Posts by: Chef de Maison

Hi CJ,

I agree with your comments. The problem seems to be that the mass of the dough is too great for the strength of the mould. I was given some to try and found them very good for small items, but loaf size is as you say.

David

Thanks Rosti. I did reply as you said. Why it was removed is a mystery.

David

Skirt or Hangar steak need a marinade to make them tender. As to cooking, depends on the heat applied and thickness. I suggest 3 minutes each side which gives a medium rare finish. Remember to rest the meat after cooking.

As an aside to this, one of our favourite meals in France is Steak and Frites. Our local Bistro serves this Onglet steak with chips cooked in duck fat and a bottle of wine for 2 at a price of 15 euros! If you can't find Onglet, get a better butcher or go to the source of good beef in your area. Chez Gerard used to sell it and were supplier by The Buccleuch Estate, if memory serves me right.

Happy eating!

David

Hi Dr Ray,

My Niece is at Uni in Sydney and says that the best food the Aussie cooks make is seafood. No surprise really, given that most of the population live near the coast.

I will look forward to your report on the success with the pie.

On the subject of cricket. No comment!

David

Visit your local Waitrose and look at the Patisserie section. M&S do a fair range of puds and the like. Hide the packaging and serve with a flourish on your own crockery. No one will know.

Thanks Barry. Half the kitchen out, my nearly worst nightmare.

My solution to colds and the like is a face mask, which is a tip I got from working with some Japanese a few years ago. They do not use the pocket handkerchief either, tissues instead. Makes sense when you think about it, not to put a bit of wet and infected rag back into your pocket for next time.

Sushi time methinks!

I would buy a portable cartridge gas stove. About £10, which will allow many extra possibilities. Also, some reusable toasted sandwich bags which fit in the toaster.

Morning to you Barshedale. I agree about the Fashion Jewellery point, but more because of the risk of bits, stones and the like dropping off.

Clarissa Dickson-Wright has always maintained that it doesnt make a lot of difference , wearing rings, as long as your basic board usage and process for handling raw ingredients is good.

I sometimes think that we are over regulated about clean food prep. But, then I think of the number of times I have heard food poisoning stories from visitors to 'abroad'. A Son in Law was in Budapest last week and got nailed by some undercooked chicken in a highly coloured sauce. Was it undercooked? Was it contaminated? Who knows, either way it gave him an entertaining 36 hours. His description.

Question for you. What would you do about a key worker who turns up for work with a cold?

Have a good day!

David

In most kitchens, there are far worse things on people and prep/cooking areas than a bit of jewellery. Like that stupid and thankfully now withdrawn commercial which suggested that a chopping board had more bacteria on it than a loo seat, we can take the 'germ' thing too far. Keep as clean as possible and don't mix ingredients when preparing is sound advice which was given to me many years ago. It works!

That said, I would not have anyone who had been admitted to hospital back in my kitchen without rigorous anti-bacterial cleaning. MRSA is alive and spreading!

David

I guess it will have to be up to Lisa to taste the results and judge.

David

Lisa, hope this makes sense. I am assuming that you understand the basics, having made one before. Fun to be up against Chef Ramsey!

Make jelly stock first:
4 pigs trotters - split
2 onions - quartered
2 carrot - rough chop
4 sticks celery - rough chop
thyme sprigs
4 bay leaves
2.5 litres of water
Simmer and skim for at least 3 hours and then pass through a sieve and cool. If it does not set well when cool add some gelatine leaves. (2)

Pie filling:
40 g butter
3 large onions, fine dice
1-2 teaspoons each of thyme, mace, mixed spice and sage. Herbs fine chopped. 2 teaspoons of English mustard powder.
1.2kg trimmed shoulder of pork, fine dice
200g pork belly, fine dice
Salt and Pepper.

Soften onions in butter for a few minutes, do not colour, remove from heat and add herbs and spices. Mix well and allow to cool then add meat and fat, mix well and then refrigerate.

Oven to 220c

Grease a 20cm by 7.5cm spring sided pie tin and then make your hot water crust pastry with:

190ml milk
190ml water
220g lard
845g plain flour
2 teaspoons of salt
1 tablespoon of English mustard powder

Retain 25% of dough for lid and roll out the rest to not less than 5mm and line the tin. Work quick while the pastry is hot and make sure there are no holes or thin parts. Add filling in layers and press each down to ensure that there are no gaps. The filling should form a low dome just above the top of the tin. Make lid and fit to pie top. Make a hole in centre for steam to escape and glaze with egg wash.

I cook at 220c for 30 minutes, the 190c for 1 hour. Then check with a metal skewer or thin knife blade. If it comes out clean and is hot to the touch, pie is cooked. If not, cook for up to a further 30 minutes and try again. (Mine tends to take all this time)

When cooked remove from the oven and leave for 30 minutes to cool slightly, then carefully remove the mould and brush the pie sides well with egg wash. Return to oven for up to 30 minutes to turn pastry golden brown. The objective here is to both colour and improve the seal of the pastry.

Follow my original instructions about filling with jelly and resting. Do not rush this process, it is a large pie and takes time to cool and set.

If you need clarification, please ask.

Enjoy

David

Hi Lisa,

Sorry this is late, I have only just spotted your question.

I make a large pork pie, 12 portion size, on a regular basis and would suggest the following.

When you have made your jellied stock and strained it, reduce the amount by boiling to about half the liquid quantity. Allow to cool and then chill, it should set to a jelly. If the result is still liquid, add a couple of leaves of gelatine.

When the pie is cooked and removed from the oven, allow to cool for at least 45 minutes, then add the jelly and keep topping up until the pie is cool. Refrigerate the pie for 12 hrs and check to see if you can top up any further with jelly. Leave a further 12 hours minimum to mature.

Final point, if the jelly is too thick to pour, warm it a little until is becomes more liquid.

Hope that helps.

David

Personal favourite is J. Kit Burress aka "Little Fox". Fry bread to die for!

If kids want fast food as an occasional treat I can see nothing wrong with it. I would rather they ate a McD than most of the rest of the High St offerings. At least that company has tried to make their food more healthy.

Last year I was approached to come up with some recipes for pre-prepared pizza toppings for a local fast food outlet. A day in their kitchen left me wondering why people want to eat badly prepared, poorly cooked, overpriced (for what it contains) fast food. The answer is still out there somewhere and it is not simple.

Good luck with your club. The best way to improve eating standards is through long term education and demonstration. My view anyway!

David

What is your favourite phrase Olive? Mine is 'interesting'. Apparently!

Try Google. Pie and Mash. Several on there.

Hi Lucy,

Glad it worked out for you.

Final thought on this. I was given a copy of Jamie O's book, 'Jamie at Home'. It has some good ideas about cooking with your own ingredients, veggies and the like. If you have some spare space, even if it is just a couple of pots or a grow bag, a copy of the book might promote you partner to trying to grow a few seeds and eating the results.

David

Depends on the kitchen. I have been in a London M.starred kitchen with a top chef with who was very hairy with no hat. You have to remember that a pro kitchen is very hot, often over 40c at full force. It is difficult to remember to keep your hands off your face to wipe the sweat, let alone worry about the hair. Hats make you hotter as the body loses the largest amount of heat through the head. After 10 hrs minimum per night, 16 plus if you run to lunches as well, everything is wet and sticky! Or do I mean icky?

Used to spend a lot of time in Oxford. Fortunately, our daughters have graduated and can now afford to treat us! I agree Oxford is not packed with good value eateries, I think it is because of the high tourist throughput and the locals views on the student population. A little research by your daughter might be worth a try. If she asks the college staff the right questions, she may well find places you would like.

When you want a special meal, try The Lemon Tree. It is a bit more pricey but very good food and a wide choice. Graduation imminent?

Good Luck

David

Try the The White Hart at Wytham. Good food all week, from a sandwich to a full 3 course meal. Sunday roasts are excellent.

David

Hi Mark,

Sounds like the pasta is too thin. But, if you can't get it to work for cutting, try rolling the pasta to the into sheets as before, then roll the sheet along the long side into a sausage shape and cut with a sharp knife. This allows you to vary the thickness to suit your recipe. When cut, just shake out the ribbons of pasta.

Good Luck

David

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.