All Consumed by ‘Scandal’

Since I’ve become a parent, I don’t watch movies or television. I read lots of books, and watch kids’ movies and programs and videos of kids and dogs and things that my kids like, but not anything I would fancy because I have a problem (beside no time): addiction to stories. I get swept away by whatever I’ve watched and can’t stop thinking about it, research it, google all the characters, read all the reviews. My husband was out of town for one week, leaving me with my kids solo. Of course, nothing got done as all I could so was take care of the kids and household. As reward for being a single mom during that time, I decided I would watch one show on Netflix — I chose ‘Scandal.’

I had heard about it, but didn’t know what the premise of the show was until I pressed play on the iPad. I had planned to just watch one episode and pretty soon that one episode turned into two and lo and behold pretty soon I had watched the whole first season (it was 4 a.m. when I finished the last episode of season 1). Staying up until 4 a.m. and getting 2 hours of sleep does not bode well for me, especially when my 2-year-old son starts yelling at me to wake up and that he wants breakfast.

What I realized about the show is that I could never be a character like Olivia Pope. While I admire her for passion and drive and smartness, she’s responsible for the livelihood of crazy important people and has no real meaning to her life. I guess it depends on how you define meaning, but i realized it’s not my cards to work a 60-hour a week job, commuting and racing around all the time and seeing my kids for one hour a day.

But I love being swept away in a story, and appreciate the story, the Olivia Pope’s who do the world a better place. And after all those scandals, it’s gotten a little boring. I’ll probably read a book.

-Eunice Park

Almond Panna Cotta

Almond panna cotta was light and creamy.

About two weeks ago, it was restaurant week in Oakland. That means all those fancy and semi-fancy restaurants that you are on your list to try are finally accessible to everyone. The “tasting” menus start at $20 which includes a starter, entree and dessert. But of course, that $20 quickly turns into three digits when you add another starter, a salad and drinks.

We went to A16 in Rockridge. It was bustling — I couldn’t tell if patrons were doing the tasting menu or trying other things. I had heard mixed reviews about the restaurant — it’s sceney and the menu looks good, but then other friends say that it’s overrated.

The verdict: the tasting menu did not feel handcrafted,  but more like everything had been made in mass that morning and dumped into a giant plastic container — and then carefully dished onto plates for dinner. There was some faro salad and then a pasta dish that I could have made at home. The thing that stood out was the dessert: the almond panna cotta.

Panna cotta seems like a tricky think to make. But I found a recipe that makes the whole process worthwhile via the Cooking Channel TV.

INGREDIENTS

PANNA COTTA:

• 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
• 1 cup almond milk
• 2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup blanched whole almonds
• 1/2 cup sugar

DIRECTIONS
For the panna cotta: In a mixing bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 1/2 cup of the almond milk. Allow the gelatin to soften, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the remaining almond milk, heavy cream, blanched almonds and sugar. Whisk the mixture to dissolve the sugar while bringing it to asimmer. Remove from the heat, cover with a lid and allow to steep for 15 minutes. Strain out the almonds and return the mixture to the saucepan.

Return the saucepan to the stove and bring to a simmer. Whisk in the gelatin mixture, remove from the heat and divide among six 6-ounce ramekins. Refrigerate until set, at least 5 hours.

For the cherry compote: While the panna cotta sets, combine the cherries, cherry preserves, sugar, balsamic vinegar and 1/2 cup water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, and then reduce to medium-high heat and continue to boil until the mixture becomes syrupy, about 18 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool (it will continue to thicken as it cools). Cover and chill until ready to serve.

If desired, unmold the panna cotta. Serve with the cherry compote either on top or alongside.