General Chat

My daughter is moving tomorrow so we went to help pack over the weekend.
I packed four boxes, each about a foot square of spice jars, bottles of sauces, herbs and other stuff / potions even Harry Potter would have trouble identifying! :-D :-D

Just had Bangers Mash n Onions!!

oxo n cornflour to thicken the gravy a little....n a dash of lea n perrin

My late father in law was for many years chief sommelier ( wines ) at this little place in Paris. If you are not in a hurry excellent place for a meal but def. only one star for plain cooking.

http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-giant-snail-at-l-escargot-montorgueil-restaurant-sign-at-rue-montorgueil-24978870.html

We're having bangers 'n' mash too, later! There's an advert around where a bloke pours 'gravy' on his sausage and mash and it looks like brown water. Inspired me to make THICK onion gravy - caramelise the onions a little in olive oil, add flour to make a roux, then add stock and seasoning.

According to my late father in law, who was for many years, personal chef to King George VI, the King's favourite meal was roast lamb followed by rice pudding :-D

It was the first meal he cooked for me - and I have to admit, I've not tasted better.

The King also hated attending banquets.

Well working for a boring self absorbed guy who never wanted to be king but just an obscure naval officer with snorkers for tea on Saturdays then he would not have had much to do.

On the other hand his father was quite fond of Paris ... so much so they named some of it after him :-)

http://goo.gl/Obx3zB

btw if you ever have to go to that large house nr Grosvenor Gardens make sure you are not very hungry and if it is winter dress warmly. You'll be ok for plain cooking though not much of it.

Oh, you knew the King did you, Rollo? Knew what he was like?
Or is it mere conjecture?
Same as your obvious opinion of my late father in law's cooking, and assumption that he 'would not have had much to do'.
Tasted his cooking, have you, to form such a grudging conclusion!!!

Gravy browning....... in Oz it's called Parisian Essence


I wonder if Rollo approves


;-)

Dark soy sauce with cornflour add s&p makes nice gravy with meat juices aswell.......dark soy is a lot less salty than light soy.

Has anyone tried gravy browning as a fake tan?

That was used during the war to paint the legs before you put a stocking seam up the back.

A bit messy in wet weather ;-) :-D :-D

When we lived in the US I couldn't find gravy browning... nobody knew what I was talking about. Pale gravy just looks awful......... I ended up sticking a teaspoon of Vegemite in the gravy! Yes, we took our own Vegemite... Himself is addicted!

There's a packet of gravy mix in the pantry, but I couldn't tell you when it was last used, it's probably gone hard & horrible. I make my own gravy (using gravy flour). Heat a couple of Tablespoons olive oil, brown the flour, add beef stock, fresh ground black pepper and a bit of Worcestershire sauce.... and if it's too pale, add a few drops of Parisian essence.

:-)

People tend to do the 'now you are talking real wickedness' bit when I mention dumplings these days as if they dare not eat them.

So what is so very wrong with something made of flour, water, salt and baking powder?

We were discussing a meal we had out earlier this week, which led on to British 'plain' cooking. Unfortunately, those which we enjoy are considered 'bad' for you.

Steak & Kidney (suet) pudding
Steak & Kidney pie (pastry top)
Stew & Dumplings
Liver & Bacon - sliced lambs liver dipped in flour then fried, the whole lot smothered in a thick gravy - flour, fat/oil and a stock cube made in the pan you've used to cook the liver and bacon.

All these things are OK if you use them sensibly. If we have a pie we don't have potatoes but we do have two or three portions of veg, usually steamed. If you have a large helping of steak pie and chips, followed by spotted dick, and you don't get any exercise, then, yes, it is bad for you. But that's down to lifestyle.

I just do what my mother always stated....everything in moderation...
They now say that animal fat is Ok for you...all these spreads have additives.
As long as you don't overeat and have regular balanced meals and reasonable amount of exercise you should be OK.
My dad used to say ....always leave the table when you feel you could eat a little bit more...and I suppose that has stuck with me ,as I don't like the uncomfortable feeling,of being over full.

Allan ,I expect browning was only used in dry weather.
I used to watch my mother's young sister doing all these things and then I remember her buying tan in a bottle that I suppose didn't run.

:-D :-D

Brenda loves to play jazz. The music is born of its culture in Lousiana and inseperable from the (fabulous) cuisine there which is def. not very plain.

New Orleans at Mardi Gras ( you have 11 months to save up ) is something any musician will want to experience once at least. Right now the city still needs all the help it can get. Hungry jazz fans are very welcome.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4o86juvMEE

:-D

Sorry, folks, I eat anything put in front of me so I find it hard to understand 'fussy' eaters .. I do favour some meals though.

By the way, one has to be careful with the amount of garlic if someone is on Warfarin, also if anyone has Coeliac Disease it's a 'must' to cater for that person's needs.

I fed my children a wider variety of foods than I had when I was a child but that's a sign of the times, I think. My grandchildren also.

What surprised me when I was young (I am way over 70) was how many of my friends ate their evening meals with siblings but not with parents. We all ate together.

The other thing that surprised me (and I only learned about this when I was an adult) was that whereas my Dad would always be happy with a salad in the evening others' dads 'had to have a hot meal' when coming in from work.