April in (not) Paris...

there is also my other favorite new thing. kinda looks like a bowl of spaghetti and uncooked brain, no? it is not food, but does come with a bit of a sweet backstory.

you see... i had a childhood friend named April, although no one—including her family— ever called her that. we went to the same private school in Brooklyn, where we were part of a friendship quintet of sorts. the title of my best friend, however, went to one of the other girls in that clique. 

then, everything changed when high school attacked!

our quintet parted ways, and all of those friendships quickly evaporated... except for April. our families lived in different parts of the City (mine in Brooklyn, hers in Queens), and we went to high schools in different parts of the City (mine in lower Manhattan, hers in the north Bronx). still... she quickly became my most-trusted confidant, and my (occasional) accomplice in mischief... before, during, or after the fact, as required. she was my best friend!  

April went to a college several states away, and she remained several states away. her family had experienced some difficulties, and they chose to pick up the pieces and carry on closer to where she was. we never tried to force "keeping in touch". after so much sorrow and loss, i understood why she wanted to stay gone. 

and, just like that... i lost my best friend. 

i bring up all of this because her name—although no one ever called her that—and the memory of that friendship is the only positive thing i have to say about "April". as far as the calendar is concerned... April is dead to me!

January and February can be a battle for your sanity in this ridiculously cold place, but April...? April is a treacherous, back-stabbing bi... April sucks! 

there i was, repotting some seedlings, and foolishly making plans for this year's balcony garden project...

when April in Montreal happened. fifteen(ish) years in this place, and it still gets me every single time.

him: there is a snowfall warning in effect for Quebec and the Greater Montreal Area.

me: say what, now?

him: there is a snowfall warning in effect for Quebec and the Greater Montreal Area... if we even get any snow at all. 

the next day. 

i felt sorry for Norbert. he looks like Tyrone Biggums waiting to score. bonus point if you got that. 

i am genuinely embarrassed for having spent the past few months feeding this menace.

we are gonna have to start claiming his peanut allowance as a business expense for the studio. can you draw or write a script, Norbert? 

naturally, i was feeling betrayed—yet again— by this deceitful month. so, i dyed some yarn... and i kept on dyeing, until i came up with a new favorite! i see falling cherry blossoms and pink and white tulips in bloom. you know... things that normally happen in Spring. 

i am calling this one April in (not) Paris. 

trust me when i say that this one is special. the yarn consists of a cotton mesh tube knitted around a polyamide core. acid dyes (the stuff i use on wool) works on polyamide... but not on cotton. in essence, i dyed the core of the yarn, and left the outer layer the original color. 

i went with the slow immersion technique to achieve a gradient in the color (433 Strawberry Red, which seems to be unavailable at present). i love how different this yarn looks going from wet to dry. 

i dyed 400 grams of this yarn, which should be enough for a garment for self, and i made sure to keep the knot in the center of the lightest section. this is the sort of thing my brand of OCD demands. best of all, it is totally wool free, which means i can wear it with zero allergy concerns.  so... yay, me!!!

now, pardon me while i crank the thermostat back up (as the overnight temperature will be hovering near freezing), and maybe listen to some music for old folks, while i work on a puzzle. see you in May... maybe. 

while garlic watched...

we need to have a talk about my latest culinary obsession. not sure what you are supposed to be looking at? well, allow me to explain. and, worry not... we will get back to these ridiculously tasty scallops in a bit. 

i am struggling to find the right words to describe black garlic to the uninitiated. despite the name, it delivers a culinary influence that is, frankly, something else. tastewise, it is like prunes had sex with fermented black beans ... while garlic watched. that is something else, right?

i am using a single-bulb variety here, but the principle and process is the same for regular (multi-bulb) garlic. in short, there is a whole lot of sugar in garlic, which is usually masked by all the sharp, peppery flavor. when cured at a controlled temperature and humidity, all that sugar is transformed into sticky, gooey goodness. no additives necessary! the process also significantly reduces the sharp, peppery smell and taste, resulting in something with barely a trace of garlic. the end product tastes like a smoothie of extra-dark molasses and miso... at low tide. i did mention that i am struggling to describe this stuff, right?

out of the peel, the cured garlic look like mini dried figs. the root ends reminds me of a black-eyed Susan or a sunflower. 

we had mussels the previous day, and i saved some of the (unapologetically unstrained) jus for this non-special occasion. what occasion you ask? just some random day, when i felt like eating a truly delicious meal. i may have also purchased a tennis-ball-canister full of black garlic, so now it needs to be used.

the scallops were left to drain in the fridge, on a plate lined with paper towels. excess moisture gets in the way of forming a nice toasty sear in the pan, so this is an important step. 

i began by preheating the pan on medium heat. the entire cooking process took about five or six minutes, so it is important to start with the pan ready to go.  i removed the scallops from the fridge, and sprinkled them with Kosher salt, freshly-ground pepper, and a bit of (also freshly-ground) coriander. it is best to season scallops at the last minute, or you risk ruining the texture for all Eternity.  

into the hot pan went a splash of olive oil, and a bit of unsalted butter, swirling to thoroughly coat the bottom. i waited briefly for the distinct smell of toasty, browned butter, before quickly arranging the scallops—seasoned side down—in the pan. then... i just let them sizzle away for about two minutes, occasionally tilting the pan, to encourage even cooking. mostly, i made sure not to disturb that precious bit of real estate below each scallop. 

i get mocked for saying these things, but you can actually hear when that lovely bit of crust has formed. the "sizzle" sounds... different. 

i seasoned the second side right before giving them a flip, carefully and quickly. again, i did  nothing, except continuing to give the pan a few more tilts, and maybe a 'rotate' or two to keep the heat distribution even. 

once it got  to the "sizzle" stage on that second side, in went a dollop of crushed black garlic...

along with the reserved mussel sauce.  

i also turned up the heat to nearly-full-blast. the objective was to reduce the sauce in about a minute or so. i carried on swirling the pan, using the back of the spoon to thoroughly incorporate the crushed garlic into the sauce, and continuously spooning the mixture over the top of the scallops. it was a very busy 'minute or so'.

finally, i removed the pan from the heat, and added a pat of butter to the reduced sauce, swirling and spooning as i went, until it was thoroughly melted. the bits of green are chopped leeks and herbs that were part of the mussel sauce.

not gonna lie... i used to think that chefs on tv were a bit over the top when the added extra butter after stuff was done cooking. but, now... i understand. it really does make for a tastier sauce. 

et voilà... a special (i hope) meal for any ordinary day!

i am absolutely loving all the je ne sais quoi this magic ingredient brings to everything. it is umami on steroids! the following day, i added some to a vegetable and oxtail stew that may have changed my life. there may also be a plan to use it in a 'Singapore black pepper style' snow crab adventure i will be undertaking in a few days. 

oh, yeh... it is snow crab season in Canada! 

and, speaking of seasons... i had my very first butterfly sighting of the season when i got out of bed (technically, yesterday, as it is almost two in the morning). it was a Mourning Cloak, because i know you love these pointless details. i may have squealed with delight for a whole minute. yes... you should be embarrassed for me. that kind of joyful display could ruin my whole brand. 

now, pardon me while i get back to dreaming up more delicious things to make with black garlic.