Blether

350F doesn't sound outrageous to me - though it is too hot for a 5-hour cooking time. Did you braise covered or uncovered ? Did you replenish the liquid at all ?

Before I got a re-zero-ing electric scale, one efficiency I worked out for the breadmaker was to weigh out the right amount of flour many times from a 5kg bag, and have a stck of plastic bags for one loaf each. Just because of the trouble saved on weighing, never mind mixing. Otherwise, spice mixes of various kinds, like you, Chris. Most constantly, "mild curry powder" and garam masala, but I also "aromatic salt" that I made up for a recipe and barely use (it keeps forever, apparently, which might be long enough for me to get to playing with it a little).

An Edgepro, and a ceramic steel between sharpenings. I wrote up a simple spreadsheet with the angles I put on every knife so I can replicate without having to think or re-adjust every time.

Mmm. How do you cure your salmon ? I've cured (simple brine) & smoked my own, and I'm fascinated to hear about your approach and flavourings, if you don't mind

(re-posted to address copyright concerns) Oh yes, marmalade as an ingedient... microwave steamed pudding, copied from the BBC food web site where it was one of Nick Nairn's recipes, and something of s winter standby round here for being so easy, quick, warming & delicious: 55g/2oz self-[raising flour 55g/2oz unsalted butter 55g/2oz caster sugar 1 egg 2 tbsp marmalade extra butter / butter paper, for greasing - cream together butter & sugar; gradually work in the beaten egg (2 or three additions) till the mixture's smooth, then stir in the marmalade. I use a mixing bowl and fork and this all takes about 2 minutes - lightly fold in the flour - butter a 2-pint bowl and pour in the mixture - cover with wrap and microwave for 4 - 6 minutes (600W) - you can tell when it's done by sight and/or with a light press from your finger; it's a sponge pudding Ideally serve with something moist - some custard, cream, sauce made from more marmalade, or as you like. The sponge itself is rich & buttery. All credit to Nick Nairn, who continues in the same vein with similar creations that can be found in the same place (this particular combination with marmalade isn't online now) - look under 'Cakes & baking' for microwave sponge puddings. --- My preserves bible (Marguerite Patten's The Basic Basics: Jams, preserves, etc) says tangerine curd is very mild-flavoured and benefits from a little added lemon juice.

There's also tangerine curd, which like marmalade isn't just for spreading but makes a good base for cakes, sauces, and ice creams later. Off the top of my head, I think marmalade's a better base for drinks, but then again, I wonder...

Sliced apple. And figure out a way to serve coffee - Irish or otherwise.

I didn't use any cheese other than parmesan - for the top, I just grated some more over. Your topping sounds tasty. How was it ?

I've been known to make the occasional gratin. I wanted it to be a complete meal, so I put macaroni ('chiferi rigati' it said on the packet) in this one that I made yesterday: - with a fillet of fresh sea bass (about 1lb), cut up, four yari-ika (spear squid), sliced in fine rings, broccoli & cauliflower florets, and about half a pound of fresh parmesan, grated. Winter !

I didn't realise you were based in Hiroshima. There is a chain of oyster restaurants in Tokyo called 'Jackpot' - branches in Shinjuku and Shinagawa, amongst others. They have a good international selection, and a good pasta & pizza menu too, but the oysters aren't cheap at JPY400-JPY700 each. Supermarkets are your friend, and as I'm sure you know the best season for oysters is winter.

Twenty years in Japan, and lots of oyster eating (mostly in Tokyo), and that's my conclusion. De gustibus non est etc.. I would certainly only use Hiroshima oysters (whose flavour raw, here, I find tends to the muddy) in kaki fry. Back in the go-go 90's I sat in an oyster bar in SF and compared a half-dozen oysters, side by side, from 6 different places. Miyagi Bay and Prince Edward Island are the two that stick in my mind as having been the tastiest, even there.

You might find, like me, that more than 9 times out of 10 Miyagi oysters are better than the Hiroshima / western Japan ones.

I'd never heard of exploding baked, or baking, spuds. Mine go in the microwave with a piece of paper towel round them - might help if one of them does go off one day.

, and tourist attractions like Haus ten Bosch (sp ?). In Tokyo, are there things that interest Dutch people in the Yaesu area right next Tokyo station ? You probably know that it's named after Jan Joosten van Lodensteyn, who arrived in Japan with William Adams of Shogun fame. Hanami season - in Tokyo this is usually at its peak in early April and done by mid-April. That means it's also done by then in areas to the south and west - Kansai including Kyoto and Kobe, and of course Kyushu too. Except it's later in the mountains, and there it's later depending how high you go. Off-hand I can't tell you particular when & where's, but if you want to see the cherry blossoms, look into it, and think about going to Hokkaido early on if you're going there, and/or staying in the mountains in the middle of the country, within a few hours of Tokyo. For a single recommendation, contact Suimeikan in Shin-Hodaka for a wonderful onsen experience. Of course any inn will know best when the flowers are likely to be at their peak in the area. For me, the kaiseki-style meals at onsen inns are the tops in quintessential Japanese eating. visit mid-week for solitude (& negotiable pricing) or Fri/Sat to socialise. Suimeikan is at the "treat" end of the budget scale (USD120-160 ea for Dinner, stay & breakfast ?). For cheaper places, look for minshuku rather than ryokan - I can make some recommendations from experience, though. When it comes to food, all Minshuku are not equal. Chris is right on the money re. department store food halls, as a tourist attraction. Expensive as Prasantrin says, but you shouldn't find it hard to enjoy them even if you buy nothing (I tend to come away with some quality 7% salt honey-enhanced umeboshi - great as souvenirs as well as on-tour snacks). In Shinjuku, Isetan is my favourite, I like Takashimaya a lot too, and I won't turn up my nose at Mitsukoshi. I laughed and sat bemusedly at the thought you'll have trouble getting caffeine in Tokyo - to me, if there's one thing you can't avoid bumping in to when you turn round here, it's coffee shops: to expand on Pra's list, there are also Doutor, Pronto, Ginza Renoir, Excelsior Cafe, Segafreddo, Caffe Veloce, Becks, and on and on. And that's ignoring the impressive range in every convenience store (maybe the only things that outnumber the coffee joints), never mind the bloody drink vending machines that are everywhere, even at the super-rural bus stop you use for the Toshogu shrine at Nikko. Tsukiji, of course, and it's well covered in eGullet already. I second the thought of Hokkaido for seafood, and overall seafood is the gem in Japan's culinary crown, just as charcuterie is in France's, for me. I think you'll enjoy Andy's fish place in Yurakucho, Tokyo for really really excellent seafood in an English-friendly, lively informal setting. Wed, Fri or Sat for the most noise & life; the clientele is a mixture of local Japanese workers, a few foreign tourists (it's in the guide books these days) and the odd resident-foreigners-sports team on a bender. Oops, you said too soon for specifics. As Torakris will tell you, Japanese kids get an excellent education on the subject of eating & nutrition. Like people everywhere, the Japanese like to eat well. The difference maybe is that it's still such a prosperous country, which is maybe the driving factor behind its reputation for particularly demanding consumers. In the end, I don't think that you need to choose the places/areas you visit in order to eat good food cheaply. Japan's culture has been completely remade, since the war: this list of regional specialities still has some bearing, but if you take it with you, you'll find you're better informed than 90% of the locals under 40 years old. Choose your itinerary for the things you want to see & do, and then figure out the eating, I say.

The St Andrew Society of Yokohama and Tokyo is holding a Scottish Curry Night on Thursday January 20th, 7pm - 10pm. Details & Booking There is a full table-service Indian dinner menu (details behind the link above) and there will be whisky & mixers on the tables, and Walkers shortbread for after the meal. After dinner, we'll have an 'open mic' session for Scottish jokes, stories & more. This is our second event at the venue, and we were delighted with the quality of the food & service last time. Members, non-members and yay, even non-residents are welcome: I at least will be there. Please join us - anonymously of course if you prefer (book online via the above link, where you'll also find a direct e-maiol address for enquiries), or if you'd like to say hi, please PM me beforehand. There are 48 places, and it's first-come-first-served. The St Andrew Society is a volunteer-run NPO whose surpluses are passed to (other) charities. HOST'S NOTE: This is a member-organized event, not an official eGullet Society event. Please see here for the terms under which this event is listed in eG Forums.

Wikipedia notes that the plant withdraws tannins from the fruit once freezing weather hits.

I've found the most open, hole-y crumb comes from long proofing with no knock-back.

Sorry, a complete mis-type - I meant only to say "cold water".

Just soak in cold salt water. How long did you brine it (or did you dry-salt ?) and how over-salted is it ? Going the other way, I've found 1 hour in 80% brine (based on Keith Erlandson's book) to give a good level of salt.

Tomato soup (starter size) at Ceramic Kitchen, Cherngtalay, Phuket. Damn good and fine value - a lovely creamy body and nicely chunky texture that lets you taste individual elements - biting into wee lumps of black pepper was perfect.

Cut chicken breasts into tikka-size pieces, coat with a wash of mustard with egg or cream (heavy on the mustard), then seasoned-and-herbed breadcrumbs. Deep fry about two and a half minutes starting at 180C. They won't stay crisp, but with the mustard & herbs always prove very popular. Embarassingly I've being doing these for more than twenty years - the original recipe is Delia Smith's. I admire your filled puff pastry squares, Chufi, where you cut a strip around the edges, leaving two corners intact, and fold the two loose corners to the opposite ones, and fill like vol-au-vents. Haven't tried them yet: neither have I forgotten. Will you be making some of them ?

That looks great, Rico. Can you say a little more about the tartines ? It looks like the cheese is nicely melted, but the prosciutto naturally raw. How did you prep the asparagus ?

The first of the winter's spear squid / yari-ika: I bought these as part of a big shop last Friday, and put them straight into the freezer. They thawed on Monday and Tuesday in the fridge, but then I was too busy on Wednesday to prep them, and my plans for them had to change. I didn't want to serve them raw any more. I did make the stock I'd planned, from legs, heads and innards, and I adapted what I'd envisaged as squid tartare into squid stew. I marinaded the squid meat - sliced without originality into rings - overnight in salt, knife-minced garlic, mild pepper and chilli pepper, and the grated zest and juice of an unripe natsumikan from the building's tree. I took the strained stock from the fridge, reduced it to thicken a little, then added all the meat and marinade and brought just back to a boil to cook it through. The ink, I added by scissoring the ink sacs (visible on the cutting board in the photo above) in a small tea strainer, then dipping this into the stew in the pan and stirring with chopsticks to push the ink out. Exhilarating

As I read it, the breads on sale here are "with scallops; with prawns; curried".

Still in salmon season here - since the fishcakes I posted in breakfast, there's been salmon & veggies au gratin, and a salmon version of the Scottish soup Cullen Skink, with the fish blended into a milk base. I scored another side, skinned it, put some in the freezer, a piece in the fridge and cut up one serving into 3/8" pieces. For tonight's dinner, after mise en place I softened two anchovy fillets in 1/2oz of butter in a frypan, mashing them up with a wooden spoon as I went. I got the pasta into the boiling water, added some sliced leek to the butter/anchovy, stirred it round, seasoned with black pepper, lay on the chopped salmon to steam there and covered the pan with a lid. In the meantime I grated about 1/2oz of parmesan and beat it into an egg (discarding some of the thinner white) with a good grinding of black pepper. I tossed this with the pasta, carbonara-style, and then tossed in the contents of the frypan and a firm squeeze of lemon juice - in this time the salmon was just right, cooked but juicy. Fettucine with salmon, carbonara-style: