Wednesday 15 October 2008

Magic Robot Replies Again








Magic Robot Replies Again

To Anna C in Adelaide.

Robot opens oysters from the side towards the front not near the hinge. I find easier entry and more leverage this way. As to keeping the liquid Robot strongly advises you discard the water in the oyster but do not rinse. You will notice after about 5 minutes the shell will again be half full of what is called the second water.
The first water is great if you are eating them straight off the rocks but the water in commercially sold oysters may be over a week old and not that fresh, and you know what the oyster has been doing in his shell don’t you! So as Chairman Kaga says: Always discard the first water.


To David from Bambra

Robot’s irony meter is going off the scale. Recipe for the New Age Sausage roll is a secret. But ingredients are Dried bean curd skins, tapioca balls and Taiwanese layered biscuits. In answer to your reallyseriousbigquestion Robot is happy to report that very soon branded proprietary packaged ingredients will be duh-rigueur for any self respecting post modern restaurant pantry. And yes Robots will rule.
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To Deborah from Tasmania yes now is the time to plant Tomatillos. Most good seed companies have them.












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To Mathew in Sydney: Yes marsh samphire grows all along the coast here, the photo shows Marsh Samphire on the left, Purslane in the middle [plant now] and the one on the right is the one you had here in your oyster soup Rock Samphire from our garden.

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To Rahid from Melbourne the secret to not letting your lemon tart separate into 2 layers is to heat the filling to about body temperature before you pour it into the blind baked shell. You know it makes sense that’s why the Roo boys left it out of the otherwise brilliant recipe.
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To Margaret from the Peninsula
The seared ocean trout is just like a gravadlax but instead of dill we use sweet smoked paprika and sear it on the base of the wood oven or you can use a very hot dry pan.

Robot must recharge the batteries so keep the questions coming. All questions answered but only those that are cleared for general consumption will be published.

2 comments:

Thermomixer said...

The purslane that you have is less of the succulent type that I have usually had in salads. Is it a cultivated variety? Sorry, meant to ask.
BTW - very appreciative group from Sunday, looking to book again soon - THANKS V MUCH to whole team

George Biron said...

Mr. Mix

The salad green you had was Winter Purslane or Miners' lettuce

The photo of this one is under the post Is it really a Restaurant a few weeks ago.
In summer we have Purslane which is in the photo in this post in the bit under samphire

Summer Purslane also comes in many forms and the one that I have seen being sold in Melbourne is a rather inferior samll weedy type After a few seasons the our good purslane as seen in this post reverts to the small weedy type being sold in town.
Just had a discussion with the Camerons in melb about pursalne as a feed crop for their goats. You may know, Purslane is a very good source of Omega 3 which is perhaps why the Greek peasants live so long. Our summer purslane is not yet up but the winter one might get us through till then.
Check out a herbal for the botanical names I use Martyn Rix and Roger Phillips' excellent volume it has photos..