Do you Souffle?

Rhys reporting in from sunny but cold Santa Fe where I'm attending the Left Coast Crime convention. It starts today and I'll give an update on Saturday.

Rccently I've been trying to cut clutter in my house. We've lived in the same house since 1980 and we've amassed a lot of stuff over that time. As part of the weeding out process I've been going through old papers. They make fascinating reading--story ideas that never got written, letters children wrote from adventures around the world, letters from people who are no longer alive, and old diaries.

The one thing that strikes me from the early years of my marriage was that we entertained ALL THE TIME! It was not unusual to have more than one dinner party a week. And it seems that I cooked ambitious meals in those days. John was sales manager for Air India so we made a lot of multi course curry dinners, but I also ventured into the world of gourmet. I even started one dinner with a souffle, according to my diary. Did I ever know how to make souffles? I certainly don't now. And how did I have the time with little children?

Somehow I managed it and I don't remember finding it overwelming. Yet today an invitation to a dinner party at someone's house is rare. It's too stressful, too much trouble. It's easier to invite friends for drinks or to meet at a restaurant. Or not get together at all. We socialize much less. We're all too busy. We just don't cook. I know several people who have never used their kitchens.

Isn't that sad? Does this mean that we have fewer friends these days? Following yesterday's blog, has technology taken the place of friends and entertaining? So do share with me... do you still entertain? Do you still like to cook? Please tell me we're not heading into a world of isolation in our own techno cubicles.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Martha's (and Ro's) Cranberry Nut Tart

By popular demand...the cranberry tart recipe that I've been raving about on a couple of lists and right here on Jungle Red. It's from Martha Stewart's Entertaining - a terrific book, btw, with lots of her best recipes. People will think you're a domestic goddess and it's not even that hard to make.

Perfect Nut Crust

10 oz. finely chopped walnuts or almonds

1/2 lb. unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup sugar3 cups flour

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla or almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix together all the ingredients until well-blended, using an electric mixer or wooden spoon. This will make crusts for two tarts. (You can freeze the other.)

Divide in half. Press one half into 9 inch tart pan with removable bottom (or springform.)

Chill for 30 minutes before baking for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Cranberry filling (for one tart)

1 envelope softened gelatin

3 cups fresh cranberries

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup red currant jelly

Soften gelatin in 1/4 cup cold water.

In a saucepan, combine the cranberries, sugar and jelly. Cook for 10 minutes over low heat. (Don't overcook or the cranberries will get mushy. Better to slightly undercook than overcook otherwise you'll have cranberry sauce.) Cool slightly and stir in the gelatin. Cool thoroughly; pour into crust. (I keep a few toothpicks handy to help arrange the cranberries. It looks best if you push any squished cranberries to the bottom or the middle and keep the most perfect ones around the edges.) Chill. Eat.

This tart is great for dessert but is pretty darn good for breakfast, too. Assuming there's any left.

Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!

Rosemary

PS And come back soon (as in very soon) for a major announcement of regal proportions from the women of Jungle Red!!