Dazzled

Monday mornings are usually not the most cheerful times of the week for any person, but for me, this past Monday was near dreadful. I’ll not go into details; I’ll only say that it involved roses, harsh words, and disciplinary actions. It was a miracle that I got any work done at all that day.
Luckily, I had something to look forward to that kept me somewhat functional through work. As soon as I got off, I ran home to change and grab my opera glasses, and then drove to Chicago for the Lyric Opera’s Season Preview reception and concert. I arrived forty minutes early, and so had to stand outside in the wind until the doors were unlocked. Luckily, Chicago is one of the best people-watching cities in the US, and so there was much to divert my attention as I waited.
As soon as the doors opened, I made my way to the reception hall, which was lined with tables holding trays of tea sandwiches, cookies, and wine. I took a chicken salad sandwich and small glass of Chardonnay, and spent a couple of awkward minutes trying to eat quickly, all the while standing, holding my purse, and watching a flood of people enter the hall. Every moment counted, since the event had open seating, and I wanted to get the best seat possible. I finished my wine and made a dash for the main floor of the auditorium. Imagine my happiness when, after just a few moments of searching, I found a seat on the eighth row!
The next two hours were nothing short of divine. There was no orchestra, just a piano on stage, and the arias were sung by incredibly talented members of the Lyric’s Opera academy. All of the performers were rather young (mid-twenties) and just stunning. Elizabeth De Shong, a petite mezzo-soprano, sang the part of Caesar (which Handel originally wrote to be performed by a castrato) with smoky intensity, and then amazed the crowd by giving a bright, sparkling performance as the mischievous Rosalina from Rossini’s Barber of Seville.
Phillip Dothard, a brassy baritone, played the part of Figaro with all the exaggerated confidence that the character demands. The rapid notes were all hit with impressive strength and sound, and I couldn’t help thinking how handsome he looked on stage. My heart wasn’t truly stolen, though, until the last solo aria, when Jordan Shanahan gave a smooth, clarion performance of “Kogda bi zhizn domashnim krugom”. That man simply was Eugene Onegin – the character of the Russian playboy finding breathing substance between the kindness of the words and the jaded, patronizing tone. I couldn’t blame poor naïve Tatyana for falling for him, since I was actively falling in love with him myself.
I was dazzled by the end of the evening, filled to the brim with opera-induced euphoria. I can’t wait for the season to begin.

Tomatillo Salsa

I was inspired to recreate a salsa verde that they make at Cucina Barro in Chicago, and I absolutely love the way this turned out. Try it warm with grilled chicken, queso fresco, and warm tortillas, or cold as a dipping salsa.

10 medium tomatillos, husked, stemmed, and washed
2 poblano chiles, washed, stemmed, seeded, and cut in half vertically
3 large garlic cloves, peeled
Juice from one lime
1 small bunch green onions, trimmed and cut into 1” sections
1/2 – 1 cup fresh cilantro (depending on how much you like in your salsa)

Fire up your grill and bring to medium-high heat. Spray tomatillos, chiles, and garlic cloves with cooking spray to keep them from sticking to the grill. If your grill slats are placed far apart, place the garlic cloves on a small piece of aluminum foil. Place tomatillos, chiles, and garlic on the grill and let cook for 12-15 minutes, rotating everything once midway through. (Don’t panic if the tomatillos get scorched. Only a small amount of the flesh actually burns, and it adds more delicious smoky flavor to the salsa.)
Place the tomatillos, chiles, and garlic cloves in a blender. Puree for five seconds. Add the lime juice, green onions, and cilantro, and blend entire mixture together to the desired consistency. Serve warm or chilled.

Peach Champagne Sorbet

I tried this recipe for the first time yesterday, and although I made a few mistakes, it turned out so nicely that I had to post the recipe for anyone else who may be interested.

A few words of warning:

1. Bite the bullet and spend more than ten dollars on the Champagne. It can make quite a bit of difference.
2. You can get much more juice out of a ripe peach, so make sure you select a slightly squishy one at the store.
3. Start this recipe when you know you'll be home and awake for a four hour stretch, since you need to stir the freezing sorbet periodically.

2 cups water
2 cups superfine sugar
1 fresh ripe peach, pitted and skinned
1 1/2 cups cold Champagne
Peach slices, for garnish (optional)

Mash peach pieces in a bowl until completely crushed or puree in a blender. Run the peach juice through a fine mesh strainer and reserve the liquid.
In a medium-sized pot, bring the water close to a boil, and then add the sugar, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved. Bring the syrup to a slight boil. Add the peach juice, and then the Champagne (Warning: the Champagne will foam excessively when added to the pot, so pour slowly).
Immediately transfer the liquid to a large, non-reactive, freezer-safe bowl and place in the freezer. Freeze until ice crystals begin to form on the edges of the liquid. Using a whisk, thoroughly whip the mixture to break up all the ice crystals. Place back in the freezer. Whisk the sorbet every 30 minutes until it obtains the smooth texture and appearance of sorbet.
Serve in sorbet glasses with fresh peach slices.

Benedicite!

Rejoise, myn frends, fore the delit hight Geoffrey Chaucer hath returned! Ich devyse the treuthe – he is returned with muchel wit and parodee, to myn parfit. Task thynselves to hys blog, fore ywis ye shal lauf til hastow wetten thyne pants, pardee.

Message from the Afterlife

from Devon, left on my cell phone answering maching a day after I made her promise to drive safely...

"Hey Kandice, this is Devon. So, I actually didn’t make it to Cascade Lochs. I’m afraid that I got in a horrible car accident, and actually died! So, I’m calling you now from the underworld. The good news is that I have great reception – I mean, I’m in freakin’ Hades, and it’s clear as a bell. Verizon is really branching out. And you know that three headed dog that they talk about? It’s really not that bad. Well, okay, one of the heads is, but the other two are quite cuddly. I was impressed.

Other than that, it’s a little dark and gloomy, but they have a great library, surprisingly enough. Unfortunately, L.M. Montgomery is not featured, and they have like a million copies of Dante’s Inferno, which is just kind of ironic. But I’ve never read it, so that’s good; I can catch up on my reading.

I’ll probably be able to give you a few more calls before they cut off my cell phone service entirely. Have fun in the land of the living. Bye!"

The Unexpected

Today, I was kissed by a Columbian film director. Random.

Today on Oprah: Good Directors, Bad Title Choices

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Are you freakin' kidding me?

Of course, as my wise brother pointed out to me, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark doesn't exactly roll off the tongue either, and I love that movie. I should probably withhold judgement until I actually see the movie.