Three Courses

Today's menu consists of three courses. For starters, a slightly rhetorical musing on why Australians think the motion of the Earth does not apply to them. Following, for mains, I'll serve up a frigid childhood memory which will only be repeatable by my grandchildren. Finally, dessert will be a rich tale lightly spiced with insults. Might I suggest a light red?

- The winter solstice has just passed here in the southern hemisphere and with it our shortest day. We're on the upswing again. You might think that this also means that winter has just officially started in Australia, but you'd be wrong. Winter Down Under kicks off on the first of June. I appreciate the nice, round number and all, but something about setting arbitrary dates to mark the beginning and end of seasons doesn't sit well with me. The four seasons, as every school child knows, are caused by the tilt of the Earth on its axis as it makes it's way around the sun. It follows then, that the seasons on our calendar should be based on the same movements. The whole affair feels like a disconnect from the natural world. While I can't really do anything about it, I find it disturbing, and as far as I'm concerned it is only now officially winter.

- It was officially spring 1986 in the northern hemisphere when my dad woke me from my nap in the back of the van. It felt like winter. The sun had long set and the Wyoming sky, towards which his telescope was pointed, was awash with stars. “Come look,” he whispered – stargazing always inspires hushed tones. Peering into the frozen little eyepiece I spotted it: a fluffy, speckled blob that could easily have been the lens frosting up. “76 years?” I asked, not quite believing. Later we wrapped our hands around lukewarm mugs of hot chocolate under the moonless sky. “Why doesn't it look like a comet,” I asked. “It's a long way away.”

- I was feeling a long way away when I took my first job in Sydney. I was hired on as the first new chef to join the kitchen team since the restaurant opened six months previously, and I wasn't exactly being welcomed with open arms. Tossed into dessert section until I could prove my worth, I found myself a bit homesick and more than a bit disheartened. Seeking comfort in food, I made a small pot of rich, dark, hot chocolate and spiced it with cinnamon and a tiny pinch of smoked chili. As I poured myself a mug, the head chef walked in. I handed it to him as something of a peace offering. Upon his first sip I listed for him the ingredients, to which he replied with a melodramatic jerk of his head, “ you are such a Santa Fe victim.” It didn't really hurt; he drank it all.

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Putting all this together, I decided to make a winter celebration treat. Just for fun, I spiced the marshmallows instead of the chocolate.

Dark Hot Chocolate with Santa Fe Victim Marshmallows



For the Marshmallows

3 Tbsp unflavored gelatin
300ml water
500g granulated sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
pinch smoked chili powder (see below)
¼ c powdered sugar
¼ c corn starch

Soften the gelatin in in 200 ml of water and set aside. In a small saucepan on medium heat combine the remaining 100 ml of water and granulated sugar and bring to a boil. Simmer until the temperature reaches 115º C (soft ball stage). Remove from reat, combine with the softened gelatin, and stir until cool. Mix in salt. Using an electric mixer (I nearly whisked my arms off doing this by hand) beat until the syrup is white and thick (8-10 min.). Fold in the chili and cinnamon.

Grease a 20 cm square cake pan with a bit of oil. Sift the powdered sugar and the corn starch together and use them to dust the pan. Using a rubber spatula, pour the marshmallow into the pan, smoothing the top. Lightly dust the top with more of the powdered sugar mixture, cover with greaseproof paper and let sit at room temperature for at least an hour.

Turn the marshmallow onto a board dusted with the powdered sugar and either cut with a knife or cookie cutters, tossing each cut marshmallow in more powdered sugar mixture as you cut them. Do not refrigerate.



For the Dark Hot Chocolate

200 ml milk
1 T cream
50g dark chocolate 65% coco or more

Using a knife, shave the chocolate into thin slivers. Heat the milk and cream in a small pot until it nearly boils. Stirring constantly, mix in the chocolate and stir over low heat until it is completely melted and combined with the milk. At no point should you let the milk come to a boil. Serve hot with your homemade marshmallows.

For the Smoked Chili Powder

3 hot red chilies

Over an open flame (bbq, gas burner) char the skin of the chillies until they are black all over. Place the chillies on a rack and let air dry until they are devoid of moisture. This might take a few days. Alternately you can dry them in an oven on pilot over night. Grind the dried chilies, skin and all, in a spice grinder until very fine.

Cayenne pepper makes a decent substitute, if this all seems like a bit much for you.