Culinary Disasters

by Andrew Barrow, Posted Dec 27th 2005 @ 11:33AM

All year I have been contemplating setting up a website to cover Culinary Disasters. We all have them from food processor implodes, failed souffles and doughy pilipits. In my case they always happen at totally the wrong time. Yesterday for example.

Dinner party for four. Champagne to start, grilled goats cheese and cranberry salad (recipe to follow) as a starter and a guest-supplied banoffee pie. The latter, incidentally, was delicious and I don't really like bananas! The main course was the disaster.

It was supposed to be Lamb Shanks cooked in a red wine/pumpkin puree/fig and honey sauce. Lovingly prepared the previous day and slowly cooked for a hour and a half. With all the sauce and the large shanks the casserole dish was only just large enough to accommodate it all; witness the photo with the dribbles down the side. While we tucked into the starter the casserole gently reheated on the stovetop. Dished up with mash potato and Brussels sprouts and chestnuts it looked divine. It was only when I took my first mouthful that the burnt aroma hit my nostrils. Not only that but there was an unpleasant - disgusting even - charcoal flavour to the whole dish. Inedible really despite my guests making the best of it. The Aussie Shiraz did wonders in washing it all down.

Today, when I came to tackle the washing up, the whole cottage reaked of 'burnt'. The casserole dish is presently soaking although how long it will take for the big thick layer of charcoal to come off the bottom is anyones guess. Whether the reheating caused the bottom to burn or whether, because the dish was so full making stirring impossible, it caught yesterday I don't know.

Still a fine entry for culinary disasters dot com if nothing else.

Tags: british isles, dinner, food and drink, culinary disasters, lamb shanks, lamb, FoodAndDrink,CulinaryDisasters,LambShanks,Lamb