Two Bowls of Cereal

August 5, 2011


That was a bit of a long respite, but trust me, I was not lounging around on a chaise complaining about the summer heat a la Daisy Buchanan. We was busy. After house guests over the 4th of July, we scurried around, got our best outfits together and hied (again, with the hying!) ourselves down to Rancho Valencia for Jenna and Todd's wedding.


Jenna is a previous pilates partner, and daughter of Bonnie who is my current partner and frister extraordinaire. Bonnie is the go-to person amongst all her friends. Need a tree-trimmer, as we did recently? Call Bonnie. Contractor? Ditto, Bonnie. Planning a wedding? No one, I repeat, no one will do it better than Bonnie. It was fantabulous, and we had the proverbial time of our lives, including dancing our legs off -- even Billy!


After the wedding weekend, I had a multiple of salsa events including a salsa birthday party for Christina Haggarty, who is half of my favorite teaching duo. I also hosted Las Chicas, the frister trio, at my house for a day-in-the-country (tongue firmly in cheek) pool day. Then, we attended an anniversary party with music provided by a Beatles cover band. Again, with the dancing. The following morning we left for Glenbrook.


Now, Glenbrook is one of my favorite places. It is nestled at the east end, on the Nevada side, of Lake Tahoe. I would love Glenbrook no matter why we were there, but what made this visit so special was that we were going to see Sandra and John. And Sandra is doing GREAT! So, more about Glenbrook. Glenbrook is one of those idyllic places where the kids can still run free all day. It is private and enclosed. People live there year round, or like Sandra and John, have summer/weekend homes there. It's out of the hubbub of the South Shore, quiet, contained, and stunningly beautiful. While studying Spanish at ISSI (see previous post entitled Paella and Caesar, available here . . . . . . la la la la la) three years ago, I stayed in one of the guest rooms in the guest house on Sandra and John's property there. Sandra and I drove to South Lake Tahoe Community College each morning, arriving on campus just before 8:00 and hurrying to our class. Each day when we returned around 4:00, we would arrive at Glenbrook and hook around on the road that leads to their home. When we would first see the lake, I would feel myself sigh and relax. It's one of those places.


But, what does all this have to do with two bowls of cereal, you might very well ask. Well, last summer, when we were at Glenbrook, Sandra and John's son and his family were there. We were all staying in the main house together, and each morning I noticed that their daughter-in-law, Tracy, would prep breakfast for the kids, then quietly pour herself two bowls of cereal. She would pour milk into one of the bowls and proceed to eat from it. But before she finished it, she would pour milk into the second bowl, and switch to eating from that one. What was up? Turns out that she doesn't like soggy cereal, and this is what she has figured out to make sure all the cereal she eats stays crisp. I like this method of problem solving. No muss, no fuss.


Recently, I poured milk over my daily mix which is comprised of two cereals with something extra added on the weekends, usually La Brea Bakery granola, but sometimes cinnamon graham crackers from Trader Joe's. I run my bowl of cereal all over the house. It sits next to the computer while I am working. It travels with me to the bedroom, keeping me company while I make the bed. It even accompanies me to my bathroom dressing table where I apply make-up. Cereal for me in the morning? A soggy, movable feast. And I like it like that.


Which brings me to: Graham Cracker Mush. I know that, strictly speaking, it is time for a recipe. But with all this running around, plus a recent onslaught of humidity here in LA whilst our air conditioning struggled with a bout of ennui, I'm frankly too tired and hot to even think about recipes and cooking.
However . . .


I deem Graham Cracker Mush to be a perfectly legitimate dish, it having once been written up in Gourmet magazine (I also have a clipped recipe from the selfsame Gourmet, for Frito Nachos, which originated at the lunch counter of the now-defunct Woolworth's which was located on the plaza in Santa Fe, NM. This dish actually served in a butterflied Fritos bag. Yep. You should fully expect that I will get back to that sometime in a later post!) Both recipes came from the old Gourmet, not the last incarnation which would have demanded that you could provide documentation as to where the graham flour was grown and milled, and further, that you had been introduced to the cow before it was milked (milk being one-half of the ingredients in Graham Cracker Mush.


Graham Cracker Mush was one of those Tracy-style methods of problem solving. Ostensibly, it started with dipping graham crackers into milk. Sometime after, it was determined that, for some, the dipped soaked-in-milk part was better than the still-crisp part that you, by necessity, were holding. If you threw the whole graham cracker into the glass, you would need something like a fork to pull it out. And drippiness would probably be an issue. So, someone (not my grandmother, though she was the one who introduced me to this) figured out that the best way to do this was to throw the grahams into a bowl and douse them with milk. The way my grandmother did this was by breaking the crackers into, say, nickel and quarter-sized pieces. But in the Gourmet article (was it the wondrous Laurie Colwin who wrote it? Probably not, but it was in her era), they tried buying a box of graham cracker crumbs and cutting right to the chase with that. I believe it was decided that it worked better with the formerly-whole, but now sharded crackers. My adapted version entails breaking the crackers and sprinkling them on top of my mix of shredded wheat and Fiber One cereals. In truth, I like it even better than my other weekend add-on of granola. And, I never do both. That would be gilding the breakfast lily, or so my grandmother might have said. And speaking of that, did I mention that there is also always half a banana, diced, a handful of blueberries, and one of the following added to the bowl: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, or a half of a white peach, peeled and cut up (my favorite)?


So there you have it: Graham Cracker Mush. A worthy, and frankly, time-saving recipe for these hot August mornings. And should you happen to have some Oreos in the house . . . ok, best not to go there. You're only asking for trouble, with the liability of dragging me down with you. So happy August to you! Stay cool, and thanks for reading my blog.

One Hundred Percent

Los Angeles, California

I'm in the mood to bake a cake. A lovely, springlike, celebratory cake that will be beautiful and tasty -- a life-affirming cake. So, here's the cake, and the explanation for this event will follow:

Strawberry Cake

Genoise             (see below)

1/4 cup               framboise Syrup (see below)

1 cup                   heavy cream, chilled
2 tablespoons   confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon     framboise
1 pint                  strawberries or mix of berries,
                            including strawberries, coarsely chopped

sliced strawberries and fresh mint sprigs for garnish

Hollow out the cake as follows: using a pot lid or tart pan bottom as a guide, center a 7-inch circle on top of the genoise. With tip of sharp knife, cut around the pan bottom on top of the cake, down 1-inch deep into cake. Insert large knife (such as chef's knife) in the side of the cake 1-inch down from the top, and swivel knife back and forth to free the lid. Using your hand and spatula as support, carefully lift off the lid. Wtih the lid crust-side down, trim off enough cake to leave an even layer 1/2-inch thick. Cut this even round into 8 triangular-shaped wedges.

Place the genoise shell on serving platter. Carefully hollow out the inside with a knife, leaving a 1/2-inch border and layer on the sides and bottom. Cut the inside pieces into 1/2-inch cubes (roughly) and place in medium bowl. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the Framboise Syrup on top, and toss to moisten. Brush the inside of the genoise shell with the remaining Framboise Syrup, dabbing generously on the sides and lightly on the bottom. Do not moisten the cake wedges.

In a large bowl, beat the cream with 1 tablespoon of the confectioners' sugar and the framboise until soft peaks form. Fold in the chopped berries and the moistened cubes of cake. Spoon into the genoise shell, spreading it into an even layer. Arrange the wedges of cake decoratively on top by placing an edge into the filling. The cake wedges should fan out like blades from the filling. Sieve the remaining confectioners' sugar over the top. Decorate with sliced strawberries and mint sprigs, tucking between the cake wedges.

Framboise Syrup

1/2 cup             sugar
2 tablespoons framboise

Combine sugar with 1/4 cup of water in small, heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil for one minute. Remove from the heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Stir in the framboise.

Genoise

1 3/4 cups  sifted all-purpose flour
8                   eggs
1 1/4 cups   sugar
1 teaspoon  grated lemon zest
1/4 cup       clarified butter, tepid

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 10-inch springform pan. Cover the bottom with a round of parchment or waxed paper, and lightly butter the paper. Dust the entire pan with flour, tapping out any excess

Sift the flour two more times onto a piece of waxed paper. Set aside.

In large bowl, combine the eggs, sugar and lemon zest. Set over, not in, a large saucepan filled one-quarter of the way with hot water. Warm over low heat, whisking occasionally, until the mixture is smooth and syrupy, with a deep yellow color and feels warm to the touch, about 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a large mixer bowl, beat the warmed eggs  and sugar at high speed until the mixture is pale yellow, tripled in volume and holds a ribbon for a full 10 seconds after the beaters are lifted (this will take 10 to 15 minutes with stationary mixer; 15 to 20 with a hand beater).

Sprinkle half of the flower on top of the beaten egg mixture. Using a balloon whisk, fold in the flour lightly but thoroughly, lifting the whisk out of the mixture with each folding stroke. Pour the tepid butter on top and quickly fold in, using the same motion. Spoon the remaining flour on top and fold in quickly and delicately with a minimum number of strokes. Too much folding will deflate the batter. Pour into the prepared pan and tap once on the counter to help spread the batter evenly.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until the cake is golden brown on top and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Remove the sidses of the pan; invert to remove the bottom. Peel off the waxed paper, then invert again to let the cake cool right-side up on a wire rack for 2 to 3 hours. If making ahead, wrap airtight in plastic and store in a cool dry place for up to 3 days, or freeze.


Ok, so, I never said it was a simple cake. And certainly a photo or two would help, especially with placing those cake wedges. But, honestly, it is a lot easier than it sounds. The recipe originally came from Food & Wine magazine, I would say circa 1985, and I first made it for an Easter in the early years of our marriage. It's a lovely cake, and perfect for celebrating the wonder of life, spring, or whatever else you feel like celebrating.

And here's what we're celebrating: Sandra is one hundred percent finished with her protocol of treatment. Her prognosis is excellent, and we met her and John last weekend on a getaway to Rancho Valencia. We haven't seen each other since November 1st when we all left Kona Village. And that is way too long. Lucky for me, I have her in my life on a daily basis when the question of What Would Sandra Do often stops me in my tracks, and keeps me from making a perfect fool of myself as often as I might, if left to my own devices. But daily reminders, no matter how handy, are not the same as the real thing! So Billy and I are very much enjoyed seeing them both. Meanwhile, I'm not sure what Sandra would do, but I feel like baking a cake. Thank you for reading my blog, and congratulations on your 100%, Frister!