i see stars in my coffee
in my coffee i see
the stars between you and me.
swirling in the milky film
universes are born and die
and i don’t understand what is behind your eyes
the space i want to cross.
Nov 16 2009
snapshot #5
this is where i work everyday, a giant in a world where everything is children sized. i love it. bright colours and simple concepts. everything i need to know i learned in kindergarten, and now i get to teach everyday.
empire biscuit euphoria
ah empire biscuits…i am incapable of getting through christmas without the urge to make these yummy cookies (and the urge to eat them). normally with baking, my happiness comes from giving. but with these cookies my desire is to hide/horde them for myself. bad girl, happy girl.
Empire Biscuits
yield: Makes 18 to 20 sandwiches
Ingredients
- DOUGH
- 2 cups of butter (4 sticks) softened
- 1 cup of sugar
- 4 cups of flour, sifted
- FILLING & ICING
- 1 cup raspberry jam
- 1 cup confectioner’s sugar approximately
- milk
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Gradually stir in the flour until well blended.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into rounds using a cookie cutter.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Sandwich one teaspoon of jam between two cookies. Repeat with remaining cookies
- In a medium bowl, gradually stir the milk into the confectioners’ sugar until the icing is of a spreadable consistency. Spread on top of the sandwiched cookies. Now traditionally you top each cookie with half of a cherry (I prefer those little cinnamon candies for cake decorating) while the icing is still wet.
merry xmas
may your world be filled with warmth and good cheer this holiday season, and throughout the year! wish your Christmas be filled with peace and love.
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snapshot #4
a giant piece of lit up pasta? in barcelona, even this doesn’t surprise me. but it did make me take a photo and go and look up the explanation…barcelona this year, along with new christmas decorations and lights on the major shopping streets, have installed sculpture pieces representing the holidays. pasta? not my first choice, but ok. well traditional catalan christmas lunch is a soup called ‘escudella de galets’. the galet is the pasta. apparently there will be other sculptures: turkeys, chickens, bottles of cava and roscones (traditional biscuits) which will be distributed around the city. i can’t wait to see them all dressed up in their electric holiday glow…
lemons
when life gives you lemons,
make lemonade
but i want the lemon tree.
to nurture and care for the acidity.
gather the fruit.
i want to taste the sweetness
but also the bitterness,
knowing that more will grow in their place.
snapshot #3
the barcelona public biking system…more often than not you will find that your bike is broken in some way, but it beats trying to find parking. plus better for the environment.
snapshot #2
while on a recent trip driving through minnesota, land of 10,000 lakes i kept seeing caution signs for horse and buggy. wasn’t sure the reason until i passed this gentleman on the road. it is a bit reassuring that even in this electronic age that there are those that still manage to live simply.
the genoise experience
maybe i was inspired from watching “Julie/Julia” or my inner frenchwoman was ready to come to the surface (briefly) but i decided to try baking a genoise sponge cake. i have made sponge cakes before but usually used a more british style victorian sponge, a lot more stable and forgiving. maybe i was feeling fearless or just naive, but whatever the reason i went ahead and made it.
it was a tentative process. during heating of the eggs and sugar, i hovered over the bowl terrified that i would end up with scrambled eggs. happy with my accomplishment in step one, i continued on to whisking. at home i do not have an electric mixer of any kind and usually rely on man power (or husband power) but this time i was lucky, i had a borrowed kitchen aid mixer. six to eight minutes of whisking seemed to last forever. last i gently added the flour and held my breath while i poured the butter into the mix. once in the oven i prayed to the cooking gods for a successful outcome…the cake was for a birthday. hurray! it worked. i added fresh strawberries and blueberries along with some fresh whipped cream to the center, and sprinkled icing sugar on the top. it was heavenly.
Genoise French Sponge Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 6 large eggs
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for parchment paper
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted plus more for parchment paper
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9 inch round pans, line with parchment paper, butter and flour the paper, and set aside.
- Set the metal bowl of an electric mixer over, but not in, a pot of simmering water. Combine sugar and eggs in the bowl, and whisk until mixture is warm to the touch, about 2 minutes.
- Transfer the bowl to an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat on high speed until mixture is very thick and pale, 6 to 8 minutes. With a rubber spatula, gently transfer mixture to a large clean mixing bowl. Sift in flour in three additions, folding gently after each. In a small bowl, combine butter and vanilla, then add in a steady stream as you fold in the third addition of flour. Fold gently, and pour out onto prepared pan. Smooth top with offset spatula.
- Bake until cake is springy to the touch and golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on a wire rack. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.
- When ready to use, turn out cake onto a cutting board covered with a clean piece of parchment or wax paper, and peel the paper off the cake.
recipe thanks to www.marthastewart.com
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snapshot #1
i have decided to add a new spot to my ramblings in order to ensure that poor fat ballerinas never again goes through such a long hiatus.
today’s snapshot is a staple on the table while i am writing these posts. in fact it factors into almost every day. it may be small but doesn’t it look delicious. yeah for spanish coffee.