Reply to: hyper D and Lucifer Box's food thread

[hyperD]

She does have a look reminiscent of the 'Crazy Frog' about her!

I think she must have sat on the dessert spoon...

[wobbegong]

Mmmmmm....... I scream........

She does have a look reminiscent of the 'Crazy Frog' about her!

[hyperD]

Great ideas there Joe - thanks! I shall continue my quest in blocking up my arteries with good home made food!!

[Joe Black]

> True JB, I haven't made enough ice cream to check all the possible ways of it going wrong. But home cooking tends to be a little intensive anyway. It's not like sticking it in the oven and forgetting about it for an hour or two.

If you forget to mix it enough, or too much, you can easily end up with a litre of slush, or something which when it's put back in the freezer turns into an ice-block with a bit of flavouring.

> I was reading the Sunday papers and every 10 mins or so just got up for half an hour and stirred while pouring myself another glass of white wine. Also, I wasn't limited to a 0.7l bowl size.

They do make a larger one as well, though I went for the option of buying an extra freezer bowl so you can make two flavours one after the other. Also if you fancy something interesting like 'mini-smarties' ice-cream like I did once, then it's simply a case of letting it churn away, then just pour the final ingredient in at the last moment.

> Problem I've found with gadgets is that I use them once and then they go to the back of the cupboard never to be seen again.

Cost me only €45, the ice-cream I make generally works out €1-2 per go so even if I don't use it that often it's not a waste considering Hagen-Daaz here is circa €5.

> Incidently, how long does the real ice cream last?

Best eaten fresh, i.e. just make it for a dinner party. Otherwise I've kept in the freezer a week...it doesn't last long with me.

[hyperD]

Yep, homemade ice-cream (especially when eaten straight away) can be very nice indeed.

Don't quite agree with the "no ice cream maker needed" idea though. Sure you can try and make it just by putting the mix in the freezer and stirring every 10 min, but to get it right there are a lot of 10 mins and even then it can go wrong.

Bought myself one of these last summer. Found it much better and found it much easier when you want to add certain ingredients just at the end:

True JB, I haven't made enough ice cream to check all the possible ways of it going wrong. But home cooking tends to be a little intensive anyway. It's not like sticking it in the oven and forgetting about it for an hour or two.

I was reading the Sunday papers and every 10 mins or so just got up for half an hour and stirred while pouring myself another glass of white wine. Also, I wasn't limited to a 0.7l bowl size.

Like LB, I did some research and the general consensus is that it is not necessary but hey, if it works, it works and why not use something like that.

Problem I've found with gadgets is that I use them once and then they go to the back of the cupboard never to be seen again.


Incidently, how long does the real ice cream last?

[Joe Black]

FG, top photo sir!

LB - made the coconut and lime ice cream (and no ice cream maker - you don't need one).

Absolutely fantastic!

Recipe:-

1. Warm 125g sugar, 3 egg yolks and 400ml of coconut milk ("custard")
2. Whip 325ml of whipping cream and juice of one lime.
3. Cool "custard" and add zest of lime
4. Add cream mixture to "custard" and fold
5. Stick in freezer and stir once every 10 mins or so to stop ice crystals forming

And there you have it - real ice cream without the emulsifiers and other nasty chemicals.

Mmmmmmmm.... fattening...

Yep, homemade ice-cream (especially when eaten straight away) can be very nice indeed.

Don't quite agree with the "no ice cream maker needed" idea though. Sure you can try and make it just by putting the mix in the freezer and stirring every 10 min, but to get it right there are a lot of 10 mins and even then it can go wrong.

Bought myself one of these last summer. Found it much better and found it much easier when you want to add certain ingredients just at the end:

[Lucifer Box]

Yes hyperD, I did some ice cream research last week as I was considering the purchase of a machine but after much reading came to the conclusion it wasn't necessary. I'm glad to hear confirmation from the field. I haven't tried it yet but cut my teeth (not literally) on a rather scrummy lemon sorbet last week.

Anyways, for the eager devotees of this thread (who are legion, I'm sure), try this recipe from the Box household, which we had for dinner yesterday and makes a very fast and satisfying evening meal with a difference.

Get yourself a nice piece of pork tenderloin, about 1kg is plenty for four or will do two plus leftovers for the next day. Some boneless rolled leg or shoulder will do as well if that's what you have to hand (and is very economical), but trim off most of the fat.

Melt about 40g of unsalted butter in a pan and add 350ml of fresh orange juice. Throw in a pinch of chilli powder, a pinch of dried oregano a clove of garlic (if you want it more garlicky, slice it first) plus the grated zest of one orange. Warm through but don't boil it.

Rub the meat with salt and pepper and pop it in a roasting tin. Pour the sauce into the tin and baste the meat. Pop it in the over; about 1.5 hours at 180C should do it, basting frequently (every 15 minutes).

When done, take it out and let it stand for 5 minutes, then slice and serve with the sauce from the tin. Our accompaniments were nice and simple: boiled potatoes, steamed broccoli, and peas. Scrummy.

[hyperD]

FG, top photo sir!

LB - made the coconut and lime ice cream (and no ice cream maker - you don't need one).

Absolutely fantastic!

Recipe:-

1. Warm 125g sugar, 3 egg yolks and 400ml of coconut milk ("custard")
2. Whip 325ml of whipping cream and juice of one lime.
3. Cool "custard" and add zest of lime
4. Add cream mixture to "custard" and fold
5. Stick in freezer and stir once every 10 mins or so to stop ice crystals forming

And there you have it - real ice cream without the emulsifiers and other nasty chemicals.

Mmmmmmmm.... fattening...

[hyperD]

mmmmmm, live lobsters...

Best lobster I had was ordering some in the morning in Koh Samui and then eating them fresh that evening. They were absolutely huge and were extremely cheap.

And the man selling beer on the beach with ice cool Singa's.

"Mr hyperD, I save you cold Singa yes!"

[Lucifer Box]

Damn, Mrs Lucifer has a bun in the oven which means crustacea are off the menu in the Box household.

When I was commuting through Copenhagen airport a lot in the 90s, I always used to pick up a live lobster from the tank there on a Friday evening. Mmmmmm...

[hyperD]

Jeeez... had my arse whipped in UT2004 with some mates online using Skype... we've painted our own photograph (face) textures on the avatars for realism..blinding...

Anyway, cooked Lobster Thermidor and garlic mashed potato.

1. Cut the lobster in half and remove the meat from the claws and tail. Leave to one side. Remove any meat from the head and set aside. Cut the meat up into pieces and place back into the shell.

2. For the sauce, put the butter in a pan, add the shallots and cook until softened. Add the stock, wine and double cream and bring to the boil. Reduce by half. Add the mustard, herbs, lemon juice and seasoning.

3. Pre-heat the grill and spoon the sauce over the lobster meat. Sprinkle with the grated parmesan cheese. Place the lobster halves under a pre-heated grill for 3-4 minutes until golden brown.

4. Fry garlic in butter until golden. Add to mashed potato with extra cream and mix with blender. Add a few chives for flavour.

Mmmmmmm, cholesterol....


Tomorrow, I'll be making coconut and lime ice cream with baked mango slices...

[Lucifer Box]

Lucifer's Top Recipe For This Evening

Thought I'd share the Box's dinner this evening with you as it was excellent and it's highly recommended you try this one for yourself. Cheap too. Anyway, here we go, it's rabbit braised in vinegar, a lovely recipe for a cold winter's evening.

Take your rabbit and cut it up into portions (4 legs and the saddle). Place the rabbit portions in a large bowl and cover with a mixture of cold water and white wine vinegar (about 10% vinegar should do it). Leave to soak for about 30 minutes then drain.

In the meantime chop a sprig of sage, sprig of rosemary and a couple of cloves of garlic. Melt 25g of butter in a large pan with three tablespoons of olive oil (not extra virgin) then lightly stir-fry the garlic, rosemary and sage for a couple of minutes, seasoning with pepper. Add the rabbit portions and, turning them regularly, cook until browned all over.

Mix together 175ml of white wine vinegar with three tablespoons of water and pour into the pan. Season with salt then put the lid on and simmer gently for about 50 minutes. Check your seasoning and adjust if necessary, then toss in a large handful of stoned green olives (not the sort stuffed with pimentos - too sweet for this recipe) - about 100g - and a small handful of drained and rinsed capers - about 50g. Put the lid back on, simmer for another 10 minutes and then you're ready to rock 'n' roll.

For accompaniments, I kept it simple and rustic. A roasting tin of diced mixed potato, parsnip and beetroot, with onion and garlic, drizzled with olive oil and roasted in the oven with a couple of bayleaves for about 45 minutes, and a loaf of home made spelt bread (bread made using spelt flour, rather than wheat flour, with honey and olive oil - it's the sort of bread the Romans used to make).

Easy peasy and good eatings.

[bangface]

Stoke the fire under one of these......

Isn't that Reg Toomer from "Boys from the Bush"?

Aha! "duck 'n' chips", so it was you!

SHUUUUT UPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Lucifer Box]

Would that include coffee etc provided by the client?
My current client provides free tea and coffee to everyone regardless of contract or permie status.....

Mmm, maybe the client should run free coffees for contractors through its books as entertainment expenses.

[DaveB]

Nothing wrong with using company funds to buy a coffee machine for the office, as long as it's only used for staff while working.

Technically, you should declare the coffee you get to drink for free as a BIK on your tax return. The IR (as it was then) made some noise about this four or five years ago when it proposed a scheme whereby all office type workers should be required to declare a minimum BIK value (I think £250 was mooted) to represent free coffee, pilfered stationery supplies, etc. Seriously.

Would that include coffee etc provided by the client?
My current client provides free tea and coffee to everyone regardless of contract or permie status.....