Bernays Sauce: Public Relations A Deadly Vocation?

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Public Relations A Deadly Vocation?

No doubt you have seen or heard--like it or not--about the woman called "octomom". She's the person who through invitro fertilization has just birthed eight new babies, making her total kid count 14.

Emotions are running pretty hot about the single mom, who many believe is wreckless, irresponsible or even mentally ill. She has apparently received death threats. Strangely, (or perhaps not so strangely) so has her PR agency:

Killeen Furtney Group's president, Joann Killeen, said Saturday that her Los Angeles-based company was stepping down as Suleman's publicist because of death threats. Killeen said Nadya Suleman told her Yoder signed on as Suleman's agent.

It appears there aren't many agencies lining up to fill the void, either. Just goes to show you, not all business is business you want. Who wants to wear a flack (pardon the pun) jacket to the office?

What I really want to know is, who was paying the PR firm's bill for representing the octomom?

More here.

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The Best Béarnaise Sauce

Courtesy: John Short at EventPros, Inc.

Ingredients:
1 lb 4 oz butter 1/8 tsp peppercorns, crushed 1/8 tsp salt 3 Tbsp tarragon vinegar 2 Tbsp cold water 6 egg yolks 1 Tbsp fresh tarragon cayenne pepperlemon juice
Instructions:
Clarify the butter. Keep it warm but not hot.
Combine the peppercorns, salt, and vinegar in a saucepan. Reduce until dry.
Remove from the heat and add the cold water. Transfer the diluted reduction to a stainless steel bowl.
Add the egg yolks and beat well.
Hold the bowl over a hot-water bath and beat the yolks until they are thickened and creamy. Do not overcook them or they will curdle.
Remove the bowl from the heat. Using a ladle, slowly and gradually beat in the warm, clarified butter, adding it drop by drop at first. If it becomes too thick to beat before all the butter is added, beat in a little of the tarragon vinegar.
When all the butter has been added, beat in lemon juice to taste and adjust the seasonings with salt and cayenne. If necessary, thin the sauce with a few drops of warm water.
Variations:
For Hollandaise Sauce delete tarragon and tarragon vinegar - replace each with lemon juice
For Mousseline Sauce fold 1 cup whipped cream into basic Hollandaise Sauce
Other variations: Substitute each for tarragon/tarragon vinegar – Paloise Sauce (fresh mint); Maltaise Sauce (orange juice with orange zest); Mikado Sauce (tangerine juice with tangerine zest); Choron Sauce (1/2 cup diced Roma Tomatoes).
Be creative!