Three

This post is inspired by Autumn’s new blog.

In a fit of domesticity I decided to do a little baking while Snowden was napping and Eliza was at work. We had some strawberries in the fridge that were on the verge of going off so I decided to use them as a topping for a simple French pastry know as Choux. The recipe I used is from July’s Gourmet magazine.The plan was to make the Choux and then top them with strawberries, bourbon caramel and bourbon laced whipped cream.

Baking these little pastries was quite simple. Butter, water and salt are heated together until boiling and them mixed. The heat is reduced to medium and flower is added forming the base for the batter. After 5 minutes of cooling a bunch of eggs are added to the flour, butter, salt and water mixture and this is mixed into a golden batter. This batter is then piped out onto a baking sheet into 5 inch long éclair like pasties.

I baked these for 15 minutes at 425 degrees and then reduced the heat a bit and continued baking them until crisp.

While the Choux cooled. I melted some sugar in a heavy skillet. I had never done this before and it added and alchemic sense to the baking

 process. It is always fun seeing a new phase change in the kitchen.

When the sugar had turned to a deep auburn color and gave off an smell reminiscent of cotton candy I spooned some over the top of each éclair which gave each on touch of sugary crispness.

I then added butter and bourbon to the sugar to complete a rich caramel sauces. I put the sauce aside and whipped some cream. I did not sweeten the whipping cream, but instead added a couple of tablespoons of bourbon the whipped cream.

Eliza was home by now and we assembled a couple of éclairs for lunch. The choux split easily and we piled on sugared strawberries and whipped bourbon cream. After popping the tops back on, the caramel sauce was liberally drizzled over the assemblage.

All in all it proved to be a sweet and buttery lunch. The bite of the bourbon whipped cream was a nice counterpoint to rich sweetness of the strawberries and caramel and the pastry, while a bit eggy, held up quite well and provided a nice crunch.

Snowden has been out to dinner twice in two days. On Bastille Day we met my parents, Justin and Merilee at Cafe Presse (Justin and Merilee’s place of work too). Cafe Presse is a new French “working class” bar on 12th and Madison. It is less pretentious than Le Pichet, a sort of “sister” restaurant in Bell Town. The cafe has an easy going feel to it, a place I would very much enjoy sitting down to a pichet of rose, a date with Sean or a good book. Although there were no disdainful looks cast our direction, it was a tough place for Snowden. A hot and muggy night, close quarters at the booth/table, and The Clash made it difficult for her to relax. Sean and I ended up trading off taking her outside for some quiet and air. She was very patient.

Tonight we celebrated Autumn’s birthday with the Baughn/Stetter family at Palace Kitchen. Food at Tom Douglas restaurants is never a disappointment and the Palace Kitchen also opened huge front windows to let in the summer evening. The bathroom, usually a place Snowden visits when out to eat, had lovely old chandeliers and brilliant red walls which made up in interest for the lack of changing table. (Patty and I modified a dresser top) Snowden was not going to be content at the table though. She cycled through the family members, each of us taking a turn walking with her outside where she could watch the metro and monorail and occasional horse carriage drive by. Both nights we’ve made it about an hour and a half before Snowden has reached her level of tolerance. She doesn’t get upset, she just gets unbelievable squirmy and I catch her yawning and shaking her head; she’s ready for home.

Right now she’s making loud spit noises with her mouth and rolling all over the living room floor, even getting up on her knees. Once home she seems to get a second wind and relishes her freedom on the floor. I think this month, for a restaurant to be “Snowden friendly” it would have to have a 10×10 foot safe space on the floor for her to roll around on and explore. We will give her a break from adult restaurants for a while :).

We won’t give up on taking her out though. I like the idea of teaching her to enjoy social outings and learn appropriate behavior-by appropriate I don’t mean just table manners, I’m not actually concerned that she learn which fork to use for what plate. I want her to learn the pace of a leisurely meal with friends, to enjoy food, to have conversation and feel she is an integral part of the lives of several generations. I think eating out with a group of adults in a nice restaurant is a way of showing her that we value her as an individual, we can accommodate her and want to because she is our family.

Wednesday was a very hot day in the city, and everywhere else in the Northwest. With pass temperatures in the upper 90’s we decided not to go hiking. In the heat of the afternoon we let Snowden dangle her toes in Lake Washington. She didn’t look like it was the most exciting thing she’s done. I think she was too tired to be interested. We were on an errand trip for my work so the lake visit was impromptu. We left after about a half hour. Once at home in our hot apartment (though it was about 15 degrees cooler inside that outside since we closed the windows in the morning) Snowden took a long nap. Later we let her play in the sink and she seemed to enjoy the little spoon we put in with her to play with more than she actually cared about being in the water.