Retirement Wishes

My friend Donna is retiring and today will be her last day at work. Finally! Donna will get to spend more time with her husband, Sid, who is a great cook and masterful maker of homemade plum jam. She can just kick-back with one of her many crocheting projects and watch the deer in her backyard. No more getting up at the crack of dawn to catch the sleepy van pool, just long lovely days filled with relaxation and the occaisonal wine cooler! Cheers Donna, I will miss you. 

Whim Wham and Hummingbird Cake

I'm a foodie in search of a compulsion and Hummingbird Cake is high on my list of possibilities. I've been known to get a bit obsessed with a dish. Deep in the recesses of my creative impulses I get the notion that a certain food captures the essence of classic cooking or recreates a personal experience. Sometimes it just a quirky name that grabs my attention.

When I was going through a Provencal period my family endured a spate of Julia Child's Salade Nicoise. Not a fan of capers, Larry was thrilled when I turned my attention to the rich wine and mushroom flavors of Jacques Pepin's Merchant Steak.

I've also tried to evoke memories of great vacations with food. Several iterations of a crisp cold wedge salad with bacon and bleu cheese crumbles took me back to a an old Rat Pack hangout in L.A. (until my family begged for mercy and perhaps a re-do of the Merchant Steak phase, please). After several weeks in Rome I came home and purchased a lug of arugula from the giant save-a-bunch warehouse store. Driven by memories of a lovely frittata with arugula salad lunch at the Piazza della Rotunda and a Prosciutto and Arugula Pizza, I tried to duplicate the contrast of the soft eggy flavor with the lemony vinaigrette and the bitter greens with salty prosciutto.

The first time I had Frangelico liqueur was on my honeymoon at the now-gone Compass Rose Room at the Saint Francis Hotel in San Francisco. I couldn't get enough of anything hazelnut for the longest time after that. And while a memorable experience has proven to be a rich source of motivation, nothing gets me more than a curious name. Dutch Babies, Broken Glass Cake, and Frogmore Stew have all graced our table at one time or another. I have my eye on Clafouti, Frangipane, Hot Browns, Whim Wham, Stone Cream and especially Hummingbird Cake.

The cake is a southern specialty made with pineapple and coconut and topped with pecans. There is great speculation about the origin of the name of the cake, but I say "Who cares? It's fun and sounds delish. I'm on it!"  I'll let you know how it goes.

Take care,
J.