jackal10

Don't forget these are retail DPD prices. Alas in the UK we pay outrageous tax and VAT on wine

I just made some. I follow Florence Lin's method, but added leeks instead of scallions. I'd post a picture if I could figure out how to upload (any help?)

Here in Cambridge UK we are blessed with several excellent merchants. I would include with links, in no particular order: Alex Riley Alex Riley [alex.riley.wines@dial.pipex.com] Cambridge Wine Co Noel Young Wines Jenkins and Beckers (fine Clarets) Jenkins & Beckers [jb@childerley-estates.co.uk] We are doubly blessed in that many wine merchants come to Cambridge to show their wines to the colleges. There are professional wine tastings, mainly for the Wine Stewards of the colleges, often weekly in the Michalmas and Lent terms. Entrance is by inviatation of the particular wine merachant. More wine links

Yes, they are both Rosemary and Sage very tough plants and will re-sprout. They are pratically unkillable.

I grow cardoons, both to eat and as decorative background to roses. You must blanch them late august/early September for 4-5 weeks, otherwise they will be unbearably bitter. Cut out anything old and woody, and wrap the stems in something lightproof - old newspaper or black polythene or geo textile. Treat like celery. I like them braised with bacon. Sweat some onion and chopped up bacon until golden. Add the cardoon stalks blanched and tied in bundles. Add some stock, season well. Put in a low oven for a few hours. Swiss chard stalks can be done similarly. You can eat the heads like small artichokes, if you catch them early, otherwise they are a flower arrangers delight. Cut them long and hang them upside down to dry so the bright blue colour is preserved

That's Samphire! Here in the UK the season is not until midsummer's day. "Half-way down Hangs one that gathers samphire; dreadful trade!" Shakespeare, King Lear Its a sea- margin palnt, not an underwater vegetable. Also known as glasswort or sea asparagus. The stuff has a stiff glass-like core. Cook like asparagus, Eat in the fingers, sucking the succulant outside off. Full of minerals. Can be pickled, but that rather loses the point.

I think the comparison with Escoffier is not entirely fair. Remember he was at a time just about at the changeover from traditional buffet style service in "removes" to our modern "service a la russe". The dishes would have been alternatives at each course, although they may have been placed on the table at the same time Traditionally small and large course alternated The traditional menu was: 1. Amuse (or frivolities or hor-d'ouvres) 2. Caviar with blinis, or oysters or clams or melon 3. Soup, choice of thick or thin 4. Salad or small dishes, like olives or nuts or amuse ---------------------------------------- 5. Fish course 6. Sweetbreads or mushrooms or truffles or pasta or the like 7. Artichokes or asparagus or something in pastry 8. Roast meat 9. Sorbet or palate cleanser 10. Game -------------------------------------- 11. Pudding or cream based sweet 12. Frozen sweet, biscuits 13 A savoury ---------------------------------------- 14 Cheeses 15 Fruits and petit-four 16 Coffee liquers etc The dotted lines correspond roughly with the old "removes". Often (at least in my college) the desert (courses 14 15 and 16) are served in a different room, or else the table is "turned", so people sit next to different people. Of course each course comes with its own cutlery, and there should never be the cutlery for more than three courses on the table at the same time.

Forget that I am cooking a loaf of bread in the Aga oven. For those who don't know, the Aga is a stored heat cooker, so is always on and hot. Its efficient because it is very well insulated. It is ideal for breads. The oven is ventilated up the chimney, so you don't get the cooking or burning smells you would with a normal cooker to remind you. After about 24 hours the loaf is still perfect in form, just entirely carbon

Depends if you are in the northern or the southern hemisphere. If south of the equator reverse the direction of stir.

I grow grapes, but it is at best marginal in the UK. I've only a couple of vines though, mostly for decoration. According to the archeologists the south facing gentle slopes round here may have been Roman vinyards. Roll on climate change! The commercial orchard down the road at Coton have a small vinyard that make a passable, if a bit light, white wine The variety I grow is Triumphe de Alsace, which makes small, pippy grapes. Hopeless wine, but good grape jelly. I do have blue potatoes chitting though. Originally microplants from Tuckers Seeds I sved seed last year. They are blue all the way through.

Rolly Gassman Rolly Gassman No one has mentioned the Pinot Noir yet, Alsace's only red wine. Light, but delicious, a perfect lunch wine.

The daffodils are early this year; the minitue tete-a-tete have been out for a couple of weeks, and the larger ones following on. The tete-a-tete look fine with the snowdrops still blooming. The crocus's have come up in drifts, but in my garden they are pecked to bits by the birds; the rooks are busy building their untidy nests. I counted a dozen in the coppice today. Roses and shrubs showing their first green, and the hazel waving their catkins. The forsythia and winter jasmine in full bloom. Wild cherry and plum blossom just coming out in the hedgerows The ground (heavy clay) is still claggy; dug some jerusalem artichokes for soup and fo roasting

Today I sowed radish, leeks in the seedbed. Inside I sowed trays of lettuce, sweetpeas, more tomatos

Personally I'd leave out the blue cheese. If you must have it concentrate it in one place as part of the garnish, such as a blue cheese pastry puff or tomato stuffed with blue cheese. As you observe, the sauce was short of Umani - meatiness. Just browning the lamb wouldn't be long enough to give enough juices in the pan, and if it was long enough you wouldn't want to eat the meat. You need to add it seperately, either from a demi-glace, or even from a little soy. Ther are several ways you can go with the sauce depending on what style you like. You could just reduce it until it is syrup. Personally I hate over-reduced meat glaze, making everything taste of Bovril. Redcurrant jelly and some lemon juice would be one way (think cumberland sauce) , cream (or creme fraiche) another, tomato concasse, or a classical thickening agent, such as buerre manie. You could even serve two sauces - one a jus, and the other a portwine/citrus/mustard cumberland style reduction. Good bread to mop up the juices.

All gas appliances (at least in the UK) must have a flame failure device. Usually this is a mechanical themostat (bi-metallic strip or mercury in a copper tube) heated by the pilot light that cuts off the main gas supply if the pilot light goes out. Its one of the resons that makes gas boilers such a pain to light from cold - you have to manually hold down the bypass valve until the flame failure device heats up. Its also the thing that fails most often - the copper tube corrodes, so the device never turns on. You need to get them replaced every couple of years. If your stove doesn't have this its is likely illegal, and certainly dangerous. OTOH nothing beats gas for instant, controllable heat for cooking on.

What about all those chocolate and corn flake refirgerator cookies/cakes? Crushed corn flakes can substitute for bread crumbs for a crispy coating.

Must it be red wine? You could get for that: - a wonderful single malt cask strength scotch, - an amazing desert wine - a vintage port to die for, - set of fine glasses Is it for drinking or laying down. If it is for drinking, then under what conditions? What will you serve with it, or is it for after dinner, or with fine cheese or a fine cigar? I could advise in the UK, but I'm don't know what is available in the US. Enlist your local supplier for help.

Lemon Hart Rum Lemon Hart was a distant ancestor of mine

http://www.eurocave.com/ Its the humidifcation that is as impotant as the constant temperature

Dunno. I'm relatively new to the gardening scene. Actually, why don't you tell us which you prefer? I planted two varieties, and of course the names escape me now. But I'll check tonight and post their names tomorrow. We have an annual tasting at the University, and almost always Sungold (or Golden Cherry - much the same)wins by a mile, with Gardener's Delight second. Cherry tomatos always seem much more intense than full size or paste tomatos, but it depends whether you eat them raw or cooked or dired, and YMMV. Also this week I'm starting brassicas, and especially red sprouts. However this is an exercise in frustration, and a sacrifice to the garden gods, as each year the rabbits and the pigeons eat them, despite my best precautions.

Still a bit early in the UK, lots to do in the greenhouse. Outside planting broad (fava) beans. Varieties Epicure (red seeds) and Purple Flowerd (originally from the Henry Doubleday Seed Library) Inside setting potatoes to chit (arran pilot, red and blue salad, pink fir apple) ready to plant at Easter Starting tomatos (Sungold, Fireworks, Gardeners Delight) What do you think are the tastiest? Starting chilis (Thai Dragon - Atomic) Peas soon.

Time of the year is different as well. Haman Taschen are for Purim Rugelach are Shavuot and Hanuka. To eat Haman Taschen at any other time of year would be like eating Simnel Cake other than on Mothering Sunday...but maybe Easter traditions are another thread.

Flo Greenberg (1947) uses a yeast kuchen dough and poppy seed filling. She gives Prune and cream cheese as alternatives, but I think those are heretical. Kuchen Dough (adapted) Flour 1 lb Castor sugar 2oz Milk 1/2 pt 1 pkt dry yeast (the original called for creaming fresh yeast with the milk) Butter 2 oz 1 egg Pinch salt Sive the fry ingredients togethr. Melt the butter in the milk and cool to lukewarm. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and fold in. Knead to a smooth dough; leave in a warmplace to rise 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Roll out and use as required. To make the Haman Taschen cut a 4 inch circle of dough and put a spoonful of filling in the center. Fold the sides in from three points to enclose the filling, leaving the top open Put on a non-stick baking tray and brush the top with warm honey Leave in a moderately warm place to double in size, then bake in a moderately hot oven - 400F Poppy seed filling Put the following in a saucepan and cook until thick: 1 cup poppy seeds 1.4 pt milk 2 oz butter 2 oz each chpped nuts and raisins I tablespoon golden syruo (corn syrup) 1 oz chopped citron peel Much easier bought.."What does a JP make for dinner? Reservations" Mix

In the UK WD40 is spray lubricant. Like duct or gaffer tape it is a universal panacea. Duct tape to hold things still, WD40 to help them move. Also used as drying agent, and qucik start spray...

The roast onion icecream was in my post the Roast Beef thread. I copy it here Roast Onion Ice Cream 4 medium onions peeled and chopped lump of butter 2 tsp sugar Fry together over a low heat until lightly brown - 1/2 hour or so Whiz together with 1/4pt whipping cream, salt, pepper Churn in an ice cream maker, but the volume is a bit small. Alternatively Put into a small basin in the freezer, an mash up when half frozen and returnto the freezer Take out of the freezer to soften up about an hour before serving. Great dropped into the centre of a yorkshire pud. I apologise if I was offensive. I meant to be controversial, not offensive. I was pointing out the difference in cultures. Personally I don't think it makes much difference salting the outside or not. At best it affects the first slice, and I usually discard that as overcooked anyway. If you have enough to draw out significant moisture by osmosis, its too much. Rubbing with paprika or mild chilli powder can give a visual effect, but I prefer to brown the outside by putting the roasting pan. Garlic on the outside falls off and burns, going bitter.. If you like a salty taste you can salt the beast when it has been cooked, or as you carve. Personally I prefer to let the guests salt to their own needs. Some recommend marinating in a mild brine, and I can see why that might work, although the times I've tried it, I prefer the meat straight Hanging for longer, for example an extra week in a sealed bag or conatiner in the fridge can help, but these days the beef is so tender already, and the slaughtering technique so improved, I don't think it makes that much difference if you got the beef from a decent butcher. Roast potatoes; Doesn't really matter what variety, except that new potatoes don't roast well. Ideally should be ones with a high dry weight/sugar content. Peel and cut to serving size. I like King Edward or equivalent. Parboil. Drain. rough up a bit, for example tumble in a cloth, or stir with a fork. Its the flaky bits that go crisp. If you add flour its a quite different effect. Melt lots of good butter in a roasting tin. Add the spuds and an onion. Salt quite heavily. An hour in a hot oven turning once or twice. White-cooked Pak Choy would go well for a green veg.