Loss

Friday, April 7, 2017 8 , Permalink 1

It's so much darker when a light goes out than it would have been if it had never shone. - John Steinbeck, The Winter of Our Discontent I met Stephen in Nigeria in 1986. He was a Fulbright professor lecturing in English and creative writing at the University of Ife, in Ile-Ife. I was visiting a ...

Favorite Lemon Tart with Mascarpone Whipped Cream

Monday, March 20, 2017 10 , , , , Permalink 0

All human plans subject to ruthless revision by Nature, or Fate, or whatever one preferred to call the powers behind the Universe. - Arthur C. Clarke, 2010: Odyssey Two Spring had sprung, or so we thought. Gentle sunshine, mild afternoons, the temperature inching upwards and memories of laundry flapping in the fresh air come flooding ...

This Just Happened

Wednesday, March 8, 2017 20 , Permalink 2

  De toutes les passions, la seule vraiment respectable me paraît être la gourmandise. - Guy de Maupassant “Okay, your turn,” they said, and a dozen pair of eyes slid in my direction. “Tell us about yourself.” I have never been comfortable talking about myself, but here I was, the center of attention, albeit for just a ...

The Anatomy of a Cookbook I & Orange Cointreau Chiffon Cake

Sunday, December 4, 2016 2 , , , , Permalink 0

An orange on the table, your dress on the rug, and you in my bed, sweet present of the present, cool of night, warmth of my life. – Jacques Prévert As summer winds down and fades into autumn, as the stone fruits and berries turn mealy and flavorless and then disappear into memory, I begin to crave oranges. It is ...

Cognac Panna Cotta with Salted Butter Caramel

Nature bestows her own, richest gifts And, with lavish hands, she works in shifts... - Gertrude Tooley Buckingham, The Four Seasons  The summer pop-up shops are closed, windows dark and gathering dust. The streets are emptier without the tourists, and that emptiness is made all the heavier for the recent days of grey skies and intermittent rain. ...