NormanH Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 Out on the terrasse in 19° sunshine :)An early Christmas treat [URL=http://s253.photobucket.com/user/bfb_album/media/20151221143847_20151221_124749_zpsrds3eg0v.jpg.html][IMG]http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh80/bfb_album/20151221143847_20151221_124749_zpsrds3eg0v.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loiseau Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Looks good, Norman, but I do deplore this current "cheffy" habit of smearing food across the plate. It makes it look as if someone has skidded across it... ?Angela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted December 22, 2015 Author Share Posted December 22, 2015 I assure you my 'skid-marks' look nothing like that [6] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Refreshing to see the food on a proper plate instead of a roofing slate, another popular fad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Don't like splitting hairs but yesterday wasn't the shortest day, today is.Before anyone wants to argue this point, then BBC, Sky News, etc must be wrong.Lucky you, real chips! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judith Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Agree with NormanH. We sat out yesterday too - I in somewhat summery gear - and OH stripped off his top - it was far too nice and warm to eat inside! Mind you, we only had a sandwich as I did not feel like wasting the sun when I got back from a mammoth shop by pausing to cook lunch. Still, a wonderful pick-me-up just before Christmas, no matter whether it was the shortest day or not, Mint!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hereford Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 http://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/december-solstice.htmlCertainly the shortest day in our bit of France (Manche) is today 22nd. See website above (don't know how to make it clickable - sorry) - it can be 20, 21 22 or even 23 December in the Northern hemisphere.Anyway - the days will get longer from now on, even though the mornings are darker until about 6th January.Merry Christmas to you all.H & Mrs H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patf Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 It looks delicious Norman, and glad to see you're still eating "normal " food.It's warm enough to eat outside here too, apart from an occasional wind from down your way ( the Autan.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardengirl Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 That looks a lovely lunch Norman, hope it was as tasty as it looks. How lovely to think of sitting out; roll on our return south in mid-January; our position is very sheltered so sitting out is very often on the cards, unlike summer, when it's too hot out there, even with our awning out.Last night was the longest night and today is the shortest day. It often has been the shortest day on 21st, my late father-in-law's birthday, so it became a family tradition that the shortest day was always on his day, even when it really wasn't.Nice to think that days will gradually start to get longer.Happy Christmas to all our readers........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 I can cope with the smearing, although cannot think of a better way to cool a parts of a meal down than smearing it. It is the dreaded foam I cannot abide...... looks like cuckoo spit!!!!!!!!!!! beurk!!!!!!!![+o(]Your meal looks good though NH. mint, don't you make 'real' chips????I rarely eat chips, and only do, when I have made them[:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybanana Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Norman probably gave a short order to a short order chef with whom he was rather short, it being he shortest day and the poor chap had been on short time for a short time, so, Norman, shorty, be NICE, it is Xmas and you can hear the hohohos if you listen carefully but don't look up as you might get an eyeful from a reindeer that has been caught short! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nomoss Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Are we supposed to "Spot the difference" between the two pictures?Also, is that a Communion wafer hiding behind the mayo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suein56 Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Here in blowy and rainy Brittany you would not want to have sat outside to eat either today or yesterday as the food would not remain long on your plate ... not unless you speared it to hold it down. [:)]Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted December 23, 2015 Author Share Posted December 23, 2015 It was even warmer back in sunny Béziers today and I was in short sleeves to eat my soupe de poisson and moules farciesMy Mistake about the 21st...I know that the night is the longest so I assumed the day was the shortest DUH.That is BREAD nomoss...[:P]Thanks Patf...After major operations for colo-rectal cancer in 2009 and 2011, for liver metastases in 2015 and three emergency operations for bowel obstructions in the last 12 months my "transit " and digestion is better than ever, such are the wonders of French surgery..[:D]Good news for any one who has worrying results from cancer tests..And encouragement for Grecian that things do get back to normal ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nomoss Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 [quote user="NormanH"]That is BREAD nomoss...[:P][/quote]I was referring to the round white object with a pattern on it in the middle of the plate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patf Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 I thought that was a slice of lemon to go with the piece of fish in the front of the plate. But the brownish thing to the left of it - don't know what that is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted December 23, 2015 Author Share Posted December 23, 2015 There is an extremely thinly sliced piece of radish and the brown slice is a parsnip 'crisp' on the principle of potato crisps but done with parsnip...surprisingly the flavour was quite recognisable.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 [quote user="idun"]I can cope with the smearing, although cannot think of a better way to cool a parts of a meal down than smearing it. It is the dreaded foam I cannot abide...... looks like cuckoo spit!!!!!!!!!!! beurk!!!!!!!![+o(]Your meal looks good though NH. mint, don't you make 'real' chips????I rarely eat chips, and only do, when I have made them[:D][/quote]Id, I can't agree more about the cuckoo spit! In view of all the talk about offal recently on here, I got drawn into watching Professional Master Chef last night as they were doing something with bits of chicken skin and livers and hearts and I don't know what else. Maybe if one of those plates were put in front of me, I could be induced to give it a try.One of them did a really weird thing whereby he frothed up some milk (warm, I would think), then lifted off the foam carefully, put it all into a baking tray and baked. Apparently, it was crispy to the taste.As for chips, no, I have NEVER cooked chips in my life and have never had a chip pan. In fact, we lived less than a mile from the best fish and chip shop in our seaside town and in the 12 years we lived there, I think we had fish and chips maybe 30 times, including eating it with visitors who have all heard of the famous shop.You are right in that I do think you need to cook it or go to a resto where they cook your portion on demand. Even the best looking chips tend to go soft and greasy even after having been no more than a couple of minutes wrapped in paper.I have sometimes had chips in France when they are part of a formule or plat du jour and they nearly always tend to be American-type thin fries or, even if regulation size, they tend to be overcooked and hard and flavourless.I am sure that you need to choose a good, chipping potato, then cook it in a medium heat until cooked, drain and then whack it into really hot fat to crisp and brown them up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 Chips, what a post we could have about them! So I shall start one!![:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tancrède Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 [quote user="mint"]I am sure that you need to choose a good, chipping potato, then cook it in a medium heat until cooked, drain and then whack it into really hot fat to crisp and brown them up. [/quote]Oh, Mint, you are so right.On those occasions in the distant past when people used to say, But what do you really miss about England ? it was so hard to suppress the laughter.Nowadays, more diplomatically, I simply say (with a slight nod at the truth) Fish and Chips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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