Posts by: Chef de Maison

Hi Griff,

Guess you need to keep looking for a better coloured yolk. My supplier is real free range, in a field about 100 chickens etc. The commercial free range are quite pale in colour by comparison. Also, I would use up to 4 egg yolks, leave out the whole egg, for your amount of flour.

Good Luck

David

Hi Jake,

Ginger is grown in India in Kerala. I suggest you look at Indian recipes, but suspect you may only find a chutney made with it.

Your problem in wanting a marmalade without fruit is the lack of pectin to set it.

Why do you want it this way?

David

Hi Sophs,

I agree with you. But, one main supermarket admitted that it sold £2m worth or 'ready meals' last year.

One of my family admitted to using them as she gets in from work early evening from an 11hr day and just can't face cooking. I am getting her onto a vac pac machine so she can make her own.

Trouble is, there are many in this world who have no desire to cook and it is they who give JCN and others the revenue opportunity.

Final point, I recently cooked for a charity shoot and was offered 100 beef burgers. Frozen last year and not UK sourced. Why? Cheap!!!

Sorry

David

Hi Griff,

Look for a top quality free range organic eggs.

Tricky subject! My Son in Law is not keen on veg, except purple broccy! I have experimented with food over the years, without much success. However, recently he has started making pizza's from scratch and lo he is into some fine diced veg as topping.

If you are making steak, how about a hot salsa! Or, corn on the cob! Stir fried veg. Have a look at Chinese cooking. Salad with a spicy dressing.

Guess if you still love him it is not the end of the world if his only vice is no veggies!

David

No offence taken Old Thatch.

Just a note for you on frozen Seville oranges. I returned from a trip to France a few years ago to find my freezer full of them. Good friend spotted them in market and knew I would have brought them, had I been there. May I suggest that when you de-frost them you make sure that they are not touching. I left them in bags and they got very soft very quickly. I think this might have been due the expansion and contraction of the ice crystals in the fruit.

On chutney. Sounds like you are another keen producer. What is oldest you have? My current batch is 06 and getting very tasty. The oldest I have ever had was a batch made in 98, a jar of which was hidden and forgotten in the cold dark place I keep goodies in. It was opened in 2005, and was very good, my independent tasters, i.e. not family or close friends loved it.

Cheers to you too!

David

Hi Bob,

It appears that there is no need to follow a special diet, you can eat what you like within reason. Of course you should be aiming at a low fat, high fibre diet, with plenty of veg and fruit, just like all of us.

The trick is to balance the amount of insulin to match the food intake. For that you should be talking to a dietician.

Hope that helps.

David

You are right Old Thatch, I do enjoy giving pleasure with food. It is why I cook. That and a desire to be 'in charge'! Control freak me? Probably yes, but only in the kitchen, I think, I hope!

Also, I was trying to answer the question posed by Nora R in the original post.

Happy Cooking

David

Hi New Cook,

I use a batter made with 4 large eggs, 225g flour and 300ml milk, plus salt of course.

People say lots of things! The end result can be spoilt if you take the tray out and let it cool. But the 5 minutes at 220c I suggested starts the pudding off and forms a skin on the base of the pan, putting the sausage in at that point does not effect the end result. I use a med size roasting pan heated to smoking with some good beef dripping in the base. Have made this recipe for 16 people, 2 large pans. Just don't take too long to get the sausage in! Sausage(s) if you are not using a Cumberland.

Good Luck

David

Hi Rosti,

I like Cumberland sausage in my recipe. Good batter in red hot tin and into oven for 5 minutes then carefully add browned sausage and cook on.

Served with caramelised red onion gravy made with beef stock reduced to a thick consistency. Glass of claret. Ahhh!

Hi Rosti,

I like Cumberland sausage in my recipe. Good batter in red hot tin and into oven for 5 minutes then carefully add browned sausage and cook on.

Served with caramelised red onion gravy made with beef stock reduced to a thick consistency. Glass of claret. Ahhh!

Have just made the 2008 batch. 6lb of Seville Oranges, 4 lemons, 12lb sugar, 12 pints of water. Standard process. Lovely result which will last till next year, if I am lucky.

What surprises me is that when friends and relatives know I have made a batch, they beg for some and when consumed say things like 'that was lovely, much better than shop brought'. When I ask why they don't make some, I get the excuses which range from no time, through too much work to don't eat enough to make it worthwhile.

How do we get more people to make marmalade? Maybe we should teach them how to make bread and then get them to try home made marmalade on the toasted result?

David

Hi Gastrosurf.

I find myself in total agreement with you. Your argument is hard to counter. Bet the marketing people at Tesco et al would not enjoy a public discussion on your points.

JO is a good bloke who seems genuine in his desire to source good food from approved suppliers. But, what happened in his Cornwall operation is a good example of reality at work. I suspect to keep costs down his buyer found a supermarket doing a deal on cheap chicken and grabbed it with both hands. Just like the mother on Hugh F-W's programme, who cried when shown how battery chickens were being kept, but still went for 2 for £5 at the local Tesco. Got to keep the costs down is the argument.

Mitch 36.
I suspect this will all end in tears one day. Maybe when bird flu evolves into a real killer of humans. Probably introduced via turkey meat products, since the virus seems to like turkeys.

David

Rabbit! Wonderful wild food. Easy to skin and butcher and low in fat. Makes a great alternative to chicken. Given the debate about chickens, is this the way forward? I would love to see the supermarkets trying to mass market wild rabbit!

David

I do not see how we can make a fair and reasonable judgement on food suppliers and supermarkets when the true costs of production are so vague.

I know a UK butcher who was approached last year by a supplier offering top quality British chickens. By top quality I mean Poulet de Bresse quality, the French No1 free range chickens, fed some grain but allowed to roam in fields to forage for food. Their production and name protected by law.

These British birds retailed at £25each. He tried a dozen and sold out in a morning! Now he has a regular supply of birds and customers.

For comparison purposes you can buy Bresse chickens for around £15 in France. They tend to be about £3 per kg more than standard free range birds.

Now to my point, each UK supplier I have spoken to about birds gives a different price for a similar bird. At first I thought it was just market forces, but am not sure of this as it seems the cost of production varies by quite a lot depending on where you are located. Add to this transport and storage and it seems to me that offers like 2 for £5 make no commercial sense, beyond getting people into the shop.

In the UK it seems that the commercial interests override all and the truth is hidden by corporate marketing and PR speak.

What I am trying to get at is that if we do not know the true cost of production we cannot be in a position to judge if we are being overcharged.

Finally, as a personal example of UK pricing, I buy my free range eggs from a small local supplier at £1per doz. He sells his old birds for the pot at £3 each.

Not sure where this takes the discussion, but hope it was useful.

David

Produced 1986-87. Released 1987.

T&G ceramic grind salt and pepper mills. Life time support and replacement FOC in the event of failure. I have sent one back in 10years and it was replaced at no charge within 10 days. All my family use them every day.

I make my Pretzels and then dip in a pan of boiling water which is salted to the same amount as for pasta. Remove, drain and sprinkle with sea salt crystals. Works every time.

Hi Fuss Pot.

Any quality stewing beef is good. I use a mix of Chuck, Top Rib and Topside. I marinade for 24 hrs if I have time. 3kg is generous for 10.

Liverbird has a great idea with Apple. How about a classic Tarte Tatin?

Looking forward to your final result.

David

Hi edd 1996

Make some Chilli oil for future use?

250ml olive oil, not extra virgin. handful of small chillies. Lay chillies between two sheets of clingfilm and crush gently with a rolling pin or similar, not too hard, you are just breaking the skin. Pop chillies into bottle and top with oil. Leave in a cool dark place for at least 1 week, will keep for ages.

If you want a spicy herb oil, as above but also put into the bottle 4 of each of, sprigs of thyme, rosemary and bay leaves with a teaspoon of fennel seeds and one of mixed pepper corns.

NB: BE careful of the chillies when bottling, the oil will stay on your hands for a long time and the pain is exquisite if you touch the wrong places.

Enjoy

David

Hi Fuss Pot.

We eat large hearty meals at this time of year when in Southern France as the weather can be very English. Today we have a light wind with rain and a temp of 11c. I suggest a soup to start. Onion, properly made with good beef stock is very acceptable, as is a roasted tomato soup.

For main we tend to eat beef, pork or lamb. A beef Daube or if you have the time a pork Cassoulet! For lamb we tend to go for a large leg 2.5 / 3kg roasted with herbs will feed 10 / 12 with ease. If you go for a Daube or the lamb try a dish of Gratin Dauphinois alongside. Big benefit of these beef and pork dishes is that they are actually better if made the day before, makes for a much more relaxed service! Remember, plenty of bread to mop up the juices!

Bon Appitite

David

My quick thoughts on this are as follows:

There is a culture of poor service which blights parts of this country. There is no point in the kitchen preparing excellent food if the service to the customer is indifferent. Moreover, there are too many gifted chefs who are ground down by the overheads and pressures of running a business, quality inevitably suffers. Lastly, the Great British Public are fickle, today fish is the thing to eat, tomorrow chicken and the day after beef. Throw in those with eating disorders, both real and imagined and you start to see some of the key problems associated with feeding strangers.

My quick thoughts on this are as follows:

There is a culture of poor service which blights parts of this country. There is no point in the kitchen preparing excellent food if the service to the customer is indifferent. Moreover, there are too many gifted chefs who are ground down by the overheads and pressures of running a business, quality inevitably suffers. Lastly, the Great British Public are fickle, today fish is the thing to eat, tomorrow chicken and the day after beef. Throw in those with eating disorders, both real and imagined and you start to see some of the key problems associated with feeding strangers.

Hi Arthur. Thanks for the comments.

I have been married for 38 years and have three children. Would I be flattered by being chased by a younger female? Yes of course I would. Would I do anything more than that? No, too much to lose!

I think Victoria is right as a lot of what we see in the industry is EGO! Have met and know some of the top chefs and know and have worked with many lesser names, gastro pubs, small eateries etc.. Some are great personalities and some are so full of 'it' that they cannot see what a pain they are. There is a place for firm control in any kitchen, they are dangerous places and as I have shown elsewhere it is all to easy to lose money with sloppy practices. But that is no excuse for bullying!

InsideR, you are right about business executives, it all comes down to opportunity and temptation. Before I sound like too much of a perfect male, I have been tempted over the years and almost slipped over the edge! Phew!

David

Hi Penny Baker. Sad but true. Current figures show that 60% fail in the first 12 months of trading and of the remaining 40% a further 60% fail in the second year.

Partly this is down to inept concept, pandering to minorities and food fads. But the main reason is the unless you control your costs all the time, manage waste in the prep, cooking and service, have a firm policy on 'no shows' and watch who is opening near you, failure is just around the corner.

Final thought, having a proactive accountant is a great help too!

David