Friday, July 24, 2009

Janna, Allen and The Green Fairy



La fée verte. The Green Fairy.

A mystique surrounds the drink that earned this moniker: absinthe.

Bohemians. Hemingway. Absinthe houses. Art. Literature. Hallucinations and madness.

I had to try it.

One of the ingredients in absinthe is wormwood (other ingredients include fennel, and the anise which helps to give it a very distinctive scent and taste) which contains compounds (thujones) once thought to produce mind-altering effects- described by some as a “clear-headed drunkenness”. This theory has subsequently been debunked- most of the mind-altering effects of absinthe were actually caused by consuming large quantities of the high-proof alcohol. However, many enthusiasts still ascribe a unique sensory experience to the drink, whether from the ingredients of the wormwood or due to the other herbs in the mixture.

Absinthe was banned in the early 1900s in the United States, due to its purported negative effects. It was finally allowed to be legally produced and imported in 2007, after a very long hiatus, with the restriction that the drink must be thujone-free (damn- I hope that the other stuff in absinthe will do its magic).

The additional history, social effects, and culture surrounding absinthe are fascinating, but too complex to discuss here. However, I will describe my personal experience with the stuff, which is not nearly as complex.

Allen gave me a bottle of Lucid (one of the first absinthes imported into the United States after 2007) for Christmas. It is contained in a beautiful dark bottle with two green cat eyes imprinted on it. Along with the absinthe, there were two traditional absinthe glasses, and a silver absinthe spoon.

We spent months trying to find the perfect time which to drink it. No occasion seemed special enough to celebrate with absinthe. Finally, one night last month, I just opened up the bottle. We celebrated the time-honored absinthe ritual in the kitchen of the house in Waresboro.

This was not exactly what I had envisioned: sipping the drink in some sophisticated setting, and enjoying deep and meaningful conversations as the effects of the absinthe descended upon us. But we don’t seem to have any absinthe houses in our neighborhood. And, anyways, we were feeling adventurous that night.

I managed to clear a spot on the kitchen counter, and placed our two new absinthe glasses down (A little additional trivia: absinthe glasses have a characteristic shape- the bulbous part at the bottom hold the requisite amount of absinthe, while the top part of the glass holds the ice cold water). I found the box of sugar cubes that I had saved for the occasion. A few were missing- the kids apparently like to snack on them. I searched for an appropriately elegant carafe from which to pour the ice water. All I could find was a Mason jar. The prospect of preparing absinthe with a big jelly jar cracked us up, and we had to take a picture (see above).

Having assembled all of the necessary implements, the ritual commenced. I placed the slotted spoon over the glass, set a sugar cube on top, and slowly dripped the ice water from the Mason jar over the sugar cube and into the glass containing the absinthe. It wasn’t perfect, but the liquid turned a cloudy opalescent greenish color- the classic louche , which brings out some of the flavors of the drink that have been overpowered by the anise, and looks really cool.

We approached the mixture with trepidation.

The aroma: definitely a lot of anise, and other aromatic herbs that I couldn’t readily identify.

We raised our glasses and drank. We looked at each other. We took another cautious sip.

I finally spoke up and stated the obvious: the stuff tastes like shit.

This must be the well-kept secret of absinthe drinkers. How were we supposed to get this down? No refined sipping for us. We just shot the stuff in one great big gulp.

We thought that perhaps that we had made an error in preparation on the first go-round, which may have accounted for the foulness of the mixture. So we made another attempt. This time we used more absinthe and less water. I dripped the water more slowly over the sugar cube. The result seemed a bit better this time. This may have been due to the additional sugar cubes that I finally dumped into the glass; it could also be that the effects of high-proof alcohol on two relative teetotalers were beginning to take effect.

Although we began to think that the drink might actually start tasting good after a glass or two (or three or four) more, we elected to retire to the couch to contemplate absinthe’s magical effect on the senses. Instead of “clear-headed drunkenness”, we fell dead asleep on the sofa, the cat dozing between us.

The epilogue to this story is similarly anticlimactic. In order to counteract the “potency” (my nice word for the fact that it tastes like crap) of the absinthe, we used one of the drink recipes supplied with the bottle: the Mint Muse (below). Allen liked this concoction; I was unimpressed.

I am still open to enjoying absinthe, and I am committed to enjoying it in the traditional way, as I am a purist. However, I am thinking about trying the famous “Death in the Afternoon” cocktail (below) - any drink concocted by Ernest Hemingway deserves attention.

So I do hope to receive a visit from The Green Fairy at a later date. I will keep you posted.


__________________________________________________________________



The Mint Muse (From the Lucid website)

1 1/2 oz. LUCID®
• 2 oz. Pineapple juice
• Muddled mint leaves and lime wedge
• Topped with Sprite or 7-Up
• Garnish = mint sprig

Muddle 6-8 mint leaves with the lime wedge along with the LUCID®. Add ice, the 2 oz. of pineapple juice and shake briefly. Top with Sprite or 7-up and add the mint sprig.
This name is a play on "The Green Muse"

Death in the Afternoon (From http://www.blogger.com/www.absintheonline.com)


“A recipe verified in the 1935 humoristic celebrities' cocktail book titled 'So Red the Nose, or Breath in the Afternoon' edited by the famous journalist and author Sterling North and Carl Kroch. Hemingway wrote: "This was arrived at by the author and three officers of the H.M.S. Danae after having spent seven hours overboard trying to get Capt. Bra Saunders' fishing boat off a bank where she had gone with us in a N.W. gale." It seems highly unlikely that Hemingway would have drunk this concoction if given a choice. In most cases the mixture ruins both ingredients, which would have annoyed him. In this case, they most likely took advantage of the mixture to ward off the effects of a bad day in rough water, as champagne was considered a sea-sickness 'cure'. A lighter absinthe is best, such as the Pernot distillery's White Fairy. - 1 jigger of absinthe added to a champagne flute- Add iced champagne until it attains the proper opalescent milkiness.”

Saturday, July 18, 2009

National Ice Cream Day!

July is National Ice Cream Month, designated by President Reagan in 1984. Sunday (how fitting), July 19th is National Ice Cream Day! A celebration is in order: make mine a hot fudge sundae with lots of hot fudge and whipped cream, a maraschino cherry, and no nuts, thank you.

So, in celebration of this wonderful holiday, a few brief comments on ice cream and some really good recipes for home made ice cream:

According to Wikipedia, frozen treats have been around for centuries. Ice cream, however, seems to have first appeared in the 18th century in England and in the Colonies. Making early ice creams seemed to be a pretty laborious process, due to the complexities of obtaining sufficient ice. Therefore, it was served only on very special occasions. It is believed that Dolly Madison served ice cream at her husband’s inauguration.

Ice cream didn’t take off until the nineteenth century, when improved ice cream making techniques, such as the hand-cranked ice cream freezer, were introduced. Ice cream reached its world-wide popularity with the advent of refrigeration.

Ice cream has played a vital role in the dietary history of my family for decades. My mother has been most central to this history, as a serious ice cream addict. Hot fudge sundaes were allowable meal substitutions in my family. My mother possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of the location of every ice cream shop in South Florida, and will frequently substitute a hot fudge sundae for a more traditional meal. I frequented many ice cream parlors in my youth. Each of the stores, of course, had their own unique flavors and presentations, from Jaxson’s Kitchen Sink (dozens of scoops of ice cream with a bunch of toppings and a heap of whipped cream, served in an actual kitchen sink) to Carvel’s flagship dessert, Fudgie the Whale (check him out- he’s a South Florida icon).

My early attempts at home-churned ice cream have been less-than-stellar. The finished product has been a disappointment: slightly watery, grainy, not-so-flavorful. It seemed like a whole lot of work for not much.

In my older age, though, as a brand new retro farm wife, I have decided to give it another go. It seems like the right thing to do at the farmhouse in the summer: churn ice cream. Making ice cream seems to go along with growing a garden, putting up preserves, and raising chickens.

I started all over with a brand-new Rival ice cream maker, purchased at WalMart for about 20 bucks. The first attempt was a test run, using a prepared cherry vanilla mix and whole milk. Much better than I have ever made before, but nothing like I wanted. So I headed back to the cookbooks and the Internet.

Ice cream generally comes in two varieties: Philadelphia-style, which is made from milk and cream and sugar and no eggs, and French or custard style, which contains eggs. I opted to try the latter, as it is supposed to produce a smoother, richer dessert, as the eggs emulsify the mixture and make it very smooth.

I learned a few tips about ice cream making:

- ­ Be careful about the rock salt and ice mixture, as too cold produces a bad result, and too warm won’t freeze right
- Any milk or cream should be heated to just below boiling point, because it produces a smoother product
- Always add salt, to counter the sweetness of the sugar
- Cook the ice cream mixture down for a few hours in the refrigerator before freezing to produce a better ice cream

Success! I churned the ice cream for around forty minutes, and pulled out the dasher (the part of the churn that does the mixing) to reveal a beautiful, smooth, pale yellow concoction. We all fought over licking the beater! I let the ice cream ripen in the freezer for a couple of hours, and we enjoyed the result with waffle cones.

Here’s the recipe that I pulled off www.allrecipes.com for Old Fashioned Vanilla Frozen Custard and used for my masterpiece. I highly recommend it. The booklet that comes with the ice cream freezer has some great recipes, too. I gleaned the ice cream making tips from Cookwise, by Shirley Corriher, which has some great recipes and really good food science information. I love the book.

Note: instead of whipping the cream and adding it to the partially frozen mixture, I just went ahead and added it to the cooked mixture. I froze the mixture in the ice cream churn, of course, not the freezer.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup half-and-half cream
2/3 cup sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS
In a heavy saucepan, combine first three ingredients. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Cool. Pour into chilled ice cube trays without dividers or a shallow pan. Freeze to a mush (do not freeze hard). Whip cream; add vanilla and salt. Fold into partially frozen mixture. Return to trays or pan and freeze.

Have a good holiday, and let me know how your ice cream comes out!

Monday, July 13, 2009

The Meaning of Tri

As far as triathlon goes, I am in what I like to call a “rebuilding year.” I have plantar fasciitis, and my foot needs some serious rebuilding before I can continue comfortably in the sport. My training and racing this year has been minimal.

My love of the sport, and the triathlon lifestyle, remains, even as I sit on the sidelines. Triathlon, for me and for many others, has its own mystique.

Why the mystique? It’s a question that I’ve often considered. What is it about the sport that attracts us? Why do we do it?

The easy answer, of course, is that most of us in triathlon are uncommonly driven, and the extreme endurance needed for the sport provides the challenge that we crave. But there’s more to it. Tennis is challenging; swimming is challenging. But what is it about triathlon, specifically the race itself that catches our attention and imagination so much?

In short, for me, triathlon has been about celebration and commemoration. The extremeness of the sport, besides attracting us Type A’s, leads athletes to ascribe special meaning to the endeavor. We use it to celebrate life and important milestones in our life; we use it to punctuate and commemorate special moments.

This very subject was also of interest to the people at Mindset Triathlon. They sponsored an essay contest on The Meaning of Tri, exploring the topic. The winning essays were posted in an e-book by the same name. Somehow, my take on the topic was selected as the winning entry. It’s also been published on the USA Triathlon website, if you want to take a look.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Fortune Cookie

I have to confess: I am not a big fan of Chinese restaurants. Especially the kind of Chinese restaurants that proliferate here in the South. Buffets laden with fried-whatever layered in sweet or salty-whatever sauce and served up with a big bowl of starch. Although very satisfying after the hard Ironman workout, the Chinese buffet, for a not-currently-in-training triathlete like me, is poison.

However, I do like fortune cookies. I reason that fortune cookies are the healthiest choice on the Chinese food menu. And unlike many people, I do actually eat the fortune cookie. And I usually eat everyone else’s fortune cookies after they get their fortunes, too. They are probably flavored pieces of cardboard shaped into a “C”, but they taste just fine to me.

I am usually more concerned with eating my fortune cookie than actually looking at the fortune inside. They rarely seem insightful to me. I do, however, enjoy the adult party game of adding “… in bed.” to the end of a fortune cookie fortune.

But I have been thinking about the fortune that I saved recently. It ended up in the pocket of my shorts and, amazingly, didn’t get incinerated in the dryer.

“You could prosper in the field of entertainment.”

If you add “…in bed” to the back of that one, I suppose it suggests that I should make a career move to adult entertainment.

The fortune is tacked up on my desk at work. I don’t even remember when I tacked it up. I noticed it when I was attempting, with little luck, to think of a name for this blog. I wasn’t getting anywhere. But I looked at my bulletin board and, there it was, pinned on top of all of the doctors’ phone numbers and other notes that I keep handy.

“You could prosper in the field of entertainment.” For some reason, the stupid little piece of paper with the winning lottery numbers on the back has caught my attention.

So, as all good scientists do, we will place this fortune under a microscope to ascertain its hidden meaning.

One of the definitions of “entertainment” in The Random House Dictionary is “an agreeable occupation for the mind.” Well, for me, the most “agreeable occupation for the mind” is writing.

I have been writing ever since I could hold a pencil. I wrote my first “Dear Diary” entry at the age of seven. January 1st detailed that I was happy to receive the little white leather diary, with “Diary” written on the cover in gold letters, for Christmas. (I was really more excited about my new white figure skates, though, because I believed that I was destined to be an Olympic figure skater like my heroine Dorothy Hamill.)
I’ve filled notebook after notebook with journal entries, poems, short stories, essays.
That stuff was mostly for my amusement. Few eyes other than mine ever saw it. It’s been an avocation for thirty-odd years now.

So, obviously, this “entertainment” business must be about writing. Ok. We have it half figured out now. Back to the dictionary.

We now analyze the word “prosper:” “to be successful or fortunate, esp. in financial respects; thrive; flourish.”

Another confession: it is my not-so-secret wish to quit my day job and make a gazillion dollars writing for a living.

So, obviously, this fortune is good news for me and I should send in my resignation and get comfortable in my pajamas at my desk at home.

However, being a scientist, I am a skeptic. I’ll keep the day job for now.

My belief is that fortune cookies, like Tarot cards and horoscopes and palm reading, are little windows into the psyche. Through them, we view our wishes and our worries.

“You could prosper in the field of entertainment.” I really don’t want to be a gazillionaire novelist. I just want to put the words out there. Thrive and flourish in my “agreeable occupation of the mind.”

Here is my fortune cookie.