Vanessa

Bernard Loiseau v

Circeplum, it is very nice to know that you are here. I look forward to reading you every week. v

Simon really, (or is it Fergus), it's in July, silly! v

Wilfrid - I already knew about the jigger, and had to check about the pony. I've just checked 2 more sources and come up with the same answer. I have to say that my imperial (US) double-ended measure fits in with this - 1oz at one end, 11/2oz at the other. By the way, is it the Savoy Cocktail Book you are looking at? v

A jigger is 11/2fl oz, a pony 1fl oz v

However, her Roquforte blew my Lanark Blue out of the water. p.s. Bought my wine in Harvey Nicks, if you are interested in trying it.

Oraklet - not at all. I have had my block for over a year now. The plastic is very tough and thick - impossible to be damaged by the knives. I have 8 or 9 knives in my holder and it appears nearly empty. There is plenty enough room for more than double what I have. It is also easily tall enough to hold my longest knive, which I am sure is 12" (I am not at home right now). Edit: but, as mentioned before, I have the upright model, not the slanted one as in the MOMA picture, which seems much less practical. v

'JOSEPH RIESLING-TRAMINER SOUTH AUSTRALIA LA MAGIA, 1998' - that sounded interesting - did it turn out less so? I've never thought much about specific cheese/wine combinations but could be motivated to do so. Could you (and any others) be interested in a similar event when you are in London some time, making use of lessons learnt at this tasting and (subjectively speaking) without the competitive element? Don't know how you combine it with Bellinis though. By the way, not very a propos, I was involved in some rather detailed sampling of British & Irish cheeses a couple of years ago. The list of best cheeses we came up with at the time still lurks in my filofax: Mine Gubhar Flower Marie Wigmore Wellington Finn Ragstone Durrus Montgomery Cheddar Little Ryding Colston Bassett Stilton Gorwydd Cheshire Smarts Single Gloucester Stinking Bishop Mrs Bell's Blue Ardrahan Skirrid (?) (don't know what the ? means) Martell's Gloucester Brecon Blue Cilowen Burland Green John Bourne blue Cheshire Rustic Sharpham v

I had a strangely good experience at The Chequers in Woolsthorpe near Grantham recently - still can't quite believe it. Interesting setting in the shadow of Belvoir Castle. v

I just counted the slots in my Eva Solo knife holder: 44. But I don't think you could fit 44 in, physically. 20 would certainly be fine. I only have 8. The price sounds about right - bloody ridiculous considering it is only a square of aluminium with some plastic inserts. I guess you are paying for the idea, which is pretty clever. Eva Solo products are pretty easily available in shops in London, but it is worth shopping around as prices vary. v

I have a ludicrously expensive knife 'block', bought in a fit of insanity, which has turned out to be worth its weight in gold. It is from a Danish designer, brand name Eva Solo here it is. A metal outer case (aluminium?) like a rectangular box with no top and bottom, houses a removable concertina-like plastic insert into which the knives slide. Mine is plain box-shaped, so the knives stand vertically and the blades don't rest on the plastic. They also do a slanted version, shaped more like a conventional knife block, which I dislike - it takes up too much space on the counter and then the blades are resting on the plastic insert. There is room for umpteen knives - far more than a normal block, I keep it on the sink drainer so that wet knives drain straight through. When I take the plastic inserts out to clean, impossible with a normal block, I usually find that they are clean anyway. They don't seem to get gungey like wood does. v

Amer Picon is equally unavailable in the UK. I spent many years looking for it, then discovered it in Lille, in Northern France, where it is as common as muck. They drink it with beer. I love AP, and also quite a similar Italian product - Ramazotti. A good maraschino like Luxardo is definitely worth the search. The flavour is difficult to explain, it is so perfumed and multi-layered. Just a teaspoonful will do wonders for a cocktail - I wouldn't want to drink it on its own. A really good slivovica will have similar flavours, without the sweetness. Not surprising really as maraschino has Dalmatian origins. I've also never seen DeGroff or Harrington's books in the UK . Alright, I could buy them on the Internet but would like to see them first. v

Hey B'dog, I was about to write all kinds of nice things about you.... v

Sitting next to me. Afraid I'm never going to let you forget it v

Sez the guy who salts his food before tasting it! v

Macrosan - Le Gavroche and GR? You obviously believe in living frugally this week. I would be interested to know whether your GR visit, which I am presuming to be on a higher gastronomic level than Le Gavroche, has influenced your previous assessment of Le Gavroche. v

I only use unsalted, which has a shorter shelf life than salted. My consumption of butter is erratic, depending on the type of cooking I'm into or mood, so I always keep stocks in the freezer. Butter kept for long in the fridge acquires off flavours. For example, I'm doing a lot of Asian cooking at the moment and hardly touching the stuff. I've never noticed freezer burn and I don't wrap it up more, yet am quite picky about the taste of butter. Maybe it depends where you keep it. Butter certainly does better in the freezer than most other items.

v

I am not a great chocolate eater and had not paid too much attention to this thread. My conversion to the gospel of Marcolini came recently, in quite a different way. I was invited to a dinner related to the promotion of a book on chocolate by a London 'competitor'. The evening was very interesting and enjoyable, but the food, at Mju, did not live up to the billing in my view and seemed untypical of the style of the chef. Afterwards it transpired that the recipes were all from the chocolate lady, not the chef's. It showed. One of the dinner guests was the co-owner of the Marcolini shop, Deborah. She impressed me throughout the evening with her restraint in the face of what, to me, was an evening of not very good quality chocolate. She said not a word, but every now and then I caught a glimpse of well-mannered pain in her eyes. So, the next day, I just had to go to Marcolini's. And I am unlikely ever to buy chocolates elsewhere unless the level of quality decreases or the shop (God forbid) goes out of business. OK, they cost a bomb in relative terms, so this is how I rationalise it: a Marcolini chocolate is not inferior, in sensory terms, to a glass of wine. Look how much we pay for a glass of wine in this country compared to 60p for a Marcolini chocolate. I prefer them to Artisan du Chocolat, which I find a little austere and lacking in variety. AdC chocolates are probably more suited for after a long, high quality dinner. But for sheer sensory hedonism and perfectionism Marcolini is the winner. He understands the importance of texture as much as taste. Service in the shop is exceptional and they are very generous with samples and extra bits of this and that to ease the pain. Finally, it was the only thing I could think of that I could be certain that Basildog couldn't get in Padstow, and that was a worthy monument to 7 years of Margot's. v

No worries - if Kiku lets you down, I have some. (If he doesn't snaffle it off me as well). v

I'll consider him after due inspection tomorrow v

I regularly use the hand masher - when I'm in the mood for not minding the odd lump. Or, more recently, I have taken to just mashing very lightly with a fork, and leaving the skins on (thin-skinned potatos). Some people call them crushed potatoes.

Like, stews v

What Miss J said. v

Kiku - I find your insanity deeply admirable v