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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| This Week in Books |
| 2015-12-20 |
| Another week/weekend of guests, which is good, so I present a book I read as a child, and have purchased for my children, as a timely subject and potential gift. Cathedral - The Story of Its Construction David Macaulay Sandpiper, 1981 I can only vaguely review this book, as it is highly visual. First, the author/illustrator according to the flap: David Macaulay, long an admirer of Gothic cathedrals, takes us beyond emotion and enlarges our appreciation of the cathedral by explaining it in terms of structure and space. His current whereabouts most likely have changed since that passage; his other books in this style include: Castle Town (Roman) Pyramids They are all fantastically illustrated. Using simple line drawing and shading, Mr. Macaulay captures shadows and textures. The illustration on page 55 depicting the construction of the vaulted ceiling is breathtaking in detail and composition. The accompanying text: The carpenters then installed pieces of wood, called lagging, that spanned the space between the centerings. On top of the lagging supported the course of webbing until the mortar was dry. The webbing was constructed of the lightest possible stone to lesson the weight on the ribs. Two teams, each with a mason and a carpenter, worked simultaneously from both sides of a vault - installing first the lagging and then the webbing. When they met at the center the vault was complete. The vaulting over the aisle was constructed in the same way and at the same time. At the link, an example of the drawing prowess of Mr. Macaulay can be seen on the cover art. Additionally there are plans and elevations which are both straightforward and informative. Mr. Macaulay builds an imaginary cathedral. Although there may be specific projects with interesting developments and problems solved, this generic cathedral keeps it simple -- Amazon suggests ages 10-12 -- yet conveys that the steps illustrated in his book were applied to all Gothic cathedrals. I introduced this book to my daughter at age 4, and hough she didn't understand much of what I read to her, she loved the pictures. From the Preface: The cathedral of Chutreaux is imaginary, but the method of its construction corresponds closely to the actual construction of a Gothic cathedral. The story of its almost uninterrupted construction, however, represents a somewhat ideal situation. For owing to either financial or structural problems or both, the completion of many such undertakings was delayed for as long as two hundred years. There was a series of videos made based upon Mr. Macaulay's book series by PBS (1985, 60 minutes). They add storyline to the books as well as on-location descriptions and explanations by Mr. Macaulay himself, usually accompanied by a guest host. I suggest the video if the book is for a youngster, and the video is adult friendly. It is an excellent book for the suggested age group, good for those who appreciate fine line drawing, and a solid coffee table book. Buck for the hard cover edition. Also available is Underground, which I have not read, and a revised color edition of Cathedral which I am sure is fine, but for me there is something quite intriguing about excellent pen and ink. At the request of moar sugar, I will present a bonus. A simple, well used recipe from last week's book The French Recipe Cookbook. No guarantees on a post next week, so if anyone has a book and the likely time, let me know in the comments. Apple Tart - Tarte aux Pommes 2 lbs. medium cooking apples, peeled, quartered, and cored 1 tbsp. lemon juice 1/4 cup fine sugar 4 tbsp. butter 3/4 pound shortcrust or sweet pastry creme fraiche or lightly whipped cream, to serve This can be made ahead of time and reheated. Also, if substituting pears, a sprinkle of cinnamon is good. Cut each cooking apple quarter lengthwise into two or three slices. Sprinkle with lemon juice and sugar and toss to combine. Try to keep pieces as uniform as possible. Melt the butter in a large heavy frying pan over medium heat and add the apples. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 12 minutes until the apples are just golden brown. Remove the frying pan from the heat and set aside. Preheat the oven to 375F. Two gotchas here. Do not burn the butter when melting it, and you will continue to cook your apples even though the heat is off. Me, I skip the next step by purchasing those pre-made pie crusts and the mix goes right onto the dough. On a lightly floured surface roll out the pastry to a 12 inch round and trim the edge if uneven. Carefully transfer the pastry round to a baking sheet. There is a recipe for the shortcrust/sweet pastry in the book, Page 249. Spoon the apple slices onto the pastry round, heaping them up, and leaving a 2 inch border all around the edge of the pastry. I drizzle any remaining liquids over the apples after the next step. Turn up the pastry border and gather it around the apples to enclose the outside apples. Bake the tart for 35-40 minutes until the pastry is crisp and browned. Serve warm, with creme fraiche or cream. The crust is just rolled up along the outside, leaving the apples exposed. Roll the dough like ocean waves as the circumference rolls over the top and back towards the center. Drizzle the juices, a sprinkling of cinnamon if desired. If you are handy in the kitchen and use a store-bought crust, thirty minutes from peeling to oven. |
| Posted by:swksvolFF |