Posts by: Missy Moo

Hi, I have often made Spinach and Quark (as a substitute for Ricotta) Cannelloni, but spinach is really not one of my favourite vegetables. All heave-inducing smell and metallic taste, IMO!

Does anyone have an idea for a substitute? I'd like to keep the quark, but the spinach sub doesn't need to be a green veg - I'll consider anything interesting! I've tried rocket in the past, which was OK, if a little stringy.

Many thanks

Can anyone recommend an online site for buying good quality chocolate? I seem to remember at least one item on GFL around Valentines Day recommending various ones - oh, how I miss the show! Hotel Chocolat was one and seems good, but I can't recall any others - any ideas? The lovely Paul Young has a shop in London, but doesn't do mail-order, which is a shame.

I'm dying to have a go at making the Christmas Tree cookies from Monday's Food Uncut and running out of time as they are going to be prezzies - please hurry up and post the details! I've even made a cardboard tree to cut around as I can't find a cutter.

Has anyone ever bought a whole one of these? I am thinking of buying my (ham obsessed!) husband one for Christmas. However, my budget is limited - many I have seen are up to £300 each, which is well out of my price range. I'd appreciate any feedback.

Hurrah! Will try it this weekend. Am I correct in recalling that Sophie Conran said that you could use leftover cooked chicken instead of uncooked thighs? I'm roasting a large chicken tonight and there will be lots leftover.

Yeah - I've been looking for it too! We want pies!

Lots of magazines will have 'Countdown to Christmas Dinner', short cuts and recipe ideas to help you prep in advance in the coming months. Good Food magazine is a good bet.

If it's family, can you get them to help by bringing some of the trimmings and side dishes? One brings salads, another the pud, another bread, etc.. I'm sure they wouldn't mind helping out.

Kezzy - made it, ate it, loved it! Lekker! My loaf tin is quite a bit bigger than that in the recipe, so I will probably increase the quantities by half as much again next time. Thanks.

Does anyone have a recipe for Cape Seed loaf? Mine (from a South African cook book) calls for crushed wheat and I can't source any around here (difficult to find anything in the Highlands!). Or can anyone suggest a substitute for crushed wheat? Cheers!

I lived in E17 till 2001. The market's OK if you live on the doorstep, but I wouldn't make a trip especially! Get the train to London and go to Borough Market instead.

I have a recipe for a Pork and Chicken Terrine, and want to vary it a bit by adding a layer of asparagus. It cooks for 2.5 hours - can anyone advise as to whether I should blanch or cook the asparagus first, or will that length of cooking be OK to tenderise it? Cheers.

Thanks! I hoped something as simple as salad or potatoes would be OK!

Hi, I would like to serve this as a veggie main course - would anyone be able to suggest an accompaniment to 2 avo halves to make (what I assume is) a starter more substantial? Cheers.

I recently received kilos of rhubarb from a neighbour and, having never cooked with it before, wasn't sure what to do with it. I tried Mike Robinson's chutney recipe and it is DELICIOUS! It is also very easy to make. You must try it, especially with a bit of mature cheddar. I am addicted already and have made 12 jars. (Sorry, think I've drooled on the keyboard...) [link]

The concept is far too drawn out, I think we all agree on that. But it is always good to see the lovely Rimmer, and Marcus W is a bit yummy, too - where has he been hiding? Mr Ramsey must have kept him hidden away as he is too much competition!! Get him on the screen more often ...

Actually, the phrase that actually cheeses me off the most is when the actual Andrew Nutter says actually 5 times in an actual sentence!

My other half is South African and I spent 3 years out there with him. We lived in Durban, where the curry is king! The local equivalent of a kebab (i.e. something to soak up the beer at 2am in the morning!) is a bunny chow. Take half a white loaf, scoop out the middle to make a container and fill it with curry (which has no finesse and plenty of heat!). Eat the curry, then the container! He too loves melk tart and potjiekos and, of course, biltong which he now has sent from a Surrey butcher to the Scottish Highlands. It would be great if someone could show how to make your own.

Although I would still say I am a Jeni fan, I have noticed that recently she doesn't always seem to be listening to the chefs. They will say (for example) fry for 5 minutes, and 5 seconds later she will ask "how long do you fry that?" Also, is it just me, or is there tension between her and Lotte? I first thought this a while ago, they did a comparison on gelatine and arrowroot. Jenni seemed to steamroller through it, and Lotte appeared v. ticked off that she was racing through. Watching them again yesterday, it all seemed a bit too reserved and polite. Ms Barnett must watch out - Simon Rimmer did a great job standing in last week!

On another subject, following on from accents - have you noticed how many times Andrew Nutter says "actually" or "actual"? I counted once and gave up after he said it 5 times in one sentence!

Most of the chefs seem to encourage their kids to eat everything from as young as possible so that they get a taste for a wide range of food. It also seems to avoid having separate kids' meals and making a fuss of eating "grown up" food. Wish my parents had done that as I only ate meat and potatoes till the age of 24! Thankfully, that has all changed now!

Thanks for the help! I will be trying the sugar steak out next week (we have a special occasion coming up) and will report back then.

The closest alternative is probably Madeira, but that shouldn't be any easier to locate than Marsala!

I am dying to try this method of cooking a steak [www.coonass.com/sugarsteak.htm] but am not sure what Baker's sugar is? Suspect it may be caster sugar. Can any of our American friends out there help?!

Given the choice, I would use the vortex method, where you whisk the water really fast and drop the egg into the whirlpool. If the eggs are fresh, the white wraps itself around the yolk and stays nice and compact. 3 mins usually does the trick.

HOWEVER, I don't find this very practical if doing more than one egg. As I run a B&B, I often need to do several at once and the method advised by Rose Prince in the New English Kitchen is very practical (though I would guess some foodies would not consider it authentic). She advises lining a cup (I use a ramekin) with cling film, then breaking the egg in and pinching the film at the top to seal it. I also squirt the film with spray oil to prevent sticking and (if I remember) will season the egg before cooking. Give them about 4 minutes, though another advantage is that you can pick them up and give them a gentle squeeze to test the done-ness. Then just snip off the top and slide them onto your toast!

Ohh, Paul, my hopes were raised when I saw the title of the thread - I thought we were going to see you back on GFL! It's been far too long!

My hubbie has just made Creme Caramel and I was looking forward to Pavlova, made with the leftover egg whites. HOWEVER - he managed to get a blob of yolk in amongst them, so we can't use them for that or meringues. Any ideas? If anyone is tempted to say "an egg-white omelette", don't bother - we want GREAT food!!!