The Base Factor

All it takes is a few basic ingredients and you can mold anything to your liking. Yes this statement holds for life too.

I had recently driven a good many hours to attend a soiree and completely frustrated because it was a weekday. I had been specifically hounded to attend the same and thought better than to diss a personal invite.

On reaching the destination and looking up thankfully at the place, I was glad that I could finally trudge up to a table and order a drink to calm my nerves. As I stepped into the elevator a screech outside set many things in motion. The liftman’s eyelids flew open and he sprung up from his lazy stupor on the wooden stool making sure his hand was on the button which keeps the door open, the guard rushed to the gate to open it wider and I could see a flurry of activity with atleast four valets gushing over a black Mercedes convertible.

A door opened, out stepped a black high heeled shoe followed by the longest legs I have seen on this planet. The legs ended at a tight black leather skirt riding up to a curvy waist and suddenly there was a ruffle of white and I see a SWOFTY (Single Women over Fifty, pardon the sexism) sashaying up the cobbled path straight towards the lift. A little uncomfortable with her standing like a flabby penguin right at the elevator door; the liftman parking back on his stool his face right at her rump and me trying to melt into the lift sides as she checked me out blatantly from top to bottom.

I could breathe once again as the lift whined to its slow halt at the floor of my destination and knew this night was going to turn for the worse.

Walking into the place and being a food writer I did expect to see the usual suspects. In one glance, there was no one. But in that one glance I saw an orgy of plumed parrots fluttering about in multi hued flimsy dresses mostly women and all my mothers’ age. For a split second I thought I had entered the wrong party as this seemed to be a typical page 3 event and then I saw my host bouncing up at me with much delight.

Excited at having me over the host ushered me in quickly to meet with the owners of the establishment, who, not surprisingly, were nowhere in sight. I was unceremoniously dumped onto a table, thankfully with some sane strangers. As I grasped the sight around me with the flabby penguin chatting up another women with a strange ensemble of leopard print heels, purse and what one would call a short jacket and a body stifling blood red dress looking as though a leopard had just had his dinner, the host bounced up again with a sour faced owner ambling up behind. I was introduced and barely had I exchanged pleasantries when the owner decided to greet another revered guest and within a blink of an eye was air kissing another member to this circus.

I have no qualms against designer clothes, slightly pretentious behavior, even an ego trip as I usually leave such people alone but when you are thrust into such a situation you have nothing to do but make the best out if it. In other circumstances I would have done a U-turn and made a beeline straight out of the premises had the look on the sane table mates not been pitiful as they seemed to have had a similar experience. I sat myself down once again wanting to finish off dinner and swig down a drink before I was out of here.

The question here is basic courtesy. If you have invited ‘anyone’ be it big, small, large or medium in status and weight, it is absolutely the most impolite to not give importance as much as you would to your other guests. People are well heeled and obviously come from a royal background but it is often said that you can easily judge the character of a person by how he/she treats those who can do nothing for him.

Sadly, the host missed the opportunity to interact with an influencer and it would have materialized in an eventful acquaintance had the people realize that help or influence can come from the oddest of places. It is multiplied several times if the personality is mellow, calm and hospitable.

I believe common courtesy is the most important trait of any human being. It is imbibed in us since the time we are born and honed with several base factors in life such as upbringing, education and interaction with your fellowmen. Somewhere along the way, few lose their path due to materialistic pleasures and reasons and these are the kinds who lose every ounce of humanity when it comes down to the bigger things in life.

To sweeten things up, I made a few good friends in the few months of my entering the food industry. These cookies were specially conjured up for a good friend who on bringing a positive ‘look forward to’ attitude to my life moved away for a short while. The base factor of this friend is correctly measured and deserved a special bespoke creation especially since the base ingredients were in place but just to value add a little nuttiness and sweetness were added which matches their personality. You would be surprised that once you get the base cookie dough correct, to mold the cookies taste and character is a matter of choice and palate.

Nutty Pomegranate Cookies

Ingredients

Basic Healthy Cookie Base

• 1½ cups quick-cooking oats
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup ground flaxseed
• 1 tsp baking powder
• A pinch of salt
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• ½ cup light olive oil
• 1 tsp vanilla powder / 1 pod vanilla

For the value add:

• 1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh pomegranate

Preheat the oven to 180C. Butter your baking tray and keep ready.

In a large bowl, mix together the flours, flaxseed, baking powder and salt.

In another bowl whisk together eggs, brown sugar, vanilla powder and oil. Whisk till well incorporated.

Now pour the wet ingredients over the flour mixture and stir well. Add the oats ½ cup at a time (you may stop when you feel the mixture is too thick, at around a little less than that last ½ cup). Bind well till the mixture is a soft dough.

Toss in the pomegranate and the walnuts and gently work the fruit and nut into the dough, you have to be careful not to squish the pomegranate.

To proceed, scoop up a small ball of batter with a rounded large spoon. Press the batter in and un-mold onto the baking tray. Place a few more roundels set about and inch apart from each other.

Pop and bake in the oven for about 12 minutes or until golden. When slightly warm, place on wire rack and let them cool completely.

The cookie base is can be mixed with physically any great combination of ingredients, some of my favorite combinations being:

Chocolate Chip and Malt

White Chocolate Chip and Pepper

Vanilla and Prunes

Orange Peel and Ginger

Mix and match your favorite combos and add in any quantities, it will still taste as good.

As for my base factor, I hope I can match up to my expectations in the eyes of others.