Archive for the ‘dining’ Category
Elegant Brioche au Sucre
In Affordable Elegance, Artisanal Bread, Austrian Bakery, Autumn Desserts, Baking, Baking Bread, Baking Brioche, Baking Day, brioche, Brioche M-J, Classic Recipe, Coffee, dining, Elegant, Elegant Bakery, Elegant Baking, elegant cuisine, Elegant Culinary Photography, elegant living on a shoestring on 11/07/2011 at 7:05 amElegant Sorbet
In Anti-Aging, Antique Noritake, Between Courses, Cancer Prevention, Cancer-Inhibiting, Cancer-Inhibiting Food, Cookery Tools, cooking, Crème Fraîche, Cream, Diet, Diet Food, Digestive Aids, dining, DIY, Do-It-Yourself, economical entertaining, Elegance, Elegant Cook, Elegant Cookery, elegant cuisine, Elegant Dinner Party, Elegant Dishes, elegant living on a shoestring on 02/06/2010 at 7:40 am
M-J de Mesterton Makes Cornish Pasties
In Autumn Recipes, dining, Elegant Cooking, elegant cuisine, Elegant Survival Favorite on 26/05/2009 at 1:40 pm
Cornish Pasties by M-J de Mesterton, Copyright 2009
I’ve been making Cornish pasties since the age of 20. My mother wrote a book about the pasty and its history which was published in 1990, but my method and ingredients differ from hers. The following is my pasty (pronounced “pass-tee”) recipe:I will not formally transcribe my recipe and method for making pasties, because I never use measurements. I can tell you, however, that they are made with a short crust containing both butter and lard, water, a teaspoon of malt vinegar, and unbleached, plain white flour. Since salted butter is used in the dough, add just a dash of salt to it. I add sea-salt and hand-milled pepper to the filling, which consists of four ingredients, diced very finely: tri-tip steak, which is always well-marbled and never tough; ordinary, high-starch brown-skinned potatoes, turnips, butter bits, and white or Spanish onions. The finely-diced beef and vegetables are tossed together in a mixing bowl with the salt and pepper before being laid upon the dough, dotted with butter and enclosed. The edges are crimped, either on top or on the side of the pasty, and a couple of well-placed slits are made in the top to allow steam to escape. The final product is brushed with a beaten egg mixed with a teaspoon of cream. The pasties are then baked in a very hot oven for close to one hour. Once the pasties have cooled for about twenty minutes, serve with an oil-and-vinegar-dressed lettuce salad. Offer Cornish cream, Spanish or Mexican Crema, or sour cream as an optional condiment. The pasties depicted here, which I made, are the optimum size for a meal; the dough for them was shaped into a ball about half the size of a woman’s closed hand, then was rolled out and cut around a 7″ luncheon plate. Making giant pasties just isn’t elegant, nor is it traditionally Cornish. I also make miniature pasties for parties, by using a tin can or the bottom, inner ridge of the same luncheon plate as a cutting guide. These mini-pasties are easily eaten by hand with a cocktail napkin to catch any pastry-flakes. For a basic short-crust guide, please see my Elegant Apple Pie recipe.~~Recipe and Pasty Photos Copyright M-J de Mesterton
- Cornish Pasties by M-J de Mesterton, Copyright 2009
Cornish Pasty Made by M-J de Mesterton, Copyright 2009
Elegant Interior Design in Finland
In dining, elegant decor on a tight budget, Elegant Decorating, elegant decorating on a shoestring, Elegant Entertaining, elegant survival on 08/04/2009 at 12:35 pm
Yhteystiedot
Sisustusmyymälä avataan kevään 2009 aikana
Zoom Design
Asikkalantie 2
17200 Vääksy
Natalia Mesterton
040 531 2536
natalia.mesterton@zoomdesign.fi
Tomi Kulmala
040 584 9764
tomi.kulmala@zoomdesign.fi
y-tunnus: 1906126-8
Elegant Wines at Wal-Mart, Perfect for the Holiday Season
In dining, economical entertaining, Elegance, elegant cheap wine, Elegant Cocktail Party, elegant cuisine, Elegant Drinks Party, Elegant Entertaining, elegant living on a shoestring, Elegant Party on 23/12/2008 at 9:14 amOak Leaf Vineyards: Elegant Survival Wine at $2.97
Originally Posted on October 27, 2008 by M-J
Oak Leaf Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon
The French drink their local wines for a couple of euros per bottle. Now, Californians can drink excellent wines by award-winning Oak Leaf Vineyards for $1.97 a bottle, and the rest of America is able to buy them for $2.97, providing they can shop at the right store.
At the prestigious Florida State International Wine Competition in the spring of 2008, a new brand, Oak Leaf Vineyards from California, won gold. With 84 wineries competing in the Chardonnay category, only four received gold medals, and among them Oak Leaf was the biggest bargain by far, at $1.97 suggested retail price in California and $2.97 in most other states.“With the economy slowing and as we move into tax season where dollars are tighter, finding value in the wine aisle is ever more important,” said Mario Pulido, winemaker for Oak Leaf Vineyards. Oak Leaf Vineyards provides very high quality wine at extremely good prices. Available in five varietals — Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio/Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and White Zinfandel — Oak Leaf Vineyards wines have the qualities of wines costing three times the modest price. The traditional label highlights four seasonal oak trees.
“Our first awards — Gold and Bronze at the 2008 Florida State Fair International Wine Competition and Silver and Bronze at the 2008 San Francisco Wine Competition show our approach — ‘easy to drink with plenty of flavor’ — is a winning one. With the money you save on wine, your family can enjoy those little extra things in life,” continued Pulido.
Oak Leaf Vineyard wines are available nationally at Wal-Mart superstores that are licensed to sell wine.
Extreme Value Wines Mean what they Say
Never in the 6,000-year history of wine has there been the choice, the quality, and more than anything, the values, available to the American wine consumer. With 100,000 labels in the market, that consumer can now find what he (and more likely she) wants at prices less than $2.00 a bottle. Amid new concerns about the current economic climate, everyone wants their dollars to go farther. Oak Leaf Vineyards is part of the new set of extreme value wines that are easy to drink, flavorful and over-deliver for a modest price.
~~Elegant Survival Wine Recommendations
Article on Wal-Mart’s Oak Leaf Vineyards Wines, in the Dallas Morning News
Don’t Waste Overcooked Pasta
In cooking, dining, elegant cuisine, elegant living on a shoestring, salvaging overcooked pasta, saving overcooked spaghetti, what to do with overcooked pasta elegant dining on 17/08/2008 at 4:45 pm
Photo copyright M-J de Mesterton 2008: click to enlarge
How to Salvage Overcooked Pasta
How do you tell when your pasta is overcooked? Break apart a strand of spaghetti or a piece of pasta, and if you do not find a whitish dot in the center, it is overcooked. Al dente (to the tooth) pasta will feel somewhat firm in its very core, rather than soft all the way through. How can you find out when your pasta is cooked enough? Italian cooks sometimes throw a piece of spaghetti at a wall, and if it sticks, they know it is sufficiently boiled.
Instead of dumping your overcooked pasta–the result of an emergency elsewhere while you should be watching the pot–drain it well and sauté it in butter, then add grated cheese if you wish. It will have a toasted flavor and stiffen up a bit if you brown it as shown. Sautéed in butter or olive oil, overcooked spaghetti or pasta can have a nice texture. You may even add the sauce of your choice after it is browned. A little butter won’t kill you, but an Italian, faced with mushy pasta, might!
Don’t Waste Overcooked Pasta
In cooking, dining, elegant cuisine, elegant living on a shoestring, salvaging overcooked pasta, saving overcooked spaghetti, what to do with overcooked pasta elegant dining on 17/08/2008 at 9:15 amPhoto copyright M-J de Mesterton 2008: click to enlarge
How to Salvage Overcooked Pasta
How to Salvage Overcooked Pasta
Instead of dumping your overcooked pasta–the result of an emergency elsewhere while you should be watching the pot–drain it well and sauté it in butter, then add grated cheese if you wish. It will have a toasted flavor and stiffen up a bit if you brown it as shown. Sautéed in butter or olive oil, overcooked spaghetti or pasta can have a nice texture. You may even add the sauce of your choice after it is browned. A little butter won’t kill you, but an Italian, faced with mushy pasta, might!
Don’t Waste Overcooked Pasta
In cooking, dining, elegant cuisine, elegant living on a shoestring, salvaging overcooked pasta, saving overcooked spaghetti, what to do with overcooked pasta elegant dining on 17/08/2008 at 9:15 amPhoto copyright M-J de Mesterton 2008: click to enlarge
How to Salvage Overcooked Pasta
How to Salvage Overcooked Pasta
Instead of dumping your overcooked pasta–the result of an emergency elsewhere while you should be watching the pot–drain it well and sauté it in butter, then add grated cheese if you wish. It will have a toasted flavor and stiffen up a bit if you brown it as shown. Sautéed in butter or olive oil, overcooked spaghetti or pasta can have a nice texture. You may even add the sauce of your choice after it is browned. A little butter won’t kill you, but an Italian, faced with mushy pasta, might!
