SC - Fish at Feasts

[Philippa Alderton]

In reference to the menu I posted a while ago from a gentle at Bonfield, I
forwarded her the discussion and this was her response.

Micaylah

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Thanks very much, Micaylah, for forwarding those responses. Heavens, such
discussion! :)

> I found it interesting those two gents got all caught up in two items:
> parboiling the birds and lard/olive oil. From long experience I've known
> parboiling meat or fowl was to: a/ enable a person to pluck the feathered
> beastie, b/ render a tough bird or beastie tender. As I was using chicken
> breasts, modern, grocery store variety, they needed neither plucking nor
> tenderizing. I suppose I should have mentioned I used, in addition to the
> cheat OXO packet, the wee amount of drippings I did garner from the pan,
> but as this was merely a dinner for two, it seemed hardly worthwhile.
> 
> The whole question of lard is legitimate. However, it's one of those old
> bug-a-boos about modern taste, diet, etc., etc. I do carefully monitor our
> fat intake. Particularly as my husband's dad popped off in his 50s with
> heart-failure, and because I'm rather, well, Rubenesque, shall we say.
> It's also easier to transport/store olive oil than lard, and it can be
> used for so much more than mere cooking. So, olive oil won out. And it
> wasn't such a leap, as olive oil certainly was used extensively throughout
> the Med region. At least that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. :) As to
> a superior taste when cooking with lard, well, that's definitely personal
> taste. I and mine loathe the taste, in particular the aftertaste. But
> thereyago.
> 
> I was also curious about the comment regarding chard in the watercress. I
> had prepared this very recipe the year previous using the chard. It was
> yummy. But waaaay too much for two to eat. So this year I
> deleted the chard and used only the watercress, both of us being fans of
> the wee green herbage. Cress isn't bitter at all. Very peppery and sweet,
> in fact. Anyone who eats it regularly knows this. Chard is the more bitter
> of the two. But, hey, each to their own.
> 
> One other curiosity was regarding the interpretation of Taillevant's
> instructions for the quail. I think Ras misread and thought the
> parboiling, spitting with sausage, eating with fine salt, and then in a
> pie stuffed with harvest cheese was all one recipe. It's not. It's two.
> One's for spitted quail and sausage eaten with fine salt. The other's for
> a quail pie, birds wrapped in bacon and stuffed with harvest cheese and
> then covered with pastry. I feel fairly confident I did Taillevant proud
> with this one.
> 
> Anyway, it was interesting to receive the feedback. My thanks for your
> considerable trouble.
> 
> Leonora
> 
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