Dark Chocolate and Orange Tart for the Dark Times
Dark Chocolate and Orange Tart topped with caramel shards, dehydrated oranges, caramelised walnuts and sea salt
I have been suffering from depression and what can be described loosely as something close to survivor’s guilt. This is owing to nothing personal but yet, something that means a world and more to a lot of us. It has got to do with the state of affairs since the Citizenship Amendment Act was passed by the Parliament. By the cruelest sleight of hand, the country has all of a sudden made likes of us more privileged than what we should be under a secular Constitution. I have been constantly try to think how my very close Muslim friends must be feeling at this point. There is so little that we can offer at this point other than solidarity.
Why I am writing this is because for the first time even cooking has failed to be my comfort. A state hitherto unknown to me. The kitchen has always provided me refuge at my darkest moments. Not in the last few weeks. I couldn’t bring myself to cook, let alone post about food. I broke out of my stupor on Christmas because it was a special lunch.
And then, last evening we decided to meet a bunch of new friends whom we got to know through social media and got talking because of our common values. After a certain age, that is only kind of friends one should choose. So when we decided to meet over dinner last evening, and I was to get the dessert, I finally shook out of my inertia and put my mind to it. As I was working through this, I realized, kitchen indeed was my comfort. And complicated desserts the best diversion.
So, here it was – a dark chocolate and orange tart, topped with caramelised walnuts, dehydrated oranges, caramel shards and flakes of sea salt. The outcome did make me feel a bit like a proud mother goose.
With a prayer that may the struggles pass, and may there always be something sweet to sweeten our lives and bring happiness to our hearts.
