Widow's Tears (37 page)

“Galveston: A City Transformed.” A significant archival collection of letters, photographs, oral histories, and other materials, from the pre-storm and post-storm periods. Rosenberg Library: Galveston and Texas History Center. http://www.gthcenter.org/exhibits/storms/index.html (accessed Feb. 27, 2012).

Isaac's Storm: A Man, A Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History
, by Erik Larson. New York, NY: Vintage Books, 1999. A compelling account of the Galveston Hurricane, from the point of view of the weatherman who failed to predict it. Isaac Cline's detailed report of the hurricane is available online: http://www.history.noaa.gov/stories_tales/cline2.html (accessed Feb. 27, 2012).

Through a Night of Horrors: Voices from the 1900 Galveston Storm
, edited by Casey Edward Greene and Shelly Henley Kelly. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 2000. A remarkable collection of oral and written histories (many previously unpublished) collected from the storm's survivors.

A Weekend in September
, by John Edward Weems. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 1957, 1980. The first comprehensive, chronological account of the storm, gathered from interviews with storm survivors. Excellent photographs.

When the Heavens Frowned
, by Joseph L. Cline. Dallas: Mathis, Van Nort & Co., 1946. The autobiography of Isaac Cline's brother, also a weatherman, who has his own hurricane story to tell.

Tomato Quiche with Basil and Green Onions

Quiche is a perfect dish for a light lunch or a quick supper. Served with soup, it's extra-special!

TO MAKE THE CRUST:

Heat oven to 425°F. Prepare piecrust, adding minced rosemary to flour mixture. Roll out dough. Place in 9-inch pie plate or quiche dish and flute the edge. Bake 10 minutes. Set out to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 350ºF.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:

Sprinkle chopped green onions over bottom of pie shell and top with mozzarella cheese. In a food processor or blender, combine oil, basil, pepper, and garlic. Blend at high speed until smooth; set aside. With an electric mixer, beat eggs in large bowl until foamy. Add evaporated milk or half-and-half, ricotta cheese, and ½ cup Parmesan cheese. Beat on low speed to blend well. Continuing to beat, gradually add oil-basil mixture. Pour over cheese and onions in pie shell. Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven and top with tomato slices. Return to oven and bake an additional 25 minutes, or until center is firm (if serving hot). Immediately sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese. If serving warm or cold, remove from oven when center is barely firm: it will firm up as it cools.

Spring Green Bisque with Spinach and Basil

Luncheon soups have a special flair when they come straight from the garden to your table.

In a large pan over medium heat, sauté onion and garlic in the olive oil until the onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
(Be careful not to burn the garlic.) Add the peas, spinach, and basil. Cook, stirring, until the peas are thawed and the spinach and basil leaves are slightly wilted. Pour mixture into a blender or food processor. Add 1 cup of the broth and puree, adding more broth if necessary. Return the pureed mixture to the pot. Stir in the remaining broth and the sour cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. Return the pan to medium heat and cook until hot, but not boiling. Place soup in four bowls. Garnish with chopped red bell pepper and grated Parmesan.

Ruby's Romaine Salad

A treat to look at, as well as a taste treat!

To roast the pepper, slice it in half, remove the seeds and stem, and place under the broiler, peel-side up. Broil until the skin chars. With tongs or a fork, quickly place in a dish and cover tightly; allow to steam for a few minutes. Then pull off the charred skin and chop. Tear greens into bite-size pieces and arrange in 4 serving bowls. Add chopped peppers, sliced mushrooms, sliced onion, and Parmesan cheese. Toss with Orange-Ginger dressing.

Place all ingredients in blender and mix until well blended. Cover and chill for several hours to blend flavors.

Two-Bean Soup with Herbs

A hearty bean soup is welcome for lunch or supper. This one is quick and easy with canned beans, or substitute your own home-cooked dry beans. Pair with hot cornbread for an extra treat.

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in large pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté until onions are soft, about 12–15 minutes. Add herbs and blend. Add broth and beans. Bring soup
to boil; reduce to medium-low and simmer until flavors blend, about 10 minutes. In batches, transfer soup to blender and puree until smooth; return to pan. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle hot soup into 4–6 bowls. Top with green onions and a dollop of sour cream.

Garden-Style Cornbread

Cornbread is a tasty partner with bean soup. This garden-style cornbread, chock-full of veggies, has a lot going for it!

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 × 12–inch baking pan or a large cast-iron skillet. In a mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, eggs, and oil, and mix well. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in the vegetables and grated cheese. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 35 minutes, until a tester comes out clean.

Rose-Geranium Pound Cake with White Chocolate Glaze

This traditional recipe has appeared on tea tables for several hundred years and is a special favorite with herb gardeners. If you don't have rose-geranium leaves, try peppermint, lemon, or lemon-rose.

Preheat oven to 340ºF. Butter and flour a 10-inch tube pan (angel food cake pan). Line bottom with 6 geranium leaves. Sift together flour, cocoa, and salt. Mix well and set aside. In large mixer bowl, beat butter at medium speed until creamy. Gradually add 1
²
⁄
₃
cups sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Set aside. In small mixer bowl, beat egg yolks at high speed until thick and lemon-colored, about 5 minutes. At medium speed, gradually beat egg yolks into butter-sugar mixture. Add sifted flour mixture alternately with half-and-half, beating until smooth after each addition. Beat in rosewater or vanilla. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat egg whites at high speed until soft peaks start to form. Gradually add 1 cup of sugar, beating until stiff, glossy peaks form. Fold this meringue into the batter. Pour into prepared pan, spreading evenly. Bake on bottom rack of oven for 1¼ to 1½ hours, until tester inserted near center comes
out clean. Cool in pan set on rack 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Carefully remove leaves. Cool on rack.

Melt white chocolate in top of double boiler over hot water, stirring often until smooth. Place cake on serving plate. Drizzle glaze over top. Garnish with rose-geranium leaves and blossoms.

Most of the plants that appear in this book have also been used to convey meanings in the Victorian language of flowers. Here is a list of their traditional associations, selected from florigraphic dictionaries, to illustrate their use in the story.

Chaste tree (
Vitex
sp.):
chastity, aloofness, separation

Cherry tree:
a good education

Coreopsis:
cheerfulness, gladness, love at first sight

Cypress:
death, protection from evil

Dead leaves:
melancholy, sadness

Feverfew:
protection against fever, illness

Holly:
“Am I forgotten?”

Hollyhock:
ambition, abundance

Honeysuckle:
Generous, devoted love

Iris:
“I bring you a message”

Juniper:
asylum, sanctuary, protection against evil spirits

Lantana:
rigor, severity, sharpness

Larkspur:
lightness, swiftness

Mistletoe:
protection against storms

Mock orange:
memory, but also disappointment and deceit