jackal10

As Dougal says ther is plenty online. Your local authority may offer (and require) a food hygine course. Basic needs are a) A kitchen that can be cleaned (hard surfaces, pull out furniture that can be cleaned behind). Most domestic kitchens with built in units fail. b) Seprate sinks for food and a basin for hand washing c) Proper storage and seperation of cooked and raw foods d) Labelling and correct weights

Sugar is not starch. Sugars are components of starch. Starch is many sugar molecules joined together. Like most chemical reactions the rate of the Maillard reaction is temperature dependant. WHile it happens quickly at roasting temperatures, in the internal temperature of the bread it is slow. Thus many add products with like molasses that provide the colour and some of the roasted flavours instead of baking for the 16 hours plus. Here is a Danish rye bread I like a lot: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...dpost&p=1483924

I'm with Lapin - minimalist Finely sliced white cabbage, onion, a little carrot, pepper, and Heinz Salad Cream I prefer salad cream to mayo.

Very artistic, but I do worry about all that artificial food colouring. Even quite small amounts have been shown to make kids hyperactive.

Err no. Ascorbic acid has a specific oxidising effect on an enzyme that otherwise degrades gluten present in fresh flour. Acetic acid (vinegar) would not have the same effect. Any acid breaks down starch (not gluten) to sugars, but the amount added here would not be significant. Flavour is possible, and is sometimes added to mimic sourdough but that is not the typical flavour profile of challah. The small amount suggests adding to the eggwash

Dampers Marshmallows

Borsch

Long slow comfortable screw against the wall http://www.webtender.com/db/drink/4604

In my garden there are ripe redcurrants and raspberries, so now is the magic time for Summer Pudding, one of the greatest English puddings. Line a pudding basin with slices of bread. Slightly stale mass produced bread is fine. Gently warm equal amounts of raspberries, redcurrants and sugar until the juice runs - just bring to the boil and remove from the heat. Pour 3/4 into the lined basin and top with more bread. Encourage the juice to soak in. Puree and sieve the rest and reserve to pour over the outside when serving. Weight, and leave in the fridge overnight to set. Turn out and cover with the reserved juice. Decorate (a few sprigs or redcurrant) Serve with cream. Controversies: I don't like blackcurrants in my summer pudding, as I find the taste to prominent. A few stoned cherries add a nice stickiness to the juice. Strawberries are a disaster and go mushy. Make Eaton Mess instead. If you make a large summer pudding, and extra layer of bread in the middle restores the balance. For catering and portion control you can make it in a loaf or rectangular mould There is an article on the history of Summer Pudding in PPC 62, reprinted in "The Wilder Shores of Gastronomy" Similar early recipes are: • Warne’s Model Cookery by Mary Jewry, about 1880 (my edition is the New Edition of 1887): called Malvern Pudding. • Sweet Dishes by Wyvern, author of Culinary Jottings from Madras (1881), recommends plantains and raspberries, or mangoes and pineapple. I suspect, however, the derivation is different from that given in the article and it is derived from the old style of Charlotte, a bread case filled with fruit compote, traditionally apples, then baked, and dating from the late 18th century, although may be much older as bread "coffins" go back to medieval times I have not been able to find any exact references, but Cook and Housewife’s Manual, Meg Dods, (4th Edition 1829), under ‘A French Fruit Pudding’ says ‘that any kind of ripe fruit may be used instead of apples’, and elsewhere suggests a compote of raspberries and redcurrants. May also be related to Rotegruzel. Rowley Leigh published an article on the history of Summer Pudding in the Sunday Times in July 1998.

Tongue has a vary fibrous texture, so not sure how successful it would be pulled. Traditionally it is pressed and sliced across the grain Even better cold.

Line a baking sheet with Puff pastry - even good store bought Cover with halved pitted apricots, leaving an inch or so around the edge Generous butter and brown sugar Very hot oven (I use a pizza oven) until the top of the fruit browns Cream Good with other fruit as well - plums, greengages, sliced apples Can also use bread dough/pizza crust. Lots of butter and sugar.

They make very good glyko - greek spoon sweets http://greekfood.about.com/od/traditionals...yko_karythi.htm

SIx days is tough. Here is a traditional recipe. Its messy, and walnut juice stains 1. Soak the green walnuts, picked before the shells form (mid June) in a brine made form 1lb slat to a gallon of water for three days. 2. Change the brine and soak in fresh brine for a week 3. Drain, spread oon dishes and expose to the air until they turn black (about a day) 4. When quite black pack into jars and cover with hot speiced sweet vinegar. Seal, leave for a month or more before eating 3 pt brown vinegar 5% 1 lb brown sugar 1.5 tsp salt 1 tsp mixed pickling spice 1 tsp peppercorns 1 tsp cloves Boil together for 5 mins and before pouring over the walnuts

"A Guide to Modern Cookery" 1907

Escoffier has several recipes for croquettes and for fritters, although none directly involving cornmeal. The one that caught my eye, which I must try is for strawberry fritters (strawberries, fried in batter). He adds "It is most essential that the strawberries be well sugared because the heat of the fat sours them while the fritters are being fried and the consequently become tart". I guess the closest he comes to hush puppies is 2453 Various croquettes Croquettes may also be made from tapioca, semolina, vermicelli or fresh noodles etc, in which case the procedure is that of Rice Croquettes 2452 Rice Croquettes Make a rice preparation as directed under 2404 Divide it up into 2oz portions , which may be moulded to the shape of fruit such as pears apples, apricots etc; treat these a l'Anglaise (egg and breadcrumb, deep fry), like the chestnut croquettes and fry them in the same way I won't bore you with the rice preparation, but basically its sweet rice ( 1lb short grain rice, 2 pints milk, 10oz sugar, 2 oz butter) cohered with 16 egg yolks

"How do you make a small fortune in restaurants" "Start with a large one" Restaurants are not usually good investments, especially in times of recession. At best they are marginally profitable. People invest in restaurants for emotional not financial reasons. Restaurants are capital intensive, labor intensive, top end limited and fickle. That said you can invest in the restaurant's real-estate, and use the restaurant to keep it warm. That implies owning the freehold or at least a long lease. Oh and an improving property market, which is not now.

The alternative is some sort of non-biological contamination that interacts with the food over that time period - for example oxidation, or a pinhole in the bag or enzymatic action. The dark juice is typical if the temperature has risen too high allowing some cell degredation and escape of the cellular fluid.

131F/55C is really close to the edge, especially for long cooking times. Are you sure your waterbath/thermometer is that accurate? Use 136F/57C and be a lot safer.

Its a little more complex than just heat. You want to ensure the food and the jar are sterile, sealed and do not contain spore forming bacteria (like Clostridium- botulism) that are hard to destroy with just heat without spoiling the food. At home you heat the jar in a canner for long and hot enough to achieve the desired pastaurisation. The problem is for tightly packed food you have to heat the jar long enough so the centre achieves the desired temperature, and this can overcook the food. Commercally this can be done outside the jar - flash pastaurised, for example, and the food then handled and packed aseptically. Hard to do at home, or without the specialist machinery.

Dexter are small black cattle. An old, slow growing and somewhat rare breed but excellent beef. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dexter_cattle .

Suprised no one has mentioned le Polidor in the 6th http://www.polidor.com/ Founded in 1845 and not changed much since. Long communal tables, checked oilcloth Boeuf Bourguignon, Blanquette de veau à l’ancienne, petit salé aux lentilles Wine in tumblers

I was in Wells next the Sea today and came accross http://de-lish.co.uk/ a small shop in Staithe St, run by an enthusiast. They make and cure their own salami and other meats. They use Cley smokehouse for smoking some. I had excellent rilletes, salami, "stouties" (beef, vegetable sausage cured in stout) etc The enterprise deserves support

Went to the Elephant last night for the Tasting menu. Excellent, one of the best meals we have had in a long time. A real gem in an otherwise barren area. Amuse Bouche: Three minature savoury macaroons "Risotto" of squid and cauliflower Hand dived Bay scallops with Cornish air dried ham and apples Smoked Lobster (extra course ) Pan roasted fillet of halibut on a parsnip puree with a spring onion and verjus butter sauce Filet of pure bred South Devon beef with a cep and artichoke mousse (Light blackcurrant mousse with liquorice and creme fraiche) Artisan cheese selection Dark chocolate and olive oil truffle with raspberry and red pepper jelly, passion fruit sauce Coffee and petit four (three sweet macaroons)

I'm tempted to reply to "How is everything?" and similar inane questions with something like "The economy is in poor shape" or "What is the solution to the war in Afghanistan?" but I fear it would be wasted

How many times do you tell them the truth? "The plates were cold, the food underseasoned, the meat tougher than it should have been, the fish over-cooked, and the fries limp..." You just say "fine thanks", Not even "Please go away, I'll call you if needed"