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review
by nathan vincent mars, one of the most common themes in science fiction has been written about over and over again. each story is a little different than the last, providing different pictures for people to see. everyone from isaac asimov to ray bradbury to greg bear have written about the possibilities of mars and outer space. this book is one of the better of these. it deals with a colonization team sent to mars to settle the planet and tells the history of the beginning of the settlement. red mars starts out with a scene far into the settlement process when there are cities all over the planet. the story then jumps back to the first years of the settlement. what unfolds is a well-drawn out narrative of the fictional history of mars, told from the perspective of the people who experienced it first-hand. from the geologist who loves the surface of the planet to the humanist who wants to terraform the surface of the planet so that people can live on it without having to worry about mechanical air systems or harsh temperatures that can cause the loss of limbs in a matter of seconds. one of the strong points of this book is that it is able to incorporate the politics and political factions within the members of the team and it shows the conflicts they face as they work to colonize the planet. all in all red mars is a very good read and kim stanley robinson has managed to craft a story so realistic that it seems very possible that some of the conflicts presented in the book would occur if humans ever attempted to colonize a planet. the
mythical tart of anacapri “i think it is the pastry i would make
and share and eat on the last day of the world.” -marlena de blasi. the
pastry 2
cups all-purpose flour 1/2
tsp fine sea salt 1
cup confectioner’s sugar 2
tsp minced rosemary leaves Grated
zest of 1 orange 12
tbsp sweet butter, cubed 1
large egg 1
large egg yolk 2
tbsp cointreau or grand marnier
place the flour, salt, sugar, rosemary, and the orange zest in a medium
bowl and rub the cold butter into it with fingertips or a pastry blender until
it resembles very coarse crumbs. combine
the egg, the egg yolk and the liqueur and, with a fork, stir it all into the
bowl with the flour mixture, forming a rough paste.
turn it out onto a lightly flowered work space and, with a few short
strokes, form the mixture into a dough. flatten
the dough into a disc, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and place it in the
freezer for 20 minutes. press the
rested, chilled dough over the surfaces of a buttered 12- to 14-inch tart pan
with a removable bottom. cover the
pastry-lined tin in plastic wrap and chill it again, for twenty minutes, in the
freezer.
preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
with a fork, prick the chilled pastry over its surface and bake it for 10
minutes. lower the temperature to
375 degrees and continue baking the pastry for an additional 5 or 6 minutes or
until it is firm and barely beginning to take on some color.
cool the pastry thoroughly on a rack.
proceed with the orange cream. the
filling 1
1/4 cups orange juice grated
zest of 1 large orange 1/3
cup dark brown sugar 1/2
cup mascarpone, or similar sweet cheese 7
large eggs 3
tbsp cointreau or grand marnier confectioner’s
sugar
if the oven is not already hot, preheat it to 400 degrees
in a medium bowl, beat together the orange juice, the zest, the sugar,
and the mascarpone, amalgamating the ingredients as well.
add the eggs, one at a time, beating vigorously, incorporating each
before adding the next. add the
liqueuer and beat thoroughly.
pour the orange cream into the prepared pastry and bake the tart for 20
to 25 minutes or until the cream is just firmed and has taken on patches of
burnished skin and the crust is deeply golden.
cool the tart on a rack for 15 minutes before removing its ring and
permitting it to cool thoroughly. thickly
dust the tart with confectioner’s sugar.
present the tart on the day it was baked, never letting it anywhere near
the refrigerator. offer tiny
glasses of the liqueur used in the tart, if you wish or, slipping fast away from
italia, campania, napoli, much less anacapri, pass around a bottle of fine,
tawny port. from
Regional Foods of Southern Italy, by
marlena de blasi. 1999. 270pp. hardcover. $28.95.
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must-read sci-fi
compiled by nathan vincent Hyperion
by dan simmons Dune
by frank herbert The
Hobbit by j.r.r. tolkien Red
Mars by kim stanley robinson Fahrenheit
451 by ray bradbury Stranger
in a Strange Land by robert
heinlein The
Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath
by
h.p. lovecraft Ender’s
Game by orson scott card Eon
by greg bear
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