Bring Me Your Leftovers - MadameD's Food Surgery

[MadameDefarge]

Got a fridge full of nonsense, or indeed, rather lacking in anything?

This thread is to help those stumped for ideas with what they have lurking in their fridge/freezer/cupboard and need to knock something up.

I am here quite a lot, and as a professional (resting) cook I would relish the challenge to help people out!

What can I do with leftover Wensleydale with Apricots? Can I cook with it or do I just have to scoff the lot with crackers?

I like the scoffing idea!

but if you were feeling adventurous, you could do a souffle with it...sort of savoury pudding idea...

if it appeals, I'll do the instructions! Actually, souffles are vair easy.

another idea would be to do a sort of toasted cheese/rarebit idea, maybe with a sweet bread like brioche...

Mme,

That is wonderful. I now discover we have some frozen shrimps too so paella for lunch it is.

Yes, they will eat crumble, no, they will not eat red cabbage.

I make crumble by instinct, have done so ever since a student as cheap popular pudding. But good idea to use up.

Might make banana cake tomorrow. Does banana icecream freeze well if banana lollies do? Would I need to add a splash of vanilla?

though naice bread rarebit would be good as well, with a simply dressed watercress salad.

right ancient. will ponder the gammon.

I would think yes to the banana icecream. you don't need an icecream maker, just need to commit a little bit of beating time. Or if you are nigella skip the beating bit entirely! she has a fab recipe for pomegranate ice cream which I think would adapt very well to bananas.

pomegranate ice cream

Thank you. I'm loving the rarebit idea. Is brioche hard to make? I an't be arsed to go the shops again, but bet I must have the ingredients.

hm. I wouldn't personally do brioche from scratch unless being paid to!

do it with sourdough, or somesuch of you have it.

tom kerridge has a brill sodabread recipe which is dead easy!

soda bread

If you dont have buttermilk, just add the juice of a lemon to normal milk. you'll get the same effect.

A goose carcass! We've eaten the breast and the legs, already had leftover goose fried rice and farmhouse soup with stock from the leg bones and scraps of meat.

Carcass is in the freezer, I would do a risotto but pesky kids won't eat it, any other ideas. Madame?

here is a proper recipe for buttermilk substitute

I love you MadameD. Could you please come and live in the cupbaord under my stairs?

Any chance ofinstructions for a Stilton souffle please? Have a lovely but not-keep for too long pear and red onion chutney to go with... And would be using GF flour if that makes a difference?

you are on the right track with stock. I would do that now, rather than leave it languishing and getting more and more unappealing.

Once you have made it, remove carcass and bits and bobs (strain!) then reduce down quite ruthlessly, so you only have enough to fit into an empty butter or cream pot.

freeze.

I would then use it for a kind of faux cassoulet...white bean and sausage casserole.

Does that appeal?

I am so coming back here regularly

jamie's gluten free cheese souffle

not going to claim this one for my own, but it looks delish. substitute grated chedder with grated stilton. Do check the strengh of the stilton however, as you don't want to overpower it.

Again I would suggest a simple olive oil and lemon dressed watercress salad.

actually it's olivascotland's recipe...oops

oh, I dunno, can't quite work out whose it is!

I don't use GF flour much,, so much prefer to recommend a tried and tested recipe from someone else!

Fank you ladies, I feel an easing of the recipe bottleneck in my mind!

Right. I want more pie ideas please. I particularly fancy a sublime cheese and potato one, with onions and or leeks and maybe some 'posh' cheese of some sort. And any ideas for little veggie pies to make in muffin tins?

As long as everyone is happy that I can provide links to good recipes as well as coming up with my own...

part of the pro knowledge is of course encyclopaedic knowledge over hundreds of cookery books, and where to go to when stuck on t'internet.

and piles of magazine clippings...

Thanks Madame, I like the cassoulet idea! I'll let you know how it turns out.

Simon Rimmer does a gorgeous peppered mushroom and stilton pie in The Seasoned Vegetarian.

I see absolutely no reason why you could not adapt the recipe for muffin pies.

yum

I find this cheesy tats and onion pie very moreish