Aloo Gobi for Louise's Picnic Game

<div><b>I'm going on a picnic and bringing Aloo Gobi</b>, an Indian dish with potatoes and cauliflower. It's a virtual picnic that takes place July 1. So...<br /><br /></div><b></b><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><b><span style="background-color: #ffd966; color: #38761d; font-size: large;">Happy Picnic Day</span></b></b></div><b></b><br /><div><br />Louise at <a href="http://monthsofediblecelebrations.blogspot.com/">Months of Edible Celebrations</a> has come back to blogging and is organizing her popular picnic game where at least 26 bloggers create an alphabetical picnic menu, beginning here with A for Aloo Gobi. On July 1, she will post a list of all 26 dishes, with photos!<br /><div><br /></div><div>Actually, I really did bring real, not virtual aloo gobi on a picnic while I was in Aspen recently; I shared it with one of the Tuesday night barbecues at the Aspen Center for Physics. It's a good dish for a picnic because it's supposed to be served at room temperature.<br /><br />Here's what it looked like towards the end of cooking, before being garnished with cilantro leaves:<br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG7D47jE7tSA3KOlAIUQAmFIkBFy3M-A-UsvjwMNmWiEac6-DryI_EG9uay-kQxvHVRhZLsABQQ7EAVKNWPITkqrF4wEzv2bQLc0ItwOeqGUcwSfQtbxvZ4v-SQueYZHiWQmPdQ6m17VQM/s1600/aloogobi0801.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG7D47jE7tSA3KOlAIUQAmFIkBFy3M-A-UsvjwMNmWiEac6-DryI_EG9uay-kQxvHVRhZLsABQQ7EAVKNWPITkqrF4wEzv2bQLc0ItwOeqGUcwSfQtbxvZ4v-SQueYZHiWQmPdQ6m17VQM/s400/aloogobi0801.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aloo Gobi made May, 2013 in Aspen, Colorado</td></tr></tbody></table><div>I first became aware of this delicious dish around 4 years ago when I saw the film "Bend it Like Beckham." As I wrote in <a href="http://regional-food.blogspot.com/2009/04/aloo-gobi.html">an earlier post about this dish</a>, the heroine of the film wants to be a soccer player, and is very good at it, but her parents believe that it's better to make good aloo gobi than to "bend it like Beckham" -- another concept, this from soccer, that I learned from the film. The line is pretty memorable, but what's very memorable is the DVD extra of the film director, Gurinder Chadha, in the kitchen with her mother and her aunties, who watch and give advice while she's trying to explain to her audience how to make aloo gobi. This extra feature is fabulous, maybe better than the film itself.<br /><br />One of my earlier efforts to make aloo gobi looked like this:<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9JtkNPAuAFVzUj8pkxgBFaQFuu0Rtwp0E2j_q_cFh8GcYRxMzxGfvBDuaVBhCYgEd8sQI_VtR176uU7sg7VYkHo2Y_TXn8DR8ldDxm6kQbGOKcvLnCa-9CMkszPpKyI4KM0qX-Q-Pq_U/s1600-h/aloogobi416.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329561778997662578" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9JtkNPAuAFVzUj8pkxgBFaQFuu0Rtwp0E2j_q_cFh8GcYRxMzxGfvBDuaVBhCYgEd8sQI_VtR176uU7sg7VYkHo2Y_TXn8DR8ldDxm6kQbGOKcvLnCa-9CMkszPpKyI4KM0qX-Q-Pq_U/s400/aloogobi416.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; padding: 5px; position: relative; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aloo Gobi made April, 2009 in La Jolla, California</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"></span></div><div>When I eat in an Indian restaurant, I often try to sample the aloo gobi, which always contains a number of spices along with aloo and gobi (cauliflower and potatoes), and sometimes contains tomatoes and sometimes not. An example of the dish with little or no tomato:</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM2ZStR_0BNBpvgymcH3n0qAl60sNb98R_H_Y4wmtCN_3dKjIsz9MadFrpO8Y6v823gxp802P2PSZt77ew9Mq9G7A2LvQicXjOSx1ZyqGGwsfB1t_egQZ_f_1-eGgJ_uqitX35hhc4SiI/s1600-h/indian2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110898131028741538" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM2ZStR_0BNBpvgymcH3n0qAl60sNb98R_H_Y4wmtCN_3dKjIsz9MadFrpO8Y6v823gxp802P2PSZt77ew9Mq9G7A2LvQicXjOSx1ZyqGGwsfB1t_egQZ_f_1-eGgJ_uqitX35hhc4SiI/s400/indian2.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aloo Gobi at Host Restaurant in Toronto</td></tr></tbody></table><div>We had a great meal including the above dish a couple of years ago with our friends Rashmi and Kappu. Kappu sent me her aloo-gobi recipe that I followed last month. I didn't have the turmeric and paprika, but I did have all the fresh spices, cumin, and garam masala, a delicious Indian spice blend that's also good on other things.</div><div><br /></div><h3>Kappu’s Aloo Gobi</h3><h4>Ingredients </h4><div><div class="MsoNormal">1/4 C Oil (Vegetable or Olive)</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 large Onion- cut into thin slices and each slice cut in half crosswise</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 T cumin seeds</div><div class="MsoNormal">1/2 bunch fresh cilantro – leaves chopped and set aside separately. </div><div class="MsoNormal">1 t turmeric</div><div class="MsoNormal">1/2 t paprika</div><div class="MsoNormal">  salt to taste</div><div class="MsoNormal">2 to 3- Serrano or any green chillis – chopped (depending on how hot you like)</div><div class="MsoNormal">2 large whole tomatoes, chopped</div><div class="MsoNormal">3-4 cloves garlic – minced</div><div class="MsoNormal">2 T fresh ginger – peeled and grated</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 med – large cauliflower, broken into floweret</div><div class="MsoNormal">3 medium potatoes – peeled and cut into 1” cubes.</div><div class="MsoNormal">2 T water</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 t Garam Masala</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 T unsalted butter or ghee</div><h4>Directions</h4>Heat oil in dutch oven, or large pan with cover, over med- high heat.  Add onion and stir till translucent.  Add cumin seeds.  Cook until onions are light brown – do not burn them. Stir.  Add turmeric, paprika and salt; stir.  Add chillis, tomatoes, garlic, ginger, potatoes & cauliflower and mix till everything is well coated.  Add 2+ T water, stir and cover.   Reduce heat to medium low and let simmer for 20 minutes until the cauliflower is cooked. Stir and add Garam Masala, stir again.  Sprinkle 1 T of unsalted butter or ghee, and cilantro leaves on top of the curry, cover and turn heat off.  Let it sit for as long as possible before serving – up to 15 min.<br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">p.s. Do not cook after adding the garam masala.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Bon appetite</div><!--EndFragment--></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigmsO8cezo8FbbVI1qxj2tzxHUEMDfMb76zdYERYEcx9vQsGPqadbVHJaVSgH442jeyFvo7VhLPXl8iJKgGx4lxqMb02my4rHx410_a8pvurv-gWT04SzhWcRqPtpL73s-083_55xpH7UN/s800/picnic.day.logo.2013.jpg" style="background-color: white; border: 0px solid rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0066cc; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 19px; line-height: 24.953125px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 4px;" width="249" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Louise's Picnic Game Logo:<br /><a href="http://monthsofediblecelebrations.blogspot.com/2013/06/celebrating-international-picnic-day.html">See This Post for Details</a></td></tr></tbody></table></div>

Aloo Gobi for Louise's Picnic Game

I'm going on a picnic and bringing Aloo Gobi , an Indian dish with potatoes and cauliflower. It's a virtual picnic that takes place ...

Baca selengkapnya »

Famous German Asparagus

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/9117799645/" title="Gottingen2 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="Gottingen2" height="480" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7311/9117799645_c7313d4256_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />We arrived in Gottingen, Germany, early this afternoon after a night on a plane from Detroit to Frankfort and a morning on a train. It's the end of asparagus season, which is taken very seriously in Germany, as I had always heard. This white asparagus special dinner included the fresh asparagus, Hollandaise sauce, boiled potatoes, and a breaded pork cutlet. And local draft beer. Lovely! I enjoyed my asparagus, while Len tried a particular type of herring, also in season, which also was on the special menu.<br /><br />The town is really lovely, and was especially appealing as we walked around before and after dinner in the long rays of midsummer sunlight. Small placards on many buildings commemorate the numerous famous people who have worked and studied here. I recognized the names of at least two Romantic poets, Tieck and Brentano, who lived or visited here for at least a little while. The physicists recognized scientists and mathematicians -- we walked by a statue of Gauss talking to his younger colleague Wilhelm Weber and another statue of the chemist Friedrich Wöhler who described the molecular structure of urea in 1828. The chemical formula is inscribed in the cobblestones at the foot of the statue.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/9120030160/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Gottingen3 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="Gottingen3" height="640" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2860/9120030160_87ba860e24_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Statue of Lisel the Goosegirl: tradition requires every new PhD student <br />to climb up on the fountain and kiss her.<br />She's holding some flowers left from the most recent such event.</td></tr></tbody></table>

Famous German Asparagus

We arrived in Gottingen, Germany, early this afternoon after a night on a plane from Detroit to Frankfort and a morning on a train. It's...

Baca selengkapnya »

Wednesday Night Farmers Market

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/9097523228/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="farmers-mkt 7 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="farmers-mkt 7" height="494" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3736/9097523228_6bbd8e60c5_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Garlic Scapes from <a href="http://www.dyerfamilyorganicfarm.com/">Dyer Farm</a>;<br />Early green vegetables at the market stall behind the garlic table.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/9097522198/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="farmers-mkt 4 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="farmers-mkt 4" height="480" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3697/9097522198_56902530a7_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Dyers grow dozens of varieties of garlic, and sell garlic scapes for around 2 weeks each spring.<br />The garlic bulbs are available later in the growing season; each variety is carefully labeled and described.<br />Unfortunately, at the moment I was not able to try out this delicacy -- maybe next year.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/9095289707/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="farmers-mkt 1 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="farmers-mkt 1" height="494" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5542/9095289707_672e9257f4_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's so early in the season that the market wasn't very busy last night.<br />I bought some potatoes and lettuce.<br />Quite a few mobile food trucks were also at the market, with tables available for those who wanted dinner.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />

Wednesday Night Farmers Market

Garlic Scapes from Dyer Farm ; Early green vegetables at the market stall behind the garlic table. The Dyers grow dozens of varieties of gar...

Baca selengkapnya »

Food in Aspen

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/9044791910/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="food-wine 2 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="food-wine 2" height="309" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7428/9044791910_abde8ecc39.jpg" width="400" /></a>All the most famous food TV and journalism writers and sellers of chi-chi products are in Aspen right now for the Aspen Food and Wine Classic, which starts today or tomorrow. Huge white tents full of chairs, demo booths, or tables have been under construction all week in every open, level space in town. At the foot of the Gondola, in the main parks, in front of the Art Museum, and in little spaces all over busy worker-bees are setting up things for the arrival of all the stars of the foodie world.<br /><br />The nice quiet atmosphere that we enjoyed for our first two weeks here is shattered. There's no place to park. Even the bike racks are pretty full!<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/9042568591/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="bike-parking1559 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="bike-parking1559" height="375" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7432/9042568591_36cb75351e.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Bike Friday had to be on the wrong side of the bike rack.<br />Though most of the bikes probably don't belong to Foodies.</td></tr></tbody></table>We're leaving tomorrow, luckily, so we don't have to deal with the Food and Wine Classic very much. Both the admission price (e.g. hundreds of dollars just to taste a few desserts, plus registration fees) and the philosophy (sell sell sell) of the event fail to attract me; despite being very interested in food and wine, I would not want to go -- I felt the same way 2 years ago when we were here during the same event.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5344/9042569093_926fcd8ef4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="food-wine 3" border="0" height="154" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5344/9042569093_926fcd8ef4.jpg" width="200" /> </a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/9044791828/" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="food-wine 1 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="food-wine 1" height="154" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5469/9044791828_7fd2200e78.jpg" width="200" /> </a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/9042687665/" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="food-wine 4 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="food-wine 4" height="150" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7449/9042687665_5352c731c4_m.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Tents Everywhere!</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">As for ourselves, we have been eating rather simple food while here, going on picnics and to the weekly Tuesday BBQ at the Physics Center, and joined the other workshop participants for a meal out once. Also, we enjoyed several restaurants in Aspen, though we have not eaten out a great deal. I've posted on one or two meals out, and here are a few photos to wrap up what we ate:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGly8SwMyRNisdIMunNXEvTY8YMj4DW0P09b6VXtDgotbeR2XZ6c2N94iKCqTlUO-PuK_qyKcooeqrE32zx6KKsDpXxwVm9LaAFMc5T22aXkdmTaCsn0sviZ8HJmLWzmfGEYoE_SiRrTuj/s1600/LittleNellFood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGly8SwMyRNisdIMunNXEvTY8YMj4DW0P09b6VXtDgotbeR2XZ6c2N94iKCqTlUO-PuK_qyKcooeqrE32zx6KKsDpXxwVm9LaAFMc5T22aXkdmTaCsn0sviZ8HJmLWzmfGEYoE_SiRrTuj/s640/LittleNellFood.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Food at the Little Nell Restaurant "Element 47"<br />L to R, top to bottom --Fois gras with lots of decorations;<br />mixed vegetable salad; salmon; ravioli with various mushrooms; <br />cheesecake with lots of decorations.<br />All the food was over-presented though not bad. Service was very disappointing.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg8cwGnSBvhZYg7xG76sQUDkNsGr4hHu6P4gACudcEukTuWi1sVv2O2fQd87QMhCE_XeUTpL1aqJTswVwM0e5B3Ulj2ZebvtqZ8Fb2a6sTAtHXqdhG9Z-hOkxrhzqUBsjzjQTHeuVRx_Jn/s1600/cafe1500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg8cwGnSBvhZYg7xG76sQUDkNsGr4hHu6P4gACudcEukTuWi1sVv2O2fQd87QMhCE_XeUTpL1aqJTswVwM0e5B3Ulj2ZebvtqZ8Fb2a6sTAtHXqdhG9Z-hOkxrhzqUBsjzjQTHeuVRx_Jn/s640/cafe1500.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast at a cafe near our apartment yesterday: <br />crowding was a result of people getting ready to set up the Food & Wine Classic!</td></tr></tbody></table><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_i0quzKI4qRKMXxJQIHTI9tDbl2ZZC5KTJ0mJ1V9ALrmEwMKmTFBmqs3bd5EUFIcKDoc0WXc7CWraOPhBepy2dk_wRPwWoxhrpgNgSaX3HGKQ-js2U2aFRUOYJAPAxU4WkpUxfaH2PKAE/s1600/red-onion+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_i0quzKI4qRKMXxJQIHTI9tDbl2ZZC5KTJ0mJ1V9ALrmEwMKmTFBmqs3bd5EUFIcKDoc0WXc7CWraOPhBepy2dk_wRPwWoxhrpgNgSaX3HGKQ-js2U2aFRUOYJAPAxU4WkpUxfaH2PKAE/s320/red-onion+2.jpg" width="320" /></a>   <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqmPY29bUd3laGirUt2hZXkaJfiL59Bu7P-2igWoGeOHwLq8maR-No7qeAvarCLM58ulujQN2CAH4he7RfM-Oe41xeTDAqH6nYXV6HFCBwXKLb0MzmcmhVkvm5baeFZEAQX76TuR2Ius6/s1600/red-onion+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"> <img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqmPY29bUd3laGirUt2hZXkaJfiL59Bu7P-2igWoGeOHwLq8maR-No7qeAvarCLM58ulujQN2CAH4he7RfM-Oe41xeTDAqH6nYXV6HFCBwXKLb0MzmcmhVkvm5baeFZEAQX76TuR2Ius6/s200/red-onion+1.jpg" width="150" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Red Onion Restaurant for Lunch</span></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/9013441272/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="maria-lunch 2 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="maria-lunch 2" height="320" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5463/9013441272_2d67396bcc_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maria at Red Onion</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/9000463374/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="gondola 11 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="gondola 11" height="375" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7323/9000463374_9159134036.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sandwiches at the restaurant at the top of the gondola:<br />Tuna melt and turkey with bacon, aioli, cheese, and more</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/8942857332/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="iphone-fish4 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="iphone-fish4" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7437/8942857332_6f813046f9.jpg" width="375" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whole fish at the Wild Fig restaurant.<br />A truly delicious dish<br />Background: my veal dish!</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/8941406188/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="lunch-at-pacifica 4 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="lunch-at-pacifica 4" height="320" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2840/8941406188_8e2a4b7c6d.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pacifica Restaurant Lunch:<br />Very expensive tuna salad</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/8969242530/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="asie-restaurant 1 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="asie-restaurant 1" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8549/8969242530_09bc5463cc.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our shared sashimi at Asie: followed by a seafood dish and moo-shu duck:<br />a very nice meal at a quite good Asian fusion restaurant.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/8969242792/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="asie-restaurant 4 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="asie-restaurant 4" height="375" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7303/8969242792_befb520624.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three workshop participants at Asie for group dinner</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/9044791696/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="annette-bakery1558 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="annette-bakery1558" height="386" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3742/9044791696_cf91c2a0bc.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Annette's Bakery: a good French-style macaron<br />She said it took her months to figure out how to make the recipe work at high altitude.</td></tr></tbody></table>I took lots of photos in Aspen restaurants last time we were here, too. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/sets/72157627031585246/">See this Flickr set</a>.</div>

Food in Aspen

All the most famous food TV and journalism writers and sellers of chi-chi products are in Aspen right now for the Aspen Food and Wine Classi...

Baca selengkapnya »

The Trail to Woody Creek Tavern

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/9029183034/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="woody-creek-ride 2 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="woody-creek-ride 2" height="375" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5350/9029183034_4ab25b6d51.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beside the trail snowmelt drips from the rocks</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/9026954945/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="woody-creek-ride 5 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="woody-creek-ride 5" height="375" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3762/9026954945_0f9639b670.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So much to look at (but the trail on the other side drops precipitously so one tries to skip the distractions)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/9029183390/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="woody-creek-ride 7 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="woody-creek-ride 7" height="375" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7422/9029183390_d47b73d27e.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maria, my riding companion</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/9026955093/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="woody-creek-ride 8 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="woody-creek-ride 8" height="375" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7442/9026955093_afa45fe91f.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lemonade stand beside the trail</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Not very far past the lemonade stand is the hamlet of Woody Creek, and our goal the Woody Creek Tavern. My menu choice: house-made tortilla chips with guac and salsa followed by green chili with posole. Maria and I arrived by bike; her husband Mark and Len met us after attending a talk, and we all had a fun lunch. Maria cycled back up the trail. My bike and I came back in the car.<br /><br /> Note: I posted a lot of photos of food and decor of the Woody Creek Tavern before. Here's one food photo from our visit a couple years ago (click on photo to see more on Flickr):<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5864081671/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="aspenrestaurants 9 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="aspenrestaurants 9" height="375" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3062/5864081671_8bc9d4e8b9.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In June 2011, Len had the pulled pork -- Maria had it today<br />ALL good!</td></tr></tbody></table>

The Trail to Woody Creek Tavern

Beside the trail snowmelt drips from the rocks So much to look at (but the trail on the other side drops precipitously so one tries to skip ...

Baca selengkapnya »

The Physics of Cooking

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimNgvRSK7vmD6eECExj0lt-ln1WfP9o3s345PHub7lo2l49Ay2W0qavAsiGJN1DBwrxyYESKmi_RceuejNOmVZnsUP5IcJj-dkfsiys-RWEEX-G0qfkPyIq_6CqwZm-c88ON3YTj56naOY/s1600/physics-of-cooking+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimNgvRSK7vmD6eECExj0lt-ln1WfP9o3s345PHub7lo2l49Ay2W0qavAsiGJN1DBwrxyYESKmi_RceuejNOmVZnsUP5IcJj-dkfsiys-RWEEX-G0qfkPyIq_6CqwZm-c88ON3YTj56naOY/s400/physics-of-cooking+1.jpg" width="358" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Len introducing Dave Weitz</td></tr></tbody></table>Yesterday we attended a public lecture on The Physics of Cooking sponsored by the Aspen Center for Physics, held at one of the veneus of the Aspen Institute. Speaker Dave Weitz began with  a detailed description of the course he teaches at Harvard on science and cooking, and on the various collaborators he has worked with, beginning with very famous chef Ferran Adria of Barcelona.<br /><br />Weitz then discussed and demonstrated several topics in the physics of cooking, including brief summaries of egg-cooking; using a pressure cooker (which was invented, he said, by the British Royal Society); distilling and super-cooling a liquid to make a sort of tower of ice; measuring the elasticity of boiled eggs or broiled steaks; using gels in post-modern cooking processes; understanding foams; and finally, a bit of the physics of mixing a drink.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQnfbsGSyP25wrzviZQVwo-ioQ_2o6PM0iz4hvSpXAD-abEUkkscaBxPYp7U4pFHA9q52ppx7it3ZbsJJehoy7OweUtOZUaK5uKj2-pRElDsUqKF0aKmrfTpZMXCc9HzYHKYAJGfF0UoRy/s1600/physics-of-cooking+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQnfbsGSyP25wrzviZQVwo-ioQ_2o6PM0iz4hvSpXAD-abEUkkscaBxPYp7U4pFHA9q52ppx7it3ZbsJJehoy7OweUtOZUaK5uKj2-pRElDsUqKF0aKmrfTpZMXCc9HzYHKYAJGfF0UoRy/s400/physics-of-cooking+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freezing an egg in liquid nitrogen: Carolyn Boyd, student helper with Dave Weitz</td></tr></tbody></table>Using three sous-vide cookers Dave demonstrated the difference between eggs cooked precisely to three very close temperatures -- 61, 63, and 65 degrees Celsius, and how the protein in the egg reacted to the different temperatures. Results: a watery egg, an semi-watery egg, and an egg that looked like a regular poached egg with a soft but solid white and oozy yolk. Caroline Boyd walked two of the eggs around the audience in the fairly large hall so that we could see the difference.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirwps8nCRrIxwE2LxGYwTi_Rma5idTOzpgblqLJFCBwEK7oEeMYGVpoANmWukh6_eDx4XBZrbcbBYro8tvUGRjVVsApjQX7WAmRxQ462KO8objg_PTLg3gnGalbXE4yK9f8QbXP8U1bn1p/s1600/physics-of-cooking+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirwps8nCRrIxwE2LxGYwTi_Rma5idTOzpgblqLJFCBwEK7oEeMYGVpoANmWukh6_eDx4XBZrbcbBYro8tvUGRjVVsApjQX7WAmRxQ462KO8objg_PTLg3gnGalbXE4yK9f8QbXP8U1bn1p/s400/physics-of-cooking+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aspen Chef Robert McCormick demonstrates how to encapsulate cucumber juice in<br />a thin membrane using agar and Ca2. Result "cucumber caviar."</td></tr></tbody></table>After McCormick's demo of cucumber caviar, a gel, Dave briefly discussed foams like beer foam, whipped cream, and ice cream, pointing out that whipping cream with a whisk made a more stable foam than the faster method of injecting gas, using a device that appears in the photo above (in front of McCormick's apron).<br /><br />Local bartender Jimmy Yaeger gave the final demonstration of how to mix a Negroni and how to make a perfectly clear and spherical ice cube (using very elaborate though low-tech equipment).  Yaeger uses a water-circulating ice freezer to make giant blocks of perfectly clear ice -- the circulating device removes the air bubbles that make ordinary ice cubes cloudy. He saws up the big ice block into various-sized ice cubes to provide a distinctive touch for the drinks in his bar. I was very interested in the copper pressure device used for processing a 3 inch cube of ice into a spherical ice cube. The heat-conducting property of copper causes the corners of the cube to just melt away!<br /><br />After the end of the talk was an outdoor demo of making ice cream in sealed plastic bags surrounded by another baggie of ice and salt.

The Physics of Cooking

Len introducing Dave Weitz Yesterday we attended a public lecture on The Physics of Cooking sponsored by the Aspen Center for Physics, held ...

Baca selengkapnya »

Aspen Physics Center Picnic

The physics center has several gas grills and lots of picnic tables, which are all in use at the Tuesday night picnic. All the current workshop participants and their families are invited; I think most show up. Steak, chicken, vegetables, veggie patties, and lots of other grilled things are all cooked at once; people bring dinner for themselves or occasionally to share in small groups. The center offers paper and tableware, nice grilling tools, beverages (for purchase), potato chips, and watermelon. If they ever serve anything except potato chips and watermelon, I'm not aware of it.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/8961368311/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="phys-picnic0931 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="phys-picnic0931" height="375" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5447/8961368311_06b4419074.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aspen Physics Center Tuesday Night Picnic</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/8961368109/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="phys-picnic0936 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="phys-picnic0936" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8534/8961368109_8a9a2c1ac4.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After dinner conversations</td></tr></tbody></table><br />

Aspen Physics Center Picnic

The physics center has several gas grills and lots of picnic tables, which are all in use at the Tuesday night picnic. All the current works...

Baca selengkapnya »