Diamond Anyone, Tourtières, Movies.

A report yesterday on the auction of the fabulous Sundrop Diamond which fetched $10.9M at auction in Switzerland. It is the biggest, 110 Ct, yellow diamond ever and was discovered in South Africa in 2010 and this is the first time it has been sold. It was shown around the world prior to its sale by Sotheby’s. Not sure quite why they used a face behind the jewel. Liz Taylor would have loved to have had that gem. The buyer was anonymous and made bids through the telephone.

I spent a large part of yesterday making Tourtières which went in the freezer. I made 4 in all. Very much the same as the ones in my blog of February 24, 2009. It seems the recipe has got somewhat distorted over time, but its all there. This recipe was originally from Food and Drink which is a magazine put out by our local liquor store, the LCBO, and which usually contains the most fabulous recipes, and many of which we use, many are a bit too expensive for us. They always make me drool though.

We actually watched The Fugitive last night, haven’t seen it for a year or two. Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones. They are both favourites of mine, but I always enjoy Tommy Lee’s portrayals of a US Marshall. One of my favourite Harrison Ford movies is the one about The President, Air Force One, which I always enjoy. He’s certainly come a long way since Han Solo – mind you I enjoyed those performances too.

This is another gluten free recipe and sounds pretty good to me. I love cakes made with almonds and already make one called Turkish Orange cake posted on December 4, 2008 which is full of almonds.

 

Flourless Honey-Almond Cake

From EatingWell: March/April 2009

Honey and almonds flavor this simple (and gluten-free) cake. It's lovely for afternoon tea or a spring holiday dessert. Be careful not to overbeat the egg whites—they should be white and very foamy, but not at all stiff or able to hold peaks. If you beat them too much, the cake may sink in the middle as it cools.

10 servings

Ingredients

Cake

1 1/2 cups whole almonds, toasted (see Tip)
4 large eggs, at room temperature (see Tip), separated
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Topping

2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted (see Tip)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper and spray the paper.
2. Process whole almonds in a food processor or blender until finely ground (you will have about 13/4 cups ground). Beat 4 egg yolks, 1/2 cup honey, vanilla, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer (or use a paddle attachment on a stand mixer) on medium speed until well combined. Add the ground almonds and beat on low until combined.
3. Beat 4 egg whites in another large bowl with the electric mixer (use clean beaters on a hand-held mixer or the whisk attachment on a stand mixer) on medium speed until very foamy, white and doubled in volume, but not stiff enough to hold peaks, 1 to 2 minutes (depending on the type of mixer). Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the nut mixture until just combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
4. Bake the cake until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 28 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan and gently remove the side ring. Let cool completely.
5. If desired, remove the cake from the pan bottom by gently sliding a large, wide spatula between the cake and the parchment paper. Carefully transfer the cake to a serving platter. To serve, drizzle the top of the cake with honey and sprinkle with sliced almonds.

Nutrition

Per serving :234 Calories; 14 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 8 g Mono; 85 mg Cholesterol; 22 g Carbohydrates; 8 g Protein; 3 g Fiber; 208 mg Sodium; 54 mg Potassium
1 1/2 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 1 1/2 carbohydrates (other), 3 fat

Tips and Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Store the cooled cake airtight at room temperature for up to 1 day. Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with almonds just before serving. | Equipment: 9-inch springform pan, parchment paper

• Tip: To toast whole almonds, spread on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F, stirring once, until fragrant, 7 to 9 minutes. To toast sliced almonds, cook in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.
• Note: Eggs must be at room temperature for the proteins to unwind enough to support the cake's crumb. Either set the eggs out on the counter for 15 minutes or submerge them in their shells in a bowl of lukewarm (not hot) water for 5 minutes before using.

Have a great day

Restaurants and Corkage

The bowling banquet went very well and it was nice to see people we hadn't seen for at least a year, some even longer because they didn't make it last year. I took a few pictures on my cell phone, forgot to take my camera which would take better pictures. Other people took pictures so I requested copies. We already have the date for next year although it does clash with a Travel League date so might be changed.

We were discussing mark ups on wine in restaurants. Particularly in reference to the $18 glasses of wine we had on Saturday. As I mentioned before, the Malivoire Pinot Noir is $38 a bottle which is not a cheap wine, but to charge $18 for a 6 oz. glass is extortionate. If one bought the whole bottle it would have been $74 a horrendous price. I understand that the corkage has to cover some of their costs, but virtually a 100% markup is really not justified. You could say more fool us for having paid it, but once we were there for dinner, we do enjoy a glass of wine with our food so we were kind of stuck with it. Nowadays in some restaurants you can take in your own bottle of wine, but you still have to pay corkage, I have no idea how much. I know they have been doing this in Australia for a number of years. I should ask my friend to comment on the subject. Most of us think $8 a glass is bad enough. This is one of the reasons Matt and I tend to cook and drink at home because of these mark ups. We both cook pretty well and can rival quite a few of the restaurants we have ever been to. In fact to me, not having a dishwasher, the main advantage of eating out is not having to clear up afterwards. I do get tired of food preparation and decisions on "what shall we have for supper" on a daily basis, but to cook a dinner for friends is always enjoyable for us or even to do something special for ourselves which we often do on a Saturday night. That is when we are likely to open our Malivoire Pinot Noir.

Did you know, the first Indiana Jones movie in 20 years opens this month. I saw the others many years ago, I will probably end up seeing this one. The picture shows his current image, Harrison Ford is not exactly a youngster any more, I am not sure how many, if any, stunts he did himself. Apparently there are crystal skulls in a couple of museums, but none are genuine, so the legends of crystal skulls have never yet been proved or disproved. However, Troy was once a legend.

The following timbales were one of Matt's inventions based on several he had seen on TV and read in cookbooks. They are delicious and make a good starter, or a finger food for a party.

Chicken & Artichoke Timbales
Serves: 4

6 oz chicken breast
6 oz artichoke hearts
2 tbs low fat cottage cheese
1 tbs toasted pignole nuts
1 tbs capers
1 shallot, finely diced
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
6 lettuce leaves, blanched

Broil chicken breast, allow to cool. Skin and debone.

Drain artichoke hearts. Saute shallots and garlic in oil. Blend everything but lettuce in processor. Place lettuce leaves in ramekins, sprayed with non fat spray, fill with mixture, fold lettuce over top. Chill. Unmould and decorate with pimento strips to serve.