the Quotable World Cup

During the 2006 World Cup I compiled a best-of list of funny sayings by the Brit announcers, and sent them to my friend Clare. For your perusal:

"he lept like a salmon" -- about an italian player going up for a header

"the difference between Henry and Pauleta is absolutely like chalk and cheese" -- about the French striker and the Portuguese striker.

"here's a clever stepover from the show pony" -- about Cristiano Ronaldo

here's hoping for a fun/funny 2010 world cup!

Just out of the frame is the carcass this guy was feeding on, all alone. He was so full he couldn't get up! Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, December 1988

World Cup / ESPN Blog

ESPN has a world cup blog authored by quite a few people. This post caught my eye -- i don't work blue on this blog, but my predilection for swearing is well known....

To ensure that notoriously potty-mouthed England striker Wayne Rooney stays in check, the referees have brushed up on their English swear words, committing to memory a list of the 20 worst, reports the British media. England is rightfully nervous that the man once described as the assassin-faced baby (Michael Owen was his babe-faced assassin counterpart at the time) is at all times on the cusp of a sending off.

The assassin/baby bit is the cherry on top.

Okavango River Delta, middle of nowhere in a canoe, July 1988

World Cup Schedule

It starts tomorrow. The US gets to play England on Saturday. May well be a blood bath, that.

I'm going to put in pics of our stay in South Africa in the late 80s for all of the World Cup posts. Enjoy.

The road to Maun, Botswana.

It rained on us in the Kalahari desert, when we were deep in Kalahari-Gemsbok National Park, and needed to get back for the start of the school year. A crazy drive out.

I am in love...

... with Eggbeater, a foodblog. I just found it, cause I was doing research for a post about noyaux -- stone fruit kernels. Been meaning to do that post for a while. Anywho, the blogger is an amazing writer, the kind of food writer that I love: really long-winded, imprecise instructions, but the info is there. The rhythm of the writing is beautiful. There are also poems on the blog. The blogger is a pastry chef/food professional, who began the blog (in 2005) while consulting/doing part-time restaurant jobs, so they had some extra time to impart wisdom on the interweb. I think I'm going to kill a ton of time on the blog this weekend. The current post is about lemon marmalade and it is gold, solid gold.

The writing voice is incredibly strong, even at the beginning. This post is going to grow and grow and grow as I try to highlight the most interesting posts....

On pizza/pizza toppings. Wedgewood Stove. Egg babies. On cooking for Al Gore.

Stone fruit 2005 (includes this: Food is delicious and political. As easy as it sounds in this complicated world, we vote with our dollar and our mouths. Restaurants serve raspberries and asparagus in winter because many of us order and eat it). stone fruit 2006. stone fruit 2007.

Michael Pollan, the cornification of America.

On butterscotch (a little snarky, a lot interesting). On butterscotch pudding. more butter.

On Heat, by Bill Bufford (I love this book, but, alas, read it before the blog began, so I've only mentioned it in passing, if at all).

On leeks braised in olive oil.

'Bright and dangerous desserts' includes: When Thomas placed me at Bouchon he explained that anybody can wow a diner with food they don't recognize. Fantastical creations with disparate ingredients can surprise and delight (or dismay) but they don't trigger our body's memory of what "it should taste like." He explained to me on the deck of his house that what I was being asked to do at Bouchon was much harder than I might know. Interesting.

On pie. wonderful, wonderful post. Crisp topping. GF crisp topping. Cobbler. On strawberry shortcake. Yellow cake. Pumpkin Pie. Caramel cake, caramel cake tips. Pavlova. Rhubarb. CREPES. Homemade ice cream. Coconut cream pie. Puff Pastry. 'Madeira' cake.

on flour/what gluten does, and a link to more great info.

On Pierre Herme macaroons : Pierre Herme is not afraid. Of the French Pastry Mafia. Not afraid of French Pastry History. He knows the classics. But he knows how to break the rules.

Goat yogurt granite. Lemon Sherbet. Mandarinquats.

In this post:
Over and over, here on Eggbeater, I teach you the whys as well as the hows so that when you are peering out from both hands at The Next Recipe Challenge in your kitchen, you can place both hands on your hip and yell, proudly,

"You ain't the boss of me! No Sir! I am an Independent Cook! I CAN bake! I CAN cook! I CAN saute! I CAN braise and swirl and roast and mince and sweat and caramelize! I am one good-looking, confident bad-ass and you-- YOU THERE RECIPE-- You are not my ruler! Word."
love it! There are some beautiful images in the post, too.

humor. humor #2 - peeling tiny tomatoes.

Food blogger winner lists. 2005. 2006. 2007. Links to other food blogs.

There are lots of posts about the restaurant industry. This one about chef/owners who still cook is interesting. Being a sous chef. Sustainability of the industry. Getting your foot in the door. Menu changes.

On cherry pits (noyaux) -- this post is how I found the blog. On cherry noyaux icecream.

In the mango post: In grade school I lived in a rain forest for a spell and if I know nothing else, I know what a mango should smell and look like when it's ripe. I spent many days sitting in mango trees eating everything within reach. Nice.

On chocolate desserts:

So pastry chefs like me. Completely uninterested in cliches. So over warm chocolate cake they could plotz, are faced with the dilemma. What will their chocolate dessert be?

Because you know what, dear dear readers of eggbeater? Your chocolate dessert will sell even if it's the worst plate you construct. Diners will eat salmon and tuna until even farmed fish are extinct. And they will order chocolate even if all the other components are ones they despise. They will move aside garnishes, sauces, flourishes and innovations. To get to the heart of the matter. The important bit.

You guessed it. Chocolate. uh huh.

I dig the bit about farmed fish, wish it weren't so....

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Update: I'm all caught up. There's a ton of interesting stuff on eggbeater. Enjoy the links

David Lebowitz -- 'Kentucky' Gelato

Be afraid, be very afraid. Interesting read, though.

Green Tea Cupcakes

Keely busted out 2 kinds of cupcakes yesterday, had my camera today and got a pic of the green tea cupcake with ginger frosting, though I only remembered I had the camera after a few bites. Love that matcha powder. The other one was chocolate bourbon with a white icing plus chocolate bourbon dipping sauce. It was pretty crazy.

Rhubarb, Spring 2010

This is rhubarb from a different plant than I've pictured before, this one has more red.

bucket of love

rack focus with a point-and-shoot

pick your favorite diagonal

Home vs. Store-bought Eggs

Interesting article, claiming no taste difference between store-bought and home-laid eggs. The people in the comments section nail it; even if there is no appreciable taste diff to the lame-o people who participated, there are ethical differences, color/nutrition differences, etc.

the Gardens, Spring 2010

strawberry

I spent 9 hours at Amy's garden over the weekend. Have 4 tomatoes in the ground, 3 new peppers (lipstick, pimiento, lipstick - I think), 3 pepper plants that are 2 years old (poblano, anaheim, pimiento), 4 red potato plants, 1 russet, 2 kinds of kale, cilantro, spinach, arugula, the artichoke plant is done but a new one is starting to grow, 3 rhubarb plants, green beans, purple beans, radishes, beets, epazote, purslane, spearmint, lemongrass, a mint that I got from Ventura at the farmer's market, thyme, and a boatload of strawberries that I have to eat faster than the slugs do. I've got a couple of raised beds, and everything else is protected by metal cages or milk crates from the gopher. Went to Tammy's this morning. There I currently have 2 tomatoes, a couple of purple potatoes, a couple of german butterball potatoes, a couple red potatoes, strawberries transplanted from Amy's, and some volunteer squash from the vermicompost. A couple of the potato plants did their thing, so I need to harvest them and then I think plant peppers in their place. Growing food is good.

potato

wood raised bed and cardboard collars to hold soil, tomato, potato, peppers, mint, strawberries, beans

green onion going to seed

purple osaka mustard going to seed

As for fruit trees, it's basically 'just' loquats right now. But man am I digging them :)

Oh, almost forgot the container garden at my house. One hybrid tomato that overwintered. 2 new ones (a pineapple heirloom and a yellow taxi heirloom) (that's what is at the other gardens, too). Have starts for another variety too, either a purple cherokee or a brandywine, I forget -- that plant overwintered 2x! A couple of poblanos, a couple of jalapenos, a thai chili are all atleast a year old. New ones are pimiento, lipstick, a hot chile from Baja that Ventura brought back from his family's home, cherry bomb. Thyme, italian parsley, lemongrass, mints...

jalapeno

harvested purple osaka mustard

tomatoes from the plant that overwintered

jalapeno blossom

thai basil going to seed

tomatoes from seed

new growth on old thai chile plant

poblano

overwintered tomato

Patagonia / Salmon

It would be nice if more rivers were like this.

Tom Rush/Prairie Home Companion

I bought a couple of Tom Rush cds after the last time he was on Prairie Home. They are quite good, but he is just magic live on that show. He has great rapport with GK. He did 3 songs this week, but Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings were on, too, so the whole show was particularly listenable.

World Cup/NPR

NPR has had some coverage of the World Cup recently. The best bit in the story is how they mention ESPN is ditching the US announcers in favor of Brits. Love it.

Image from here.

Tesla/NUMMI/NPR

Interesting story last week about a partnership between Tesla (who make 'boutique' electric sportscars) and Toyota to use the Toyota/Chevy NUMMI plant to make Tesla cars. Great idea cause it's going to bring the price down so more people can go electric. Win win.

Dailey & Vincent Sing the Statler Brothers

Awesome, awesome interview last week with 2 modern bluegrass guys who made a cover album of Statler Brothers songs. The Statlers played with Johnny Cash for a bunch of years, so you probably would recognize them if you heard them. Bob Edwards clearly loves the Statler Bros, which made the interview great to listen to. I threw in the cool jpeg to catch peoples' eye, cause this description isn't so hot...

Bishop Desmond Tutu

There's a show on KCLU at 5am on sundays, that isn't archived. So I usually miss part of it and/or can't remember exactly what was said. It's called 'City Arts and Lectures' and it's from SF, basically they tape public interviews and play them. Last week it was an interview with Desmond Tutu, talking about South Africa (obviously), specifically about the truth and reconciliation commission, Mandela, religion, etc. He's a great speaker. He was talking about being with the Dali Lama at a speaking event in Seattle, something about how "70,000 people came to hear him, and he doesn't even speak english." Awesome.

We need more Helmuts

Nice post from Liz Clark on Swell from Tahiti.

Cherimoya Colada Sorbet

The cherimoya tree by Amy's plot has been good for the last month. Made a cherimoya/banana/coconut milk sorbet that was a little milquetoast, but Lou ate 3 bowls of it, so that made me feel good! Getting the fruit off of the cherimoya seeds was a bit of an ordeal, I scooped it into a collander and pushed it through the holes with a potato masher -- basically an improvised chinois. The ratio of cherimoya to every thing else was wrong, basically this was a banana sorbet, but I like the name cherimoya colada....

Cherimoya colada sorbet:
flesh from 3 cherimoyas
6 bananas
19 oz can coconut milk
6 oz sugar
lime zest
splash lime vodka

Mix it all together. Stickblend. See other sorbet posts for more details :)

Acerola (?)

This is a tree at the garden. I think it might be an acerola cherry but i'm not sure. The fruit is sweet and tart and small and good.

New Books II

Been spending alot lately....

In Defense of Food
Second Nature
A Place of My Own -- all Michael Pollan
Fat of the Land

the Book of Salads
the Natural Healing Cookbook
Stocking Up
the New Basics Cookbook
From Amish and Mennonite Kitchens
Silver Palate Cookbook

Spaghetti Westerns / OnionAV

Nice long writeup/intro to the genre.