July 2011 newsletter -

good cateress newsletter, july 2011


I have found myself reflecting on age, probably because I recently celebrated my birthday. But also I noticed that when I look back over the last ten years or so, that the years all begin to look the same. Certainly, a lot of work! Thank you! So, I wondered whether I could remember each birthday, where I’d been, who I was with, what we’d done and from that build what that year had been like. Did the birthday reflect the year?

One birthday in particular jumped out. For me it felt like the last blowout from the wonderful, crazy 80’s, even though it was 1991. I was in my mid 30’s, we were all still drinking a lot and occasionally partaking of illegal substances - oooh those 80’s! My first recession was starting to make it’s presence felt; the day’s of Area, Palladium and Spy magazine were over. AIDS was really impacting my group of friends and was depressingly awful. Ann Magnuson’s words from her One Woman show about NY in the 80’s, summed them up “We laughed and we laughed”.

My group, and yes we all believed we were fun, fashionable and fabulous, had moved with ease from the nightclub world. We had always eaten out downtown, were used to giving Taxi drivers directions, once they left the numbered grid and moved into named streets to our favorite restaurants: Hawaii 5-0, the only thing on Avenue A; Gulf Coast; Tortilla Flats, a new Odeon.

Spanish friends of Clare’s opened El Dorado Petit on 55th Street across from Michaels; it was a sister restaurant to their famous Barcelona restaurant El Dorado. This became our favorite destination. Tapas for dinner, yum. Tomato Bread; Patatas Bravas; Garlic Shrimp; Chicken Croquettes with a delicious Spanish red wine. It seemed that I could go any night and find someone I knew there.

A posse of friends rented the upstairs space for my birthday. A buffet of Tapas; lots of wine, large group of friends. David arranged for a cake from Buttercup Bakery, who had just began to make and decorate cakes, and they still tasted great - I am not sure what they did to their cake recipe but it changed. My cake was covered in painted sunflowers and looked amazing. I wore one of my downtown Barney’s dresses, a classic shift dress in splashes of red, yellow and green pattern; it was a big favorite. I am seen at a birthday dinner a few years later wearing the same dress.

We had a blast. Within a year or two, some of us were sober, some had moved, others died. I had to get serious about my life. The last huzzah indeed.

Sunflowers have always been a favorite. Walking or driving along and catching sight of a big yellow head gazing up at the sun, bee’s dozing gloriously in it’s pollen.

One summer when I went back to the Isle of Wight, I was delighted to discover that David Brown had planted sunflowers in the field to the side of Hale Manor. A huge field full of bright sunshine and bobbing yellow heads following the suns movement across the heavens. Bee’s happily buzzing from one glorious head to the next.

I am ready to invite the Prospect Park Foragers to come trap our squirrels. Do we have Crack addled squirrels or are they all like that? We have a number of different characters, but there is a couple, they roam as a duo - a squirrel gang - who are just so badly behaved. For the last ten days or so I have got up each morning to find decimated sunflower heads on the lawn. I had planted a pack of seeds, but the majority of the sunflower seeds had been planted by the same squirrels, in fact I have pulled up more than half of the sunflower plants they planted. Maybe this was their intention in the first place? Do they think these are their sunflowers, as I think they are mine?

Which brings me to Watermelons. I Love Watermelon, but have to confess that until I lived in America I did not know how much. We rarely saw watermelon in the 70’s in England. My summer in Greece, I ate a huge piece each day for lunch. Simon and I have a slightly traumatic memory of stopping at a watermelon stand in Italy. It was hot, we stopped for a drink and a bathroom foray in the bushes. As mum walked us into the bushes we came across a horrifying sight. Someone earlier had had explosive red diarrohea that was filled with watermelon seeds. It took years before I could eat watermelon, and to this day my mind flashes back too it.

We are coming into Prime watermelon season. In Harlem the two stands that we buy from drive their watermelons up from Georgia and the Carolina’s, they are sweet and delicious. Perfect dessert or snack.

Num and I thought we would try to grow some watermelons in our garden. One area gets the right sun. End of February.beginning of March I planted two seed varieties in small pots, placing them on the sunny windowsill along with the pots of tomato seeds. We carefully nurtured them, pricking them out in May. The plants began to grow and we had flowers. Then baby melons, which seemed to double in size each night, we could definitely see growth. We were excited, we were growing watermelons. So apparently, was the squirrel...


Squirrel pie, no I’m kidding.



Sour Cherry and Peach crumble

3 peaches or nectarines - peeled and cut into 1 inch or so pieces
quart of Sour cherries - washed and pitted
3/4 cup of natural sugar

1 stick butter
1 cup flour
1/2 cup natural sugar
1/2 cup each of peeled hazelnuts and whole almonds

Mix the fruit and sugar in the bottom of a baking dish - approx. 6 x 8.

Pulse the flour and butter in food processor. Add sugar and nuts, pulse
together.

Cover the fruit with the crumble mix. Place in 350 degree oven for 40 minutes or until golden brown, with the fruit bubbling below.

Garden of Sunflowers

A garden of sunflower’s beckoned to me
Come join us my lady, and joyous you’ll be

We’re large one’s, small one’s, dainty and fair
And even some delicate to wear in your hair

We follow the sun, swaying slowly without a care
We have a new dance, which with you we will share

Gently hold onto our leaves, allow us to lead the way
To our sunflower two step, dancing throughout the day

I couldn’t resist them, so dandy a sight!
So off I did go in my sunflower flight

What a glorious time, up til twilight
and then I had to bid my flowers good night

So happy were we, a long day filled with fun
upon leaving, I kissed them, each and everyone

So tender the moment, as I turned to leave
with eyes brimmed with tears, could I truly believe

Oh! It was so true! I then knew it to be!!
I had to smile, cause they were all winking at me

Anon