Raymond does Charcuterie

As I currently struggle to plan the making of my own ham and chorizo I found much encouragement in the unending enthusiasm of Raymound Blanc who this week in his current 'Kitchen Secrets' series cover Charcuterie (cured meat). Last year I tasted myself some of the very best local french produce and the local smoked(donkey meat) cured sausages were among the highlights in terms of quality, texture and deep flavour, here Raymound lets you in on the simplicity of some of the most highly regarded dishes in the world.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00ztf1l/Raymond_Blancs_Kitchen_Secrets_Series_2_Charcuterie/

Port Magazine (no.. not that Port... sadly)

Heads up, there's a new gentleman's monthly loose on the market.
Titled 'Port' it aims to take on the monoliths of men's light reading Esquire and GQ. It certainly looks interesting (it should be at £6 an issue); contributions from Fergus Henderson (who possibly rivals Mark Hix in terms of foodie credentials)and Samantha Morton on film, with contributing editors for the first issue including  Jon Snow and author Hanif Kureishi. As if they hadn't declared there seriousness enough they also stuck Mr''I don't like puppies or breasts'' Daniel Day-Lewis on the cover. 
At a first glance, the format doesn't differ wildly from Esquire's, with a clear focus on unaffordable high end style. However it's chief editor Dan Crowe's clear intention to pursue  a return to the quality of the writing itself which may prove to be Port's trump card... 

Port issue 1 is currently on sale  

On the Menu..Green Risotto

Ingredients

• 100g frozen peas
• 100g salad spinach
• 20g fresh mint
• 3 tbsp crème fraîche
• salad onions
• 1 litre Vegetable Stock
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 350g arborio rice
• 150ml white wine
• 75g Parmigiano Reggiano (or Pecorino), finely grated

Method

1.)Cook the peas in boiling water for 2 minutes. Wilt and drain the spinach and add into a food processor with the mint and crème fraîche. Blend until smooth.

2.)In a large pan, heat the stock and bring to a gentle simmer.

3.)Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pan, add the onions and cook for 2 minutes, until soft. Stir in the rice, pour in the wine and allow to bubble. Add a ladle of hot stock and cook until all the liquid is absorbed, stirring constantly. Continue to add the stock ladle by ladle, stirring, until the rice is creamy.

4,)Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese. Add the green purée to the rice and stir to combine. Season.

Particualy excellent is to serve the Risotto as shown with some roasted bird; chicken,turkey and particulaly pheasent work very well. Additionally it serves to turn this dish into a hearty main meal. Serve with leftovers, as an added treat pour the roasting juices over the risotto itself, exceptional.

Attenborough and the Giant Egg

We don't often find there is much to recommend on your  visual-information boxes these days, but stalwart of excellence, childhood hero to all and always of interest and consideration David Attenborough produces and presents a surprisingly personal experience of the natural world. In 1960 he visited the island of Madagascar (Malagasy Republic to some of our readers)  to film one of his first ever wildlife series, Zoo Quest.
Whilst he was there, he acquired a giant egg. Being British by birth he took it home (as is his right). It was the egg of an extinct bird known as the 'elephant bird' - the largest bird that ever lived. It has been one of his most treasured possessions ever since.
Fifty years older, he now returns to the island to find out more about this amazing creature and to see how the island has changed. Could the elephant bird's fate provide lessons that may help protect Madagascar's remaining wildlife? 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00z6dsg/Attenborough_and_the_Giant_Egg/

London Fashion Week Highlights: Junya Wantanabe

Not ones to ever stray from classic dress sense it is with some trepidation that I suggest to the club some new garbs beyond mottled red cords and a threadbare tweed. However I put forth for your consideration Junya Wantabe's (who has fashioned Barbour coats in the past) ideas for next winter...

Norse blazers and handlebar moustaches!

But don't worry chaps, he makes tweeds too..



Tipple Of The Week

This week's tipple hails from that legendary venue of mixological prowess the Cafe Royal, which very sadly closed it doors  on us tweeded ascetics in 2008 (after 143 years and a nefarious legal war with Oscar Wilde). Ever delusional of the present we the Ataraxians bring you a little something from the past. Possibly encouraged by our recent jaunt to the West country, and Old Tweedy's dangerous fascination for trying to incorporate cider into cocktails (in fact screw cocktails - gin and dry cider now corrodes his frontal cortex) we present..

The Avenue
Ingredients:
28ml Somerset Cider Brandy
28 ml  Four Roses Bourbon
28 ml Passion fruit puree
a dash of Grenadine
a dash of Orange flower water

Method:
Shake well and serve into a chilled cocktail glass

Nearly affordable.. Montgomery art deco cocktail shaker (£130 Ralph Lauren)

This is perhaps not one to attempt at home,given the nature of the ingredients. However,find a well equipped bar and it should be worth the wait.The drink has a distinctive perfume with a haunting obituary. At it's climax the brandy and  passion fruit juice jostle to find sure footing but no clear note is evident, the bourbon is almost totally hidden in the drink simply providing a soft sweet warmth.

This is works to form a rather  ethereal character to the drink. 

Such ghostly touches echo across your tongue leaving you faintly confused, amused and rather eager to have another.

Round the Wireless!

This week the moustachioed Colonels, Brigadiers and other assorted Commissioned Officers of the Club have been boogying along to What You Know, an uplifting indie pop confection from preppy newcomers Two Door Cinema Club. Perhaps it's that catchy guitar riff that's got them hooked. Or perhaps the video, which features a bevy of brunette beauties dancing about in - as one distinguished Club member huskily puts it - "damned tight formation."

The old gents have been practising for the better part of a week, and can now reproduce the dancers' routine near-perfectly. It's quite a sight to behold. Unfortunately for copyright reasons I cannot post a film of their performance here, and must instead link you to the original video. You'll just have to make do with watching the girls. I'm so sorry.