Covered with Stickers & Ready for Breakfast

Brrrrr!

My hands were so cold this morning!  I wandered out of the house around 6:15 into a chilly morning (for us, for me in a long time!) of 35 F – just a few degrees above freezing!    The goal:  take pictures of the sunrise.

Did it work?  Well, I got a few I like, a few that are hmmmms, and a lot that I think that the delete key is their raison d’etre.

Nonetheless, I did have a blast.  I had forgotten what it is like to be chilly or even cold – where I live, it is very temperate.  I cannot recall the last time I was actually in snow, other than when I was living in Colorado in the 80s.  I ran in and out of the house a few times before setting off – nope, a vest is not enough.  Got a jacket, got a hat.  Wished I’d had some gloves!

I headed up to Wildwood Park, climbed a slight hill, and parked myself amongst the sage and (I think) toyon and last year’s yucca.  I metered in aperture priority, and shot a few shots.  It was pretty dull stuff.  Dropped the shutter speed to underexpose a bit.  My fingers were getting very numb.  The light was nothing exciting . . . until the sun began to climb over the mountains in the east.  Suddenly, there was magic.  The light began to change, the shadows moved, Mount Clef caught the sunrise and glowed.

I had two Nikon lenses with me.  The one I began with was the 35mm f/1.8 G.  The other was an old classic, the 105mm f2.5 AIS.  The former autofocuses, the latter does not.  Both are really good lenses, for different reasons, and I brought them for different purposes.  I wanted landscape and a broader vista – hence the 35mm – but I found myself wanting an even wider lens.  The 105mm was fine, and I brought it to work on manually focusing, checking if the little dot in the viewfinder really works.  It does, but not if you are skittering about handholding the lens!  Still, I got a few nice shots.

I did not go passionately hiking up hill and down to get my photos . . . nope, I rolled around in the dirt, in the stickers, scared some birds and cottontails.  My clothes were covered in burrs and other debris.  Out for a couple of hours with a few interesting shots, and a wonderful morning.  It’s been awhile since I’ve watched the sun rise, and while there were no dramatic skies to shoot, the cold and activity, followed by a hot cup of coffee and breakfast, made a great way to begin a Sunday.

A Crostata of a Different Flavor

Sunset Magazine is filled with interesting things. Recipes of all sorts may be found, and the holiday issues are some of my favorites. The Thanksgiving edition had a particularly intriguing recipe, which I made for yesterday’s family get-together. You may find the original recipe here; what makes it particularly interesting is the fact it is made with an artisan flour derived from a different wheat than is in your average flour.  It is made with

Emmer farro flour, made from whole-grain emmer wheat, gives the crostata a rustic texture and great flavor. Because it’s low in gluten, it needs to be mixed with all-purpose flour to hold the crust together

The flour is from Bluebird Grain Farms whose specialty is heirloom organic grains.  While I did not use their flour, I think I am quite likely to try it in the near future.  I’ve added a link to their site under the Farmers to Admire category.

Below is how I made the crostata.  I think that you can use this recipe as a basis for any fresh, seasonal fruit – the frangipane is a wonderful flavor!

PASTRY

  • 1 1/2 c. whole wheat white flour
  • pinch salt
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes (1 stick of butter, and 2 T more)

Use a food processor, as in the original recipe:  pulse flours and salt to mix. Add butter and whirl 3 seconds. Drizzle in 1/3 cup ice water, pulsing until mixture comes together in a shaggy ball but still has bits of butter showing. Form into a disk, wrap airtight, and chill at least 2 hours or overnight.

FRANGIPANE

  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 6 t. white sugar
  • 1/3 cup blanched almonds, finely ground
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 T flour
  • 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. almond extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat together 6 T. of sugar with butter until light and fluffy.  Mix in almonds (I used ground almond meal from Trader Joe’s), egg, flour, extracts, until smoothly blended.  Set aside.

CRANBERRIES

  • 3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries (1 12-oz. package)
  • 1/4 c. white sugar
  • 1 T. water

Mix together cranberries, sugar and water.  Set aside.

ASSEMBLING CROSTATA

Roll out dough on floured surface into a 14-inch circle.  Rotate and flip pastry as you roll it out.  Trim edges, and transfer to a round pizza pan or rectangular cookie sheet.  Line either with a sheet of parchment paper.   (I used a cookie sheet, only to find it was to big for my refrigerator, so I tilted it to fit, and had no problems with any berries escaping!)

Spread frangipane over inside of dough, leaving about a 3-inch border outside your circle of frangipane.

Place sugared cranberries over the frangipane mixture, pressing them in a bit to help keep the cranberries in place.

Fold the edges of the dough up and over the cranberries – do this gently! – and create pleats or folds as you go.  Once you do this, pinch the pleats in place a bit to seal the dough.  This will prevent leakage during baking.

Place crostata in refrigerator for about 30 minutes before baking.  While you do this, preheat the oven to 375 F with the cooking rack in the middle.  I used my oven on convection, but changed nothing as far as temperature or time.

Bake crostata for 45 minutes.  I checked mine at 35 minutes, and then continued.

Cool on parchment paper and cookie sheet, then transfer crostata and parchment paper to cookie rack to finish cooling.

Serve at room temperature, or warmed in the oven.  Great with vanilla ice cream!

A Bowl, A Brush

Yesterday a friend who is a potter came over.  I’ve only known her a short time, but she is one of those people you like the minute you meet, and like even more as time goes by.  She brought some of her work to show me.  For some reason the term “organic” is the only way I can describe her pottery – it is earthy and elegant at the same time, and seems to be perfect for the clay.  I liked what I saw.

The point of the visit was sort of show-and-tell.  You show me yours, I’ll show you mine.     She wanted to learn about sumi-e and brush work so she can apply it to her pottery.  For me, this was a much-needed diversion from the technology of photography and post-processing software.  It also motivated me to dig out a rather large supply of brushes I have from Japan, bought for resale.  And it reminded me of just how peaceful it is to ink up a stone, and take the time to do something with my hands other than pushing around a mouse, doing dishes, or whatever.

She is a lefty.  The movements I find difficult are easy for her, and vice versa.  Together, we went through a bit of paper, tried out different brushes, and have agreed to do some more of this.  She left with a stone and ink, a mosen, and a package of sulphite paper.  I got a bowl and the reminder to move away from the computer.  Maybe I will make some pottery with her at some time.

Soup of the Evening

I have had a squash or two lying around for a few days. I’ve roasted one, so tonight I decided to make soup out of the other. It is an acorn squash, which is not an easy one to peel and dice because of its ridges, but peel and dice it I did. I think next time, I will probably cook it before I turn it into soup!

Anyway, I took half a yellow onion, diced it fine, and sauteed it in olive oil and butter. Then, I took the diced, peeled acorn squash – seeds removed – and added it to the mix. I let it both onion and squash caramelize a bit. Then I added about 1 cup of sliced apple – I had one with a bruise, so I cut out the bruise – and added it to the onions and acorn squash, stirred it a bit, then added two cups of chicken broth (unsalted) and another two cups of water. Seasoning was a teaspoon of dried thyme. Then, left on its own to simmer about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, I got the blender out, as the plan is puree it all, and return it to the pot. From there . . . it may be enough with a bit of salt and pepper for the final seasoning, or I may give it a bit of a bit by adding some ginger or aleppo pepper. In the end, though, I just pureed it in the blender, added a bit of salt and pepper, a bit of extra water to thin it out, and a dollop of sour cream. Suggestion:  do this in small batches – my kitchen had soup all over the place because I just put the whole mess in the blender, forgetting that blenders are enthusiastic!

The result is a soft, creamy soup, with a delicate sweetness from the apple, and more suited to an appetizer than a “hearty” meal. With a nice salad, and a tasty roll, the result is also perfect for a light meal.

Acorn Squash Veloute

  • 2 T. each live oil and sweet butter
  • 1/2 yellow onion
  • 1 acorn squash
  • 1 sweet apple
  • 2 c. chicken broth, unsalted
  • 2 c. water
  • Dried thyme, salt, pepper
  • Sour cream

In a 3 to 4 quart sauce pan, place diced onion and saute in heated olive oil and butter. Peel and seed squash; chop into chunks. Add to onion when onion is pale yellow, and continue to saute, allowing onion and squash to caramelize a bit. Dice apple, add to onions and squash. Add 2 c. unsalted chicken broth. Bring to simmer. Add 1-2 tsp. dried thyme. Simmer covered until all ingredients are tender. Puree in blender in small amounts, then return to sauce pan. Thin with water if necessary, and balance seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Warm but do not boil.

Serve in bowls with a small dollop of sour cream on top, or a drizzle of thin cream.

Comment

Next time I make this, though, I will roast the squash in the oven and scoop out the seeds and flesh. Peeling it was not hard, just annoying!  The flavor may be more pronounced as a result.

Time

48 years ago today, I was in the gym, crawling around on the floor, playing kick volleyball with all the kids in my class.  It was cold and snowy outdoors in upstate New York, if I recall properly.  For some reason, the teacher, Miss Viviani, walked out and then in.  She said, “The President has been shot.”  Minutes later she did the same, and came back to announce, “The President is dead.”

The loss of President Kennedy was a terrible event, one which I believe marked a tragic downturn in American history and politics.

The world is so very different today, and so very much the same. I’m no longer a kid in elementary school. President Kennedy’s family is grown, some gone; there are grandchildren. People I know have died, had children, have grandchildren. Time continues, and our own little space – shared with billions – is just as important as national events and crises.

Cherish what you have, as it will be gone far too soon.