I have had a garlic press, actually 2, for a number of years, but rarely used either, as it just was another item to clean after prep. I’ve always sliced, or chopped the clove, with a 8″ chef’s knife, smearing it back and forth with the blade if I wanted a finer mash.
In the article Ms. Cloake wheels out Harold McGee, “On Food and Cooking” , who gives us the molecular story about why wreaking havoc on the innocent clove creates aromatic and oral differences. To wit:
“garlic contains odourless (under normal conditions) compounds derived from the sulphur-containing amino acid cysteine. When the garlic tissue’s cells are disrupted (cut, smashed…), this amino acid compound is brought into contact with an enzyme which converts it into molecules of ammonia, pyruvic acid and a mildly garlicky but unstable compound. This in turn breaks down into diallyl sulfide, the major and powerful constituent of garlic odour. So garlic won’t smell like (or taste like) garlic until the cells are disrupted and this chemical process takes place. Mincing with a knife will disrupt some cells, but leave others intact. Crushing … would disrupt a higher percentage of the cells, causing more of a reaction.”
Though I lack a degree in chemistry, I get the drift. The more one disturbs it, the greater the effect on the senses.
O.K. - Back to Felicity. I followed a link in her post to Skillet Doux who deftly adds the microplane to the tools of smash, and offers further insights to technique.
So, I have made my decision. I will be sticking to my 8″ knife. I really did enjoy reading the posts and, as usual, found more interesting stuff by following other links on each of the sites I visited.
P.S. DO NOT MISS THE COMMENTS AT SKILLET DOUX .
“………………….. When garlic is harvested, the membranes surrounding the cloves aren’t paper dry and flaky like they are when you buy garlic heads in the store. They’re thick, moist, vegetal layers… similar to, say, the layers of a leek… and haven’t yet dried out. If you use garlic at this stage of freshness, hoooooooo buddy, is it potent. …………..”
Type: Song
Tune: Ballinamona Ora.(listen here, scroll down 1/2)
Awa’ wi’ your witchcraft o’ Beauty’s alarms,
The slender bit Beauty you grasp in your arms,
O, gie me the lass that has acres o’ charms,
O, gie me the lass wi’ the weel-stockit farms.
Chorus-Then hey, for a lass wi’ a tocher,
Then hey, for a lass wi’ a tocher;
Then hey, for a lass wi’ a tocher;
The nice yellow guineas for me.
Your Beauty’s a flower in the morning that blows,
And withers the faster, the faster it grows:
But the rapturous charm o’ the bonie green knowes, Ilkspring they’re new deckit wi’ bonie white yowes.
Then hey, for a lass, &c.
And e’en when this Beauty your bosom hath blest
The brightest o’ Beauty may cloy when possess’d; But the sweet, yellow darlings wi’Geordie impress’d,
The langer ye hae them, the mair they’re carest.
Then hey, for a lass, &c.
There are 3 main features of such a celebration. Scotch whiskey, poetry readings, and haggis, (sheep’s heart, liver and lungs boiled in the animal’s stomach.)
I’ve attended – I’ve eaten, and haggis is not for me. Sorry, I really tried.
Papillon, Chelsea, has turned heads with a more palatable rendition of the dish which includes, confit pork belly, foie gras, sweetbreads, morels and black truffles served with the finest Limousin beef fillet. It will be accompanied by ratte potato purée and Madeira glazed turnips.
On a recent trip our group was in front of the art Museum in Chicago trying to decide where to eat. One IT savvy member used her cell phone to locate pizza places within 3 miles. The results led to menus, directions, reviews, transportation alternatives, and ratings.
That was then.
This is now
The above video features QR codes.
It’s a pretty good bet we will be seeing these everywhere very soon.
It makes my tongue dance when, while trolling the web I come across something truly nifty.
Salami de Chocolate (with Coffee Liqueur made with Tequila)
Such was the case when I read an article by Patricia Jinich, ( More chorizo to love), in The Washington Post. I happen to be a big fan of chorizo in every last one of its forms.
Ms. Jinich has deftly encased chorizo and its nuances, and served it to us smelling like warm tortillas and tequila.
That tantalizing dalliance led me to her blog, Pati’s Mexican Table, which I have added to my blogroll and you must investigate, too.
I’ll be busy for some time reading my way through her site while listening to Ranchera Radio - and thinking about the chocolate roll in the photo above.
According to the weather people we are about to get one whopper of a storm. It’s a fact of life here in New Hampshire that storms = power outages.
I’ve got a generator to power my heater fan. Three old oil lamps. A box of candles. The larder’s stocked with cheese, sardines, crackers, canned tuna & chicken, beans, apples, peanut butter, and other goodies.
There are plenty of books to read, ( the dark humor from the amazing mind of cartoonist Gahan Wilson is perfect ) and a new volume of The New York Times crossword puzzles to work on thanks to my step-father Billy.
There are heaps of websites providing advice on coping with power outages. Barbara Brown, a food specialist at Oklahoma State wrote this one.
The Ontario Ministry of Health proffers dark wisdom here.
My favorite was written today in the Concord Monitor by Hillary Nelson, and was the spark for this post. No Electricity Needed – simple meals for when the power goes out. Check out the open fire basket of fingerling potatoes, cipollini onions, and rosemary - That just plain made me hungry.
Tiffani Miller and her husband were impressed with their first meal at Jonathan’s The Rub (9061 Gaylord). Not so with the second one. Her group of six all requested the Black and Blue, a filet mignon with blue cheese sauce.
Everyone at the table ordered it medium rare,” Tiffani Miller says. “My husband added ‘emphasis on the rare’ to the server. When dinner came, my husband cut into his steak and we both noticed that his was much closer to medium than he likes. He very politely called the server over and let her know that his was a little too done. He asked to have another steak and told her to just send back the same sides with it. Another staff member returned immediately with the same plate and said, ‘Chef says that this is how he does medium rare. If you wanted it raw, you should have requested that.’
“She put the plate back down in front of him. Everyone at the table was so dumbfounded by this remark that we were briefly speechless. We decided to avoid further embarrassment, swallow our pride and address it another time. Two of our guests showed us that their steaks were more rare than my husband’s had been and even offered to switch with him.
“We never saw the server again until she presented the check with all charges included. She even asked if my husband wanted to take his untouched food home with him. It was never mentioned again by anyone on the staff.
“Obviously, we will not go to Jonathan’s again. I made a point of letting everyone know what a great experience we had the first time and many of my friends went on my suggestion. I will now tell twice as many people about this experience. Apparently, even in a recession, the customer is not always right at Jonathan’s The Rub.”
In the comments section, many people came to the restaurants defense with tales of much better experiences.
My response:
1. The term “BLACK AND BLUE“ is universally accepted to mean, charred outside / rare inside, another term, “PHILADELPHIA-STYLE” is synonymous.
2. Alienating customers will result in closed doors.
3. “Blue” should be “Bleu” denoting the use of cheese.
When you have some time come back and follow the labyrinth of links in The Top Ten to experience some of the niftiest cafe’s, diners, and coffee houses of the 20th century.
Other links on the site are equally compelling such as :
I came across an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer about Chef Aliza Greenand her experiences teaching high and junior high school students about cooking and Jewish culture. The article is well worth reading, and I ended up checking out herblogand really got interested.
Check out the herb guide. Her book on herbs should be a good reference.
Chef Greenis not only a talented cook, but is an accomplished author as well. Ceviche just happens to be one of my favorite things, particularly in the summer. I’m hooked.
In the Inquirer article she mentions that she is researching a book on Jewish culinary history. I look forward to reading that.
