The Bad Plus And Jason Moran Concert

I went to see a double bill performance concert last night in the Lisner Auditorium in Washington, D.C. First on was jazz pianist Jason Moran who did an excellent show. He was accompanied by a small band: alto and tenor sax, trombone, trumpet, tuba, bass and drums. His program was based on a 1959 Town Hall concert by Thelonius Monk. Before every song begins, a visual and audio of Monk being interviewed or talking with his band was shown on a screen behind the band. It was like a TV special with live music, interesting and entertaining. All the musicians are exceptional although in one instance I hardly heard the piano during the loud playing of all instruments specially the 2 saxophones. I did not expect to love it but I honestly did regardless of the sax. I haven't listened to anything with saxophone (thanks Kenny G for ruining sax for me and probably for everyone else on this entire planet!) but with excellent musicians playing avant-garde jazz style I might start liking the saxophone again.:=) Click on his name to check out the next two performances. I highly recommend his show.

The Bad Plus as usual did not disappoint and was LOUD when it was time to be loud. Some parents who accompanied their teenagers left the auditorium when they thought nobody was looking, I guess they didn't like tbp's music. Well, their music is not for everybody. If you like classical piano AND hard rock, you will probably like them but if you are into smooth jazz you'll probably hate their style of music which is hard to categorize, they are jazzy with a little bit of rock and a touch of classical piano playing. (One example is their cover of Black Sabbath's Iron Man, the tune is familiar but with semi-classical feel with the piano and bass sound, plus relentless drumming.) They played 4 new songs and 4 songs from their records. What I like is they vary their sound each time they play a song. And the last song they played, Silence Is The Question, from their first album GIVE (I played this song over and over for maybe 6 months non-stop) started very slow and soft, as it should be, for maybe 5 minutes then they gradually got louder, more forceful and the ending was magnificently heart pounding! I love tbp!

Nuts About Nuts!

It's the last week of October which means party, party party! which will probably last until early next year. It also means you have to think of what food to bring to these events. Because I love nuts I recommend sweet or savory nuts. They are easy to prepare and to transport unlike cakes which can easily get squished or the quick to spoil macaroni salad. They can be served as appetizers or desserts or dinner/lunch munchies.

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Mushroom And Wild Rice Soup

Finally, it feels a teensy bit like fall. Usually by this time of the year I would be making soup at least twice a week but since the first day of autumn the temperature started rising and stayed at a summer-like 80°F until today. Actually it still isn't as cold as it should be but I'm in the mood for mushroom soup and because I have a container of assorted dried mushrooms: morel, porcini, Brazilian caps, ivory portabella, shiitake, oyster. I adapted the recipe on the container using vegetable broth and added fresh baby criminis and cooked wild rice. The wild rice is a wonderful addition because of its chewy texture not to mention it's good for you.

Mushroom And Wild Rice Soup

2 cups re-hydrated mixed wild mushrooms (cut big ones into bite size pieces)
2 cups fresh baby crimini
2 cups cooked wild rice
¼ cupbutter
¼ cup olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
8 garlic cloves, sliced
1/3 cup flour
½ cup dry sherry
6 cups vegetable broth
salt to taste
½ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

• In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter, add oil, onion and garlic and saute until onions are soft and translucent. Add the mushrooms and cook until all the moisture is mostly gone. Add the flour and stirring often, cook for 5-7 minutes until the flour looks and smells lightly toasted. Add sherry and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in vegetable broth and salt. Let come to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add rice, heavy cream, and thyme and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Serve hot with crusty bread or garlic bread sticks. Or top spaghetti noodles with this thick soup, it's incredibly delicious.

Marzipan Halloween Candies

marzipan pumpkins


marzipan fingers

A large bag of almonds has been sitting in my freezer for I don't know how long. I had to use them up before they go rancid so I made marzipan. Making your own marzipan is time consuming but costs just a fraction of what you'll pay for several 7-oz cans of ready-made marzipan which will probably yield just a dozen of miniature fruits per can. The other advantage of making your own is you are sure there are no additives in your marzipan. And I had so much fun making the miniature pumpkins and "severed" fingers. This is a great project for children. Making fruits like bananas, cherries, and oranges is similar to working with clay, the difference is they are cute, edible, and yummy.

Marzipan
4 cups skinless almond meal
2 egg whites
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup water
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
powdered sugar for kneading
1 teaspoon almond extract, optional

• In a large saucepan over medium heat, mix sugar and water, stir until sugar is melted. Add cream of tartar, bring to a boil. Cover pan and cook for 3 minutes. Uncover, attach candy thermometer and cook to 240°F. Turn off heat, stir until the mixture has thickened slightly. Stir in almonds and egg whites. Turn heat back on and cook for 4 minutes. If using almond extract, stir it in now. Transfer the mixture into a silpat-lined board or surface. Using a spatula, turn and knead until cool enough to handle. With gloved hands, knead until pliable, sprinkling powdered sugar if too sticky. Divide into 8-oz pieces, form into rounds, and wrap in plastic film. Refrigerate until ready to shape.

Marzipan Pumpkins
8 unces marzipan, homemade or store-bought
orange food color paste
dark brown food color paste
powdered sugar for kneading
toothpicks

• Set aside about 2 tablespoons of marzipan. Sprinkle a little powdered sugar on a silpat-lined surface or large baking sheet, knead the remaining marzipan, add 1/8 tsp orange food color paste, knead well until uniform in color. Add more coloring if you want it brighter than the ones I made. Cut a small piece and shape into a 1-inch ball. Flatten the balls slightly. Using a toothpick, make vertical marks to resemble pumpkins. Set aside.
• Add brown food color paste a little at a time to the 2 tablespoons marzipan until it is dark chocolate brown in color. Roll into a very thin long piece. Cut into ½ inch pieces. Using the tip of a Japanese plastic chopstick, make tiny holes on top of the pumpkins and insert the stems.

Marzipan Fingers
8 ounces marzipan
10 pieces whole almonds with skin
red food color paste
toothpicks or small food-safe brush

• Divide marzipan into 10 pieces and form each into fingers. Using a toothpick, make marks to resemble fingers. Using your nails or toothpick fray one end. Using toothpicks or a small brush, dab color paste on frayed end. Taper the other end and press an almond. You can brush the almond the same red food color paste, if desired.