ChrisTaylor

Er, what about that Ferran Adria family meal book? Here, open a packet of potato crisps/tub of icecream/etc.

After an excursion in which several of my students almost fell down a wombat hole and/or squashed a pile of wombat shit in excitement: Cooper's Sparkling Ale while in the shower. Shower beers are probably even better in the northern hemisphere summer.

Yeah, given what I paid--what everyone pays--for these ingredients I won't bin them when xx/xx/2014 rolls around.

Couple of years, I think. I say this because in mid-2012ish I purchased a box full of modernist additives and most of them expire mid-2014ish. Could be what I bought was sitting on a shelf for a while and was actually packaged before 2012, though.

The crust on that fish looks magnificent.

It's too sticky.

This. Hugely versatile, too. Of course, so are short ribs. I tend not to marinate my short ribs, despite starting (like most people, I guess) with David Chang's recipe in the Momofuku cookbook. But short ribs cooked nude can be worked into numerous applications. I've become fond of cranking the heat on my smoker and parking them in there for 20 minutes (starting with a chilled piece of meat, of course). Consider also leg of lamb and pork belly. There's also something to be said for fatty fish such as salmon, given the cook time is under the full hour and therefore doable on a weeknight.

77C for 5 hours.

I am currently sampling a Harviestoun Ola Dubh. There's a whole lot of marketing bullshittle to go with this but, in short, it is an 'ale matured in whisky casks'. Highland Park to be specific. It's quite pleasant. A real dark chocolate quality to it. I normally don't enjoy beers like this but after three Junipero-based G&Ts pretty much anything is rad.

I take it you want to know how long it takes before a sliced onion starts to deterioate. Are you vac sealing it? Storing it under cling film? Parking it in the fridge? Leaving it out, sans cling film, in a warm room?

I ask the fishmonger to clean the tentacles. These are bagged with some olive oil and spices and cooked at 77C for 5 hours. The outer layer of the tentacles then pretty much falls away and you're left with a 'core' of meat which can be seared, etc.

What will truly sell you on the sous vide game is octopus. Once cooked and seared it can be eaten as is or mixed with a simple tomato sauce and pasta.

Let your hate flow through you. Give in to the dark side. It is the only way. Nice burger.

This. Consider catered events you've attended before. How when word gets around that <item x> is good, everyone wants one. It sucks if there's only enough for half of the group, right? I don't know for sure but I'm guessing Lisa and others, if there are 80 guests, would serve at least 80 portions of each item. 3 * 80 > 6 * 40, in this case. I suspect it's far easier, too, to make 80 portions of one thing than 40 portions each of two things. You can get into the machine-like rhythym of banging out the same thing again and again and again without change.

Bush tomato is a nightshade but, according to Wikipedia, maybe more closely related to aubergine than tomato. Booze jacked with eggplant is probably scarier than booze jacked with tomato, though.

I think I like it. I've yet to try it in other contexts: I'll get around to a Last Word and maybe even a Martini, even tho' I've yet to develop any taste for them. It was essentially a blind buy. The store didn't have a sample taster avaliable any more but I was able to try their London Dry-style gin, The Sabre. I enjoyed it enough to take a risk with The Cutlass. 'The West Winds Cutlass is bolstered by an increase in ABV to 50% to take its place amongst the new worldstyles that continue to emerge. Handcrafted, small batch is the key to its delicacy. The introduction of Australian bush tomato pairs up with an increase in coriander seed to produce a headstrong but beautifully aromatic and altogether drinkable gin. For the seasoned gin drinker serve with lots of ice, a splash of premium tonic and a slither of green capsicum.' This is from the West Winds website. The salesman told me there was some lemon myrtle in there and, given the pepperiness of this and The Sabre, I expect there's some native pepperberry too. As you can see, I garnished my G&T with lime. I guess I'll have to pick up some capsicum--or maybe a jalapeno--tomorrow.

A gin and tonic to test a new acquisition: The gin is made in Western Australia and is made with various native spices.

I went out for a bottle of plonk--ideally a small one--and some cognac to replace my vanquished X.O. I came back with The gin, a local (well, local-ish--in the same sense something from Austin, Texas is a 'local' product for someone from New York), won out over a number of options presented to me: two of Tanqueray's expressions (Rangpur and Malacca), a couple of other artisanal gins and some genever. The cognac is the V.S. version of one I'd had in X.O. form before. The cider and perry are local (in the technically correct sense of the word). The kummel is essentially a blind buy: I've only had kummel in an overpriced cocktail and liked the flavour profile enough to want to try the one or two kummel-based cocktails in beta cocktails. The wine is actually what I set out to buy.

Won't the cucumber and carrot oxidise some?

How well does the Mac and Cheese keep? I mean, I plan on boiling the pasta and stirring in the sauce at the last minute but that's not to say everyone will eat at the same time. Do people keep leftovers of this or do you do what I've done in the past: that is, cook the pasta to order and stir the cheese sauce in when it's done?

Also. Fried food. You're not going to turn out fried items for 80 people in a domestic kitchen. I've cooked for ~20 people enough to not be overly phased by it and even then, with a quarter of the numbers you're thinking about, I would not deep fry anything. Numerous problems present themselves, even before accepting that things will get soggy (you could deal with that, to some extent, by using Trisol in your batter). It's too hands on at the last minute. Unlike the pastry shells or other things you might be making in advance, breaking deadline here means people are waiting for food or you're fucking around in the kitchen--a domestic kitchen, no less--while everyone else is having a good time. This is the same time period in which, presumably, you're finishing off other canapes. I'd listen very closely to people like Lisa that do this kind of thing on a day-to-day basis. From catering to smaller groups I've learned: If it's meant to be hot this could be a problem. This is a vote in favour of things like quiche and another vote against deep-fried anything. Small portions of anything will cool quickly. Some things (i.e. a lot of deep-fried foodstuffs) are unpleasant when lukewarm. There's also a food safety issue. Widespread food poisoning isn't a wedding gift anyone wants. If there's a 'set' dining time, like you'd have a dinner party, the issue of small portions cooling rapidly isn't a big deal. The events I've done are generally more casual, however. People might eat some time after the food has been served. Things get cold!You want as much as humanely possible--and again, this is a point against deep-fried anything and maybe even salad atop a cracker-type thing (both of which will get soggy when exposed to dressing for more than a few minutes)--out of the way before guests arrive. In those last few minutes you do not want to be losing your shit. You know how the industry types around here and guys like Bourdain talk about being 'in the weeds'? Catering to a crowd larger than you've (presumably) catered for before in a domestic kitchen with lots of people in the goddamn way (this is bound to happen, given the nature of the event) is not a time to be cooking at the last minute. Last minute assembly should be kept to a bare minimum. In fact, if you can get away with basically no last minute assembly--aside from maybe taking stuff from the fridge and parking it on a table--then so much the better.Something is bound to go wrong. You'll forget something. Something will take too long. Something will fall apart. If you've got little to no last minute assembly this problem probably isn't going to be significant. You can give it your full attention. If you're too busy fucking around with one hundred other tasks, tho', the problems snowball.As for semi-last minute stuff--i.e. things done on the day--you want to spread it out. You need to be able to clean as you go. When the true last minute stuff needs to be done you need a clear, clean work area (for health and safety reasons but also so you have actual space in which to work). I'd also be getting someone to discourage people from entering the kitchen. Even catering to a group as small as 20, one of the biggest pains in the arse is having guests float into the kitchen to see how everything is going, asking if you need a hand (which they probably will, given the nature of your situation), stop for a chat to you or your lackeys, etc. Having someone politely shoo out unwanted randoms is important. You're going to be more stressed than you expect and won't need people under foot, particularly if they're dropping off items (booze or whatever) in that exact spot where you planned to place a platter of food. The kitchen should be a no-go zone. For your sake I hope it's not smack bang in the middle of the path from the front door to the backyard. When I cater here I get my partner to shoo quests away.A helper is someone you like and trust. If they're a window licker then they're no helper at all. Well-intentioned as they might be they will be an added stressor if they clearly have no idea what they're doing or have frustrating work habits. For instance, when I've catered for people I'll happily wait for someone I trust to, say, pull the pulled pork (if I'm occupied elsewhere). One time one of my partner's friends called up a couple hours before the event and wanted to prep a salad at my place. I stupidly said, 'Sure.' I discovered he had this wonderful habit of rapidly doing an about face from the bench, 20 cm cook's knife in hand, when he wanted to chat with someone ... He meant well but, goddamn, with a couple of dishes taking longer than expected to assemble this was not the If I was cooking in my own kitchen (home ground advantage, right?), even with the help of someone I know whose abilities exceed my own (hi, Keith_W and benthescientist), I wouldn't cook .... Panko breaded deep fried fish segments with wasabi mayonnaise and sweet soy fluid gel Deep fried polenta triangles with tomato basil sauce and parmesan shavings Spinach cheese roll - unsure of what you mean by this. I hope it's not something where, if I'm eating it, a money shot of molten ricotta is likely to spurt onto my clothing. Chorizo madelaines - this depends. How many madeline pans do you have, man? I have a 12-indent pan. I'd want four for this task of yours, altho' you could get by with fewer if you're basically prepping them entirely in advance and can blow an evening on the task while negotiating a bottle of wine. If you're doing it last minute, tho', unless you can get a lackey to keep an eye on them and have multiple pans on the go at once ... forget it. If you're on your own and only have a couple of pans, #4 and #5 would put you in a patch of weeds so high you wouldn't see sunlight. Sun dried tomato madelaines Kroepoek/rice crackers with asian salad topping (carrot salad a la green papaya spiced, with and without peanuts) - Lemon meringue tartlets - a winner Macarons (raspberry) - winner Eclairs or choux buns with flavoured pastry cream (spices, asian maybe, passion fruit..) - winner.I like the idea of the cheese and meat platter suggested earlier. I'd consider a fruit one, too, with an emphasis on fruits that won't dramatically oxidise in tjhe space of a few minutes. You said casual, right? I'd rethink anything involving potatoes. Yeah, I know, potato salad in all its forms ... but in most cases a cold potato is a sad thing. And boiling enough potatoes for 80 people (figuring on 80 portions with every one demanding one half of a potato I'd boil 50 potatoes just in case I dropped a couple)? Madness. And I know. I've roasted potatoes for ~50 people before. Getting the water to come to a boil, constantly moving the potatoes around (in four 'regular-sized') domestic stock pots and pans) so some didn't cook dramatically faster than others in same pan ... man, that sucked. And took more time than you'd expect. Granted, I was forced to use electric stoves (I also had access to more than one stove--but again, this wasn't my kitchen and I was learning the quirks of someone else's kit as I went). Me? I'd scribble the potatoes. Something I would add, personally, is something I've cooked (in modified form) from the Alinea cookbook for a group of ~40: the pork belly dish. I suggest not so much the particular dish but the idea of it. The pork belly I cooked sous vide. It came to my workplace still in the bag. The 'salad' element of the dish (apples and cucumber, from memory) I'd sealed in a bag the previous night to protect from oxygen. The sauce I'd already bottled in a squeezy-bottle. I intentionally purchased twice as many Chinese soup spoons (a cliche, yeah, but easy to work with) as I figured I'd need. Serving was simple. I cut the pork belly into cubes before reheating in the microwave. This was very fast. We all know how easy it is to cut cold pork as opposed to hot meat. ~40 portions took all of 5 minutes to knock together by myself. One element of the dish that would've involved some risky last minute work was scribbled altogether, the flavour added into the sauce (yeah, I lost a textural component but I'm not running the Alinea kitchen with a team of lackeys backing me up). I wasn't rushing, even tho' I had a clear (and close) deadline. That's what the 'last few minutes' should look like: not you fussing over a deep-fryer, as that's when you'll have an accident. The efficiency only came about through a great deal of trial and error.

Sadly, I'm not in London. I'm not going to London any time soon. My partner is, however, about to go. I'm considering asking her to pick up something nice, whisky-wise, while she's there. Some points: Duty free at the airport is pretty much out as she isn't getting a direct flight home.I already have, er, more than a few whiskies and can easily find many others. If I'm to get something brought over it has be something special--that is, you probably won't find it overseas. Cost isn't a motivator for importing, either. Whereas American whiskies are much cheaper in their country of origin I've found that whiskies listed on, say, the UK-based Whisky Exchange are only marginally cheap than those here. We're talking $20 off a bottle that is $170AUD, for instance (Glenfarclas 25).If anyone has a store in mind it has to be in London itself. I'm not asking my partner to make a special trip. In a similar fashion, the service has to be helpful enough that they can help a non-whisky drinker find the product. If I was there myself I'd probably be quite happy to provide someone who knows a lot more than me a list of what I like and let them do the choosing but I'd rather provide my partner with a list of malts and have her be handed one of the bottles directly.I guess what I'm looking for, really, is an expression of a malt I already like that typically isn't exported or, better still, a malt released by a small distillery that doesn't export in any great quantity. As an aside, if Japanese whisky is readily avaliable in such stores then I might be inclined to pick up something like a Yoichi 15: Japanese whisky, aside from Yamazaki, is very hard to find here and very expensive. Any recommendations? If relevant, here are some things I already like: On the smokier side of things: Talisker, Lagavulin and Ardbeg. Of the latter I've sampled and enjoyed the standard 10-year-old expression and Uigeadail. Given I have a couple of Ardbegs on the go at the moment I'm leaning away from yet another Ardbeg expression unless, like the Uigeadail, it's something truly special.Aberlour (well, I've only tried a'Bunadh) and Glenfarclas (I sampled the 25 and really enjoyed that).The Glenfiddich 21 y/o I'm currently sipping on is very nice.Spirits beyond Scotch: bourbon, rye (moreso than bourbon, actually), cognac, darker rums such as Diplomatico and Ron Zacapa.Things that haven't worked for me, that I'd steer away from: Isle of Jura SuperstitionThe Glen Livet, altho' I've only tried a couple of the expressions (including the entry-level)Glenmorangie's Nectar d'Or

Given how cold it is I've recently shifted away from cocktails and found myself, for the first time in a year or two, going back to a neat dram. I've been rediscovering whiskies I haven't touched in quite some time. I finished off my Lagavulin. Beautiful drop, that. Working my way through some Dalwhinnie and, as I type this, some 21 year old Glenfiddich Gran Reserva.

I had some trouble finding liquid lechithin in Australia. I found companies that sell soap- and cosmetic-making products to passionate amateurs were prepared to sell small bottles of the stuff.