The Transient Magic of Aroma

On Sunday I leaned over my bubbling thyme-glace sauce and took a deep breath. The smell was incredible, but I can't share it with you. Unlike digital cameras which can capture images with greater precision than my measly eye, or mp3s which can encode all of human hearing and beyond, we haven't made the slightest bit of progress in capturing and replicating aromas. Is this why I love my whisky collection so much?

A weekend of cooking

The forecast called for rain all weekend. I volunteered to cook Sunday dinner for the house, and learned a thing or too about French cooking along the way.

Saturday's task was to make a demi-glace. I roasted some bones and then prepared to simmer the stock


Six hours, some shallots, garlic, basil, and vermouth later, and this was the result



Yikes! I almost lost my sauce in the reduction step. I stopped paying attention while the sauce was bubbling happily away. When I next glanced at the pot, there was a mere 2 cups of sauce where there should have been 6. Luckily nothing had burned and you can always add the water back in. A close call.

Sunday morning brought a hunger for some waffles. Chopped Orenco apples from the UBC apple festival, whipped cream, freshly grated cinnamon, and generous splashes of maple syrup, made for a divine breakfast.


Dinner was delicious.




I think this shot says it all:




Baked apples with pecans, raisins, and a maple syrup reduction ended the day. Yum!