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Waterzoy

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Everything posted by Waterzoy

  1. I don't think anyone has mentioned Anna del Conte yet. She is Italian, from Milan, but has lived in the UK for many years (since the 1950s I think). Her books are very good. I have her 'Gastronomy of Italy' and 'The Food of Northern Italy'. Several of her books are no longer in print in the UK which is a great shame.....I'm thinking particularly of 'Entertaining all'Italiana' and ' Secrets from an Italian Kitchen'. A 'best of' collection was published in 2006 which included recipes from both these books.
  2. Gatwick Express, Battersea Power Station....maybe someone in London?
  3. rlibkind.....I haven't found malt syrup here but I have seen cane syrup. Would cane syrup be a good substitute? Rachel
  4. You make me think that maybe my bagels were in fact not bad at all and it's my expectations that might have been skewed by the supermarket bagels that I bought in London which was where we lived until recently. I'll be making them again soon anyway. Thanks for the recipe, Redsugar....much appreciated.
  5. I made bagels yesterday and although the taste and texture were fine, they were a bit on the heavy side. I am not an experienced baker so am not sure how to adjust what I did to lighten the dough a little. I used a KitchenAid to knead and left it going for about 10 minutes on a medium/low setting. After leaving the dough to rise for an hour on the dough setting of my oven (40 degrees C) the dough had a punch and then another quick knead before shaping, boiling and baking in the oven. Does anyone have any advice on what I might do differently. Did I over- or under-knead, leave it rising too long to for too little time or was the temperature wrong? Or might the problem be with my ingredients? I used 1kg bread flour, 500ml water, a little oil, yeast and a bit of salt and sugar. Or can anyone point me to where on the forum this may have already been covered? Thanks Rachel
  6. Kwak. The image below shows the shape of glass in which this beer is traditionally served...... a round- bottomed glass held in a 'stand'. I believe there are bars in Brussels that still serve this beer in the traditional way. edited to correct typos
  7. Where in Brussels (or surrounding areas) can I get bagels? Thanks.
  8. I picked up what I thought was regular milk in the supermarket and it was described as lait battu. It was in the same sort of bottle and right next to the milk. I realised my mistake when I had my first sip of coffee and it tasted awfully sweet. What is lait battu and what is it used for?
  9. I had a very strong Leffe....9°. It was very good.
  10. Milk floats in the UK have had the same "whoosh" sound for as long as I can remember.....at least 40 years.
  11. What about a Tarte Tatin? I have some apples that sound quite similar on a tree in the garden. They aren't so nice as eating apples but I didn't want them to go to waste. You need to use quite a few apples for a Tarte Tatin to make sure the dish is tightly packed with apple segments. The caramel at the bottom of the dish turned my quite dull apples into something very nice. I'm making one later on today while I still have some apples left.
  12. I lived in London until very recently. Our milk was delivered every morning to our doorstep. It came in glass bottles containing a pint each. We left the 'empties' out every night for the milkman to collect the following morning. They were used again by the dairy after being cleaned properly and presumably sterilised. Here in Brussels there is no doorstep delivery that I'm aware of. Milk is sold in the supermarkets and comes in litre quantities in recyclable plastic bottles. I miss the milk deliveries. I was often half awake when the milkman was doing his rounds and I liked the sound made as the bottles were put on the doorstep and also that of the milk float as it made its way up the street.
  13. If there's a distraction during a meal such as the TV then it's inevitable that children (and adults) will eat far more than they need to.....it's far easier to exercise portion control at the table. Also if the meal is eaten at the table, the adults supervising the meal can make sure children eat a nutritionally balanced meal because you can see exactly what's on their plate and what they are actually eating. I don't have any concerns with my children's eating habits. They are enthusiastic about food and I'm satisfied that their diet is good. I'm not sure what they actually weigh but I can see they are not overweight. They help with meals in small ways such as preparing the veg, laying the table, putting out the water jug, cutting the bread and that kind of thing. They are also involved every day in the decision about what the dinner will be that evening. Fast food has never been part of their lives. They get plenty of exercise as well which sharpens their appetites for a good meal and makes them far less inclined to snack between meals.
  14. I have just moved to Belgium. I'd be happy to think about doing one once I have found my feet here.
  15. Mine often come out of the oven with rounded tops - when this happens I slice off the tops with a sharp knife to make a flat surface for icing. edited to correct a typo
  16. At a formal business lunch where the majority of guests are French, who should be the first to start to eat after everyone has been served.....the host of the lunch or the most senior of the guests? Advice appreciated for next time, thanks. Edited to ask if this is even an issue?
  17. I'd be grateful for a restaurant recommendation, please, somewhere within an easy walk of the St James's/Mayfair area in London. I'm asking on behalf of someone else who had Mirabelle in mind for a celebratory lunch. I have lost track of how Mirabelle is doing these days. Does anyone have any recent experience or any alternatives to suggest? Thanks. Rachel
  18. Waterzoy

    Backstrap....

    I have an Australian recipe which calls for backstrap of lamb. I am in the UK and I don't know what part of lamb the backstrap is. It looks like quite a lean piece. If anyone knows what this cut is known as in the UK then please let me know. Alternatively, if anyone can let me know which part of the lamb the backstrap comes from then I could probably work it out for myself. I'll post this in the Aus/NZ forum as well. Thanks.
  19. Waterzoy

    Freezing Wine

    I freeze left-over wine frequently for cooking so that I don't have to open a bottle to cook with if I'm not planning to drink the rest. The taste is fine (ie, of the finished dish) and I filter it to get rid of the sediment.
  20. Waterzoy

    Dinner! 2007

    We had sea bass cooked with tomatoes, white wine, rosemary and anchovies on a layer of potatoes. It was excellent......cooked and photographed by my husband.
  21. The link took me to a list of several pasta dishes....was this what you meant? If so, I must say that I have never had any success freezing pasta. The sauce part of the dish isn't an issue but the texture of the pasta component goes soft and mushy and it's never as good as the times you cook it as it's required.
  22. I have what I think is fresh garlic. The outer skin is not dry. The stem is green-ish and I can feel the cloves are quite tightly bound in the bulb. It smells quite strong. Would you use this fresh garlic the same way as you would use the type of garlic I can usually get which has a dry, papery skin and cloves that separate easily? Does it taste stronger than the usual stuff? Is there anything in particular I should make that fresh garlic would be really well suited to? Thanks.
  23. Thanks for these responses. We move at the end of July and I'm looking forward to checking out all these recommendations.
  24. I've just poached a duck (for roasting later) in a liquid made up of chicken stock, soy sauce, chinese wine, a bit of honey and star anise. My recipe says that after cooling and de-greasing the poaching liquid can be frozen and used again. How many times is it safe to cook, freeze and re-use this liquid? Also, a lot of fat has risen to the top. What can I use this fat for given that it has risen from such a strongly flavoured liquid? Thanks. (edited to correct spelling)
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