jackal10

Not forgetting Golders Green - Blooms and the Bagel factory. and Philpott's Mezzaluna

Does This Kaiser pan help?

Great movie, even if a bit kitsch... The grapes in the sourdough starter wern't requires, they have the wrong sort of yeast on them. The sugar in the grapes provides a quick boost, but its not the right food for the sourdough yeasts. Keep feeeding your starter just flour and water. The smell of the starter will get better as the contaminents from the grapes drop out. You should review the eGCI Sourdough course and Dan Lepard's baking day Looks like the baking stone was too hot compared to the rest of oven, hnce the burning on the bottom. Is the oven bottom heat? If so maybe moving it upa shlf or two might help. Also keep the oven at temperature for an hour or so before you bake to let things even out. Making the stone wet before putting the loaf will make it stick. The amount of steam you can generate from a spray will have no significant effect. Better to spray the loaf. Polenta or Matza meal on the peel and sprinkeld on the loaf in the basket before turning it out can also help it not stick. The hole ("where the baker sleeps") I guess comes from insufficient kneading, and in particular loose shaping. When you shape a boule, you sort of roll it from one side so that the friction on the worktop shapes it. Its a bit like rolling a balloon along the worksurface with one hand at 45 degrees. The amount of oven spring indicates that the loaf may have been a bit underproved. Dan Lepard has a useful technique of folding the dough sides to middle every hour for four hours during bulk fermentation. Finally, practise, practise pratcise. Your loaf is a remarkable beginning, but if you bake your bread regularly, every week, not only will it spoil you for shop bread, but you will get better and better at it.

Spring is here. Dirt under the fingernails. So far I have - sown Tomatos (Sungold, Gardeners Delight, Fireworks and some oddities) - sown Thai Dragon hot chilli Planted out broad beans, and sown sucesseion Planted out overwintered Purple peas + sucession Planted out lettuce (Buttercrunch) + sown sucession Sown Radish, early carrots, rocket Sown (inside) pumpkin, courgette, squashes Put the potatoes to chit (Arran Pilot, Purple, Pink Fir Apple) Garlic and shallots are coming up nicely. Too early for Asparagus. Soft fruit - lots more raspberries this year coming on. Strawberries flowering in the greenhouse Looks like some of the apple trees that the rabbits ringed are budding. The next month will see if they have survived. Certainly lost a couple, but planted some more - Charles Ross and Norfolk Beefing. Norfolk Beefing is a curiosity - dark purple thick skin, and the classic apple for drying. In olen times people would make "biffins" - pu the apples in a very slow oven, traditionally the bakers oven, under an iron weight, whole. The skin stays whole, and the texture turns custardy and cinamon flavoured apparently. There are references in Dickens. Herbs mostly look after themselves, but have sown three sorts of Basil. Lots to do in the flower garden too. The main border (about 200yds long 10 yds deep) is mostly old roses, and cardoons, but it goes a bit dull in August, so I've been putting in perrenials for then. The garden tasks are never ending. The recent winds brought down a two trees in the wood, so out with the tractor and chain saw. We've also built, from old pallets, three luxurious new compost bins. There is a big heap of last years grass cuttings to be shoveled into them, to be mixed with the heap of apple pomace left over from the juice pressing.

I'm amazed at the things many American folks won't eat. Often the best bits: Offal (kidneys, tripe, heart, sweetbreads...) Trotters Unpastaurised soft cheeses (illegal even) Rutabaga Kale and, of course, Cuban cigars...

Almond cake: 4 oz ground almonds 5 oz sugar four eggs Beat the eggs and sugar until white (use a food processer) Gently fold in the ground almonds Bake at 350F for 50 minutes

Glad it worked! Surprises me how easy it is, even these days, to send biologically active materials about the world. The package had a clear customs declaration of "Sourdough Starter" You are now one of the guardians of the starter, with an obligation to spread the word, and the starter to those in need... For bigger holes: - Make the dough wetter - Dan Lepard has an excellent technique . Durng the bulk fermentation (first rise) he folds to dough sides to middle and then top to bottom, like a "turn" when you make flaky pastry, streching the dough slightly as he does so, He says this stretches the holes. He does this every hour for four hours. I also find oiling the dough, putting a tablespoon of oil in the bowl) helps stop it sticking. The bread looks great, and is stll better than anything you can buy! The actual protein content of the flour is not that important. High protein flours can adsorb more water and stay workable. KA bread flours have flour improvers (vitamin C, diastic malt) added to them. You might find adding a generous pinch of Vitamin C powder will help. Good Luck!

Bravo! What a wonderfully informative and erudite post! There is a tradition of chefs improvising. Somewhat later, the young Escoffier was at the siege of Paris, where the Bellanger served a famous menu for CChristmas 1870 including "Le Chat, flanque de rats", and the remains of various animals from the Paris zoo, washed down with Romanee Conti 1858 ...Fortunately they have not passed into the repertoire.

I hate to say this, but it is still cold here, often freezing at night and max 10C/50F during the day. It also rains (and sometimes hail or snow). Restaurants aren't that well heated either. With just a shirt and slacks (not jeans) you will be cold. The blazer, or a decent sports jacket, is a good and useful idea. Maybe a wool pullover as well, and an overcoat.

I have added this recipe for Gefilte fish to the recipe archive. Like quenelles, originally a way of making bony fish , like carp or pike easily edible. In ancient times, carp were raised in inland fish ponds,and were a significant source of protein. It made them acceptable for the Sabbath when boning was forbidden, the flesh of the fish was chopped and stuffed back into the skin. Few people now stuff the skin, but make balls instead. The fish protein, together with the egg bind them. There are many variations. Those of Polish and Hassidic descent prefer them quite sweet. Those of Russian and Lithuanian descent prefer them not so sweet, but peppery. Some from the south add ground almonds. English tradition rolls them in coarse Matzo meal and fries. My mother added mashed potato, so they were more like a fish-cake. Traditionally gefilte fish poached and served cold with the stock jellied, a thin slice of cooked carrot on the top and accompanied by Chrain (horseradish and beet sauce). Greeks like egg and lemon sauce The old joke is that like Haggis, gefilte fish are difficult to catch and fillet...

Gefilte Fish Jewish fish quenelles Like quenelles, originally a way of making bony fish , like carp or pike easily edible. In ancient times, carp were raised in inland fish ponds,and were a significant source of protein. It made them acceptable for the Sabbath when boning was forbidden, the flesh of the fish was chopped and stuffed back into the skin. Few people now stuff the skin, but make balls instead. There are many variations. Those of Polish and Hassidic descent prefer them quite sweet. Those of Russian and Lithuanian descent prefer them not so sweet, but peppery. Some from the south add ground almonds. English tradition rolls them in coarse Matzo meal and fries. My mother added mashed potato, so they were more like a fish-cake. Traditionally gefilte fish poached and served cold with the stock jellied, a thin slice of cooked carrot on the top and accompanied by Chrain (horseradish and beet sauce. They can also be served with an egg and lemon sauce. 2 lb Mixed white fish 2 Eggs 2 Carrots 1 Stick celery 3 Onions 3 oz Matzo meal 1. Fillet the fish, and make a strong stock from the heads, bones and skin. If you ask your fishmonger he may give you extra heads and fish frames. Put them, together with one of the onions, chopped, the chopped stick of celery, and half of a carrot with a pint of water in a saucepan and boil for half an hour. Strain 2. Chop the fish and the remaining onion by hand, or blitz for 5-10 seconds in a food procesor. The texture should not be too fine, not a puree, but you should not be able to distinguish the indiviual lumps. 3. Add the beaten eggs (whites only if you are upmarket), season well with salt and pepper, add a Tbs of sugar if you are Polish, and add enough Matzo meal to bind. 4. Leave the mixture in the fridge for half an hour to set up 5. Roll into ping-pong sized balls. Wet hands help. 6. Bring the stock to just boiling and lay in the balls. Poach for half an hour, then strain. 7. Slice the remaining carrot into thin rounds, and cook in the stock. Lay a round of carrot on each ball. 8. Reduce the stock by half and ladle over the balls. 9. Put in fridge until jellied Keywords: Intermediate, Fish, Jewish ( RG941 )

Gefilte Fish Jewish fish quenelles Like quenelles, originally a way of making bony fish , like carp or pike easily edible. In ancient times, carp were raised in inland fish ponds,and were a significant source of protein. It made them acceptable for the Sabbath when boning was forbidden, the flesh of the fish was chopped and stuffed back into the skin. Few people now stuff the skin, but make balls instead. There are many variations. Those of Polish and Hassidic descent prefer them quite sweet. Those of Russian and Lithuanian descent prefer them not so sweet, but peppery. Some from the south add ground almonds. English tradition rolls them in coarse Matzo meal and fries. My mother added mashed potato, so they were more like a fish-cake. Traditionally gefilte fish poached and served cold with the stock jellied, a thin slice of cooked carrot on the top and accompanied by Chrain (horseradish and beet sauce. They can also be served with an egg and lemon sauce. 2 lb Mixed white fish 2 Eggs 2 Carrots 1 Stick celery 3 Onions 3 oz Matzo meal 1. Fillet the fish, and make a strong stock from the heads, bones and skin. If you ask your fishmonger he may give you extra heads and fish frames. Put them, together with one of the onions, chopped, the chopped stick of celery, and half of a carrot with a pint of water in a saucepan and boil for half an hour. Strain 2. Chop the fish and the remaining onion by hand, or blitz for 5-10 seconds in a food procesor. The texture should not be too fine, not a puree, but you should not be able to distinguish the indiviual lumps. 3. Add the beaten eggs (whites only if you are upmarket), season well with salt and pepper, add a Tbs of sugar if you are Polish, and add enough Matzo meal to bind. 4. Leave the mixture in the fridge for half an hour to set up 5. Roll into ping-pong sized balls. Wet hands help. 6. Bring the stock to just boiling and lay in the balls. Poach for half an hour, then strain. 7. Slice the remaining carrot into thin rounds, and cook in the stock. Lay a round of carrot on each ball. 8. Reduce the stock by half and ladle over the balls. 9. Put in fridge until jellied Keywords: Intermediate, Fish, Jewish ( RG941 )

Smart casual is upmarket Suit and tie = wage slave Trainers, shell suit, or fleece = scum

Loufood: How nice to see you! How is el Bulli? Ignore the smoke free bit; where would you reccomend on the left bank?

Aieee.. I have discovered that L'Abruci is no longer a Jazz club but has gone Tecno. Not the same at all. Where now???? A basic Brasserie, serving good plain food, both fish and roasted meats, and one member of the party insists on smoke free.

I'm in Lisbon May 25/26/27, talking at a conference on "The gap between entrepreneurs and investors" I guess one of those nights will be a conference dinner, but where should I eat on the other? Meet?

Used chiefly for covering large joints of meat, to which it imparts an appropriate flavour Finely mince two medium carrots (the red part only), two onions, and two sticks of celery. Add one tablespoon of raw lean ham, cut paysanne -fashion (small cubes), a sprig of thyme and half a bay leaf, crushed. Stew in butter (until soft) and finally swill the pan with two tablespoons of Madeira If you are at all serious about cooking, you really should own a copy of Escoffier "A Guide to Modern Cookery" He adds the preparation of Mirepoix is similar, except that instead of being minced the vegtables are cut into more or less fine dice for mirepoix, the fineness depending on its intended use..

And in Chelm, as made famous by Isaac Bashevis Singer ?

Turnips and lamb are a traditional pairing Navet of lamb (lamb stew with turnips) Roast with lamb Julienne with remoulade, like celeriac Nip and Nip: Turnip and Parsnip, either pureed or as soup (with a tiny pinch of curry powder)

Put the herbs in the marinade, and in the gravy or sauce ...mmm mint sauce with lamb...

I like Pine forest honey Rowse is a major supplier and have many interesting varieties

Welcome Sara, and yes you can use fozen cauliflower, but you need to defrost it first in order to slice it thin. Its strong tasting, so its probably best as a component or side dish, or as an intermediate course...

Tungpo pork in this thread

Ah well, I guess he writes what he knows. But you've definitely piqued my interest. Would you be willing to expound on any or all of these? Pretty please? I'm Ashkenazi myself, and not frum. I can do no better than to refer you to Claudia Roden's excellent Book of Jewish Food, where she devotes a whole chapter (and then some) to "The Sabbath Pot"

The good Rabbi's report, while wonderful, omits the Sephardic variants. Where are the Dafina's, the hamins (Spain) , the skhana (Morocco), the Khalebi (Iran), the Maote (Kurdistan), the Ferik (Egypt with green whest), and the Harissa's of Yemen? And has the introduction of time clocks on stoves led to the decline of cholent?