From close to far apart

Breakfast on Green Lane 1987, 48 x 66 inches, oil on canvas  (Margaretta Gilboy and Nina Goldstein Reid)

Just over a month ago we returned from a relaxing visit to Hawaii.  In our first weeks home we rushed from Boulder to Denver and back for exhibitions and artist talks.   I had been sorry to miss the opening of my late friend Maggie Gilboy’s retrospective at BMoCA and the opportunity to talk with the many friends and family who gathered to celebrate this wonderful artist.  I had my chance to honor her when Simon Zalkind, the curator, and I presented a conversation about Maggie, her life and work, as we sat in the museum amongst her paintings.

Margaretta Gilboy, Portrait of Barbara Shark 1982, 36 x 44 inches, oil on linen

Prints from Shark’s Ink. are in several exhibitions around the area. We viewed the show at 15th Street Gallery, Boulder and Bud gave a talk at Michael Warren Contemporary in Denver.  This was the usual commotion of our art life.

Hard to believe the changes in the world since then.

Bud caught a head cold and spent a couple weeks recuperating.   I got the bug and am feeling better.  With colds and physical distancing,  we needed a treat.  I decided to bake cookies only to find I had run out of flour.  Flour.  A staple around here, one that never runs out.  Until now.  And there was no flour to be found in my usual grocery stores.  I am amazed that everyone seems to be baking.  Who could predict what times like these bring about?

I did have almonds and the perfect flour-free macaroon recipe from Patricia Wells.  Simple and delicious.

Almond Macaroons

   Lightly toast 1 cup of raw almonds.  Cool, then whizz in the Cuisinart with 3/4 cup sugar until sandy and finely ground.

    Add 1/3 cup egg whites, usually from two large eggs, but do measure.  Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, and a pinch of salt. Whizz until combined.  Drop teaspoonsful on a parchment lined sheet, an inch or two apart – they spread just a bit.

Bake at 375° for 10 -12 minutes.  Cool on a rack.  This makes about 30, 2 1/2 inch cookies.

I was left with two egg yolks and didn’t want to waste them so I made a lemon pudding for our dinner dessert.  A simple, delicious treat for two.

Lemon Pudding 

Combine 6 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons cornstarch in a saucepan.  Whisk in 1 1/4 cups milk (I had 2%) until smooth. 

Add the two egg yolks, a tablespoon lemon zest and a pinch of salt. Whisk smooth.   Cook gently over medium heat, stirring, until thickened.  This took maybe 10 minutes, but watch carefully and adjust the heat to prevent scorching or boiling over. 

Remove from heat and add 1 tablespoon butter and 1/4 cup lemon juice.  Pour into cups and cool, then chill in the fridge for a couple hours.  Cover if saving for another day.

The recipe is easily doubled.  Use three egg yolks and twice the other ingredients.

(If you make the pudding and not the macaroons, you will have 2 egg whites left over.  Put them in a small jar and freeze, ready to defrost and make macaroons another time. )

Roseanne scouted out a bag of flour for me, and Bronwyn of Lyons PT dropped off a few pounds from her 50 pound stash, so I’m set for bread and treat baking during this trying time.

I hope some of you are also venturing into the tasty world of baking.  Buon Appetito!