jackal10

When did "Pudding" come to mean a sweet course at the end of the meal in UK English, as in "What's for pud"? It seems to be a comparatively recent, maybe early 20th century, usage. Dr Samuel Johnson (1755) defines "Pudding Time" as The time of dinner, pudding being formerly the dish first eaten The etymology of pudding seems to be from c.1305, "a kind of sausage: the stomach or one of the entrails of a pig, sheep, etc., stuffed with minced meat, suet, seasoning, boiled and kept till needed," perhaps from a W.Gmc. stem *pud- "to swell" , and hence boudin. Hot and boiled, maybe but extended to say Summer Pudding (cold and uncooked) and Yorkshire pudding (baked). If not pudding, then what is the sweet course called? Not sweet, which is a candy (eg "Have a sweet"). Are hot and cold sweet courses called differently - can pudding include icecream or fruit salad (cold and uncooked)? Similarly "dessert" (1600), from M.Fr. dessert (1539) "last course," lit. "removal of what has been served," from desservir "clear the table," lit. "un-serve," from des- "remove, undo" + O.Fr. servir "to serve." Can the dessert course include cheese and coffee or equivalent? I believe it can, but not other savouries, or is coffee plus sweetmeats or petit four a seperate course? Puzzled...

I agree with adding a little sweet fortified wine, like cream sherry, but I prefer port. My secret ingredient is a dash of coffee

There are many factors that affect the "sourness" of the taste. 1. Temperature. (derived from research by Michael Ganzle) You can increase bacterial activity with regard to the yeast either by fermenting hot (90F) or cool (40F) - typically the pe-ferment phase where you are not concerned with optimising the rise. However lacto bacteria strains tend to produce more lactic acid when fermented hot (homofermentative strains) and more acetic acid when cold (heterofermentative strains). Acetic acid tastes tangier. One way is to ferment the preferment cool for a long time - retard the preferment or the dough in the fridge for 24hours. 28C/82F is not quite hot enough to favour the bacteria. 90F/33C would be better. 2) Use a stiffer peferment - 50% hydration. Stiffer preferments favour heterofermentive species. The flavour profile change is subtle but definite. However stiffer preferments are harder to mix into the dough evenly by hand, especially if you use the stretch and fold or minimal kneading technique - break them up with the water that you will make the dough with, then mix that into the dough. c) Use a low ash flour. The ash content is a reflection of the mineral content of the flour and that tends to be alkaline, so reduces the acid tang. However US flours rarely quote the ash content, where as french flour classification is based on it.

Longer bulk fermentation and less proof http://www.danlepard.com/forum/viewtopic.p...der=asc&start=0 http://www.danlepard.com/forum/viewtopic.p...der=asc&start=0

Midsummer House (2*) http://www.midsummerhouse.co.uk/ should be on the list

Just dissolve half a bar of good chocolate in a pint of hot milk, and whisk... Sugar or honey if its not sweet enough.

Vitamin C oxidises an enzyme that otherwise attacks the gluten. You only need it for flour that has been milled in the last month or so, but it might help. Only a pinch is needed. Seems a lot of sugar, which won't help. I reckon you have about 500g water to 660g flour or about 75%. That makes a pretty sloppy dough, almost a batter. Reduce the water by 1/4 cup to 1 3/4 cups (about 66% hydratiion) will make everything more controllable and a better crumb. Weighing rather than volume measures will give you a more accurate control Don't overprove either

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_...icle5480824.ece

Did it again last night...for 10 people Photos do not do it justice Amuse: Duck saucisson Gougere Quail tea eggs in pea shoot nest Duck chopped liver, made with duck eggs on sourdough spelt toasts Smoked salmon pate in rye savoury macarons Wine: Vouvray Petillant Brut Huet, 1986 en magnum. Wonderful. Duck consomme with truffled duck mousseline ravioli Wines: Madiera 1897 and 1948. Still amazing. Madiera lasts forever. I thought the 1948 more complex Filet of dover sole Judic (with braised lettuce) Wine: Rolly Gassman Riesling Pflanzerreben de Rorschwihr1990 Duck three ways: Roast breast (SV 8 hours at 55C, then browned) Legs and thighs braised iwith prunes (SV 12 hours at 82C) Pan fried duck Foie Gras Duck fat roast potatoes Steamed jerusalem artichoke Brussel sprouts, chestnuts, carrots with honey Wines: Lafite 1954 (Fading) Mouton-Rothschild 1973 (not fading; the year they became a first growth) both en magnum Fruit tarts: apricot, apple, and nectarine Tatin Wine: Quarts de Chaume Domaine Des Baumard 1978 en magnum Cheese: Vacherin Mont d'Or, Montgomery Cheddar 2003, Colston Basset Stilton, and a smoked Polish artisan ewes milk cheese Coffee and financiers I'm moving a little slowly this morning...

Liver: 1) Bacon, onions, over rice 2) Pate or chopped

If the bread is collapsing you have not baked it fully.

Hi Joe The shells were easy to form, just teaspoons of the mix on baking paper. Leave them out at room temperatue for an hour to skin before baking.

As it happened I did this last weekend. Amuse: Chopped duck liver on sourdough toast; smoked duck breast Soup: Duck consomme with truffled duck ravioli Meat: Duck three ways: Roast breast, legs and thighs brasied with prunes, duck Foie Gras; duck fat roast potatoes, jerusalem artichoke puree, buttered cabbage (could be wine braised red cabbage) Cold Sweet: Tangerine givree Hot Sweet: Nectarine Tarte Tatin Cheese Coffee The Foie could be a seperate course or not at all. CHinese style (for example duck mini spring rolls) could be another amuse Let me know if you want rcipes or anything. As Heartsurgeon says sosu-vide is the way to go

Inspired by http://www.playingwithfireandwater.com/foo...he-macaron.html I made a savoury macaron - smoked salmon pate in a rye macaron. Rye powder: Whiz Ryvita (or equivalent rye cracker or dried rye bread) to a fine powder, then sieve Savoury Macaroon: 100g icing sugar 60g rye powder Pinch salt 50g egg white (1 large egg) Whip egg white with the salt to soft peaks, mix sugar and rye powder and fold in. Pipe onto silicone paper, allow 1 hour to skin, then bake 315F 12-15 mins Smoked salmon pate 100g smoked salmon 25g unsalted butter Pepper, lemon juice Whiz together to smooth pate. Sandwich 2 macaron shells with the pate. Has anyone else experimented? They are still a little sweet, but OK for this filling. Is the sugar important for structure. Could it be reduced or substituted? Not a great phote - they got eaten too soon

Yes, either minimal kneading (use the stretch and fold technique), or very intensive mixing as in the CBP process (11kwh/kg energy inout to the dough). For sourdough I do 2 hour bulk fermentation and 1 hour proof. This is not quite whole wheat - the preferement (33%) was white. Very hard to get as open a crumb with pure wholewheat. Finely ground spelt flour + mixed seeds

MAde pigs tails more or less according to Keller's recipe. Sous vide at 82F for 12 hours, thenpick the meat (mostly skin) off the bones. Let set in their juice, dice, egg and breadcrumb, fry in butter. Good but a lot of hassle, and not unique. Starting with say trotter or belly gets to a similar result with a lot less fussy deboning.

I use an Aga all the time - the base of the hot oven is ideal for bread making, baking directly on the floor of the oven. Throw in a cup of water and shut the door, and there is your steam. AGA make a great baker's peel for the oven, excpt they call it a paddle http://www.agacookshop.co.uk/epages/Store..../Products/W1825 The flour I used was Tesco Plain Organic flour (red stripe on black bag at the moment). About 10% protein. The actual flour does not matter that much, but its worth staying with and getting to know one type, and you can adjust the recipe to suit. I'm currently very fond of Rebecca Rayner's Glebe Farm Flour : http://www.glebe-flour.co.uk/main.html , especially their organic spelt. Tesco and Waitrose carry some of their mixes, but you can buy the pure flour online from the farm. Its grown and milled there or locally. Many things affect the acidity, including the ash content of the flour, the temperature of fermentation, especially of the pre-ferment. Most of the flavour I believe comes from the preferment, so if you want sour give the pre-ferment and extended fermentation (eg 24 hours at 28C)

Another vote for www.bbr.com Also http://www.cambridgewine.com/

Converting a bread machine recipe is easy. CHeck the manual for the bread machine - such as http://www.usersmanualguide.com/panasonic/..._maker/sd-yd250 Typically they mix, bulk ferment (1 hour), then bake 40 min for the rapid program. The longer program may mix, rest 30 min, add yeast etc, mix again, prove, bake.

Pork Hock or trotters can be found cheaply, certainly less than $3 and you can maybe get three meals for two from it: a. Braised chinese style (soy, sherry,spring onion, ginger), rice, veg b. Bao (remains of the meat, with leeks, some cornflour in a bread dough and then steamed) c. The wonderful juice and bones enrich a bean stew, or even a can of beans.

Read the small print on your bag of flour. What you are seeing is the bleaching effect of oxidation. While it is unlikely the flour you are using is bleached or bromated these days, much bread flour for home baking contains vitamin C or ascobic acid as a flour improver. It destroys an enzyme that breaks down the gluten, but also acts as an oxidiser. Organic flours tend not to have such additives. Flour that is aged or dough that has been mixed at high speed will also give a whiter crumb, due to oxidation from the atmospheric oxygen. High quality artisan bread, from good flour, slow milled and gently mixed will have a creamier crumb, and better taste.

Last of the turkey broth with ravioli from the last of the turkey confit

The best sticky buns in the world are made by Fitzbillies. http://www.fitzbillies.co.uk/v2/index.php Note how thin the dough is. I don't make them as I can't mach theirs

I'd add sufficient bulk fermentation which in turn contributes to gluten degredation.

Bravo!