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Sounds Horrendous!!!

Where is good on green lanes around haringey station? All I see is a sea of same same Turk places and the Salisbury that does insanely overpriced awful food

Gokyuzu is awesome

Triple Answer...

Is there anywhere good to eat in the Tottenham Hale/Seven Sisters area?

I suspect the answer is 'LOL'

There is an ok Vietnamese called Kinh Do near South Tottenham Station, and there used to be (not sure if its still there) an Ethiopian vegetarian restaurant just up from there too.

Its uncured and its from the belly so I guess I'm good. Still find it rather expensive for a raw cut lump of mostly fat.

Yeah - as above, that looks like some kind of polish cured/smoked belly. I've used that before as a replacement for bacon lardons in pasta etc but its quite strange to work with. Just go to your local butchers and get some Pork Belly. Its worth paying a little more for something that isn't full of saline that you'd get from a supermarket - the difference is immense.

Anyone know where I can buy middle eastern cheese? Got a taste for it but can't find anywhere that sells it in the uk

As above - LTS! Green Lanes is amazing. Also making Labneh is super easy, you just need to basically strain yoghurt in the fridge for a few days.

So this was lunch!

Caramelised Pork Belly Banh Mi

Good work but shouldn't you have used rice flour for the baguettes?

I think some recipes call for a 50/50 with rice flour for the dough. I adapated a recipe online - and to be honest I've not experimented that much with using it as I think the results are pretty decent... The one thing that's tricky is getting that crackley/shattering crust like they do in 'nam. However, inspired by this last night, i made some more banh mi. ill stick up a photo of lunch shortly!

^recipe for that Banh Mi?

The bread that is... I am happy with everything else.

It's by no means perfect but it definitely does the job (I actually ripped a little of the inner flesh out of the baguette to make it more vietnamese style)

1. Make a sponge. Combine 7g Yeast, 1tsp Sugar, 180ml of warmish water (about 40 degrees) and let the yeast activate. After it has, whisk in 125g of bread flour and wait until it's doubled (or more) in size, and has formed long gluten strands.

2. Add another 125 of flour to the mixture, and a tsp of salt and combine.

3. The dough will be really, really sticky - but work it in the bowl for a little while. You might need to add a sprinkle more flour every now and again.

4. Once it's formed a ball, knead on a lightly floured surface for approx 10 minutes until elastic and smooth.

5. Form a ball with dough (To be honest, my dough was still a little sticky so i coated my hands in a splash of olive oil to make it easier). Leave covered to rise for an hour.

6. Once dough has doubled, tip out on to work surface, divide into portions (about 115g each).

7. Knock back each portion by slapping on surface, then roll into baguettes.

8. Once you've done all the dough, cover again and leave to rest for 45 minutes somewhere warm.

9. Slash top of baguettes so they can expand.

10. Add tin of hot water to bottom of oven (heated to 230c), then throw in the baguettes. Use water spray bottle to generate more steam.

11. After 8 minutes, turn tray 180 degrees to ensure even bake, spray more water. (if you dont have a spray gun, you can just pour water onto the bottom of the oven)

12. Cool and eat.

I'm making Banh Mi tonight. Bread and all... last time they turned out pretty great...

where can I buy good ready ground coffee near Old St that isn't horrifically expensive? (yes, I am fully aware I should grind my own)

City Wine and Beverage has a selection of coffees they can grind for you. Not sure how fresh they are, but they're ok (nothing brilliant!)

That's a ridiculous price. Monmouth are overpriced too. I'm trying to find somewhere nearer to my home for good beans at a sensible price; I'm in Crouch End. Previously I used the Wholefoods market in Kensington, and Markus Coffee and Coffee Plant. Monmouth were no better for quality, just nearly double the price and less knowledgeable than Markus.

Coffee Circus in Crouch End (couple of doors down from Flashback Records) has their own roastery, and the couple of coffees I've had from there have been delicious. Not bought a bag from there so cant comment on price, but definitely good guys.

Edit: Not their own roast, as it turns out. They source from Beanwanders (??) who I think have an affiliation to the owner?

http://www.coffeecircus.com/food-drink/

Diibs

Right, I've been off for two weeks after getting hit by a tescos lorry while riding, and now can just about hobble around my kitchen. Want some good full day projects I can do whilst working from home temporarily. Any suggestions welcome - today im doing a super slow roasted pork shoulder with butter beans and kale. Tomorrow who knows - maybe potato bread? Inspire me wtih big sunday projects!

All the best for a speedy recovery, sounds like a horrible horrible situation and I hope the shock of it isn't too much for both of you.

had 'texas joes' at brew dog shoreditch today

wouldnt recommend, pretty lousy considering it wasnt cheap.

£4 for fries I expect magnificent fries, unseasoned and bland.
Burger was a meh mix of ingrediants following the fad of 'pile all these toppings and relishes and BACON and CANDY BACON, and MORE BACON CHEESE SAUCE, WITH BBQ AND CHILLI SAUCE'

4/10 wouldnt buy again

Did anyone you were with have the BBQ? Someone told me its really good?

Krups Expert GVX231 Burr Coffee Grinder: Amazon.co.uk: Kitchen & Home

I've been getting pretty good results with this surprisingly! Rescued from my dad as he wasn't using it (ungrateful so-and-so ... )

Me too - it works pretty well! I use the coarsest grind for Filter, though, which is JUST about right. Rubbish for french press though...

You should just be able to steam it... For thai sticky rice (or glutinous sweet rice - as the packet in asian supermarkets will call it) - I just use one cup of rice to about 1.5 cups of water, add all into a pot, cold and bring to a boil.
Once it's reached a boil, drop the temperature to a simmer and put on a tight fitting lid (or plate!), and cook for a further 10 minutes. Then remove from heat completely and let steam for a further 10 minutes with the lid on.

That usually gives perfect results...

...that was me! Thanks for spotting me and for the best wishes... to explain -

I was riding down Dalston Lane, heading towards Hackney Central. Ahead of me, by the Tesco express, an articulated lorry was blocking traffic in the opposite direction, pulling out of the loading area (which to me seems way too small for such a big vehicle). Anyway, a car in front of me (about 5 metres ahead) approached the lorry, and the driver (of the lorry) flashed to let the car through (it was our right of way, after all) - I was literally right behind the car wearing a bright orange coat, so I assumed (perhaps niavely) that he was letting me through too, as there was no traffic behind me. However, it appears that the driver completely failed to see me, so after the car went through the gap, he started to move forwards. I didn't have the time to stop my bike, so either had the choice of smacking into the side of the Lorry and possibly doing myself a mischief under the wheels, or trying to make it through the gap. I did the latter and managed to get most of way through before being knocked by the lorry off my bike. My foot was in my pedal cage (drive side) and this got caught between the Kerb and the Lorry's cab and crushed for about 10 seconds before a bunch of people got the driver to reverse.

5 hours and lots of co-codamol later it turns out its a small fracture and lots of soft tissue damage. I'm on crutches, off work and can't walk... but thankfully ok other than that and just counting my lucky stars that I didn't cause the LFGSS logo to be black this morning. Bike is absolutely fucked though - rear chainstays bent out, crankset bent, rear wheel practically folded in on itself!

Sounds, and looks great. Haven't tried sous vide yet, but it is on my (never ending) list of projects.

Pulled a whole pig cheek out of the freezer last night, took it off the jawbone this morning and trimmed it up, now marinading Thit Nuong style. It is not just the little cheek oyster morsel, but has has quite a lot of fat and connective tissue as well as 'jowl' meat. Thinking of slow-roasting it, rather than slicing and grilling which would be more authentic.

Got a carrot pickle on the go too. Gonna have it with rice or vermicelli tonight, then with the leftovers bring on the heinous foie gras banh mi style sandwich for lunch tomorrow.

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Sounds dope! Love some Bun! Whats your Marinade recipe?

Sure - it wasn't too tricky....

Steak...

1. Pat Steak Dry and season with lots of salt and peps and pop a sprig of thyme and sprig of rosemary on top.
   
2. Wrap steak in cling film tightly and pop into good quality re-sealable sandwich bag.
   
3. Remove Air from Zip Lock by dunking whole thing in water up to the lip, then seal so as vacuum packed as it can be!
   
4. In a big pot (or better, something with insulated walls) heat water to 130F. Once you've reached target temp, drop in bag with steak... I wedged in a cheap wooden spatula to keep them submerged.
   
5. How long you leave it in there for is up to you, I think mine were in about 2 hours in total while I pottered about and played with my cat. Just keep checking back to ensure water hasnt dropped in temp (mine sat between 135f and 125f, depending on when i'd added the water... I think you want somewhere between 127 and 130 for medium rare... btw using F as more accurate)
   
6. Remove from bags/cling film and pat dry...
   
7. Into a screaming hot pan with a little oil, quickly sear the sides... I did consider using a blow torch to really get the sear going...
   
8. Rest for 2 or 3 minutes (you shouldnt need as long as a normal steak).
   
   

Other stuff was simple...

Red Wine Sauce / Shallots

1. Add whatever bones you've taken out of the steak to a pan with a little olive oil and brown as much of the meat thats on there as you can.
   
2. While you're doing this quickly steam the shallots until tender.
   
3. Turn down heat in meat pan and add a generous knob of butter and tender halved shallots, keep an eye on them until they start to brown up and get caramelised.
   
4. Pour in a couple of glugs of Balsamic Vinegar, (White Wine Vinegar and sugar) and let the shallots get sticky.
   
5. Pour in a large glass of Red Wine and add a glove of garlic and a sprig of Rosemary. Let the wine bubble 'til reduced to 1/3 of original volume.
   
6. Strain Sauce into seperate pan, add shallots to small baking tray and bang in a low oven to roast a little.
   
7. To stock pan - add in stock (i used chicken, beef would be better, probably) - about 300/400ml. Again let it reduce down to 1/3 of original volume.
   
8. Whisk in butter and check seasoning before serving.
   
   

Potatoes were just new potatoes, steamed, then crushed in a pan with some slowly sauteed minced garlic, finished with a little parsley and S&P.

I grind to about the texture of coarse sand (not dis-similar to a pour over filter) and use it as if its a filter brew, rather than trying to pull (or push) an espresso out of it... Still not convinced by mine...

so just stick over hob, leave to heat for a while, then whack something on it?

sweet, might try some butterfly'd chicken breasts tonight

Yeah definitely - Wait 'til it's smoking hot then sear with it, or you could sear and then throw it in the oven to finish. But really you can use cast iron pans for so so much, baking eggs, making pizza/bread, hitting people over the head... so many options!

Yes, I know where foie gras comes from, but thanks for your smug post anyway. Will I happily eat it, knowing this? Yes. Would I buy it out of choice? Not necessarily. I have - and there's no way of saying this without sounding a bit twatty - killed and prepared meat, poultry and fish for the table myself and would gladly do this for every piece of meat I eat. That is my informed choice.

So whatever you presume to know about me, you can shove it pal.

+1

my mum got me a 'cast iron sizzling dish' for christmas like you get some thing on like fajitas, or certain chinese/indian dishes
are they any use for cooking on or just for serving?

Definitely super useful. Use them for anything you want to get a serious Sear on - steaks, finishing chicken breasts, even stuff like asparagus etc. Just make sure you treat em right and ensure you're not using anything that will pull the seasoning off the pan when washing them (that is to say, the natural layers of fat which build up on the surface, meaning they remain non stick) and in the same breath, avoid cooking overly acidic things on it, like tomatoes / citrusy sauces.

So, instead of spending money on over priced booze in a bar this NYE, my girlfriend and I decided to spend it on Steak and Red Wine instead...

Hilariously, my girlfriend, who is about 5ft 3, bought us nearly 1.5kg of rib-eye from the local butchers, which ended up looking more like a rib roast than steaks, so I portioned it out, which still resulted in absurdley large hunks of meat on our plate... As they were so big, decided to try and cook 'em sous-vide using a stock pot as the water bath, a digital thermometer, some cling film and zip lock bags. It worked incredibly well!

For a timeline of sorts I've put some photos up here... http://www.flickr.com/photos/60527711@N03/

Finished result is below, served with some crushed new potatoes with garlic and parsley, roast shallots and a red wine reduction (which, if i say so my self, was bloody delicious). I was very impressed how such a simple set up could deliver such great results - the steak was perfectly medium rare all the way to the edges (as you can see) and didnt require much resting time at all.

There are a few photos in the above link which show what the meat looked like pre sear (kinda gross), but you can see the fat has really started to render... Can't wait to get my proper circulator (when ever it arrives) and start tinkering more!

Might be good as a replacement pate in Banh Mi?

To be honest, I think I will just bring it back to Kinoko over the weekend or sometimes soon and ask them, coz if it's advertised as 27.2, I don't expect that to have a stuck seatpost just after a few months being in mostly dry weather...

It sometimes happens on brand new frames which are built to very precise measurements. I had a custom built mercian and had to get the tube reamed. It could be to do with the tiniest lip of paint.

Missus got me the Bonavita Gooseneck 'leccy kettle for Xmas. Proper top. Felt like I got more out of a V60 than I ever have before yesterday...