Today’s Musings:
There’s a creature that sits upon my desk, just behind and to the left of my laptop. Completely at ease, he tucks his willowy left leg around to the right, and crosses his right leg over the other, as if preparing for a yogic Ardha Matsyendrasana (seated twist). One elbow sits atop his right knee, a pedestal for resting his head into his long, curved fingers, beaked nose and pointed chin framing his Cheshire grin. As he stares unblinkingly with his emerald eyes, and he always seems to be staring, I’m reminded of a harlequin…or the devil character in Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita. He sits poised, grinning and watching, ready to make a comment lest I try to write. As my hands hesitate above the keyboard, he whispers, “You’re a fraud,” “You’re not a writer,” “Go back to baking where you belong.”
For the last two weeks, I tried ignoring him, wishing that he’d leave, attempting to escape him in every possible way: writing in a new location, choosing a different time, trying a different form, yet he continued to appear.
Late last week, I finally looked up into his viridian eyes. He removed his hawkish chin from his hands and straighten up.
“Yes, Little One?”
“Who ARE you and why are you here, day after day?”
“I have many names: Imposter Syndrome, Writer’s Block, That Niggling Voice in your Head. I really hate that last one. I’m contracted to sprinkle doubt on your every word. I’ll be here until the bitter end, no matter what you do,” he cooed.
“Can’t you HELP me, instead of just pointing out what I’m doing wrong?”
“I cannot. There’s a no-help clause in my contract.”
“Well, what if you continue doing your job: make me doubt a line, a paragraph, the entire idea of writing this book, but then you took a break? Say, maybe 20 minutes of quiet time to treat yourself for a job well done, like a frozen yogurt or something? Then I can take that reprieve to figure out a solution rather than becoming mired in my defeat.”
“Ooo…I DO like a good homemade FroYo,” he purred while his reptile tongue flicked around his lips.
“So, it’s a deal, then? FroYo for a kibitzing reprieve?”
“It, My Dear, is a definite deal!”
Today’s Recipe:
I originally envisioned making Strawberry-Basil or Strawberry-Balsamic Frozen Yogurt, but when I spied the bottle of rosewater, I couldn’t resist. A rosy disposition (now that I’ve made friends with my inner critic) deserves a rosy treat.
Fresh Strawberry-Rose Frozen Yogurt
Reducing the strawberry juice provides a big impact to flavor, even if you are using bland store-bought strawberries.
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
- ¾ cup granulated sugar, divided
- ⅛ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
- 4 teaspoons (1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon) rosewater
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Directions
- Using a food processor, coarsely chop strawberries. In a medium bowl, stir together chopped strawberries, ½ cup granulated sugar, and salt. Set aside for 45 minutes. Don’t wash the bowl of the food processor, you will be using it again in step 4.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix together whole-milk Greek yogurt, remaining ¼ cup granulated sugar, rosewater, and lemon juice. Set aside.
- After 45 minutes, strain juice from strawberries into a small saucepan. Over medium-high heat, reduce strawberry juice to 4-5 tablespoons of syrup. Let cool.
- Return strawberries to the bowl of the food processor. Process until pureed and add to yogurt. Add slightly cooled strawberry syrup and combine well.
- Cover bowl and let rest in refrigerator for at least an hour, but overnight is preferred. Process frozen yogurt in your ice cream maker, following the manufacturer’s directions. Transfer to a container and keep frozen.
