Great Cruising Memories

[Lowiepete]

8 hours ago, CGTNORMANDIE said:

The figs you describe are called Kadota figs.  They are readily available in the US.  I believe they are grown and canned in California.

 

Maybe now they're grown in CA now, but that's probably more recent than in the mid 1960s. The ones I speak of always came from Mediterranean countries, as do my current tins, grown and packed in Greece. If ever I offer them as a desert, even with an aquavit / kirsch flambe treatment to knock off the sweet edge, people will enquire about alternatives. Not part of a British palate, sadly.

 

Why Greek Figs are a superfood...

 

Regards,
Steve 

Edited February 6, 2021 by Lowiepete

[CGTNORMANDIE]

4 minutes ago, Lowiepete said:

 

Maybe now they're grown in CA now, but that's probably more recent than in the mid 1960s. The ones I speak of always came from Mediterranean countries, as do my current tins, grown and packed in Greece. If ever I offer them as a desert, even with an aquavit / kirsch flambe treatment to knock off the sweet edge, people will enquire about alternatives. Not part of a British palate, sadly.

 

Regards,
Steve 

I’m sure that you can still find them from the Med...Greece.  The Greeks love dried fruit.  I was also going to say that you can take the big light brown Greek dried figs and boil them in water with lemon slices until you reach a light syrup consistency...then refrigerate.  The result is very much like the Kadota figs.   

[CGTNORMANDIE]

1 hour ago, Heidi13 said:

After a 4-month contract and eating mostly amazing meals daily, on arrival home, all I wanted was a couple of greasy Scotch pies and a few pints of heavy. For breakfast, a plate of Bubble & Squeak and fried eggs just hit the spot.

DW and I know the feeling.  After two weeks on a cruise ship we are ready for simple and plain home cooked food.  We can only take so much of a good thing.  

[Lowiepete]

Hello Folks,

 

Speaking of flambées, I'm able to recreate a cruise meal, or more correctly, a Pullman Train meal at will. I have an alcove that I've converted into a railway dining car compartment (Picture #3), alongside which is its dumb waiter. I have toned down the blunt commercial aspects of the public vehicle, giving it a more relaxed feel. 

 

The Pullman Car Company once used the Indian Tree pattern for its china, and most pieces fetch a king's ransom today. Instead, being that it's in a domestic situation, I have gone for the lighter bone china versions and the complete service, for up to 6, lives in a compartment above what's  seen in picture #1. What's been cut off in picture #1 is the claim of Pullman Car property on the cloth.

 

The spirit burner was a tremendous find and came with the silver plated copper pan and some utensils. I got them for a song, where even with the delivery costs added it was still a bargain. Quite what they cost new is anyone's guess.

 

Invited guests are sent personalised Pullman Reservations, Seat Reservations and get to take home a dedicated menu. The "train" will either be called "The Green Goddess" or "The Cunard Midlander" depending upon starting point, Liverpool the former and Carlisle the latter. Proper bills of lading are posted in the "window", so everyone knows the train's route, either via Cheltenham or Oxford. 

 

Through the "window" in Picture #3 is Carlisle station. What's interesting is that the photograph is faced with non-reflective glass and the lights from within the mock "ventilators" in the ceiling have a dramatic effect on the depicted sun's rays. Turn the lights up or down a bit on their dimmer and just the shafts get brighter / dimmer accordingly. 

 

One thing that thrills me is in seeing guests' faces as I do the table reveal, with Pullman tablecloth, napkins and ice-chilled Cunard butter dish, with curls properly dressed with 2 tiny sprigs of parsley.

 

Here's part of a typical menu from when I first built the "diner"...

 

Avocado Pâté Maison

A home-made paste from Avocado Pear and Atlantic Pilchards, 
blended with finely chopped green olives, capers and dill pickles, 
garnished with tomato slices, chopped parsley and lemon wedges. 
Served with warmed onion and chive crackers

 

Flamed King Prawns Caronia

King Prawns sautéed in oyster butter, flamed with Cognac,  blended 
into a fresh cream sauce with chopped plum tomatoes, onions, garlic

and mushrooms, garnished with chopped parsley. A traditional Cunard

dish, prepared at table

Wine: Vin de Savoie - Les Sommets 2001
A light fruity wine, with a slightly crisp edge and aromas of citrus 
fruits, a perfect accompaniment to seafood

 

Glazed Lamb Shanks

Leg shanks of Welsh Lamb slow-cooked in a root vegetable bouillon, 
glazed with fresh apricot and redcurrant sauce

Vegetables: 
Buttered sugar-snap peas, Climbing french beans Romano,
Sweetcorn and mock roast potatoes

Wine:
 Grand Vin de Bourgogne - Givry - Tatreaux Jean et Fils 1997. The 
seductive aromas of Pinot Noir - black fruits, cassis and raspberries 
move on to a round, smooth palate with excellent balance and length

 

Feeling hungry yet? 😉

 

Back to the dumb waiter...

The lower part is my "cave", with a selection of 25 fine or fining wine mostly from Italy, Spain, France and Portugal. I buy the wines young and fairly cheaply as I watch the purchase costs grow, sometimes out of proportion, over the years. My last 20thC wine was a Beaune and it accompanied the lamb shanks "escoffier" perfectly. As a wine store, it's not a bad substitute, it's reasonably cool as no direct sunlight hits that corner; it's dark and not subject to great temperature changes. Over the years I've had less than 5 failures, 2 of those where I waited too long. 

 

Oh my, it'll be good to be inviting guests once more...

 

Regards,

Steve

[shipgeeks]

Steve, That is fantastic!  Thank you for sharing.

[CGTNORMANDIE]

Hey Steve,  I’m coming over!!  I love lamb shanks...yours sound divine.  Your wine selection is superb!  I love the Pullman setup...and the suitcases are a great touch.  How’s your Steak Diane??  Was there a lot of table side flaming on Caronia??  

[Lowiepete]

2 hours ago, CGTNORMANDIE said:

Hey Steve,  I’m coming over!!  I love lamb shanks...yours sound divine.  Your wine selection is superb!  I love the Pullman setup...and the suitcases are a great touch.  How’s your Steak Diane??  Was there a lot of table side flaming on Caronia??  

 

The lamb shanks recipe is an old escoffier one where after 2 hours of slow simmer, you swap out the cooking / cooked veg for a new lot, but keeping the liquor. Once brought to a simmer, I cook the pot over 4 candle tea-lights; for both sessions.

 

The removed veg don't go to waste, they make fantastic soups or the basis of a stock pot if you have meat bones to deal with! A couple of beef knuckles will fill the place with a distinctive "aroma". You might find dogs suddenly become very obedient!

 

Meat sealed with hot oil, before being drained back into pan to caramelise sliced red onion, chopped shallot and crushed garlic mix. Veg choose from... celery (chunky sliced) / celeriac, swede, small turnips, carrots (usually Vichy kept whole), parsnip chunks, leeks, marrowfat peas, silverskin / button onions / small shallots (also kept whole). Bouquet Garni added, with 4 to 6 bay leaves and half bottle of red wine. Beef stock added to almost cover. (Liquor out of veg will also do its bit) You'll need to do a skim-off after an hour or so.

 

Swap veggies over after 2 hours and add whole button / shitake mushrooms and broil for further 90mins. Make glaze from fresh chopped apricots, red currants or cranberries mixed with dark sugar and chopped mint. (Only a hint). Lightly season the shanks. Baste with glaze and finish in roasting tin on highish heat to set - then allow to rest on drained veg (bouquet garni + bay leaves removed). Make a rich gravy from the drained veg liquor, thicken with potato flour and adjust seasoning with sea salt / coarse black pepper. 

 

A note about the mushrooms - if using mixed mushrooms in olive/veggie oil, do rinse away the excess oil with warm water. There is enough fat from the meat, and excess oil will prevent / reduce a sharing of flavours.

 

My wine choices were once abetted by a friend who ran a local wine import business. I'd go down and buy a case every once in a while, until he gave up the business when they pushed him out of his warehouse to build a certain bypass. Sadly, he became very suddenly no longer with us.

 

The roundel you can see hanging from the suitcase is one from the Great World Cruise and the item has evidence of having at least done a transat on board too. Steak Diane is not something I prepare often as I'm not a great fan of fillet steak - even prefer rump over sirloin, although I'll not turn down a roast rib...

 

Yes, there were several table-side preparations done, anything from Caesar Salad, fish deboning to Bombe Caronia (mint with dark choc chip ice cream made on board) with sweet black cherries flamed with kirsch. The pastry chefs were kept very busy with making Italian meringue!  In both restaurants we had to prepare 3 trolleys per dinner service, one for the Maitre D' and one each for the 2 head waiters. The liquor was kept in the Maitre D's desk.

 

As junior ratings, we were debarred from anything to do with alcohol, except the fuel for the spirit lamps, not that you'd drink it! As I think I've mentioned, people dining in the Sandringham may not have bought themselves superior accommodation. After all, every cabin aboard was "en suite" and maybe you'd only use it to sleep in. However, that did not mean they didn't know their way around a gourmet menu!

 

Regards,

Steve

 

P.S. Did you notice the cutaway of Caronia picture on the carriage wall?

 

 

 

Edited February 7, 2021 by Lowiepete
punctuation

[rkacruiser]

22 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

How about the real Baked Alaska from the 70's & 80's, with actual meringue on the outside and a lit candle on the top. The replicas they provide now are gastly. 

 

Let's include the "60's" in that time frame.  Now, I'll scrape off the "white coating" of whatever it is and the "cake" and get to the ice cream.  

 

9 hours ago, shipgeeks said:

Congee!

 

I tried this when I was in China.  I tried this again in a HAL Lido Restaurant.  I have tried it plain.  I have tried it with additional ingredients added.  I would call it an "interesting" breakfast item that one ought to try.  I believe one ought to try the cuisine where where one travels when it is possible to do.    I do like a bowl of Oatmeal, however.  But, I do not care for Congee.  

[rkacruiser]

5 hours ago, CGTNORMANDIE said:

DW and I know the feeling.  After two weeks on a cruise ship we are ready for simple and plain home cooked food.  We can only take so much of a good thing.  

 

A Big Mac and Fries sometimes becomes comfort food when one is cruising.  

[Lowiepete]

2 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

A Big Mac and Fries sometimes becomes comfort food when one is cruising.  

 

On visits to ports where there were late night returnee pax and they were being offered hot buffet snacks, the chef would lay on good old fish'n'chips for us crew "selected" to be there to await their return to serve them at all hours.

 

Haddock or cod fillets, deep fried in a cider batter, chunky chips, pickled onions and pickled eggs, all properly wrapped in paper - just yummm!

[CGTNORMANDIE]

2 minutes ago, Lowiepete said:

 

On visits to ports where there were late night returnee pax and they were being offered hot buffet snacks, the chef would lay on good old fish'n'chips for us crew "selected" to be there to await their return to serve them at all hours.

 

Haddock or cod fillets, deep fried in a cider batter, chunky chips, pickled onions and pickled eggs, all properly wrapped in paper - just yummm!

Steve, what a rendition for shanks!  Now you have really made me hungry.  BTW...I always make Steak Diane with 1 1/2 inch thick short cuts of the rump.  Filet steak just doesn’t cut it.  We will need the recipe for fish n chips...:)

 

 

[rkacruiser]

12 minutes ago, Lowiepete said:

the chef would lay on good old fish'n'chips

 

😍  Absolutely!  

 

Even after a few days on an Alaskan cruise, dining at a restaurant in Juneau on Halibut and chips was a treat from the ship's cuisine!

[CGTNORMANDIE]

1 hour ago, rkacruiser said:

 

A Big Mac and Fries sometimes becomes comfort food when one is cruising.  

AHHHHH...no...I’ll admit to a whopper or a DQ every 5 years or so but...Big Mac??  Nahhh.  Actually the greatest cheeseburger ever created is made at O’Sullivan’s in Somerville, Mass...or in my own kitchen.  

[Lowiepete]

52 minutes ago, CGTNORMANDIE said:

We will need the recipe for fish n chips...:)

 

British Beer Battered Fish and Chips - substitute cider for beer.

 

 

Skate and Dogfish, on the bone, make good frying candidates too

 

 

Edited February 7, 2021 by Lowiepete
added alternatives

[CGTNORMANDIE]

19 minutes ago, Lowiepete said:

 

British Beer Battered Fish and Chips - substitute cider for beer.

 

 

Skate and Dogfish, on the bone, make good frying candidates too

 

 

I like your idea of using cider.  I do not like beer batters!  Haddock has always been my favorite fried fish:) 

 

[Lowiepete]

Steak Diane --- if you don't use fillet steak, surely, you will need to tenderise the meat first.

 

The problem with flamed sauces that are rendered with cream is that they tend to lose the richness of their flavours as they cool. There's a probability that US butchery differs to that in the UK, because over here a rump steak tends to be half a dinner plate size to start with. A 4cm/1.5inch thick piece will take a long while to eat, much longer than a softer fillet that's only a quarter the size and maybe a tad thicker. 

 

If you halve the meat and then smash it to tenderise it, it'll probably be too thin and you'll then not get long enough to cook it rare _and_ heat it through. By the time you add the necessary resting time, which steak diane doesn't call for, the dish will be a disaster.  Adding a steak diane sauce to a properly cooked rump steak is surely a pale alternative to the real thing, no?

[Heidi13]

18 minutes ago, CGTNORMANDIE said:

I like your idea of using cider.  I do not like beer batters!  Haddock has always been my favorite fried fish:) 

 

 

Same here. Fish supper, or Haddock & Chips is my favourite. Regardless of whether we fly into Edinburgh or train to Leuchars, we always stop at the Guardbridge chippy - fish supper and a single black pudding for me. Then we finally head to St Andrews.

 

When over there, we also head down to Anstruther, were the local chippie won the UK best chippie a few years back

[CGTNORMANDIE]

22 minutes ago, Lowiepete said:

Steak Diane --- if you don't use fillet steak, surely, you will need to tenderise the meat first.

 

The problem with flamed sauces that are rendered with cream is that they tend to lose the richness of their flavours as they cool. There's a probability that US butchery differs to that in the UK, because over here a rump steak tends to be half a dinner plate size to start with. A 4cm/1.5inch thick piece will take a long while to eat, much longer than a softer fillet that's only a quarter the size and maybe a tad thicker. 

 

If you halve the meat and then smash it to tenderise it, it'll probably be too thin and you'll then not get long enough to cook it rare _and_ heat it through. By the time you add the necessary resting time, which steak diane doesn't call for, the dish will be a disaster.  Adding a steak diane sauce to a properly cooked rump steak is surely a pale alternative to the real thing, no?

A short cut is a different steak from a regular round steak.  A short cut is very tender and full of flavor.  No tenderizing necessary.  I believe your UK rump steak is an inside cut from the Top Of The Round which is a lot tougher.  DW prefers short cut of the rump over filet.  You do have to serve the Steak Diane right away...best finished table side.  I once did Steak Diane at a catered dinner party for 16 people.  Thank Heavens I had 2 servers working with me.  

Edited February 7, 2021 by CGTNORMANDIE

[CGTNORMANDIE]

RK mentioned Baked Alaska and Lowiepete  mentioned Italian Meringue.  All of which begs the question...Who made the best baked Alaska??  My guess would be Celecrity back in the day when the Roux brothers were advising the culinary efforts.  When Celebrity Cruises was formed the Chandris family hired the Roux brothers to help with the kitchen/galley design on all their ships and to implement and plan the menus.  The Roux brothers had two famous restaurants with Michelin stars.  Their efforts gave Celebrity Cruises a great reputation for fine classical food onboard.  It was, IMHO, some of the best mass produced food at sea in its day.  The Baked Alaska Parade was done on the last night at sea to dimmed lights and Schubert’s Radetzky March.  Each table received a flaming, no candles, Baked Alaska.  They were the best tasting I had ever had on land or on sea.  

Edited February 7, 2021 by CGTNORMANDIE

[ryndam]

Baked Alaska, oh my. Most memorable presentation was on Costa Romantica with the Triumphal March from Aida blaring from the ceiling speakers. Caesar, aka the cruise director, entered the dining room with his entourage. The lights dimmed and the scenes on the windowcovering changed! The existing ones retracted up as the the triumphal Rome-decorated scenes descended. The first time I have ever witnessed the draperies get a standing ovation!

[CGTNORMANDIE]

14 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Same here. Fish supper, or Haddock & Chips is my favourite. Regardless of whether we fly into Edinburgh or train to Leuchars, we always stop at the Guardbridge chippy - fish supper and a single black pudding for me. Then we finally head to St Andrews.

 

When over there, we also head down to Anstruther, were the local chippie won the UK best chippie a few years back

Finding good F&C around here is a bit of a conundrum.  We have a fish market that makes super F&C and also our local delicacy...fried clams.  The problem is...nowhere to sit and dine:(   We really love getting The Fisherman’s Platter.  That consists of a nice piece of fried haddock, fried clams, fried scallops, fried shrimp, French fries, onion rings and Cole slaw.  YUMMMMM!!

[Lowiepete]

14 hours ago, CGTNORMANDIE said:

I believe your UK rump steak is an inside cut from the Top Of The Round which is a lot tougher.

 

 You do have to serve the Steak Diane right away...

 

Yes, rump steak is very tasty, but even if you prepare it "blue", it still has to rest properly after frying / grilling. So, completely unsuitable for steak diane. I do, occasionally give it a flamed brandy treatment, usually when it's very thick and I have part braised it in a dark mushroom, mustard, horseradish and pepper sauce (no cream). I suspend the steak(s) on the spatula to rest in a covered pan. With the fat not removed, this can still partly be in contact with the sauce, adding flavour as time passes.

 

I would never put Steak Diane on a menu for dinner when people are coming as visitors. It is hopeless to prepare for if they're delayed and takes you away from your guests when you should be paying them, rather than the food, the most attention. Pot roasts, lamb shanks and any "slow cook, no matter how long" dishes are the order of the day. It's all about the flavour! 

 

Regards,

Steve

 

[Lowiepete]

6 minutes ago, CGTNORMANDIE said:

The problem is...nowhere to sit and dine...

 

Mwah,ha,ha, somebody educate this man! It's meant to be "finger food" - no more to be said... 😉 🙂 

[CGTNORMANDIE]

30 minutes ago, Lowiepete said:

 

Mwah,ha,ha, somebody educate this man! It's meant to be "finger food" - no more to be said... 😉 🙂 

Most of the seafood restaurants here, near the ocean, are sit down and dine...knives and forks, plates and no newspaper! 🙂. 

[CGTNORMANDIE]

42 minutes ago, Lowiepete said:

 

Yes, rump steak is very tasty, but even if you prepare it "blue", it still has to rest properly after frying / grilling. So, completely unsuitable for steak diane. I do, occasionally give it a flamed brandy treatment, usually when it's very thick and I have part braised it in a dark mushroom, mustard, horseradish and pepper sauce (no cream). I suspend the steak(s) on the spatula to rest in a covered pan. With the fat not removed, this can still partly be in contact with the sauce, adding flavour as time passes.

 

I would never put Steak Diane on a menu for dinner when people are coming as visitors. It is hopeless to prepare for if they're delayed and takes you away from your guests when you should be paying them, rather than the food, the most attention. Pot roasts, lamb shanks and any "slow cook, no matter how long" dishes are the order of the day. It's all about the flavour! 

 

Regards,

Steve

 

The dinner I was referring to was one I catered at $120 pp.  It was three Hors D’oeuvres, a pasta, granita, the main course, dessert, cheese, pate’ and port...all with wine pairings. Today I would imagine that same meal would be double the price...LOL.