This past Sunday was definitely a winter's day, complete with temps around freezing, a tease of lovely snow, and a steady cold mix of sleet and rain and flurries for a good part of the afternoon. That means a smart chef would turn his attention to a pot of soothing soup, no? Because I remain ultimately satisfied with it, I stuck with the ultimate cream of roasted tomato soup from the ever-dependable folks at Cook's Illustrated, which is never a bad idea.
But I hankered also to pilot a new bread recipe, with grilled cheese sandwiches in mind. And here came author Crystal Wilkinson to fill that need, with a generationally-tested recipe for a hearty loaf that came out just right. Incredible flavor and unbelievably soft, it was awesome bread...but it did not stand up as well to the buttering and griddling as my peasant loaves. Still: there were no regrets by this patron of his own diner.
Awakening that morning to a 60-degree first floor wasn’t a shock, because I’ve been waiting for the heating system to once again blow its motor. Perhaps the cold snap was just the right stressor to this tenuous agreement, while the unit limps along into its nearing retirement (or euthanasia?). When Matt, who was on-call for my HVAC provider, got to the house mid-day, he was able to deliver good news: he got the system to re-start and it ran fine through a couple of cycles so that he could be satisfied it was back up and running. Just after he left is when it started to snow beautifully—outside, not inside!
Of course, the system being temporarily down made Sunday morning’s latest fire necessary (Fire No. 96 as these things are obsessively tallied). The ease of opening the chimney flue and simply striking a long match to the laid logs and lighter wood means there was a toasty warmth emanating in short order.
Losing the heat downstairs makes things harder but I don’t think I can rightly call it a hardship, and with the repair bill limited to the trip charge, I'll look ahead to some future day when the trigger is pulled on replacing the system—and I’ll cover that too. I’d best temper my urge to complain when I also know I can go where it’s not cold and still be in my home.
Count me on the exceptionally relieved side of the ledger, though, that we made it through all the holidays with all the company and events here before it acted up, even in this small way that was hardly inconvenient. An otherwise easy winter Sunday, a cozy fire, piddling kitchen pursuits, and a fresh loaf of bread...it was all good.
"Ultimate Cream of Tomato Soup," from Cook's Illustrated, November 1999. Recipe can also be found online at Cookography.com.
"Hearty Sandwich Bread," from Crystal Wilkinson. In Praisesong for the Kichen Ghosts. New York: Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 2024, p. 98-99.
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