Marie-Ora

My absolute favorite chicken salad is Coronation Chicken - the traditional Rosemary Hume version, preferable served with Pimms. Works great with turkey too http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/apr/28/cook-perfect-coronation-chicken-royal-wedding

Cultured butter works very well in scones too - I always use more butter than the recipe indicates. Then (obviously!) slather the cooked scones in the same butter and jam. One of my best memories growing up is oatmeal porridge doused in 'proper' butter and sugar. And wonderful freshly melted over vegetables and fish. If you like smoked salmon, eating it very simply with brown bread and this butter is its own heaven. Oh, and mashed with blue cheese and spread on bread. Wish I had more proper 'recipe' ideas - if I think of any will add them.

EVERYBODY knows they are really inbred mutant, headless creatures with no feet that double in size every other day. Or something like that....... Whatever they are, I'm too scared to eat them. Won't eat MacDonalds either after I heard the 'pure beef' included 'pure beef hide and hair', 'pure beef hooves', and other parts of 'the beef' that the cow was the least proud of

My brother used to work as a chef. Once, while he was still in training, he was apprenticed (and therefore obliged to shut up) at a very upmarket restaurant that specialized in fish. More often than not, the fish they actually served was not the species they had on the menu (and charged plenty for). Most guests couldn't tell the difference, but they occasionally got someone who knew better. Another thing they did was to fill up empty bottles of really expensive wine with cheaper plonk (and I'm talking box wine and a funnel). They would usually pull this after the table was onto their second or third bottle - in the 6 months he worked there, not one person picked this up. To this day he insists on watching every bottle of wine being opened in front of him.

Gorgonzola with caramelized onions - in a sandwich, on a salad, I've even melted the Gorgonzola and served it as a pasta sauce with the onions scattered on top. It's a fabulous combination.

It's a rare occasion that I put up and shut up with shoddy produce. I don't hesitate to phone and complain, but I'm always reasonable and polite about it. A lot of store-managers will thank you for letting them know there is a problem. Never had a problem getting a refund. Once I bought a de-boned rolled piece of beef which I was planning to stuff and roast over the Christmas holidays. When I got to it, and unrolled it, it was nothing but fat. I was hopping mad - I kept the 'evidence', and when the store opened again, I returned it. That was probably the one time I was really tetchy. The first assistant claimed there was nothing he could do, because I had disposed of the wrapping. I confess I threw a Calabrian temper tantrum, which worked, because the manager came running. They mollified me with a prime rib roast, and some fine steaks.

Any stock, glace de viande... I don't have the patience or tolerance for the smell. Although I do occasionally cadge some off chefs who make it fresh for their restaurants. And in a pinch, I have used a stock cube . Don't judge me.....

Andie - that's the best idea I've seen here! What a stunning way of serving an old favorite. And you just know it won't taste the same as a regular sandwich with the same ingredients. Godchild's birthday is coming up - may give this a try!

I remember my dad telling me that his mother always applied copious amounts of butter to PB sandwiches. Why? Because peanut butter is sticky and the butter helps it slide down . Otherwise, it might get stuck in your throat and you would choke to death :biggrin: Sounds like the lectures I used to get from my Grandmother. Dangerous stuff that peanut butter without the fixings!!

I agree - I learned from my Grandmother, who learned from her mother, and I know exactly what to listen for. But I think you 'get it' or you don't. My brother, who is a chef (not wild keen on baking) is convinced there is some voodoo in there with the bread tapping, because he never got it right like that

Peanut butter and pickles is a combination that makes me break out in a cold sweat just thinking about - along with the knife licking I may need a cup of tea and lie down to recover (it's me, not you - I'm excessively finicky). Peanut butter needs lots of butter (if you don't see toothmarks in the butter, you have too little), and creamed honey or strawberry jam. And keep my nutella and my peanut butter far apart...

Then you'll want to know that the origin of 'bruschetta' is, in fact 'bruscare'/'bruscato' which is a dialectical form of 'abbrustolire'/'abbrustolito', meaning 'to brown (without burning)', and that 'to burn' is 'bruciare' (no 's'). Thank-you SO much!! This has been driving me nuts. The dialects get me every time. And bruciare with the 's' is an error in my smaller Collins dictionary - just tore through the Oxford-Paravia where it's fine (not that I haven't found errors in this one). Do you by any chance know what dialect it is?

Unsweetened chocolate is unheard of in South Africa. Grape jam is a rare, rare beast - there is a delicacy called 'Moskonfyt' made with a particular type of grape, but plain grape jam? Nope. The most usual is apricot jam. Another thing we don't have is canned pumpkin. If you want pumpkin pie, you have to make it from scratch.

This goes back to the original article. I've had a chat with some Italian friends, and they agree with me 'nocca' meaning 'knuckle' is not the origin word, or even related to 'gnocchi' - you can tell by gender: 'nocca' is a feminine noun - the plural is 'nocche'. 'Gnocchi' is a masculine plural - the singular is 'gnocco'. In some parts of Italy, gnocchi are called 'trofie' (TROHF/yeh). And back to bruscare/ bruschetta - I can find no evidence of 'bruscare' anywhere. There is a verb 'brusciare' which means 'to burn' which is a more likely candidate, but by no means certain. If anyone has an other information, please let me know. I am a little (!) obsessive, but it drives me nuts when I see errors perpetuated by 'cut and paste' - which you see a lot of if you do research on the net.

For a truly old school, haute cuisine experience with the most stunning views, I recommend La Tour d'Argent - the oldest restaurant in Paris. You aren't going to find anything wildly cutting edge, but it's an unforgettable experience. My trips to Paris are always planned around Ladurée, but I have a ridiculously sweet tooth