Danks Street Depot cookbook

[Shinboners]

Well, I wasn't going to buy this cookbook, but a certain bookshop that I visit an awful lot put the wrong price on it.....$24.95 instead of $34.95. In fact, I went in again on Friday, they've still got the wrong price. *cough* Carlton store *cough*

The book does have a really nice feel to it. The photography is very good, reminding me of the work in Damian Pignolet's cookbook. It feels warm and comforting.

And warm and comforting is the feel of many of the recipies. Flicking through it, many of the recipes are for autumn and winter, with England, France, and Italy providing the main inspirations. For instance, you'll find recipes for corned beef, duck confit, and spaghetti with cauliflower strascicata within the book. Recipes are divided into seven sections with titles like, "I love Spring and new beginnings", "A break in the heart", and "Food to warm the cockles". IT does make a change from the usual categories, and for me, it works as you look for the recipies by "feel" rather than by "key ingredient".

Most sections have around 8 recipies. Each recipe opens with some comments by Ingersoll where he talks about his own history with the recipe and some notes on the ingredients and its preparation. You could almost imagine him saying the same things if he were to present the recipe on a TV show. He then follows with the list of ingredients and some very detailed instructions. Often, he'll give you a cooking process and explain how this process helps the cooking of the dish. This impresses me greatly as it can only help people understand the whys and hows of cooking.

Overall, I think it's a pretty impressive cookbook. It's certainly worth the $35RRP, and I'd say that it's probably one of the best in that price bracket. I think the book is pitched at those who have developed some basic skills and want to take themselves up another level. But I think that experienced cooks will also find recipes they'll enjot too.

[whisks]

i have just seen the cover of the book, but not looked inside (i was there for lunch n thot it might b a bit rude).

i had the fish/seafood soup which was interesting - i say interesting because i have a tendency to analyse flavours etc and i couldn't pick out all the spices in the soup. the other thing was that i expected fish/seafood pieces in the soup, but it was all liquidised. does the recipe for this soup appear in the book? wanna let me know the spices in it? (u don't have to let me know the recipe, because it is unlikely i will tackle it at home - some things are better when someone else makes it for you) it's just to satisfy my curiosity more than anything else. thanks.

[Shinboners]

There isn't a recipe for a fish soup in the book.

Anyway, I did the sauteed duck livers and prosciutto on toast for brunch on the weekend, and it worked a treat.

[whisks]

went to borders n checked out your book. he really seems to love duck (i do too, but i prefer to have that out cos it is sooo greasy to cook at home...every now n then i do). it's a lovely book. very personal, and i love how he has a story to tell about the recipes. the two recipes i want to do from the book are the eccles cakes and bread and butter pudding, not that i have had the pleasure of either at the depot. i know i've only been there once, but none of the recipes seemed familiar - mustn't have been paying attention. no matter - a good reason to go back again and try a few more things.

[PCL]

I LOVE ECCLES CAKES...

...out for now...

[whisks]

I LOVE ECCLES CAKES...

...out for now...

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did u want the recipe?

[aussiebarracuda]

If any of you guys are interested im positive they had a copy in the book store at the city end of Smith St Collingwood, cant remember the name of the joint , its around the corner from books for cooks. Small range, but the books are discounted to the extreme there. Its a bit of pot luck if its still there, its not a place where they stock many back up copies, if any at all.

Cheers,

PJ

[PCL]

I LOVE ECCLES CAKES...

...out for now...

←

did u want the recipe?

←

wouldn't say no!

[Shinboners]

I LOVE ECCLES CAKES...

...out for now...

←

did u want the recipe?

←

wouldn't say no!

←

I am fairly certain that there is a recipe for Eccles Cakes in the "Nose To Tail Eating" cookbook.

[PCL]

i've got that book... i just never read dessert section... i'll check it out tonight...

[whisks]

danks street depot eccles cakes (not verbatim)

makes 24

120g butter

335g muscatels or raisins

135g sugar

rind of 1 lemon

juice of 1 1/2 lemons

about 8 sheets puff pastry

cook the butter, muscatels, sugar, lemon rind and juice for 10 minutes and cool (he says it takes abt 2 hrs to cool).

place spoonfuls of the muscatels on rounds of pastry, wrap and place on baking tray with pastry edges underneath. brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. make a couple of slashes in the pastry and bake 10-12 minutes @ 180 degrees celcius, remove from oven, sprinkle with more sugar and bake another 5-10 minutes. roll the cakes around the juices which have escaped.

he says not to worry if any of the cakes explode - lol - but i don't see why they should since the pastry has holes in it.

i haven't tried the recipe yet, but will at the first opportunity (read: find some ppl to help eat them, which won't take long). ditto the bread and butter pudding and angelina plum tart.

(the dessert section is always the first section of a cookbook i read, and very often, the only section)

Edited April 21, 2006 by whisks (log)

[PCL]

thanks for the extract whisks.

has anyone been there? i've just checked out the website and menu etc. any reports?? i'm mildy curious...

[whisks]

yes, i have. worth going to, but not on a monday. i say this because u can do the "knock two birds off with one stone" thing cos there's another foodie place across the road (sorry, can't remember the name)(it's closed mondays). at this other foodie place, there r the "markets" on one floor and the eating place on the other. parking is tricky, but that's just a matter of luck. and since u r in the neighbourhood, u can hit peter's of kensington in the one trip....

can't do the food critic thing real well cos it's been a while since i've been there. the flavour combinations r complex and interesting for the seafood/fish soup; the soup is liquidised, so there r no discernable pieces of seafood, but u know it's there. the mushrooms r nice n meaty. just have a look around at what others r eating if u need a guide. the egg dishes (omlette, fried) seemed to b popular, altho i didn't try them.

[PCL]

Liquidised seafood soup... now that caught my eye.

I mean, wouldn't it be nicer to have small chunks of fish or shellfish floating in the soup for texture? In the spirit of "Read, Chew, Discuss" I'd like to put forward the suggestion that perhaps having a pureed seafood soup kind of hints of using only the bare products required for flavour, ie. fish racks, roasted shells and 'trimmings' of flesh and smart seasoning. If one were to work to the tenets of providing what's fresh and available, then you could take it literally and say that racks and shells are always available.

Just playing devil's advocate here. I'd still like to visit this place one day.

[Shinboners]

I enjoyed another recipe from the Danks Street Depot cookbook tonight. It was the slow-roasted pork shoulder. Although I modified the recipe (shorter cooking time, used some pork shoulder that was already boned), it was wonderful.

I love these recipes where you do about fifteen minutes of prep work and let time take its course with the actual cooking.

[Taubear]

We went to the Danks St Depot last weekend for breakfast.

We had

Creamed eggs with truffle oil, chives, mushrooms & tomato. With a side of Bacon Hash

Slow cooked broccoli served on scrambled eggs and toast with fetta & parsley.

The service was good but I found the flavours in the creamed eggs overpowering. My partner found broccoli for breakfast a little strange.

At this stage I don't think I would be going back in any hurry.

Edited May 19, 2006 by Taubear (log)

[PCL]

What was so strange about the broccoli? Slow cooked? I mean, that would turn it to mush no?

The truffle infusion thing can be taken a bit far, but hey, I haven't eaten there. Taubear, can you elaborate?

[whisks]

taubear,

did u go across the road to fratelli fresh?

[Taubear]

I suppose the strangeness of broccoli is that it is normally considered something eaten at/with dinner, salad, blue cheese combined with scrambled eggs which is traditionally a breakfast dish. The broccoli trees were sitting atop the scrambled eggs and were cooked to a mushy type consistency and the combination of all the ingredients didn’t really work as a breakfast meal.

As for truffle oil I am one diner who is completely over it. It seems to permeate every restaurant menu who wants to up their prices by adding oil infused with a hint of truffle.

Whisks – We did wander over to Fratelli Fresh. It’s a large space filled with A grade fruit and vege’s and a good selection of premium meats, cheeses and various other imported goods. It also has a fully equipped training kitchen used for cooking classes and a café upstairs.

Edited May 22, 2006 by Taubear (log)

[PCL]

Mushy broccoli, unless treated with garlic and parmesan, or shallot and garlic and white wine, is absolutely unacceptable.

Maybe with gravy.

[whisks]

shinboners,

i noticed you mentioned the damien pignolet's book earlier - have you got it? if you do, would you mind looking to see if the relish he serves with his bangers and mash is in it? i went to bistro moncur on friday and had the said bangers and they were sooo good (but i guess at $29, you'd want the sausages to taste better than good).

thanks

[Shinboners]

shinboners,

i noticed you mentioned the damien pignolet's book earlier - have you got it? if you do, would you mind looking to see if the relish he serves with his bangers and mash is in it?

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I had a quick flick through the Pignolet book last night and I couldn't find a recipe for the relish.

[Jared Ingersoll]

Mushy broccoli, unless treated with garlic and parmesan, or shallot and garlic and white wine, is absolutely unacceptable.

Maybe with gravy.

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I couldn't agree more! but here's the way to get beautiful - almost nutty slow cooked brocoli.

gently fry 1 small finley diced onion in a geniourous amount of extra virgin olive oil (if you cook too hard you will kill the flavor of the oil) when soft add 1 clove of garlic simply smashed and 1 large red chillie split, i normally leave the seeds in as i like the subtle bite- but thats up to you.

Then take you brocolli with as much stem as possible. Peel away any fiborous skin and then cut the brocolli lenthways in wedges into 6th's or 8th's. Place this on the onions, splash in a little white wine and a little water, season really well with salt and pepper and place on a tight fitting lid and cover and cook reeeeeeeeeaaaaal slow (through a gentle oven is easiest to control) for about 1 hour. Cook until it is just about to disentigrate. I serve this with eggs scrambled with cream and butter and a nice sharp crumbly feta on toast.

I discovered this dish in America - and i love the subtle flavor, the trick is when eating it for the first time, try not to compare it to crunchy bright green barley cooked broccoli as this is something completley different.

I have over time discovered some absolutley amazing flavors from cooking vegetables for a really long time - or to the point where it could be considered overcooked. When i Turkey i fell head over heal in love with green beans braised in a spicy tomato sauce (again for a couple of hours) which were often served at room temperature. Then there is a wonderfull recipe for celery hearts i discovered in England where they are cooked long and slow in chicken stock, butter and cream then finished with cheese. The Italians often cook raddichio by braising it in stock, sometimes even cooking it in a caramel or even on the BBQ. And finaly there is the good old faithfull 'petite pios al a francaise' or peas cooked with lettuce - delicious'

BUT and this is a big but for me......... I absolutley deteste and loathe the smell, taste and texture of overcooked cabbage!! to many horrible child hood memories

[whisks]

this is so exciting - i can't wait to try cooking broccoli this way, especially now we have first hand instructions!! thank you and welcome.