Prawncrackers
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Posts posted by Prawncrackers
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That looks lovely Kim but surely it's too rich to eat when you're sick! My wife has been ill all week and all she can manage is a mouthful of plain Jook (rice porridge) every so often. Can't imagine struggling through a crusty baguette and peeling shrimp when feeling poorly
Hope you are feeling better anywayEverybody's Dinners look wonderful this week, here are some of ours recently:
Steamed Scallops
Green Prawn & Aubergine Curry
And this morning i bought some spanking fresh lemon sole, unfortunately my wife still isn't up to eating much so i had to fillet and fry half of it with some fries for myself. My ode to Fish n' Chips:
My wife claims i was torturing her with the fries!
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Arbroath Smokie this morning, mmm i can still smell it:
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Giles Coren of The Times reviews it here. I read his column most weeks and i can't remember a much more vitriolic review than this one!!
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So generally the old tried and tested ways faired well in your experiment which is a good sign. The surprise being Vodka. I remember my uncle telling me he uses brandy for his crackling. I've never tried his but i too thought it would affect the taste.
As for your crackling lifting, I've noticed in these past few months that mine does that when i've over treated with soda. So i'm using less and less each time especially if i've got a good piece of pork to begin with.
It might be an obvious statement but I've found that the quality of the pork really affects the quality of the crackling. If you start with a flaccid wet piece of pork then you need to treat the skin more to get the desired affect. So here's another set of variables for your next set of experiments: different types of pork!!
If you can get them have a go with some rare-breed stuff like Tamworth or Old Spot pork. I've tried all sorts with some mixed results. The best results i've had are from a good butchers close-by that stocks just ordinary commercial British pork but i'm convinced it's the way they prepare and store their meat that makes it so good for Siu Yook. It always seems like it's been hung well, the meat is dark and firm, with a clear contrast between meat and fat and the skin is parchment dry.
Oh and Tepee, you've been holding out on this thread because that is some fantastic looking pork!!
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Fantastic experiment can't wait to see the results. It's shame you couldn't find your spikey implement as i think it gives a very different finish to scoring. Mind you it gives you an excuse to run another tasty experiment!
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I've eaten one of those Horseshoe crabs in HK years ago. If memory serves me right the only edible bit is the eggs that you scrape from under the shell. I don't remember it being particular good either but ate it anyway because it was bought for us. I love crabs but i've read somewhere that these creatures are closer to lice than crabs!
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7 minutes skin side and 3 minutes flesh sounds about right to me for med-rare, however you don't mention resting. I would always rest for at least ten minutes in a warm oven, maybe that's why it seemed so bloody the first time you took it out.
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Bone Marrow + Toast + Fleur de sel = Food Heaven
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Thanks guys this is all terrific information especially those links on deshelling them. So the general consensus is to cook them thin and fast. I don't think these abalone were still alive btw, at least they weren't moving when i poked them. Will the fast cooking for these still keep them tender? My first inclination was that a slow braise would be really good for them. Either way i'm now really looking forward to the next trip to the market.
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It is the recognition and interview part of the show that is the most irrelevant. Ingredient recognition, surely that should be the basic test before you step through the door. Then you have the interview:
What you would want to say as a contestant:
"I've been cooking forever and I love it. I think the food that I cook is delicious and want you to taste it. This is a cooking competition and I want your honest expert judgement of my food."
What you have say in order for Slaphead/Torode/Producers to put you through:
"This is a journey for me...
I dream about food…
it's an unbelievable experience being on Masterchef…
I want to take it to the next level….
I've learnt so much already…
I see this as a journey…
I want to share my passion with a wider audience…
There's so much more I have to offer…
If you put me through I promise I won't let you down…
I want to show what real Southern Madagascan cuisine is really like…
These really are the first steps on what for me will be a long journey in food…"
What is wrong with letting all 4 contestants cook anyway? Maybe it's a logistical issue, maybe they are physically unable to sample 12 dishes, 9 is the absolute limit. Maybe slaphead needs to take smaller shovelfuls of food, maybe..
Maybe I'll keep catching the odd show purely for the opportunity to shout at the telly!!
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Following on from my recent good form finding for me novel ingredients to cook with (sea urchin and woodcock last week), this morning I found some fresh abalone at the market. At £18.50/lb they were expensive but not extortionate and big, as I write this now they were as big as my computer mouse! Having the well-trained Chinese food buying instinct i was going to snaffle up four of the suckers but then I realised that I have no idea how to cook them. Dried Abalone is very popular in Cantonese cuisine and I have no doubt that I could find recipes for dried abalone. But I rarely recall seeing any for fresh abalone.
So, before I spend my hard earned cash on this delicacy. Does anyone have any tips or recipes for fresh abalone? Especially how one would go about preparing them i.e. how to extract them from the shell and how to clean them. Doesn't have to be an Asian preparation, in fact these abalone were from France; so a tasty French method would go with the terroir.
Thanking you folks in advance .
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Oooh moving from electric to gas, what is the first thing you’re going to cook with it? That’s a thread starter if there ever is one. Me, I would get that carbon steel wok as hot as it would go!!!
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David, can you believe that they have their own UK website http://www.pinkfirapple.co.uk/!! They are a low yield heirloom potato, not sure whether you have them over there but no doubt you will have something similar though. I parboiled them before halving and roasting. They crisp up beautifully and are so tasty.
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Long ago Abra made this comment about starting a "Recipes from the Dinner Thread" thread but it doesn't seem to have happened. I'm making the Swordfish Impanata for dinner tonight with a recipe from Chufi (I think) by way of Pontormo, or maybe the Italian Food threads............
Any interest in a dinner recipe thread?
I thought that was what the RecipeGullet was for!
The past couple of days have been really lucky in that I've stumbled across ingredients here in Brum that have i've never seen available before. Yesterday was Sea Urchin at the wholesale market (see the breakfast thread) and this morning it was Woodcock from the farmers market. Brilliant!
Roasted Woodcock, with a Beetroot salad, Roasted Pink Fir Apple Potato and a 'Pate' of it's innards (Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's good idea this one):
The taste of woodcock is fantastically delicately gamey. It was roasted with the innards still in the bird. Whilst the bird was resting, the still bloody innards were spooned into a small pan to cook through with some butter and a splash of marsala to make the pate - the end product was wonderfully rich and went very well with the sweet beets.
I really hope they are available again next time the farmers market is in town!
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Grachai is so wacky that I am tempted, but I can only get it frozen. It thaws to a sort of rubbery, mushy texture, and I am not sure whether that works.....
Damn! I bought some fresh grachai this week and didn't have the opportunity to use it so i froze it thinking it would be fine
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A couple of recent breakfast. First up was a classic Eggs Benedict last weekend:
This morning i went to the market to pick up some fresh scallops and i saw something which i thought i'd never see for sale here - Sea Urchin!! I couldn't resist, at 75pence each i bought a few. Deliciously fresh, with a milder flavour than uni i've had at sushi restaurant but still with that unmistakeably funky uni taste:
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Tonight was leftover roast duck from last night (see the Dinner! thread) and steamed scallops. I'm thinking about cooking for Chinese New Year too and these two dishes will definitely be on the menu. I really like presenting the scallops this way but just got to figure put how to steam a load more at one time...
What's everyone else planning to cook for CNY?
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Prawncrackers, I am willing to fly across the pond if you are willing to share any of the leftovers from those great looking dishes.
That plate of duck was the leftovers!!!
We'll be having that tonight along with some steamed scallops, hurry you have about 4 hours to get here.... -
You know thinking about it Kent, you don't even need a terrine mould. Just use a flat dish and cut the edges straight when you're ready to serve. Should work okay and be nice and neat if you arrange them in an interlocking fashion.
I think the nutritional content of pigs ear is somewhere between that of chicken feet and duck wings!!
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Here are a couple of dishes this week for all you meat lovers. First up was a Braised 'Teriyaki' Beef Short Ribs. First time cooking this cut of meat and i really like the possibilities (and cheapness). Great flavour and texture:
And tonight Cantonese Roast Duck (no explanation required!):
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I'm going to throw one into the mix here; is this the same as the french Bavette cut? I've been daydreaming about cooking this cut of beef at home ever since trying it at a restaurant. It was truly memorable, fibrous yet meltingly tender and very beefy. Doing a search on google brings some conflicting info. I kinda get the impression it's a small specialist french cut from somewhere around "hangar" or "skirt" region, can anyone shed any light? I would love tell my butcher (English) where to exactly find it on the carcass.
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Made Rye Sourdough and White sourdough earlier this week.
Ann, those loaves are perfect! My sourdough starter died on me a few months back, must get round to growing a fresh one. Gosh i miss baking bread at the weekend
Tonight, a yellowy Thai prawn curry and Matcha Cheesecake:
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Roast pigeon
Great photos Will, and anyway you sold me on this first picture - roast pigeon is one of my all time favourites. There's nothing wrong with sweet & pork btw either!
I love the way these threads have all been merged (knitted if you must), i can see it running for looong time. I'm popping back to HK in May for a few days and seeing all these photos and descriptions is making the wait almost unbearable!
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You should definitely cook them long, slow and low. Looks like the Metropole have used a terrine mould. In which case you need nothing more than flat object and a brick to press it down into the mould whilst it's chilling. The high gelatin in the ears should firm up quite nicely. That's a wonderful presentation. Mmm, slippery crunchy jellyfish too.
Small Apartment Kitchen Dwellers Unite!
in Food Traditions & Culture
Posted
I too am quite envious of your kitchen Potsticker, you've actually got a dedicated space for your panini grill!!!
Here is a pic of mine taken from the door. As you can see the only prep space is next to the stove. I do have a butcher block to the left that you can just see the corner of, needless to say it's normally covered with fruit/bread/etc. There' a microwave in the corner you can't see. In a strange way though i kinda like having a smaller space as it concentrates the mind more. It makes me a very organised and meticulous cook. I also like the way everything i need is only a step away