jackal10

I tend to sacrifice the last bit (or recycle it back to the stockpot) You can tip it into a sieve over a different pan, but don't squeeze, just let it drip

Yes, taking the lid off after 10 mins will give a thinner crust. Some people like thick crusts, and the old fashioned wood fired brick ovens, if properly sealed, tend to get very steamy towards the end of a batch and give a similar thick crust. I only get a shiny thin crackly crust in an oven with lots of super hot steam in the first minute or so to gelatanise the outside of the loaf.

Gold Ring, and a Tower? Have you been watching or reading too much Tolkein? Great desert btw...

You move some of the raft to one side and decant it with a ladle into a sieve lined with muslin or coffee filter paper.

This is my experiment. I used my normal minimal knead dough (this is a wholewheat spelt) and baked it in a LeCrueset casserole, although I forgot to slash, so it tore. While its perfectly acceptable bread, good even by commercial standards, I find it a bit coarse and clunky, compared to my normal baking. Here is a picture of nearly the same dough (this one is ordinary wholewheat) cooked in the same oven at the same temperature for the same length of time but with steam (water onto a pan) for the first minute only. Note the higher rise, and the finer web walls. Some of the holes are smaller, but then the walls between them are much thinner, making a less pudding like mouth feel. That may be because the loaf has less heat shock. More importantly the crust is thinner (but no less crackly and tasty), because the steam was not present for so long.

Back to SALAD to go with the dressing

GFG reccomends Perrys http://www.perrysrestaurant.co.uk/ and The Crab House Cafe (no web site but lots of references if you Google)

Yup - goujons of sole Part of a 14 course birthday meal. The blue colour in potatos is water soluble, so the colour is better if you keep water away - don't boil, but bake, roast, fry, microwave etc. I guess Dauphinoise would be interesting - the colour would migrate but but only into the dish.

I thought hot sauce was for Buffalo CHICKEN WINGS

Fries (sorry about the plate - cooking in another kitchen)

Thanks Jon, I think Zoticus was trying to say how can you question the authority of a world famous chef? Incidentally Heston is not claiming to be the inventor of Molecular anything - if anyone that title should go to the late Prof Nicholas Kurti, or to Herve This. Heston also does not claim to be a food scientist. He has some on his staff, and consults others, notable Peter Barham of Bristol University. It raises the interesting question of authority in cooking (and science). For years the authority of Escoffier and Saulinier's "La Repertoire" could not be questioned in the Cusine Classique. Thus if Escoffier says (he does) a Tournedos is 1.25 inches thick, cut laterally from the centre of a filet, and a Chataubriand is twice or thrice that thick, fried in clarified butter, then that is what they are, and served with one of the prescribed sauces. In science, authority is open - in principle, anyone can experiment and openly report the results, and results are only valid if they can be independently reproduced. It matters not who says it, but what is said. The philosopher Karl Popper http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Popper is important here, and points out that in practice its is not that simple - theories are more likely to be accepted or papers published if they come from known sources, or support the conventional wisdom. This thread is probably not the place to discuss such a complicated subject as authority in science and cuisine. If anyone is interested start a new thread.. Thus I can discuss low temperature cooking of steak, not because I am associated with a Michelin stared restaurant (although only voted Best Outside London Restaurant, not best in the World), but because I too have tried it, tasted it and experimented with different times and temperatures and studied the literature on bacterial growth modelling. However taste is just my opinion. There is no single "perfect steak". Your perfect steak is likely different from mine. I know people whose perfect steak is (shudder) well done. YMMV, as they say.

Need some HORSERADISH SAUCE to go with the beef

There is more than one path to heaven. Ive tried cooking steak at 50C for 24 hours and personally I don't like the result. 24 hours at 50C is just on the safe limit of ten generations of bacterial growth, and where bacterial growth slows from heat death. Admittedly he blowtorches the outside, but the curve is very sensitive there. If the oven was at 49C the safe time is only about 6 hours, so 24 hours allows 40 generations of growth In that time each bacteria turns into about a billion (million million). For home use, without precision regulated ovens, that is just too close for comfort. 52C would be safer, with little effect on rate of the collagen dissolving. Its a matter of taste and debate. I know chefs who refuse to cook one inch thick steak for more than 30 mins at 57C (about the FDA safe limit),claiming that the meat gets mushy (even if not more cooked in the conventional sense) if held at that temperature for longer. In part it depends on the thickness of the meat and hence the time taken to conduct heat to the middle. I find 24 hours too mushy, and to my taste the my ideal for rib is about 8 hours, which is the about the time taken for the center to come to temperature, Not by coincidence this is also about the same time as the traditional "gigot a sept heure" or the time to roast a whole animal on a spit, an

Biga and poolish refer to dry (50% hydration) and wet (100% hydration) starter sponges. I think what Tim means is an old dough addition. - usually about 10% by weight, which will add flavour and enzymes. One criticism of this method is that the webs between the gas cells are fairly thick and waxy, since the gluten is under developed and not oxidised. A pinch of Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) powder will help, added at the beginning. There are two keys to this method: a) Fairly wet "no-knead" dough. People like Dan Lepard have been advocating the stretch and fold technique instead of kneading for a long time b) Baking in an enclosed heavy hot pan. The advantages of cloches are well known. Using a hot pan is new, or perhaps a re-discovery and a good way to stimulate a steamy bakers oven. Personally I'd use a standard sourdough method, with a starter sponge, overnight retard in the fridge and bake in a pan.

shredded for PRAWN cocktail

Thyme infuses well in honey for honey thyme pancakes

I think the caramel should be very dark, otherwise the tart is too sickly sweet

Potato rolls to dip in that, or even better croutons

Reminds me its nearly time to make cakes, puddings and mincemeat for Xmas. "Stir up Sunday" (the Sunday before Advent - end of November) is the traditional time, when the collect includes the words STIR UP, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, PLENTEOUSLY BRING FORTH THE FRUIT of good works... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stir-up_Sunday Edited to add this year Stir Up Sunday is 26th November. Bring forth the Fruit..

There were several oddities: Cooking at 50C is too low to do any actual cooking, even over 24 hours. Its more like accelerated aging, and some collagen decomposition. Blowtorching, then cutting off the crust, then searing seems very odd. Even with a blowtorch you won't get the outside anything like sterile, and the migration of the maillard flavour into the meat will be minimal. . In fact searing for 2 mins a side will do most of the cooking. He adds smoked salt as well, which will dominate the flavour I'd cook at 57C for 8 hours or so, then blowtorch...

I do love SF IF you want a cocktail challenge how far can you push a pousse cafe (pun intended) and still make it drinaable. Seven layers is known, but 10 or more? Can you make one that will reform if stirred? I can think of four layers (solid, water based, oil based,float like ice or marshmallow or the like), but more?

Thanks! What does "Kinkei" actually mean? Is it flavoured with coffee or what spices are used? Thanks

Edible gold leaf - real gold, but make sure you specify the edible grade

A student has given me some "kinkei curry" powder, made by Meiji http://www.meiji.co.jp/en/ Apparently sent to him by his mother: "She thinks I cook". Instructions are 300g meat 400g onion 200g carrot 300g potato 2 spoons oil Fry off in the oil. Add 180g curry powder (one packet), 1 L water, simmer 20 mins. Kinky curry sounds..err..interesting Just tried it. Seems to have a lot of brown sugar in it and thickener, probably starch based, salt, chili, but the main taste, to me, is that of instant coffee. IS this representative of Japanese curry? Can anyone tell me more about this one?

Good article explaining the basics: CALCULATING THE TOTAL GROWTH OF BACTERIA IN COOKED FOOD USING THE FDA CODE CONTROLS O. Peter Snyder, Jr., Ph.D. Hospitality Institute of Technology and Management http://www.hi-tm.com/Documents2001/time-te...lculations.html The safety time is based on a ten generations of bacterial growth. The four hour limit reccomendation is the absolute worse case. Since your soup was hot to start with it will have few pathogens - only those which fall in from the air or a dirty spoon. The article shows its probably safe to leave it (and most food) at room temperature for about 16 hours under normal conditions. Eat and enjoy.