William Powell's Baked Artichokes With Cheese

“Cultivate solitude and quiet and a few sincere friends..."

I wholeheartedly agree William as I pursue my weekend of self-imposed solitude. There has been much cooking and much writing already and tomorrow I will speak to no-one. I've done enough talking this week, now for some peace and quiet! I kicked off my Silver Screen weekend with some of Bing Crosby's Turkey and Eggs a la Crosby. I have perfected the single girl's portion - in a little buttered ramekin. So cute.

I've been really enjoying all the comments on the Gloria Swanson Competition post (see 1st March), love the fact that so many people are participating - both old friends and complete strangers. Adore the power of the internet.

Talking of old friends, fairly recently my writer-ex sent me a report on his rendition of William Powell's Artichokes. He said that they, "looked somewhat dramatic and decadent on the plate, like the head of a giant tulip and would have not been out of place in a mansion owned by William Randolph Hearst." What a fabulous mind picture! I wonder if WR and Marion Davies would have eaten them alongside their Rarebits! Writer-ex proclaimed them to be tasty but messy to eat, saying: "like eating a lobster, you get left with a lot of stuff behind. These fibrous leaves actually jammed up the waste disposal unit of my then girlfriend....but that wasn't the reason we split up."

Imagine if that had been the straw that broke the camel's back. When friends asked, "what happened?!" you could blame it on William Powell.

William Powell's Beets Piquants

"Cultivate solitude and quiet and a few sincere friends,
rather than mob merriment,
noise and thousands of nodding acquaintances."

I am trying to William, but it is DECEMBER and therefore I have the double whammy of Christmas and my birthday which, I'm afraid, always results in mob merriment. I guess I'll just have to relax and enjoy it...

I've been thinking a lot about dating this week. Ava persuaded me to try the dating website she's been using but it's just made me very depressed about the prospect of trying to get to know somebody via a short profile and a photograph. Would I have begun communication with William Powell for example, if this was his profile picture? Hmmm. I don't like this game. I'm going to forget about it all for a while.

It's a Silver Screen Sunday and I'm just about to retire to the kitchen to cook some Rum Jam for Christmas presents and some Beets Piquants to go with my fishcakes. I am going to seriously campaign for the Beets to replace the Artichokes for Mr Powell's recipe in the book. Although I know that my co-writer is not a fan of the beet...

Lupe Velez's Orange Flower Appetizer

All is right with the world. I have an afternoon of writing ahead, there is a casserole in the slow cooker and an episode of Columbo has just started on ITV. A perfect Sunday.

My most excellent weekend began on Friday with me being hostess for the book group. As we'd been reading "Me, Cheeta" it was a jungle themed evening with Paulette and myself sporting leopard print and preparing some Tarzan related foodstuffs together. First as a starter, Lupe's Orange Flower Appetizer which was quite, quite charming. Fun and easy to make - half a greengage with a little swirl of cream cheese making the centre of the flower and orange segments forming the petals. There was a complaint that I hadn't (as Lupe prescribed) presented it on crystal plates but that just made me more inclined to buy some - ebay here I come.

The William Powell Beets Piquants which accompanied Nigella's fishcakes were very much enjoyed. Deceptively simple ingredients yet again surprising the palate. Paulette's wonderful rendition of Johnnie Weissmuller's Apricot Meringue Pie rounded off the evening and I am very pleased to report that I have some leftovers in the fridge for my tea.

More good feminine energy was provided over the weekend by Joan and Bette. I nipped down to Brighton to see them yesterday and it was great to find them both in top form getting ready for the imminent arrival of their baby. Talked long into the night with Joan about volatile relationships. Fascinating...

William Powell's Beets Piquant

“I highly recommend worrying. It is much more effective than dieting.”

Well the worrying is over for Ginger. She exploded into the house yesterday evening with the fabulous news that she has scored a great new job with S&S. Yippee. We celebrated with a bowl of Beets Piquant and a glass of champagne. A very nice combination. We agreed that a big hairy steak and a healthy green salad might go down well with the beets for a big meal but Ginger was off to meet the in-laws for a family dinner and I was off to the Cafe de Paris for an industry party.

As I got purple beetroot juice all over my hands, the kitchen floor and the kettle I had a mini daydream about meeting a handsome new man at the party. Radio 2 broke my mood though as just as I started thinking about it they played a song with a chorus along the lines of, "You came on your own, and that's how you'll leave". And of course it was exactly thus...

William Powell's Baked Artichokes

“Dessert is probably the most important stage of the meal, since it will be the last thing your guests remember before they pass out all over the table.”

What are artichokes FOR? And how do they WORK? It remains a mystery. Although we did come to the conclusion that the fiddliness of the baked artichokes with breadcrumbs and gruyere and not much to get your teeth into would be EXACTLY the kind of "amuse bouche" that William would have with his "mixed drinks".