A Twisted Christmas Dessert
DAY 12 of THE ADVENT CALENDAR of COOKBOOKS
Oh, Nigella. You are one of the greats. You brought sexy back to the home kitchen and taught us all how to actually enjoy eating again. As Americans, we get stuck on eating things that are healthy and nutritious and forget that food is there for our pleasure as well. Thank you for being a guiding light and sneaking downstairs in the middle of the night to eat homemade ice cream straight out of the tub.
Sure, Americans have the doyenne of good taste, Martha Stewart, but she always comes across as a bit stiff to me. Nigella is accessible AND funny. So, on Day 12 of The Calendar of Cookbooks, I give you Nigella Lawson’s FEAST, her compendium on all types of banquets. From Thanksgiving to funerals, her pages are filled with inspiring food.
CONTENTS
I chose to highlight Ms. Lawson’s “Massacre in a Snowstorm” for today’s food because I enjoy the dark edges of Christmas as much as I enjoy the twee. I’m the child who drew an elf sticking his tongue out while wearing a Christmas tree hat, affirming that I am, indeed, imaginatively twisted. With such a fantastic name and the ease of making it, I figured you’d enjoy it, too. Besides, pomegranates are abundant right now. You should eat as many as you can.
Rating: 5 out of 5 pomegranates
Bonus: The music I’m listening to today is Siouxsie and The Banshees “Il Est Né, Le Divin Enfant.”
MASSACRE IN A SNOWSTORM
A Christmas take on Eton Mess. Serves 1.
INGREDIENTS
¼ cup heavy whipping cream
4 to 6 plain meringues (You can purchase vanilla-flavored ones, but I find they taste weird)
1 fresh pomegranate
METHOD
Whip up the whipped cream to form peaks.
Crumble the meringue into the cream and stir in.
Halve the pomegranate and thwack the back of one half with a wooden spoon over the bowl of cream, dislodging the seeds and some of the juice into the cream.
Squeeze the half to encourage the juices to dribble in, and give it a couple of quick stirs to distribute the seeds and juice. Don’t get too juicy or the cream will deflate.
Dish into a pretty glass and garnish with more pomegranates.
Love it! What a name!
I adore Nigella. How can one not? Why do I have none of her books? Perfect choice for today. It's like an ambrosia salad but way better. I actually whacked pomegranate into my salad last night.