Art Nouveau Ho

This cheesecake was well-received at my recent Thanksgiving dinner, and there have been so many requests for the recipe I thought I would put it up here.

The basic recipe came from The New Best Recipe cookbook, published by the magazine Cook's Illustrated. I highly recommend both.

( Cheesecake below )

It's certain that fine women eat
A crazy salad with their meat...
W B Yeats, A Prayer for my Daughter

Last night, I made my favourite summer salad. Seriously, this is summer in a bowl. It sounds incongruous but tastes divine:

-Cubes of watermelon
-Pieces of fresh tomatoes
-Leaves of basil
-Crumbs or cubes of feta cheese
-balsamic vinegar (The secret ingredient that ties all the flavours together)
-a splash of olive oil
-black pepper

And as a bonus, a piece of silliness I randomly posted to MetaFilter a year-and-a-bit ago:
( Your own personal cheeses )

In honour of the Valerie Plame trial, I'm making leek-and-potato soup.

This is pretty easy. 2 leeks, 2 big white potatoes, some vegetable or chicken stock and one big pot. Cut off the tough green parts of the leek, cut them in half lengthwise, and wash the grit out. Then cut off the root ends and chop them into little pieces. Sauté them in a little oil til they're soft but not brown. Chop the potatoes and add those, plus enough stock to cover (about 4 cups US.) Cover and let simmer for about half an hour, or until the potatoes are soft. Mash with a potato masher. Eat. (This goes well with a toasted onion bagel and some feta cheese.)

While chopping leeks I had the following thoughts:

Why do leeks not make you cry when onions do?

Leeks are a major motif in Shakespeare's Henry V. Directors tend to cut the St David's Day scene where Fluellen forces Pistol to eat a raw leek, though it's one of my favourites.

Backstage at the Folger Theatre in DC is a piece of graffiti that says EAT MY LEEK! It may possibly date from the production of Henry V which was the first Shakespeare I ever saw. (I think I was nine?) The director was brave and did not cut the leek-eating scene.

Henry V was also the inaugural performance at the replica Shakespeare's Globe in London. I paid £5 for a "groundling" spot standing in the yard. I remember the sun on the timbers, and the sound of drums, and tears in my eyes as I stood there. Those close to the stage got bits of chewed-up leek spat into their hair (since that director, too, was brave and did not cut the leek-eating scene.)

The Czech word for "leek" is porek.

When is St David's Day, anyway?

These were my thoughts. Look at that, my soup's almost ready. Have a good Saturday, everyone!

Today velvetdahlia and I went for dim sum at Yauatcha in Soho. Good dim sum and good company; what more could one desire on a sunny summer's day?( Read more... )

Also, blueyonder have just put up a column I wrote a while ago, about webcomics. Many of the links in it are actually the product of speedlime's noble brain. One day I hope some of her art will be on the web for us all to marvel at.

Finally, a recipe for some very degenerate sorbet (invented this weekend):

1 1/2 cups cold water
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup lemon or lime juice, or both
Zest of one lemon or two limes
Handful of mint leaves
2 or 3 tablespoons Pimm's

Combine all ingredients in a non-metal bowl and stir until sugar is dissolved. You can then put the mixture in the fridge for a few hours if you like.
Either freeze using an ice cream maker, or place mixture in sealed container in freezer and stir every few hours.

Tall frosty glasses of sorbet all round. Enjoy!!!