Aioli Have Eyes for You

Aioli. The classy diner's cure to the otherwise "low brow" french fries. I must say, I've never been a fan of the idea of aioli on french fries. Suitable sauces, to me, include ketchup, ranch dressing, and barbecue sauce. Aioli always seemed to take away the rustic feeling I get when I eat fries. It always made me feel too fancy. Despite these feelings, however, I do occasionally crave a different taste than what I'm used to, and dipping fries in aioli fulfills such a need. So, for my french fry dinner at home, I decided to make my own aioli to dip the fries in.

Like most things about the kitchen and cooking, I was oblivious as to what aioli actually was. A quick google search brought up a lovely site on Wikipedia that explains things a bit. Traditional aioli is mainly comprised of garlic and oil. Most recipes, however, add egg in order to ease in the mixing. For my own cooking, I chose a recipe that included egg. If I try it again, I'll likely eliminate the egg to see if I can still master the mixture, but as a first attempt, I decided to play it safe. 

There are a lot of recipes for aioli on the web, with a variety of variations. I decided upon this one. The only real reason is because it didn't include mustard or mayonnaise (two things I hate), like many of the others I came across did. I want to mention, though, that there are recipes out there that suggest substitutes for the egg yolk for those who don't like the idea of eating raw yolks. 

My first (and only) snag in the recipe was with lack of equipment. The recipe indicates that you need to crush the garlic in a mortar and pestle. Since I don't own a mortar and pestle, I made do with a cup and a bowl. 

My mortar and pestle

(and yes, that is a bowl shaped like an ice cream cone)

After that, it was simply a matter of following the recipe. I added the oil a drop at a time, constantly whisking. This process took a long time, but in the end results were worth it! By the time I added the last of the oil, I had a bowl of aioli sauce! 

I didn't try any variations or extra seasonings, but I may in the future. With this batch, I just made it as is, and began dipping my fries in it. I must say, I was pleasantly surprised with how well it turned out. This recipe has given me a new outlook on aioli, and has provided me with one more way of enjoying my favorite food.

Today's Wit: Old colanders never die, they just can't take the strain anymore. 

Hard Core Potato

While perusing the internet the other day, I came across this video.

On the one hand, the video is awesome because it essentially animates the images I see in my head every time I cook. Well, minus the epic send-off. Cooking should be joyous. There's no need to have such a sacrificial death. I like to pretend that the food I'm making is happy to be at my service, and that they're excited to be cooked. They even compliment me on my non-existent cooking skills. And instead of being afraid to be thrown in the pot or pan, they thank me for helping them to reach their full potential.

On the other hand, however, it made me think about blind faith and total institutions, and the dangers that can result from such devotion. I feel like there are many circumstances in life where we willingly harm ourselves for the use of others; where our destruction leads to another's creation. This is an extreme depiction of what the consequences can be: peeling off the skin and jumping into a pot of hot liquid. Even more disturbing is the attitude of honor and pride the potato seems to exhibit by his sacrificial leap. Erving Goffman described such processes on his piece about total institutions. In such places our sense of self (raw potato) is destroyed (peeled away) so that we can become (be cooked) what the institution (chef) deems to be the proper behavior (the meal). I'm aware that I am severely bastardizing and simplifying Goffman's theory here, but it is still what I thought about as I watched the video. Well, that, and about how if this potato were real he may be more hard core than Chuck Norris.

Today's Wit: Land mines cost an arm and a leg.

New Fry Alert: Blackstone Brewery

Well, I've done it. I've finally made it out to a new place in Nashville! I feel like it has been ages since I've gone anywhere new, but this week I had lunch at Blackstone Brewery. In general, I enjoy breweries. I tend to like the atmosphere of them, and I also enjoy trying local items. Their food, however, is usually not as good as a hole-in-the-wall pub, and they are usually much more expensive. The dinner menu for Blackstone fits that bill (no pun intended). Their lunch menu, however, was fairly reasonably priced. I ordered a burger and fries (my typical choice) and was anxious to finally try out some new pommes frites. They were, in a word, DELICIOUS. What's frustrating, though, is that I can't even explain why they were so good. They looked like any other french fry that comes frozen in a large bag and thrown in a fryer (see pic below).

The taste, however, was above average. There was no visible seasoning to account for the added goodness, and all I could discern for sure was salt, but there was something else. Something wonderful. The burger was less than stellar, but those fries were praiseworthy. I doubt they will be the best fries in Nashville, but they are certainly the best fries I've had in a long time.

As it was also a brewery (and I am trying to acquire an appreciation for beer), I decided to buy some of the local brew. Since I couldn't afford to drink any during lunch, as I had to return to work shortly after, I bought a growler to have some later. Up until that point, I had no idea what a growler was. Clicking on the link will take you to a fun article that explains the growler as well as some theories regarding its origin. At any rate, I bought myself one, had it filled with their Nut Brown Ale, and brought it home. The benefit of this is that I can now take it to any brewery in the future and carry out beer! What a great invention! Although, I must say, I feel a little silly about the thought of carrying around a growler, especially considering how infrequently I drink. Now if only I could find some company to drink the newly purchased 1/2 gallon of beer with...

Today's Wit: A piece of string walked into a bar and said "Gimme a beer!" but the bartender said "Get outta here! We don't serve your kind here!" So the string left, but he was thirsty, and he really wanted a beer, so he messed up his hair real badly and looped himself around until he had tied himself into a knot. When the string went back into the bar, the bartender looked at him suspiciously and said "Aren't you that worthless piece of string I just threw outta here?" No, the string replied, "I'm a frayed knot!"