One of my favorite new shows. The cast is remarkable especially Elizabeth McGovern as an American heiress bringing her money back to England with her to help finance her husband’s estate. Over the last few decades, most landed nobles in the UK have lost their estates entirely because they haven’t been able to afford the upkeep.
via Downton Abbeys second coming hailed by US critics | Media | guardian.co.uk.
A recent Times editorial called for changes to legal education. It argued for “apprentice-style learning” and “more courses that train students” for roles as “advocates and counselors, negotiators and deal-shapers, and problem-solvers” instead of a curriculum where professors grill “students about appellate cases.”
Does the Socratic method still have a role in law school?
via Rethinking How the Law Is Taught – Room for Debate – NYTimes.com.
Hanukkah – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
When the Second Temple in Jerusalem was looted and services stopped, Judaism was outlawed. In 167 BCE Antiochus ordered an altar to Zeus erected in the Temple. He banned circumcision and ordered pigs to be sacrificed at the altar of the temple.[14]Antiochus’s actions provoked a large-scale revolt. Mattityahu, a Jewish priest, and his five sons Jochanan,Simeon, Eleazar, Jonathan, and Judah led a rebellion against Antiochus. Judah became known as Yehuda HaMakabi (“Judah the Hammer”). By 166 BCE Mattathias had died, and Judah took his place as leader. By 165 BCE the Jewish revolt against the Seleucid monarchy was successful. The Temple was liberated and rededicated. The festival of Hanukkah was instituted to celebrate this event.[15] Judah ordered the Temple to be cleansed, a new altar to be built in place of the polluted one and new holy vessels to be made. According to the Talmud, olive oil was needed for the menorah in the Temple, which was required to burn throughout the night every night. The story goes that there was only enough oil to burn for one day, yet it burned for eight days, the time needed to prepare a fresh supply of oil for the menorah. An eight day festival was declared by the Jewish sages to commemorate this miracle.
The version of the story in 1 Maccabees states that an eight day celebration of songs and sacrifices was proclaimed upon re-dedication of the altar, and makes no mention of the miracle of the oil.[16] A number of historians believe that the reason for the eight day celebration was that the first Hanukkah was a belated celebration of Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret.[17] During the war the Jews were not able to celebrate the these festivals, when lamps were lit in the Temple (Suk.v. 2–4).
Some modern scholars argue that the king was intervening in an internal civil war between the traditionalist Jews and the Hellenized Jews in Jerusalem.[18][19][20][21]
These competed violently over who would be the High Priest, with traditionalists with Hebrew/Aramaic names like Onias contesting with Hellenizing High Priests with Greek names like Jason and Menelaus.[22] In particular Jason’s Hellenistic reforms would prove to be a decisive factor leading to eventual conflict within the ranks of Judaism.[23] Other authors point to possible socioeconomic reasons in addition to the religious reasons behind the civil war.[24]
What began in many respects as a civil war escalated when the Hellenistic kingdom of Syria sided with the Hellenizing Jews in their conflict with the traditionalists. [25] As the conflict escalated, Antiochus took the side of the Hellenizers by prohibiting the religious practices the traditionalists had rallied around. This may explain why the king, in a total departure from Seleucid practice in all other places and times, banned a traditional religion.[26]
Hanukkah begins on sundown December 20 and ends on sundown December 28.
Hanukkah Recipes – Slide Show – NYTimes.com.
ABOUT a decade ago I held a Hanukkah party with more people than I could fit around my dining table. I wanted to serve latkes, but the ones I typically made were saucer size, requiring plates and forks. That’s when it occurred to me to serve hors d’oeuvres-size instead.
Thinking about latkes as finger food opened up the floodgates of topping possibilities.
Sure, applesauce and sour cream were workable. But crème fraîche and salmon caviar were so much more festive. And smoked trout mousse made with whipped cream, chives and a touch of horseradish was unexpected and delightful.
Since then, serving tiny latkes with an array of toppings has become my Hanukkah party standard, and every year I change the toppings to keep them fresh and interesting.
Once, I even shredded some of the brisket, perching the threads of beef on a dab of applesauce (to act as glue) atop the latkes. Pomegranate seeds, which I bought already pried from their husks from the greengrocer, were a glistening garnish.
The ruby seeds were so pretty that the year after, when I didn’t make a brisket, I piled them on top of thick Greek yogurt. It was a huge hit with children and adults.
This year, I’m not planning a large holiday party, as I’ve had in years before the child. It will be just the three of us around the table. But even so, I’ll fry my latkes small, thin and crisp, and serve several toppings for mixing and matching.
It’s become an untraditional tradition at our house, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
To make party-size latkes, use your favorite recipe but fry them in 1 1/2-inch cakes (use a heaping tablespoon of potato). Drain on paper towels or a paper bag. When cool enough to handle, top with any of the following:
CRÉME FRAÎCHE, BLACK PEPPER AND PEAR BUTTER Add a dollop of crème fraîche, grind some pepper and top with a spoonful of pear butter — store-bought or put up. Pumpkin and apple butter work well here, too.
SMOKED SALMON CREAM CHEESE AND SALMON CAVIAR Spoon the cream cheese over the latke, topping with beads of salmon caviar.
SMOKED TROUT MOUSSE Whip some heavy cream until peaks form, and fold in horseradish, chopped chives and black pepper. Then stir in flaked pieces of smoked trout.
GORGONZOLA AND BRANDIED FIGS Cover chopped figs with just enough brandy to reach halfway up the sides of a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring and tossing the fruit, then turn off the heat and cover the pot; let sit for an hour. Drain figs and use them to garnish gorgonzola-sprinkled latkes.
POMEGRANATE SEEDS AND GREEK YOGURT Whisk thick Greek yogurt with a little honey. Spoon atop the latke, crowning with pomegranate seeds.
The word is that they have found evidence for the existence of the Higgs boson, the material manifestation of the Higgs field that is theorised to pervade the entire universe and give mass to fundamental particles. Without it, atoms, stars and planets would never have coalesced because their subatomic constituents – free from the shackles of gravity – would be zipping around at the speed of light.
Audio report: GuardianScienceWeekly-Particles
via Science Weekly podcast: An accelerated guide to the Higgs boson | Science | guardian.co.uk.
Pieter Bruegel’s Hunters in the Snow must be the best-loved winter scene of all, and with good reason. This imaginary landscape represents January in a cycle of the Months, and was painted in 1565. What makes it so beguiling? The human warmth and sense of community. For every snow-capped peak and bare black tree, Bruegel includes a skater on the frozen ponds. His village is a place of fun and games despite the harsh conditions – because of them. Hunters may hunch, but children are full of glee. Bruegel’s people are tied to the earth and to one another. No wonder astronauts have this on the wall in their space station in Tarkovsky’s film Solaris, to connect them with Bruegel’s frozen – yet human – planet
via Hunters in the snow: Pieter Bruegel’s pastoral idyll | Art and design | guardian.co.uk.
Roast duck, lemon and honey
A small wild duck will serve two nicely, but choose a fat one as they are not always the meatiest of birds. Big meat eaters may want one each. You will need some stock for this, ideally game or poultry, but I used a vegetable stock last time and it did the job well.
As a side dish I would be tempted to serve a pile of lightly cooked spinach. It is very good with the sweet, slightly citrus gravy.
a mallard, about 500g or so
a lemon
liquid honey – 2 tbs
butter, melted – a thick slice, about 30g
stock – 150ml
Set the oven at 200°C/gas 6. Squeeze the lemon juice into a mixing bowl, then stir in the honey. Add a pinch of sea salt and a generous grinding of black pepper, then put the duck in a roasting tray and pour over the honey and lemon and stock. Brush the butter onto the duck, roast for about 10 minutes, baste with the pan juices, then lower the heat to 180°C/gas 4 and continue roasting for 30-35 minutes until the bird is golden. Its flesh will still be slightly pink.
Remove the duck from the roasting tin, pour the juices from inside the bird into the tin, then put it somewhere warm to rest. Place the roasting tin over a moderate heat. Bring to the boil and reduce over a high heat for three or four minutes. Season carefully with salt and black pepper then pour over the duck and serve.
via Nigel Slater’s Christmas for two | Life and style | The Observer.
