If they are awkward—with a foreign God

[sovay]

Elaine Feinstein has written a gorgeous ghost poem about Isaac Rosenberg: "April Fools' Day." I disagree with some of the accompanying analysis, but you can read the poem first and then skip it. He's one of the most important of the war poets to me, but I never wrote about him; I'm glad someone has.

Bogi Takács has highlighted my poem "Last Letters" as part of eir #diversepoems series. I'm honored. There's great discussion in the thread.

This year we ran our Seder at triple time, because a sixteen-month-old niece does not have the attention span for even my family's abbreviated rituals (and our guests were an hour and a half late due to traffic, so she was already up late). My brother still did Pharaoh's voice and bargained for the afikomen when his daughter found it hidden on top of the bongos, under the fluffy pink cat-socks she likes to play with. derspatchel and I made an almond-flour lemon cake.

These are good things.

Comments

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Those *are* good things! Of several varieties. The almond-flour lemon cake sounds delicious. And I bet a sixteen-month-old gives a seder a truly be-prepared-for-flight atmosphere.

[sovay]

The almond-flour lemon cake sounds delicious.

I wrote the recipe out for sairaali, so I can handily recopy it here!

Kosher l'Pesach Even for People Who Avoid Kitniyot Almond-Flour Lemon Cake

5 eggs
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tb lemon zest
2/3 cup sugar
1 2/3 cup almond flour
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp salt

confectioner's sugar
heavy cream
fruit if you feel like it

Preheat oven to 350°F. Thoroughly butter or oil a 9-inch spring-form baking pan. I floured it inside with more almond meal, but you might not have to.

Juice and zest 2 lemons. This produces the correct amount of lemon zest and slightly more than the correct amount of lemon juice. We saved the remainder for later.

Hope you have a stand mixer, because I can't see making this recipe by hand without repetitive strain injury. Separate the eggs; beat egg whites and cream of tartar until frothy, then add 2 tablespoons of the sugar and beat until the mixture stands up in thick, stiff, glossy peaks. This takes less than five minutes, but somehow longer than you would think. Scrape into a bowl and set aside.

Do not bother to clean the stand mixer, because whites into yolks don't matter. Beat remaining sugar and lemon zest until combined and fragrant, less than a minute. Add yolks and beat at high speed until thick, creamy, and much, much paler, also less than five minutes but longer than you would think. Add half of the lemon juice and beat to combine; add remaining lemon juice, vanilla, and salt, ditto. Gradually add almond flour at medium speed, stopping to scrape down the bowl as necessary, until just combined. The mixture will be very dense and very lemony.

Stir in about a quarter of the stiffly beaten egg whites to lighten the batter. Fold in the rest very gently and rapidly so that all the air does not collapse. Pour into spring-form pan, bake for 40 minutes or until top is just browned and toothpicks or forks inserted into the center come out clean. We rotated it halfway through, just out of paranoia.

Let cool to room temperature before removing from pan. Transfer to plate and dust liberally with confectioner's sugar. We served it with whipped cream and sliced strawberries and it was a hit. [edit] If you use oil and don't serve it with whipped cream, it's parve; it's milchik otherwise. My family does not actually keep kosher, but I always keep track of these things in case I want to take the recipe in question to the house of someone who does.

Enjoy!

And I bet a sixteen-month-old gives a seder a truly be-prepared-for-flight atmosphere.

This year, the prophet Miriam sang and danced by the shore of the Red Sea and was also unexpectedly bitten on the knuckle by a teething small child.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Oh thank you for this recipe!