Re: Food Thread : Thu Aug 15, 2013 12:01 am  

Mintball wrote:

And as for a chilled Banyuls – red or white – lovely.

Manzanilla and tapas - no match!

Re: Food Thread : Thu Aug 15, 2013 5:11 am  

Pretty much been living on my mates allotment produce and from my next door neighbours poly-tunnel(?) of late.
New spuds, cabbage, carrots, onions, parsnips, purple sprouting broccolli, cucumbers, strawberries and variations of tomati.
Just as well really.
It will put me in good stead for five days of takeaway action whilst dossing at my mates in Londinium from next Thursday.

Re: Food Thread : Thu Aug 15, 2013 7:54 am  

Mintball wrote:

... proper boudin noir, which is so, so much moister than British black pudding...

I tried boudin noir a couple of times in Martinique whilst on a trip exploring rum distilleries , (*).
"Moister" is an understatement for that Creole version, which for all I know might be entirely different from the version you mention, I haven't had it in France-proper, the creole one was much smaller than ours, barely solid inside the casing, slightly "oozy" and the colour was like a dark beige.
But delicious nonetheless, once you'd realised that it was a similar but different dish from our black pudding.


(*) Fabulous holiday, that was.
Memories of sitting in the shade sipping a 'ti punch and watching black hummingbirds visiting blossoms on the tree beyond the veranda.

Re: Food Thread : Thu Aug 15, 2013 3:25 pm  

Mintball wrote:

I can get Banyuls from him – and also really good duck breast from the south west, from foie ducks (which have the most unbelievable layer of glorious fat).

Hi Mintball hope you are enjoying the hols, what are foie ducks, ducks that are specifically bred for the liver?
I thought it was the Mulard and Toulouse duck they used for this.

Re: Food Thread : Fri Aug 16, 2013 10:04 pm  

peggy wrote:

Hi Mintball hope you are enjoying the hols, what are foie ducks, ducks that are specifically bred for the liver?
I thought it was the Mulard and Toulouse duck they used for this.

I wouldn't have had a clue before last year, when we came across this.

But the breasts have a far thicker layer of fat than you'd find on, say a British duck breast, which makes complete sense if it's the breast of a duck bred for foie gras.

And thank you – we're having a great time. Love this place to bits. Just been enjoying the annual festival. And the food is wonderful.

Re: Food Thread : Thu Sep 12, 2013 6:38 pm  

I have discovered a delicious salad, now the figs are bursting from their skins once again.

Whisk together a dressing of wholegrain mustard, red wine vinegar, honey, garlic, salt and pepper to a paste. Slowly add good olive oil until you like the consistency and it's emulsified.


Add handfuls of rocket and spinach and half a dozen or more quartered ripe figs (peeled if you wish). Toss to cover in the dressing. Add a fistful of walnuts and chunks of goats cheese over the top.

Making it for the third time this week, tonight with steak and chips. Life's regular at the moment, but good.

Re: Food Thread : Thu Sep 12, 2013 7:57 pm  

You got a fig tree?

Like that recipe, sounds divine, very annoying though for people stuck with a ruddy nut allergy.

Good measures, a fist of, and a chunk of.

Personally like figs with Manchego and a little dash of olive oil, Sicilian, more pepper than most Spanish.

Re: Food Thread : Fri Sep 13, 2013 7:23 am  

WormInHand wrote:

I have discovered a delicious salad, now the figs are bursting from their skins once again...

Mmmm, lovely ... it would go well with Serrano or Parma ham on top.

Re: Food Thread : Fri Sep 13, 2013 8:06 am  

Sandra The Terrorist wrote:

Good measures, a fist of, and a chunk of.

I always liked goatboy's recipes:

"cook in a hot oven for the time it takes to roll and smoke two fags"

Re: Food Thread : Fri Sep 13, 2013 8:55 am  

Mintball wrote: ... And thank you – we're having a great time. Love this place to bits. Just been enjoying the annual festival. And the food is wonderful. For fans of the place (and 'fine dining'), we finally found Collioure's Michelin-starred restaurant.

Mintball wrote: ... And thank you – we're having a great time. Love this place to bits. Just been enjoying the annual festival. And the food is wonderful. For fans of the place (and 'fine dining'), we finally found Collioure's Michelin-starred restaurant.