a life well lived

It’s hard to write about much else until I have addressed the most pressing issue in our life as late. If you know what I am referring to, then it would seem near neglectful of me not to honor this moment.

Death is awful, but it is also awe-inspiring (when it can be an end to suffering and the culmination of a life well lived), so I suppose I deem it awe-ful. My grandmother, KT, met such a death last weekend after bravely beginning a battle with ovarian cancer. At the funeral today I sat and listened to her closest friends (who numbered in the multitudes it seemed) recall moments of her life that shared a common theme of bringing glory to God…and they were honestly just stories of common life occurrences: trips she had taken with other families over the years, times she had spent working on rent houses, or around a bridge table. 


I was most astounded by two things: One, that a person could so consistently point towards God that all of the memories of them, even of them just going about their everyday life, could ring of His love; and Two, that I am beginning to sense the realness of Heaven (now that I can imagine someone I knew well up there dancing around in all her southern Baptist joy). 

No picture of food (sorry i somehow made it out of Louisiana
without recipes for the plethora of casseroles we ate at the church).
I was gifted a matryoshka doll, which my grandmother
collected (by the hundreds) so now i will have a constant reminder
of her up on my kitchen window sill. Thanks KT!

hurry this up and slow that down

We moved! Into a beautiful little jungle of boxes and packing tape! Really we are making good progress in our unpacking phase, and since I am rather uncomfortable in transitions, I am hustling (bossing?!) us right along. It’s not that I fear change—in fact I love this new house!—it's just that I don’t like to lose the moments of efficiency inevitably involved in getting to know a new system or routine. I think Quimby is uncomfortable with our current maze too because he follows us around from room to room like a separation anxiety case in the making.

With those complaints out of the way…

Ben’s sister Naomi came through Houston last Friday on her way to a girl’s weekend and found herself fortunate enough to be caught mid-move while staying with us. I had a cobbler/crumble and hand pies to make for a rehearsal dinner I was helping with that night and all of my measuring spoons/cups were already boxed up. Transition demands adaptation I suppose, so adapt we did. The desserts turned out just fine and the conversation time afforded by this less efficient way of making them was even better. Turns out conversation in general flows more easily when efficiency does not characterize your motive. 

Oh these little life lessons…I’m learning, I’m learning.

Blueberry Crumble

For the Filling:

2 pints fresh blueberries

2 lemons, juiced (and the zest of 1 lemon)  

2/3 cup sugar

4 tablespoons cornstarch

For the Crumble:

1 ½ cup flour

½ cup sugar

½ cup light brown sugar

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon cinnamon (heaping ¼)

¾ cup (one and a half sticks) cold, unsalted butter, diced

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium sized dutch-oven (I used an oval Le Creuset) mix together the blueberries, lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, and cornstarch. Let sit for about 15 minutes so that the berries become nice and juicy.  

For the topping, mix together the flour, sugar, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon.  Cut in the butter with a fork and knife to combine until mixture is crumbly and well combined.

Sprinkle the crumble mixture evenly over the blueberry mix in the dutch-oven and place in your oven.

Bake the crumble for 30-40 minutes, or until the top looks browned and crisp and the berry mixture is juicy and bubbly. Serve warm with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Blackberry Cherry Hand Pies

For these, I semi-closely followed http://thewimpyvegetarian.com/2012/07/blackberry-cherry-turnovers-high-altitude-baking/…or as much as possible lacking actual measuring spoons ;)

happy birthday husBen!

I am usually terrible at keeping secrets from Ben; for example, hardly a Christmas has passed in our young relationship wherein I have not already spoiled his surprise by giving him his Christmas present by the beginning of November or telling him about it before he even has a chance to open it. I just get so excited!

This time around, however, I really surprised husBen. For his 25^th birthday (last monday), I had some of our close friends and his coworkers station themselves at a bar, ready for our arrival (I told him I planned a progressive dinner with drinks starting at Anvil). When we arrived and he saw his friends, he still did not seem to catch on and seemed to think it coincidental at first. Surprise!

how can one be so accomplished
at such a young age?
i'm taking notes from this kid....

Callie brought this birthday cake to the bar for me so that he would not see me toting it in (thereby ruining all my efforts at secrecy). We whipped it up super fast that afternoon and I shoved her out the door with it before Ben got home from work. Note: by superfast, I mean this took a few hours of my bossiness and spinning around my tiny kitchen with Callie on her toes interpreting my every need. I seriously could not have pulled this off without my sou chef!

Ben Smith you are my greatest thing and you are worth it.  

BEN's BIRTHDAY CAKE

For cake layers:

3 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut

1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee

3 cups sugar

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)

2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3 large eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Special equipment- three cake pans

Make cake layers: Preheat oven to 300°F. and grease pans with Baker’s Joy (or do the melted butter and sift of flour thing).

Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined well. Divide batter between pans and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Cool layers completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove wax paper and cool layers completely. Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature.

For ganache frosting

1 pound fine-quality semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter

Make ganache frosting: Finely chop chocolate. In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan bring cream, sugar, and corn syrup to a boil over moderately low heat, whisking until sugar is dissolved. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate, whisking until chocolate is melted. Cut butter into pieces and add to frosting, whisking until smooth.

Transfer frosting to a bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, until spreadable (depending on chocolate used, it may be necessary to chill frosting to spreadable consistency).

For the Salted Caramel Buttercream

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

½ cup caramel

¼ tsp salt

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and vanilla on high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.  Turn mixer to low/medium and slowly add 1/2 cup powdered sugar at a time.  Beat until combined.  Add in caramel sauce and salt.  Beat until desired consistency is achieved.

Assembly

3 cake layers

ganache frosting

caramel buttercream frosting

1 bag Heath toffee bits

Build cake a layer at a time. Place 1 cake layer on whatever platter you will be serving the cake on. Generously spread caramel frosting over the first cake layer and top with a layer of toffee bits. Add next cake layer- repeat with caramel frosting and toffee bits. Add top cake layer and place cake in fridge for 15-30 minutes to chill (makes icing the cake with ganache easier). After cake has chilled, ice the entire cake with the chocolate ganache icing and sprinkle toffee bits on top as the final touch! Serve room temperature.

(adapted from Gourmet, March 1999)

caramelized tomato tarte tatin

I have spent the last three days in the well baby nursery on my first rotation of third year. For the remainder of this pediatrics rotation, I will spend time with sick kids, each of whom will probably break my heart a little daily, but for now (perhaps as a sort of booster to carry me forward) I have been graced with a few days with fresh-out-the-womb newborns. They sleep for the most part, all perfectly compact and swaddled, with no idea of what this life holds for them. Other than practicing my newborn exam and occasionally trying to make them quit squawking like baby dinosaurs, I am free to just stare into their perfect little faces and feel awe when they struggle to open their squinty eyes. I consider it so strange and wonderful that these tiny humans have sufficient life packed into them in order to one day grow up as big as me. They will be capable of love, of hurt, of controlling their own courses and yet right now they cannot even hold their heads up (nor do they even seem that concerned with trying).

I am exhausted, but I am betting those new mothers are exponentially more so. I guess I shouldn’t complain quite yet.  

Caramelized Tomato Tarte Tatin

Puff pastry 

2 tbs olive oil

3 red onions

¼ cup plus a pinch of sugar

1 tbs balsamic vinegar

cherry or grape tomatoes (about 1 lb or enough to cover the bottom of your skillet)

1 tbs chopped fresh thyme

salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Defrost the puff pastry for 20-30 minutes on the counter before you begin preparing this tarte (unfold it and lay it flat so that it does not stick together).

Slice onions into very thin rings. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat and sauté the onions with a pinch of sugar and salt, stirring occasionally, until onions are caramelized (may take about 15-20 minutes). Remove from heat and set onions to the side.

In a clean skillet, prepare the caramel: combine ¼ cup sugar and 3 tbs of water. Cook over medium heat, ONLY swirling NOT stirring, the pan gently until the sugar starts to turn a golden brown. Remove it from the heat at this point to avoid burning. Add the balsamic and continue swirling until mixed well (don’t breathe in these fumes too much!).

Scatter the tomatoes onto the caramel, then sprinkle with the onions, thyme, salt, and pepper.

Roll out the pull pastry dough with a rolling pin (and a little sprinkle of flour) until it is roughly 1 inch larger than your pan. Lay it over the tomato/onion/caramel and tuck in the edges around the tomatoes. Cut several vents into the top of the puff pastry.

Bake the tart for about 30 minutes until the crust is puffed and golden brown. Remove the tart from the oven and let stand for about 30 minutes to allow the juices to set. Run a knife around the edges of the pastry to loosen it form the pan. Place a platter or cutting board on top of the pan and carefully flip it over (invert the tart). Cut into wedges and serve with a garnish of thyme. Serves 6-8 as an appetizer or side.

*Adapted from http://koshercamembert.wordpress.com

the best laid plans of mice and men

I hear in this phrase a submission to reality, as if to say “Well I’m glad you had a well thought-out plan for how this was supposed to turn out, but just go with this less glamorous more realistic version.” And so life goes.

What seems like ages ago (actually only two weeks), a group of girlfriends went down to Rockport/Lamar for a little sun and agenda-free few days. I had the best intentions of whipping up some fresh mojitos to really kick off our vacation…but somewhere in between Stephanie handpicking about 50 leaves of mint and me leaving them behind when we went to the beach… let’s just say the cocktails missed their moment.

Below are some recipes for second chances. Happy summer, and may your efforts equal glamorous satisfaction!

Mojito

12-15 fresh mint leaves

1 lime, quartered (you will use 3 of the slices)

½ oz- ¾ oz simple syrup

1 ½ oz rum

club soda

Put mint leaves and 1 quarter of the lime in a glass and muddle well (smash with the blunt end of something until the lime is pulpy and the leaves have released their oils). Add simple syrup and another quarter of the lime and again muddle well. Fill the glass with crushed ice. Pour rum over ice. Fill remainder of glass with club soda and stir with a spoon to mix flavors. Garnish with a lime wedge. Makes 1.

Rosemary Gin Fizz

3 one-inch sprigs of fresh rosemary

1 plump lemon, juiced

1 ½ teaspoon honey

1 ½ ounces gin

3 ounces club soda

In a small drinking glass, muddle the fresh rosemary, lemon juice and honey.

Fill the glass with ice, then pour in the gin and top with club soda.

Stir it up with a spoon, garnish with one longer piece of rosemary (and a slice of lemon if you want to make it really pretty!) and serve. Makes 1.