Dumbstruck with the sweetness of being

I don’t have enough time to critique “Ys”, the new album by Joanna Newsom. I don’t even know if i am even able to. It is very humbling to see such a beautiful young talent making her way along life. I have recently found myself constantly listening with Track 1 – Emily. (lyrics here: http://www.alwaysontherun.net/joanna.htm#Emily

Joanna’s words are simply heart warming. Her songs envelope you in a world far from here, invoking a natural organic existence and a layer of visible love. Her music is beautiful and her voice which at is at first odd, becomes more endearing every time you hear it. But really to me, it’s her lyrics that top it off.

The first Joanna song I heard was The Book of Right On. Such a great song. The lyrics are very light and the flow of the words is so creative, rich with beautiful alliteration and internal rhyme.

Do you want to sit at my table?
My fighting fame is fabled
And fortune finds me fit and able

Very cool! It goes on like this:
And even when you run through my mind
Something else is infront; you’re behind
And I don’t have to remind you to stick with your kind

Saturday Elaine and I went to watch a movie at Hoyts and they had this Melbourne add playing to “Sprout and the Bean”. I remember watching this Metallica documentary talking about when Metallica went mainstream, the kids who were listening to Metallica in the underground were gutted when their little sisters were running around shouting “Sad but True!!!!!”. Well, I couldnt help but feel the same when i heard Joanna. I don’t think though it is because it went mainstream, but more because was not really appropriate for the ad, and because they had edited out the gutsy chorus which is the best part!!! Argh!

Anyway, I’m very excited because Elaine and I are going to see her on the 27th of January. I’m hoping she would sing all of Ys plus a minimum

-The book of right on

-Sadie

-The Sprout and the Bean

It’s going to be good!

Snapper Pie

INGREDIENTS* 800g of pink snapper fillet (or blue eye cod)* 4 dessertspoons white truffle oil* 1kg puff pastrySoubaise sauce* 1.2kg sliced onions* 1 tspn olive oil* 400ml fish stock (homemade is best)* 800ml cream* 300g diced onion
WHAT TO DO Soubise sauce: Sweat onions with olive oil and a little salt. Cook until the onions take on a very light brown colour, cool, then add fish stock and reduce by half. Add cream, and recude by half or until a thick cream consistency is reached. Remove from heat. To cook: In a separate pan, sweat the diced onion in a little olive oil. Meanwhile, blend the onion cream mixture, then add the cooked diced onion and adjust the seasoning. To assemble, roll pastry 1/2cm thick and cut into four ovals which are 3cm wider than the pie dishes. In each pie dish, spoon about two tablespoons of soubise sauce. Lay 200g of snapper on the sauce, cover with another tablespoon of sauce and a dessertspoon of truffle oil, then lay puff pastry lid and press down the sides. Make cool shapes and designs on the top of the pie with the left over pastry. Glaze with egg wash. Cook pies for 25 minutes at 260C. Rest for a few minutes before serving. Serve with mashed potatoes and smoked tomatoes. Serves 8.

Lemon Curd Recipe

This recipe was lost to me for a while. It used to come on top of google for lemon curd, but now it has been replaced by less pure recipes. Bastards! I tasted this for the first time from Simon Johnson’s in Pyrmont, from HRH duchy original organic line of excellent stuff! The internet provided an excellent recipe for it…. aghhhh… Lemon Curd. So goooood…

Luckily, though the recipe was lost, I was able to find it again, and here it will stay forever in my blog.

Mrs Munslow’s Lemon curd ©

The Munslow family of Hallow, Worcestershire.

My mum’s lemon curd (makes 1 pound)

1. Finely grated rind and juice of 2 large lemons; 2 large eggs; sugar 170 to 200 g(depending on how sweet you like it); butter 120g.
2. Beat the eggs thoroughly.
3. Place sugar, butter, lemon rind and half of the lemon juice into a bain marie.
4. Stir slowly till everything is dissolved.
5. Add the beaten eggs and remaining lemon juice.
6. Heat gently, stirring frequently until it will coat the back of a spoon (thick cream consistency).
7. Pour into heated jars/ use within six weeks. Use like jam (sandwiches or in tarts).