winter lunch for one

A simple post I forgot to do last week. This is actually a post about cheese (not the first time, unlikely to be the last). Cass and I have been feeling the effects of being somewhat snowbound, with holiday cooking going on, and have been consciously shifting gears to lighter fare for the start of the year. So, in the spirit of things, I made this lunch. It was one of those nice days when there was a little sun on the snow, and I lingered over my pot of tea and worked on homework for next quarter.

Green beans, steamed until crisp tender. Topped with just a little butter, a bit of the steaming water, a little salt, and a good dose of fresh ground pepper.

A red bartlett pear, cut into wedges and cored, sauteed in about 1 tsp butter, 1 tsp brown sugar, and black pepper, with a shot of brandy. I cooked until the not-quite-ripe pear was softened, and the sugars were caramelized and browning. I really liked how this turned out; I think I'll try it for dessert sometime.

Two slices of sourdough, cut in half, topped with a bit of Snofrisk, and a small spoonful of lingonberries. Snofrisk is my new favorite, though I don't think it's very healthy. It's a Norwegian cheese made of 80% goat's milk, and 20% cow's cream. Hm. It tastes like chevre-flavoured cream cheese - so sinfully good. It comes in this little triangular plastic tub and you can find it at Whole Foods in the cooler with the pre-packaged cheese next to or near your fancier cheese area. This is one of my favorite ways to eat it - give it a go! Lingonberry preserves are available in a lot of places these days. My cheapies here are from Ikea.

And to drink? Murchie's Black Currant tea (black tea infused with black currants) that a friend brought back from Canada. One of my favorite ways to use up the leftover demerara sugar.