I saw a beautiful movie over the weekend, "Children of Heaven." I was surprised to learn that the movie has been out since 1999 although I don’t know why I was surprised, I’m not really known for having my finger on the pulse of things. I actually thought this movie was recent. HA! Anyway, it’s an Iranian film about a boy from a poor family and the personal sacrifices he makes after losing his sisters only pair of shoes.
Among some of the things I really liked about the movie were the little vignettes of domestic life, they were subtle yet beautiful; the rhythm of the shoemakers needle as it pierces through the leather, a batch of bread being baked by a group of men and the unified harmony of their movements, the rhythmic “clunk” of the fathers chisel as he chops sugar for the mosque, the way the mother crouches to stir a pot of soup; actions that we tend to take for granted in our daily life but that which the Director Majid Majidi makes us stop and notice. This theme of paying attention to the details of daily routine and domestic duty is something I’ve been exploring within my own life recently and it was interesting to see it highlighted here. I don’t want to say more because I don’t want to spoil the plot, I’m not a fan of giving it away, especially without warning so if you’re interested in reading some reviews with possible spoilers then click here and or here. This movie was a refreshing change from the spate of Hollywood dreck I’ve recently had the misfortune to watch; I highly recommend “Children of Heaven”
If you're like me and are interested in further exploring Iranian/Persion cuisine I found a couple of links to get us started just click here and here!
The baby is sick, on Sunday she had a sudden and unexpected 24 hour bout of vomiting followed by high fevers and no appetite on Monday. I used to be squeamish, there was a time when I would gag at the very thought of vomit but being a mother has cured me of all those silly notions, especially after most of what she was spewing landed on me. The loss of appetite as been tough though, I am a “feeder” by nature, feeding people has always been my way of showing affection and nurturing, I worry that if she doesn’t eat she wont have the energy she needs to fight this thing but getting her to eat even the littlest morsel of something has been difficult. I made a gruel of rice and chicken broth with teeny bits of chicken; she repeatedly turned her face. I made a gruel of oatmeal and milk and sweetened it with brown sugar; she showed some interest but then in the end turned it down after a few bites. I scrambled an egg; it ended up on the floor. I soft boiled an egg; it was met with suspicion and a tight lipped sneer. I buttered toast and watched her clutch it in her fat little fingers while trying to fight the nausea that was wending its way through her system, she tried but in the end she couldn’t bring herself to take even the tiniest bite. I feel so bad for her, there seems to be nothing I can give her, luckily she’s drinking some Pedialyte® and taking a little of her milk bottle, otherwise she wouldn’t be getting anything. She spent most of Monday in my arms whimpering and sleeping and while I was trying to comfort her I thought back to the day a little over year ago when Tom and I were bringing her home from the hospital. We were both amazed at how no one questioned whether we knew what we were doing or if we would be capable of taking care of this little being, there was no test to take or license to apply for, we just packed her up and left the hospital. I remember worrying about how I was going to take care of her, I worried that she would stop breathing, I worried that she wouldn’t eat because we had trouble with her latching on to me, I worried that because she was a January baby she was going to get sick right away, like any new mother I worried endlessly about anything. I can’t help but be amazed at how the parenting instinct just kicked right in, we stumbled along that first year and did what we felt was right and when she finally did get sick we didn’t stop functioning like I thought we would but managed to get through it. So why am I sitting here feeling so helpless once again?
My reading group met last Friday evening, it was the first meeting I’ve been able to attend since the baby was born 14 months ago. Don’t get me wrong, I love my daughter but I was excited to have an evening off, excited to see my friends and looked forward to a glass of wine (or two) and a discussion that didn’t involve poop or anything else baby related. As usual, I baked something for the occasion and because it had been so long since I last attended a meeting I wanted it to be something special. I had originally planned on trying something from the Sherry Yard book I recently wrote about but the recipe I wanted to use called for an ingredient that I had to special order. The other recipes seemed a little too involved and advanced for me so I quickly went through several of my other cookbooks fighting the urge to do something complicated and grandiose like I have been known to do in the past, there wouldn’t be enough time and I didn’t need to add any more stress to my day. I found an interesting and simple enough recipe in “The Last Course” by Claudia Fleming with Melissa Clark a book which I really like because the desserts seem innovative and interesting and the few recipes I have tried have been fantastic so far.
The picture of the Chocolate Brownie Cookies is what sold me, they looked like meringue cookies and they were sandwiching a scoop of Milk Chocolate Malted Ice Cream (another recipe from the book that I’ll have to try) and I couldn’t help but think this was the perfect combination of chocolate, cookie and cake I was looking for and that everyone in the group will love. Obviously I didn’t have time to make the malted ice cream so the plan was to run out and get some coffee ice cream as a substitute but I never got a chance. I goofed up making the cookies; I might have over beaten the eggs and I used a cookie scoop instead of a teaspoon thinking the scoop was teaspoon sized but oops! it was not. I didn’t end up with 5 dozen cookies like the recipe stated, more like a dozen and a half, and at the last minute rather than frantically try to make another batch I decided to serve them as cookies and not cookie sandwiches . They were good, a little denser than they were supposed to be I imagine and they didn’t crackle or look at all like the picture but they were still, really, really good. Fleming has a theory that extra bittersweet chocolate (between 66 and 80 percent) has a more intense flavor therefore enhancing the chocolate making for a more powerful taste experience; I’ll have to agree with her on that now that I’ve tried these cookies for myself. I'll have to make them again so that I can achieve the light texture and crackle that Fleming describes at the beginning of the recipe.
We did have enough ingredients in the apt. for me to make a little super secret snack treat for Tom as a thank you for watching the baby while I had adult fun. He really liked the "sundae".
From “The Last Course: The Desserts of Grammercy Tavern” by Claudia Fleming with Melissa Clark
"These are one of my signature cookies. They taste like miniature brownies--but oh, the texture! They're reminiscent of a meringue, with a soft chewy, fudgy, center and crisp exterior that crackles appealingly. Since these cookies are smaller and less dense, they have an elegance that brownies lack. And they don’t require the same commitment as a big, gooey bar. I can never eat just one of these. They are also a particular favorite of Grammercy Tavern owner Danny Meyer, who can't eat just one either!"
Yield: 5 dozen cookies
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, briefly whip the eggs to break them up. Add the sugar, espresso, and vanilla and beat on high speed for 15 minutes, until thick.
4. While the eggs are whipping, place the butter in the top of a double boiler, or in a metal bowl suspended over a pot of simmering (not boiling) water, and scatter the extra bittersweet and unsweetened chocolate on top. Heat until the butter and chocolate melt. Remove the boiler top from the water and stir the butter and chocolate until smooth.
5. Gently fold the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture until partially combined (there should still be some streaks). Add the flour mixture to the batter and carefully fold it in. Fold in the chocolate chips. If the batter is very runny, let it rest until it thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.
6. Drop the batter by heaping teaspoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets and bake until puffed and cracked, 8 to 9 minutes. Cool on a wire rack before removing from the baking sheet.
Substitute 1/2 cup chopped toasted nuts or dried sour cherries for an equal amount of the chocolate chips.
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