jackal10

Doesn't happen to me. Might it be mould, if you have not coold it quickly enough and kept it cold? Consomme is a pretty ideal growth medium for bugs. Alternatively, if it has not been covered, it could be a jelly skin forming on the surface, where it has got a bit dehydrated, but that is usually colourless, or a slightly darker than the consomme.

The raft acts like a big sponge, so tip the lot into culendar or sieve over a basin, trying not too break up the raft too much - you want to minimise the bits of raft coming through. Let it drain, then filter the resulting liquid through a coffee filter, double kitchen towel, muslin or whatever.

I'm doing an EGCI lesson on Consomme (including Royales and Quenelles) next Friday....

Ah, but what happened to the tram-car diner? (Summer Intern 1965, AI Group)

A recent Guest Night menu in college (Emmanuel Cambridge). I should point out that this is not everyday, but also not a grand feast. and it is high table food for the fellows, not undergraduate swill. Good food is one of the ways the college attracts the best talent. Carpaccio of Venison with Parmsan Cups filed with Goats Cheese Mousse - Pan Roasted Wild Mallard, Parsnip and Orange Puree, Bouquet of Seasonal vegetables - Strawberry Sherbert with Rhubarb lightly poached in Jasmine Tea - Coffee, Desert, and Petit four

What do you use it for? Historically, I've always had some around but have never used it for anything. Bloody or Vrgin Mary; anything with tomato puree Welsh Rabbit/ Cheese on toast Devilled anything One of the more useful bottled sauces. but Dave is right: it does not need refrigerating. Nor do I refrigerate mustard. I can't imagine that spoiling in 24 hours of heat in a closed jar. Similarly the ketchup or the mayo.

Thanks for the links, but I need a glossary to translate the dish names! Also what is within walking distance (or easy late night transport) of the Raffles Plaza?

I will be in Singapore from 13th Sept to 19th Sept, attending an IEEE standards conference. For those who know such things, they are interminably dull with group drafting sessions, interspersed with periods of company politicing. Diversion can be had from the occaisonal comma hunt - suggest that a sentence should or should not have an additional comma, and the pack will debate the issue (divided on company political lines) for a goodly period. I will be staying at the Raffles Plaza, the conference hotel. Apart from the Wednesday conference dinner, I expect to be free in the evenings, although still on UK time. I've looked at the various Singapore threads, but they are all about a year old, and many of the links are broken. Could those who know the place suggest the best places to eat, especailly for nightime munchies, and hawker food. What can one get there, and nowher else? Be pleased to meet and explore with any local egulleteers...

Semi- dry the tomatoes first (12 hours in a very low oven). Concentrates the flavour. Can mix with roasted peppers.... or pasta

a) Chop in 2 inch pieces, stir-fry with whatever b) Braise with bacon, onion, stock c)Swiss Chard Quiche d) Freeze like spinach. What seems a lot reduces greatly when cooked.

I put some purple plums in a very low oven (70C) on non-stick paper for 24 hours.

Nope The shrinking happens (at least with my bacon) long before the fat runs. What is exuded is the water and white scum...

It depends on the wine. In France, the cheese is served after the main course to provide something to finish the main course wine with. On the whole, except in Paris, only the wine of the district would be served. In England, in the old days, the cheese (or savoury) is to go with the port or Claret for the gentlemen after dinner (followed by cigars), while the ladies retired to eat sweetmeats.

I think (but have done no measurement) that there are three phases, as the temperature increases: a) The fat melts. This is the change from white to translucent That is quite low 30C-50C. If you have some bacon grease and a digital thermometer you can measure this. b) The trapped water boils, This is the change to cloudy. This happens at a higher temperature - 100C or so. The physical pressure from the steam will disrupt the integrity of the local cells, and the matrix will appear cloudy c) Maillard reactions occur and the bacon browns. Maillard reactions happen at all temperatures, but are temperature dependent, so only happen at reasonable speeds quite hot. I don't think that the protein denaturing has much to do with the colour change in the fat, but it is why the bacon shrinks in the pan.

I expect the recipe for homemade or cheat's Pimms is well known, but I will repeat it anyway: two parts 40% gin two parts red vermouth one part orange Curacao (or other orange liquer like Cointreau) Some add 1 part sweet sherry or port. Some add bitters. Mix with lemonade etc like Pimms

Nope. If you must put fat down the drain, emulsify it well with washing up liquid and water. Flush with lots of hot water and caustic soda, and hope it ends up as someone else's problem... Much better to trash it, or feed it to the birds in winter. You can make a high calorie bird cake by incorporating as much bird seed as it will take, and cast it into disposable containers, adding a loop or string or wire to hang it from.

What is wrong with Marmite on toast?

Me too, but I usually go to my brothers family . Very traditional. Would not have it any other way. Its part of the nostalgia kick. I extend it to traditions at Xmas and Easter... Rosh Hashonnah is apple and honey: honey cake, challah with honey and dried friuts, traditionally round. Sukkot is cinnamon biscuits What do you see in the fast with, and what do you break it with?

I like clear soups in summer, like consomme or clar borscht. Good hot or cold. Lots of lovely fresh veg soups: Lettuce Tomato Cucumber Sorrel Spinach Carrot (with orange, coriander etc) Leek and potato etc Master recipe: Soften 1lb onions peeled and chopped in a little butter or EVOO. Add a glass of sherry, and the cleaned, and chopped vegetables of choice Cover with a lid and simmer gently until the vegetables very soft. Liquidise, ideally sieve, and dilute to desired consistency with milk or stock, or if feeling puritan use water. Reheat, Correct seasoning. Garnish (swirl of cream, croutons etc)

Their annoying music and lousy icecream is alive and well in the UK. Cadbury's "99" flake it is... I was once told that Walls got into the icecream business to use up the surplus pork fat from their sausage making business, or maybe it was the other way around...

Maillard reactions are complex and depend on temperature and ph (acidity) . Its not either/or. Below 200F they go much slower, but they do occur. There is experimental data showing it occuring as low as 60C/140F, especailly in an alkaline environment like stock Also if the stock is at a slow simmer parts of it (near the heat source) will be, by definition, at at about boiling - 212F or slightly greater because of the pressure, or you won't get the bubbles an surface movement.

Thanks. I think that was my post, and was a little discouraged as no one took it up. I'll try and get something done as input for the Kitchen Science unit. It should certainly cover Maillard reactions, at least in outline - I don't think anyone really understands the fine details.

Mostly home grown: Sat: Schav Borscht (Sorrel soup) Salmon, cucumber gellee, Pink Fir potatos, Salad Clafoutis: cherry and plum Sun: 12 Hour cooked leg of lamb Red, white and blue potatos Runner (Pole) beans Strawberries (aged balsamic, pepper), cream Home baked bread and cheeses

It might be useful to look at the chemistry here. There are two seperate reactions going on. One is that the protein of the meat is cooking, contracting and yielding the osmazone. That happen quite quickly, as soon as the internal temperature of the meat reaches about 70C. The other is a longer, slower process of the collagen converting to gelatin and dissolving out. That happens quite slowly, A three hour stock will not have dissolved as much as a 12 hour stock, and so will have a different "mouth feel" to it. This may be compensated by adding starches or pure gelatine later in the finished dish. Escoffier adds pig skin as a source of gelatin to his brown stock. Of course it also depends on things like the size of the pieces of meat, wich affects how easily the fluid can penetrate. Mince will cook much quicker than solid lumps. For very long cooking times the structure of the bones themselves begin to dissolve. The cartilage that holds the calcified matrix together will eventually dissolve, releasing the mineral into the stock. A little may add some complexity, but a lot leads to off tastes. Three other processes are also occuring that affect flavour. TFirstly the long cooking time will to some extent concentrate the stock by evaporation. Secondly some of the aroma will also evaporate. Thirdly even at moderate heat, some of the Maillard browning relaxtions will occur slowly adding their flavour. A little is a good thing, especially in a brown stock, but eventually or if cooked at too high a heat (accelerating the reactions) the stock will taste burnt. So it depends what you want your stock to do. A light lively flavour with little thickness, cook for a short time. This is great for light sauces, or where the stock will subsequently be heavily reduced to concentrate it. If you are adding starch, as in a veloute, this is where you might want to start. This is a typical of a white stock For a deep brown flavour, full in the mouth, cook longer, but not long enough to get the bone taste. This stock will not need as much reduction to make demi-glace or glazes, and will add a deeper meatier "Umani" note to recipes. Perfect for jus, braises, and the like. This is what brown stock tends to be used for. I cook my chicken (white) stock only for an hour or so. If I'm in a real hurry then 15 minutes in a pressure cooker will do it. Brown stock cooks overnight very slowly at 90C, on the lowest possible heat.

FG's stock is cooked for 12 hours...