Vicki Lane's Blog, page 506

Blue Skies . . .

Smilin' at me,Nothing but blue skiesDo I see... And very welcome they are, after several rainy overcast days.

Ball Hooting in a Gaum

 This unseasonably warm and rainy weather that has flowers blooming too early has also made the ground muddy. John came in from getting fire wood and told me that the way into the pasture was a big gaum and he was afraid the Kubota ATV would go to ball hooting if he wasn't careful.
Before we moved here, I would have thought maybe he was speaking in tongues.  But I've learned the language.
A gaum (or gom) is a big mess -- in this case, a patch of mud, though it could apply to a teenager's room. And ball hooting means sliding around.  The term come from days of logging with horses -- pulling a big log down hill was dangerous for man and beast and you definitely didn't want that log to go to ball hooting.  

Lemon Curd Pie

It was a birthday request from Justin -- and one of my own favorites. Lemon curd, whipped cream, pastry, chocolate -- you know you want some.....   Start by making a pie crust (yes, you can use a pre-prepared one but I bet it won't be as good.) I follow a standard recipe (1 1/2 c. flour, 1/4 tsp. salt,  1/2 c. Crisco. 4-5 TB. cold water. I substituted vodka for the water, having read that this made for a flakier crust, and it worked quite well.) 

Bake the empty crust at 425 for 15 minutes ot till the edges begin to brown. Remove from oven, sprinkle with semi-sweet chocolate drops, return to oven for five more minutes. When you take it back out, the chocolate will be soft. Take a knife and spread chocolate to cover the bottom 0f the crust. Set aside to cool.

For the lemon curd, you'll need a double boiler (or a large and a medium sauce pan.) Also, the grated zest of two large lemons, 6-7 tablespoons lemon juice, 1/4 pound of butter, 1 cup sugar, and 4 eggs. (No, this isn't health food.)
Put the zest, lemon juice, butter, and sugar in the top of the double boiler over simmering water. Don't let the water boil. Stir now and then till the butter melts and the sugar dissolves.
In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs till thoroughly blended.  Stirring constantly, spoon a little of the hot lemon mixture into the eggs.  Add a little more and when it's well blended, pour the egg mixture into the double boiler, still stirring. Continue to cook over simmering water till the curd thickens (10- 20 minutes.)
Remove from heat and let cool. When the curd is thoroughly cool, pour into the chocolate-coated pastry shell.  Top with whipped cream (I used a cup of heavy cream, a tsp. of vanilla, and a tiny bit of sugar, maybe  
a teaspoon.)
 


Shave some bitter-sweet chocolate on top . . . Chill for a few hours to let the curd firm up a bit.  

The chocolate on the pastry will harden and you'll need a firm hand and maybe a serrated knife to cut the pie. 

Very tart, very sweet, very satisfying.

Impatient

Eager for Spring blooms,I bring quince branches inside --Pale petals unfold.
Early daffodilsAre eager too -- don't they knowIt's January?  

At the River

Our little riverside park, where the rafting companies put in to go down river to Hot Springs, is being enlarged and tidied up. This silo was the inspiration for a scene in In a Dark Season where the valiant Phillip had to climb up and then down into it in search of. . . something awful.
Of course, in my imagining, it was at least twice as tall.

Rumford Complete Cook Book

At the library last week, as usual, I had to peruse the offerings in the ongoing book sale. I'm a fool for old books...

Of course I don't need another cookbook -- but I was seduced by the hand-written recipes...
A good pickle recipe is always worth having... And I love the way she added to it... Banana pudding is an staggeringly popular dessert in my neck of the woods but not one that I like very much. Even topped with meringue, the way lots of folks fix it.

Willa's Boyfriend

Another Window

I see blogs as windows into other places, other lives. And a new window -- one that I've been hoping for -- has just opened. My very good friend Louise Langsner has begun a blog called The Garden Kitchen -- " a blog about food: growing, foraging, cooking, sharing, enjoying. It's about adventures in the kitchen…alchemy, discovery, amazement."
Louise is one of the very best, most creative cooks I know.  We've been friends for over thirty years and I've enjoyed many an incredible meal at her house. She has a way of combining unexpected ingredients that is nothing short of genius. Louise cooks for the students at Country Workshops and seems to be capable of conjuring up a meal for twenty without breaking a sweat.  She's also a dedicated gardener and her cooking is informed by the wonderful fruits and vegetables grown on the Langsner farm. Her first post, inspired by a recent trip to Italy, describes the cucina povera of Puglia and Southern Italy.  
If you like to cook or to read about good food, if you enjoy gardening, if you want to look through yet another window, hop over HERE and meet my extraordinary friend Louise!

Words to Live By

Today is the first day of the rest of my life! But I still have to clean up yesterday's mess. . .and pay yesterday's bills. . . 

Elizabeth Von Arnim

After hearing it recommended time and again and after seeing one of the characters on Downton Abbey receive a copy, I decided it was time for me to explore Elizabeth and Her German Garden. Published in 1898 and written by Elizabeth von Arnim, an Australian woman married to a German nobleman, this book had huge popularity in its day and the author went on to write many more, including Enchanted April. I wasn't sure at first -- in the beginnning this semi-autographical book struck me as little more than the grumblings of a wealthy woman who doesn't seem to like anyone very much.  But I went on, captured by the descriptions of her garden -- her plans for it and her very real eye for beauty. And as I continued, I began to appreciate the protagonist's rebel spirit, feminist outlook, and, most of all, her dry wit. Left alone with uncongenial house guests, Elizabeth laments:
"My husband goes off after breakfast to look at his crops, he says, and I am left at their mercy. I wish I had crops to go and look at -- I should be grateful even for one, and would look at it from morning to night, and quite stare it out of countenance, sooner than stay home and have the truth told me by enigmatic aunts. . ."
I'm hooked. I downloaded six of von Arnim's novels on my Kindle (for a pittance as they're out of copyright) and am half way through The Solitary Summer.  Terrific January reading!