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Leerdammer

There is cheese and then there is cheese. In terms of French cheese I have tried many different kinds. With Dutch cheese my main cheese if choice is Gouda. Though I have eaten Edam in the past I haven’t really touch it for years now. One Dutch cheese I do buy now and again is Leerdammer. This is a *new* cheese in that it has only been around since 1977 and in some ways is quite a modern style of cheese.

It has a nutty flavour with a hint of sweetness. Like Gouda it has a soft creamy texture but will slice easily. There is a mature version which I prefer but isn’t that easy to get hold of.

I use it in the main in sandwiches.

Not a fantastic cheese, nor one I would put in a cheeseboard however as a sandwich cheese it works well.

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Jamie Does…

I do quite like books by Jamie Oliver and his most recent one is rather nice.

Jamie Does… is Jamie’s personal celebration of amazing food from six very different countries. Cheap, short-haul flights and long weekend getaways have become increasingly popular and within a few short hours of the UK there are new and exciting worlds of food waiting to be discovered as Jamie finds out. Each chapter focusses on a different city or region – Marrakesh, Athens, Venice, Andalucia, Stockholm and the Midi Pyrenees region of France. Classic recipes sit alongside new dishes that Jamie learns along the way. Alongside each recipe there is a beautiful photograph of the finished dish, as well as incredible reportage shots of Jamie’s experiences in each country. Jamie says: ‘The food I’ve embraced on each trip is a mixture of what you could call the clichéd star dishes – the many tagines of Morocco, the flamboyant paellas of Spain, the comforting risottos from Italy and the zingy fresh flavours of a classic Greek salad – and the recipes that I’ve been inspired to make after walking through the markets and soaking up the vibes of each place. What you’ll find in this book is fun, optimistic, escapist food you can actually cook and enjoy in your own home.’

Buy Jamie Does… from Amazon

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Peroni Nastro Azzurro

I do like a lager now and again especially in the summer. It’s not as though I don’t like a good real ale, but during the summer, a bottle of lager reminds me so much of my travels to France and Italy back in the 1990s.

One of my favourite bottled lagers is Peroni.

Peroni Nastro Azzurro

When I was at an Italian restaurant for lunch I chose Peroni over a glass of wine. It has a distinctive taste and freshness and I really find it very refreshing.


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Tunnocks

Every so often, usually about once a year, I have a craving for a Tunnocks chocolate covered caramel wafer biscuit.

Available in packs of four from most supermarkets, unlike a lot of other things I crave, I am never disappointed.

I eat the four wafer biscuits, if I am good over a week, or if I am silly on one evening!

I do enjoy them, but then that is that. No more for another year.

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Spanish Paella

Made a paella the other day.

I took a large frying pan and added a splash of olive oil. Take some pancetta and add diced onions, aubergine, courgette and soften them in the large frying pan. I then added the paella rice, and it always makes sense to use paella rice, and never any other kind of rice.

I then ensured that the rice was coated and added a splash of white wine. Then I added saffron and chicken stock. The saffron I had infused in hot water. This helps to bring out the traditional yellow colour in the paella.

I didn’t have any chopped tomatoes so I added a squirt of tomato puree instead.

Simmer for twenty minutes adding more stock if required.

I added some sliced chorizo and slices of red pepper.

In a separate pan I pan fried some prawns and squid.

These were then added to the paella and it was served.

Books on Paella and Spanish Cooking.

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Lamb Chops

Have not had them for a while, but today decided to cook some lamb chops.

I roasted then in the oven with some rosemary and a splash of olive oil.

Very nice they were too.

One of the problems I have with lamb is how much they spit in the oven, more so than other meats I cook in a similar manner like pork, beef or chicken.

Means I have to clean the oven more.

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Eating chocolate is depressing

Do you eat chocolate to make yourself  feel better?

Maybe not the best idea!

People who regularly eat chocolate are more depressive, experts have found.

Research in Archives of Internal Medicine shows those who eat at least a bar every week are more glum than those who only eat chocolate now and again.

Read more.

Picture source.

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Roasting Duck Breasts

One of the problems with roasting duck breasts and duck is the amount of fat that comes off it. This is a good thing in one way, but can spoil the roasting process.

You can of course roast the duck breasts on a rack of some kind, so that the fat collects in the bottom of the pan but the duck is kept above it.

The process I use combines pan frying and roasting.

I score the skin of the duck breast and heat a frying pan on a high heat.

Do not add any oil to the pan and place the duck breasts in the pan skin side down.

Once the skin is crisp, transfer the duck breasts to a heated roasting tray and place in the oven and cook until the duck is cooked to your liking.

Some prefer their duck rare, I personally like it a little more done myself.

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Pistachio Ice Cream

I have always had a passion for pistachio ice cream. I use to have it as a kid in France and loved it.

It was always a challenge to find it back in the UK even over the last few years it’s not something you see. I have it now and again in (proper) Italian restaurants and even Druckers has a nice version.

So when I was in Sainsburys the other day looking for Carte d’Or Lavazza Latte Macchiato ice cream I saw they were stocking Antonio Federici’s Pistachio ice cream.

This looked very nice. Yes it was expensive and was quite a small tub in comparison to the other “luxury” ice creams in the freezer, but I like pistachio ice cream and this was pistachio ice cream.

I took it home and rather than try it straight away I put it in the freezer for a special occasion.

I followed the instructions to the letter on the day I decided to have some.

The result?

Was it heaven?

Ah….

No…

I so did not like it, I so did not like it so much that I not only threw the tub away, I also didn’t even finish the bowl I had scooped for myself.

So what was wrong, I hear you ask?

Well it certainly did taste of pistachio, it really did taste of pistachio, very nutty, very nutty indeed. It was quite a non-sweet taste, almost savoury-like. I think that was the issue for me, it was too much like pistachios and  not enough like pistachio ice cream.

Don’t get me wrong, I like pistachio nuts, but this ice cream didn’t do it for me.