Text 6671, 116 rader
Skriven 2006-10-17 18:54:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av GLEN JAMIESON
Ärende: HUNGARIAN DISHES 434
============================
 JW> For Glen: Dumplings can be light and fluffy. You need to separate the
 JW> eggs, whisk the yolks, work in the other ingredients, whip the whites
 JW> and fold them in quickly. The egg can trap a lot of air bubbles if
 JW> done right and it's the hot air expanding as the dumplings cook that
 JW> make them light.

That's the difference between dumplings that are meant to
delight the senses versus those designed to impart a feeling
of lack of malnourishment.

 GJ> That would be better.  Then they could absorb more of the soup in the
 GJ> plate after serving, thus decreasing stodginess and acquiring flavour.

And they'd likely fall apart, unless they had a very high
percentage of egg white.

 JM> I like Tokaji!
 JW> I haven't had the pleasure yet and can't here, but will seek it out
 JW> the next time i'm in edmonton or any other large centre.
 GJ> I had the dry (Sz raz), and liked it, but the more famous and
 GJ> expensive sweet (Asz£) dessert wine would be the one to try.

To be more precise, the distinction is Szaraz vs. Edes, dry vs.
sweet Szamorodnyi wines, with Botrytis content being none in the
first instance and limited in the second. The Aszu is a completely
different animal - being as you say a famous and expensive dessert
wine but acquiring its characteristics thanks to big old buckets
(puttonyos) of botrytized grapes thrown in with the rest of the crush.

By the way, Ian is a great proponent of the new style of
Tokay, and I too prefer it to the old - with lots of French
help the post-Communist winemakers have begun to produce
stuff that rivals the best Sauternes in both quality and
price. According to http://www.funkcity.demon.co.uk/tokaj2.htm
(whose authority I don't know, but the site looks good, and
there are few assertions in it that I don't recognize as
accepted fact), there are 8 classified estates (really a
marketing ploy) in Tokaji, of which 5 are French-owned,
one each Spanish, Anglo-Hungarian consortium, and Hungarian:

  Disnoko Estate (Really Disznoko), belonging to AXA
  Millesimes, a subsidiary of the French insurance group

  Hetszolo Estate - A former Imperial Estate, belonging to
  Grand Millesimes de France.

  Chateau Megyer - belonging to the French GAN insurance company.

  Messzelato Dulo Estate - which belongs to the Nantes-Ancenis
  agricultural co-operative in France.

  Oremus Estate - belonging to Vega Sicila vineyards in Spain.

  Chateau Pajzis, belonging to Jean Michel Arcaute, a vineyard
  owner in Bordeaux, and noted Bordeaux oenologist, Michel
  Rolland, among others.

  Royal Tokaji Wine Company (including the Nyulaszo Betsek,
  Bisalmas, and Botja estates) - Belonging to Anglo-Hungarian
  group of independent associates.

  Szarvas Szolo Estate - Another former imperial estate, which
  belongs to the Hungarian government (M's note: now called
  Crown Estates)

The downside is that the old Tokay style - sweet-bittersweet,
funkily oxidized, is pretty much gone.

  'But no one will surely ever refuse to discuss wine,' said
  Bredon, 'least of all your lordship, who is so great an
  authority.'

  'Not on this,' said the other. 'Frankly, it is a wine I do
  not care about. It is sweet and coarse, qualities that
  would damn any wine in the eyes - the mouth, rather - of a
  connoisseur. Did your excellent father have this laid down
  also, Mr. Bredon?'

  Bredon shook his head. 'No,' he said, 'no. Genuine Imperial
  Tokay is beyond the opportunities of Grub Street, I fear.
  Though I agree with you that it is horribly overrated - with
  all due deference to yourself, monsieur le comte.'

  - from the American edition of The Bibulous Business of a
    Matter of Taste by Dorothy Sayers


Lasagnes a la sicilienne (Michael's interpretation)
cat: classic, French
servings: 4

1 lb lasagna noodles, cut into 4" lengths
6 oz chicken livers, picked over
1 garlic, mashed
1 oz sweet butter
2 oz veloute or other white sauce, for binding
2 oz aged Gruyere or other Swiss-type cheese, grated
3 oz aged Parmesan, grated
1 oz sweet butter

Cook the noodles according to the usual method.

Meanwhile, melt 1 oz butter with the garlic. Saute the livers until
just done. Discard the garlic. Rub the livers and butter through a
sieve and fold in the white sauce. Set aside.

Toss the noodles with the cheese and 1 oz butter until well coated.
Fold in the liver-white sauce mixture and use in another recipe.

If you want to serve this by itself, top with buttered breadcrumbs
and brown briefly under a hot element.

source: Escoffier
posted 10-16-96
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