Fun With Gelatin!

More kitchen fun, this time with gelatin.

The basic proportion?  1 Knox envelope, with 2 c. liquid.

Assemble your liquids! Last year, I made americano gelee with unflavored gelatin, espresso, and water. This time, I'm using Shokata (lemon-elderflower soda), leftover Shiraz from last night's dinner (I added a couple teaspoons of sugar to the hot wine to take a bit of the edge off), and a passionfruit cordial I found in the clearance rack at my international market (about 3/4 c. diluted to 2 c.).

I used Knox envelopes, since that's what I had on hand, but you could use gelatin sheets, too, whatever the equivalent is. In 1 c. of cool liquid, I bloomed the gelatin by sprinkling the powder on top.

Meanwhile, I stuck the other 1 c. of liquid in the microwave to boil it. I added the boiling liquid to the bloomed gelatin and stirred more than I probably needed to, to make sure it was completely dissolved.

Then, into the serving dishes! I put the wine in wine glasses, naturally. The Shokata went into martini glasses - never seen gelatin so elegant! And the passionfruit got divided into four Japanese teacups.

And into the fridge! I let these gel overnight. It takes a few hours.










The results?
The best was the gelatinized Shokata.  Passionfruit was a second, but I might have liked it diluted with seltzer water instead of still.  The Shiraz was unconsumable.  Way too strong - should have made much smaller portions and sweetened it further - maybe with some fruit juice and fruit as a jiggly riff on sangria...

Wine and a Whine

The Good News: the wine shop I mentioned a week or so ago? I like it even more now.

I was in the neighborhood (seriously!), so I popped in to the shop yesterday afternoon. I wandered around for a while, picking up another bottle of the Washington Gewurztraminer that was popular at the party, an Austrian Gruner Veltliner (which I've had and liked at Seasons 52), an Australian Viognier, a French Vouvray, a French Syrah Rose, and I was contemplating a sparkling Shiraz (which I did not get) and a late-harvest Semillon (which I did) when an employee came by and asked me whether I was finding everything I needed. I joked that I had found what I came in for and was now just looking for anything else I had to have. He handed me his card (regional manager) and explained that the shop conducts tastings every weekend. Cool. And then he continued; the shop is conducting a class for employees back in the classroom, and he'd love to have a customer come in and give them some real-life practice. For a ten-dollar gift card, would I be interested? Uh, yes! [The fact that the shop has a classroom wins it some points.] So he led me back to the classroom, where there's 40-some employees. I'm led to the front of the room and asked what I want. What are my choices? Chardonnay (eh), Pinot Noir (okay), or an Italian. Hm - let's try the Italian. So a tasting glass is poured and I gave it a try. Yipes, it's tart! I chat it up with the employee who's up at the front, on the spot with me, asking after the kinds of grapes in it and some food pairings. Other folks chimed in from the rest of the room. And that was it. (I'd have happily done more to earn my ten bucks!) Maybe it was a marketing ploy, but they have a satisfied customer. I definitely dig this shop. All of the employees have been very helpful and knowledgeable - which is necessary, because it's a big shop and it could easily come off as impersonal. The cashiers never card me, though - a bit of a blow to the self-esteem. :) And I've been in there wearing a t-shirt and shorts, no makeup, and messy hair - thinking I look pretty young - but maybe it has the opposite effect...


The Bad News: my previously-mentioned Kitchenaid mixer on backorder. Until December! :-( I'm hoping a ton of people cancel their orders, so I might get mine faster. Because if Thanksgiving really does take place in Florida this year, it would be a handy appliance to have for Cookie-Baking Day.

Where'd summer go? We go back for inservices at the end of next week. I'm not ready!

Wine Recap

Right. So. My slothdom has reached an apex. Didn't actually pull my bones out of bed until 1230p today. Shameful! Why do I feel so guilty about being so lazy? It's summer - I have every right to sleep in like a teenager or laze around the house all day in play clothes. But it's summer - I should be out doing the things for which I have no time during the school year. Hmmm - maybe next week!


Anyhow, we had a lovely wine-tasting party Wednesday (er, Wines-day) night. Started with an Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio, which is so light that it would be perfect to chill down so it's almost icy and sip poolside. Next one was Dancing Bull Sauvignon Blanc. Fruity, pleasant enough to drink; tasty alongside fruit (peaches are so delightful right now!) and 70% cacao dark chocolate. Followed by my standby white, Lindemans Bin 65 Chardonnay. It's not oaky, so the fruit and lactic notes get to shine. It makes excellent fondue(1). Next was my second contribution, a Washington Hills Gewurztraminer. Less dry than I prefer, but boldly flavorful, which made up for the residual sweetness. A crowd favorite. Next came a Riesling two-fer - first a Schmitt Sohne, followed by Polka Dot. Not much distinction between the two, in my opinion. The Polka Dot has a cuter label. It would have been nice to have had a vertical Riesling tasting - a kabinett, spatlese, auslese, even a trockenbeerenauslese if we could find one. Next Wines-day, maybe! We wrapped things up with a local wine - Lakeridge Southern White. Florida can't sustain vitis vinifera grapes, so wines here are made from other fruits or muscadines. I don't know, I just can't abide muscadine wine. It has an exceptionally nutty aroma that is rather off-putting. The crowd liked the sweetness, though. But hey, muscadines are lousy with resveratrol, which may be beneficial.


(1)
Jen's Swiss Fondue
Good as an appetizer, better as dinner!

3/4 c. dry white wine - I like Lindeman's Chardonnay
8 oz. Gruyere, shredded
8 oz. Emmentaler, shredded
2 T. flour
garlic
nutmeg

In a medium saucepan, simmer wine and some minced garlic. Add cheese, handful-by-handful, stirring until cheese melts. If the cheese and wine do not mix harmoniously at this point, don't fret. Stir in flour and all will be well. Add a little freshly grated nutmeg. Serve with crusty multigrain bread cubes and thinly sliced apples.

Trust me on the apples. apples + cheese = :-9

Ah, Monday

Had a day of ups and downs. All's well that ends well:

Woke up late, after staying up late. At least I get to sleep in, as opposed to the up-late/awake-early pattern I was running during the school year. Still, it just seems so undisciplined. :-|

Anyhow, I got myself ready for the day and headed out to my cake-supply shop. Bought some new food color, some clear vanilla, and some fillings for a birthday cake. It was *pouring* outside, so instead of paying for my purchases and just standing at the door and waiting for the rain to abate, I wandered the shop. There was a couple in there, and I swear they were following me. I'd walk down an aisle and they'd come by and look at something nearby. I'd saunter over a few aisles, next thing I know, they're all up in my business. Repeat at least five more times. Back off. People I know can invade my space, but not strangers in a 1500-square-foot building. :-\

Anyhow, the shop didn't have the fondant cutters I wanted, but I knew there was a Michaels nearby that would. I chose the wrong direction, but came across a new wine shop a few blocks away. A couple friends and I are throwing a wine tasting party (theme: whites for novice wine-drinkers) on Wednesday - another friend was kind enough to have been born 25 years ago this Wednesday, so we're taking advantage of it as an excuse. Her birthday cake was the reason I needed to go to the cake supply. Anyhow, I figured this wine shop was worth a look, so I dashed in through the deluge. Wow! This place is off the hook! Great domestic, French, Italian, and Australian selections. A wide variety of varietals (ha) from all over the globe. The choices were overwhelming, really. I headed first for the Chardonnay aisle. I had one in mind that's a versatile everyday wine (Lindemans Bin 65 Chardonnay - no oak, good fruit, better with food than most chardonnay). I normally find it for $7-8 or so, but their price is $4.79. This is a good sign. Anyhow, I picked up a Gewurztraminer for the party (2005 Washington Hills, though a Jekel with a Monterey appellation was tempting) We're heavy on the reds here at home, so I picked up a Moscato for us, along with a French white - 2006 Bougrier "V" Vouvray (Chenin Blanc grapes - Loire Valley) that was recommended by one of the staff. The plan was to drink it at dinner, but I got distracted when I returned home and neglected to chill it... :-) :-)

I have been anticipating making a bread recipe(1) for days, so I threw the ingredients into my machine before leaving for the cake shop and was looking forward to having some for lunch with some cheese and pickles. Well. I returned home to a rather acrid smell coming from the kitchen, not the heavenly aroma of a gassy yeast dance party. I opened the hatch of the machine and found a lumpy, unmixed brick of crap. All my ingredients were layered as I had left them, but they'd been baked in place. Not pretty. Grrr. I figured I'd not snapped the baking pan in place and the drive shaft just hadn't engaged the little stirring thingy in the pan. So, I dumped out the brick o' crap and filled the pan with fresh ingredients. Turned on the machine, and it crabbed at me because the temperature is too warm for the start of a new cycle. So I went into the bathroom and snarfed my hair dryer. I blasted the inside of my machine with a stream of cool air for 5 minutes and gave it another go. The cycle started that time, and I was pleased. This pleasure would be short-lived. The machine began whirring like it's stirring up the ingredients. Just... there's no stirring. So I reached in and removed the pan. Nothing was turning. :-/ I fiddled with it, to no avail. So I dug out the manual, no info, but there's a phone number. And a 12-month warranty. I bought the thing 14 months ago. Naturally. So I'm a bit peevish at this point, but, I called them up anyhow, and the very nice lady at the other end of the customer service line informed me that the warranty is extended to 15 months! Sweet! So she e-mailed me a label so I can send it back; oh, and they don't actually carry the same model, so they'll be replacing mine with a newer, better-featured model. :-) :-) :-)

At Publix, I noticed that they had Tri-Tip steaks. What! I hadn't seen those since we left CA. I mentioned this to the butcher and asked him how long they'd been carrying them. He says they've had them since the store opened. Hm. Apparently I don't shop for steak very often. :-) :-)

I made dinner and a couple cake layers. When I pulled my eggs from the refrigerator, I was happy that I had the exact number of eggs for both tiers. Upon closer examination, I realized two of them were cracked. Grrr. So I was not as productive on the cake as I would have liked. Oh well, I'll bake tomorrow. :-|

I put away some laundry and noticed that during some step in the laundering process, a pair of shorts had been ripped. Now, I loathe shorts, so to find a pair that fits is a happy accident. And now they're ruined. :-(

After that unfortunate discovery, I sat down with my computer and read through some posts on a cake-decorating web site I love. I stumbled across a forum post informing everyone of a killer sale on Kitchenaid mixers. A $530 mixer for $150! I have half that in birthday monies, so I think I'm going to finally get myself one! I just can't pass up this deal. Two years ago, I couldn't decide between an iPod or a Kitchenaid, and I opted for the iPod. Since my car has an input jack and I use my iPod in my classroom and car all the time, the iPod was a great choice; now I may finally get my stand mixer, too. Wheeee! :-) :-)


How sweet is this piece of gadgetry? I don't know how often I'd use it, but I totally want one. Maybe the Kitchenaid first.


(1)
I hope this doesn't take you three tries and a warranty repair:
Bushman Bread

1 1/4 c. warm water
2 c. bread flour
1 3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1 T. cocoa
2 t. sugar
1 t. salt
2 T. melted butter
1/4 c. honey
2 T. molasses
2 1/2 t. fresh yeast

Add water to bread machine pan, followed by ingredients in order listed. Bake on a cycle for whole wheat loaves. Mix in a little caramel color or dark brown gel food color for a deep brown bread, if you like.

Even More Miscellany

This is bad. I've been procrastinating and generally undermotivated for the past week or so. I'm talking set-the-alarm-for-nine-AM-and-still-smack-snooze- for-an-hour brand of unmotivation. Well, I can write it off to summer, right? I don't get the luxury of laziness the other nine months of the year. I did get my laboratory balance bench (and all the balances) clean today, so I don't feel too badly about it all.

Today's On-The-Go Playlist (or What I Sang Along With While I Cleaned My Lab):
Under African Skies, Paul Simon
Into the Night, Benny Mardones
Anything Genuine, Smalltown Poets
The Way, Telecast
Jesse's Girl, Rick Springfield
Creep, Radiohead
Window, Guster
King of New Orleans, Better Than Ezra
Lackluster, Poi Dog Pondering
Uninvited, Alanis Morrissette
Here's Where the Story Ends, The Sundays
Cry on My Shoulder, Overflow
No One is to Blame, Howard Jones
When You're Falling, Afro Celt Sound System
And So It Goes, Billy Joel
Under the Milky Way, The Church
Hang Me Up to Dry, Cold War Kids
Don't Drink the Water, Dave Matthews
Bang Bang, David Sanborn
Allison Road, Gin Blossoms
Sexy Back, Justin Timberlake (1)
Fast Love, George Michael
Maneater, Nelly Furtado (2)
Ruby, Kaiser Chiefs
Too Much, Leeland
Don't Look Back in Anger, Oasis
All This Time, Sting
Old Friends, Simon & Garfunkel
1000 Julys, Third Eye Blind
Stay - Far Away So Close, U2
Time of the Season, The Zombies
Key West Intermezzo, John Mellencamp
Synchronicity II, The Police

(1) I don't respect myself for this; I don't expect you to, either.
(2) I'm a bit disturbed that I own this, mostly because Ms. Furtado belongs to a group of female singers that make my ears bleed (also: Paula Cole and Shakira). But this song is different. It's a fantastic tango. Maybe that's its redeeming factor.


Just so you know, the quality of a soft drink is directly proportional to the quality of the ice floating in it. Tijuana Flats serves some of the best soda in the world simply because they put crushed ice in it, not cubes. And slushy = good. The miniature golf establishment where I worked throughout high school and college had awesome Dr. Pepper, partly because the syrup-to-water ratio was relatively high, but mostly because the ice was killer. It had a peculiar temperature cycle and would occasionally produce very icy ice, but then, about twenty minutes later, it would spit out fresh, soft, wet ice that I don't even know how to describe. They weren't exactly cubes. Not exactly pellets, either. Anyhow, most times, the drink was just a vehicle for the ice. I wasn't above just eating cups of ice straight up, either - maybe it was my burgeoning ice connoisseurship, maybe it was a symptom of the anemia I had for years. (shrug) I never cared for fizzy drinks as a child - they were like an assault on the tongue. I guess when I think about it, I have an unconventional food history - I never ate typical American kid food - I only discovered the joys of mac & cheese within the past five years, I can count on one hand the number of peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches I've consumed (okay, I can count on one finger the number I've even tasted. I only like peanut butter in cookies. Friends loved going trick-or-treating with me because they got all my Reese's cups. That's all right - banana taffy was totally a fair trade.). So I never really drank soda pop until I took that job, but it was free for the drinking as long as you were judicious with your cup usage (I brought my own - nerd. I had two I used all the time, they're in the picture over there - bigger nerd. That picture is from the auction I just bid on - biggest nerd ever!). I hear that glorious ice machine has since been replaced. Ah, one can never truly go home.

What a digressive paragraph! At least it started and finished with ice. :)


I'm learning how to do latte art; I'm amazed by this stuff. And this. I'll be excited when I can just do a simple rosetta. It seems pretty easy, watching the training videos, but I practiced some tonight. It's clearly one of those skills that the people who are good at it, well, they just make it look maddeningly effortless. Figure skating is another one of those things. Anyhow, the texture of the milk is crucial - it has to be. Because I think my milk is sadly a bit too foamy. If you watch people do it, it seems like the bright white foam is still fairly fluid. Mine tonight was *fantastic* for cappuccinos - I was constantly slurping foam, one bad attempt after another (wasn't gonna waste it...), but I never got anything remotely close to latte art. So it's gonna take far more practice, but I think figuring out the right milk texture is what makes or breaks it all. I also think I might pour too fast? Or maybe too slow. I don't know. I'm working the coffee bar on Sunday, so I'll have plenty of time to practice, though I wonder how our to-go cups are going to affect it.


We've had two days of awesome lightning - really electrified storms with really close strokes. I was going to write about the Turkey Lake Convergence Zone, but now I'm not feeling it. Remind me - some other time.

The alacrity by which our house is being constructed is almost alarming. We had the framing inspection last Friday, and by the end of work today, they've finished nearly all the drywall and the exterior stucco. If things keep at this pace, we'll be closing well before the projected late-October date.

Even though I give little credence to wine rankings and ratings, I love that Two-Buck Chuck just won this big wine competition. Let it be known that I would probably be willing to compromise my ethics to bring a Trader Joe's to central Florida. Let me know what it'll take, guys.

In a bit of an Iron Chef moment, I decided I should use up some pie crust in my freezer and a can of pumpkin in my pantry. So I made a pumpkin pie last night, which also gave me the excuse to use some of my new Ceylon cinnamon and whole nutmeg. Brian thinks pumpkin pie is akin to barf, which means I have a whole pie to myself! I'll own up to my gluttony when it comes to desserts. Also, I haven't had a grilled cheese sandwich in a long time. I think I'm going to go get some cottony white bread and plastic American cheese slices tomorrow before lunch. Mmmm...

Yes, I do realize that in one paragraph, I managed to extol the virtues of both fancypants spices and Kraft singles. Deal with it. :)