Book Review ANGELICA: A NOVEL by Arthur Phillips

Angelica: A Novel by Arthur Phillips 5 stars

A psychological thriller set in Victorian England written most brilliantly by Arthur Phillips à la Rashomon, which is one of my top 20 favorite movies. The same story is retold from four different perspectives: the mother's, the hired spiritualist's, the father's, and the daughter Angelica's, my sympathy shifting as I read. The book deals with ghosts (real or imagined), relationships, memories, and psychoanalysis. The book is so good I couldn't decide if I should finish it in one day or read it slowly because I didn't want it to end just yet. I just had to read it again. I had the same reaction to Phillips' last novel The Egyptologist, I read the book twice in one week. He has become one of my favorite authors. Highly Recommended

BBQ

We had a gorgeous weather today, just perfect for grilling. I barbecued pork back ribs and loin chops which I marinated yesterday, asparagus spears, eggplants, and sweet corn on the cob. I peeled the eggplants and mixed them with grated ginger, then served with salted chopped tomatoes. I really love the taste of charcoal grilled food, not just meat but also fruits like pineapple, peaches, and bananas, and pizza also cooks well on the grill.

marinade for pork back ribs: calamansi juice, soy sauce, sea salt, lots of garlic, sugar, ground pepper

marinade for pork loin chops: coconut vinegar, garlic, sea salt, ground pepper

Apple Pie Ice Cream

I love warm apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I have a few wrinkly apples that I wanted to make into apple pie or tart but didn't want to heat up the oven and kitchen. The result is ice cream with apple pie flavor. When I mentioned the idea to my daughter, she suggested using graham crackers for the 'pie crust'. Brilliant! I love it.

Apple 'Pie' Ice Cream
2 fuji apples, diced
1 tablespoon butter
¼ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon freshly grated cinnamon or ground cinnamon
3 graham crackers, broken into chunks
1 recipe vanilla ice cream

• In a skillet, cook apples, butter and sugar until apples are soft, golden brown and caramelized. Transfer in one layer in a flat container. Put graham crackers in a ziploc bag. Store both apples and crackers in the freezer for 2 hours or until semi-frozen.

Vanilla Ice Cream from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz
Makes 1 quart
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
¼ cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

• Pour 1 cup of the heavy cream into a medium saucepan and add the sugar and salt. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the saucepan and add the pod to the pan. Warm over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add the remaining 1 cup cream, the milk, and the vanilla extract. Chill in the refrigerator.
• When ready to churn, remove the vanilla bean, rinsing it and reserving it for another use, and then freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to manufaturer's instructions.

Stuffed Baby Chicken In Broth (Young Gye Beck Sook)

I had this Korean chicken soup in Seoul many years ago, I have made it maybe a couple of times before. In restaurants it's cooked and served in individual earthen pots, which means one chicken to a person. When I learned it was a whole chicken I asked one of the people I was travelling with to help me finish it but the chicken was super tiny and delicious I ended up eating the WHOLE thing, including the rice!

Young Gye Beck Sook
adapted from THE KOREAN KITCHEN by Copeland Marks

1 very small chicken or cornish game hen, about 1½ pounds
1/3 cup sweet rice, washed and drained
10 garlic cloves, peeled
2 pieces fresh ginseng, each 2 inches long
½ inch fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
5 jujubes (Korean dates)
5 whole chestnuts
2 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste

roasted chestnuts, dried Korean jujubes, garlic, ginger and fresh ginseng and sweet rice

• Rinse out the body cavity of the chicken with cold water. Sew up the neck part to seal in the ingredients. Stuff the chicken with the rice, 5 of the garlic cloves and ginseng. Sew up the opening.
• Put the chicken in a pot and add water just to the top of the chicken. Add the ginger, the other 5 garlic cloves, jujubes, chestnuts, and salt and bring to a boil over moderate heat. Skim off and discard foam, reduce heat to low, cover the pan and simmer for 1 - 1½ hours. About halfway through the time, turn the chicken over to cook on the other side. Serve hot in a large tureen.