May 13
Stephen Tyrone Colbert's Birthday
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The dust
jacket on Stephen Colbert’s best-selling book, I am America (And
So Can You!), contains a concise summary of Stephen Colbert that
is more complete than any we could offer:
Stephen Colbert is
America. This single sentence is printed under an image of a
Hulk-like Colbert jabbing an American flag into a bear. It’s the
perfect illustration of the ludicrous persona Colbert has crafted
for himself – first as a special correspondent on Jon Stewart’s
Daily Show, and then as the host of his own spin-off comedy news
program, The Colbert Report. Colbert masquerades as a
hyper-conservative, jingoistic, loudmouthed parody of conservative
television and radio pundits. His show, consistently one of the
highest-rated shows on cable television, features segments like the
“Threat-Down” – a humorous list of the five biggest current threats
to Truth, Justice and The American Way.
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Colbert, born on
May 13, 1964, like many of comedy’s finest, started his acting
career as a member of Chicago’s famed Second City troupe, performing
as an understudy for his later Daily Show cohort Steve Carell. In
1997 Colbert debuted his “character:” Stephen Colbert, a
well-meaning but highly misinformed political pundit broadcasting
inflammatory reactionary material in a manner spoofing the many
“personalities” of conservative news media.
In 2005, with the
burgeoning success of The Daily Show, Comedy Central was looking for a way
to extend the franchise. Colbert’s pitch for a right-wing media show parody
was picked up for an eight-week trial run. The show’s strong ratings and
immediate media attention earned it a full two-year contract. The Colbert
Report (the last T’s are silent) and the Colbert Nation were formed. The
Report takes the form of a conservative news program – recent
headlines are introduced and discussed at the beginning of the show, and
more in-depth analysis of threats to America and other pressing political
matters fills time until the show’s daily interview with a celebrity, author
or political figure. Of course, the entire show is patently
ludicrous–
Bears consistently rank as one of America’s greatest threats and Colbert’s
interviews with junior senators for his “Better Know a District” segment are
merely excuses to dig up ridiculous facts about the various districts across
the country.
In 2006, Colbert as Colbert
was invited to speak at the White House Correspondent’s Association Dinner,
where, in character, he ruthlessly ridiculed President Bush and his low
approval rating. He encourages his viewers to spam bridge and mascot-naming
elections with write-ins for himself. He has an ongoing feud with Korean pop
star Rain. Colbert is at once a truly unique look at how ludicrous political
newsmedia can be and a legitimate rallying point for genuine interest in the
events of the world – albeit through a deliberately warped lens. Colbert is
nothing short of a national treasure – and that’s the word.
So if Stephen and his lovely wife Evelyn ever accept you invitation to come
over for a birthday dinner for him, what should you serve as the first
course? That's easy.
Emeril Largesse's
Consommé Colbert. And you can even purchase a video of
Emeril
making this fantastic soup on
"The Essence of Emeril: Episode:
Consommé." We suggest that your pair this remarkable soup with with a
DVD of
The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear
(2010).
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Emeril
Lagasse's Consommé Colbert
You will need a brunoise knife
for the vegetables which the each vegetable is first julienned and then
turned a quarter turn and diced again, producing cubes of a side length of
about 3 mm or less on each side. In France a "brunoise" cut is smaller, 1 to
2 mm on each side. Although Stephen isn't worth the extra trouble,
Evelyn is.
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Ingredients
1 TB butter
1/4 cup carrots, brunoise
1/4 cup celery, brunoise
1/4 cup leeks, brunoise
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1/4 cup turnips, brunoise
1 quart chicken consommé
4 small eggs
4 sprigs chervil |
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Instructions
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- Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat.
Add the butter and melt. Add the brunoise vegetables and sauté just
until soft, about 3 to 4 minutes. Be careful not to brown the
vegetables.
- Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Bring the chicken consommé to a simmer.
Carefully break the eggs into the hot consommé and poach them in the
consommé.
Ladle the consommé into 4 bowls and garnish each with 1 of the poached
eggs, some of the sautéed vegetables and a sprig of chervil.
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Serves 4
© 2011 Gordon Nary and Tyler Stokes
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