before
I really can’t explain how or why the most odd of ideas coalesce in my brain, but they do……..
Ok, even I am bored with the scone idea already. And, while I would like to bake 365 days of unique and tasty scones, I think the boredom might just dampen my enthusiasm for them. And so, I will temper my two-day old challenge and try to come up with an idea that is a little more “toothsome”, shall we say.
Should I have my own little quaint and cozy bake shop, (one name could be The Seasonal Scone Lady) the old scone idea would have been helpful. I do really adore baking scones, but, since there is no one here to eat them all and I don’t want to, I will take a hiatus for today. Maybe I will just make a list and reference a flavor combo each day – we shall see. One idea I haven’t tried yet is a really decadent chocolate scone with peanut butter morsels and topped with salted peanuts. I need another background flavor and I’m thinking coffee or brown butter caramel…….
I came upon this, what I consider today to be, priceless and hilarious photo, yesterday on one of my favorite websites, Brain Pickings. I was surprised to learn of Dr. Seuss’ adult book, The Seven Lady Godivas. While I have no idea what the book is about, if nothing else, this did indeed reinforce my commitment to my now 10 days old return to the South Beach Diet. Chuckle, chuckle, chuckle…….
courtesy Dr. Seuss and Brain Pickings
Getting back to the topic at hand, there are so many ways I can demonstrate that I am my own worst enemy. Shall I make a count already today? Perhaps I shall donate my brain to science when I am gone and they can, once and for all, try to figure out why I am addicted to baking, dream about it all the time, while at the very same time can not eat the stuff (first). Let’s just say Dr. Seuss’ illustration was enough to deter me from thinking about munching on any scones. And so, I had grounds, to first thing this morning, re-interpret my two day old challenge.
I had dutifully roasted the 6 lovely beets (as I remembered my Mom doing, she being the only fan of fresh beets in the house back then), shown above, last night, 3 red, 3 yellow, in anticipation of my plan for today’s scone flavor – Roasted Beet, Gorgonzola and Hazelnut with Blood Orange (hmmm, still sounds good to me), but as I contemplated doing this, I myself, was less than inspired to execute. I began dreaming of a salad from which the idea had sprung and it occurred to me that Spring and Sprung are related – oh, don’t go there……. (second)
Anyway, the idea took me to this beautiful salad of fresh-picked greens, maybe baby arugula, and then I pictured the missing ingredient – peaches – and everything fell apart. Yes, there is a limit to even how much self-torture I can take, and for the third time already today I have demonstrated to myself that I am my own worst enemy.
I began to think about those rock hard, tasteless South American peaches and plums which creep into the supermarket in February and I confess I even wondered if I was game for a try again, in desperation. (fourth)
fifth – ok, I have never claimed to be the brightest bulb (gloves?)
Ok, so today for breakfast I eyed one of those lovely beets and decided that, although beets are not what we know of as a low-glycemic food (sixth), I would have one anyway, as a side dish to my eggs. I drizzled them with a scant 1/2 tsp of sherry vinegar and crumbled a few toasted and chopped hazelnuts over the top. It was a pretty treat.
Not to get off the track but, when I was a child, I can remember my Dad sitting at the dining room table with a bowl of roasted whole unshelled nuts and a nutcracker after a holiday dinner(something I only use for eating lobsters). He had so many of those, what seemed then like old-school-Italian dining habits, that I can only now look back upon and appreciate. I would now refer to him, with respect, as having a highly-refined palate. He loved Filberts, as he referred to them, and it wasn’t until some 40 or so years later that I came to love them like he did. While I can’t be bothered with the shelling thing, I certainly could find a use for Hazelnuts on just about any day.
My Dad also sprinkled salt on honeydew, something I thought of then as counterintuitive, savored a small bite or two of gorgonzola cheese, an aroma and taste I absolutely could not fathom back in the day, and was known to enjoy a dessert of red wine and fresh peaches. Hmmmm – never underestimate the things your parents knew – even if it takes this long to “see” them………. Well, enough of the reminiscing for this morning and back to the subject at hand.
In lieu of a scone recipe today, but continuing on with my original flavor theme, here is my side dish offering of the day. I plan to serve it with Mireille Guillano’s Champagne Chicken recipe, http://frenchwomendontgetfat.com/content/chicken-emau-champagneem
ROASTED BEETS WITH HAZELNUTS, GORGONZOLA AND BLOOD ORANGE VINAIGRETTE
6 beets, roasted, cooled and peeled, colors of your choice
1/3 cup gorgonzola cheese, crumbled or cut into small bits
1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts, chopped
juice and zest of one blood orange
extra virgin olive oil
1 tblsp minced shallot, optional
dab of dijon mustard (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
I particularly love this photo. I had let the beets sit overnight in the aluminum foil I had roasted them in and this happened.
Cut beets into bite-sized chunks. Place into a salad bowl. Sprinkle about 1/2 tsp of the orange zest and bits of gorgonzola over all. Add chopped hazelnuts.
In a measuring cup, whisk together the blood orange juice
love the color of this – so Summery!
and olive oil.
You can add the shallots and even a dab of dijon mustard, if you like, or not. Whisk all together and drizzle over gingerly and sparingly. This is not a salad to overwhelm. You want the beets, gorgonzola and hazelnuts to shine with a background of the tiniest bit of blood orange. ENJOY!
the beautiful jewels of Winter (did I just say that?)