This is such a bastardization of the proper dessert I fell no need to use proper characters in the title. It is, however, delicious.
As of yesterday, I received the butane for my Chef's Torch, itself a Christmas gift from my wonderful mother. Not having time to actually make a Baked Alaska or any marangue pie this week, I went to town on oatmeal. This is best served in steep-sized bowls on a really cold winter morning.
"Filling":
3cups water
1.5cups rolled oats
1T sugar
2T butter
1/3cup sour cream
"Topping":
enough brown sugar to cover the filling
Procedure:
Boil the water, stir in the oats and reduce heat. Let cook until thick, then allow to cool for a couple minutes before stirring in sugar, butter, and sour cream.
Transfer to bowls and cover with brown sugar. Use a Chef's Torch to carmelize the sugar, and serve immediately. Note: an oven broiler can be used instead, but the small flame thrower is a lot more fun.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
This is big
If anyone reading this knows anyone involved with this: Laser fusion test results raise energy hopes, I want to bake these guys a pie.
The goal of energy policy today, in my humble opinion, should be to "bend the curve", and direct resources to cleaner and more efficient sources. This looks to do that, and along the way builds a viable case for commercial lunar operations. It won't solve all our problems, and isn't an excuse to delay other good ideas, but the future is bright. The future's so bright I gotta wear a welding helmet.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Cookie crust, attempt 1
I got a batch of home-made cookie mix for Christmas this year, and when I made the first batch they spread out enough to cover the whole cookie sheet, looking a lot more like a pre-baked pie crust than the cookies I hoped to make.
Like most progress, what began as failure is on its way to becoming a very delicious success. Like most progress, success is the result of learning what not to do.
Lesson 1: Pre-bake the crust
Lesson 2: This is not a good bet for fruit pies, and maybe only appropriate for no-bake types
More to come!
Like most progress, what began as failure is on its way to becoming a very delicious success. Like most progress, success is the result of learning what not to do.
Lesson 1: Pre-bake the crust
Lesson 2: This is not a good bet for fruit pies, and maybe only appropriate for no-bake types
More to come!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Once again in Peggy's thrall
I'm an unabashed fan of Peggy Noonan, and once again I feel like there isn't much to say besides, you should read her latest column.
The frustration she expresses with the national leadership of both parties is palpable in the writing and in meetings with many senior policy wonks and senior civil servants. Whether you're Taxed Enough Already or a fan of Michael Pollan, there's plenty to dislike about the House and Senate versions of the health care bill, but it's only the latest example of how many institutions seem to have lost their way.
And now I need to get back to work, doing my part to improve my institution.
The frustration she expresses with the national leadership of both parties is palpable in the writing and in meetings with many senior policy wonks and senior civil servants. Whether you're Taxed Enough Already or a fan of Michael Pollan, there's plenty to dislike about the House and Senate versions of the health care bill, but it's only the latest example of how many institutions seem to have lost their way.
And now I need to get back to work, doing my part to improve my institution.
Butternut squash does not freeze well
The flavor is fine, but the texture is all wrong after about a month.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Winning a war of attrition
Most of the drugs used to treat viral infections are, effectively, immune system suppressors. Noses run because that allows the body to clear out infected material. Increased metabolic activity, also known as "fever," is an important immune system booster. Fatigue, achiness, chills and other symptoms happen because the body does not have the capacity to both fight the infection and engage in normal activities. By taking these steps firmly and quickly, the body's own defenses can typically kill off the disease before it damages enough tissue to be a problem. Sometimes, as with the youth-skewed deaths from H1N1, this natural response goes overboard and kills the patient.
This is how I look at issues like terrorism. The relatively small number of people directly involved with AQ know that they have no chance of directly destroying the US. The strategic depth of the country is far too great for that to be a serious threat, much as the vast expanses and large nuclear arsenal of the Soviet Union guaranteed that its enemies could not threaten it directly. Instead, Bin Laden and company are playing their old patron Reagan's game, knowing that a small escalation on their part leads to a dramatic and expensive response on our part.
The "system" worked on Christmas Day, 2009 just as well as it did with Richard Reid in 2005. A man who, like many young hot-headed fools, had known links to AQ boarded a plane in a manner that's not unheard of for wealthy expats. He inexpertly attempted to damage the aircraft and was stopped by alert passengers and crew. In other words, the only people who slip through the cracks in the intelligence system are the least dangerous. Without irony, Go Team!
Placing additional loads on our security apparatus in this environment is like a fever that causes brain damage. Fighting AQ and its derivatives is a war of attrition, and one in which we hold a considerable advantage if don't allow small problems to grow into large ones. Today we're being asked to put aside dignity, get cooked slightly by microwaves and pay a lot of money so that our underwear can be inspected. Drug dealers and would-be assassins of Saudi princes know that there are places microwaves can't see, and we'll have to choose between accepting that risk or cancer-causing x-rays when the next young fool slips through the cracks. (Actually, one did, but US media kind of ignored it since the target wasn't American, so our prostates are safe for now.)
What we need nationally is something to suppress the fear response that leads to swelling in our budgets and feverish talk on cable news. Pie making can serve as that anti-histamine. Rolling out a crust is a great confidence builder, not to mention being good for the shoulders in the highly unlikely event you have to throw that elbow. Sharing pies with friends, family and neighbors pulls attention away from the strident talking heads, and hopefully calms everyone down a bit. We in the US are the safest and most prosperous people in history. Let's enjoy that instead of fretting about rich fools who are trying, and failing miserably, to ruin it.
This is how I look at issues like terrorism. The relatively small number of people directly involved with AQ know that they have no chance of directly destroying the US. The strategic depth of the country is far too great for that to be a serious threat, much as the vast expanses and large nuclear arsenal of the Soviet Union guaranteed that its enemies could not threaten it directly. Instead, Bin Laden and company are playing their old patron Reagan's game, knowing that a small escalation on their part leads to a dramatic and expensive response on our part.
The "system" worked on Christmas Day, 2009 just as well as it did with Richard Reid in 2005. A man who, like many young hot-headed fools, had known links to AQ boarded a plane in a manner that's not unheard of for wealthy expats. He inexpertly attempted to damage the aircraft and was stopped by alert passengers and crew. In other words, the only people who slip through the cracks in the intelligence system are the least dangerous. Without irony, Go Team!
Placing additional loads on our security apparatus in this environment is like a fever that causes brain damage. Fighting AQ and its derivatives is a war of attrition, and one in which we hold a considerable advantage if don't allow small problems to grow into large ones. Today we're being asked to put aside dignity, get cooked slightly by microwaves and pay a lot of money so that our underwear can be inspected. Drug dealers and would-be assassins of Saudi princes know that there are places microwaves can't see, and we'll have to choose between accepting that risk or cancer-causing x-rays when the next young fool slips through the cracks. (Actually, one did, but US media kind of ignored it since the target wasn't American, so our prostates are safe for now.)
What we need nationally is something to suppress the fear response that leads to swelling in our budgets and feverish talk on cable news. Pie making can serve as that anti-histamine. Rolling out a crust is a great confidence builder, not to mention being good for the shoulders in the highly unlikely event you have to throw that elbow. Sharing pies with friends, family and neighbors pulls attention away from the strident talking heads, and hopefully calms everyone down a bit. We in the US are the safest and most prosperous people in history. Let's enjoy that instead of fretting about rich fools who are trying, and failing miserably, to ruin it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)