Category: Madsen

How not to become obese

One answer is not to eat too many breakfasts on Delta Airlines. It began with champagne and nuts, which is harmless enough. Then the first course came: croissant and herb butter, tuna carpaccio with rye bread, fresh fruit plate and yoghurt with strawberry and muesli. Then came the main...

Conch fritters in the Keys

The conch is a large edible sea snail noted for its colourful shell, and the queen conch shell is a symbol of the Florida Keys, sometimes jocularly known as “the Conch Republic.”  Three ubiquitous dishes are taken as representative of Keys cuisine. One is Key Lime Pie, a dessert...

Uses for goose fat

The great thing about having goose for Christmas is that it tastes brilliant. Turkey can be bland and dry, but not goose. The second thing is that you get jars of lovely goose-fat. This year I had five. I use it throughout the year for roasting potatoes and sweet...

Goose for Christmas

I bought a fresh 5 kg goose from Waitrose (about 11 lb). I pricked the skin, rubbed oil over it and rubbed in sea-salt. It took about 3 hours to cook in a 170 fan oven, lightly covered in foil, and basted occasionally. No stuffing. I par-boiled the potatoes...

Lamb and onion pie with English vegetables

It could be diced lamb, but this time I chose minced lamb. I pre-cooked it on the hob until it was brown, then spooned off the fatty liquid. I fried the chopped red onions in a separate pan, then added them to the mince with a little water, powdered...

Thai Tapas at the Thaikhun in Cambridge

I often eat lightly at the Thaikhun in Cambridge, preferring a selection of starter dishes. In this case I ordered the spring rolls, pork & prawn dumplings and chicken skewers with satay sauce. Sometimes I have the deep fried prawns, and sometimes the Thai fishcakes. It’s quite enough to...

Christmas?…Nuts!

Christmas is a time for nuts, specifically nuts in shells. We eat shelled ones such as peanuts and cashews all year round, but at Christmas it’s good to sit by the fire to roast chestnuts and shell walnuts, hazel nuts and Brazil nuts. I had to import the last...

Duck at the Varsity in Cambridge

The Varsity restaurant is the Cambridge twin of Trinity restaurant, and it came first. I began with chicken liver paté with walnut bread and shallot jam, and went on to pan-fried duck breast with pommes croquettes, parsnip and roasted red chicory. The duck serving was huge, thick and nicely...

Tapas at All Bar One – Victoria Street

All Bar One in Victoria Street offer a good selection of “small dishes” – i.e. tapas.  This time I ordered Iberico ham croquettes, chorizo and halloumi skewers, and fried calamari. It was quite a varied selection, but a filling one. I chose a Sandbox Chenin blanc to accompany it....

Vintage Cava is better than a cheap Champagne

Many of us like fizzy wines, especially Champagne. I rather think the best value is vintage cava from Spain. It must be vintage cava, and a good one is superior to most Proseccos and to budget-price Champagnes. Perfect with seafood due to its biscuity notes , or with a...