The Boy and the Beast (2015)

This is a complicated plot for an animated movie, which means that it was likely over looked when it came out in theaters in the United States.  The Japanese animated giants also have faith in their audience to handle the material, which makes for interesting watching.
Ren is the boy.  He is nine years old when his distant relatives try to take him into their custody. His mother has died in a sudden accident, and his father has not been contacted (he and Ren's mother divorced). Ren is so angry that he runs away, and is almost immediately abducted by Kumatetsu, a humanoid bear-monster who lives in Jutengai, a fantastic world ruled by animals who are human in all but their appearance. Kumatetsu is the hot head heir to Jutengai's throne, and he needs an apprentice in order to prove himself to Jutengai's enigmatic current ruler. So Ren is made to help Kumatetsu defeat his do-no-wrong rival Iozan.
Ren and Kumatetsu's do not get along and they do not complement each other. Ren helping Kumatetsu doesn't automatically confer life-changing or character-building wisdom to Ren. Instead, it gives him the courage to forge his own path. There is a happy ending to it all, but it allows the less-than-perfect viewer reflect on their own foibles. 

New York Style Pizza Sauce

My youngest son has been making pizza at an alarming rate, so even though we canned about 14 pints of pizza sauce last summer, we are dangerously close to being out, and the tomato season has not yet begun, much less booming, so an alternative had to be found.  My spouse spent the entire morning making this recipe with some of the giant cans of tomatoes that we had gotten from Costco not particularly recently, and produced a good sauce.  Like Marcella Hazan, it adds butter for richness.

• 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 medium cloves garlic, grated on microplane grater (about 2 teaspoons)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt
• 2 (6-inch) sprigs fresh basil with leaves attached
• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and split in half
• 1 teaspoon sugar

1. Process tomatoes and their juice through food mill, pulse in food processor until pureed, or puree with hand blender. Puree should not be completely smooth, but should have no chunks larger than 1/16 of an inch. Set tomatoes aside.
2. Combine butter and oil in medium saucepan and heat over medium-low heat until butter is melted. Add garlic, oregano, pepper flakes, and large pinch salt and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil sprigs, onion halves, and sugar. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to lowest setting (bubbles should barely be breaking the surface), and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by 1/2, about 1 hour. Discard onions and basil stems. Season to taste with salt. Allow to cool and store in covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

May Day May Day!

I know, we are one day outside of National Poetry month, but ever so briefly there was a weekend in New Jersey where spring was alive for me and I want to celebrate that feeling (which was quickly dashed by a snow storm, I might add).

The Daffodils by William Wordsworth (1802)

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed – and gazed – but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

Dead Man Down (2013)

There is an awful lot of star power in what is essentially a revenge movie with a lot of shooting, long cold stares, and hustle.  It is not a terrible movie, but it not altogether good.  Then add in that Colin Farrell, Isabelle Huppert, and Terence Howard are all in it, and then it becomes a well acted byt ultimately disappointing movie.
Here is the story.  Farrell plays Victor, a New York gangster who's part of a crew run by alpha-male tough guy, Alphonse Hoyt (Terrence Howard). He appears to be a bad guy, but wait.  Alphonse is being menaced by someone who is sending strange anonymous messages to people who then die.  Victor gets himself involved with his troubled neighbour Beatrice (Noomi Rapace), who lives with her hearing-impaired mum, played by Isabelle Huppert.  She has seen him do a murderous deed and wants him to help her with her revenge fantasy.  These initial scenes delude you into thinking you might be watching something out of the ordinary.  But no, that does not happen.  It is entirely ordinary with unusual characters who are well cast.  That said, it holds your attention, and does not deteriorate from there.

Qilian Mountains, Gansu Province, China

The snow-capped Qilian Mountains rise up mistily between the borders of Qinghai and Gansu, forming a stunning tableau behind the lush meadows and the small Silk Road settlements of these provinces.  They are pronounced "Chilian", and they rise like the Andes do in the back bone of South America.
These mountains form part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in the northeast and part of the Hexi Corridor in the southwest.  Their size and impassibility contribute to the region's rich past, as the common pathway out of China to the west, known as the Silk Road.  Having stood for thousands of years, this mountain range has been witness to mankind’s history from the construction of the Great Wall in its northern reaches to the bustling trade that took place along the Hexi Corridor.
China is a mountainous country with more than 60% of it's land being at elevation.  This pciture is from early March, where the peaks are still snow and ice covered.   They are the most important water source for the Hexi Corridor in the north and the Qaidam Basin in the south, making it invaluable for the inhabitants of both Gansu and Qinghai.
The mountains themselves rise to an average height of about 4,000 metres (13,000 ft.), with the highest peaks towering at over 5,800 metres (19,000 ft.).  From the verdant valleys where nomads graze their sheep to the icy peaks untouched by mankind, the Qilian Mountains are a natural wonder that have provoked the curiosity of visitors for decades.

Julia Child's Reine de Saba Gâteau

I have made a different version of this cake for over 30 years, but this year my spouse and my youngest unearthed the original recipe.
It can be made with matzoh cake flour or gluten free flour, and it comes out because there is so little flour in it.  So perfect for all sort of occasions. I pour a chocolate ganache over the cake, which is melted chocolate and whipping cream. 

1. • 3 ounces semisweet chocolate, plus1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
   • 2 tablespoons dark rum or 2 tablespoons strong coffee
   • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
   • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
   • 3 egg yolks
   • 3 egg whites
   • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
   • 1 pinch salt
   • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
   • 1/3 cup blanched almond (pulverized in blender or food processor with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar)
   • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
   • 1/2 cup cake flour

Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set the oven rack in lower middle level.
 2. In a saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate in the rum or coffee. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, cut butter into pieces and cream it.
3. When soft and fluffy, add sugar and beat 1 minute. Beat in egg yolks until well blended.
4. In another bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Beat in cream of tartar and salt and continue beating until soft peaks are formed. Gradually beat in 2 tablespoons sugar and continue beating until stiff, shiny peaks are formed. Blend melted chocolate and coffee or rum into yolk mixture, then add almonds and almond extract.
5. Stir a quarter of the egg whites into the chocolate using a rubber spatula. Scoop the rest of the whites over chocolate and, alternating with sprinkles of flour, rapidly and delicately fold in the egg whites. Turn batter into buttered and floured 8-by-1 1/2-inch round cake pan, tilting it in all directions up to the rim all around. Set in preheated oven. Bake 25 minutes.
6. Cake is done when puffed to the top and a toothpick inserted 2 to 3 inches from edge comes out clean. The center should move slightly when the pan is gently shaken. Remove pan to a rack and let cool 15 minutes. Unmold onto rack. Let cool 2 hours before storing or icing.

12 Monkeys (1995)

Ok, this is very dated in terms of special effects and the story line is a bit clunky as well, so while it doesn't hold up to the test of time, there is some good work in here by then much younger actors.
This is a story of a post apocalyptic future where the future goes back to the past to try to stop it all from happening.  Terry Gilliam is the director and the work that he creates here is very much like his movie Brasil.   In this world, everything is rusty, subterranean, and leaks. The movie uses its future world as a home base and launching pad for the central story, which is set in 1990 and 1996, and is about a time traveler trying to save the world from a deadly plague.  Bruce Willis is the confused emissary from the future, and one of his allies is a mentally unstable son of a researcher played by Brad Pitt.  Now I see where the Coen brothers got the idea to cast him as a gum chewing fitness ditz in Burn After Reading.  He is perfect as an off the rails crazy person here.  The story unfolds somewhat predictably as seen from the present, although at the time it may have seemed more prescient.  Recommended.

Small Fry by Lisa Brennan-Jobs

I had just finished the Frederick Douglass biography when I started this on.  A book that thoroughly covers slavery in America followed by the rise of white nationalism is about the only thing that one could read first that would make the sadness of this book pale in comparison.  So brace yourself, this is probably the very best look into the problematic soul of Steve Jobs.
The book is sparse, well written, unapologetic, direct, and without blame or self pity.  She is not seeking revenge so much as she is searching for an answer.  Her parents were high school sweethearts, and then got together briefly after Jobs dropped out of college, which is when she was conceived.  Her father denied her from the beginning is on record as saying many hurtful things about both she and her mother.  The thing is, that was who he was.  He was a casually hurtful man.  He did not know how to so a better job (pun not intended).  He lacked empathy to a startling degree and it is cringe worthy to read.  I identified best with he neighbors who tried to fill in the gaps that her parents could not manage to even see, much less manage.  It is not like my usual reading fare, I agree, but it is well worth spending an afternoon digesting. 

Potatoes Au Gratin

We largely celebrate Passover in my house, but some of us celebrate Easter, which often falls within the confines of the week of Passover.  The traditional Easter dinner for us (and many others) is a ham, which I would ordinarily serve macaroni and cheese for, but not when wheat products are off the table.  I could make a farfel dish to substitute, but this is another option (using matzah cake flour for the flour, or gluten free flour if you are working with some gluten restrictions in your guests).  This is essentially the sauce I make for my macaroni and cheese, but poured over potatoes.  I stood the potatoes up in the pan, but you could layer them.

• 4 russet potatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
• 1 onion, sliced into rings
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200 degrees C).
2. Butter an 8x8 casserole dish.
3. Arrange the potatoes and onions in the prepared baking dish, staggering potato and then onion.
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. In a medium-size saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Mix in the flour and salt, and stir constantly with a whisk for one minute. Stir in milk. Cook until mixture has thickened. 
6. Stir in cheese all at once, and continue stirring until melted and smooth, about 30 to 60 seconds. 
7. Pour cheese over the potatoes, and cover the dish with aluminum foil.
8. Bake 1 1/2 hours (90min.) in the preheated oven.
9. For a crisp topping, change the oven setting to broil for 5 minutes before removing the dish.

Widows (2018)

This movie is not like most heist movies. The emotional currents that power this movie by director Steve McQueen (of Twelve Years a Slave fame) brilliant genre exercise are different—it’s societal inequity, exhaustion at corruption, and outright anger at a bullshit system that steals from the poor to give to the rich.  The story revolves around bad guys who hold people up and are not afraid to use their guns, corrupt politicians who barter with them to get what they want, and the women who are involved with them, who are somewhere on the spectrum between the bad guys and people who just work for their money.  The bad guys have a heist that goes south, and the women are being held accountable for the money they lost--so they pull off the job themselves, and in the process lose a bit more of their moral compasses.  It is a mix of shoot 'em up and chess playing scenes of calculation.
This movie is the kind that works on multiple levels simultaneously—as pure pulp entertainment but also as a commentary on how often it feels like we have to take what we are owed or risk never getting it at all.