August 20 - Babinski

August 20

Anniversary of Henri Babinski's Death

Henri Babinski was a French mining engineer who was widely regarded as an expert in locating diamond, gold, and coal deposits globally. His expertise in this profitable field allowed him to indulge in his primary passion - food. As he travelled through Europe, Africa, South America, and the United States, he studies local culinary habits, food preparation techniques, and recipes of each country.

Henri began writing articles and cookbooks on international food under the nom de plume Ali Baba. His major work is Gastronomie pratique: Une bible gourmande en 5000 recettes (Practical Gastronomy: A gourmet bible in 5000 revenue.) which immediately earned him the reputation as one one of the world's leading food authorities and provided what is astill considered by many as the most accurate comprehensive approach to food and wines throughout the world that has ever been published. It was supplemented with a comprehensive collection of French recopies that rivals the Larousse Gastronomique..

When not traveling, Henri lived with his brother Joseph in Paris who was the internationally famous neurologist who discovered the Babinski reflex to detect neurological disease..

Henri Babinski

Henri was one of the leading food authorities of the early nineteenth century, and there were many eponymous recipes created to humor the famous mining engineer/food historian. including Mousse à la Ali Baba, an extravagantly rich caviar and sour cream mousse. So what other choice is there for the film pairing of Mousse à la Ali Baba than the classic Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1944)?

Mousse à la Ali Baba
(Caviar and Sour Cream Mousse)

Ingredients

6 oz caviar*
2 TB minced leek (white only)
2 TB minced pimento
1/2 tsp freshly ground white pepper
3/4 cup sour cream

1-$1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin
1/4 vermouth
3/4 cup whipping cream
rye crackers

Instructions

1. Mix 4 oz caviar, leeks, white pepper, and sour cream together in an earthenware bowl.
2. Warm vermouth slightly in a small saucepan. Do not let it come to a simmer. Sprinkle gelatin over heated vermouth and stir until
the gelatin dissolves. Remove from heat and stir in caviar-sour cream mixture. Refrigerate mixture for 30 minutes.
3. Whip cream. Fold into chilled caviar-sour cream mixture. Spoon into a 2-cup glass or earthenware mold. Refrigerate for 4 hours.
4. Turn out mold and surround with rye crackers as an appetizer.

* The original recipe designates sevruga caviar, a small-ground, sweeter caviar often preferred by the French. Sevruga is the most
     abundant of all the sturgeon caviars .However, sevruga caviar can cost $250.00 and more an ounce. Since the recipe calls
     for 6 ounces of caviar, the practicality of the original recipe is substantially diminished. A less expensive caviar is American
     esetra and six ounces could coast about $400, which would still make this dish fit for a king. Since the population of kings is
     rapidly decreasing, invite one to dinner soon.