eG Foodblog: Adam Balic - An Australian in Scotland

[Behemoth]

El Santa strwberries are known as "the bouncing strawberry" You can drop then on a hard surface and they bounce. They are indestructible, with a long shelf life, which is why the supermarkets love them. Unfortunately they have almost no flavour, and a  texture more like an apple.

Roasting with vanilla sugar is a good way to go, and El Santa will even stand up to the cooking.

←

Ah, that pretty much describes the ones we get here. I was thinking of the lovely specimens you get at kiosks in Germany around late may early June. The ones in the states aren't even improved by roasting.

[mrshugget]

Please don't stop your blog Adam - its completely gripping. I need to know what you are planning for Sunday lunch and beyond, although am worried about your desultory lunch options.

PS Am I right in thinking it is snowing in Melbourne at the moment?

[Smithy]

El Santa strwberries are known as "the bouncing strawberry" You can drop then on a hard surface and they bounce. They are indestructible, with a long shelf life, which is why the supermarkets love them. Unfortunately they have almost no flavour, and a  texture more like an apple.

Roasting with vanilla sugar is a good way to go, and El Santa will even stand up to the cooking.

←

Ah, that pretty much describes the ones we get here. I was thinking of the lovely specimens you get at kiosks in Germany around late may early June. The ones in the states aren't even improved by roasting.

←

Behemoth, are you saying you don't ever get local strawberries? We do up here in Duluth and along the South Shore of Lake Superior. They're tender and tasty, and almost as good as the strawberries one can get in California from the local stands (but not the grocery stores).

Adam, it has never occurred to me to roast strawberries. Do you do a fairly hot fast roast, or at more of a medium heat? I'd like to try that with our supermarket rubbishy offerings, which are no better than the ones you and Behemoth describe.

I too am enjoying your blog far too much to see it stop. Your creativity and language make for a wonderful read.

[Behemoth]

Behemoth, are you saying you don't ever get local strawberries?  We do up here in Duluth and along the South Shore of Lake Superior.  They're tender and tasty, and almost as good as the strawberries one can get in California from the local stands (but not the grocery stores).

I was able to buy good ones once last year. The fruit CSA guys that hang out next to my "meat lady" on delivery days had some surplus that they could sell me. They were very good but super expensive if you're not a member (about $4 or $5 for a pint) and they don't generally have surplus. (I can't join the CSAs because we travel too much, especially in the summer.)

Anyway, I get my berry fix in Germany every summer so it's not such a big deal for me. Really, none of the farmers around here seem to be growing much fruit, apart from some surprisingly uninspiring apples and peaches this one couple brings in. Either they pick too early, or the strains they are planting are commercially developed ones. In any case they were farmer's market priced, with supermarket flavor.

Sorry for hijacking the thread here...

Edited August 12, 2005 by Behemoth (log)

[Adam Balic]

As they say in Scotland, "You've had a bad day, I've had a hell of a day".

Fortunately I have a solution. Strawberries, sugar, mint, rum, blender. I would like to call this a strawberry caprioska, but suspect that this is incorrect (cocktail people, any clues?). Due to family connections I get to go to Florence a few times a year. One little know great thing about Florence was a bar on the banks of the Arno called "Lido". It looked like a private club, but was open to the public. Bascially, you sat in the shade of some trees, drank cheap cocktails and were fed for free. It was great (apart from the stinky 20 something Bohemian types that plagued the place) and this is were I had this cocktail first. Sadly Lido is closed now.

[Adam Balic]

Thank you for the very kind comments, but as the man said "What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from." Soon time for another blog.

I am off to the house of my friend Bill, for dinner and booze. Hopefully there will be time to post his no doubt excellent meal.

Edited August 12, 2005 by Adam Balic (log)

[Adam Balic]

So my last pots of the blog. Dinner at a friends home. I am very lucky to have generous and good cooks as mates, as you can see.

Nibbles

Which is:grilled endive with a sherry vinegar reduction, Beaufort cheese, Moroccan olives and buttery Parma ham.

Mains were slow braised Moroccan lamb shanks with barley coucous.

And seafood "Orzarella"

The clams and prawns were fantastic

Dessert was an always excellent summer pudding. In case people are concerned about scale, the berries on top are not black currrents, they are larger species known as a WORCESTERBERRY (Ribes divaricatum)

[Adam Balic]

Adam, it has never occurred to me to roast strawberries.  Do you do a fairly hot fast roast, or at more of a medium heat?  I'd like to try that with our supermarket rubbishy offerings, which are no better than the ones you and Behemoth describe.

←

Smithy. Put the oven to the hottest setting and just plonk the fruit in for ten minutes or so. This gives you enough time to make a Zabaione, which is perfect with this dessert. It also works well with other fruit, expecially peaches and the like. Originally a Jamie Oliver recipe I think.

[Priscilla]

Adam, your blog has been such a pleasure to read. Thank you!

[Corinna Dunne]

Wow! What a wonderful dinner party. Great friends to have indeed! Adam, I don't know if it's too late in the blog to make a request, but you mentioned that you have about 300 cooking related books. If you have a chance, I would be really interested in the names of your favourite ones.

And thanks for a great blog, I really enjoyed following it.

[Eden]

As they say in Scotland, "You've had a bad day, I've had a hell of a day".

Fortunately I have a solution. Strawberries, sugar, mint, rum, blender. I would like to call this a strawberry caprioska, but suspect that this is incorrect (cocktail people, any clues?). Due to family connections I get to go to Florence a few times a year. One little know great thing about Florence was a bar on the banks of the Arno called "Lido". It looked like a private club, but was open to the public. Bascially, you sat in the shade of some trees, drank cheap cocktails and were fed for free. It was great (apart from the stinky 20 something Bohemian types that plagued the place) and this is were I had this cocktail first. Sadly Lido is closed now.

←

Not a coctail person, but speaking a fair amount of Italian I'm guessing it was "capriciosa"?

[Adam Balic]

The cookbook I most often pick off the shelf is Robert Freson's "The Taste of France". It is the sort of book would like to make, I just never get sick of the photography and reading it.

Other great books are "A Mediterranean Feast" by Clifford Wright, Paula Woffert's "The Cooking of South-Western France", Anne Willan's "French Regional Cooking", Anything by Elisabeth Laurd, David Thompson's "Thai Food", Anna Del Conte's "The Classic Food of Northern Italy", Robert May's "The Accomplish't Cook", Allen Davidson's "Mediterranean Seafood", Phia Sing's "Traditional Recipes of Loas", Jane Grigson, Elisabeth David, Colman Andrew's. And lots more. Anything that will paint an image of the food and were it comes from.

[Adam Balic]

As they say in Scotland, "You've had a bad day, I've had a hell of a day".

Fortunately I have a solution. Strawberries, sugar, mint, rum, blender. I would like to call this a strawberry caprioska, but suspect that this is incorrect (cocktail people, any clues?). Due to family connections I get to go to Florence a few times a year. One little know great thing about Florence was a bar on the banks of the Arno called "Lido". It looked like a private club, but was open to the public. Bascially, you sat in the shade of some trees, drank cheap cocktails and were fed for free. It was great (apart from the stinky 20 something Bohemian types that plagued the place) and this is were I had this cocktail first. Sadly Lido is closed now.

←

Not a coctail person, but speaking a fair amount of Italian I'm guessing it was "capriciosa"?

←

Almost certainly, now that I think about it. Tah.

[chefzadi]

The cookbook I most often pick off the shelf is Robert Freson's "The Taste of France". It is the sort of book would like to make, I just never get sick of the photography and reading it.

Other great books are "A Mediterranean Feast" by Clifford Wright, Paula Woffert's "The Cooking of South-Western France", Anne Willan's "French Regional Cooking", Anything by Elisabeth Laurd, David Thompson's "Thai Food", Anna Del Conte's "The Classic Food of Northern Italy", Robert May's "The Accomplish't Cook", Allen Davidson's "Mediterranean Seafood", Phia Sing's "Traditional Recipes of Loas", Jane Grigson, Elisabeth David, Colman Andrew's. And lots more. Anything that will paint an image of the food and were it comes from.

←

That's great list. I still cannot get over the variety of home cooking you.

Excellent.