Showtime

I’m missing theatre. Watching it, performing it, being around it. But most importantly, I’m missing the comraderie of working with a group of individuals to make a unified and entertaining whole. Each project is different, and each group becomes a team at the least, a family if it all works the way it should. The feeling of waiting for the show to begin. As an audience member it’s just sitting out there in anticipation. Behind the curtain (or down in the kitchen) it’s a countdown: “10 to Places! 5 to Places! Places!” And you’re supposed to respond so the stage manager knows you’re ready, “Thank you, Places!” I don’t know when we’ll hear the phrase, “Places!” again in the near future, so I thought I’d dig back in my memories. And thinking about a group of individuals working to create a unified whole, I couldn’t help but think of Food Thunderdome at Cafe Nordo! I may not have been part of the acting team for this one, but the teamwork it took for ALL the participants was intense and unifying. And it made for an amazing weekend of theatre. This picture is from 2019. I was asked by the 14/48 Projects and Cafe Nordo to be one of four chefs for the first week of Food Thunderdome in May 2019. 14/48 specializes in play festivals with quick turnarounds. So a group of playwrights, actors and directors have 48 hours to write then rehearse, produce and memorize short one act plays. It’s a super fun concept, and for the past five years, they have been teaming up with Cafe Nordo for a yearly Food Thunderdome version. Cafe Nordo is a theatre and supper club in the Belltown neighborhood of Seattle. They’ve made a real name for themselves by combining stellar original pieces with gourmet food and cocktails. The concept for Thunderdome is pretty similar, but in addition to actors, directors and writers the team includes a chef. Four chefs, one for each course of a dinner, and the teams have a week to prepare. On Sunday evening, the entire group gets together and teams are randomly picked. There is also a theme for the week which is chosen at random as well. The chefs are randomly assigned teams, courses and a special ingredient. The course should be related in some way to the play the team is writing, the general theme, and must feature the special ingredient. The chefs then have 48 hours to come up with a recipe. The performances run Friday, Saturday and Sunday and the house seats around 60 people. For your info: https://www.cafenordo.com/ (they are doing an amazing job of organizing take-out experiences for this challenging time. Totally worth checking out!). And here is the link for 14/48 Projects: https://www.the1448projects.org/

In 2019 when I participated (which was the last one, since Covid ended hopes of a 2020 Thunderdome), the theme was “This wasn’t supposed to happen”. I was given the dessert course. They pick the ingredients by numbering a list of them and then the chef rolls the dice to determine the one. There was a long list of ingredients and once I was assigned dessert I stood there looking at them wondering how on EARTH I was going to make dessert out of flank steak, or mushrooms, or leeks, or nutritional yeast! My heart was beating out of my chest. I was already nervous cooking with some terrific chefs and for many of my theatrical acquaintances, and now I had to make dessert with BEEF? Thoughts of Rachel Green’s Thanksgiving trifle on Friends was running though my head. And I thought, “Well…it would certainly go with the theme of This Wasn’t Supposed to Happen”! But I rolled the dice last. And they uncovered the Dessert list of ingredients. Still had some wacky ones on there, but yeah, much more appropriate. I breathed deeply and rolled. Strawberry! Ok, Ok, I thought, I can work with this.

The writer and I talk. She’s a comedy writer. Writes about friends, women’s friendships, she had a thought about setting her play on a ship, maybe a celebration, an engagement party? Our cast were all women. :)

So I went home, and started planning. My first thought was what could I make that would be relatively easy to make in large quantities and not suffer in quality? Frozen desserts work because you can premake them and then just plate them at the last moment. They don’t take the ovens or stoves away from your apps, entrees and sides. So, strawberry…what? Ice Cream? Boring. Popsicles!! Everyone loves popsicles! Ok. Strawberry popsicles then. But what makes them special? Different? There needs to be something that adds a little celebration to it (to go with the play itself) and a little unexpected to go with the main theme of the weekend. A classic pairing…champagne and strawberries! A little sparkle and celebration. I had it. There was only one problem. The Nordo kitchen just didn’t have room to store that many popsicles. So that was out. But then it hit me, like a lightning bolt of culinary brilliance. What’s unexpected about a popsicle? When. It. Melts. “Melted Strawberry-Champagne Popsicle”. I could make a thick smoothie, serve it in a glass and even put a popsicle stick in it! So I started testing. Frozen Strawberries, sugar, cream, ice, champagne. It was too thin. Hmmmm. What about condensed milk? It’s sweet, and would give it that fruit pop texture. AHA! That worked. And my good ideas kept coming…you know what would be so cool? Put strawberry pop rocks on top of the glass and watch the diners’ eyes as they explode in their mouths! A secret sparkle! Unexpected.

So I buzzed up a batch with fresh strawberries, frozen strawberries, condensed milk, a squeeze of lemon to brighten the flavor and a splash of champagne! Topped with a dab of whipped cream, (added a small strawberry jam thumbprint cookie to help the pop rocks stay dry) a sprig of mint, and a shower of strawberry pop rocks. Oh, and don’t forget the popsicle stick! Until the next “Places!”, here’s the finished product for you: (Thank you, Places!)

“Melted Strawberry-Champagne Popsicle with a Secret Sparkle!”

1 C. halved fresh strawberries

1 C. frozen strawberries

1/2 to 1 C. sweetened condensed milk (to texture)

Fresh squeezed juice of half a lemon

1/2 C. Prosecco or Champagne (if non-alcoholic, use cream, water, or juice)

1/4 C. granulated sugar

Combine all in a blender until the correct consistency.

Top with whipped cream, any cookie you like, and a sprinkle of pop rocks!

Adjust to any of your specifications, and don’t forget the popsicle stick!!