Recently in Books Category

Jimmy Carter Man From Plains (Sony Pictures Classics, October 26, 2007-selected cities)
Dir. Jonathan Demme

Let me start right off the bat by saying that Jimmy Carter is a personal hero of mine. He is a deeply soulful, peaceful and intelligent man who manages to exist and flourish in this, the most complex and potentially dangerous of all possible worlds. Not only that, but he leads his life as an exemplar of modern man. How so? He has just tuned 83 years of age and is spending his birthday in the Sudan, trying to help end the crisis in Darfur. That's what he does when he's not helping run the not-for-profit Carter Center, leading sermons, writing books (21 and counting), building houses, monitoring elections and oh yeah, being married to one of the strongest, most interesting women of the last hundred years, his wife Rosalynn. He is a religious man whose faith inspires him to continue his good works both within and outside of the political arena. A steadfastly devout born again Christian, he firmly believes in the separation of church and state and in this sense is the very picture of integrity.

Following up on my brief obit of Kurt Vonnegut, a friend of mine passed on this nice story about Vonnegut, his early writing days and how his life intersected with Sammy Davis, Jr. It's a short read and well worth it.

We lost a great soul on Wednesday, as Kurt Vonnegut passed away in Manhattan. In its obituary, the New York Times refers to him as "a dark comic talent and urgent moral vision," and likens him to Mark Twain. I feel slightly ashamed that I had not realized how apt a comparison that was, until now. I could waste time, mine and yours, waxing poetic about how brilliant and thoughtful and funny he was as both writer and man, but I think I'll simply say, Kurt Vonnegut is who inspired me to be a writer and for that I will forever praise, and as many a writer will do their inspiration, occasionally damn him.

I know our country and world are still in the deepest of holes, dear scribe, but I hope that you and your dear friend Joe Heller are up (or down!) there, having a drink and living it up.

So it goes.

In Praise of Calvin Trillin

I urge you all to read Calvin Trillin's Op-Ed piece in Friday's New York Times entitled "Park, He Said." At the very LEAST, it will give you a few minutes of laughter in a world disturbingly bereft of such (automatic meatloaf carver, anyone?). If, however, you're not familiar with Mr. Trillin's work, you'll be introduced to one of the shining lights of modern literature. A thoughtful, incisive and often laugh out loud funny chronicler of, well, things that suit his fancy. A satirist, as well as a top-notch food and travel writer and self-proclaimed doggerelist, "Bud," as he is known by friends (I name drop on behalf of my parents, not me) is a true original and should not be missed.

Airline Toilets and the General Public

Am I the only one who finds it disturbing that there's a sign in airplane lavatories that reads something like:

Disposing of anything other than toilet paper in the toilet can cause external leaks and poses a safety hazard.

Is it just me or does that read something like "If you try to flush a load of solid objects down this loo, you might just bring this plane down." Sounds like an invitation to a deranged (or simply determined) passenger. I don't know about you, but I'd prefer that the idea not even be hinted at. How about a little lie? Something like: "Using anything other than toilet paper in this lavatory risks damaging the toilet and causing the entire plane to smell like poo?" That would sure stop me from pouring a load of ball bearings down the bog and might not give some nutty nut bar any bad ideas.

Just a thought.

In an interesting yet not surprising reaction to the passing of gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, he is being referred to as the original blogger. Clearly this is not meant to be taken literally, as the blogging phenomenon is relatively recent and Thompson didn't keep a blog or even an official website. However, with more and more bloggers paying tribute to the man as one of their main inspirations and with the question "Are bloggers journalists?" being debated almost daily, this brings an intriguing debate front and center. In fact, the self-described "alternative news and underground culture destination" disinformation has a very interesting quote by Thompson in a piece dated March 4th, 2001:

"Gonzo journalism is a style of reporting based on William Faulkner's idea that the best fiction is far more true than any kind of journalism - and the best journalists have always known this. Which is not to say that fiction is necessarily 'more true' than journalism - or vice versa - but that both 'fiction' and 'journalism' are artificial categories; and that both forms, at their best, are only two different means to the same end." - Hunter S. Thompson

Author, raconteur and all-around fantastic nutbar Hunter S. Thompson fatally shot himself on Sunday night, according to several news outlets. He was 67.

Maybe I'll do a full obit tomorrow, but for now I'll just say, "good night, you brilliant, crazy old bastard! We love ya!"

:´-(

The following is the resumption of my periodic reprints of entries from the classic cookbook/bible, Larousse Gastronomique. Billed on the front cover as "The World's Greatest Culinary Encyclopedia," the book is 1,350 pages long and contains 3,500 recipes. First published in 1938, the LG is an indispensable reference for anyone who fancies them self to be a serious cook. It's also a great read for people who like to eat and like to kick around in the kitchen on the weekend. While it does have a cover price of $75 (and is well worth it), you can often find it for 30% off at Barnes & Noble (see link @ end of entry).

Larousse Gastronomique p. 385

Cumberland Sauce

A traditional English sweet-sour sauce that is usually served cold with venison, braised ham, mutton, or roast or braised duckling. It is made with port, orange and lemon juice and zest, and redcurrant jelly.

RECIPE

Cumberland Sauce
Remove the zest from an orange and a lemon and cut into fine strips; cook 1 generous tablespoon of the zest very gently in 200 ml (7 fl. oz, 3/4 cup) port for about 20 minutes. Remove the zest and add to the port 2 tablespoons redcurrant jelly, then a pinch of cayenne. Mix, bring to the boil, add the juice of the orange and lemon, then strain. Mix in the cooked strips of zest.

Larousse Gastronomique: The World's Greatest Culinary Encyclopedia

French-language edition:
Larousse Gastronomique (French Language Edition)

Barnes & Noble.com Home Page

Larousse Gastronomique p. 416

Diablotin

A very thin, small round slice of bread (sometimes first coated with reduced béchamel sauce) sprinkled with grated cheese and browned in the oven, Diablotins are usually served with soup, particularly consommé. If a full-flavoured cheese is used, such as Roquefort, they can be served as cocktail snacks.

Formerly the name diablotin was used for a small fritter made of a deep-fried thinck sauce. It is also the name of a small spoon used to measure spices for cocktails.

cheese diablotins
Cut a ficelle (long thin French loaf) into slices 5 mm (1/4 in.) thick. Butter them and coat with grated cheese (Comté, Emmental or Beaufort, which melt, or Parmesan, which doesn't). A thin slice of Gruyère or Edam which may be used instead. Brown the slices quickly and serve with soup.

diablotins with walnuts and Roquefort cheese

Cut a long French loaf into slices about 5mm (1/4 in.) thick. Mix some butter with an equal quantity of Roquefort cheese and add some coarsely chopped green walnuts, allowing 1 tablespoon per 75 g (3 oz, 1/3 cup) of the mixture. Spread the mixture on the slices of bread and quickly heat in a pre-heated oven at 240ºC (475ºF, gas 9).

Every day (or more likely occasionally, knowing me) I will randomly open to a page in the 1,350-page Larousse Gastronomique and reprint an entry (without their permission, of course). This is a fantastic book and not just for cooks. If you are considering buying this book, however, please wait until I get my affiliates link from Powell's book store in Portland up. Powell's is arguably the best independent book store in the US and we should do all we can to support these stores. I'll probably join the B&N affiliate progam too, so folks can order CD's, DVD's and super expensive books (like this one) which are always discounted through big superstores.

So, without further ado:

Larousse Gastronomique, p. 574:

GRANITA
A type of Italian sorbet popularized by Tortoni in Paris in the 19th Century. It is a half-frozen preparation with a granular texture (hence its name), made of a lightly sweetened syrup or of a syrup flavoured with coffee or liquor. Unlike sorbet, granita does not contain any Italian meringue.

It is served in sundae dishes or a glass bowl, either between courses or as a refreshment.

RECIPE

granita
Make a light syrup with fruit juice (such as lemon, orange, tangerine, passion fruit or mango) or very strong coffee. Cool the syrup then pour it into an ice tray and freeze for 3-4 hours without stirring. The granita will then have a granular texture.