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- Thread starter Gutwrench
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It took me ages (and several phone calls) to get through to the French bakery today, to request that they put aside bread for me, tomorrow.
Well at least you have thought ahead and will have bread for the long weekend.
After a very poor nights sleep, bed isn’t far from my mind.
I usually phone them on a Friday - there is nothing worse than heading in on a Saturday to find that they have sold out; even turning up early doesn't always work; one June morning during the pandemic, having headed in early, to my horror, I discovered that they were sold out of the bread I wanted by 9.00 am.
This is the sort of place that has queues coming out the door (and yes, it is that good).
Anyway, my organic milk (and cream) have been collected, and my bread will be waiting for me tomorrow.
I'll add a few other bits and pieces in the market, and take in the cheesemonger's, as well, as I am almost out of cheese. Perhaps a bottle of wine.....
Good idea to head early to bed; sleep well.
Some beer was delivered (Trappistes Rochefort, Westmalle), and I headed into the city to collect my French bread, and stock up on cheese, among other things.
Okay, it is a Bank Holiday week-end, but I had forgotten that the library would be closed today.
Okay, it is a Bank Holiday week-end, but I had forgotten that the library would be closed today.
My kid made pizza yesterday, from scratch, all by himself. He even used fresh mozzarella di bufala and obviously San Marzano tomatoes. It came out perfect.
Westmalle is definitely the best beer. Which Rochefort? I love Trappist beers. Hopefully I’ll be able to drink some beer from the Tre Fontane abbey when I go to Italy.
Not Trappist, but I recommend Fin Du Monde if you can find it.
Brilliant.
The thing with pizza (which is one of the reasons I rarely make it at home, and haven't since my mother died - she loved pizza) is that one needs serious heat, - short cooking time, but stratospheric temperatures - the sort of heat that a domestic oven is not really capable of generating.
But, fresh mozzarella di bufala and - but, of course - San Marzano tomatoes; (these threads are in danger of turning into a series of love letters to San Marzano tomatoes....but, there is nothing to equal them).
Well done, your kid; that is brilliant. I'm impressed.
An aside, @yaxomoxay : Yesterday, I finally, belatedly, eventually, got around to preparing the long planned yet much delayed pasta e fagioli dish I had been writing about, and discussing, here.
Apart from the classic soffritto to start (finely diced celery, carrot and onion - to which was added an exceptionally generous quantity of minced garlic, at least a head, softly sautéed in a mix of olive oil and some butter), and some finely diced guanciale (where has this treasure been all of my life?) were also added, as were sea salt, freshly ground black pepper; the beans were from a tin (a can) courtesy of the splendid San Marzano company (cannellini beans), which have become surprisingly difficult to obtain, but I am busily consuming some of my store cupboard staples before setting about replacing them; also added, were several ladles of pasta cooking liquid (naturally), and - yes, but, of course - the pasta.
Actually, it was delicious.
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Trappistes Rochefort 10 (the classic quadrupel), an outstanding beer, rich, dark, luscious, and highly alcoholic.
Westmalle is superb; I love their Dubbel (a dark beer), but have yet to try the Tripel (which is supposed to be the exemplar - the original - of this style, from which all other triples derive). That deficiency shall be remedied this evening, as I shall try the Tripel, - several bottles were delivered this morning - and compare it to the Dubbel.
Very true! And here comes his trick, which I think he saw on YouTube. He purchased two pizza stones, and he placed one of the two on the grill above the pizza, upside down. In other words, he created an oven inside an oven. I am telling you, it was almost pizzeria-style.
Nothing wrong with writing love letters to San Marzano tomatoes! They deserve all the love they can get.
We were very impressed too. After all, YouTube can be helpful 😆. He prepared the dough the night before, very meticulously. Then he worked it over and over until delivery on my plate. I am glad he likes preparing food, it’s a very important skill to have, without the need of becoming a chef.
I am very glad to read this! Too bad my wife and I couldn’t crash at your house for a nice dinner!
I look forward to your descriptions and feedback (and shall devour your account of your travels with undisguised and greedy envy) from your trip to Italy, and look forward to reading about the Tre Fontane abbey (and the beer).
Detailed descriptions, please.
Fin du Monde is a beverage I have never heard of.
A quick check courtesy of Mr Google - I had assumed, given the language, that it was (is) possibly French, or, more likely, Belgian - but it transpires that this is a Canadian beer.
I have never heard of it, still less seen it or sipped, sampled, or savoured it.
Now, to read a couple of reviews on BeerAdvocate and other sites that review beers.
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10 is my favorite Rochefort. It’s truly bold.
I think you’re going to LOVE - and I mean it in the most serious way, love - they’re Tripel. To me it’s the most astounding beer ever created. It just works. It’s strong, but not too strong. It just hits the mark for me. Let me know if you like it.
I seriously don’t know how people can drink crappy beers.
It’s possible that it’s not sold in Europe. If you ever see it, get it. I found out about it by chance; I was at a restaurant (one of those with natural food prepared to order) and I asked the manager for a good beer after I remarked that I love Trappist beers and Belgian beers in general. He simply said “ask no more” and gifted me of a small glass of Fin Du Monde. I found it so delicious to the point I went to look for it at a liquor store just to find out that their bottled version is as great as the draft beer I had.
Well, the beers - all of them - came about courtesy of a local supermarket store owner; he went to school with one of my brothers, - hence, I know him - and, during the pandemic (when one's radius was rather restricted for perfectly good reasons), he proved himself very open to the idea of enlarging (and improving) the beer selection in his supermarket, and gladly accepted several recommendations from me (which explains the Trappistes Rochfort and St Bernardus beers on his shelves; however, on my urging, he has only started to stock Westmalle in recent weeks).
In fact, he regularly seeks out recommendations from me, I am happy to report.
And, he delivers the beers to my door, too.
Does he sell Weienstephaner?
I better not have someone that delivers me beer or amaro.
Here is a good history of Fin du Monde and the brewery Unibroue...
"La Fin du Monde" is the Beginning of Another for Unibroue — Good Beer Hunting
France was the largest influence on Quebec’s beer history, with terroir being a key component of the rustic, home-made beverage. Spruce tips were used in place of hops for 17th and 18th century colonists. Roots and other spices were plentiful, and mentions of breweries in the area go back to the mid
www.goodbeerhunting.com
Yes, he does, I think. Or has done - for, they are not always available all of the time.
He stocks several different beers of the German Weissbier style,
Actually, even before we got talking about beer, I recall that his selection was pretty good for a small local supermarket, and that (plus the fact that I knew him from the fact that he had gone to school with one of my brothers) led me to conclude that he might be open to suggestions about what else he might think of trying to stock.
He was impressively open to the idea, hence, I have made quite a few suggestions over the past two years.
Okay: I have just opened (and poured) the Westmalle Tripel, poured into a Westmalle Trappist glass.
My God, this is superb.
An absolutely perfect tripel (and that is not a style I am - usually - all that partial to, as I tend to prefer the dubbel and quadrupel styles), and a superlative beer.
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Thank you for sharing (and linking) this, @Expos of 1969, much appreciated.Here is a good history of Fin du Monde and the brewery Unibroue...
"La Fin du Monde" is the Beginning of Another for Unibroue — Good Beer Hunting
France was the largest influence on Quebec’s beer history, with terroir being a key component of the rustic, home-made beverage. Spruce tips were used in place of hops for 17th and 18th century colonists. Roots and other spices were plentiful, and mentions of breweries in the area go back to the mid
You are absolutely correct, @yaxomoxay: I love this Westmalle Trappist Tripel. A superb beer.
All this talk of beer reminds me. On Monday I was in town hiring a van. I don’t go to town all that often, and never to this part. Anyway I saw this place and thought I’d like to go someday.
Heaven, bliss, Nirvana....wow, wonderful.
Yum.
If I lived in your vicinity, you couldn't beat me away with a stick from frequenting such a delightful spot.
Yes, you should indeed pay a visit, someday.
I'd find my way there, (with a book, or newspaper, or something similar) and settle down to enjoy sipping, and savouring, a slow beer.
Actualy, I would imagine that that beer place has an amazing beer menu, - some Belgian pubs had astonishing beer menus and an amazing selection of beers - and, my recollection of Belgian pubs, or Belgian themed - or inspired - pubs (remember Belgo's, anyone?) reminds me that the food should be pretty good, also.
I got up this morning not feeling super great, feeling like I might have a cold. Anyway, hope it doesn't get any worse tomorrow, because I'm supposed to do a big livestream tomorrow afternoon with a mid-school music group, so it's probably THE WORST time to get sick. I still managed to go to a rehearsal this afternoon though, but it really wore me out.
Hopefully if I rest well this evening I can actually do it tomorrow, but at this point, I'm getting doubtful. The problem is that that's gonna throw everyone and everything off if I can't do it. And I've already worn myself out more by making all the graphics for the past 2 hours anyway.
Hopefully if I rest well this evening I can actually do it tomorrow, but at this point, I'm getting doubtful. The problem is that that's gonna throw everyone and everything off if I can't do it. And I've already worn myself out more by making all the graphics for the past 2 hours anyway.
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Well I’ve lived here nearly three years and haven’t been out for a beer in town in all that time! But I’ll be sure to check it out when the situation presents itself.
Do, if that is possible.
I think that you may enjoy it, and I'd be surprised if the food wasn't very good, and very palatable.
Belgian beers are really for slow sipping, and serious enjoyment, and tend to be quite high in alcohol, so one really only ever has one or two, apart from the "Saison" (session) beers, which are lower in alcohol (around 4-5% abv), and which, traditionally, monks had brewed for their own daily consumption (at lunch, or dinner).
The rate of change in the world right now is dizzying. At one point at my workplace the rate of knowledge change was something like 50%. 50% of what you knew a year ago was either obsolete or replaced by something totally new. Outside work the rate of change was much slower. That has changed. We are rapidly transitioning to a completely different world.
Some examples.
Changes affecting life expectancies:
Covid
Ukraine - era with 75 years of peace gone
China War over Taiwan - inevitable, maybe 2025 or 2027
Shooting people at the door
Services which have disappeared or appeared
2 DVD services including Netflix which has been around 25 years
New delivery services for food, groceries, etc. [at least these are positive changes].
Major store chains closing, although this has been happening for some time
Products changing or completely disappearing:
a couple of medical supplies I have used for decades the manufacturer is gone or the product has been discontinued
a favorite pair of pants which I have used for decades has been on order for over 2 years
Wedding dress - can't try on in stores, have to have have them mailed to you for trial
Universities are in trouble as a huge enrollment decline is starting
tech expansion era - layoffs, lawsuits, era of unlimited expectations has ended with the exception of
AI - AI will have cause major changes. Whether they are positive or negative to be determined.
Biotech - positive changes addition, outlook looks unlimited
Electric cars replacing ICE.
City funding crisis - work at home may causing some cities severe financial problems
Work at home means empty buildings. 25% of 3.1 trillion dollars of mortgager loans have to be refinanced in 2023 at higher interest rates. 21% of office loans may go bad. Possibly no general economic affects, but the opposite is also possible.
Bank failures - although this has happened in the past.
and this is just a partial list.
I like change but maybe not at this rate. Wondering what decade+ changes other people have seen.
Some examples.
Changes affecting life expectancies:
Covid
Ukraine - era with 75 years of peace gone
China War over Taiwan - inevitable, maybe 2025 or 2027
Shooting people at the door
Services which have disappeared or appeared
2 DVD services including Netflix which has been around 25 years
New delivery services for food, groceries, etc. [at least these are positive changes].
Major store chains closing, although this has been happening for some time
Products changing or completely disappearing:
a couple of medical supplies I have used for decades the manufacturer is gone or the product has been discontinued
a favorite pair of pants which I have used for decades has been on order for over 2 years
Wedding dress - can't try on in stores, have to have have them mailed to you for trial
Universities are in trouble as a huge enrollment decline is starting
tech expansion era - layoffs, lawsuits, era of unlimited expectations has ended with the exception of
AI - AI will have cause major changes. Whether they are positive or negative to be determined.
Biotech - positive changes addition, outlook looks unlimited
Electric cars replacing ICE.
City funding crisis - work at home may causing some cities severe financial problems
Work at home means empty buildings. 25% of 3.1 trillion dollars of mortgager loans have to be refinanced in 2023 at higher interest rates. 21% of office loans may go bad. Possibly no general economic affects, but the opposite is also possible.
Bank failures - although this has happened in the past.
and this is just a partial list.
I like change but maybe not at this rate. Wondering what decade+ changes other people have seen.
Let me just say, because I don't want to get in trouble by going too deep into this, that I completely agree with you. And I'm still young, but I'm slightly concerned with what life will look like when I'm 70 years old, or even younger than that.