Momentum … once it has started, there’s no stopping it …
Might as well strap in and hold on because it looks like I’m already committed!
LOL … you guys 
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7552
3M Finesse-It III Fast Cut Plus (3M50417)/Green Pad (3M50487)
3M Finesse-It III Extra Fine Polish (3M80349)/Yellow Pad (3M50488)
3M Finesse-It III Ultrafina SE Polish (3M50383)/Blue Pad (3M50388)
3M Perfect-It III Finishing Glaze (3M09377)
3M Perfect-It Show Car Paste Wax (3M39526)
Autobright Power Buff
Autobright Used Car Glaze
Autobright Top Line
Autobright Great White
Autobright Foam Pad Polish
Autobright Radiance
Autobright Ultra Seal
Autobright Purple Haze
Autobright Better Wax
Autobright EZ Carnauba
Autobright TNT Treatment
Autobright Glass Cleaner
Autobright Water Slide
Autoglym Super Resin Polish
Autoglym Ultra Deep Shine
Autoglym HD Cleanser
Autoglym HD Wax
Autoglym Bumper Care
Autoglym Glass Polish
Autoglym Fast Glass
Autoglym Convertible Roof Cleaner
Autoglym Convertible Roof Proofer
Autosol Metal Polish
Car-Lack68 Nano-Systematic Care
Car-Lack68 Long Life Sealant
Chemical Guys Pro-Polish 3N
Chemical Guys Deep Reflections XP
Chemical Guys EZ Creme Glaze
Chemical Guys Jetseal 109
Chemical Guys VertuaBond 408
Chemical Guys Pete’s 53 Black Pearl Signature Paste Wax
Chemical Guys Blitz
Chemical Guys New Look Trim Gel
Collinite 476S
Collinite 845
Collinite 915
Dodo Juice Lime Prime
Dodo Juice Lime Prime Lite
Dodo Juice Sour Power Shampoo
Dodo Juice Supernatural Shampoo
Dodo Juice Rain Forest Rub Wax
Dodo Juice Supernatural Wax
Dodo Juice Red Mist
Dodo Juice Mellow Yellow Wheel Cleaner
Duragloss 671 Swirl Mark Remover
Duragloss 601 Bonding Agent
Duragloss 105 Total Performance Polish
Duragloss 951 Aqua Wax
Finish Kare 1016 Shampoo
Finish Kare 1000P ‘Great White’ Paste Sealant
Gliptone Leather Cleaner
Gliptone Leather Conditioner
Gliptone Leather Air Freshener
Lucas Slick Mist
Meguiars #83 Dual Action Cleaner Polish
Meguiars #80 Speed Glaze
Meguiars #9 Swirl Mark Remover
Meguiars #3 Machine Glaze
Meguiars #7 Show Car Glaze
Meguiars #81 Hand Polish
Meguiars #26 Hi-Tech Yellow Wax
Meguiars All Purpose Cleaner
Meguiars Super Degreaser
Poorboys World Natty’s Paste Wax - White/Vanilla Scented
Poorboys World Natty’s Paste Wax (Limited Edition) - Red/Strawberry Scented
R222 Concours Wax
Serious Performance Ultra Gloss Shampoo
Serious Performance Finishing Polish
Serious Performance Paint Cleanser
Serious Performance Super Sealant
Serious Performance Show Car Detailer
Serious Performance Quick Detailer
ValetPro Bilberry Wheel Cleaner
ValetPro Citrus Bling
ValetPro Artemis Wax Seal
Zymöl Auto Wash
Zymöl Field Glaze
There are a number of questions about waxes that come up again and again, such as:
How do I prepare a surface for waxing?
How long should I leave the wax before buffing off?
How long must I leave it before adding a second layer?
When is it fully cured?
This advice is, for the most part, about wax but much of it holds true for sealants.
Let’s tackle the first matter: Bonding
For a wax to bond to paint, it must be clean. There are a number of ways of cleaning paint in preparation for a wax - a 50/50 solution of IPA and distilled water, a dedicated inspection spray (like Menzerna Top Inspection, or Meguiars Last Touch), a pure hand polish (such as Meguiars #7 or #81), a paint cleanser (like Serious Performance Paint Cleanser or AIOs, like Car-Lack68 NSC, AG SRP) or a dedicated pre-wax cleanser (such as Dodo Juice Lime Prime Lite, Zymöl HD Cleanse or Swissvax Cleaner Fluid).
The paint should be squeaky clean and gleaming.
Now, let’s apply the wax - use bare hands or a foam applicator. The use of bare hands should be restricted to pure waxes, such as those from Dodo Juice, those that state they should be applied by bare hand like Victoria Wax or those which fashion dictates like Zymöl and Swissvax. If you get an adverse reaction when applying wax by bare hand, wash your hands thoroughly using a pH neutral soap with moisturisers and apply a moisturiser after drying. Foam applicators should definitely be used with waxes that have an obviously high solvent content, such as Collinite 476S. Disposal gloves can be worn as further protection from solvents in wax products and this is a practice that is advocated by professionals who are in contact with such chemicals on a regular basis.
Many engineered waxes will contain some cleansing elements and often the high solvent content will assist with the cleaning up of the surface and evaporate quickly to allow the wax to then bond to the paint. More pure waxes also contain solvents and will do this as a natural by-process, but to a lesser extent. Neither excuses poor surface preparation!
Bare hand application is simply a case of transferring an amount of the wax from the pot to the palm of one hand, lifting it with the fingertips of the other and working is against the fingertips of the first hand. Use fingertips to apply in a stroking/grooming action going back over the area to even up. Foam pad application is also as simple as patting a moistened applicator into the wax and then spreading over the car - unless the instructions state otherwise, use long strokes in a fore/aft direction on the top panels and up/down on the side panels. Apply as thin a layer as possible, since “less is more” … read on.
We now step back and leave the product to haze.
This is the point at which the wax will bond to clean paint and often called curing. Curing is a process which will continue long after the wax haze has been removed, so I prefer to call this bonding although the curing process does cover this phase and the next. When considering hazing, we see how “less is more” - haze is simply waste product that is removed when the wax is buffed off and serves no purpose to the overall look or protection, since it is simply not on the car! Furthermore, a whisper thin layer will haze over quickly and the solvents evaporate more rapidly - I believe this allows the wax to bond more effectively, although I have no scientific backing; just the long term effect that the wax has on paint when observed over a period of months.
Once hazed, the wax is ready to remove.
Removal is simply a case of folding up a microfibre towel into quarters and gently wiping the residue off. The curing phase will continue for up to a couple of days until the wax has reached its most hardened. Some waxes may be observed to “sweat” a little - Dodo Juice Supernatural is one very pure wax where this is quite apparent. The oils in the wax continue to evaporate and sometimes, a slight hologram effect can be seen on the paint and if left, a secondary haze may occur. This is quite natural and should be dealt with by a spritz of distilled water, ideally, or a QD and wiped over again with a clean microfibre towel.
The bare minimum length of time before a second layer of wax can be applied is about one hour. This allows the majority of any residual oils to evaporate and the outer skin of what is a micron thin layer of product to start to harden. This process continues over the next day, or so, and so ideally the surface should be left for a good day before applying a second layer of wax.
Some people advocate applying a second layer of wax almost immediately to ensure good coverage. While there is some merit to this method, it is better to ensure that the initial layer is applied with adequate coverage. There is one technique which might have some sound logic and assist with the rapid application of a second layer of wax - spit shining. This is a technique where chilled distilled water is misted over the surface after the initial haze has been buffed off to cause the outer shell of the wax to cure quickly due to the chilling effect. The second layer of wax is applied to the moistened surface and left to cure as normal. Some people advocate not removing the haze from the first layer and mist over that haze, applying the second layer of wax without buffing off the layer of first wax.
Spit shining aside, if a second layer of wax is applied too soon the solvents will simply wipe off the underlying, unhardened layer of wax and there is no actual gain in doing so. The curing process can clearly be understood as taking place as soon as the wax starts to haze and continues long after that haze has been removed. Since the word curing is set in most people’s mind as the process which takes place between application and hazing, we should call this phase hardening.
One final area to consider is the layered approach - applying a wax on top of a glaze, or a sealant. Simply put, the same rules apply - these products must be allowed to bond, haze, cure and harden before the next layer is applied. Some products will do this faster than others and some are more suited to waxes that are high in solvent content - the Car-Lack68 Nano Systematic Care polish is a very rapidly curing product becoming ready for the next layer within half an hour and when followed with their Long Life Sealant is a preparation ready for a wax as strong in solvents as Collinite almost immediately. Products from the same stable are in many cases designed to work together, so Chemical Guys EZ Creme Glaze followed almost immediately by Jetseal 109, left for half an hour and then topped with Pete’s 53 Black Pearl Signature Paste Wax is a routine that will work well.
I hope that this clarifies each stage of the waxing process, what is happening at each stage and summarises that wax should be applied to clean, well prepared surfaces in as thin a layer as possible given good coverage, allowed to haze over and then permitted to harden in its own time.
Have a lot of fun …
Dodo Juice designed their Supernatural wax to be the purest - no additional colour and no addition scent. Now in version two, the wax represents one of the finest that can be applied to a perfectly polished car and the growing list of ancillary products make up quite a boutique kit:
Firstly, the wax itself.
While there is no added scent, there is a most delicious scent - think sugary, like fine toffee.
The surface should be prepared with their Lime Prime or Lime Prime Lite pre-wax cleanser to ensure that the surface is clean and ready to accept a wax. Following machine polishing, a wipe down with Lime Prime Lite is perfect - many surfaces will respond to the gentle cutting action of Lime Prime if surface swirling is present.
Using the supplied finger foam applicator, the wax seems very hard and appears reluctant to transfer to the applicator. While that is a concern, it is unfounded - the wax transfer to the applicator is quite sufficient to put down a whisper thin layer, almost imperceptible, that will cure perfectly … a little faith is required: this is after all, Supernatural!
Applied to the car and curing:
After a short while, which could be between five and fifteen minutes the wax haze is ready to be removed. While this can be undertaken at the first point it is ready to be removed, it does no harm to leave the wax curing on the paint for any amount of time - even an hour, if you want to work at that pace.
Removal is as pleasant as application - simply wipe off the haze gently with a fine microfibre towel. No hard rubbing is required and any hint of a sticky patch is quite simply down to having applied the initial layer too thickly; the scant instructions on the tub do say not to ‘cake the product on’. This is very much a “less is more” product and in many respects, haze should be considered waste - that is the residue which is buffed off.
The result? Perfection!
Sometimes, which has been more often than not in my experience, a secondary haze appears after about half an hour of buffing. This is to be expected, according to Dodo Juice, and something that is easily remedied. Simply wipe over the surface again with a clean microfibre. Personally, I find a light spritz of chilled distilled water assists the complete removal much more effectively and would cite that as the most useful hint at this stage.
You can see the light hazing that has appeared here, presenting itself as a hologram effect:
Misted with chilled distilled water and gently buffed, that secondary hazing does not reappear:
In summary, the wax and the applicator are to be recommended. The application and removal is phenomenally easy. The downside is the secondary hazing which, once expected is easily remedied. The products are well made, the plastic pots tactile and no doubt the Iroku wood tub is a sheer delight to own.
Beading? In the rain, the surface becomes speckled with small beads of water, well spaced and upright.
A Detailer’s delight:
Proceeding to the first wash, the shampoo and wash mitten are found to be the perfect tools for the job.
Made from thick wool, specifically commissioned by Dodo Juice, the wash mitten is quite possibly the softest and deepest wash mitten on the market. Depth of the wool is important so that dirt on the surface of the paintwork is not ground in by the washing action, but drawn into the wool fibres and held safely out of the way. The mitten should be rinsed well before use and rinsed well after each section of the car is washed before placing back into the bucket of suds.
The shampoo is so very concentrated, that two pumps per “standard Halfords bucket” is all that is required. One pump per three litres of water is the published dilution rate and this will generate a bucket full of fine foam.
Upon immersing the wash mitten it becomes apparent just how much liquid this mitten can hold. One whole gallon can be withdrawn from the wash bucket and held over the bucket to drain will then happily transfer two litres of suds to the car. Most impressive and more important, very safe for washing - the shampoo is very lubricating and the suds, while they dissipate quite quickly, certainly assist in lifting dirt from the surface for the mitten to collect up as a moraine of water washes most straight off the car.
Once washed, the beading is revived:
Patted dry:
The shampoo and wash mitten are perfect partners to the wax, allowing for a gentle removal of dirt. Any glossing agents in the shampoo revive the initial look of the wax and the initial beading is certainly revived. One concern for some would be how the foaminess of the shampoo dilution in the bucket is lost quite quickly, but the lubricity of the shampoo by far makes up for any loss of bubbles.
The the purest look on the perfect paint, it simply has to be Supernatural:
I know … I know … I love car cleaning products. They’re like good wine - you just have to have a variety.
Pressed hard to define my perfect combinations, I have to start with the two cars that I detail regularly - our own SAAB 900s, one white, one black, both single stage paint.
… for white:
This routine would do for many single-stage light colours.
… and for black:
Meguiars #7 can be used over a wax or sandwiched between wax layers during the summer months to give a deep, oily shimmer to the paintwork.
This routine would also do for many older single-stage dark colours. This is the most pure routine I have worked out to compliment our near perfectly kept Classic SAAB 900 convertible but many marques benefit from Swissvax Best of Show, if only for owner gratification.
The following are routines I would call ’standard’ when faced with an unknown car.
… for metallics, including silver and coloured mica metallics:
Some darker metallics, like green, benefit from a pure wax - Dodo Juice Rainforest Rub or Supernatural being prime examples.
… for clearcoated flat colours (light):
With higher pigment light colours, like yellow, as warming wax can be used - Dodo Juice Banana Armour being a prime example.
… for clearcoated flat colours (dark):
For some darker colours, like blue and even black, a colour-charged wax could be used - Dodo Jucie Blue Velvet and Purple Haze being prime examples. Fine cars would be finished with Dodo Juice Supernatural and top marques with Swissvax Best of Show.
“Let’s go to Inn Cognito”, I said.
We’d not been for a good couple of years, the couple of times previous we found the place a little tired. The menu offers a good standard of Mexican, Italian, steaks, burgers and so on but felt a little too much like a posh chain, rather than an individual restaurant. The specials board is always interesting and of a good standard, too.
The specials board was full of interesting options which we both ate from, but could not pass up one of their tomato and garlic pizza breads for a pre-starter. Awesome! So simple, so perfect!
Greeted after all this time by a massive smile and a gratuity from Stephen, the Chef. The place felt good. We were seated near the hatch into the kitchen and could see and hear a lot of what was going on in the kitchen - hard work, basically. It was also good to hear how courteous the Chef was to his staff when asked if he wanted another drink and during a quieter time later on explaining to the waitresses what was going into a pie he was making that was no doubt destined for the specials board the following day.
Starters? Well, my wife decided to go straight for a main but I could not pass up on the Warm Salad of Duck and Black Pudding. In a word, fantastic! I loved it. I know … I know … it’s not hard to slice some duck, fry from black pudding and pop it over some salad leaves with a little jus over the top, but this is exactly what the Chef does so well - classic combinations without messing it up by over complicating or crowding the ingredients.
Mains? My wife had a Chicken Piri Piri and I went for the Lamb Kleftico which arrived in a paper bag still sizzling away with the oils inside.
Wow! Wow to both - the Chicken Piri Piri was accompanied by some small sauteed potatoes, tossed with chorizo slices. There were a few fresh vegetables alongside, too - you know, mini corn on the cobs, mange tout and carrots. Classic, simple and just perfect. Perfect and HUGE!
My lamb was just stunning - a very generous piece of meat cooked to absolute perfection and accompanied with slices of potato and whole mini carrots cooked in with the meat. The slow cooking made a sumptuous dish that was sheer perfection for me … and when the richness of the meat got too much, there were the little pieces of feta in there, too which pierced the dish with little shards of astringency at exactly the right moments.
Fantastic! Afters? What better than an assortment of ice creams - vanilla, strawberry and chocolate. Baileys liquer coffee for the Mrs.
Both stuffed, very happy and more so that the place seems to be back on its feet after what felt like a flat line for a couple of years. Chef Stephen Bray has got his groove back and after more than 25 years in the same place, that’s no mean feat!
The cost was just over £50 which included four pints of Guinness and an orange juice. The orange juice was for me LOL! Oh, go on, then yes … the Guinnesses were for me!
I happily give the place 8/10 - it was quite late when we ate, having arrived at just after nine in the evening. The standard menu is the staple of the place - easy, varied and always of a good standard. The specials board is varied, interesting and just full of classic combinations done well, not over-complcated and on the whole exactly what you want for a good night out.
I’m sorry, but I have to say that this is one of the worst meals at this kind of price I have eaten in a long time. We decided to try La Rue again after some years where previously we had not enjoyed it; not enjoyed it on more than one occasion.
“It’s changed”, say people.
The place was full, which boded well. A little hot for a summer evening, but comfortable and thankfully the music was not on too loud to hear each other.
Had it changed? Well, it hadn’t! From the outset, the choice of pre-dinner drinks was abysmal and the poor waitresses had no idea about anything other than, “there’s beer” pointing to the lager and “… erm … some shots”. Great! I’ll have the German Pils, the only draught beer, which clearly tasted of maize and so could not be a German Pils. Oh well … let’s hope the food is better.
What a bizarre menu! I’m all for adventurous, but taking a classic combination and sticking a polar opposite from out in left field just because, well it just doesn’t work. That went on through the starters to the mains. Scrabbling for something that I could eat, I opted for a Kofta starter with some out of the bottle chilli sauce and a tzatziki without the ziki! My wife had a smoked haddock and pea tart, which turned to the be pureed, rather missing the point of beautiful flakes of smoked haddock and rather tasted of baby food! My good lady said she enjoyed it, though. Oh, the Kofta was on a tortilla! What? Yes, I know …
The mains faired no better. I had lamb shank in a roasted Mediterranean vegetable jus with garlic potatoes. Gorgeous, except for the flavour … which jarred between the roasted vegetable jus and the creamy garlic potato gratin. Nooooo … crushed garlic potatoes. Did I say, classic combinations with a left field entry?
My wife had a piece of salmon, which could have been good if it had been cooked in butter to bring out the sumptuous flavour of the fish and was served with an utterly tasteless risotto. Tasteless? Yes, clearly no use of a good stock made from left over bones, most likely water, salt and perhaps a splash of wine. Even lemon juice would have lifted it a little.
Puddings. How can they mess this up? Well, I was so fed up by this point, I asked for a mix and match from a couple of dishes so as to avoid the bizarre combinations and opted for a custard tart with some vanilla ice cream rather than the chocolate ice cream it was billed with. Finally, I’d found something on the menu that worked, yet I’d had to put it together. I forget what my wife had, but she left it. Just reading this through, apparently it was cheesecake and “one of the worst cheesecake”, no make that “the worst cheesecakes” she’s ever had!
How disappointing!
I got a decent grappa at the end to take the taste away and my wife had a coffee, which they’d manage to burn. Oh well, we won’t be going there again.
Sounding most pompous, I should suggest that the chef find a culinary primer course in classic combinations and stick to it - the basics are good, but when put together simply do not work.
Cost? About £65 including the wine at £20 ish.
I can’t even give the place 1/10 - there were no saving graces. I simply cannot recommend this to anyone. No, in fact, I can give it 1/10 for the really good Georges DeBoeuf Fleurie we had with the meal. That was good.
The gentle art of hand polishing is often sidelined as a second-best method of achieving the perfect finish on automotive paint. As machine polishers have become more accessible and more competitively priced, one might ask why we carry on with hand polishing at all but there are any number of reasons. For me … simply put, I like to. I enjoy polishing paint by hand and I find that I can maintain a good finish to near perfection with ease.
So, to work … Firstly, consider the job in hand. At this point I will say that if you have a car that is covered in deep swirls and scratches, hand polishing is not going to be at all easy and might take a long long time to get right. That said, those kind of jobs are also not at all easy with a random orbital machine and will take a lot of time, eased only by experience and skill. There’s no reason why you should not bow out to someone with more experience and a machine polisher to get you up to scratch (so to speak). By all means have a go, but bear a few things in mind. Medium swirls and scratches are well within the scope of hand polishing and light swirling is easy to keep on top of.
Secondly, consider the amount of time it will take. Bear in mind that your own energy levels will be a consideration here as well as environmental considerations - check the weather for both bright sun and rain, since working outside in either conditions will cause problems. Tackle one panel at a time and if you run out of time or energy well no big deal … pick another day and do another panel. For big jobs that involve concentrated work on the whole car, plan to undertake the work over a number of sessions. To be fair, I think one or two top panels per session or one whole side per session. I find sides more difficult to work on.
I will say this - hand polishing is hard work. You will do a bad job if you are tired and cannot work the polishes through. You will have to repeat the work anyway on that panel so you might as well stop after a good success on one panel than stretch yourself over two and be disappointed.
Equipment? Well, if you’re doing sides make sure you have something comfortable to sit on or handy knee pads. Top panels can be worked on from a standing position.
So, we know what we are up against and how much time we have to do the job, or part of the job. We’re happy to split the job up over a number of sessions and we understand that we might need to stop due to energy levels.
What are the “rules” around hand polishing? Well, unsurprisingly they’re much the same as for machine polishing - use the least aggressive pad/polish combination that you think will to the job and increase as necessary, check your work often and be prepared for a number of “hits”.
Before looking at polishes, let’s look at pads. The good old terry pad with a pouch, as sold by Halfords, Tesco, Meguiars and a number of others is a tried and tested applicator, effective and a good pad to have in. A microfibre block is also an excellent choice. Beyond that, there are those hand pads that are made from the same foam as machine pads - applicators like the German Applicator or the Sonus Professional pads. Finally, there’s the machine pads themselves which can be attached to finger straps or handles by their velcro. Choose the ones you are most comfortable with - I like the Sonus Professional pads, microfibre blocks and terry pouched pads.
Now, onto the polishes. Polishes can be broadly broken down into a number of categories - Heavy, Medium, Light, Fine, Finishing, Pure and Glazing. There are also cleaner polishes that contain chemical cleaners to break down oxidisation and even “dual action” polishes that have a cleaning action and then when continued to work, they break down into a finer polish.
From heavy to fine, compounds should be worked in much the same way. On a surface that has been washed, dried and is free of dust and debris, prime the pad with a quick spritz of QD and then pop a couple of blobs of product onto the pad. Pick a work area between 12″ and 18″ square and rub the polish around that area. Work the polish in a consistent manner, so back and forth over the whole area, then left and right, then diagonal one way and then diagonal the other. Use a firm and even pressure at first and start to lessen up on the pressure as the polish starts to work - some may be hear to be abrading the surface and go quiet after a while. Always “work out” the polish - most polishes will worth through an reveal a glossy finish underneath, but some may be quite oily, especially the finishing polishes and pure polishes. Always read the label, since there may be special instructions, but generally that process will be fine and probably more effective than in a circular manner which is actually very tiring.
I said above that the general rule of thumb is to use the least aggressive pad/polish combo that you think will do the job, but if you are not making progress after a couple of hits, try a different combination by first selecting a pad with more bite and the same product and then a more aggressive product until you get some satisfaction. Also be away that many polishes will need finessing once worked through.
Different paints require different treatments. Some might be quite okay after a fine polish and not need finessing. Some might show up very light marring after such a polish and really benefit from a finishing polish. Likewise, some finishes might well be a little dry and benefit from an oil-rich pure polish to really bring the life back. Once polishes, a glaze is a very good step which adds a lot of gloss and wetness regardless of paint colour or finish - a step well worth doing.
Only when you are happy with the finish on a panel should you proceed to the wax or sealant and lock in your hard work. Remember that a car might take you a number of sessions and so you should concentrate on the work one panel at a time.
The last thing to consider when hand polishing is polishes with a filling content. Now we’ve polished our car properly with abrasive compounds and found out what hard work it is, it’s not a task that we want to have to undertake often or maybe even not again on that car. We do want to keep it looking good and there no reason not to use polishes with a filler content - as a general rule of thumb, polishes that call themselves a “wax polish” or an “all in one” will contain some fillers and do a light polish, fill in swirls and leave behind a limited layer of protection. These products can be used every so often to reduce the appearance of swirls that will undoubtedly plague your car again at some point. Some glazes also contain fillers or are heavy in oils that lessen the appearance of swirls.
When actually selecting polishes, it is wise to look at the instructions and to do some reading around their suitability for hand use. Almost all Fine, Finishing, Pure and Glazing polishes are going to work well by hand, but take some care in selecting anything more abrasive than that - often a little friction and machine power is needed to actually break down the compounds and work them. You might not be able to do this by hand and the compound will actually inflict greater swirls and scratches into the paint. If unsure, try it out in a inconspicuous place and inspect the results carefully.
I hope this has given a few pointers and some confidence to undertake the job with a product that is actually going to remove those swirls and scratches, rather than fill them. It is possible by hand, very rewarding, but be under no illusion - it is hard work.
Have fun …
 |
| From PicasaWeb - Cuisine 2007 |
Here’s an English take on Minestrone Soup.
Cube some root vegetables, such as carrot, swede, parnsip, turnip and potatoes and start to par-boil them.
Meanwhile, soften an onion and some garlic in a little butter and pour on one can of peeled tomatoes, a chicken stock cube, some white pepper and a little water.
Whizz up the tomato mixture until it is pureed (and strain through a sieve if you fancy). Adjust the acidity of the tomato “soup” to taste with a little natural honey and some skimmed milk. Drop in some pasta, like ‘Angel Hair’, linguine, or fusilli, in short pieces if you are using straight pasta. Stir in well. Pour the par-boiled vegetables into the pan, along with a can of pulses, like chick peas, mixed beans or even green lentils. Stir in.
Remove from the heat and leave for a few minutes for the pasta to soften.
Check for seasoning and serve with some rustic bread, preferably infused with garlic butter.
 |
| From PicasaWeb - Cuisine 2006 |
Here’s a new take on the classic sauce Hollandaise.
In a ‘Baines Marie’, drop in three egg yolks. Rind half of the red grapefruit into the ‘Baines Marie’ and then cut the grapefruit in half, squeezing the juice into the mix. Prepare the Hollandaise as normal, whisking constantly over a gentle steaming heat until a firm consistency is felt.
Remove the ‘Baines Marie’ from the heat and settle onto the work surface on a tea towel, or non-slip mat. Drop in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and whisk. Ensuring the ‘Baines Marie’ dish is securely held, whisk constantly and drop in a constant stream of olive oil until the sauce is loose enough texture to merely coat a spoon.
The sauce will keep for a few hours, but cover in a dish if you intend to use it (or leftovers) the following day.
 |
| From PicasaWeb - Cuisine 2006 |