MATH TASTES BEAUTIFUL NOW

Math is a beautiful thing in food and drink! Recipes are mathematical formulae. And Fibonacci shows up in beautiful form in things like Romanesco cauliflower. Check out some beautiful references and extrapolations here today.

1. ROMANESCO

Romanesco is gorgeous in its color, texture and shape. It is more dense and creamier than regular cauliflower. It is sweeter and crunchier when eaten raw.

You can dip it in batter and fry it up for a lovely bite. You can grill, roast, or steam it. And it makes for a funky pickle.

Check out some beautiful Romanesco recipes from Chel Rabbit: Spicy Whole-Roasted Romanesco, and Sautéed Romanesco with Toasted Walnuts, and Roasted Romanesco with Toasted Walnuts (see recipe below).

ROASTED ROMANESCO WITH TOASTED WALNUTS (by Chel Rabbit)

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 small heads Romanesco or 1/2 large
• 1 1/2-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt (always salt to taste)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
• zest of one lemon
• chopped fresh herbs (thyme, parsley, etc.)
• freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Trim stem and leaves and set aside. Cut the florets off the stem and chop into small pieces (about 1-inch chunks). Rinse under cold water (this will help steam the insides of the florets while the outsides caramelize).
2. Heat the oil over medium-high heat. When hot, carefully add the florets and stir to coat. Sprinkle on the salt. Let the florets cook for 3 minutes and then stir.
3. Stir occasionally for another 3-4 minutes or until browned and tender.
4. Add minced garlic and stir, cooking for another 30 seconds. Immediately transfer to a serving dish (so the garlic doesn't burn), sprinkle on toasted walnuts, lemon zest, herbs, and black pepper. Serve hot.

 

2. FIBONACCI LEMONADE (by Andrea Hawksley)

Fibonacci shows up again in this very cool mocktail recipe from Andrea Hawksley: Fibonacci Lemonade.

It is a layered lemonade. Each layer down gets increasingly intense in flavor. The sugar and lemon juice proportions for the same quantity of liquid increase according to the Fibonacci sequence. The sweeter layers are denser so they sink down towards the bottom.

Hawksley explains: The top layer is 1 part lemon and the second layer is 1 part sugar syrup. Following the Fibonacci rule, each subsequent layer has proportions that are the sum of the previous two layers proportions.

Layer 3 is 1 part lemon, 1 part sugar. Layer 4 is 1 part lemon, 2 parts sugar, and so on.

Generically, for layer n > 2, there are fib(n-1) parts sugar and fib(n-2) parts lemon juice.

As you drink through the layers, the ratio of lemon to sugar approximates the Golden Ratio. You can find directions for layering without ice here.

A layer of vodka would be even nicer!

FIBONACCI LEMONADE

INGREDIENTS:

• Lemon Juice
• Simple Syrup (1 cup sugar dissolved in 1 cup water)
• Water
• Food Coloring (optional but makes it pretty)
• Ice or a spoon for slow pouring (the ice free strategy is much harder)

DIRECTIONS:

1. First, fill your glasses with ice. Then, do the following steps for each layer. Finally, sip your mathematical masterpiece.
2. Add the proportions of lemon juice and simple syrup indicated below to your liquid measuring cup.
3. Add food coloring if desired.
4. Fill measuring cup to the 4 oz. (1/2 cup) line.
5. Stir to blend all ingredients in your measuring cup.
6. Slowly pour a layer from your measuring cup into your drink glasses. You want to pour directly onto an ice cube, the ice cubes are there to slow down your liquid as it goes down the cup and to help keep the layers distinct. (You can pour the first layer normally)

THE LAYERS:

1. 1 tsp. lemon juice
2. 1 tsp. simple syrup
3. 1 tsp. lemon juice, 1 tsp. simple syrup
4. 1 tsp. lemon juice, 2 tsp. simple syrup
5. 2 tsp. lemon juice, 3 tsp. simple syrup
6. 3 tsp. lemon juice, 5 tsp. simple syrup
7. 5 tsp. lemon juice, 8 tsp. simple syrup

3. MIGHTY MATH MUFFINS

Andrea Israel and Nancy Garfinkel, authors of the new cookbook novel "The Recipe Club," offer up Melissa Clark’s genius little recipe for Mighty Math Muffins, related to one of the book's characters who is struggling with math. In the novel, the recipe is shared as a series of math problems:

• What's 3/4 cup of sugar times 2? (1 1/2 cups sugar)
• What's 1/2 of 1/2 cup of butter? (1/4 cup butter)
• What's 1/6 of a dozen eggs? (2 eggs)
• What's 1/2 of 32 ounces all-purpose flour? (16 ounces or 2 cups all-purpose flour)
• If a tablespoon has 3 teaspoons, and you need 2 tablespoons minus 4 teaspoons, what do you need? (2 teaspoons baking powder)
• What's a teaspoon of salt minus 3/4? (1/4 teaspoon salt)
• What's 1/4 teaspoon of lemon zest times 4? (1 teaspoon lemon zest)
• What's 1/4 of 16 ounces of milk? (1/2 cup milk)
• How many cups of chopped cranberries do you need if you need 16 ounces? (2 cups frozen cranberries, chopped)

MIGHTY MATH MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 16 ounces or 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 cups frozen cranberries, chopped

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
2. In a bowl, cream the sugar and butter. Add the eggs, one at a time, beat after each addition.
3. In another bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and lemon zest. Add alternately with the milk to the creamed sugar mixture. Stir in the chopped cranberries.
4. Spoon the batter into the greased muffin tin, filling 3/4 full. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

4. EINSTEIN’S FAVORITE ORANGE CAKES

When Monica Kass Rogers, of Lost Recipes Found, came across a 1950 cookbook in a garage sale, which included a recipe for sticky orange cakes. On the recipe page, the former book owner, Mrs. Andrew W. Blackwood of Princeton, NJ, wrote: “It happens that we are neighbors of the Einsteins. I made some of these cakes and took them to the family one day. Dr. Einstein declared them to be the best cakes he had ever tasted. I have since called the cakes, “Einsteins Favorite.”

EINSTEIN’S FAVORITE ORANGE CAKES

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) salted butter
• 1 cup plus 1/2 cup sugar (divided)
• 1 cup raisins
• Peel from one orange
• juice from one orange
• 1 cup sour milk (NOTE: add 1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice to 1 cup whole milk to sour)
• 1 rounded teaspoon soda
• 1 rounded teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg, well-beaten
• 2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour

DIRECTIONS:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer on medium-high speed, whip butter with sugar until fluffy.
2. While whipping butter, in a food processor with metal blade, grind raisins and orange peel until cut fine.
3. Add orange-rind/raisin mixture to whipped butter/sugar.
4. Combine orange juice with 1/2 cup sugar and place in a warm place.
5. Preheat oven to 375.
6. Add 1 cup sour milk to the mixer bowl. Add soda and baking powder.
7. Add vanilla and egg.
8. Add flour and mix until incorporated.
9. Grease a 12-muffin muffin tin, plus two ramekins for the extra batter. Bake in center of oven at 375 for 15 to 17 minutes until tops spring back with touched.
10. Drizzle orange juice sugar mixture over tops of baked muffins while still warm.

Read more about Beautiful Math, as they relate to Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact including Math is a Beautiful Thing Right Now: 10 New Books and Math Beats Cancer and Makes Brain More Beautiful Now.

Enter your own images and ideas about Beautiful Math in this week’s creative Photo Competition. Open for entries now until 11:59 p.m. PT on 09.21.14. If you are reading this after that date, check out the current BN Creative Competition, and enter!

PHOTO CREDITS:

1. Photo: Courtesy of Egregores. Romanesco cauliflower.
2. Photo: Courtesy of Chel Rabbit. Romanesco.
3. Photo: Courtesy of Chel Rabbit. Romanesco.
4. Photo: Courtesy of Chel Rabbit. Roasted Romanesco with Toasted Walnuts.
5. Photo: by Andrea Hawksley. Fibonacci Lemonade.
6. Photo: by Andrea Hawksley. Fibonacci Lemonade.
7. Photo: by Andrea Hawksley. Fibonacci Lemonade.
8. Photo: Courtesy of Crazy Sweet Life. Orange Cranberry Muffins.
9. Photo: by panafotkas. Cranberry muffin.
10. Photo: Courtesy of Robins Sweet Confessions. Cranberry Muffins.
11. Photo: Courtesy of Lost Recipes Found. Einstein’s Favorite Sticky Orange Cakes.
12. Photo: Courtesy of 2day I Learned. Orange Slice.