Month: August 2009

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the closing of the campus mind

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixc8chcvXks[/youtube]

The Documentary Channel will be presenting “Indoctrinate U.” The Documentary Channel refers to I.U. as follows:

“A terrific must-see.” – National Review

“Excellent.” – Rocky Mountain News

A hard-hitting yet humorous expose of the breathtaking abuses of power in higher eduation. Evan Coyne Maloney’s doc shows what you won’t see in the glossy marketing brochures of American colleges and universities.

When unsuspecting students and professors run afoul of the campus thought police, the results would make for great comic farce — if real careers weren’t at stake.

The Documentary Channel will be showing Indoctrinate U several more times over the coming weeks.
Here’s the schedule (all times shown are Pacific U.S.):

  • Tuesday, September 1st at 2:00 PM
  • Tuesday, September 15th at 11:30 AM
  • Monday, September 28th at 8:30 PM
  • Wednesday, September 30th at 1:30 AM
  • Friday, October 2nd at 8:00 PM and again at 8:00 PM
oh yes, I am in the film! ... although a bit chubbier. ;)
oh yes, I am in the film! ... although a lot chubbier. 😉 -- It was the stress of the times.

If you miss these opportunities, you can buy the video directly from the Documentary Channel.

Roger

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Happy 57th Birthday, Laura!

Here is Laura over the years, always beautiful, I wish I changed as little!
Here is Laura over the years, always beautiful, I wish I changed as little!

I have a picture of Laura when she was about 15 and although I am a little biased, I can’t see where she has changed all that much in the intervening years. We’ve dragged ourselves around the county including Houston and New York City, but in all that time we managed to raise three daughters and build a life for ourselves.

Laura and I were married in 1972 at the ripe old age of 20… but it seemed like a natural thing to do, once we figured out how to stay alive financially… and next month makes it 37 years. So, as one of your admirers, let me be the first to say:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Laura!

Roger

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the cliff notes to French cooking

a nice little book to have around the kitchen
a nice little book to have around the kitchen

One of the things that I have enjoyed in reading the works of  Chef Escoffier was his frustration with the turn of the century trend towards simplification of recipes. His praise of inventiveness and hope for the development of new and wondrous recipes reflects someone who believes that not everything has been discovered. He was a master chef who was continually willing to explore . Who can argue with that?

This little book is part dictionary and part recipe short hand that gives both the professional and the amateur a wonderful reference. Here is the Escoffier shorthand for an entree I made other other day:

“LOBSTER THERMIDOR: Dress the collups in halved carapaces and coat with Bercy reduction and mustard cohered with Mornay sauce, glaze.”

In case you are staring at this with glazed eyes, here are a few definitions to help understand the shorthand:

MORNAY SAUCE: BĂ©chamel sauce with shredded or grated cheese added.
(BĂ©chamel sauce is made by whisking scalded milk — or cream in the old way — gradually into a white flour and butter roux)

BERCY BUTTER: a sauce made with a reduction of white wine with shallots, butter, marrow, lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper.

COLLOPS: thin slices of meat.

CARAPACE: the thick hard shield of  lobsters

To take a quote from the preface:

In using the RĂ©pertoire, one learns — or will be reminded — of largely forgotten categories like Dessert Croutes (even though Pain Dore became the All-American favorite — French Toast). Le RĂ©pertoire de La Cuisine  is not a book of abstraction, but a handy, brilliantly conceived, easily compressed compendium of everything you should know about the organized system of the culinary arts.

One of the truism of the book can be found in an obscure passage:

“The better the ingredients employed, the better will be the final result.”

Bon Appetite

Roger

PS. this beautiful handbook can be purchased very inexpensively on Amazon.com

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end of an era when children grow up

losing a bit of history comes with change
losing a bit of history comes with change

Well, this is certainly not a surprise to those who have become empty nesters that many of the memories from your children’s childhood years become casualties of change. It finally became time to make a change to the last children’s room in the house. Changing out furniture, pulling out carpet and finally painting the walls makes for a new room. 22 years ago I painted this at the request of one of my daughters who traveled everywhere with a 4′ tall Gumby.

Do you remember who framed Roger Rabbit?
Do you remember who framed Roger Rabbit?

Although the ‘dipping of the shoe’ in the film “who framed Roger Rabbit?” saddened my children, it remained one of their favorite movies as the bad guy finally got his in the end.

I am not sad that these 4′ images I sketched on the wall have gone, I am just sincerely grateful that it was something we could all share together. Life is always ahead of us and never behind.

Roger Freberg

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lobster thermidor for when only the best will do

lobster thermidor for Laura's birthday!
lobster thermidor for Laura's birthday!

Laura and I have been around each other for 40 years and I wanted this years birthday to be a little special, including all of the things that she enjoys with every culinary desire satisfied. Laura loves a good lobster thermidor and now-a-days it is very easy to make it yourself.

Here is my recipe

You may be surprised that Lobster Thermidor is sometimes served in a pastry shell… but most men like their dinner to come to them fully edible! 😉 Like all great marvels, lobster thermidor is based on culinary work of the giants of the past as well as timing and a bit of luck!

Roger Freberg

“Hats” off to chef Antonin Careme and chef Auguste Escoffier whose written work inspired this direction.