VANILLA LAVENDER ROMEO AND JULIET CAKE-FEBRUARY CHALLENGE-HAVE THE CAKE

A pairing of cheese and Guava paste make a Romeo and Juliet cake , here a totally vanilla cake , that has cheese in it , and covered with a 7hour home simmered perada, also with vanilla , and a little sprinkling of Lavender here and there...

I dressed up the cake as my imagination of Juliet , full of love ,as the shape of the cakes, with flowers and crystals pins in her golden hue'd hair , in long layered gowns of wispy lace , in pink....

Here shot , as rustically (ok sort of...) as might have been in the pathways and cobblestone ways of Europe...

Romance and love....so in the air...by 365....

Have the cake is the second group {the first one doesnt run anymore so this almost like first now}, i joined after joining in blogosphere!

I have lods of reasons as to why i have caught up inbetween one of the main being, i was without a laptop for a few months co our order was delayed by the company!

 Christmas time was delighting and we are thru the month of love , oh yeah lovee is in the air *365 and this is sooo wonderful!!

Its my turn to chose this months recipe and after going to and fro , around 4 , really wonderful but quick recipes  this one  finally  made me feel like i arrived home....jus fitted in ....for the month of love*365...

Before this one,I thought and baked and thought and baked ....and then baked some more and thought and came up with lodsss of baked goodies options, oh so right for valentines!

Some things dat will breathe love into the air after its baked.....in a rustic way....as if ur down the local coffee shop ,by cobblestones in Europe, having the most romantic holiday fo ur life and enjoying every min of dng so.... its the month of love after all and what could be better than the ROmeo and Juliet Cake , jus like the perfect pairing in love , {ok minus the tragic end}, here 's a perfect pairing of cheese and Guava paste....

Here's a link where u can make it easily at home or maybe buy it at a store , and well , if none of the options appeal to u ,dont fret , but go rite ahead and chose any pink /red, preserve/jam/jelly and make it ur own!

GOIABADA,PERADA,GUAVA CHEESE -THE GOA PORTUGUESA WAY

This recipe was born outa love ....for my mom , from whom i hear the fondest stories of her grand mommy making slices of perada , and filling jars and jars with them ,
 when they were kids...

I imagine mom , with her curly locks and dimple smile ,
 grabbing two little handfuls and more of these , and as she fondly and most cutely tells me how they took lods on the quiet , not coz she didn give it to them , but coz it was never enough...

I picture , all those hours of stirring , bend over wood fires ,
 in a mud pot and wooden laddle....
  ...and the excitement of the children when those sacks of guavas from their farms made their way home,
 well knowing what was going to be there in store for them in a few days from then.

Even as i write this , at 2.14 am , there is a large pot on the flame , with the guava pulp and sugar ,simmering away on low fire.

Yeah ,i have a few tricks up my sleeve , that i can afford to leave it un attended for awhile.

+ this time , im gng to split the time , like i'll have it simmering till i go to sleep , and then continue simmering tomorrow , which actually gives a better consistency.

 If u visit Goa too , Perada is a sweet every goan store stocks on and sells well ,not the spread variety but the bar variety..