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Post by 3piggles on Nov 4, 2016 18:50:04 GMT
Okay, question to the UK contingient, what is clotted cream. I googled it, and got a strange response that it's sort of like Cool Whip with sour cream and sugar added, that it's nothing at all like whipped cream of any kind, but is the result of a process that, if I'm reading it right, wastes a lot of milk and does seem to need sour cream added. Some said it's sweet. Others said it's not sweet. Others have said it's like cottage cheese, and some even said it was like cream cheese. Whipped cream, which is what we use as a basic topping, is heavy cream, a certain amount of sugar(1-3 Tbs) depending on desired taste, and vanilla extract. It is whipped at high speed until it thickens and forms peaks. Sour cream is a process of adding souring bacteria to the cream that is skimmed off the top of milk, and letting it ferment until it reaches the right thickness. Cream cheese seems to be made by adding stabilizers to milk, cream or a combination of both. Cottage cheese is the process of separating the curd from the whei in milk. So of all of these things, what is clotted cream? Jo, I think one of the best things about making ice cream at home is that you can makt it what you want it to be. Not too hard, not too soft, not too sweet, with crunchy things, without crunchy things, as chocolaty or non-chocolaty as you want, etc. It also doesn't make huge amounts, so you don't have to store or eat half a gallon of one kind. I'm really looking forward to making some, and trying those recipes
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Post by Bean on Nov 5, 2016 11:22:24 GMT
Jo, will be the expert on clotted cream, given where she lives!
It's basically a very thick, heavy cream that you can spread on scones etc, and is made by baking regular cream - nothing else is added.
It's traditionally made by putting regular cream (heavy cream with as high a % of fat as possible) in to dishes with a large surface area and then putting those dishes on a tray containing water and baking in the oven for several hours until it becomes almost solid on top. When cooled, it takes on more of a buttery 'melt in your mouth' taste and texture, and is considered very indulgent!
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Post by jolovespiggies on Nov 5, 2016 15:24:46 GMT
My goodness Bean and Piggles my loves, you have done homework. I am afraid I am completely ignorant as to how clotted cream is made, I just know that it is delicious and is essential as part of a cream tea. Double (heavy) cream can be used if whipped for long enough but tends to be naughty and not stay on the scone where it should as clotted cream does lol!! I agree Piggles hun about making ice cream, it is entirely what you want it to be and I must get cracking and make some. Bean love, I imagine your part of the world to have lots of lovely tea shops, I think they are spreading as they are becoming more popular.
Hugs JO xx
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Post by Bean on Nov 7, 2016 9:44:23 GMT
Yes, there are lots of quaint little tea shops up here, especially out in the more rural areas. The ones around city centres don't tend to be as authentic, although you do get the odd one that does a grand job.
As a teenager I used to work in an old fashioned tea room where we had to wear frilly white aprons and served lots of cream teas! I agree that whipped double cream doesn't come close to the consistency of clotted cream. I'm not a fan of cream though, so the subtleties of the flavours of each type are probably lost on me!
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Post by 3piggles on Nov 7, 2016 13:21:25 GMT
If my research is correct, making your own clotted cream is far superior to buying it premade. The problem I see with that is that it's time and energy intensive to only make as much as you'll use at a family dinner. If we have to pay for the energy to run the oven for hours, we want something big to come out of it, and have lots of useful leftovers. So basically it's a lot more like whipped creamery butter, than it is like any of the cheeses or topping creams. Cool!
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Post by Bean on Nov 8, 2016 8:08:33 GMT
Yes, it's a long time to leave your oven on. I suppose if you used it for other things at the same time then the cream might take on those flavours, so that wouldn't be ideal!
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Post by jolovespiggies on Nov 8, 2016 9:11:05 GMT
That must have been lovey Bean hunni, I love tea shops like that with pretty tablecloths and napkins. What was it like working there love? I always fancied having a tea shop but they say there is no money in it, if that were the case I don't think any would now exist. About the only time I eat cream is with a cream tea so it is practically never. It is difficult as Paul isn't keen on them. I wouldn't know where to start Piggles love to make my own clotted cream, I think I will leave that to the experts Hugs Jo xx
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Post by Bean on Nov 8, 2016 10:32:39 GMT
I worked there with one of my friends so it was good fun - it was in a lovely area of the Yorkshire Dales and generally the customers were really friendly. But you did get some prissy old ladies in who would shoot daggers at you if you didn't serve perfectly (from the correct side, cutlery perfectly aligned, no drips etc) and there's nothing to make you a little clumsy better than someone staring at your every move with high expectations! I think they wanted us to curtsy !
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Post by 3piggles on Nov 8, 2016 16:58:40 GMT
We were taught to serve from the left and clear from the right, but it turns out that's not right. I thought you'd enjoy this, Bean: dobbs.lostsoulsgenealogy.com/glimpses/serveremovefood.htm There probably was a time when not only the waitstaff knew all of these things but those being served did, too. Now, and even when you were working at the tea house, I think those ladies just wanted to be recognized as "those who knew," even if no one else cared. There are some restaurants that still cater to the stuffed shirt crowd, who would want the waitstaff to know that. Mostly, it's about getting the food on the table, and getting the dishes off the table in a way that interferes with the diners the least. Jo, I think there is money to be made with a tea house, but I think tea houses that are restricted to the cream teas, might not be as popular as they once were. Tea houses that cater to a wide variety of diner preferences are probably quite popular. There are a lot of really great teas, so offering many options, and having a waitstaff that is knowledgeable about the different teas, would help a lot. Have lots of sweet and savory food options, including gluten free and vegan, would also appeal to a lot more people than the old tea houses. Even offering croisant and scone sandwiches would probably get more customers. Our main donut shop, Dunkin' Donuts, offeres breakfast and lunch sandwiches on bagels, pita, English muffins and croisants. They are all lite fare that can be put together quickly and zapped in the microwave to melt the cheese, so not a lot of waiting, which customers hate. I definitely think a tea house could be a very viable business. Just provide the right choices, a quiet atmosphere, and good service, all of which are so hard to find.
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Post by Bean on Nov 9, 2016 9:11:17 GMT
Haha all those rules are so funny - who has the time or energy to be bothered, let alone uptight, about this stuff?! Fair enough you'd like to not have your plate dropped on your lap when it's being cleared, but most of it's just common sense!
We were reading something on etiquette a while back and how to get someone to pass you something at the dinner table. If we're all sitting at a table and the potatoes are by you, 3piggles, but I'd like them, it would be really crass for me to ask 'Please could you pass me the potatoes, 3piggles?'. Instead I should say '3piggles, would you like some more potatoes?' to which you'd reply 'No thank you, would you like some more potatoes, Bean?' to which I'd reply 'Yes please!' and then you'd pass them down! The kids found it funny and still do it at the dinner table sometimes 'Mum, would *you* like some more pasta?' - sometimes I forget and knowing it's right in front of me where I could get it if I wanted it, I look at them oddly before I remember!
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Post by jolovespiggies on Nov 9, 2016 9:44:30 GMT
Ha ha too true Bean love, you just know as soon as they walk in what they are going to be like. The old trouts probably had servants and expected the same from you lol! I think you are right Piggles love, they have to offer more nw than just scones and jam. I spoke to a chap in Looe many years ago who had a sweet shop with a tea shop above. He was the one who told me there was no money in it; restaurants yes but not tea shops apparently which rather proves your point. Haha that is funny about the pasta Bean hun lol!
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by 3piggles on Nov 9, 2016 20:19:49 GMT
Love that, Bean We could have so much fun making that into a comedy routine Sort of the Fawlty Towers approach to civilized living, lol What I always found humorous was that the peerage of properly entitled people created all of these rules to prove they were better than everyone else, but as many as possible, all of the everyone else's learned all those rules, and started doing them too. The poor uppity people not being able to keep the lowers from imitating them Thanks for the good laugh, Bean I do prefer the less stilted way of doing things now, though I think it goes too far sometimes, to total rudeness in restaurants. Big hullaballoo on Facebook about a restaurant just for adults, no children. I'd like that. No loud kids yelling so I can't hear my conversation, no out of control kids running around the restaurant, kicking the back of my seat. I could handle that.
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Post by Bean on Nov 10, 2016 9:19:54 GMT
I've never appreciated restaurants for letting kids run amok. I wanted mine to learn to be grown up and sit nicely, even if it meant we had to bring a notebook and play hangman or something while we were waiting to keep them occupied during any long waits. My son, who loves maths, used to enjoy totting up the bills for us after we'd ordered! If they were really struggling (which I don't think happened much at all), I'd just take them outside for a bit to let a bit of energy out - I'd always be thinking of the other diners and made sure they knew that was as important as them having a nice time.
Of course you factor in a bit of leniency when people have very young kids, but not to the point of encouraging them to peg around treating the restaurant like a play area. Some pubs have play areas adjoining the restaurant so kids can go and play - it's kind of a good idea but does muddle the boundaries a bit and they come back in to where all the tables are all hyped up and giddy and causing the waiting staff grief!
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Post by jolovespiggies on Nov 10, 2016 9:39:36 GMT
I like children to be well behaved in restaurants too Piggles love, I always was. I think there are some pubs/restaurants here that ban them because of their bad behaviour. I just had to sit there quietly. I prefer the less stuffy ways of today but I still like etiquette and nice manners to be observed.
You are right Bean hunni, there are pubs and restaurants which have an area designated for kiddies and I think it is a good idea. It is infuriating when the parents let them run around and shriek. Sometimes when this happens I wish that the management would tell them to leave.
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by 3piggles on Nov 10, 2016 20:49:39 GMT
Jo, I was at a restaurant with kids getting out of control, and management did nothing. When the waiter came to take our order, we said we couldn't eat in a place full of screaming kids running around, banging on the backs of our seats, etc., and left the restaurant. We were required to sit quietly, and my parents brought coloring books or something to keep us busy. I did the same thing, and other than talking nonstop, Lesley was usually pretty good. She did yell "I went poo poo," across the Chinese restaurant to her father, who was back at our table. I think she was about 1.5 at the time, and the diners just chuckled. We explained to her that she had to wait until she got back to the table to talk to her father, when she was in a restaurant.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Nov 11, 2016 9:40:37 GMT
I find it infuriating when parents and management do nothing as in the case you speak of Bean love. I was made to sit quietly to and I think they should these days also. The lack of discipline is dreadful and it ruins it for so many people, I don't blame you for walking out. Ha ha, children tend to be very uninhibited when it comes to bodily functions and I bet the whole place was in an uproar. I on the other hand from about 3 onwards was very shy about such things and always had to whisper to my mother when I needed to go to the loo.
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by 3piggles on Nov 11, 2016 21:47:09 GMT
That's how it was when we were raised, Jo. Children weren't supposed to make a lot of noise or interrupt, when adults where talking. No one really mentioned bodily functions, as if they were some sort of taboo. It was really stupid, because kids grew up without the benefit of things like sex education, all because, oh my! we can't discuss that out loud. My only issue with now discussing it openly, is that it's become all the rage to discuss it, whether it's the gratuitous sex scene in every freaking movie, the simulated sex on stage in a lot of music videos, the outfits women wear that were only worn by hookers when I was growing up. It's all a bit much, and any sense of tasefulness seems to have been lost completely.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Nov 12, 2016 16:30:38 GMT
I remember making sure that an adult had really finishes what they were saying before I said anything and if someone spoke at the same time, I used to back off and apologise. I don't think those days should come back but I agree with you about sex hun. I think it is good in many ways that it is discussed openly but there are times when it is inappropriate and we should bear this in mind when thinking about raising the subject. Don't mind sex jokes of course, there have been some great ones on here.
Hugs JO xx
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Post by 3piggles on Nov 12, 2016 22:06:53 GMT
I don't mind sex jokes if they're funny, but I prefer them not to be totally tasteless, or totally sexist, which too often they are. There used to be a couple of male comics who were worse than Trump when it came to talking about women, and some women loved that. Never could understand that?
I also think manners are necessary for us to all get along in small spaces. My granddaughter interrupts endlessly, and always has. Her mother lets her do about 50 times, then yells at her. While we were always supposed to give the floor to the adults, if we were polite, we got to talk. When Peanut is with us, I tell her Grammy and Grampy's house rules don't allow for constant interruptions. She forgets a bit at first, but then she's fine with waiting her turn. I have noticed that both Lesley and Jay just tolerate impoliteness endlessly. Lesley will eventually blow up at the kids, but Jay doesn't even do that. Unfortunately, too many kids have no manners, and just demand attention when they think of it.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Nov 13, 2016 16:26:12 GMT
I agree Piggles love, the sex jokes have to be clever and witty as well, not a so called joke just for the sake of the sex element. Some jokes told about women are disgusting and it amazes me also that some women will laugh at them. Manners anywhere are essential and I think you are right to tell Peanut that interrupting isn't allowed. Where as she forgets sometimes bless her, I wouldn't have dared forget lol! How are they going to manage when they are older if they have atrocious manners as children and not corrected when necessary.
Hugs JO xx
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