Paris

The most difficult part of writing a blog post is getting started. So here I sit, Dr Pepper Zero fizzing away in front of me and an amazing weekend behind me, feeling rather empty headed. Actually, my head is full, way too full. This means that I have absolutely no idea where to start. I guess that I might as well begin with the mundane and then, hopefully, move on to the interesting bits. Here we go.
I am experimenting with various versions of sponge cake. I'd imagine that, to many, that is very un-exciting, but the truth is that finding the perfect cake is a hard thing to do. I have found what I believe is the perfect buttercream, the perfect chocolate cake, and now I simply need the perfect white cake (well, more like vanilla sponge cake). I had a woman say to me a couple weeks back that she didn't imagine it would be very hard to make a sponge cake, at which point I thought, "you obviously have never made a sponge cake before." Anyone who has tried to make a cake, without a cake mix of course, will realize that finding the perfect balance of flavor, moistness and fluffiness is actually extremely difficult. Even just changing the flour can dramatically transform a cake. A chocolate cake should not be too dense or too intensely chocolatey. The perfect chocolate cake, to me, is light a fluffy and tastes mild at first. As you chew, it should transform into fudgy goodness in your mouth...almost like melted chocolate. This, of course, makes you want to take another bite! The perfect buttercream should not be too sweet and NOT gritty. I'm sorry, but confectioners sugar does not make good buttercream. Also, one should never, ever, ever use shortening instead of butter. Never, ever, ever. I realize this does not mean that the buttercream ends up white, but it's so worth it. Real vanilla extract is not clear anyway, so that will turn your buttercream off white. You can use clear, artificial vanilla flavor, but, people, this is simply wrong. It's defiling something beautiful! Now, I can make a good white cake, but it just isn't quite satisfactory to me. One of the ones I make is SO yummy, but way too dense. The other one is fluffy, but actually I think it is kinda bread-like and not as flavorful as I want. Jason assures me that they are both good, but I must find perfection...or, at least, something I feel satisfied with. So, with six variations on one recipe in the kitchen (they are cupcakes, which makes it easier to goof around with the batter and not make a whole new cake), I'm waiting in anticipation for my taste tester to arrive (that would be Jason).
On to more interesting news...we went to Paris over the weekend! YAY! Now, I should not complain, but I'm going to complain just a little right now. I have to say that riding a bus for HOURS with two kids and a woman with smelly feet behind you is pretty terrible. It was worth it, however, since we were heading to Paris. I certainly did not believe that Paris would be so amazing. You see pictures and hear about it, but being there is different. It is a truly spiritual experience to see the beauty that can come from the human imagination. It makes the experience all the more poignant when you realize that these monuments have such a bloody, violent, and painful history. Perhaps there is not a more perfect example of this than Notre Dame. Such an awe inspiring and majestic wonder that is somehow eerie, sad, and mournful all at once. It's kind of like a weeping willow...a tree reaching for the heights, but constantly being dragged down toward the earth in a sort of sad beauty. This, to me, is Paris. I loved it. Of everything I loved about it, I loved most the Louvre! Okay, I heard professors talk and talk about Medieval history and the Renaissance and all the literature and art that came from those time periods, but to actually see these things was amazing. I've always wondered what the big deal was with the Mona Lisa...but, people, to see this painting makes it all make sense. When you walk through the door behind where the Mona Lisa is hung, there is a tall gallery. If you're ever there, look up. The painting up there is amazing...the artist's ability to make the figures look alive, as if they are actually sitting there looking down on you, is a wonder. If you do find yourself there, please look for a painting called "The Young Martyr" that is in that gallery. Beautiful and haunting. The darkness all around the woman in contrast to the brightness and life in her face definitely conveys the reality that, in her death, the darkness and pain of the world passed away and she was truly alive. Maybe that sounds dumb, but if you ever see it in real life, let me know what you think.
I've got to get the girls to tennis soon, so I'd better post pics later. I'll do that tonight. Until then...