For the Christian to be driven or motivated toward personal resolution by a change of the calendar frankly seems a little superstitious… To say that January 1st is somehow the best day to make personal resolutions is to pattern ourselves after two societies that were completely steeped in paganism… For us to then say that we are most significantly convicted of the need for change in the days or weeks leading up to January 1st is to say that the Holy Spirit is somehow constrained or motivated by the same pagan system of days that motivated the Romans and the Babylonians… As Christians we know that we are to live in a continual state of repentance, always being sensitive to the necessity for change, always pursuing holiness, and always seeking to obey Christ. To wait until January 1st, viewing it as the one time each year when we make what we hope will be the most significant of these changes is to say that they were not just as necessary on May 7th, or August 19th, or any other day of the year.

Daryl Wingerd

CATEGORY	CUISINE	TAG	YIELD
Eggs	Italian		1	Servings

INGREDIENTS

3/4	c	Plus 3 tbs unsalted butter; room temperature
1	c	Sugar; (scant)
3		Eggs; room temperature
6		Egg yolks; room temperature
2	tb	Maraschino liqueur or 1/2 tsp almond extract; (up to 4)
3/4	c	Plus 1 tbs sifted all purpose flour
1/2	c	Plus 1 tbs yellow cornmeal; plus additional for pans
2 1/2	ts	Baking powder
1/2	ts	Salt
		Confectioner's sugar; optional

INSTRUCTIONS

Amor Polenta (Cornmeal Cake) will be the sweet ending to our Valentine's
Day Dinner. I can't resist this cake. It's simple, but rich like a fine
pound cake with the subtle flavor and crunch of cornmeal. So forget about
the calories and cholesterol and celebrate the "day of amour" with Amor
Polenta.
from "The Italian Baker" by Carol Field
Cream the butter and cup of sugar with a whisk, if you have one, of an
electric mixer until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes at medium
speed. Add the eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, beating thoroughly after
each addition. The batter should be lemony yellow. Stir in the liqueur.
Sift the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt together and fold into
the batter, smoothing out any lumps but taking care not to deflate the
batter. Butter 2 rehrucken (saddle of venison) pans (I use one 9x5 loaf
pan...honestly, how many of us have a rehrucken pan just waiting to be used
:-) and coat with cornmeal. Pour the batter into the 2 (or one) prepared
pan(s). Place in a preheated 375 degree oven and bake until a skewer
inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool on rack and
unmold while cake is still slightly warm. Sift confectioner's sugar on top,
if desired.
In the summertime I like to serve a slice of this cake with fresh
strawberries that have marinated in sugar and balsamic vinegar
(approximately 1 pint of sliced strawberries mixed with 3 tbs sugar and 1
tbs balsamic vinegar) and a big dollop of cool whip (yes, I know...it's not
REAL whipped cream, but I like it anyway!). My husband loves raspberries
and I am a chocoholic so for Valentine's Day I am going to place a slice of
cake on a pool of raspberry sauce (frozen raspberries, thawed and then
placed in the blender with sugar and lemon juice to taste and then strained
to remove seeds). A dollop of cool whip and a piece of Godiva chocolate on
the side will complete this lovely desert.
Posted to KitMailbox Digest  by ehgf@primenet.com (Ellen) on Feb 11, 1998

A Message from our Provider:

“Gratitude produces deep, abiding joy because we know that God is working in us, even through difficulties. #Charles Stanley”