Creative cooking and living in the fertile Salinas Valley, east of Eden, along California's central coast
“I’ve got these new sweets for you.”
East of Eden, John Steinbeck
Valentine’s Day is a perfect excuse to overdose on whimsy! Hearts, lace, flowers, I’m dazzled by the fun of it all. Roses are the traditional flower for Valentine’s Day and so with rose petals and rose water I was drawn into the kitchen.
“There’s a capacity for appetite, Samuel said, that a whole heaven and earth of cake can’t satisfy.”
East of Eden, John Steinbeck
This is quite the cake, easy to make and immensely satisfying. This pound cake wears a charm bracelet of flavors that sparkle with each bite. Rich, with a dense crumb little surprises of lush pears, a hint of vanilla, brown sugar and a trio of oranges jangle on it’s charm bracelet of intrigue. This is one of those cakes that beg for a second slice. It is just as good on the second day as the first. As for the third day, I have no knowledge as the whole cake has vanished by then.
“Could we have some tea? Why sure, I’d like some myself. He brought the steaming cups in and went back for the sugar bowl.”
East of Eden, John Steinbeck
When I reorganized my baking pans I found my madeleine pan wedged between a whoopie pie pan and a muffin tin. It seemed to wink at me; all that French history hidden away in the depths of an American pantry. Madeleines are the quintessential scallop shaped French cookie made famous by Marcel Proust in Remembrance of Things Past. Monsieur Proust was right, madeleines are perfectly paired with a steaming cup of tea on a winter afternoon. The madeleines are a mini version of a decadent sponge cake. The cookies ethereal qualities are found in their traditional French heritage of butter and eggs laced with vanilla and lemon zest.
“Well, let’s see how it goes. There’s no hurry. We’ll feel it out.”
East of Eden, John Steinbeck
The favorite cookie at my house is Chocolate Chip, preferably still warm from the oven. But my favorite cookies are Lemon Bars. Every time I have thought about trying lime, orange or Mandarin bars I always return to making Lemon Bars. I know that I might be disappointed with too much sweetness when I crave the balance of sweet and tart. Grapefruit Bars could be an option. Lots of tang, loads of zest, a serious cookie bar contender. And pink grapefruit piqued my curiosity. I thought about Pink Grapefruit Bars for a very long time. I kept making Lemon Bars. After all they are my favorite. Two batches of Lemon Bars were made during our annual cookie baking frenzy. After the holidays I wasn’t looking for another batch of Lemon Bars, I’d had my fill. Maybe, just maybe it was time to discover a new bar cookie.
“And people found happiness in the future according to their present lack.”
East of Eden, John Steinbeck
Balance and moderation, always the mantra for a life well lived. Each New Year we tip the scales to and fro, searching for the elusive equilibrium. We make resolutions and establish new habits but sometimes life reminds you how precarious that balance can be.