Epicurean Camping

A true epicure lives mostly a frugal and ascetic life, but has refined taste in a few dimensions of life, such food and drink. In camping/canoeing, that means combining the primitive with some fine accompaniments for pleasure. This photo provides an example of how to do this in practice. You can see my typical breakfast: hardtack, peanut butter, jelly and black coffee. The "finer" components are the peanut butter & jelly and the freshly perked (not instant!) coffee. The hardtack is .. very ascetic. [It's in the white box, made at a bakery that made it in the Civil War.]

You can also see the wine from the prior evening's festivities around the campfire: as Woody (the attending oenophile) said, a plain, undistinguished red wine ... but it was wine in the wilderness! With our steak & baked potato dinner (with sour cream & chives), that was an epicurean camping exemplified.

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Word of the Day

"Gourmand" - noun [$10]
Gourmand means one who delights in eating heartily and well. Usage: A gourmand is one who loves good food and drink and sometimes partakes of them to excess; a gourmet or an epicure , on the other hand, has discriminating and cultivated taste in food and wine.
Sentence: The problem with being a gourmand is the expanding waistline; being a simple epicure is better.

Rum

Over the years I've become fond of rum as an evening cocktail before dinner. One problem I've had has been finding high quality rums - rum is a bit late in targeting the premium market. Understanding the different types and reading the labels to find good rums for experimentation has been difficult. Labeling laws in rums are very weak in most nations. After learning a good bit of French, however, I've had a lot of success and write about my results and recommendations here. The style follows my earlier writings on all spirits liquor and on Scotch [see posts of May 29, 2009 and July 27, 2007]. I break the recommendations down by price range. All these rums are stocked in my bar in the "Sword Room" of the bunker.

The best rums in my opinion are made from sugar cane juice, not syrup or molasses. They also are aged in wood casks or distilled in wood pot-stills.

Highest - the best rum I've ever had is a 1970 Clément Rhum from Martinique, "Trés vieux Rhum agricole pur Martinique; vielli en futs de chene". This costs about $230 per bottle, but was exquisite, like a cognac with a rum flavor. Mrs. B purchased this for me after lecturing on a cruise in the Caribbean in the mid 1990s, so it was likely aged 20+ years. The French decription means, "very old, pure Martinique farm rum, aged in oak casks". Martinique has strong labeling laws that are similar to French wine labeling laws.

"Rhum agricole" means farm rum, meaning it is made on the farm with fresh sugar cane juice squeezed at the proper time. Also, "vieux" means "old". Look for those words in rums from French speaking countries.

High - Rhum J. M., a rhum vieux agricole from Martinique also. My particular bottle purchased last week was a 1997 vintage aged 10+ years costing $50. This is 96 proof, so adjust your drink accordingly. This rum is excellent, with a fine flavor that's not oppressive.

Moderate - the Original British Navy Pusser's Rum. About $22/bottle. This is made according the standards and formula of the grog served by the "purser" on British Navy ships for centuries. The quality is very high, and the rum is a blend of four rums all distilled in wood pot stills (instead of metal) for added flavor.

Low - Mount Gay Rum, Eclipse, from Barbados - a golden rum. Costs about $16/bottle, this rum has good flavor and is very mixable.

How to Drink It

My preference is straight rum on ice with a slice/wedge of lime. I let the ice melt a bit to cut the bite of the alcohol. Hence for Rhum J. M. with its high proof, I let the ice melt a bit longer. Then I just sip it. This lets me enjoy the flavor of the fine rum at its peak without excessive dilution.

Don't let conventions push you to drink the rum in some way that doesn't maximize your pleasure for yourself. That is part of the Epicurean philosophy: live simply, but enjoy some things at their best.

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Doing nothing. Looking. Thinking.

Word of the Day

"Jocose" - adjective [$10]
Jocose means 1. playful in style; 2. fond of joking, jocular.
Sentence: This blog often is written in a jocose style that might be a bit too subtle sometimes.

The Perfect Fried Egg

The Epicurean philosophy urges one to have a simple life, but also enjoy some of fine things the world offers. That attitude reminds me of an interview I saw around four decades ago of Jack Benny. Jack Benny was a great comedian from the vaudeville era thru the radio era and then thru the early years of television. He had traveled around the nation entertaining and had eaten at many small and large establishments. In his travels he enjoyed finding places that had the best offerings of simple foods. In the interview he talked awhile about a diner or small restaurant somewhere in the Mid West that served the best ham and eggs he had ever eaten . His delivery was exquisite. What in prose might seem bland could be hilarious when Jack Benny said it.

This example shows us that "fine" need not be expensive. One can create foods that look and taste marvelously without spending a C note. The World's Finest Martini recipe posted here does that for cocktails. Yesterday I made what I like to call The Perfect Fried Egg. This is not the world's best. I might have claimed that once, but on a train tour of Scotland on The Royal Scotsman a few years ago I had a couple fried eggs that were so tasty I have to forego claiming I can top them.

Start with the best eggs you can find. I use fresh eggs from a local farm laid by happy, free range chickens fed with organic feeds. (I think this is where the Scottish eggs have the advantage.). Spray your skillet with Pam or some antistick spray. Put some olive oil (extra virgin !) in the pan and set the heat at about medium.

Test the temperature by putting a drop of cold water into the oil. When it pops vigorously, the oil is at the correct temperature. Crack the eggshells one at a time and put the eggs into the oil. This takes a bit of practice and requires a good wrist action for a clean crack. Sprinkle some black pepper on them. Now wait.

When the white is not quite fully cooked, carefully flip the eggs over. Start counting off seconds once the first egg has been flipped. In my "humble" opinion [;)], over medium is the best. The yolk is cooked to being mostly thick, but only very slightly solid. This required 35 seconds being "over", no more, no less.

When 35 seconds have elapsed, take out the first egg flipped and put it onto your plate, then take the second egg out. Voilà ! You now have two Perfect Fried Eggs.

By the way, the perfection is in the manner and result of the frying. If you have better eggs, you'll beat mine. And it's a matter of taste. If you really like runny or solid eggs, you might think these substandard. But as for your taste ... I can't possibly comment. ;-)

Markets

A good rally. I wonder if this in an intermediate bottom. Those Krypto Fund asset allocations to stocks have been a good sign of that in the past. The sellers seem to have dried up and few sellers were uncovered lower on recent probes. But then, the question is, What to buy ? I have few ideas now. I need to do some research.

Word of the Day

"Ipsedixit" - noun [$10]
Ipsedixit means an assertion made but not proven.
Sentence: These ipsedixits that I make for my recipes, such as The World's Finest Martini and The Perfect Fried Egg, are done facetiously to provoke thought and comment.