Friday, February 9, 2024

2023 Academy Awards Best Picture - The Banshees of Inisherin


Banshees was really, really good. 

Great, even.  

I'm reading a book called The Secrets of Story, and the author says a good 2-hour movie (or book!) has a one-hour plot, and the rest of the space/time/story is filled with complex scenes of emotional baggage, irony, and personal relationships.  The Banshees of Inisherin is a PERFECT example of this.  It has a simple plot (a guy's best friend ditches him, and takes weird and drastic steps to ensure their friendship is over). 

The movie is slow (not boring; in fact, it's kind of mesmerizing) and chews over the various relationships (his sister, various animals, the local barkeep, the local cop, and his son) and the acting is beautiful and powerful and perfect, and the cinematography and scenery (Ireland at its most lovely) is gorgeous, all set in the spring of 1923 as the Irish Civil War is winding down.  

It's sad and sometimes tragic, occasionally darkly funny, weird, and so very ... human.  It's not the sort of movie I'll want to watch over and over, but my life is richer for having seen it.  Warning: the Irish brogue was a little thick at times, and you might want to turn on subtitles. I could understand it (mostly) but the subtitles helped.

Note: I think Banshees was the better movie, but I *liked* Fabelmans better.



(Pithy Reviews; and Rankings of 7 out of 10 nominees):

  • The Banshees of Inisherin (Excellent, beautiful, and a little surreal; Cathy:1, Chris: 2)
  • Elvis (Excellent movie with stellar acting, music and costumes; Cathy: 4, Chris: 1)
  • Everything Everywhere All at Once (Excellent, beautiful, imaginative and utterly bizarre; Cathy: 3, Chris: 3)
  • The Fabelmans (Good story about a storyteller; Cathy: 2, Chris: 4)
  • Top Gun: Maverick (Very enjoyable but not really Oscar material; Cathy: 5, Chris: 5) 
  • Tár (Boring movie about a loathsome person. Only watched 60%; Cathy: 6, Chris: 6) 
  • Triangle of Sadness (Terrible, gross, and Cathy only watched half; Cathy: 7, Chris 7)

Unranked:

- Originally written February 18, 2023
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Does the movie deserve an Oscar? Or: Chris and Cathy review the Academy Award Nominees for Best Picture

Every year, my husband Chris and I try to watch all of the AMPAS Best Picture Nominees and review, rate, and rank them prior to the awards ceremony.  These aren't really predictions on which movie will win Best Picture, only which ones we think are best.

Notes: 

  • The movie titles link to the IMDb page for the movie, and the rankings at the end of the line link to our review of it. 
  • Starting in 2024, we used a rubric with weighted scores to determine rankings, rating 12 different aspects such as watchability, message, character/situation relatability, storytelling, acting/casting, pacing, themes and motifs, visual/sound design, and an appropriate ending using a 5 point scale so actual ties are unlikely. 
  • In-Progress Rankings can change. As we work through and compare the movies, we sometimes change our minds about the scores we assigned the different variables, and that can move a movie up or down the list.
  • The rankings may not match what is shown at the bottom of the individual reviews; the individual reviews represented how we felt at the time. We both made adjustments to our scoring over time and before publishing the final review, we went through all of them and solidified our scores.
  • Winners are marked.

2025 In-Progress Rankings: Movie titles (Pithy Reviews; Individual rankings of 10 nominees):

Note: the order is alphabetical until we've seen a movie, at which point it moves to the top of the list, in ranked order. Before we've seen a movie, the pity review is just a pithy plot summary.  Here are my overall thoughts on the nominees.

  1. A Complete Unknown (Super songwriter's origin story; Cathy: 1, Chris: 1)
  2. Conclave (Absorbing conspiracy at the Vatican; Cathy: 2, Chris: 2)
  3. Emilia Pérez (Stereotypes, redemption, and transition; Cathy: 3, Chris: 3)
  4. Dune: Part Two (Best rendition of a classic SF novel; Cathy: 4, Chris: 4)
  5. The Substance (Excellent horror movie ruined by ending; Cathy: 5, Chris: 5)
  6. The Brutalist (Troubled architect explores the pitfalls of patronage; Cathy: 6, Chris: 6)
  7. Wicked (Beautiful, yet boring; Cathy: 7, Chris: 7)
  8. Winner: Anora (Steaming pile of говно; Cathy: 9, Chris: 8)
  9. Nickel Boys (Civil rights meets a feverish collage of an arthouse film; Cathy: 8, Chris: 9)

2024 Final Ranking: Movie titles (Pithy Reviews; Individual rankings of 10 nominees):
  1. American Fiction (Brilliantly ironic smart comedy; Cathy: 1, Chris: 4)
  2. Past Lives (Excellent exploration of love and human connections; Cathy: 2, Chris: 3)
  3. The Zone of Interest (Masterpiece of monstrous implication; Cathy: 3, Chris: 2)
  4. Poor Things (Fantastic, filthy, feminist, Frankensteinian fairytale; Cathy: 6, Chris: 1)
  5. Barbie (Spectacular and sly doll's-eye-view of womanhood; Cathy: 4, Chris: 6)
  6. Winner: Oppenheimer (Important, long and explosive; Cathy: 5, Chris: 5)
    • The Holdovers (Very good teacher/student relationship story; Cathy: 7, Chris: 7)
    • Anatomy of a Fall (Beautiful courtroom drama; Cathy: 8, Chris: 9)
    • Killers of the Flower Moon (Important, badly-told story; Cathy: 9, Chris: 8)
    • Maestro (Gorgeous, well-acted, boring slog; Cathy: 10, Chris: 10)

    2023 Final Ranking: Movie titles (Pithy Reviews; Individual rankings of 9 nominees):

    We didn't use a rubric in 2023. Rather, Chris and I rated each movie individually, and I averaged the two to determine overall rank. If there was a tie, they are listed alphabetically. 
    1. Women Talking (Excellent and haunting; Cathy: 1, Chris 1) 
    2. The Banshees of Inisherin (Excellent, beautiful, and a little surreal; Cathy: 2, Chris: 3)
    3. Elvis (Excellent movie with stellar acting, music, and costumes; Cathy: 5, Chris: 2)
    4. Tie: 
    1. Top Gun: Maverick (Very enjoyable but not really Oscar material; Cathy: 6, Chris: 6)
    2. Tie
    1. Triangle of Sadness (Terrible, gross, and Cathy only watched half; Cathy: 9, Chris: 9)

    Unranked:




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    Sunday, February 4, 2024

    Ice Cream Project

     I love ice cream.  And yeah, as an overweight person, I can see the irony in that, but for whatever reason, I can keep ice cream in the house and not over-indulge, so that makes it a natural fit for me.  I can't say the same for cookies or brownies (which I also love), so I pretty much never keep those around.

    I tend to make mini-versions of everything. Mini root beer floats. Mini sundaes. Mini scoops (about 1/4 cup). Those end up being around 250 calories, and I can usually make room in my calorie budget for that.

    And once you get used to homemade ice cream, the stuff at the store starts tasting ... well, lacking.  I think the only commercial ice cream that I still love is Ben and Jerry's. I also quite enjoy Cold Stone even though their ice cream is merely OK - their confections are more about the goodies they fold into the ice cream.

    Sections in this article:


    Library:

    I have an embarrassing number of ice cream cookbooks.  Really.  


    Dana Cree's book is my favorite because it explains the science and chemistry of ice cream making and provides a base (pun intended!) for creating your own flavors. My second favorite is Jeni's book and that's the one I'd recommend for anyone who can't have eggs (all of her recipes are egg-free).  The Lebovitz book is solid as well.  The others are new to me, so they may also be excellent, but I don't know them well enough yet to recommend them.

    I'd love to add the following books to my collection (I'm waiting for a cheap enough used copy to become available):

    Tips, Tricks, Tools, Toppings and Mix-ins:

    Here's a list of my tips and tricks for ice cream-making (ingredient substitutions, tools, tedious-but-effective egg tempering, etc.):
    Here's are my favorite topping and mix-in recipes (I'll be adding to this over time):
    • Dorcas Gallaher Byland's Hot Fudge Sauce (my grandmother's recipe)
    • Chambord - a lovely raspberry liqueur that is delicious poured over vanilla ice cream.
    • Root beer - I love root beer floats!  
    • Caramel sauce - this one remains soft and not too chewy/hard when frozen.
    • Toasted almonds
    • Homemade chocolate chips - Do NOT use regular chocolate chips (not even mini-chips). They will be hard, waxy, and flavorless as they are not intended for cold uses, and melt at too high a temperature. This is an easy recipe using your favorite chocolate chips and a little coconut oil.
    • Peanut Mazapán - a crumbly Mexican candy made from peanuts and powdered sugar.

    Cathy's Creamery Recipes

    These recipes are mine, that I developed myself or in partnership with my husband and/or daughter.
    • Phởking Delicious Ice Cream (Thai Basil, Lemongrass and Ginger Ice Cream with Candied Peppers)
    • "Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream" -- this is the very first ice cream recipe that I ever developed using strawberries from a local pick-your-own place. It has an excellent flavor, but it's icier than I want. I'll be tweaking the texture.

    Vanilla Ice Cream Reviews

    I'm currently working on a vanilla ice cream project (and a vanilla extract project, but that's for another post).  I'm trying at least 6-8 different vanilla ice cream recipes and reviewing them and setting 6 ounces aside of each for a taste test in a few weeks.  I'm also experimenting with using different kinds of vanilla beans (Madagascar, Ugandan, and Mexican, at least) and different vanilla extracts (commercially available varieties for now, but eventually, I'll use my own). I'm mostly using Madagascar beans from Vanilla Bean Kings, which I highly recommend. 

     I am hoping to figure out my favorite flavors and maybe even adapt the best aspects into one recipe.  Here are the recipes and reviews (if the recipe is available online - and most are - I link to the online recipe in the review):

    Chocolate Ice Cream Reviews


    Strawberry Ice Cream Reviews


    Other Flavor Reviews

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    Ice Cream Recipe Review: Jeni Britton Bauer's Ugandan Vanilla Ice Cream

     “Ugandan Vanilla Bean Ice Cream” on page 148 of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home by Jeni Britton Bauer. 

    • The online recipe can be found here. 
    • My other vanilla ice cream reviews can be found here.

    I’ve made this recipe several times over the years (so it's definitely a very good recipe) and have previously used Madagascar vanilla beans, but this time I decided to go ahead and acquire the Ugandan vanilla beans called for in the recipe and make it again.

    Ok, on to the ice cream.

    Substitutions and Techniques:

    • Glucose instead of corn syrup
    • Tapioca starch instead of cornstarch
    • Turbinado sugar instead of white sugar (always) as I prefer the flavor.

    I followed the online recipe as written except:

    • I didn't churn right away - I chilled the custard in my mini milk can in a sink of cold water, then transferred the can to the fridge to chill overnight.
    • The recipe doesn't say when to remove the vanilla bean. I fished it out just before churning.

    Results:

    • As always with Jeni’s base, the custard goes into the churn a little lumpy (it looks almost like rice pudding) but comes out silky smooth.
    • It’s paler in color than the previous recipe, which is no surprise as it’s a Philly-style ice cream and doesn’t have egg yolks in the custard.
    • My husband’s comment when I brought him a small bowl was “good, but the vanilla flavor is a little weak.” I tend to agree, but it is a little odd since it has exactly the same amount of vanilla (one vanilla bean) as in the previous recipe and both steeped overnight. It might be that I used a Ugandan bean instead of one from Madagascar? 
    • I think I prefer eggless custards for most flavors of ice cream, but vanilla is the exception to that general rule - I love the slightly eggy flavor in a good French vanilla ice cream, so to me, this one is lacking. 
    • This ice cream is definitely a little softer (easier to scoop) when frozen solid than the previous recipe, and the texture is excellent both freshly churned (like soft-serve) and when frozen solid.

    Jeni has developed some phenomenal flavors of ice cream (her Backyard Mint recipe is one of my all-time favorites), but this just isn't one of them.


    Uses:

    • Had a little Chambord on it a few nights ago. Boozy raspberry liqueur on a homemade ice cream, what’s not to love?
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    Saturday, February 3, 2024

    Ice Cream Recipe Review: Dana Cree's Vanilla Ice Cream

    “Vanilla Ice Cream” on page 52 of Hello, My name is Ice Cream by Dana Cree. 

    • The online recipe can be found here.
    • My other vanilla ice cream reviews can be found here.

    Note: this is my favorite ice cream recipe book. Not because all the recipes are to my taste (though they mostly are), but because the book explains the chemistry of ice cream, allowing the churner to truly understand what is going on.  If you want to invent your own flavors (or not!) this is the book you need.

    This is actually my favorite (thus far) of the vanilla recipes I’ve tried over the years, but I’ve never done a comparison taste test, so I could be misremembering.  And because of that, I'm trying 6-8 different recipes just to see which one is the best.

    Substitutions and Techniques:

    • Glucose (that's what the recipe calls for, but I'd normally use tapioca syrup as it's less messy).
    • Madagascar vanilla bean (not vanilla extract),
    • Tapioca starch as the texture agent (the online recipe just says "texture agent of your choice" in the ingredients list).
    • Turbinado sugar instead of white sugar (always) as I prefer the flavor.

    I followed the recipe as written except:

    • I didn't remove the bean during step 4, but left it in the custard overnight and fished it out just before churning. 
    • I also added the tapioca starch slurry right at the end of step 5. 
    Oddly the online recipe doesn't mention when to use the texture agents, but the book does.  So before you begin cooking the dairy, reserve the appropriate amount of milk in a small bowl and add the texture agent according to the following directions:

    If using cornstarch:
    • Use 3 tsp (10g) cornstarch with 2 tbsp (20g) milk and stir to make a slurry.
    • Add the slurry to the hot dairy mixture at the beginning of step 5 in the online recipe and stir.  Then temper the egg mixture and continue on with the recipe.
    If using tapioca starch:
    • Use 2 tsp (5g) tapioca starch with 2 tbsp (20g) milk and stir to make a slurry.
    • When the dairy mixture is done cooking, remove from heat, add slurry and mix well (at the end of step 5 in the online recipe).

    Results:

    • Silky smooth without having to strain the custard (but I did just figure out the trick to reliable egg tempering with this recipe)
    • Nice amount of eggy-custardy flavor (I like that in a vanilla ice cream - it reminds me of the “French Vanilla” from Breyers before they went downhill).
    • Nice amount of vanilla flavor, though I wouldn’t mind it being a tad stronger.
    • It freezes pretty hard in my deep freeze, but perhaps not as hard as others. (A nice-to-have is an ice cream that I don’t have to leave out for 20 minutes before scooping), but I do have to leave this one out.

    Uses:

    • I made mini-hot-fudge sundaes when my granddaughter was here several weeks ago, using my grandmother’s hot fudge recipe and it was a big hit.
    • I made a mini ice cream floats two weeks ago with the remaining ice cream: I used 16-ounces/470 ml of root beer/sarsparilla) divided 3 ways, with about 1/4 cup/60 ml of ice cream in each one, and it was the BEST float I’ve ever had - good ice cream really makes a difference.
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    Thursday, February 1, 2024

    Dorcas Gallaher Byland's Hot Fudge Sauce

    My grandmother was an absolutely terrible cook, but she made two things that were great - this hot fudge, and her lemon pound cake recipe. :-)

    This recipe was nearly lost - my parents' house burned down in 2004 and took with it 30 years' worth of my mother's recipes.  I wrote to everyone I knew, and we got a tiny handful of recipes back, but no one seemed to have the instructions for how to make the hot fudge sauce.  

    Ten years later out of the blue, my aunt found a copy in her storage unit, and sent it to me.  

    Whoa. 

    I asked her not to say anything to my parents about it, then I made a batch and shipped it to a family friend to take to my parents (along with some ice cream) on Christmas Day as a surprise gift.  It was definitely one of my better Christmas gifts. 

    But because I can’t  risk it being lost again, I am sharing the recipe with everyone. Enjoy. <3

    Grandma Dorcas’s Hot Fudge Sauce

    Ingredients:

    • 1/2 cup butter
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 4 squares (1 ounce each) unsweetened chocolate
    • 1 large can evaporated milk (12 fluid ounces)
    • 3 c sugar
    • 1.5-2 tsp vanilla
    • A pinch of cinnamon (optional)

    Steps:

    1. Melt butter and chocolate in a double boiler. Stir gently to combine (it's OK if they don't fully integrate yet).
    2. Add sugar slowly (4 tbsp at a time), and stir after each addition. 
    3. When all sugar has been added, stir well.  The sugar may remain a little grainy.
    4. Add milk very slowly while stirring gently and constantly (the milk will help the sugar dissolve). 
    5. Add salt, and cinnamon if using.
    6. Stir until smooth. 
    Makes approximately 1 quart.  The sauce will keep for a few weeks in the fridge. It also freezes well.

    Note: I don't like cinnamon and chocolate together, so I always leave the cinnamon out.

    Note 2: Reheating. Do NOT microwave the whole jar of chocolate sauce. Repeated cycles of refrigeration/microwaving will totally degrade the sauce, and the texture gets funky. So, when you want to serve it, spoon out just enough for your needs into a bowl, and microwave just that amount.
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    Ice Cream Tips, Tricks and Equipment

    Many ice cream recipes call for some unusual items, but there are substitutions you can make based on what you have on hand. Here is a rundown and a few suggestions:

    Sweet Syrups

    In addition to sugar, many recipes call for a sweet syrup (which helps the ice cream stay softer/smoother after it’s fully frozen) but there are some 1:1 substitutions you can make. I listed them in order of my favorite to least favorite, and for the more unusual ingredients, I provided ordering links.

    • Tapioca Syrup - this is my favorite. I have to order it as I’ve never seen it in a store.
    • Glucose (used in candy-making and cake decorating) I hate this stuff. It’s stringy and very messy, but it works great. I transferred mine out of the tub it came in, and into a squeeze bottle, and that helped.
    • Invert Sugar Syrup - (also known as "golden syrup") If you have access to purchase it, great, but you can make your own according to the recipe below. As with HFCS (see below), the ice cream will be sweeter. 
    • Sugar - this will result in a sweeter and - after it's fully frozen - less soft ice cream. I use almost exclusively turbinado sugar because I like the flavor, but this is just a personal preference. 
    • Corn syrup - I ranked this last because of its association with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). However, the stuff you buy in the grocery store doesn't contain HFCS. Just look for light corn syrup, and it will work nicely. 

    Inverted Sugar Syrup Recipe (5 cups)

    4 c sugar (1000g)
    2 c water (500g)
    Acid (choose 1):
    • 1 tsp (5g) of citric acid or malic acid or cream of tartar; OR 
    • 1 tbsp (10g) of lemon juice

    Place all ingredients into a pot over high-ish heat and stir to help sugar dissolve, and continue stirring until it comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low (simmer). Cook until it reaches 245F, remove from heat, let cool, and transfer to a sealed container. It will keep at room temp for 6-ish months.

    You can also google for “inverted sugar syrup recipes” to learn more about it.

    Texture Agents

    These thickeners help the ice cream stay silky smooth by grabbing free water molecules, preventing ice crystals from forming in the ice cream when it freezes solid in your freezer. 
    • Tapioca Starch - Also called "tapioca flour". I put the tapioca starch in a bowl, scoop out milk from the pan where I'm heating it in the early custard-making steps. You add a starch-milk slurry at the very end (you don’t have to cook it after adding). It’s easily available - Bob’s Red Mill makes it, though there are many good ones. Technically you're supposed to use 1:4 starch to milk by weight, but I never measure, and just use enough milk to make a slurry.
    • Cornstarch - As with the Tapioca starch, I make a milk-starch slurry at the start of the process. Technically you’re supposed to 1:2 cornstarch to milk by weight,  You add the slurry toward the end, and cook for a minute or so after adding.
    • Xanthan Gum - I admit I've never used this one, so ranking it last may be unfair. I just got some to try (a new recipe book calls for it), so perhaps I'll revise this later.  You cook it with the milk and sugar, so it seems easy enough. You use much less of this texture agent (around 1/4 tsp, depending on the recipe), and it's supposed to result in the least icy ice cream.
    • Powdered Skim Milk - I'm starting to use this more and more, mostly with particularly watery flavors (strawberry, I'm looking at you). The proteins in the milk help bind with water molecules in the fruit puree. Powdered milk can go bad eventually, so I keep it in the freezer.  

    Tedious but effective egg tempering:

    Many custards call for egg yolks, and you can't just dump them into your hot milk - otherwise you'll wind up with bits of scrambled egg yolks in your ice cream, which is unpleasant.  There's a trick to tempering the eggs, and I've finally figured it out:

    1. Place egg yolks in big glass measuring cup and whisk until smooth.
    2. Scoop 1/8 - 1/4 c (30-60 ml) of hot dairy/sugar mixture and holding it well above (like 6-12” (15-30 cm) the measuring cup, SLOWLY pour it into the egg yolks, whisking the yolks constantly with the whisk in your other hand. This long drop allows the dairy to cool before it touches the eggs.
    3. Pause whisking and get another scoop of the hot dairy.
    4. Repeat #2 and #3 for as long as you can stand, until about 1/2 (or even more!) of the dairy is integrated into the yolks. You are looking to fill the measuring cup to AT LEAST 1.5 cups or 350 ml, but 2 cups/500 ml is better.
    5. Pick up where you left off in the recipe.

    Note: I rarely temper these days - relying on placing the dairy, yolks and sugars in the pan, and raising the temperature to 165-179, stirring constantly.  There are some recipes that require it though, based on other factors, so it's nice to know how to temper eggs.

    Chilling the custard:

    Many ice cream chefs advise you to pour the hot custard into a ziplock and submerge it in a bowl of ice water for 30 mins before transferring to the fridge to chill fully. Then the next day, cut off one corner of the bag and squeeze the custard into the churn. 

    I never do this as I try to avoid single-use plastics when reasonable to do so.

    I found a mini milk can (holds about 1/2 gallon or 2 liters - see link below) and I set that in a sink full of cold water for 30 - 60 minutes. You could use a steel bowl, or a BIG glass measuring cup (nice for pouring into the ice cream maker), or even use the pan you cooked it in if you are careful to keep water out of it. If it’s metal, there will be good heat transfer. If glass, it’ll take longer.

    Preferred Equipment

    • Stainless Steel Mini Milk Can - I use this to chill the hot custard. I transfer the custard from the saucepan to the milk can, then set the can in a sink full of cold water. Because it's metal, it has excellent heat transfer. After an hour or so, I move the can to the fridge where I let it chill overnight. Because it's got a nice wide mouth, it's easy to clean, and easy to get a rubber spatula in to scrape out every last drop of custardy goodness. It also pours well.
    • Sumo Ice Cream Scoop - This solid-stainless steel scoop is HEAVY-DUTY and dishwasher-safe. I soak it in hot water for a few minutes before scooping if the ice cream is particularly hard.
    • Kitchen Aid Ice Cream Maker Attachment - I have an older model, and I store the bowl in the freezer so it's always ready. It's the only non-commercial ice cream maker that allows the cook to vary the speed of the churn. But, there are LOTS and LOTS of wonderful ice cream makers out there. Buy the one that suits you, regardless of type.
    • Tovolo Ice Cream Tubs - Large and Small. These aren't strictly necessary, but they are fun.
    • OXO Good Grips Glass Candy and Deep Fry Thermometer - an ACCURATE thermometer is important (egg-based custards get weird and gritty if you take them much above 180F/82C, and I've ruined several custards because my thermometers weren't accurate). I like this one a lot, but it's bigger than many.  
    • Miscellaneous - heavy-bottomed steel saucepan, silicon spatulas, whisks, etc.
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