Hot Toddy Rum Sauce

Instructions

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   Heat sugar and water in saucepan until sugar dissolves completely and syrup thickens slightly. Remove from heat and add butter. Stir in rum. Return to heat briefly

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   to heat through. Serve over plum pudding, spumoni ice cream or sliced bananas and cream. See also: Chocolate Fudge Sauce Orange Butter Sauce Cranberry Sauce

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   Sunday, Sunday In the town that lies close to the Inn, Sunday always arrives the same way. Regardless of the weather, the first light of dawn softens the everyday sharp contours of the empty town streets. If you sleep with your window open and wake early enough, you can hear the bells ringing from the Church a mile away. There is a different feel to Sunday mornings, an almost ethereal stillness that allows itself to fold over the area only once a week. Even the news of the day, whether international, national, or the homegrown gossip variety, slows to a trickle and people become more reflective. Sunday is often called the “Sabbath” which derives from the Hebrew word “shabbat”, which means “cessation” or “rest”. A lot of people use Sunday to catch up on their sleep and therefore employ, and enjoy, the literal meaning of the word. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, Genesis records the first Sabbath as a moment of Divine inspiration: “So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it because on it God rested from all the work He had done in Creation.” This is not fatigue but rather the restful satisfaction of completion. Yet, the true Sabbath transcends religious differences, and in fact may only be symbolic of the Sunday frame of mind: Jews and Seventh Day Adventists celebrate and repose between sunset Friday and sunset Saturday; Muslims on Friday; Buddhists on Sunday. Even those who don’t consider themselves religious have rituals they observe. Some read the Sunday paper, poring over each item and feature with an unhurried thoughtfulness. Others go for a stroll in the park and feed the wildlife. Others visit with family and friends. At the Inn, we welcome all the diversities, as well as the similarities. One need only to be seeking good food, pleasant company and respite from one’s normal day-to- renewal. As one of the locals said, “Coming to the Inn every Sunday is like a mental health day for me!” We’re always glad that they do. Sunday brunch should be a leisurely, special meal. Unlike everyday

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   breakfasts where one is hurrying on to other activities, and unlike lunch that is often, literally, “sandwiched” between appointments, brunch is an in-between sort of time of day, and should be a time to prepare slightly more elegant dishes, with time given to savor them. Brunch should always start with fresh juice. It takes extra time to prepare but tastes so much better than any pre-packaged kind. If you don’t like citrus juices like orange or grapefruit, try a vegetable juice like spicy tomato, or carrot. I don’t know why all the great, and famous, coffees, seem to originate in Europe. Perhaps they’ve learned the art of relaxing and truly savoring their food and drink. Here are some morning coffee recipes to sip while you read the newspaper or think about what you’re going to do today... Viennese Coffee For every cup of coffee, melt 1 oz. semisweet chocolate with 1 tablespoon heavy cream in the top of a double boiler. Gradually whisk in coffee until frothy. Pour into large coffee cups. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with cinnamon or grated orange zest. Belgian Coffee For each cup of coffee fold 1 beaten egg white into 1 tablespoon whipped cream and put into bottom of coffee cup. Pour in hot coffee until cream floats to surface. Garnish with cocoa powder. Cafe Brulot Combine 5 cinnamon sticks, 3 strips of orange peel and 2 stirps of lemon peel, with 1 teaspoon allspice and 8 cubes sugar in a chafing dish or skillet. Pour in 1 cup of Cognac and heat without stirring until the liquid is warm. Light the liquor with a match and stir until the flames go out. Pour in 6 cups strong hot coffee and stir. Strain and ladle into coffee cups.

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   But for those of you who prefer tea, the English are renowned for their fussiness when it comes to preparing a “proper cup of char”. I lived in England for a number of years, perhaps long enough for them to convince me that it really does make a difference in the taste. A “Proper” Cup of Tea A really good cup of tea always starts with tea leaves. This has the added advantage of allowing you a wider choice in the kind of tea you use. Just like wine, there are mild teas, mellow teas, and really sharp, strong teas, and there are marvellous flavored teas. Just be sure you always warm the teapot first. Place your tea leaves loose in the pot—one for each cup of tea, and “one for the pot.” Fill a kettle with fresh water. Never re-boil water for tea. Bring the water to a full rolling boil and pour into the teapot. Cover for 5 minutes and let it steep. Pour the tea through a fine mesh strainer into china cups. Tea should always be served in china cups, serving it in anything else is like serving beer in Styrofoam cups. Don’t worry, china nowadays isn’t those delicate flowery little cups your grandmother had a collection of. There are many modern, and manly, patterns and styles to choose from. Tea purists will demand their tea black, with perhaps a pinch of sugar to bring out the aromatic flavors. But for those who prefer a little milk in their tea, the “rule” is to pour the milk into the cup first, then add the hot tea. The tea then mixes itself, and believe me, it tastes different, although their is no scientific reason why this should be so, that I know of. Just try it. It does improve the taste. Puff the Magic Pastry and Devilish Crab Puffs