December 17,
2009Cinnamon stars are a tricky recipe (the dough is sticky and hard to roll), but worth every effort. Light and spicy and nutty — they are dairy- and gluten-free.
If you live in a cold enough climate — and as I write this winter finally arrived in Philadelphia, you can make wreathes of ice with some Christmas greenery, a tube pan, a strong ribbon and freezing outdoor temperatures.
A baker needs to obsesses about the details. Baking is applied chemistry, and if the ratios are wrong, the whole cake falls. Bakers who weigh their ingredients are perhaps a bit more obsessive than others. I'm not Rose Levy Berenbaum; I don't weigh my water (except if the measuring cup is dirty, then 1 ml water weighs 1 gram).
I am, also, a geek, and geeks are as concerned about process as they are about results. Sometimes for very good reasons (making sure you know how to do it again, or how to undo it). Sometimes for trivial-seeming reasons (because it's the right way, dammit).
One of my obsessions is loading the dishwasher correctly. This relates to the dishwasher theory of relationships: in any relationship — marriage, roommates — there is one person who loads the dishwasher, and one person who re-loads the dishwasher after them to be sure it's right. I am the person who re-loads the dishwasher, to make sure the glasses don't clink, dishes are loaded efficiently and above all properly.
I also just need to make sure I can balance my egg carton on two fingers after I take the eggs out. I take them from alternating sides, working from the outside in. I started this just so I could balance the carton on two fingers, but now will re-arrange the eggs if they get "out of order."
Copyright 2009 Susan J. Talbutt; all rights reserved.
Last updated December 14, 2009