Saturday 19 May 2007

You can lick my mixmaster's bowl

In keeping with last week’s theme of food, the mistress will continue with the culinary caper, perhaps not as wacky as those Kids from c.a.p.e.r. (the theme tune for which my mind was playing as I stirred from my slumber this morning) but a divertin’ motif nevertheless.

Yes so the mistress has got back her baking mojo and been cooking up a storm. I’ve been delving into the Margaret Fulton cookbook and whipping up afternoon teacakes, lemon meringue pies, strawberry soufflés and chocolate mousse. And it has dawned on me that no matter what you bake, nsrs, if you are using eggs, it always pays to separate the yolk from the white, whipping those whites till stiff, and folding in the beaten yolk with the sugar aforehand works wonders. The lightness of that teacake was absolutely extraordinary. Margaret Fulton’s instructions, like that can of oil spray she used to promote, are pure and simple. Images of orangey red gingham are now flashing before my eyes.

I do wonder why my mind is so fixed in the past when I post. Is the now that bleak, bel? is it, bel, is it?

Well I tell you who found the now pretty bleak today, Princess Derrrek in charge of the counter at the local bookshop that is who. Gordonia de Benatar did he have a right royal attack of the snippety snoos this a.m. when the Mistress was purchasing some lovely birthday presents. Admittedly the mistress was in a bit of a courtesy counts flap, checking that she hadn’t jumped the queue and faffing about, dropping coins, bumping into displays, when ruddy old Derrrrek got most terse and heavy with the imperatives and the mistress, who did what she was told, ever obedient - only to stew about it several hours later, natch. Scold her and watch her slow burn for hours on end as though upon some whizbang K-tel rotisserie gadget.

While it is good to lay off the vinegar when you are serving customers, the mistress as cook finds it indispensable and sloshes it about when boiling water and cooking eggs, yes i know who doesn't. While every cook under the sun from Mrs Beeton to Elizabeth David, oh and lest we forget King, prescribed the use of vinegar, I think it was FCB who introduced mid 20' s mistress to its wonders when poaching eggs. FCB poaches a very mean egg.

It really is joy to flip through Elizabeth David recipe books; the delightful anecdotes and illustrations - the recipes aren’t bad either. Her pâte brisée recipe is indispensable for making pastry for all open tarts. It is so faultlessly simple to follow and absolutely delicious. South wind through the kitchen , which mmc gave me one christmas many baby J's ago, is an excellent compilation of E. David's Mediterranean recipes and a most soothing read to boot, i turned to it this afternoon. I cannot recall whether Gerald Samper is a fan...but are we not all Gerry Samper as the pop group once sang.

2 comments:

David Nichols said...

MORE PLEASE

Mistress Bel said...

the past is my now

the past is my now

the past is my now

snow, snow come out in the snow

I wish that i had duck feet

the past is my now