(no subject)

The fam's gone out of town for the weekend -- Bernard's at University of course, Mum's going up to Dallas for a mini holiday, and Lucky and Emmy are off down to Houston to see Mama Tickey, who is Lucky's mother and one of the Last True Southern Belles.

So I have decided to have an ANTI TAILGATE PARTY which will consist of me grilling lots of things and having nice cold beverages and STAYING THE HELL AT HOME.

I will also be watching many movies.

On the menu for today are several gustatory delights; I will be making french fries, grilled hamburgers with portobello mushrooms, possibly a few kebabs, and chocolate-pomegranate funeral cake for dessert.

(no subject)

In doing some anthroculinary research I recently came across a recipe for "funeral cake", which sounds really neat but is actually just a very simple cake recipe that you can bake for a reception when you haven't much time (as when you are planning a funeral).

I thought it would be much more interesting if funeral cakes were representative of the whole dance of life and death, so I mucked about in symbolism for a while until I came up with my own recipe, which I admit is heavily borrowed from Spanish Inquisition Cake, a recipe put out by the Hershey's company. (Don't let them fool you with their title -- any cake that uses boiling water is a Spanish Inquisition cake).

I've just baked and tried some (without the marzipan fripperies; there was no marzipan to be had at HEB), and they're...just bizarre. They're slightly bitter, which they're supposed to be, and the pomegranate is completely subsumed by the chocolate until you've swallowed, when it sort of shouts "hello!" at the back of your throat. It may need a bit more pomegranate, but it's a qualified success, anyway.

And here's the recipe!

( Sam's Funeral Cakes )