tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60823266298861865542024-03-04T23:28:01.755-08:00Custard and Clues...because every good mystery needs a dinner scene.Leslie Karsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15779717365273916569noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6082326629886186554.post-16464483914002543832017-09-12T16:30:00.001-07:002020-07-30T09:29:26.025-07:00On Finishing FINNEGANS WAKE<style type="text/css">H2 { margin-top: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0.19in; page-break-after: auto; }H2.western { font-family: "Times"; }H2.cjk { font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; }H2.ctl { font-family: "Times"; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal; }P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }A:link { color: rgb(0, 0, 255); }A:visited { color: rgb(128, 0, 128); }</style>
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I’ve only ever belonged to one
reading group, and for eight and a half years we’ve been reading
the same book, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnegans_Wake"><i>Finnegans Wake</i></a>.
Yes, you read that right: it’s been eight and a half years. We
started the book in April of 2009 and I am thrilled to announce that
last week we finally finished James Joyce’s encyclopedic romp
through the history of everything.
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<i>Finnegans Wake</i> (that’s not a
typo—there’s no apostrophe; think of it as a subject and verb)
may well be the most difficult English language book there is to
read, as it’s full of made-up <a href="http://users.tinyonline.co.uk/gswithenbank/portmant.htm">portmanteau words</a>
and foreign language puns, and is written in a dense,
<a href="https://literarydevices.net/stream-of-consciousness/">stream-of-consciousness</a>
style. But if you can wade through the prose, it’s wonderfully
rewarding: insightful, beautiful, and at times laugh-out-loud funny.
(For a peek at the text, click <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=CTrT6wh172AC&dq=finnegans+wake&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=en&ei=sY5DS6uSIonusgOJyuHLBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CBYQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=&f=false">here</a>.)
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It’s helpful to read what others have
said about the work, and we bring along satchels full of literary
criticism, concordances, and annotations, which we continually
consult. We also drink Guinness, which aids in the process (our
meetings are held at an Irish pub here in Santa Cruz, the Poet and
Patriot).
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So, what—you may be wondering—will
we turn to now that we’ve finished the <i>Wake</i>? Well, as some
of you are no doubt aware, <i>Finnegans Wake</i> begins mid-sentence, the beginning of which occurs at the very end of the book:
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riverrun, past Eve and Adam’s, from
swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings us by a commodius vicus of
recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs....</div>
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[625 pages of text]</div>
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... A way a lone a last a loved a long the
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As a result, we have no choice but to
begin the whole thing all over again. Which we will do (after several
months’ break). And this time it will be ever so much easier! (Not.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBczP1gmI_cFC6q1c2YAf_yIjA_yF2m-rGK0GRbBBl_ZIp0uTKUVhdCn9klXmSlugXbquNnAHjwkW4V6cRb0KXVyCCVsJUd46fi-YwfDo6dPY2DVAHQTCA_X_H_nehFEDTtfMHUgDWxHM/s1600/IMG_2361.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBczP1gmI_cFC6q1c2YAf_yIjA_yF2m-rGK0GRbBBl_ZIp0uTKUVhdCn9klXmSlugXbquNnAHjwkW4V6cRb0KXVyCCVsJUd46fi-YwfDo6dPY2DVAHQTCA_X_H_nehFEDTtfMHUgDWxHM/s400/IMG_2361.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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A well-loved copy of the
<i>Wake</i></div>
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<i>Sláinte!</i></div>
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Leslie Karsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15779717365273916569noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6082326629886186554.post-2889078901271424652017-06-13T10:25:00.000-07:002017-06-13T10:25:39.144-07:00What I Learned at the California Crime Writers Conference
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It’s Monday morning in Culver City on
a gorgeous Southern California day. From my hotel room window, I can
see reflected in the mirrored building across the parking lot the low
peaks of Baldwin Hills, the purple of a jacaranda tree just coming
into bloom, and the traffic on Hwy. 405—now at a virtual standstill
heading north, the direction we need to drive to get home to Santa
Cruz.
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A good time to set down some of my
thoughts about the weekend. I came down here for the California Crime
Writers Conference (CCWC), a terrific event presented every two years
by the Los Angeles chapters of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers
of America, that features panels and workshops on the craft of
writing, marketing, publicity, and crime scene and investigative
forensics.
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But as all of us writers know, the most
important part of conferences like these is hanging out with the
other attendees, because mystery writers are the most warm, generous,
and fun people on the planet. I never fail to come away from CCWC
feeling inspired, recharged, and ready to write with renewed vigor.</div>
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dinner with a gang of
writers at CCWC</div>
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Two of the highlights of this year’s
conference were the special guests, <a href="http://hallieephron.com/">Hallie Ephron</a> and <a href="http://www.williamkentkrueger.com/">William Kent Krueger</a>. Hallie gave the keynote talk at
Saturday’s lunch, during which she provided a list of her top ten
pieces of advice for writers. Since number one was “take notes,”
I did as directed, and am therefore able to pass the advice along to
you. (I may have gotten some of this wrong, however, as she spoke
quickly and I do not know shorthand. Sorry, Hallie, if I did!)</div>
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Hallie gives a workshop
about characters driving plot</div>
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1) <b>Take notes.</b> Hallie recounted
the story of how, when her famous screenwriter mother was dying at
age 57 of cirrhosis of the liver brought on by alcoholism, the
mother’s equally famous daughter, Nora (Hallie’s older sister),
was by her beside. “You’re a writer,” the mom said to Nora.
“Take notes.”</div>
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2) <b>Make your own space for writing.</b>
This is both physical—a place where you can be alone to write—but
also in your head. Don’t be distracted by Facebook, email, etc. If
you use a timer and write solidly, without interruption, for only 40
minutes a day, you’ll have a book in six months.
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3) <b>Pay attention to things that
interest you.</b> Hallie used the example of the scene in the
Hitchcock film, <i>Suspicion</i>, where Cary Grant carries the glass
of milk upstairs to Jane Fontaine, and how the shadows grow sinister
and the milk seems to glow in the glass. (Hitchcock put a light in
the glass, Hallie informed us, to obtain this effect.) Take note of
the little things—like Hitchcock did with a simple glass of
milk—and how they can be used to great effect in your writing.</div>
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4) <b>Be your own cheerleader.</b>
Hallie has posted over her desk a fortune cookie she once got, saying
“You will succeed in a far our convention.”</div>
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5) <b>Read. </b>Only by reading others’
works will you know what good writing sounds like.
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6) <b>Hold your nose and write.</b>
Even when you don’t want to, force yourself to keep going. “Gallop
in the direction of more; inch towards better,” she said. (This may
be someone else’s quote, but I couldn’t find it anywhere online.)
As noted by Hallie’s sister, Nora, “The hardest thing about
writing is writing.”
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7) <b>Slash and burn.</b> Delete
anything that’s boring. Beware of too much backstory and
coincidences (never have more than one in a story). But when you do
cut, save it in a separate file, as it may be perfect for a later
work!</div>
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8) <b>Prepare for rejection.</b> When
you send out queries, have the next five ready to go. Aim high—don’t
take a bad deal just because you’re afraid of not getting another.
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9) <b>Embrace your flaws.</b> Recognize
your strengths and weaknesses as a writer. Always be flexible and
listen. Don’t be thin-skinned. And, most importantly, <i>realize
that only a fool would write a novel.</i>
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10) <b>Don’t wait to be published to
celebrate.</b> Celebrate after you write your first ten thousand
words. And after you finish your novel. And after you do your
revisions. And when someone in your writing group laughs during your
reading. And when you get asked for a partial submission. And when
you get a personalized rejection.</div>
</blockquote>
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And finally, she said (yes, this one
did <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOO5S4vxi0o">go to 11</a>): <b>Get
used to it. </b>Make it the journey that counts.</div>
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After giving us her top ten (plus one)
pieces of advice, Hallie told us about being asked, “What made you
decide to write mysteries?”
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“Because my sisters hadn’t written
one,” was her immediate response.</div>
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But then she provided the real answer
(though I’m guessing the facetious one had more than a grain of
truth to it): Genre fiction is less scary than “literature,”
because there are rules and reader expectations, such as the
three-act structure, the big confrontation at the end, etc. But just
as with highbrow literature, you can include all the personal,
gut-wrenching issues in mysteries, as well.
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William Kent Krueger was our keynote
speaker the next day.
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Kent (as he’s known) at
his workshop</div>
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Because I didn’t take notes during
his keynote speech, however, here’s a brief recap, instead, of his
excellent workshop on how to build suspense:
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1) Classic suspense depends on
<b>conflict</b>, either between the characters or within the
protagonist. Every scene in your novel should have some tension or
conflict. Conflict equals visceral suspense.</div>
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2) You must have a good <b>hook</b>,
right from the start, to pull the reader in.</div>
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3) Readers must care about, have an
<b>emotional investment</b> in the characters</div>
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4) <b>Delay gratification</b> in
readers by not meeting their expectations. Suspense is about what
will happen next. Ask the question, but then delay the answer. The
longer you draw out time, the tauter the suspense.</div>
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5) <b>Create obstacles</b> for your
protagonist. Insert complications into the story. Isolating the hero
is a great way of doing this.</div>
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6) <b>Up the ante.</b> Just when your
readers think they know what’s going on, make it worse—far worse.</div>
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7) <b>Set the clock ticking.</b> Give
your protagonist a limited time to save the day.</div>
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8) <b>Stretch time.</b> Slow the
countdown to the danger (this is similar to no. 4.) Some of the best
suspense writing takes several pages to tell what happened in just a
few seconds. Kent gave the example of a bomb under a table of poker
players. Having the bomb go off with no notice to the reader creates
no suspense. But if you show the bomb with 10 seconds left, then go
to the players, then go back to the bomb with 5 seconds left, etc.,
<i>that’s</i> suspenseful.
</div>
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9) <b>Save the worst for last. </b>All
hope is lost. The dramatic climax of the story. (But note that, in a
series, it doesn’t work to put your protagonist in danger, because
we all know he/she will return for the next book. It’s far better
to put someone the hero cares about in danger.)</div>
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10) <b>The calm at the storm’s end.</b>
Have a last scene where loose ends are tied up, we get to exhale in
relief after all the tension that’s come before.</div>
</blockquote>
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</div>
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Here’s the whiteboard chart Kent
wrote out for us:</div>
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If any of you crime writers out there
are considering attending a craft conference in the future, the next
CCWC will be held in June of 2019, and I heartily recommend that you
attend!</div>
Leslie Karsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15779717365273916569noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6082326629886186554.post-37419556398265868062017-05-17T12:35:00.001-07:002020-07-30T09:31:07.656-07:00Amadeus<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }</style>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }</style>My newest Sally Solari mystery, <i>A
Measure of Murder</i>, has Sally joining a local chorus, even though
she’s crazy busy working at both her restaurants, Solari’s and
Gauguin, and doesn’t really have time for all the rehearsals and
practicing on her own she’ll need to do. But the group is singing
her favorite piece of music—the Mozart <i>Requiem</i>—which
Sally’s been obsessed with since high school, when she fell in love
with the movie, <i>Amadeus</i><span style="font-style: normal;">. So
she decides she’ll just have to make the time.</span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Sally isn’t alone in her love. That
film <span style="font-style: normal;">(adapted from the play of the
same name by Peter Shaffer) </span>has special meaning for me, as
well. When it was released in 1984, I was just becoming interested in
opera. My friend Valerie (with whom I had played in the Cabrillo
College orchestra—me on clarinet, she on violin) used to get
together to drink wine and listen to operas together, and when
<i>Amadeus</i> came out, we went together to see it. Both of us were
much taken with the movie, and started listened to more Mozart
afterwards, including <i>Don Giovanni</i> and his <i>Requiem</i> in D
minor.
</div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I met my now-wife, Robin, the following
year, and the first evening we spent together I apparently raved to
her about <i>Amadeus</i>. She went home and searched the whole Bay
Area for a theater screening the film—no simple task in that
pre-internet era—and finally found one in San Francisco. She then
called to ask me on a date to go up to the City to see the movie, but
alas, I was out of town for the weekend and didn’t get her message
until after it had left the theater. But wasn’t that romantic of
her?
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Years later, while writing the
manuscript that would become <i>A Measure of Murde</i>r, I watched
the film again, this time on DVD. And as I watched, I pondered—as I
had many times before—the title of the movie. Although Amadeus was
Mozart’s middle name,* no one refers to him that way; it’s always
either “Mozart” or “Wolfgang.”
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
But then again, neither of those two
names has the ring of the name Amadeus—which rolls off the tongue
in a lovely way—so I’ve always figured that was the reason for
the film’s title.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
But lying in bed after watching the
movie again that night, I started thinking about the Salieri
character—how he had dedicated his life to the love of God and
wanted nothing more than the ability to compose beautiful music for
His glorification. But Salieri becomes possessed with fury that his
God has endowed the “obscene” boor Mozart with such musical
genius, making Salieri—a devout Catholic—seem a mediocre composer
in comparison. Salieri therefore rejects God, and decides to dedicate
the rest of his life to destroying this “creature” whom God has
chosen over him. (Yes, yes, this story line has nothing to do with
the real life Salieri, but it’s good fun for a fictional
retelling!)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
And then I thought again about the
title of the film, and it hit me—like one of those light bulbs in a
cartoon.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcArtMn5qpCDWteZe3RdYea4nUFBtfyLB8WZmBMmogTJ5lECgEprx9L9rPYWB2Sm2pvQM_c0bCcgDu8u3a1P7sD5W3B9jd66YOlmH3tYLCPyNBZM7p_KPpnFDKpnSe20WCxGb6rzwSoTY/s1600/light%252Bbulbs.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcArtMn5qpCDWteZe3RdYea4nUFBtfyLB8WZmBMmogTJ5lECgEprx9L9rPYWB2Sm2pvQM_c0bCcgDu8u3a1P7sD5W3B9jd66YOlmH3tYLCPyNBZM7p_KPpnFDKpnSe20WCxGb6rzwSoTY/s400/light%252Bbulbs.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">light bulbs of Thomas
Edison
</span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">at the Huntington Library,
Pasadena</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Amadeus. Ama Deus. That’s Latin for
“love of God.” Duh! How could I have never thought of it
before—it seemed so obvious now.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Because that is, of course, the irony
in the film: It’s <i>Salieri</i> who has dedicated his life to the
love of God. He is truly the “ama-deus” of the story. But it’s
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart whom God has chosen as His vehicle for
composing glorious music.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Very clever Mr. Shaffer.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
*(Mozart’s given middle name was
actually Theophilus, but he preferred the Latin translation of this
Greek name and so used it, instead. My grandfather was named
Theophilus Parvin Cook and didn’t go by that name either, so I
guess my family has something in common with the brilliant composer.)</div>
Leslie Karsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15779717365273916569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6082326629886186554.post-34604621509706512542017-01-08T11:54:00.002-08:002020-07-30T09:31:31.112-07:00The Wizard of Oz, Alphabetized--Yes, Really<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }A:link { }</style>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I just discovered something truly
amazing. It’s a remix/scrambling of the classic 1939 film version
of <i>The Wizard of Oz</i>, so that every single word of dialogue and
song is arranged alphabetically. Yes, it sounds weird, and it is. But
it’s also incredibly wonderful (one of the re-occurring words in
the film). And beautiful. And utterly fascinating.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The project (<span style="font-style: normal;">entitled
</span><i>of Oz The Wizard</i><span style="font-style: normal;">—the
title, alphabetized) </span>was the brainchild and creation of Matt
Bucy, probably best known as co-producer and cinematographer of the
fan fiction series, <i>Star Trek Continues</i><span style="font-style: normal;">.
(You can read about Matt and his Oz project, as well as watch the
amazing film, </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The other night, Robin, my sister Laura
(who told us about the project), and I sat down after dinner to view
the movie, thinking we’d check it out for ten or fifteen minutes,
be somewhat amused, and then switch to <i>Mozart in the Jungle</i>.
But no. We were mesmerized and ended up watching until the very end.
(Oddly, we all thought the movie seemed shorter in this rearranged
version, even though they are, of course, the exact same length.)
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The most obvious effect of the
alphabetization is to highlight the specific words used in the
screenplay and lyrics. And, not surprisingly, the first one to
appear—“a”—appears a whole lot. As do “the,” “you,”
“of,” and any number of pronouns, articles, and prepositions. But
these also flash by quickly, as they are throwaway words in the
dialogue. It’s the other words, which the actors draw out and give
emphasis to, that are more interesting.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
As a writer, I was fascinated by the
way this project showcases language and syntax—for instance, the
frequency of certain words is made obvious by their being grouped
together. Take the word “just.” Now, we writers are continually
told to limit our use of this word, but as I watched <i>of Oz The
Wizard,</i> it became clear that “just” occurs many, many times
in the film. Yet it’s never jumped out at me when watching the
movie in its original format. This is because that’s the way folks
speak; we use the word all the time. So maybe it is okay not to get
too stressed about using “just” in my own books (especially in
dialogue).</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
In addition, certain colorful words
that appear only once—generally spoken by either the Wizard or the
Cowardly Lion—stand out ever so much more in this version of the
film, isolated as they are, and made the three of us howl with glee.
(The last word of the film, uttered by the Lion, was especially fun.
But I won’t give it away here, other than to tell you it begins
with a Z.)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
And then there are the repeated words
from the songs: “somewhere,” “wizard,” “Oz,” “follow,”
“yellow,” “road,” “dead,” you get the idea. When spliced
so they appear all together in quick succession, they end up creating
their own new little songs, which are wonderfully melodic. (The
“dead” song was particularly chipper, which we found amusing.)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Oh, and the way the editor, Bucy,
groups the sounds (arf!, ahhh, sigh, ai!) is good fun, as well. (I
love, <i>love</i>, the Toto scenes all strung together.)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
In addition, watching the film cut up
in this strange, new way, I found myself drawn to artistic and
technical aspects of the film I’d never really noticed before: the
beautifully rendered woods in the background during the snow scene;
the shape and color of the walls and towers surrounding the City of
Oz.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Finally, because you are seeing each
different word <i>chronologically</i> each time it appears in the
film, you are, in effect, watching mini versions of the entire story
over and over again, especially with words that occur many times. Yet
each mini version gives a slightly different narrative—kind of like
a G-rated <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rashomon"><i>Rashomon</i></a>
in Technicolor.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I don’t believe this concept would
have worked with any other movie. <i>The Wizard of Oz</i> is so
ingrained in our collective consciousness that most Americans (of a
certain age, at least) have the script virtually memorized. So, for
example, when the frame of the Tin Man saying “heart” flashes by,
we know immediately where it belongs in the whole and why it’s
important.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
It’s funny, but watching <i>of Oz The
Wizard</i> in a way gave deeper meaning to the original film. By
providing an entirely new way of <i>seeing</i> it, the project made
me <i>think</i> about the movie in an entirely new way. But I guess
that’s what good art is all about.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
So thank you Matt Bucy, for this truly
original and mind-opening project!</div>
Leslie Karsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15779717365273916569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6082326629886186554.post-5986963794401381252016-12-09T10:10:00.000-08:002016-12-09T10:10:16.493-08:00Turkey Tikka Masala<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }A:link { }</style>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I have to admit to a bit of
an addiction to Chicken Tikka Masala. Its creamy, savory, spicy (did
I mention the cream?) flavor truly wows my tastebuds, and I order the
dish pretty much every time I go out for Indian food. But according
to most accounts, this dish isn’t authentic Indian cuisine at
all—it was invented in Great Britain, perhaps even Scotland. (See
<a href="http://fooddetectivesdiary.blogspot.com/2011/02/brief-history-of-chicken-tikka-masala.html">here</a> for a fascinating history of the dish.) A few years ago, the British
Foreign Secretary even declared Chicken Tikka Masala to be the
<a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/the_world_daily/2014/05/the_dish_on_how_chicken_tikka_masala_became__britain_s_national_dish_.html">national dish</a>
of Great Britain.
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“Tikka” refers to the
bite-size morsels the chicken is cut into (as opposed to the bone-in
leg and thigh pieces traditionally roasted in Tandoor ovens). And
“masala” simply means “spice” in Hindi, and is the word
commonly used to refer to blends of spices used in cooking. The
masala in this case is the spice-flavored sauce.
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Because of my love of this
Anglo-Indian dish, I was excited to see a recipe for it using
leftover Thanksgiving turkey in the <i>New York Times</i> a couple
weeks back. (The recipe is <a href="http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018425-turkey-tikka-masala">here</a>.) So I made it.
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
my end result, served with
rice, cucumber raita, and chutney</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Now, not many of you
probably still have turkey left over from the holiday, but perhaps
you froze some. If not, leftover roast chicken (or one of those
grocery store rotisserie birds) will work just as well.
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<u><b>The Marinade</b></u></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The first thing to do is cut
up your cooked turkey or chicken into 1” cubes (4 cups of meat),
and get it marinating. Here is my turkey, along with the mortar and
pestle I use to crush spices I’ve roasted in a small cast iron
skillet.</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
cubed turkey and coriander
seeds</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Mix together your spices in
a medium sized bowl: 2 t each, garam masala, ground coriander, ground
cumin; 1 T paprika or chili powder; 4 t turmeric or curry powder; 1 t
salt; 6 med. garlic cloves, crushed; and 4 t finely-chopped ginger:</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Then blend the spices with 1
cup yogurt, toss it with the cubed meat, cover and let chill for at
least 4 hours, or overnight:</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<u><b>The Sauce</b></u></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Next, prepare the sauce.
Sauté a thinly-sliced large onion in 3 T vegetable oil along with
more spices: 6 crushed cardamom pods, 1 bay leaf, ½ t red pepper
flakes, and a pinch of salt.
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Cook the onion mixture over
medium heat, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t burn, until brown
and soft, about 10 minutes. Then, make a space in the middle of the
pan, add another T of oil and let it get hot, then toss in 4 cloves
crushed garlic, 2 T finely-chopped ginger, and 2 finely-chopped
serrano chili peppers (I omitted the peppers, because Robin doesn’t
do spicy food):</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Let the garlic and ginger
sizzle (like Paris, in the summer) for a few seconds and then mix it
into the onions. Now add 2 T tomato paste and a large can (28 oz.) of
tomatoes along with its juice (crush them with your hands, first):</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Bring the sauce to a boil,
then reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the liquid is
mostly gone. Now it’s time for the cream! Hurrah! Pour in 2 cups
heavy cream (yum!),</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
and then add ¾ cup
coarsely-chopped cilantro. (Be sure to save some sprigs for the
garnish.)</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyvZdrQsWcLyS0nc6d52UjIlkgnG2-5sGBsDmSA1CyZFAPMai69P4D3Z2qN2TZfFB8dFMcYH_-FpC_-jXIp8r2k3AVyxMHhsJLaIK3_UYK1nc7LO3Oi6gm1drfH_3gorMZIkIYKoe93gU/s1600/cilantro.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyvZdrQsWcLyS0nc6d52UjIlkgnG2-5sGBsDmSA1CyZFAPMai69P4D3Z2qN2TZfFB8dFMcYH_-FpC_-jXIp8r2k3AVyxMHhsJLaIK3_UYK1nc7LO3Oi6gm1drfH_3gorMZIkIYKoe93gU/s400/cilantro.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Season to taste with more
salt, if needed (the recipe calls for 1½ t salt here, but if your
bird was brined or salted, be careful how much you add), and then
simmer the sauce over low heat, stirring occasionally, till it
thickens—about 40 minutes.</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Let it cool down, discard
the bay leaf, and then blend the sauce. A hand-held mixer (the kind
you stick into the pot) is best, but it can also be done in batches
in a regular blender.
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic3tcECZSnJa9aWOXsGTdfcl0QVtttrKCoskwpefCwfaaKmEUtaZog1T_my9my0oySHKEWpDSgyKzXZJ0GZA9cODxNTG-EVEPe8VzSy_hCOXbpc45hLaHjyeH9dvX4I04zeRux2RKkSy0/s1600/blended.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic3tcECZSnJa9aWOXsGTdfcl0QVtttrKCoskwpefCwfaaKmEUtaZog1T_my9my0oySHKEWpDSgyKzXZJ0GZA9cODxNTG-EVEPe8VzSy_hCOXbpc45hLaHjyeH9dvX4I04zeRux2RKkSy0/s400/blended.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
all
blended and smooth</div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<u><b>Broil the
Turkey/Chicken</b></u></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Now for the finish: Line a
large roasting pan with foil and lay the turkey pieces in a single
layer upon it. (Add any remaining marinade in the bowl to the sauce.
Since you’re using pre-cooked poultry, no worries about
salmonella!)
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Broil on high until the
turkey starts to blacken in spots. (Keep an eye on it, as it can go
from perfect to burnt-to-a-crisp in a flash!) No need to turn the
meat over, though you may need to rotate the roasting pan once.
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsdjnUHDlJ3h0st9ZmhmdNZ1ohNka4T3xwAK8PYQvlQcIWHzVr5FwS26XEaUcBhU8KrGaxkG-Q0L2_IpEWMU8xf0a72haRNQ0tdwzjxrydhcOZEIvJR-r1HjiYa_XOjKwNrw7_UNg3Ga4/s1600/broiled.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsdjnUHDlJ3h0st9ZmhmdNZ1ohNka4T3xwAK8PYQvlQcIWHzVr5FwS26XEaUcBhU8KrGaxkG-Q0L2_IpEWMU8xf0a72haRNQ0tdwzjxrydhcOZEIvJR-r1HjiYa_XOjKwNrw7_UNg3Ga4/s400/broiled.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Dump the broiled meat into
the sauce and reheat it till warmed through. Add the juice of one
lemon and stir into sauce. Serve over steamed rice with cilantro
garnish. (See photo at top of post for my results.)</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
This may all seem like a lot
of work—and Indian food, though not complicated to make, can be
labor intensive—but this recipe made enough for three meals for
Robin and me. Gonna make it again, for sure!</div>
Leslie Karsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15779717365273916569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6082326629886186554.post-61815713472512185292016-11-22T18:01:00.003-08:002016-11-22T18:09:30.315-08:00Roasted Red Pepper Soup<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }A:link { }</style>
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<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
My <a href="http://custardandclues.blogspot.com/2016/11/what-to-do-with-peck-of-peppers.html" target="_blank">last blog post</a>
showed how to preserve all those red peppers you may have harvested this
year from your late-summer garden, by roasting them and jarring them in olive oil.
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Today I’ll show you just
how simple it is to make a robust soup from those peppers (which would make an excellent first course for Thanksgiving!). </div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFHjNrL9OAZ8n0-6was_KK7fbCwz3oLSRNgtT6dliA5uCHmoHf_Caqlol8EomKvUBLKD5qAuQV60RaD7CzCKpw5ET09vbogCbS2W3XphSMUNyJOSYGNlgII0G7uUAdUshRqmLASNherUI/s1600/plated.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFHjNrL9OAZ8n0-6was_KK7fbCwz3oLSRNgtT6dliA5uCHmoHf_Caqlol8EomKvUBLKD5qAuQV60RaD7CzCKpw5ET09vbogCbS2W3XphSMUNyJOSYGNlgII0G7uUAdUshRqmLASNherUI/s400/plated.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Take the
jarred peppers from the fridge and let them come up to room
temperature, so the olive oil becomes liquid. Then remove the roasted
peppers from the jar, leaving the oil behind. (The red-hued olive oil
is tasty, and can be used as a dipping sauce for bread, or to flavor
potatoes, salads, or any number of things.)</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Place the peppers in a large
pot and pour in chicken stock (vegetable or turkey stock would work
well, too). For two small jars of peppers, I used about two quarts of
stock:</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR3ZIBEUnxU_hc-YtY3fGz7NppE0nCdh9SgEXwgai-NuRwxXGlkw7Tf_N4yxYgmOcSJYQw1n6mWkHSkOBkN9YRLF_6uG_W1uiV1rPVqI8tVboCcMk4mqzI2cybuhQsL6HmTy7a4AdF84g/s1600/stock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR3ZIBEUnxU_hc-YtY3fGz7NppE0nCdh9SgEXwgai-NuRwxXGlkw7Tf_N4yxYgmOcSJYQw1n6mWkHSkOBkN9YRLF_6uG_W1uiV1rPVqI8tVboCcMk4mqzI2cybuhQsL6HmTy7a4AdF84g/s400/stock.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">a trippy photo of my stock
and roasted peppers in the pot</span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(the glistening is from
the olive oil that was on the peppers)</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Bring the stock and peppers
to a simmer, and then let cool down enough that you can blend them. I
used a hand-held blender—the kind you stick into the pot and turn
on. (Just make sure to keep it submerged, or you’ll have red
splatter all over your kitchen and folks will think it’s a murder
scene.) But you could also pour it into a regular blender, in
batches.</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Next, if (like me) you
didn’t peel your peppers after roasting, you’ll need to strain the skins out:</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ueNq1krwa9C2PT9M2Nx4c0yUsCydfso4ObBpDW4itSn9iASA6M3RJscracyMEXEu68IHNfRDuE5AuoizjHvCZiT_LtHslizNgAWwt2IhBr1INLtkSGdl2G3oth5PxyMmWvFQHiYiR6Y/s1600/skins.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ueNq1krwa9C2PT9M2Nx4c0yUsCydfso4ObBpDW4itSn9iASA6M3RJscracyMEXEu68IHNfRDuE5AuoizjHvCZiT_LtHslizNgAWwt2IhBr1INLtkSGdl2G3oth5PxyMmWvFQHiYiR6Y/s400/skins.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Then pour the blended and
strained soup back into your pot, reheat, and add whipping cream. I
used about a pint:</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw3xWA8DjQultseGKZtelj99xRU3vlpvz7JqTShEucVHsOXtZpw-jXQWG-cvG_2it5TzoOkvZxhJwsYLY3rrai9QEDSVL8ELZiF0OwzQfV6zJsp8X1FQMp4FSw5E7r_SM5MEZ1ZuV6Lkk/s1600/cream.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw3xWA8DjQultseGKZtelj99xRU3vlpvz7JqTShEucVHsOXtZpw-jXQWG-cvG_2it5TzoOkvZxhJwsYLY3rrai9QEDSVL8ELZiF0OwzQfV6zJsp8X1FQMp4FSw5E7r_SM5MEZ1ZuV6Lkk/s400/cream.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">looks like an alien planet</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Here it is with the cream
mixed in:</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB9IpuHX-6w2Qklo0B9ci_3IfitPLHb2lqrH89g8ts4WZV3V6Psh22eFcS559RsDKa6JERn0yA4dXU-mu-075zo-41qa-CUbPAECirpUljaFwpY9cgEAgz2h2zhNfhtjPPTtzgrAvGnkM/s1600/blended.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB9IpuHX-6w2Qklo0B9ci_3IfitPLHb2lqrH89g8ts4WZV3V6Psh22eFcS559RsDKa6JERn0yA4dXU-mu-075zo-41qa-CUbPAECirpUljaFwpY9cgEAgz2h2zhNfhtjPPTtzgrAvGnkM/s400/blended.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
That’s it. Easy-peasy, no?
Just season with salt and pepper to taste, serve with a dollop of
yogurt and chopped chives, and <i>voilà</i>! (See top photo.)</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Leslie Karsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15779717365273916569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6082326629886186554.post-56867641050111697262016-11-04T11:39:00.001-07:002016-11-04T11:39:05.798-07:00What To Do With a Peck of Peppers
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<span style="font-size: small;">If you were
lucky enough to have planted a vegetable garden last summer, you
may—like me—have an overabundance of red bell peppers sitting in
your fridge right about now. Now, I love red peppers. That’s why I
planted them. But there’s no way I’ll be able to eat them all
before they go bad, no matter how many stir fries, fajitas, or Thai
curries I prepare over the next few weeks. I therefore needed a way
to preserve them. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXrQsMxfiYfgxrf3jojOwFlo2-8t6vSvFd6tkvb9wcKEtjywSTMFWRvsl_N-bb30SuH4DI_bz82lCxZ-_P4Z27rHz3DgzQpEXXU54ZUHqzAMETyuVP8jaqBRBt4SMTIPcrwHt61dalkzU/s1600/raw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXrQsMxfiYfgxrf3jojOwFlo2-8t6vSvFd6tkvb9wcKEtjywSTMFWRvsl_N-bb30SuH4DI_bz82lCxZ-_P4Z27rHz3DgzQpEXXU54ZUHqzAMETyuVP8jaqBRBt4SMTIPcrwHt61dalkzU/s400/raw.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">halved and
seeded and ready to bake</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Red peppers are
at their best when they’ve been roasted, so that was what I decided
to do with this year’s harvest. I halved and seeded them, tossed
them with olive oil, and laid them out on a roasting pan. (Place them
on foil or parchment paper, because the burnt pepper pyuck is a pain
to clean off the pan.)</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I then roasted
them in a hot oven (450</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">°</span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
F)</span></span>
f<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; <font size="3">f</font></style><span style="font-size: small;">or about 20-25
minutes—rotating the pan as needed so they roasted evenly—until
the skins were starting to blacken. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7IF-upd5dwdWModbbwM5a1mv6qvRNKyBbQaSEuydrr7hiBylqXhEEg1UR5UM1lD6ZBh-QhOOqDywKR_Ps6bU4tgMa77bc3o24NnmkXfuPjnYEFZqR5cXNowxQDCUB4umsHIUB7EN3cOc/s1600/roasting+pan.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7IF-upd5dwdWModbbwM5a1mv6qvRNKyBbQaSEuydrr7hiBylqXhEEg1UR5UM1lD6ZBh-QhOOqDywKR_Ps6bU4tgMa77bc3o24NnmkXfuPjnYEFZqR5cXNowxQDCUB4umsHIUB7EN3cOc/s400/roasting+pan.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Here's a close-up: </div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim6G7alvLv2nzL7jG9B-AUSrWOEe_miXhf40h5RnQwuvN9PbQf8L8jXNr3wFybhvywVq3PobboPjuxCuvc2y3lM_qtN7vgV9yYXkD-ZOOW_p7MinHwsGlNQj_7NeZD2CRYzEmiL_Q-J1g/s1600/roasted.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim6G7alvLv2nzL7jG9B-AUSrWOEe_miXhf40h5RnQwuvN9PbQf8L8jXNr3wFybhvywVq3PobboPjuxCuvc2y3lM_qtN7vgV9yYXkD-ZOOW_p7MinHwsGlNQj_7NeZD2CRYzEmiL_Q-J1g/s400/roasted.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Make
sure to keep an eye on them as they roast, </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">as
they can go from light brown to black in no time!</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; </style><span style="font-size: small;">As you can see,
the peppers shrink some as they cook. Dump the peppers into a bowl
and cover it with plastic wrap, to let the them steam. </span><span style="font-size: small;">Once
they had cooled, the skins should slide off easily. If not, you can
scrape the meat off the skins with a butter knife. (Or, if you’re
lazy like me, leave the skins on. They add more smoky flavor to the
peppers, and will add fiber to your diet!)</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I then placed
them in glass jars and poured olive oil on top, enough to cover the
peppers. They’ll keep for weeks in the refrigerator (though the
olive oil will congeal and turn cloudy as it hardens). </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I’m going to
use the peppers for a roasted pepper soup this weekend. In my next
post I’ll show you what I did, and give you the results. </span>
</div>
Leslie Karsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15779717365273916569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6082326629886186554.post-38177227441560612352016-09-14T14:36:00.000-07:002016-09-14T14:36:10.142-07:00The Pleasures of the Table
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<span style="font-size: small;">In my
never-ending study of food and cooking, I’ve been dipping into the
writings of t</span>he 19<sup>th</sup> century French essayist <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Anthelme-Brillat-Savarin" target="_blank">Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin</a>, in particular, his <i>Physiology of Taste</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
(a delightful translation by M.F.K. Fisher). </span>
</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Now, I love to
throw dinner parties, so I was particularly interested in the chapter
in his treatise dedicated to</span> “the Pleasures of the Table.”
“This pleasure,” Brillat-Savarin says, “can be savored almost
to the full whenever the four following conditions are met with: food
at least passable, good wine, agreeable companions, and enough time.”
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“The Professor” (as M.F.K. Fisher
refers to him) then goes on to query, “[b]ut...how can one possibly
assemble, in this year of grace 1825, a meal which will meet all the
conditions necessary to attain the ultimate in the pleasures of the
table?” In response to this question, he provides us with a list of
rules:</div>
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I am about to answer that question. Draw near, Reader, and pay heed:
it is Gasterea, the loveliest of the muses, who inspires me; I shall speak more
clearly than an oracle, and my precepts will live throughout the
centuries.</div>
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“Let the number of guests be no more than twelve, so that
conversation may always remain general;</div>
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“Let them be so chosen that their professions will be varied, their
tastes analogous, and that there such points of contact that the
odious formality of introductions will not be needed;
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“Let the dining room be more than amply lighted, the linen of
dazzling cleanliness, and the temperature maintained at from sixty to
sixty-eight degrees Farenheit;</div>
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“Let the gentlemen be witty without pretension, and the ladies
charming without too much coquetry;</div>
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“Let the dishes be of exquisite quality, but limited in their
number, and the wines of the first rank also, each according to its
degree;</div>
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“Let the progression of the former be from the most substantial to
the lightest, and of the latter from the simplest wines to the
headiest;</div>
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“Let the tempo of eating be moderate, the dinner being the last
affair of the day: the guests should behave like travelers who must
arrive together at the same destination;</div>
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“Let the coffee be piping hot, and the liqueurs of the host’s
especial choice;</div>
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“Let the drawing room which awaits the diners be large enough to
hold a card table for those who cannot do without it, with enough
space left for after-dinner conversations;</div>
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“Let the guests be disciplined by the restraints of polite society
and animated by the hope that the evening will not pass without its
rewarding pleasures;</div>
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<br />
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“Let the tea be not too strong, the toast artfully buttered, and
the punch made with care;</div>
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“Let the leavetakings not begin before eleven o’clock, but by
midnight let every guest be home and abed.”</div>
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If anyone has attended a party combining all these virtues, he can
boast that he has known perfection, and for each one of them which
has been forgotten or ignored he will have experienced the less
delight.</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Although nearly two centuries have now
passed since the Professor’s time, I believe that he is right: Most
of his precepts do indeed still live on—and hold true perhaps even
more so now, in this era of instantaneous satisfaction of ones
desires (think cell phones, laptops, fast food), than they did in the
19<sup>th</sup> century.
</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
We could all stand to learn from the
Professor, and take more time to sit down with friends at the table
and pass a leisurely evening in animated conversation whilst savoring
a homemade meal (not to mention that buttered toast and punch which
follow!).
</div>
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<br />
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<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>On another
topic</b></span><span style="font-size: small;">, I have just revamped my <a href="http://www.lesliekarstauthor.com/" target="_blank">author website</a></span><span style="font-size: small;">, so feel free to check it out! </span>
</div>
Leslie Karsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15779717365273916569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6082326629886186554.post-40062333914048072612016-08-19T11:57:00.000-07:002016-08-19T11:57:32.442-07:00Cover Reveal—A Measure of Murder
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<span style="font-size: small;">I’ve had to
keep this under my <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toque#Culinary" target="_blank"><i>toque</i></a>
for the past month, but am now finally at liberty to reveal the cover
for the second in my Sally Solari Mystery series, entitled <i>A
Measure of Murder</i>: </span>
</div>
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<br />
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp-fD9fwzb56NttdxDuy4fcULUgclewRSZl166r3uZbfhCapDrquXUwDFeh_cXyfAk8HUdNF5MHF_8n6jI7xOhDWXTiW4gDH_dmuTzGJktTFnvEpSNnx2idthdnZSdjMJmin1jgC4qaQ8/s1600/Measure+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp-fD9fwzb56NttdxDuy4fcULUgclewRSZl166r3uZbfhCapDrquXUwDFeh_cXyfAk8HUdNF5MHF_8n6jI7xOhDWXTiW4gDH_dmuTzGJktTFnvEpSNnx2idthdnZSdjMJmin1jgC4qaQ8/s640/Measure+cover.jpg" width="425" /></a></div>
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<br />
</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Here’s a
taste of the new book:</span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Sally Solari is busy juggling work at
her family’s Italian restaurant, Solari’s, and helping Javier
plan the autumn menu for the restaurant she’s just inherited,
Gauguin. Complicating this already hectic schedule, Sally joins her
ex-boyfriend Eric’s chorus, which is performing a newly discovered
version of her favorite composition, the Mozart <i>Requiem</i>. But
then, at the first rehearsal, a tenor falls to his death on the
church courtyard—and his soprano girlfriend is sure it wasn’t an
accident.</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Now Sally's back on another murder case
mixed in with a dash of revenge, a pinch of peril, and a suspicious
stack of sheet music. And while tensions in the chorus heat up, so
does the kitchen at Gauguin—set aflame right as Sally starts
getting too close to the truth. Can Sally catch the killer before
she’s burnt to a crisp, or will the case grow as cold as
yesterday’s leftovers?</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">In a stew of
suspects and restaurateurs, trouble boils over in the second in
Leslie Karst’s tasty and tantalizing Sally Solari mystery series, <i>A
Measure of Murder</i>.</span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>A Measure of
Murder </i>is scheduled for release February 14, 2017, and yes, it’s
already available for <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Measure-Murder-Sally-Solari-Mystery/dp/1683310187/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1471632694&sr=8-6&keywords=a+measure+of+murder" target="_blank">pre-order on Amazon</a>! </span>
</div>
Leslie Karsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15779717365273916569noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6082326629886186554.post-42770906814498694232016-07-15T10:50:00.000-07:002016-07-15T10:50:14.862-07:00When is a Fruit a Vegetable?
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<span style="font-size: small;">I think about
food a lot, probably because I seem to be perpetually hungry (the
result, no doubt, of the increasing need to limit my caloric intake,
since the older I get the less efficiently my body is able to burn
those calories). </span>
</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Recently, my
food thoughts turned to the question, what exactly is the “official”
difference between a vegetable and a fruit? You know the problem: A
bell pepper is the fruiting part of the plant, is brightly colored,
has seeds, and looks like a fruit. So why is it referred to as a
vegetable? </span>
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<br />
</div>
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<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
this one clearly has
“fruiting” parts</div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
A search on the web reveals numerous
articles on the subject of “fruit vs. vegetable.” (See, e.g., <a href="http://www.diffen.com/difference/Fruit_vs_Vegetable" target="_blank">here<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></span></a>.) Certain plant foods are easy to classify: The non-seed-bearing
parts—e.g., the leaves, stem, root—are almost (but see below)
always vegetables, both in the botanical and culinary worlds.
</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
definitely vegetables</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The confusion arises with regard to the
seed-bearing parts of plants. For instance, the flowers, if eaten
<i>before</i> they produce seeds, are classified as vegetables. Thus,
cauliflower and broccoli are vegetables, even though they would go to
seed if left uncut.
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cauli and romanesco</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
There are, in fact, two different
definitions for “fruit”: the scientific one, and the culinary
one. In botany, a fruit is simply the seed-bearing part of any plant.
Thus, green beans are fruit in scientific terms.
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK5WXOrIP7IO5RYwiKpDn6N5QiJ6_J-3AJ6vjy_rZbJFDQLMT5jEx97pYI41Ify5Gx1aeDT54WtBwQu_e0QgXRvKt7CwwPqWlOkalx_DwtEhArKv9sNCpKinjgLT98enCbtPq4YyhoIYw/s1600/beans.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK5WXOrIP7IO5RYwiKpDn6N5QiJ6_J-3AJ6vjy_rZbJFDQLMT5jEx97pYI41Ify5Gx1aeDT54WtBwQu_e0QgXRvKt7CwwPqWlOkalx_DwtEhArKv9sNCpKinjgLT98enCbtPq4YyhoIYw/s400/beans.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
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</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
In culinary terms, however, a botanical
fruit is only a “fruit” if it is sweet. <a href="http://www.curiouscook.com/cook/home.php" target="_blank">Harold McGee </a>offers up this definition of culinary fruits in his wonderful
treatise, <i>On Food and Cooking</i>:
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in;">
Culinary fruits are
distinguished from vegetables by one important characteristic:
they’re among the few things we eat that we’re meant to eat. Many
plants have engineered their fruits to appeal to the animal senses,
so that animals will eat them and disperse the seeds within. These
fruits are the natural world’s soft drinks and candies, flashily
packaged in bright colors, and test-marketed through millions of
years of natural selection.
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH44rDSftS1uPpclO_DgMi1p4DaO1nUTIb3GlyFIEpOPAAEbplVQb7tEQY8vYlBcZ4vP9UdE6R98826u_IGXGpKCQOqhDWn_Ao58ufZTvP2e2oRl28hlmEJz8tChwPjDzu4xE0XoE26sQ/s1600/cherries.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH44rDSftS1uPpclO_DgMi1p4DaO1nUTIb3GlyFIEpOPAAEbplVQb7tEQY8vYlBcZ4vP9UdE6R98826u_IGXGpKCQOqhDWn_Ao58ufZTvP2e2oRl28hlmEJz8tChwPjDzu4xE0XoE26sQ/s400/cherries.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
natural
selection meets human tinkering in a fruit
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in;">
[Culinary fruits]
tend to have a higher sugar content, to satisfy the innate liking for
sweetness shared by all animals. They have a pronounced and complex
aroma, which may involve several hundred different chemicals, far
more than any other natural ingredient. [Ed. note: the genome of the
pinot noir grape was sequenced a few years back, <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21017541/ns/technology_and_science-science/" target="_blank">revealing</a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></span></a><span style="color: black;">
</span>that it has more genes in its DNA than the human genome.]
</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
not
pinot noir, but still complex
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in;">
And they soften
themselves to an appealingly tender, moist consistency. By contrast,
the plant foods that we treat as vegetables remain firm, have either
a very mild flavor—green beans and potatoes—or else an
excessively strong one—onions and cabbage—and therefore require
the craft of the cook to make them palatable.</div>
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<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
sweet and soft mangoes</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Sounds simple, <i>non</i>? But
wait—there’s a hitch. Turns out that there are some seed-bearing
parts of plants that are <i>not</i> sweet, but which are nevertheless
often classified as fruits in the culinary world. The avocado, for
example, is considered a fruit by many cooks. (See, e.g. <a href="http://www.californiaavocado.com/blog/avocado-fruit-or-vegetable" target="_blank">here</a>.) Perhaps this is because it is sometimes used in desserts, such as <a href="http://pinchmysalt.wordpress.com/2006/08/09/jagger-pie/" target="_blank">avocado pie</a>.<a href="http://pinchmysalt.wordpress.com/2006/08/09/jagger-pie/" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></span></a>
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<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
the first avocado from my
tree</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
And that’s not all. There are
<i>non</i>-seed-bearing plant parts that are considered fruits by
many cooks, such as rhubarb (see, e.g.,<span style="color: black;"> <a href="http://www.joyofbaking.com/RhubarbFruitFool.html" target="_blank">here</a>.) </span>This is no doubt because, although it isn’t sweet, rhubarb is
used as a fruit in making desserts.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
And then sometimes it takes the U.S.
Supreme Court to decide whether the plant part is a fruit or
vegetable. (Yep, I’m an ex-lawyer, as is my protagonist, Sally
Solari.) In<span style="color: black;"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nix_v._Hedden">Nix v. Hedden </a>(1893), the court observed that tomatoes are “usually served at a
dinner in, with, or after the soup, fish, or meat, which constitute
the principal part of the repast, and not, like fruits, generally as
dessert.” Thus, the court determined, the tomato was a vegetable,
and subject to the Tariff Act.
</div>
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</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">So, how do you
cooks and non-cooks out there define fruits and vegetables? Do share
any amusing stories you might have on this conundrum! </span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsUwCkacvMN8l6v2Inn6fZPxuk_7r76JVMr5m5PQwhTCsRlfHF7GE-LT9pxqbvLMyAoT-ZBBX5BuF4nP6qgZhN45kfQZR-8iPvZpL5Eca_px0jFhWlw6Aa9Rh-72V8oTx_5L75MditwyY/s1600/pops.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsUwCkacvMN8l6v2Inn6fZPxuk_7r76JVMr5m5PQwhTCsRlfHF7GE-LT9pxqbvLMyAoT-ZBBX5BuF4nP6qgZhN45kfQZR-8iPvZpL5Eca_px0jFhWlw6Aa9Rh-72V8oTx_5L75MditwyY/s400/pops.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">sometimes fruits and veg go well together, too! </span>
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</div>
Leslie Karsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15779717365273916569noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6082326629886186554.post-45100180336328878492016-06-22T14:45:00.000-07:002016-06-23T18:32:12.262-07:00Julia Child Saves America's Cuisine<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }A:link { }</style>
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<span style="font-size: small;">When I learned
we’d be taking a trip to Washington, D.C. last May, the first thing
I said to Robin was, “Oh, I <i>have</i> to visit Julia Child’s
kitchen at the Smithsonian!” So visit we did. </span>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXYVxfrwBqFscPyrMxZ8l475sIfaZw8oTrNXLS3sNhSRqlIMJkFLioNLl0Veyh4fVNYgLgdwqjxP-5YKlwcworURe2po_VsZJyhwC5GVgUVb0Z2rL_EewCIRUWqxk0FIj4ohADtQLARAA/s1600/moi.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXYVxfrwBqFscPyrMxZ8l475sIfaZw8oTrNXLS3sNhSRqlIMJkFLioNLl0Veyh4fVNYgLgdwqjxP-5YKlwcworURe2po_VsZJyhwC5GVgUVb0Z2rL_EewCIRUWqxk0FIj4ohADtQLARAA/s400/moi.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">me, gawking
at Julia’s gorgeous copper pots</span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(photo: Robin McDuff)</span> </span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://amhistory.si.edu/juliachild/jck/html/textonly/visiting.asp">This exhibit</a> features Julia’s kitchen from her Massachusetts home, exactly as it
appeared in 2001, when she donated it to the National Museum of
American History. Although you can’t actually go inside the
kitchen, you can look through plexiglass windows at Julia’s
beautiful stove, and all the knives, crockery, cast iron skillets,
and other culinary doodads she collected over the years, and imagine
yourself whipping up a soufflé or pot of <i>boeuf bourguignon</i>
along side the towering woman from Pasadena, who first brought French
cooking to our cuisine-starved shores. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<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/AVvXsEi3Hla8bzUTCDvoL06D7kR1IkF2eSCtENPfKnmC5XaS3-sGq4-pOFbZi0KIiQGicW300R2xcoyUev_T4zVoibHafqu44cf9S6CP36tz2-9-LuBnxgKGSdS9if1Z7GTvaPcLpNsLTNa5RCU/s1600/kitchen2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Hla8bzUTCDvoL06D7kR1IkF2eSCtENPfKnmC5XaS3-sGq4-pOFbZi0KIiQGicW300R2xcoyUev_T4zVoibHafqu44cf9S6CP36tz2-9-LuBnxgKGSdS9if1Z7GTvaPcLpNsLTNa5RCU/s400/kitchen2.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">My introduction
to Julia Child occurred when I was about 13 years old. My mom would
watch her show, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_French_Chef"><i>The French Chef</i></a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_French_Chef"></a>(which premiered in 1963 and ran for ten years on the Boston public
television station, WGBH) up in my parents’ bedroom, and I would
occasionally join her on the queen-size bed. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">There was one
episode in particular I remember my mother being quite taken with—the
one in which Julia showed how similar a <i>coq au vin</i> and chicken
friccassé were, the first being made with red wine; the second with
white. And as Julia demonstrated how to prepare <i>coq au vin</i> or
<i>salade niçoise</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> or </span><i>quiche
lorraine</i>, Mom would take careful notes on one of my dad’s legal
pads. Then, a few weeks later, she’d try out the recipes on our
lucky family. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Inspired by the
visit to Julia’s kitchen, as soon as I returned home from our trip
back East I ordered all the <i>French Chef</i> DVDs I could find
online: </span>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCQgr8nKFKOG4Cx-P7nkyxanMEnhF4BWOylkVZ3OSOAjbBYlEJ61StHBl9n-E_rhhWqT75mOIT6wXd-G7C9otaJNBIr-DkNl-nj86oQzt58PQ6rP-kjtNIOKLz5qJ_7Gg6ZyFPR6hht7E/s1600/DVDs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCQgr8nKFKOG4Cx-P7nkyxanMEnhF4BWOylkVZ3OSOAjbBYlEJ61StHBl9n-E_rhhWqT75mOIT6wXd-G7C9otaJNBIr-DkNl-nj86oQzt58PQ6rP-kjtNIOKLz5qJ_7Gg6ZyFPR6hht7E/s400/DVDs.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I’ve now been
re-watching the shows, and can see why Julia Child became such a
television sensation back in the 1960s. Here was this gawky,
lumbering gal (standing 6’ 2” tall) who, as she breathily
enthused about the wonders of butter and lard, would pop up and down
on her toes and flail her arms about madly. The American public had
never before seen a woman like this on TV. (Click <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA2ys8C-lNk">here</a> to see her very first broadcast, <i>boeuf bourguignon</i>.)</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz2Hhxaef-n2htXlwcCkQ0-zLL2uOMje_SBuEa-ZZ_aSd_W7NcrRlUWrbQXjjbW4zJeBln1YNUmV5XO3smz7nbYERsU1y5sNl1VQdbHZvc5v73g3mmj749Io0dg-IGM38UDE4bFhudcYY/s1600/julia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz2Hhxaef-n2htXlwcCkQ0-zLL2uOMje_SBuEa-ZZ_aSd_W7NcrRlUWrbQXjjbW4zJeBln1YNUmV5XO3smz7nbYERsU1y5sNl1VQdbHZvc5v73g3mmj749Io0dg-IGM38UDE4bFhudcYY/s400/julia.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">cardboard
cutout at the Smithsonian</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">But more
important, Julia taught us not to worry in the kitchen. We’ve all
heard stories about her dropping that chicken on the floor and then
brushing it off with the words, “remember, you are alone in the
kitchen.” And although this story is <a href="http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/juliachild.asp">not in fact true</a>, it is evocative of the light-heartedness and fun that she brought
to cooking. Suddenly it was okay if your cake fell on one side;
simply put more frosting on that bit. Or if your potato pancake came
apart when you flipped it, not to worry; just mush it all back
together and hide that part with a dollop of sour cream. </span>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">home made
cooking school badge, at the Smithsonian</span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<br />
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(click <a href="http://americanhistory.si.edu/kitchen/tools03_01.htm">here</a>
for explanation) </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">And
let us not forget that these shows were taped live, with no
commercial breaks—i.e., </span><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">in
one take</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">.
</span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;">So if something went
wrong, Julia had to ad-lib. Or if she finished cooking before the
program was over, she’d have to vamp and recount some story to kill
time for the last three minutes.</span> I have to admit that as I
watch the shows, I sometimes worry for her, when it’s obvious she’s
trying to remember what’s the next step in the recipe, or where the
heck did I leave that spatula? But this is also an enormous part of
the charm, because we realize as we watch her, hey, she’s not much
different from me. <i>I</i> could do this, too! </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Julia’s
mission was to bring real cooking back to a country that, since the
end of World War Two, had become increasingly enamored of frozen
dinners and packaged cake mixes. As a result, her audience was not at
all food savvy. So she had to teach us how to use a garlic press, and
the correct way to slice an onion. And because Americans didn’t
have the same access in the 1960s to many of the ingredients the
French took for granted, such as fresh herbs and good, regional
wines, she’d use dried herbs and “Hearty Mountain Wine” in her
recipes. All without sounding the least bit condescending. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjeSns-MoQdS4biRX6B2G9aIvlGIulTPGTbsj5h18SJgBnhR9rJFoCCB1nmxI0gbg9P6DzrRIHpbuPQXoAYsDJNjVikuWvNHqmGI6_vH3TbG5hCBOwXXV9KdsWgmQsouF5_KopPvgsjbk/s1600/cordonbleu.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjeSns-MoQdS4biRX6B2G9aIvlGIulTPGTbsj5h18SJgBnhR9rJFoCCB1nmxI0gbg9P6DzrRIHpbuPQXoAYsDJNjVikuWvNHqmGI6_vH3TbG5hCBOwXXV9KdsWgmQsouF5_KopPvgsjbk/s400/cordonbleu.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Julia’s
<i>Cordon Bleu</i> diploma, on display at the Smithsonian</span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Speaking of
wine, I feel sure that Julia Child was responsible, at least in part,
for the Renaissance of the American wine industry that occurred in
the 1970s. While living in Europe in the 1940s and ’50s, she
developed a love of wine—a love that she made no attempt to hide in
her show. Every broadcast ended with Julia sitting down to eat
whatever she’d cooked that day, along with a bottle of wine which
she’d chosen to pair with the meal. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">As she said
about the vinaigrette she was whisking up for a <i>salad niçoise</i><span style="font-style: normal;">:
</span>“If you put in too much vinegar you spoil the wine, and you
don’t want <i>that</i> to happen!” </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Bon appétit!</i></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Leslie Karsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15779717365273916569noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6082326629886186554.post-58847347429930636812016-06-07T17:16:00.000-07:002016-06-25T17:18:49.923-07:00Don’t Be Chicken About Duck Confit!<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }A:link { }</style>
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<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">A <a href="http://custardandclues.blogspot.com/2016/02/home-made-pasta.html">while back</a>
I mentioned a couple of dishes I’d been leery of trying out at
home: pasta (which that post was about), pizza, and duck confit.
Well, I still haven’t done that pizza yet, but I did finally try my
hand at duck confit, and guess what? Although it does take some
advance notice (because the duck needs to cure for 24 hours), the
method I used was no more arduous than many meat dishes I make on a
regular basis: </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh2izPK98M3gja0LbdK2hi-aDxVnVXCR26wm3jGtUBoTNIT9y5Pxg5aS1PRzDY0UUiTDvbSMoExyYrEBuvTT5qmTdXaKxYQlQfy4WkONQeyM2W7R2et5X4226f56VpuCZhHcvDHt7rv_Q/s1600/plated.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh2izPK98M3gja0LbdK2hi-aDxVnVXCR26wm3jGtUBoTNIT9y5Pxg5aS1PRzDY0UUiTDvbSMoExyYrEBuvTT5qmTdXaKxYQlQfy4WkONQeyM2W7R2et5X4226f56VpuCZhHcvDHt7rv_Q/s400/plated.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Duck
Two-Ways, with Duck Fat-Fried Taters</span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Seriously
good stuff.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The word
“<i>confit</i>” means “preserved” in French, and the term is
used not just for meat, but also for vegetables and fruits. In
essence, it refers to anything that’s cooked slowly in a liquid
inhospitable to bacterial growth (e.g., sugar syrup or, in the case
of duck confit, melted fat), and then preserved submerged in that
liquid until consumption. (For a good explanation of the confit
process, see <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/01/ask-the-food-lab-what-the-heck-is-confit.html">here</a>.)</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The method I
used for my duck confit was a combination of the <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/duck-confit-102313">traditional recipe</a> (which requires 4 cups of duck fat before you start) and an <a href="http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013002-easy-duck-confit">“easy”version</a> from Melissa Clark of <i>The New York Times</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
(which has you slow-cook the legs in just their own fat).</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">For
my “mama bear” version (not too easy, not too hard), I bought a
whole duck, and rendered all the fat from the skin and fat I wasn’t
using for my meal—thereby having more duck fat than Melissa Clark’s
version, but not as much as in the traditional recipes. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQNZ3zMz8I-jCnr0qWeLmjNCeSOGn0mGPZMHW6dilF03_6ypqiocktP4ELCC0wk8dfKaUHbUvYwHE959ZseGIbQOyuSRsvNAYD4EDzB4jJr6yoDTI0sO5L2pOzJQl7h1otegUXDOy25os/s1600/whole+duck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQNZ3zMz8I-jCnr0qWeLmjNCeSOGn0mGPZMHW6dilF03_6ypqiocktP4ELCC0wk8dfKaUHbUvYwHE959ZseGIbQOyuSRsvNAYD4EDzB4jJr6yoDTI0sO5L2pOzJQl7h1otegUXDOy25os/s400/whole+duck.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">my
whole duck (purchased frozen at Costco)</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">If
you know how to part out a chicken, you can easily do a duck, as
well. (If not, go <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/video/dining/100000002155362/cutting-up-a-whole-chicken.html">here</a>
to learn how.) </span><i>But for confit, don’t separate the leg and
thigh; keep them together.</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Here
is my duck all cut up, with the prized skin and fat in the
foreground. I made the confit out of the legs/thighs and the wings,
and seared the breasts and served them with a passion fruit glaze. The
back and neck I saved for stock.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXMANVFDCxrP2jPNP-98UzgI4lav9nSIYyeXG2W98IoFdE3ZRZCWhaF7e9nwZgDDqDqJ_PYVMzFREcwRld29Mic8goH4e_ucOwVTxbACqHoHGp5epNFGd-geT-kJ3XX1w3htZ2_EtByOo/s1600/parted.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXMANVFDCxrP2jPNP-98UzgI4lav9nSIYyeXG2W98IoFdE3ZRZCWhaF7e9nwZgDDqDqJ_PYVMzFREcwRld29Mic8goH4e_ucOwVTxbACqHoHGp5epNFGd-geT-kJ3XX1w3htZ2_EtByOo/s400/parted.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">To
render the fat, cut the skin into 1” squares, put it in a heavy,
deep saucepan, and add enough water to cover it. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdJb7JnK3EsIKqKOZBE5mCsIoiyC2Ou3G8XcMszw3SSpyTIgZS4xM2nLeELMhVGy6rYZy6cSYrWHG3tWTGTLAOzQcEwQRbykxqjA_Sx50nHFsPOVrizA7AWW8WLnBWcGsvDw3ILUVycl0/s1600/rendering.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdJb7JnK3EsIKqKOZBE5mCsIoiyC2Ou3G8XcMszw3SSpyTIgZS4xM2nLeELMhVGy6rYZy6cSYrWHG3tWTGTLAOzQcEwQRbykxqjA_Sx50nHFsPOVrizA7AWW8WLnBWcGsvDw3ILUVycl0/s400/rendering.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Simmer
it slowly for about an hour, stirring occasionally to prevent
sticking, until the water has cooked off and the skin has become
luscious cracklings (which you can reheat in the oven and salt, and
serve with cocktails). (See recipe <a href="http://www.dartagnan.com/how-to-render-duck-fat.html">here</a>.)</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLMEud4OeFJmWx5Nc9Cof3LQnjZ44yv3i4GEv_fRG8Y2hgzhyphenhyphen5SNVe2UcM3ntpa3xZvYunvv2z7Ps6UIl7qPcXViMUKU6thbCrFY4TEARGp5_9HiXMNHDb0y1WAJ5M4LfFPiT_pphUmUg/s1600/crackling%2526fat.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLMEud4OeFJmWx5Nc9Cof3LQnjZ44yv3i4GEv_fRG8Y2hgzhyphenhyphen5SNVe2UcM3ntpa3xZvYunvv2z7Ps6UIl7qPcXViMUKU6thbCrFY4TEARGp5_9HiXMNHDb0y1WAJ5M4LfFPiT_pphUmUg/s400/crackling%2526fat.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">my rendered
fat and cracklings</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Pour the fat
into a container and cool it in the fridge and save it until the next
day. The cracklings can also be saved in an airtight container in the
fridge till use. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Now for the
curing of the legs and wings. Mix together 1 teaspoon salt, 1
teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, and 1 or 2 crumbled
bay leaves, and sprinkle the mixture over both sides of the leg/thigh
pieces and wings. Place them in a single layer in a pan, cover with
plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 24 hours. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ7gIE2K6qmgnvjNBjxp-cwSdMe8i_8K0KNof1kcWak4jJIuiiKC0cLd9xj6GY_CJqeQz-xWmvACrUSxS3QmjsXrDYC3aPRoWb6xqPCbFHI6BzHiVikHEFI7ZLsBeC73JjFScZd7yDlRY/s1600/dry+marinade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ7gIE2K6qmgnvjNBjxp-cwSdMe8i_8K0KNof1kcWak4jJIuiiKC0cLd9xj6GY_CJqeQz-xWmvACrUSxS3QmjsXrDYC3aPRoWb6xqPCbFHI6BzHiVikHEFI7ZLsBeC73JjFScZd7yDlRY/s400/dry+marinade.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">the duck
curing</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The next day,
fry the legs/thighs and wings over a low-to-moderate heat in a heavy,
oven-proof skillet, fat-side down, to render as much of the fat on
them as possible. Preheat the oven to 225<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">°</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">
F while you’re frying the duck. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnLFTVGsnk8t19b71usTx90S6ofNfy6KQIFPrgM0aOJbWzy6BcpPu6SDu41rGkDLkG6-xeoyZ0wG7DeyA-8l0ShYna2fXapYhhpmhbPcqRzZHSjqmXnS-07gigxyNSH4J2esMIjBfafok/s1600/frying.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnLFTVGsnk8t19b71usTx90S6ofNfy6KQIFPrgM0aOJbWzy6BcpPu6SDu41rGkDLkG6-xeoyZ0wG7DeyA-8l0ShYna2fXapYhhpmhbPcqRzZHSjqmXnS-07gigxyNSH4J2esMIjBfafok/s400/frying.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Flip the legs
and wings over, and pour into the skillet the fat you rendered the
day before (if it’s hard from being in the fridge you can
warm/liquify it first in the microwave). Cover the skillet and place
it in the oven, and let the meat roast for 2-3 hours, until it’s
falling-off-the-bone tender. Leave the meat in the fat and let it
cool, and then cover and refrigerate until the afternoon you’re
going to serve it. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkYARoUYMx6PMQRy_5-y9kLYIVBNIKWKJc5AduFqCgl0mQKU4IQyGFQMO32fXyvZ-RQ4A6GusBmbNUv4eM_ADlwUKYlRySt3oZ4cixRo2tSjfbGYvkYaqe_iaSAeal2nGWw1o8F1iOHsY/s1600/duck+in+fat.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkYARoUYMx6PMQRy_5-y9kLYIVBNIKWKJc5AduFqCgl0mQKU4IQyGFQMO32fXyvZ-RQ4A6GusBmbNUv4eM_ADlwUKYlRySt3oZ4cixRo2tSjfbGYvkYaqe_iaSAeal2nGWw1o8F1iOHsY/s400/duck+in+fat.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Scrape as much
fat as you can off the pieces of meat, place them in a baking dish
(uncovered) and roast at 400<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">° F
until they are golden brown and crispy—about 10-15 minutes. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEze2Yx8u1J2cht3IS_7NyJl6T8DYiEOaVN6tt2GVm2o2ndIR2lk01zzBHkOFW8XFSz4medUvEvTMYNnfXDIU-fZr-YCjwUx3fEeNA9X52I3yeSx64zt890P9leSE8d-VdGafyZxvgYxU/s1600/crisped.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEze2Yx8u1J2cht3IS_7NyJl6T8DYiEOaVN6tt2GVm2o2ndIR2lk01zzBHkOFW8XFSz4medUvEvTMYNnfXDIU-fZr-YCjwUx3fEeNA9X52I3yeSx64zt890P9leSE8d-VdGafyZxvgYxU/s400/crisped.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }</style>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Yes,
it was as delicious as it looks!</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">You
can save the duck fat for future confits, or do as I did, and fry
potatoes in it to serve with the confit. (Bake the potatoes the day
before, and then slice and fry them in the fat while the duck is
roasting in the oven.) </span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">A
photo of our meal (which also included the seared duck breasts with
passionfruit glaze) is at the top of this post. </span></span>
</div>
Leslie Karsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15779717365273916569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6082326629886186554.post-62786445980856099132016-04-13T14:46:00.002-07:002016-06-07T17:49:24.772-07:00The Official Release of DYING FOR A TASTE!<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }A:link { }</style>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
It has finally arrived—the day my
very first published book is being released! (Okay, so it was actually
yesterday. But in my defense, I was on the road, driving from LA to
Santa Cruz, with several stops along the way, and didn’t get home
till 6:00 p.m. Which of course is well past cocktail hour, so this
post just had to wait until today.)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQyksllHTapU8iTvEuPgLvIjQr5I-JMpic8n7KYxdQ38kNGFfzYmuRAhPjYEAvv6Nvld4x6LJnvO3iriklvAoSBXp5cVkP0XOUYD65cI0FF3RyLOM77Yx56mqgww6uuI2FAj72JD_7e5Y/s1600/Dying+for+a+Taste+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQyksllHTapU8iTvEuPgLvIjQr5I-JMpic8n7KYxdQ38kNGFfzYmuRAhPjYEAvv6Nvld4x6LJnvO3iriklvAoSBXp5cVkP0XOUYD65cI0FF3RyLOM77Yx56mqgww6uuI2FAj72JD_7e5Y/s400/Dying+for+a+Taste+cover.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Dying for a Taste</i>,</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
release date April 12,
2016</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
And in conjunction with the book’s
release, my very first author interview has also just been
published—by the talented editor, Kristen Weber, for the website
Shelf Pleasure. (You can read it <a href="http://www.shelfpleasure.com/on-dying-for-a-taste/">here</a>.) Huzzah!</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Right. So now for a confession: I know
I’m supposed to be ecstatic and overjoyed and thrilled and any
number of other things right now. And I <i>am</i> indeed experiencing
all of those emotions—and more.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
But really, it mostly feels incredibly
surreal.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I mean, I’ve been working so hard for
so many years to get to this exact point, but now that I’m here,
it’s hard truly absorbing that it has finally happened. (I’m
guessing this might be a normal reaction, and that it just take a
while for it all to sink in. Other authors out there: Was this your
experience when your first book was released?)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
But don’t get me wrong. I am over the
moon, and so very appreciative of everyone who helped to get me here
(beta-readers, my wonderful agent, and everyone at Crooked Lane
Books), and especially to all of you who have been buying the book.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
So, YAY! And THANK YOU!</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Leslie Karsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15779717365273916569noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6082326629886186554.post-80077384146831922532016-03-02T17:15:00.000-08:002016-06-07T17:49:39.693-07:00Crime in the Desert<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }A:link { }</style>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.leftcoastcrime2016.com/">Left Coast Crime</a>—a mystery fan convention held annually in Western North
America—took place last week in Phoenix, Arizona, and I was
fortunate enough to be able to attend. It was going to be my first
fan convention since having a published book, and I had been placed
on one of the author panels—also a first. Not only that, but I
would be meeting my editor and publicist there for the very first
time. Not surprisingly, then, as I sat on the plane from Hawai‘i to
Arizona I experienced a combination of excitement and anxiousness
akin to that of a kindergartener on her first day of school. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmgLO1yT4U9lOO262u7ZFrtPdavNnLwvxOPd-fjB83nMrwsBIK-rvYuenK0FlTq6wZIoFnVFO9r2qhHrtdwVL2lvQ67TgeL5iYgd_xtFgXvSXrjCKSsMep9ph5POVrjJvTc_9ymlyzomw/s1600/lcc+long.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmgLO1yT4U9lOO262u7ZFrtPdavNnLwvxOPd-fjB83nMrwsBIK-rvYuenK0FlTq6wZIoFnVFO9r2qhHrtdwVL2lvQ67TgeL5iYgd_xtFgXvSXrjCKSsMep9ph5POVrjJvTc_9ymlyzomw/s400/lcc+long.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The sudden
transition from Hilo (the rainiest city in the U.S., with a humidity
level to match) to Phoenix (located in the arid, sunbaked Sonoran
desert) was intense, and almost immediately upon landing I could feel
my lips becoming chapped and my skin parched. But I didn’t care—I
was at LCC! </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">It was after
ten p.m. by the time we arrived at the hotel, and as soon as we’d
checked into our room, my traveling companion (fellow Hilo author
<a href="https://frankiebow.com/">Frankie Bow</a>) and I headed straight to the bar for a bite to eat and a
much-needed cocktail after the long flight. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">At what seemed
like an ungodly early hour the next morning (it was three hours
earlier, according to our internal clocks), we wrested ourselves from
our comfy beds and groggily made our way downstairs to the convention
floor. A full four days of panel discussions, author interviews,
cocktail parties and receptions, and an awards banquet was about to
begin. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO-BBl-nkpaleAqVpGfGpyvilkZOa2QQPoQ6pVu-fh2IOENVmLXglIEXRDCWrpd1M_V0g3pCzDNj3n2xrgB9Z_Dlatzx4bcrNUluzZZi0-t0pJ7Ld-RXIVIaCNV7mErJh2OBVmMxmcmiQ/s1600/hotel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO-BBl-nkpaleAqVpGfGpyvilkZOa2QQPoQ6pVu-fh2IOENVmLXglIEXRDCWrpd1M_V0g3pCzDNj3n2xrgB9Z_Dlatzx4bcrNUluzZZi0-t0pJ7Ld-RXIVIaCNV7mErJh2OBVmMxmcmiQ/s400/hotel.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">a view from
our floor down to the convention floor</span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">(reminds me
of sleeping pods in some scifi movie like <i>Coma</i>)</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">It was tough
choosing which panel discussions to attend, as for each session there
were six enticing subjects to pick between. Things like: Setting as
Character; Around the World With Murder, Thrills, and Conspiracy
Theories; Behind the Badge: Cops Writing Mysteries; Jewish Noir;
Serving Up Murder: Culinary Mysteries (yes, of course I went to that
one!); Four-Legged Sidekicks; and the Psychology of Murder. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The second day
was the big one for me. First, before the panels commenced, I had a
breakfast date with my <a href="http://www.crookedlanebooks.com/">Crooked Lane Books</a>
editor, <a href="http://www.crookedlanebooks.com/about/">Matt Martz</a>, and my publicist, <a href="http://kayepublicity.com/about/">Dana Kaye</a>. Turns out I needn’t have been nervous about meeting them, as they
were both warm and friendly as can be, and truly welcoming to my
entry into the world of book publishing. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi85c4v7-4SaRwAXpZqs1vN5bTl04hv8c4GQ5pAMZk59D5dnDkBYtmKZ40dMxMjEnJySLIh9NuU5m6MeajT1NsrTX0IFmdunhzoI5jLmtpRVR-LMt4mhFrWmp7dEZ1rASRNybx7ZRjw36I/s1600/small+presses.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi85c4v7-4SaRwAXpZqs1vN5bTl04hv8c4GQ5pAMZk59D5dnDkBYtmKZ40dMxMjEnJySLIh9NuU5m6MeajT1NsrTX0IFmdunhzoI5jLmtpRVR-LMt4mhFrWmp7dEZ1rASRNybx7ZRjw36I/s400/small+presses.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Matt Martz on
the Power to the Small Presses panel</span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">(l. to r.,
<a href="http://www.poisonedpenpress.com/warren-easley/">Warren C. Easley</a>, <a href="http://henerypress.com/kendel-lynn/">Kendel Lynn</a>, Matt, </span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.leegoldberg.com/brash-buzz/">Lee Goldberg</a>, <a href="http://www.poisonedpenpress.com/barbara-peters/">Barbara Peters</a>, and <a href="http://newswhistle.com/archives/7061">Maggie Topkis</a>) </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">But there was
still my author panel to come that afternoon. It was entitled The
Transition from Fan to Published Author, an apt subject for me, since
my debut mystery novel releases next month. I was a tad nervous
beforehand, but once the discussion started all fears dissipated and
adrenaline kicked in. Turns out it’s really fun being on a panel! </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin3H4l5Ltynd0McFWIp7_QeT3dwx1O1l84KPLFvxBKovl4ZXN-J0_O9LQFid-PFCl1EZjZZiu-V0qODfMU2DGRlQtZok6VYxkjKcAUhvI-uG9C1_t3nFamKtX9sNaJsWpk7kacm4nOqfs/s1600/panel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin3H4l5Ltynd0McFWIp7_QeT3dwx1O1l84KPLFvxBKovl4ZXN-J0_O9LQFid-PFCl1EZjZZiu-V0qODfMU2DGRlQtZok6VYxkjKcAUhvI-uG9C1_t3nFamKtX9sNaJsWpk7kacm4nOqfs/s400/panel.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">the
Transition From Fan to Published Author panel</span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">(l. to r.
<a href="http://www.carriestuartparks.com/">Carrie Stuart Parks</a>, <a href="http://www.mevonnedobson.com/">M. Evonne Dobson</a>, me, <a href="http://www.melissalenhardt.com/">Melissa Lenhardt</a>, </span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.lidasideris.com/">Lida Sideris</a>; top: <a href="http://www.tinawhittle.com/index.html">Tina Whittle</a>
[mod.])</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">After the
panel, the five of us were whisked to the convention floor for our
book signings. Although my book isn’t officially out till April 12,
Crooked Lane Books managed to get some of them there for the
convention, so I was thrilled to be able to sign copies of my book
that real live mystery readers had actually purchased! </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJVvpDJaGWqixD4wgYJXPSAoW7dS-Owep4YokkfhMFXnnSouw1oeXSlJIeZEeldvSJ-jqseTqLsZoG8w7aAk8m4VmwsyI6RtSKte8sumh77bZ2czSOizo-357aQhKDi1gyThWBSWDO5H8/s1600/my+book.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJVvpDJaGWqixD4wgYJXPSAoW7dS-Owep4YokkfhMFXnnSouw1oeXSlJIeZEeldvSJ-jqseTqLsZoG8w7aAk8m4VmwsyI6RtSKte8sumh77bZ2czSOizo-357aQhKDi1gyThWBSWDO5H8/s400/my+book.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Dying for
a Taste</i> on sale at the LCC bookstore</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Once the panels
had finished for the day, we all gathered in the ballroom to hear
International Guest of Honor, <a href="http://www.anncleeves.com/index.html">Ann Cleeves</a>, be interviewed by the entertaining and endlessly charming Scottish
author, <a href="http://catrionamcpherson.com/">Catriona McPherson</a>. Ann talked a lot about both of her mystery series, the Vera and the
Shetland novels, and also about what it’s like having your books
turned into TV shows (she’s amazingly unfazed by the whole thing).
And then, later that night we were treated to a showing of the newest
<i>Vera</i> broadcast—not yet released in the U.S.—<i>The Moth
Catcher</i>. Good fun! (I'm still wondering, however, if her parents named her after the fourth wife of Henry VIII, <a href="http://englishhistory.net/tudor/monarchs/anne-of-cleves/">Anne of Cleves</a>.)</span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Saturday night
was the Awards Banquet, an exciting affair for me, since another
Crooked Lane author, <a href="http://www.ellenbyron.com/">Ellen Byron</a>, was nominated for Best Humorous Novel; fellow Northern California
Sisters in Crime author <a href="http://gigipandian.com/">Gigi Pandian</a>
was nominated for Best LCC Regional Novel; and my buddy <a href="http://jameswziskin.com/">James W. Siskin</a> was up for Best Novel Outside the LCC Region. (And Gigi won! You go,
girl!) </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">On
the first morning of the convention w</span>e’d all had to sign up
for author tables for the banquet, and when I saw that two of the
authors who had generously blurbed my book (<a href="http://www.jennmckinlay.com/">Jenn McKinlay</a>
and <a href="http://www.paigeshelton.com/">Paige Shelton</a>), as well as another author (<a href="http://www.katecarlisle.com/">Kate Carlisle</a>) who’s good friends with one of my best friends from junior high
school, were hosting a table together, I knew that was the one for
me. And I was right: They were all a blast, and several of us from
the table ended up hanging out at the bar afterwards till midnight.
(The others sensibly retired at midnight, but I was lured into
further drinking—ultimately closing the bar at two a.m.—by
another author who will remain nameless. Unless he wants to identify
himself in the comment section, that is. But I will say that he’s
handsome, likes his Scotch, and is a fabulous writer.)</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I gotta say, I
felt <i>way</i> better the next morning than I had any right to. But
maybe the excitement of LCC and all the wonderful attendees and
volunteers was a balm to my overindulgence. For truly, although the
information one gleans from the “official” activities that
conventions such as these offer is invaluable, it’s the connections with fellow writers and readers that makes the events so
very special. I am continually astonished by the generosity and
warmth of the people I meet at mystery conferences and conventions,
and feel incredibly fortunate to have become a member of this so very
welcoming community. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Hope to see
lots of you again at <a href="http://www.malicedomestic.org/">Malice Domestic</a> in May! </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjazkSjmpAi-Y85CLZFprJ_omlZ_sGPi5z0W7r27RzZr7vQZHjtA3o_lITXKl8wJ-Re1HRJOT75NAHiMMEfwo4f5NkVv4MUEWrexJM3LNKph79HDLzAL9htyYFosT9w_0xsw5rAJUD1EQ/s1600/books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjazkSjmpAi-Y85CLZFprJ_omlZ_sGPi5z0W7r27RzZr7vQZHjtA3o_lITXKl8wJ-Re1HRJOT75NAHiMMEfwo4f5NkVv4MUEWrexJM3LNKph79HDLzAL9htyYFosT9w_0xsw5rAJUD1EQ/s400/books.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">some of my
haul by authors I met a LCC</span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">(fellow
Crooked Lane authors <a href="http://www.christinegoff.com/">Chris Goff</a> and <a href="http://margaretmizushima.com/">Margaret Mizushima</a>; <a href="http://billsyken.com/">Bill Syken</a>; </span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Jenn McKinlay; Kate Carlisle; Ann Cleeves; Paige Shelton)</span></div>
Leslie Karsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15779717365273916569noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6082326629886186554.post-58955030041901865882016-02-13T13:49:00.001-08:002016-03-02T21:30:34.998-08:00Home Made Pasta!<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }A:link { }</style>
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<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I’m generally
an adventurous cook, willing to take a stab at most any new recipe
and, if I fail, simply serve it to my guests with an apologetic
laugh. But there are a few things I’ve long been leery of
attempting: pizza, duck confit, and home-made pasta. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I tried making
pasta several years ago, but it was pretty much a disaster—tough
and almost inedible. My problem, I now realize, was that I tried to
roll it out by hand, a technique probably best left to Tuscan <i>nonnas</i>
and their progeny. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Our friends
Nancy and Steve here in Hilo, however, have a pasta machine, and
after watching Steve mix, knead, roll out, and cut a batch of
<i>tagliatelle</i> one evening (which was scrumptious!), I decided to
borrow their machine and give home-made pasta another try. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ruYNpPGDwvwBVY_LLv2aE_DXIqtPgkBJAblfFC7aNUOtaPC45_V1X7m48QHqpYo8OaZi4LE7xyhJ5yXofGoFEBeVDTmy-L-SDm7Xm-U1Kqe2nstBOecMhWiWfsz2xi4l8m9GRPLv-Uw/s1600/done.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ruYNpPGDwvwBVY_LLv2aE_DXIqtPgkBJAblfFC7aNUOtaPC45_V1X7m48QHqpYo8OaZi4LE7xyhJ5yXofGoFEBeVDTmy-L-SDm7Xm-U1Kqe2nstBOecMhWiWfsz2xi4l8m9GRPLv-Uw/s400/done.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">my finished
product—<i>fettuccine</i>!</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Steve
recommended the recipe and technique in Giuliano Hazan’s book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Pasta-Cookbook-Giuliano-Hazan/dp/1564582922/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1455396513&sr=8-1&keywords=the+classic+pasta+cookbook"><i>The Classic Pasta Cookbook</i></a>
(yes, he is the son of the renowned cookbook author, Marcella Hazan),
which I followed. (This recipe serves six, easily.) </span><br />
<a name='more'></a>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Pour <b>2 ¼
cups all-purpose flour</b> <span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">(at
room-temperature) </span></span>onto a kneading surface (not
marble—you want the dough to be warm, not cold). Make a well big
enough for <b>3 large eggs </b>(also room-temperature), and crack the
eggs into the flour: </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimtesWN0gY7498jyE5og-92SglQNqZwVOKrQ9hZyo5iJvArDG6aZiJp5vtD6jnAFXVMTvQsOfe54lx0qj6Pk4rTYhY2Ot8PRN_wEBAuAv-t4T-VoSF-J-8nfWop3-Xyu26dequR9uCT6g/s1600/eggs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimtesWN0gY7498jyE5og-92SglQNqZwVOKrQ9hZyo5iJvArDG6aZiJp5vtD6jnAFXVMTvQsOfe54lx0qj6Pk4rTYhY2Ot8PRN_wEBAuAv-t4T-VoSF-J-8nfWop3-Xyu26dequR9uCT6g/s400/eggs.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Using a fork,
beat the egg whites and yolks together gently, as if for scrambled
eggs. Then, still using the fork, slowly begin to incorporate the
flour into the eggs, being careful not to break the wall of flour
(else the eggs will escape!). </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYzaz-Ix1L7IAkczg4ysMDky5EWyNtJ2TLjDvKXAyoxPrPWcEM6FqQ6Oew7q349EBR5UsyHw9U1FxUqbESV34-IPwzwsYykSPFup-FT7PjI_uy-xPLwNEDpFwHSX5dCQb6IrVhci1fk-Q/s1600/fork.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYzaz-Ix1L7IAkczg4ysMDky5EWyNtJ2TLjDvKXAyoxPrPWcEM6FqQ6Oew7q349EBR5UsyHw9U1FxUqbESV34-IPwzwsYykSPFup-FT7PjI_uy-xPLwNEDpFwHSX5dCQb6IrVhci1fk-Q/s400/fork.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Once the
egg/flour mixture has become a thick batter, carefully bring the
flour walls over and on top of the eggs with your hands:</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcAwLEFBaC45oa6FE_AcAImMA580ZOdDDa9bt56sP6BolJHZqrybTcxWD6O5ZTe3PGWYjF_K9VEaVJM8uzYpGIjGfbkUEMrRGwe_hmzrwpea-6DNx4KpK4cpxLmfFGsu4EqAQgjImBH1c/s1600/flour+in.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcAwLEFBaC45oa6FE_AcAImMA580ZOdDDa9bt56sP6BolJHZqrybTcxWD6O5ZTe3PGWYjF_K9VEaVJM8uzYpGIjGfbkUEMrRGwe_hmzrwpea-6DNx4KpK4cpxLmfFGsu4EqAQgjImBH1c/s400/flour+in.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Then quickly
incorporate the flour and eggs together. It will be a ragged, sticky
mess:</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzTp4dC0o6hG_b2kcSmJ7p04WIgMni9B7hftzshLx4ar2DI2YTO2ZLBGFQrrnRDdLVR-7YV8z25aJjNT8A6n8DilFOK0-LOSvF7LFF30YEaPbX33zOSpMX3UdavaT0pNloMJNoqc-u9lY/s1600/mess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzTp4dC0o6hG_b2kcSmJ7p04WIgMni9B7hftzshLx4ar2DI2YTO2ZLBGFQrrnRDdLVR-7YV8z25aJjNT8A6n8DilFOK0-LOSvF7LFF30YEaPbX33zOSpMX3UdavaT0pNloMJNoqc-u9lY/s400/mess.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Bring it all
together in a ball and wrap with plastic while you scrape clean the
kneading surface and wash your hands. Then begin to knead the dough,
holding it in one hand and folding it over with the other (as you
would knead bread):</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjlpCwGvr56iV9PfbkjC3ONzgKt7wLiJ6IKWnkndkvf3rt0qci5dIuucO8FMzqdH-sAXuXz6h6i19edj9PH0bYPFv_gxKNQCli5Lrbc3NroIpTOectgSa3E80PZWB-85aZnoeDLF1wp5Q/s1600/knead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjlpCwGvr56iV9PfbkjC3ONzgKt7wLiJ6IKWnkndkvf3rt0qci5dIuucO8FMzqdH-sAXuXz6h6i19edj9PH0bYPFv_gxKNQCli5Lrbc3NroIpTOectgSa3E80PZWB-85aZnoeDLF1wp5Q/s400/knead.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Continue
kneading for 5-10 minutes (yes, it’s a good workout, as the dough
is stiff), until the dough is smooth and silky (like a baby’s butt,
I was once told in cooking school). Then wrap it again in plastic and
let it sit on the counter for 20 minutes to rest. You can use this
time to set up the pasta-machine. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Cut the dough
into 6 pieces, wrap 5 back up in plastic, and roll the first one in
the machine. You start on the widest setting (1), and roll it four or
five times on this same setting, folding the piece in three (like an
envelope) after each roll. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio9drS9snnKpyKmRC0EkPoyVbzP3F6De6jvd6AB0m3McQUhG0-6_PcpOsD6VCmyIyS9w1mLw92yoEvhrvZDtMUye3jr1W7DItJ6Pqm8hnop1xPZ2ZxUkfWYTQFDiTkTAMi0C2BxhjuizY/s1600/roll.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio9drS9snnKpyKmRC0EkPoyVbzP3F6De6jvd6AB0m3McQUhG0-6_PcpOsD6VCmyIyS9w1mLw92yoEvhrvZDtMUye3jr1W7DItJ6Pqm8hnop1xPZ2ZxUkfWYTQFDiTkTAMi0C2BxhjuizY/s400/roll.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Once this step
is done, roll it through each of the other settings once, reducing
the size each time till you reach the smallest. (For some kinds of
pasta, e.g., <i>tonnarelli</i>, you skip the thinnest setting.) Then
lay the sheet of pasta on a cloth on the counter and repeat this step
with the other five pieces of dough:</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXGdq5PJ7_5NAuko6ugUXcVYTMJi3A8yPOlrsKdHV6nfkBzh4A9KW73zz0rNwttA2ZJaKTO6KVtu2YXlMxrwTluIJMpg6qCvgGjW6rrKicWTk7aGXFkl4Za8g0xy_cuMEjWH3PtrfvthY/s1600/rolled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXGdq5PJ7_5NAuko6ugUXcVYTMJi3A8yPOlrsKdHV6nfkBzh4A9KW73zz0rNwttA2ZJaKTO6KVtu2YXlMxrwTluIJMpg6qCvgGjW6rrKicWTk7aGXFkl4Za8g0xy_cuMEjWH3PtrfvthY/s400/rolled.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The last step
is to run the sheets through the cutter attachment of the machine.
Let the sheets dry enough first to feel leathery (so they don’t
stick to the machine), but not so dry that they crack when put
through the cutter. (Mine were ready to go by the time I finished
rolling the last sheet.) I sliced my sheets in two parts, to make
them easier to handle. Here I’m putting them through the <i>fettuccine</i>
part of the cutter: </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9pginDTpso_OmKdw3YaD3CI3CcCNEryQ_CMrDxhTnbv30YjI_8tLjkjNBqNgVl7Ww2VcQlYkuI8MJWZfyCmKW2S_CwTwHQZ58sjHoDgH1LGezW4I6oJj4oOImmduMqruwCnmvTb4qfg/s1600/sliced.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9pginDTpso_OmKdw3YaD3CI3CcCNEryQ_CMrDxhTnbv30YjI_8tLjkjNBqNgVl7Ww2VcQlYkuI8MJWZfyCmKW2S_CwTwHQZ58sjHoDgH1LGezW4I6oJj4oOImmduMqruwCnmvTb4qfg/s400/sliced.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span id="goog_1070568118"></span><span id="goog_1070568119"></span><br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Then lay the
cut pasta on the cloth to dry, making sure the strands don’t stick
together (see photo at top of post). It will be ready to cook as soon
as it’s cut, but you can also store the pasta at room temperature
for several days before use. (If you’re not going to cook it that
day, you might want to dry it in curls or nests, so it doesn’t take
up so much room.)</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The home-made
pasta won’t take as long to cook a commercial dried pasta, so taste
it frequently as it boils to make sure you don’t overcook it. It
should be tender, but still have a slight bite (<i>al dente</i>) to
it. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I tossed my
cooked and drained <i>fettuccine</i> with a black truffle and olive
oil sauce a friend had brought me from Italy, as well as about a
quarter pound of butter (yum!), and served it with sliced rib-eye
steak that had been seasoned with garlic, sea salt, and black pepper
and grilled on the BBQ:</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6FoLRI6eD9tIk7zhG_SV2efeuO1tGfr0wXndPZM38Uldl8fO4OfxgZBNp3uTF0WSt5lLTTKMYLnEveiBUJvnGtSIXYajmLHdNV-YgoSyLjCO39eUHl-SiztD2Zap9AXpdK_Fb-Xa_OIE/s1600/plated.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6FoLRI6eD9tIk7zhG_SV2efeuO1tGfr0wXndPZM38Uldl8fO4OfxgZBNp3uTF0WSt5lLTTKMYLnEveiBUJvnGtSIXYajmLHdNV-YgoSyLjCO39eUHl-SiztD2Zap9AXpdK_Fb-Xa_OIE/s400/plated.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Yep, <i>way</i>
better than my last effort. Now, on to that pizza and duck confit!</span></div>
Leslie Karsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15779717365273916569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6082326629886186554.post-40798310823058458442015-10-14T19:40:00.001-07:002016-03-02T21:30:50.396-08:00Galleys and ARCs and Blurbs—Oh My!<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }A:link { }</style>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Last week I
received what in the olden days of letterpress printing would have
been called the “galley proofs” of my mystery novel—the book
typeset, or rather, digitally formatted to look like typesetting.
Nowadays it’s called the “advance copy,” and my editor informed
me that this would be my last chance to make corrections to the text.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I’ve gotta
say it was a thrilling feeling to open the document and see my
manuscript—which has taken four years of writing, editing, honing,
and further tinkering—finally looking like a real live book. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg36bnyqZ8F7mb3Ofg0w5fFWc8cmggL41pyTEY8poRwvnb41EjmeBzCK-nnvsUD9mU4lTy9y3eGcXlOB8YawFwLum5U_0B01iyyX30oPVFR3XIcMAdq8PCXBEHEWiW_72gkZER3q94L3ZQ/s1600/title+page.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg36bnyqZ8F7mb3Ofg0w5fFWc8cmggL41pyTEY8poRwvnb41EjmeBzCK-nnvsUD9mU4lTy9y3eGcXlOB8YawFwLum5U_0B01iyyX30oPVFR3XIcMAdq8PCXBEHEWiW_72gkZER3q94L3ZQ/s400/title+page.tiff" width="280" /></a></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Title Page of
Advance Copy</span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">And it was
interesting how, in this new format, typos, repeated words, and other
problems with the text suddenly popped out at me from the page. I’ve
now finished my final edits, and the content is thus finally out of
my hands. </span><br />
<a name='more'></a>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">So it’s on to
marketing and publicity! Oh, joy. But luckily I will not have to
tackle this daunting task alone. For I am exceedingly fortunate, in
this era of budget-cuts and downsizing, to have the assistance of a
terrific marketing team provided by my publisher, <a href="http://www.crookedlanebooks.com/">Crooked Lane Books</a>. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The first step
is to get blurbs: You know, those short, snappy quotes that grace
book covers (and sometimes fill several pages before you even get to
the title of the darned thing). I’d always assumed that blurbs all
came from published reviews, but many are in fact generated months
before the book has been released. The idea, of course, is that you
want the blurbs well before the book is printed, so you can include
them on the cover. (NPR recently posted an interesting <a href="http://www.npr.org/2015/09/27/429723002/forget-the-book-have-you-read-this-irresistible-story-on-blurbs?sc=tw">article about blurbs</a> and their history.) </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Several weeks
ago the marketing assistant at Crooked Lane, Heather Boak sent me a
list of potential blurbers and asked which I was interested in, and
if I had any others in mind. We then discussed who had contacts with
which authors, and divided up the task of sending out hit-up letters
between her, my agent, Erin Niumata, and me. So far, I am pleased to
say, I’ve had a goodly number of people willing to read the book,
and even a few enthusiastic responses from their reading of it!</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Next will come
the advance reader copies (ARCs), paperback versions of the book,
which will have some of the blurbs printed on them. These will be
sent to potential reviewers, ahead of the book’s official release
in May, 2015. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I’m learning
the publishing process as we go, and will keep you posted as it all
progresses. </span>
</div>
Leslie Karsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15779717365273916569noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6082326629886186554.post-59110051203051039082015-08-19T12:50:00.000-07:002015-08-19T12:50:25.432-07:00Dying For a Taste: Cover Reveal!
<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }A:link { color: rgb(0, 0, 255); }</style>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">It’s here,
the moment you’ve all been waiting for (okay, maybe not all of you,
but <i>I’ve</i> been waiting anxiously for it). The cover art for
my forthcoming mystery novel, <i>Dying For a Taste</i>, is now
complete:</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXCRjef4bIwYqwvim3sPyjeQtKgMrKLOvbDRnP4idb15cpBN0Wn2DRLGgroL3Bjxu7X9SohVhjFPRZtBQiu28Je6dCBXST-nFdQhBwjJ_KsouolK60X-hILBwq9ovlhv65Q4A79YDZVYA/s1600/Dying+for+a+taste+Cover+8-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXCRjef4bIwYqwvim3sPyjeQtKgMrKLOvbDRnP4idb15cpBN0Wn2DRLGgroL3Bjxu7X9SohVhjFPRZtBQiu28Je6dCBXST-nFdQhBwjJ_KsouolK60X-hILBwq9ovlhv65Q4A79YDZVYA/s640/Dying+for+a+taste+Cover+8-6.jpg" width="425" /></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Pictured is the
restaurant owned by my protagonist Sally Solari’s family, which is
located on the Santa Cruz Wharf, and you can see the Giant Dipper
roller coaster in the distance. (Yes, for you Santa Cruzians, it’s
true that the Boardwalk is not technically in that position relative
to the Wharf, but that’s what you call artistic license.) </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Being an avid
cyclist, I’m thrilled there’s a bike on the cover (Sally rides a
Specialized Robaix in the story), and I’ve also gotta say it’s
pretty darn exciting—and weird—seeing my name splashed across the
cover of a real live book. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">So, many thanks
to all the supportive folks at Crooked Lane Books for the terrific
concept and art! </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Dying For a
Taste</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, which is currently in the
copy-edit stage, w</span>ill be released by <a href="http://www.crookedlanebooks.com/">Crooked Lane Books</a>
in the spring of 2016. </span>
</div>
Leslie Karsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15779717365273916569noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6082326629886186554.post-62036686525304465792015-07-31T16:13:00.000-07:002015-08-21T15:38:04.284-07:00Cop For a Day (Part Two)<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }A:link { color: rgb(0, 0, 255); }</style>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">This is a
continuation of my <a href="http://custardandclues.blogspot.com/2015/07/cop-for-day-part-one.html">previous post</a></span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://custardandclues.blogspot.com/2015/07/cop-for-day-part-one.html"></a> regarding the <a href="http://www.cityofsantacruz.com/departments/police/citizen-police-academy">Citizen Police Academy</a></span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.cityofsantacruz.com/departments/police/citizen-police-academy">,</a> offered twice a year by the Santa Cruz Police Department. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>SWAT Team</b></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The SCPD
Special Weapons and Tactics team is part of their Emergency Services
Unit (ESU), which also handles hostage negotiations and scuba dives
(usually to recover evidence). Being a part of the ESU is in addition
to an officer’s regular post with the department, and generally
comprises about 10 hours of the officer’s work week. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The tactical
(SWAT) portion of the ESU is responsible for high-risk searches and
arrests, hostage rescues, dealing with barricaded suspects and armed
suspects, and terrorism. It takes about one hour to deploy the Santa
Cruz SWAT team.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Here’s a
photo I took of the lucky student who got to show off the extremely
heavy SWAT team gear to the rest of our class:</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Jail/Prison
Sentencing</b></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">When I heard
that a Superior Court judge would be coming to speak to the class I
assumed that—having spent some twenty years as a practicing
attorney—I wouldn’t learn anything new. But I was wrong. Although
I did already know much of what Judge Ari Symons told our class, I
was fascinated by what she had to say about sentencing (something
that civil attorneys like myself don’t have much experience with). </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Among the
interesting facts I learned:</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Anyone sentenced to
120 days or less in Santa Cruz County will generally do community
service rather than actual jail time.</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Under current
California sentencing guidelines, those sentenced to over 120 days
will only serve half of that time (e.g., only five years on a
ten-year sentence).</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Any portion of a day
served in jail constitutes a full day served. </span>
</div>
</li>
</ul>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Those given a life
sentence will serve only seven years, unless the sentence is without
possibility of parol.</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">If the sentence is
fifteen years to life, they will serve 85% of the fifteen years. </span>
</div>
</li>
</ul>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Since no Santa Cruz
jury has ever sentenced anyone to death (hurrah for us!), the local
District Attorney’s office never asks for death anymore. </span>
</div>
</li>
</ul>
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<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>High-Risk
Searches, and High-Risk Stops/Chases</b></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">These were two
of our most exciting sessions, involving as they did
class-participation. For the high-risk search demo, after being
instructed regarding the proper way to search a building with a
partner, we were each given a neon orange replica of a pistol and
told to search for the “suspects” (fellow students) hidden among
the numerous cubicles that make up the Department’s Records
section. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">with my
“partner” (left), Detective Alex Martin (right),</span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">and fellow
classmates awaiting their turn (behind)</span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">(Photo:
Deborah Elston)</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Fun though it
was, playing cop like this was also a bit unnerving. My muscles
tensed and my stomach felt tight—the same sensations I always got
when I was a kid playing hide-and-seek or sardines. I can’t even
imagine how stressful it must be when it’s the real thing. (For the
record, I pretty much sucked at this: Had it been a real high-risk
search, I would have been an easy target for the hiding suspects.) </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">For our
high-risk chases and stops class we met at the Boardwalk parking lot,
which was empty of cars and had been cordoned off for the occasion by
yellow crime tape. After giving a demo on how an officer in a patrol
car will chase down a fleeing vehicle and order the occupants out,
arms raised, and then arrest and handcuff the suspects, we all got a
chance to play the roles of cop and fleeing suspect. I was a little
nervous about driving a police cruiser at 60+ mph around and around
the parking lot, but once actually doing it had a grand ol’ time:</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">(Photo:
Deborah Elston)</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">After we made
the stop, we got to arrest the “suspect”: </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU5Y94SrPcidEcMQ2Lx20xQfkspaXlP1HNvEbcIfEO6MZkF6VG1r8MVx-zJAYKeSsx5wHSpPPZrWIaiThzCfiguJrlaWtx4H4Ade908UA8rum9hEalmuPbh1-zTaoDPVY5JOxS_42snwQ/s1600/arrest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU5Y94SrPcidEcMQ2Lx20xQfkspaXlP1HNvEbcIfEO6MZkF6VG1r8MVx-zJAYKeSsx5wHSpPPZrWIaiThzCfiguJrlaWtx4H4Ade908UA8rum9hEalmuPbh1-zTaoDPVY5JOxS_42snwQ/s400/arrest.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I’m on the
driver’s side of the car on the right</span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">(Photo:
Deborah Elston)</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">And here I am,
in the role of suspect fleeing the scene. No one bothered to chase me
down, however. Lazy bums. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">(Photo:
Deborah Elston)</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Most vehicle
pursuits, we were told, end in the crash of the person being chased,
so the responding office has to weigh the risk of the pursuit versus
the danger of injury to others. The SCPD has a policy of never
intentionally hitting the car being pursued, and of never doing
roadblocks, as being too dangerous. But they will use spike strips on
the road to stop the suspect’s car. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Just
negotiating the cruiser around the empty parking lot was
nerve-racking enough for me, but a police officer doing a high-speed
chase also has to be on the radio the whole time, giving updates as
to location and what’s going on. Oy. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">At our last
class we were given diplomas, for finishing the 10-week course. (When
I asked if it was good for getting out of a speeding ticket, I was,
alas, told no.) Here I am, flanked by SCPD Chief Kevin Vogel (left)
and Deputy Chiefs Steve Clark (right) and Rick Martinez (far right): </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">(Photo:
Deborah Elston)</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">(I’ve known
Deputy Chief Rick Martinez since he was about 13 years old, and when
he was a rookie cop on the downtown beat in the early 1990s he used
stop by to see my band Electric Range play at the Front St. Pub. I
still appreciate that, Rick!)</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">So here’s a
huge thank-you to Officer Joe Hernandez and to Deborah Elston for
running the class, and to all the SCPD personnel who participated! </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">(If you are
interested in enrolling in a future Citizen Police Academy, go to
<a href="http://www.cityofsantacruz.com/departments/police/citizen-police-academy">this site</a></span><span style="font-size: small;">.)</span></div>
Leslie Karsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15779717365273916569noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6082326629886186554.post-90844841461930945942015-07-23T14:00:00.000-07:002015-08-21T15:37:49.686-07:00Cop For a Day (Part One)<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }A:link { }</style>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Twice a year, the Santa Cruz
Police Department offers a ten-week course for members of the
community, called the <a href="http://www.cityofsantacruz.com/departments/police/citizen-police-academy">Citizen Police Academy.</a> Figuring this would be a great way to get some insights for future
mystery novels—not to mention being interesting in its own right—I
decided to sign up for the most recent session.</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Officer Joe Hernandez of the
SCPD’s Community Service section ran our class, which consisted of
guest speakers, field trips, and demos (including class
participation!).
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I learn how to conduct a
high risk search of a building</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
(Photo: Deborah Elston)<br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
As explained on the Citizen
Police Academy website,
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
[the course] is an example of the philosophy of “community
engagement and transparency,” that Police Chief Kevin Vogel has set
for the department and our city. “In order to be successful a
strong sense of unity and shared purpose must exist between your
police and our community. I challenge the community to help us create
a city where our actions, policies and voices are united toward a
goal of public safety and community improvement.”
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Police Dogs</b></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
At one of our first
sessions, we got to meet the Department’s two dogs, Lobo (a German
Shepherd) and Argus (a Dutch Shepherd). German Shepherds, we were
told, are commonly used as police dogs because they have an “on/off
switch”—working or not working—whereas other breeds are always
working.
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The SCPD “canines,” as
the officers always refer to the dogs, are trained in tracking,
apprehension/capture, and sniffing out narcotics.
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
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<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Argus takes down a
well-padded “bad guy”</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
With regard to tracking,
unlike with bloodhounds—who can differentiate between the smells of
different individuals—the SCPD dogs are trained to sniff out human
sweat that is produced under stress: Someone on the run will release
not only more sweat, but also sweat of a different quality than that
produced by someone who’s simply been, say, working out at the gym.
The scent of sweat is strongest in the feet and hands, so the dogs
can track a fleeing suspect through the smell left by his or her
shoes.
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
As an example of this
amazing ability, Lobo’s handler gave a knife to a guy in the class,
who held it in his hands for a couple of minutes. The guy was then
instructed to place the knife in the bushes (out of sight of the
dog). When released and commanded to find the knife, Lobo sniffed
around the area and almost immediately located the hidden weapon. “He
went for the freshest scent around—the sweat on the knife,” the
officer told us.
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>911 Center/Dispatch</b></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Next week’s class was a
field trip to the Santa Cruz 911 Call Center, aka Dispatch. The
Center currently employs 36 dispatchers, nine of whom are on the
floor at any given time. They sit at consuls with myriad screens,
each one displaying different maps, incident lists, live
camera-feeds, and other information.</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
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<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
intense as the job is, the
dispatchers do have a lovely view
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
(the Center is in
Delaveaga Park)</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
When we arrived, it was a
little after six p.m. on April 20<sup>th</sup> (i.e., 4/20, the pot
smokers’ national holiday), and the County Dispatch Center was
finally settling down after an intense afternoon providing assistance
to the overloaded UCSC Dispatch (the University is annually host to
one of the largest 4/20 events in the world).
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
As we watched the
dispatchers at work, they talked to us between calls, explaining what
they were doing—fielding calls, determining what action (if any)
was needed, contacting and dispatching personnel, logging calls and
incidents. If you are good at holding twenty different things in your
head at once, listening to a call while reviewing incoming
information on a completely separate matter, and keeping your cool
under times of extreme stress, perhaps you should consider a career
in dispatch. I mean, these folks are <i>amazing</i>.
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“What was your weirdest
call?” I asked one of the dispatchers. He thought a moment and then
laughed. “Well, I’ve had a few odd ones, but I’d say the
weirdest had to be the guy who called to report counterfeit sex
toys.”</div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The most important piece of
information I learned that evening is that 911 is not just for
emergency calls. When you call 911, you’re calling a dispatcher.
But if you call the non-emergency phone number for the SCPD, you’re
also calling a dispatcher—the same person who would answer if you
dialed 911.
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
We asked them, “But what
if I call for something mundane and there’s a true emergency going
on? Wouldn’t my call just keep others from being able to get
through?”</div>
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<br /></div>
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“No,” we were told. “You
should always feel free to call 911, as there are plenty of
dispatchers on hand at all times. And if there ever were such a
problem, we’d simply tell you so, and you could call back a little
later.”</div>
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<br /></div>
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So the lesson is, if you
ever need assistance—be it a cop, to report a broken sewer pipe, or
even a loose dog running on the freeway—you should call 911, and
they will communicate the need to the relevant person.
</div>
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<br /></div>
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If you’re interested in
seeing Dispatch in action for yourself, they do “sit-alongs.” (Info is on their <a href="http://www.scr911.org/">website</a>; click on Public Edu, then on Tours).
</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Street Drugs</b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">This was the
night we’d all been waiting for—the chance to hold a pound of
heroin, and to see what $25,000 worth of cocaine looks like. </span>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPVCZPpH4dg7-qxa3DUE16BIWjLLbgGb6THY19sDuR4LcY3_6Px1TyWqIc3ZJVVuxo6r3JxqZ-Xo-sKYJVi7m9_BepPEPHD20vZN-HtEsqBdk34x1oCskr919HyRahFEBzvIUyPzvtStk/s1600/drugs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPVCZPpH4dg7-qxa3DUE16BIWjLLbgGb6THY19sDuR4LcY3_6Px1TyWqIc3ZJVVuxo6r3JxqZ-Xo-sKYJVi7m9_BepPEPHD20vZN-HtEsqBdk34x1oCskr919HyRahFEBzvIUyPzvtStk/s400/drugs.jpg" width="328" /></a></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">It is indeed
a <i>lot</i> of coke (we had to wear </span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">gloves while
handling the drugs).</span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">(Photo:
Deborah Elston)</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">After passing
around bags of coke, heroin, meth, and ecstasy that had been seized
by the Department, the narcotics officer told us about the dilation
test they use on suspected drug users’ eyes, and showed us the card
that illustrates pupil size for use in the field. (Interestingly, the
test doesn’t work so well on blue-eyed people, as their eyes are
more sensitive than those with dark eyes.)</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">He also told us
that though the SCPD never promises anything, people caught dealing
commonly snitch in the hope of getting less time (which they often
do). And, he assured us, cops can keep such evidence from getting
out. “I’ll lose the case before allowing anyone to be hurt,” he
said. </span>
</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Next post:</b>
SWAT team, prison/jail sentences, and high-risk chases. </span>
</div>
Leslie Karsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15779717365273916569noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6082326629886186554.post-40819313836404317632015-06-15T12:27:00.000-07:002015-08-21T15:37:40.659-07:00Criminal Intent in Culver City<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }A:link { }</style>
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Last weekend I attended the
<a href="http://www.ccwconference.org/">California Crime Writers Conference</a>, a biennial event put on by Sisters in Crime Los Angeles and the
SoCal Mystery Writers of America. (See <a href="http://custardandclues.blogspot.com/2013/06/crime-may-not-pay-but-you-meet-nicest.html">here</a>
for my blog about the 2013 CCWC in Pasadena.)
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0_YNFqp1bf9dRzC7edB_OhqpqNqVuZRzV9lyX6XKT1_YNhLTHnoJpCrsc8gHFTp5oLxM5iYpy7WD8jH6zJmfoHo8OhzElxytyuwsRFHxCCxO80Gfjw-iSBdvFOKniQOxeHSuZKofT8UQ/s1600/ccwc+logo.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0_YNFqp1bf9dRzC7edB_OhqpqNqVuZRzV9lyX6XKT1_YNhLTHnoJpCrsc8gHFTp5oLxM5iYpy7WD8jH6zJmfoHo8OhzElxytyuwsRFHxCCxO80Gfjw-iSBdvFOKniQOxeHSuZKofT8UQ/s400/ccwc+logo.tiff" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
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This year’s conference
conveniently took place at a time Robin and I were going to be in
Southern California anyway. My parents’ house in Santa Monica—where
I lived from age nine to seventeen—was between tenants and we had
driven down to do maintenance and repairs and go through the myriad
boxes of memorabilia still stored at the old family home. But
while Robin was busy repairing toilets, painting walls, and puttying
windows I was able to escape to nearby Culver City for two days of
fun and frolic with my fellow mystery writers.
</div>
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<br /></div>
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The classes and panel
discussions at these events are always a great way to recharge your
batteries as a writer: They supply fresh tips on craft, remind you of
ones you already knew but have forgotten, and provide inspiration to
get back to work on that stubborn work-in-progress.</div>
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<br /></div>
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In addition, CCWC
consistently brings in terrific keynote speakers. <a href="http://charlaineharris.com/">Charlaine Harris</a>, whose Sookie Stackhouse novels have been made into the TV show <i>True
Blood</i>, was the guest on Saturday, and we were all charmed by her
Southern wisdom, wit, and powers of storytelling.
</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjORdfUMzYd-rsBXoukIvSU2Hq62bDV75xUuyMrIh5BvZfx5h_CosMkWrvqC-ZBzZu8gIXOG8aLXaAQT0knv4HPkB8yIzimSeLdbP_XOASN8005tMFKs5L_2y5hepC2v5bVkDYcANwEym4/s1600/ch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjORdfUMzYd-rsBXoukIvSU2Hq62bDV75xUuyMrIh5BvZfx5h_CosMkWrvqC-ZBzZu8gIXOG8aLXaAQT0knv4HPkB8yIzimSeLdbP_XOASN8005tMFKs5L_2y5hepC2v5bVkDYcANwEym4/s400/ch.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Charlaine Harris</div>
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<br /></div>
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Sunday’s speaker was
British novelist <a href="http://www.anneperry.co.uk/">Anne Perry</a>, whose Victorian crime novels featuring Thomas and Charlotte
Pitt are international bestsellers. She too had sage advice for the
mystery writers at the conference, but I was surprised when—unlike
Charlaine Harris, and all other speakers I’d seen at CCWC—she
took no questions after her talk.
</div>
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<br /></div>
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But then the woman next to
me at lunch leaned over and whispered: “Did you know she was one of
the girls in the <i>Heavenly Creatures </i>murder?” This 1994 film
by Peter Jackson recounts the grisly killing by two teenage girls of
one of the girl’s mother by bludgeoning her with a stocking-wrapped
brick. I later read about the case online and sure enough, Perry was
indeed one of the killers.
</div>
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<br /></div>
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As noted in a <i>Guaridan</i>
<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2003/nov/12/crimebooks.features11">article</a> about Anne Perry and the murder she committed,</div>
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<br /></div>
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[her] books grapple with questions of sin and repentence, the price
of redemption and forgiveness. “It is vital for me to go on
exploring moral matters,” [Perry] says. … “I [want] to explore
what people will do when faced with experiences and inner conflicts
that test them to the limit.”</div>
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<br /></div>
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Well, she clearly has the
personal knowledge—unlike most crime novelists—to write about
such things. But I can certainly understand why she doesn’t want to
take questions from the audience after a talk.
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglX3T2Nj6qCFT-JqI3k0U_difegHFurKe5iiE9MiJ9KNe4KQIPK6tHh04eTLfaBA7zXYQ3DsT3AFr0dPfX8489WerCRds6C9YPkvXT_6HIz49qoiGNhEzv7JqGwC9fA4aW69UpQ0pb_do/s1600/ch%2526ap.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglX3T2Nj6qCFT-JqI3k0U_difegHFurKe5iiE9MiJ9KNe4KQIPK6tHh04eTLfaBA7zXYQ3DsT3AFr0dPfX8489WerCRds6C9YPkvXT_6HIz49qoiGNhEzv7JqGwC9fA4aW69UpQ0pb_do/s400/ch%2526ap.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
l. to rt. Harris,
moderator <a href="http://craigfaustusbuck.com/">Craig Faustus Buck</a>, and Perry,</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
discussing Elmore
Leonard’s <a href="http://archive.freep.com/article/20101106/FEATURES05/130820014/Elmore-Leonard-s-ten-rules-of-writing">Ten Rules of Writing</a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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Much far more than the
panels, classes and talks, however, what makes these conferences so
invaluable is the networking. And I can tell you that my experience
this year was a schmooze-fest.
</div>
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<br /></div>
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I got to room with two
friends from Hilo (one has a book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Musubi-Murder-Frankie-Bow/dp/1432830740"><i>The Musubi Murder</i></a>, coming out this summer). And I ended up meeting a whole passel of
amazing authors (one of whom—<a href="http://robertrotstein.com/">Robert Rotstein</a>—was my father’s constitutional law student back in the ’70s;
and another—<a href="http://jameswziskin.com/">James W. Ziskin</a>—with whom I spent the better part of the evening drinking bourbon
and branch at the hotel bar).
</div>
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<br /></div>
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Not only that, but I also
got to have my picture taken with the Maltese Falcon. This replica—we
all know the real one was broken apart at the end of the movie—was
made from the same cast as the bird held by Bogie and Peter Lorre and
was won at the CCWC auction by <a href="http://hollywest.com/">Holly West</a>.
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV_DHKx6N7QsuHtOqX_cTiMHBVD4B6p9lBkvfte99AKMTM8RFqqpkx3HP7ahIL2LvfTYee72lnDydsXjDs9LhSNHFm5uAI3DkgPEejRPz76EmGA9q2FXqip9sAdff8151uaB0-gmh0nFA/s1600/falcon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV_DHKx6N7QsuHtOqX_cTiMHBVD4B6p9lBkvfte99AKMTM8RFqqpkx3HP7ahIL2LvfTYee72lnDydsXjDs9LhSNHFm5uAI3DkgPEejRPz76EmGA9q2FXqip9sAdff8151uaB0-gmh0nFA/s400/falcon.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
Holly was kind enough to
let me pose with the Black Bird
</div>
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<i>and</i> to take the
picture for me</div>
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<br /></div>
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In line with the bourbon and falcon, I should mention that I won ten bucks in a poker game Saturday night with several other (your names are safe with me) conference-goers. Which paid for part of one of those bourbons at the hotel bar.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Finally, what was truly
fabulous about this year’s CCWC was that I got to meet and hang out
with another author with my new publisher, Crooked Lane Books—<a href="http://www.ellenbyron.com/">Ellen Byron</a>. Her mystery novel, <i>Plantation Shudders</i>, is being released by
CLB this August, so she was able to give me a heads-up as to what I
can expect in the coming months with regard to my book. Craziness, I
gather. (Thank you, Ellen! I’ll be in touch.)</div>
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<br /></div>
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So, thanks go out to <a href="http://www.dianevallere.com/">Diane Vallere</a> and SinC LA, Craig Faustus Buck and SoCal MWA, and all the volunteers
who made this year’s CCWC such a great success!</div>
Leslie Karsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15779717365273916569noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6082326629886186554.post-71804144674674766292015-06-01T15:36:00.001-07:002015-06-01T15:36:55.174-07:00Pinch Me, Am I Dreaming?
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Today—after years of
writing; rewriting and revising; querying literary agents; and then
more revising once I found the agent of my dreams—I signed a
publishing contract. It’s a two-book deal with <a href="http://www.crookedlanebooks.com/">Crooked Lane Books</a>, a brand new crime fiction imprint out of New York City.
</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmdM2s1XGK1TMyc3XkflEJIjfklKc_6B0ozpDKFDW0hztmMBkbFmn3Nx2xh38UqhjmjIXQa4r0QQAwgj3eEUWVvPeLkSk4l2JONifavtdXGxPmyUCW_e6aKJJwEGsocM_bHnXMuT_iNSg/s1600/crooked+lane+logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmdM2s1XGK1TMyc3XkflEJIjfklKc_6B0ozpDKFDW0hztmMBkbFmn3Nx2xh38UqhjmjIXQa4r0QQAwgj3eEUWVvPeLkSk4l2JONifavtdXGxPmyUCW_e6aKJJwEGsocM_bHnXMuT_iNSg/s400/crooked+lane+logo.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
</div>
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Yes, I am thrilled to
death—an apt euphemism for a mystery writer, no? But I’m still
having a hard time believing it’s all real.
</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Crooked Lane Books was
started last year with former Minotaur/St. Martin’s Press editor
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pub/matt-martz/17/9a5/520">Matthew Martz</a>
as editorial director and former St. Martin’s publisher-at-large
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pub/dan-weiss/3/b96/67">Dan Weiss</a> as chief publishing consultant. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pub/nike-power/75/6a9/467">Nike Power,</a> who has interned at St. Martin’s, as well as Knopf/Doubleday and
Lippincott Massie McQuilkin, is my new editor at CLB.
</div>
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<br />
</div>
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As noted on their website,
Crooked Lane Books is</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
a crime fiction imprint that publishes today’s most gripping
mysteries, thrillers, and suspense novels. From high-concept
thrillers and white-knuckled suspense to traditional mysteries and
literary crime, our titles consistently deliver driving plots,
engaging characters, and stunning twists from the most talented
authors on the scene.</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Their initial list of titles
will be released starting this coming August, and my book, <i>Dying For a Taste</i> (previously known as <i>A Matter of Taste</i><span style="font-style: normal;">),
</span>the first of my Five Senses mystery series, is set to be
published in the spring of 2016 and its sequel the following year.
</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I’ve already been working
with my new editor (!), Nike, and I think we are going to get along
swimmingly as a team. Her ideas for tweaks/additions/revisions have
been terrific and she is wonderfully enthusiastic about my
manuscript.
</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
So here’s a huge thank you
to everyone who has helped me reach this point, especially to my
agent at Folio Literary, Erin Niumata, who truly believed in me and
got me the deal!
</div>
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<br />
</div>
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Check here for updates as I
navigate my way through the revisions, design, printing, and
publishing of my very first novel!
</div>
Leslie Karsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15779717365273916569noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6082326629886186554.post-56983688616566154992015-02-23T12:26:00.001-08:002015-06-15T12:29:51.077-07:00An American Composer and English Tea Sandwiches<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }A:link { }</style>
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Robin and I have now
returned to California, and one of the reasons we left Hawai‘i
earlier than usual was so I could participate in a very exciting
musical event: The preeminent American choral composer <a href="http://mortenlauridsen.net/MortenLauridsen.html">Morten Lauridesen</a> would be composer-in-residence for a week in mid-February at Cabrillo
College. </div>
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<br /></div>
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During this time he’d attend music classes and chorus
rehearsals and do a Q&A session, with the week culminating in a
concert of his music under the baton of the talented and tireless
<a href="http://www.cabrillo.edu/academics/music/symphonicchorus/cheryl.html">Cheryl Anderson</a>.
</div>
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<br /></div>
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<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Dr. Lauridsen at our
rehearsal</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
(with Cheryl at
left)</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Six different choruses
performed at the concert last Saturday night. The group I sing with,
the Cabrillo Symphonic Chorus, had learned <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhfrG_AsbxQ"><i>Lux Aeterna</i></a>, one of Lauridsen’s most well-known compositions, for its
Christmas concert last December. This piece—a mix of 16<sup>th</sup>
century sacred and modern, almost jazzy, styles—is heart-achingly
beautiful, but also exceedingly difficult to learn. I didn’t sing
with the Cabrillo Chorus last fall, but I was fortunate enough to
have already sung the <i>Lux Aeterna</i> the previous year with the
Hilo Community Chorus, so I was able to step into rehearsals without
any problem. (Thanks, Tom McAlexander!)</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Dr. Lauridsen attended our
rehearsal last Tuesday evening. He listened to our renditions of his
works while pacing the hall, brows furrowed. I can only imagine how
stressful it must have been for Cheryl to have the composer right
there, listening to her interpretation of his famous works.
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOG_1IvapYqUD8nwldOlXw9kWT1rRPB7VAv2dNYAKdnzHGyIiNW38UrWGLetXR-X7aH07Fa6lGOGKgjxryGGT7ajf8JzGx2fe9co0l9_5wbr4_1tyMiqlfcUTQowErdl8wHUWm9JzIem0/s1600/wagner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOG_1IvapYqUD8nwldOlXw9kWT1rRPB7VAv2dNYAKdnzHGyIiNW38UrWGLetXR-X7aH07Fa6lGOGKgjxryGGT7ajf8JzGx2fe9co0l9_5wbr4_1tyMiqlfcUTQowErdl8wHUWm9JzIem0/s1600/wagner.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Dr. Lauridsen in his
Richard Wagner pose</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
And he did indeed have
opinions to voice. “Not so even and regular during the “O Nata
Lux,” the composer admonished us. “The tempo should vary and the
music undulate.” (Mind you, this is something Cheryl had already
told us many times.)
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
And he was not at all happy
that the orchestra was missing its second viola and clarinet for the
rehearsal (notwithstanding that he had been warned in advance that
they would be absent that night).
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9oW2_z3LH9t3IJ3Cqr8fd5LrksYHt6_Cdyx8Z6C4xEXrvl9FEG547J-gQmVkiRl4NA-hPuoI-nmDGFPjpq6DV0TTElZItdiv-MCFMeArirYMmKZ6bGN3E19BZfB4hxFAq88GUl8ocGWk/s1600/w:orch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9oW2_z3LH9t3IJ3Cqr8fd5LrksYHt6_Cdyx8Z6C4xEXrvl9FEG547J-gQmVkiRl4NA-hPuoI-nmDGFPjpq6DV0TTElZItdiv-MCFMeArirYMmKZ6bGN3E19BZfB4hxFAq88GUl8ocGWk/s1600/w:orch.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
working with the orchestra</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
But he also showed us his
jovial side. He loves to tell stories—about himself and about his
music. Here is a short clip of him telling us about visiting Los
Angeles Master Chorale director, Paul Salamunovich (who commissioned
the <i>Lux Aeterna</i>), shortly before his death:</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyVCE2hDa54_-8WhkSFgonQFDVDfBH4DXd4hslVzoI7aKFp0thkTwB71ErrRHVX0CxrymPRW1yjlbkhgre-HA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Saturday morning we had a
full rehearsal at the church where the concert would be held that
night, and we were all relieved to see that Dr. Lauridsen seemed
quite pleased with what he heard. Here you can see him sitting behind
Cheryl, studying his score as we sing:</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJSmG0ailFnCgVxtyD6vPiKsjQ29m_HiXxvhkWf7MGt9JirjR8xfzXhJKo8kzpr0WH9iLvCpvmKmJOcSJH37RCpEGwoyKWmo_tMA7B22yTtYDpRGOiMMdGPXfjONhyVJm7i6mJO6pTuo/s1600/at+church.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJSmG0ailFnCgVxtyD6vPiKsjQ29m_HiXxvhkWf7MGt9JirjR8xfzXhJKo8kzpr0WH9iLvCpvmKmJOcSJH37RCpEGwoyKWmo_tMA7B22yTtYDpRGOiMMdGPXfjONhyVJm7i6mJO6pTuo/s1600/at+church.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
It was such a treat to get
to meet one of of the foremost choral composers of our day, to listen
to him talk about his music, and to hear him accompany his songs
himself on piano. This is a very short clip (I had to stop filming
when my alto part came in) of Dr. Lauridsen playing piano for us on
his song “Prayer”:
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzOBXFqjkJMeTvxhb1zvTnDA6W0w-im1iBi5OGmTebhoYIJJML4Qf07PKB_tMgbhNBggiEfcbLjgfqFt76Deg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
But most of all, if was
truly amazing to get to sing so many of his wonderful works, and with
such a terrific chorus. (I should note that Dr. Lauridsen told us
that never before had so many of his pieces all been performed in one
concert.)
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
So thank you to Cheryl, and
to all the others who worked so incredibly hard to make this amazing
week possible! I and my fellow chorus-members shall never forget the
experience.
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Now on to the food! </b>There
was a gala reception following the concert, and choral members were
asked to contribute finger food. I decided to make two kinds of
English-style tea sandwiches: cucumber with lemon-dill cream cheese;
and ham, cheese, and mango-ginger chutney:</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
For those who would like to
recreate them, here are photos of the process. Make sure you buy
thinly-sliced “sandwich bread” (it’s more square than the
regular kind) and cut off the crusts (which I’ve saved in my
freezer for a future batch of stuffing).
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
For the cucumber sandwiches,
I used a hand-mixer and whipped the cream cheese with lemon zest and
juice, as well as a little yogurt to make it softer and easier to
spread. Here you can see my assembly line. On half the slices spread
mayo. On the other half, the cream cheese spread, then chopped dill,
then the cuke slices. (I left a little of the peel on for its color).
Ziggy is looking on, hoping for a dropped slice of bread.</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
For the ham and cheese,
spread chutney on half the slices. On the other half spread Dijon
mustard, ham, and cheese (I used Havarti). </div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrLptpUFY-xKbkrnyCsoDSrcwIq8ktVrTYgJKzqbxCoYX-Qe4a0Tl8AU1OI5ak5jFxqOESv4eZCNfAlRJnO-JkD8yIFcTZh1zECUFxLrtVq1Pu4fluLL2rH3wJ3LS9MWXfNNOZJRfR-yI/s1600/ham.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrLptpUFY-xKbkrnyCsoDSrcwIq8ktVrTYgJKzqbxCoYX-Qe4a0Tl8AU1OI5ak5jFxqOESv4eZCNfAlRJnO-JkD8yIFcTZh1zECUFxLrtVq1Pu4fluLL2rH3wJ3LS9MWXfNNOZJRfR-yI/s1600/ham.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The last step is to cut the
sandwiches into four pieces. <i>Voilà</i> the finished product:</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
we were instructed to
bring <i>lots</i> of food</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
(and yes, they were all
gone by the end of the evening)</div>
Leslie Karsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15779717365273916569noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6082326629886186554.post-31443602129999191232014-12-24T12:59:00.000-08:002015-06-15T12:30:42.500-07:00Letters to Santa From the Keiki of Hilo<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }</style>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Yes, it’s that time of year
again—letters from the children of Hilo,
Hawai‘i to Santa Claus. These are from the annual “Holiday Aloha”
special insert to the <i>Hawai‘i Tribune Herald</i> (whose
editor-in-chief, by the way, is the son of Santa Cruz dentist, Paul
Bock). Here are some of my favorites from this year’s edition (they
all start out “Dear Santa,” so I’ve omitted the salutations):
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
What I would like for Christmas is some money. It doesn’t matter
how much you are giving me but it has to be above $5 and I also want
a new video game.</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
Your friend, </div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
Kupono, Age 12</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
I wanted to ask you how Rudolph is because I heard that right before
Christmas he was sad. My mom wants a new living room floor so we can
have peace and relax. We just finished the hallway and dining room
floor. Please help us Santa. May I also have a deck of Pokemon cards
because I love to collect them? Thank you for your support,</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
Sincerely,</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
Daycen, Age 9</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
The only thing I want for Christmas is a pet gold fish to take care
of because I asked to have one but it died from a heat wave. I
promise to feed and take care of it. I have been very good this year.
That’s why I want to take this big responsibility.</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
Love and aloha,</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
Ocean, Age 9 <i>[ed. With that name you’d think she could handle a fish]</i></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
P.S. I will keep him in my room because it’s not too hot and not to
cold.</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
For Christmas I am not asking for anything because you always get me
things I don’t ask for, but I end up liking it. Not that I don’t
want anything, I just like getting surprises. One thing I know I want
for sure is a healthy sibling. Tell the reindeer and elves I said
thank you for all your hard work.</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
From,
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
Kate, Age 9</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
Who are you?</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
Do you fly?</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
Do you give presents?</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
Are you cool?</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
Do you fly to California?</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
Are you really Santa?</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
Are you old?</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
Are you a person or a robot?</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
My mom needs money because to pay bills.</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
Love,</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
Kaizehya, 7 yrs. old</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
How are you? I am great. I am still enjoying the gifts that you gave
me. This year can I please have a set of books for Christmas? ... I
also hope the people in Pahoa <i>[the town the lava is currently threatening] </i>are going to be okay. Don’t you just
wish you had a break? … I think that instead of cookies we should
give you presents too You should come to have a vacation at the
beaches of Hawaii....</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
Your friend,</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
Chloe, Age 8</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
… This year for Christmas I would like my mom to have a nice day at
work. I’ve been very good this year. I’ve been helping my mom at
dinner time by washing the rice. This Christmas I will be happy with
whatever you bring me. I have everything I want! Thank you for making
everyone happy!</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
Your new friend,</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
Blake, Age 8</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
This year for Christmas I would like a tree house. I want it because
every time I have to make one for myself with blankets , it always
falls down when I’m done.... Can you make a nice Christmas for me?
Not raining like Halloween, that was sad. I really wanted to get
candy and save it for dessert after dinner. So can you do anything to
help us if it rains? …</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
From,
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
Maria, Age 8</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
Can I know if you give people on the bad list another chance? Santa,
I just want to know if Mrs. Clause <i>[patron saint of grammarians everywhere]</i> and Rudolph are doing
okay. I want an art set because I want to be a famous artist when I
grow up. Thank you Santa.</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
Love,</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
Lillian, 7 yrs. old</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
I would like a pair of new shoes 3 ½ , a stack of Pele books (please
different), a picture of you, xbox 360 and a piano.</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
Your friend,</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
Kaimilani, Age 8</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
This year I have been really excited. For Christmas, I would like my
mommy not to be mad at me because she always yells at me when I don’t
listen and it makes me sad. Thank you and Merry Christmas!</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
Your friend,</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
Taylor, Age 5</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
I have been pono <i>[ed. good, righteous]</i> because I write neatly.
May I please get a Barbie Dream house with a Barbie and an elevator?
It comes with rooms and bathrooms.</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
Love your friend,</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
Elena <i>[no age provided]</i>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
<i>The
winner of the most materialistic category:</i></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
I want a $100 google play card or a Game Stop gift card for my
Samsung Galaxy 3 or to buy something at Game Stop depending on what
you give me. I am going to use it for buying games at the two places
although one is on the Internet. I also want some cheat codes for
Minecraft PC, Terraria, Balloon Tower Defense, or Pokemon X. I am
going to use that for telling people and being a master at all these
games. If you can, may I have four or five airplane trips to Legoland
or Las Vegas? I want to go to Legoland because I have never been
there, but I heard about my friends going there. They said there is
an X-wing fighter from Star Wars, but it’s made out of 5,000,000
pieces! If you can get me one of the four, that would still be good,
and if you cannot get me one, then surprise me with something awesome
and cool. I might not deserve any of the four gifts, but just don’t
get me coal.</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
Sincerely,</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
Micah, Age 8</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
P.S. I am probably going to make good cookies. If you come down our
chimney, one you will get dirty, and two, our Christmas tree will be
right in front of you.
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
<i>But
I’ll finish with the most adorable one:</i></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
I want more fish because we like fish to make babies.</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
Cloud, grade 2</div>
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<br />
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I hope Santa brings them all
(okay, maybe not <i>all</i>) they asked for. And <i>Mele Kalikimaka</i>
to everyone!
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Leslie Karsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15779717365273916569noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6082326629886186554.post-42465907960693710862014-11-30T18:49:00.000-08:002016-03-07T11:07:04.882-08:00Mario’s Linguine With Clam Sauce<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }</style>
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Time for another recipe from
my protagonist Sally Solari’s family. Up today is her dad Mario's famous linguine with clam sauce. <style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08in;</style></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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The flat shape of linguine (“little
tongues,” in Italian) provides the perfect vehicle to soak up this
luscious sauce. Served with a tossed green salad and crunchy <i>francese</i>
bread, the dish makes for a surprisingly easy meal. All you need is
clams, clam juice, white wine, garlic (<i>certo</i>!), olive oil,
butter, flat leaf (aka Italian) parsley, and of course linguine.
Chili pepper flakes are optional. (The amounts specified below should
serve four hungry people.)
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<a name='more'></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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my <i>mise en place</i>
(<i>messo in posto</i>?)</div>
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<br /></div>
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Any type of clams will work
for this dish, but the hardshell varieties—such as Littleneck,
Manila, or Cherry Stones—have a lot less grit and, if store-bought,
should already be cleaned and flushed of sand. Discard any clams that
have cracked shells, or which are open and won’t close within a
couple minutes after being tapped on the kitchen counter.
</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_upVWfzFr0uxeoWj9LDcQ5SxZEkTD4EWswIBWjJAcAbJ7O-5vRXjLqCvsme7br3KUIRlrxAnXa7J1nBMPcezAMXAcp3cjeT2mkIyTJ7QG43_fUCFiCrDi8WjtTnjdl2PP0PBuGUc5V60/s1600/clams.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_upVWfzFr0uxeoWj9LDcQ5SxZEkTD4EWswIBWjJAcAbJ7O-5vRXjLqCvsme7br3KUIRlrxAnXa7J1nBMPcezAMXAcp3cjeT2mkIyTJ7QG43_fUCFiCrDi8WjtTnjdl2PP0PBuGUc5V60/s1600/clams.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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the Manila clams I used</div>
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<br /></div>
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Start by getting a large pot
of salted water heating for the linguini.
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<br /></div>
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In another large, heavy pot
(big enough to hold the entire dish when it’s been made), heat a
couple tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat until glistening.
Add thinly-sliced garlic (about 6 cloves) and fry for a minute,
stirring often so they don’t burn.
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<br /></div>
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Next, add a pinch of chili
flakes, if you want.
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<br /></div>
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When the garlic starts to
brown, add a bottle of clam juice and a cup of dry white wine to the
pot.
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<br />
Let this simmer until
reduced by about a third.</div>
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Robin hanging out while I
heat the linguine water
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and simmer the clam juice
and wine</div>
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<br /></div>
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By now your water should be
boiling. Dump in a pound (one box) of linguine, and cook until <i>al
dente</i>. When it’s done, drain and then toss it in olive oil to
keep it from sticking together.
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<br /></div>
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Meanwhile, turn the heat up to high
under the sauce and dump your clams (2 pounds) into the pot and
cover. When they are all open (from 4 to 8 minutes, depending on the
type of clams), remove them to a bowl with a slotted spoon and cover
the bowl to keep them warm.
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Leaving the heat on high, let the sauce
boil (uncovered) until reduced by half. Add 2 tablespoons of butter
and let it melt, and then turn off the heat under the pot.
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Dump the cooked linguine into the sauce
pot.
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<br /></div>
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Stir it all up well, so all the pasta
is coated with sauce. Add a handful of chopped parsley, and salt and
pepper to taste, and then add back the clams and any liquid that has
collected in the bowl, and stir it all together:</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Serve in large, shallow bowls and
garnish with more chopped parsley, and extra chili flakes, if desired
(see top photo). For a more elegant presentation you can plate up the
linguine without the clams and then arrange them around the edge of
the bowls.
</div>
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<br /></div>
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the remnants of my meal,
along with a green salad and <i>francese</i> bread</div>
Leslie Karsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15779717365273916569noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6082326629886186554.post-9691052644983056382014-08-23T13:49:00.000-07:002014-11-30T18:59:31.513-08:00Nonna’s Sunday Gravy<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }</style>
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The trend these days is for
mystery novels—particularly if they involve food—to have recipes
printed at the end. I’ve therefore been pondering over the past few
weeks what dishes from my manuscript, <i>A Matter of Taste</i>, would
be good to include as recipes in the published book.
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<br /></div>
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One of the obvious choices
is Nonna’s Sunday Gravy, which the Italian grandmother of my
protagonist, Sally, cooks up every week for a family dinner. This
hearty, tomato-based stew is called “gravy” by many
Italian-American families, as it’s traditionally eaten as two
separate courses. The sauce (i.e., “gravy”) is served over pasta
as the <i>primo</i>, or first course:</div>
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my gravy, over penne and
rigatoni<br />
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And the braised meat is
served as the <i>secondo</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, or
second course, with a vegetable or salad </span><i>contorno</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
(side dish): </span>
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the meat, along with
sautéd zucchini</div>
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Although there is a fairly
detailed description of how Nonna prepares her gravy in my book, I
had actually never made the dish, so I decided to see what others had
said about it before attempting to cook it myself. After consulting
numerous online recipes, I decided on a combination, using bits and
pieces from several methods I’d read about.
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I’m the kind of cook who
generally doesn’t do a lot of measuring—a sort of
seat-of-the-pants type who tastes, adds this and that, then tastes
again. So when folks ask me for recipes of things I’ve concocted,
they’ll often get something like: “Make a cream sauce, add grated
cheddar cheese and a little sherry and S&P, and then pour over
cubed boiled potatoes and bake” (my grandmother’s cheese-potato
recipe—try it; it’s awesome!).
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This sort of shorthand
wouldn’t fly for the recipes in my book, however. I was going to
have to measure and weigh ingredients to get exact amounts, and
consult my watch frequently to figure out exact cooking times.
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Last week, while visiting
Robin’s parents, I made the Sunday Gravy for dinner (even though it
was actually a Wednesday). What I present here is merely a general
description, with photos I took of the process. If you want the full
recipe—with measurements and times—you’ll have to wait and buy
the book when it comes out.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicGP8PYdeda18iFWDWTyPNmy2re-nWGWUglfaNycl88YhrZNe9z-3IiP1ndmmP6kL5gyuAM_s_a8NW9EqKR5OyLPCTCunduA87cm-q7aDs5Mb6yrDOGBarJ5dsJy8lQiBCy3C0F5f7MRE/s1600/ingredients.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicGP8PYdeda18iFWDWTyPNmy2re-nWGWUglfaNycl88YhrZNe9z-3IiP1ndmmP6kL5gyuAM_s_a8NW9EqKR5OyLPCTCunduA87cm-q7aDs5Mb6yrDOGBarJ5dsJy8lQiBCy3C0F5f7MRE/s1600/ingredients.jpg" height="400" width="356" /></a></div>
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non-meat ingredients
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I used a combination of beef
chuck, pork shoulder, and sweet Italian sausages. Brown them in olive
oil in a heavy pot. (It’s best not to use cast-iron, as the acid in
the tomatoes can leach out the metal and give a funny taste to the
dish. As you’ll see from my photos, I forgot this important fact,
only remembering after the dish had been braising for several hours.
As my pot is well-seasoned, however, the dish tasted fine. But don’t
you make the same mistake.) Set the browned meat aside on a plate.
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Next sauté a couple diced
onions along with a few cloves of chopped garlic over medium heat:</div>
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When the onions start to
brown, add a small can of tomato paste and continue to cook, stirring
often, until it turns a reddish brown:
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic8CJ8Lwb-EVpACcAnu7QwWKbwu7bT2OyhGKnk8lbBmpLfJhw4QcMtGoo67u-YvvUPQ2cc3d3Xx4Ac3jLnieBSzC2fBbGu6gg5hk1Zv7AxLSwHRBP50vuO-xyPxOjmYMewSeQSA_5KEks/s1600/tom+paste.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic8CJ8Lwb-EVpACcAnu7QwWKbwu7bT2OyhGKnk8lbBmpLfJhw4QcMtGoo67u-YvvUPQ2cc3d3Xx4Ac3jLnieBSzC2fBbGu6gg5hk1Zv7AxLSwHRBP50vuO-xyPxOjmYMewSeQSA_5KEks/s1600/tom+paste.JPG" height="366" width="400" /></a></div>
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Now dump in a couple cans of
whole plum tomatoes, and cut them into pieces with a sharp knife:</div>
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Add to this red wine,
chopped fresh oregano, basil, and Italian parsley, and a little
sugar:</div>
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Stir it all together, and
then put the browned meat back into the pot.
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Simmer over low heat,
partially covered, for about three hours, stirring occasionally to
prevent the meat from sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning.
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The gravy is done when the
meat is almost falling apart. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve (with or without the
meat) over pasta, topped with grated Romano or Parmesan cheese.<br />
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I’m not generally a big
fan of red sauces (being the cream hound I am, I tend to prefer the
Northern Italian-style dishes made with butter and white sauces). But
I have to say this gravy turned out to be quite delicious, with
an intense umami flavor. </div>
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<i>Buon appetito!</i></div>
Leslie Karsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15779717365273916569noreply@blogger.com3