INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

International Women’s Day is celebrated annually on the 8th March, since 1910 and is a central point in the movement of women’s rights.

The Socialist Party of America organised a Women’s Day on the 18^th February 1909, in New York and the following year, the International Socialist Women’s Conference proposed that Women’s Day would be held annually.   After women gained suffrage in the Soviet Union in 1917, March the 8^th became a national holiday, in Russia.   The day was celebrated mainly in communist countries until it was accepted in 1975 by the United Nations.

Today, "International Women’s Day is a public holiday in some countries, and largely ignored in others.   It is a day of protest and it celebrates womanhood".

Women Protesting for Their Rights

Celebrating Womanhood

The theme for International Women’s Day, this year, is “Think Equal, Build Smart, Innovate the Change” and it places innovation by women and girls at the core of the efforts to achieve authentic equality. 

Attaining a gender-equal world requires social changes for women and men alike.   "The future is exciting, so let us build a gender-balanced world.  We observe its absence and celebrate its presence so let us all help to create a balance for better.   Everyone has a part to play, always, everywhere".

Parents should teach their young daughters to be sure of themselves and convince them that they can become whatever they dream of like boys do.  An astronaut, a world-renowned author, architect, mathematician, physicist or physician, a director of a large multinational company or the Prime Minister of their country.  They can achieve whatever men can, and they should, certainly, not become victims of the notorious dream gap.

Incidentally, we had hoped that, on Women's Day, the Greek Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras, would withdraw his government's disgraceful decision of paying widows only 152 euros per month, but unfortunately he didn't.  Beyond their deep bereavement for their husbands' loss, these desperate women and their children are condemned by their own government to live in profound and utter poverty.

(Some of the information for this post is from the international press, television programmes and Wikipedia all of whom I sincerely thank.)





Here are the recipes for desserts, for which most women crave:

                                                APRICOT TART TATIN

Here is a recipe for a crumbly tart that can be served hot with whipped cream or ice cream.

10 apricots, stoned and halved

2 tbsp butter

6 tbsp sugar

Pastry:

120 g (4 oz) butter, very cold, cut into small pieces

200 g (almost 7 oz) plain flour

1 egg yolk

2 tbsp icing sugar

Pinch of salt

To make the pastry, rub butter and flour with fingertips until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.   Stir in the egg yolk, icing sugar and salt and press the ingredients together, to form a ball of soft dough.  Flatten the dough, cover with cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes at least.

Place a round baking tin over low heat and let the sugar and butter melt until they form a thick caramel.  Remove from the heat and push the apricots, cut side up, into the caramel.

Roll out the pastry larger than the top of the baking tin, drape it over the fruit and tuck the surplus down the sides of the dish.    Bake in an oven preheated to 180 C (350 F) for 45-50 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and the caramel is bubbling around the edge.  Cool for five minutes, overturn on a dish and serve. 

            CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT ROLL WITH CHOCOLATE PRALINE FILLING

This is one of the best chocolate rolls I’ve ever tasted.

Chocolate Sponge Cake:

60 g (2 oz) self-rising flour sifted with

½ tsp baking powder and

30 g (1 oz) very good quality cocoa, then stir in

60 g (2 oz) hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely ground

5 medium sized eggs, separated, whites stiffly whipped with a pinch of salt

200 g (almost 7 oz) caster sugar

Vanilla

Filling:

200 g (6 .2 oz) finely chopped chocolate

125 g (¼ lb) butter, cubed

One 304 ml (an ample 10 fl oz) tin, sweet condensed milk

100 g (3.3 oz) hazelnuts, toasted and finely ground

250 ml (1 cup) thick cream, whipped to the soft peak stage

Icing sugar for dusting over

First, prepare the filling.  Melt the chocolate, in a bowl, over simmering water, stirring until smooth.  Then add the butter, condensed milk, and the finely ground hazelnuts. Mix thoroughly until the butter melts and everything is well combined.    Cool, pour the mixture into sterilised jars, seal with airtight lids and store in the fridge.    Before using, bring the hazelnut praline to room temperature.

For the chocolate sponge, heat oven to 180 C (350 F) and line a 30x40 cm (12x16 inches) baking tin with buttered baking parchment, letting the parchment extend over the sides of the tin and brush with melted butter, once more.

Whip the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla and salt very well together, until pale and fluffy.  Fold in the flour/cocoa/hazelnut mixture until just combined.   Stir in ¼ of the whipped egg whites to lighten the batter, then, gently fold in the remaining egg whites.   Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared tin and bake for about 12-15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow it to cool for 1-2 minutes.

Place a piece of baking parchment on a kitchen counter and sprinkle with icing sugar.  Reverse the chocolate sponge over, discard the parchment which covers the cake, then roll it up, cover with tin foil and set aside to cool completely.

Fold the whipped cream into 1 cup of praline and mix thoroughly until no traces of white are evident.  Taste and add more praline if you prefer a sweeter filling.

Unroll the cool sponge cake, spread it with the prepared filling and roll it up again.    Trim the ends, if necessary, place the roll on a pretty dish and cover with cling film.   Refrigerate for 3 hours at least.   Serve sprinkled lightly with icing sugar.

                                             STRAWBERRY PAVLOVA

Here is a recipe for my favourite dessert which was initially made in honour of the famous prima ballerina Pavlova.   

6 egg whites of medium-sized eggs

A pinch of salt

300 g (10 oz) caster sugar

1 tsp vinegar to make the meringue chewier (optional)

1 tsp vanilla essence

500 g (1 lb) whipped cream

500 g (1 lb) hulled strawberries, sliced in half

60 g (2 oz) dark melted chocolate or milk chocolate if preferred

Whip the egg whites with a little salt to the soft peak stage, add the sugar by the spoonful, whipping continuously until the mixture is thick and glossy.  Add the vinegar, if using, and the vanilla and beat for a minute more until well combined.

Trace two circles, on baking parchment, about 26 cm (10 in) in diameter each, brush with oil and place the parchment in a baking tin.   Pipe the meringue to shape two equal disks.  Bake in an oven preheated to 150 C (285 F) for about 1 hour.  Then, turn off the heat and remove the meringues from the oven the following day, when they are completely cold.

Place one meringue disk on a serving dish, spread with a third of the whipped cream and the sliced strawberries and cover with the second round.  Garnish the Pavlova attractively with the remaining whipped cream and with strawberries, dipped in melted chocolate.