Every parting gives a foretaste of death, every reunion a hint of the resurrection.
- Arthur Schopenhauer

So from the grave shall rise the words and phrases in this blog that were suppressed for too long...

About 20 years ago, a lovely Italian girl who happened to work along-side me in a Swiss bank, shared her grand-mother's divine Tiramisu recipe with me. My world - and consequently many of my friends and family's worlds - has never been the same since.

Over time however, I've made the recipe my own, changing it slightly to adjust for these modern (and less sugar-enamored) times. So without further ado ...


"Simone's Very Special Tiramisu"

I usually triple this recipe. And prepare it one day ahead, for it only develops its true flavor after being allowed to rest in the fridge for 24 hours.

Since the recipe is of European origin, all measurements are in grams - so get your kitchen scale out before you attempt to make this dessert. Equally important is that your eggs be as fresh as possible - check your neighborhood feed or grocery store for local eggs, fresh from the chicken coop.

Ingredients:

- 3 egg yolks
- 30 grams of white sugar
- 230 grams of Mascarpone cheese (equaling one standard container you find at the Grocery Store)
- 2 egg whites
- 150 grams of Lady Fingers (yes, you can also make your own biscuits, but I've had the best results with simple Lady Fingers you buy at your local grocery store - Safeway and Whole Foods are a few that carry them)
- 1/2 cup of good, strong, freshly-brewed coffee
- 2 large TBLSP of Kahlua, Rum or whatever liquor you're fond of, to taste
- Chocolate powder

1. Make a cup of strong coffee. Let it cool off in the fridge.
2. Cover the bottom of a glass (no metal!) dish tightly with your Lady Fingers.
3. Mix the egg yolks and sugar and beat them until they're of a very light color.
4. Add the Mascarpone, and mix in well, until the mixture is creamy.
5. Beat your egg whites till very stiff, then carefully fold them into the mixture with a rubber spatula. Let the mixture rest for a minute.
6. Now mix the liquor into the coffee and drizzle half of the coffee mixture over the lady fingers, making sure you don't make the biscuits too soggy. The entire success of this recipe really lies in the perfect balance of coffee and biscuit. I've found one tablespoon of coffee per Lady Finger to work well.
7. Spoon half of the Mascarpone mixture over the coffee-soaked Lady Fingers.
8. Repeat steps 4 - 7 for a second layer of biscuit, coffee and cream.
9. Put the finished dessert in the fridge - be patient for 24 hours (or at least 2 or 3).
10. Shortly before serving, dust the top of the dessert with the chocolate powder.
11. Serve and enjoy!

While it's unlikely that you'll have anything left over to refrigerate, you can do so for about 2-3 days. I've also successfully frozen this dessert for several weeks - just give it about 3-4 hours to thaw before serving.

And most importantly - if it turns out for you, leave your feedback in the comments!

Good luck.

In the fall of 1995, I spent four weeks in the beautiful town of Antigua, Guatemala. The purpose and quest was to brush up on my crusty college Spanish in one of the city's many language schools. Which I did.

But I also ended up falling in love.

I fell in love with the sound of feet, hooves and paws shuffling over the ancient cobblestone streets. The crisp, herb-scented morning air I would draw deep into my lungs upon awaking. The year-round tropical, yet temperate, mountain climate. The brief and refreshing rainfalls in the afternoons. The shy, friendly smiles from the indigenous Mayan people. The rich smell of roasting coffee, wafting through narrow alleyways. I even fell in love with the peeling paint and crumbling walls of the city's regal buildings - witnesses simply to centuries of destructive power from the three surrounding volcanoes.

And of course, I also became enamored with the local culinary offerings. The fantastic hot chocolate at 'Frida's' (to which I developed a minor addiction). Coffee at the 'Rainbow Reading Room'. Pastries at 'Dona Luisa's'. And - chicken soup at 'La Fonda De La Calle Real'.

I don't know if it was a result of the area's financial lack, preventing them to invest into any kind of fertilizer and therefore making all agricultural products automatically 'organic' and every chicken 'free range' - or if it was my overall sense of rapture. But the local veggies, fruit and poultry tasted simply ... better than their North American or European cousins.

And so it was that I found a meal - a soup, to be precise - that in its unpretentiousness and simplicity came to represent all that I loved about Antigua: the Caldo Real ('Caldo' meaning 'soup'; 'Real' meaning 'royal').

Every so often - especially on chilly winter nights like tonight - I now like to make it. It's easy, satisfying and uniquely delicious. Here's how you too can enjoy a piece of Guatemala.

Caldo Real

- Chicken stock: either made from scratch or the good organic, free range stuff you can buy in your local health food section
- 2 skinned, boneless chicken breasts: whole, fresh, or thawed from frozen
- White rice: separately cooked to a dry, firm finish
- 1/2 onion: raw, diced into small pieces
- Fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- Ground Cumin
- Optional: a ripe avocado, diced, and some corn tortillas


Preparation:

It honestly couldn't be any easier. Put the chicken stock in a pot, bring to boil. Add the chicken breasts. Turn down heat to medium high, cover and cook until the chicken is done (about 15-20 minutes). Take them out, let them cool until ok to handle. Tear them along their grain into pieces, about the thickness of a half finger. Return to stock, let them sit for a couple more minutes to get hot again.

To serve, put a couple of tablespoons of cooked rice into your soup dish first. Ladle stock and chicken over it. Serve onions, cumin, cilantro, avocado and tortillas in separate bowls on the side, so everyone can season their soup to taste.

And voila - you have an exquisitely delicious, soul-satisfying meal. Needless to say that with simple ingredients like that, quality rules. Make sure everything is super fresh, organic if possible. The cumin is key too. And with a good, flavorful chicken stock, resist the temptation to add salt or any other kind of spices. You don't need them.

Enjoy!

Yes - this marks the return to my blog. Do I hear a chorus of white-clad angels sing "Halleluja"? Oh, wait - that's a bunch of little red horned devils with tiny pitchforks dancing the conga instead...

I know I've neglected the blog (and with it my writing prowess), but one of those pesky New Year's resolutions has been to be better about it all, and get back into the swing again. So what better way to start off the New Year with a sweet, sweet, story, fresh off the BBC:

Child elopers' Africa plan foiled

Two German children - aged five and six - have been stopped by police from eloping to Africa to tie the knot in the sun, reports say.

The budding lovebirds, identified as Mika and Anna-Lena, packed bathing costumes, sunglasses and a lilo and headed for the airport.

They even had the presence of mind to invite along an official witness - Anna-Lena's seven-year-old sister.

The three got as far as Hanover railway station before police intervened.

Yeah, yeah, I know. Long time no updating this blog, bla, bla, bla. Let's just say that life sometimes is strange and busy. And sometimes, it's strangely busy.

Just the other day, for example, I've finally finished processing and editing my pics from Burning Man 2008. I've finished this task a full 6 weeks after returning from the Burn. Need I really say more?

I'm not sure I'm going to have the bandwidth to actually write about this year's event like I have in the past - maybe on some dark and stormy winter night. Who knows. Or maybe I'll throw out bites as they pop into my head.

In the meantime however, here are a few choice shots:



Thunderdome! Two men enter - one man leaves. F**k, yeah

Temple Basura Sagrada during one of the many dust storms

El Wire People

If you want to make your way through the entire gallery, you can mosey on over here.

Self-editorial note: It's true. The shots from this year are just not as good as those from years past. I dunno. I blame it on being too busy having *fun* - instead of constantly dragging the camera around. And also on the insanely sandy playa conditions which made it difficult to bike around. Plus the numerous dust storms. And the honest lack of really great art out on the playa this year. Yeah. That's it.

So - you're been warned. Proceed at your own risk.

Her name is Pearl. She is roughly 3 feet tall on a slim, wiry frame, weighs 48 pounds, and is covered in soft, supple fur. And pearls. And real Swarovski crystals. And ... el-wire.

And no - she is not some spoiled new pet of mine.

She is ... my hot cruiser wheels for Burning Man 2008.








I created her as an ode to the 1950's, Bettie Page, and all things glam - a time when in a post-war country, the 'American Dream' (Burning Man's theme this year) was still alive.

The 50's represent to me an era of hope, of freshness, of renewal, after the drab of war. With it came an unprecedented upswing in people's moods, the economy, and an almost obsessive need to display wealth through that shiny new car or that prim little house in the suburbs - all signifying victory over Hitler and his Third Reich. After all - America was a Superpower now.

Much of it was also expressed in the fashion the women wore: silky glamorous gowns and lavish furs, worn even on casual occasions. Big heavy pearls and diamonds were draped around their necks and wrists - much of them fake ... but who really cared?







So since I don't weld or build anything grand, my artistic contribution to Burning Man is turning out to be a themed bike every year. And I've actually found the bikes bring great pleasure to onlookers too. This one is special though - I spent considerable time and funds hunting down the perfect fur, the extra-big pearls, the huge fake diamonds (thank you, eBay!), and then attaching it all.

It turned out so nice however, that in many ways, a small part of me is almost sorry it's going to get all playa-dusted and destroyed in the next few weeks...

Oh, well. I guess it will be an opportunity to start thinking about *next year's* bike ...