Pistachio-Crusted Arctic Char (Page 308)
- Date: Wednesday, November 1, 2006 -- 9pm
- Location: Somerville, MA
- Kitchen: My Apartment
- Fellow Chef: Craig
- Dining Companions: Matty, Ana, Glen, and Jessie
- Recipe Rating: A-
char last week, which often they don't. This dish was very good. The char was beautifully cooked, and had a wonderful flavor. The topping was also very tasty. Everyone had the same two criticisms of the recipe though: one, it would have been nice if the topping had crusted a bit. The recipe claims to be pistachio-crusted, but really the topping stayed very soft on the fish. Some crustiness would have been nice. The other complaint was that there was just too much of the topping. It tasted great, but it was also extremely rich, and in the quantity indicated, it was a bit overpowering on the fish. All that said, it was still a great dish and everyone enjoyed it very much.I just got back from book club. We were talking about "On Beauty" by Zadie Smith. I didn't start it until Monday, so I only read the first 70 pages or so, but I am enjoying it so far and I plan to finish it. Two of the main characters in the book are academics, so much of the discussion this evening focused on the life of an academic. One woman in my book club had some really slanderous things to say about academia. My personal favorite: "Everybody knows you should never listen to an academic." Huh. I didn't know that actually. She went on and on. I had to bite my tongue for two hours straight. It wasn't even worth it to argue with her. I did learn amazing things from her though. For instance, apparently male academics aren't capable of loving their families. Who knew? She also described one of the characters in the book as being "torn between her desire to be an academic and her desire to be sexually appealing." I thought that was pretty special. This woman knows I am in academia -- even if she really thinks academics are the inhuman bastards she portrayed them to be, why would she say that to me? Very mysterious...
4 comments:
I think I've made this topping (pistachio, basil leaves, maybe some garlic and lemon juice? can't remember) on salmon before, and it crusted pretty well. I wonder if it would go well with pasta.
--mg
You must have the magic touch -- or maybe you put it on thinner than we did. I think that would have helped it crust more. Yeah, it would definitely be tasty with pasta -- a pistachio pesto!
Why didn't you defend academia? It seemed like the perfect time to let go of some pent-up aggressivity... and to watch the blattering idiot squirm while she tries to justify all of her stupid comments.
Maybe it's more my kind of fun. :)
I was tempted, but my book club is not usually a very confrontational environment, so I was trying to maintain my compusure for the benefit of everyone involved. I wish you would have been there though -- that would have been amazing!
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