Fall 2011 Record Online

The Fall 2011 issue of the Record is not online! Alums featured in this issue:

• Deborah Colvin ('77)
• Richard Smit ('97)
• Amy Rowat ('98, '99)
• Kevin MacDonald ('75)
• and a tribute to Wallace McCain ('52)

Happy reading: http://alumni.mta.ca/therecord/

Chicken Grenades wins big!

In January of this year, John Grass ('84) was watching the Food Network, like he usually does, when he saw a commercial for a show called Recipe to Riches. They were calling for viewers who thought they had a $250,000 recipe, and Grass immediately thought of the chicken dish he invented, which he now calls chicken grenades.

John played football at Mount Allison - on the team that went to the Vanier Cup in 1984. He and his wife, Lynn, a nurse, run a home for the elderly. His daughter, Sarah, is in her fourth year at the University of New Brunswick studying nursing and his son Ben ('15) is in his first year at Mount A studying science.

He is by no means a professional chef. He is just a regular guy who loves to cook, has a knack for it and likes to try new things in the kitchen. On a whim he filled out the online application and forgot about it.

He forgot about the contest for all of an hour when the phone rang. It was representatives from the Food Network asking him to bring his recipe to the audition in Halifax in February. The judges liked what they saw and tasted, and handed Grass a golden ticket and a contract of secrecy, he said. There were seven categories which three contestants were selected for: puddings and pies, cakes, savoury pies, sweet and savoury snacks, frozen treats, entrées and Grass' category, appetizers.

All the contestants were flown to Toronto to tape the show, and winners in each category were selected. That just so happened to include John and his chicken grenades, which won him $25,000 and the chance for his item to be sold in stores, through President's Choice.

Again, he was sworn to secrecy. He didn't even tell his wife he'd won, he said. The show was taped in March, and aired Wednesday on the Food Network. So he kept it a secret for over eight months.

After all seven category winners are selected, Canadians can vote online at www.recipetoriches.ca for the best recipe among them all. The grand prize winner will take home $250,000. Voting will begin on Dec. 7 and end on Dec. 9.

His chicken grenades are made with bacon, wrapped around a piece of seasoned chicken breast filled with shredded pizza mozzarella and Monterrey jack cheeses and jalapeño peppers, glazed with apple pepper jelly and dusted with barbecue dry rub spice. They are available at Atlantic SuperStore, Atlantic SuperValue, and SaveEasy.

Read full story: N.B. man's grenade recipe earned riches (Telegraph-Journal)

Cartoonist featured at the A.V. Club

A casual webcomics hobbyist who earned such a devoted following that she wound up moving from her native Canada to New York to go into cartooning full time, Kate Beaton ('05) covers a broad range of topics in her strips, from Canadian historical figures and stereotypes to the adventures of a fat, oblivious Shetland pony that’s somehow gained a reputation as a warrior and an assassin.

She started showing the Internet her work in 2007, following no particular schedule, just posting sketches and cartoons on her website as the mood took her. But the unpredictability of her topics and her quirky, casual method of addressing them quickly earned her a hugely positive reputation, and her surprise success led her to find a name for her strip, create an online store to promote it, and produce print anthologies, starting with 2010’s Never Learn Anything From History.

Drawn And Quarterly recently released a follow-up titled after the strip: Hark! A Vagrant. To mark the book’s release, The A.V. Club called her at her Brooklyn studio to discuss why she doesn’t address contemporary politics, why writing is about rewriting, and why she regrets offhandedly becoming a poster child for feminist cartooning.

Read the A.V. Club interview

Original recipes from the kitchen and lab of Amy Rowat

See Amy Rowat’s (’98, ’99) feature story about her cutting-edge research, and culinary efforts, at UCLA in the Fall 2011 Record (available in November).


Homemade Ricotta Cheese

Ingredients:
• 8 cups whole milk
• 2 cups reduced-fat (2%) buttermilk
• Salt (to taste)

Place cheesecloth in a colander, leaving excess over the sides; place this in a large bowl. Place milk and buttermilk in a large, heavy bottomed pot. Attach thermometer (deep-fry or candy) to side of pot. Place pot over medium-high heat. Heat the mixture, resisting the temptation to stir. Be sure not to boil but instead gently heat. Around 175F you will see curds begin to form, these will separate from the whey. Continue to heat without stirring until 190F; turn off heat and let the mixture sit for 5-10 min. With a large, slotted spoon, gently transfer the curds to the cheesecloth-lined colander. Let cool, then place in fridge. Can be served anywhere from 15-30 min to the next day or two after. If serving immediately, press the cheese gently in the cloth to remove excess liquid. Add salt to taste.

* Can be used in Amy’s recipe for pizza with ricotta, prosciutto, grilled peaches, and rucola as seen in the Fall 2011 Record


Slow Roasted Urfa-Chili Pork

Pork butt is meat from the pig’s shoulder, which is where multiple muscles are attached to each other. There is also plenty of intermingling fat and connective tissue, which connects muscle to bone. Slow roasting the pork butt at a low temperature for a long period of time helps to melt the proteins of the connective tissue, and results in tender and juicy meat. This delectable dish can be enjoyed with the accompanying garlicky green sauce, grilled peaches, crispy-fried kale, and roasted baby potatoes. Roasted sweet potato wedges are great too. I also love this recipe since it is super easy to make, and economical too! You can begin to roast the meat in the evening and continue the slow roasting throughout the night, so the dish prepares itself while you sleep. The pork is very popular among dinner party guests, and leftovers make excellent sandwiches.

Ingredients
• 3-lb pork butt
• 2 tbsp urfa chili
• 2 tbsp salt
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• ½ cup olive oil

Before roasting, remove the meat from the fridge and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, pepper, salt, and chili; rub all over meat to season. Place on wire rack in a roasting pan. Roast at 400F for 20 min. Reduce heat to 180F, and continue roasting overnight or for 8-9 hrs. After a couple of hours (if you start cooking in the evening, then before going to bed) turn meat so the fatty juices distribute more evenly throughout the meat. Before serving, remove the meat from the oven, cover it with a tent of tin foil, and let it rest for 20-30 min.


Garlicky-Green Sauce

Serve this tasty sauce with roasted pork, or any other meat, vegetable, starch.

Ingredients:
• One head of garlic cloves, peeled
• One generous handful of green herbs, I prefer cilantro with a bit of basil (parsley and sage also work well)
• A tiny splash of vinegar (a mild rice vinegar is nice, you can also substitute white vinegar or lemon juice)
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Blend together the garlic and oil in an automatic blender or food processor until smooth. Add the green herbs and vinegar and pulse until combined. Salt and pepper to taste.


The Perfect Panna Cotta

Panna cotta is an elegant yet simple dessert. It is also an excellent example of how networks of proteins are important for texture in the food we eat. This recipe uses gelatin, a molecule derived from collagen, which is a major structural component of biological materials, such as skin, bones, and connective tissue. Gelatin gives structure to many popular desserts, including this Panna cotta. To perfect the texture so it is not too stiff but still holds its shape, I tested different ratios of gelatin per liquid volume; this ratio came out best.
Serves 6.

Ingredients:
• 2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup milk
• 2.5 tsp gelatin
• 1 vanilla bean
• 1/3 cup sugar
• Fresh fruit and/or zabaglione (recipe below) to serve

Place 2 tbsp water in a small bowl; sprinkle gelatin on top and let sit for ~ 5 min until gelatin is hydrated. Heat milk, sugar and seeds of vanilla bean in a small pot over medium high heat until steamy; then remove from heat. When the gelatin is fully hydrated, scoop the gelatinous mass into the pot and stir until dissolved. Let cool and then strain into a larger bowl; mix in heavy cream. Lightly grease 6 small ramekins or cups with vegetable oil. Pour the creamy mix into cups into until evenly distributed. Cover each with saran wrap or foil and place in fridge until set, at least 4-5 hrs or overnight. To serve, gently let loose from cup by tracing a knife around the edge of the panna cotta. Invert and place gently on small plates. Top with fruit, zabaglione, etc


Benedictine Zabaglione

This velvety sauce is lovely served aside the Perfect Panna Cotta, a simple cake, or just on a bowl of fresh fruit.

Ingredients
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup sugar
• ½ cup Benedictine (or other liqueur, such as Limoncello)

Place yolks & sugar in heat-proof bowl above gently simmering pot of water. Whisk constantly while gradually pouring in liquor little by little. Continue to whisk until sauce thickens. Add a pinch of salt to balance flavours. Remove from heat and cool. Delightful plated alongside panna cotta and fresh fruits. Try experimenting with other liqueurs and pairing with different fruits: some nice combinations are Benedictine and cherries, limoncello, and blueberries.

Stay-at-home mom and internationally renowned soprano

Sally Dibblee ('88) leads a dual life. On one hand, she's a wife and mother of two sons who loves to cook and spend time with her family. And on the other, she's a gifted soprano who graces the stages of opera companies around North America, delighting audiences with her vocal abilities.

She loves the life she's making with her husband Chris Lynn ('87), and their sons, Robbie and Patrick, in Fredericton.

Sally began vocal lessons at age 14. She decided to go to Mount Allison to pursue a music degree. It is here she met her husband who was studying commerce. They have been happily married since 1991.

In 1995 Dibblee became self-employed. She got a talent agent and started to do contract work with opera companies throughout Canada and the United States. At first these were small roles but she used these jobs as learning experiences. Then the Vancouver Opera Company hired her in the title role of the opera, Susannah.

When she works, it means she travels to various cities throughout Canada and the United States, where she lives for a month in hotel apartment suites and reunites with others she knows very well who are also part of the operatic community.

Now her sons are 15 and 12 and they're very active with school and other extracurricular activities. Both of her boys share her interest in music and theatre.

Some people might have a difficult time being away from home for a month at a time but for this wife and mother, and her family, it works. When she's away, she stays connected through video chats. When she has free time with her family, it's often spent going for walks and enjoying time at their cottage.

Read full story: Following her hear (The Daily Gleaner)

Tying the knot on campus

Uli Schermaul and Kathrin Christine Hoehn, both exchange students from Germany to Mount Allison in 2001, “tied the knot” here on campus on August 12, 2011.

Susan LeBlanc, Deputy Clerk of the Court of Queen’s Bench of New Brunswick, officiated at the ceremony.

Uli was involved in printmaking, painting, and drawing during his studies at Mount Allison, while Kathrin studied both English and French.

Dan Steeves, who became friends with Uli while he was here studying at the Fine Arts Department in 2001, has remained in contact through the years, and he noted that the couple have wanted to return to campus for a number of years.

He was pleasantly surprised when he recently received an e-mail from Uli saying that he and Kathrin were not only planning to make a visit but that they were also going to be married while they were here on campus. He was also pleased to be asked to be part of the ceremony as a witness for the groom.

Donna Sharpe, who currently works as an ESL Instructor at Mount Allison, teaching MASSIE students from Kwansei Gakuin University in Japan, also took part in the ceremony as a witness for the bride. Donna owned the Sanderling Bed and Breakfast in Sackville when Kathrin first came to Mount Allison and she was the first person that Kathrin met when she came to Canada. Donna became a good friend of both Kathrin and her family, and she often invited both Uli and Kathrin to her home for tea and conversations during their year in Sackville.

Other members of the “Mount Allison Family” who were present at the ceremony included Dr. Rainer Hempel, retired professor of German, who was the head Mount Allison’s exchange program in 2001; Dr. Maritza Fariña, current Spanish instructor who taught both Uli and Kathrin when they attended Mount Allison; Mona Estabrooks, Assistant Director Alumni Relations; and Sue Seaborn, University Advancement Communications Officer.

We wish Uli and Kathrin many happy years of married life. It was wonderful to have them back on campus and to share their special day here at Mount Allison.

A first graphic novel

Temple Bates ('96) consciously leaves room for interpretation - what are Hermodditites? Little children? Creatures? Creepy old men? Are they futuristic or medieval? Are you looking at them, or are they looking at you?

Her first graphic novel, Hermoddities, portrays contemporary comic art and traditional paint on canvas. The result is remarkable.

The Toronto-based, and Mount Allison educated, artist, who also plays in electro synth goth-pop band Pony Da Look, showcases work from the past decade in Hermoddities, including: CatPeeps, sometimes they're people, sometimes they're cats; Bird With A Ball Foot; and graphic collaborations with Winnipeg's Drue Langlois (formerly of the Royal Art Lodge) on Capistrano and Sweet Peel.

In Capistrano lead character Tristen poignantly asks, "Can't you see that your self-centered lifestyle - with your machines and comforts - has killed your heart?"

She challenges viewers to see what's between the lines, what distorts and blurs boundaries? Part hermetic oddities, part hermaphrodites, all gorgeous.

Read full story: A yearbook for circus strays (Telegraph-Journal)
See her work: http://www.templebates.com/