Kevin's Watch

When I think of Philadelphia cheese, it's the spreadable stuff which, now that I look at it, is indeed produced by Kraft.

So block cream cheese?

Sounds good.

]The one I used comes in a tub, not a wrapped block as below. I guess it's a 'cream cheese' - but then there's that, no wait - that's 'cottage cheese'. It's not my usual form of cheese, but I picked it up in the shop at reduced price and have to say it was a good alternative to mayo etc to 'cream up' a baked potato. Interesting [to me at least ] point here was how, in the above food combination, the more bland flavours of the cheese and potato were able to [swamp is too strong a word, but lets say] overtake the intense salty/umami flavour of the bacon [3 slices rolled and baked]. I would have expected it to be exactly the opposit. Still a good alternative lunch to a 'pot noodle'!

peter wrote:]The one I used comes in a tub, not a wrapped block as below.

Ah, so either a:


Soft cream cheese

or a


Whipped cream cheese

All, block, soft, or whipped, are yummy. Especially on a lightly toasted everything bagel or bialy.

Generally I'm a strong cheese fan Menolly, but I'm beginning to appreciate [what my wife has known for a long time] that the subtle flavor's of soft cheeses can be used to great effect if you will but try them out.

I haven't had a lot of soft cheeses, but I love room temperature brie and camenbert on apples and grapes. And as yidden fish meals with both sour cream and cream cheese were the norm on Sunday mornings.

Of, for the years of the weekly Sunday salty belly lox on a bialy...

Were it not for your lo-carb perseverations...

Maybe not every week, but I would definitely cure some lox more often. You like my lox, it is a good approximation to NY deli belly lox, nu?

Way less expensive than going to Goldbergs!

Lox is low-carb and I can have it on an LC wrap, silly.

Thinking of doing a lamb shank in a red wine and balsamic reduction, roast potatoes, butternut, yorkies, and pears poached in red wine for afters.

--A

Ok, minor change to the above...got cleaning the house and didn't have time to prep the shanks and cook them for 3-4 hours. Bugger. Gonna do a beef fillet instead (I think you yanks call it a tenderloin) and call it dinner instead of lunch.

--A

Both sound fantastic!

If I say so myself, it was. Potatoes beautifully crispy, gravy rich and savoury. Could have started the fillet 10 mins later, and my yorkies didn't quite rise as they should have, but I'm bloody stuffed.

All of this actually came about because the GF has never had pears in red wine, which I found shocking, as it was a staple of my childhood. So since we had pears, I promised to recreate my grandmother's recipe...

To be honest, I think the pears could have done with a bit less sugar...will reduce the quantity to half a cup next time. And maybe a Shiraz instead of the 3 year old Cabernet that was all I had on hand.

Otherwise, a most satisfying dinner. Excuse me while I waddle off to take a shower.

--A

Synchronicity or what Av. For the last week or so I've been intending to hunt down a 'pears in red wine' recipie to have a go at. By mistake I opened a bottle of 'mulled wine' [wine with loads of cinnamon and spices in it] and as neither E. [my wife] nor I like it as a drink I was about to pour it away when all of a sudden I remembered you could do pears in red wine as a dessert. Would this wine be ok for the dessert Av or is it going to kill it?

Avatar wrote:and my yorkies didn't quite rise as they should have,
--A

Maybe you're not feeding them enough yeast.

Very funny Lorin.

nice guy peter wrote:Would this wine be ok for the dessert Av or is it going to kill it?

It'd probably be fine. You just wouldn't have to add the cinnamon and vanilla to the wine.

Assuming it's a dry wine. If it's sweet, it might be too much, unless you leave the sugar out too maybe.

Since you were going to pour it out anyway, worst it'll cost you is a few pears.

--A

Nah Av - this crap has the cinnamon and stuff in situ already! As I was posting I thought 'Peter ya cheap b*****d; whats the point of making a dessert with a wine you already know you don't like. Do the decent thing and spring for a decent Shiraz as Av suggests.'

[The only problem will be getting it into the recipie without sucumbing to the temptation to drink it first and bugger the dessert ]

Avatar wrote:You just wouldn't have to add the cinnamon and vanilla to the wine.

Well, you only need about 2 cups of wine, so you can drink the other half of the bottle.

--A

Avatar wrote:Well, you only need about 2 cups of wine, so you can drink the other half of the bottle.

--A

Ohhh Yes ! I'm getting to like this 'pears in wine' already.

To be honest it did hurt pouring a fresh bottle of good Cabernet into the pot...

(Not as bad as it hurt when my Uncle's wine cellar air conditioner failed and we poured 9 out of every 10 bottles down the sink.)
--A

Talking of wine cellars - I stayed at a lodge in a small mountain village in Nepal. it was owned by a British couple who had inherited a house and wine-cellar full of wine from an elderly relative they hardly knew. They called in a wine merchant to have a look at the thousand or so bottles they had been left and he randomly picked one out to inspect. "Yes - this is interesting," he said, "probably about £2,000. And this one," he said going to it's neighbour, "about £5000". Hence the reason the people were to be found in a beautiful lodge under the Fishtail Mountain in Nepal.