Candle light and a visit of a mystery guest. While overseeing the canals of Amsterdam and with street lights flickering in the evening, we are comfortable inside. Amsterdam in early December is as good as you can imagine.We forget that we are tired from the early wake up call in Rabat. It has been almost two years for the girls that they were here for the last time. A taxi brings us straight to the apartment of the painter and her lover. The steep stairs are waiting for us after the front door and bring us to the fourth floor. The canal house is situated along the largest canal of Amsterdam: De Oude Waal. The room has a view and we admire the tall canal houses at the opposite side from the canal. House boats in the canal, women in fancy outfits on their bikes. I enjoy the clouds and do love these famous Dutch skies. Sweets at the table and a Jewish ginger cake. The dough is so good. Solange is in a winning mood: being in Holland, friends, family, cousins and all the food she likes is at the table. The table is nicely decorated and the ambiance is just right. The light is soft, the blue violet flowers are exactly fitting with the pastel colours of the season sweets. These small meringues figures are all about Saint Nicolas and his attributes. In the meantime David prepares home made pasta with the girls while they try to walk around with the high heels of the painter. Evening falls. A knock on the door and a notion of expectation. A slip of his red coat, his mitre and his golden staff. The Saint is here!
David's recipe: Jewish ginger cake
Butter 250 gr, 180 gr of brown sugar, 225 gr of flour, 1 egg and some salt. One can of ginger in juice. make a crumble dough and put it in the cake form. Use the tips of your fingers to distribute the dough at the buttered bottom. Cut the ginger in small pieces and put these on the dough, don't use the juice.
