>  > ... The innumerable bottled sauces are enemies of good cookery.
>  ML> Partly true, but Worcestershire, HP, and others have been
>  ML> assimilated into even good cooking over the years.
> Lea & Perrins is now owned by Heinz as well, but thankfully they
> have not messed with the recipe in England or Canada. But the
> American versions (there are several new ones) use distilled white
> vinegar, not malt vinegar and has three times as much sugar and
> sodium. I always check the label carefully to make sure I know where
> mine was made.

I've not tasted straight Worcestershire in
quite a while but may have to try some to 
verify that sad fact.

> And Heinz has totally destroyed HP. It is less tangy and much
> sweeter (and now has HFCS in it). As well they have made a whole

And ditto. It might require a trip to Britain 
to do so (unlikelier and unlikelier).

> bunch of stupid new versions in an effort to increase sales. I now
> buy my own malt vinegar and get some tamarind paste from my Asian
> store and reverse engineer my own.

My taste memories of it are way too remote.

> This version lacks tamarind ...

Which adds a dimension but truth be told not all
that much amid the other ingredients, the spices
being more important than the source of tartness.
Yeah, there's the brown-fruitiness aspect, but
other things can provide that.

>       Title: Sydney Oland's HP Sauce
>       4    Tomatoes, roughly chopped
>     1/2 c  Light brown sugar
>       1    Onion, roughly chopped
>       1    Lemon, sliced
>     1/4 c  White vinegar
>       1 tb Salt
>       1 tb Ground allspice
>       1 ts Crushed black pepper
>       1 tb Worcestershire sauce
>     3/4 c  Dried chopped dates
>     1/2 c  Water
>     1/2 c  Canned chopped tomatoes or
>            Another fresh tomato
>       2 tb Corn starch

Lemon and white vinegar are cheaping out, and, I 
wonder if the earthiness added by the dates were
providing the depth that your tamarind would.

>   This version of the sauce turns out a bit thinner than the original;
>   feel free to up the cornstarch or let it cook down longer if you're
>   looking for a more authentic texture.

I'd be inclined to add a bit of tomato paste.

>   Posted by Sydney Oland To: Serious Eats

> ... When dinosaurs went vegan they devolved into little salamanders.

Arctic char gravlax with sorrel cream sauce
categories: Canadian, fish, brunch, main
yield: 1 batch

2 bn fresh dill with stems
1 bn fresh thyme
1 c coarse sea salt
1 c brown sugar
1 c white sugar
4 Tb black peppercorns, cracked
1 ts whole allspice, cracked
2 oz Brandy
2 fresh char fillets (2 lb each)
- skin on, pin bone out

Mix together salt, sugars, peppercorns, and allspice. 
Rub the mixture on all sides of the char. Put a thin 
layer of the mixture on the bottom of the cooking 
dish, lay fillets skin down in the dish and pack the 
remaining rub evenly around the fillets. Spread the 
dill and thyme on top of the fillets until the char 
is covered. Sprinkle a little brandy on each fillet.

Tightly cover the dish and leave at room temperature 
for 2 hr, then refrigerate for 24 hr. Flip over the 
fillets, rewrap the dish, and put a weight on top 
(like a cookie sheet with 2 cans on top). Return to 
the fridge for another 24 hr. At the end of curing, 
unwrap the fish and scrape away the herbs and spices. 
The gravlax will be firm but pliable and slightly 
translucent. Expect to see a great deal of liquid 
accumulate in the dish as the fish shrinks.

To slice the gravlax, use a thin, sharp knife. Hold 
the knife at a 10 degree angle, starting from the 
tail end, begin slicing the gravlax no thicker than 
1/6". The slices should be so thin that you can see 
through the flesh and watch the knife's movement as 
you slice. To serve, arrange the gravlax slices on a 
platter, serve with thin slices of toasted bread and 
sorrel sauce.

Chef Pierre LePage