Newsletter No. 411

No. 411, 19.1.2013 7 不折不扣話葡撻 A Custard Tart with its own Character 每日下午二時半，善衡書院飯堂就會傳出陣陣撲鼻焦香，空氣中蕩漾着濃甜。錯不了，是新鮮出爐的葡撻，為下午茶報時。 直徑不過兩吋的葡式甜食，小巧精緻，酥皮層次分明，輕、薄、鬆、化，咬下去會聽到逐層脆裂的聲音，幾乎入口即溶。按製餅的 張師傅說，要選擇優質牛油混和麵粉，揉成麵團，對摺碾壓多次，方得出六十四層散發醇香的酥皮。層數太多過韌，過少則欠鬆 化。餡料是雞蛋、糖和淡忌廉，香滑醇濃；表面金黃斑駁，先焦後甜─經典賣相和味道，全取決於材料比例、混和力度、焗製 時間、熱度等的準確掌握。 今時今日，健康至上，以致甜品竟也有以不甜作為招徠的。唯獨葡撻始終保留本色，旗幟鮮明，就是一道吃在口裏甜在喉頭的甜 品。剛開始擔心卡路里，這令人內疚的美食已順着舌尖下滑。吃葡撻，你會喜歡來一件曲奇餅皮、低糖不起焦的嗎？那還是一件 葡撻嗎？ At 2:30 pm every day, a savoury smell assails the nostrils and lingers in the S.H. Ho College canteen. The Portuguese custard tarts ( pastéis de nata ) are out of the oven, telling you tea-time is just around the corner. With a diameter of less than two inches, the delicate custard tart has a flaky crust made out of densely layered pastry. According to Mr. Cheung, the canteen baker, the secret of making a savoury pastry lies in the choice of butter and flour, as well as kneading skills. The dough should be rolled and folded until it forms a 64-layer pastry. Too many layers will make the crust too hard, and too few, not crispy enough. The creamy and melt-in-the-mouth custard, a perfect match with the crispy crust, is a mixture of egg, sugar and cream. The tart is baked until the top turns brown. Whether the taste and appearance are good depends on the portion of different ingredients, the texture of the dough after kneading, the baking time and temperature. Nowadays, people are more concerned about their health so sweet snacks always promote themselves as low-sugar and healthy. But the tart still stands firm for the distinguishing feature of a dessert—sweet and sugary. When you are having a tart, do you prefer to have one with a hard crust and low-sugar? And would that creation still count as a pastel de nata ? 圖書館珍藏共享 Displaying the Gems of the CUHK Library 為慶祝中大成立五十周年，大學圖書館與文物館合辦「書海驪珠：香港中文大學圖書館 珍藏展」，開幕禮於1月9日舉行，由中大校長沈祖堯教授（ 左三 ）和大學圖書館館長李 露絲女士（ 右三 ）主禮。是次於文物館展出的珍藏約一百二十種，年代跨越三千五百年， 由商代甲骨、古籍善本、書畫拓本、名人信札手稿，以及二十世紀書刊等，是圖書館數十 年搜採和承蒙各界惠贈的珍貴館藏。 To celebrate the 50th anniversary of CUHK, the University Library and the University’s Art Museum jointly organized an exhibition ‘From the Treasure House: Jewels from Library of the CUHK’. The opening ceremony was held on 9 January and officiated by Prof. Joseph J.Y. Sung ( 3rd left ), CUHK Vice-Chancellor, and Ms. Louise Jones ( 3rd right ), University Librarian. Held in the Art Museum, the exhibition showcases some 120 exhibits with a time span stretching over 3,500 years. There were oracle bones from the Shang dynasty, as well as the manuscripts of contemporary writers. Over the past five decades, the generosity of donors and the foresight of the University Librarians have contributed to the gradual growth of this most valuable collection. 認識藥物相互作用 Conference on Recognizing Adverse Drug Interactions 由中大醫學院、法國巴黎第十二大學、芬蘭赫爾辛基大學、香港特區政府衞生署和醫管 局轄下藥物安全研究中心合辦的「藥物安全研究中心聯合會議」於11月21日舉行，題 目為「認識及防止藥物的相互作用而致的不良反應」，主講嘉賓為法國巴黎第十二大學 Hervé Le Louet教授（ 前排右三 ）及赫爾辛基大學Kalle Hoppu教授（ 前排左三 ）。超過 一百九十名醫生、藥劑師和護士參加。參加者認識到同時應用兩種或以上藥物時所產生 的藥效變化和所引起的不良反應，為各種病患者或長者選藥的考慮，以及避免藥效減 低的策略。 Organized by the Drug Safety Research Centres of the Faculty of Medicine, CUHK, University Paris-Est Créteil, the University of Helsinki, the Department of Health, HKSAR, and the Hospital Authority, the ‘2012 Joint Conference of Drug Safety Research Centres’ was held on 21 November. Prof. Hervé Le Louet ( 3rd right, front row ) of the University of Paris-Est Créteil and Prof. Kalle Hoppu ( 3rd left, front row ) of the University of Helsinki were the keynote speakers. With the theme ‘Recognizing and Preventing Adverse Drug Interactions’, the conference attracted over 190 doctors, pharmacists and nurses who came to learn about clinically significant adverse drug interactions, drugs requiring special considerations in disease conditions or at the extremes of age, as well as preventive strategies.