Text 17414, 102 rader
Skriven 2007-06-29 18:40:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av DAVE DRUM
Ärende: learning bout culcha 741
================================
 DD> If you read for pleasure at all - you should look up some of his
 DD> works.  Like Louis Lamour his accounts are historically and
 DD> geographically  accurate - and it's nip & tuck as to who is the better
 DD> story teller. I  think probably, Kelton. If only because his books
 DD> cover a wider range of  history - and his heroes do not always win.

As I told Carolina Ruth, I'm certainly not going to go out of
my way for L'Amour, but I might check out a Kelton book in the
event I feel the need for reading a western (to my recollection
I have never read a western).

 DD> I have put out requests for a version of Ms. Lenya's performance. 

It's my favorite performance by a singer who can't sing.

 DD> My favourite song of menace is the Guess Who's "Friends of Mine".

My favorite may be on the album with Incense and Peppermints, I
think ... it's about running over a bird in the street. Totally
perverse.

Croutons Provencale like Alain Ducasse
category: amuse
Servings: 6

2 lg eggplant
12 garlic cloves
3 oz EVOO
10 anchovy fillets
1 ts vinegar
1/2 lemon
fresh thyme and rosemary
sea salt and black pepper
baguette bread, 3 days old
1 bn radish
butter

THE EGGPLANT CAVIAR
The morning before, start preparing the spreads - eggplant
caviar and anchoiade. Try to have everything ready some
time before the guests arrive. You can safely prepare this
half a day before and just arrange the croutons on a
platter a few minutes before. It is very conforting to be
greeted with such tempting and delicious food as soon as
one arrives in a home - don't make them wait. Your guests
will then leave you alone as you prepare the rest of the meal.

Halve the eggplants lengthwise and score their flesh in a
diamond pattern. Sprinkle some salt, crushed garlic, fresh
herbs, and 1 Tb olive oil on each half. Place them on a baking
tray and tightly wrap with aluminum foil. Bake in the oven at
180C/350F until soft - about 50 min.

Spoon the eggplant pulp into a mortar together with the garlic
we left on top. Pound to a coarse paste and incorporate about
4 Tb of the very best olive oil. Taste and rectify with a
little lemon and a few crushed peppercorns if needed.

THE ANCHOIADE
Anchoiade [hench-oy-ahd] is a traditional provencal
anchovy-oil emulsion much like aioli. It is most simple to
prepare if you have an electric mixer. Just soak 10 anchovy
fillets in water for 15 min to desalt and peel 3 large garlic
cloves. Drain the anchovies and add to the garlic in the
mixer with 2 Tb olive oil and 1 ts vinegar. Start the mixer
and gradually add about 5 more Tb olive oil. When the mixture
is smooth and with the mixer running, carefully add a little
water to lighten the mixture. The paste should not be runny.

THE CROUTONS
The best croutons are made from stale bread. If none is
available, just slice your baguette into thin and regular
slices and put them in the oven at 85C/185F for 30 mins or
until fully dry.

Sprinkle a little olive oil on top either with a brush or
macho-style with your finger on the bottleneck.

Toast for a few minutes in a 180C/350F oven. Please remain
next to the oven and watch then carefully or you'll burn
your croutons.

PLATING AND PRESENTATION

Put a generous teaspoon of the anchoiade on one end of half
the croutons and proceed with the eggplant caviar with the
remaining croutons. Do this at the last minute or the croutons
will lose their crispness and the anchoiade will turn rancid.
Lay them on a serving platter according to your taste and
serve with butter and sea salt in a pot.

For the dish to work your guests need to feel that this is
nothing special. Just serve it like you would open a pack of
peanuts. Give them the feeling they are at home in Provence
and just came back from the market with a bunch of radishes
and butter and can eat as much as they want from a shared plate.

Source: La Bastide de Moustiers, adapted by fxcuisine.com

___ Blue Wave/386 v2.30
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
 * Origin: Doc's Place BBS Fido Since 1991 docsplace.tzo.com (1:123/140)