|
|
Post by Crazy Horse on Mar 23, 2013 16:32:02 GMT 1
Sussexflyer, aka Philistine! I thought and regarded you as a chap of considerable note, living in the splendid Sussex area, until I read your last, might I suggest a rather inflammatory post! (possibly intentional, if not, I shall try to understand and forgive you).
Brown sauce, brown bloody sauce man? I thought that that was what the "authorities" were repairing our roads with these days!
Smashed up peas? Resulting in a green goo like substance that might congeal and make a satisfactory repair for a broken motor mount? You are a southerner Sir, have you no shame, or do you have roots in the north, possibly north of Guildford, ( a place to be avoided at all costs, IMHO, thus avoiding litigation).
However, I now refer to your possibly redeeming comment regarding ground sea salt.
BUT.... I am compelled to ask, from where do you obtain the aforementioned sea salt? Is it the fleur de sel, I wonder, that which is hidden from the prying eye of our visitors and only produced when we are entertaining friends of worth. (Traditional French fleur de sel is collected off the coast of Brittany, most notably in the town of Guérande (Fleur de Sel de Guérande being the most revered).
This is, of course, the fleur de sel which Lady CH and my good self have hidden in large quantities (stored correctly of course by our servants) in various places throughout our estate, known only to ourselves and the servants who are sworn to secrecy upon pain of being force fed Muckdonalds anything. They all agreed to this without a thought and swore allegiance upon pain of receiving a "two meals for one voucher" with which to obtain the aforementioned Muckdonalds. No problem there then.
BUT, once more...... what sort of pickled onions? Those huge, manky, oversized, dirty brown, pathetic excuses for a culinary delight, or those rather refined (and appreciated only by those with some taste buds left) simply scrumptious silver-skin devils that make you want to finish the whole jar before commencing your repast? Lady CH eats them by the jar load, her breath is very useful for stripping the wall paper in the West wing, much appreciated by our workmen (equipped with BA of course) which is currently undergoing restoration. There lies another great debate........
|
|
|
|
Post by SussexFlyer on Mar 23, 2013 16:52:36 GMT 1
Well, my father hailed from Yorkshire, most definitely north of the Guildford whippet circle, so I was brought up with brown sauce and mushy peas tha knows! And, at the risk of veering off topic, I love a good black pudding too! Salt? Has to be Maldon Sea Salt, either sprinkled on to a boiled egg or, yanking the rudder stick back on topic, in the case of fish and chips, from a grinder.
|
|
|
|
Post by iandhunt on Mar 23, 2013 17:02:41 GMT 1
yanking the rudder stick back on topic, in the case of fish and chips, from a grinder. Love the use of plane lingo! I have an actual question though, what is blood pudding really like? Taste, texture, whatnot? Is it an acquired taste?  |
|
|
|
Post by Crazy Horse on Mar 23, 2013 17:55:50 GMT 1
Iiandhunt, It's not blood pudding old chap, it is black pudding, at least here in good old blighty. Loads of pigs blood and flour, magic! Black pudding, blood pudding or blood sausage is a type of sausage made by cooking blood or dried blood with a filler until it is thick enough to congeal when cooled. The dish exists in various cultures from Asia to Europe and the Americas. Pig, cattle, sheep, duck and goat blood can be used depending on different countries. As for an English breakfast, essential! Bring it on! ;D sussexflyer, Oh, now you are going on to talk about boiled eggy weggy's. The finest brekky any chap might aspire to eat. But then we have to talk about buppy soldiers or buppy bread? What to have with the eggy weggies? Oh what a dilemma? Not only that, but what about the salt? Here we go again.  |
|
|
|
Post by toff on Mar 25, 2013 1:27:49 GMT 1
Ah.... just to throw this topic off slightly...Whilst I doff my hat to those in the know about true fish'n'chips, the talk of black puddin ( notice the lack of a 'g' at the end)!
What about Scottish black puddin, and the fabled clooty dumplin!
When in Scotland, order a full Scottish breakfast, wi' puddin and clooty dumplin!
The puddin is better than black pudding ( something to do with the stirring method), and fried clooty ( fried raisin suet) is the bees knees, you also get 'Tatty scones' ( potato cakes, which are better than the fried bread you get in England.
So, in short, if you want good food, go to Scotland.
but, if you want to retain your liver and lights, come back to England!
PS: I was raised in Glasgow. Good food, Good people, awful Tempers!
|
|
|
|
Post by SussexFlyer on Mar 25, 2013 9:10:54 GMT 1
With the topic now well and truly out of range and flying uncontrolled into the sunset, on the subject of black pudding I have found that for best results it is essential to cook it on a gas hob rather than electric. With gas you can cook the pudding and, at the last minute zap the heat up to give an ever so slightly crispy outer while retaining the soft juicy pudding within, a feat you will appreciate is impossible with electric.
|
|
|
|
Post by Crazy Horse on Mar 25, 2013 10:41:26 GMT 1
toff old chap,
Lady CH and I went to stay in Aber Dour in Burntisland over the bridge from Edinburgh for a few days a couple of years ago. Why? well I really can't answer that!
Most of the time it was closed or when open, culinary delights were few and far between. Having found the local hostelry, we imbibed of the falling down fluid. The service was somewhat lacking, it seemed that the person behind the bar had no idea of the social pleasantries associated with the job, like speaking and smiling, even just a little.
We did have a real stroke of luck however, discovering a Chinese restaurant and takeaway some five miles away from our lodging. Excitedly we telephoned them and placed our order. What a treat! Fantastic food, cooked to perfection, hot and plenty of it all delivered free to our door. What value. The redeeming feature of our mini-hol was a trip to the Edinburgh art gallery, quite magnificent. The rest? Well, suffice to say we will not return willingly.
To flip the coin, when I used to attend training courses in various areas of the country, I would always seek out the Scottish attendees when free time came, I found without exception that their ability to drink, tell great jokes and have a really good time was only matched by my good self. We got on well.
sussexflyer,
Ah, how I agree about the gas hob. Has anyone ever seen a chef cook on an electric hob? I doubt it very much. Well, I think we have sorted the black pudding issue, so we must now turn to the creation of the perfect batter on the fish. Over to you dear readers....
|
|
|
|
Post by SussexFlyer on Mar 25, 2013 11:02:50 GMT 1
Ah, how I agree about the gas hob. Has anyone ever seen a chef cook on an electric hob? One last reply before the stick is wrestled with and the topic turns gratefully back to base... I too hate gas hobs (they are ok for the oven as a sudden change in temperature is less often required here). We live on farmland which, while great for providing an en suite flying field (though dodging sheep when landing can be a little fraught!) is unfortunately lacking in availability of gas so we are forced to cook with electric. Some months ago we spent a weekend at a gas-equipped holiday cottage and were reminded how good gas is to cook with. |
|
|
|
Post by Crazy Horse on Mar 25, 2013 11:59:12 GMT 1
Sussexflyer,
I think you mean you love gas hobs, not hate? LOL.
Cook, cook, cook, cookability, that's the beauty of gas.
If you can remember that jingle, then you haven't got anything wrong with you!
Now a swift Immelmann turn and back to the great fish and chip debate, where were we? Ah, yes, the batter.......
|
|
|
|
Post by SussexFlyer on Mar 25, 2013 12:19:30 GMT 1
Sussexflyer, I think you mean you love gas hobs, not hate? LOL Whoops! Almost. I meant I hate electric hobs. |
|
|
|
Post by Crazy Horse on Apr 9, 2013 13:55:32 GMT 1
In my last post regarding the delights of fish and chips I mentioned this.....
Now a swift Immelmann turn and back to the great fish and chip debate, where were we? Ah, yes, the batter.......
Well chaps, what about the batter comments, I am disappointed with you. Batter is important stuff, be it made in various and cunning ways. I rather like the beer batter myself. ;D
|
|
|
|
Post by iandhunt on Apr 10, 2013 0:54:14 GMT 1
Depends on the time of year if you ask me. I feel a heavy batter is warranted during long winter months when the mercury dips down to below freezing, or it is soggy.....like Sussex.....or Seattle. In the summer I don't want a batter that will be too thick since I don't enjoy the heaviness and the heat from the sun. When it is 1 am and the sun is still in my eyes I would like to enjoy a lighter batter along with a white ale.
....aaaaaannnnnndddd GO!!!!
|
|
|
|
Post by Crazy Horse on Apr 10, 2013 9:59:56 GMT 1
No, no, no, no, no. A heavy batter is to avoided at all costs, even in Winter, it is the mark of an incompetent fish fryer IMHO. The batter should be delicate, light, completely crispy, so crispy in fact, that when you puncture the batter crust with your knife, it crackles seductively. Then and only then should the onion vinegar be applied, taking the utmost care to drizzle it into the flesh of the fish and just a touch on the batter. One should always consume the fish and chips in the shade and preferably during reasonable hours. Eating at 1am does not do the body clock any good, and yes, I have been there!  A white ale, I have led a very sheltered life and only found out what that was about a year ago when a friend ordered one. I am a real ale man myself, but that leads to another post....... It sounds like a very weird part of the world you find yourself unfortunate enough to be posted to, my sympathies old chap and I hope you get posted to some warmer and more sensible climate asap. Alaska, I think I would rather be forced to listen to Just Imbiber, whoever she is. ;D |
|
|
|
Post by iandhunt on Apr 10, 2013 16:39:51 GMT 1
Sunrise on June 21st, 2013 is 3:00am and sunset is June 22nd, 2013 at 1:00am. 22 hours of light means a fourth meal CH....lest I starve! Or maybe I should wear sunglasses to bed...... I honestly have no idea how people consider this normal. As for the ale, I like a Lager myself, but I enjoy a fine white ale in the "heat" of the summers.....and let's face it.....22 hours of light would make it possible to justify eating and drinking almost anything! I meant heavy batter as in taste....not thickness. Anytime I need to go on an expedition to find my fish inside the confines of its batter-y prison I begin to feel a bit perturbed. I have come to believe long ago that I am a purist when it comes to my food. No extra sauce or seasonings usually....except foods that come with it.....pasta for example. I usually do the drizzle of lemon over the fish then dive in immediately. Oh, edited out two "nices" as well.
PS Snowing since Sunday.......
|
|
|
|
Post by Crazy Horse on Apr 10, 2013 17:23:11 GMT 1
Oh mate, 22hrs of daylight, that is weird, I could not possible cope unless I had blackout curtains. Apologies for misinterpreting the batter old chap, I thought you might be a chap of discerning tastes as I know that you like to cook. A pastime that we both share incidentally, I love cooking, different cuisine from other lands, learning others techniques, etc. I have a recipe for mango chutney that is the best in the world, acquired from a Pakistani named Kokub, who uses no measurements of quantity, relying on total knowledge and experience. That is class! I would agree with you to a degree on seasoning and sauces, the correct addition to the right dish can enhance the joy of it's presentation and also the taste. We are all different, each to his own, some people even like brown sauce. Well done with the non-use of nice, you see I do have a purpose in this world and you are paying attention, that's NICE! good, I meant good. |
|
