CheGuevara

just a few comments on how you could improve the picture, at least to my eye. the framing is too standard - it barely adds to your picture, while the quality of the image is very good. taking it from the top does something for it, see the off centre saucer, however i'd prefer to see more of an angle in the shot. on the other hand if you want to draw attention to the foam, or the entire coffe cup and saucer, you need some elements to be out of focus. having a second look - i prefer the original image, uncropped - although it falls prey to the same issues, less so than in the cropped image. also agree with lalitha, the contrast is too extreme...this takes me back to the emphasis of your object(s); if you apply that level of contrast, in colour, you need to detract from somewhere else in the image. i'd look to create more contrast in the background if needed - or with objects as lalita mentions (newspaper, some crumbs) nice rosetta! -che

i've jsut moved within walking distance of a great market. the complications arose when after two weeks of constant oversupply, my fridge and pantry are overflowing into my countertops and even the oven - trust me, roast pork stays perfectly fresh for lenghty periods inside any conventional oven. thus last night's cooking attempted to salvage some produce on the border of becoming artwork. pollo alla diavola - very simple and provides much needed inner-warmth here in the london summer. i cooked it for a good 90 minutes. i served it with steamed white rice with cumin and clove. oh, and i had some of the sauce with these great portuguese croissants leftover from breakfast, yellowish and slightly sweet. guess what's for dinner tonight... -che

Lalitha - i'm saved then, i'm not a professional

now i see your point - and very clearly indeed. this would not fall under the "honorable" category...it makes quite a good story for bystanders though! -che

my current food mill is a moulinex, metal, which gets stuck at every second turn - i'd rather forgo the mashed potates to avoid the intense aggravation. concerning the KA food mill - anyone know if it comes with different discs, or just one? i already have the meat grinder and i'm terribly happy with it. should i opt for the KA attachment - or the a new food mill (that works)? -che

if it's doing what i'm passionate about then it wear it with pride, it means i'm doing what i should...that's honorable. -che

please elaborate - i'm work quite close to them.... -che

Shipped: To place or receive on board a ship: shipped the cargo in the hold. that should answer your question....prefabricated bread they should call it. -che

unfortunately can't be of any help - but wold love to get some feedback on the kitchenaid strainer from any infomred poster. -che

never heard of the egg whites technique - i have applied butter in some cases, but ice cold water until your bodypart goes numb is the remedy of choice. never worked a 600 degree oven - but quite enjoy firmly gripping with my bare hands the tart tatin sitting on the stove moments after i've removed it from the oven. -che

you must have one evenely weighted chef's knife! ;) -che

as a definition this is right on the money. it doesn't define the food however, and moby's post just above clearly defines the role of the gastro-pub in 21st century england; and it has all to do about the food. i'd like to qualify the food, it needs to be unsophisticated, more baout the products than the technique, and served so. "a pub that serves authentic, quality, comfort food without the formality of a restaurant." (on second thought the food should not aspire to be that of a restaurant, that is de facto.) maybe it's as easy as a bistro in pub's clothing. -che

for the most part, yes. in summary my frustrations with gastro-pubs fall into the follwoing: 1. value for money (see above quote) 2. inability to eat anything non french or british (ie - forget the risottos and pastas) having said that - the potential is brilliant; the old canteen with its creaking floors speaking to you as you come in from the cold, offering you a warm stew dressed in pauper's clothes of chopped parsely and raw oil... - but the balance between quality, price, and ambience is so difficult for me to find. i read somewhere: "i don't go to mcdonald's for a healthy salad, i go there for a milkshake"; that is my grudge with most gastro-pubs i've been to: "i don't go there for the culinary experience of my life, i go there for hearty home-style food -and i don't want white linens on my table!" -che edit: had a second thought - this could be a london phenomenon...?

where's the photo? excusing my ignorance; who is grant? -che

nice one - immediately rcognizable. i'm in for this cook-off....wherever, whenever...so long as it's not over the week of the 17-27 june as i'll be way down sout in motherland...that reminds me, we have seriously good apples down there....:) i can bring a pan if needed - unfortunately the oven is a bit more complicated. will we draw straws for "oven usage order"? -che

please - that does sound excellent. the onion tarte tatin i'm referring to. my onion tarts are always traditionally made - dough, then cooked ingredients. there is something about the sweetness of onions with cream and egg and salt and pepper.....this is no day to be inside this office! i'd be up for a tarte tatin pgi-out - is location a problem? curly - if its any consolation - i've had everything stuck in storage for nearly 5 weeks now.....i'm almost sleeping inside my suitcase by now. -che edit: can't find my way inside a message field

i feel i must apologise for starting this topic, yet the true culprit is tarka. ;) very succintly said by moby - you need to feel "the first tinge of burnt sugar"; and as for the pastry, puff. a little caramel has to get stuck to the edge of your teeth. when i make it chances are i'll do short for ease, but the best tatins i've had always lounge on golden puff. as for the apples i tend to go for cox's - they seem to be the most aromatic. i grew up with an apple tart which stole my heart at an early age which uses granny smith's and i thus favor them for my apple tarts...but the tatin, that needs apples willing to both give in and provide to the caramel. kitwilliams - CBear is right, you're committing a crime with your "pastry on the side" method. probably worse than slicing your apples...or maybe not. -che

wonderful flavour i discovered back in NY, at a restaurant called "le zoo" in the west village was a pear tarte tatin infused with sage. it was the first time i called out the chef to discuss the recipe - and she did. her name was melissa...:) these were individual tarte tatins, no more than 2 - 2 1/2 inches diameter, and she placed a sage leafat the bottom of the mold, then removed it before serving with excellent vanilla ice cream....hmmm, melissa. -che

Was just poring over the welcome thread for tarka and was taken back to my last tarte tatin...over at fleure en l'ile cafe in paris. does anyone have what they believe to be the best tarte tatin recipe? i've tried numerous, and found the best one so far to be one from the roux brothers - in the pastry techniques book if im not mistaken. the recipe is not here with me, however the differentating factor is that tons of butter is spread over the bottom of the pan (preferably a pan with a 90 degree angle), then tons of sugar, then the apples, then the dough - on the burner for a while, and then fnished in the oven. when you get the temperature right - it is impeccable. i'd love to try other recipes. -che

the best sweetbreads are the ones denominated "from the heart" - which lie in the thorax, vs. the more common ones found in the throat. at least that is how we call them in argentina. sweetbreads are one of those cuts which seem complex and difficult to work with, but are actually quite simple. the traditional way of preparing sweetbreads is on the grill. you need to remove the "veins" or excess fat, clean them under water, and place in water until ready to grill. grill them whole, with a little salt, on both sides. once they are nicely grilled, butterfly open and grill on the inside. finish off with salt and serve with lemon wedges. i sould venture to say that the majority in argentina favour mollejas over any other offal or cut of beef in a bbq - they are an absolute marvel when done right. second option is to parboil them - they will let off a lot of scum - (i would do this with ones purchased here unless very fresh) for about 3 - 5 minutes...very hard to oversook them, as they need to be well done. remove, cut into slices (thickness to taste), and grill. you can also use the broiler if you dont want to bbq them. good sweetbreads should not be covered up in sauce and/or other ingredients. enjoy! -franco

all the fuss is about all the fuss, and not the food or place. i had lunch a few week-ends ago after reading a good article in restaurant magazine. i'm attracted to establishments which serve homely food; now when you combine that with the practice of serving stews in their cooking pot - now that i can't miss out on. the food is nothing special. the cassoulet was quite bland, i wouldn't even say decent - and that was the main reason for me going there. nothing we had deserved the praise and accolades i've been reading about for the past six weeks - funny they claim no active PR - so to me an overall great disapppointment. the renovation/redesign of the pub is quite off. the windows installed are more appropriate of chain-pubs with green las vegas carpeting and miniature pool-tables than a traditional english pub. for the three of us there, two of us big food critics in our personal time, it was not worth the hike over there. -che

that's a seriously dangerous combination. scares me more than a jar of nutella and a spoon. -che

in a similar thread we discussed how busy st.j's b&w was lately, and i coomented on how i kept seeing more and more people during lunch time. so it happens that last friday, i headed out to lunch with a colleague around 12:30 and i decided to show him st.j's - the place was 2/3 empty and upon entering we were greeted with a: "have you got a reservation sir", i humbly replied, "no", thank you and good-bye. i hate this. -che

this morning on my way to work - my traditional morning commute which begins at south kensigton - was converted from a forgetful occasion into an infestuous desire to arrive into the offie, thanks to the 24 doughnuts i was carrying with me...krispy kreme that is, original glazed. in promotion for their new store at harrod's opening in october, they were handing out boxes of 12...having said i was an existing - albeit part-time - customer eagerly awaiting their arrival in london, they piled on another dozen. cold and all, they are incredibly good doughnuts, and yes they taste exaclty the same as they do across the ocean. -che

a great little fish restaurant is le suquet on draycott avenue - around the corner of bibendum on fulham road - and relatively inexpensive for the quality of the food and the informed service. what you'll get is very traditional french cuisine - fish cooked in the classic way, usually the most humble and revealing way. i've always eaten very well, its seriously french at all levels making it one of the best exports i've ever seen. lunch is a great value - if i remember correctly between 15-20 for set 3 course menu. -che