MobyP

Wine in the UK Press If you know of any other sources for good wine journalism, post them! Richard Ehrlich - Supermarkets are criminals out to mug suppliers, small rivals and you. Anthony Rose - Australia's great white (and red) hope. Cellar notes #28: Adelaide Hills gold. Super plonk. Sauce: Joanna Simon - Pink Champagne

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 Terry Durack - The West House, Biddenden, Kent Tracey MacLeod - Kanteen, at K West Hotel, London W14 Jan Moir - Al Bustan Jay Rayner Sticklebackpink. AA Gill: Mooch of the Pupple: YMing. More-ish Marina O'Laughlin in Cheap nosh thrill! Features How to be a happy pig. Jonathan Ray on Jabugo ham. Sybil Kapoor - gets in on Raymond Blanc's do. The Ten Best: Food mixers. Rick Stein has just added a chippy to his ever-expanding business empire – but success has come at a high personal price. If you thought Gordon Ramsay had gone soft, think again. Food Heston Blumenthal - The bitter end. Mark Hix - chocolate martinis to be drunk, and home-made truffles to be nibbled. Alex Mackay - The smart way to shop for fish. Victoria Moore - Using Marsala. Francesco Quirico - A little tiff in Italy. Wine and Spirits Richard Ehrlich - Supermarkets are criminals out to mug suppliers, small rivals and you. Anthony Rose - Australia's great white (and red) hope. Cellar notes #28: Adelaide Hills gold. Super plonk. Sauce: Joanna Simon - Pink Champagne

What benefit is the vacuum? Could you do this in a sealable sandwich bag? Or you could glue it shut. Do you need the expensive equipment?

Did you get to the Quality Chop House around the corner from Moros? Extortionately expensive, but loads of fun. And Welcome to eGullet!

Me three. My original question, which didn't quite register with him the way I had intended, was in his evaluation of some of the more prominent Spanish creative forces of the early 20th C - specifically Lorca, Bunuel, Dali, Picasso. I was trying to make a case that these were all fundamentally transformative artists, as opposed to interpretive (if that makes sense). Rather than incremental steps, each took a greater step in changing, either structurally or thematically (or both, in some cases), the nature of the art form in which they participated. This is the general complement or critique placed against Adria. Anyway, perhaps his answer was more apposite. Transformative it may have seemed at the time, but in retrospect we see the African connection with Picasso, and say the greatest shift was in the perceptions of the European and American art community, not necessarily in the work itself.

Jack - this is phenomenal. I cooked the lamb, and it was the most tender lamb anyone had ever tried. You mentioned the book - are there any plans to release additional sections on eGCI, or are you vying to be the next Nigella? And just how many soft sweaters do you own?

The day started at 11.30 with a half hour interview with myself and Jonathan (plus French Film crew), and Adria. At 2.30, the demo began. From my notes - Dishes prepared: Spray Margherita Ice cube cocktail Mojito with Seltzer foam Caramelized quail egg yolk w/salt Asparagus with warm mayonnaise foam and asparagus ice cream (pacojet) Carrot Air, with coconut and curry Red Mullet bones Cotton Candy floss Sugar paper ravioli w/ white truffle Melon Caviar (uses of alginate + Calcium chloride) Floating rose water globules gnocchi Parmesan spaghetti Langoustine w/ large egg (salmon?) gelatin canneloni Squid ravioli filled with cocnut milk Lardo ravioli (grilled to transluscent) filled with cockles (the best way to cook cockles) Milk skin canneloni of yogurt Bread and sardine ‘empanada’ Foie Gras ‘snow’ ice cream with classical consomé Cold and hot pea soup I believe JD was in contact with another eGulleter who was there - perhaps he might share his recollections. If I can expand on any particular dish, let me know (although may not be able to until next week).

In today's New York Times, the struggle to be an MW is as tough as ever.

Wine in the UK Press Tim Atkin on wine pronunciation. Sauce: Joanna Simon Andrew Catchpole Sherry's reputation as a sickly tipple for the elderly boozer is depriving British drinkers of a characterful partner for all kinds of food, Super plonk. Anthony Rose Cellar notes #27: Finders keepers. Something For The Weekend?

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 Jay Rayner tucks into Hamburger Union. Terry Durack Manicomio. Tracey MacLeod - Inside Out, Walton-le-Dale, Lancs. Giles Coren - Refettorio. Jan Moir - Lord's Tavern Bar & Brasserie AA Gill ex Machina: Taman Gang. Features Lorna Thorpe's drinking feeling. Luxury food deliveries. Chris Arnot goes in search of perfect pastry. Casilda Grigg puts this year’s Chocolate Easter eggs to the test. Food Tamasin Day-Lewis turns recycled ingredients into a feast Gordon Ramsay's Easter lamb. Nigel Slater on Fleeting foods. Mark Hix on making good stock. 3 from Jill Dupleix. Wine and Spirits Tim Atkin on wine pronunciation. Sauce: Joanna Simon Andrew Catchpole Sherry's reputation as a sickly tipple for the elderly boozer is depriving British drinkers of a characterful partner for all kinds of food, Super plonk. Anthony Rose Cellar notes #27: Finders keepers. Something For The Weekend?

Sam - could you tell me how much the 11" Falk and Bourgeat pans go for in the US? And what's the most inexpensive route you've found? I'm heading off to France for a few days so I thought I'd keep my eye out. You know, we need a cookware anonymous section in this place. Not that I have too much stuff! It's just - you know - I bet there are - well - people - people who need people - who maybe have slightly more than they need. Allegedly. No? Anyway...

alacarte - first of all, apologies, JD should fill you in on some of this, but I think he's enjoying himself too much with family on vacation. The interview came by luck - someone posted that Adria was in town and would be giving a cooking demo - but we had heard that it was open only to industry. I took a chance, called, presented my obviously formidable credentials, and the lovely Ms. María José Sevilla generously said we could come. "Oh, and would you like an interview?" Ferran himself was - to thoroughly misjudge him - entirely Napoleonic on first meeting - he strolled through the lobby with us scurrying behind. He turned out to be generous, expansive, and encouraging, resembling nothing like a 19th Century despotic Frenchman in the slightest. He had some knowledge of The Daily Gullet from the many eGulleters that had passed his doorway, and I believe Robert Brown who had visited the Taller, and written about it. BTW, for further proof, a French camera crew filmed at least part of the interview for a documentary they're producing. As to the format - well, it was creative decision, inspired by Adria, his manner, his ability to be tangential, but also a history of Latin America ("Memory of Fire") written by Eduardo Galeano - who has a beautiful, almost photographic way with narrative that interests me.

Jack - I used your double cook mash technique last night with Charlotte potatoes (which I was sure were going to turn into glue) and they were some of the best puree I've ever had. I cooked them twice, rinsing them inbetween, then dried them over heat (which I read in Robuchon), pushed them through a ricer (only once alas), whipped in Blumenthal quantities of butter (had to weigh the potatoes first to make sure), and let them go cold and sit for over an hour. Then, when the rest of dinner was ready, I heated some whole milk to boiling, turned on the heat under the potatoes, and slowly incorporated the milk, whipping the potatoes with a whisk (Loufood/Robuchon), until I had the consistency I required. They were unbelievable. Light as air. No heaviness whatsoever. Took me longer to do, but the finished result was extraordinary. Thanks Jack - that's two for two (after the long cooked leg of lamb).

Waitasecond - are you saying that today is Moby dumbass day? I could've sworn it was tomorrow. Thanks Sam. Sorry gkg680 - I missed this. I only bought the largest - 9" I think, but Sam will know - Sautee Evasee. I prefer the 11" Bourgeat for shape and capacity, but haven't been able to afford one. Does Falk do something similar? The mauviel is phenomenal - as Sam noted - for reductions - feels at least 50% faster at evaporation than the closest competition. The factory trip was fantastic. The problem with the town - which has 8 or 10 shops which sell both hand made and factory made pans - is that the shopkeepers haggle like professional wrestlers. This was a bit too much for me, and found the factory much calmer. It's a long building at the edge of town, and you have to go to the office to get someone to come and open the shop. Coming from America, everything was about a third of the price. The advantage of the town is that I was offered a couple of interesting pieces - like a 3mm sauteuse - that I didn't find elsewere. If it wasn't for the haggling, I would've bought it. I agree about the 11" saute pan - it's brutal to lift. I tend only to pull it out for really high temp stuff. Hope this helps.

We wanted to make something of the two experiences that wasn't a straight linear representation of the day - A followed B followed C - but was influenced by who he is, what he was saying etc. Just as so much of what he plays with in his food are actually your expectations of what a meal should be. For the linearly disadvantaged, we'll be making available the transcript of the interview (not sure where/when but somewhere/soon). Although I should warn you comma that the punctuation is entirely ours semi-colon and so dash some might say dash an assault on his true meaning exclamation mark BTW - it was great day. Really extraordinary to meet the man, and see the demonstration.

Being part of this bold and adventurous eGullet Team, I had a fantastic time. I think the problem is not that the food wasn't up to the ambition of the setting - it's the customers that weren't. You'd have to be Adnan Kashogi or the Duke of Marlborough to feel comfortable in that room. You actually get escorted from the front door of the hotel down to the Restaurant. This is CCTV old-style. Even in the mens room, there were eyes afoot. The food on the other hand is probably one of the best bargains in London. £49 for a nine course menu, the likes of which you'd have to go to a seriously starred restaurant to find, at three times the cost. Yes, I know, it's all very vulgar talking money. The food here is absolutely beautiful in that small portion French Laundry sort of way. You wouldn't think they'd have the time to issue those sorts of presentations. The proteins are all treated lovingly (if in a very legal and law-abiding sense). The pork rillette spring roll came with a beautiful and fragrant disk of black truffle balanced on top - it was a joy to eat next to the rabbit velouté. The lobster salad, beautiful. The foie gras came with an apple crisp, and freshly squeezed apple juice for you to drink quickly alongside, was luverly. Look, I'm feeling the sort of effusiveness that always ends up lowering my IQ by fifty point (in case you wondered). But it was all - well - bloody nice. It's in the same family as Thyme, but a more formal arrangement of limbs is required. The breads were a slight contrast - beautifully made, but all quite rustic - rip n' tear sorts of things, rather than ducassian portioned Alladin Slipper rolls. I'd return, and will, in a second.

10,000 plants? 1. Go to the army. 2. Request a battalion of catering core volunteers. Tell 'em to bring their own knives. 3. Proceed as above.

OK chaps (shuffles nervously), anyway (ahem), about the food? (cough cough)

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 Terry Durack- The Greyhound Inn, Stockbridge, Tracey MacLeod Refettorio, London, Matthew Fort 8 over 8 Giles Coren does Southall. Jay Rayner - Winkles AA somebody: Man of the something or other. Tate Modern Restaurant. Possibly. Fay Maschler, Chapter One Features Big rewards for little chefs - teaching children about good food. Terry Durack launches a campaign for a new golden age of fish and chips. Richard Ehrlich Rwanda's Maraba Bourbon coffee. Food Mark Hix puts on a show for an Oscars party. Tamasin Day-Lewis - Yorkshire pub into a gastro phenomenon. 3 from Jill Dupleix. These days, Aussie cookery has a cuisine that, like its people, is a heady mix of European and south-east Asian traditions. Hester Blumenthal A bug in the system. Claudia Roden A little Italy. Wine and Spirits Super plonk Anthony Rose Roll out the barrel. Rachel Simhon the Sonoma region. Joanna Simon: Sauce. Cellar notes #26: Best in show. 2002 Sainsbury's Reserve Selection Corbières; 2003 Shaw & Smith Sauvignon Blanc; 2001 Paul Cluver Elgin Pinot Noir Tim Atkin Safeway's takeover opens the floodgates to 'value' wines.

Tarka and Spatchcock are up in them there parts. And speaking of... how about Morgan M? It's a bit more of a drive, but no that far.

aka?

I came very close to moving to Crouch End solely because of a restaurant there called Banners. Not only does it have (all day) the best breakfast in the entire world, (hand-made sausages, and piles of thick cut buttery toast, fantastic bacon and black pud - I was was dreaming about it when I moved to America, but that's also because I'm really sad), but it occasionally has great lunch and dinner menus - soul food (Carribean, Thai, but also American South oddly enough). I can't think of a better place to spend a few hours, beit first thing Sunday morning, or last thing Thursday night. Unfortunately, I'm not the only person to know about it, and you have to get there pretty early. Also, I haven't alas been there in about a year (now I'm as Southerly as the day is long). But it is glorious. I second Porchetta. There was - many years ago now - a decent Indian Restaurant called Fleet Tandoori 2 - off the Muswell Hill roundabout, but I don't know if it's still there. Also also also (don't tell BLH that I told you), if you head down Archway, and the Holloway Road, and turn left up Highbury Hill Road, you'll find the original La Fromagerie. And if you go there on a Sunday morning (having been turned away from Banners cos you couldn't be arsed to get out of bed in time - yes yes, it's happened to us all), there's a great Turkish place opposite called Iznik (or Iznic or Iznick) that do wonderful small plates food - stuffed vine leaves, and goats cheese in filo, and sauteed aubergine with yogurt and paprika - it makes for a wonderful Sunday breakfast with the papers - they do fry-ups as well, if you're picky.) Actually, if you cut through the back of Crouch End, and pass through Finsbury, you can be there in under 10 mins. So long as Arsenal isn't playing, you'll be set.

The artichoke recipe is incredibly flexible. Once you have them, you can use the oil for a vinaigrette; if you saute some garlic and pancetta in some of the oil, then add the diced artichoke, you have a great pasta sauce - or to go full hog: saute some pancetta, a clove or two of sliced garlic, a little diced onion, render for 7 or 8 minutes. Then deglaze with half a glass of wine, bubble until almost gone, add a cup of strong chicken stock, reduce by half, add the diced artichoke, and a splash of cream - check for seasoning - and serve over orchiette with parmagiano for an incredible pasta sauce. In fact, add four wheels and a V-8, you have an all terrain vehicle. You can do anything with that recipe. Oh, and you can also make ravioli! No- I didn't do all of them in one week. That would've been a little much. I did it over three weekends, giving myself two or three dishes per weekend. And I took pictures as I went. You can see in the beginning, we had lovely bright weather - but by the time I got to the artichokes, it's cloudy and rainy. Exactly! With Everything. What ever is in season or available: vegetables, meats, fish, cheeses, wines... it can be the sloppiest food imaginable, or the most beautiful. It's really just about using your imagination - you can always go back to the classics - and there are plenty of them. Just walk down the supermarket aisle and look at the choices - those rubbery 'fresh pastas'. Blech. I bet you could reproduce any of the recipes, and make them much better. The main thing is to have fun, though. And enjoy the eating.

I keep seeing those ice-cube tray ravioli molds, and - well - they just don't do it for me. I think it's more fun to give them a little character. Good luck though, and take pictures.

Thanks chaps. It was much fun to do.