Sunday Evening Pie

I felt like pie so I made one from scratch, from the crust to the filling. I craved an apple pie, the mere phantom of its tart sweetness filled my mouth, turning me into Homer [insert drooling sound]. Unfortunately there were no apples in the house to be had and I was far too lazy to get my butt to the local Walmart to buy some, so I decided upon a Kentucky chess pie instead. The treat is also known as Jefferson Davis pie which is unpleasant, but it is delicious so I won't hold that against it. I need to take a photo of my efforts but for now, imagine a jpeg right... around... here.

The last time I found myself craving something sweet but had limited culinary options, I turned to my savior, Saveur, which is how I originally found this pie. Do not be dissuaded by it's ingredients list, it does not turn out at all as sweet as the listing may imply. It will satisfy a sweet tooth without crippling it. This go-around I used Crisco instead of butter to acquire the elusive flaky crust, only to encounter 'fail'. Well, now I know I prefer butter-based crust, at least when I'm the one making them. Also, either Crisco is coated in salt, or the recipe itself calls for too much salt, or I have grown sensitive but blech, the crust is salty! Not enough to make it terrible but enough for me to notice. Baking is such a science so I find it hard to believe it is the fault of the original recipe, particularly when I have used it before without such results. It has to be the Crisco. See what the pursuit of 'flake' has done? It has polluted my efforts. So, if attempting, do not make any substitutions! Just make it straight and be satisfied. :)

The recipe can be found here, on Saveur.com.

A Girl's Open Thread

You know what to do. Comment on stuff. Whatever you like.

Me? Today I made a cherry clafouti and a Mexican chocolate cake with butter-cream icing. I guess I was in a baking mood. Clafouti is a French dessert and it turned out okay. Someone on Saveur -- where I got the recipe -- described it as a cross between custard and cake. I'd go more with custard, like a bread pudding type custard. It's a tea-time snack so I enjoyed a slice with a scalding hot cup of tea which I forgot was scalding hence my now scalded tongue. I am an idiot, ha!

The Mexican chocolate cake (from Real Simple) is quite delicious. It has cayenne pepper in it which, to be honest, is the driving reason behind why I made the cake in the first place. The recipe called for a chocolate glaze but knowing myself and family not to be chocolate people, I decided to avoid a chocolate-on-chocolate disaster and instead pilfered an icing from another Saveur recipe. I now know how to make a passable butter-cream icing. Huh. While I don't feel precisely accomplished, I don't feel precisely unaccomplished, so yeah, I'm good heading into this weekend.

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'allo! Today a few new recommendations:
Regina Spektor, a Russian-born singer of pretty talent. When sampling her work might I recommend skipping her album, 'Soviet Kitsch', and beginning with 'Begin To Hope' -- it has a better flavor of songs in my humble opinion. She recently released another CD, 'Far', and her musical maturity really shines through every song. I'm currently listening to it (via Rhapsody) and so far 'Far' is fantastic! My favorites off the album as of now: 'Blue Lips' and 'Human of the Year' and 'Laughing With' and 'Dance Anthem of the '80s' is a fun little diddy.

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Going through the site, Ffffound, and came across this JPEG; the Rilke quote reminded me of the feeling the pic evokes. "My eyes already touch the sunny hill. / going far ahead of the road I have begun." (Rilke); click on the quote to see the pic. Speaking of evoking feelings, I'd love to have this piece. Isn't it gorgeous?

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"The lover whose soul shaken is
In some decuman billow of bliss."
~ Francis Thompson; The Way of a Maid; c. 1890.

Courtesy of A Word A Day, a mailing group dedicated to expanding the vocabulary of the masses by sharing the wonder and eccentricities of words. The italicized word within the quote, decuman, is A Word A Day fare. Do not be fooled by its noun like appearance -- it is an adjective; its meaning? 'Very large'. What I find so interesting about it is A) it is an adjective and B) its etymology. Rooted in the Latin decumanus, itself rooted in decimanus... decimus... and finally decem... each a variation on the theme of 'ten'. Decumanus was used many times by the Romans in conjunction with waves because they held to a belief that every tenth wave was the strongest. It also referred to the main gate of a military camp; the tenth cohort of the legion was stationed at that gate. Since it shares a root, decimate is also a relation and the word, dean, literally means 'a chief of ten'. Isn't that last part just fascinating?

Did you know atone is nothing more than a contraction of 'at one'? Is that not weird?! At least according to A Word A Day. I have my doubts.

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currently running through my mind: Bertie Blackman's 'Heart'
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