Modern Lardy Cake

HOLIDAY BAKING

Here he produced a decanter of curiously light wine, and a block of curiously heavy cake, 

and administered instalments of those dainties to the young people. 

– Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol 

Once again, we arrive in that limbo between Hanukkah and Christmas. I wait for hints, curious to know what his decision will be. Sons wiggle around us looking for clues that something is afoot, bringing up (once again) the topic of gifts. Hanukkah has come and gone in its own very quiet way amid subtle displays of joy, bringing us together as a family, and now we watch as the city dresses itself in its Christmas finest bringing a bit of cheer to the drab seasonal weather. But whether or not we will be celebrating Christmas this year has yet to be decided.



Although Hanukkah is our holiday and we do not celebrate Christmas, there is definitely something about this season conducive to baking. It could be the misty skies the color of tarnished pewter, the occasional spatter of rain against the windows, keeping us inside, cozy and comfortable with little to do except write and bake. It could be the glittering of the Christmas lights in the streets below, brilliant and gay against the dark night sky that makes us feel all romantic and warm inside, desiring nothing more than being able to offer something freshly baked, redolent of cinnamon, heady with chocolate and rum, or spiced and studded with fruit and nuts, to those we love.

Winter rolls in on a wave of misty white, the fog hanging heavy and cruel over the city. No joy, no snow. Sunshine playing hide and seek with the rain. The icy chill penetrates every pore of one’s body and no matter what one does, no matter how many blankets or pairs of socks the cold simply seeps in. But the gloom and gray of a midwinter day doesn’t dampen my excitement for the onset of this, my favorite season and all of the festivities. The holiday spirit seems to have arrived and settled in, as the bustling marketplace is alive with shoppers pushing their way towards stalls overflowing with seasonal treats. Garlands of gold and silver sneak their way in, Santas pop up on velvet hills of snow and visions of sugarplums, smoked salmon and oysters dance in my head. The first strains of Winter Wonderland and Rudolph signal the beginning of the Christmas season.

But chez nous, one never knows if it will be Scrooge, the Grinch or one of Santa’s merry elves that will arrive at our house, be blown in over the threshold on a blast of cold air. When the boys were little, Hanukkah flowed into Christmas easily when and if their grandparents would be visiting. Once or twice, a tree had indeed been lugged home, set up and decorated by three sets of hands. Once, when the boys were in high school, the Christmas spirit whipped Clem into a merry frenzy and he dragged a lumbering evergreen (or so we thought) back to our apartment, forcing our hand, demanding we not be the only ones of his acquaintance not to participate in the seasonal festivities. We decorated that tree, shared special Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve meals around it, merry and bright, and then waited post-holidays for Clem to drag it away. Until we were sliding around in puddles of sharp pine needles weeks later. And arguing over whose responsibility it was to remove the thing.

And once in a while, husband dons his proverbial Santa hat and his jolly disposition and announces that this year he would like Christmas. For someone with Scrooge-like tendencies when it comes to most holidays, it must mean that he is feeling somewhat wistful and nostalgic. It must mean that he needs the warmth of gathering us, wife and sons, closely around him, shutting out all worries and cares for the time of a long, slow, peaceful meal. It means that he desires nothing more than spending a long afternoon and evening in joy and conversation, laughter and indulgence, hilarity and delight.

Yet, no matter his choice, the season encourages baking. Something about the cold and inclement weather has me craving cinnamon-rich treats, neither too rich nor too sweet, that go perfectly, merrily, with a cup of coffee either for breakfast or snack. Homey, warming, comforting. Yet with a touch of the festive.

And so this month’s Bread Baking Babe’s challenge was perfect! Our hostess for December is the lovely Lien of Notitie Van Lien and she chose a Modern Lardy Cake, which I found to be utterly perfect for the season. Traditionally, the Lardy Cake is (obviously) made with lard, but this version is made with butter. Layers of dough reveal swirls of dried fruit-studded cinnamon-nutmeg sugar, creating a laminated bread traditionally English and eaten for special occasions, holidays and harvest festivals. So as simple as it may seem for those of us who are used to really rich holiday treats, it is a bread… or teacake reserved for a celebration. I loved this Lardy Cake just eaten as is, or dipped in café au lait while husband spread his with lots of jam.

Take the folding and rolling slowly and carefully, trying to keep the dough from tearing and too much filling oozing out. Several Babes found as I did that a total of 3 rather than 4 folds and rolls was enough. I decided to bake mine in a small rectangular pan instead of a round one. This was quite a fun bread to make and so delicious to eat that I know I will be making it over and over again. A winner!

If you would like to bake the Modern Lardy Cake with the Babes, you can earn your Bread Baking Buddy badge and be included in the round up at the end of the month. Just head over to Lien’s blog for details.

Meanwhile, check out all of the Babes’ Modern Lardy Cakes! And be inspired! This is the perfect treat to serve the family while decorating the tree and house, wrapping or unwrapping gifts and to serve friends and family when they drop by. Perfect with coffee, tea, milk or hot cocoa. And a few good old holiday movies.

Bake My Day – Karen
blog from OUR kitchen – Elizabeth
Feeding my enthusiasms – Elle
girlichef – Heather
Lucullian Delights - Ilva
Living in the Kitchen with Puppies – Natashya
My Kitchen In Half Cups – Tanna
Notitie Van Lien – Lien
Paulchens Foodblog – Astrid
Bread Baking Babe Bibliothécaire – Katie

I want to share this Modern Lardy Cake with Susan of Wild Yeast for her weekly Yeastspotting roundup!

MODERN LARDY CAKE
From “Warm Bread and Honey Cake” by Gaitri Pagrach-Chandra

Lardy cake is not a cake, but a bread that is laminated with lard with some raisins or currants. We have replaced the lard with butter, giving a fresher, more modern twist on the Lardy Cake. This is not a rich bread like a coffee cake, but a lightly flavored, gently sweetened bread almost, but not quite, like a challah or brioche type bread. We loved it precisely because it wasn’t overly sweet and rich, just the perfect bread for breakfast smeared with jelly. Or eaten as a snack. It stays fresh for a couple of days. Definitely make this during the holidays to have on hand when family or friends visit.

Dough:
375 g strong white flour
1 ½ tsp active dry yeast
1 Tbs sugar
¼ tsp salt
35 g butter, melted and cooled to warm/tepid
± 200 ml milk, warmed

Filling:
100 g butter, softened
75 g soft dark brown sugar (make sure it is soft and lump free; if not use granulated brown sugar as I did)
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp freshly grated or ground nutmeg
50-75 g currants, raisins or other dried fruit (I used dried blueberries)

Beaten egg, to glaze

1 – 2 Tbs granulated brown sugar (my own addition for dusting on the bread)

24 cm (9 in) round cake tin (pref. a springform) – or a rectangular pan of similar volume

Make the dough:

Put all of the dough ingredients in a large mixing bowl. If using a heavy-duty stand mixer with a dough hook, knead until smooth and supple. If working by hand (as I did), stir the flour and salt together in a mixing bowl; make a well in the center and add the sugar and the yeast to the well and then add the warm milk and allow the yeast to activate for about 10 minutes. Add the warm melted butter and stir everything together until all the dry ingredients are moistened and it pulls together into a scraggly ball. Bring the dough together in a ball, scrape onto a lightly floured work surface and knead briefly until smooth and supple. Return the dough to the bowl (or place in a lightly oiled clean bowl). Cover with clingfilm/plastic wrap and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size.

Make the filling:

Blend the butter, sugar and spices together until creamy. I used a hand mixer for this to keep my hands clean and it comes together creamy and smooth easily.

Knock the risen dough back and re-knead it briefly. Roll it out to a rectangle about 50 x 25 cm (20 x 10 in), the long side perpendicular to your body, the shorter side right to left. Spread the filling evenly over the top two-thirds of the dough sheet, leaving one outer third empty and about 4 cm (1 ½ inch) on all sides. If using, sprinkle the dried fruit over this and press down to embed. Fold the empty third over the middle third and the remaining third back down over this – you will have three layers of dough in a small rectangle “package”. Pinch all the edges well to seal the filling in. Cover with a sheet of clingfilm and leave to rest for about 5 minutes to relax.

Give the parcel a quarter turn – the new rectangle will once again have the long side straight up away from you, perpendicular to your body. Gently press the rolling pin down to seal and flatten slightly, then gently roll it into a rectangle about 30 x 15 cm (12 x 6 in) or a bit bigger. Fold into thirds again and leave to rest for 5 minutes. Repeat this procedure three more times for a total of four folds, turning the dough by a quarter turn and rolling and folding. If you find you are losing too much filling, omit the final turn. (I folded the dough in thirds for a total of 3 times)

This is a delicate, difficult and sometimes messy work as the filling oozes out in weak spots, so press and roll out lightly and gently, taking your time. Patch them up as well as you can and continue to work. All the oozing bits will caramelize nicely as the cake bakes. But you don’t want to loose too much filling as the laminating effect.

Grease the tin and put the dough packet in it, then flatten it with your hand to fit it in as well as possible. Cover with clingfilm/plastic wrap and leave it to rise until almost doubled.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF).

Brush the dough with beaten egg, and dust generously with the granulated brown sugar. Bake until brown; the bread may spread a bit and will not rise during the baking. The total baking time will vary: the author instructs to bake for 25 – 30 minutes but I baked mine for 1 hour as did several of the Babes.

Remove from the oven, but leave in the tin for about 5 minutes. Carefully release the clip and turn the cake upside down on a wire rack. Remove the bottom of the tin, which will probably still be attached to it, and leave to cool further. (I lifted my Lardy cake out of the pan with a spatula)

Eat warm or room temperature, cut into wedges or slices.

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Cinnamon Nut Roll Coffee Cake Redux

EVERYBODY (every Buddy) BAKES

After a harrowing kitchen experience – thrice unlucky - followed by a resounding success, I shared my Cinnamon Nut Roll Coffee Cake with the Bread Baking Babes and, as is the tradition, invited others to bake along with us and earn their Buddy Badge. Not to mention allowing others to have such a fabulous yeasted coffee cake in the kitchen. And from what I have heard, there wasn’t coffee cake in the kitchen for long! This is the kind of treat that disappears in no time at all, it is that good!

So, without further ado, here are this month’s Bread Baking Buddies and their own Cinnamon Nut Roll Coffee Cakes:

Kelly of a Messy Kitchen

Karen of Karen’s Kitchen Stories

Claartie of Claire’s Baking Journey

Carola of Sweet and That’s It

Louise Persson

Thank you all for baking this scrumptious yeast Cinnamon Nut Roll Coffee Cake with me and the Babes this month and congratulations on earning your Buddy badge!

Did you know that Life's a Feast now has a Life's a Feast Facebook Page? Join the community by simply clicking on the "Like" button... Join a group of wonderful friends to keep in touch and keep up to date.

On another note, Ilva is back from Sweden, which means that Plated Stories will soon be back to normal. In addition to the stunning images and evocative words, we will once again be adding a recipe to each and every post, each and every Monday. We continue to weave a tale around what many consider the most banal, or we weave a tale around what many do not consider at all. Dirt, Red, Thyme, Sugar… everything around us leads to the kitchen. Food as an emotional experience, a nostalgic voyage, a romantic discovery.

Do hop on over to Plated Stories and savor our latest post Flowers. You can also become part of the Plated Stories community on Facebook by simply "liking" our Plated Stories Page.

And I leave you simply with some photos of my latest stroll through my city Nantes.

 Mais oui! Voyage à Nantes leads to a very French burger!

A seafaring life in Nantes... along the Erdre River.

We do not mention this to Marty.

 Beautiful interplay between stone and flora. Just look up.

 Angels over Nantes.

 Passage Pommeraye. 

Voodoo. 

Read more »

Cinnamon Nut Roll Coffee Cake

THIRD TIME’S THE CHARM

A Babe in the house is a well-spring of pleasure, 

A messenger of peace and love, 

A resting place for innocence on earth, 

A link between angels and men. 

- Martin Farquhar Tupper 

The life of a Babe is not an easy one. Oh, it may look glamorous on the outside, all conviviality and dazzling bonhomie in a sisterly way. It may look all elegant ease to others, but that is all smoke and mirrors. Behind the scenes, I tell a different story. It is a tragic tale of cursed recipes, frustration, kicking, screaming and cursing like a sailor. While my fellow Bread Baking Babes, those who bake yeasty things practically for a living, seemingly with their eyes closed and one hand strapped behind their back, no doubt like my own ancestors, those great, strong women of my past; while my fellow Babes scuddle around me tossing dough with ease, adapting recipes and serving up homebaked things in kitchens redolent of the cinnamony, spicy scent of heaven, I, well, I often live quite another experience. And I live to tell about one.

 Once a Babe, always a Babe

This month, the month of August, I am the Bread Baking Babe hostess. The recipe is of my own choosing. So really, there is no excuse. But by the third try, I was beginning to feel like my recipe was simply cursed. Or the stars were not aligned or something ominous. It isn’t often that a food blogger reveals the kitchen mishaps, the baking disasters, the flops and the fiascos. But this was so huge, the blunders so enormous and so many, that I wanted to let my readers into my home, my life and share with them a little slice of what sometimes goes on in my kitchen.

Call it a series of flukes, label it simply wild misfortune or just (go ahead!) blame it on me, my impulsiveness and my impatience. But whatever you rack it up to, I decided to share the story. It is just all too incredible to be true. I am still pinching myself.

Try #1: I made the dough. A breeze! I have made no-knead sweet brioche-type dough in the past several times and this one seemed as it should. But. The following day, I should have known better than to simply dump it out onto a floured cutting board, as sticky as it was, slice it in two and begin rolling it out. I knew that it was too wet, too sticky, too difficult to handle much less to roll. I already saw where this was heading but I forged ahead. I whipped the meringue using 3 large egg whites and, again, I should have trusted my instincts based on pretty decent experience and knowledge. Although the meringue looked beautiful, I could see that it was fairly wet and loose for a jellyroll-type filling (it did not dawn on me until later that I had replaced the ground nuts which are intended to give the meringue body with chopped nuts which did nothing at all). And that there was too much of it. I was already starting to piss myself off, lose patience – I felt the steam beginning to ooze from my ears, I felt the crazy pills kicking in – but I went ahead and slathered that meringue onto the dough rectangles anyway! And tried to roll them up. They slithered and slid across the wooden cutting boards, the gooey meringue was spreading everywhere, in my hair, up and down my arms and across the counter and no matter how I fought that thing, it only got worse. No way in hell was this thing going to roll up and then behave long enough to be lifted from cutting board to pan.

So I scraped it off, all of it, straight into the trash.

Grocery store run – after much fuming and cursing and sending pathetic emails wallowing in self-pity to Ilva.

Try #2: Back to the drawing board. I upped the flour from 2 ½ cups to 3 cups in the initial mix of dough and stuck it in the fridge overnight. Still good. Following day, I kneaded the dough briefly adding more flour until it was malleable and controllable. I still have not corrected the filling and still used chopped instead of ground nuts, but I succeeded in rolling the dough around the filling and lifting it into the pan. It rose, it baked, it looked good. I took photos of it for the blog. At least I thought I did. Three, maybe four days later, the cake mostly eaten – completely by myself, I would like to add (both husband and Clem out of town and Simon is no longer eating anything sweet, thank you very much!) The last bit…. Well, I am sorry but I just could not look at it another day, another hour and sent the rest into the trash. * sigh *

I then made my Cherry Crumble Coffee Cake and was getting ready to post it on my blog when it struck me… I hadn’t seen the photos of my Bread Baking Babes Coffee Cake! What the what?! I checked my photos, I checked the camera and pffffftttttt gone into thin air. Disappeared. No photos. Not a one. Man, oh, man where are they and how am I ever going to post a recipe without photos? Especially when I am hosting the event?

Try #3: Back to the drawing board…again. And only for the sake of getting photos for the blog. But husband and son are back in town, so found comfort in the fact that there would be more people to eat it. It also crossed my mind that by the third try I have understood the ins and outs of this coffee cake. 3 cups flour to the dough, all the rest of the ingredients. As I am stirring the flour into the initial dough before its overnight rest, I am looking at it and thinking: “Hmmmm. Why is it so dough-like and not all sticky and gooey like it is supposed to be? Didn’t I add all of the ingredients?” I have a beautiful, firm yet supple dough sitting in my mixing bowl and I’m scratching my head. I skim through the list of ingredients and look around the kitchen and then it hits me. NO NO NO NO NO I have a pot with 225 grams of melted butter sitting on my stovetop, staring me in the face! “MAUDIT! MAUDIT! MAUDIT!” Is all that I can think… Cursed! This recipe is cursed! I begin wailing, cursing, throwing things around, slamming things onto the countertop as I attempt to stir, knead, whisk all that butter into the ball of dough.

This is when husband walks into the kitchen. “Look!” I scream hysterically. “Do you know how impossible it is to get all that butter into dough? I left the butter out of the recipe!” I have melted butter up to my wrists as I push my knuckles into butter-slick dough (which is sitting in an inch of melted butter), push and fold, push and fold then whack at it a bit with a wooden spoon. “Yes, I know. I heard.” He answers, actually chuckling at me! “You should change the name of your blog to Baking with the Drama Queen!” before he walks off, no help at all! Well, I keep at it for heaven knows how long until finally, finally I knead in all of that melted butter and have a unified, pretty nice, smooth dough. It actually feels…. Nice! I gave up and covered the bowl and put it in the fridge.

I briefly considered praying for the dough to turn out correctly and offer me a beautifully risen and fluffy dough, but by now I just was so fed up that I actually just wanted this entire experience to be done and finished with.

Following day, the dough is normal, risen and rolls out the dream. A sigh of relief escapes from my lips. I cut back on the egg whites and sugar to about 2/3 the original quantity, use ground nuts as I should and continue on my merry way. It fills and rolls up beautifully, I slip it in the pan, decide to treat it to a little milk wash and a pretty little dusting of slivered almonds. It rises again, just gorgeous. It bakes up giddily high and golden. I take photos of it, slice, taste and it is utterly, gorgeously perfect! I download the photos….yes, it is not an illusion, they are indeed there. And I smile. And I sigh with pleasure and relief.

And to top it all off, son and a friend of his stop by the house on their way to a party and carry the thing off.

Maybe the Baking Gods are on my side after all.

I am a Babe for a living. 

 – Gabrielle Reece 

I am hosting the Bread Baking Babe event this month with a wonderful (yes, I said it…wonderful!) Cinnamon Nut Roll Coffee Cake from the Taste of Home Bakeshop Favorites cookbook. I love Taste of Home Cookbooks; they are filled with the best of American home baking and for every level of baker. This coffee cake is light and fluffy, infused with just a delicate sweetness from the meringue filling with a hint of cinnamon and nuts. Light, moist, it is the perfect treat for breakfast, brunch or snack.

Check out if and how the other Babes managed their own Cinnamon Nut Roll Coffee Cake:

Bake My Day – Karen
Bread Baking Babe Bibliothécaire – Katie
blog from OUR kitchen – Elizabeth
Feeding my enthusiasms – Elle
girlichef – Heather
Lucullian Delights - Ilva
Living in the Kitchen with Puppies – Natashya
My Kitchen In Half Cups – Tanna
Notitie Van Lien – Lien
Paulchens Foodblog – Astrid
Provecho Peru – Gretchen

You too can bake along with us and be a Bread Baking Buddy. Simply bake this Cinnamon Nut Roll Coffee Cake, blog it – don’t forget to mention being a Bread Baking Buddy and link back to this blog post! Then send me the link (please include your name and your blog’s name) by August 26th to jamieannschler AT gmail DOT com with August Bread Baking Buddy in the subject line and I will add you to the roundup.

I want to share this wonderful yeast coffee cake with Susan of Wild Yeast for her weekly Yeastspotting!

CINNAMON NUT ROLL COFFEE CAKE
Adapted from Taste of Home Bakeshop Favorites.

* Note that the dough rests in the refrigerator over night, so start the process the day before! If you are using European regular flour, start the basic dough with 3 cups (390 g) flour; if using American all-purpose flour, begin with 2 ½ cups (325 g) then add more as needed the second day when kneading the dough before rolling. I have given the original filling recipe as well as my own adjustments and changes below it.

You will need a stand mixer or beaters to whip egg whites for the meringue filling and a 10-inch (standard) tube pan, preferably with a removable center.

For the dough:

2 packages (1/4 ounce/7 g each) active dry yeast
¼ cup (@ 65 ml) warm water (110°F to 115°F)
16 Tbs (225 g) unsalted butter, melted
½ cup (125 ml) warm 2% fat/lowfat milk (110°F to 115°F)
4 egg yolks
2 Tbs sugar
¾ tsp salt
2 ½ cups (325 g*) all-purpose flour (if using European regular flour, increase total flour to 3 cups/390 g), more if the dough is too sticky or runny.

* when I measure flour I spoon lightly into the measuring cup and then level off so 1 cup usually weigh approximately 130 g: * see note above.

For the filling: (*see note above)

3 (90 g) large egg whites
1 cup + 3 Tbs sugar, divided
2 cups ground walnuts (I usually use pecans but choose what you like)
2 Tbs 2% fat/lowfat milk
2 tsps ground cinnamon

MY OWN CHANGES AND ADAPTATIONS TO THE FILLING:

2 – 3 large egg whites for a total of 2.65 oz (75 g)
2/3 cup (135 g) sugar + 2 Tbs (30 g) sugar
4.4 oz (125 g) ground hazelnuts or almonds
1 – 2 tsps ground cinnamon
2 Tbs 2% fat/lowfat milk

A bit of milk for brushing the top and the seams of the cake and slivered blanched almonds for dusting, optional but pretty

The day before, prepare the dough:

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water; allow to activate for 10 – 15 minutes until foamy. Whisk in the tepid melted butter, warm milk, eggs yolks, sugar and salt and then stir in the flour. Beat or stir until smooth – the mixture will be sticky. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The day of baking, prepare the filling:

In a small bowl, beat the egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in 1 cup (or 2/3 cup following my changes) sugar, about 2 tablespoons at a time, on high speed until the sugar is incorporated and dissolved, leaving a thick, glossy meringue.

In a large bowl, combine the ground nuts, cinnamon and remaining sugar then stir in the milk until the dry ingredients are all moistened; fold in the meringue.

Prepare the Coffee Cake:

Grease/butter the bottom, sides and center tube of a 10-inch tube pan.

Divide the dough in half. On a well-floured work surface, roll each portion into an 18 x 12 –inch (45 x 30 cm) rectangle with the longer side perpendicular to your body (the longer edge lying on the cutting board left to right). Spread half of the filling evenly over each rectangle within 1/2 –inch (1 cm) of the edges. Lightly brush the farthest, top edge with milk. Roll each up jellyroll style, as tightly as possible, starting with the long side closest to you and rolling up; pinch seam to seal.

Place one filled roll, seam side up, in the greased tube pan. Pinch the two open ends together. Place the second roll, seam side down on top of the first roll, again pinching and sealing the two open ends. Gently brush the top all over with a bit of milk and dust with some slivered almonds.

Cover the pan with plastic and allow to rise for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

Once the coffee cake has risen, discard the plastic wrap and once again gently brush or dab the top surface all over with a bit of milk and add more slivered almonds where there are spaces.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, loosen the coffee cake from the sides of the pan and lift out the center tube, placing the tube with the cake onto the rack to cool completely. Once cool enough to handle, loosen the cake from the bottom of the pan and around the tube using a long, thin blade and carefully invert, lift off the tube and flip back, top side up, onto a serving platter. Or lift off of the tube onto the serving platter.

Eat as is or drizzle with glaze or dust with powdered sugar/cocoa powder.

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Sour Cherry Crumble Coffee Cake

STAY CALM

When I sound the fairy call, gather here in silent meeting, 

Chin to knee on the orchard wall, cooled with dew and cherries eating. 

Merry, merry, take a cherry, mine are sounder, mine are rounder, 

Mine are sweeter for the eater, when the dews fall, and you’ll be fairies all. 

- Emily Dickenson

Son returned from Vietnam and immediately dashed off to the coast with his friends, spending his days on the beach, no doubt playing guitar and barbecuing, living the high life. Living much the life he lived in Vietnam for a month, hanging out on an island beach, strumming guitar and eating and drinking with friends. Oh to be young and carefree. Husband headed south, off to spend ten days with his sister and mother. I spent the week at the old homestead with second son and dog, hanging out in the warm, breezy apartment, streaming American television shows, eating salads and working. I write every day, Ilva peeping over my shoulder, prodding me on, giving the occasional suggestion as she vacations in Sweden and escapes her own work for a few weeks.

Son and V. in Vietnam: not your usual vacation. Adventure abounds!

The worries of caring for elderly parents infuse our happy household with painful reminders of reality. As JP returned from the visit with his mother who is now dependent, I receive news of my own mom, stories that are far from cheerful. After years spent watching the degrading health of my brother and my father-in-law, of sharing responsibility with siblings for their care, after losing both harshly, violently and dealing with the aftermath, we had just gotten back on our feet, were just coming to terms with the emotional ravages and here we start all over again.

My days are filled with writing as I finish one article and mail it off and start on the next and the third. I juggle several other projects and try and stay ahead of the game as I am drawn to the sofa and the warm breeze, the calm city (France in August) just perfect for strolling, ideal for finding a café, order a Guinness for him, a fruit juice for me and kick back. Spend the afternoon watching the world go by and analyzing it inside and out with husband.

I try and write the second half of the story of Ettore’s Dishwasher and must focus. This is the first time that I have written about that car accident and by the time I slammed on my breaks and turned my head left and saw that other car plummeting directly at me, felt it slam into the side of my car hard. My eyeglasses flew off as the car spun, the shock pushing my car back off the road, the sound of metal on metal reverberating in my ears flowed from brain to fingertips, from fingertips to keyboard, from keyboard to page my heart was pounding, my hands shaking. I find it funny and fascinating how the brain works. We hover around a topic, refer to it briefly in passing, but avoid looking at it straight in the eyes. And everything remains calm. But the moment we begin telling the tale, we discover how fragile we really are, how raw and painful our heart and our emotions are no matter how much time has past. All I have to do is utter the words my husband spoke to me as he drove me home from the hospital and I choke up, my eyes well up with tears. These memories, the memories of my brother as I last saw him, thinking of his death must stay partially buried, only the tip peeping above the ground like a spring bloom, a hazy, happy image. As soon as I begin to dig, I still fall apart.

And so I write. The second half of that story, which does end on a humorous note, must wait while I finish my article with deadline looming. In the meantime, I have baked a Sour Cherry Crumble Coffee Cake for everyone! This is one of those recipes that I found somewhere long ago and is scribbled in my old notebook, the one that has been dragged around the world with me for the past 30 years, collecting recipes as it fades, smudges and slowly falls into pieces. I did alter the recipe a bit here. And perfect it is! Husband and sister-in-law rolled their eyes heavenward with utter pleasure. Sweet sour cherries sit atop an incredibly luscious, moist cake layer, nestled under a crumble topping with a gentle hint of cinnamon, nutmeg and almonds.

After the Vanilla Rum Panna Cotta topped with Rum Roasted Cherries, this Sour Cherry Crumble Coffee Cake has definitely moved to the top of the “Family Favorites” list, whether for breakfast, brunch, snack or dessert. So simple to make and maybe the best coffee cake you will eat. No cherries? Replace it with any other favorite berry, stone fruit or even chocolate chips.

SOUR CHERRY CRUMBLE COFFEE CAKE

For the crumble:

¼ cup (55 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
2 Tbs (20 g) flour
¼ tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 Tbs (10 g) ground almonds or hazelnuts
2 Tbs (30 g) unsalted butter
¼ cup (20 g) old-fashioned oats (not instant)
1 heaping cup (about 30 plump) sour cherries, quartered or coarsely chopped

For the cake:

1 ½ cup (200 g) flour *
½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
4 Tbs (60 g) unsalted butter
1 large egg
¾ cup (200 ml) buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla

* Lightly spoon the flour into the measuring cup and then level.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Generously butter the bottom and sides of a 7 x 10 – inch (18 x 25.5 cm) baking pan or a round or square pan of equivalent volume.

Rinse and pat dry the cherries. Remove the stems and pits and discard. Quarter or coarsely chop the pitted cherries and set aside.

Prepare the crumble:

Place the brown sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ground nuts in a small bowl and blend well. Add the butter in pieces and, using either a pastry cutter, two knives or your fingertips, rub/cut the butter into the dry ingredients until well blended and the butter chunks disappear. Blend in the oats. Place the crumble in the refrigerator while preparing the cake.

Prepare the cake:

Place the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl and blend well. Add the butter in small pieces and, using your fingertips rub the butter into the dry ingredients until well blended and the mixture resembles damp sand or crumbs. In a separate bowl or measuring cup, lightly beat the buttermilk, the egg and the vanilla together. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry and fold until well blended and smooth.

Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking pan; smooth and spread evenly all the way into the corners of the pan. Evenly distribute the cherries across the surface of the cake batter. Sprinkle the crumbs evenly over the cake and cherries.

Bake the Sour Cherry Crumble Coffee Cake in the preheated oven for 50 – 55 minutes or until the cake has risen and set and begins to pull away from the sides; the top will be golden brown.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack before cutting.

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CHOCOLATE CHIP PECAN BUTTER HORNS

RUNNING ON EMPTY

I used to be funny, and perhaps I’m not anymore. It may be that I have become rather grumpy because I’ve seen so many things that have offended me that I cannot deal with in terms of laughter.
- Kurt Vonnegut

My mind is a blank. Empty of thoughts, void of ideas. As he stomps around the house, pacing circles around my desk, ranting about his overload of work and too many projects sending his mind shooting in a thousand different directions at once, I sit and stare up at him, absolutely silent. Blank. Empty of thoughts, void of ideas. He raves about the impossibility of working correctly or efficiently, how his mind is pulled in too many directions at once, yet he then dashes back to work and I hear furious typing, occasionally interjected with mild cursing and the smack of an open palm brought down sharply upon the flat of the tabletop. Up and out he pops again, smile splashed across his face as he shouts Success! one more time; his dissatisfaction and anger leashed and channeled into positive energy. I stare at him and offer him a smile, truly happy for his accomplishments, yet I sit here quietly and feel woefully inadequate and lost.

A mind jumping with imagination and bright with creativity was my lot in life. Stories tumbled from my fingertips as they danced across the keyboard. A lifetime of reading, a childhood filled with little more than books, filled my head with bright words and colorful language, moving images, a jumble of characters. I possessed the capacity to travel through time and space, dazzling myself with my ingenuity, often spending hours sitting and chuckling at my own cleverness or sighing as I etched out some perfect romance. Frustration, I knew, was all part of the game; writing, as with any craft, was often laborious, taking more than a fair share of effort and energy to find the inspiration, massage and manipulate it, squeeze and stroke, pull it apart and push it back together again until one finds the perfect form and shape to express one’s desires, to tell the perfect story. Yet, this blankness spreads and fills my days; something has come and stopped it all cold and turned my light and colors dark.

An idea, like a ghost, must be spoken to a little before it will explain itself.
- Charles Dickens

Ideas flit through my brain; I grab at them like so many butterflies yet they slip through my fingers and flutter away. My hands, holding little more than dust and air, fall dull and lifeless to my sides as my eyes search in vain for more pretty, ethereal beasts, waiting impatiently for them to cross, within easy reach, in front of me. Ever-elusive thoughts, fleeting fancies, musings hazy and without form dash and dance before closed eyes, laughing and mocking me. I stand here in my misfortune and attempt, alas, in vain, to find the words to play upon this predicament, my frustration. A writer writes, always, as the saying goes, and I begin to wonder how much faith I should put into these words. Do we simply set ourselves up for failure or is this in truth a sign that I am neither looking in the right direction nor reaching far enough. Just moving aimlessly around my own dilemma as if avoiding eye contact when in reality, if I had the gumption, I should turn and face it front on, grab it by the lapels and shake it silly.

Many friends who know me well have attempted to convince me that limiting myself to food, defining myself as a food blogger is too restraining, boxing me in and limiting my creativity and writing. I have long wondered if a total renovation isn’t called for. Life is, after all, a feast, and I may have to admit that it may just not all be about the food. Yet food defines me – us – in so many ways. We teach and inform, share and pass on our cultures, languages, religions, our heritage through what we cook, serve and eat. Food brings us together as few things can, giving us a reason and a topic around which we form a conversation. Boeuf à la Communication? I do find myself more and more wandering off into untraveled territory, roaming the countryside, so to speak, and chewing on topics that have little to do with food. Yet where would I fit in? Who would come and visit? And would anyone respond, sharing their own tales and tribulations? I’ve asked this of you before, and take comfort in your response, your encouragement.

I have so many stories hidden inside of me, ripe for the telling. Secrets dark and private yearning to be written about. I long to bust the myths and fantasies that others perpetuate about life in this land of romance and lights, the day to day realities where men are not all seductive, women not all chic and slim and children far from well behaved. I make light of our private, personal situation, yet is it all fun and games? How does one go about a transformation and begin writing the dark side? Maybe I have already begun this metamorphosis, writing about husband and sons, the decisions we face, our growing list of projects, obligations and choices. Am I already there?

I am not at all in a humor for writing; I must write on till I am.
- Jane Austen in a letter to her sister Cassandra, October 26, 1813

Blasé. Grumpy. Cynical. I need to shake myself off, find my footing and begin moving forward. My men hover and revolve around me as if I am the sun, grab onto me as if I am their anchor. All four of us are now home together, each one of us starting new careers, new professions, new projects and new adventures, stepping on each other’s toes and demanding attention, and this certainly has the power to discombobulate and distract! Quite possibly, I spread my attention too willy-nilly, allow my commitments to wander wide and far, engrossed by two many projects and my family that my mind jumps back and forth at random. Yet shouldn’t this actually inspire and be a source of enthusiasm and stimulation? Maybe I need to throw myself wholeheartedly into what I have already begun, turn the short stories into a novel, bare my soul, share my secrets, unveil my desires. So where does this adventure start and how do I get there? Shall I clean the slate and begin anew?


My wonderful, talented, funny friend Lisa of Parsley, Sage, Desserts & Line Drives is hosting this month’s Bread Baking Day, a challenge created by Zorra of 1x Umruhren Bitten, that I have long participated in and loved. I promised that no matter what was going on in my life I would bake for her this month. BBD #47 is all about Bread & Chocolate (there is nothing better!); this was the perfect opportunity to turn to the pages of my own mother’s old Sisterhood of Temple Beth Shalom (Satellite Beach, Florida) cookbook Our Favorite Recipes (c. early to mid-1960’s) that I purloined from her kitchen cabinet. The paper is stained and torn, the cover faded, the plastic rings binding the pages together disintegrates into tiny pieces each time I pick it up. My funny mother who hated to cook was actually the Cookbook Committee Chairman, which I find absolutely comical! I find her own recipes throughout; many I remember, some are foreign, eliciting no memories.


This recipe for Butter Horns is not hers, but a creation of Marlene Keilsohn, who I do not remember. Butter Horns, which are actually in the shape of crescents (although they have the tendency to blow up like the Michelin Man), are light, delicately sweet, butter and egg-rich brioche yeast dough although very quick and easy to make. Once the dough rises overnight in the refrigerator, it is divided and shaped into crescents, rolled around a filling of cinnamon sugar, chocolate chips and chopped nuts – or really any sweet filling you please. Baked, these babies puff up and offer you a stunning brioche roll, absolutely delicious. And I share these scrumptious treats, perfect for both breakfast and snacktime, with Lisa for BBD #47!


I would also like to send these to my friend Susan of Wild Yeast, for Yeastspotting, her weekly event highlighting all things yeast!


BUTTER HORNS WITH CHOCOLATE CHIPS & PECANS
From Our Favorite Recipes of the Sisterhood of Temple Beth Shalom, Satellite Beach, Florida

Dough:

1 package (8 g) dry yeast
¾ cup (150 g) granulated white sugar
1 ¼ cups (300 ml) milk (I used 2% lowfat)
½ lb (225 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 tsp salt
Grated zest of 1 small lemon
4 – 5 cups (560 – 700 g) flour + more for kneading

Filling:

A couple of tablespoons melted butter
¼ cup (50 g) granulated white or light brown sugar
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
½ cups or more mini chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
½ cup or more chopped pecans, walnuts or blanched almonds

Prepare the dough the day before:

Place the yeast with 1 tablespoon of the white sugar in a small bowl. Gently heat the milk until it is lukewarm or body temperature. Pour the warm milk over the yeast and sugar and allow to activate, about 15 to 20 minutes for active dry yeast, 20 to 30 minutes for traditional dry yeast; there should be a thick head of foam about an inch thick on the top and no more or very few grains of yeast left.

Cream the butter and the remaining white sugar together in a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating just to combine after each addition. Beat in the salt and the lemon zest. Add the activated yeast water and beat on low just to combine. Beat in 4 cups of the flour 1 cup at a time. Then beat in the remaining cup of flour a little at a time, adding just enough to form a sticky dough (I added the entire cup). Scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a floured surface – the dough will probably be sticky if not downright wet – and knead for a few minutes, adding flour as needed, until the dough is homogeneous, very soft, smooth and supple yet no longer sticky.

Place the dough in a large, greased or buttered mixing bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.


Prepare the Butter Horns:

The dough should have doubled in size overnight. Remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature (or mostly) – I took the bowl out when I finished breakfast and got to the Butter Horns once everyone had eaten, kitchen cleaned and I had washed and dressed! Perfect!

Scrape the dough out of the bowl and knead briefly. Cut the dough into 10 pieces (12 is fine and will simply make slightly small Horns). Roll each piece out on a lightly floured work surface to a round of about ¼-inch thick, about 7 inches in diameter. Lightly butter each round with the melted butter.

Stir the granulated light brown sugar together with the ground cinnamon. Sprinkle the buttered rounds of dough generously with cinnamon sugar then sprinkle with chocolate chips and chopped nuts. (Remember that the dough really puffs up, so add more chocolate chips than less or they may be lost in the dough once baked. I also left about a quarter-sized rough chip and nut free in the center and you will understand why once you begin rolling the crescents.)


Gently press the chocolate chips onto the surface of the dough with the side of your rolling pin using gentle pressure – this just keeps the chips and nuts in place when rolling them up. I also made the circle of dough a bit wider. Using a sharp knife, cut the rounds into quarters. Roll each quarter up tightly, starting with the wide towards the narrow end/point. Press the point onto the crescent to seal. Place each roll on a parchment-lined or greased baking tray, point side down, and shape into a crescent. Leave room between the crescents for rising and spreading.


Cover each baking sheet loosely with plastic wrap and let the crescents rise for 2 hours at room temperature until doubled in size.


Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

Remove the plastic wrap and bake the Butter Horns for 15 to 20 minutes until evenly browned and nice, deep golden. Gently lift to make sure the underside has also browned.

First batch, less filling.

Second book more filling.

Remove from the oven and brush with more melted or soft butter while still hot, if desired (this gives them a nicer color).


Once cooled (or just warm) you can drizzle the Butter Horns with Powdered Sugar Glaze (1/2 cup powdered/confectioner’s sugar + about 2 teaspoons milk) if you like.

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