doctor, meeting, book club (lyn)

My phone rings at 1am.  It’s Alexander.  He’s a teen; he doesn’t notice time.  We talk until almost three.  I'd forgotten how difficult  being young can sometimes be.  (Not that growing old is such a picnic). 

I wake up tired.  I’m still trying to eat little.   And I have a busy day.   

I grab some Fage yogurt with fruit before leaving for an appointment at an endocrinologist.  I am prepared for a long wait.  I arrive on time at 12:30 and am told I should be out within an hour.  Another person in the waiting area complains to the front desk.  “I’ve been waiting for 45 minutes.  When will I see the doctor?”  she asks.  The bored receptionist (whom I’m sure hears the exact same question many times daily) indifferently replies, “You’re next.” 

An hour later, I ask the same question and am given the same answer.  Finally, I am introduced to the doctor.  Within a few minutes, I can see why the wait has been so long.  She is the chattiest doctor I think I’ve ever met.  Her children went to Horace Mann and her son went to Cornell.  We talk as much about our kids as we do about my health (which is good).  She has trouble finding my pulse, but since I know I’m alive, I'm not worried.  The rest of the exam goes well, and I’m out by three.

I have a meeting with my boss, Caroline, downtown, and arrive in the Wall Street area early.  I stop at a little French bakery and have a bowl of chicken, vegetable soup (excellent) and a skinny cappuccino. 

Caroline is running late, and our 4pm meeting starts at 5.  By the time I leave it’s 6:30, and Caroline and I walk for a while to Astor Place.  It’s  67 degrees and beautiful.  By the time I get on the uptown subway, it’s already 7:30 and I have book club tstarting now.  I go directly to Kathleen’s, who is hosting, and arrive famished.  I know I’ll not be able to eat smartly.  

Kathleen’s made a pasta salad that is great, but the real treat is Brie with jam in a pastry puff that is so good, everyone wants the recipe.  I know it’s not points-friendly but some things taste to good to ignore.

Brie En Croute

Ingredients

• 1 sheet of Pepperidge Farm Puff pastry sheets (not the pie crust)
• 8 oz. Brie or a small Brie wheel (they have them at Costco)
• ½ cup seedless blackberry (or raspberry) jam

Directions

• Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees
• Thaw the puff pastry and gently open it up.  There shouldn't be any holes or tears in it. 
• Spread the jam in the center, in approximately the shape of the cheese. 
• Put the cheese on the top of the jam and fold the pastry over the cheese, pinching the edges to seal.
• Line a pie pan with a sheet of foil and put the pastry on the foil. 
• Bake at 375 degrees  for 25-30 minutes, until browned on top and bottom. 
• When finished, lift the Brie en croute out of the pie pan (on the foil) and cool on a rack for 15 min-1 hour before serving.