Argh. I’m cranky.
After 6 straight hours of cooking on this recipe tonight, I’m tired and annoyed. I spent most of my time trying to successfully make the Oatmeal Streusel part of this recipe. There’s a critical step where I’m supposed to blend something that seems like a very buttery granola bar with a very small amount of cream until I achieve a ‘smooth consistency’. I tried this twice, and both times the blender had to run long enough that it heated up, melting the butter and heating the sugars until the mix separated into a big glob sitting in oil. No amount of reblending from this point can re-combine the two things, so I basically have to throw it away and start again. The recipe is annoyingly brief in explaining how do to this (by which I mean: “it doesn’t”). I tried chilling the streusel and cream before blending it, which buys me a little bit more time blending, but still isn’t getting me what I want. I need to quit for tonight because I’m frustrated and am getting sloppy. I posed another question about this on the Alinea Mosaic, but I’m not sure if the Alinea staff is as active on there as they once were, and am doubtful I’ll be able to get answers for this before Sunday, if at all.
I made my sorbet while I was wrestling with this, which I now think was a mistake; I have to freeze it now, which is going to make it way too firm to spread when I finally get this streusel thing right, and I don’t really have the time or means to remake it. I also made the gin liquid for Gin Compressed Rhubarb, which calls for “cooked gin” without explaining at all what “cooked gin” is. My best educated guess is that it’s gin that’s had the alcohol burned off, so that’s what I did. Be careful if you try this.
You are a better man than I, would have called it quits by now 🙂 you may still get an answer via the forums.