Search


Aug 10, 2023
A new word - gastrique
"The best thing about learning how to make a gastrique is that it's extremely easy for the clueless chef to do. It makes a simple dish...
7 views0 comments


Jul 11, 2023
An oldie but a goodie
"There was this woman tossing French omelettes, splashing eggs about the place, brandishing big knives, panting heavily as she careened...
13 views0 comments


Mar 14, 2023
Tomato sauce - musings
"The kind of sauce that starts with the simplest ingredients—some canned tomatoes, a few aromatics, some olive oil, and maybe some...
10 views0 comments


Dec 30, 2022
I have six egg yolks
"they are a magical ingredient that can transform a drab dish into something divine and spectacular." Tom Hunt You might remember that...
11 views0 comments


Dec 5, 2022
Mint sauce(s)
"when done right, mint sauce is the key to turning casual summer dinners into something special." Salon.com I spent the morning weeding...
9 views0 comments


Dec 1, 2022
Little vinegar - vinaigrette
“it seems to me that a salad and its dressing are things we should take more or less for granted at a meal, like bread and salt; and not...
7 views0 comments


Oct 19, 2022
Picada - a non-Ottolenghi extra
"anyone who has tasted a dish before and after its addition will understand that picada 'seems to fill in all the holes, plug in all the...
5 views0 comments


Sep 30, 2022
Dukkah - how did we do without it?
"a deeply fragrant, crunchy mix, neither paste nor powder, but somewhere in between, and deeply, headily scented. ... Sometimes I tip it...
6 views0 comments


Aug 20, 2022
Tonnato - not what it used to be
"It’s like that Dr. Seuss book everyone gets when they graduate—Oh the Places You’ll Go!—but for a mayo-based sauce. Inspiring." Alex...
6 views0 comments


Jul 30, 2022
Crumbs
"something you wish to share with your online friends." Urban Dictionary "a small fragment" Merriam-Webster Actually I think that first...
10 views0 comments


Jul 20, 2022
The Bordelaise challenge
"Classic bordelaise sauce, which can transform shoe leather into strip steak, is made with veal stock, demi-glace and time - a lot of...
18 views0 comments


May 21, 2022
Blasts from the past in the Dandenongs
Yesterday I wrote no post - the one I posted was really from the day before - because I spent the afternoon up in the Dandenongs meeting...
10 views0 comments


May 1, 2022
Worcestershire sauce
"Worcestershire sauce, it seems, is out — the craze for umami has come and gone, and entirely passed Worcestershire sauce by." Sam Worley...
8 views0 comments


Apr 14, 2022
Scraps
"Winging it with what's to hand can be so liberating - flinging in this or that with the joyful abandon that comes from not trying too...
10 views0 comments


Mar 17, 2022
A mixed bag
"Definition: If you describe a situation or a group of things or people as a mixed bag, you mean that it contains some good items,...
8 views0 comments


Oct 28, 2021
Sauce soubise
"I think of soubise as the cashmere jumper of sauces. Nothing can compete with its soft, cosseting qualities." Nigel Slater Maybe I...
13 views0 comments


Oct 3, 2021
Worrying about aioli
"Casting salt and a squeeze of lemon juice aside, the recipe only has three ingredients: get one of them wrong and the whole thing loses...
15 views0 comments


Apr 11, 2021
Custard
"The French call it crème anglaise, which says everything about our love for it." Felicity Cloake I'm writing about custard - well...
7 views0 comments


Mar 31, 2021
Basically French
There are two inspirations for today's blog - a first recipe and this photograph. The photograph comes from my daily art desk calendar. ...
10 views0 comments


Mar 12, 2021
Oddments for the end of the week
"an item or piece of something, typically one left over from a larger piece or set." Oxford English Dictionary My excuse today is lack...
21 views0 comments