The Moose Factory - Virtual Bar and Grill - Version 3

[Meastro444 1]

Originally posted by: N_O_Body

Ein prosit!

I am pretty much beered out.  I like a glass now and again but you all know that I prefer Champagne.  I am particulary partial to La Veuve Cliquot.

quote>

Interesting. Are you French by any chance?

Can I have one as well N_O_body? 

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Canadian.  My ancestors were Alsatian and English (probably Danes or Vikings)  my surname has Saxon roots.  One learns, however, to enjoy the good things of life.

{Pours two glasses of champagne}, so enjoy this with me.  Chimo!

[Meastro444 1]

What's the difference? 200km or 2000km .

I will enjoy this virtual champagne.

You ought to come over and have a Grolsch beer with me.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

I would love to come.  I like Grolsch.  In Europe, I have only been in England and France.  I've always had an interest in the low countries.  We have a spiritual connection going back nearly 70 years, at least.

[Meastro444 1]

Originally posted by: N_O_Body

I would love to come.  I like Grolsch.  In Europe, I have only been in England and France.  I've always had an interest in the low countries.  We have a spiritual connection going back nearly 70 years, at least.

quote>

We, the Dutch, thank you for what you, the Canadians did.

Also, I live in the city where Grolsch is brewed. To bad it ain't the cheapest beer here, despite being brewed here.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

You are most welcome.  Considering the circumstances we were glad to do it.  The people of Europe were bearing a terrible burden that had to be relieved.  Let no one forget the costs of war.

If you visit the Grolsch brewery, do you get free samples?

[Meastro444 1]

Originally posted by: N_O_Body

You are most welcome.  Considering the circumstances we were glad to do it.  The people of Europe were bearing a terrible burden that had to be relieved.  Let no one forget the costs of war.

If you visit the Grolsch brewery, do you get free samples?

quote>

If you do a guided tour, yes you get I believe half an hour of beer free. But the guys behind the bar tend to fill your glass rather sloooowly..

Grolsch is rather expensive, I only buy it for special occaisions, like my birthday.

[theman2000 0]

greetings from a UK customer! hmmm, give me an american classic, Pancakes, canadian bacon and a nice warn coffee, strong

Greetings from England! This place is naiiiiice. Hmm, all that travelling sure has made me hungry, give us the chef's recomendation with a laaarge soda and beer please =D

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

The chef recommends avoiding consecutive posts.  That is what the edit button is for.

However, welcome theman2000.  Folks from over home are always welcome.  I hope you are hungry because we are serving only the best today.  You have before you a fine rack of lamb (done pink)  with boiled parsley potatoes, drawn butter, and the veggies of the day consisting of carrots, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and broccoli.  A duxelle of mushrooms accompanies this along with a side of mint sauce.  Dessert will be an old English favorite, trifle with clotted cream.  The autobar will serve whatever you would like to drink with this.  Enjoy.

[Livin in Sim 83]

Originally posted by: theman2000

greetings from a UK customer! hmmm, give me an american classic, Pancakes, canadian bacon and a nice warn coffee, strong

Greetings from England! This place is naiiiiice. Hmm, all that travelling sure has made me hungry, give us the chef's recomendation with a laaarge soda and beer please =D

quote>

I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of combining your two short visits into one longer sojourn.  Patrons of the Moose do tend to get a little confused when folks go out and come right back in again.    At any rate, glad you decided to rejoin us.

Howdy, Mr Moose.  What's in the dumpster---I mean--on the special board today?  Ah, rack of lamb, lovely presentation!

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Spring is sprung!  Now if all the snow would just melt.  Rain today, high around 10?C.

Spring Weekend Menu

Shrimp Cocktail with Horseradish Tomato Sauce

Grilled Rack of Lamb with Mint Sauce

Vegetables of the Season, Parmesan Sprinkles

Strawberries with Clotted Cream (Chilean Strawberries)

May we suggest: A nice blush wine, dry, from the slopes of the Andes

 

 

This menu uses as much product of Chile as we can get. Things are a little dicey there just now.

[Meastro444 1]

I'll take the Spring Weekend Menu. Without the shrimps please. I don't like fish at all.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Done.  Enjoy your meal.

I am surprised that one who lives in a maritime nation disllikes fish.  One had better be very careful on what protiet one eats, then for fish meal if often used in animal feeds.

[Meastro444 1]

II do not understand you. You think I have something against fish?

I just dislike the taste of it.

Care to have a La Veuve Cliquot with me?

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

{pours} A votre santé.

Well, some fish I can stand but I am not keen on the oily ocean types.  I suppose you lack exposure to many more succulent fresh water fish that we have in North America (Arctic Char for example).  Have you ever tried sushi or sashimi?  Fish is quite different served au naturel rather than cooked.

[Meastro444 1]

No, I have tried fish, but I do not like it at all. The only fish I like is salmon. Smoked salmon on toast. Yummy!

Some wine with it. Very nice.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Only the best for you, I see.  Well, I can certainly understand your liking for smoked salmon.  In this country salmon comes in two varieties: east coast or Restiguoche, and west coast or Sockeye.  Either can be smoked, and often are.

I am not a great lover of fish, but I do get a craving once in a while.  Fish is best battered with beer and deep fried.  This even works with salmon, but I admit to perferring it smoked with chopped onion. chopped egg and capers.  A dry white wine or champagne goes best with this.

Since yours is also an agricultural nation, what foods do you prefer?

[Meastro444 1]

I prefer pastas, potatoes or rice with a sauce and some meat.

Here in Holland you can buy all kinds of sauces in powder form. Just add water and some vegetables and you got some nice food. It doesn't beat the sauces my parents make, I still need to learn how to do that.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Sauces are a push over.  If you want a "normal" sauce base put some chopped onions, carrots and celery in a pot with the meat you are going to cook or stock base (beef, chicken bouillion).  Cook the veggies, strain them out and there you are, a nice sauce base.  Now you just reduce it to the desired consistency, add whatever flavorings complement the course, add a blob of butter, salt and pepper to taste and you are done.  If done with beef, this makes a simple brown sauce (demi-glace) that is the base for many others.

If you substitue sweet peppers (capsicum) for the carrots, you get a creole sauce.  Very good to use when tomatoes are featured in the sauce.

Of course, garlic is always an option.

Now, if you take about a litre of your demi-glace add a litre of red wine and reduce it again to one-half, add beef cubes, mushrooms, sliced onions, a little garlic and pot herbs (chervil and/or terragon) you've made a very nice boeuf bourguignon.  Don't be shy, and get a good cook book.  It will help you get started until you become more confident.  Don't be too slavish on the recipes, cooking is an art.

Happy St. Patrick's day.

[Meastro444 1]

I will learn how to make proper sauces in due time. For now, the dehydrated ones will suffice. What does straining them out mean? And how do I reduce a sauce to it's desired consistency?

Also, I would like a good coffee. Preferably with some extra milk.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Originally posted by: Meastro444

I will learn how to make proper sauces in due time. For now, the dehydrated ones will suffice. What does straining them out mean? And how do I reduce a sauce to it's desired consistency?

Also, I would like a good coffee. Preferably with some extra milk. quote>

• Café au lait servi
• To strain a sauce usually means to pass it through a net strainer (usually metal).  The alternate for a very clear sauce is through a filter paper (e.g. coffee filter)
• Reduce means shrink the volume by boiling.  As it reduces it get thicker, and when you are there, just take it off the burner.

Becoming a saucier is time-consuming, and you will learn several neat tricks along the way.  By the way, if your sauce seems dull and doesn't need salt, try adding some lemon juice, slowly, to taste.

[Meastro444 1]

Merci beaucoup. I haven't had french lessons in 3 and a half years so it might not be correctly spelled.

Will a thickening agent do the job as well?

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

A sauce with too much water in it lacks richness.  You can thicken by adding a slurry of flour and water with some care.  Flour thickeners need to cook for at least five minutes after adding to avoid a floury taste.  If there is not enough fat to make the roux, you should add butter.  This sauce will be opaque.

Corn starch may be used where in much less quantity when more transparency is needed.  Use a water/corn starch slurry.

In all cases of added gluten thickeners, whisk vigorously when adding the slurry to avoid a lumpy sauce.  With sauces, the real secret is patience and preparation.  Love your sauce and the love appears on the plate.

Some of the other thickeners such as guar gum really need an understanding of molecular gastronomy.  Sorry, not my bag.  I am just too old fashioned, and haven't found a good reason to venture into this area as yet.

[Meastro444 1]

You could say I am a child of the instant-sauces.

Anyway, I have my third go at a driverslicence today. I hope I won't fail it again.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Good luck.  In Holland, do you drive on the right or the left side of the road?

---

---

Later (09:19 PM)  I have decided to diet for a while because I am getting too heavy again.  Tonight's dinner consisted of:

• 100 gm. beef tenderloin, broiled, rare (about 210 Calories)
• five asparagus tips, lightly nuked with a little water and salt (30 Calories or so)
• A hunk of home made bread ripped from the loaf to mop the juices (~50 Calories)
• Water to drink

The dogs got about half the bread as I had more than enough to mop the plate.

Being a diabetic, I have to really watch this, but I think I can keep it balanced. 

I had 15 ml of cane sugar (54 Calories) in my morning drink which also contained 60 ml of skim milk.  The rest was cocoa and coffee.

[Meastro444 1]

Yay! I passed my driverslicence test. Tomorrow I'll order it and I hope I'll have it by friday. I am so happy! We drive on the right side of the road. Hella scary when you drive in England.

Lightly nuked... I have no clue what it means in that context. Nuke in my lexicon means something else...

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Originally posted by: Meastro444

Yay! I passed my driverslicence test. Tomorrow I'll order it and I hope I'll have it by friday. I am so happy! We drive on the right side of the road. Hella scary when you drive in England.

Lightly nuked... I have no clue what it means in that context. Nuke in my lexicon means something else...quote>

Means popped in the microwave oven for a short burst of cookiing.  Nuke is one of those English slang words that has multiple meanings.  I did not obliterate my asparagus in a fission/fusion reaction but merely agitated its molecules with a little radiation.

Congratulations on your license.  Just remember that it is a permit and not a license to run roughshod over the rules.

[Meastro444 1]

I know, I know. Tomorrow I will order it and I hope it will be ready by friday. Then on saturday I will drive me and my sister and parents to my grandparents. It's a 10 minute drive, but I am really excited

Also, am I the only one who dares to post here besides you?

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Originally posted by: Meastro444

Also, am I the only one who dares to post here besides you?

quote>

No, but business has been really slow.  I suspect people are falling away, and new people haven't caught on because I have stopped posting in most of the other forums since I no longer play SC4 due to technical problems on my machine.  Things will pick up after March break is over in the colleges, I hope.

[Meastro444 1]

Ah well, I suppose I am the only here to engage in social activities. Just like you.