They have adorable chubby cheeks

[sovay]

Rabbit, rabbit. I baked an apricot biscuit cake this afternoon.

It was for ratatosk. Between exhaustion, hell-cold, mouth-hurt, and general malaise, I hadn't been convinced I'd make it to his party, but I needed to bake a lemon cake for derspatchel's birthday observed tomorrow and I like Tracy and what the hell, I miss baking. Basically it was a sweet buttermilk dough rolled out flat, filled with apricot preserves, jelly-rolled and cut into rounds, and then packed into a round pan so that they melted back together into a single pastry as they baked. I drastically overestimated the quantity of apricot preserves necessary for the filling, meaning it kind of bulged out everywhere as each roll was cut, and I think I shall keep it this way in future iterations as it left the finished cake honeycombed and fragrant with apricot, aided by the fluffiness of the buttermilk and the cold chopped butter as in a scone; it was practically a pudding. No yeast. I would like to give it a more interesting topping next time, as I just treated it like a pear cake and glazed with a sprinkling of extra sugar; I think it could stand a little spicing, even if I need to think about what goes with apricot (I couldn't eat it with nuts and streusel feels like overkill). I had to go out to Lexington to bake it, since our oven is still kaput, but it was worth the travel time. There was nothing left but the festive striped plate by the time I went home.

Dinner was an assorted order from Pizza Pie-er in Inman. I am still at the stage with these braces where eating actual food rather than giving up and making some kind of smoothie feels like an achievement, as does eating at all, so I was glad I'd gotten there in time to order. The crust turned out to be more work than my mouth can currently handle, so I ate all the toppings off it and instantly stopped feeling stupid that I'd overloaded a seven-inch pizza with spinach, eggplant, mushrooms, and prosciutto. It was hot and nutrition-bearing and someday I won't have to chew on the left side of my mouth and very tasty. I still don't forgive the restaurant for burdening their specialty pizzas with untenable portmanteaux like "Meatichoke" (meatballs and artichoke) and "Brimp" (broccoli and shrimp), but the former was very nearly redeemed by the observation that no one would order a pizza by the name of "Artballs."

I spent most of the party itself talking to phi about everything from poetry to grad school to poisonous food staples and periodically eavesdropping lines from elsewhere in the conversation about cyanide and penguins. It was great.

And I got home and Rob showed me the first episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which is already brilliant.

I feel that I have salaged a good day and I am happy. Someday my life will not involve quite so many salvage operations, but in the meantime, I dunno, Mary Ellen Carter on.

Comments

[rinue]

Oh, how I wish I had some of that biscuit cake left over for breakfast right now.

Ugh your braces. Ugh. I did at one point have my jaws wired shut for six weeks after a surgery, and survived on smoothies, milkshakes, and thick sauces (gravies and the like) quite comfortably. However I think for a full year that is too much to ask.

With regards to portmanteaus, I feel like everyone is trying to make "cronut" happen for them. (I am skeptical of the cronut phenomenon beyond people wanting to say "cronut.") Saw an ad yesterday for the "doughscuit," a biscuit-donut hybrid. The name reeks of desperation.

[movingfinger]

Apricot and ginger are friends. Mace or nutmeg can also work, depending on the flavors of the apricots and the other parts of the dish. But ginger is never-fail.

[nineweaving.livejournal.com]

...it left the finished cake honeycombed and fragrant with apricot, aided by the fluffiness of the buttermilk and the cold chopped butter as in a scone; it was practically a pudding.

Gorgeous!

The cake; the eating; the conversation; the hope.

Rise again!

Nine

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

no one would order a pizza by the name of 'Artballs.'


Oh, I would! Whereas I find 'Meatichoke' offputting (the choke is not my favourite part of the artichoke...)

[papersky.livejournal.com]

I would order a pizza called Artballs first!

So glad you are feeling a bit better. And the cake sounds awesome.

[muffyjo]

Trader Joe's makes a really lovely Lemon Curd which might be tasty on top? That sounds delicious and lovely.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Those who can salvage can survive--you are definitely a survivor. Still, I do wish for you good days in whole newness, rather than noticed, grasped, and pried out from wreckage and unpleasantness.

A finished cake honeycombed and fragrant with apricot is wondrous thing. Summertime in February.

(Artballs sounds like a *very* bad comedy film)

[kdsorceress.livejournal.com]

I meant to tell you (but you were mostly talking to Phi ;) ) that the apricot cake was delicious! I got the last piece, which is all for the best, as I would've gone back for thirds otherwise.

~Sor

[schreibergasse.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday observed to 'spatch!

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

. I would like to give it a more interesting topping next time, as I just treated it like a pear cake and glazed with a sprinkling of extra sugar; I think it could stand a little spicing, even if I need to think about what goes with apricot (I couldn't eat it with nuts and streusel feels like overkill).

I don't remember: can you eat coconut? I agree that a bit of something crunchy on top would be nice, and toasted coconut flakes are good for that. As for spicing, I like ginger with apricot.

[fleurdelis28.livejournal.com]

"Mary Ellen Carter on" is totally my new favorite rallying cry.

[ap-aelfwine.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you had a good day, salvaged or not.

Someday my life will not involve quite so many salvage operations, but in the meantime, I dunno, Mary Ellen Carter on.

Very well said. I like that expression you've invented. Would you mind if I were to use it sometime?

The apricot cake sounds delicious, btw. I hope the the lemon cake has been equally successful.

Happy Birthday Observed to derspatchel!

[snowy-owlet.livejournal.com]

That sounds like a baking TRIUMPH.