AN ADVENTURE IN PASTRY

Despite the strange early spring, and the  not-so-spring April, the rhubarb is doing splendidly and is truly prolific, at least in my neighbors patch. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 This is my patch, which is lovely, especially with the vineyard in the background.  However, my rhubarb has struggled to grow for several years now.  I have moved part of this patch, and purchased some organic new plants, and moved them to my kitchen garden.  There I hope they will flourish. I recently did go to my neighbor's and pulled a nice batch. 

 

 

 

 

Here it is cut up and ready for cooking.  I had committed to bringing a dessert to an local event, and decided to make something I had never made before....rhubarb turnovers with the real classic butter layered dough.

...in the pot cooking.  Six cups of rhubarb, sugar (about 1 3/4 c.) a touch of cinnamon and some cornstarch.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 3-4 minutes, until tender.

In the mean time I made the dough.  Two c. organic all-purpose flour, 1 c. organic butter, divided.  Cut in 1/2 c. cold butter in the flour until the size of small peas. Divide the dough in half, roll into a 4" x 8" rectangle.  Cut half of the remaining butter into paper thin slices and lay over 2/3 of rectangle.  Fold top third of dough over butter, and then the lower third over that.  Roll again and again, until it measures about 8" x 4" and refrigerate.  Repeat with the other half of dough and butter.  After about 30 minutes in the frig remove and roll out into 16" x 16" square.  Cut into smaller squares.

...brush with egg/water mixture, cut into squares...

Put a spoonful of rhubarb (largish) onto each square...

...fold over into a triangle and seal with a fork...

...brush again with a mixture of egg and water...  Bake at 450 degrees about 17 minutes.

...just removed from the oven and looking and smelling good enough to eat...

...and added drizzle of powdered sugar/half and half, and not only do they look good enough to eat, I simply could not resist a still warm one.  MMMMMMMMM  I took them to the event, but am making a batch for us today!!!!

AGLOW

Wow!  a new Blog navigation application that I am failing at, big time.  I will continue and see if I can right all of what seems wrong to me.

(Like being unable to delete this underlining!!!!)

So, to continue.  The first of the burdock stems (Garduni, in Sicilian) graced our table and our tastes just two night ago.  

Here it is having just been blanched to remove bitterness, bunched together rolled in a beaten egg, then in Italian bread crumbs waiting....

to be fried in canola oil!  It is delicious served with a squirt of lemon juice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next day Iris did an in depth study of the many sea shells in  my collection.

         

The long ago start of weaving this small lampshade...

The wool yarns with which I was weaving.

The finished lampshade.

Completed and set upon a lamp  then lit.  The glow through these gentle colors is really quite nice.

WEAVER EXTRAORDINAIRE

The lovely spring warmth seems to have left us these past two days, replaced with cold, gray, and to say 'windy' is to put is extremely mildly. I can't say that I recall such raucous winds lasting for more than a few hours in the past.

Still, last evening when I went to bed it seemed somewhat mild. I opted to open the window fully and not just the usual crack. I did not sleep all that well because I would awaken to a strong breeze blowing over me, ruffling my hair, and each and every time bringing a smile to my face. I felt close and at one with the outdoors, and yet protected and comfortable in my warm bed.

Still this morning evidence of the wildness of the winds was everywhere, from downed twigs, branches, blown debris, to this....

intricately woven, sweet, small nest with, when I found it on the grass strip to my cabin, this sweet Banded Woolly Bear Caterpillar tucked into a little fuzz ball, looking not altogether different than a tiny fuzzy egg.

This Woolly Bear (Isia Isabella) will one day (with the assistance of Iris and Elsa) be an Isabella Tiger Moth. We will gently tend it until through its stages and until it is ready to fly away.

In the mean time I am deeply intrigued by the beauty of this loosely though sturdily woven nest.

SMALL SECRETS

Hard frost has spread across our farm for several nights running. The buds on our 890 (or so) grape vines have been out for quite some time, and I am sure that this first bud is no longer viable. I have been in the vineyard on a daily basis pruning vines that grew so vigorously last season, that some of the canes are upwards of 30 feet long, stretched far from their desired location of the mother trunk. We are approaching completion, with perhaps 150 vines left to do. Grape vines, unlike fruit trees, have a primary bud (this is the one that has been burned off by frost) a secondary bud, and even a tertiary bud if all else fails. Still, when you lose the first bud, you have already lost at least half a crop. So, it is kind of depressing to work the vines, despite loving being in the vineyard, in the sunshine, overlooking this beautiful valley.

Each early morning as I come back to the cabin, I pass my small, weedy tulip hill. The tulips budded out several weeks ago with the warm and very early spring. The buds did not open then, and only started to partially open last week, with a little more blossom each day.

Every morning there is one peony tulip that seems to have succumbed to the frost...

lying flat, limp and utterly dead-looking on a bed of Creep(y)ing Charlie. Each day I am sure that it's life has ended...

and each and every day, this happens. It seems incredible to me that it can continue to pop up and open after lying so limply and woebegone each morning.

I am grateful for this daily 'reincarnation' and know that it speaks of promises deep and profound. I take this small gift and treasure it.

HAPPY EASTER

Thankfully the bloss0ms were not effected by the frost of the last three nights.

Easter Breads

The dough for Hot Cross Buns and Kulich (Russian Easter Bread) is approximately the same, although the Russian Bread has the addition of chopped almonds and lemon.

...Hot Cross Buns...

...Russian Easter Bread...

Eggs wrapped first in wet onion skins then in towels/rags, secured with string, brought to a boil and let sit for 20 minutes. Iris and Elsa were so patient and concentrated in doing this task. Never a cracked nor a broken egg.

Beautifully mottled orange/yellow eggs just out of the onion wrap.

The girls so loved doing this, that as soon as the pot was put to boil and we had to wait, they were off with the left over onion skins, my collection of glass eggs and kitchen pots to continue the activity in the toy room.

...sketched blown egg...

...another...

...some more...

...and yet more...
This activity was such fun for me, that all eggs I used for cooking were blown out so that I could sketch on them. Perhaps I am done for this season.
Happy Easter to all! ! !

BLOWN AWAY

One of the things I love about the Easter season is coloring/decorating eggs. (When coloring eggs, I always use natural dyes.) Almost always we only have brown eggs, granted the shades of brown, in themselves are beautiful and range from the lightest of ivory to a darker clay color. However, in the past I occasionally purchased white eggs in order to use vivid colors to decorate them.

These are some of those eggs. These were fun to do, and after having blown the egg out of the shell, I used colored markers to decorate them.

But I no longer purchase white eggs, and have not purchased store bought eggs in more years than I can count. I have obtained organic eggs from area Amish, as well as others who raise them in their 'backyards'.

I have a friend Geri, who has laying hens, hens that she quite devotedly tends and literally loves! Hers are, of course, brown eggs, and come in every conceivable shade. Not only are they quite lovely to look at in the untouched shell, but hands down, they are the most delicious, golden/orange eggs I have eaten in my entire life. I have never had an egg that compares in taste and texture. They are simply the 'cream of the crop', better than any other organic egg I have ever eaten. This I attribute not only to the organic way in which she raises her hens, but mostly I attribute it to the genuine love with which she tends them.

I decided this year to try something a bit new. After blowing out the eggs (which I scrambled and quickly ate) I decided to use the shell as a 'sketch board'.

My first attempt at sketching on an egg shell....

...and my second, unfinished, attempt.

It is a bit difficult to keep ones hand steady as you sketch upon a small, rounded surface, and anchoring on something is necessary. It is, however, intriguing and challenging, and honestly, a lot of fun.

Thankfully I have still two full cartons of Geri's eggs in the fridge waiting both for my fork and my pen.

A MURDER OF CROWS

I don't care if March goes out like a lion, spring is definitely here. It was 78 degrees yesterday, and I have spinach and lettuce well up. I've cleaned up my asparagus beds, and am itching to plant more. I am holding back, because we ALWAYS get hard frost in early May.

Despite my constant urge to be outdoors, I have spent quite some time in the kitchen of late...well, I always spend a lot of time in the kitchen, but this was a bit more concentrated. A group of retired teachers (dear friends) meet once per month for breakfast, (which given our ultra-busy schedules isn't always easy.) Most times we meet in a small cafe in town, once in a while we meet at someone's house. I offered to host this month, mostly looking for a reason to bake.

Caramel rolls ready to rise. For the first time, I prepared the caramel rolls and froze them individually. Last night I prepped the caramel sauce and placed the frozen rolls on top, covered and let rise over night.

They had risen perfectly, and I baked them this morning.

...blueberry and date/nut muffins...

This quiche is something new I tried. The crust is potatoes prepped to be hash browns, pressed into a buttered pie plate, and drizzled with butter, cooked until slightly browned, and then the egg, ham, onion, milk mixture is added. It was delicious.

For a large pie plate:
4 1/2 c. shredded raw potatoes ( I shred them on to a clean dishtowel and squeeze until all the water is out.)
1/3 + 1/6 c. melted butter
1 1/2 c. diced cooked ham
1/2 c. chopped onion
chopped garlic to taste
1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
3 eggs
3/4 c. milk
salt/pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425. Press shredded potatoes onto a slightly buttered pie plate, sides and bottom. Drizzle with the melted butter, season with a little salt. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until beginning to brown. In a bowl, combine sauteed ham (I saute ham in canola oil with onions and some garlic) and onion garlic with shredded cheese. In a separate bowl combine eggs, milk,salt/pepper. When crust is ready, spread ham mixture on the bottom, cover with egg mixture. Lower oven to 350, and bake for 20-25 minutes, until filling is puffed and golden.

...fresh fruit salad and vanilla yogurt...

...just waiting for the arrival of the 'Crows'...
(Coulee Region Outstanding Women's Society, a fancy way to say we are a bunch of old crows)
(For those of you who do not know, a group of crows, supposedly the most intelligent bird, is called a 'murder', lots of theories as to why, but the one I like best is that at the time of naming such, the folks responsible thought it 'poetic'.)

The not-so-old CROWS gathered round.
It is a wonderful time sharing stories, laughter, and good food.