lesliec

Could be worse - my wife once referred to 'odourarm deunderant'! Anyway, back to kitchens ...

A 'bench' on this side of the world is what you call a 'counter', if various Food Network shows are any guide. Another linguistic quirk is that what the shows indicate you call a 'backsplash' we call a 'splashback'. It's a funny old world. Oh yeah - we use funny things called grams, too, and scales ...

The recipe for carbonated mojito spheres listed in the Khymos recipe collection doesn't mention any special technique to finish; the procedure seems to be that you simply load the spheres into the whipper, charge it (with CO2, NOT nitrous!), wait several hours then 'un-charge' it. Ah - on re-reading your question, I think I see more clearly what you're saying. No, don't blast the spheres out the nozzle, which would definitely upset them. I believe you'll have to release the pressure by wrestling the top off the vessel. Carefully. I spotted the recipe myself just last weekend and thought I'd have to try it. Probably not with a mojito, though - not keen on tequila.

How about this variation, which opens up your living area still further (my changes not necessarily to scale)? Bearing in mind my previously-expressed aversion to corners, this is a simple rectangular island as far as the kitchen is concerned. The triangular bits on each end could be left as open shelves for special plates, glasses or whatever (the one by the ex-fireplace would of course open to the living/dining area, not the kitchen itself). Also consider the possibility of the island being different heights on the kitchen and dining room sides - rather than stools, you could have that side of the island lower to accommodate normal chairs for casual dining. Our current (two year old) kitchen also has the pantry on the opposite side of an island to the main work area. This seemed a little impractical in theory, but in practice it's fine - we go to the pantry, find what we're going to need for whatever we're about to do and pile it on the island, then go back round to the other side to work with it. Looks like your distances are greater than ours, but it should still be workable. I'd support the idea of putting the stove where the fireplace was, simply because you've got a readymade hole going up to the roof already. But have you considered having the stove and sink side by side on the outside wall, leaving a vast, undisturbed wilderness of bench space against the bathroom wall? Bench space is good !! Looks like you could even extend another couple of feet along the outside wall without obstructing the entrance/stairs. You know what? I think you're getting close to a decent kitchen here!

Hi Harky. Yep, it's my understanding that's exactly what they are. To quote from the Hobbychef site (translation courtesy of Google): Selected from the finest natural ingredients to which water has been completely removed, while maintaining its flavor, aroma and color originals. They are vacuum-packed products, without any preservatives to enjoy all the quality and nutritional value. I've tasted the 'real' lyo-sabores and they're very good, but I can't see why other freeze-dried or otherwise dehydrated fruit shouldn't work for you. Good luck, Leslie

Hi all. It's not true to say NO rice ages well. Sometime over the past year I learned of an Indian (as in the subcontinent) ingredient called 'vintage rice'. I asked an Indian guy I was working with about it and he confirmed it's what it sounds like - rice which has been kept to mature. He said when he was young his parents would always buy bags of rice well before they were needed, so they could get (if I remember correctly) 12-18 months of age on them. Never tasted it, but I'm willing ...

Brains, apricot, cabbage.

Hi Gayle. Welcome to eG. I'm jealous - a big space to put a kitchen in! Only one piece of advice for you: if at all possible, get a professional kitchen designer to have a look at your space and advise you on possibilities. He/she will (or should!) ask you about your style of cooking and what you want to achieve, but most importantly in our experience, they're likely to come up with things you'd never thought of. Example: our designer created one set of cupboard doors with a larger toe-kick below them so we could still use the cupboards while the cats were having breakfast/dinner in front of them! You may just be able to pay them for the design, rather than getting them to arrange the whole job, if that's what you prefer. And if you're getting one designer to have a look, get several - we went with (I think) the fifth design we saw, from the last designer we talked to. OK, two pieces of advice: avoid corner cupboard spaces if you possibly can. They're really annoying to use effectively. Arggh! Three pieces ... without being silly about your finances, get the absolutely best quality stuff you can afford (granite benchtop, soft-close drawers, etc.). Because if you don't, you're probably going to wish you had. Good luck with your project. Bye, Leslie

Jaymes, behave. We will have no trifling with my pudding, lest we make fools of ourselves. No, no plums (although according to Abigail's definition above, there are). Attention, one and all: if you turn your attention here, you will find the recipe in all its glory. I'm sure you'll enjoy it. It's a little time-consuming but not particularly difficult, and if you have leftovers I'm happy to take them off your hands. It may seem early but ... Merry Christmas, everybody!

This is based on a recipe published in New Zealand House & Garden in (probably) about 1999-2000. The author was Annett Kesler. 'My' version follows hers closely, except I'm not as prescriptive about the quantity of figs and ginger as she was. I also tend to use rum where her recipe specified brandy (I've used both on different occasions - they both taste great). This is a twice-a-year thing for me - I do it for 'real' Christmas, which happens in summer for us (there are those who claim not to like hot things like this in summer. They have clearly never tasted it) and again around June/July for midwinter Christmas. I haven't made it other than at those times but really, why shouldn't I? The recipe serves 8-10 people, if you can restrain them. Make it well ahead of time so the flavours develop, and reward yourself by taking a deep sniff any time you open it to add more rum or brandy.  125g each currants, raisins, sultanas, candied peel, glace cherries and slivered almonds  4 (or more) dried figs, finely chopped  2 large pieces preserved ginger, finely chopped (or more, if you like)  1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped  Half a carrot, peeled and grated  Zest of one large orange and one lemon  125g butter, cut into small pieces  125g all-purpose flour (not self-raising)  2 teaspoons baking powder  Crumbs of 2 slices white toast bread, crusts removed  125g brown sugar  1 teaspoon mixed spice  Half teaspoon each ground nutmeg and ground cinnamon  3 eggs  1 tablespoon marmalade  4 tablespoons dark ale or stout (eg Guinness)  2 tablespoons brandy or dark rum  Juice of one large orange and half a lemon 1. Place the currants, raisins, sultanas, peel, cherries, almonds, figs, ginger, apple, carrot, orange and lemon zests and butter in a large bowl. Mix well, then stir in the flour, baking powder, breadcrumbs, brown sugar and spices 2. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs until frothy. Stir in the marmalade, ale, brandy and orange and lemon juices. Pour the mixture over the fruit and mix thoroughly until well blended (the original recipe says ‘with a wooden spoon ‘ but I see no reason you shouldn’t use an electric mixer if you have one). Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and leave it overnight 3. The next morning, stir the mixture again before spooning into a generously-buttered 8-cup pudding bowl/steamer. Fill three-quarters full, pressing the mixture down to avoid air holes 4. Butter a sheet of baking or greaseproof paper and place, buttered side down, over the bowl to cover the top completely. Tie down tightly with cotton string under the rim. Trim off the edges of the paper. Cover the top with a double thickness of foil and secure this with string as well 5. Steam in a large, heavy saucepan filled with fast-boiling water, enough to reach halfway up the side of the bowl. Cover the pan with a well-fitting lid. Keep the water gently but steadily boiling for the entire cooking time, adding more boiling water if necessary. Steam for eight hours 6. Lift the bowl out of the water and leave to cool. Remove the wrappings and re-cover with fresh foil. Store for at least three weeks before serving. Every few days, make holes in the pudding with a metal skewer and dose liberally with more brandy or rum 7. On the day of serving, place the bowl in a pan with sufficient boiling water to come half to three-quarters of the way up the side. Cover, reduce the heat to low and steam for a further two hours 8. To serve, loosen the pudding around the edges with a thin-bladed knife. Place a warmed serving plate on top of the bowl and, holding the two firmly together, invert the bowl. Top the pudding with holly and serve with brandy butter, custard, cream, vanilla ice cream or whatever you like

Hi Linda. Yep, very happy to share. It might take me a day or two (I don't think I've got an electronic version, so I'll need to transcribe), but I'll put it in RecipeGullet and let you know when it's there. In the meantime, start accumulating figs, marmalade, brandy, dark ale, sultanas, ginger, currants, carrots, raisins, ...

Thanks, Darienne. It's a good start - prunes (= plums) added at the time of Elizabeth I. Have a great weekend, Leslie

Just been to the pub for my traditional Friday lunch (cider and chips, since you ask). As is my custom around this time of year, I scrounged some Guinness for my Christmas pud, which I will put together in the next week or so. A question arises: the recipe I have is for Traditional Plum Pudding, and it's a stunning mix of sultanas, raisins, currants, ginger, figs, carrot, apple - everything, in short, bar plums. I don't believe I've ever seen a Christmas pudding recipe which included plums, but Plum Pudding is a common term for such items. So ... why plums? I surmise there is probably an answer from the mists of time, when plums were indeed included (just as mince pies were formerly made with meat along with various dried fruits and spices). Has any eGulleter got anything reliable on this, to satisfy my curiosity and that of my Friday lunch companions? Yours festively, Leslie

Nayan - I'm stunned! Didn't find that one in my searches, and I did try searching in Spanish too! That certainly sounds like them. Now I'll have to find some mannitol. Or maybe Isomalt would work? Then there's the moulds ... Many thanks. I'll give them a try. Bye, Leslie

Hi all. One of the 'smiliest' moments of our meal at El Bulli earlier this year was the 'cacuhuetes mimeticos', mimetic peanuts - look like a whole, unshelled peanut, thin crispy outside, ultimate peanut butter 'explosion' inside. Although many of El Bulli's recipes are published, Google can only show me lots of people who have had them, not a recipe. Will I have to wait a year or two until the next book comes out, or has anybody here got any ideas about how these marvellous little beasties are made? Any suggestions welcome - I'm busting to have a go. Thanks, Leslie

They've got to New Zealand, too - at least in my kitchen. It does make a difference. A week or so ago I did 'normal' double-cooked chips as I didn't have time for the 'boil first' bit. They were pretty good but didn't stay crunchy as long as the triples.

I've tried Heston's chicken technique. The end result tasted great, but my main problem was browning the skin at the end - it stuck to the pan (good seasoned cast iron, which NOTHING sticks to normally) and, of course, was then no longer attached to its owner. I've tried the same recipe on a turkey, using the oven to do the browning at the end, but I think I left it a little long and it turned out drier than I think it should have. OliverB might be on the right track with the blowtorch. Must try that (since my Mum bought me a new one for my birthday recently. Thanks, Mum). Happy searing, Leslie

Kouign, the 'lamb fries' you had in New Zealand was probably lamb's fry, which is just liver. Why it's called lamb's fry is obscure - maybe because it comes from a lamb and you fry it. Not one of my favourites, at least prepared like that ... bit rubbery. On my 'exotic' list - flying fox/fruit bat in Vanuatu. Not a very distinctive taste, although not unpleasant, with very unusual bones. And deep-fried rabbit ears this year at El Bulli. They were nice - very crunchy, taste not unlike light pork crackling. Anybody want to contribute to my Fund for Deaf Rabbits? Bye, Leslie

The seven-hour lamb recipe I use is based (supposedly) on Heston Blumental's. It's very similar in ingredients to the one David describes, but the biggest difference is the cooking temperature. It's essential to start with a good browning, as David did. I then quickly cook some chopped-up onion and carrot, then put the meat in on top with 300ml of water, a halved, unpeeled head of garlic and a big bunch of thyme, then into the oven. I don't speak Fahrenheit any more, but with a little help from Excel's =CONVERT function I see David's 275 degrees is 135 Celsius, which is just about twice as hot as I do mine! I use a big cast-iron casserole which stays covered for the whole cooking time; I'll baste the meat several times when I remember but certainly not every 30 minutes, as the recipe specifies - no problems with drying out. And the 'seven hours' should be regarded as a minimum - I've had one go as long as 10 without a problem. At some stage during the cooking time I'll reduce 300ml of wine (white is fine - no shortage of flavour when you do this to it) down to around 50ml, burning off the alcohol (mind your fingers!) when it first starts to boil. Just before serving I take the meat out, keep it covered and strain the cooking liquid into the reduced wine (squeeze the juice out of the vegetables too), then reduce this liquid still further to serve over the meat. Fantastic stuff. But probably my favourite 'low and slow' is Heston's (again) 24-hour steak. Get the best bit of steak you can find (I use rib, still on the bone) and blast it all over with a blowtorch to annoy any bugs. Then into the oven at 50 degrees C (say 120 F) for - you guessed it - 24 hours. Over this time (you don't have to do anything to it, just wait and make sure the temperature doesn't stray too high) the meat develops a leathery crust - like beef jerky, maybe - which imparts a very 'meaty' flavour to the rest of the meat. After the 24 hours, take the meat out (here's a bonus of ultra-low cooking - you won't need oven gloves!), cut off the dried outside bits, take it off the bone and slice it into serving pieces. The slices then need to be quickly browned in a hot pan. VERY quickly - you'll be surprised how little time it takes to brown them. If you like your steak to fall apart as soon as you think about picking up a knife, this is the way to do it. I'll be doing another one of these next weekend and I'm salivating already ... Have fun, Leslie

A specific recipe, maybe from a TV show? Google. (Most recently, James Sommerin's pea ravioli from Great British Menu, just to check exactly how he got the melting-pea effect.) An experience - history, tips and recipes I wasn't specifically looking for but will like the look of anyway? Get the book. (Currently reading Jane Webster's At My French Table, about an Australian family's move to Normandy to open a cooking school. Lovely stuff.) Sometimes I'll buy a book because I've had good results from one recipe and want to try more (Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day - got the base recipe from the NY Times via eGullet). Other times, a book will call to me from a shop and for whatever reason - pretty pictures or great-sounding recipes ... or both - I'll take it home. I'm a bit swamped right now, having been doing quite a bit of buying over the last few months! So I'm going to sit firmly on the fence (as long as it's not barbed wire) - there's plenty of room for both Web-sourced recipes and traditional books. And long may they both continue. Bye, Leslie

Hi Brian. Heavy rain warning back here in NZ - you may want to stay away! I can't remember if they have chefs' whites, etc., but they do have great toys: Sole Graells calle Príncep Jordi nº 2-8 (not far from Plaza Espanya) They make the Texturas chemicals for el Bulli. Nice, helpful people but no English spoken. Enjoy the rest of your trip. Bye, Leslie

Thanks for your thoughts, Avery. I'm not sure I've ever seen Pisco here, let alone bought any, but I'll look out for it. However, I think I'm getting close to perfection with a version I did this last weekend. Top (foamy) layer pretty much as described earlier. However, this time I heated the Bombay, St Germain and tonic in a saucepan rather than in the microwave - much better control, since I could drape my favourite thermometer over the edge. Heat to around 65 C, then pour into the Thermowhip. Bottom layer: twice as much gin as StG (and I used an 'ordinary' gin, not Bombay Sapphire), plus a small slop of a lemon cordial my wife makes (very lemony but not sour) - about half as much of this as of StG. Pour over ice then into the freezer until ready (maybe half an hour this time, but I don't think it's critical). Result was a definite contrast between both taste and temperature. I'm happy with this one ... Bye, Leslie

Mattsea - Stephanie's book is certainly here, but I can't comment on its popularity. If I remember, I'll ask a foodie bookshop person I'm seeing on Sunday at our market and report back. Bye, Leslie

Thanks, Brian. I'd certainly be keen for a shared buy. Even half is probably a little excessive, but a quarter sounds good if we can find two others. Who's in? While we're at it - I'd also like to play with the El Bulli Texturas product Trisol, which helps make startlingly crunchy batter for fish and whatever. It comes in 4kg buckets for $125 (from souschef.co.nz). Any takers for half of one of those? Yours stickily, Leslie

Hi all. There are more sophisticated books, but the one recipe book to be found in almost all New Zealand kitchens is Edmonds Cookery Book (there never seems to be an apostrophe in 'Edmonds' - don't ask me why). It was originally produced to promote Mr Edmonds' baking powder, which he first sold in 1879. The book's been going since 1908 and reputedly sells some 200,000 a year, making it our biggest selling book. There's short article in Wikipedia, a bit more history here and even a cut-down virtual version (which works quite well) here. Environmentalists should not take the 'cooking with kiwis' line too literally ... I recommend the rock cakes, but double the recipe and make them MUCH bigger than recommended. Also sprinkle a little white sugar on top before they go into the oven. Hungry now ... Bye, Leslie