Girls night out, and a new addition to our family.
I'll do the new family addition first, otherwise those who know how old I am might be wondering!! Ken has a pair of budgies in his aviaries at the moment, and they have just hatched their first babies. Ken brought one of them inside to show me:
I'll probably have an update next week; Ken likes to check on his baby birds every few days.
On Friday night, Helen and I joined two friends for dinner at J's house. The four of us have known each other for about 28 years; we met when we were part of the newly formed Neighbourhood Watch committee for this area. J. and S. have since moved a bit further away, but Helen and I still live only a couple of streets from each other. Once or twice a year, we all go out for a meal somewhere and catch up with each other's news. J. is a gourmet cook, so when she suggested we come to her place to eat, we agreed immediately! She'd decided to have a 'duck' theme to the meal, so we started off with two entrees of duck (one of them the famed Peking Duck), followed by a main course of duck (roasted, I think) on a bed of mashed potato and asparagus spears, with a delicious sauce over it.
The dessert was obviously not duck (well, I couldn't imagine a sweet made from meat!). J. had made Creme Brulee, and announced that before she served it up, she had to take it out into the back garden and finish it with a blow torch. Helen and I looked at each other and said "who's blog - yours or mine?!" We helped J. carry the four bowls out into the garden and put them on a table. J. produced a small blow torch, lit the flame, and proceeded to melt the sugar on top of each dessert - worked beautifully! According to J. this is the way the pro. chefs do it. I've never made Creme Brulee, but when I've read the recipe in any of my books, it says to put the dessert under a griller for a few minutes - nothing about a blow torch! Just wish I'd had the camera though..
I'll probably have an update next week; Ken likes to check on his baby birds every few days.
On Friday night, Helen and I joined two friends for dinner at J's house. The four of us have known each other for about 28 years; we met when we were part of the newly formed Neighbourhood Watch committee for this area. J. and S. have since moved a bit further away, but Helen and I still live only a couple of streets from each other. Once or twice a year, we all go out for a meal somewhere and catch up with each other's news. J. is a gourmet cook, so when she suggested we come to her place to eat, we agreed immediately! She'd decided to have a 'duck' theme to the meal, so we started off with two entrees of duck (one of them the famed Peking Duck), followed by a main course of duck (roasted, I think) on a bed of mashed potato and asparagus spears, with a delicious sauce over it.
The dessert was obviously not duck (well, I couldn't imagine a sweet made from meat!). J. had made Creme Brulee, and announced that before she served it up, she had to take it out into the back garden and finish it with a blow torch. Helen and I looked at each other and said "who's blog - yours or mine?!" We helped J. carry the four bowls out into the garden and put them on a table. J. produced a small blow torch, lit the flame, and proceeded to melt the sugar on top of each dessert - worked beautifully! According to J. this is the way the pro. chefs do it. I've never made Creme Brulee, but when I've read the recipe in any of my books, it says to put the dessert under a griller for a few minutes - nothing about a blow torch! Just wish I'd had the camera though..
posted by Gina E. | 11:34 pm
3 Comments:
Hi Gina, The new addition is cute what colour are the parents.Isnt it great to catch up with old friends and have a good chin wag over a lovely meal. the dinner sounds devine,. The first time I saw a blow torch used was on TV.The iron chef on sbs..
I've heard about the blowtorch method too, didn't think the Iron Chefs would use that though! And why didn't someone take a photo??
Love the little birdies, although they're not really seen at their best at that age, are they?
Hi Jeanette and Val, the budgies are both green and yellow. No, they are not exactly pretty right now, but so tiny!
Val, we didn't take a photo of our friend because nobody thought to bring a camera! We don't usually take photos at these meetings, but if I'd known J. was going to do this, I would have!
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