Ablaze in Miami
It’s hot everywhere this summer, but even more so in South Florida
Venturing south last week, we traded the muggy Mid-Atlantic for the blazing sun and violent thunderstorms of South Florida. Searing heat kept us indoors in the AC or floating in the backyard pool. Florida weather in August is as extreme as Wyoming’s in January, but the opposite way. Our offspring do not believe in middle-of-the-road, temperate climates. They like to be tested.
We were on grandparent duty while Al and Mary attended a wedding in New York City. When I agreed to go down last spring, I did not consider the temperature or my own diminished capacity following surgery. But it turns out to have been the best possible scenario for resting up and lying low. At the last minute, John was convinced, against his better weather-tuned judgment, to come along, and that was a good thing.
I firmly believe that the only way to truly experience your grandchild’s personhood is to spend time without parents around. The children behave differently, individuals on equal footing. You bond over your shared mission to prove independence, and everyone wins. Especially the parents who get away.
We got to know 4-year-old Cormac, aka Coco, and came to rely on “Brother” and “Sister”, the teenagers, who emerged from their rooms and from behind their screens, at mealtimes and for tending their little bro at bath and bedtime.
Our first dinner on arrival was a Rancho Gordo bean soup that Mary made from The Bean Cookbook and slices of marinated and grilled wild boar from the special meat market. A soft landing and warm welcome. The next morning Mary and I went to the French Bakery down the street from them, and I vowed to go as often as I could. For fun that day, and to stay in the cool house, we made pasta from scratch and used up the cache of stone crab from Al’s last Biscayne Bay haul in May. The stone crabs had been cooked and frozen and tasted quite fresh in a tangy sauce from this NYT recipe.
Mommy and daddy slipped away early the next morning, and we were prepared for a firestorm of tears when the little sleeping dragon woke up—but there was none. He had his favorite deal-making breakfast, Froot Loops, and then headed outdoors to the pool with John—and stayed in the water for 90 minutes. He is amphibious.
Our oldest grandchild, now 20, Santana, came for lunch that day, and we used up the last pound of crab on crabcake sandwiches. Santana’s SO, Renn, accompanied him, and we were happy to meet her and hear about their classes starting next week at Miami Dade Community College. They met at work, at Salt & Straw in Coconut Grove, and we promised we would visit the next day to see them there. And we did, enjoying the twenty-minute drive on Old Cutler Road through a tunnel of banyan trees with Royal Palms on the cross streets.
The ice cream shop was busy on Saturday afternoon, but they still gave us lots of free samples of their interesting flavors. Coco and Larissa both had the vegan Strawberry Coconut Water Sherbet, with Sprinkles, and John settled on a Panther Coffee Chocolate Tres Leches. I opted for the Wildflower Honey and Lemon Chess Pie, though the Peaches and Cream Galette was hard to pass up.
We hung out on the bench in front of the shop after our early dinner of ice cream, and watched the cars go by. Coco wowed the tourists next to us by naming every Maserati, Audi, Porsche, and Lamborghini that cruised Grand Avenue, though he didn’t know the Chevys. We hoped to see the Waymo robotaxi again that we spotted when we first arrived in the Grove, but it took itself elsewhere.
When we got home, we snacked on leftovers until it was 9 and time for Coco to go to bed. We spoke about going to the Pinecrest Farmers Market early the next morning, and they were all in, but then decided not to go when it was time to get out of bed at 8 am. John and I slipped away and had fun checking out the vendors, especially one with the Mediterranean foods, and getting a Venezuelan breakfast arepa to share. Within an hour, it was too hot to walk around, so we headed home, where Coco and Larissa were rising.
Coco helped make labneh for a cheesecake for our special dinner to welcome home mommy and daddy, who arrived hot and bleary midafternoon. The tales of the wedding and weekend in NYC were lively; a wedding for 487 guests has a lot of color. Indian and Guyanese traditions dominated, as well as Millennial new practices. Not everyone met the bride, but everyone danced.
The next morning was our last full day in Florida, and John and Coco enjoyed a long poolside breakfast and watched the busy ants carry away the crumbs they had dropped. Mary never made bread, so we made a quick recipe that Coco helped pat into a loaf. Mary made a vegetable and lentil soup to go with the Mediterranean dips from the farmers market, tasty with the crispy pita chips and lemony grilled olives. Santana and Renn came for the final lunch, bringing 4 pints of Salt & Straw ice cream that was so melty Coco drank it like a milkshake.
Lunch lasted a long time, and our last supper was a continuation of it. Everyone was ready to move onward and upward—school starts in two days! We were leaving the next day at noon. We had time in the morning for another trip to the French Bakery for a final almond croissant, and John had a couple of little household tasks to complete. Al whisked us off to the airport midday, where we paused for a last Cortado, which we still don’t really understand, but we do enjoy the thick, rich espresso.
Goodbye, Miami! And hello first day of school!
Labneh Cheesecake
It’s easy to make labneh. Take a quart of plain, full-fat Greek yogurt and mix in 2 teaspoons of Kosher salt. Scoop the salted yogurt into a cheesecloth-lined strainer set over a bowl and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. You usually get 3 cups of yogurt cheese (aka, labneh) and one cup of whey from a quart. But it depends on the brand of yogurt. Cabot Greek Yogurt yields very little whey because it is so thick, but it’s all good. It’s a very forgiving recipe. The yogurt cheese is tasty as a spread, or to make into a dip or spread.
Or just buy the labneh. That’s what my sister Mary does.
Crust:
Any cookie, cracker, or pretzel crumbs will work. In Miami, Coco and I used Vienna wafers that we beat into oblivion with a rolling pin. Here at home, I made some with pretzels. Graham crackers are classic. Or—just buy an already prepared crumb crust and really simplify things. The pretzel crust needed a lot more butter to stick together.
1 ½ cups crumbs
4 tablespoons melted butter
3 tablespoons raw sugar (or white sugar or brown sugar—whatever you have handy)
Filling:
2 cups labneh (16 ounces)
1/3 cup sugar (I used raw)
2 large eggs (I used 3 because my eggs from the farmer were small)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, or other fruit for topping
Preheat oven to 325°F. Combine the crumbs, the sugar, and the butter in a medium-sized bowl and mix it with your hands to moisten all the crumbs. Spray a 9-inch springform pan or a pie dish and press in the crumbs evenly. Bake the crust for 10 minutes and cool on a rack before filling.
In a stand mixer or a large bowl, beat the labneh with the sugar and vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. When the mixture is smooth and the crust is cooled, pour it in. Bake for 40 minutes until firm. Cool on a rack and then refrigerate until cold before slicing and topping with your favorite fruit.
What a great quick getaway. Grandkids will always remember 🤩