Your ViewsKeep your e-mails pouring in, it's good to know that there are lots of you out there with views and opinions. To help you work out what is what, are now little icons to help you see biscuit related themes. And now you can see at a glance which are the most contested subjects via this graph (requires Flash 6.0 plugin). Please keep your mails coming in to nicey@nicecupofteaandasitdown.com | If you like, you can use this search thingy to find stuff that matches with any of the icons you pick, or use the fantastic free text search, Yay! | Your e-Mails |
Spencer Britton |
Hello,
I saw an advert on the television some months ago for a dog biscuit that actually cleans dogs teeth. After rushing out and purchasing some for my own dog 'norm' I found them to go down a treat. I, more often than not, leave my dental hygiene routine until I have had my first cup of tea (usually accompanied by an early morning biscuit such as the richT). Replacing my usual biscuit with a denture rasp could potentially save me a great deal of time.
Do you know if such an equivalent exists for the human market?
Yours,
Spen |
Nicey replies: I can't think of a suitable one straight off. A mint flavoured, high roughage, low sugar biscuit might do the trick if such a thing could be made. Mind you they might be a bit horrid. |
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Maddalena Feliciello |
My dearest Nicey,
my regards to you and The Wife plus a brief explanation that the Xanthan gum replaces the gluten missing as a result using the suggested flours. Wheat flour has been such a successful crop because of the elasticity and bonding this protein imparts to dough. Unfortunately there are some who have an intolerance or true allergy (Coeliacs) to the peptides it produces.
Hence the flour substitution plus Xanthan gum as a bonding agent and stabiliser. Without it the biscuits or any baking made this way will fall apart or not rise as well.
Sainsburys' now stock it !
NB: Sunny Delight is the Devils' Urine!...True
Love
M |
Nicey replies: Yay, you know you have found a serious biscuit oriented web site when discussions turn to Biochemistry. |
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A T Lewney |
Dear nicey,
i like to cook, and i like to bake, biscuits and cakes (tho really im crap at anything thats not sponge, but thats ok, cause i dont like fruity cake anyway much) but ive never come accross xanthan gum, can i ask you or her or whoever, what it is and can i get it in my local londis/spar/moronisons etc? and whats it used for other than the recipe provided, it all sounds very exotic
cheers
Al
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Nicey replies: Good question. Stuff beginning with X is rocket science by definition. I have never seen Xanthan gum for sale, but I have seen it in stuff, Sunny Delight for instance as you might expect contains it (I once read the ingredients of Sunny Delight to try and figure out if it was indeed as sinister as it appears to be). Whether or not they simply added it because it begins with X and they were working through the alphabet in some kind of sick ingredient stunt or maybe it is to do with 'mouth feel' which I think is the term for industrial chemists would use when building vats of Sunny Delight. Maybe it is part of the emulsification of the vegetable oil in the solution of sugar, and chemicals which is central to the production of Sunny Delight. Perhaps it is a by product of the production of Sunny Delight, which spontaneously gives rise to stuff that begins with X, and Sunny Delight itself is presumably a by product of detergent manufacturing.
You could try Holland and Barrett. |
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Maddalena Feliciello |
Hello again,
Perhaps you'd care to try the following if ever in a similar dietary predicament to Ley and teatime is looming. The flour used is a ratio of 4:1:1 White Rice, Tapioca, Potato
Chocolate Kisses
4oz Golden Caster sugar (Billingtons) 4oz dairy Free Marg ("Pure" organic) 2 large egg yolks 7oz gf Flour mix 1oz cocoa powder 1 dessertspoon Xanthan gum 1 tsp gf baking powder 2 tsp Vanilla extract ½ bar Green & Blacks cooking chocolate
Beat the sugar, marg & vanilla till light and fluffy, beat egg yolks and stir in, sift in the dry ingredients and stir until well combined. Fit a medium star nozzle on a meringue bag and pipe small rosettes (about an inch in width) on to a well greased baking sheet.
Bake for 20 mins gas mk 4/180c.
Lift carefully onto a cooling rack with a spatula, these are quite fragile at first but will firm up when cold. Melt the chocolate in a basin over hot (not boiling) water and then dip the base of each ?kiss? into the chocolate and place up ended onto greaseproof paper to set.
Naturally these can be made with wheatflour, just omit the Xanthan gum.
Toodle-oo
M |
Nicey replies: Fantastic, a great service for all the biscuit challenged of the world |
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Kathy Sadler
Thin Arrowroot Review |
Hi Nicey,
On the subject of Rich Tea Fingers, I should like to mention the idea of Biscuit As Medicine.
I suffer from migraines and when I get one, I can't bear the thought of eating. That is with the exception of the Rich Tea Finger. The trick is to nibble the whole biscuit at once resulting in a mouthful of crumbs (a favoured technique of mine especially with Digestives and Abernethys).
Somehow this produces a foodstuff that is both palatable and non-nausea-inducing, and I usually feel better after eating a few with a couple of sips of tea. For this reason, in our household Rich Tea Fingers are known as "poorly biscuits" and there is usually an unopened packet in stock, "just in case".
I was once struck down with a migraine whilst holidaying alone in Paris. Having no companion to send out for aid, and not knowing where else to go in the city, I walked like a zombie for several miles to Marks and Spencers, where my treasured medicine was purchased for a small fortune. It was worth every painful step and every centime as I felt almost instantly better upon opening that packet of Rich Tea Fingers!
The Round Rich Tea simply doesn't work. I don't think the taste or texture is as good, and the shape of the finger is better for nibbling. My Granny used to speak of the medicinal properties of the Arrowroot (your site has touched on this already), but for me it's the Rich Tea Finger ever time. Sainsbury's for preference.
Hurrah!
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Nicey replies: I think your tale of Rich Tea fingers touches on the paranormal. |
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