porcupine

Been on a pastry bender recently. Some creations need a bit more work, but one that came out well I call "cacio e pepe" rolls: croissant dough with plenty of black pepper and pecorino romano, rolled, sliced, baked in muffin tins.

20 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Are they completely gone?

I don't know about now, but they weren't there the following day. CPP filled up for lunch pretty quickly.

"American will begin offering basic-economy fares on February 10, while United's basic economy will begin in the second quarter. Delta Air Lines' less-restrictive basic economy is already up and running. It allows passengers to bring along carry-on bags, but its restrictions in terms of seat assignments and the boarding procedure are similar to American's and United's."

From Business Insider.

16 minutes ago, DonRocks said:

Then this is a simple matter of me having gone a lifetime misusing the term "Nazi" - I always equated it with Germany from 1933-1945; you're implying it's a system of beliefs (or probably more accurately, the political party). I guess it would make zero sense to call every German citizen a "Nazi," considering that so many of them were killed by the Nazi party - the fortunate thing is that I'm not sure I've ever really used the term in conversation before.

Thus, the fundamental (and dangerous) difference between "intelligence" and "knowledge." 

Well, that's about the most ignorant thing I've typed here in twelve years. 

Forgive me: I am not an expert in this subject. But A Higher Call had a profound influence on me. In his introduction to the book, Adam Makos explains how he had always conflated WWII-era Germans with Nazis, until he met Charlie Brown (pilot of the American bomber), who told him "In this story, I'm just a character --Franz Stigler [pilot of the Messerschmitt] is the real hero." When Makos talked with Stigler, he learned the difference. The book is largely about Stigler's service, as it needs to be for us to understand why he did what he did (an act of treason). 

I didn't mean to hijack this thread, for that I apologize. People need to be a little more careful about throwing pejoratives like "Nazi" around.

"Nazi" does not mean "WWII-era German" any more than "2017 American" means "conservative T-word supporter".

On 1/19/2017 at 0:37 AM, DonRocks said:

I think a "Nazi" can be defined as any German soldier from WWII,

No. Absolutely not. Who knows how many soldiers are rolling in their graves over that statement? Do you believe every American soldier in the Vietnam war believed whole-heartedly in the cause? Of course not. They fought because they were compelled to. Same with Germans in WWII. There were plenty of conscripted men who fought because they had no choice, and they fought for their lives, their families, and their Germany, not because they believed the tenets of National Socialism. 

Go read A Higher Call. This is what the book is about, underneath the incredible story of a German pilot saving the crew of an American bomber.

Website.

Teaser on display outside the Hirshhorn now.

I just saw the display unit this morning - definitely going to be art more than science. It's going to look great. I'm envious of the horticulturalists who get to work on it.

Every year for at least twenty years now Smithsonian Gardens and the US Botanic Garden have teamed up to do an exhibition of orchids from their spectacular collections. The 2017 exhibition will be held at the Hirshhorn Gallery. It opens January 14 and runs through May 14. My understanding is that this is going to be more art show than science exhibit; I know that SG staff are really excited about it. The displays will be changing frequently: as plants finish blooming, they'll be replaced with new ones.

Be aware that crowds are expected for the Yayoi Kusama exhibit starting in late February. I'm told that the lines for that shouldn't interfere with viewing Orchids: A Moment, but don't be surprised. Better yet, get your free timed entry tickets for the Kusama show so you can enjoy both.

18 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Urban impressed me on my very first visit, though I'm not entirely sure why - I might have gotten a pulled pork sandwich or something - everything after that was just heavy-handed and glunky (aren't they the place with the "Redneck Nachos?") 

They had something called soul rolls - barbeque and cheese eggrolls. I'm not sure I'm proud of remembering that. Also, now I want some.

For an upcoming trip need suggestions for one dinner on a Sunday in LV. Not looking for anything fancy - we're staying near the airport because of early flight the next morning, and we won't have dressy clothes with us. Looking for something delicious and close to McCarran or easy to get to.  I hate LV and would rather stay away from the Strip but if that's where the good food is, we're game. 

Normally I wouldn't get bent out of shape over a detail like this - I enjoy innovating with what I have on hand, including oils, which usually includes bacon grease, schmaltz, ghee, various grades of olive oil - but this time I'm trying to recreate my mother's minestrone as a treat for my brother and sister-in-law, who haven't had it in at least 11 years. Fatback does add a distinctive flavor. Oh well. "It'll taste good anyway."

PS: I am really disappointed with and angry at Stachowski's. What they sold me was a piece of fatty pork shoulder, not fat back. From Wikipedia:

Quote

Fatback is a cut of meat from a domestic pig. It consists of the layer of adipose tissue (subcutaneous fat) under the skin of the back, with or without the skin (pork rind). Fatback is "hard fat", distinct from the visceral fat that occurs in the abdominal cavity and is called "soft fat" and leaf lard.

Like other types of pig fat, fatback may be rendered to make a high quality lard, and is one source of salt pork. Finely diced or coarsely ground fatback is an important ingredient in sausage making and in some meat dishes.

Fatback is an important element of traditional charcuterie. In several European cultures it is used to make specialty bacon. Containing no skeletal muscle, this bacon is a delicacy.

At one time fatback was Italy's basic cooking fat, especially in regions where olive trees are sparse or absent, but health concerns have reduced its popularity. However, it provides a rich, authentic flavour for the classic battuto – sautéed vegetables, herbs and flavourings – that forms the basis of many traditional dishes. Today, pancetta is often used instead.

You'd think a place like Stachowski's would know that.

Not that I'm bitter or anything, now that it's too late.

Thanks, reedm - I called, they do carry it but didn't have any at the time. For future reference, you can get it at Stachowski's.

Tweaked, thank you for posting about this. In general portraiture isn't my thing, but I really enjoyed this exhibit.

(fwiw, my fave is the portrait of Alison Bechdel)

On 12/27/2016 at 10:42 AM, DonRocks said:

Elizabeth, one thing I've learned about you is that you rarely write anything that isn't correct. Which is why I'm second-guessing myself in thinking your first sentence is incorrect.

Where can I get fat back in the next two days? Normally I would get it from one of the vendors at Dupont Market but I can't wait that long.

14 minutes ago, DonRocks said:

Elizabeth, one thing I've learned about you is that you rarely write anything that isn't correct. Which is why I'm second-guessing myself in thinking your first sentence is incorrect.

The 24-hour day is the result of rotational speed, yes. 

But the number of hours of sunlight vs. darkness is the result of tilt, which is why we have more sunlight during the summer, and less during the winter - think about 24-hours of sunlight and 24-hours of darkness beyond the Arctic and Antarctic circles - that's a good way to visualize tilt as the cause.

Rotational speed is essentially a constant, is it not? I'm sure there are minor fluctuations in due to various factors, but Earth rotates pretty much at a constant velocity, I believe, and that velocity would necessarily be "one circumference per day.".

And I will add that I am certainly no astrophysicist; I'm an unabashed dilettante who loves to learn about a whole host of things - but that, in and of itself, makes me an expert in nothing. I stress: "I don't argue to win; I discuss to learn," and I wish everyone was like this. If only our legal system was based on "finding out the truth" instead of attorneys pulling out all stops to protect their clients - only then would I have respect for courtroom attorneys, and it doesn't stop there - physicians crank 'em in, and crank 'em out, and if they haven't found out the truth, it doesn't matter if your office visit is over - if only our medical system was designed to help patients instead of seeing the maximum number of people possible - only then would I have respect for assembly-line medical practices. And it doesn't stop there. I'll shut up now. 

Oh, I see what you're getting at - yes, about the number of hours of daylight vs. darkness. I read your previous post too fast.  :-)

I, too, am a dilettante. And an autodidact. With an almost lifelong fascination with astronomy.

Axial tilt is the cause of seasons; day length is the result of rotational speed. As for your final question, I don't know; that's what I was getting at with Kepler's second law, described here. (Short version - Earth is moving through space fastest at perihelion and slowest at aphelion). Certainly you could come to that conclusion through interpolation, but iirc there are a large number of variables to contend with and it's all much more complex than you'd think. For example, the position of the other planets at any given time is going to affect the shape of Earth's orbit, though in some cases only minutely. 

But I'm no astrophysicist. 

You might enjoy Ask an Astronomer.

20 hours ago, DonRocks said:

The actual distance is exactly 1 AU at exactly two moments per year: during the vernal and autumnal equinoxes,

Do you have a source for this? It doesn't make sense, given that perihelion is in early January and aphelion is in early July. Or does it have something to do with Kepler's second law? I am confused.

You would probably enjoy this article from timeanddate.com.  Excerpt:

"The dates when Earth reaches the extreme points on its orbit are not fixed because of the variations in its eccentricity. In 1246, the December Solstice was on the same day as the Earth reached its Perihelion. Since then, the Perihelion and Aphelion dates have drifted by a day every 58 years. In the short-term, the dates can vary up to 2 days from one year to another.

Mathematicians and astronomers estimate that in the year 6430, over 4000 years from now, the timing of the Perihelion and the March Equinox will coincide"

---

"The Earth's Tilt and Rotation" (DonRocks)

For Christmas Eve brunch I baked three brioche nanterre, one Finnish pulla, and cinnamon rolls. And Parmesan palmiers. I have leftover puff pastry in the freezer and leftover blueberry compote and apple compote (for blintzes), so I think I'll be making turnovers and freezing them for a future occasion. Now I need to stop goofing off and bake an apple pie for my mother-in-law.

18 hours ago, DonRocks said:

(with my apologies for the inexplicably strange picture,

The picture is from the movie Lars and the Real Girl.

from Rotten Tomatoes:  Critics Consensus: Lars and the Real Girl could've so easily been a one-joke movie. But the talented cast, a great script, and direction never condescends to its character or the audience.

Yesterday I finally made pizzelles with something other than anise seed. Been wanting to do this for years. This time, orange zest and ground cardamom. I formed the cookies over a dowel to make cylinders, then pretended they were cannoli shells and filled them with a mixture of sweetened ricotta cheese, shaved chocolate, and chopped pistachios. It's possible I like this better than standard cannoli shells, which are often difficult to pierce even with a fork.

Coming to you live from China Chilcano which not only is open and serving full menu at 4:00, but also has killer ceviche and free wifi! Thanks again for the suggestions.

11 hours ago, saf said:

And now, I need to find another, similar, place. I really prefer to taste the stuff before I buy!

Try All Things Olive, who are sadly no longer at Union Market but are still at a few farmers' markets.