Tarot Diva, page 13
Salt to taste
Place cucumber slices between paper or cloth towels to remove extra moisture.
Combine cream cheese and watercress. Spread mixture on
one side of each slice of bread.
Lay cucumber slices onto the cream cheese side of eight
slices of bread. Sprinkle with a touch of salt. Top with remaining slices of bread, cream cheese-side down.
Using a sharp knife, cut the crusts from each sandwich.
Cut sandwiches in half diagonally, then cut in half again.
If making ahead of time, refrigerate, covered with waxed
paper and a damp cloth, until serving time.
Makes about 32 mini sandwiches.
Did you ever stop to taste a carrot? Not just eat it, but taste it?
You can’t taste the beauty and energy of the earth in a
Twinkie.
Astrid Alauda
ARE YOU A N EM PRESS?
The Empress's Kitchen
Fresh flowers and crystal chandeliers fill your Provengal
kitchen. Extensive vegetable, herb, and flower gardens color the
sprawling acres outside your window. Fresh bread wafts from
your oven, fruit bowls spill over with citrus, and myriad china
patterns grace the length of your walls. Sanding sugar resides in
glass jars; stacks of cookies guard iced seven-layer cakes. Eggs,
warm from the henhouse, beg to be cracked, poached, and
sprinkled with pepper and crunchy sea salt.
The Empress's Cooking Style
As a goddess of gastronomy, you understand one of the most
important tenets of cooking: the crafting and presentation of
food is equal in importance to how it tastes. You take the time
to chill your salad dishes and warm your dinner plates; no
touch, no detail, is overlooked. In fact, you view plates and tables as empty canvases. Food is a form o f art, and you are a maestro directing your artistic expression both on the plate and
on the palate. Hosting holiday meals and grand parties is your
specialty, but you don’t need a special occasion to grab your
finest linen napkins and bone china.
The Empress's Eating Habits
You have no patience for a meal that has had no thought put
into it or is. heaven forbid, frozen. Setting the bar high for yourself. you expect others to do the same. You wouldn’t be caught dead in a fast-food joint or grimy diner. Sensing a meal is heading south, you quickly rush to aid the faltering cook, rescuing many a disastrous meal. Believing you are what you eat, you
consume foods that help you shine and glow with health. You
drink plenty of water and eat fresh fruits, nuts, and vegetables.
When to Invoke Empress Energy
•
Hosting a holiday
•
Creating romantic dinners
•
Impressing guests
Empress's Cherry, Goat Cheese, and Walnut Salad
The Empress is as lovely as this creative salad that springs to life
with zip and flavor. Make this dressing at home and you'll never
reach for bottled again. This salad should not be served in one
big bowl. It is best served Empress style and prepared on individual salad plates.
V2 cup walnuts, chopped coarse and toasted
1 cup dried cherries
2 medium Granny Smith apples
4 cups mixed field greens, washed and dried
10-ounce log o f herbed goat cheese cut into 12 rounds at
room temperature
The preparation of good food is merely another expression of
art, one of the joys of civilized living.
Dione Lucas
Dressing
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon shallot, finely minced
Va teaspoon salt
Va teaspoon sugar
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Ground black pepper to taste
Roasting nuts intensifies and brings out their flavor. Place
walnuts in a nonstick pan and dry roast until fragrant.
Plump cherries in a small bowl with Vi cup hot water for
about io minutes; drain. Quarter and core apples, and cut
into j/8-inch-thick slices.
Combine vinegar, mustard, shallot, salt, and sugar in a
small bowl. Whisking constantly, drizzle in oil; season to
taste with pepper. Place greens in large bowl, drizzle vinaigrette over, and toss to coat. Divide greens among individual plates; divide cherries, apples, and walnuts among plates;
place two rounds of goat cheese on each salad. Serve immediately. Serves 6.
ARE YOU A N EM P ER O R ?
The Emperor's Kitchen
Nestled inside your comfy ranch home is a classic i950s-stvle
kitchen. Your green range top sparkles in the sunlight; your
appliances are retro fabulous. Clorox stands at attention by the
sink, while the blue formica table is hugged by pink plastic-
cushioned chairs. A milkman graces the door in his crisp
starched uniform. The morning paper, bacon, eggs, coffee, and
toast wait to greet you at your breakfast table.
The Emperor's Cooking Style
Cooking straight from a recipe, you would never, ever dare
stray from the instructions. You are “by the book” all the way,
in eating and lifestyle. You never vacillate in your cooking
habits or routines. Shopping by rote, you purchase the same
items, loyal to the same brands year after year. Guests at your
table are expected to behave with impeccable manners. Anyone
who denies their Brussels sprouts can find their dessert elsewhere. Elbows off the table—now!
The Emperor's Eating Habits
I’m trying to eat better. And I do feel wise after drinking tea.
After eating vegetables, I just feel hungry.
Carrie Latet
Classic American fare is your preferred cuisine, and you
never stray from your eating routine. You finish all the food on
your plate, not letting a bite go to waste. You eat only in tried
and true restaurants and those that have withstood the winds of
time. You are a generous tipper when dining out, but fear
strikes the chef or waiter who falls short of your high expectations.
When to Invoke Emperor Energy
•
Teaching tableside etiquette
•
Organizing the perfect meal
•
Cleaning the kitchen
The Emperor's Caesar Salad
The Emperor represents command- and control-type tendencies.
Mull this over while styling yourself this great American classic.
The Caesar salad was named after Caesar Cardini, who first prepared the salad at his Caesar’s Palace Restaurant. For our purposes, let’s channel Rome’s great emperor as we prepare it.
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
3 anchovies
Va cup olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
Worcestershire sauce, a few dashes
Sprinkling of sea salt
Pepper, to taste
i egg*
i head romaine lettuce, thoroughly washed and torn into
bite-sized pieces
Parmesan cheese, grated
Additional shaved slices of Parmesan
Excellent-quality croutons
In a wooden bowl, using a fork, mash together the garlic
and anchovies into a paste. Add to paste olive oil, lemon
juice, and Worcestershire sauce, and whisk well. Season to
taste with salt and pepper. Boil egg for one minute, crack,
separate, and add the yolk to dressing, whisking again to
incorporate. Toss with romaine and Parmesan. Top with
shaved Parm, croutons, and a turn of a pepper mill.
* If salmonella or slightly raw egg yolks cause you a health
concern, omit or resort to a good bottled Caesar dressing
and add lots of fresh Parm to zip it up.
Serves 6.
ARE YOU A H IE R O P H A N T ?
The Hierophant's Kitchen
One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not
dined well.
Virginia Woolf
Your cutting board is the heart of your kitchen. This is where
you make contact with the gastronomic gods and become lost in
the meditative act of chopping, dicing, and slicing. You
subscribe religiously to food magazines and gasp with delight
when they spill from the mailbox. You have hundreds of cookbooks upon your shelves, read like novels upon your bed pillow.
Foodie memoirs line the wall. The kitchen televisions always
tuned to a cooking show. You are often found honing your
skills in cooking classes.
The Hierophant's Cooking Style
You are a strict disciple of Julia Child and James Beard. You
have learned from the best and are happy to impart your food
knowledge to others. Cooking with you is a joy; friends always
walk away having learned something helpful and tasted something delicious. You understand the art and science of cooking.
You know the difference between an oven’s hot air and the raw
flame of an outdoor grill. Old standards like steak and potatoes
are born again under your culinary7 expertise.
The Hierophant's Eating Habits
You possess a divine and cultured palate. Eating a meal, you
are already thinking about the next one you will prepare. The
act of cooking and consuming food is a spiritual experience for
you. Finding it your mission to get to the heart of any given
food, you make your ingredients shine in their true purpose.
Were you to open a restaurant, the crowds would line up for
days to watch as you preach from the pulpit of your stove.
When to Invoke Hierophant Energy
•
Slowing down and paying attention to your food
•
Looking for a great recipe
•
Teaching a child to cook
The Hierophant's Parmesan Wafers
The Hierophant is often seen as a pope figure. With this in
mind, the Hierophant’s Parmesan wafers are a tip of the hat to
communion wafers. Use as salad or salad garnish or have as a
light snack with cocktails.
i cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, hand grated
Waxed paper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line cookie sheets with waxed paper.
Place cheese on cookie sheets in small piles about the size
o f a quarter.
Bake for 10 minutes or until crispy.
Set aside to cool. Makes 10 wafers.
Note: Parmesan wafers may be created as an edible dish
for salads. Make rounds much bigger, bake, then drape over
ramekin until cooled.
ARE YOU TH E LOVERS?
The Lovers' Kitchen
Your kitchen awaits, a hidden chamber of delight. A naked
chicken lies on the counter. Plucked, skin pulled taut, legs tied
back, its dark cavity waits to be filled. Fruit bursts with ripeness
while heady aromas tickle the nose. Softly folded linen napkins
wait for you to spread them with your fingers and drape them
across your lap. Al Green pines away softly in the background.
Plush furniture decorates the room.
The Lovers' Cooking Style
An expert on pairing and balancing flavors, you know spicy
couples with sweet and smoky entwines with creamy. You layer
flavor upon texture upon flavor. You’ll use food as a weapon
when having your way with a friend or lover. Marketing and
shopping is your sensual foreplay to the main act of cooking.
You flirt your way to the best cut of meat from the butcher; you
entice the cheese monger to offer the finest, ripest hunks of
cheese; and the wine merchant has you swimming in the loveliest wines— dry, sweet, and robust. Desserts leave sweet satisfaction on your guests’ lips and have them returning for more.
The Lovers' Eating Habits
A slave to your senses, you’ll sit and enjoy a meal for hours
upon hours. Savoring the complexities and nuances of food
brings you a sense of heightened pleasure. The soft fuzz of a
peach, the sweet burst of a cherry, and smooth dark chocolate
bring you to complete ecstasy. Nothing gets your engines going
like the perfect meal. Even alone, you’ll treat yourself to beautifully prepared food because you understand that three meals a day offer more than sustenance; they offer escape into the sensual arts.
When to Invoke the Lovers' Energy
•
Preparing a romantic meal
•
Shopping for food
•
Redecorating the kitchen
The Lovers' French Onion Soup
The Lovers card represents desire, choice, and intimacy. Nothing
can be more intimate than whispering to that special someone
over a crock of this French soup while sharing a bottle of Cotes
du Rhone.
2 tablespoons oil
i tablespoon butter
1V2 pounds onions, peeled and thinly sliced (about 5
cups)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme sprigs or V2 teaspoon dried
thyme
V2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
5 cups hot chicken stock
Va teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or more to taste
Va cup red wine
3 or 4 slices of baguette, about V4-inch, sliced on diagonal
2 to 2V2 ounces Gruyere or Emmentaler cheese, grated
(about Va cup)
Set a heavy-bottomed 4-quart saucepan over medium-low
heat and add the oil and butter. When the butter has melted, add the onions, thyme, and salt, and mix together thoroughly. Cover the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. When the onions are quite tender, uncover and raise heat slightly. Cook another 20 to 25 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are dark brown and
have caramelized in the pan. (Lower the heat if the onions
are in danger of burning.)
Stir in hot stock, scraping any crystallized juices from the
bottom of the pan, and bring soup to a boil. Taste and adjust
the seasonings, adding the wine and additional salt and
black pepper to taste. (The amount of salt will vary depending on the broth.) Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Toast baguettes either in toaster or on cookie sheet in oven
(depending on how much soup you are making).
Great food is like great sex. The more you have, the more you
want.
Gael Greene
When the soup is ready, arrange individual crocks on a
baking sheet. Put the croutons, whole or broken into large
pieces, into the bottom of each crock, and sprinkle about 2
tablespoons of cheese on top. Ladle in a cup or more of soup
to fill the crock to the inner rim. Heap a large mound of
grated cheese all over surface of the soup, using the rest of
the cheese for each crock.
Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 30 to 40
minutes, until the cheese is dark golden brown and has
formed a crust over the soup. Move the hot crocks carefully
onto individual plates and serve.
ARE YOU A C H A R IO T ?
The Chariot's Kitchen
Two essentials thrive in your kitchen: the microwave and the
delivery menu drawer. The microwave gleams with dark, shiny
economy, and takeout menus offer myriad food choices. Your
fridge is filled with take-home containers of prepared foods.
Frozen dinners and frozen pizza line your freezer.
The Chariot's Cooking Style
You lead a busy life and have no time to bother with cooking.
You've no patience to shop, prepare, or cook; you've got other
things to do. Happy to eat on paper or plastic plates, you’d
rather not waste time with messy dishes either. You are happiest when others prepare food for you. When a friend asks,
“What are you are making for dinner?” you happily reply,
“Reservations.”
The Chariot's Eating Habits
I don't even butter my bread; I consider that cooking.
Katherine Cebrian
Not spending your valuable brainpower on thinking about
meals, you’re apt to grab whatever is on hand. Road food and
drive-throughs are the best inventions ever, as far as you’re concerned. You’ll often eat while engaging in other activities like reading, working, or driving. You’ve got your eye on the ball,
and food rarely enters the picture as you race through life.
When to Invoke Chariot Energy
•
When you've run out of time
•
Burning the midnight oil
•
For an unexpected guest
A Chariot Dinner
The Chariot implies being in the driver's seat. The clear direction
in which you head leaves no time for cooking.
Grab a stack of deliver)7 menus.
Spread menus like a fan of tarot cards.
Randomly select a menu as you would a card.
Dial their number.
Place your order.
Tip the delivery person.
Enjoy.
ARE YOU S T R E N G T H ?
Strength's Kitchen
I think every woman should have a blowtorch.
Julia Child
Your kitchen essentials are the blender, the food processor,
Place cucumber slices between paper or cloth towels to remove extra moisture.
Combine cream cheese and watercress. Spread mixture on
one side of each slice of bread.
Lay cucumber slices onto the cream cheese side of eight
slices of bread. Sprinkle with a touch of salt. Top with remaining slices of bread, cream cheese-side down.
Using a sharp knife, cut the crusts from each sandwich.
Cut sandwiches in half diagonally, then cut in half again.
If making ahead of time, refrigerate, covered with waxed
paper and a damp cloth, until serving time.
Makes about 32 mini sandwiches.
Did you ever stop to taste a carrot? Not just eat it, but taste it?
You can’t taste the beauty and energy of the earth in a
Twinkie.
Astrid Alauda
ARE YOU A N EM PRESS?
The Empress's Kitchen
Fresh flowers and crystal chandeliers fill your Provengal
kitchen. Extensive vegetable, herb, and flower gardens color the
sprawling acres outside your window. Fresh bread wafts from
your oven, fruit bowls spill over with citrus, and myriad china
patterns grace the length of your walls. Sanding sugar resides in
glass jars; stacks of cookies guard iced seven-layer cakes. Eggs,
warm from the henhouse, beg to be cracked, poached, and
sprinkled with pepper and crunchy sea salt.
The Empress's Cooking Style
As a goddess of gastronomy, you understand one of the most
important tenets of cooking: the crafting and presentation of
food is equal in importance to how it tastes. You take the time
to chill your salad dishes and warm your dinner plates; no
touch, no detail, is overlooked. In fact, you view plates and tables as empty canvases. Food is a form o f art, and you are a maestro directing your artistic expression both on the plate and
on the palate. Hosting holiday meals and grand parties is your
specialty, but you don’t need a special occasion to grab your
finest linen napkins and bone china.
The Empress's Eating Habits
You have no patience for a meal that has had no thought put
into it or is. heaven forbid, frozen. Setting the bar high for yourself. you expect others to do the same. You wouldn’t be caught dead in a fast-food joint or grimy diner. Sensing a meal is heading south, you quickly rush to aid the faltering cook, rescuing many a disastrous meal. Believing you are what you eat, you
consume foods that help you shine and glow with health. You
drink plenty of water and eat fresh fruits, nuts, and vegetables.
When to Invoke Empress Energy
•
Hosting a holiday
•
Creating romantic dinners
•
Impressing guests
Empress's Cherry, Goat Cheese, and Walnut Salad
The Empress is as lovely as this creative salad that springs to life
with zip and flavor. Make this dressing at home and you'll never
reach for bottled again. This salad should not be served in one
big bowl. It is best served Empress style and prepared on individual salad plates.
V2 cup walnuts, chopped coarse and toasted
1 cup dried cherries
2 medium Granny Smith apples
4 cups mixed field greens, washed and dried
10-ounce log o f herbed goat cheese cut into 12 rounds at
room temperature
The preparation of good food is merely another expression of
art, one of the joys of civilized living.
Dione Lucas
Dressing
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon shallot, finely minced
Va teaspoon salt
Va teaspoon sugar
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Ground black pepper to taste
Roasting nuts intensifies and brings out their flavor. Place
walnuts in a nonstick pan and dry roast until fragrant.
Plump cherries in a small bowl with Vi cup hot water for
about io minutes; drain. Quarter and core apples, and cut
into j/8-inch-thick slices.
Combine vinegar, mustard, shallot, salt, and sugar in a
small bowl. Whisking constantly, drizzle in oil; season to
taste with pepper. Place greens in large bowl, drizzle vinaigrette over, and toss to coat. Divide greens among individual plates; divide cherries, apples, and walnuts among plates;
place two rounds of goat cheese on each salad. Serve immediately. Serves 6.
ARE YOU A N EM P ER O R ?
The Emperor's Kitchen
Nestled inside your comfy ranch home is a classic i950s-stvle
kitchen. Your green range top sparkles in the sunlight; your
appliances are retro fabulous. Clorox stands at attention by the
sink, while the blue formica table is hugged by pink plastic-
cushioned chairs. A milkman graces the door in his crisp
starched uniform. The morning paper, bacon, eggs, coffee, and
toast wait to greet you at your breakfast table.
The Emperor's Cooking Style
Cooking straight from a recipe, you would never, ever dare
stray from the instructions. You are “by the book” all the way,
in eating and lifestyle. You never vacillate in your cooking
habits or routines. Shopping by rote, you purchase the same
items, loyal to the same brands year after year. Guests at your
table are expected to behave with impeccable manners. Anyone
who denies their Brussels sprouts can find their dessert elsewhere. Elbows off the table—now!
The Emperor's Eating Habits
I’m trying to eat better. And I do feel wise after drinking tea.
After eating vegetables, I just feel hungry.
Carrie Latet
Classic American fare is your preferred cuisine, and you
never stray from your eating routine. You finish all the food on
your plate, not letting a bite go to waste. You eat only in tried
and true restaurants and those that have withstood the winds of
time. You are a generous tipper when dining out, but fear
strikes the chef or waiter who falls short of your high expectations.
When to Invoke Emperor Energy
•
Teaching tableside etiquette
•
Organizing the perfect meal
•
Cleaning the kitchen
The Emperor's Caesar Salad
The Emperor represents command- and control-type tendencies.
Mull this over while styling yourself this great American classic.
The Caesar salad was named after Caesar Cardini, who first prepared the salad at his Caesar’s Palace Restaurant. For our purposes, let’s channel Rome’s great emperor as we prepare it.
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
3 anchovies
Va cup olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
Worcestershire sauce, a few dashes
Sprinkling of sea salt
Pepper, to taste
i egg*
i head romaine lettuce, thoroughly washed and torn into
bite-sized pieces
Parmesan cheese, grated
Additional shaved slices of Parmesan
Excellent-quality croutons
In a wooden bowl, using a fork, mash together the garlic
and anchovies into a paste. Add to paste olive oil, lemon
juice, and Worcestershire sauce, and whisk well. Season to
taste with salt and pepper. Boil egg for one minute, crack,
separate, and add the yolk to dressing, whisking again to
incorporate. Toss with romaine and Parmesan. Top with
shaved Parm, croutons, and a turn of a pepper mill.
* If salmonella or slightly raw egg yolks cause you a health
concern, omit or resort to a good bottled Caesar dressing
and add lots of fresh Parm to zip it up.
Serves 6.
ARE YOU A H IE R O P H A N T ?
The Hierophant's Kitchen
One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not
dined well.
Virginia Woolf
Your cutting board is the heart of your kitchen. This is where
you make contact with the gastronomic gods and become lost in
the meditative act of chopping, dicing, and slicing. You
subscribe religiously to food magazines and gasp with delight
when they spill from the mailbox. You have hundreds of cookbooks upon your shelves, read like novels upon your bed pillow.
Foodie memoirs line the wall. The kitchen televisions always
tuned to a cooking show. You are often found honing your
skills in cooking classes.
The Hierophant's Cooking Style
You are a strict disciple of Julia Child and James Beard. You
have learned from the best and are happy to impart your food
knowledge to others. Cooking with you is a joy; friends always
walk away having learned something helpful and tasted something delicious. You understand the art and science of cooking.
You know the difference between an oven’s hot air and the raw
flame of an outdoor grill. Old standards like steak and potatoes
are born again under your culinary7 expertise.
The Hierophant's Eating Habits
You possess a divine and cultured palate. Eating a meal, you
are already thinking about the next one you will prepare. The
act of cooking and consuming food is a spiritual experience for
you. Finding it your mission to get to the heart of any given
food, you make your ingredients shine in their true purpose.
Were you to open a restaurant, the crowds would line up for
days to watch as you preach from the pulpit of your stove.
When to Invoke Hierophant Energy
•
Slowing down and paying attention to your food
•
Looking for a great recipe
•
Teaching a child to cook
The Hierophant's Parmesan Wafers
The Hierophant is often seen as a pope figure. With this in
mind, the Hierophant’s Parmesan wafers are a tip of the hat to
communion wafers. Use as salad or salad garnish or have as a
light snack with cocktails.
i cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, hand grated
Waxed paper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line cookie sheets with waxed paper.
Place cheese on cookie sheets in small piles about the size
o f a quarter.
Bake for 10 minutes or until crispy.
Set aside to cool. Makes 10 wafers.
Note: Parmesan wafers may be created as an edible dish
for salads. Make rounds much bigger, bake, then drape over
ramekin until cooled.
ARE YOU TH E LOVERS?
The Lovers' Kitchen
Your kitchen awaits, a hidden chamber of delight. A naked
chicken lies on the counter. Plucked, skin pulled taut, legs tied
back, its dark cavity waits to be filled. Fruit bursts with ripeness
while heady aromas tickle the nose. Softly folded linen napkins
wait for you to spread them with your fingers and drape them
across your lap. Al Green pines away softly in the background.
Plush furniture decorates the room.
The Lovers' Cooking Style
An expert on pairing and balancing flavors, you know spicy
couples with sweet and smoky entwines with creamy. You layer
flavor upon texture upon flavor. You’ll use food as a weapon
when having your way with a friend or lover. Marketing and
shopping is your sensual foreplay to the main act of cooking.
You flirt your way to the best cut of meat from the butcher; you
entice the cheese monger to offer the finest, ripest hunks of
cheese; and the wine merchant has you swimming in the loveliest wines— dry, sweet, and robust. Desserts leave sweet satisfaction on your guests’ lips and have them returning for more.
The Lovers' Eating Habits
A slave to your senses, you’ll sit and enjoy a meal for hours
upon hours. Savoring the complexities and nuances of food
brings you a sense of heightened pleasure. The soft fuzz of a
peach, the sweet burst of a cherry, and smooth dark chocolate
bring you to complete ecstasy. Nothing gets your engines going
like the perfect meal. Even alone, you’ll treat yourself to beautifully prepared food because you understand that three meals a day offer more than sustenance; they offer escape into the sensual arts.
When to Invoke the Lovers' Energy
•
Preparing a romantic meal
•
Shopping for food
•
Redecorating the kitchen
The Lovers' French Onion Soup
The Lovers card represents desire, choice, and intimacy. Nothing
can be more intimate than whispering to that special someone
over a crock of this French soup while sharing a bottle of Cotes
du Rhone.
2 tablespoons oil
i tablespoon butter
1V2 pounds onions, peeled and thinly sliced (about 5
cups)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme sprigs or V2 teaspoon dried
thyme
V2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
5 cups hot chicken stock
Va teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or more to taste
Va cup red wine
3 or 4 slices of baguette, about V4-inch, sliced on diagonal
2 to 2V2 ounces Gruyere or Emmentaler cheese, grated
(about Va cup)
Set a heavy-bottomed 4-quart saucepan over medium-low
heat and add the oil and butter. When the butter has melted, add the onions, thyme, and salt, and mix together thoroughly. Cover the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. When the onions are quite tender, uncover and raise heat slightly. Cook another 20 to 25 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are dark brown and
have caramelized in the pan. (Lower the heat if the onions
are in danger of burning.)
Stir in hot stock, scraping any crystallized juices from the
bottom of the pan, and bring soup to a boil. Taste and adjust
the seasonings, adding the wine and additional salt and
black pepper to taste. (The amount of salt will vary depending on the broth.) Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Toast baguettes either in toaster or on cookie sheet in oven
(depending on how much soup you are making).
Great food is like great sex. The more you have, the more you
want.
Gael Greene
When the soup is ready, arrange individual crocks on a
baking sheet. Put the croutons, whole or broken into large
pieces, into the bottom of each crock, and sprinkle about 2
tablespoons of cheese on top. Ladle in a cup or more of soup
to fill the crock to the inner rim. Heap a large mound of
grated cheese all over surface of the soup, using the rest of
the cheese for each crock.
Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 30 to 40
minutes, until the cheese is dark golden brown and has
formed a crust over the soup. Move the hot crocks carefully
onto individual plates and serve.
ARE YOU A C H A R IO T ?
The Chariot's Kitchen
Two essentials thrive in your kitchen: the microwave and the
delivery menu drawer. The microwave gleams with dark, shiny
economy, and takeout menus offer myriad food choices. Your
fridge is filled with take-home containers of prepared foods.
Frozen dinners and frozen pizza line your freezer.
The Chariot's Cooking Style
You lead a busy life and have no time to bother with cooking.
You've no patience to shop, prepare, or cook; you've got other
things to do. Happy to eat on paper or plastic plates, you’d
rather not waste time with messy dishes either. You are happiest when others prepare food for you. When a friend asks,
“What are you are making for dinner?” you happily reply,
“Reservations.”
The Chariot's Eating Habits
I don't even butter my bread; I consider that cooking.
Katherine Cebrian
Not spending your valuable brainpower on thinking about
meals, you’re apt to grab whatever is on hand. Road food and
drive-throughs are the best inventions ever, as far as you’re concerned. You’ll often eat while engaging in other activities like reading, working, or driving. You’ve got your eye on the ball,
and food rarely enters the picture as you race through life.
When to Invoke Chariot Energy
•
When you've run out of time
•
Burning the midnight oil
•
For an unexpected guest
A Chariot Dinner
The Chariot implies being in the driver's seat. The clear direction
in which you head leaves no time for cooking.
Grab a stack of deliver)7 menus.
Spread menus like a fan of tarot cards.
Randomly select a menu as you would a card.
Dial their number.
Place your order.
Tip the delivery person.
Enjoy.
ARE YOU S T R E N G T H ?
Strength's Kitchen
I think every woman should have a blowtorch.
Julia Child
Your kitchen essentials are the blender, the food processor,
