Hello
Suddenly I’ve been feeling spring in the air! Probably this week’s 80 degree weather started it, but then there are the flower buds studding bare tree branches, and purple crocuses blooming in the wither of our front garden, and patches of daffodils like pools of sunshine. It’s all making me excited for spring produce like artichokes and rhubarb, which I missed last year when we were living in Vietnam.
I’ve been busy with work but underneath it all there has been the heartache and pain of the crisis in Ukraine. Like so many of you, I’m reading and thinking about it constantly and I wanted to recommend following Olia Hercules on Instagram – she is a chef and author of several cookbooks about Ukrainian food. She was born in Ukraine and now lives in London and is a resonant, clear voice on the crisis and a good source of information. In the region, World Central Kitchen continues to serve hot meals to Ukrainians who are fleeing their homes and also those who remain in country. If you are thinking of making a donation, they are a worthy cause.
Here’s what else I’ve been up to…
What I’ve been eating
–I made Olia Hercules’s recipe for borsch using golden beets. At the very end, right before serving, you grate a clove of raw garlic into the soup, which adds a delicious piquant touch. Recipe in the Guardian.
–After watching this video on pasta carbonara from Elizabeth Minchilli, I had to go whip up a batch of my own.
–This weekend I’m making Maria Speck’s artichoke tart, which is a celebration of spring – a tangy Greek yogurt and goat cheese filling and a gluten-free polenta crust. Recipe via the Wednesday Chef.
–My dad sent me this Epicurious article on the origins of mayonnaise cake, and why the sandwich spread creates the richest moistest crumb. Have you ever tried this? Let me know in the comments!
What I’ve been reading
–Friendship can be one of life’s greatest gifts, but losing a friend is a painful universal experience that’s rarely discussed. It’s surprising because friendships are harder to maintain later in life. An article by Jennifer Senior explores the way these delicate and important relationships affect our lives: “At this age, if your romantic life is settled, it’s your friends who break your heart. Because they’re who’s left.” The Atlantic
–Referenced in the essay on friendship was this piece from The Yale Review on envy and twinship, which offered a fascinating glimpse into what it’s like to be so identically close to another person.
–“I’m tired of how Asians in this country are treated — pushed around literally and figuratively,” writes Patricia Park, in her must-read oped about Asian-American hate crimes for the New York Times.
–I have freckles and I don’t really like them, but I enjoyed this Vogue.com essay on how one writer learned to embrace hers.
See you soon!
This week I’ve been reading a mystery called The Windsor Knot by S.J. Bennett in which HM Queen Elizabeth II sleuths a murder. It’s clever, original, and witty, and the perfect thing to read on these afternoons that are sunny but still a little chilly around the edges.
Thanks for reading and subscribing to my newsletter. I’ll see you in April – my birthday month! I wonder what kind of cake I will make for myself?
XO
Ann
I didn't read the Epicurious article, but my mom baked a mayonnaise cake at least a few times a year. Her recipe had raisins in it, was baked in a Bundt pan, and was topped with a chocolate glaze. I've made it a few times myself over the years, but in a tube pan. It's very good.
My Gram’s Mayonnaise Cake is, to this day, my favorite cake in the world! It has dates and walnuts, like one that was mentioned in the article. I really don’t like mayonnaise, nor even aioli, and don’t use mayonnaise in or on anything else, but … mayonnaise cake is simply terrific 😋