Second Wind

I was exhausted when I got home today. I was actually falling asleep at 6:30. But somehow I muddled through working out, eating supper, doing a bit of laundry, knitting on Christmas gifts. Then I faced what I’d been putting off because I was too tired to think about it–making a dish for the office holiday party tomorrow. And here I am, dancing around to bluegrass ON TOP OF THE WORLD. Sugar and sherry and harmonies seem surefire fuel for a second wind.

I worked on this book at work, a reprint of Mrs. Dull’s Southern Cooking. (I can’t get the link to work right now, but you can find it on the press web site.)

In the back she lists menus, including some for traditional southern Christmas dinners. And she includes “syllabub.” Which I have never heard of. And I’m pretty southern, at least according to nonsoutherners I come across. (Except for the various folks I encountered in California who, based on my accent, thought I was British.) But the recipe reveals why we never had it in any of my family gatherings–it includes sherry. That’s alcohol! Shocking! What would Jesus think?

It is crazy easy to make with a KitchenAid with a wisk. In fact, you’re supposed to just pour the first three ingredients in and let them sit for ten minutes. So I went to play on the computer and iTunes and looked up Patty Loveless, who I heard on the radio today, which reminded me how much I love her voice and harmonies (though not most of her popcountry song choices), which reminded me how in grad school I’d listen to my CD and dance around the house and use the inspiration in my stories. I lost my Loveless music in the divorce (yes, ironic), so I’ve been living without, but fortunately the Internet gives a quick fix, so I splurged and downloaded “Daniel Prayed,” “Rise Up Lazarus,” and “The Richest Fool Alive.” Ahhh. While singing at the top of my lungs, I danced into the kitchen, poured in the sherry, and flipped on the KitchenAid. And maybe took a nip.

And after dancing and singing a while, I went to check on it, and here’s what I got.

Mmmmm. It’s basically whipped cream with sherry. It seems more like something you’d garnish with, but it’s actually served alone as dessert. I’m going to grate some nutmeg on it before serving, I think. Other coworkers are bringing stuff from the cookbook, so should be a fun, delicious time. I’m so excited, I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep.
[Edited to add: It’s probably best to follow Mrs. Dull’s instructions and serve right away. Due to time constraints, I refrigerated overnight, and the next day it was still tasty but a different texture and was more a solid dessert than a frothy drink.]