Raisins vs Sultanas. Fight!

[Bonefish Blues]

Cranberries obviously

The only interesting thing about a cranberry is its method of harvest

 

[Julia9054]

The only interesting thing about a cranberry is its method of harvest

And the fact that it cures cystitis is a myth with no scientific proof.

 

[Eziemnaik]

Currants<dingleberries<raisins<sultanas<cranberries

 

[Reynard]

I'm not sure sultanas would work in croissants. Raisins and almonds do.

If you go to a bakery in Belgium and ask for a Boterkoek, you will get a "straight" croissant with sultanas added to the layers of pastry. It is slightly denser than a plain croissant, but IMHO much nicer. I love these, sliced in half and thickly spread with butter...

 

[Reynard]

Raisins or sultanas are interchangeable for me. I'm not so keen currants - or rather, I'm not keen on the gritty texture.

Dried fruit in general - yes please. Dried sour cherries especially. Xmas pud and mince pies - send me your unwanted ones.

Apricots... I grown my own, although I'm too far north to have a reliable crop. But when I do get a good crop, they're on a different planet to anything shop-bought. I love making apricot butter to spread on my toast.

Holland & Barrett sell strips of dried banana compressed into a block @KnittyNorah - I do buy that occasionally. Love to cut them up into pieces and then suck them like sweets.

 

[Reynard]

Thanks for that recommendation - next time I'm in town I'll have a look in H & B for them. When I was in New Caledonia I used to have banana jam (looks disgusting, tastes divine) on a chunk of proper, very fresh, very French, baguette for my breakfast ... oh happy days!

Mum keeps wondering if banana jam is nice - I have a Marguerite Patten recipe for it. But after my run-in with Date & Banana chutney, I'm hesitant to try, because I found the chutney waaaaaaaaaaay too sweet.

P.S. Not sure why you posted the reply in the Beer thread LOL... I am most definitely teetotal

 

[KnittyNorah]

Mum keeps wondering if banana jam is nice - I have a Marguerite Patten recipe for it. But after my run-in with Date & Banana chutney, I'm hesitant to try, because I found the chutney waaaaaaaaaaay too sweet.

P.S. Not sure why you posted the reply in the Beer thread LOL... I am most definitely teetotal

Hmm I didn't know that I'd posted it in the Beer thread - I thought I posted it in answer to your remark about dried bananas in H & B!
Banana jam is indeed very sweet - but a VERY intense flavour so you only need a little to get the full flavour- and what a flavour! I sometimes used to squeeze a few drops of lemon or lime juice on it once it was spread on my bread. Jam being sweet is one thing - it can 'bear it' IMO - but chutney needs to be much more careful abut its degree of sweetness. I'm not sure if banana jam made from the type of bananas available here would be the same as the banana jam I've eaten in tropical and sub-tropical places where the banana grows naturally; I suspect not.

 

[annedonnelly]

Holland & Barrett sell strips of dried banana compressed into a block @KnittyNorah - I do buy that occasionally. Love to cut them up into pieces and then suck them like sweets.

Is that a chewy sort of dried banana? I don't like the hard banana chips. I struggle to find chewy ones.

 

[BoldonLad]

Raisins or sultanas are interchangeable for me. I'm not so keen currants - or rather, I'm not keen on the gritty texture.

Dried fruit in general - yes please. Dried sour cherries especially. Xmas pud and mince pies - send me your unwanted ones.

Apricots... I grown my own, although I'm too far north to have a reliable crop. But when I do get a good crop, they're on a different planet to anything shop-bought. I love making apricot butter to spread on my toast.

Holland & Barrett sell strips of dried banana compressed into a block @KnittyNorah - I do buy that occasionally. Love to cut them up into pieces and then suck them like sweets.

Are we related?

 

[KnittyNorah]

Is that a chewy sort of dried banana? I don't like the hard banana chips. I struggle to find chewy ones.

What is the purpose of those replica-wood banana chips other than for decoration? They seem to me to be basically inedible; I think chewing on a bit of balsa wood impregnated with banana essence would be easier!

 

[Bonefish Blues]

What is the purpose of those replica-wood banana chips other than for decoration? They seem to me to be basically inedible; I think chewing on a bit of balsa wood impregnated with banana essence would be easier!

Just add craft knife and the world's your lobster:

https://www.hobbies.co.uk/balsa-dow...YWExz9rBzvpyP-DZ2btmNH71sNvSAZLBoCy6QQAvD_BwE

 

[Reynard]

Hmm I didn't know that I'd posted it in the Beer thread - I thought I posted it in answer to your remark about dried bananas in H & B!
Banana jam is indeed very sweet - but a VERY intense flavour so you only need a little to get the full flavour- and what a flavour! I sometimes used to squeeze a few drops of lemon or lime juice on it once it was spread on my bread. Jam being sweet is one thing - it can 'bear it' IMO - but chutney needs to be much more careful abut its degree of sweetness. I'm not sure if banana jam made from the type of bananas available here would be the same as the banana jam I've eaten in tropical and sub-tropical places where the banana grows naturally; I suspect not.

Sounds like the jam equivalent of marmite then - a little goes a long way.,

I like my chutneys to be sweet-sour, a big flavour with a little bit of a kick - shop-bought ones are much too sweet. I've developed some lovely recipes over the years including tangy tomato, red pepper & green tomato, apple & date, gingered plum, apricot & chilli, and I've even won rosettes for them.

 

[Reynard]

Is that a chewy sort of dried banana? I don't like the hard banana chips. I struggle to find chewy ones.

Yes, the strips are dark and chewy.

They come in a block that's about the size of a box of those extra-long matches.

 

[Reynard]

Are we related?

Maybe - if you've Polish ancestry.

The traditional dessert for Christmas Eve is a compote of dried fruit flavoured with spices and citrus.

 

[annedonnelly]

Yes, the strips are dark and chewy.

They come in a block that's about the size of a box of those extra-long matches.

I'll look out for them though H&B are on my black list and they've recently closed our local branch.

Mind I think a fresh banana is always going to be better than a dried one.