Corinna Dunne

This is such a good dish too. Another thing I haven't had in years (no good Japanese restaurants in Dublin). Have you ever made this Jon? I only ever had it in restaurants.

And before you have the stiff drinks, give yourself an energy shot with a milkshake or smoothie. Whizz up some of the raspberries and bananas with some milk (or yoghurt if you have it), fruit juice and loads of ice. If you like it rich, add in a bit of cream too. This is a great pick me up drink, but it is also very comforting and will wrap its arms around you. Big hug.

Thaks for this. Really interesting. As it happens, I plan to make hummus this weekend, so will follow your tips. One question though, do the chickpeas retain more texture when you use a foodmill as opposed to a food processor?

Let's stay on topic here. The intention was not to offend, just to make a cullinary comment. ← ← ←

How sad. I had a wonderful meal here about 10 years ago.

This is such a wonderful thread. Thanks.

← I am happy to re-invent the wheel, lose my mind and challenge the status quo. Guilty as charged! However, I'm not sure that frying garlic would be my best example of this. On dried garlic: I'm sorry - no offence intended as I know that this is your business - but this is one of my pet hates. I absolutely detest the stuff. I use plenty of dried spices and some dried herbs, but feel that some have more of a right to be in the store cupboard than others. Dried basil anyone?

A restaurant in London, Kensington Place, used to make a really good 'savoury custard'. I can't remember what they called it and have no idea if they still do it. It was a goats cheese custard that was obviously made in a dariole type mould. When it was turned out onto the plate, it stood farily high and had finely chopped black olives on top (which obviously had been in the bottom of the mould). It was served with a swirl of olive oil and I think reduced balsamic vinegar, although I do remember it having a bit of a blackcurrant taste. It was a long time ago, and just about pre-dated 'tower' foods and squeezy bottles. Really, really good though. I still intend to make it after all these years!

Ahaaaaa, I get you now. I thought you were referring to 'skins' on the garlic which had me completely confused! I always use a food processor to make hummus as I like it smooth and creamy, so never worry about the skins on the chick peas.

There is a happy medium on this one. There is the matter of too much raw garlic being indigestible, but to me it is more a matter of balance. Heads of garlic vary in flavour and pungency and for that reason it makes sense to taste as you go and not become completely constricted by a recipe. I'm not sure what you mean about the food mill. I have not seen a hummus recipe that suggests leaving the 'skins' on. But I do agree that it is certainly not an option to leave the garlic out. Definitely not! I always serve it with triangles of toasted pitta bread.

I agree with the 'easy on the garlic' advice. I find that a few hours after the hummus has been made, the garlic seems to get stronger and can become very strident and overpowering. But the lemon juice... I like plenty of it, it seems to temper the chick peas nicely. I don't use olive oil in the actual hummus mixture, just drizzle it on top at the end and sprinkle over some paprika and chopped parsley. As mentioned upthread, how you make your hummus is very much a matter of personal taste, so I advise you to taste as you go and adjust accordingly.

Please tell me more of this sof shelled lobster you speak of.. ← The soft shell lobsters have just come in. Succulent and sublime apparently!

This is a recent thread on making homemade mayonnaise which I think you will find very helpful: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=68299&hl= It discusses ratios, hand whisks v blenders and also has a fascinating 'chemistry lesson' on how much oil an egg yolk really can take!

This is the Larousse definition too. As a matter of interest, will you be leaving the stones in your cherries? This is one of the big French cullinary debates. ← What is the basis of the pro position in the debate...tradition, or is there some value to the pits? ← I think both. Many hold that the kernals add a mild almond taste to the flavour of the batter. And the cherries used should be black. However tradition runs very deep too. In fact the purists from the Limousin (the area of France from where the clafoutis hails) maintain that if the cook is not from the Limousin, then the yield of his labour is not a clafoutis!

This is the Larousse definition too. As a matter of interest, will you be leaving the stones in your cherries? This is one of the big French cullinary debates.

Delegation delegation, delegation. This is good management. Hiring the right people for the right jobs and being hands-off rather than micro managing everything is good management. That's how GR got to be a successful, entrepreneurial restaurateur (as opposed to just being a 'good chef').

I just remembered a wonderful drink I had in France years ago. It was a long, refreshing drink and our hostess called it a Tom Collins, which I don't think it was. Mix gin, tonic water and freshly squeezed grapefruit juice. Serve in a long glass with loads of ice and a large sprig of mint to stir. The mint plays way more than a supporting role in this wonderful concoction.

Great feedback. Thanks Judith. In fact, yesterday, I was just discussing the (slim) possibility of getting back to Barcelona in autumn and visiting Hissop. I really like the sound of it and hope it will still be around.

I accept this point. I think the case of reduction sauces is a separate issue. As I see it, the question here is whether any sort of thickening agent in these sauces amounts to 'passing off'. I know that one of my biggest gripes with mid-priced restaurants is their inability to 'stick to the knitting' in their sector. By this I mean, they should leave the 'big' sauces alone, which of course would necessitate a change in price positioning if they were to be done properly.

I just had a 'mint meal' last night (you inspired me). It was simple but delicious: * Butterflied half leg of lamb Marinated for about 2 hours ambiantly in yoghurt, minced garlic, lemon juice, chopped mint, ground cumin and just a little bit of ground corriander. Then grilled on the barbeque. I find that marinating for this period of time means that the marinade doesn't overpower the meat. * Fattoush, using my recipe upthread. Points to note: I find that it is best to season the cucumber and tomatoes a bit in advance and not to put any seasoning in the dressing. For the dressing, I used a ratio of 4:5 for the lemon juice and oil, as this salad should be pretty lemony, but of course, it'a a matter of personal taste too. Garlic is optional in fattoush, and I prefer to leave it out, again, a personal thing. Also, it is important that everything is at an ambiant temperature, as this salad is not good out of the fridge. * Grilled baby eggplant/aubergines These were cut in half, salted (which probably wasn't necessary) and threaded onto a skewer to be grilled. The following dressing was poured over them when they were cooked: EVOO with a salted, crushed clove of garlic (removed before serving) Chopped red chilli Chopped mint A gentle squeeze of lemon juice The aubergine should go on the grill just before the lamb comes off to rest so that they are hot when serving. Mine had got a bit cool, and I think this detracted from the balance a bit.

I'm afraid I'm in the 'anything but cornflour' camp. This is a mouthfeel I can certainly do without. I'm interested in the subtlety you're talking about Ian. Whereas I can easily detect cornflour, I hadn't really given much thought to trace elements of arrowroot, or agar agar for that matter. It would be interesting to hear from some of the elBulli gourmands. I understand that Ferran Adria uses a diverse range of 'thickening' agents.

I've seen them cooked at a teppanyaki counter in Japan, which would be very much like frying them. I remember them being slightly oily (not in a bad way) when they were served up. I've cooked them at home a few times and drained them on kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil. Not having the skill of a Japanese tappenyaki chef, I did find it quite difficult to keep all of the slivers of garlic on the move and avoid some becoming too dark, so I just picked out the offending chips at the end. I'm interested to hear that you managed to use a mandoline for slicing the garlic. I painstakingly cut the garlic into slices, so now you know why I've only made these chips a couple of times!

I agree. I'd keep this fish whole and just put some lemon, herbs and a bit of salt in the cavity. Then I'd oil and salt the skin and grill it on the barbeque. Great with a green salad, tomatoes and some crusty bread with salt and EVOO. And of course a nicely chilled glass of white wine. You're fish looks delicious. Enjoy it!

And it might be very nice in your bath. You could tie up a big bunch, bruise the leaves slightly, wrap in muslin and throw in your bath to infuse as you start to run the water. Invigorating! Edit: Yikes... just realised I'm off topic here. To get us back on track: It is not advisable to use mint infused bath water when you're cooking new potatoes or peas.

Mine is planned for tomorrow, to go with grilled, buterflied leg of lamb. I'm going to try out that lovely yoghurt marinade on the 'leg o lamb' thread.