Etched Aromas of Carmel, Maple Syrup ...

I have reintroduced an old friend back into my kitchen -- Marsala.  Not sure why, exactly, he/she's been missing for around three years, but that is the case.  Note the Wine Enthusiast take on the Florio Fine Dry Marsala we have always used.  You can go with the sweet version, but if I want sugars, I'll add them myself.  Besides, who wants to mess up the "etched aromas" with something else?

The tilapia recipe is going on now in my house along with risotto (added grated Romano and some freshly chopped fresh basil leaf out of the herb garden) and some sliced fresh tomato (somebody else's garden).  Its Sicilian in character. The next one is the next one - its Southern.

Tilapia with Marsala Sauce

(Makes 4 servings)

4 tilapia fillets
Kosher salt to taste
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
All-purpose flour
3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2/3 cup dry or semi-sweet Marsala wine
10 ounces mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
½ small onion, chopped

Sprinkle both sides of fillets with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour, patting the fillets to dust off excess flour.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Fry fillets until just brown on both sides; remove to a platter. Add 1/3 cup of the Marsala and stir to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Pour over the fish.

In the same skillet, combine mushrooms and onion with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cook over medium heat, stirring often until tender; season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the remaining 1/3 cup Marsala.
Return fish and sauce to the skillet. Cook over low until heated through, adding a bit of water if needed for a saucy consistency. Serve fillets on a platter with the Marsala sauce spooned over them.

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Wine Enthusiast: "Florio's Dry Marsala shows etched aromas of carmel, maple syrup, candied chestnut, butterscotch and dried prune. This historic fortified wine opens with a saturated almond color and offers an opulent, textured feel in the mouth. (Mar 2011)"

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Pecan-Encrusted Fish with Florio Marsala

2-6 ounce fresh tilapia fillets (best with red snapper or grouper if you can find them - $)
1 beaten egg, seasoned with a pinch of Old Bay Seasoning
¾ cup crushed pecans, pulsed in a food processor
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon fresh chopped tarragon
1 tablespoon Florio Dry Fine Marsala

Season the fish on both sides with salt and pepper. Dip into the seasoned egg mixture, then into the crushed pecans.

In a medium non-stick skillet, add the oil and saute the fish until the center is flaky, turning frequently.

In a small saucepan, bring cream and tarragon to a slow simmer and reduce until it coats the back of a spoon.

Whisk in the Florio Marsala and drizzle onto the fish.

How God Speaks to Us

The recent prediction by an nearly 90 year old minister that the "Rapture" and eventual return of Jesus would occur on May 21 of this year got me thinking about how God actually does communicate with us.

I then can't help but recall the great Bill Cosby skit on Noah and how masterfully Cosby worked that routine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bputeFGXEjA&feature=related

Borrowing from the Alpha Course, I like the way we are instructed to consider how God actually does communicate with and to us.  In the course its called the "five CS's" and the instruction goes like this (with each "CS" representing a method or mode):

1.  Commanding Scripture
2.  Counsel of the Saints
3.  Compelling Spirit
4.  Common Sense
5.  Circumstantial Signs

Sometimes in reading the Bible I get a clear message that seems to fit my situation at the time, or I'll recall some language in Scripture that I know is meant for instruction.  The Rev. Camping (of May 21 fame) should know that the Bible tells us through Jesus' own wording that no one will know the day or the hour of His return.  Believing that he had the date all figured out suggests a good bit of arrogance and dillusion on his part.

In his case a bit of the other CS's might have helped those he led to believe in the prediction and maybe somebody could have told him to just keep his mouth shut and not lead folks astray -- he did more harm to the Christian world than he helped convert new followers.

So while it is ironic that Camping felt he had so accurately parsed through the Bible to come up with his silly prediction, he should have also known enough to realize he was headed in the wrong direction to begin with.

So here's where you might look at these five CS's and understand how they apply in the real world and on a daily basis.  Obviously believers (and nonbelievers) would do well to read the Bible, it was always difficult fo me to read it without a bit of help.  Small groups, instructional sessions and study guides for either the book of the Bible you intend to read or the entire New and Old Testaments help me.  I use a Study Bible and attend a regular study group along with regular classes held at our church.  That practice goes a long way in helping to understand God's Word.

By itself the Bible isn't always enough to guide me.  That's where the other four CS's come into play for me.  And I will say that no one CS is able to necessarily stand alone, but is usually paired or partnered with one or more of other modes.  Let me see if I can explain that idea.

If Camping knew the Bible so well, his own common sense plus some instruction by others (Counsel of the Saints) would have shown him that he was tracking in the wrong direction.  My guess is that his bad judgment was performed in some kind of vacuum.  And now he has amended his prediction to this October -- just to show how hardheaded he can be.

Right!!!