Hi, Thanks for Coming! Do You Mind Cooking?

Our good friend L called and invited us to Connecticut for a Labor Day celebration. Having tired of living in a 200 square foot studio co-op and a desire to be closer to her family, L decamped from Manhattan to the greener shores of the Long Island Sound. Always up for a little trip, we readily agreed.

Not wanting to come empty handed I was struggling to think of something to make. L was not completely sure what she was going to be serving, so I settled on a dessert as the best course. I was wandering through the produce section of Whole Foods looking at all of summer's bounty when I spied the Meyer lemons. Meyer lemons are originally from China and are thought to be a cross between a lemon and an orange. They do have a sweeter flavor and a tangerine scent about them so this may be true. I grabbed some lemons with the thought of making a tart.

So further thinking led to visions of people gathered around a bowl with spoons picking at the remains of what was a tart but did not quite survive the trip intact. A little web searching led me to a recipe for a Meyer lemon loaf with a Meyer lemon curd to go with it. Perfect , I thought , as I started to whip it up.The loaf and the curd came together without a hitch. Feeling brave, I tackled the tarte tatin again. This time it came out much improved.

E stayed up too late watching her beloved Cal Bear's football, so I made the trek to Connecticut myself. I did meet my friend JL at Grand Central and we took the train up north together. L met us at the train station and we drove to her house. After some chatting and some wine, it was time to prepare dinner. I heard L chirp up from the kitchen, "John, would you mind grilling the tenderloin and the shrimp?". "Sure L, no problem.", I replied heading out to the deck, tongs in hand. No matter how far I get from my kitchen another one always beckons.