Too much salt!

The seasoning of food can be such a delicate balance that sometimes you get it wrong!  I was always told that you can add but you can't take away - so with that in mind and allowing for personal tastes, I try and err on the side of caution when adding salt and pepper to sauces, gravy etc!  One of my lasganes last week, failed to live up to its usually high reputation and I was told by two people who ate it that it was "just a little too salty" for ther liking!  This reminded me of the occasion when the great Raymond Blanc who was setting out on his career as a chef in France, when asked by the head chef to taste a dish and give his opinion, told the Chef that it was too salty!  The Head chef took exception to this and clouted the young Raymond about the head with a frying pan, sacked him from the restaurant and as a result Monsieur Blanc went into self imposed exile in Britain - France's loss I guess!

So much of Raymond's cooking has been influenced by his mother and it was with great delight that I was able to tell Maman Cope during her visit last week that all my culinary skills had been inherited from her - she didn't believe me and reminded me that my father was never seen in the kitchen unless it was to do the washing up.  Nevertheless, I set out to impress mother with a varied menu during the few days that she was with us.  She's not one for fancy food, so anything with chillis in was out.  She's TT so nothing with alcohol in.  She doesn't like to eat late so meals had to be prepared and cooked before 7.30pm.  So I fell back into good home cooking - roast beef & home made Yorkshire pudding, fillet of pork casserole with mushrooms - I did cheat with this one and added a can of condensed mushroom soup as the sauce - just like my Mamma used to make!  And a lasagne on Friday, making sure I didn't put too much salt in it!  The table was set, the square of steaming lasagne sat neatly on the plate surrounded by a fresh green salad and mother takes hold of the salt and procedes to scatter the grains of sea salt all over her lasagne - without even tasting it!  C'est la vie!  Anyway, it was nice to see her and we kept her busy with shopping and trips to Hay on Wye!

Three new books were added to my cookery collection this week - New Bistro by Fran Warde which includes recipes from some of France's finest Bistros - the pork fillet cooked with with rhubarb looks interesting - Barbecues - 200 great recipes, does exactly as it says on the tin and a Thai Cookery book which I picked up in a charity shop for 99p!  So plenty to keep me going.

It's also been Sue's last week in work - after 13 years of working in the same Nursey school the curtains to the Wendy House have been drawn, the sandpit locked away and the dressing up box closed -  a momentous occasion and one that brought tears to a lot of peoples eyes - it just won't be the same without her!

Not having had a curry for a few days I decided to treat Sue & I to a Thai prawn curry with nodles and beansprouts.  Very tasty!  Sue's verdict - it was a little too salty for her liking - where's that frying pan?!!