We have a friend who comes and lives at our apartment whenever she is in NYC.  We didn’t know her the first time she came.  A mutual friend put us in contact because he knows that my husband and I have a guest room for friends, family and artists come to stay.  She’s come to stay with us 3 times over the last year and a half and she is dear to us now.

It’s tricky, inviting people into your home.  You can’t always predict what will be happening in your own life.  The second time Bridget came to stay I had recently lost three friends in a car crash, one of our beloved cats had just been put down after a sad decline due to cancer and I had seriously injured my right hand which, for a puppeteer, is a huge problem.  It could have been an profoundly bad time to have had a house guest.  But, Bridget Walsh is a ray of sunshine with a hint of bad ass.  She was compassionate, considerate and full of positive energy and Chris and I were truly grateful that she was staying in our home.  Even our cat, Hazel, loves her.

Most recently, Bridget was back in the United States because she is launching an online community made for artists, by artists called Indhe.org.  You should all check it out.  I think it’s going to be a big deal.  When she isn’t creating social enterprises, Bridget is a musician and you can check out that side of her wizardry here.

During Bridget’s last visit, I also roped her into helping me cook the Eight Course Vegan Tasting Menu for the Illuminati Ball, because she is also an awesome vegan cook.  Before she left, we managed to slip in one little tea party with our friends Boo and Claudia.  We served Butternut Chaat and made these vegan and gluten-free pistachio short bread with Lemon glaze.

The cookies were inspired by some similar cookies that Bridget liked from a bakery near her house in New Zealand or England (I can’t remember which).  The girl’s hard to keep track of.  I know that where ever she is, she beaming her superhero light as strong as she can, so she shouldn’t be hard to find.

PISTACHIO SHORTBREAD WITH LEMON GLAZE (VEGAN AND GLUTEN-FREE)

• 3/4 cup pistachios
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup confectioner sugar
• 2/3 cup brown or white rice flour
• 3 Tablespoons potato starch
• 2 Tablespoon tapioca flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• The grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1. In a spice grinder, food processor or blender, pulse the pistachios and granulated sugar it makes a fine flour.  Measure out 1/4 cup of the pistachio flour and set it aside for decoration.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the remaining pistachio flour  together with the rice flour  confectioners sugar, potato starch, tapioca starch, baking powder and salt.   Add the lemon zest and coconut oil, beating until just combined.  Knead with your hands until the dough comes together.
3. Form the dough into a log about 12 inches long.  Wrap the dough in plastic film and Refrigerate for one hour.
4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
5. Slice the log into 12 to 15 disks and spread them out on a baking sheet.  Bake the cookies for 15 minutes, or until pale golden.  Let them cool before decorating.
6. Whisk the confectioners sugar and lemon juice together.  Lay the cookies out on a wrack and drizzle them with the glaze.  Sprinkle them with the remaining pistachio flour.

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