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 St Cyrus Beach
  December 2007
Laura and Callum visited us for the weekend. The langoustines looked fresh though not moving,  a kilo would do. Some home made pasta made into the very fine Angels hair. The langoustines I cooked in a pan with a knob of butter, a kind of slow fry, with some finely chopped shallots, until they were all pink and just so. With them removed, I reduced the liquor with some white wine and maybe a dash of brandy. the pasta I boiled with some chopped parsley and added a good deal of cream to the sticky residue. Divine. The langoustine we had as they were with pots and lemon juice. 

 

 

 

 

 

 
With the swithering vegetarian absent, a beef suet pudding for Laura. I cubed a piece of boiling beef, floured lightly and fried it to brown. Then a sweated chopped onion and a handful of dried ceps, back with the beef, and a little water. A suet crust to line the bowl (I typed bowel initially- Freudian typo or just the truth?). We put this on before heading out so I think it was steaming for about 5hours, a little excessive. But delicious.

 
   
Shona's rather fine christmas cake before she assaulted it with a marzipan tectonic plate.
   
  This was a great store cupboard paella, with some chorizo sausage and frozen prawns, heaven forbid. No seriously, they were fine, and better than no prawns. The chorizo and saffron gave it a wonderful deep red you can see. Interestingly the Kashmiri saffron is shorter than the Spanish saffron, missing off the orange part of the stamen which makes paella orange/ yellow, but, according to the Kashmiri brand, (Babysaffron), lacks flavour. I have to agree, it is very fine saffron indeed.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
  Four and twenty blackbirds baked on a pizza.......
OK, maybe not, but snipe instead and a damn site cuter. Even though they taste amazing, they were rather lovely looking. I felt a slight relief of guilt knowing that they were shot on an organic farm that encourages bird life and they probably wouldn't exist were it not for Dugies efforts at Wark Farm....???

According to wiki, sniper derives from the keen shot the snipe shooter has to be.
  Three of these I roasted and just spread the contents (minus crop), directly onto the pizza. Two I scooped out and flambeed with some brandy which I have to say was just divine. I could only bring myself to eat one of the poor critters brains- snipey indeed, and not like chicken.
   
 
   
And to finish the year a very fine pie indeed. Danny, originator of the 'gastronomic comedy genius' epithet, and Jo were visiting. He's English through and through, so steak and kidney pie it had to be. 500g of boiling beef, and 300 or so of pig kidney, both cubed, floured and fried in a little oil. A sweated onion, a bay leaf, and 1/2 a pint of badger ale and some dried field mushrooms. All stewed a couple of hours, and left to mature a day or two ahead.
  Some rough puff pastry, made with 2/3 butter, 1/3 lard, following the Constance Spry recipe. Shona did the bear, and baked for an hour or so till just so.