Holidays and a few things

Still a few roses about, this one I think is Peace

Holidays have started for the boarding school refugee.  On his first night home I made Eton Mess for pudding, which is indeed a mess, but an utterly delicious one.

I made some meringues with some leftover egg whites (which, by the way, you can freeze...just remember to write how many are in the container/zip lock bag).

3 egg whites
165g castor sugar
1 teaspoon vinegar

Preheat oven to 120c.  Line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Whisk egg whites to stiff peaks.  Add castor sugar gradually while whisking until glossy.  Whisk in vinegar.
Put tablespoons of the mix onto the baking tray and cook  for 1 hour.   Turn off the oven and leave in the oven for an hour to crisp up.

Because strawberries are not at their peak at the moment I decided to roast them, which I did for 15 minutes after sprinkling them lightly with castor sugar.

When they came out I drizzled over some Vinocotto and let them cool.  I also put about 500g of frozen raspberries in a saucepan with the juice of an orange and a teaspoon of castor sugar and simmered them for five minutes.  Then I mixed them with the strawberries to make a lovely sauce.

Whipped some cream with the seeds of one vanilla bean and smothered the meringues with it before pouring over the strawberry sauce.  It was devoured in minutes.

I haven't been watching much of Masterchef this series.  I love the cooking and watching our friend Matt strut his stuff, but I really can't tolerate the "reality" side of it (all that sobbing!).   I did see it last Sunday night when they went to Matt Moran's farm to cook lamb and massacre it on the barbeque.  It was quite telling that the most popular dish of the day was rocky road and is it odd that no-one had much of an idea about how to cook lamb over hot coals?  It is all very well to dish up wanky cheffy dishes for the judges each night in the studio kitchen but I think the contestants need to learn the basics.  The last series was worse.  They just try too hard.  A chop on the BBQ would have probably won the day although I concede not easy to butcher a whole lamb if you've never done it before.  If nothing else it was a marvellous advertisement for our favourite outdoor gear, Drizabone.

Nice picture of no particular relevance

What we have been watching is Downton Abbey, if for nothing else to enjoy the loveliness of Highclere Castle where it was filmed.  If you are finding it a bit slow going, you must watch the Comic Relief version here (Uptown Downstairs Abbey).  It is a hoot.

After last weekend I felt that my beloved could do with his own Bates.  He wore his grandfather's morning coat to a 70th birthday on Saturday and looked every bit as smart and well heeled as Lord Grantham.

imbd

On Sunday we watched the start of the local hunt (the birthday was for the Master of the Hounds):

When we got home his clothes were strewn all the way across our bedroom floor.  Where is a Bates when you need one?