Thursday, June 19, 2008

Sharp & Sweet


What are little girls made of? Sugar and spice and all things nice, right? If I was to describe kiddlette in culinary terms she'd be sharp & sweet and all things cerise. 75% of the time kiddlette is a honey child, she's all smiles, cuddles, pink tutus, and tinkly little girl tones. She looks like a doll with her straight blond hair and big blue eyes. 75% of the time she is a fabulous gal pal to hang around with. We shop, we lunch, we bake, we talk. She is funny and sweet and clever. Then there's that 25% when she lets her temper loose. No amount of reasoning or cajoling or even out and out bribery will derail her. It's like a hurricane, and all that you can do is hunker down and brave the storm. That's her sharp side, with it comes a stubborness and a wildness that makes for a very strong will. Secretly Kiddlette is the girl I wish I could be, there is something so strong about her, she is so firmly herself. Of course she's still very young. But it's hard to the walk the line of discipline and guidance, and just letting her be her. No manuals- right?
Anyway, this evening when I was making dinner, I was thinking how the sweet onion and sharp cheddar pie was so perfectly "Kiddlette". The dinner equivalent of her. The Vidalia onions are sauteed in butter until they are sweet &, and the cheddar cheese is so sharp and savory and it fills your mouth with a smart bite. The two together are in harmony. This is one of the reasons why I love cooking. There's room for meandering and random thoughts.

Sweet Onion Cheddar Pie

Roll out purchased (or, if you're ambitious-homemade) pizza dough, in a saucepan sautee in 2-3 tbsp. butter, 2 semi-thinly sliced vidalia-type onions until soft and sweet and golden brown. Add 1 tbsp. fresh thyme (1/2 tsp. dried ), fold in. Cover pizza dough with sweet onions, sprinkle 1 1/2- 2 c. grated sharp cheddar over onion layer. Fold dough over to form a crust. Bake at 375F until done. Next time I might incorporate some kind of mustard underneath the onion layer.

1 comment:

AMI said...

this looks delicious - i love new ideas!