muichoi

True,but a toasted version of tahina is also available, which is similar to the chinese variety. In general , though, it's a freshness issue, as with sesame oil. They both become rancid quickly and must be refrigerated. Look at the top of the jar when purchasing. There should be little free oil, this is a sign of age.

Cao Guo is very similar indeed to the black cardamom.

If bread needs to be baked twice a day, then it's not good bread. A surfeit of yeast stays in the memory..and if I remember correctly, they wouldn't just bring it, it had to be heated up. Other things were not bad, to be fair.

Wasn't wonderful at all when I went. Dreadful bread and abysmal wine list stick in the memory.

Will certainly be perfectly safe.

If it's one of the places I'm thinking of it may well be Iberico pork, which is perfectly safe cooked rare and indeed should be. It will have been previously frozen.

Nisbets is good, and cheaper than any of the above.

Buy another ham, quick!

I do it rather closer together-probably an eighth of an inch. it's not difficult at all with a razor sharp knife-otherwise almost impossible.

It is good stuff, and the price you guys pay is the same as I do, about 10 minutes drive from the brewery!

Good to know-here Yam always means Taro in Chinese restaurants.

That sounds wonderful! In Chinese cuisine,it seems to me more and more that it's really the homestyle rather than restaurant 'haute' cuisine that is deeply satisfying.

I'm going to make these too. Chinese potato gnocchi! am I right in thinking that by yam you mean Taro?

3 hours is not too long to cook them. Cool slightly, take out the bones then press under a heavy weight and refrigerate. They will slice beautifully.

Does he still use veal fat? wondrous stuff.

What? The man who came up with porco eccittato, a cooked salami placed vertically on the plate with coffee sauce mixed with eau de cologne. Pure genius ← That's the chap! the last person to explicitly define his cuisine as modernist. He would have adored sous-vide.

Anyone remember Marinetti?

There are similarities between old sherry and old shaoshing in that they are both oxidative and both entirely about secondary characteristics. A fino or manzanilla is no use but a dry oloroso or amontillado for example is a good substitute.

While Iberico hams , shoulders and Lomos are quite justifiably expensive, the Salchichons and chorizos are simply astoundingly cheap for what they deliver-though this only applies when bought direct in the piece here.

The Shaoshing wines we get here are very close together in price. there are very few ingredients in which one gets such an increase in quality for a small extra expense. The basic cooking varietys are perfectly sound, but the aged varietys are remarkable drinks, though not too much in tune with contemporary taste. What they do add is extraordinary 'hsien' or 'Umami' as it's now called as well the defishing qualities for which it's known ,not to mention the ability to keep a broth clean. By their taste, some of these wines are 30-40 years old and as such remarkable bargains.

The best smoked salmon is a surprisingly wonderful partner to 76 ausleses and above. You don't give the producer, but I'd be surprised if the wine wasn't in fine form, if well stored.

Not even close, of course, with the qualification that a freshly made pate from these will be nicer than a tinned/bottled foie gras, which really are overrated.

Some (french)tinned cassoulets are pretty good, the process suits the beans. Good ingredients in, good ingredients out. Certainly better than a homemade version with the wrong ingredients and limited understanding.

Exceptionally good notes, Tim, henceforth probably the best online reference for this destination. Doesn't make me want to hurry along, though-for me the real advantage of this inventiveness is more in the search for perfection in everyday things that the TV show is ostensibly about. Perfection renders the the normal thrilling, and for me that is gastronomy. It is very very rare. I agree with you about sous-vide. The truth seems simple-it's a fabulous, indeed the best method for intractable cuts of meat, but for those that are naturally tender the results to my taste are quite disgusting. A slice of boned saddle of lamb with fat intact cooked like this at a very grand establishment was the worst thing I've eaten this year.

Yes, they should have to put "truffle flavoured oil" on menus, to ring the same alarm bells as "chocolate flavoured topping". I think, unbilled and subtly used, it can provide an interested dimension to dishes that can remain affordable for diners not accustomed to paying for £100 for a pizza, etc. (Am dying to try that pizza... ) ← There seem to be two types of truffle oil, one that is purely synthetic (and close to poison) and one that is truffle infused, and yes, when used humbly and subtly, it has a place. ← As far as I understand it, all commercial truffle oil is made with flavouring essence, from the petrochemical industry, not the real thing. I would love to hear of any exceptions, but I've looked hard. Plenty of misleading labelling!