Basic wine matching Monday, Apr 11 2011 

Uncategorized , , Last Hussar 7:46 pm


Britain is the largest per capita wine market in the world, and it is British tastes that drive production.  Predicting what people will be drinking in Dulwich, not the Dordogne, it turns out is what makes a wine producer successful. 

Having attended a brief introduction to wine/food matching at a county fare yesterday, I pass on the basic hints, so you can all at least enjoy what you are drinking. (after the fold) (more…)

 

Recipe – Cheesy Stuffed Baked Potatoes Tuesday, Jul 7 2009 

Uncategorized , , , Last Hussar 12:59 am


READ ALL THE WAY THROUGH FIRST, AND DECIDE ON TEXTURE WANTED.

Bake 1 large potato per person (or 3 to 2 if you think you need to). They must be large ones.

You can microwave, BUT THEY MUST BE FINISHED IN THE OVEN- the crispy/hard skin is a must.

Grate Cheese- Now grate a tad more. Now do another couple of grates per person. (this is n’t really a ‘measure’ recipe!)

Now

The Difficult bit

Cut potatoes in half- longways, and probably so the halves are shallow as you can get- you will need to stand these like boat hulls to finish, so think ahead

Now VERY CAREFULLY (No more careful than that) scoop the flesh out the skin. It is important you do not break the skin (which is why they have to be crispy). I usually cut round with a paring knife, then use a dessert spoon. It is better to cut too shallow- you can always scrape more out, you can’t repair the skin.

BUT you need to do this ASAP so flesh is still as hot as possible.

Mash flesh and cheese- add a knob of butter, but not too much- you are not going for creamy mashed potatoes- and a little black pepper and Worcester sauce. Basically you want thick (but not too lumpy) mashed potatoes.

Scoop the Cheesy mash back into the skins.

Sprinkle with a more grated cheese, (and Worcester if you like)

Finish under grill until cheese on top is golden (this may be a better place to add the second lot of Worcester, like cheese on toast).

I posted this on a wargame site, and a couple of guys thought up additions- chopped crispy bacon and/or chives, so don’t be afraid to try adding stuff.