Soup du jour is cream of cauliflower with cashews and a soupcon, bring your own cedilla, of broccoli.
Then to use up the rest of the pastry, from yesterday's pasties, jam tarts. I saved some strawberries to eat as is, made the rest into a little jar of jam.
And they emerged, looking artisanal and tasting wonderful. Beats me why anyone would go to all the trouble of mixing and kneading and resting and cutting and shaping pastry for tarts then go bunging in commercial jam. You can make a small amount of excellent jam in no time. And it's so good.
My artisanal baked goods are like the misfits of the veg world. Taste great, wouldn't win a beauty pageant. Which is okay because where would the crown go anyway?
Crowns and jam tarts are forever linked in memory to me from my days as an actor, playing the lead in Jam for Tea. I think about second grade.
I was the Queen of Hearts, the one who baked the tarts all on a summer's day,with paper crown.
I baked the pretend tarts, set them on the pretend windowsill to cool at the open window, turned away, probably to wield a pretend bench scraper, the Knave comes along, swipes them through the open window.
Probably played by Harry Snook, a kid always put next to me, who drew airplanes all day long when he wasn't being blamed for bumping my elbow.
My big dramatic moment: I turn. I throw up my hands, careful not to knock off the lopsided paper crown. I shriek "THEY'VE GONE!!"
I forget the denouement, probably involved a chase scene, though not in airplanes.
After this triumph I returned to knitting my hat to wear to school, and turned down offers to tour the provinces.
My green and salad days..
Resident Chef used to make pies but has scaled that back to tarts now - much better for our diet. Day before yesterday he made applesauce tarts - very good with a piece of cheese. Enjoyed reading about your 'better than broadway' play!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure your performance as the Queen of Hearts merited an Oscar! Or perhaps that should be a Tony.
ReplyDeleteI'll be glad to accept a Tony!
DeleteAll my food is less than artisanal. But good nevertheless. That's a word I love.
ReplyDeleteI use artisanal to mean sort of crumpled looking! Not the bakery perfect look.
DeleteYour artisanal tarts look delicious. And beautiful, really. Smiling at the picture of little you as a drama Queen of Hearts. :)
ReplyDeleteImagine curly hair flying in all directions on the dramatic turn! Too funny. I don't know how teachers keep a straight face.
DeleteI have never used cashews in soup but I will try it. You always give me ideas, Boud.
ReplyDeleteJust be sure to soak them first least a couple of hours ahead of time to get the creamy effect when you blend the soup. I added milk to this one, too, but vegans would just go with the cashews.
DeleteHello Liz,
ReplyDeleteWhat impressive culinary skills you have! They definitely put us to shame.
One of us can cook, one of us cannot and neither of us actually likes to cook, but we both love eating and your food looks absolutely fabulous and is, we are certain, totally delicious.
Our decorating style could be called 'chipped and faded' and now we have a new word, thanks to you, for our culinary efforts which can best be described as misshapen and tasty and, at worst, unidentifiable and burnt. Now, they will be artisanal and will be photographed in a suitably dim light.
Such fun to have found you and we shall return.
Very glad you stopped by. Enjoy and come back often! I'll return the compliment.
DeleteYou are indeed, the queen of tarts. And Queen of Hearts!
ReplyDeleteif you offered me those tarts they would not be turned down. I remembered last night that I have balls of pie crust in the freezer left over from past pies and I think I'll make empanadas with it. last night was homemade chicken soup with the leftover baked chicken thighs and homemade noodles by a family here in town.
ReplyDeleteHomemade noodles are the best. So different from store bought. That chicken soup sounds exactly right for your current weather.
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