An Exercise in Nostalgia

Mary — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 02:06:06 +0000

Is it possible to be nostalgic for something you can’t really remember? My dad cooked a lot when I was young. In fact, I have almost no memories of my mother in the kitchen before he died. He made all sorts of things- mostly dishes rich in saturated fat with a side of starch. Not that I’m complaining- I loved it growing up. I’m sure he’s 100% of the reason I love to cook (ok, ok, that’s a lie. Julia Child also has something to do with that). I was going though a cook book in my kitchen this afternoon looking for a cookie recipe for my sister. I also found something that I didn’t expect to find- my dad’s chicken fried steak, gravy, and french fried (yes, actually fried, none of that oven baked crap) potatoes. The strange part is, I don’t actually remember him cooking this. I remember lots of his food, but this one somehow escaped the ol’ hippocampus.

Anyway, I think I’ll make this stuff soon. The following week, I’ll probably eat only salad, this stuff looks absolutely horrible for you. Deliciously horrible. Whipping cream and peanut oil, anyone?

In other, non saturated fat related news, my shawl class is going swimmingly. Picking 4 lace patterns with the same stitch count is frustrating, but I’ve worked up a few options that I’m excited about. Now, to knit about a billion swatches. Which is, perhaps, my least favorite part of the design process. I’d love to just pick a few things, stick them together and then – BAM- have it work. Sadly, the wool gods don’t work that way. Here’s what I’m using for my planning stages ( the blue) and the for the final stages (the pink)

Speaking of wool gods- I went to a sheep farm on Monday. The sheep were really friendly and absolutely adorable. Evidence:

Who can resist that face?

I really need to update my flickr with my YIP shots- I’ve not missed a single day this year, yet I can’t seem to get motivated to upload them to flickr- maybe I’ll do it later this evening.

Love? Agree? Disagree? Funny?

Pear Tart

Mary — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 05:41:56 +0000

One of the perks of being at home as opposed to the dorms is access to a full kitchen. We all know I love to cook… a lot. Almost as much as I love knitting. I don’t, however, love to bake. Too much measuring, not enough spontaneity for me. I’m always afraid that when I tweak something it’s going to change a chemical reaction and fux the whole thing up. [Yes, I am aware that is not a word.] Despite that strange fear, I’ve been playing around with a pear tart recipe and have finally gotten it to a point where I’d like to share it. I took pictures the last time I made it, though they were on my phone and are not the best quality. Next time I’ll grab the DSLR and get y’all some decent looking photos.

You will need:

Thoroughly combine the following ingredients.

4 egg yolks

3/4 cup granulated sugar

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 3/4 cup whole milk

1/4 cup heavy cream or quality rum

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of ground cinnamo

4 egg yolks

3/4 cup granulated sugar

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 3/4 cup whole milk

1/4 dark rum

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

pinch of ground cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

3-4 FIRM pears

Also, one pie crust- either make your own or use a store bought one. I am horrible with dough, so I use a pre made one…

Combine all ingredients except the pears very thoroughly in a bowl. Core the pears, then slice them into 8ths. Place the crust in your pie pan, pat it down thoroughly. Arrange your pears- either in a circular pattern like I did, or just toss them in if you don’t mind how it looks. Trust me, after one bite, you won’t give a damn what it looks like! Pour the custard mix over the pears. I’ve found that I don’t always use all the custard- you don’t want it to overflow, so use your judgement. This differs based on how many pears you added. Bake at 350 for 45 – 50 minutes. The custard should have a gel like texture- not watery, but not completely solid, either. It will firm up some as it cools. Serve warm or cold- it’s delightful either way!

You may also like to add other fruit- the tart in the pictures also has blackberries. Once it’s cooled, dust with cinnamon and powdered sugar. Yum!

Love? Agree? Disagree? Funny?

She Paints With Yarn » recipe

An Exercise in Nostalgia

Pear Tart