These are so much more fun than the usual square croutons, and so simple to make. Crouton soldiers, golden brown click to enlarge
For the Crouton Soldiers
1 slice of bread/person
1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp sesame oil (enough for 18 crouton soldiers)
Kitchen paper
Making the Crouton Soldiers
Carefully cut the sliced bread into 8cm x 2cm strips.
Mix the oils, and sprinkle onto both sides of the crouton soldiers.
Tip – we mix the oils since sesame oil on its own can easily burn at a low temperature.
Warm a frying pan over a medium heat and add the crouton soldiers. After a minute, turn them over. You are looking for a lovely golden brown on both sides.
When they’re done, lift them out and place them on kitchen paper to absorb any surplus oil.
Crunchy and gorgeous.
Ensure no one is about when you make them – they’ll disappear without trace if you aren’t watching like a hawk!
Piers and Lin
From the Galley of Play d’eau
Fleming 55
You can get in touch with us any time by using our Contact Form.
Cornish sea salt. Until we tried this we hadn’t tasted real salt. click to enlargeThis post is to list the ingredients we’ve found to be best of breed. As time allows, we’ll be adding more.
Salt
From Table to Maldon to Pink Himalayan – which salt for you?
Our first ‘salt revelation’ came when we were shown that weight for weight, you have considerably more salt by quantity if you use an unprocessed sea salt rather than a free running, chemically enhanced table salt.
Our second ‘salt revelation’ was realising there were many different real salts: Maldon, Pink Himalayan, Cornish, Welsh coastal, and the list goes on and on.
So, we lined up over a dozen salts and tried them, judging each for its salty taste and saltiness strength factor.
Burford Brown eggs with their dark orange, luscious tasting yolks click to enlargeCutting to the chase, Cornish Sea Salt harvested straight from the Atlantic at the Lizard peninsula won by miles. A beautifully pure salt taste with a high salt factor meaning you use less to achieve the same saltiness.
Sadly, there’s no salt from Guernsey – maybe there’s a business to be had?
Cornish Sea Salt is available from some of the major supermarkets such as Tesco and Waitrose.
Eggs
Now this is something we just stumbled on without thinking. A ‘Doh!’ moment.
If we needed eggs, it was simply a question of size – small, medium or large.
One day, the only eggs left on supermarket’s shelf were from Cotswold Old Leg Bar hens. Opening the box to check them, the eggs were smaller than usual, but more surprisingly the shells were blue – not the normal brown or white!Maille raspberry flavoured vinegar click to enlargeLater, when we came to use them, the yolks were such a deep orange colour, and even better, when we came to eat them, the depth of flavour was so much more intense.
This led us to try other types, and the only other that’s a challenger is a Burford Brown. Taste-wise the same, size-wise it’s larger and with a dark brown shell.
So our recommendation is Burford Brown, followed by Cotswold Old Leg Bar.
Available from some supermarkets such as Sainsburys, Morrisons and Waitrose.
Vinegar
Having been served a mayonnaise that was so, so delicate and luscious, we were told it had been made with a Raspberry Vinegar. What a difference it made.
Since then, we have used Raspberry Vinegar for our own mayonnaise and vinaigrette dressings.
We’ve also tested various makes but there’s no doubt in our mind that Raspberry Vinegar from Maille takes the crown.
It can be difficult to find in the UK, but it’s everywhere in France, of course.
Olive oil
Colonna olive oil infused with organic lemons click to enlargeNow here’s an interesting one. From the many olive oils that range across the shelves, we’ve found a firm favourite which Lin uses in so many dishes.
Colonna Granverde.
This is a Sicilian extra virgin olive oil taken from the first cold pressing but with a difference.
Organic Sicilian lemons are added to the olives so both are pressed together producing an oil infused with a citrus zest and aroma. Perfect.
Available from Waitrose.
Guernsey Butter
Now here’s a delight you really must try.
Guernsey butter tastes of butter. Sounds crazy but just compare Guernsey butter with the butter you usually have and you’ll have one of those ‘Damascus Road’ experiences (well, almost) and you’ll realise what you’ve been missing!
Once you’ve opened a pack, there’s no need to keep it in the fridge. Just leave it out at room temperature. It keeps for weeks like that and is always at the right consistency to spread.
You can store Guernsey butter in the freezer for months if not years, and if you have the room I’d certainly recommend buying the June and July made butter since the cows will have been grazing on the fresh spring and summer grass.The butter of all butters. A rich, deep yellow butter, that restores faith in how butter should taste click to enlargeBoth salted and unsalted versions are made.
Do let us know how you get on with using Guernsey butter – hopefully you’ll never look back, and no, we don’t have shares in the Guernsey Dairy.
Waitrose usually stocks Guernsey butter.
Piers and Lin
from the Galley of Play d’eau
Fleming 55
You can get in touch with us any time by using our Contact Form.
All ingredients trimmed, peeled and chopped and in the pot click to enlarge
Stock forms the basis of so many good onboard recipes, and the good news is you only really need vegetable stock. No chicken or meat stock, just vegetable.
Our recipe has been refined over the years and never lets us down and produces a gorgeous concentrated stock which works brilliantly with many of the recipes we’ll be adding as time goes by.
It’s packed with flavour and keeps really well in the fridge for a good three weeks and almost for ever in a freezer. It also scales well if you want to make less or more at a time.
So please don’t use stock cubes or any other form of instant stock which all pale into insignificance in comparison.
Vegetable Stock
Ingredients
6 Carrots
3 Large leeks with as much white as possible
2 Small fennels
3 Small onions
2 Parsnips
8 Button mushrooms
3 Celery stalks plus the very small leaves close to the stalks
Small bunch of Parsley stalks (no leaves)
Rosemary (some)
Pepper corns (say 30)
Bay Leaves (a few)
Thyme (some) Simmering gorgeousness. Leave for 2 hours or more with the lid on but just cracked open click to enlarge
Technique
The ‘Dos’ and ‘Don’ts’ of brilliant stock making.
Do peel and trim the vegetables as if you were going to eat them
Don’t let the stock boil, just simmer
Don’t use the dark green parts of the leek
Don’t squeeze or mash the vegetables to extract extra liquor
Don’t add salt. Instead, add salt when creating the final dish
You’ll need
A large saucepan with a lid (in which to make the stock), a smaller saucepan into which to strain the stock, kitchen knife, wooden spoon, sieve, clean muslin or dish cloth, storage containers (half litre recommended) for the finished stock.
Making perfect veg stock
Clean, peel and trim the vegetables. Cut them into half inch squares or smaller and put them in the pot. Clean and slice the mushrooms and add them to the pot with the herbs and pepper. Add water to half an inch below the top of the vegetables.
Bring to the simmer, making sure the herbs are underneath the surface (use the wooden spoon). Keep it simmering for two or more hours.
Keep the lid on the pot, but just cracked open to allow some of the steam to escape.
You’ll find the vegetables start to shrink allowing the water to cover them. If you need to add a bit more water, only add enough to keep the vegetables just covered.
When cool, strain the liquor through the sieve and muslin (or tea cloth) into another pan. Let it drain – don’t squeeze the remaining vegetables.
Finally, pour your stock into containers and use as and when needed. You’ll have about 1.5 ltrs of strong concentrated stock which can be diluted as required.
Perfect!
Piers and Lin
from the Galley of Play d’eau
Fleming 55
You can get in touch with us any time by using our Contact Form.
Parmesan Diamond crisps They’ll go as fast as you can serve them! click to enlargeThese Parmesan Diamond crisps are so, so more-ish. Great with drinks and they’ll disappear the moment you serve them amidst many ‘wows’ of praise.
Ingredients
75gm Parmesan (Parmigiano-Reggiano to give it its correct name)
75gm Grana Padano cheese
Optional – sesame or poppy seeds for a final dressing
Technique
The ‘Dos’ and ‘Don’ts’ of making Parmesan crisps.
Do use both types of cheese – Parmesan only is too strong
Don’t use ready grated cheese – it just doesn’t work
You’ll need
Form a 1cm deep round leaving a 5cm margin around the edge of the pan click to enlargeCheese grater, dinner plate or small bowl, non-stick frying pan, kitchen paper, spatula, kitchen knife, chopping board.
Making Parmesan Diamond crisps
Grate the two cheeses onto the dinner plate. Using your fingers, gently mix them up.
Sprinkle the grated cheese onto the frying pan to form a 1cm deep round leaving a 5cm margin around the edge of the pan. Tamp it down just a bit.
Place on a low to medium heat.
After a while you’ll see the cheese start to melt, then bubble, and the edges will start turning a light brown.
If you want to flavour the crisps, add a sprinkling of the seeds at this stage.
Keep going and wait until the bubbling has almost stopped.The cheese will start to melt, then bubble, and the edges will start turn a light brown click to enlargeRemove the pan from the heat and place it on a heat resistant surface.
After a minute or so, the pan will have cooled a bit but the crisp will still just be pliable. Slide a spatula around the outside of the crisp and gently prise it out of the pan.
Place it on kitchen paper for a few moments to remove any excess oils before moving it to a chopping board.
Slice it into 4cm strips and slice again, diagonally to form your Parmesan Diamond crisps.
To keep their crispness, eat them soon after making. Mind you, as quickly as you serve them they’ll go!
Perfect!
Let us know how you get on – you can get in touch with us any time by using our Contact Form.
Piers and Lin
from the Galley of Play d’eau
Fleming 55
Wait until the bubbling has almost stopped before taking the pan off the heat click to enlarge
Remove from the pan and place the crisp on kitchen paper to remove excess oils click to enlarge
After much encouragement, Lin and I have decided to add a section on ‘Cooking onboard‘.
The first recipe will be Parmesan Diamond crisps which are really simple to make and so rewarding.
Over time, we’ll share the good – what we’ve learned works really well; the bad – which encompasses the limitations of a boat’s galley and how we overcome them; and finally the ugly – dedicated to what not to do!
We also intend to add comments on any restaurants we eat at during our cruising adventures.
Have fun, and let us know how you get on.
Piers and Lin
from the Galley of Play d’eau
Fleming 55
Rose (violet) garlic, the best of all garlics, at Paimpol’s farmers’ market, Brittany click to enlargeEating out appears to be the choice of many boaters rather than cooking onboard. Whilst away, it’s a holiday in itself not to have to cook but we sometimes we come away disappointed with the fare we’ve been served.
Despite the ‘effort’ involved, preparing an exciting meal onboard, full of mouthwatering flavours can be such fun and so rewarding.
I mean, after you’ve moored up and decide to go exploring on foot, search out the world of the local farmers’ markets and supermarkets and explore their great produce. In France especially, you are spoilt for choice with seafood galore, vegetables, cheeses, speciality vinegars, wines, breads – just smell the aromas. Is your mouth watering yet?
Making it fun to cook onboard
Over the years, Lin and I have developed some specific solutions to cooking onboard and making great food. So we’ve decided to share this by adding Cooking posts to get you going.
We’ll start soon by adding posts under a new ‘Cooking’ category on quick and easy ‘wow’ goodies such as Parmesan cheese crisps before becoming more adventurous. We’ll also be adding ‘food goodies’ when we come across good sources at the various ports we visit and, when we want a break and really don’t want to cook, we’ll add comments about the restaurants we visit and recommend – or otherwise.Cherries, peaches, melons…. whatever you want at one of the many fruit stalls click to enlargeSo, if you use any of our ideas and find you like your initial creations, do keep going. Much is about simple technique and preparation with nothing too complicated or time consuming.
Keep going!
As I’ve said, we’ll start with simple ‘nibbles’ which go really well with early evening drinks. If they work for you, you can then decide to start climbing the ladder with our starters, main courses and finally, desserts.
Our experience is that there’s nothing like sharing an on-board prepared meal with newly found boating friends from neighbouring berths.
Wine, conversation and laughter all flow amidst the high praise the chef receives.
Best of Breed ingredients
We will keep our Best of Breed ingredients page updated as and when we find worthy and outstanding products.
Something to share?
If you’ve found a recipe that works for you onboard, please send it to us and we’ll publish it for you. Whether it’s simple or complex, let’s get cooking!
Inspiration
We’re often asked where our inspiration for cooking comes from. Lin’s been cooking brilliantly for many years, but for Piers, it wasn’t until he attended a five day course at the Ashburton Cookery School accompanied by Kim Hollamby, that his love of cooking took off.
