The General Chat Thread

Faith

The Black Oil wrote: »

Right, baking wizards among ye. Where to start? I've only dabbled with biscuits, cakes or bread (some from tCC, or books), and not very frequently. Baking seems very much about precision - a jot or two too much can change the texture, flavour, etc...not to say cooking is different in this regard. :P Wouldn't say I'm great baker, but how do you slowly improve your skills?

Like oB says, practice. Baking is very technical, so try to learn as much about the fundamentals of it as you can. When you understand what ingredients do, it's easier to bake. Be precise. It's a chemical reaction occurring so you need to keep your ratios precise. You can't just add extra ingredients on a whim in a lot of cases. Even the smallest thing can upset a bake - try watching The Great British Bake Off for evidence of that!

I've got some useful links that might help here:

http://baking911.com/quick-guide/how-baking-works

http://books.google.ie/books?id=XqKF7PqV02cC&lpg=PP1&dq=how%20baking%20works&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=how%20baking%20works&f=false

Then I'd recommend a baking book by Mary Berry to get started, something like her Baking Bible. Pretty much everything in that is doable for a beginner.

Just keep baking! Recipe books should be splattered with ingredients, not kept in pristine condition. Make notes in them of what works and what doesn't. Watch programs about baking and continue learning about the technical side of things. All this week at 7pm on BBC2, Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood are running GBBO Masterclasses that are really useful.

It is basically attention, practice and learning as you go .

Hermione*

Faith wrote: »

Brilliant, I'm glad I had second breakfast so

I always have second breakfast I be glutton type!

Is anybody watching Tom Kerridge's Pub Grub? His food looks amazing! Although I cam feel my arteries expand when I see the ingredients :pac:

Also, hi all 0/ Delighted to find this thread. Talking about food is once of my favouritest things. After eating, cooking, serial restaurant visiting, cookbook reading, and watching food shows on telly

Mr Simpson

Hermione* wrote: »

I always have second breakfast I be glutton type!

Is anybody watching Tom Kerridge's Pub Grub? His food looks amazing! Although I cam feel my arteries expand when I see the ingredients :pac:

Also, hi all 0/ Delighted to find this thread. Talking about food is once of my favouritest things. After eating, cooking, serial restaurant visiting, cookbook reading, and watching food shows on telly

Hey Hermi o/

Long long day, eating food on the go. Must do some proper cooking this weekend!! I is excited!!

leahyl

It'll be a weekend of eating out for me - going to 2 of my favourite restaurants - Il Padrino on Friday night and Lal Quila on Saturday night - mmm can't wait!

catho_monster

The Black Oil wrote: »

Right, baking wizards among ye. Where to start? I've only dabbled with biscuits, cakes or bread (some from tCC, or books), and not very frequently. Baking seems very much about precision - a jot or two too much can change the texture, flavour, etc...not to say cooking is different in this regard. :P Wouldn't say I'm great baker, but how do you slowly improve your skills?

I would highly recommend any bread recipe by Dan Lepard (used to write for the Guardian, has a load of books out and has a website).
All of my bread making was ok... good like... until I tried his recipes. Seriously unbelievable. Really small tips and techniques that make what you produce really close to perfect. The man is an absolute genius.

the beer revolu

Just a heads up to foodies in Cork:
There is water buffalo knocking around The English Market. I got burgers from O Mahony's butchers last week and, yesterday, I got casserole pieces from O Sullivan's Poultry. I believe O' Mahony's will have other cuts this week.
It is very tasty.

Merkin

Is anybody watching Tom Kerridge's Pub Grub? His food looks amazing! Although I cam feel my arteries expand when I see the ingredients :pac:

Yes, and I absolutely love his food. Totally without pretension and yet of an incredible standard. I can't wait to go to the Hand & Flowers, have been dropping hints to hubster like no man's business so would really hope to go there!

Also, hi all 0/ Delighted to find this thread. Talking about food is once of my favouritest things. After eating, cooking, serial restaurant visiting, cookbook reading, and watching food shows on telly

Welcome You're in a good place as I think everyone here shares the obsession. Great to have this forum as an outlet!

Loire

the beer revolu wrote: »

Just a heads up to foodies in Cork:
There is water buffalo knocking around The English Market. I got burgers from O Mahony's butchers last week and, yesterday, I got casserole pieces from O Sullivan's Poultry. I believe O' Mahony's will have other cuts this week.
It is very tasty.

Thanks for that - I've heard there's a place in Cork that sells buffalo mozz from buffalo in Cork so that could be the same place?

Worrying times for the Bison in Fota :pac::pac:

the beer revolu

Loire wrote: »

Thanks for that - I've heard there's a place in Cork that sells buffalo mozz from buffalo in Cork so that could be the same place?

Worrying times for the Bison in Fota :pac::pac:

The olive stall sells the mozzarella. Yes, the meat has come from the same source in West Cork.

The Hill Billy

the beer revolu wrote: »

Just a heads up to foodies in Cork:
There is water buffalo knocking around The English Market. I got burgers from O Mahony's butchers last week and, yesterday, I got casserole pieces from O Sullivan's Poultry. I believe O' Mahony's will have other cuts this week.
It is very tasty.

The best meal that I have ever eaten had buffalo with truffles as the meat course. It was in a small restaurant south of Rome. It was sublime.

MissFlitworth

the beer revolu wrote: »

There is water buffalo knocking around The English Market.

The Sweeper

The Black Oil wrote: »

Right, baking wizards among ye. Where to start? I've only dabbled with biscuits, cakes or bread (some from tCC, or books), and not very frequently. Baking seems very much about precision - a jot or two too much can change the texture, flavour, etc...not to say cooking is different in this regard. :P Wouldn't say I'm great baker, but how do you slowly improve your skills?

+1 to everything Faith said, but I'd also recommend looking to sources like Women's Way for tried and tested recipes. If you can find a countrywomen's association cookbook or anything that's all jam and Jerusalem then buy it. Far, FAR too many cookbooks have untested recipes in them. It really annoys me with baking, because until you've learned the things Faith pointed out, you won't spot the problems with the recipe and basically it's your money in the bin. (Example: James Masters has a Desserts cookbook. It has a sticky date pudding to die for, and a chocolate cola cake that's divine, plus a chocolate torte that's perfect. And it also has a lemon meringue pie recipe which is utter shite and I'd have been better off setting my money on fire. At least the kitchen - and my shoes - would've been cleaner.)

Faith

MissFlitworth - I wish I could thank that post a thousand times.

I was just thinking this morning about how many recipe books (and internet sites) have untested recipes. I use the Hummingbird bakery recipe book a lot because I know that they work (even then, I manage to make a balls of it on occasion). But apart from that, it's definitely best to start with people who've been baking for decades, like your grandmother, the Irish Countrywoman's Association and Mary Berry etc like The Sweeper says.

Stay away from pastry chefs etc at the start. Someone gave me Michel Roux Jr's Desserts book and I still haven't attempted anything from it. On the other hand, I have recipes from my 6th class cooking class that I still use. People on this forum are mad for the old All In The Cooking Home Ec book because the recipes are trustworthy and stand the test of time.

Loire

Bought a cool gadget in France recently. A Tefal frying pan with no handle. Great for fish - fry it in butter on the hob and then pop it into the oven to roast...no transferring and less washin' :)

Faith

Like a paella pan?

Loire

Faith wrote: »

Like a paella pan?

Not really as any paella pan I've seen has handles at the sides, this one is just the frying pan itself with no (plastic) handle. This has no handle at all -perhaps it is one of those ones with detachable handles, but I just bought the pan itself and use gloves

Faith

Ah right! Hard to imagine but I can see its usefulness.

Mr Magnolia

I've Tom Kerridges proper baked beans cooking...

the beer revolu

Just an update on the buffalo in Cork.
Today, O' Mahony's had plenty of burgers but O' Sullivan's were out of the casserole pieces. I'm told that O'Sullivan's will have prime steaks and roasting pieces next week (still hanging).
There will be two more beasts in December.

Animord

They (I think they are Toons Bridge Dairy) were at Macroom Food Festival recently, I had the buffalo burger. It was good, but sadly they served it with sad looking ketchup and a few lettuce leaves, and not very good burger buns. The burger was good, but really let down by the quality of the stuff that came with it.

Minder

The Sweeper wrote: »

(Example: James Masters has a Desserts cookbook. It has a sticky date pudding to die for, and a chocolate cola cake that's divine, plus a chocolate torte that's perfect. And it also has a lemon meringue pie recipe which is utter shite and I'd have been better off setting my money on fire. At least the kitchen - and my shoes - would've been cleaner.)

That recipe has the following ingredients for the lemon curd (it was the curd that didn't work, wasn't it?

zest & juice of 4 large lemons
7 tbsp cornflour
6 egg yolks
100g sugar
100g unsalted butter

To 50ml of water, add the lemon juice and bring to the boil. Make a slurry from the cornflour and whisk into the hot lemon juice. Beat in the egg yolks, sugar and butter. Place back on the heat, add the zest and whisk for 30 seconds. Tip into pastry case and leave to cool.

There are quite a few variables in James Martins recipe. The volume of lemon juice from 4 large lemons could be anywhere between 200 and 275ml of juice. With the added water, it needs more than a simple instruction to add cornflour, whisk in eggs sugar and butter, 30 seconds and its done. The eggs and cornflour may be enough to set the liquid but it needs attention and some sense of what the result should look like. If that isn't in the instructions (and clearly it isn't) the results can vary widely.

The following is a recipe from Madalene Bonvini-Hamel at the British Larder for lemon curd, I've made it a few times. The difference is in the detail.

Lemon Curd
125ml fresh lemon juice
125g caster sugar
2 whole medium free range eggs
2 medium free range egg yolks
125g cold unsalted butter, cut into very small pieces
pinch of salt

Bring a medium saucepan half filled with water to a gentle simmer.
Place the eggs, salt and sugar in a metal mixing bowl, choose one that will fit comfortably over the saucepan without falling in.

Use a whisk to mix the sugar and eggs add the lemon juice and mix well.
Place the bowl over the simmering water while stirring continuously with a wooden spoon, once the curd starts to thicken continue cooking for a further 5 minutes. The curd will coat the back of the spoon and you will be able to draw a path with your finger though it.

Remove the curd from the heat and quickly whisk the cold butter into the curd until it's completely dissolved leaving the curd rich, creamy and glossy.
Transfer the curd to a clean container and place a piece of clingfilm directly on top of the curd to prevent it from forming a skin, let the curd cool.


It would be interesting to see if Madalene's method applied to James Martins ingredients would produce a curd worthy of a great Lemon Meringue Pie.

Loire

Cooking a meatloaf tonight. Any suggestions I what I could serve with it? I have broccoli and the usual veg - potatoes, carrots etc. It's probably better a lunch than a dinner but it's in the oven now

edit: Going with roast potatoes and roast broccoli (in butter of course). Time to pop a cork too me thinks!

The Black Oil

Thanks for the responses above. I'm fairly out of the loop on cookery shows these days, and the reality ones don't really interest me in part because of the editing. Will make a note of your suggestions.

Any goat's cheese fans around here?

Minder

Love goats cheese. Love the Raymond Blanc recipe where he coats a goats cheese in toasted breadcrumbs and warms it in the oven. Served with roasted beetroot.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/roast_beetroot_with_03767

MissFlitworth

The Black Oil wrote: »

Any goat's cheese fans around here?

<drools>

Oh yes.

hussey

Hey folks, though some of you might be interested in this. But myself and my housemates are doing a 'cookbook challenge'
Which involves cooking at least 1 recipe from our collection (97 inc mini books)
I'll add pics here as links (if that's okay mods) rather then in-bed them.

Last week started with Richard Corrigan's 'Cookery school' book
http://www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/tv-show-recipes/cookery-school-recipes/chicken-chasseur-with-fresh-tagliatelle-recipe

and tonight for halloween my housemate is making 'Halloween spiderweb cheesecake recipe' from The Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days book.

Mrs Fox

The Black Oil wrote: »

Any goat's cheese fans around here?

Oooooyeah... With bit of fresh pesto, strips of sun blush tomatoes, bunch of rocket leaves, into ciabatta they go and toast. Yummo.

or just over Tuc.

Faith

Fresh pesto on Tuc is delicious too. In fact, is there anything that doesn't taste better on Tuc?

Minder

hussey wrote: »

Hey folks, though some of you might be interested in this. But myself and my housemates are doing a 'cookbook challenge'
Which involves cooking at least 1 recipe from our collection (97 inc mini books)
I'll add pics here as links (if that's okay mods) rather then in-bed them.

Interesting idea. Give it a twist maybe and list the cookbooks (or some of them) and ask for suggestions - name a recipe!

Loire

hussey wrote: »

Hey folks, though some of you might be interested in this. But myself and my housemates are doing a 'cookbook challenge'
Which involves cooking at least 1 recipe from our collection (97 inc mini books)

Reminds me of a film I saw a few years ago (which kinda got me into cooking properly I suppose). http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1135503