Thursday, February 13, 2014

Dry, transformation, The Archers

Summer thirst. No water shortage now.

Just recently the word confit referring in French cookery to the preservation in fat by a process of slow cooking of such meats as goose and duck, seems to have spread to  the slow cooking  of root vegetable such as potato and turnip. I have seen no recipes but having heard the method referred to, have tried it myself and found it rather good. Today turnips - a dull vegetable I always thought - poached in duck fat and anointed with a touch of honey and a little lemon juice. A remarkable transformation.

After more than 20 years I have given up watching East Enders. The quality of writing and acting has deteriorated. I'm still loyal to The Archers though  and unlikely, after 40 years or so, to stop following the ups and downs of the inhabitants of Ambridge. Though I refrain from serious  criticism of soap operas, I have the impression that the Archers is improving. If asked about my addiction I say that the majority of Archers' characters are rather unpleasant and not without the sour edge of truth. I find myself half believing that they exist.

5 comments:

Tom said...

Yes, best avoid serious criticism about TV soap operas. Your blog is about 'three (good?) things to share'. :) Much better to stay with dogs.

But bad news on the flooding front. Hope you are keeping dry. (and well fed!)

Lucy said...

What's the difference between confit and fondant then, with vegetables done like that? I made a celeriac fondant a while ago, it
was rather good. (Google spellchecker doesn't recognise 'celeriac', offering me only 'celerity'. Too many celerity chefs spoil the broth?)

I ditched the Archers a few months ago, just felt weary and uninterested whenever I turned it on. I miss having it there on Sunday mornings, my preferred time to listen, but didn't miss the experience of listening. I know, though, that one of the perennial beauties of it is that I can always go back to it, and your post half-persuades me to do so...

Roderick Robinson said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Roderick Robinson said...

Sorry - crucial spelling mistake. Here it is again:

Hmmm. A case of Qui s'excuse, s'accuse?

You've apparently never dipped into the new Nordics - The Killing, The Bridge, Borgen. Like tossing a book of short stories to one side and opening one's first novel. (Be honest; if you had to choose between those two formats which one would you opt for?) All of a sudden there's time and space to dwell on character and real emotions (The Killing got us hooked - superb on the matter of grief) instead of the rat-tat-tat of plot, all wound up within sixty-minutes.

Soaps? Once I'd torn myself away from the massive story-line of Emergency Ward 10 (B&W, sets made of cornflake boxes) I knew there'd never be a satisfactory replacement.

Unknown said...

Tom Soap does get in your eyes.

Don't know Lucy. I think I am getting them confused but one way or another both work well.

I followed Borgon, but not the bridge. Soaps have always gripped me.But sometimes they wear thin.