As I walked to The Gant’s front office recently, I was followed by a young man and his son headed in the same direction. During that 3-4 minute walk, the little guy, probably 6, never stopped asking questions, one after another. Honestly, not one breath. How is that possible? At some point I glanced back, smiling. The Daddy caught my eye and said wearily, “All the time.”
Last month CNN named The Gant among twenty of America’s most beautiful hotels. That honor, I decided, transformed me into the legitimate adult version of Eloise who lived at The Plaza Hotel. Of all lifestyle possibilities, my residing in a 144-condo resort hotel in Aspen was never a consideration nor was flying to the moon or summiting Everest. Be careful what you don’t wish for.
ROASTED TOMATO & FRESH MOZZARELLA PASTA by Chris Scheuer
I never considered this a long-term solution. But after three years I’m parked, having quickly surmised to either embrace the nature of this hustle-bustle complex or move on. “Your brain doesn’t know how old it is,” observed Paul Nussbaum, president of Pittsburgh’s Brain Health Center. “What it wants to do is learn.”
Nearby The Gant, the Aspen Mountain gondola runs all summer.
Maybe wrapping my head around such a wacky lifestyle idea was asking too much learning from my brain. Every week I have new neighbors. There are weddings and conferences and events. The Gant is a big house full of happy people on vacation. Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood, it is not. For someone who values privacy and likes to be anchored, this is a stretch.
While I haven’t set aside longtime personal perceptions, I have rearranged their possibilities. For example, last week a family of five, 3 boys with bikes, moved in next door. They were good kids but one night the racket was over-the-top. Not good, I thought, until I listened. “USA, USA, USA,” they hollered. More whoops. Michael Phelps & Co. were gold-digging in Rio. Their excitement knew no bounds. I flashed back to earlier noisy Olympic moments with my girls and poured a glass of wine.
David’s tomatoes, ready and raring to be roasted
I came home in mid-July to find a humongous bear trap in my building’s parking lot. Since a bear had gotten too familiar with a paying guest, it needed to be captured and moved. (I still cheered for the bear.) I already knew it was collared, meaning it had been caught in the trap before. Fool me once. Shame on you. Fool me twice. Shame on me.The bear, not a fool, was a no-show.
Thinking that our lovable bear lives in nearby Aspen Grove Cemetery, founded in 1889 and the resting place for Aspen’s pioneers and war veterans.
Everyday I look for a Happy: The Grandpa who was paying his two pre-teen granddaughters each $100 to climb Aspen Mountain with him! ( Memo to Emma & Clara: No.); Entrepreneurs Peter (4) and Lily (3), pitching their lemonade stand at a prime Gant pathway yesterday, Mom shadowing the operation. Business was brisk. The money, Peter told me, is going to St. Jude’s ‘so kids can have operations.’ Love that Mom; And, Vice-President Biden and his family spent a week-end here this summer, a thrill for the staff and paying guests.
THIS IS A QUICK-and-EASY SUPPER. FEW INGREDIENTS AND QUICKLY MADE.
Eloise ends her story with,“Ooooooooooooooooooo I absolutely love The Plaza.”
Silly it may be, but “Ooooooooooooooooooo I absolutely love The Gant.”
Carved of Colorado Yule Marble by Sculptor Gregory Tonozzi, this statute sits in Aspen Grove Cemetery. This marble was also used for Lincoln’s Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknowns in Washington DC. One of the finest white marbles in the world, it is still being shipped from nearby Marble to Europe and Asia.
Life is about expectations and our CooktheBookFridays choice, CHERRY TOMATO CROSTINI with HERBED GOAT CHEESE, is a keeper. David’s roasted tomatoes are the prize this week. I made one batch for the crostini and another for Chris Scheuer’s ROASTED TOMATO AND FRESH MOZZARELLA PASTA. While fresh cherry or grape tomatoes are plentiful, Chris suggests always keeping some in the fridge for pizzas, salads, sandwiches, the possibilities are endless.
CHERRY TOMATO CROSTINI with HERBED GOAT CHEESE
MY PARIS KITCHEN by David Lebovitz
Serving Size: 4
INGREDIENTS:
(Note: I purchased herbed goat cheese.)
Roasted Cherry Tomatoes:
AFTER BEING ROASTED
1 1/2 pounds cherry tomatoes, stemmed and halved
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
handful of whole, unchopped fresh herbs (any combination of rosemary or thyme sprigs, bay leaf and basil or sage leaves)
sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Toasts:
4 thick slices bread, such as ciabatta, a country bread or a sourdough that is not too dense
olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled
a few leaves of fresh basil, sage or flat leaf parsley to garnish
DIRECTIONS:
Roasted Tomatoes:
1.Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
2.Combine the cherry tomatoes, olive oil, sliced garlic and herbs in a baking dish or pan that will hold them all in a snug single layer.
3. Season with salt and pepper, mix well and spread them out in a single layer.
4. Roast the tomatoes in the oven for about 45 minutes, stirring once or perhaps twice during baking, until they’re wilted and their juices are starting to concentrate — and perhaps brown a bit — in the bottom of the baking dish or pan. (The baking time will depend on the material of the baking dish and type of cherry tomatoes used.) Ideally, you want the tomatoes to juice, and for the juices to thicken and concentrate.
5. Scrape the tomatoes and any juices into a bowl and let cool to room temperature.
6. They can sit up to 8 hours, and improve the longer they sit. When ready to serve, make the toasts.
Toasts:
1. Evenly brush the bread with olive oil.
2. Place them on a baking sheet in a preheated 350ºF oven and toast for about 5 minutes, until light golden brown.
3. Remove from the oven and when just cool enough to handle, rub the slices generously with the garlic clove.
4. Let cool to room temperature.
SERVE:
1. Thickly smear each piece of bread with the fresh herbed cheese.
Set each one on a plate.
2. Pluck out the herbs and spoon the tomatoes and their juices onto the slices of bread.
3. Coarsely chop the herbs for the garnish, and scatter them over the top of each portion.
1 pound tofette or ditalini pasta or your choice
4 ears fresh corn (in a pinch, use 15.25 oz. canned corn, drained)
12 ounces fresh mozzarella, cubed
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (divided)
1 recipe Garlic and Herb Roasted Tomatoes (Link to Chris’ version here)
¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Bring a medium large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta. Allow water to return to a boil, then cook pasta al dente according to package directions.
2. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain well. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and stir to coat pasta with oil. (This will keep it from drying out until you’re ready to combine it with the other ingredients.) Set aside.
3. While pasta is cooking, cook the corn ears. When cool enough, cut kernels from cobs. Cover and set aside.
4. If you prefer the cheese not to melt quickly, allow pasta to cool for 10 minutes. Otherwise, immediately combine the hot pasta with about ⅔ of the tomatoes (reserve the rest) in a medium-large bowl (be sure to scrape out all the good oil and herbs from the roasting pan). Add corn, fresh mozzarella cubes, remaining olive oil, salt, pepper. Stir gently to combine. If the pasta is too thick, add 1/4-1/2 cup of pasta water to loosen it bit, if needed. (I added no pasta water.) Add ½ of the basil and stir gently one more time. Top with the remaining tomatoes and basil.
5. Serve hot or at room temperature.
TIP: Using 1 1/2- 2 pounds of cherry tomatoes in Lebovitz’s recipe is sufficient for this pasta dish. Chris’ recipe yields approximately 4 cups of the mixture depending on size.
COOKtheBOOKFRIDAYS is an international virtual cooking group making their way through David Lebovitz’s outstanding newest cookbook, My Paris Kitchen. To see what my colleagues baked this week, go here.
If I had tried to orchestrate this week’s French Friday with Dorie recipe scenario, I could not have done better. From beginning to end, it was the perfect storm.
Literally.
Springtime in Colorado
Today’s recipe is Financiers(fee-nahn-see-AY), tiny rich buttery cakes. created a century ago at a patisserie near the Bourse (the French Wall Street). These treats were popular with stockbrokers as pick-me-up, finger food.
What makes these exceptionally delicious is beurre noisette, (brown butter). Financiers require oodles of butter. When cooked to a golden brown coloring, it acquires a nutty flavor. NOTE: Go the extra mile and brown your butter.
Beurre Noisette, in the making…
One cup of sugar and almond flour, 2/3 cup A-P flour and 6 egg whites later, you’ve got batter ready to chill for an hour or two. Overnight is better.
Although the Financiers can be any petite shape, I only could find a mini-muffin tin in my moving boxes. I found gorgeous raspberries at the store. Thus, fruit Financiers. To celebrate my first week in Aspen, I decided to share the spoils with the young people manning our front office.
To those of you who have asked, The Gant, my new home, is an 143-condominium complex located in the heart of downtown Aspen. Built in 1975, each condo is individually owned. It is basically a resort rental complex with all the amenities and staff (100) that go along with that moniker. Most homeowners come for the summer, holidays and a week or two during the ski season. Only 8 other owners live here full-time.
Nine years ago, because of my husband’s health, we needed to escape the altitude, find a kinder climate and be nearer our kids. After selling our house and thinking we could at least enjoy the Aspen summers, I bought a condo here at The Gant. When it became apparent we couldn’t return, Donnie Lee, the general manager, promised me, since my hands were full, that they would take care of our condo. Whenever they needed to buy, build, install, improve, or change something in my place, someone would call to get my approval. They did the rest. Every year I’d return for 3 or 4 days to check in. That’s why I’m lucky enough to know all the staff and consider them family.
Mr. Lee, the Boss
Now back to the Financiers. After whipping up the batter Monday evening, I woke up early Tuesday to a raging spring snowstorm. Really? Wouldn’t warm little raspberry mini-muffins (the staff’s eventual name for my Financiers) be a tasty treat for the front desk staff who often work outside as well as in?
I filled the buttered molds with batter and raspberries and baked them 18 minutes until golden and springy to the touch. They popped out easily and, while still warm, I covered them carefully and pulled on my boots and heavy jacket to scurry over to the office.
Here’s what I can say about the Financiers. There is no photo because I didn’t have the heart to freeze-frame the staff’s enthusiasm, insisting they pose for this Post. However, with apologies to Roger Ebert, the bellmen each gave them a Ten-Fingers Up.
To see the absolutely gorgeous, fancier Financiers that my colleagues made this week, go here.
Lacey (l) and Molly are just two of the many young people at The Gant in Aspen, where I live, who keep my life on-track. All of them are eager and willing food-testers. Both the girls liked the addition of mint to the apple jelly glaze. ” And Kiley (another Gant employee) doesn’t even like mint at all, Mrs Hirsch,” Molly told me. “She honestly cannot stand it, but she liked the minty flavor of the topping and thought it was really, really good.”
Yep, today’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe choice is a tart. To my thinking, however, there is nothing about this tasty dessert that looks tarty. As Dorie explained, “It’s so thin and crackly, you get to eat it out of hand.”
Have you ever met a tart that is “thin and crackly” ? What makes it so are multiple sheets of filo dough, each sheet carefully slathered with butter, piled in layers. This was my first experience with fragile, easily torn, uncooperative filo dough. Surprisingly, it was no problem.
Hold that thought……
As I was walking through the Cooper Street Mall in Aspen this afternoon, I spotted a one-to-two year old black bear, napping in a tree. This cub, in all probability, has been abandoned by his Mother who is more concerned right now about packing on 30 to 40 pounds of body fat to survive hibernation and give birth to the next generation of bears. This cub, who obviously cannot find enough food to eat, will probably not last through the winter.
Let’s talk Bear Business. Last week I returned to my home in Aspen to stay until Thanksgiving. This is a particularly lovely time of year because the fall color extravaganza is ending and there’s no snow in sight. Translation: no tourists. Although we love, adore, need and want tourists – we are a resort community, after all – every so often it’s nice to grab our town back.
This fall, more than ever, we are sharing our town with black bears. According to Colorado Parks & Wildlife, there are about 16,000 blackies in Colorado. Aspen is probably the epicenter of bear-human interaction in the state. This year, as the bears prepare for hibernation, needing 30 to 40 pounds of extra body fat for winter survival, they are more desperate than ever for food.
Colorado has been scorched by a summer of fires, the drought has destroyed the bears’ food supply and more homes are infringing into bear habitats. Serviceberry and chokecherry bushes as well as other natural food sources are being bulldozed under for development. Unable to find natural food sources, at night, these savvy and hungry bears wander into town, dismembering our crab apple trees and dumpster-diving into the ones that are unsecured. Although it’s against the law to leave dumpsters and garbage cans unsecured, every night five or six bears charge into downtown to scrounge for their daily rations. By day they sometimes hang in a tree, napping, in the heart of downtown Aspen.
An adult Colorado black bear can weigh anywhere from 150 pounds (a sow) to over 350-400 pounds (a male).
These guys even have their own Facebook page, Aspen Bears.
The little bear I saw this afternoon, dozing in a tree on the Cooper Street Mall, is probably an abandoned cub. It’s “survival of the fittest”, the mother’s harsh reality. She’s gone off to take care of herself.
Those of us who live here try to protect our bears. There are laws, strictly enforced, to make our county “bear-proof”. Once a bear, considered a nuisance, is tagged, the next naughty-bear report means euthanasia. As local writer Barry Petersen wrote, “ Most people in Aspen stay cool about it all, perhaps remembering that the houses and cars and streetlights are all late arrivals — that, in truth, it was the bears who for centuries have thought of this area as their home.”
The tart with its eight layers of buttered filo dough, almond cream and then, apples, ready to bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.
Thanks for allowing me a timeout for our wild animals. Now, let’s get back to the tart.
Luckily, this recipe for the Crispy, Crackly Apple-Almond Tart is here and I suspect if you try it, you’ll love it. I made the almond cream 2 days ahead and then brought it to room temperature before spreading it on the delicate filo dough. If you haven’t baked with filo before, it will not be difficult if you carefully follow the directions on the filo box and in Dorie’s recipe. I chose Braeburn apples to peel, slice and fan onto the tart base.
The tart, baked and glazed
Since I could not find apple jelly for the glaze, I used mint apple jelly and really enjoyed the additional slight minty tang. Although we ate this immediately, the tart can also be served at room temperature. Next time I might even dump a scoop of ice cream on top!
A friend once commented to me, during a discussion of homes, square footage and rising construction costs, “I just admire and respect what people do with small spaces.”
That friend is definitely going to ratchet up her respect and admiration for me. Last week I finally came to terms with 940 square feet.
The Gant, a condominium complex in Aspen, where I own a tiny condo. Summer. (photo: condorentals.com)
The Gant, a condominium complex in Aspen. where I own a tiny condo. Winter (photo: orbitz.com)
Here’s the back story. For the past twelve months I have had to face the reality of my future lifestyle. Moving from our Colorado home of 20 years to the Las Vegas area in 2004 was definitely a good idea. I intended to oversee the recovery of my husband, Michael, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. I needed and would have the support of my kids who lived nearby. Granted, at that time, reality was not yet my sidekick. Fast forward to 2012. While life in a warmer climate at a friendlier altitude has been kinder, it, of course, was not a cure-all for Michael. Yet the professional care he would eventually require and currently needs has been available and is excellent.
Anthem Country Club, Henderson, Nevada
Anthem Country Club, Henderson, Nevada
I have often written about the small gated-community where I live and the wonderful friends I have met. Anthem Country Club was a lucky discovery and I am grateful. For a woman who’s totally country, Las Vegas has been a hoot-and-holler love affair. Having never lived in a large city before, this has been one heck of an introduction to life-in-the-fast lane. There’s the rub. Living in Las Vegas is fast lane and I’m not. My life in Nevada has primarily revolved around an increasingly debilitating illness and one that now requires professional caregivers. This past year I’ve been forced by everyone to look forward. For the first time in my life, I didn’t have a plan. At my age, that’s scary.
A welcoming flower arrangement from The Gant Staff
According to Thomas Exter, writing in American Demographic, more and more, middle-aged adults are finding themselves living alone. The most dramatic growth in single-person households will occur among those aged 45 to 64. Boom! Boom! Single households are expected to increase by a whopping 42 percent, a number that is staggering and unprecedented.
Here’s what I began to realize. Baby Boomers, be damned. I am a single, sixties-something woman and, in a flash, will become a seventies-something woman. Las Vegas and I cannot live together forever. To navigate around this large, sprawling city of 3 million people, I average 2-3 hours every day in my car. Notorious for bad drivers, with insurance rates to take your breath away, getting behind the wheel in Vegas is a gamble. NIght driving? Forget it. I no longer want to be my car’s best friend and my unwillingness to drive in Vegas at night has always been lifestyle limiting.
My condo kitchen is small and compact – HELP!!!
There are more closets, but, not many. Probably need to cut the clothing budget.
In addition, may I remind you about Nevada summers? For the past seven years, I’ve tolerated summertime with good cheer and a “It’s not so bad”. I lie. One-hundred degrees and higher. For months and months. This is no lie: I have no more sweat to donate to the cause.
Finally, what last Winter’s hiatus on California’s Central Coast, as the guest of a good friend, highlighted, was the fun of companionship. Never eating a meal alone. The daily repartée. Sharing chores and responsibilities. Unfortunately, this only exacerbated the loneliness of the past few years.
My Colorado Backyard
My Colorado Sideyard
Author J. Kerby Anderson, in his book “Signs of Warning, Signs of Hope, Seven Coming Crisis That Will Change Your Life,” discusses the baby boom generation’s crisis of loneliness. The reasons are simple, he says, demographics and social isolation.“In previous centuries where extended families dominated the social landscape” he writes, “a sizable proportion of adults living alone was unthinkable. And even in this century, adults living alone have usually been found near the beginning (singles) and end (widows) of adult life. But these periods of living alone are now longer due to lifestyle choices on the front end and advances in modern medicine on the back end.”
My first night in Colorado – dinner with good friends.
Hosts Donna and Bernie Grauer, welcoming me home
These facts have kept my mind preoccupied and whirling the past year as I’ve explored my options. Moving to the same California community as my daughter and her family? Although I’d be welcome, my son-in-law turns pale, paler and palest, at the thought. And I agree. Last December, I thought I had put together a blueprint for moving forward that would make me happy, secure, and content. Unfortunately, a few weeks ago, that plan fell apart and I found myself back at “Go.” Then, on April 22, the headlines:
“It reached 99 degrees Sunday in Las Vegas, a record high for April, according to the National Weather Service.”
I needed a plan. Fast. That’s when Serendipity called in the form of our long-time Colorado tax accountant, Mark Kavasch. Usually these calls cost me money. This, however, was merely a ‘check-in, taxes were filed, let’s talk about the upcoming year’ call. Mark, ever the professional, discussed the future and then, uncharacteristically, finished his call with these words, “You know, Mary, Michael wouldn’t like this. He wouldn’t like it at all. You need to get back here [Colorado] to your friends and the mountains. You really do.”
My Colorado home may be tiny but the dining room table has plenty of room for family, loved ones and good friends.
Mark’s advice became my permission and my plan. Last Wednesday I made the ten-hour drive to Colorado, returning to a community that has changed dramatically in the past eight years. But so have I. My condominium is tiny but that makes it manageable. I can walk or bike everywhere, safely. Although the mountains seem steeper and the bears are still lurking, the trails are nearby, at my back door. My friends of the past 25 years saved me a place at their tables. Of course there’s sadness and memories that bring some tears. That’s natural and healthy, I’m told. But, at long last, life seems good again.
With apologies for paraphrasing someone wiser than I,“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.”
This week I am in Aspen, tying up the last-minute details on my condo’s re-model, in anticipation of Winter’s skiing rentals. I’ve traded my apron for a tool belt and couldn’t join the other Dorista’s to make the past two weeks’ recipes, Spiced Squash, Fennel, and Pear Soup and Braised Cardamon-Curry Lamb. Sound delicious. Check-out those recipe results at http://www.frenchfridayswithdorie.com/.
What I did make, however, was Stone Soup (Spur-of-the-Moment Vegetable Soup, carrot version, via Dorie, p. 74). For those of you who do not know this folk tale, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_soup.
I know what George is thinking. “Is this REALLY part of my Job Description?”
I made two different versions, one with chicken and served as is, just chopped and sliced. The other, I pureed, plunking a dollop of sour cream on top. Then I started prowling the 143 condo units here at The Gant, to find George, who has headed The Gant’s Engineering Department since my arrival seven years ago.
George has been my Go-To guy (and, everyone else’s) and there is nothing he cannot fix nor replace nor install nor tear apart and re-build. He’s done all that and more for me. He’s what you would call, a “Keeper”, a very nice guy. But, here’s his best-kept secret. George hailed from Guilford, Maine, where he owned a restaurant called “Flatlander’s”. He’s an extraordinary Chef who has been donating and sharing his culinary talents for the eleven years he’s lived in Aspen. So, it’s not-for-nothing that I chose him to taste my Stone Soup.
Everything in my ‘fridge went into my soup pot: carrots, onions, celery, Yukon potatoes, and yams. Garlic and fresh ginger were the spices-of-choice. Chicken broth, my base. After separating out the to-be-pureed batch, I tossed in slivers from half a roasted chicken.
The Stone Soup with Chicken was so hot, George stepped outside for a cool-down.
Caught in the Act – Complimenting me on “just the right spices”.
George took his job seriously, trying the chicken version on the porch, it was steaming hot! I think he favored the pureed version, which he said was flavored perfectly, because he had two bowls. This Stone Soup teams perfectly with a Sterling Vineyards “Merlot”, 2008, which we drank, off-camera. Although George had clocked out, he still maintained his standards, after all!
Oh, yes, another good thing about him? George is a very Good Sport.
