Zoe's sitting in her high chair, fat and happy this morning, while I'm standing over my red Kitchen Aid mixer. The batter is looking great- light a fluffy with the distinct smell of butter and chocolate. I scrape down the bowl and then use my finger (washed, of course) to scrape the remaining batter from spoonula to bowl. As I have done a million times before, I bring my finger close to my mouth, ready to get what's due every cook- a taste-test. Before I get to taste the gooey yummyness that is "Chocolate Butter Cake" I stop.
Alas, it is only Holy Saturday. We have yet to break the fast with jubilant cries of "Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!" We have Lamented (last night) and this morning in Liturgy we will get a glimpse, as did the myrrh-bearing women, of Christ's Resurrection. But it is only a morning glimpse.
I must wait for for this victory celebration for a few more hours. And what difficult hours they can be! The ingredients used for baking and cooking all of the wonderful foods that we have denied ourselves all of these weeks- eggs, cream, cheese and butter- are strewn on the counter. A cake bakes in the oven while hard-boiled eggs become devilish. And if your family is one who traditionally roasts a lamb for your Pascha basket, "woe is you" during these hours before the Feast! The smells, oh the smells.
This preparation is Lent's last, and possibly greatest, temptation!
For tonight:
CHRIST IS RISEN!
CHRISTOS ANESTI!
So true. I always marvel that I make it through the baking without tasting. I have spanakopita baking in the oven right now and it smells so good!!! I made my own Russian tvorog (cottage cheese) this year and I couldn't stand not to be able to sample it to make sure it was OK. It smelled ok, so . . .
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