comfort me with food
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2010-01-26: comfort me with food

For me there is an undeniable relationship between food and love. We cook what we love for those whom we love, our hearts and soul intermingling with the nuances and flavours of what we eat. It has always been this way for me and I hope it will continue, long into the future. When I enter the kitchen with the intention of baking, a feeling washes over me; a calm that simply cannot be duplicated by another activity.

I vividly remember making eclairs with my mother when I was twelve, The magical way in which the flour, water, eggs and butter miraculously changed into an elastic, succulent dough completely amazed me. I was also captivated with the sight and texture of the rather decadent custard that went in the middle. The chocolate on top almost killed me with its smooth, shiny surface and ideal balance between decadence and perfection.

These sorts of memories grab you -- they show a passage of time that at one second is standing absolutely still and at the next moment is speeding along like a race car. Life moves too fast most days for me to think about what I'm saying or doing or teaching Leith. Then other days it moves slowly enough that we can pause and learn and enjoy something together. Those are the days that mean the most to me.

He watched as I formed the profiteroles on the tray; asking if he could help. I let him wet his fingertips and smooth the tops of each one as I worked and he commented on how "soft" the "mountains" were. He helped as I crushed the peppermint candy for the ice cream and poured the tiny red and white crystals into the ice cream maker with a look of pure joy on his face. When the time came to taste-test our creation he wanted to pour his own chocolate sauce, and I allowed him - even though we ended up with more sauce on his hands and face (how, I don't know!) than on his dessert.

That is how, to me, food and love are almost the same thing. Remember this next time you are too tired or too hurried to just slow down for a second and really taste what you're cooking or eating. Whether it's a hunk of bread with a slather of salted butter or soft cheese or a gourmet dessert you baked or a meal someone else cooked for you... eat it, taste it, and most of all, love it.

If you want to see more love affairs with some super sweet desserts, please check out Kate's Sweet Comfort SHF Round Up on Friday, January 29th.