MobyP

I'm not sure it's the right one - there doesn't seem to be much there. Can you give us a run down on what a dough sheeter is, what it does etc? It had better start by bringing you a cup of tea in the morning!

Ka Bling! (Wish is my command etc etc)

eGullet - Finally, a very real alternative to a comfortable retirement!

I was thinking she undercooks her caramel (I was looking at that recipe and picture yesterday too), which explains why she says earlier that she'd "given up on tatins." Hah! The pastry sounds marvellous though. Maybe you should lead the way, be selfless and noble, and then give us a thorough report.

My whole process hass changed with this new kitchen - it's about half the size of anywhere else I've been - and it means I need to be much more efficient with space, and organized as I go along. Empty dishwasher, clean surfaces before you start. A must. Otherwise you'll spend the whole evening catching up. But I still can't figure out how I lose it towards the end. When all of the pans are out of the oven, and you're transfering everything to serving bowls or plating it directly etc. - you want to get it to the table before it gets cold. How do you find time to wash?

I'm pretty good about cleaning as I go - up to a point. On those big meals I hit the wall where there's too much to do - sauces to finish, garnishes to warm through, etc - and stuff starts piling up. How do I get better at this? It's always the last 10-15 minutes that get me.

If the pasta is thin enough, and fresh enough, you should only need a minute or two (and so wouldn't need to freeze it); which is enough to raise the egg yolk temperature high enough to 'cook' it (think custard) without actually setting it.

Nothing like a bit of crunchy rosemary in the morning.

It seems to be quite a casual style of dining. The Dinner Menu: (Dishes range from £7.50 to £18. ) Roasted local hand-dived scallops with lentils. Warm salad of skate, new potatoes, fresh peas and mint. Grilled boned quail with roasted spiced peach. A bowl of langoustines with a garlic mayonnaise. Slow roasted duck leg with a hazelnut salad. Rib of South Devon beef, spiced herb butter with chunky chips. A whole Slapton seabass baked in a salt crust. Brixham turbot grilled with fennel. Pickled local mackerel served with cucumber and sour cream. Puddings Harberton raspberries with a white chocolate mousse. A lemon tart. And even more casual for Lunch (Dishes range from £6 to £14.) A bowl of fresh local mussels with chunks of crispy bread and a glass of white wine. A fresh Dartmouth crab salad and a glass of beer. A warm local goat’s cheese salad with a walnut dressing … try a glass of Sancerre. Chicken and duck liver parfait, spiced pear chutney with a slice of toasted brioche. Fresh, Budvar battered fish and chips with a long, cool lager. Dittisham asparagus with hollandaise sauce … delicious with a glass (or bottle) of good Chablis! A slice of hot chocolate tart with white chocolate ice cream and a cup of coffee. A bowl of strawberry ice cream with a buttered shortcake biscuit.

So the New Angel is now officially open? Funny I haven't seen any press. Here's the website.

89% Pork??? That means the other 11% is water soluble chemicals, right? And six different versions of sodium? Is this their equivalent of brining? You think you're getting moist meat from the quality, instead it's packed with glucose and sodium. Duncan - unless you're saving it for a science experiment, get the petrol and matches. Really, we'll have a whip around, and get you some proper chops. Thanks for doing that. Maybe we should compare the ingredient list from the 'best' lines of other supermarkets.

I've had problems with this in the past as well. How about a drier mixture - i.e. standard one egg to 100g - and then allow to dry to 10-20 minutes before cutting so it starts to become leathery. Douse it well with the semolina before folding, cutting, bundling.

When I was in California, Wholefoods ordered some for me at special arrangement (as well as other odd items). If there's one near you, you might be lucky. They're not difficult or complicated to deal with, once you get past the initial oddness of new anatomy.

Tears of joy, of pain, of feeling stuffed, and of never wanting to see another tarte tatin ever again.

Which leads to an interesting question - the abundance of 'Indian cooking' in the UK has (I'm told) very little to do with actual Indian cooking, and more to do with satisfying the English post-colonial palate (nothing like returning from several hundred years in India to cold-mutton and boiled beef to ruin your day). The Chicken tika marsala to which Mongo refers is an invention which was created in the UK for the English. So you could say that the often poor, occasionally sublime Indian cuisine we take for granted is already the misnomered New Indian Cookery. Although let's not go to Mumbai and ask what they think about it. Of course, as with Italian food, the search now goes in two directions simultaneously; the first is towards regionality and authenticity, and the second towards experimentation and authenticity. I agree with Jason as to the moniker. Recently there was an event in the UK called the The American Food Revolution. Of the chefs who were invited to come over from the states, approximately half were about as American as Schwarzenegger. But this goes towards the idea not only of the US co-opting cultural or aesthetic practices from other countries (as being the guardian of parts of those transplanted cultures, it sees itself as the beneficiary), but oppositely the inate desire of immigrants to those shores to be viewed as American. For those who chose not to be included, or co-opted, the practice smacks of an odd sort of franchised colonialism. Still, to return to my earlier point, I think the American Food Revolution was about as American as New Indian Cooking was Indian. The meal sounded fantastic. I wish I'd been there.

Yes to 1). And I follow the Ramsay thing as well, leaving them peeled (for as long as possible) before cooking. The liquid from the apples can dilute the caramel. I've never used five spice though - what does it contain? The RHR Tatin is pretty bloody good. It's such a massive hit on the pleasure centres - like an injection of heroin - you're bound to start smelling things!

Could you go into this further? What business practices determine thhe choice of generic brand products?

Offcentre - welcome to eGullet! I lived in Horley for seven months - and it's almost exactly as you describe. One Waitrose, one butchers, one Lidl (or like). One market (pre-packaged meat, underwear, mobile phone covers). It drove me up the wall.

Ok - time to make a list: Things I've given up buying from Supermarkets over the last year: Beef (diet excepted) Pork + products (Cheeks/belly, bacon, pancetta etc) (Ginger Pig, butcher, La Fromagerie) Chicken (superb organic from local butcher) Organic Fruit and Veg amd herbs (40-60% of weekly intake) Fresh pulses (Borough) Pasta flours (tipo '00' amd Semolina) Cheeses (50%) Pasta (diet excepted) French unsalted butter (15-20% intake) Fish (15-20%) Ecover Cleaning products (35-40%) Items I'm still dependent upon supermarkets for: Lamb Cereals (organic) Flours (for baking) French unsalted butter Olive oil Wine (diet excepted) Organic fruit and veg (40-60%) Water Ecover cleaning products (house/clothes/dishwasher) Pulses (canned and dried) Tuna (in oil) Anchovies (canned) Fish (80%) Bread Paper products (bog roll and kitchen towels) I do go to Borough as often as I can, but it doubles my food costs. In fact, I find I have far less money in general to spend on other things since I've been shopping this way. I can't honestly see where I'll find substitutes for canned goods, cleaning products and bread - in fact most of the second list. The local alternatives are mini-markets - franchised off the larger ones. Having said that, I can't believe the supermarket chicken I used to eat - compared to one I've found locally. It makes me shudder just thinking about it. Same goes for pork. Has anyone else been faced with these issues?

Please note : some of these links may require free or paid registration to view. This week's selection comes from: The Times The Independent The Guardian The Observer The Telegraph This is London Restaurants Marina O'Loughlin - Le Cercle. Terry Durack - Centotre, Edinburgh Tracey MacLeod - Cipriani, London W1 & The Hoxton Apprentice, London N1 Giles Coren - Le Cercle and Levantine. Matthew Fort - The Parsee., London N19 Jay Rayner - Wok Around the World, Ramada Encore London West, Gypsy Corner/A40, London W3. AA Gill: Blakes. Features Giuseppe Baio tells Clare Longrigg how the tasty treat got them out of a Sicilian pickle. Can Fergus Henderson and Anthony Bourdain persuade America to share their enthusiasm for entrails? Caroline Stacey the perfect moussaka. When top chefs put chicken on the menu, they turn to a handful of producers whose pampered poultry is top of the pecking order. As obesity in Britain continues to rise, one firm has found an unlikely way to fight it: through the staff canteen. Food Mark Hix - a summer menu. Cliveden Lardy Cake - In a new series of recipes from the National Trust, Belinda Richardson visits Cliveden. Xanthe Clay's guide to asparagus. Gordon Ramsay's Ladies who lunch. 3 from Jill Dupleix. Francesco Quirico - Fortunately, the traditional dishes of the season tend to be quick, fresh and simple. Nigel Slater - rich creams for slathering. Wine und booze Richard Ehrlich - One big retailer has decided to stop fighting its big rivals. It wants to snap at the heels of the exciting, creative, specialists. Anthony Rose - "Hold on to your glasses, there's a new offie on the high street. Instead of browsing for wines by country, you can buy by style, choosing from "bright", "smooth" or "rounded" whites, and "fruity", "mellow" and "chunky" reds." The caipirinha may be the cocktail of the moment, but how many people can name its main ingredient, asks Tom Lamont. Pint to pint: Hunter's Lodge Inn. Super plonk. Tim Atkin - New European arrivals. Joanna Simon - Last summer’s pan-European heat wave gave us a taste for crisp, snappy white wines and refreshing young rosés.

Of course - there's always The Official Tarte Tatin page!

OT - but are those books for cooks compendiums any good? And which ones have tatins in (like the way I swerved to save myself??)? Tarka's Clash of the Tatins! Step forward all ye who quake with fear and fancy a good nosh. [Edit for new set of glasses]

I think the thing that trips up most first timers is not (as Rowley Leigh says) being brave enough. You really have to let that caramel head towards the deep golds and early browns before you throw it in the oven with the pastry.

Be bold and great forces will come to your aid!

Have you found these in the UK?