She is just so cool. I don't know what else to say. Am a wee bit depressed that she's not only my age, but six days younger than I. Not that a masters degree in jazz performance is part of my plot to become a massive UK pop star....but I'm sure you know what I mean. Perhaps I'll dye my hair red-orange.... Here's a particularly nice vid of an accoustic version of "Cosmic Love"-I also love her outift even though my mum would describe it as "oudedoos". And I love what she does with her hand at the end-echoing the harpist's patterns.
I'm sorry I haven't written in a while. I was on such a good blogging roll. Drat. And I get very tetchy when my favourite blogs aren't updated daily-it's like expecting a new newspaper everyday and not receiving it on a particular morning because all the journalists collectively decided to sit in their pyjamas eating oat bran pancakes and watching episodes of "The Good Wife." Of course, that's not what I've been doing...
However, I have not completely forgotten my lovely readers (who comprise a handful of family members and some musician friends I Jewish-guilt-trip into reading my scrawlings). I have researched long and hard for this particular post and, with a mad flourish, I present....an interview with my friend, fellow jazzer and foodie, Lohr (of course that's not his real name, just a mispronunciation of his surname, and he didn't want to go incognito, but I think it's more mysterious this way...).
Lohr is a 20-something version of Lee Konitz. Lohr is also the son of an Italian chef. Lohr is also from Tarpon Springs, Florida (I always thought he was from Miami but that's just because I love "The Birdcage" and my geography skills are god awful). Lohr is obsessed with Thomas Keller of "French Laundry" fame. Lohr claims to make an incredible chocolate torte but the only version of said torte that I've been fortunate enough to sample was burnt. I still ate it....every crumb....gone. Depsite the folding torte, Lohr is a very, very, very good cook and has the innate talent of just "throwing" things together and knowing how much seasoning is in a fist-full. He is obviously really of Italian descent...he's not just lying. A kindred spirit of sorts, it's been psychologically reinforcing to find someone who understands that good pistachio gelato must be discussed at every possible moment, and that Levain cookies should be eaten. Daily. Like a vitamin or supplement.
Thomas Keller
1. Apples or Oranges?
It's really hard to choose between the two, because that would be just like comparing...eh, sorry.
When apples are at their peak in the fall it's hard to resist them. Not only are they incredibly delicious andversatile (from pies to fries) but they also keep doctors away! For all other times of the year though I'm going to have to go with oranges. My hands are covered with rinds right now.
2. Is breakfast indeed the most important meal of the day? If so, describe your perfect breakfast.
Breakfast is my absolute favorite meal of the day. In fact, breakfast is such a great meal that (as many people might agree) you can eat it any time of the day. For example: have you ever woken up at seven o'clock in the morning craving a thick slab of steak with mashed potatoes and a side of mushroom gravy? Didn't think so. Pancakes, eggs, coffee and the like will win every time. With this said, I'm a huge fan of a big, southern country breakfast. Give me a homemade biscuit with country ham, soft scrambled eggs, aged cheddar and raspberry preserves along with some roasted potatoes, tomatoes and a freshly brewed cup of coffee and I'll be smiling like a five year old riding a pony for the first time.
3. What do you look for in a good cup of coffee?
I personally like my coffee as strong as motor oil. The coffee should have such a great, intense flavor that you wouldn't dare upset the natural balance of it's universe with sweeteners or creamers. My coffee should wake me up and prepare me to take on the day; if I wanted a liquid candy bar for a drink I'd grab a Snickers and head to the microwave.
4. If Mario Batali and Thomas Keller got in a fight who would win?
Ah, my two favorite chefs. If we are speaking in terms of a culinary fight, this would be an incredibly close battle. Mario, with his rustic yet elegant Italian cooking would have a run for his money against his home-schooled yet sophisticated Americana chef rival. Though Keller's dishes might edge out Batali in creativity and/or complexity, I might have to go with Batali on this one. Homestyle "like your grandma made it" Italian cuisine gives you such a comforting, warm feeling inside that when done at such a high level nothing else can really compare. If we're talking about an actual fight though, Batali hands down. I don't think that match-up would be fair.
5. Your favourite flavour of ice cream is....
Eek. That's like asking me to pick my favorite Fanta girl. It depends on what I'm in the mood for!
Just kidding! But seriously, each season has me channeling different flavors/emotions (yes, I believe different ice creams evoke different emotions in all of us!) In the fall, pumpkin ice cream reigns supreme. Nothing screams fall quite like the flavors of pumpkin and spices on a brisk October day. Winter time calls for salted dark chocolate hazelnut (you just want to hibernate after eating some). In the spring I'll take good ol' fashioned mint chocolate chip, and in the summertime a pear or blood orange sorbet will shut me up any time of the day. With all of this in mind, I'll pretty much eat any kind of ice cream, any time of the year. A weird favorite of mine is avocado ice cream with fresh strawberries (best in the summertime).
6. The soundtrack to you preparing dinner would be...
When I'm cooking I like to zone into whatever I'm doing; therefore any other background noise/music usually gets blocked out of my mind. On the other hand, I sometimes enjoy listening to some of my favorite artists ranging from jazz to rock- John Coltrane, Patrick Watson, Bill Evans and Sufjan Stevens to name a few.
7. Linguine or Penne?
Depends! Before I choose a specific type of pasta to use I almost always take into consideration what kind of dish I want to make. I might choose penne for a heartier dish, say with a spicy hazelnut pesto, goat cheese and italian sausage. But if I'm in the mood for a simple pasta with garlic and olive oil-linguini all the way.
Small tip: One thing I love doing with day old cooked pasta is crisping it up in a pan over high heat with olive oil, salt and pepper. The texture/flavor the pasta achieves after this process adds so much to the already prepared meal!
8. The most useful spice for seasoning food is...
In my opinion, the most useful and versatile spice for seasoning all food is none other than salt. It should enhance and bring out the flavors that are already present in whatever food you are preparing. I was taught that if you can taste the salt in any dish, it's probably too salty. Aside from this, my favorite spice to use has to be nutmeg. The earthiness and warm sweetness it can bring to meats, vegetables and desserts can evoke a longing for autumn any time of the year.
9. What would you add to a basic tomato sauce to make it sparkle and special?
Tomato sauce is a serious subject for me. My father taught me his recipe when I was thirteen years old, and I have been ever since trying to break free of his shadow and turn that recipe into one of my own. There are so many different things to do with tomato sauce! This past summer when I was in Sicily visiting family my aunt made hers with eggplant, peas and a bit of crushed red pepper. Sometimes I'll render down applewood smoked slab bacon before cooking the onions and garlic to give it a nice smoky flavor. Also, adding and reducing different wines within the cooking process can add depth and deepen the flavors for the end resulting sauce. A favorite of mine includes Italian sausage, thyme, parmigianno reggiano and white wine.
10. Your favourite winter ingredient is...
Winter's harvest includes some of my favorite foods- it's hard for me to choose just one! I enjoy butternut squash, beets, chestnuts, and blood oranges to name a few. Thanks to my Italian/Jewish heritage I think I have the worst sweet tooth known to mankind, and therefore love to take one/all of these ingredients and turn them into some sort of dessert. Blood orange sorbet is a favorite of mine, along with a chestnut and honey cake my father used to make all the time when I was growing up. On that note, I think it's time for me to make some of that cake, er, get some work done. Happy eating!
Lohr's Tome/Bible/Most Prized Possesion
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