At the Atomium, Brussels
I’m a fiftysomething writer, award-winning advertising professional, former radio person, and recovering record industry executive who has long had a keen interest in food. I’ve circumnavigated the globe, picking up tastes and ideas along the way, and my friends had been haranguing me to put down roots somewhere on the Interwebs and blather about food, so here it is. Full disclosure: I have never worked in the food service profession, but I have much respect for those who do, and I’ve tried to learn from them in the hopes of becoming a better home cook.
I subscribe wholeheartedly to John Irving’s sentiment, as expressed in The World According to Garp:
“If you are careful,’ Garp wrote, ‘if you use good ingredients, and you don’t take any shortcuts, then you can usually cook something very good. Sometimes it is the only worthwhile product you can salvage from a day; what you make to eat. With writing, I find, you can have all the right ingredients, give plenty of time and care, and still get nothing. Also true of love. Cooking, therefore, can keep a person who tries hard sane.”
templeofthetongue 
in your foie gras post, you wrote: “The literal translation of ‘sous vide’ is ‘under pressure’ ”
quite the opposite. sous vide means “under vacuum.” under pressure would be “sous pression.”
I definitely stay sane through cooking. For me adding the nutritious and healthful aspect into the mix add an extra challenge to cooking that I take much pride in.
Sounds like we’re pretty sympatico on that, Robert!
Hi Thane,
We chatted at Georgia’s and Anthony’s Thanksgiving. I am ready to attempt making the torte de Santiago, but I have one question: Is unblanched almond flour interchangeable with almond meal? So nice meeting you and will let you know how it comes out!
Val
Sprouts sells unblanched almond flour as almond meal, so I imagine that should be fine. It should be about the same consistency as whole wheat flour, not quite as coarse as corn meal. Best of luck! I’m pretty sure you’ll have an excellent result; this is a pretty bulletproof recipe. But do let me know how it goes.
I will! Thanks