Fanning the flames of friendship

and a recipe for a torta di mascarpone to share with your bestie

This is the season of lights.

Garlands of glittering white strung across doorways, twinkling fairy sparkles woven through wreaths, Hanukkah candles flickering through the window. As the seasonal festivities begin, we also begin to light our way out of the long tunnel of winter ahead.

Light has always guided us to wonder and hope. With every tiny beacon, an echoing gladness, a reminder that no matter how bleak the night, even the light of a single candle can cast away the deepest shadows.

Perhaps those lights are also there to remind us that there are beacons everywhere. And some of them spread light and joy that starts from within.

Feeding the fire that warms us 

The cycles of friendships are strange and wondrous things. Like some carefully built medieval fire, the foundation is laid with thoughtfully chosen bits and pieces. With the addition of each log, the warmth grows and spreads, until the fire is true, needing only a poke here or there to keep the flames aloft. The fire burns bright through long days and cheerless nights.

But even the best-tended flame can dwindle down to an ember. And as a fire needs to be continually fed to give us warmth, so too with friendships.

The ties that bind

Although Vera and I only met each other when we were in our 20s, we might have been sisters from a different mother. Born four days apart, the common threads of our childhoods showed a through line: children of immigrants, raised in deeply religious households, full of stern love, a work ethic that was ingrained and above all an abundance of food. Plus, apparently, matching haircuts and an inability to smile for the camera.

Over the years our paths have taken us on widely divergent trails, with an ever-growing geographic distance between us. And still that foundation, those embers, glowed bright.

And so it was that this weekend we were able to, finally and at last, connect after too many months of being apart and fan the flames anew. Birthdays past but joyfully celebrated; wine to top our glasses again and again, and of course, a table full of the most delicious food, lovingly prepared and generously served. And it was as if no time had passed at all.

I don’t know if it was a trick of the candles or some light refracting; what I’d like to think is that the tiny fairy lights that surrounded us were those embers, reminding us that they will always glow bright.

Torta di mascarpone

Serves 8

In honour of Vera’s recent trip to southern Italy with her partner, the menu of choice was an abundant spread of Italian dishes, mostly from Sicily. As is her way, Vera was worried that there wasn’t enough food. We, knowing her generous spirit, came hungry.

This appetizer torta is super simple and spectacularly good. Usually made with a combination of goat cheese, pesto and sun dried tomatoes, the use of mascarpone gives a lovely lightness and taste to the dish. Best of all it’s a make ahead breeze - perfect when you have much to catch up on and a fire to rebuild.

And if you want to experience Vera’s generosity yourself, you can visit her and her partner Gary at their fabulous bed and breakfast, Wicklow Manor, in Grafton, Ontario, just outside Prince Edward County.

Ingredients

16 ounces (454 grams) mascarpone

½ cup pesto (store-bought or homemade)

¼ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped

2 cups baby arugula, washed

Italian baguette, sliced and toasted, for serving

1. Line a 2 cup mold or small bowl with a piece of cheesecloth or plastic wrap so that it hangs over the edge. Spread 1/3 of the mascarpone in the bottom of the bowl and press down firmly to release any air bubbles, smoothing the top as you go. Spread half the pesto over the mascarpone, smoothing the top, then add chopped tomatoes.

2. Spread another 1/3 of the mascarpone over the tomatoes and top with the remaining pesto. Finish the torta with the remaining mascarpone and smooth it over the top. Cover the top with the cheesecloth or plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.

3. To serve, remove the cheesecloth or plastic wrap covering the top of the torta. Place a medium-sized serving plate over the bowl and invert gently to unmold the torta. Peel away the cheesecloth or plastic wrap. Rim the torta with the arugula, and serve with toasted baguette slices.