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dougal

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    Cookbooks by Yotam Ottolenghi

    in Cookbooks & References

    Posted · Edited by dougal (log)

    You can check out the recipes in his weekly Guardian article here.

    I love his stuff.

    Mick

    You beat me to it, Mick!

    However, if one uses *this link* you get ALL his Guardian recipes (274 so far) - rather than merely the (204 by today) pure veggie ones.

    "Plenty" (consisting mainly of republished Guardian recipes) is all veggie; "Ottolenghi" isn't entirely.

    He also has a Blog, but hasn't added any recipes for almost a year ... http://www.ottolenghi.co.uk/blog/category/recipes

    Searching for Ottolenghi's name within eGullet's Kitchen yields 20 posts with a namecheck.

    I stand by my 2008 criticism of the just-too-trendy-to-be-practical layout (and typeface) of "Ottolenghi". That apart, it is tasty stuff.

    Vegetarian fine dining in Paris

    in France: Dining

    Posted · Edited by dougal (log)

    I'd be interested to recieve any recommendations for good (1 Star level) restaurants in central Paris with a good selection for vegetarians.

    Its a jolly good bistro - one star standard... maybe.

    Certainly its food is well spoken of here and elsewhere.

    Its not spacious, but its atmospheric ... and great value,

    And remarkably for Paris, it used to have a specific Veggie menu.

    ADDED - while it isn't really central, it is right close to a Metro station ...

    Does anyone know if L'Os a Moelle (despite the name) still positively welcomes Veggies?

    Their 'Cave' across the road might not be the place for a Veggie, but how about the Restaurant?

    http://www.whitings-writings.com/bistro_reviews/moelle.htm (scroll, or read, down the page for the Restaurant)

    The Leeds Kitchen by James Martin

    in United Kingdom & Ireland: Dining

    Posted

    ...

    I dont know the viewing figures, but I'll trust your research to have been thorough. What's the demographic?

    I'm not one of the audience anyway, I'm up the allotment actually growing food not sinking into the sofa watching a bunch of chefs sharing 'witty banter'like a rugby club for dimwits.

    In the light of my comments (in the Fox and Grapes thread) on M Bosi's (or quite possibly actually Mr Martin's) pork pie recipe as posted on the Saturday Kitchen website), I should perhaps explain the quirk of my appearing to be part of the programme's "demographic".

    It followed Qualifying for the Malaysian Grand Prix.

    I had been watching with a small timeshift (due to breakfast), and I didn't switch off instantly. If I hadn't been able to fast-forward through the bits with that unpleasant jumped-up greengrocer, I certainly would have switched off.

    Fox and Grapes

    in United Kingdom & Ireland: Dining

    Posted

    Claude Bosi is appearing on todays Saturday Kitchen cooking a rather odd sounding Halibut, Pork Pie and Pink Grapefruit dish.

    ...

    The Pork pie may be the version they serve here, if your interested in cooking it.

    Despite the pie being blitzed to an un-appetising beige-brown sauce for the Halibut, the BBC (helpfully, you might think) list its recipe http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/halibut_pork_pie_and_74820

    However it is absolutely and entirely different to the version Bosi gave in the Waitrose Magazine article "Claude Bosi's Pub Classics" (February 2011, page 68/9) - seemingly not now available on-line.

    The filling meat is different, and its spicing.

    The pastry is quite different. (350g fats + 500g flour versus just 220g fats + 575g flour)

    And the BBC recipe is for something quite different in size and shape to what they showed, sliced, ate (and blitzed) on tv.

    At the time I read the Waitrose article, I thought that the idea of making the jelly with Apple Juice sounded interesting. Particularly with the clove/nutmeg/mace spicing of the filling.

    However I note that the BBC version of the filling (800g pork belly + 200g pork fat) sounds distinctly greasier than the much more plausible Waitrose version of 750g Shoulder + 500g Belly (half rough chopped, half blitzed). And yes, it even adds up to a different total for the filling... but nowhere near enough to account for the difference between the single 10cm pork-pie-tin and a 20cm springform.

    And the detail of the jelly is different in the Waitrose version. To 250 ml of Apple juice, 2 leaves of Gelatine (BBC) or 3 (Waitrose)? But given the different pie content, size and shape - isn't it strange that they both want 250ml of liquid jelly to fill the void?

    Unexpectedly, its the BBC version that specifies fleur de sel ... ! (To be cooked into the filling for this paté en croute ... the pastry just gets "salt".)

    While the Waitrose version might (or might not) help replicate M. Bosi's pie, the BBC recipe isn't going to deliver anything even vaguely like it.

    Could the bizarre difference in the recipes be another echo of 'difficulties' behind the scenes?

    Or just someone at the BBC "filling in the blanks" with their own "best effort"?

    Sous Vide: Recipes, Techniques & Equipment, 2011

    in Cooking

    Posted

    Just the other day, my Thermapen died and I ordered another. ThermoWorkis is based in Utah, I believe. They carry a wide range of products if this digital thermometer is not what you seek. I do believe the Thermapen was originally a product in the UK so it may have different brand names around the world.

    Thermapen _is_ a British product.

    It is distributed in the USA by Thermoworks.

    The manufacturer (ETI) has various other international distributors. http://thermometer.co.uk/content/4-distributor-list-1

    The 'new' splashproof Superfast Thermapen is a great kitchen gadget, and while not as accurate as Pedro's suggestion, it is formally calibrated and so good enough as a "sanity check" for your sv controller, and perhaps it might be more generally useful.

    Pasta Extruders: 2011-

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted · Edited by dougal (log)

    I have the KitchenAid KPEXTA pasta extruder and have found it a very useful tool. It certainly doesn't produce the same results as the Arcobaleno AEX18 (which costs more than 30 times the price) and you are limited to the six shapes it comes with, but it does a good job of making great pasta which you can easily flavor.

    ...

    Here is the blog post that encouraged me to get the extruder. There are some good in action and complete pasta shots.

    So ... the encouragement to get the KA attachment ultimately owed its origin to someone else's infatuation with the bronze-die Kenwood attachment! :hmmm:

    Many months ago I saw FXcuisine’s account of making macaroni from scratch and his tale of homemade casarecce, and I immediately fell in love with his gorgeous pasta extruder the idea of making extruded pasta myself.
    http://fxcuisine.com/Default.asp?language=2&Display=68&resolution=low

    Pasta Extruders: 2011-

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    ... Any budget options for those of us who just must make bucatini at home somehow?

    Well, for home use, you might consider a standard Kenwood (deLonghi in the US?) mixer. Any recentish and working one - a 900 series or KM, just not the fairly ancient 700 series. Either size, Chef or Major.

    Then add the AT910 pasta extruder - the UK price is ~ £100.

    And the bronze die for Bucatini is then about another £30. http://www.kenwoodworld.com/en-int/Products/Kitchen-Machines/Kitchen-Machine-Attachments/AT910-012/

    Kenwood are offering a cheaper mixer, Prospero, in the UK (its oddly triangular in plan view). There's a version with a different fitting to suit it, the AX910. AX and AT parts have different drive interfaces - but do take the same bronze dies.

    If you want the bronze die, (and I expect you do), then you'd want to avoid the much cheaper (plastic body, plastic dies) A936 pasta extruder attachment.

    Sous Vide: Recipes, Techniques & Equipment, 2011

    in Cooking

    Posted

    ...

    Having said all these, my experimental heating pins using heat pipes are actually tin coated. ...

    I wouldn't guess that it was food-safe tin.

    Have you?

    Remember that in electronics assembly parlance to "tin" just means to coat with solder. Which, unless documented otherwise, I would treat as distinctly food un-safe, because of the non-tin constituents of the alloy.

    'Tinning' electronic components is not the same as 'tinning' copper cookware.

    Have you had the things chemically analysed, or re-tinned by a cookware service business?

    Heat pipes are fun, but really not needed in this application.

    And those fins will either rip sv bags or trap air, causing unwanted floatation and oxidation, assisting spoilage.

    Sorry - creative concept, but not needed, and adding WAY too many concerns.

    Martha Wrap - foil and parchment in one

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    ...

    Bizarre that the box says "aluminum insulates." It's extremely conductive, ...

    But conduction isn't the whole story.

    It reflects radiant heat.

    That's why oil well fire-fighters' suits are silvery.

    And why there are layers of aluminium in many (most/all?) house insulation products.

    And in the oven, reflection is why a foil covering limits burning/browning. Once the food darkens, it absorbs radiant heat faster, so the browned bits tend to accelerate to burned before the pale parts get brown!

    Its a rare occasion for me to defend marketing shorthand, but in this case it sounds like a not-really-misleading non-technical simplification to describe shielding-from-radiant-heat as "insulation".

    Personally, I'm slightly awed by the adhesive technology that sticks the "non-stick" parchment to a smooth metal surface, while being flexible at room temperature and food-safe all the way up to hot oven temperature - and staying stuck all the way.

    Martha Wrap - foil and parchment in one

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    This stuff is available in the UK as a Lakeland product.

    http://www.lakeland.co.uk/14696/Parchment-Lined-Foil

    ... Oliver, I'm with you in the Martha NON-Fan Club. One would think civilization did not exist P.M. (pre-Martha)

    No Martha-branding from Lakeland.

    I want some. It takes care of all my baking needs. I especially like it foil side up for fish en papillote.

    Lakeland (back cover of their Spring 20111 Kitchen catalogue) specifically suggest and illustrate parchment side in contact with the fish (Salmon) for parcelled cooking.

    Try it both ways! :smile:

    Cookbooks with recipes for sophisticated vegetable dishes

    in Cookbooks & References

    Posted

    ... to try the increasing number of vegetarian tasting menus. But I do like to try my hand at cooking that kind of thing. ...

    For "that kind of thing", (as opposed to straightforward veg cookery books from Grigson to Walters, or ethnic-inspired novelties like Ottolenghi), I think you need Terre a Terre.

    UK link (since you are in the UK) http://www.amazon.co.uk/Terre-Vegetarian-Cookbook-Amanda-Powley/dp/1906650047/

    From an Amazon review quote --

    ... was amazed at how well they turned out. As a result I've continued to try things from it whenever I've got TIME. That's the key thing, TIME, these recipes take a lot of preparation, although most of the accompaniments, dressings and sauces can be done well ahead and then finished. But you have to be in the mood, those Sundays when you're happy to potter.

    I've found that the results have been so good that I'm willing to put in the time...

    So here are some of the recipes I've cooked from it that worked well for me, and were worth the effort.

    Dunkin Doughnuts (parmesan and porcini dust doughnuts to dip into chestnut soup), Arepas Mojo (corncakes with salsas) Skordalia and Seasame Discos (sesame sumac aubergines with garlic puree), Walnut Whip (red onion and blue cheese bruschetta with walnut whip topping, lentils and seared radicchio - this is a particular fave, probably the one I've made most often) No Cocky Big Leeky (cheesey sausages, mash and cinnamon merlot onions, with the best gravy ever), Lettuce and Lovage (pea and parsley pikelets with st germain sauce-though I've no idea about lovage, I just left it out!)Sodden Socca (chickpea fritters, caponata, marmara tapenade, saffron orange dressing) Bum (sheeps milk cheescake with sambuca sultanas on walnut biscotti with rosemary syrup). These were all good! One recipe was only okay, Send My Regards to Broadway(mille fouille with mousse and asparagus and broad bean salad) and one didn't work and was an annoying waste of a lot of time- Saltimbocca, I just couldn't get the thin sheets of sun dried tomato to wrap around the polenta sauages and ended up with a crumbly mess!

    Almond Flour/Almond Meal?

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted · Edited by dougal (log)

    ... Is there another food processor that will cut the almond and sugar mixture to a flour or at least a meal fine enough for use in paste, Dacquoise, Macarons and Marzipan.

    You are looking for a Grater attachment. These can be found for some mixers, usually as an adjunct to the (meat) grinder.

    The idea is that it doesn't crush the nuts to a paste.

    If you look at http://www.pleasanthillgrain.com/magic_mill_dlx_mixer.aspx and search the page for Grater (or just scroll way way down), you'll see the attachment for the Electrolux DLX. Unfortunately, its a fairly serious price if you need the grinder and mixer as well. But that's the type of thing you should be looking for.

    They use nut flours in Austrian and German baking.

    The german name for this grater attachment is Reibevorsatz

    Searching for that on www.ebay.de (Germany) or .at (Austria) will find you things like this http://cgi.ebay.de/JUPITER-Kenwood-A900-chef-major-Universal-Reibevorsatz-/120554405408? which should work on any #8 meat grinder ... (like the current model grinder for the Kenwood Chef mixer). Your task is to persuade someone to ship it to you!

    Dry age refrigeration

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted · Edited by dougal (log)

    Here is an interesting article discussing dry aging: Dry Aging. It gives an awful lot of information regarding temperatures etc. and should be a very good starting point.

    Thanks!
    Dry aged beef is placed in an aging cooler with a controlled temperature between 35-38° and humidity of 50-60%.

    So, cold fridge temperature, but rather more humid.

    The trick would be in the humidity control; the temperature shouldn't be a problem.

    Sous Vide: Recipes, Techniques & Equipment (Part 8)

    in Cooking

    Posted · Edited by dougal (log)

    Slow cookers ("crockpots") are available fairly cheaply. But they are far from ideal.

    Generally a bit small and shallow. A deeper bath, allowing the bags to sit vertically, is a better choice.

    One advantage that crockpots do have is that their heaters are quite weak. The low wattage means that it is possible to switch them with the relay built into some 'temperature controllers' without frying the relay.

    However, relay control via a 'dumb' controller isn't going to give great control.

    Better to get a PID controller with autotune and SSR-controlling output, an SSR (Solid State Relay) to do the switching safely and without any fuss (and as frequently as you care to dial in - mine is 'on' for a variable proportion of a 2 second cycle), and ideally your PID will have the option of using a more accurate "PT100" probe, so that's the type you'd choose (do make sure its "fully immersible" - works under water!)

    For example, if you went to Auber, you'd likely end up with less cost* than the $90/95, dumber, less accurate, less stable (but simpler) controller suggested by the Gizmodo author. And you'd be able to switch more powerful heaters ... Or to avoid the assembly, go up from Gizmodo's $90/95 to $139 and get the $139 ready-built sous vide controller

    * $45 for the PID, $26 for the SSR & heat sink, $16 for the PT100 probe, making $87 total

    While the Gizmodo rig could work, you could do much better, either with better components for the same sort of price, or for the DIY-averse, even ready-made and in a nice case for not much more money.

    Sous Vide: Recipes, Techniques & Equipment (Part 8)

    in Cooking

    Posted

    . . . . .

    So my Sous vide magic is off by a crazy 15c. I am not the most tech savvy guy, any of you SVM guys know how to fix?

    Sounds like a sensor failure, so try another sensor. Some sensors survive submersion for years, a few fail after some time, as moisture creeping into the mantle-tube causes a short-circuit. Sensors may last longer if you take them out of the water when not in use.

    Sensor is the most likely failure. (And the cheapest part to replace.)

    Note that different vintages of SVM take different probes. Its VERY important to get the right one!

    If in ANY doubt, email them before ordering a spare.

    You should be able to do a "sanity check" on your kit by dialling in blood heat, say 100F or 37C, and once the bath is stable, test it with a clinical thermometer. You'd expect the bath to be somewhere within range ... :huh:

    Sous Vide Supreme and other home options: 2009-10

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted · Edited by dougal (log)

    'Blumenthal is currently working with a manufacturer on a

    sous-vide system for home cooks next year – vacuum sealer and bath will retail for less

    than £300, he says.' :smile:

    I'm liking that! Worth waiting for, I'm in no rush and have other things on my x-mas list :)

    Really?

    1/ Its vapourware. A rumour. (And when did Blumenthal do anything cheap or down-market?)

    2/ £300 is about US $450 as a straight conversion -- which is a Demi in the US today, while still leaving $150 (one third of the budget) to find the sealer ...

    3/ Did anyone say anything about a version for US electricity and with US regulatory approvals?

    You might wait a very long time.

    I've read posts on here about how Keller is going to bring out budget home sv equipment to accompany his forthcoming sv book 'Under Pressure'. By now, the book's been out for years, its not about home sv and there is still no sign whatsoever of the equipment...

    The more I think about it, the more that the $300 Demi looks like a game-changer.

    BTW, I note that John Lewis (UK retailer, link above) is now showing the SVS as "out of stock" ...

    And that the "matching" £99 vacpacker seems to lack the full manual control that makes sealing liquids and sauces so much simpler.

    Sous Vide Supreme and other home options: 2009-10

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    In the UK John Lewis now stocking the SVS for GBP349 compared to GBP499 at the SVS website. Big difference.

    I have also been looking for a decent vacuum sealer & came across the La.va machines. Are these ok? Do you have another suggestion?

    Interesting !!! :cool:

    Maybe I should be asking them about their plans for the Demi!

    Unless you NEED a heavy-duty production machine, you might be as happy as I am with the Foodsaver V2860 that I've enthused about previously on other threads.

    High-end previous year's model. Full manual control for liquids/sauces. (And auto for the easy stuff.) £108 inc next day UK delivery http://www.electricshopping.com/food-saver-v2860-vacuum-food-sealer.html There are a few other sources at around that price.

    Instacure #2, how much for small amount of meat?

    in Cooking

    Posted

    ... is it as simple as cutting the cure #2 in half, to 2 grams? ...

    The only difficulty is in accurately measuring such small amounts.

    A scale that weighs to ±1 gram is not really good enough to accurately weigh out 2 grams!

    However, a cheap 'pocket scale' (check eBay) weighing to a precision of 0.01 grams should be accurate to 0.1 grams, which should be plenty good enough.

    Absent that type of equipment, you'd be well advised to weigh out 4x the quantity (as best you can), and then divide it "by eye" in half (a surprisingly accurate technique) and in half again.

    Sous Vide -- What to do with leftovers?

    in Cooking

    Posted

    ... I sous vided a pork loin, but we only ate half of it. It sat out for about an hour while we ate, what happens to the rest... ?

    After its out of the bag, it should be just like any other cooked food. The same 'rules' apply.

    You might find it convenient to portion, vacpack, and optionally freeze. Reheating only to serving temperature (time is maximum-thickness-dependent but probably much less than an hour in the waterbath) gives you another meal with minimal fuss.

    It is when the food is still sealed in the bag after cooking, and you want to store it still seled in the same bag before eventually reheating (still in the original bag) immediately before service, that you should pay attention to fast chilling (as in a bath with only a little water but plenty ice), and also seriously cool storage, in order to maximise the safe storage life.

    This is the restaurant practice of making the actual cooking stage a part of the pre-prep.

    Sous Vide Supreme and other home options: 2009-10

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    I click on the link, it takes me to the UK site for the SVS. Not the baby but one that sells to you US based people for $450. The price? 600 UK Pounds. That's $US962. Here in Australia the price I've been quoted is $A950. ...

    Hmmmm. While the link for the Demi also redirects me to the UK site, the price is listed as £499, call it $750 US).

    Google did however find me a press release I could read to learn about the Demi.

    For now, it seems the Demi is US-only. I think that the-rest-of-the-world might actually be more, not less price-sensitive. A cheaper model would be much better for us.

    Personally, $300 (a real £200) would still seem expensive to me, but not as absurd as the SVS at £500. I'd definitely give it serious consideration ... But it ain't here, and it'll probably cost more when it gets here!

    If the Demi is 9 litres capacity vs 11 litres for the SVS, calling it "Demi" (half) is underselling it! Its 20% less capacity for 40% less cost ...

    I can understand the appeal of such an integrated appliance for those with severe space constraints or expensively 'styled' kitchens.

    But for practicality with economy (albeit at the expense of neatness and compactness), the roll-your-own-PID approach still rules.

    Though the gap is closing!

    Rice cookers get expensive in 'large' sizes.

    A "tea urn" (or water boiler) is a cheaper alternative. While its no use for cooking rice, it does have other uses, including canning - as well as serving gallons of hot drinks.

    Used tea urns can be very cheap. One can be fussy and seek out a model without an exposed heating element.

    I recently bought a 9 litre example at a car boot sale for just £3 (under US $5).

    Its the same capacity as the Demi ... and takes up significantly less space than my 27 litre urn.

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