In 1988, the Wall Street Journal began a contest inspired by Burton Malkiel's book, A Random Walk Down Wall Street, in which the author – who happened to be a Princeton professor – suggested that "a blindfolded monkey throwing darts at a newspaper's financial pages could select a portfolio that would do just as well as one carefully selected by experts".
For many years, this entertaining competition ran in the pages of the famous broadsheet, although Wall Street Journal staffers were recruited to play the role of the simian investor; the paper apparently cited "insurance issues" as the reason they couldn't use live, dart-throwing, blind-folded monkeys.
The results were mixed. Many experts couldn’t fully agree on who definitively won, as much depended on whether you took a long term or short term view on the investments, or whether you judged success as simply making money on a particular day’s trade, regardless of a long term strategy.
You may wonder what on earth this has to do with this column, but a little secret is that I always think of this story when trying to pick food to go into the column for particular weekends – this Bank Holiday food special being one where we’re keen to promote the notion that occasionally we can dine al fresco – wearing something other than thermals.
Trying to predict whether or not a suitably sunny day recipe is going to be appropriate today feels a little like throwing darts at a weather chart. I am often a little concerned that people will be wondering if I’d been stirring and grilling new creations and then typing with a glass of absinthe in one hand and an almanac in the other.
So in advance, I apologise if you are looking at the strawberry recipe and wondering why on earth I would be suggesting strawberries for June, considering the year that we’ve had. But on the chance that the sun is splitting and you can find some Irish strawberries, then I suggest you try out this dish immediately. It manages to do one of my favourite things and that is to combine fruit and cheese into one great course, thus eliminating the need for a cheese course and dessert – if you’re being all swanky.
The crab cakes were very wet when first formed, and had to get a dipping of flour first before being dipped into an egg bath followed by panko crumb. I have found packets of panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) in the local supermarket now, not just Asian stores or posh delis, but if you can't find them, then regular old breadcrumbs will do. The sauce is light and runny as opposed to thick and gloopy, so this makes it nice and light and perfect for summer. Yes, you heard it here first. Summer.
dkemp@irishtimes.com
