Liberace

We're looking forward to watching Behind the Candelabra this weekend. Isn't everyone?

Liberace in 1983

By Simon Doonan

Liberace once took a poop in the lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel in Palm Beach, Fla., in full view of staff and guests. Quelle horreur! Naturally I made frantic excuses for him. After all, he was middle-aged at the time and starting to get a little confused. It was, nonetheless, an acutely embarrassing episode and not one that I would ever care to repeat.

When I say Liberace, I am referring, you will be enormously relieved to hear, to Liberace my ancient Norwich terrier, as opposed to the deceased be-sequined entertainer, the tawdry details of whose private life are about to be unfurled Sunday in the HBO biopic Behind the Candelabra.

This incredible movie—it’s based on the tell-all by Liberace’s former lover, the currently incarcerated Scott Thorson—is the don’t-miss of the decade. It is Showgirls plus Casino times GAY. It is so über-gay that while watching it, I, the person who once topped Time Out’s list of the gayest people in New York City, started to feel like Charles Bronson by comparison. This two-hour drama is jampacked with bejeweled Speedos, bristling toupees, antiques, mantiques, yapping poodles, houseboys, and twinkies.

Despite the ormolu gewgaws and the polyester Nik Nik shirts, Behind the Candelabra soars effortlessly above the perils of campy kitsch. Director Steven Soderbergh has pulled off a miracle: a touching and powerful movie that is nonetheless filled with sumptuous satin caftans, ostrich-feather-trimmed capes, and crystal-encrusted pianos.

Full credit for the emotional gravitas must be given to the male leads. Loath though I am to give compliments to actors—they already get plenty of hot air blasted up their dirndl skirts and trouser legs—in this instance I must. Michael Douglas and Matt Damon are magnifique. Despite their pancake maquillage, matching facelifts, and “budgie smuggler” bathing suits, they somehow manage to convey the pain and complexity of their freaky fur-clad cohabitation.

It’s good to be reminded that Liberace was gay back when gay was a felony and a mental illness. As his fame grew, he was obliged to find ever more elaborate ways to elude detection. He sued people. He told them he was in love with ice skater Sonja Henie. By the time he met twinkie Scott, he was hiding his gayness in plain sight beneath an ocean of white fox and rhinestones. Opulence trumps everything. Why would you give two shits about my sexual orientation when I am obviously as rich as Croesus is the line of thinking. (Prior to coming out, Elton John deployed a similar strategy.)

While the blinding flashiness of his performances and his lifestyle distracted from probing questions about his private life, the threat of exposure was constant. This couple lived under gay house arrest. As a result, the relationship between Scott and Lee (his nickname) plays out in a world of bored poolside luxury, alleviated by occasional brunches with Charo, Dom DeLuise, and Jim Nabors. Douglas and Damon skillfully inhabit this fragile, tacky prison. Their full-hearted performances—I cried during the AIDS deathbed scene—are so convincing as to be Oscar-smelly.

Liberace, the dog Courtesy of Simon Doonan

Sugar on Our Strawberries

Sugar in the City

"Here's to sugar on your strawberries" is one of our favorite toasts.  Burt Lancaster's tragic character makes the toast in The Swimmer, an amazing, thought-provoking film.  Somehow, it stuck with us.  The movie is based on a short story written by John Cheever.   In general we don't like short stories, but this is the exception to our rule.  If you haven't read it you should.   Here's how it starts:

"It was one of those midsummer Sundays when everyone sits around saying, “I drank too much last night.” You might have heard it whispered by the parishioners leaving church, heard it from the lips of the priest himself, struggling with his cassock in the vestiarium, heard it from the golf links and the tennis courts, heard it from the wildlife preserve where the leader of the Audubon group was suffering from a terrible hangover..."

 CLICK HERE TO READ JOHN CHEEVER'S THE SWIMMER.

Now, you may ask yourself, how did I get on this jag.  It's quite simple, I was trying to decide whether I should post a lovely pic of the strawberry pot sitting on our back patio or one of Roxie's pup Sugar that was texted to us by her new family from Chicago (you may know Rachel from previous posts).   So what should it be?  Sugar?   Strawberries?  Sugar?  Strawberries?

And into our tiny wee little brains Sugar on Our Strawberries crept in.   Yes.  Why Not?   The best of everything.  Sugar and Strawberries!  That's what we're wishing when we make that toast, the best of everything to you.  Here's to sugar on your strawberries!

And, oh yes, the strawberry pot

Pounded Walnut Pizzichi

The other day, after we made our walnut and date cookies, we found another great recipe from the American Academy in Rome's chef Mona Talbott.   This one is for a simple and delicious pasta dish that uses farro pasta.  We were able to find the pasta, farro pizzichi, on Amazon.  And, practicing moderation, we bought a case.  And boy are we glad we did!  The pasta is delicious.  We don't think we have ever used fresh marjoram before.  It's quite nice.

According to the package, Farro has been known for 5000 years.  This antique type of durum wheat (Triticum Dicoccum) is full of vitamin, fiber, and mineral salts and was appreciated by the Romans because it is easy to digest.

We also made an arugula salad with kumquats and hazelnuts which is great.   Look for this recipe soon.

Pounded Walnut Pizzichi

3/4 cup / 3.5 oz / 100g walnuts
1 clove garlic, peeled, germ removed if garlic sprouted
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
2/3 cup / 5oz / 150ml extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons marjoram, chopped
3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1/2 cup / 1 oz / 30 g pecorino Romano, grated
salt & pepper
1 pound / 16 oz / 460g short farro pasta

Start by heating a large pot of water, it will take a while for it to come to a boil.
In the meantime, toast the walnuts in a 350F / 175C degree oven until they are golden, 8-10 minutes. While still warm, wrap them in a clean dish towel and rub off the skins.
Place the garlic and salt in a mortar and pestle, and pound to a fine paste. Add the walnuts to the mortar and pestle and pound into a paste. Alternately, you can do this in a food processor.
Transfer the nut mixture to a bowl. Stir in the olive oil, then add most of the herbs. Stir in the pecorino, taste, and adjust the seasoning.
Salt the pasta water generously, and cook the pasta al dente. Drain and reserve a big cup of the pasta water. Toss the walnut pesto with the pasta, and thin out the sauce with the reserved water. Serve topped with a sprinkling of the remaining herbs.
Serves 6.

Don't Sit Under the Crabapple Tree....

...with anyone else but Max

Max parents sent us a text the other day.

And then a few days later another text

Oh Bodey, You're So Fine

Bodey Looking Fine

 Dear Lola,

 I am so happy for you, my beautiful sister.

 You are a star and I am a clown.

So proud and congrats!

Bodey

We were so happy to hear from Bodey, we decided to bake some cookies.   You see our good friend Dara sent us her favorite cookie cookbook.  And then she sent us organic farro flour which this recipe calls for.  We just couldn't find any around here.  Dara lives in NYC and they have everything in NYC.   Just so you know, we previously made these cookies substituting spelt flour for farro flour.  You should be able to find spelt flour.

Anyway, the recipe we love is for Date and Walnut Cookies.  They are super simple and our new favorite cookie.   After you bake the cookies, let them rest for a day like the Italians do.  They are better the 2nd day.  Elegant and delicious!

Date and Walnut Cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup farro flour ( you may substitute spelt flour)

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

2/3 cup dates, finely chopped

2/3 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped and lightly toasted

36 walnut halves

confectioners' sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degees

Combine the flours, cinnamon and salt in a small mixing bowl

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg and continue to mix until the egg is just incorporated.  Add the dry ingredients and then gently mix in the dates and walnuts until evenly distributed.

Use a tablespoon to drop small mounds of dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Place 1 walnut half in the center of each cookie, pressing down ever so slightly.

Bake for 13 minutes.  While the cookies are warm from the oven, dust with confectioners' sugar.

Now let them rest for a day.  You can do it.  

A little about the cookbook Dara sent us.  It is fantastic!

When Alice Waters appears in your kitchen, you cross your fingers you're having one of those good cookie baking sort of days. No such luck at the American Academy in Rome, where Waters deemed the campus gorgeous but the food more than a bit stale after a 2006 visit.

So she sent over Mona Talbott, one of her former Chez Panisse pastry chefs, to whip that kitchen into shape (something few others that Waters could likely do -- insult an Italian chef and yet still get an enthusiastic "yes" on that invitation to collaborate).

Biscotti: Recipes from the Kitchen of The American Academy in Rome is the first cookbook to come out of the updated Italian-American kitchen. And it's a pretty fantastic cookie-biscotti hybrid, we should add. Glove-box sized and affordable, too, should you be needing a cookie book to take on any holiday travels this year for those last minute biscotti al datteri e noci (date and walnut cookies) and lingue di gatto (cat's tongue) recipes. 

Greek Yogurt, Grapefruit, Honeycomb

Greek Yogurt, Grapefruit, and Honeycomb

We discovered this dish at a restaurant called Revel's during our visit to Seattle.   They kindly shared their recipe and now it is a favorite for breakfast at out house.

We use 0% Greek Yogurt which is so packed with protein and goodness.  Cut a grapefruit in half and use a knife to cut around the outside edge of the fruit and between the individual sections.  After cutting, the sections will easily pop out with a spoon.   Top 1/2 to 1 cup of yogurt with the the sections from one-half grapefruit and crumble with chunks of honeycomb.

We had to buy a candy thermometer to get the honeycomb right.  We tried three times without a thermometer.  The first time we burnt the honeycomb.   Then, gun shy, we undercooked the next two batches.  Using a thermometer and removing the syrup from the heat at 290 degrees works perfectly.  Go ahead and buy a thermometer if you don't have one.  It's well worth it.  Although perfect for breakfast, you will find yourself craving this yogurt dish at all times, day and night

How to make Honecomb

• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoons honey
• 4 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons baking soda

1. Line a jelly roll pan or baking sheet with an edge with parchment paper.  Grease the parchment with a small amount of canola or vegetable oil.
2. Add the sugar, honey, and water to a saucepan. You can stir the mixture, but it isn't necessary.
3. Cook the ingredients over high heat, without stirring, until the mixture reaches 290°F. The sugar will melt, small bubbles will form, the bubbles will become larger, then the sugar will start to carmelize to an amber color.
4. When the temperature reaches 290°F, remove the pan from heat and whisk the baking soda into the hot syrup. This will cause the syrup to foam up.
5. Stir just enough to mix the ingredients, then dump the mixture onto the greased baking sheet. Don't spread out the candy, as this would pop your bubbles.
6. Allow the candy to cool, then break or cut it into pieces.
7. Store the honeycomb candy in an airtight container.

Ewe!

Someone brought a 4-day-old lamb to the dog show

Deep Acres Loco Por Lola, aka Lola, took her first Major on Sunday on the road to her championship. To earn the title of champion, you have to accumulate 15 points including two major wins. Their were lots of Tibetan Terriers at Sunday's show so it was a Major.

Grace was more impressed by the 4-day-old baby lamb that was running around its owner's van in the parking lot.  We were told this little ewe's mother rejected her and her owner didn't want to leave her home alone.

Deep Acres Loco Por Lola sur l'herbe at Deep Acres Farm today