Sometimes, it takes that physical trip away from familiarity, to bring the pendulum back to center. And the exposure to the big and the small, the broad and the narrow, the full spectrum and the minutiae - traversed in steps across the familiar but in new shoes - I'm still reflecting. But one thing I know:There are no accidents.
Take our walk in Armstrong Redwoods SNR the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. I didn't realize that I dropped my driver's license out of my pocket near the top of the East Ridge Trail, while Theo and I were walking our little pace, to get my phone to text our friends ahead of us that we were not far behind them, and that we were hooking right at the fork in the trail. Then somewhere along the Armstrong Nature Trail at the bottom of the hill some 1.5+ miles later, on our way back to the visitors' center and parking lot, a guy comes walking towards me and hands me my license.
What are the chances?
Like it should be any surprise that this forest would be where human support of one another should take place, where I should find a recentering. It was a striking moment, when we were surrounded by giants and wisdom older than all our collective ages combined, and I felt the sudden jarring of the closing of one of my life circles. One path ended, and my life took a turn in the fork of the life road. I'm not sure where the road will take me, but I have faith and will blindly follow.So as my life pendulum starts swinging again, I tip my hat to the circles that make up my life and go back to some basics that bring a bit of heaven to the kitchen every day. The morning before we left for California, I made some poached eggs for the family and had a hunkering for hollandaise. Not difficult, not terribly time-consuming, and it does give just about any base flavor a little kick and swagger. Use the basic proportions, and increase or decrease accordingly. And of recent, I lopped some on asparagus. Perfectly yum.
(the poached eggs, I used one of those poached egg pans, steamed in a larger pot. works perfectly each time. some things, I'm eternally grateful for design and technology to come together and make a process that much easier.)
(covers 3 eggs, a grabful of asparagus, or 4 large potatoes served any which way)
Ingredients
2 egg yolks (I use my hands to get the yolk)
2 oz butter, cut into small pieces
1T whole milk, cream, or half and half
Squeeze of 1/2 lemon
A hint of spice (I used Indian chili powder)
A pinch of salt (use Kosher. less needed than granulated)
Tools
Double boiler (or just have a metal bowl on top of a deeper pot, with just enough water in the pot to create steam for the process without letting the water touch the bottom of the bowl)
Whisk
Water for steaming
1. Place pot with water on the stovetop. Cover the top with your metal bowl, with egg yolks and butter inside. Turn up the heat on the water - you want the water to be gently simmering by the end of the process, not boiling. Boiling the water gives you too much of a risk of scrambling the eggs, separating the butter, and having to start all over again.
2. As soon as the butter begins to melt, start whisking to mix together the egg yolks and butter. Whisk until smooth. Don't worry if it looks like it's curdling. Turn down the heat, and just keep whisking
3. Add milk, and whisk until smooth.
4. Take mixture off the heat, and add the remaining ingredients to taste.
5. Dollop a spoonful on eggs/asparagus/bread/potatoes/fish/just about anything with a non-acidic taste. (or do like I almost did that morning, and enjoy it with just a spoon) The sauce also gets a boost of freshness by adding fresh green herbs. I tried scallions tonight, and it was heavenly.
