Gelatine, my arch nemesis

[wiseheart]

I tried my hand on the Cassata Siciliana cake today. It is basically the Sicilian version of a cheesecake, only with a sponge base and with ricotta instead of cream cheese. It contains lots and lots of candied fruits and pistachios - all things I like, so I thought I'd give it a try.

I started with the fairly standard almond sponge, which turned out well enough, even though a bit heavy. Then I attacked the filling. Which was positively liquid at the beginning, despite the gelatin I put into it. I was about to accept that we'll eat it with a spoon, but - miraculously enough - it thickened up just nicely and now can be cut with a knife. Tomorrow I'll make the marzipan band around the cake, the icing and the decoration, and then I'll take a photo.

Still, I'm quite sure next time I try I'll just buy some cremequark (=cream cheese), mix in the fruits and the whipped cream and be done within the hour, instead of slaving over it all morning. I'm too old to waste my time like this.

In other news I've finished the first chapter of the next EMV story and started the second one. I must go with the momentum as long as I'm on the roll. I can type up stuff later, when writer's block hits again, which most certainly will.

I also worked a bit on Christmas card #33. It has 3 identical Christmas ornaments hanging from a green branch... sort of. It is a very abstract branch, but I managed not to mess up the end swirl too much. One ornament is finished, two more to go. That will be the last piece of the horrid orange cards I had in my stock. I'm glad to have them out of my hair, they're so hard to combine with any sensible colour thread I have.

We had leftovers from yesterday, so I didn't have to cook, thank God. Instead, I took a nice, long nap in the afternoon because I hadn't had one yesterday and only got 6 hours of sleep last night, which is definitely not enough at my age.

I also tried to phone to two of my (ex-)colleagues but neither of them answered the phone, nor did they call me back. Sometimes I wonder why on Earth do people have mobile phones when they don't answer them. They could easily do the same with landlines, right?

Comments

[meathiel]

Gelatine is another thing I can't work with ...
That's why I only made a Rührkuchen with apples today. 😁

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Rührkuchen is the most user-friendly dough there is! *g*

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

It does sound lovely. But I am like that with gelatine and I'm too old to waste my time like this is often my cry these days too :)

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Exactly! I prefer baking things were I can be reasonably sure about the outcome. Sometimes I get overcome by the urge to make something fancy, though, and that's where things start sliding downhill...

[adafrog.livejournal.com]

I was worried when I read the title, but at least you managed to overcome! Even if it wasn't really worth it. lol

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Victory is victory!

[elwenlj.livejournal.com]

Lol. I don't have a landline, because I don't want to pay the line rental fee. I confess I am also bad at calling back. What can I say? I hate phone's in general.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Well, I'd prefer to see the person I'm talking to face to face, too, but given my circumstances it's rarely possible, so the phone is a real life-saver. Mum and I both like interact with people; she talks to her friends at least an hour every day, so the landline is rentabile for us.

[chocolate-frapp.livejournal.com]

I have the exact same problem all the time. I'm always calling people who don't answer their phone and I leave messages and they don't call me back.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

IKR? At least one of the girls called ma back today, so that's 50% efficiency in that area.