Thursday, February 26, 2009

Aging well

From the autobiography of Edith Wharton, instructive words on aging well:

"In spite of illness, in spite even of the arch-enemy sorrow, one can remain alive long past the usual date of disintegration if one is unafraid of change, insatiable in intellectual curiosity, interested in big things, and happy in small ones."

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Fruit Tart

Last week when Helen and Stu came for dinner, we ended with a custard pear tart with piles of whipped cream. yumm. I got the recipe years ago when Micah and I were browsing in a used book store. I came upon a thick French Cookbook with a the recipe, but it cost $22 --for a used book! So I memorized the recipe-- dashed out to the car and wrote it all down! The crust works for all kinds of tarts--cooked or fresh It's easy, rich and elegant...

FRUIT TART

CRUST:
1 cup flour
3 tab sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
1 egg yolk

Cut the butter into the flour, salt and sugar with a pastry blender. Mix in the egg yolk. Press the dough into a 9" (or smaller) tart pan. Bake the crust until set at 350 degrees, about 12 minutes

FILLING;
Fruit (apples, pears, nectarines, peaches, apricots, or plums...)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream (extra cream to whip and serve with the tart)
1 egg
sliced almonds

Peel and slice the fruit and arrange it beautifully on the semi-baked tart crust. Sprinkle on the brown sugar. Mix the cream and egg and pour over the fruit. Top with sliced almonds. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes until the cream and egg are set into a creamy custard. Serve warm, not hot with the whipped cream.

Notes:
No need to peel fruit with soft skins (peaches, nectrines, plums)
If you like the custard as much as I do, or for a larger tart double the cream and egg mixture
It's pretty dusted with powdered sugar before serving
Best eaten within 24 hours, doesn't keep really well

Bon Appetit!

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Change

As a child I imagined people became "grown ups" about the time they turned 20. By the time they were 30, they were surely all "jelled" into maturity and that was that. At 56, I'm finding I'm neither "jelled" nor mature, but rather in a state of "godly discontent." My life is in a good measure already "spent," and I'm thinking how to wisely spend the these years left to me. All this is wrapped up with some reading I've been doing, "The Prodigal God" (Tim Keller), "Unchristian" (David Kinnaman) and the Bible. It has to do with recognizing my sin and God's enormous mercy, with what is real and eternal, with people all around me-- more than I can explain (or want to explain) in a blog post. I was reading a decorating magazine a while back that featured the beautifully understated home/garden of a gray haired woman in Marin County. She had a dictionary opened to the word "Change" in her living room, a reminder to grow/change. It doesn't seem an easy task at 56, but God is calling me to do that as well.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

The BEST Chocolate

My sister Luanne and her friends at school bring in newly discovered types of chocolate in anticipation of recognizing the very best chocolate. I've found my chocolate "best." Last year on a stay in Berkeley with my Mom, Laurel and Ani, we picked up a chocolate bar at the local Andronico's--Dark, rich, but not too bitter, chocolate studded with tiny bit of dried pear and roasted almonds. One square can be nibbled over time to fill your mouth with the velvety, fruity sweetness. So satisfying, you can savor a bar over several days. So I looked high and low down south here for the same chocolate bar to no avail. But after a year of searching, I've located it at Cost Plus-- Lindt Excellence Intense Pear, Dark. Thee are 2 in my kitchen drawer for afternoon nibbles. I highly recommend it!

Selma & Penelope

It's been a momentous week. Thursday the family gathered at the cemetery near our house to say good-by to Larry's Aunt Selma, Stu's sister. We talked through her quiet life and remembered sweet and sad moments with her. We hugged and ate a big dinner at Karen's house and looked at pictures old and recent of Selma. We will miss her. Yesterday was a different family reunion. A much less quiet and restrained group met at the home of Giseilla's parents to celebrate the imminent coming of baby Penelope. We laughed over mojitos and plates of appetizers, patted Gisella's growing tummy and oohed & aahed over adorable baby gifts. So much hope and anticipation! This baby will never know Selma, but they are part of the same big family. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.