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The Weekly Newsletter for August 25, 2014
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Friday morning I showboated in to Laurey's cafe with this little monster: Smith Island Cake, a Saveur recipe hand-picked by Emily in honor of her MAJOR birthday. (Trust me, just a nice milestone!). Coals to Newcastle, bringing a cake to this lovely restaurant, but I am determined to honor this wonderful girl whenever the opportunity presents.
Emily and Adam are the reason Laurey's is still here, steaming ahead, merrily producing beautiful food for your best friends. They lead a wonderful team of powerful and energetic friends, many of whom have been in place for over a decade. This is why Laurey's is Laurey's - because of all of them.
 Our kitchen up at Laurey's cabin is still a bit of a sorting exercise - but early Friday morning I managed to locate all the supplies, and started in. Scrubbed up Laurey's big red KitchenAid mixer, only to read the recipe: all hand whisking. Right. Reading through the instructions again, a little harrumph of frustration.
Fred gingerly approached the operating room: "What's up? Do you need anything?" "Yeah, I needed to have started yesterday."
Read with me: After baking, cool each layer 20 minutes in the pan. Then turn out and cool 20 minutes on the rack. Chill 30 minutes between frosting each layer.
Please say with me: "Not a chance!" This cake will be delivered this morning. Mostly.
The batter was lovely, hand-whisked to a smooth velvet, ("just combined" cautioned Saveur), portioned carefully into four brand new Cuisinart non-stick pans. (Yes, Lucinda, I purchased more baking supplies. Shocker.) Baked quickly in Laurey's gorgeous gas range, the first batch of four was firm and resilient, and scooted out of the pans in 5 minutes (not 20) and rested 5 (not another 15). Wash and re-butter and re-flour the non-stick pans, and smooth in the second four layers.
Meanwhile, whip up the FANTASTIC chocolate frosting, which frankly I would use for any chocolate sauce ever. Unsweetened chocolate, and what was meant to be semi-sweet bits, lots more butter, sugar and vanilla. (Confession: Somehow a bag of MILK chocolate morsels made it into my kitchen. Still training the resident grocery shopper - they worked fine, in the event.) 
Frosting to be cooled "till thick enough to spread". Love THAT direction! Shall we be spatula-ing or dribbling? No clue. We'll see when we get there. Voyage of discovery.
In what I presumed was a stroke of genius, I chilled the already-baked layers, thinking to frost them simultaneously, and chill all four together, then assemble.
Once I dug out the family cake plate, that simultaneous-frosting goal sort of meandered off, and I just set in. Gee, those layers are sort of tall! Our friend Dave poked his head in - "I'm baking a cake for a friend." He eyed the four layers in process of assembly. Then he spied the other four cakes a-waiting; "Gee, she must be a really SPECIAL friend!"
The layers handled beautifully, the chocolate spread sweetly, the cake began to tower, and of course the UN-chilled layers gathered themselves to slide about with gay abandon.
I dug around for skewers to steady the thing, visions of Sleeping Beauty's fairy godmothers in my head. The cake had to survive the trip to town. Ah-HAH! A Shaker bundle of broom straws, clean and bright for kitchen use. Three  slender strands poked through the center, held it fast while it really DID chill for at least a little bit. I frosted Emily's name in Sparkly writing, and set off to the cafe.
We dragged the slightly-suspecting girl to the kitchen for her birthday song, the gang pronounced it delicious, and Emily had a lovely day.
THANK YOU EMILYYYY!!!!!!!!
- from Heather Masterton
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Dinners to go for the week
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Here are dinners to go for this week. This, if you do not know, is a fabulous way to have dinner. It's easy - just call us by noon and your dinner will be ready for you to pick up by 3 that very day.
You can stop by to pick yours up until we close at 8.
Add salad (3.25) or bread (1.25) if you like.
Monday, August 25
Chicken Baked in Wine
with Scalloped Potatoes $8.95
Tuesday, August 26
Spinach Queso Fresco Enchiladas
with Avocado Mango Salad $8.25
Wednesday, August 27
Rosemary Grilled Bistro Steak
and Parslied Potatoes $9.25*GF*
Thursday, August 28
Apricot Chicken Tagine
with Honey Walnuts $8.95
Friday, August 29
Blackened Mahi Mahi
with Mango Tomato Salsa $10.25
....and here are all of the
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Casserole and Lasagnas to go !
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 Casserole of the Week
whole serves (9) ~ half serves (4)
Wednesday, Aug 27
Chicken and Sage Gumbo with Rice
Whole $53/Half $26.50
Lasagna of the Week
whole serves (9) ~ half serves (4)
Friday, Aug 29
Spinach, Pesto and Heirloom Tomato
Whole $39/Half $19.50
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Laurey's notes (from a lifetime of writing)
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[So much has been written about Laurey and her life projects, but of course the best spokesman is Laurey herself. In this column we present archival reprints of her messages. This is an early newsletter from her online records.]
October 30, 2004
[photos taken with Clyde Jones, Critter Artist from Bynum, NC ]
Halloween is one of those markers which slam me back to another time. I can't help it. It just happens. I was just sitting here thinking about never having been really big on Halloween when, with a jolt, I remembered that that is not true.
I'm not much of a fan of dressing up, this is true. I prefer documentaries to fantasy, non-fiction to novels. My favorite costume, for the past ten years or so, has been a button that says, "This IS my costume." I keep it carefully in a basket on my dresser, bringing it out every year. I HAVE gone to costume parties, and I HAVE enjoyed myself, but someone once told me that one should dress as one wants to be the next year, so after hearing that, I almost always wear a plaid flannel shirt and blue jeans. I mean, I want to be comfortable next year and I can't think of anything more comfortable than blue jeans and a flannel shirt. (What if that person was right? What if I dressed up as a monster and then, next year, BECAME one? This is the kind of chance I am reluctant to take.)
My mother made me a clown costume when I was in first grade. It itched terribly. The elastic around the neck and wrist cuffs pinched and was awfully uncomfortable. But I loved that costume. It was bright yellow and orange and had a pointed hat that went with it. I loved that it was a hand made costume. (We, I'm sorry to say, made fun of the costumes that came in a box.) I stayed small throughout grade school and was able to be that same clown for all six grades. The sameness was a comfort. I never felt drawn to change. I could wear my regular clothes to school, carrying the clown outfit. When party time came, I could put the costume on over my clothes and then, after the cupcakes were all eaten, could just take it off and be back to my checkered shirt and blue jeans. It was perfect.
We had a guest at Blueberry Hill who worked for the Hallmark Card company. One year she sent us an elaborate crepe paper centerpiece on each of the major holidays. Halloween came first for her that year. A week ahead of the day we received a big box that contained a frighteningly realistic witch, all made of paper. Her nose hooked down, drooping from her wrinkled face. Her fingers wrapped around a broom stick, and her black hat perched on top of her hair. She terrified me, but I did have a bit of a thrill each year as we unpacked her and put her in the middle of our big kitchen table. The comfort of the sameness was clear. Halloween. The witch. The same. Good.
I guess that I like hearing about elaborate costumes. One friend of mine who lives in Boston tells of a friend of hers who won a major costume contest each year with his inventions. One year he came as a buffet, hiding his body underneath a rolling cart. His head pushed through in one spot and, with an apple in his mouth, he became the focal point of the platters and bowls of elegant foods. Sort of like a suckling pig, you know. And one year he came as a fountain, painting his whole body to look like marble, running a tiny tube up his leg so that, poised, he sprayed water from his mouth into the kiddy pool that was his platform. Amazing.
This year I'm going to put on my button, my plaid shirt, my jeans, my sneakers. I'll be perfectly clad to greet all the souls who might be hovering around. I suspect I'll howl at the moon a bit, if the opportunity arises. And I'll smile, thinking of all the goblins and taffeta-clad ballerinas that are out prowling around. More power to 'em.
Talk to you next week.
[source: Laurey's Cafe and Catering newsletter, October 30, 2004]
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Sow True Seeds Sunflowers for Laurey
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At the celebration of Laurey's life in March, Carol Koury of Sow True Seeds made us a marvelous gift: 600 packets of super wonderful Sunflower Seeds, in custom seed packets designed in concert with our own Alicia K, Laurey's personal designer extraordinaire and color genius!
Sow True promotes untreated, open-pollinated seeds, that reproduce true to their parent plants. Never any GMO or fungicides, many organic and heirlooms. (Velvet Queen! Autumn Beauty!)
 Our friends and family soared forth from the wonderful First Baptist Church to spread the joy, literally - I have received happy flower-news-bulletins and many lovely photos of the sunflowers in blossom this summer - send them to me again, won't you? I don't think I can find them all, and I'd really like to share them here...
Here's a beaut from Michelle ... and one from Ann? Candy? (Remind me please - they are wonderful!)
There's a bee in the middle of this one! Thank you, Michelle!
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"In Honor of the Bees" Party
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We are often reminded of Laurey's loves for bees and all the doings in Bee World - this was a great surprise, from our friend Connie!
"Heather and All—
Just to share with you a tidbit of Laurey’s influence…."
"I am a member of a dinner club that just had our 10 year anniversary. We all knew and loved Laurey, so when it was my turn to host in June, I chose a theme In Honor of the Bees and in Memory of Laurey. We toasted Laurey and had a grand time.
Just like her cookbook, all dishes either had to have a bit of honey or be dependent on bee pollination. (Easy to do!) What a feast we had on the Summer Solstice! At the time, we had no idea it was the culmination of Bee Pollination Celebration week. We all (Ok, most of us) wore black and yellow and bee antennas :-) Of course, as hostess, I proclaimed myself the Queen Bee and wore a crown.
Attached is a group photo --that’s me holding Laurey’s honey cookbook. The crowning finish was a “bee cake” made by a gal whose husband is a biology professor at UNCA. He made the marzipan bees “anatomically correct!”
Good friends, good food, and great memories of Laurey."
Love to you all, Connie!
A reminder from local Bee Club (Buncombe County Beekeepers Chapter) - this has been a hard summer for our flying friends.
They would be most grateful for a little attention spent on extra water in your garden birdbaths, a slight delay trimming blossoms from your fading flowers if the bees and butterflies are still on 'em...
Thanks from all the bees!
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