Métier Book Club: February 2021
Extra! Extra!
14 February 2021
WHAT WE'RE READING
STUNG WITH LOVE: POEMS AND FRAGMENTS BY SAPPHO
Will 2021 be the year of the poet? With the formidable Amanda Gorman reciting her work at the inauguration and the Superbowl and writers like Cleo Wade and Rupi Kaur climbing the bestsellers lists whilst also clocking up millions of followers on Instagram, it certainly is looking that way. But this Sunday, we are going back to basics by spending some time reading Stung With Love - Poems and Fragments of Sappho.
Born 630 BCE on an island in the Aegean Sea, Sappho is one of the most iconic, mysterious and supremely gifted poets to have ever walked this earth and certainly the first female to be firmly etched into the literary canon. Plato called her his tenth muse, the Greeks put her face on coins and vases and generations of writers, from antiquity to the present day, celebrate her breathtaking lyric genius. Although 90% of Sappho’s work is estimated to have been lost, what remains is still so vivid and timeless that we get a powerful insight into the amorous vulnerability, curiosity and appreciation of the truly beautiful that signifies her poems. We are overjoyed that the reverberation of her voice is still with us to this day and that so many exciting new ones are emerging all around!
"FEEL ME–WHAT THE NEW SCIENCE OF TOUCH SAYS ABOUT OURSELVES" BY ADAM GOPNIK
As this Valentine’s Day won’t go down in history as particularly tactile for a lot of people, we are especially fascinated by Adam Gopnik’s article Feel Me - What the New Science of Touch Says About Ourselves from our favourite magazine archive at The New Yorker.
WHAT WE'RE DRINKING
We think there is nothing better to have in your glass right now than the Austrian stunner Gut Oggau Family Reunion Rose, 2016. It was a tough year for this biodynamic producer with heavy frost and hail-storms which decimated a large part of their harvest. The yield was tiny but resulted in some of their most remarkable bottles to date as they had to become very creative and blend grapes in a way they had never tried before.
Usually, each wine is dedicated to a particular family member whose personality is thought to be perfectly matched with the content of the bottle and their portrait is featured on the label, beautifully drawn by the German artist Jung von Matt. However, because of the complexity of the vintage and the groundbreaking mixing of grape varieties, Gut Oggau “decided to let the family members unite, to go for a family reunion”. (As you will see if you examine the artwork!) The result is a deep, luscious pink wine with rich, spicy, yet fresh notes, unlike anything we’ve ever tasted. If you want to join us in raising a glass to love and creativity in challenging times, you can get yours from Buon Vino.
WHAT WE'RE COOKING
As a decadent finale, we will finish off our Valentine’s Day with a slice (or three) of this incredible chocolate cake from our friends at King restaurant in New York City. Despite the recent blizzard, they have been cooking up a storm and welcoming diners as well as delivering exquisite meals to enjoy at home for those residing in The West Village and Soho. For those of us living further afield, we will have fun baking our own! Chocolate bliss at its best.
KING CHOCOLATE CAKE (FOR 12” CAKE TIN)
INGREDIENTS:
2 1/4 cups of dark chocolate (70% in small pieces)
9oz butter
1 1/3 cups sugar
8 large eggs
METHOD:
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Line the sides and bottom of the tin with parchment paper.
- Gently melt the chocolate and bugger together over a double boiler on a very low heat.
- Allow to cool slightly.
- Separate the eggs, and beat the yolks together with the sugar until light and voluminous; almost doubled in size.
- Fold in the melted chocolate and combine.
- Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks and gently fold into the batter using a metal spoon or spatula.
- Pour into the cake tin (lick the bowl?!) and bake for 20-30 mins, until cooked but still a little soft on the inside.
- Serve with lashings of crème fraîche.
