A name for Mère de Ménage, a variety of large deep red flushed blushed cooking apple known sine the late 1600s and known by many names throughout Europe. It cooks to a purée so is good for sauces and charlottes. This late-season variety is harvested from early October in South-East England and is at is best from November to February.
The flank of beef is a cut which is used for braising, stewing and boiling. It runs along the back part of the animal's belly.
The flank steak is a beef cut from the belly area below the sirloin. It is a narrow, flat cut of meat. Can be grilled or fried if good quality. It is often seen on menus as London Broil.
Pastry made using egg yolks instead of water, resulting in a very 'short' brittle pastry. It is often made with sugar to provide a sweet pastry.
A name for the Balmain bug, a type of sand lobster found around the southern coasts of Australia and in some parts of the north west but mainly off the eastern seaboard. Sand lobsters are any of a variety of small crustaceans bearing a resemblance to lobsters and which bury themselves in sand or mud during the day. There are many of them, including bay bug, bay lobster, shovel-nosed lobster and rudder-nosed lobster which is similar to a slipper lobster. Moreton Bay bugs and Balmain bugs are available commercially. Moreton Bay bugs are slightly more triangular than the Balmain bug, which also have their eyes placed very centrally, while those of the Moreton Bay bug are placed right out on the margin of the carapace. They are available at around 25 cm (10") in length. Balmain bugs are said to be sligthly inferior in flavour to Moreton Bay bugs, which are also a little larger in size.
Beef cut. Sirloin steaks. Tender, juicy, prime steaks from the loin. They contain the bone and marbling, as well as an outer layer of fat.
Flatbreads are cooked the world over where grains, and sometimes potatoes, are available. They consist of the simplest ingredients and are the first and oldest of the breads, requiring no or minimal leavening. Generally, the world-over, they will be made with grains such as wheat, rye, corn, oats or buckwheat simply mixed with water. Some may have oil and yeast or some other leavening agent added. They may be baked in pits, in clay tandoor ovens, on hotplates or over coals. They vary from stylish, flavoured focaccia to naan, rhoti, chupatti and amazing paratha breads; from carta di musica or Irish potato boxty to pizza bases and fougasse. Throughout the Middle East (and closer to home) you will find pitta breads, aesh in Egypt and, in Mexico, tortillas.
