I have an olfactory memory I can’t quite place. I bought a loaf of egg bread the other night, prizing the soft glowing challa over the other sub-standard offerings at my local market. I can’t remember the last time I bought a challa; most of my childhood memories of egg bread are of being at my best friend’s house on Friday nights, breaking a fresh-baked challa hidden under a kitchen towel as part of her family’s weekly Shabbat ritual. This week, I’ve been enjoying my egg bread toasted with butter. The moment I smell the slices starting to brown, however, I have a memory of eating challa toast with butter and honey and drinking peppermint tea. My memory is purely sensory, activating my taste buds and providing no visual cues. I recall my mother serving us toast with honey and tea whenever we had the stomach flu. She would give us whatever bread she had, and like me she rarely bought egg bread either. Perhaps there was one rare moment when she too selected a spongy glistening challa over all the other breads on display, a day when I just happened to be needing some toast and tea.
Some things to read in
The Globe and Mail today:
- This article about cooking oils. It’s quite thorough, explaining the difference between the Omega fatty acids and where to find them, “good” and “bad” cholesterol, etc. At the end of the day, you can’t go wrong with having a cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil in the pantry.
- Ever wonder about the state of Canadian street meat? This article showcases a Vancouver hot dog stand, Japadog, that serves everything from fried okra to daikon radish and wasabi on wieners and sausages. Vancouver, like Toronto, limits the kind of food available on movable kiosks.
2 comments:
I have been wanting to bake a loaf of challah for a long time. There seems to be something about adding eggs to bread that is intimidating me though, so I haven't yet worked my way through that chapter of my dad's old bread book. But I too have wonderful memories of the smell of eggy sweetness as it is toasted and liberally bathed with sweet butter. It also reminds me of my grandmother who also used it for stuffing for roast duck. mmmm comfort food :)
Challa for stuffing roast duck (or goose I can also imagine): brilliant! Or, fruit and nut bread, like pannetone. I bet that would make great stuffing. Thanks for the insight!
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