Text 5178, 139 rader
Skriven 2008-04-08 23:54:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av DAVE SACERDOTE
Ärende: This 'n' that 120
=========================
 DS> - There are several "Bacon Is Life" webpages out there, including 
 DS> one that really owns the domain name.

I'll have to check them out when I have broadband access again.
I am in Ar-Kan-Saw, and after a promising few concerts this season,
including the Bartok Concerto for Orchestra, the group just decided
to fold under me, possibly ending an I believe 45 year history! And
I had got my plane tickets and stuff. I had hoped the Bartok was a
sign of bigger and better things - maybe Bluebeard's Castle or the
Miraculous Mandarin (which I hope to play before I die) - but
instead there was a contraction rather than expansion of budget and
aspirations, followed by coma, in which state the group now exists.
Luckily, other musicians have come to the rescue with other gigs,
but I'm not thrilled with life by the moment.

 DS> As far as anyone giving me guff, well, the only ones who really
 DS> would do that would be vegans I guess, and I wouldn't really care
 DS> too much about their opinion anyway. [g]

I can't disagree, being, as you know, a strong carnivore, and, yes,
preferring strong carnivore friends and respecting their views more.
Sort of cool for a political lefty, eh.

=

 DS> I'll have to check out the CR article.

I think it was something like "top supermarket products."

Had a Super Sonic burger tonight (not bad) and a bite of their
chili cheese coney, which was extremely salty - I was wondering
who made their dogs. Also bought another ConAgra product - was
accompanying my friends Kristen's and Barry's son Sam to skate
night at the roller rink, and he begged for a Slim Jim, and,
as is in the job description of honorary uncle, I had to cave.
Didn't taste the thing, though, but Sam described it to uncle
Steve (real great-uncle), who didn't know what a Slim Jim was,
by saying that it tasted like bacon.

=

 ML> The cheaper the source of umami the better, to the beancounters.
 DS> There's something wrong with the picture when corn syrup = umami.

It does seem sort of like "negative umami," only it's not.

Sicilian Tangerine Sorbet
cat: dessert, ice
servings: 6

9 tangerines
4 lemons
500 mL water
3 oz sugar
1 dr orange blossom water

Start with one tangerine per guest plus three for the chef - his
skim, if you like. You'll need two lemons for each three
tangerines, mineral water, a bit of sugar and orange blossom
water.

Using a sharp serrated knife, cleanly cut the top of each
tangerine like you would a lid. Do not slice them in half but
instead try to get a flattish slice from the top where the stem
and leaves were.

Using your fingers, a spoon or some hook, remove the flesh
carefully so as not to damage the rind. You want to keep that
intact. The first bit is the hardest to remove, then everything
follows easily once you see the white inner rind. Place the
hollwed shells in the freezer to harden them.

Prepare a syrup by pouring 2 cups / 500ml mineral water in a
saucepan. Why mineral water? You are what you drink, so if you
prefer preparing sorbet with your personal blend of gutter juice,
chlorinated city faucet brew, sea water and sewer dew, be my
guest.

Then add 100 grams / 3 oz sugar. Whisk until all the sugar is
dissolved. You might need to heat a tiny wee bit for all the sugar
to dissolve but you certainly don't need to boil.

Let's extract the juice from our tangerines. In they go into my
chinois, the French conical sieve no kitchen is complete without.

The chinois comes with a funny wooden accessory, the male and
altogether more socially desirable cousin of the toilet suction
cup.

Pump until you have no juice left. If any of your guests complain
about the loss of dietary fiber, wrap the dry tangerine pulp for
her to take home. 'T'would be a pity to waste it', you will agree.

Pour the tangerine juice into the syrup.

Why add lemon juice? The tart and the sweet are what sorbets are
about. But it is the tart, my friend, that is the soul of the
party. Tangerines are usually bland and need something to kick
their ass so that the dessert is a success. Lemon juice is an
obvious choice, but a chemically-minded chef might use ascorbic
acid.

Mix the lemon juice with the tangerine juice, water and sugar.
Drink some - is it tart enough? Too sweet maybe? You know what to
do.

Now for our most devious touch. A drop of orange blossom flower
will add another dimension to our sorbet's flavor. But don't
overdo it - a drop will do or the whole thing will reek like an
insurance salesman's checkout-counter cologne.

That's it - just pour into the ice cream churner. No ice cream
machine? No worry. Just pour the liquid into a flat dish small
enough to fit inside your fridge and leave until almost frozen.
Then remove and grind down in a mixer or manually with a fork, and
freeze again. Do this a couple times until you obtain a smooth
mixture with no visible crystals. This is how people do it in
Sicily.

Remove the tangerine shells from the freezer. Take one in your
hand - it will be hard.

Carefully spoon the sorbet into the shell.

With the churning and added liquid, there is plenty to go to fill
each rind, and then some. Cover with the top and place back in the
freezer until ready. Remove them 30 minutes before serving so they
will not be too hard.

Would this dessert have been nicer had my tangerines had their
leaves on? You bet. I will be back with another sorbet of the
citrus fruit family, this times with leaves on.

Source: FXcuisine.com


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