There are several reasons for this disappointing and disheartening experience.

a)      The oven temperature should always be checked and verified.  An oven thermometer placed in an oven that is set at the required temperature exposes whether the oven temperature is correct or not.  It may actually be substantially hotter or cooler than that indicated by the temperature dial on your oven.

b)      When preparing your cake mixture, a disappointing result will occur if the sugar and the eggs are not beaten together thoroughly until creamy.

c)      The butter and sugar must also be well mixed together until creamy.

d)      Another pitfall is if the eggs are over-beaten.

e)      By not adding enough baking powder, your cake will not be light enough.

To make a successful mayonnaise it is important that all the ingredients be at room temperature. The trick is to first add the vinegar to your seasoning. Make sure to add the oil drop by drop or in a steady steam if using a food processor.  If the mayonnaise has curdled, breaking another egg into a clean warm bowl and adding the curdled mixture drop by drop beating constantly with clean beaters can rectify this.  This should get the mixture smooth again; in other words to re-emulsify the sauce.

Blanch – Plunge into rapidly boiling water, uncovered.

Refresh – Place immediately in ice water.

Use mainly for vegetables to set colour, soften or loosen skins.

Green beans are blanched for 5-8 minutes and then plunged into cold water.

Other vegetables such as mangetout, are blanched for a second and plunged into cold water.

Blanching is equivalent to complete cooking with such vegetables as spinach, very young French green beans and fresh peas.

Covering fruit, vegetables or nuts with boiling water, facilitates the removal of the skin. Tomatoes, peaches, almonds and pistachios are treated in this way; the skin can be removed easily without damaging the inside.

The term,' scalding’ is used when fruit or vegetables are dipped into boiling water to eliminate tartness.

Clarified butter (or ghee) is butter from which the water content has been evaporated and the milk solids separated, leaving a clear yellow fat which can be heated to a high temperature without burning.  This is ideal for frying or other cooking.  When ordinary butter is used, it should be heated gently and slowly to avoid burning.

Place butter in a large saucepan and melt over gentle heat. Turn up the heat and allow the butter to boil (it will simmer and bubble) for a few minutes. When bubbling has stopped (if the butter is overheated it will discolour, so watch carefully) remove the foam by skimming off with a spoon.

This speciality of Devonshire England (which is also why it is known as Devon cream) is made by gently heating rich, unpasturized milk until a semisolid layer of cream forms on the surface.  After cooking the thickened cream is removed.  It can be spread on bread or spooned atop fresh fruit or desserts.  The traditional English ‘ Cream Tea’ consists of clotted cream and jam served with scones and tea. Clotted cream can be refrigerated, tightly covered for up to 4 days.

Crème Fraîche is a naturally thickened fresh cream that has a sharp tangy flavour and rich texture.  It gives food a distinctive sharp flavour and it is used extensively in French cooking; the French use it in many and varied ways.  It is the essential ingredient in French sauces.

It is also used in coffee and cocktails.

This is an expensive item to buy, but a good substitute can be made by mixing heavy cream with uncultured buttermilk and allowed to stand, well covered in a tepid place until thickened.  

     a) Lamb

An important consideration is whether to serve lamb rare or well done. This is entirely a matter of taste, bearing in mind that there might be a slight loss of succulence as it gets well done.  The lamb should be slightly aged and at room temperature when you start to cook. To calculate the roasting time for rare lamb, weigh and allow 20 minutes for every 500 g meat, plus 15 minutes extra at the end for medium rare lamb. The lamb should be covered with foil, dull side out, for the first 20 minutes to prevent shrinkage.

If you are using a meat thermometer, place it in the thickest part of the leg and away from the bone.  It will register 70 ºC when the lamb is medium done, and 80-85 ºC when well done.  This is achieved by roasting at 180 ºC (350 ºF or gas mark 4).

b) Beef

For a rare roast allow 10 minutes at 200 ºC (400 ºF or gas mark 6), then 15-20 minutes at 170 ºC (340ºF or gas mark 4) for every 500 g, depending on thickness (55-80 minutes).  Preheat the oven to 200 ºC (400 ºF or gas mark 6).

Before slicing the beef, cover it with foil – always dull side out – and leave it to rest for 10 minutes in a warm place so that the juices are distributed throughout the meat and do not run so much when the joint is cut.

c)  Chicken

Fresh birds have a better flavour and texture.  If the chicken is to be roasted, a larger slightly fatty bird is best as the fat prevents the flesh from drying out.

To calculate roasting time; allow 20 minutes for every 500 g plus an additional 15-20 minutes at the end. For stuffed chicken allow 20-25 minutes extra cooking time.  Halfway through the cooking time, turn the chicken over and baste. Continue basting from time to time.  The chicken is weighed with the stuffing.

©Leslie Back - To The Point - www.showcook.com