Sunday, January 24, 2010

24 January 2010 – Prelude to a Birthday





It has been a rainy day in Georgia, so it seemed like a great day to make soup. I cooked a Tuscan white bean soup and served it over toasted Italian bread. I began with a simple spinach salad with homemade croutons and hot lemon dressing. The soup hit the spot. We went into Atlanta with Jeff and Cory last night and ate at Noni's Italian Deli and Bar as an early celebration of my birthday. It was great as usual, and I urge anyone in Atlanta to try it. Afterward, we went to Actor's Express to see a play, Good Boys and True. We had a nice evening in the big city. For desert, my BFF, Jeff Brown, baked his Grandma's coconut cake for an early birthday cake and brought it over. It is really amazing, just like Jeff! He also brought me some red wine since I forgot to buy extra last night. Yes, we can still not buy wine on Sundays in Georgia! Anyway, we always have to have what we call"Nora wine" to watch Brothers and Sisters on Sunday nights!

I watched CBS Sunday Morning today and saw a feature on Melody Gardot. She is amazing, so I downloaded her latest CD and listened to it while I cooked. She was in a very serious car accident a few years ago and was not expected to recover from spinal and brain injuries. A doctor suggested she try writing and singing as a form of therapy. Wow, it not only worked, but she is amazing! She still has to wear dark glasses because she is sensitive to light. I've included a video from her appearance on Letterman, and I highly recommend her latest CD, My One and Only Thrill. I have a busy week ahead and will be in New York City on Wednesday and Thursday for a meeting. It will be nice to be in the big apple again, even for a short time. Have a great week everyone!

The Menu:

- Tuscan White Bean Soup Adorned with Olive Oil and Pancetta Crisp

- Baby Spinach Salad with Homemade Croutons and Warm Lemon Dressing

- Aunt Norah's Old Fashioned Coconut Cake

- Melody Gardot, My One and Only Thrill

4 comments:

BillsSundaySuppers said...

Well damn, no Brothers and Sisters tonight, but at least I have Nora wine and an amazing coconut cake! Maybe Jeff Brown will post the recipe?

JeffB said...

Ok...I shall post the recipe for you. This is a very old cake. My mom says 1920's. Anyway.....

Cake
1 Cup Crisco or lard
2 Cups Sugar
3 Cups unbleached (wheat) flour
1 Cup of Whole Milk
4 Large Eggs
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla or Rum

In large mixing bowl combine all ingredients in the order listed above. First Crisco, then sugar, then flour, etc. Pour batter into 2 -9" cake pans or 3- 8" cake pans. Bake at 350 for 25- 30 minutes. Place on wire rack to cool.

Icing

2 Egg Whites
3/4 Cup Sugar
1/3 Cup Light Corn Syrup (Karo)
2 Tablespoons of water
1/4 Teaspoon of cream of tartar
1/4 Teaspoon of salt
1 Whole Coconut with milk (prepared)

In a double boiler, combine all ingredients (except for coconut) over high heat. Use a wire whisk to beat mixture until it forms stiff peaks. (It can take some time and a lot of patience....an electric mixer can be used if you can fit it in your pot)Once stiff peaks have been reached it is time to layer the cake. Place the first layer on a cake plate and use a fork to poke holes. Fill these holes with the milk from the coconut. Then pour part of the icing over layer and sprinkle with fresh coconut. Place your next layer on and repeat. Use any extra coconut to sprinkle over the top of cake. Serve!

This cake is not meant to be neat and the icing will run all over!! The unbleached flower gives it a unique taste as well as texture. I think white flower will work too but the color will not be the same. Enjoy!!!

JeffB said...

PS..this can help with the prep of the fresh coconut!

http://video.about.com/chinesefood/How-to-Open-a-Coconut.htm

Jim Wilson said...

The meal and cake were great. We are listening to the Melody Gardot at work right now. Excellent.