jackal10

I'm expect it will be OK, but that is not optimal a) 45C is below safe temperature, so you don't want to hold the fish at that temperature long. 15 mins is more than enough, and then serve or cool rapidly. b) Some acid will help inhibit botulism and other nasties c) If you are frying it anyway, unless the cod is unaturally thick, the frying process will cook it by the time the outside is brown, and the sous vide process has no advantage.

if you can't insert the thermometer the beef is not yet cooked

Use plain flour and you will be OK. Tesco own label organic (red band) is 9.5% protein and makes excellent bread

Yes Well done. Pierre Koffman at Tante Claire, Royal Hospital Road. Now GR's flagship. I was going to add clues of 3* then and now, and signature dish of pied de cochon aux morilles Your turn

no

No. The restaurant and chef were very influential

No

No

no

UK restaurant, now changed owner and chef from this menu This is the set menu when I dined. I have it in front of me. Tartare de saumon et creme aigre Croustade de confit de canard aux oignons et poivre Parfait glace aux pruneaux Cafe et petit-fours

Good heavens... Fat Duck in the early days...

I was reminded of Rose Henniker Heaton's prescription in "A Perfect Hostess" 1931 for a menu suitable for Valentines Day; clearly an unsuccessful relationship. Sole in Aspic Partridge (shot in the head) Frozen Passion Fruit She suggests decorating the table with Rosemary (for rememberance) and love-lies-bleeding. Since Love-lies-bleeding is Amaranth I guess you could serve the grain or the leaf for those who want a subtle message Other culinary messages might be curried hearts, or devils on horseback Happy Valentine

Foxtrot Oscar "that honey pot for roués and the raffish" although Sauce Bois Boudran was Roux Bros Tomato Ketchup and is also served at Hotel du Vin

I cant remember. I suspect 15% service charge printed on the menu and closed credit card slips, The tips were handled by the Maitre D,and divided equally between all staff working, front and back. Oh, and we paid the staff properly with holidays etc,

OK. Lets say I take 2 hours for a meal Lets say the server is serving 20 people (10 x 2 top or more likely 5 x 4 top) Lets say a reasonable hourly wage is $100/hour or $200 for the 2 hours Thats $10 per person Not sure what the average restaurant meal is including wine, but if anything like here my guess is something like $100/head for reasonable standard, and double or more in a high end place. Thats 5% to 10%, not 20% Your argument that 20% tip represents a fair wage is clearly false.

Yes, naturally. This was, maybe 10 years ago. They shrug, sigh, tell me how hard their life is, but I still get served. After all that is what the restaurant pays them for, and I am a rareity. What they going to do, throw me out? Who is running the restaurant? If service is, as you claim, seperately contracted, perhaps I should bring my own waiter, or have a beauty parade of the available options. It makes no sense

If the restaurant states that a service charge is added, then I will pay that. I am happy to explain to the server that I do not tip and why. I expect I will still be served (I always have been so far, but it is a few years since I was in the US), since that is the contract with the restaurant. On your argument I should pay the chef beforehand, or let it be known I will pay the kitchen 20% to get the best food. Even you must admit the US system is both crazy and bad.

Thats the point. I have not contracted to pay the staff formally or informally. A tip is a reward for exceptional service, not a way of subsidising the restaurant allowing it to pay poor wages. Since I am legally contracted to pay nothing, I will.

I ferment my preferment at 27C (next to the stove) for 24 hours If you leave it in the fridge after that for another day or two you get a little more lactobacilli activity and a slightly sourer bread, but it will still be delicious. I often start to make bread, and then something happens or I run out of time, so I just put the preferment in the fridge, covered, until I'm ready

You do not need to cool down for the latter part of the bake. Contrary to the myth bread in stored heat brick ovens actually cooks in rising heat, as the oven recovers from cooling when the door is open and the cold dough is put in. The AGA mimics this well. Adding steam (water) in the first minute gives a fantastic crust.

I use an AGA and its wonderful for bread. Cook your bread DIRECTLY on the floor of the top oven. No intermediate shelf or pan to reduce the heat transfer to the dough. If you must use a piece of silocone paper to make the dough handling easier, but no need. Use a peel (AGA make a beautiful one http://www.agacookshop.co.uk/epages/Store....Products/W1825) to put the loaf in and take it out. As soon as you have put the dough in the oven and before you close the door throw in a cup of water (beware hot steam) and shut the door. Try not to open the door too much and cool the oven until the bread is cooked = 40 minutes. A common mistake is to overprove the dough before putting it in the oven. A lot of the rise comes from oven spring. Active sourdough takes 4 hours from mix to bake, or 2 hours bulk fermentation and overnight in a refrigerator

Go ahead and make bread with your mature starter. It will be OK. Do you mean starter, of which you use a tablespoon, or preferment, which is maybe up to 33% of the loaf? Either way its OK. If its the preferement, the loaf will be flavoursome. This is perhaps the key to getting more flavour in the loaf. It comes from the preferment, which should be ripe. I ferment my preferment typically for 24 hours. Doug I am not surprised your bread was dense. Asking 3 rises from the yeast is bit much, and the loss of gas would indicate the bread was overproved. At most 2 rises (bulk ferment and proof), and halve the time

There are a few high end restaurants and private clubs in the US that pay their staff properly, charge correctly and do not expect tips. The problem is the majority of management continues to exploit the staff with such an unfair system. It means the majority of staff costs are variable costs, so that if the restaurant, through no fault of the staff has a poor night or two, then the staff take the hit. Yes running a restaurant is tough, but not that long ago the standard tip was 10%. Where will it stop? If I tip the server, the what about the busboy, the cleaners, the water boy, the sommelier, bribe the greeter for a decent table, to say nothing of the line chefs, the garde manger, the plongeurs who also work hard and do tough jobs for poor money? Typical wage costs are about 33% - should that all come from tips? Even more ridiculous I am expected to tip if the service was sub-standard or the food poor. It means the prices are 20% over those advertised. Why does the restaurant lie about the price? Who do they think they are kidding? The system causes (at least it did the last time I was there) horrors like the server (whom I do not know from Adam) writing cutsy saccharine personal messages on the check. Since this is done for everyone the insincerity is appaling. There are handbooks on how to flirt wih your customer to maximise the tip. Ugh! Maybe I should negotiate the cost of service beforehand, or even better specify the optional parts (no bread or water thanks, and I'll pour my own wine). Self service? Or the one time Russian system where the wait staff buy the food from the kitchen and re-sell it to the customer. I am amazed the corrupt and corrupting tipping system continues, where everyone, not least the staff, loses.

Hintelsham Hall?

I never tip. I am unlikely to return, and being European I am used to not tipping. I do not care what the server thinks of me after they have served the meal. I fail to see why the restaurant should advertise prices 20% below the actual price, nor collude in a tax evasion, nor make the server beg or prostitute themselves. I am not trying to make a relationship with the servers. Their role is to take my order and bring the plates, wine etc. Their pay and quality standards are a matter for the restaurant management, not me. If I want to praise and reward exceptional food or service above the norm I would write to the restaurant's managment, next day or next week.