cuthbert

Like yourself I noticed when I first arrived here was the lack of decent chilis so started to grow them myself. One thing led to another and now I have over 30 plants dotted around the terrace. From stupidly hot like Butch T, Naga & Habanero down to chilis for specific dishes Bird's Eye, Szechuan and Poblano. They're not difficult to grow and really add some colour to the terrace and I think are really attractive though my wife might think it's an obsession.

Oh I do recommend trying to make Habanero chili chocolate if you do ever start to grow them.

Would you be willing to share it , though I am on the look out for a decent Branston Pickle recipe that I can tweak with the aforementioned chilis

moneypenny20

Try this one, it's supposed to be nearly identical. There are shedloads of recipes in the thread, it would be great if anyone has any great 'European' recipes they'd like to share. You don't have to face The Lounge bods, just go straight to the thread. (The link is in my signature).

cuthbert

Thanks very much for that, didn't even know that thread existed to be honest just tend to sit in the French quartier. I have a bucket load of chili sauce etc related recipes that I don't mind sharing if you're interested, though really not sure how many would be interested as they are quite fiery.

moneypenny20

There's all sorts in there, there's already a lot of chili recipes in there, one poster in particular loves his chilis so there may be some in there that you'd like to try. Anyway, loads of people use the thread who don't post and so don't give feedback, so post away and don't worry if there's no reply, it's gone very quiet in the last year, not nearly as busy sadly although I'd be updating the index constantly if it was so maybe it's not so bad after all.

dennerlymum

here is the brown sauce recipe then; it comes from Val and John Harrison's book Easy Jams, Chutneys and Sauces

250ML WHITE WINE VINEGAR
250ML WATER
125ML ORANGE JUICE
56G CHOPPED DATES
1 SMALL ONION CHOPPED FINELY
1 CHOPPED APPLE
2/3 CLOVES OF GARLIC? PUT THROUGH A PRESS
2 TSP MUSTRARD POWDER
1TSP CINAMMON
1/2 TSP CARDAMON
1/2 TSP GROUND BLACK PEPPER
1/2 TSP GROUND CLOVES
2TSP SALT
200ML BLACK TREACLE
200G TOMATO PUREE
200ML CIDER VINEGAR
1TSP TAMARIND PASTE (an addition of my own)

put the wine inegar, orange juice, water, dates, apple, onion and garlic in a pan and once boiling simmer for about 20mins;

sieve until totally smooth

add the other ingreds and simmer again for about 40mins

sieve again

simmer again for a last time until thick like real HP sauce

bottle and hide from all family and friends as they will eat the lot!

makes around one pint and keeps in a cool place for around 6months

cuthbert

Thanks so much, I'll think I'll give that a whirl as well (with chilis of course )

Have to say I'm always nervous about how long sauces keep, most of the ones I make have quite a high percentage of cider/white vinegar and salt so do tend to keep, but once it starts getting "fruity" I tend to only keep them in the fridge.

dennerlymum

I find those with a high vinegar content keep for ages ok; once opened I always keep them in the fridge.

The book recommends water bathing it all; but I have never bothered

djstu_d

deffo have a go at growing your own chilli's, it's very easy (lots of sunlight, water/feed in big pots, as they have large roots) and they do look really cool !!!

i've currently got about 40,000 plants down here in the south, under glass, and they are producing LOTS of fruit !!!

And thanks for the sauce info, i'll have a go at it a.s.a.p. !!

Pica

Oooh please. I adore chillies and get withdrawal if I don't get some at least once a day-in whatever form!

cuthbert

You are now officially my hero,
Whereabouts in the south? anywhere near the Dordogne, as I coming down that way in two weeks for holidays?

djstu_d

sorry, but no where near i'm afraid.....

when i've got a bit of time, i'll upload a few pics so you can see a sea of chillis

Richard_UK

Hello everyone!

Well one of the ways is to get what you really really want by post, real British food is only in the UK, the same as French cuisine in the UK is rubbish compared to in France herself.

Erm... I am here to ask you something it seems the right place.

I am starting a Bacon Club kinda like a wine club only bacon instead... And I was chatting with ex pats in the Spanish part of the forum. One of the fellows said that most people came to Spain to live cheaper and in the sun hence he could not see that my British bacon club would be successful in Spain. Most people there thought for various reason it is not to be.

Well... We have most members in Switzerland, and following the stereotype I could say they are affluent there and that is why may be we are doing OK there...

Now if we follow those stereotypes further then France, esp. the South of France is considered to be posh like Switzerland. You rarely hear about Brits moving to France who are not well off. Does it mean that my bacon club has a chance there? Or has France got another reason to be not a good ground for it?

French are famous for food supremacy but is their bacon as supreme as dry cured, smoked, artisan, marinated etc. varieties of local British bacon? Has a British Bacon for ex pats got any chance there???

Ka Ora!

France attracts quite a diverse selection of Brits for a start ranging from the snobby hoo raaaa Henries to the hairy fairy hippy types. Switzerland is slightly different mind.

Then we move on to the Food Supremacy in France which personally I think these days is a bit of a myth really the UK has more Michelin star'd restaurants these days and it's due to our ability to embrace other forms of cuisine improve and enjoy then. Dont get me wrong im not having a dig at the French there are certain ares where the blinkered approach would have done the UK wonders. When it mattered we had no clue what impact colonialism would have on us.

Then we move to Bacon, to be fair it's not that hard to buy here. I think a cheese club would do better and it would probably attract more French folk.

Remember on the 21st of December when it's the end of the world everywhere we will be fine in France because it's 50 years behind the rest of the world

cmread

The UK may have more Michelin starred restos, yes, but it has a very long tail of indifferent to bad ones, which I don't find in France.

Take restos in tourist areas, for instance. My husband and I ate at a place within a stone's throw of la tour Eiffel and the food was great: well-marbled steaks, excellent frites, the works. The service was very good, too. We all know that in the UK, the place would have been horrible. It would have been making its money off of desperate or foolish tourists and it wouldn't care one little bit that it was cheating them blind. I remember well the fiasco at the so-called resto at the British Museum: horrible, nearly cold 'fusion' food serviced by people who clearly didn't know what service was. I've never had that happen here in France.

Take brasseries such Café Leffe: they don't cost as much as a high-end resto, but they are very good. We've taken a foodie friend there and he was very much impressed. He said himself that at that level, the food and service would have been mediocre at best in the UK. As well, he pointed out that in the UK, the place would have been blaring with music; there aren't so many places these days there to just have a quiet cup of coffee.

It's not that there are no good restos in the UK because there are and I have been to them. There is, however, too much indifferent food and service about, and sometimes it doesn't matter how much you pay, as in the case of the British Museum resto, you end up feeling cheated.

I love the food of France. The restos are excellent and even the mass-produced food is good. I lived in the States at one time and I grew to like brownies there. Yes, you can get them in the UK, but they never were right. Here, I can pick up a mass-produced brownie that beats the socks off of the ones in the US. The same goes for doughnuts.

There are things the UK does well, such as some biscuits (Custard Creams, for example), and Wensleydale cheese, but there is just too much indifferent stuff around to suit my tastes.

By the way, I would vote for a cheese club as well, if I could get some Wensleydale.

cjm

Wow CM, that's a blast response. My rural area offers lunch for €11-12 with some wine. Simple food, not high end, car park is packed with vans and lorries as the people that work stop for lunch. Main is the focus, starter can be a buffet selection and a 'pudding' is simple. But, I love it. It tastes good. I don't need cordon-bleu food, nice though it is.
I see what people buy at the supermarket, more like US and UK convenience food; France is moving away from those dishes we find attractive as immigrants. France has moved on. We have rose-tinted glasses on. I last made dauphinoise potatoes in the UK. My superior OH makes tarte tatin: beautiful.