Text 11961, 160 rader
Skriven 2008-08-12 07:21:06 av Michael Loo (1:18/200.0)
     Kommentar till en text av Glen Jamieson
Ärende: durians and gas 759
===========================
 -=> Glen Jamieson said to Burton Ford <=-

 dd-> The durian this time had a much sharper, much more sulphuric aroma
 dd-> than previous durians. It was more an open sewer smell than the more 
 dd-> amiliar diaper pail aroma. I did not partake as I was overstuffed with 
 dd-> other things and worrying about getting Georgia back where she could 

That was an interesting observation - I find open sewer no grosser
and no sharper than diaper pail, but as the bard says, a rose by
any other name would smell as sweet.

 BF> I only had Durian once before.  To me this one smelled much less than
 BF> the one I had before... in Baltimore in 1995, I think.   

Absence makes the odor stronger. But in my memory, the
stench, er, fragrance was similar both times.

 GJ> There are several varieties of durian, with different flavours and
 GJ> intensity of flavour.

As I recall, both the 1995 and 2008 were monthong (mornthong)
from Thailand. That's the most common variety to be imported here.

 BF> I thought it tasted good.   It was soft and tasty, softer than the
 BF> custard it is compared to.   It's a nice yellow color, and feels good
 BF> in the mouth. 
 GJ> Interesting.  I had not expected you to be a durian lover;
 GJ> congratulations on being a member of that elite group.  It is not
 GJ> something which can be learned, but is inherent in your taste buds.
 GJ> Aunt Ah would fully approve of you for testing yourself that way.

Are you so predestination-minded as that! I think that there are
those, possibly including members of the echo, who have acquired
the taste for durian after initial suspicion and even dislike.

 BF> It did not feel good hours after, when it still "came up" in little
 BF> burps that are, for me at least, apparently a common occurence from
 BF> eating it. It was not enough bother to keep me from eating it next
 BF> time. 

But the other gaseous result might be. I have a friend who is
hypersensitive to smells; I'd not partake of potentially disruptive,
distateful, and dangerous substances such as durian, garlic, or
milk for a couple days before visiting with her.

 GJ> For me, that is the icing on the cake; it extends the time of
 GJ> enjoyment. Not sure if I should ask, but what did Butch think of your
 GJ> "durian breath"?  Did she come near, or run and hide?

Even I would not be that fond of second-hand durian.

 BF> Michael, Carol, and I ate quite a bit of it.  I give special honors to
 BF> Stephen who had to be pushed to finally eat a taste, as many others
 BF> could not
 BF> be.   After a faltering taste he went and got a bowl and a spoon and
 BF> ate a couple good mouthfuls.   Kudos Stephen.

Stephen also had a "faltering taste" of pork. More kudos.

 BF> Funny I never saw anyone eat it with a utensil.  The few I have seen
 BF> eat some just dug in bare handed.   I guess after you get past the
 BF> smell you figure there is nothing in it that can harm you.
 GJ> Licking fingers extends the enjoyment. I also like it with vanilla

Licking someone else's fingers does as well.

 GJ> ice-cream, as the flavours match nicely. You need a spoon then.
 GJ> Yesterday I shared 3/5 of a large, 3 kg Thai Mornthong with Kevin, and
 GJ> have some to share with another durian eater friend, and I promised
 GJ> some to my son's girlfriend.

Greedy guts. That's 2 lb of durian a person (counting armor).

 GJ> Did you eat the seeds?  They can be boiled or fried, and taste rather
 GJ> like chestnuts.

We didn't get that far - while I was busy with something else,
the remains of the fruit were consigned to a sticky end.

Swiss Croutes/Tranches au fromage
cat: cheese, main
servings: 1

2 sl stale bread
2 sl cheese 5mm thick
1 Tb apple, quince, or cherry brandy
black pepper
1 clove garlic
a deep oven-proof plate

Cheese crust like in the Swiss Alps.

For each guest as a hearty main course.

Some cheeses melt better than others. You need a full
fat hard cheese, if possible unpasteurized, Swiss and
au lait d'alpage, milk of cows who pastured an Alpine
meadow rather than some crap in a barrel. There is a
world of difference in the resulting product, just
like for wine or tea.

To make a proper croute you need your bread to be as
dry as possible. Ideally use stale bread cut into
slices and left uncovered for a few days. Toast two
slices of bread or enough to cover the bottom of the
hollow oven-resistant plate you will present each of
your guests with. Swiss restaurants routinely toast
the bread directly on a live gas flame on their stoves,
and they always burn it. Nobody complains as it is
buried under the cheese but the bitter burnt bread
taste is perceivable. So toast it but don't burn it.

Cut the garlic clove in half lengthwise, remove the
inside stem, and scrape it against the bread. Garlic
lovers will be tempted to put a whole crushed garlic
clove into the croute, but the taste will be
overwhelming, you won't digest it so well, and after
an hour or so you'll be left alone in the room.

Sprinkle 1 Tb fruit brandy over the bread slices.
There is nowhere you can hide a poor ingredient in
such a simple dish. Use the best fruit brandy you
have, a distillation of fermented pears, cherries,
quince or apples. I used my bottle of President
Mobutu's quince brandy which I bought at his
house near Lausanne.

The right cheese for a successful croute should
melt nicely. The armailli's Gruyere was just right
- not too hard and packing a concentrate of the
alpine pasture's grass, herbs and flowers.
[M's note: I believe that armailli means cowherd.]

Cut the cheese in 5mm thick slices and remove the
crust. Some people would leave the crust after
scraping it but it's good only if you manage to
really roast it under a strong broiler, and that
is hard to achieve without splitting the cheese
into an oily mess.

Cover the bread slices with the cheese and melt in a
medium hot oven. Too hot or too long and your cheese
will split. Watch carefully, it should be ready in
5 min or so. When the cheese is fully melted take it
out and don't wait for oily flecks to appear.
 
Serve hot with a little crushed black pepper or
powdered white pepper. Do not drink anything but hot
tea or white wine with melted cheese or you'll be sick.
This applies also to fondue and raclette, two Swiss
dishes related to the croute au fromage.

Many people like to eat pickled onions or cucumbers
with Swiss cheese dishes.

Source: fxcuisine.com
___ Blue Wave/386 v2.30

--- Maximus/2 3.01
 * Origin: Nocturnal State BBS (1:18/200)