Oscar and Bafta Winners,

Last night on TV they showed On the Waterfront starring Marlon Brando. For some reason, although this movie was made in the 50s, I had never seen it. At the beginning I thought I still wasn't going to see it, but I persevered and ended up enjoying it very much. A lot of the film was very dated and the fight scenes left a lot to be desired but it was a good movie. Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb and Rod Steiger were also in the movie, something I didn't know before. Brando looked so very young, as did Steiger. The TV seems to be running a lot of previous Oscar winners at the moment and we have caught one or two. They ran Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid the other night. I didn't watch that but Matt did and enjoyed it again. I just discovered there is a similar award programme in Britain where they present a mask like statuette called a Bafta. We watched some of the programme early in the month and Slumdog Millionaire got their award for best film. Best actor was Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler which was something of a surprise. You can watch video of it all at this site of the British Association of Film and Television Arts. One thing about watching the BAFTA awards, they are five hours ahead of us. We always say we won't watch the Oscars because it goes on so late, but we always end up doing so. Unless you are really involved in the industry, the main thing of interest is the awards for the acting categories, directing categories and of course, best film. They usually put on a pretty good show, this year the host is Hugh Jackman. Over the past week or two, we had virtually lost all the white stuff except where it was piled up in parking lots having been dumped there by snow ploughs. This morning we woke up to a fall of snow again, but it wasn't particularly heavy. We have had nice warm (for winter) temps lately but I guess we are going back to winter weather. Considering it is still February, this is not surprising. Whatever the groundhog says, we are unlikely to see much in a warming trend for a month or two yet. I have seen snow storms in April but I have also seen 80°F weather as well. Browsing the Food and Drink magazine from the LCBO I came across a recipe I think looks delicious and will certainly be trying out in the near future. Peppered Lamb Loins with a Garlic and Dark Chocolate Sauce The peppercorns and garlic enhance the lamb while the small amount of chocolate gives the sauce a great colour and rich flavour. 1 Tbs black peppercorns 2 boneless lamb loins, about 1/2 lb. each sea salt 2 Tbs olive oil 1 Tbs finely chopped garlic 1 cup unsalted or low salt lamb or chicken stock 1/2 oz dark bittersweet 72% chocolate, chopped Preheat the oven to 200°F/100°C. Coarsely crush the peppercorns in a mortar with a pestle. Sprinkle the pepper over the lamb and then season with salt. Heat the oil in a large frying pan until very hot. Add the lamb and cook for 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a dish and keep warm in the oven. Remove the pan from the heat, add the garlic and stir. Return the pan to low heat and cook, stirring, until the garlic just begins to colour. Pour in the stock, stirring to deglaze the pan and bring to a boil. Boil until the stock is reduced to about 1/4 cup, then add the chocolate, stirring until melted. Check the seasoning. Slice the lamb into thick slices and serve with the sauce. Serves 4. Have a great day.