Umami - Bonus Post
Apr. 7th, 2011 09:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sevenswellsThis is the bonus post to my Sherlock/John food porn one-shot; you'll find under the cut recipes and stuff, and more about the food described in the fic:
*Cereal bowl in the fridge: true story. My mother is physically incapable of throwing food away, and she only does at the very last extremity. She used to say: "My own mother forced me to finish my plate all the time, even when I wasn't hungry anymore, and I don't want to do that to you, children, so you don't have to finish your cereals, it's okay; we'll just keep it the fridge and you can finish it later." She meant well, I know that, it's just that it was a VERY BAD IDEA; soggy cereals for dessert after dinner is not something I would wish for my worst enemy. So don't do that to your kids, people. Just throw away the damn cereals, even if it hurts your morals.
*Noodles and taramosalata: yes, I've tried that in the past. Not with Pot Noodle, though, they were just dehydrated noodles, shrimp-flavoured, and I didn't keep them in the broth. It was at a time of my life where I used to experiment with food, a lot. It wasn't that bad, actually, it's just not something you would serve to your friends for dinner. If you wish to keep them, that is.
*Hummus and tahini dip: TRY THIS AT HOME. Seriously. Get the exact same ingredients (tahini is absolutely essential), then just follow the steps explained in the fic. I got the recipe from a friend of mine who's an incredible cook and a refined gourmet, and each time he prepares this for me, I want to get down on one knee and propose. Try to use bread with sesame-sprinkled crust to dip the preparation with, but if you can't find it, regular bread will do.
*Chicken, aubergine and shrimp curry: one of my grandmother's recipes. She recently passed away, and it's really one of the dishes that I love the most, so I decided to include it in there; I don't know if there are other families in Mauritius that would prepare chicken curry the same way, I've always heard that it was a bit of a family secret (I'm not sure if it's true). If you want to try cooking it, I think the recipe in the fic is pretty self-explanatory (I hope). What I wrote down is actually my mother's interpretation of the recipe, since I could never get it from my gran. The rule about curry tasting better the day after is really true, by the way; which doesn't mean freshly-made curry tastes bad, but it's a bit different, I guess.
*Candied aubergine, Japanese style: I could kill for that treat. I love aubergine as a general rule, but this particular way of preparing it gives me foodgasm. I usually eat it in family-style Japanese restaurants, so I can't say I have tried preparing it myself, but if you want to try, the recipe (that I've found on a French food blog) is quite simple:
for 4 people, you'll need:
-2 aubergines
-4 table spoons of miso paste, white or red
-4 table spoons of soy sauce
-2 table spoons of brown sugar
Cut the aubergines in two, lengthways; brush miso paste on the flesh, put it in the oven at 140°C for 40 minutes. Check if they're cooked with a knife, then get them out. Mix the soy sauce and the sugar in a bowl and brush it on the aubergines, put them back in a hot oven at 180°C to let them caramelize, and then serve them right away.
(You can use tin foil to keep the colour of the skin even and clean)
Here is the recipe in French, illustrated with a picture so you can see for yourself how sexy those babies look: http://www.cuisinedujapon.com/2008/12/laubergine-laqu%C3%A9-.html
*"All the flavour is in the bones": again, a heritage from my late grandmother; something she told me once and that I'll never forget. And it's very true; for soup, stews, curry, the difference of flavour is radical depending on whether there are bones or not: so keep them bones in there!
And I think that marrow bones are one of the best things in life. I don't think I'll ever forget the first time I ate some: it's a childhood memory that I cherish dearly (unlike the soggy cereals for dessert XD).
*Spaghetti alla carbonara, the original recipe: I used to have the wrong idea about carbonara sauce, like John in the fic, until a French food blog (again, yes) corrected it for me. Here is the translated recipe, taken from Guillaume Long's blog, À boire et à manger:
You'll need:
-guanciale or pancetta
-salt & pepper
-eggs
-garlic
-pecorino or parmiggiano
Cut the pancetta into small bits, then the garlic (one clove per person, and be sure to remove the germ). In a hot frying pan, stir and roast the pancetta quickly, then lower the heat and add the garlic, be careful of not burning it. Let it cook and then put it aside and keep it warm. In a bowl, stir the eggs (one per person) with a bit of grated pecorino. You can use only the yolks if you want (and keep the whites for some other recipe). When the spaghetti turn "al dente", drain them and pour a bit of the cooking water on the stirred eggs (the equivalent of two tablespoons per egg used) and then stir, so it will slightly cook the mix. Mix together the spaghetti, the pancetta, the eggs and serve hot with a bit of grated pecorino; don't be shy with pepper when you season the dish.
This recipe is illustrated on Guillaume Long's blog, so it might help you to take a look, here's the link: http://long.blog.lemonde.fr/2011/02/10/la-carbonara-selon-le-bcc-ou-le-destin-de-jean-kevin/
*And finally, sushi: I don't have much to add to what I've already written in the fic, so this is just a few notes and precisions.
To me, sushi are the food of the gods. Even mentioning it makes my stomach growl, so it made sense that it would be the climax of John's journey as an amateur chef.
Sushi rice is a bitch to prepare, and it's true that using a rice cooker is a big no-no. This video is quite good and explains very well how to make it:
http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make-sushi-rice
Only, careful, the kind of yellow-ish vinegar they're using is actually rice vinegar in which sugar (and everything else) has already been added, so don't add anything more to it, unless it's "virgin" rice vinegar, which should be white and not yellow. I don't know about you, but I hate when sushi rice is too sweet.
I never make nigirizushi (individual pieces of sushi) at home, only makizushi (the ones that come in rolls) because I find them easier to prepare.
*Cereal bowl in the fridge: true story. My mother is physically incapable of throwing food away, and she only does at the very last extremity. She used to say: "My own mother forced me to finish my plate all the time, even when I wasn't hungry anymore, and I don't want to do that to you, children, so you don't have to finish your cereals, it's okay; we'll just keep it the fridge and you can finish it later." She meant well, I know that, it's just that it was a VERY BAD IDEA; soggy cereals for dessert after dinner is not something I would wish for my worst enemy. So don't do that to your kids, people. Just throw away the damn cereals, even if it hurts your morals.
*Noodles and taramosalata: yes, I've tried that in the past. Not with Pot Noodle, though, they were just dehydrated noodles, shrimp-flavoured, and I didn't keep them in the broth. It was at a time of my life where I used to experiment with food, a lot. It wasn't that bad, actually, it's just not something you would serve to your friends for dinner. If you wish to keep them, that is.
*Hummus and tahini dip: TRY THIS AT HOME. Seriously. Get the exact same ingredients (tahini is absolutely essential), then just follow the steps explained in the fic. I got the recipe from a friend of mine who's an incredible cook and a refined gourmet, and each time he prepares this for me, I want to get down on one knee and propose. Try to use bread with sesame-sprinkled crust to dip the preparation with, but if you can't find it, regular bread will do.
*Chicken, aubergine and shrimp curry: one of my grandmother's recipes. She recently passed away, and it's really one of the dishes that I love the most, so I decided to include it in there; I don't know if there are other families in Mauritius that would prepare chicken curry the same way, I've always heard that it was a bit of a family secret (I'm not sure if it's true). If you want to try cooking it, I think the recipe in the fic is pretty self-explanatory (I hope). What I wrote down is actually my mother's interpretation of the recipe, since I could never get it from my gran. The rule about curry tasting better the day after is really true, by the way; which doesn't mean freshly-made curry tastes bad, but it's a bit different, I guess.
*Candied aubergine, Japanese style: I could kill for that treat. I love aubergine as a general rule, but this particular way of preparing it gives me foodgasm. I usually eat it in family-style Japanese restaurants, so I can't say I have tried preparing it myself, but if you want to try, the recipe (that I've found on a French food blog) is quite simple:
for 4 people, you'll need:
-2 aubergines
-4 table spoons of miso paste, white or red
-4 table spoons of soy sauce
-2 table spoons of brown sugar
Cut the aubergines in two, lengthways; brush miso paste on the flesh, put it in the oven at 140°C for 40 minutes. Check if they're cooked with a knife, then get them out. Mix the soy sauce and the sugar in a bowl and brush it on the aubergines, put them back in a hot oven at 180°C to let them caramelize, and then serve them right away.
(You can use tin foil to keep the colour of the skin even and clean)
Here is the recipe in French, illustrated with a picture so you can see for yourself how sexy those babies look: http://www.cuisinedujapon.com/2008/12/laubergine-laqu%C3%A9-.html
*"All the flavour is in the bones": again, a heritage from my late grandmother; something she told me once and that I'll never forget. And it's very true; for soup, stews, curry, the difference of flavour is radical depending on whether there are bones or not: so keep them bones in there!
And I think that marrow bones are one of the best things in life. I don't think I'll ever forget the first time I ate some: it's a childhood memory that I cherish dearly (unlike the soggy cereals for dessert XD).
*Spaghetti alla carbonara, the original recipe: I used to have the wrong idea about carbonara sauce, like John in the fic, until a French food blog (again, yes) corrected it for me. Here is the translated recipe, taken from Guillaume Long's blog, À boire et à manger:
You'll need:
-guanciale or pancetta
-salt & pepper
-eggs
-garlic
-pecorino or parmiggiano
Cut the pancetta into small bits, then the garlic (one clove per person, and be sure to remove the germ). In a hot frying pan, stir and roast the pancetta quickly, then lower the heat and add the garlic, be careful of not burning it. Let it cook and then put it aside and keep it warm. In a bowl, stir the eggs (one per person) with a bit of grated pecorino. You can use only the yolks if you want (and keep the whites for some other recipe). When the spaghetti turn "al dente", drain them and pour a bit of the cooking water on the stirred eggs (the equivalent of two tablespoons per egg used) and then stir, so it will slightly cook the mix. Mix together the spaghetti, the pancetta, the eggs and serve hot with a bit of grated pecorino; don't be shy with pepper when you season the dish.
This recipe is illustrated on Guillaume Long's blog, so it might help you to take a look, here's the link: http://long.blog.lemonde.fr/2011/02/10/la-carbonara-selon-le-bcc-ou-le-destin-de-jean-kevin/
*And finally, sushi: I don't have much to add to what I've already written in the fic, so this is just a few notes and precisions.
To me, sushi are the food of the gods. Even mentioning it makes my stomach growl, so it made sense that it would be the climax of John's journey as an amateur chef.
Sushi rice is a bitch to prepare, and it's true that using a rice cooker is a big no-no. This video is quite good and explains very well how to make it:
http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make-sushi-rice
Only, careful, the kind of yellow-ish vinegar they're using is actually rice vinegar in which sugar (and everything else) has already been added, so don't add anything more to it, unless it's "virgin" rice vinegar, which should be white and not yellow. I don't know about you, but I hate when sushi rice is too sweet.
I never make nigirizushi (individual pieces of sushi) at home, only makizushi (the ones that come in rolls) because I find them easier to prepare.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-04-08 08:35 am (UTC)How I regret not having an oven at home ! T_T
no subject
Date: 2011-04-08 10:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-08 11:02 am (UTC)As for tahiri (I have no idea what it is by the way, and google is not very helpful today), thankfully, Paris is not far, and it should be fairly easy to find in the 13eme I guess...
no subject
Date: 2011-04-08 11:08 am (UTC)