fatmat

Terrine Jars - still searching Franci - many thanks for your reply. I'm not looking for clip tops, just simple screw or press tops. I want to buy about 100, and am hoping to pay as little as possible - hopefully less than 30p a jar. Anyone hane any ideas?? Many thanks, Mat

Well I guess I better buy some new stuff....My original bottle of it may have been stale, cause it was very very bitter and strong...And if I still dont like it I can put it to good use as a wood finish.... Bud ← It should be quite delicate and lovely

I second 'The Art of The Tart' by Tamasin Day Lewis. Her recipes work and the book is a pleasure to own.

Out of curiosity and linking in with this... other than the above, does anyone have any tips for chilli burns??? Many thanks

Cultural curve ball... From UK. My father had what I think might be a UK dad's equivalent - Dad's Stew - AKA Brown Stuff (He's 76 btw). It seemed to be the only thing he could cook, brown, lumpy, beef, spuds and carrots. It appeared on the menu once a month, whether we wanted it or not. That one was always a quiet meal!! He can also boil an egg and make a cup of tea

Edible Wild Plant Guide??? Why on earth would you want to eat a wild plant guide?

Terrine Jars I'm looking for a supply of terrine jars - not the super expensive French ones that look pretty (Parfait?), but rather the sloped sided ones that pate's and terrines come in. I've searched the web, but not found what I'm after. All of the jars I've seen have lumps and bumps inside that make it more difficult to remove the contents, and are more suitable for jams. I'm looking for smooth sided ones in the 180 - 220g range, - like these. Can anybody help?

Hell no!! But to make things worse, my treatment killed my sense of taste totally - I couldn't taste a thing at all at the very end (sadly this wasn't the case during nose tube time). I even tried an MSG loaded, salt loaded noodle snack out of curiosity - It tasted literally of cardboard - I couldn't taste any of the flavourings at all. As my sense of taste started coming back, savoury tasted bitter, everything tasted acidic. It took six weeks for taste to even resemble normality.

The trump card... And in shockingly bad taste - do not read on if you are squeamish.... Don't say I didn't warn you!!! I've spent a period of time in hospital during recent months. I ended up being tube fed through my nose. They feed you a brown mixture of pre-digested protein and carbs with other mixed 'nutrients'. Even tube fed, you still kinda get a taste. This is the worst 'food' I have ever 'tasted'. To follow, I vomited up five tubes in total. Not quite a ward record, but pretty good going!! So firstly you get to taste the pre-digested c**p they've put in your stomach. Then you are left with a tube going up through your nose and hanging out of your mouth...Choices...Do you a)wait for the nurse to come and cut it off at your mouth and pull the tube out of your nose? or do you b) bite off the tube yourself and pull it out of your nose yourself? - Option b) was the least unpleasant as far as waiting time is concerned. Sorry to be gross guys, but sometimes you just gotta share (Perhaps this wasn't one of those, but hell, it was cathartic )

I have a phenomenal guide to entertaining in the 50's - Esquire's Handbook for Hosts. It is an American book, but my version was published under licence in London in 1955. It comes with recipes, cocktails, party games, tricke, ettiquette etc... Here's a link to a few on sale on Abebooks. There are some there for only a few dollars - worth it for the curiosity value alone. Just make sure that you don't select a modern reprint, as there a few of those mixed in on the same page. I'm in the UK, so I can't quite let you have a flick through mine, but if I can be any use, please let me know Mat

Thank you so much for your time and effort in producing this list, and for being so generous as to share it.

I used to live in Southall. I loved it. It's like a little india - sights, smells and sounds. If the weather is ok, take the time to walk around. Try to visit the supermarkets and kitchenware shops. The fabric shops are lovely to look in too. The jewelers are also fascinating to visit. Indian sweets are great, although you can't eat too many. You can buy a mixed box for not much money, which makes for a great present - You will find several dedicated sweet centret - Royal Sweets on the Broadway is one of the best. As to restaurants, I'd go for the cafe's - Ritas Samosa Centre or Giftos, both on Southall Broadway. You are more likely to find the real deal as far as food is concerned. The restaurants are more touristy. I used to like to visit Giftos because you could see the cooking taking place. For transport, you could use a Black cab, but these tend to be very expensive - sometimes upto 100% more expensive, as they have to pay a premium to work from the airport. Personally, I'd use a local 'mini cab' firm called LHR. They are very professional, always have polite, smartly dressed drivers and good quality cars - their number is 01895 444333 or 01895 444444. If you are feeling a little more adventurous, you could try a bus - the 120 bus goes from Hounslow to Southall. I hope that this info is useful - have a great time.

Asian food stores - Try Southall if you can't find any others

My dad grows them in his greenhouse in South Wales. My mum bottles them

OUCH OUCH... I can feel the sweat of pain rise on my brow - I have, however, scratched my man bits, on a trip to the loo, after chopping scotch bonnet chillies...

absolutely, go for it!!! best of luck. I look forward to seeing your results.

Um... I really wouldn't advise someone to put a custard filled eclair in the window for a week!! Creme patissiere is something that is very susceptible to bacteria, and it has a refridgerated life of about 4-5 days..... I really wouldn't advise you to keep it longer than that. ← sorry, my humour is a little dry

Crema Catalan - A bruléd crème caramel, flavoured with cinnamon. Tarta de cerezas - cherry tart, using cherries poached with anise Tarta de Santiago. an almond tart. I don't know if you have the budget, but have you considered serving your desert with an Oloroso or Pedro Ximenez sherry - it would give an authentic and unusual touch.

If you're gonna eat them fresh, use fresh cream and enjoy. If they are going to stand in a shop window for a week, use custard. Sweeten the cream with a little icing sugar and flavour it with a spirit / liqueur. I like Cointreau.

Here to help you. The best advice I can give is to get The Bread Bakers Apprentice by Peter Reinhart. If you read the intro which provides explanations on why different techniques work, then follow a recipe. I promise that you will produce great bread... to use a Brit expression, it will be 'better than shop'. I imported the book from the US, and have not regretted at all. it is a beautiful book, a pleasure to own and read.

Chocolate plastic??? what is please??

handle with care!! a great ingredient that can destroy a dish as easily as making it. Store it in glass or it may taint everything near it. Just an idea, but a panna cotta or ice cream flavoured with star anise would work well I think that anise would work well with stewed apricots or plums too

I get your point that there is variablity among bacons, even within the same brand. Do you get my point that some sources of variability will produce greater effects than others? For example, there is plenty of variability in winemaking and you can easily get two bottles from the same 'brand' that taste quite different. But you can still tell a shiraz from a merlot. There are statistical tools to address this type of question and we will consider it specifically in the experimental design of our next bacon tasting. Can we declare this horse dead? ← Will be expecting tests of probability, and ruthless and rugged methodology... Nothing else will do damn it!!!! P.S. If the horse is dead, can we rub the flesh with salt, sugar and spices, and try making horse bacon from it?? hmmmm... What do you call horse bacon?

I'm not saying that over time cooking variables cause bacon to go from good to bad, or even good to mediocre, just different. Unless you burn it, bacon is always great. Occasionally I get melt in your mouth mind blowing bacon. I've given this many many hours of thought. I've come to the conclusion that it's the net effect of a multitude of variables. Teensy weensy relatively uncontrollable variables. A cut from a different location in the animal, an extra couple of days in the package, a degree hotter, a degree colder, increased fat content, decreased fat content, an extra second in the oven. It's like trying to hit the lottery. It's always great but once in a blue moon the bacon gods shine down upon me and I end up with a mind blowing experience. I don't think there's anything else in the kitchen that's as fleeting and unpredictable. Choosing the right brand or the right style won't guarantee it. I wish it would. Buy the exact same brand of bacon with two different sell by dates. Bake them up and serve them. 100 bucks says that your tasters will swear that they're eating different brands. 100 bucks. If the same brand is that inconsistent, how can taste testing produce useful information? ← Don't know whether I'm used to European bacon, but we don't seem to be getting the inconsistencies you seem to be getting. However, on the basis of what you are saying, taste testing in general is totally impossible... I can't agree.

eat????... beer!! Failing that, British puddings. Nothing better for making you feel better. Personally, I'd recommend steam pudding with custard (not being a girl, I'd not be able to tell for sure, but I figure that it's probably the best cure for female miseries too)