Hot Day in Port Hope

Since our last meeting, a few of us had the opportunity to visit the bench that Tom arranged to put up in memory of Maureen. It is in a lovely location, along the Waterfront Trail near their condominium (2267 Lakeshore Blvd West). Its precise placement is shown on google maps at this link, which also shows photos of the bench, the view of the lake and snaps of people who have visited it. Liam is going to post one of the  photos that were taken when we visited.

In contrast to the unseasonably cool temperatures we had for the May meeting at Jo's, the weather for our June meeting was hot and steamy. We were very happy to escape from Toronto and meet in Port Hope, where Jan and Jane graciously co-hosted us. We were treated to delicious snacks and lunch at Jan's house, and then to a scrumptious Eton Mess dessert at Jane's. Our book for June was The Mighty Red which we agreed was a very interesting read, because of its cross-section of quirky, plucky characters and the challenges they faced, as well as its reference to an array of environmental, historical and economic issues. Many thanks to Jane and Jan for working in the midst of the heatwave to make our day so enjoyable!

We will be meeting at Saara's in July--likely July 23rd but this will be confirmed. We will be reading The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue.

In August we will be reading Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe. We will be meeting at Wanda's on August 27th.

Books we discussed:

• The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
•  Fire Weather: a True Story from a Hotter World by John Vaillant
•  The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
•  The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Some things we are watching:

• The Lesser Blessed on Gem
•  Outrageous on BritBox: 

Eton Mess

Prep 15 mins

Total 15 mins

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 pound (454g) strawberries, washed, hulled, and quartered

• 8 ounces (227g) raspberries

• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (1 ounce; 30g)

• 1 teaspoon lemon zest, finely grated from 1 lemon

• 7 ounces (200g) homemade meringue cookies or store bought

• 1 1/2 cups (360ml) heavy cream

• 1/4 cup (28g) powdered sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, toss strawberries and raspberries with sugar and lemon zest to evenly coat. Set aside.

2. Place meringue cookies in a zip-top bag and, using a rolling pin or a wine bottle, crush until coarsely ground. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer or hand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk heavy cream, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt on medium speed until medium soft peaks form, about 4 minutes.

4. To Assemble: Cover bottom of each of four 12-ounce glasses with 2 tablespoons of the prepared berries. Top with a layer of whipped cream, followed by crushed meringue cookies. Repeat until glasses are full. (Alternatively, you can assemble Eton Mess in a large serving dish, such as a trifle bowl.)