Kudos to Uncle Bob, episode II

It was just about a year ago that Uncle Bob was elected to the National Academy of Medicine based on "his innovative application of a groundbreaking capability framework that provides a practical and positive method for addressing the social and environmental determinants of health in participatory interventions that integrate primary care and community health." [1] This past weekend, Mom and I caught up with Uncle Bob and his clan for the actual induction ceremony at the beautiful National Academy of Sciences building in Washington D.C. The inductees were a seriously impressive group that included, in addition to Uncle Bob, the Chief of Surgery of Massachusetts General Hospital and the Dean of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, among many other heavy hitters in the medical world.

Fortunately, the weekend ended better than it started. Saturday morning, I lost a fight with a wall on my way down to the basement. Mom heard the big bang when I cracked my head open and "thought about checking on" me, but apparently thought better of it and went back to sleep, at least until I finally stanched the bleeding and made my way back upstairs to get her opinion on whether I needed any stitches to close the wound. To her credit, Mom suppressed her usual reaction, which would've been to laugh at my misfortune. On the other hand, Mom couldn't stop herself from saying that I looked like the Old Guy Who Lived, and how cool it was that I'd have a Harry Potter scar for the rest of my life:

Thankfully, no stitches were required, and we were able to get to D.C. in time to spend a lovely afternoon taking in many of the monuments in and around the National Mall, including some that were built since the last time I was there many years ago. That includes the especially impressive Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, which was dedicated in 2011 and sits directly across the Tidal Basin from the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. Unless I am deceived, there seems to be a subversive element in having Dr. King, in a 30-foot-tall statue depicting him in a rather stern pose with arms crossed, looking over towards, but not directly at, the slightly shorter statue of Mr. Jefferson, the great slave owner.

The Old Guy Who Lived enjoying the Monument Walk with Mom

After that, we finished our whirlwind tour with the Reflecting Pool, the awe-inspiring Lincoln Memorial, and the powerful but somber Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which is just a few hundred feet from the National Academy of Sciences building. There, we met up with Uncle Bob and family for the induction ceremony and post-induction dinner, where a good time was had by all.

See how my tie matches Mom's dress (on purpose)?

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[1] Here are links to three of Uncle Bob's studies using the capability framework that were published in the Annals of Family Medicine (March 2016, January 2014, September 2010), if you're wanting to catch up on some light medical reading.

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I didn't make this cake to celebrate the greatness of Uncle Bob, but it would've been appropriate. Instead, I made this for a family gathering at Auntie Leener's house a few weeks ago, when I was put in charge of the gluten-free dessert option. I spotted this cake in the Zahav cookbook that Dylan sent for my birthday, and it was a good choice. In fact, the gluten-free crowd pronounced it my best effort yet and better than the $25 cakes from Gearharts Fine Chocolates. This may be the new standard for decadent chocolate cakes going forward.

Zahav's Chocolate-Almond Situation

Adapted from Zahav (2015) by Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook (view on Good Morning America)

Time: 56 minutes to get the cake into and out of the oven

The recipe says the chocolate should be at least 60% cacao. I used my standard Trader Joe’s Pound Plus 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate.

312 grams (11 ounces; 2 scant cups) dark chocolate, chopped into pieces no larger than almonds (see note)

200 grams (1 cup) granulated sugar

113 grams (1 stick; 8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes and softened

a big pinch of fine sea salt

4 large eggs (~50 grams each out of the shells), lightly beaten

50 grams (½ cup) almond flour

    1. Place a rack in the center of the oven; heat to 375 degrees. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment paper, then spray the paper too.

    2. Melt the chocolate. The easiest way is in the microwave in a medium bowl. Start with 3 minutes on 50% power. Using a silicone spatula, stir the chocolate well. Continue to zap in 15- to 20-second increments, always on 50% power, stirring between each, until the chocolate is fully melted and smooth when you stir it well. Set aside to cool slightly.

    3. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the sugar, butter, and salt on medium-high speed (6 on our KitchenAid) until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

    4. Scrape in the melted chocolate. Mix on low speed (2 on our KitchenAid) until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with the silicone spatula, then mix for another few seconds.

    5. With the mixer running on low speed, tip in about a quarter of the beaten eggs at a time, mixing until just incorporated between each addition.

    6. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again, then mix in the almond flour on low speed until just incorporated, about 10 seconds.

    7. Using the silicone spatula, make sure everything is well combined, then scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan. Smooth the batter out, using a small offset icing spatula if you have one; otherwise, do the best you can with the silicone spatula. (Now is the time to wrap the cake pan with a soaked cake strip if you have one.)

    8. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Turn the cake out of the pan onto the rack and let cool completely.