Weekly Zephyr #33: January 11th, 2018

Edward Hopper, Compartment C, Car 293, 1938 plus extra

HERE'S TO EVERYONE WHO'S TIRED. SHOUT-OUT TO US ALL.

You tired? I'm tired. I'm just talking physically tired. For me it's night right now while I'm typing this, end of a long day full of all sorts of crap, the usual whatever; for you, maybe you're seeing this first thing in the morning before work or coffee, or maybe you're one of the people who see it in the middle of the night after I send it. Perchance it's the midday slump right now for you, that deadly time of mid-afternoon. Do you find, I don't know, 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm to be irritating and stupid like I do? It's just a terrible time of day. They should come up with something different at that time. It doesn't get good again until 4:00 pm, really.

or perhaps you're fresh as a daisy as you're spotting this in which case here's not NOT to you or anything just only here's a little bit more to whoever's tired        whomever. whomever's tired.     does anybody ever go straight for "whomever"? do we all go straight for "whoever" and then adjust if necessary ? Well, I do. Tell you that right now. If you go straight for "whomever" when it's the right call, you probably do a lot of things right. I bet your taxes are done.

Bonbons with passion fruit confit and caramel by pastry artist DINARA KASKO (who: holy crap) Here comes a recipe. You could make this. And when I say "you", I mean you. I don't mean me. I can't make this. (Also this recipe is a little confusing and seems to skip some important steps so maybe you neither.) Anyway.

"CONFIT:  100 g puree of passion fruit 52 g water 2,5 g pectin NH sugar 72g Heat the puree with the water at 40C. Add the NH pectin and sugar mixed together, then bring to the boil for 2 min.  CARAMEL:  135g sugar 67g glucose 22 g water 45 g milk 67 g lemon juice 14 g butter Heat sugar, water and glucose to caramel color. Heat milk with lemon juice and pour into caramel. Allow to cool to and put butter.

Spray the molds with tempered colored cacao butter. Then make the shells with tempered white chocolate. Fill moulds with confit and caramel, leave to crystallize in a cold place for a few hours. Cover with tempered white chocolate. If you temper chocolate properly and your pralines do not shine, then the problem is in the temperature. Try a room with 18C. Winter is the perfect time for a brilliant chocolate."

All you Celsius fans out there who know how to temper chocolate properly so it shines already are in BUSINESS.

P.S. Listen, I can't help it if the original recipe says "Allow to cool to and then put butter." That's the recipe, you know? You heard her. Allow it to cool to and then put butter. I dunno.

*and metric system cooks, gram knowers and what have you 

ME, I'M GONNA JUST BUY SOME WINTER CHOCOLATE.

        but if somebody wants to make me three of these spaceship bonbons I'm not gonna stop anybody

or give us a recipe that mortals can make

I went for lunch a couple of years ago to my friend Rachel's house, and she made this soup (among other magical lunch creations presented with maximum graciousness) and let me tell you something. If your spirits are flagging, this is the soup. We made it later at home and it was nearly as good as when Rachel made it. (It wasn't ever going to be as good as hers. Our expectations were calibrated correctly to be at peace with this.)

Amanda Cohen is a chef who's done with this bullshit. You know, the bullshit that's about <gesturing everywhere>: "Many food writers know that we female chefs are shy and retiring creatures, ready to bolt like startled deer at the first sign of loud noises, bright lights, or press coverage."

  NIGHT

IS DRAGGING HER FEET

I WAIT

ALONE IN THE HEAT

pre-order

click this picture down here

THIS MAKES UP FOR A LOT. (The general struggle of life and such.) I am never not nine years old about Olivia Newton John.

                    that's all I got today. next week I'm gonna be a DYNAMO though you too probably

GET OUT OF OUR WAY, LESSER DYNAMOS OF THE FUTURE

oh one more thing I guess Here's this, it's a map of the whole deal

Makes perfect sense to me. Totally clear. I have it down. Probably could have drawn it.