You wash up, I'll write my blog.

Been busy busy, eating cooking, cooking eating.  Last night I made a chocolate cake, this reminded me of my aversion to cooking recipes that involve separating eggs.  I do have a daft contraceptive like object to separate eggs, but can't bear the extra washing up.  Last night my fear was overcome, the chocolate cake was simple, delicious.  You melted the chocolate in the oven then added this to a tiny amount of flour, soft butter, sugar and the egg yolks.  Then fold into the stiffened egg whites.  It made a tiny little moist cake, I cooked it in  a lardy tin then topped it with the same as the chocolate and chestnut cake.  I did under bake the cake so it did look like a bundt as the middle collapsed and the icing flowed through.
Today I shelled all the chestnuts, not as simple and easy as she makes out.  Today I roasted them but it's quite an art to shell them when they are still hot but not overcooked and crumbly.  We ate the Chestnut soup today, really nice, so when I have made all the chestnut recipes I hope to have some left for another batch of soup.
I shopped today in Nailsworth, great fish from Williams and a fantastic selection of game if there is anything Henry can't get for me.  I also did my basics shop in Horsley Community shop, such a delight.
Tonight was little chef friday so the children cooked themselves chicken nuggets, leaving Tom and I to have a fishy feast.  To start we had devilled chestnuts, the ones I managed to shell whole, boiled to tender then fried in olive oil, cayenne and salt.  I then cooked my two dover sole.  Tom skinned them, I must learn this, although Williams will always do this,  and I cooked them as two different recipes.  The first was in wine and shallots and absolutely divine melt in the mouth. We then had an interlude where we polished off the stuffed cabbage, must eat our veg, followed by the second sole.  This was cooked in a fishy stock and then topped with a parsley butter with lemon, this was also well tasty but not as melt in the mouth, tougher but not tough.  So does wine soften and add that melt.
Tomorrow I need to attempt an egg recipe, 51 to go, we are at the Bistro so do the kids and babysitter get leftovers or there very own Elizabeth David recipe?