Thursday, July 30, 2009

Broken Thoughts & Pie

I'm feeling very overscheduled for the next few weeks. Most of it's good stuff, aside from the work stuff it's all self-inflicted, but I'm not used to having so much planned in advance.

Here's some of what's been going on at work:

The nine wedding cakes for a client who had no requirements other than that the cakes "taste amazing". No requests other than "that lustre dust would be nice" . No wedding colors, no theme, no bridezilla nonsense.


3 chocolate cakes filled with pain d'epices (gingerbread spice) ganache, decorated with leaves.
3 white cakes filled with the Violette ganache, decorated with dragonflies.
3 red velvet cakes filled with Vrtnica Malina ganache (cranberry, raspberry & rose), decorated with sea shells & pearls. It's my subtle invocation to Aphrodite, the shells, the roses, the pearls.



Tarts of the week, clockwise from top: chocolate chess, mixed berry, cherry with kirsch & pandora spices in chocolate sucree, pear frangipane in chocolate sucree.

I have the pie song from Waitress stuck in my head. I want to make pie. Lots of pie. There is no recipe for Chocolate Strawberry Oasis, but it seems to be nothing more than a bittersweet chocolate pudding with a hint of spice poured over sliced fresh strawberries. It sounds really good right now, in spite of the cool, rainy weather.
Carmelized Onion pie. Tomato & Spinach pie. Tart Apple with Drunken Currants pie. mmmmmmmm, pie.

I'm housesitting for Najah this weekend, and what is usually 48 hours of uninterrupted solitude is being disrupted by family obligations. Both of the two nights away have been claimed. I rather resent this, but there is no graceful way to avoid it. Last night Najah showed me how to work her dvr & the multitude of remotes. We watched a couple episodes of True Blood. It has a dreadful effect on my accent, an effect that lasts for hours afterward unless I pay attention when I speak. (True Blood is set in Louisiana, in case you don't know).

The adjuster from Allstate took nearly 3 hours to complete what he said would be an hour-and-a-half appointment. We're getting a new roof out of it, so that's something positive. Everytime it's rained since the big storm (about every day or so), I keep looking up at the ceiling expecting a flood. So far, so good. I have a recurring waking nightmare that the roofers show up and rip the roof off while Mollie & her family are here for dinner. The adjuster, Mr. Carter, has a strong Southern accent and likes to over-explain. Read this with a drawl. "This is a five step process? Step one was when you called your agent to file a claim? Step two, that was when I called you to set up this appointment? Step three...that's this appointment?" And so on. I may have mentioned this last week. It's hard to remember that far back.

Another wedding &the book signing next weekend. Another wedding and a bellydance class field trip the weekend after that. Somehow, I am taking classes Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays starting next week. Two more weeks with Sammi, the Wonder Intern. Then an as-yet-to-be-determined new intern, who has already been named Not-Sammi.

Trying to come up with a menu for next week's dinner with Mollie & company that is easy, tasty and allows time for maximum visitation over a leisurely meal. Any ideas?

5 comments:

Bridgete said...

I pick up accents easily. If I watch more than one True Blood episode at a time I have to watch myself for a bit too. Since I'm reading the books right now too, I'm hearing their voices as I read, which is making it worse.

disabled account said...

dinner for mollie? well, you know it has to be vegetarian. am i coming? (you don't have to invite me. i just don't know if i'm coming, but if i am i need to know what day it is...please). anyway, i got this great new cookbook that someone on twitter sent me that looks absolutely amazing. it's called vegan soul kitchen. i desperately want to try the black eyed pea fritters.

pastrywitch said...

yes, you are coming. I invited you, you said yes, and agreed to bring chocolate cream pie. It's Thursday the 6th.

Bree said...

I visited South Carolina for a conference once, and when I called home my parents told me I sounded like Scarlett O'Hara on speed! Apparently I picked up the accent without any of the drawl, kept my NW speedy-speak. The Aphrodite cakes look amazing...I like the invocation idea, too. Did you tell the bride about the symbolism?

Unknown said...

Ooh chocolate ganache. Ooh pie. Sorry, what else was it you said? I think I lost you somewhere back at the drool on the keyboard.

Oh right...accents. I am one of the only people I know who lives in Boston but sounds nothing like it & can also pick up just about anything from anywhere.