By Brianna's week. Quiet apartment. Smoke-stained curtains and the hum of the window AC unit that's been threatening to die since June. I gave it a talking-to in July and it seems to have listened, but I don't trust it. Nothing that works that hard in Detroit summer heat should be trusted to keep going. I include myself in that statement.
Plant was standard. Hot. Loud. Jerome brought in a business plan template he printed off the internet Γçö twelve pages, clip art, the whole thing looked like a middle school project. I told him that. He said the presentation doesn't matter, the numbers matter. He's right. I hate when he's right. We went through it at lunch on the loading dock, sweating through our shirts, and the numbers aren't crazy. They're not comfortable either. But they're not crazy. He said we don't have to decide anything yet. He said just keep it in the back of your mind. Jerome doesn't know that it's not in the back of my mind. It's in the front. It's in every room. I'm standing at my station building Jeeps and thinking about smothered pork chops and what a thirty-seat restaurant smells like at noon on a Sunday. That's either vision or delusion and I honestly cannot tell the difference.
Tuesday night I made peach cobbler. Not for any reason except the peaches at Kroger were two pounds for three dollars and that's a sign from God or at least from the produce manager. Fresh peaches, sliced thick, tossed with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, a squeeze of lemon. Batter on top Γçö flour, sugar, baking powder, milk, melted butter, vanilla. Baked at 375 until the top is golden and the edges are bubbling and the whole apartment smells like Mama's kitchen in September. I ate it warm with vanilla ice cream standing at the counter at nine PM on a Tuesday because there was no one to tell me not to and that is both the sadness and the freedom of living alone.
Called the kids Wednesday on FaceTime. Aiden showed me a bruise on his shin from riding his bike. He was proud of the bruise. Boys are a mystery even when you used to be one. Zaria held up a drawing of a cat that looked like a potato with ears. I said it was beautiful. It was. She said his name is Biscuit. Of course his name is Biscuit. School starts in three weeks and my babies are growing and the peach cobbler is gone and Jerome's business plan is on my kitchen table next to the electric bill and I don't know what any of it means yet but I know it means something.
The peach cobbler was gone by Thursday — standing at the counter at nine PM has a way of solving that problem fast — but the instinct behind it stayed with me: when the produce is cheap and the week has been heavy, you make something sweet from scratch and you don’t apologize for it. This homemade strawberry dessert topping runs on the same logic. Fresh fruit, a little sugar, not much else. Spoon it over ice cream, spoon it over cobbler if you’ve got it, spoon it straight from the pan if nobody’s watching. Jerome’s business plan can sit on the table all it wants — this is the part of the evening that’s mine.
Homemade Strawberry Dessert Topping
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Prep the strawberries. Hull and slice strawberries into halves or thick slices. If berries are very large, quarter them so they cook evenly.
- Start the sauce. Combine strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir to coat the fruit and let it sit for 2 minutes until the sugar begins to draw out the juices.
- Cook down. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for 8–10 minutes, until the strawberries have softened and the liquid has reduced slightly.
- Thicken. In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water until smooth. Pour into the saucepan and stir well. Continue cooking for 2–3 minutes until the topping has thickened to a glossy, spoonable consistency.
- Finish. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract and lemon zest. Taste and adjust sugar if needed.
- Serve or store. Serve warm over vanilla ice cream, cobbler, pound cake, or pancakes. Store cooled topping in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to one week. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 85 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0g | Carbs: 21g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 2mg