An Uncommon Family - Christa Polkinhorn, Author

Tiramisu à l‘orange

(A Christa favorite)

Ingredients:

1 package of lady fingers

juice

of 4 to 5 oranges (4 is usually enough)

a shot

of Grand Marnier or Cointreau (optional)

250

• grams mascarpone
• 500
• grams sour cream
• grated
• skin of two oranges
• 120
• grams of sugar
• 1
• package of vanilla sugar or a shot of vanilla extract

Cover

the bottom of a bowl with a layer of lady fingers.

Pour

the orange juice and the Grand Marnier or Cointreau over the lady fingers, so

that the lady fingers are just covered.

Mix the

mascarpone, sour cream, sugar, vanilla sugar, grated orange skin and pour

the mixture over the lady fingers.

Keep in the refrigerator for a few hours, preferably

overnight.

Dust with chocolate powder

(optional).

An Uncommon Family – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of

Stir, Laugh, Repeat and Think With Your Taste Buds – Desserts

“Mama?” she whispered. She saw the woman only from

behind, but the bounce in her step, the long, reddish-blond hair flowing down

her back, swaying left and right, the tall, slender figure – it must be her

mother. She tossed the rest of the ice cream into the trash can, got up,

and ran after the woman. “Mama!” she called as the woman got ready to

cross the street. The light turned from blinking red to solid red, just

as the woman reached the other side. Karla rushed after her, barely

aware of the honking around her or of the shrill warning bell of the

blue-and-white streetcar. She heard someone yell at her but by then she

had arrived at the other side. The woman was walking along the river

toward the Lake of Zurich. “Mama, wait!” Karla bumped into

someone. “Watch it, kiddo.” A man stepped aside. “Mama…” The

woman finally turned around and looked back, scanning the people behind her,

then walked on. Karla stopped dumbfounded. It as the face of a

stranger.

Six year old Karla is devastated when she realizes the

woman she followed wasn’t her mother. The disappointment she felt when

finding out she had been mistaken brought her to her tears causing her to fall

and skin her knees. Jonas Bergman was walking by at that time and helped

the little girl up and tried to ease her pain until her Aunt Anna made it to

her side. When Karla explained that she thought the lady was her mother,

Anna had to explain to not just her but Jonas as well that her mother wouldn’t

be coming back. Karla’s mother and grandmother had both been killed in a

car accident. This was something that Karla knew but wasn’t ready to

accept.

After her sister and mother were killed, Anna took custody

of Anna. She was a single woman with memories of a happier, yet

devastating time when she was younger. Twenty years ago she was married

to a wonderful man and living in New York. Live couldn’t be

better. But it could be worse and that’s exactly what it became.

Jonas was a widower. The love of his life had died of

cancer leaving him with an emptiness that no one would ever fill again.

His life now consisted of his art work and teaching. And after seeing

some of Karla’s work, he knew she would be a master student.

Now, can you take 3 very lonely people and make them into

one happy family? Can you take the lack of trust from a woman that has

been hurt so badly that she swore to never trust another man and turn her into

a loving companion? Can you take a man who spends his free time talking

to his deceased wife as if she is there and convenience him to take a step

toward healing and happiness? This is what Karla and her best friend

Maja plan to do.

An Uncommon Family was an extremely heart touching

book. When I read a book to review I normally make notes or post

stickies on pages marking events I want to remember. I didn’t do that

with this book. I didn’t have time. I became so engrossed that I

turned page after page and forgot the notes. This is a truly beautiful

story about love and the loss of love.