Food phases

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I'm currently in a lime pickle discovery phase. It's tasty spicy tart 'n tangy stuff and I'm eating it with everything to see what it complements best. I did something similar when I learned to make the Fanny Farmer "sturdy souffle" - try all different sorts of things in it, until I wore it out. Does anyone else do this, or is it just a (barely) submerged compulsive behavior?

― Jaq (Jaq), Tuesday, 4 April 2006 15:41 (nineteen years ago)

Oh I certainly do this. I did it with mango pickle years ago. I did it with asafoetida a little while ago. Right now I'm doing it with zaatar.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Tuesday, 4 April 2006 17:18 (nineteen years ago)

I am going through this but with dulce de leche! On rice cakes! On digestive biscuits (put on a banana slice on top - a mini banoffee pie)! On sticky toffee pudding! Actually that last one was too much...

Incidentally has anyone made their own dulce de leche? I note that it involves boiling a can of evaporated milk for several hours - this sounds a tad dangerous. Is it worth it or should I just stick with the stuff in the jar?

― Ned T.Rifle (nedtrifle), Wednesday, 5 April 2006 07:20 (nineteen years ago)

piece of piss, really, just don't let the pan boil dry, don't boil it too hard and you'll be fine

― Porkpie (porkpie), Wednesday, 5 April 2006 20:18 (nineteen years ago)

One of my aunts tells a story about this: Back in the day, they had a coal stove with something called a "well" in it. Apparently, this was a vat of water, open at the top, that was integral to the stove and stayed hot as long as the stove was hot. My aunt dropped a sealed can of sweetened condensed milk down the well in the morning before she went to school and forgot about it. The next day was ironing day, so the stove was hot all day long. At about 2 pm, the can exploded (did the well go dry? Possibly.), all over the freshly ironed laundry as well as my grandmother and there was hell to pay.

Because I love danger, I've made this a few times. Listen to Porkpie and you'll be fine. Let the can cool down before you try to open it too.

― Jaq (Jaq), Wednesday, 5 April 2006 20:41 (nineteen years ago)

I open the can first and put it in a slow oven. Y'all's way sounds more fun though.

― Paul Eater (eater), Wednesday, 5 April 2006 21:46 (nineteen years ago)

Wait a minute - aren't you Mr. Blowtorch/Food Shooter? Where is the kitchen adventure in an open can in a slow oven?

This year, I'm adding the Pressure Cooker to my armory!

― Jaq (Jaq), Wednesday, 5 April 2006 22:08 (nineteen years ago)

Pressure-cooking a tin of evap sounds a little risky.

― Mädchen (Madchen), Thursday, 6 April 2006 09:12 (nineteen years ago)

one month passes...

What are lime pickles? What are digestive biscuits?

(First typed "limie pickles" which may well have been the answer to my question?)

― dissonance in the divine accord (unclejessjess), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 21:50 (nineteen years ago)

I was reading "I Love Cookies" and saw more references to "digestive" cookies/biscuits. I googled it and what I discovered was that they are called "digestive" because they are easy to digest?

It's really not an appealing name. I'm imagining the cookie equivalent of steamed rice and lukewarm tea. Something you'd eat when you're sick.

― dissonance in the divine accord (unclejessjess), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 22:08 (nineteen years ago)

Lime pickles are, uh, what they say they are. It's an Indian condiment.

Digestive biscuits are cookies that you can enjoy when you don't want anything as sweet as a cookie. They do go nice with lukewarm tea I suppose.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 00:51 (nineteen years ago)

When I see "digestive biscuits" I think "vanilla wafers." Am I far off the mark?

― The Jazz Guide to Penguins on Compact Disc (Rock Hardy), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 00:54 (nineteen years ago)

I would like to hear a little about how the cookies/biscuit shift occured. What are biscuits called in England? Can't we all just get along?

― dissonance in the divine accord (unclejessjess), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 02:55 (nineteen years ago)

We call biscuits biscuits. Give us a hug.

― Matt (Matt), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 09:24 (nineteen years ago)

you don't get us-style biscuits in the uk. the closest thing i can think of is a potato scone, and even that's really stretching it.

― lauren (laurenp), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 11:35 (nineteen years ago)

I feel bad for the Britishes about that.

― The Jazz Guide to Penguins on Compact Disc (Rock Hardy), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 12:26 (nineteen years ago)

you don't get us-style biscuits in the uk.

OMG! WHY BOTHER LIVING?

― dissonance in the divine accord (unclejessjess), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 12:49 (nineteen years ago)

Current food phase = Breakfast for dinner (ie eggs, sausage, toast etc)

― laurence kansas (lawrence kansas), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 13:40 (nineteen years ago)

I should add biscuits to the menu.

― laurence kansas (lawrence kansas), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 13:41 (nineteen years ago)

Digestive biscuits are like graham crackers, only less grainy. The chocolate covered ones are excellent. They're called digestive because all the fiber in them gets your gut moving along.

― Jaq on the road, Wednesday, 31 May 2006 14:36 (nineteen years ago)

Also, see The Lone Biscuit for the US lone biscuit challenge.

LIME PICKLE ROX! Esp. with slow roasted pork.

― Jaq on the road, Wednesday, 31 May 2006 14:39 (nineteen years ago)

I suppose this is off topic--but then what have I said here that hasn't been--but I want to tell you that I have never had a scone I liked. They are dry dry dry and powdery. I have tried at least a half-dozen different scones (most from different sources including: grocery store bakeries, reputable bakeries, coffee shops, convenience stores) and have always been disappointed. They look so appealling, but they always let me down. Are they really supposed to be like eating flour that is stuck together with water?

― dissonance in the divine accord (unclejessjess), Thursday, 1 June 2006 03:35 (nineteen years ago)

N, they can be moist and yummy. Helps if you have them with clotted cream and rasberry jam though.

― Vicky (Vicky), Thursday, 1 June 2006 10:10 (nineteen years ago)

Russian tea biscuits are another, like the scone, where I've never had a "good" one.

― laurence kansas (lawrence kansas), Thursday, 1 June 2006 13:02 (nineteen years ago)

ooh, i love russian tea biscuits. big, fat ones from lax and mandel's... mmm.

scones in the uk aren't like what you get in the use. they're much moister and not crumbly, and shaped differently.

― lauren (laurenp), Thursday, 1 June 2006 14:17 (nineteen years ago)

best way to enjoy a digestive biscuit is with a good slice of a nice sharp cheddar. Or dunked in a sweet cup of coffee....

― Porkpie (porkpie), Thursday, 1 June 2006 15:50 (nineteen years ago)

Peter Baynham's character from Fist Of Fun to thread.

― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Thursday, 1 June 2006 16:20 (nineteen years ago)

lax and mandels? Cedar and Green Road?

xpost to lauren

― laurence kansas (lawrence kansas), Thursday, 1 June 2006 16:37 (nineteen years ago)

yes. it's imperative to get them while they're fresh, though. once that dough starts to harden, you don't want anything to do with it.

― lauren (laurenp), Thursday, 1 June 2006 16:41 (nineteen years ago)

Digestive biscuits are cookies that you can enjoy when you don't want anything as sweet as a cookie. They do go nice with lukewarm tea I suppose.

-- Casuistry (chri...), May 30th, 2006 8:51 PM. (Chris Piuma)

You MUST be kidding. You're poking fun, right? Because this is totally something I can imagine you actually being serious about, but I don't want to believe it's true.

― dissonance in the divine accord (unclejessjess), Thursday, 1 June 2006 19:09 (nineteen years ago)

I dunno, it seems like digestive biscuits are for people who want some exciting bland food.

The scones that I've had that weren't really dry were instead way too eggy.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Thursday, 1 June 2006 19:55 (nineteen years ago)

i've never had a scone i like as well, but i'd never had a biscuit that i'd liked either until my recent trip to west virginia where i was served a mess of biscuits and chicken gravy for breakfast and had my mind changed. real biscuits are nothing like these crappy things i'd been eating from Cracker Barrell, etc. they're much more light and fluffy and on the whole entirely more edible.

i'm willing to hold out my final opinion on scones until i've had a true english scone.

― AaronK (AaronK), Thursday, 1 June 2006 21:21 (nineteen years ago)

I dunno, it seems like digestive biscuits are for people who want some exciting bland food.

I was referring to the lukewarm tea part. I was thinking you were saying that the fact that they would be good with lukewarm tea spoke to the fact that they were bland. But then it occurred to me that you might well consider lukewarm tea and bland cookies a perfect snack.

― dissonance in the divine accord (unclejessjess), Friday, 2 June 2006 04:03 (nineteen years ago)

Well, normal temperature tea with simple cookies (I especially like the "English tea cookies") are pretty great!

― Casuistry (Chris P), Friday, 2 June 2006 06:11 (nineteen years ago)

For reference, here's a selection of old-fashioned Brit biscuits. I get the impression the younger generaton is all about doublechocolatechunk-type stuff. I mean, remember when a chocolate hobnob was exciting? I reckon a lot of these may not be around in a few years time. Anyway, here goes:

Digestive
http://www.nicecupofteaandasitdown.com/biscuits/media/digestive.jpg

Lincoln
http://www.nicecupofteaandasitdown.com/biscuits/media/lincoln.jpg

Malted Milk
http://www.nicecupofteaandasitdown.com/biscuits/media/maltedmilk.jpg

Nice (pronounced like the French town, unless you are my grandmother)
http://www.lankae.com/lankae/assets/images/maliban%5C15.jpg

Gingernut
http://www.nicecupofteaandasitdown.com/biscuits/media/arnottsgingernut.jpg

Garibaldi (aka squashed fly biscuit)
http://www.nicecupofteaandasitdown.com/biscuits/media/gariballdi.jpg

A comprehensive list can be found here.

― Mädchen (Madchen), Friday, 2 June 2006 13:09 (nineteen years ago)

Digestive biscuits(English biscuits through and through)(McVities are the best...found in the international aisle of any good grocery store in the US) are heaven when served with cheddar cheese, a delicacy for after dinner instead of sweet dessert. Especially nice with a HOT cup of tea........who on earth likes lukewarm tea? How frightful!!!! BLAND, they are NOT! One has to have a mature palate to be able to enjoy them.........too sweet biscuits are for kids!!!
You can't beat a good British Scone with jam and clotted cream either!!

Lime Pickle is best served with poppadoms as a starter before an Indian meal. Mango Chutney and Raita are also delicious dips for poppadoms.

― Jan Cooke, Monday, 12 June 2006 01:59 (nineteen years ago)

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