Poudre Forte and Poudre Douce

I prepared the Poudre Douce and Poudre Forte spice mixtures today, and while I was at it I also ensured I've got everything I need to tackle Oatbread, Oatcakes, Tyroshi Pear Brandy, Poached Pears, and Pork Pie before the new year.

Back in the mid 90's, I used to have an herb, tea, and gift store in Staten Island, NY that went by the name Herb'N Trends.  It was great being a sole proprietor and having access to all the best spices and scents and flavors. You would think I had incorporated using herbs into my every day life.  Unfortunately, not so. Oh, there are a handful of things I make and use today, like a few medicinal tinctures and teas. Some bath salts. Not as much as you'd think, though.

Galangal.  Surprisingly
unrelated to the sandworm from Dune.

I mention this because I have spent the last week getting my pantry stocked with ingredients and spices for the A Feast of Ice and Fire project. I've been running to specialty stores around town (I'll be back a lot, Ta Lin!). What a blast this has been getting reacquainted with these wonderful flavors and smells! One of the spices on my list was Galangal.  An ingredient in Indian cooking, also a key ingredient in one of my favorite incenses, Kyphi.  One sniff of Galangal and I melt into happy memories.


If you ever do buy Galangal root, do yourself a favor and get the powdered version.  The dried root will likely break your chopper blades and it just laughs at a mortar and pestle. 

Did I mention my kitchen is small?

Anyway, I was able to stock up on common and uncommon ingredients* this week, increase my supply of flours, and plan which dishes to make in cooler weather vs. warmer weather. I have a lot of entrees to make between now and, oh, let's say Easter.  Or we can say Spring Equinox.  Or "Bobslobaday," which is a holiday I just invented celebrating the day it gets too damn hot to cook indoors. I believe rabbit or lamb is traditionally served on Bobslobaday.  I'll let you know when I figure it out.

 The point here is:  I am not turning on the oven in the summer in New Mexico.  Sorry.

Accompanying me in my tiny kitchen is an assortment of helpful mammals.

My son, Q** (4) tops the list of "favorite mammals with whom I live." If you squint at the above picture, you can actually see the list pinned up on the fridge.*** 

Here he is with his cat, Tolliver (8).  My other cat, Armageddon (22) is a sweet but camera shy girl, and is really old.  As am I (516 months on my next birthday, but I'm reading at the 524 month level.  Go me.). 

Anyway, I'm stocked up and ready to roll. I am also starting to play around with this whole cellphone food photography thing, and will try to make the photo chronicle as presentable and as palatable and as alliterative as possible. I would think anyone reading this might prefer the image at the top of this entry to this one:

Reality is never as pretty as the staged presentation.  But it smells just as sweet!

Cheers!

* You would not believe how difficult it was to find currants in Albuquerque. 
 ** Q is obviously not my son's real name.  It's his stage name.  His publicist makes me refrain from using his full name on public blogs. And by publicist, I mean me.
*** No. Not really.