The General Chat Thread

Mr Magnolia · 15-10-2013 7:09pm

Can't wait for Christmas myself, frickin' love it. I've been threatening a goose for a few years now but I may give it a go in November instead, if I can get one...

foodaholic · 15-10-2013 7:18pm

Mr Magnolia wrote: »

Can't wait for Christmas myself, frickin' love it. I've been threatening a goose for a few years now but I may give it a go in November instead, if I can get one...

I did it last year - did the gordan ramsey recipe. To be honest I wasnt overly impressed by it. Much preferred the 4 rib of beef I did the year before

dipdip · 15-10-2013 7:29pm

Mr Magnolia wrote: »

Can't wait for Christmas myself, frickin' love it. I've been threatening a goose for a few years now but I may give it a go in November instead, if I can get one...

Goose is fabulous and feels really indulgent - the only thing to be aware of is that it yields a lot less meat than you'd expect, due to the really high fat content. On the upside you're left with several jars of yummy goosefat for copious amounts of spuds.

Mrs Fox · 15-10-2013 9:59pm

foodaholic wrote: »

I did it last year - did the gordan ramsey recipe. To be honest I wasnt overly impressed by it. Much preferred the 4 rib of beef I did the year before

Was it his recipe from GoodFood Christmas 2005? If it was then I tried it out too, back in Christmas 2005

leahyl · 16-10-2013 8:33am

dipdip wrote: »

Well I did invite her. I'm hardly going to say screw you! :pac: Yiz are a very intolerant group it seems (if you'll pardon the pun).

Well, fair enough but maybe you could ask her what you could make for her?!

Minder · 16-10-2013 8:37pm

dipdip wrote: »

Heh...her coeliac disease is so sensitive she has trouble with eating meat fed on grain diets. I thought of a roast chicken dinner myself but was worried about its diet!

Impossible that grain fed beef would pass on gluten. The proteins don't pass whole into the meat. The digestive process breaks down the proteins into amino acids that are used by the body. Those amino acids are not different due to the origin of that protein.

Thats not to say that your friend doesn't perceive a difference, but it wouldn't have any basis in science. I will grant you that there is a huge range of anecdotal evidence on coeliac forums, but that also doesn't change the way the science works.

foodaholic · 16-10-2013 10:20pm

Mrs Fox wrote: »

Was it his recipe from GoodFood Christmas 2005? If it was then I tried it out too, back in Christmas 2005

It was this one http://youtu.be/88MHrk0qA1c
It was nice but I've had roast duck that was just as nice

Mrs Fox · 16-10-2013 10:59pm

foodaholic wrote: »

It was this one http://youtu.be/88MHrk0qA1c
It was nice but I've had roast duck that was just as nice

Yeah it's the same recipe. I thought it was alright.
Last year we did goose again but also served pan fried duck breasts knowing that the goose would only yield so much meat.

Faith · 16-10-2013 11:06pm

I *think* I'm on the verge of getting a job. I don't think it will be particularly well paid or even full time, but it's in my field and I'll love it. I'm already trying to decide what food I'll celebrate with

. I'm bizarrely torn between chicken wings and beer, or a trip to Fishy Fishy in Kinsale

dipdip · 16-10-2013 11:07pm

Well I served baked salmon, with roasted tomatoes and roast squash, all just seasoned with olive oil and sea salt. The starch component was slices of skin-on spuds par-boiled and roasted with a head of garlic. The salad was mixed leaves and sliced avocado. On the side I served a home-made lime mayonnaise, a dressing made from olive oil, fig vinegar, honey and wholegrain mustard and a bottle of good quality balsamic vinegar (for the tomatoes - I can't eat roast tomatoes without balsamic vinegar!). Dessert was a salad of honeydew melon, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries. I had a jug of organic double cream on the side.

I was concerned it would be a very plain meal but on the contrary it was enormously colourful, fresh and delicious.

Her sensitivity to such a wide range of foods was actually a pretty positive cooking experience for me. She talked to me about some of her health issues and tbh I don't blame her for being so careful.

Merkin · 16-10-2013 11:22pm

Faith wrote: »

I *think* I'm on the verge of getting a job. I don't think it will be particularly well paid or even full time, but it's in my field and I'll love it. I'm already trying to decide what food I'll celebrate with

Fingers crossed for you, really hope you get it!

Mrs Fox · 16-10-2013 11:22pm

Faith wrote: »

I *think* I'm on the verge of getting a job. I don't think it will be particularly well paid or even full time, but it's in my field and I'll love it. I'm already trying to decide what food I'll celebrate with . I'm bizarrely torn between chicken wings and beer, or a trip to Fishy Fishy in Kinsale

Chicken wings and beer on Saturday.
Fishy Fishy for Sunday brunch.
Now how's that for a celebration? Congratulations by the way

Faith · 17-10-2013 8:57am

Mrs Fox wrote: »

Chicken wings and beer on Saturday.
Fishy Fishy for Sunday brunch.
Now how's that for a celebration? Congratulations by the way

Well, I'd call that downright sensible

.

Thanks folks

. We'll see what happens anyway!

MissFlitworth · 17-10-2013 9:45am

Congrats Faith! Go to Fishy Fishy and post me a load of the sauce the crab claws come in please. And a crab crumble and a Fishy Fishy wine glass because I wish I'd stolen one the last time I was there.

Faith · 17-10-2013 9:51am

MissFlitworth wrote: »

Congrats Faith! Go to Fishy Fishy and post me a load of the sauce the crab claws come in please. And a crab crumble and a Fishy Fishy wine glass because I wish I'd stolen one the last time I was there.

That sauce is incredible, isn't it? On nom nom. No idea what a crab crumble is but I'll try to nab you a glass

.

Dizzyblonde · 17-10-2013 10:44am

Congratulations Faith! Mrs Fox is right - you should have a foodie weekend in celebration

dipdip that meal sounds delicious, I bet your guest loved it.

MissFlitworth · 17-10-2013 4:25pm

Faith wrote: »

That sauce is incredible, isn't it? On nom nom.

It's just so good. I did the normally unthinkable there and (for absolute shame) licked the bowl!

Loopy · 18-10-2013 3:40pm

MissFlitworth wrote: »

It's just so good. I did the normally unthinkable there and (for absolute shame) licked the bowl!

Same (although I used my fingers!!)
Not one drop of sauce was left..
Best restaurant in Cork imo.

Faith · 18-10-2013 7:38pm

MissFlitworth wrote: »

It's just so good. I did the normally unthinkable there and (for absolute shame) licked the bowl!

I nearly did! I used my fingers to clean the little hummous portion with the bread

Michellenman · 18-10-2013 9:49pm

Why is good custard so hard to make?!

*throws arms up in frustration*

MissFlitworth · 18-10-2013 10:34pm

Don't let the custard beat you! You have to be the custard alpha, show it who's boss.

It is a little brat of a food

Tabitharose · 19-10-2013 10:56am

quick question, first time making christmas puddings, how full do you fill the pudding bowls? I'm getting conflicting information when I google, and the recipe I'm following doesn't seem to say - am very confused

Dizzyblonde · 19-10-2013 2:19pm

Tabitharose wrote: »

quick question, first time making christmas puddings, how full do you fill the pudding bowls? I'm getting conflicting information when I google, and the recipe I'm following doesn't seem to say - am very confused

Planet X has theirs made according to their thread in the Cakes & Bakes forum, that might be the place to ask.

Merkin · 19-10-2013 6:25pm

Mum normally fills them up about three quarters of the way......nyummmmm, Christmas pud!!

Loire · 20-10-2013 5:40pm

Hi all,

Came across this and thought I'd share it - some nice recipes and the whole lot is on a pdf

http://www.bordbia.ie/aboutfood/QualityKitchen/Documents/BloomCookbook2013.pdf

Loire.

Merkin · 20-10-2013 7:56pm

Wow! Thanks so much, I love the look of the hake recipe!

Have about 400g of good pork left over,any nice curry recipes or anything else I can do for our supper tomorrow?

The Sweeper · 20-10-2013 10:15pm

My Christmas puds barely rise at all, so I fill the bowl to one inch shy of the top, and when they're cooked they come to about 1/4 inch shy of the top. If there's a raising agent in your recipe you'll need to account for that.

For custard, my main tip is simply never turn up your cooker ring. Most of the time when you make home-made custard, it goes wrong because you end up with scrambled egg. I make ice-cream and most of the recipes start with a custard base and I was having the same problem all the time. I have good steel pans with copper sandwich bases, so they take a little while to heat up and then they hold the heat really well. I was turning up the heat and then turning it down to midway, and every time I'd end up with custard that was turning to scrambled egg on the bottom of the pan.

I figured out the solution was to never turn up the heat. Turn it to 1/4 to 1/2 its power, let the custard steam like heating milk but never so it's about to break into a simmer, and take it off the heat when it coats the back of the spoon.

leahyl · 21-10-2013 12:32pm

Made an apple streusel cake (from Hummingbird Cake Days book) last night - mmmm really nice - nice soft sponge with a layer of apples and crumble on top

Faith · 22-10-2013 11:44am

I went into the English market today and bought a RAKE of meat

. I'd have bought way more, only I ran out of cash and I'm never sure where takes cards.

I got lamb mince and beef mince in Ashley O' Neill's (€2.50/lb each), beef brisket for roasting in Best Meats (€5.20 for slightly over 1kg), pork shoulder (boned and skinned, but pricey enough at €14 for 2.5 kg), sliced spiced beef from Tom Durcan (€3.20 for a few slices - much cheaper to buy a chunk, but it's a bit early in the year yet for that) and fish pie mix that were way too overpriced IMO (nearly €8 for 550g). I'm delighted with myself anyway

Now, two questions:

The beef and lamb mince were just put in bags and not marked. I can't really tell by smell or appearance which is which, but one is a thicker mince and the other is quite a thin mince. I think the thicker mince is lamb, but has anyone got a way of telling easily?

Also, the OH's dad gave us the leftover roast beef. We've had sandwiches and kroketten with it, but there's still a pile left. Is there anything relatively easy that I could do with it for dinner?

Mrs Fox · 22-10-2013 11:53am

Really envy you, Faith, and the rest of you living in Cork. Great quality, fresh food at your doorstep.

You should be able to distinguish the smell of beef and lamb mince, the latter being slightly, well, sheepier

With leftover roast beef, why don't you make cornish pasty or something along that line? Stir fry noodles is another option

Faith · 22-10-2013 12:10pm

There was no smell off either of them! Or at least none that I could detect in a couple of seconds. And yeah, the English Market is outstanding. It's the thing I miss most about Cork when I'm living elsewhere

.

I'm not a fan of Cornish pasties at all (I seem to be able to make everything except pastry) and the beef is already on the well done side, so it might be too dry for a stir fry. It might just be easiest to pour some gravy over it and have it with spuds!

Mrs Fox · 22-10-2013 12:14pm

Faith wrote: »

There was no smell off either of them! Or at least none that I could detect in a couple of seconds.

Maybe just take a pinch of each and fry them in a pan for a taste test

Loire · 22-10-2013 12:20pm

Faith wrote: »

I went into the English market today....and fish pie mix that were way too overpriced IMO (nearly €8 for 550g).

Hi Faith,

I've noticed that too. For so-called off-cuts of fish they are surprisingly expensive - usually 12.99kg

The market's great though, we go most Sat morning's

Loire.

Faith · 22-10-2013 12:43pm

Mrs Fox wrote: »

Maybe just take a pinch of each and fry them in a pan for a taste test

Will do!

Loire wrote: »

Hi Faith,

I've noticed that too. For so-called off-cuts of fish they are surprisingly expensive - usually 12.99kg

The market's great though, we go most Sat morning's

Loire.

Yeah, they had no sign indicating price. The guy weighed the fish and said "Five fifty?" and I said "grand!". Turns out he was talking about weight and not price though

. In future, I wouldn't bother buying off cuts there. They're either going into a fish pie or a chowder so I don't think it's worth paying premium prices when the fish isn't a star player, like it would be if you were serving a fillet.

Malari · 22-10-2013 12:48pm

Ooh, I like this thread

Faith, which fishmonger did you get your fish from? I usually get mine from The Good Fish Shop in Douglas but I got some from Ballycotton in the market at the weekend. It was something I don't normally buy so not sure if it was expensive or not, but that does sound like a lot for fish pie mix :-/

hardCopy · 22-10-2013 12:52pm

I have discovered that our new fridge defies the laws of time. Our old one was never right and milk wouldn't last to the use by date. I took a carton of 5-days-past-it's-best milk out of the new fridge to make soda bread only to find it was still perfectly fresh. I've left it in the hot press overnight to sour so hopefully I can make some fresh bread tonight.

the beer revolu · 22-10-2013 12:54pm

I've given up buying fish in The English market. I always refused to shop at O'Connell's because I find them so annoying with their heckling so I generally bought fish from The Ballycotton stall. However, my last purchase from there is the last purchase I'll make from there - stinking monkfish at premium price! Pity because they are very nice folk there.

I now buy fish from Good's in Carrigaline or Douglas or from the fish shop behind the church in Blackpool - none of them have offended my nose yet!

Faith · 22-10-2013 1:21pm

Malari wrote: »

Ooh, I like this thread

Faith, which fishmonger did you get your fish from? I usually get mine from The Good Fish Shop in Douglas but I got some from Ballycotton in the market at the weekend. It was something I don't normally buy so not sure if it was expensive or not, but that does sound like a lot for fish pie mix :-/

K.C. O' Connell's. I remember noting on my blog not to buy fish mix there again, but I forgot in the shopping frenzy this morning.

I might try the Good Fish Shop next time. I was admiring their stuff recently so I'll pop back for a look soon.

Malari · 22-10-2013 1:46pm

I bought some stuff in the GFS today and their fish mix is €10.95/kg. The stuff you bought must have been €14.50/kg.

It's hard to know unless you buy that sort of stuff regularly, and I buy lots of different fish and meat all the time so I never really know if I'm getting a good price.

leahyl · 22-10-2013 2:12pm

Faith wrote: »

K.C. O' Connell's. I remember noting on my blog not to buy fish mix there again, but I forgot in the shopping frenzy this morning.

I might try the Good Fish Shop next time. I was admiring their stuff recently so I'll pop back for a look soon.

The place across from O' Connells has great fish - I think it's the Ballycotton Seafood stall? Lovely fish; I find O' Connells intimidating for some reason!

Merkin · 22-10-2013 4:38pm

hardCopy wrote: »

I have discovered that our new fridge defies the laws of time. Our old one was never right and milk wouldn't last to the use by date. I took a carton of 5-days-past-it's-best milk out of the new fridge to make soda bread only to find it was still perfectly fresh. I've left it in the hot press overnight to sour so hopefully I can make some fresh bread tonight.

That's mad, can you use sour milk to make bread? I live in the UK and buttermilk can be hard to come by although I always have a supply in as I enjoy making soda bread. I've heard somewhere a little bit of lemon juice in ordinary milk works too, is that correct?

hardCopy · 22-10-2013 4:52pm

Merkin wrote: »

That's mad, can you use sour milk to make bread? I live in the UK and buttermilk can be hard to come by although I always have a supply in as I enjoy making soda bread. I've heard somewhere a little bit of lemon juice in ordinary milk works too, is that correct?

I'm led to believe so. I ended up adding some live yoghurt to it to give it a kick start, I know you can definitely use live yoghurt.

I'll post my findings in the morning.

Merkin · 22-10-2013 4:55pm

Great, please do!

Minder · 22-10-2013 6:42pm

Merkin wrote: »

That's mad, can you use sour milk to make bread? I live in the UK and buttermilk can be hard to come by although I always have a supply in as I enjoy making soda bread. I've heard somewhere a little bit of lemon juice in ordinary milk works too, is that correct?

Don't Tesco do buttermilk in half pints pots?

Merkin · 22-10-2013 6:59pm

They do Minder although it's one of the few places that do!

Faith · 22-10-2013 7:02pm

Waitrose do too, or at least my local branch did. Conversely, I could never find it in Tesco.

confusticated · 22-10-2013 10:08pm

Merkin I use lemon juice in milk instead of buttermilk all the time, never have buttermilk when I need it. Works fine.

MurdyWurdy · 22-10-2013 10:31pm

I always use lemon juice in milk instead of buttermilk as well

I'm making an ale and chocolate cake for a friend tomorrow. The icing needs malt extract - is that going to be hard for me to get or will Tesco have it? Can it be substituted if I can't find it? (I'm thinking Horlicks made into a paste!)

Faith · 22-10-2013 11:23pm

Horlicks is malt extract, I think. Well, malt extract and milk powder, but I've always used it in recipes that call for malt.

MissFlitworth · 23-10-2013 7:41am

Health Food shops tend to have jars of malt extract

http://m.hollandandbarrett.com/pages/product_detail.asp?pid=2963

I use Horlicks too when it's called for in a recipe

The General Chat Thread

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