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[img:982208/P982208_46319eb865dfd:left][size=large][font=cursive]I often feel nostalgic about food I enjoyed in the past and as we are well into the strawberry season my thought go back to the time I lived in France and and the wonderful strawberry tarts.
Easy enough to make really but I like to have a recipe. I have loads of cookery books but I eventually found what looks like a good recipe on internet which I will copy out here for any of you who are interested. And how could you not be? When I think back (still in France) of the gaufres we devoured in the fairgrounds. So light and crispy covered with piped cream and strawberries and powdered all over with icing sugar.
Then thoughts fly further back to the strawberry jam my mother used to make. Not that thick stuff they sell in the supermarkets here but set to sufficiency with whole strawberries and beautiful held up to the light.
I wonder how many of you pick strawberries straight from your gardens? Any tips, recipes or even poems about strawberries? Someone told me that tea made with strawberry leaves is good for rheumatism?[/font][/size]
[size=larger][font=times]Strawberry Cream Tart [/font][/size]
[size=medium][font=cursive]
INGREDIENTS:
For the crust:
1-1/4 cups unbleached flour
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 Tablespoon grated orange zest
6-1/2 Tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 egg yolk
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
.
For the filling:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup half and half
1 cup heavy cream
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 large egg yolks
.
For the topping:
3 cups whole strawberries, green tops removed
1/2 cup red currant preserves
PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
For the crust:
1. Put the flour, brown sugar, orange zest and butter pieces in a food processor and process until it ressembles coarse meal.
In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk together with the lemon juice and vanilla.
3. Add the mixture to the processor and process until the dough forms into a ball. Remove and press it evenly over the bottom and up the sides of a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Prick the bottom all over the a fork and bake for 15-20 minutes or until light browned. Remove and cool completely.
For the filling:
1. Stir together the sugar, cornstarch, half-and-half, cream and vanilla together in a saucepan. Put the egg yolks into a small bowl and beat lightly.
2. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is smooth and thick, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat and cook an additional 2 minutes.
3. Measure out 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture and gradually stir it into the beaten eggs. Return the tempered eggs into the mixture in the saucepan and continue cooking over low heat for about 2 minutes. The mixture should have the consistency of mayonnaise.
4. Pour the mixture into a clean bowl, and allow to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
5. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
To finish the tart:
1. Spread the custard evenly into the cooled shell.
2. Put the preserves in a small saucepan and stir in the Cointreau. Place over medium heat and melt until smooth, about 5 minutes.
3. Arrange the strawberries, stem side down, in concentric circles on top of the cream. Brush with the warm preserves to glaze the berries.
To serve:
Cut into slices and serve immediately. It may also be refrigerated for up to 2 hours before serving, but it should be eaten within 3 hours of assembly.
[color=orange][size=large]I don't have any kitchen robots I much prefer to prepare food rather than wash the appliances but I'm sure that all of you know how to make a tart .)[/size][/color]
[img:982208/P982208_46319eb865dfd:left][img:982208/P982208_46319eb83cdb0:left][/font][/size][img:982208/P982208_46319eb865dfd:left]
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The Banoffee Pie Story
From: Julia Ann Stock |
Created: Mar 26 2007, 05:06 am
| Updated: Mar 26, 2007
Anyway, a few years back I was staying at my mother's on holiday when she invited me for lunch at the restaurant in a rather classy department store in the centre of town.We had a pleasant meal, the details of most of which I have long since forgotten. What I do remember however, was the excellence of the desert. I had chosen Banoffee Pie. I liked the name which somehow reminded me of eskimos and conjured up an idea of something cool and light and fluffy like snow. Well it was something like that. It was something like a cheese-cake with a biscuit base, a toffee and banana taste and lots of whipped cream! Mmm!
I came back to Italy intending to get the recipe off some friend or in a cookery book. Incredible no-one had even heard of it and there was no mention of it in any of the cookery books I came across........[/font][/size][img:982208/P982208_4607b45f163e5:left]
[size=large][font=cursive]
Then it happened that a friend of mine was staying back home with her mother too; and with an elderly aunt they also lunched at the same restaurant and ordered Banoffe Pie.There was apparantly a very animated discussion during the meal as to how it was made and after coffee they all traipsed off to the book department in search of the official recipe. Well believe it or not, they actually did find one, but in a book which was so big and expensive that no one felt like buying it. The next step was a trip to the stationary department to get note book and pencil and then back again to the book department. Then with mother and aunt on guard Sheila managed to jot down the recipe trying not to be seen by the assistants who were bustling around filing books and tidying up the shelves.......
Later Sheila phoned me from England and I was able to write down my first official Banoffee Pie recipe at last .[/font][/size]
[size=large][font=cursive]As I was saying, that was a few years back but Banoffee Pie has since then been something of a leggend at my house.[/font][/size]
[size=large][font=cursive]Mauro's girlfriend was coming to dinner last Saturday evening and Mauro asked me if I would make the pie. Well OK, I made the biscuit base and that was fine! Now you might not know but one way of preparing this famous recipe is to boil a tin of condensed milk for a couple of hours. Well I'm not as young as I was and thought I would have a knap while it was boiling. So there I am peacefully dozing on the sofa when I am suddenly awoken by the most terrible explosion!!! Yes that's right! The saucepan had dried and the tin had exploded! Well you should have seen the mess. You know it was caramel and I can't tell you what it looked like!!! All over the walls, ceiling, everywhere, and everything was splattered|............[/font][/size]
[size=larger][font=cursive]
So to cut a long story short I bought another tin of condensed milk and emptied it into a saucepan instead of cooking it in the tin! In fact I don't think I'll ever try to do it that way again.
We had a good evening, by the way, with Lorenza. We roasted sausage on the fire and had an enormous green salad and wine with olive bread and walnut bread too. We also had roquefort and goat's cheese for a change. Last but not least the Banoffee was a huge success with no leftovers![/font][/size]
[color=blue][size=larger][font=cursive]To Make the Banoffee Pie.
Make a biscuit base with butter and the kind of biscuits you like best. chocolate digestives are very sinful, but being more 'angelic' I usually use the plain ones.
Pour the contents of a tin od condensed milk into a saucepan and heat slowly until a light golden colour. Pour on to the biscuit base if and when it is ready.
Let cool a little and cover with sliced bananas. Cover with whipped cream or other creamy mixture. For example cream whipped with marscapone or ricotta or philadephia.
Dust with powdered chocolate. Buon Appetito![/font][/size][/color]
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Foxes!
From: Julia Ann Stock |
Created: Feb 23 2007, 12:23 am
| Updated: Feb 23, 2007
I get so excited any time I find any kind of wild life up there. Primroses have been blooming since Christmas and now there are snowdrops and crocus flowering under the apple trees. Now the foxes. They must have a great time when we are not around and the mating season must be in full swing. I wonder if I'll ever get to see them with their cubs! I'll take a few scraps up next time which might stop them a little of raiding not so nearby farmers. There are plenty of mouldy apples and berries anyway.
Hope you like these photos I stole from Yahoo Images.[img:982208/P982208_45dea3e457e06:left][img:982208/P982208_45dea43b00f3f:left][/font][/size][img:982208/P982208_45dea543e38a9:left]
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Credit Card holders be warned
In the post from a friend today.
[size=medium][font=cursive] SCENE 1.
A friend went to the local gym and placed his belongings in the locker.
After the workout and a shower, he came out, saw the locker open, and thought to himself, "Funny, I thought I locked the locker.
Hmm, "He dressed and just flipped the wallet to make sure all was in order.
Everything looked okay - all cards were in place.
A few weeks later his credit card bill came - a whooping bill of $14,000!
He called the credit card company and started yelling at them, saying that he did not make the transactions.
Customer care personnel verified that there was no Mistake in the system
and asked if his card had been stolen.
"No," he said, but then took out his wallet, pulled out the credit card, and yep - you guessed it - a switch had been made.
An expired similar credit card from the same bank was in the wallet.
The thief broke into his locker at the gym and switched cards.
Verdict: The credit card issuer said since he did not report the card missing earlier, he would have to pay the amount owed to them.
How much did he have to pay for items he did not buy?
$9,000! Why were there no calls made to verify the amount swiped?
Small amounts rarely trigger a "warning bell" with some credit card companies.
It just so happens that all the small amounts added up to big one![/font][/size]
SCENE 2.
A man at a local restaurant paid for his meal with his credit card.
The bill for the meal came, he signed it,and the waitress folded the receipt
and passed the credit card along.
Usually, he would just take it and place it in his wallet or pocket. Funny enough, though, he actually took a look at the card and, lo and
behold, it was the expired card of another person.
He called the waitress and she looked perplexed.
She took it back, apologized, and hurried back to the counter under the watchful eye of the man.
All the waitress did while walking to the counter was wave the wrong expired card to the counter cashier, and the counter cashier immediately looked down and took out the real card.
No exchange of words --- nothing! She took it and came back to the man with an apology.
Verdict:
Make sure the credit cards in your wallet are yours.
Check the name on the card every time you sign for something and/or the card is taken away for even a short period of time.
Many people just take back the credit card without even looking at it, "assuming" that it has to be theirs.
FOR YOUR OWN SAKE, DEVELOP THE HABIT OF CHECKING YOUR CREDIT CARD EACH TIME IT IS RETURNED TO YOU AFTER A TRANSACTION!
SCENE 3:
Yesterday I went into a pizza restaurant to pick up an order that I had called in.
I paid by using my Visa Check Card which, of course, is linked directly
to my checking account.
The young man behind the counter took my card, swiped it, then laid it on
the counter as he waited for the approval, which is pretty standard procedure.
While he waited, he picked up his cell phone and started dialing.
I noticed the phone because it is the same model I have, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Then I heard a click that sounded like my phone sounds when I take a
picture.
He then gave me back my card but kept the phone in his hand as if he was still pressing buttons.
Meanwhile, I'm thinking: I wonder what he is taking a picture of, oblivious to what was really going on.
It then dawned on me: the only thing there was my credit card, so now I'm paying close attention to what he is doing.
He set his phone on the counter, leaving it open.
About five seconds later, I heard the chime that tells you that the picture has been saved.
Now I'm standing there struggling with the fact that this boy just took a picture of my credit card.
Yes, he played it off well, because had we not had the same kind of phone, I probably would never have known what happened.
Needless to say, I immediately canceled that card as I was walking out of the pizza parlor.[/font][/size]
[size=large]All I am saying is, be aware of your surroundings at all times.
Whenever you are using your credit card take caution and don't be
careless.
Notice who is standing near you and what they are doing when you use your card.
Be aware of phones, because many have a camera phone these days.
When you are in a restaurant and the waiter/waitress brings your card and receipt for you to sign, make sure you scratch the number off.
Some restaurants are using only the last four digits, but a lot of them are still putting the whole thing on there.
I have already been a victim of credit card fraud and, believe me, it is
not fun. The truth is that they can get you even when you are careful, but don't make it easy for them.[/size]
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Hi to all my friends on genebase.
At last I have a reasonable internet service and hope to be able to carry on from where I left off.
For the last few weeks I have been in a whirlwind of activity on eBay but now things have gone a bit wrong and they have shut me out for the time being. Or at least I hope it will be just temporary.
When I get going again I'll invite you to take a look. Perhaps even some of you are into this.
OK! Now I'm going to have a look round your blogs to see what's been happening :)
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WOMEN
From: Julia Ann Stock |
Created: Jan 10 2007, 03:40 pm
| Updated: Jan 28, 2007
[img:982208/P982208_4477f1a97eab9:left]
RESPECT A WOMAN BECAUSE….
You can feel her [size=large]INNOCENCE[/size] in form of a daughter
You can feel her CARE in form of a sister
You can feel her WARMTH in form of a friend
You can feel her PASSION in form of a beloved
You can feel her DEDICATION in form of a wife
You can feel her DIVINITY in form of a mother
You can feel her BLESSING in form of a grandmother
Yet she is so TOUGH too…
Her heart is so TENDER…
So NAUGHTY…
So CHARMING…
So SHARING…
So MELODIUS…
She is a WOMAN
And she is life!!![/font][/size]
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Yours
From: Julia Ann Stock |
Created: Dec 15 2006, 03:48 pm
| Updated: Dec 29, 2006
[quote]
Yours (Quiereme Mucho)
Words & Music by Agustin Rodriguez, Music by Gonzalo Roig, 1931
English lyric by Jack Sherr
Recorded by Jimmy Dorsey, 1941 (#2)
D9 D9sus4 D9 G Em7 Em7sus4 G D
Yours till the stars have no glo - ry,
D9 D9sus4 D9 G B7 Em B+ Em7 Em6
Yours till the birds fail to sing,
G G/F# G/B A7 G G/B A7
Yours till the end of life's sto - ry --
G G/F# G/B A7 A7+5 D
This pledge to you, dear, I bring.
D9 D9sus4 D9 G Em7 Em7sus4 G D
Yours in the gray of De - cem - ber,
B7 Cdim B7 Em B+ Em7 Em6
Here or on far dis - tant shores;
G Gm7 Gdim D F#7 Bm Bm7
I've nev - er loved an - y - one the way I love you --
G G/F# A7 A7+5 D
How could I, when I was born to be just yours?
Though the song was already ten years old by then, 1941 saw this song chart four times. Besides Dorsey's version, Xavier Cugat and Vaughn Monroe both reached #16, and Benny Goodman hit #17 with his arrangement. [/quote]
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Santa Lucia
From: Julia Ann Stock |
Created: Dec 14 2006, 12:18 am
| Updated: Dec 15, 2006
[size=large][font=times]
Yesterday Dec 13th was the festa of Santa Lucia (St Lucy) in my town. St Lucy is the patron saint of Siracusa in Sicily and is the patron saint of things to do with eyes. She lived in the third century, became a christian and took a vow for virginity. In spite of this her family married her off. In order to be repulsive to her husband she gouged her eyes!
The legend goes that she entered Heaven, wearing a blue cloak covered with stars, riding a donkey carrying presents for all the little ones up there, as you can see in the two drawings above made by elementary school children in Mantova.
As I was saying it is a big day here and the whole of the centre of town is cut off from traffic and fills with market stalls of all kinds. Apart from the usual things you will find all kinds of nougat (soft, hard, covered with chocolate etc all brightly wrapped in shiny coloured paper. red blue or green), honey (chestnut, eucalyptus, arbutis, thyme, lavenda etc) home made soaps and candles, all kinds of characters and objects to add to the family Holy Nativity creations (which can become quite vast and impressive. People take excursions up into the nearby hills to collect moss, rocks and stones, twigs etc), steaming crusty rolls with roasted wild boar (poor things!), Sicilian sweetmeats (cassata, cannoli etc etc) local wines, cheeses, nuts, delicious macaroons, huge baskets of different kinds of olives, colourful glacée fruits and marrons glacées, Christmas trees, pointisetia, and infinite decorations, lights and baubles..........................
The town fills up with so many people in the afternoon that you can hardly move and a lot of people wander down to the little stone church of Santa Lucia by the port to light a candle and perhaps say a prayer, leave an offering and give a little something to the needy person waiting with hand outstretched by the massive old door.
It was my husband's birthday too and that is why he is called Luciano. we celebrated in a creperie last night which made a good end to a tiring but happy day. [/font][/size]
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Blood is Thicker tha Water?
From: Julia Ann Stock |
Created: Nov 19 2006, 11:59 pm
| Updated: Nov 20, 2006
How do you feel about 'family?
I have noticed that with some genealogical contacts I feel immediatly at home as if they were long lost sisters and brothers. With others it's a very formal affair just asserting the right names and getting back as far as possible. Obviously when you start getting very high numbers it's rather difficult to take a 'human' interest in them all but I suppose we all have our favourite 'family' names.
I'm also very interested in the physical aspect for example you might find that red hair is a characteristic in your family going way back; caused by dominant genes I suppose. This is certainly true for my family and although I don't have red hair I do have the freckles. There are also certain illnesses or conditions that re-occur. Going back two or three generations I think you might find that certain ways of saying things and even alot of what 'mother' puts on the table has been handed down through the generations. I have a cookbook of all my favourite recipes and I'd say that more than half of these were my mother's recipes and also my grandmother's and who knows, perhaps some of them were also my great grandmothers, not to mention a few thrown in from my father's side.
Sometimes in TV documentaries or when you visit a foreign country you will notice that the people have a similar cast of features.
Sometimes I look up family names on 'Yahoo Images'. It's incredible how sometimes you might find an photo of someone who looks just like one of your relations! It's true that sometimes when a contact sends you photos you realize that those people are probably not yours!
[img:982208/P982208_456159fce1804:left][img:982208/P982208_442cd968c0fac:left]
I think this young boy who has the same name as my father and who was killed in the Boer War looks more like my father than anyone else in the family. He doesn't seem to be a relation though.
[img:982208/P982208_45615c1a8bc2c:left]
[img:982208/P982208_45615b6d764b5:left]
My grandmother and her great aunt
[img:982208/P982208_45615d0a3d633:left][img:982208/P982208_45615daaf3d94:left]
I think the elder girl on the right (with family name) is rather like my mother. The elder girl on the left.
[/size][img:982208/P982208_45615f40c2ace:left]
[img:982208/P982208_45615e880de65:left][img:982208/P982208_442cd968c0fac:left][img:982208/P982208_442a21595c26d:left]
The two first gentlemen are VERY distant cousins of my father.[/size]
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FIVE QUARTERS OF AN ORANGE
From: Julia Ann Stock |
Created: Nov 18 2006, 12:15 am
| Updated: Nov 18, 2006
This was interesting and well written but I found it very disconcerting. Have you read this or any other of her books? Here is info by Clare Dederer
by Joanne Harris
In Five Quarters of the Orange, Joanne Harris returns to the small-town, postwar France of Chocolat. This time she follows the fortunes of Framboise Dartigan, named for a raspberry but with the disposition of, well, a lemon. The proprietor of a café in a rustic village, this crabby old lady recalls the days of her childhood, which coincided with the German occupation. Back then, she and her brother and sister traded on the black market with the Germans, developing a friendship with a charismatic young soldier named Tomas. This intrigue provided a distraction from their grim home life--their father was killed in the war and their mother was a secretive, troubled woman. Yet their relationship with Tomas led to a violent series of events that still torment the aging Framboise.
Harris has a challenging project here: to show the complicated, messy reality behind such seemingly simple terms as collaborator and Resistance. To the children, of course, these were mere abstractions: "We understood so little of it. Least of all the Resistance, that fabulous quasi-organization. Books and the television made it sound so focused in later years; but I remember none of that. Instead I remember a mad scramble in which rumor chased counter-rumor and drunkards in cafes spoke loudly against the new regime." The author's portrait of occupier and occupied living side by side is given texture by her trademark appreciation of all things French. Yes, some passages read like romantic, black-and-white postcards: "Reine's bicycle was smaller and more elegant, with high handlebars and a leather saddle. There was a bicycle basket across the handlebars in which she carried a flask of chicory coffee." But these simple pleasures, recorded with such adroitness, are precisely what give Framboise solace from the torment of her past.
by Claire Dederer
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