Text 8337, 116 rader
Skriven 2008-06-04 10:54:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av GLEN JAMIESON
Ärende: scotch 415
==================
 -=> Hap Newsom said to Björn Forsström <=-

 HN> Everyone has their own favorite tastes
 HN> and it's good that way because there
 HN> are plenty of different whiskies to sample
 HN> and explore! While I put Macallan in my 
 HN> list of favorites, it's not at the TOP of 
 HN> my list (grin)

Macallan is very close to the top of my list, with the
older Balvenies, older Glen Grants, and some of the
interesting wooded Glenmorangies. I can't put Cardhu
up there any more - either it has changed or my taste
buds have changed, but for that kind of smoothy less
assertive Scotch, Dalwhinnie is the cat's meow.
A rather coarse and dull drop.

 -=> Glen Jamieson said to BjÖrn ForsstrÖm <=-

 GJ> In your travels in Scotland did you perhaps go to Tomatin?  That
 GJ> town/distillery makes a very fine whisky.  My ancestors of the clan
 GJ> McRae came from there.  Some of those clansmen also migrated to the
 GJ> Gore area of New Zealand, where they made a name for themselves as the
 GJ> leading makers of bootleg whisky in the area.
 GJ> I have been told that Tomatin whisky is not normally sold to the
 GJ> public, but is mainly used for blending.  Some was donated by the
 GJ> distillery to a McRae clan re-union held in 1990 to celebrate 150
 GJ> years since they migrated to South Australia, and I had the pleasure of
 GJ> drinking some on that occasion.  A lovely drop!

I'm sorry to have to tell you that Tomatin was bought in the 1990s
by a Japanese company and is now blended for the Japanese market.

Asparagus a la Pompadour
cats: Appetizer, French, Vegetarian, Historical Dish, Asparagus

3 bn white Dutch asparagus
4 oz butter
2 eggs
4 Tb verjus de muscat
salt
1 1/2 ts spelt flour
2 pn mace

This recipe invented by Louis XV's mistress will not Enlighten your waist.

Madame de Pompadour (1721-1764) was the most famous mistress of French
King Louis XV. Everybody knows this, but who knew she was also a
passionate cook? She certainly did not clean the pots but the following
recipe has apparently been invented by her. I could not resist trying.
If you want to follow suit, try first making a bearnaise, a better sauce
altogether. But if you can find the verjuice you may try Madame de
Pompadour's version. In the meanwhile just enjoy it here:

We have reserved this recipe as the last so that it can be kept out of
line. We will see that it is at the same time exquisitely delicate, of
a charming simplicity and a perfect elegance.

Select three bunches of the nicest asparagus of the great plan of
Holland that is those white with the purple tip.

Let them be cleaned and pared. Then cut them crosswise on the side
of the tip, as long as your little finger.

Worry only about these choicy morsels and discard the remaining stem.

Cook them in the usual manner by plunging into salt water.

Remove them to a towel to let them drip and keep warm while you will
make their sauce.

Empty a middle-sized pot of butter from Vanvres or the Prevalais in a
silver pot.

Melt the butter.

This sauce, like a hollandaise or a bearnaise, is thickened by mixing
it with egg yolks and slowly heating it. You absolutely need a
waterbath to do this and to watch your temperature constantly, as any
foray beyond 68C will ruin the sauce - death by custardization.

Two egg yolks well mixed with 4 spoonfuls of Muscat verjuice.

Add to the butter in one go. If you pour it too slowly, you run
the risk of custardizing the first drop of egg yolk.

Add a few grains of salt and 1/2 spoonful of spelt flour and mix well.

Add a strong pinch of powdered mace.

Let the above-mentionned sauce cook on a bain marie waterbath,
avoiding not to make it heavy by letting it become to thick.

The sauce is ready as soon as you can leave a trace with your
finger on the back of a spoon - it means the egg yolk as coagulated
enough. Do not let the sauce linger in the water bath or your'll
ruin it.

Place your sliced asparagus pieces in the said sauce and serve both
in an open casserole as an extra dish, so that this excellent dish
will not languish on the table and can be enjoyed in its full perfection.

This interesting formula reached us through the archives of Monsieur
Grimod de la Reyniere, who had it through the estate of his great uncle,
Monsieur de Jarente, minister of state during the period when Madame de
Pompadour was in favor. The author of the original manusript took the
care of mentioning that these Asparagus la Pompadour must be served
with a spoon but eaten with a fork.

The recipe is cited in Alexandre Dumas' Gastronomic Dictionary, but I
found it in Neo-Physiologie du Gout, a 1839 cookbook. For my article
I cut the asparagus before blanching it, which changes a bit the order.

Text-only version printed from http://FXcuisine.com/default.asp?Display=180
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