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jmacnaughtan

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Posts posted by jmacnaughtan

  1. On 25/03/2017 at 3:29 PM, Kerry Beal said:

    I like the look of the first one - mostly cause you are making your own curd - a lot less ingredients.

     

    You make your own lemon curd in both.  Oddly, the second one asks you to incorporate shop-bought lemon curd as well - I can't see the benefit of that over just making more lemon curd.

     

    I find it interesting that neither use gelatin.  They must be very, very soft-set...  

     

    What I like to do is make a good lemon curd (1:1:1:1, pretty much), and incorporate 1% gelatin and 3% cocoa butter.  Let it set, then whip it for 15 minutes.  You get a better lemon flavour.

  2. Your meat may be leaking a lot of liquid into the sauce.  Let it rest properly first, then slice and serve.

     

    You probably need to season it more too.  Pork loin can be bland, so you need to compensate for it.

     

    Or maybe you just don't like cream sauces.

  3. 4 hours ago, Thanks for the Crepes said:

    Beeswax wouldn't be an enjoyable addition, but also has an ignition temp that is pretty low when melted. It's not something I would want to put in a deep fryer for sure.

     

    I wouldn't think that would be a problem, considering that there would just be a small amount mixed with all the moisture and other ingredients in the dough.

  4. 5 hours ago, keychris said:

    you want to put honeycomb (with wax) into a dough? I'm not sure of the edibility of beeswax, I'm sure it pass straight through but ... I'd rather not.

     

    Beeswax is perfectly edible.  Comb honey on good bread with salted butter is one of the greatest breakfasts.  Beeswax is also traditionally used to grease cannelé moulds.

     

    Not sure about putting it in a doughnut though.  But then again, I've never heard of any sort of honey being put into a doughnut.

    • Like 2
  5. Does anyone use the Nigel Slater method of cooking sausages?  

     

    i.e. putting them in a cold pan on the lowest possible heat with no fat and just... going back to bed for half an hour to an hour.

     

    It works surprisingly well.  Always juicy and never burst :)  Though it does help to turn them over once.

     

    • Like 2
  6. 2 hours ago, Anna N said:

    Hey,  I bought two Cornish hens yesterday!   He said you could do it to any bird in the same fashion. If I decide to try it on these tiny things I will be sure to report back. I am retired and answer to no one so I should have plenty of time to watch the video and bone the bird. I would consider it quite a feather in my cap if I am successful -- pun intended. 

     

     

    Excellent!  It's a good thing to do with poussins too, and a way to make one bird feed two people (or one hungrier person).

     

    I've tried it with a duck, with poor results.  This could, however, have been due to my incompetence.

     

    I'd love to try it with a turkey...

  7. On 14/02/2017 at 8:26 PM, Anna N said:

    I could watch Pepin for days!   I want to rush out and buy 12 chickens so I can practice what he's teaching but at the end I doubt I could come even close to his technique or speed.  But what makes him such a good teacher is that he almost convinces me I could.  

     

    Me too :)  After watching that video, I did cook a lot of chicken...  The technique is a very good one, and much easier than other, knife-heavy ones I've seen.  It doesn't take more than 10 minutes or so to do.

  8. 1 hour ago, weedy said:

    I'd do this if you really like the gradient:

     

    and sous vide if you don't

     

    Interesting technique.  I like how he keeps the butter just on the edge of burning - I wonder what kind of heat he's got under that pan?

     

    However, I'd be upset if I only got one small slice of that beef.  Tasting menu or no, a steak should be a steak.

    • Like 1
  9. 3 minutes ago, gfweb said:

    And remember that in the oven the side of the steak that's on the hot pan will cook faster, so you need to flip the steak occasionally to get even cooking

     

    Heh.  Never thought of that...  And while you do that, it's a good opportunity for more basting :)

     

    • Like 1
  10. On 10/02/2017 at 5:48 PM, Chris Ward said:

    Quick tip: To cover or not to cover a saucepan?

    I got into a conversation the other day about warming plates. Nowadays it's automatic and I always do it. Before I cooked professionally, it was pretty rare - special occasions only, and then only if I remembered.

    Something else that mystified me was: When should you put a lid on saucepans? When boiling potatoes? When making soup? When browning onions for soup? When making stew? And if so, why? Or why not?

    In fact, all it takes is a little common sense, like so much in cooking. If you're heating things up to cook them - boiling potatoes, making soup - then put the lid on. It reduces the cooking time and reduces the energy you need. If you're trying to colour something, or reduce it down - caramelising onions for soup, or thickening a sauce - then leave the lid off to let the steam out. If you keep the lid on then, duh, it won't reduce.

     

    Lids are excellent tools.  I use them all the time - for most vegetables, I cook them à l'étuvée, just in oil and covered until done.

     

    They're also useful as shields when you need to manipulate things that have a tendency to splash hot fat at you :)

  11. I've started using lard to sear beef.  You get a similar level of browning, it tastes good (especially if using guanciale fat) and it can handle the heat a lot better.  

     

    Personally, I like the sear + oven technique.  It takes more skill to get right than sous vide, but the results are excellent.  Just let it rest for a decent amount of time.

    • Like 1
  12. I generally use them as a seasoning.  I've never used the salted ones either, and I enjoy the sharp tang of those in vinegar.

     

    If I'm doing a slow-cooked meat dish, I sometimes combine chopped capers, chopped Greek-style black olives and lemon zest and stir it through the sauce at the last minute.

  13. 1 hour ago, Anna N said:

    Ok. Vet's glove?   Inquiring minds want to know.

     

    A really good technique.

     

    Take a vet's glove that goes all the way up your arm and fasten it with a rubber band around your bicep.  Then taking a large bowl scraper in the begloved hand, your arm becomes an enormous mixing tool (and there's no risk of getting arm hairs in the mix).

     

    It's the best way I've found for mixing large quantities of stuff, especially when you need to be delicate.

  14. Teonzo's suggestion would work.  I've heard that you can whip mascarpone with double cream for a richer chantilly, so you might want to try that.

     

    Failing that, you could try not using the Hobart at all.  Put the mascarpone in the bowl, add the sieved sugar and mix by hand, either gently with a large whisk or using a vet's glove and a bowl scraper.

  15. I was served lamb's testicles in a restaurant run by a friend.  He gets whole animals in, and it was part of a carte blanche dinner.

     

    They were delicious - breadcrumbed, fried and served with a satay type sauce.

     

    I'm not sure if  I could prepare them at home, though.  The idea of having a pair on the chopping board doesn't do it for me.  And that's without going into how I'd have to present them to my other half.

  16. ... have a glass of wine or a cocktail until after all the knifework is completed.

     

    I learned this the hard way.

     

    ETA:  In a similar vein:

     

    - Squeezing a lemon with your hands while simultaneously remembering that you just cut yourself

    - Working with any chilli product at all when you need to wear contact lenses that evening.

    • Like 5
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