Evening at the top of the world...

Last Saturday afternoon a group of 6 friends from Puna Online met up with astronomer, blogger and photographer extraordinaire  Tom Kerr, PhD at the Joint Astronomy Center operated by the UK, Canada and the Netherlands. We then trekked to the summit of Mauna Kea (translation: Mountain White.). Tom generously agreed to take a group of us up on his night off. It was one of those events that I will never forget. We felt extremely privileged to even go up to the summit, but to go with an astronomer and new friend who works up there made the entire experience even more special. Tom was extremely informative and happy to answer any questions we had.

When traveling up to the summit (13,796 ft. elevation) some precautions must be made because of the altitude and the temperatures. The atmospheric pressure at the summit is 40% less than at sea level, therefore less oxygen is available to the lungs and acute altitude sickness is common. Symptoms include severe headaches, vomiting, slurring of speech, disorientation and extreme drowsiness which can lead to coma.  A  4 Wheel Drive Vehicle is also needed to navigate the dirt portions of road, which we learned are that way because they ran out of financing while putting the road in. We stopped at the Visitor's Center and needed to stay there for about 20 minutes to acclimate. The center is about 9,000 ft elevation. The Visitor's Center has many large high powered telescopes to look through later in the evening for star gazing. It is the best place to view stars by telescope on the island. Located just above the Visitors Center is Hale Pohaku (aka H.P.) where astronomers and technical staff are required to stay whenever they are working the typical 12 hour shifts. This acclimates their bodies for the duration of their time at the summit. There are also limits as to how long people are allowed to remain at the summit. Astronomers and staff are NEVER allowed to sleep at the summit, as that can mask any indications of altitude problems such as pulmonary oedema where the lungs fill with excess fluids and the person is unable to breathe. Another dangerous condition is cerebral oedema where the brain is severely compromised, leading to slurring of speech, inability to walk, hallucinations, coma and eventually death if not treated. Often the person suffering symptoms is not aware of how acute they are.

Up on the summit we all felt a little light headed as we visited two of the UK's observatories and were allowed to watch and photograph an amazing sunset. Pictured below are Tom and Wes discussing the drive up.

This is an extremely rare Silver Sword Plant, which only grows on the high summits of Mauna Kea & Mauna Loa. This is a  unique variety of the Silver Sword, closely related to those on Haleakala and found no where else on the planet. 

From there we visited the VLBA (Very Long Baseline Array) a remotely controlled radio telescope on the side of  Mauna Kea. The ten antennas of the VLBA simultaneously collect extremely faint radio signals from objects in space. They are recorded on ultra sensitive magnetic tape which is shopped daily to Socorro, New Mexico where scientists use special purpose computers to combine the signals to simulate a single signal  which simulates a single antenna 5,000 miles wide producing every high resolutions of astronomical objects.

Then we were off to the first of the UK observatories, The James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, which is a 15 M dish, the largest telescope in the world dedicated to sub millimeter astronomy It operates between infrared and radio waves. It also uses some of the most sensitive and sophisticated instrumentation  to detect the coldest material in the Universe.

Looks like even though this is a UK observatory, some of the workers are from the Bay area... Go Raiders!

So... guess where the coldest spot in the universe is? Yes, it is a specially contained sensor unit called Scuba 2 (a joint project between the UK and Canada) on the summit of Mauna Kea. This is sensor is uniquely controlled using helium and maintained to have a temperature of just .1 degree above absolute zero. This is done to minimize background noise that would hinder observation of  interstellar dust emission and it's relationship to star formation.

You can read more about Scuba Two here.

From The JCMT, we went on to see the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope where Tom works on occasion and where guest astronomers often discover new astronomical delights. UKIRT detects it's light with a suite of advanced instruments capable of performing infrared observations. This scope was home base for Dr. Tom Kerr's discovery verified by a Chilean observatory of the oldest and darkest red star burst which was over 13.2 billion years old. This is the closest event to the big bang that has ever been discovered.

While at the UKIRT we also got to talk to renowned  UK  Astronomer Tim Naylor  and his assistant Jonathan who is the technician operating the facility for the 12 hours between sunset and sunrise (no small feat as you can imagine.) There were multiple monitors and several computers in the control room. It was extremely interesting having them answer questions and give us information about their life at the summit and discoveries they have made there. They work on a variety of projects each evening, depending on the conditions and situations that present themselves.

Here, Tom explains to us how the telescope operates

And this is also the spot where we caught the sunset...as we shivered

Jon, Tom, Dalynnda and Chuck

The cold and altitude  got to several of us in a multitude of ways. About two hours in, one of our friends found herself in a more severe situation so we headed down the mountain to regulate her. Many of the rest of us were feeling less severe effects, such as tingling of hands and feet, drowsiness and headaches. The good thing is that when you get closer to sea level these symptoms do go away. If we did not live so close to sea level, or took our time hiking up the mountain, the effects would not be so severe.

Every night at the visitors center there are a multitude of telescopes brought out for star gazing. Volunteers are available to answer questions till about 10 pm, sometimes all night long.

We are returning to the summit on January 9th weather permitting. I cannot wait to share this experience with my son who will be with us for a month this winter. We will really have to bundle up because it will be even colder in January.

There are some summit tours available to the general public, those by tour operators can be quite expensive but on Saturdays and Sundays at 1 pm groups meet and go up on a guided tour. You must have your own 4 WD vehicle to do this tour. Here is more information on the Summit Tours.

And while you are driving down from the mountain, be sure to watch for the invisible cows:

Wordless Wednesday : Ultimate Smoked Turkey

Free Turkey: maple smoked at 225 degrees for 8 hours : proclaimed "best ever" by our guests....

Williamsburg Turkey Soup Redux

As a young mother, thirty years or so ago I first made a recipe of Williamsburg Turkey Soup, most probably after Thanksgiving. Back then I always did my turkeys on a Weber Grill with soaked pecan shells poured over the coals, essentially creating a lightly smoked turkey. It was a delicious soup then, but when I pulled up the recipe the other day, I was surprised at how pedestrian the recipe looks to me now. Obviously, it was time for me to kick it up a notch. The original recipe is supposed to have harkened from the colonies and would probably have been done with a wild turkey. And seeing that they probably did hot have half and half back then, was likely made with cream. The rice probably was not white long grain, but an earthier wild or brown rice. Regardless, I made a big pot of wonderful soup and was able to render some extra turkey stock too.

Here is my Redux Version

Part one: Make turkey stock. I roasted a turkey last week and used only the white meat. I then placed the carcass with the dark meat in the smoker and smoked over maple wood for 12 hours. You do not have to smoke your turkey, but it sure makes for great soup and stock. You could also use a store bought smoked turkey for this. After the turkey was sufficiently smoked for flavor, I made the stock.

In a very large pot place chunks of carrot, celery & onions (about 2 cups each) into a pot. You do not need to peel them as they are only adding goodness to the stock. Add 20 (yes 20!) garlic cloves. Toss in a few stalks of  rosemary and thyme and one bay leaf. Place the carcass into the pot. If your pot is not large enough, you can break it apart a bit to fit. Cover with water and place on a LOW simmer for 12 hours. The stock should never be allowed to boil, just simmer.

Remove pot from the heat and allow to cool so that you can handle the turkey to remove meat. You may want to place it on a platter to cool. Remove and reserve the meat. Then filter everything over a large pot using a fine sieve. Pour the stock into containers to cool completely so that the fat will rise to the top. Your leftover veggies can be placed in compost or fed to the dogs in chunks. Discard all of the bones. I ended up with 8 cups of rich dark stock. Some of which was used in the soup. I grabbed all of the garlic cloves and saved them for the soup.

Part Two: The Soup

1 Cup of Butter (yes, you can use olive oil if you want to)
1 Cup of all purpose flour
4 small red onions or 8 shallots finely chopped
4 large carrots, peeled and finely chopped
3 ribs of cellery finely chopped
(note all of this chopping can be done in a food processor)
Reserved garlic from the stock, which can now be smashed and added to the soup
2 cups of fresh corn kernels (if not in season, use frozen)
1 small jar of pimentos (or roast a red pepper and chop)
1 1/2 cups of wild rice/brown rice blend (I use Lindeman's Brand)
2 teaspoons of salt (I used smoked salt that I smoke while doing the turkey.)
1 tablespoon of fresh cracked pepper
3 quarts of turkey stock
3 sprigs of thyme (leaves pulled from stem)
2 cups of reserved turkey chopped
4 cups of cream or half and half if you are giving your arteries a break

• Melt butter in the bottom of a large sop pot or dutch oven
• Add flour and stir gently for about 5 minutes to form a light golden roux
• Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic to roux and sir. Cooking over medium flame for 10-15 minutes, stirring often. The onions should be just starting to brown.
• Add rice, corn, stock, salt, pepper, thyme, pimentos along with reserved turkey and stir all together. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Taste the rice and be sure that it is cooked through. Add the cream and stir. Cook on low flame till completely heated.  Taste and add more seasoning if you think it needs it. 

This makes a huge pot of soup, but it freezes well if you are not feeding a crowd. I like to serve it with a few slices of Hawaiian Chiles on it along with fresh chopped parsley or thyme leaves. However, many people cannot take the heat of the chiles, so you might just want to serve chiles or siracha sauce on the side. It is delicious just as it is. It also might be good with some browned crispy thin slices of jamon or prosciutto on top.  

Remember, you can find me on Facebook as Devany Davidson or on Twitter @ MyHawiianHome to get updates to the blog, special recipes and more!

Wordless Wednesday : With a bit of commentary

Forgive the low quality of these images, they were shot with a cell phone and I was trying to do it incognito... so I did not get really close to the subjects. 


The first one shows why I bake my own bread... this bread is ON SALE at KTA for $7.19... regularly $7.99 (it is my favorite brand if I am going to buy bread)

OK... this is another grocery store photo... at the Downtown Sack n Save Hilo. You may not be able to read the caption on the sign, but it says "FIRE DOOR DO NOT BLOCK" Nobody better start a fire in there! 

Brandied Cranberry Sauce

Every year when the stores start carrying cranberries in November, I start making batches of this luscious tart and spicy condiment. It is very easy to do and can be made with honey instead of the raw sugar. I have also made it with agave. You can use regular brandy but sometimes I use French Apple or Pear Brandy and other times cognac.

Ingredients:

1 package of raw cranberries (washed)
1/2 a cup of raw sugar
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (or lemon juice and increase sugar slightly)
1 Tablespoon good quality vanilla extract
zest from 1 orange
4 pieces of cinnamon sticks about 3" in length
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cardamon
1/2 cup brandy

Place the sugar and liquids in a pan over medium heat. Once the sugar has melted add cranberries and all spices, but hold off on the brandy. Cook on a low to medium heat stirring occasionally till the cranberries start to pop. Add brandy. Cook about 1 minute more. Remove from heat and chill or at least allow to cool before serving. Cranberries have natural pectin so the sauce thickens nicely when cooled.

Turkey: Hot, Fast and Moist

I got a free turkey last week. No room in my freezer... so I roasted it last night. And I thought that I would share with you one of my favorite ways to roast a turkey.

There are as many ways to cook a Turkey as there are to eat it. Thanksgiving is coming and so I thought I would share this method with you. This is one of my favorite ways to make a turkey... Hot and Fast. That is right, a 16 pound turkey in a little more than 2 hours. Other than frying a turkey (my favorite way) this is the fastest and best way I have found.

Clean the turkey and remove all gizzards and the neck which is inside the cavity. Mine also had a heavy plastic thing in side to hold the legs together. If yours does, remove it. Completely dry the turkey using paper towels.

It is really quite simple to make and there are a variety of ways to top the turkey, I usually use olive oil, smoked hawaiian sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Sometimes I coat the turkey with pomegranate glaze. Last night I made a compound butter with tarragon, garlic, hot paprika and smoked sea salt. I carefully separated the skin from the breast and thighs and pushed that soft delicious mixture in between the skin and the flesh. Then I rubbed the remaining butter all over the turkey, including the cavity and added a bit more salt and pepper.

Pre-heat the oven to it's hottest temperature, mine is 550 degrees.

Place the turkey on top of a rack in a heavy roaster. You can use disposable roasters if you want, but I suggest two of them or placing a single one on a sheet pan for ease of removal with that big hot turkey in it. You do HAVE to use a rack, otherwise the turkey stews and does not cook as beautifully.

Use whatever method you want to for glazing/basting the turkey. Do not stuff the turkey with stuffing. Cook your stuffing on the stove top and then just put it in the oven for a few minutes to crust up. I do place some aromatics inside the cavity, garlic heads, onion quarters and some fresh herbs. It actually cooks faster if you leave the inside wide open. I have even used a fork to hold the opening wide while cooking. You do not need to truss the turkey, but I did tie the wings closer to the body. Pour 1 bottle of white wine into the roasting pan. Cover the turkey loosely with foil. You do not want to steam the turkey, the foil prevents excessive browning.

When the oven has pre-heated, place the roasting pan in the oven and reduce the temperature to 475 degrees. Bake for 1 hour about 30 minutes into cooking time, quickly peek in and see that there is still liquid in the bottom of the pan, you want about an inch of liquid, so add more wine if needed. After one hour of cooking, quickly remove the roasting pan and add the following in the bottom of the pan:

Turkey Neck

Celery cut in big chunks

Onions quartered

Carrots cut in big chunks

15-20 peeled garlic cloves

another bottle of wine or chicken/turkey stock

At this point fill the empty wine bottle with water. You will want to maintain a fluid level of about 1 inch in the bottom of the pan. Having it in a wine bottle makes it easy to pour into the pan without removing it from the oven.

Roast for another hour, checking the liquid every twenty minutes or so.

After two hours (total roasting time), insert an instant read thermometer into the breast, going at least 3" into the bird. It should read 160 dgrees, if it does not cook it for another 15 minutes and check again, making sure the liquid is still in the bottom of the pan. Continue doing this if needed to assure full cooking of the turkey. When you do get a reading of 160, remove the pan from the oven and place the turkey onto a platter, cover with the foil and lay a thick towel over it and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes.

While the turkey is resting, you can turn down the oven and finish off any dishes like stuffing in the oven.

For an easy, healthy and flavorful gravy, Remove the turkey neck and discard. Pour  all of the veggies from the bottom of the pan by pouring into a sieve. In the roasting pan, return the liquid by using a Turkey baster to get just the juices and not the fat. Put the veggies into a food processor and puree, then pour into the juices in to the pan. Take 2 Tablespoons of corn starch and 2 Tablespoons of water and shake in a jar till the corn starch is dissolved. Turn on the heat under the roasting pan (using two burners) and whisk in the corn starch mixture. And stir, till the gravy has thickened. Season to your taste.

I am smoking the carcass and dark meat to make Creamy Willamsburg Smoked Turkey Soup. More on that in a few days... but before I share that recipe with you, I am going to bring you an all time favorite, Brandied & Spiced Cranberry Sauce, you will want a double batch of this one! Stay tuned...

Remember, you can follow me at MyHawaiianHome on Twitter or Devany Davidson on Facebook!