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      CommentAuthorLSH
    • CommentTimeApr 17th 2021 edited
    Chocolate and dark beer are always a good match. Beer is surprisingly useful in desserts.

    In my old restaurant, we used to make sorbets with Belgian cherry Kreik beers.... as a side to chocolate and peanut torte. Yum
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeApr 17th 2021
    LSH wrote
    Chocolate and dark beer are always a good match. Beer is surprisingly useful in desserts.

    In my old restaurant, we used to make sorbets with Belgian cherry Kreik beers.... as a side to chocolate and peanut torte. Yum


    Ugh. Kriek lambic. All these years later, and I still don't like Geuze. But could work well in a recipe, I'm sure.
    I am extremely serious.
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      CommentAuthorLSH
    • CommentTimeApr 18th 2021
    It's an acquired taste, I'll give you that. But yeah, beer is as good an ingredient as wine... when used correctly.
  1. I made some tomatillo, butternut squash and porcini mushroom enchiladas last night that turned out pretty good. We usually grow tomatillos and I don't have enough recipes to make with them, so I'm going to flag this one as a good one for later in the year when our garden is going. smile
  2. Filmscoregirl wrote
    I made some tomatillo, butternut squash and porcini mushroom enchiladas last night that turned out pretty good. We usually grow tomatillos and I don't have enough recipes to make with them, so I'm going to flag this one as a good one for later in the year when our garden is going. smile

    I had to Google what a tomatillo is.

    shame
    The views expressed in this post are entirely my own and do not reflect the opinions of maintitles.net, or for that matter, anyone else. http://www.racksandtags.com/falkirkbairn
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      CommentAuthorLSH
    • CommentTimeApr 20th 2021
    They're really hard to find in the UK, Alan. Trust me, I've tried. You can get them from specialist veg suppliers but not from any supermarket that I know.
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeApr 23rd 2021 edited
    I've been kinda binging MASTERCHEF USA recently (many of the seasons are available on Youtube). Yes, it has many irritating elements -- the rapid-fire editing, the constant "trailer music", the endless intros and outros for the myriad of commercials in US television, the overwrought sentimentalism (what is it about Americans and their family connections, anyway?) and so on, but somehow I'm transfixed by the character "narratives" and the dish challenges.
    I am extremely serious.
  3. Thor wrote
    I've been kinda binging MASTERCHEF USA recently (many of the seasons are available on Youtube). Yes, it has many irritating elements -- the rapid-fire editing, the constant "trailer music", the endless intros and outros for the myriad of commercials in US television, the overwrought sentimentalism (what is it about Americans and their family connections, anyway?) and so on, but somehow I'm transfixed by the character "narratives" and the dish challenges.

    The UK version of Masterchef is now so different to what it was like when it started back in 1990 with Loyd Grossman hosting it. Much more sedate back then!
    The views expressed in this post are entirely my own and do not reflect the opinions of maintitles.net, or for that matter, anyone else. http://www.racksandtags.com/falkirkbairn
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeApr 23rd 2021
    Once I finish the US version, I'm interested in the UK version (I've obviously already seen all seasons of the Norwegian version). I believe the 90s UK version is the original, but was then revamped in the mid 2000s by Franc Roddam, of all people (you know, the director of K2 - with the fabulous Zimmer score - among other things).
    I am extremely serious.
  4. Thor wrote
    Once I finish the US version, I'm interested in the UK version (I've obviously already seen all seasons of the Norwegian version). I believe the 90s UK version is the original, but was then revamped in the mid 2000s by Franc Roddam, of all people (you know, the director of K2 - with the fabulous Zimmer score - among other things).

    Yes, the UK version was the original version and the show was created by Roddam. There are so many versions - it would be quicker to list which countries HAVEN'T got a version - that I imagine he has made a bit of money from it over the years.
    The views expressed in this post are entirely my own and do not reflect the opinions of maintitles.net, or for that matter, anyone else. http://www.racksandtags.com/falkirkbairn
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      CommentAuthorLSH
    • CommentTimeApr 23rd 2021
    The UK version is still way less flashy than its US counterpart, though like most competition shows, it does get a little grating.

    Great British Bake-Off is probably the only cooking show here that shuns spectacle.

    I do like Great British Menu too. It’s quick paced and hugely competitive but it’s actually about the food.
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeApr 23rd 2021
    I'm not really into baking and pastries and desserts, so I'm primarily interested in savory foods.
    I am extremely serious.
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      CommentAuthorLSH
    • CommentTimeApr 23rd 2021 edited
    Neither am I, to be honest. It's too precise. Baking is too much of a science.... regular cooking is more an art.

    I like cooking by eye and taste. While I have loads of cookery books for inspiration, you'll never find me cooking to a recipe (unless it's something that I have written down myself... when something I've personally made turned out particularly good and I'm merely replicating it).
  5. Foraged the first morel mushrooms of the season yesterday! I'm going to make morel gravy with biscuits this morning - excited! lick
  6. Filmscoregirl wrote
    Foraged the first morel mushrooms of the season yesterday! I'm going to make morel gravy with biscuits this morning - excited! lick

    A milestone day in the calendar? How does the date compare with previous years? Is this year early, late?

    (So many questions!)
    The views expressed in this post are entirely my own and do not reflect the opinions of maintitles.net, or for that matter, anyone else. http://www.racksandtags.com/falkirkbairn
  7. Oh my gosh, this is like mind-boggling early! A whole month earlier than we've ever found them before!! With the little rain we've had here, I'm afraid it will be an incredibly short season too. sad
  8. Here's a breakfast pic: https://photos.app.goo.gl/gx55A2oGbhwnwjTA7

    And we normally trim the morels, but these were a "grab and go" because we just stumbled across them when we weren't looking. They were too prime to pass up!
  9. Filmscoregirl wrote
    Here's a breakfast pic: https://photos.app.goo.gl/gx55A2oGbhwnwjTA7

    And we normally trim the morels, but these were a "grab and go" because we just stumbled across them when we weren't looking. They were too prime to pass up!


    lick
    The views expressed in this post are entirely my own and do not reflect the opinions of maintitles.net, or for that matter, anyone else. http://www.racksandtags.com/falkirkbairn
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      CommentAuthorLSH
    • CommentTimeApr 11th 2022
    I've been making lots of South East Asian food lately since I moved back to Birmingham (and have a superb Asian food store nearby). Thai curries, Indonesian rendang, Malaysian laksa, etc. Stuff that is really difficult to get right as a novice... it's all about balance between all the different taste receptors but once you get the practice in, your palate learns quickly.

    Didn't have many ingredients left in the house tonight but had enough to throw together a Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwich. And it was delicious.
  10. LSH wrote
    I've been making lots of South East Asian food lately since I moved back to Birmingham (and have a superb Asian food store nearby). Thai curries, Indonesian rendang, Malaysian laksa, etc. Stuff that is really difficult to get right as a novice... it's all about balance between all the different taste receptors but once you get the practice in, your palate learns quickly.

    Didn't have many ingredients left in the house tonight but had enough to throw together a Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwich. And it was delicious.

    I assume that having a good Asian/Chinese/etc. store to get ingredients from makes a big difference when trying these different cuisines? I imagine that there's only a proportion of the ingredients you can source from general stores like Tesco, Asda, etc.
    The views expressed in this post are entirely my own and do not reflect the opinions of maintitles.net, or for that matter, anyone else. http://www.racksandtags.com/falkirkbairn
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeApr 16th 2022 edited
    Made a homemade pizza yesterday, which will last me untill tomorrow (the ingredients are expensive, so it needs to be spread out like that). I've never been a fan of the Italian, crispy thin bottom pizzas. I prefer the "pie" version which I guess is more popular in the US, simply because that's what I've grown up with (my mom used to make it). While it's not terribly complex or anything, I think I've become pretty good at it over the years (I make it maybe twice a month).

    I bake the bread from the bottom -- flour, olive oil, salt, water, yeast. And let it rise for 20 minutes. I use the most expensive minced meat on the market - it's called 'karbonadedeig' in Norwegian, don't know the English word (chop dough?). It's the 5% fat minced meat kind that is often used for making hamburger-type things.

    Additionally, I use chopped champignon (agaricus?) as topping. Tried the more expensive 'aromasopp' (aroma mushroom?), but didn't work quite as well. A basil-flavoured tomato sauce, and Jarlsberg cheese.

    It's great. My next goal is also to create the tomato sauce from scratch.
    I am extremely serious.
  11. Thor wrote
    Made a homemade pizza yesterday, which will last me untill tomorrow (the ingredients are expensive, so it needs to be spread out like that). I've never been a fan of the Italian, crispy thin bottom pizzas. I prefer the "pie" version which I guess is more popular in the US, simply because that's what I've grown up with (my mom used to make it). While it's not terribly complex or anything, I think I've become pretty good at it over the years (I make it maybe twice a month).

    I bake the bread from the bottom -- flour, olive oil, salt, water, yeast. And let it rise for 20 minutes. I use the most expensive minced meat on the market - it's called 'karbonadedeig' in Norwegian, don't know the English word (chop dough?). It's the 5% fat minced meat kind that is often used for making hamburger-type things.

    Additionally, I use chopped champignon (agaricus?) as topping. Tried the more expensive 'aromasopp' (aroma mushroom?), but didn't work quite as well. A basil-flavoured tomato sauce, and Jarlsberg cheese.

    It's great. My next goal is also to create the tomato sauce from scratch.


    So, this means we'll have to do a pizza then once you're in Belgium. A pizza, 50 bars and 100 pubs and also Amadeus. Spend all that money here wink
    waaaaaahhhhhhhh!!! Where's my nut? arrrghhhhhhh
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeApr 16th 2022
    Oh gosh, Amadeus.......my mouth drools at the mere mention.
    I am extremely serious.
  12. Great film.
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeApr 16th 2022
    But even better ribs.
    I am extremely serious.
    •  
      CommentAuthorLSH
    • CommentTimeApr 22nd 2022
    FalkirkBairn wrote
    LSH wrote
    I've been making lots of South East Asian food lately since I moved back to Birmingham (and have a superb Asian food store nearby). Thai curries, Indonesian rendang, Malaysian laksa, etc. Stuff that is really difficult to get right as a novice... it's all about balance between all the different taste receptors but once you get the practice in, your palate learns quickly.

    Didn't have many ingredients left in the house tonight but had enough to throw together a Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwich. And it was delicious.

    I assume that having a good Asian/Chinese/etc. store to get ingredients from makes a big difference when trying these different cuisines? I imagine that there's only a proportion of the ingredients you can source from general stores like Tesco, Asda, etc.


    You'd be surprised how much Asian stuff you can get from the big UK supermarkets, though there has been a marked decrease in availability recently... for some reason rolleyes.

    However, it has always been worth visiting a specialist Asian store or market stall. The best brands of soy sauce, fish sauce, curry pastes, etc will always be found there. And they are pretty much the only places you'll find the more obscure fresh ingredients in bulk quantities... galangal, Chinese chives, Kaffir lime leaves, etc.
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      CommentAuthorLSH
    • CommentTimeMay 23rd 2022 edited
    More home-cooked Asian (admittedly westernised Chinese style) food cooked tonight. Had my dad round for dinner and beers and music. Made Pork Yuk Sung lettuce wraps, Kung Pao Chicken (spicy!!!!), Singapore Noodles with prawns, some vegetable spring rolls... all home made of course!

    Delicious, and whilst not 'authentic Chinese', it was magnitudes better than my local takeaway, even if I say so myself.

    Anyway... more beer and music! cool
  13. We look forward to separate and equally mouthwatering 'beer' and 'music' posts! wink
    The views expressed in this post are entirely my own and do not reflect the opinions of maintitles.net, or for that matter, anyone else. http://www.racksandtags.com/falkirkbairn