These very simple and quick little eggs are elegant on the plate and taste just as wonderful. They would make a marvelous light lunch with a small green salad, but I must admit that I had them for breakfast the other day with toast and an orange.

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Anyone who has been reading this blog for a while will undoubtedly have come across at one time or another one of my recommendations for Yamuna Devi's cookbooks, in particular her hefty compilation of authentic and extraordinary Indian vegetarian recipes in Lord Krishna's Cuisine — a timeless cooking classic if there ever was one. I'll always be devoted to that book more than any other for awakening a genuine love for delicious and quality food, but I'm fortunate to own a copy of a later book — Yamuna's Table — in which she departs from traditional Indian fare but uses that knowledge to come up with some astonishingly creative and tasty modern dishes that are in many cases the equal of the old classics.

One of these is this exquisite pine nut and wild rice pilaf tinged with just the right amount of orange for a light, refreshing and flavorful summer side dish. Serve on a patio, at a picnic, or just at home — everyone will love it. I reproduce the recipe almost exactly as found in the book, partly because it's too good to change in any way except possibly to add a few more pine nuts or jalapeños as your taste goes, but also because the book appears unfortunately to be out of print. But there are usually a few used copies lying around for the lucky ones.

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I look forward to entertaining a special friend with my culinary creations next week, but in the meantime I cook just for me. How selfish is that when I have willing neighbors and friends eager to taste my food? Alas, I'm just not as motivated to fuss around in the kitchen during the summer months, opting instead to escape into the backyard with a book if possible.

Tonight's solution to solo dining was a simple chickpea curry served along with some plain basmati rice sprinkled with some tamari sauce. This is a dry curry and served with some cold yogurt, could almost pass as a salad. It proved to be a very refreshing summertime menu choice.

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The beautifully haunting solo cello suites of Bach simultaneously soothe and disturb. The perfection of the compositions is utterly satisfying and yet a yearning is nonetheless experienced. True, I am playing the role of hermit more intensely these past few days since my husband left for a two week work-related trip, but for brooding types such as I, Bach is often an occasion for reflection.

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