 2. Piccollo - very cheap Brighton Italian. Not great food but always a good atmosphere and prob my favourite place for cheap grub in Brighton (though I am obviously now going to have to try Nando's!). 3. Due South on Brighton seafront for partners bday on xmas eve. Had oysters for the first time - nice taste but still don't know what all the fuss is about. 4 month old baby was hampering enjoyment of all courses, but waitress looked after her whilst we were eating, which was very much appreciated.

"...homeopathic taste of foie gras..." - I like that, very good

I like it - sort of poetical I think. Whether its been copied from someone else or not, doing something with a menu that is different to the norm is brave and interesting. As long as the food is good then good for them. Chocolate mayhem, no more voices suggests to me you won't say or hear a word as you enjoy the desert. I'm amazed that there is a restaurant of the quality that l'enclume appears to be that is as little known to the egullet regulars as this is. Very disappointed in Gary Marshall

are we allowed to post links to the Guardian? Interesting article on Anthony's winning the Rémy Restaurant excellence awardhere

frdagaa a lot of what you have written rings true with my current situation. I have a new born and partner who isn't too keen on being on her own from 9 till midnight 5 days a week (and usually including the weekend), so I am currently investigating a similar possibility here. I am in the UK and have found in the past restaurants willing to let me work on a part-time temp basis (weekend and evening shifts) while assessing whether I want to chef permanently. The one restaurant I did work in for 6 months did have me doing the low-end jobs, but also offered me the chance to learn new skills and taught me the basics along the way. By the fourth month I was cooking the vegetables for dinner service, as well as doing a lot of the veg prep, and preparing basic dishes. In the end I was offered a permanent trainee position, and have regretted not taking it ever since. My point is, unless things are very much different over here, I think you will be able to find such an opportunity. By the way - I can't see where in your original post you mentioned working for free - and it was something I never considered doing and was paid what I thought was a fair rate for the job I was doing. I was, after all, doing necessary tasks. I would also appreciate further comments on this subject. Good luck.

I make a rather nice lemon and vanilla. Rind and juice of a lemon and seeds from vanilla pod. I like the sound of the passion fruit though and will try this instead next time. I bet the crunchy seeds add a lovely twist.

bloody hell....for $160 one would have thought that it would clean itself.

Carswell - and all of you - I thank you very much indeed for all the information.

can't find the "Seafood Bible" - but can find Rick Stein's Complete Seafood or Rick Stein's Seafood School Cookbook. Do you mean one of these?

On a slightly different note - I was speaking to a fisherman friend last night who is having difficulty filleting and preparing. No problem with your normal shaped fish - but when it comes to things like skate, then things get a little tricky. Considering he has a boat, and I like fish - any help I can offer him may increase my chances of regular fishing trips. I advised him to go to a local fishmonger with some of his catch and see if he can spend an hour or two there - but does anyone know of a book that covers preparation of a wide variety of fish - preferably with pictures? Does Larousse cover this in depth?

So, after a quick tally we have the following Top recommended books: 1. Moro 2. =Conran 2. =Formulas for Flavour 3. Larousse Gastromonique The most recommended chef/authors are: 1. Simon Hopkinson 2. Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall 3. Nigel Slater

Well, it wasn't a total success, but I was fairly happy with it and my guests, who had never eaten confit duck before were very happy I think. I still couldn't get my hands on fresh duck legs - and the meat wasn't the most flavoursome I have tasted, but it was definitely duck. The skin was crisp, it certainly wasn't too salty and looked the part. However it could have been more tender - the meat was a little stringy. I presume this was due to cooking time/temperature? Also, instead of being lovely and clear, at the end of the cooking process the fat in which the duck was cooked was cloudy. Any idea as to why? I cooked the canelli beans in the way suggested by fifi/russ (and served as per hathor's suggestion - very tasty and simple) and it worked very well, although they were cooked on the stove. But boiled with a bit of black forest ham, garlic and onion, they tasted lovely and took just about 1.5 hours. Thanks for the advice all.

thank you fifi - found, intrigued and may well try tomorrow if I can. Let you know how I get on if I do.

okay - the duck is in the salt in my fridge with a bit of garlic a crumbled bay leaf or two and a bit of thyme. Its going in the pot tonight ready to be reheated for dinner on tuesday. I was going to serve it with some saute potatoes, but those beans in Steve's photo above look good (I have never made a cassoulet. It is also on my list of dishes to make before too long - but looks a little daunting, not to mention expensive). Anyone care to suggest a simple bean recipe to serve with it - I can soak them overnight tonight if you're quick on the draw. I wonder what Basildog serves with his.....?

went to see Hugh at the Brighton festival this year talking about Meat. Wasn't impressed with him as a public speaker - you could have condensed all he had to say in the hour and a half into about ten minutes, although I totally agree with "his" philosophy. I have a couple of his books - the river cottage cookbook and yearbook, and like them both. Quite handy for me as I have a (at the moment, very productive) allotment, and some of his vegetable recipes are good.

I've just drooled on my keyboard. :) Great reports origami.

god I love this website - my next batch can't possibly fail! thanks very much to all.

okay - thanks very much folks. I will try again, with the following amendments: - fresh rather than frozen - rock salt all the way - smaller qualtity of salt - more thorough rinse of said legs before cooking. One of my favourite restaurant dishes, so if I master it at home, and am able to keep a handy supply of confited legs in the fridge, I will be a very happy man. cheers.

It was rock salt, but, having run out of that, was topped up with table salt. This is the root of the problem then is it?

as I'm in the posting frame of mind... I made duck confit the other night for a few friends. Unfortunately my car had been towed away by the fascist Brighton parking police the week before, so I had to buy frozen duck legs. Bought a bucketload of duck fat for the purpose too - which, incidentally, is now taking up half my bloody fridge and I refuse to throw away despite disgusted noises from the wife. (fabulous roast potatoes last night though from the bit at the bottom of the pan!) Anyway, it was far too salty and a big disappointment for all concerned, not least the cook. I had soaked (if thats the right term) the legs in salt for a day and a half in the fridge as Alastair told me to, to remove moisture. I am now presuming that I didn't give them a good enough rinse, but was a bit worried that running the damn things under the tap would negate any benefit done by the salt bath. Whats the trick here - a good scrubbing to get the salt off, or has the fact that they were frozen got anything to do with it?

I have found an American-based thread, but was hoping for a UK version. I recently purchased Keep it Simple by Alastair Little, and Canteen Cuisine by Marco Pierre White and love em both. I would appreciate recommendations. Whats your favourite cookbook?

Now, I'm very interested in this as I eat a mackerel salad at least once a week. Was it a regular caesar dressing? Any additional out of the ordinary little stuff throw in the salad? any details gratefully recieved.

God knows how they've managed it but in Brighton (well, Hove actually) Tesco now have a supermarket store on the High Street, amongst the small independant stores, plus a Tesco Metro about a half mile away. It has been with us for about 6 months I suppose and I haven't noticed any of the smaller retailers closing down yet, but it'll happen before too long I'm sure. I never buy meat, fish or organic fruit & vegetables from the supermarket, but this is more of a quality issue than anything else. I'd better read the book and make it a personal issue.

I suggest growing your own. You can buy organic seeds from HDRA.org.uk - £1.90 for 95. I am currently growing it in my allotment and its as pretty as a flower and incredibly tasty. It takes up little room and should give you leaves to pick from about 6-8 weeks from sewing. Get it in your back garden - you can sew it outside until about August.