Bonne Continuation

Elderflower Cordial

June means elderflowers - and it's a shame to let them all turn into elderberries. Elderflower cordial is easy to make and is a nice summer drink, whether or not it is perked up with a dash of gin or vodka.

Elderflower cordial
25 elderflower heads
2 oranges
2 lemons
2oz tartaric (or citric) acid - optional, ask your local chemist
3 pints boiling water
3lb granulated sugar

Instructions:

• Dissolve sugar in boiling water.
• When cool add orange and lemon cut in slices.
• Stir in tartaric (or citric) acid and add elderflower heads.
• Cover and leave for 48 hours.
• Strain and bottle.

If the tartaric acid is omitted then the cordial will keep happily in the fridge for several weeks. For longer term storage, add the tartaric (or citric) acid and use sterilised bottles.

Freshwater Crayfish

  Freshwater Crayfish 
  Originally uploaded by IanL.

These American invaders are wiping out all domestic UK freshwater crayfish and hence i'm doing an ecological favour buying and eating them. Fished from the river Lambourn, Berkshire.

You can tell these are the non-native variety because the claws are assymetric - one is bigger than the other. Natives have much more even claw sizes.

Satisfies the Eat Local concept by being bought from a local farm shop and sourced from a local(ish) river.

Once they were shelled (a not entirely painless procedure), what little resulted from this big bowl of unshelled ones ended up in a very nice sandwich with mayonnaise and salad.

Top 50 restaurants in the world 2006

Another year, another useless list of the world's 50 restaurants, as surveyed by Restaurant magazine. A notable effort to waste column inches that always does exactly what it sets out to - generate publicity. Including lots of blog-mugs (like me) writing about how a list is no good whatsover without some objective decision making - and then promptly republishing the list. Ha.

Fat Duck knocked off it's artificial pedestal as #1 restaurant in the world 2005 - probably because the menu hasn't changed.

Now, i'm not going to knock el Bulli as I had a great experience there (photos). I'll stop short of calling it a great meal, because that's not what it's about.

The top 10 (2005 placings):
1. El Bulli (Spain) (2) World/Europe award
2. The Fat Duck (U.K.) (1)
3. Pierre Gagnaire (France) (6) Chef's choice
4. French Laundry (U.S.) (3) United States
5. Tetsuya's (Australia) (4) Australia
6. Bras (France) (11)
7. Restaurant le Louis XV (Monaco)  (12)
8. Per Se (U.S.) (7)
9. Restaurant Arzak (Spain) (21)
10. Mugaritz (Spain) (-) Highest new entry

A trip to San Sebastian is in order to knock off two of the top 10, followed by a trip to Paris, New York and Sydney. Then a colonic.

I've eaten at 11 of these 50 restaurants (3 of the top 4), and have varying degrees of interest in visiting the other 39. Some of these are well off the beaten track...

Old versus new

Peeler Wrestling
Originally uploaded by IanL.

Rex versus Oxo

Playing at photographing gadgets for foodography - a photographic challenge for food bloggers.

Käseschnitte

  GandeggHütte Käseschnitte 
  Originally uploaded by IanL.

It's amazing when you're skiing in the mountains that you'll happily, and without a flicker of guilt, eat calorie-busting lunches in the name of expended energy.

Croûte (au Fromage) is the French term, Käseschnitte the german/swiss-german term - essentially the same dish of thick-cut toasted bread, soaked in wine with melted strong mountain cheese (Gruyere, Beaufort, Comté) topped with a fried egg and with optional ham or speck (bacon), pickled onions and cornichons.

The best bits are always the burnt cheese at the edge of the dish. Does wonders to cure a hangover, especially in conjunction with a nice white savoie wine (if that's not an oxymoron).

Tuber Melanosporum

  Perigord Truffle 
  Originally uploaded by IanL.

Fungi royalty - the Perigord Truffle

We are close to the highpoint of the black truffle season, so it's a good time to try and get hold of a nugget of pungent goodness to pair with a nice plain risotto or some plain buttered pasta.

I'm not sure I would ever recommend buying a truffle sight-unseen over the internet, but due to time constraints I had to - in this case from Solstice (based in New Covent Garden market, London, UK). I would have ordered from Natoora but there was too long a delay on deliveries (2 days versus next day), although with more advance thought and planning i'd like to try out natoora and they have more sensible pricing and better choice of size preference.

Served freshly grated over a simple risotto with shallots, a drop of white wine and a wee grating of parmesan. Mounted with a drop of butter and cream. Mmm. The truffle could have been more aromatic and partially that I guess is the price you pay for leaving the buying process to someone else.

If you are sensible enough to buy truffles in person in London then Borough Market (Booths or the dodgy Italian guy) is the best bet, otherwise Harrods or Fortnum & Mason but the prices will make your eyes water. Maybe i'll have a re-run with the Robuchon truffle tart.

Move over Ronald McDonald

Just like you, I don't eat in McDonald's. I used to. I'd have a Big Mac and medium fries, and love it. But that was in the old days, before Fast Food Nation, before Supersize Me, before McLibel, before José Bové, before Slow Food, before nutrition and morality and health and ecology became so infuriatingly intertwined. I haven't touched a Big Mac for two years. I just can't do it. Not even alone. I wouldn't be able to live with myself. link

That quote is from a story about new-fangled gourmet burger joints in London (specifically the great Gourmet Burger Kitchen). Whilst I agree 100% with the above sentiments, i'd go further and not associciate McD's with guilt, but with sickness and nausea. It just isn't good.

Here's an experiment: try to abstain for a couple of months or so then have a big Mac or a quarterpounder and see how long it is until your gastric equipment is going into spasms and you feel physically sick. I unwittingly did it, having a McDs in a moment of weakness and lacking any other options (driving through the hell-hole dustbelt north of Fresno, California), and felt so bad for the following 48hrs that I swore i'd never eat another.

Link: Guardian Unlimited Shopping | Gourmet burger revolution.