Google Wave is set to introduce an open source, multi user communication tool. It’s basically like instant messenging + email + conferencing with the benefit of keeping track of all points of any conversation at any time, based on privacy settings. Conversations are hosted on servers and even if you left for whatever reason, you could come back and even get a play by play rundown of the whole convo.
The video on the mainsite is 80 minutes long but kinda interesting. One shocking detail is that this was actually made in Sydney.
I bought Heston Blumenthal’s humonongous confoundingus cookbook a few months back, when it first came out before I went home to SG for a bit. I was with some friends and we just happened to be in Chef’s Warehouse when I saw it, opened to a page with something amazing looking. I flip and flip and everything’s amazing. So I had to have it. So I did. I swear I don’t hang out at Chef’s Warehouse.
Anyway, I dunno why I haven’t mentioned the book yet. It’s awesome. I think mostly, it’s because I haven’t finished reading the entire thing yet. It’s an amazing insight into the world of one of the the planet’s most celebrated chefs. You get to see his thinking and methodology, his childish playfulness and penchant for the wacky. At the heart of his cooking, is fun.
You get the mad scientist and you think, oh it’s just a show, an act, or hype or whatever. But seriously, he’s the real deal. This guy is insane when you talk about details. He will go to the ends of the earth, beyond the point of dimishing returns simply to do what he thinks is perfect.
The food’s awesomely inspiring too and just a touch bewildering/daunting. Most home cooks will never be able to approach this. It’s way too massive anyway, physically speaking, to have on your coffee table. This is a book for mad foodies or chefs. The information is split into roughly 3 sections. The first regards Blumenthal’s history and the method behind the madness. The second goes into the recipes proper, sometimes only offering anecdotes or a story rather than ingredient lists and instructions. The final chapter is the science and equipment, which is pretty detailed as well.
The photography is awesome, as is the food styling. The book really gives a magic atmosphere and whimsically English feel to things. All the famous dishes are here. Snail Porridge, Bacon & Egg Ice Cream… But I particularly love a few dishes.
Eel “Nichi” from 2007 is based on a 1967 comedy, Barefoot In The Park by Neil Simon. In there, is a scene where a dish of Nichi is brought to the table and the guests are told to wait a half minute before eating and that they need to pop it in the mouth and consume within 5 minutes or it turns bitter. Blumenthal’s version uses methylcellulose to make a gel that melts and really releases quinine in 5 minutes. This he uses as part of the eel “skin” which also composed of olives. To achieve a satisfactory aesthetic appeal, the skin also makes use of titanium dioxide and edible silver paint to emulate a real eel. This is all plated with some fried shirasu, poached eel, a black olive puree, a leek gel, dried olives and a myoga, udo & leek julienne. In case someone really waits 5 minutes before eating, a salty lapsang souchong infusion is also sent out to save the day.
Salmon Poached In Liquorice Gel from 2003 also looks amazing. It’s a shiny black coated piece of fish that comes with a balsamic reduction, vanilla mayo, asparagus and grapefruit. This one came about through a touch of molecular analysis, realising that asparagus and liquorice had a similar compound, asparagine. 2 interesting ingredients were in search of other components to make a dish. A combination of situation and novelty led to the two being used in a fish dish, with salmon’s meaty oiliness tempering the typically sweet, medicinal quality that liquorice tends to have.
You can see there’s a lot of depth behind the cooking just from my cursory explanations. Inside the mind of the great chef is someone who is curious and looking for wonderment. All that awaits me is a seat at one of his tables.
I saw this cheese used in Becasse’s book, it was served with a beetroot terrine and some baby tarragon and looked amazing. It’s basically a goat’s cheese that’s been left to form a white mould before being rolled in ash. As it ripens, it’s supposed to get more pronounced in flavor, whilst losing the acidity. The cheesemaker in question, is Woodside Cheese Wrights, based in Adelaide Hills, SA. Edith’s Ash just so happens to be their flagship cheese, named after a Frenchwoman cheesemaker who inspired it.
The first thing you notice about the cheese is that it stinks. In a good way, I think. It’s powerful, pungent and goaty, very mildly ammonia-like if my constantly blocked nose is to be believed. The next thing, is the beautiful exterior, which reminds me of chargrilled steak that’s been etched with the griddle edges. Only, the cheese is marked with ash, providing brilliant contrast with the pure white rind.
I break open the little round (it’s only 3 inches wide), and inside, was the most quaintly pearlescent cheese. It was soft and broke easily, the inside creamy but not mature. This was a young cheese, most obviously indicated by the expiry date, which had almost 2 months to run. As it ages, the ash changes the pH of the rind. I presume it makes it more alkaline, reducing the acidity of the cheese but allowing it to develop in flavor. The interior changes as well, with the centre forming into a ball, with a runnier, moist lining between that and the rind.
I bite into the tiny clump I broke off. Ooh, its sharp and pretty complex. But it’s not like a chevre, where the goatiness is really prevalent. In the Edith, its much more a background thing. Despite the fact that there are no blue veins in there, it tastes like it could have some almost. Which is weird and interestng. The aftertaste is sweetish and its then you get more of the goat. I’m itching to find out what this baby tastes like mature. Because I really loved the flavor but hated the sharp, tartness which seemed to blind it almost.
Round 2 with Edith’s Ash will commence when I see one on sale a week prior to its expiry date.
We were walking to a restaurant in the city one night, when we chanced upon this bright, neon poster advertising for an event at the Sydney Opera House. From far away, all we made out was the word, Luminous, upon closer inspection, we learn that it is the name of a festival of sorts. Curated by Brian Eno no less. The moment I got home, I was on the puter, booking tickets.
Luminous is still being held right now, having started on the 26th of May, it runs til the 14th of June. To commemorate the events, the Opera House will also be lit up at night with these constantly changing projections of images. Acts involved include Ladytron, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Brian Eno himself and Battles. We opted to check in for the latter, based mostly on me hyping it up.
Here’s a sample of the psychedelia that got put up on Jorn Utzon’s masterpiece, probably the only building worth visiting in Sydney.
The opening act was Palace Of Fire, playing their 4th show, as the singer put it, I think. Decent, if unspectacular. But we were here for the main act, pictured above. There was a short break, during which I left for the men’s room, returning to find the stage already set, with the drumset dead centre.
Dave Konopka didn’t take long to appear on stage and off he went, playing a couple chords on the bass, before twiddling with some effects and then adjusting the amp. A while later, the other 3 band members came on, Tyondai Braxton, Ian Williams and John Stanier, altogether at last as Race Out got into full flow.
Of course, I caught them the last time at the Gaelic, when I’d only just heard of them. I’m glad to say this time, I was able to bring a coupla friends along for the ride. Which was immense if anything. Also, they seem a whole lot more polished than they were almost 2 years ago. The Gaelic show was awesome, tight and intense and the cosy space made it feel more alive. Now, in a world class amphitheatre, they seem completely at home, adding a whole lot more embellishment and flair to the show. If you hear Battles on the record and think it’s no big deal, maybe you should see them live.
The experience in itself is so amazing. At the core of it all is the music. They way they do it, you really need to watch them play/fiddle, to really understand the majesty and complexity. It’s a show where you really don’t want to miss anything at all, which means keeping both eyes peeled at 4 perfomers all the time.
My friends were duly impressed by what some people bandy as the future of music. But don’t take my word for it, take Brian Eno’s.
