Heights of great men,
a student food-lover's journey through pastries, cakes and delicious main dishes
Wednesday, 19 January 2011
Day 5 - Quotes, I collect them
Heights of great men,
Day 4 - A Passion Above Cooking; My Favourite Book
Funnily enough, a big part of my love of reading has its roots in pastry. It's true. My greatest incentive to read was at my Primary school. My best friend and I would spend breaks and lunchtimes sitting inside reading together, and our Scottish English teacher, Mr John, would supply us with his secret stash shortbread. Good memories. To this day, I still believe that nothing complements a good book so well as a cup of tea and a tray of shortbread.
So the question today is...What is your favourite book? My response: Can I have an easier question, Miss?
How can I answer that? My tastes are so wide ranging and eclectic that it's like asking a chef what his favourite food is. We love so many things for such different reasons. I have favourite books that cover the inspiring, the lyrical, the thought-provoking, the completely moving, the absolute escapism, the list goes on. But if I had to pick one book......I couldn't. Wow, I actually couldn't. So here are my favourites, just a few to give you an idea.
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand - this kind of book, if it was a human, would be the kind to provoke a statement: "That is a face only a mother could love." It is, not badly, but, not well written. It is too long, overdone, and the author rambles. The ideas are debatable, being a book of fiction written by a philosopher about, and to promote, her ideologies. Still, the main character, Dagny Taggart, is the kind of woman that makes ambitious young girls want to look more closely at their Science books, and take on the world. She is a heroine who is smart, strong, and completely capable, while still being attractive and female. It is hard to find heroines like her nowadays. It is a book intended to show the need for a type of capitalism that I admit is more palatable than actually exists in America now, but I must admit, it helped me put more defintion to my own rather Socialist ideals, while letting me know that Capitalism isn't completely evil. This book is a feat. It took my a Summer to read, and a year to understand, and I'm sure Randites would pick apart my own understansding of her book, but even if you disagree with her philosophies, it is a book anyone with an idea of social issues and responsability, or interest in economy should read. If only to argue against it. Reader Beware: not for the weak hearted or short sighted. The text is small and the book is thick.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - Now lots of girly girls would start giggling about Rochester, and lots of feminists would start ranting about the treatment of his first wife, Bertha. I'm none of those. I am however a Christian, however liberal, and what gets to me from this novel is Jane Eyre's resolve and determination that she does what she believes is right. She has her beliefs and no man was going to sway her against them. Right on, girl. She does what it is so hard to do- she removes herself entirely from a possibly corrupting situation instead of risking her beliefs on the hope that she is strong enough to resist Rochester and his "love". Although, it annoys my that she doesn't take any of her things with her. I mean, I'm all for independence and not relying on the one who betrayed you, but forward planning woman! Anyway, this is my depression-busting book. I read it in the bath when I'm feeling low. (Still, I am a girl, and I do love the romance.)
Children of the River by Linda Crew - Duty or love? Maybe this book is where I first started to show my Asiaphile tendencies. I love learning about other cultures, and this book, which may or may not be based on a true story, is an insight into family culture and the tensions of a Cambodian family after they flee Cambodia to America in fear of the Khmer Rouge. Okay, so it is a children's book, but maybe it's a "belong to both worlds" thing, but I totally understood the tensions when the Western influences come into contact with the Eastern culture. Like how an American ruffling a kid's hair doesn't seem such a big deal until that kid is Cambodian, and then apparently the head is where the soul is believed to reside. So ruffling = bad. Regardless of belief and scepticism, it is always important to understand the traditions of other cultures. Especially if you want to date the daughter of a traditional family, as is the case in this book. It is a nice light romance, with the somber background of war and torture from which the main character, Sundara, has escaped. Good read; maybe too good because I lent it to a girl 3 years ago, and I haven't seen it since.
Anything written by Terry Pratchett. Because the man is a legend to be able to create such a wonderful universe. Start with the Discworld, a flat world balanced on the backs of four elephants, that stand on the back of a giant turtle called Great A'Tuin. Then add diverse cultures and people that both mimic and parody real life, along with the cultural, political, bureauracratic, and religious realities of our world. One feature of his books which I adore, and which, unfortunately, don't always feature, are the footnotes. Because in a world as complex as his, bearing in mind that we ourselves know only so much about our own world, there will be things to confuse and amuse us. Though the footnotes only serve to add to the last. His books are at once hilarious, and serious. He can cover topics such as racism and land disputes in "Jingo", to death in "Mort", and one of my favourites, gender equality (using witches and wizards as examples) in "Equal Rites." I must add however that Pratchett is English and as such, some readers, typically Americans, won't necessarily understand the humour. There's no shame in this, I'm not anti-American. British wit is just not always easily understood. And Americans tend to feel this the most, as well as having a completely confused grip on the idea of irony. (The Canadians too in this case - yes, Alanis Morissette, I'm talking to you.)
Speaking of British humour, this next book isn't a favourite, but I laughed so hard when I first read it that I felt it deserved special mention, as well as a link. The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse. It's a little outrageous, so the easily offended need not read. It is like a demented fairytale become real, and seen through the eyes of a teenage boy, so no worries of it being mushy and girly! Robert Rankin, the author, seems to be an eccentric fellow, so this book makes sense from him, but I would recommend it to anyone as a quick but satisfying read, full of slightly-off colour but not overly offensive humour.
happy reading,
Sunday, 16 January 2011
Day 2 - Movies and Pizza
Anyway, I forgot to take it out the freezer, so I decided to be lazy and order pizza from Pizza Express, along with their famous dough balls. In my opinion, this fits neatly into todays question. Favourite movie? Becase when you're at home with your friends, there's nothing better than a film and some pizza.
I had a Pollo Ad Astra, the lovely tender chicken well accompanied by sweet pappadew pepper (which I've never heard of but which are out of this world) and red pepper that goes nicely with the overall soft sweet taste of the pizza. Those dough balls I ate as I walked into my living room, half gone before I sat down. I would post a picture but the whole meal disappeared before I had a chance to remember. My flatmate had a boring Margherita, but with my 50% voucher (I'm a penny-pincher me) it cost her only £3, and together we watched Legally Blonde on the telly.
I have a lot of favourite films I've realised, which is strange since I've only really been a true movie goer in the last couple of years. I could probably give you favourite film by category but I'm very bad at telling genres. So here's a shortish list. Amelie - for a light hearted surrealism that leaves me feeling optimistic and hopeful about people. Also the soundtrack, music by Yann Tierson, is smply amazing.
Spirited Away - pure fantastical escapism. Even if you think animé is a childish past time, or can't tell the difference between animé and cartoons, watch this film and see how the artwork is so beautiful and real. I love this film, not only a little because of one scene where a train is travelling over an area that has flooded and looks like a calm sea, interrupted only by the waves caused by the train. The score behind this scene was composed by Joe Hisaishi and is called The Sixth Station; it fits the scene almost as though the artwork was made for the music, not the other way round.

Saturday, 15 January 2011
30 Day Challenge - Day 1 - I always have to tweak things to my taste
So everyday for the next thirty days I will post about food but, with an added element linked to myself. For example, some people started the Challenge with a post about a favourite song. But I might talk about a dish that makes me think about music. Just an idea.
Speaking of taste, here is Day 1:
So those who know me, and now you dear reader, are all aware that my music taste could be described as eccentric, unusual or, to the very few, just plain cheesy. Mainstream is all very well and good, but whenever I find myself liking mainstream music, it tends to be the mainstream of anther country :P My favourites can range from reggae, rocksteady and soca, to punk-rock, to J-Rock and Mando-pop (esp by Taiwanese artists). At the moment my favourite songs are So Exclusive by Japanese hip-hop group m-flo feat. Sowelu and Reeewind! by m-flo feat. Crystal Kay.
I loved m-flo as a teen, and I was raised on R&B, and rediscovering their music kinda reminded me how I like my music (as well as my food)...International, baby! And so maybe this, as well as being near a market and having a freezer full of fish from my Antiguan Grandma, is why today's meal is so...everywhere. Drawing from Caribbean, Asian and American cuisine:
Fried Tilapia in a Tomato Sauce, Sweet Potato and Raisin Mash, with Ginger Rice
So you must be scratching your head. How on earth do these fit together. Truth is, they're not suupposed to, but like any pacifist, I asked the question, "Can't we all just get along?" And they said "YES!"
So for the recipe:
The Ginger Rice was lifted from a chicken recipe book as a side-dish to sesame chicken strips. Although I substituted a few thing I didn't have. I'll put the original ingredients in brackets where they are different.
1 cup of Basmati rice - a short grain rice would work too, probably better
A knob of butter (sesame oil)
A can of ginger beer - 330ml - I must point out that I used D&G Old Jamaican, cause I'm patriotic like that.
1 spring onion
A thumb sized piece of ginger
Salt
- Chop off the very end of the spring onion, and chop the green of the onion into pieces. Keep the whole white/colourless end and tap with the end of your knife to release the juices.
- Fry the onion and the, peeled and chopped, ginger in the butter.
- Add the rice and stir in the butter, cooking over a high heat for a couple of minutes.
- Then add the ginger beer and cover, stirring occasionally until the ginger beer has mostly gone, leaving a slightly wet rice.
For the sweet potato and raisin mash, which is I think an American twist on a West Indian staple plant. This is probably the most basic recipe, and come nowhere near my New York-Jamaican Aunt's version. Usually I only have roasted sweet potato or boiled in soup at my Grandma's house.
- I peeled and chopped 1 average purple skinned sweet potato - marketed as Jamaican sweet potato by the grocer. (I panicked when I saw white liquid seeping from the veggie as I chopped, but that is apparently just starch.)
- Boil the chopped sweet potato in salted boiling water for 20-25 minutes, til. Use about half a tablespoon of salt. Meanwhile soak a couple loose handfuls of raisins in warm water.
- Mash the potato, adding a couple tablespoons of soft butter and a bit of cream.
- Now add some allspice (or cinnamon/nutmeg). Maybe a teaspoon.
- Add the drained raisins, and mix in.
The Tilapia I had cooked the day before.
- First I washed 2 Tilapia fillets with water and lemon juice, then seasoned the fillets with fish seasoning; 1/2 an onion; 1/2 a red pepper, finely sliced; thyme; salt; and black pepper. I left the fish overnight.
- Next I fried the onions on the fish in oil, then added the fish to the pan, frying on both sides until the fish was cooked through and completely white inside, breaking the fish apart to be sure.
- I added half a tin of chopped tomatoes to the pan, added parsley and thyme, then a dash of light soy sauce, and let the sauce cook down for 10 minutes or longer. If the tomatoes are sour, I add a half-teaspoon of sugar.
Tilapia is such a rich fish, has lots of valuable nutrients and vitamins, and when cooked by my Nana, is meaty enough that you don't always realise it's fish. China is apparently the largest source of tilapia for eating and it is eaten in most of East Asia, though maybe not in my way.
The funny thing about this meal, is that so many of the ingredients are cross-culture. Basmati rice is typically used by both Indians and West Indians (Caribbeans), ginger is universal, but again heavily used in East Asia and the Caribbean, sweet potato is a staple in the West Indies and South America and even North America and Africa.
So yes, when we share so much culture (at least the culture of food) why is it so hard for us to all get along? Ha, trust me to turn a meal into a philosophy blog. The philosophy of food... So there's my meal - an international melange of tastes and textures and cultures. Just like my music taste.
Peace, love, and happy eating,
student_gourmand
Phew this was a long one :D
Friday, 14 January 2011
Something a bit...French
The question wasn't Would I like to? but What would I bring?
The answer: Madeleines.
For Christmas my mother gave me a cook book from the Australian Women's Weekly set of cookbooks named "Afternoon Tea". It is absolutely stunning, and the recipe chapters range from tea sandwiches, to scones, to pastries and cake. In the book is a recipe for Madeleines. Basic enough, tried it out and the outcome was nice but blah. So I tweaked it a bit. A bit of lemon here, more sugar there and voila! Madeleines fit for church.
So what is a Madeleine? In the simplest of terms, it is a little sponge usually shaped like a seashell. A bit more high brow response would be that it is a "light French sponge made from a génoise batter" and shaped like seashells. Now you can google 'Génoise' and you'll get all sort of links, but unfortunately, after doing my own research the recipe I've been given I can't admit to being truly génoise but rather a lazy, "hey it works" version. Shame on you Women's Weekly. Nevertheless, here it is:
Slightly-Lemony Madeleines
2 1/2 heaped tablespoons caster sugar
2 heaped tablespoons icing sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
35g plain flour
35g self raising flour
75g melted, then cooled, butter
1 tablespoon hot water
Zest of half a lemon
- Beat the eggs, then add the sugar by the spoonful, while whisking, until the mixture was frothy and creamy looking.
- Add the vanilla extract and the lemon juice, and mix in.
- Add the (twice-sifted) flour and fold in a little. Then add the melted butter and hot water, folding the ingredients until everything is mixed in thoroughly.
- Add the lemon zest.
- Cook at 200°C for 12 minutes, until the middle is firm but springy under the touch.
Et voila, easy madeleines. I hope no French patissier stumbles across my page to chew me out for publishing this instead of a genuine madeleine recipe but if a reputable establishment like The Australian Women's Weekly can do it, then I can do. The important thing is that they taste good and go well with tea and coffee. This should make about 24 madeleines, but I spread my batter thinner and made 33 slightly smaller ones. Unfortunately my madeleines aren't all golden brown like the cookbooks make out, but those have clearly been photoshopped. But FYI, they're lovely.
Look out for my attempt at madeleines made from classic Genoise batter.
Peace,
student_gourmand
Wednesday, 27 October 2010
Tea Parties...or rather, cake parties that feature tea
Saturday, 17 July 2010
Brownie Cake
For the brownie cake:
Now for the recipe:
- Melt the butter and chocolate for the brownie cake over a pan of simmering water.
- To this chocolate mix, beat in the cocoa then the sugar. (joyofbaking lady uses a hand mixer, but whisks are easier to wash up)
- Add the eggs (the recipe says one at a time but I beat them all separately first then add a bit at a time)
- Beat in the vanilla and the cream cheese.
- Mix in the flour and salt (by hand this time, all you hand-mixer users)
- Add the nuts here if you must, but toast them first for 10 minutes in the oven at 177°C/350°F.
- Pop the mixture into a 9inch loose bottomed tin, or a 7inch tin with the leftover in a muffin tin, which is greased and the bottom lined with parchment/grease-proof paper. (Trust me this batter leaks without the greaseproof. We live and learn. However if like me you put the tin on a baking tray, then you lose very little batter).
- Put your batter into the preheated oven at 165°C/325°F and leave there for 25-30. (The ones in the muffin tea will be good and gooey if you take 'em out after 20minutes).
Now when they're done cooking in the oven, butter the end of a wooden spoon and poke holes in them. Then fill them with the ganache, directions for making it are below:
- Boil the whipping cream, then pour it over the chopped up pieces of chocolate.
- Mix it in and let it sit for a few minutes before putting it into the holes with a teaspoon.
So I hope you make this and have a great time eating this. I have and will. After I let it chill in the fridge overnight. Happy baking!
student_gourmand