Within the branching shade of Reverie
Dreams even may spring til autumn: yet not be
Like woman’s budding day-dream spirit-fann’d.
Lo! Tow’rd deep skies, not deeper than her look,
She dreams: till now her forgotten book
Drops the forgotten blossom from her hand.”
Day dreaming at my desk early this Friday morning, July 29th, 2011
I am overwhelmed by the response to this post. The lines are from a play by Anton Chekhov , UNCLE VANYA. The play had its Moscow premiere Oct. 1899. Thank you Bel’Occhio blog readers. I so appreciate hearing from you.
“We shall find peace
We shall hear the angels
We shall see the sky
sparkling with diamonds.”
Anton Chekhov l860-1904
I do so love taking cast-off Cinderella furniture and dressing them up for the ball. What a delight and joy to be introduced by my friend,Jill to BurlapLuxe.blogspot.com. The eye candy on this blog is marvelous. For inspiration journey to this blog. You’ll love it.
This is a refreshing make ahead salad. Corn kernels are lightly cooked just to develop their flavor. Then mixed with chunks of smoky roasted chiles,bell peppers, luxurious avocado and crunchy sharp scallions. To make two or three days in advance, mix all the ingredient except the avocado and store in the refrigerator. Add the avocado shortly before serving.
This recipe is from Mesa Mexicana. The book is by two of our favorite chefs, Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger.
AVOCADO CORN SALAD
Makes 6 generous cups
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 5 ears) or if you’re making this out-of-season use frozen corn kernels
1 tsp salt, 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 avocados, peeled and pitted
2 large red bell peppers, cored and seeded
4 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled and seeded
6 scallions, white and light green parts, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1/2 cup red vinegar
Heat half cup of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the corn with seasonings, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and set aside to cool.
Cut the avocados, bell peppers and roasted poblanos into 1/2 inch dice.
Add to the sautéed corn along with the scallions, red wine vinegar and the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil. Mix well and let sit twenty to thirty minutes to blend the flavors.
Serve at room temperature. Corn relish can be stored , tightly covered, in the refrigerator up to a day.
Mrs. Pecky and Baskin Robin announce the arrival of several hatchlings. A joyous event for everyone. Especially Good Husband and myself. A couple of months ago the parents wanted desperately to come into our home and build their nest. Resigned they flew away and built a nest in a nearby tree. Those hatch-lings have now flown the nest.
The process is starting over again. A few weeks ago they started pecking again at the window. Once again we convinced them it wasn’t going to happen. They found a safe haven under the roof of the patio, secure on top of a birdcage. We barbecue, we garden, we drink our tea. We stay out of the flight path of robins bearing food. Mrs. P. watches from her nest. She feels safe and secure. She trusts us. They’ll raise this family under our caring eyes.
One potato, two potato, three potato four, five potato, six potato, seven potato more.
Early morning in the vegetable garden. The octopus zucchini tentacles taking over the potatoes. I dig up some potato plants to give it room. One potato than more. I dig some more. Four potato, five potato and a lot more. Tonight new Yukon Gold potatoes , fresh garden mint, and lots of butter. Bon Appetit indeed!
Just like the last green in a colour pot
So are these leaves, withered and wrecked
Behind the flower umbels, which reflect
A hue of blue, only more they do not.
Reflections are tear-stained, inaccurate,
As if they were about to cease,
And like old blue notepaper sheets
They wear some yellow, grey and violet,
Washed-out like on a children’s apron,
Outworn and now no more in use:
We contemplate a small life’s short duration.
But suddenly some new blue seemingly is seen
In just one umbel, and we muse
Over a moving blue delighting in the green
(Translation by Guntram Deichsel)
Callum and Andrea’s garden is adrift in a sea of blue hydrangeas. They share with me. A shard of blue sky caught against a wall washed in sunshine. Sunday. July 24th, 2011 10:00 am
This morning was gray and cold. We are still waiting for summer in the Lower Mainland. A good day to shop vintage at our local Thrift Shop. This morning the shelves were filled with boxes of boring incomplete sets of dishes, shelves of orphaned plates and coffee cups, trays of mismatched cutlery. Sad memories of forgotten dinners. Then an AHA moment. Under a pile of pitiful plates I spotted something interesting.
Simple, elegant, classic – a stoneware platter. I turned it over and read the marks.
ROYAL IRONSTONE CHINA WOOD AND SON. Indeed a find. The Royal signifies the company had a Royal Warrant. This platter was produced between 1865 and 1907. More than one hundred years ago it held the Sunday joint. Today it will be perfect for antipasto. Bon Appetit.
I’ve a bumper crop of kohlrabi. Fortunately we love kohlrabi. We eat it raw with a sprinkling of sea salt. Just peel it, slice thin, and you have practically a calorie free treat. You can add it to salads or saute it with onions.
This was my garden May 15, 2011. Some pathetic potatoes, lettuce doing well, but that’s it.
This is my garden today. July 20th and I’ve created a monster. No matter how much lettuce we eat, like Topsy it just grows and grows and grows. One zucchini alone crouches like a prehistoric monster and threatens the potatoes. Alas alack there is no sign of beets. I’ve planted them twice and as soon as the little darlings poke their Technicolor heads through the soil something nibbles them away. Meanwhile there’s always Kohlrabi.
When I’m cooking or baking I think of my blog readers. Is this something Patricia in Quebec would enjoy? Is Ping in Thailand still making my apple tart? This recipe is good for Jill. She cooks for one. Dellis is always up for a challenge. Andrew and Cait love to cook for their friends and family. My version of Foxley’s Rib Recipe would be perfect.
DREAM BARS is an old-fashioned recipe from a small Robin Hood cookbook. I started baking from it more than 53 years ago. Then it disappeared to the Land of Forgotten Recipes.
I was in the Land of the Patisserie. Gastron Lenôtre’s books became bed-side reading. Pastries, flans, tarts, Chou pastries, meringues, French custards, rich chocolate ganaches had me in their decadent clutches.
ROXY’S BISTRO’s display case indulged with crème brûlée, Paris-Brest, St Honoré cakes, chocolate mousse, apple charlottes, petits fours glacés, gâteaux laden with custard and cream .
I’ve come full circle with my baking. How rewarding to fill your home with the heady aroma of old-fashioned baking… cookies, loaf cakes, gingerbread, coffee cakes. They are easy, they are quick to make and bake, and they are so much better than anything that comes in a bag or box.
DREAM BARS
Base:
1 cup all-purpose flour, 2 1/2 tbsp icing sugar, 1/2 cup butter (or best quality hard margarine if your diet requires it)
In a large bowl mix together the flour and icing sugar. Blend in the butter with your fingertips, or cut in until very fine mealy with a pastry blender. Pat the mixture firmly into a greased 8 inch square pan. Bake in a slow oven at 300F for 20 minutes.
While your base is baking making the topping:
2 large eggs room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 scant cup of all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 generous cup of coarsely chopped walnuts
1 cup of cocoanut.
Beat the eggs well with a whisk and add sugar. Whisk again.
In a small bowl add flour, salt and baking powder and stir to blend. Add this to your egg mixture and blend. Now add the vanilla, nuts and cocoanut.
Spread this over the base and return to oven. Bake in a slow oven (300F) for 30 to 35 minutes.
The topping is very soft when removed from the oven but becomes firm as it cools. DO NOT TRY TO CUT OR REMOVE from pan until cold. Cut into squares or bars. Drift a little icing sugar over the top.
This delicate square becomes an easy, dessert if you serve it with a scoop of ice cream or a generous spoonful of whipped cream. It’s as impressive and delicious as any complicated French dessert. Bon Appetit!
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