Our friends are retiring in droves. The first one who really got to me was Chris. Every once in a while we take a long weekend trip with Chris and Mark. All of the sudden, we didn't have to abide by a teacher's schedule. That's when it finally dawned on me that I have less than ten years to my own retirement. Oh, my. I absolutely love what I do so I'm not sure I'll ever totally retire. But, there will be a time I'll slow down because there are so many other things I'd like to do.
We'd had a busy week. Monday was Memorial Day so there was a family party at brother John's house. He did ribs on the grill I brought the other stuff. All too often he does the ENTIRE dinner and I feel like a freeloader so I was totally thrilled that he actually let me bring almost everything. I took David's cheese dip, Brown sugar shrimp from Gastro Grilling, brie with brown sugar and pecans, Casa d'Angelo Salad, Aunt Bebe's Bean Bowl, vinaigrette potato salad, deviled eggs and Strawberry Torte.
Tuesday night we were actually home for burgers on the grill smothered with onions and mushrooms.
Wednesday was a retirement reception for our friend Phyllis Geeslin who has done such an incredible job as executive director of the Benjamin Harrison House. Thursday was dinner out with our dear friends George and Steve and Ellen. We were celebrating Ellen's retirement. Are you seeing the pattern here??? So, Friday evening we were going to celebrate our friend Brenda's retirement. Brenda and Janet used to sit behind us at Colts games. They were some of the first friends we made as a couple lo those many years ago when Connie and I first met.
My wonderful housecleaner, Debbie, hasn't been here for a couple of months. Between her mom's surgery and getting engaged and all kinds of things, life has interfered with her visits to my house. Needless to say with our schedules at work and the fact that it's spring and our yard is VERY needy, the interior has been sadly neglected. The dust is thick and it's obvious we have a dog and a cat cohabitating with us.
Now, what would you do? I've been out all week with the exception of one evening. I really wanted to eat dinner at home. But, we were supposed to go out with Brenda and Janet. And, my house wasn't quite ready for prime time. Good friends ignore the dust and the dog fur. Indeed they do! Instead of going out, we ate at home. What a lovely, relaxing evening.
I marinated pork tenderloin in a fabulous marinade from Cuisine At Home magazine. That's going on my list of go-to marinades. Then, I did fingerling potatoes in a foil packet on the grill.
And, corn on the cob with a mustard/maple/thyme glaze. I've made that before. It was the star of the show. We had a salad of lettuce and strawberries from the garden. It also had asparagus, orange segments and toasted pecans. Last but not least, I took an idea from Food Network magazine and ran with it. Bananas grilled with toffee bits, chocolate and mini marshmallows.
All in all, between Memorial Day and Friday, there wasn't a bad recipe in the bunch. I do love the story behind David's cheese dip. Son number one, David, pulled a deli container out of the fridge and told me he'd found this FABULOUS dip at the store. It was kind of expensive - like $8 for a pint - but he loved it. I tasted it and it tasted for all the world like swiss cheese, red onions and mayonnaise. I read the ingredient list and yup, that's what it appeared to be. So, next time we went to Columbus to visit the kids, I started at Sam's Club. There, I bought a mongo wedge of Jarlsberg and a bag of red onions. Shredded part of the cheese, minced the onions and moistened the whole thing with mayonnaise. Exactly alike. And, maybe 25% of the cost...
Here's where to find the recipes that I've already included in this blog:
Casa d'Angelo Salad
Aunt Bebe's Bean Bowl
Strawberry Torte
Corn with Mustard/Maple/Thyme Butter
Now, on to the new recipes:
Brown Sugar Shrimp. This recipe actually had two dipping sauces with it. A cocktail sauce and a white horseradish. Both were good but I felt that both detracted from the shrimp. This recipe came out of a cookbook called Gastro Grilling. I've made it about halfway through the cookbook and want to try just about everything in it. Actually, we've made another recipe and it was equally fabulous. And, as you'll note, no photos...
Brown Sugar Shrimp
Ingredients:
shrimp, tail on, shells removed, deveined
bourbon
butter
brown sugar
Directions:
Put the shrimp in a bowl and pour bourbon over them. You don't necessarily need to fully cover them as long as you toss them every couple of minutes. We used frozen shrimp so didn't worry about refrigerating them. Marinate them for about fifteen minutes. Toss the bourbon or use it to cook with as long as your'e going to heat it but do not drink it! Pat the shrimp dry. Now, the recipe calls for dipping the shrimp in butter then refrigerating it again. I didn't have time to do that so here's what I did - Dip the shrimp in melted butter then roll it in dark brown sugar. Put it on a grill pan. Refrigerate it until you're ready to grill. Grill on both sides. You'll have lovely golden brown shrimp that just melt in your mouth.
Soy Marinated Chinese Pork Tenderloin. See the gorgeous char on that pork tenderloin? It tasted equally good. I can see this on ribs, burgers (pork, beef or turkey,) pork loin, pulled pork, chicken... Just about anything. Even a really meaty fish would be fine with this marinade.
Chinese Soy Marinade
Ingredients:
1/2 c low sodium soy sauce
1/4 c packed dark brown sugar
1/4 c purchased barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays and doubled this)
2 T sesame oil
2 T minced fresh ginger
2 T dry sherry or mirin
1 T chili garlic sauce
Directions:
Mix and marinate your meat for about an hour. Brush on as you're grilling also. If you've set some aside, you can serve this on the side as a dipping sauce.
Gooey Bananas. I saw this idea on Food Network Magazine's calendar of ideas at the front of the magazine. They called for splitting the banana and stuffing it with toffee bits, chocolate and mini marshmallows. Ummm, great idea but there's not enough STUFF. So, I peeled the bananas and laid them on heavy duty foil (you do NOT want to use a pan you've got to clean later or you will be scrubbing from now until next May...) Then, sprinkle them liberally with toffee bits, chocolate chips and mini marshmallows. Seal the packets and toss them on the grill. You'll need to peek and see how they're doing. Once the chips have melted and the marshmallows are nice and gooey, you're good to go.
What a week it was. We left Friday October 21st to head to Cape Cod via a somewhat circuitous route. We got home this past Saturday, October 30th. Nine days away. I missed my furry critters and was tired of all of the riding in a car. But, I got a lot of cooking magazines read and a lot of recipe clipping done. We got to see our grandkids twice and visited some cool places. Plus, the biggest and best news is our freedom. I've hinted on occasion about my angst over our situtation but I've never really come out and said anything. Now, I finally can. You see, to a great extent this blog was my way of making sure there was a place I could go to be really happy. I love cooking and I've found I love sharing my stories about cooking. And, I've met some of the most wonderful folks through blogging. The angst is a long story and I won't go into it other than to say that finally, ten years after they separated and seven years after I met Connie, he and his ex-wife have settled. She will no longer be causing us to spend thousands of dollars on attorney fees. She will no longer be stalking us - me on my blog and we're pretty certain via private investigators. Now, when I'm working 70-80 hours a week, it'll be for me. We're going to have a heckuva mortgage but the alimony is over. We can move on with our lives. I kept saying that if we could get everyone in a room together we could get it settled. It worked.
(For those of you in states with reasonable divorce laws, you're probably scratching your heads. Ah, but Connie got divorced in Massachusetts. You can go to massalimonyreform.com and see what folks have been going through there.)
Now, let's talk about our trip. I'll break it into a few days so I'm not like your local brook, babble on... We drove from Indy to Columbus, OH on Friday night. That was Kara's birthday party night. Kara is my daughter-in-law. She's married to Connie's eldest son, David. She's one of the nicest people in the world. That's in addition to being wicked smart, pretty, fun and kind. And, she's the mother of the two most wonderful grandchildren in the world. (What? Me biased?) She and David are amazing parents. Every time I'm with them I'm in awe.
So, Kara requested "that strawberry deliciousness." That would be strawberry torte. It all started when we were kids and Miz Lou (across the street neighbor) fixed her mother-in-law's recipe for strawberry torte for Tim's birthday. Tim's the middle of five kids. Ted and Dan were in my class and Tim was best buds with my younger brother, John. Funny story here. So, Lou's mother-in-law, Aunt Katie, was my mother's mother's best friend. Lou and my mother were best friends. John and I grew up with and have stayed friends with the middle three kids. AND, John's eldest, Samantha, went to school with Dan's daughter. Four generations. Ok, back to strawberry torte. John wanted it for his birthday too. So, Mom made it. The recipe called for whipping the egg whites and slowing adding the sugar. We'd all help because it took FOREVER to whip all those egg whites. Then, one day Mom realized the recipe had been written before mixers existed. Eureka! Strawberry torte was something we could do easily. Kara had a taste at one of the family parties at my brother John's house. Now, we're going to have another family hooked on the stuff. Unfortunately, the camera with the photos was left at David and Kara's on the way back so its taken me a few days to be able to post this. And, now I've discovered that the recipe is at home and I'm at the office and I don't have the baking instructions. I'll fill those in shortly.
Strawberry Torte
Ingredients:
7 egg whites
1 t cream of tartar
1 1/2 c granulated sugar
1 t vanilla
1 pint strawberries, cored and very thinly sliced and patted dry
8-10 strawberries, cored
1 pint whipping cream
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 275. Put the egg whites in the bowl of a mixer. Make sure the bowl is clean and dry. Add the cream of tartar and the vanilla. Beat them on high while slowly adding the sugar. You want the meringue to be very stiff and glossy. Scrape the meringue into an ungreased 8-9" springform pam. Make peaks.
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the peaks are lightly browned. Turn off the heat to the oven and allow the meringue to cool in the oven. Cut the crispy peaks off. REmove the meringue from the pan. DO NOT wash the pan yet, you're going to want all the crispies! Put the meringue on a cake stand or serving plate. Cover it with the sliced strawberries. Whip the whipping cream until soft peaks form. Your choice here: I like my whipping cream plain. Connie likes his sweetened a bit. Or, you can use Cool Whip if you'd like to save calories and fat. Slather the whipped cream over the strawberries and the side of the torte. Now, time for the crispies. Scrape the inside of your springform pan and sprinkle the crispies over the whipped cream.
Top the whole deal with the whole strawberries and the reserved meringue peaks. Confession here: One, I didn't have Connie get enough strawberries so we didn't have any for the outside. AND, David didn't realize I was saving the meringue peaks and managed to inhale them before I could stop him. Oh, well, it still tasted wonderful!
I love the Secret Recipe Club. It's such a fantastic opportunity to get acquainted with a blog I'd probably never have found on my own. It's tough to find new blogs when life is so busy that getting posts on my own blog is a problem. From after Labor Day until tax season is over, I barely have time to breathe. That's why I so enjoy browsing through another blog searching for just the perfect recipe to try. With GeorgieCakes that's easier said than done. She has quite the collection of wonderful recipes. I was stumped. And, I knew I didn't have time to try four or five and choose my favorite to blog about. Then, I saw this recipe. My wonderful husband, Connie, LOVES pears. They're his favorite fruit. And, he loves pies. Perfect. My search was over. Now, I just have to find the time to go back and try the other dozen recipes I found :-)
Now, just a word here about the Secret Recipe Club. It's a group of 300 bloggers who are randomly assigned a blog. We're divided into four groups and each group posts one Monday of the month. So, the Mondays that I don't have a SRC post, you can hop over to their website at secretrecipeclub.com and see what everyone's posted.
And, I do want to introduce you to Georgia of Georgiecakes. She's a hoot. As I'm typing this on Tuesday, September 21 at o'dark thirty, I hopped over to check out what she's got on her blog now. Maple pesto. Made with three different kinds of nuts. Be still my heart! That one is going on the menu for sure!! I love Georgia's enthusiasm and her wonderful recipes. Hers is a blog I'll use regularly. Thanks Georgia!! Here's a link to her original post: Pear Frangipane Tart
What did we think? There's half a tart left. It's early in the morning. I want a slice. Really want a slice. But, it's my oatmeal morning. Ugh. Pear tart would be so much better. The recipe sounds more complicated than it is. And, you can make pieces and parts ahead of time so it's perfect for entertaining. Just get all the components made in advance and put together your tart the day of the party. I poached the pears the night before and refrigerated them in the poaching liquid - which was incredible. The next evening when I made the frangipane (just try and keep from licking that bowl!) and baked the tart, I couldn't bear to toss the poaching liquid. It was just too good. So, I poured it in a little saucepan and thickened it with some cornstarch. In the event it wasn't perfect with the tart, I spooned a bit around the edges of the plate instead of drizzling it over the tart. Either way works because we practically licked our plates. If you're being really adventurous, you can make a homemade pie crust and put a bit of pear nectar in it instead of water. Ok, I've got to quit writing about this tart or my oatmeal won't get eaten.
Pear Frangipane Tart
Ingredients:
For the pears:
6 bosc or anjou pears
3 T melted butter
3 T sugar
1 c white wine
1/2 c Lyle's golden syrup (or 1/4 c honey, maple syrup or Karo syrup)
2 T vanilla bean paste (I didn't have any so used about a teaspoon of vanilla extract)
For the frangipane:
1 c almonds, toasted (whole, sliced or slivered work, you're going to grind them anyway!)
1/2 c
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 t flour
1/2 t salt (I left this out and didn't miss it in the least)
1 vanilla bean, halved with seeds scraped out
Directions:
First, you're going to poach the pears. You'll need to peel the pears and cut the bottoms off so they'll stand upright. Put the melted butter into a measuring cup. One by one, dunk the pears in the melted butter.
Stand them in a baking dish and pour in the rest of the butter.
Sprinkle them generously with the sugar. Mix the Lyle's Golden Syrup
and the wine. Pour that mixture into the bottom of the baking dish.
Bake the pears at 425 for about 45 minutes or until they're very soft. Baste the pears occasionally with the juices.
Next, you need to make the frangipane. Put the almonds and sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Process until they're well ground. Put the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream until they're pale and fluffy. Add the egg and egg yolk and mix for two minutes. Finally, add the almond mixture, flour, vanilla bean seeds. Mix for about three minutes.
Both the pears and the frangipane can be made 2-3 days in advance. Be sure to reserve the poaching liquid.
Now, it's time to assemble the tart. You can either make a pie crust or cheat like I did and use one of the pre-made ones. Spread the frangipane filling in the bottom of the crust.
Remove the pears from the poaching liquid and pat them dry. Cut them in half and remove the seeds. Slice the pears into 1/2 inch slices. Lay the slices on the frangipane in a circular pattern.
Bake the tart for 45-50 minutes at 350. Just about when you're ready to take the tart out of the oven, pour the poaching liquid into a small saucepan. Mix about a tablespoon of cornstarch with a tablespoon of water to make a slurry. Cook the poaching liquid on medium heat and thicken with the corn starch. Serve the slices of pie with a drizzle of the sauce.
Note from Connie: This may be his favorite pie ever. While I was at a conference, he inhaled the other half.
adapted from GeorgieCakes
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I went through a bunch of photos last weekend and found these... We've made this for years using blue cheese and honey. Nesrine shared a version of this recipe on her blog. It had mascarpone cheese and peaches and balsamic vinegar. Then, I saw it in a couple of magazines and a cookbook with mascarpone. So, I decided to try the mascarpone and balsamic. My guess is that whether you use blue cheese or mascarpone or peaches or pineapple or apples or balsamic vinegar or honey or serve them warm or room temp, you've got a winner.
Grilled Fruit Filled with Cheese
Here's the basic premise:
Take fruit and cut it into a serving (halve the peaches or apples...) and core it
Grill the fruit, cut side down until it's softened and has nice grill marks
While the fruit is still hot, fill the hole with cheese (blue, mascarpone, maybe cream cheese whipped with some shredded cheddar?)
Drizzle with balsamic vinegar or honey. We had a balsamic vinegar tasting here.
The incredible vanilla fig balsamic from our good friend, Doris, won.
Garnish with an herb (mint, tarragon, basil - something folks can actually nibble on)
