Haibun: Moon like cream

For Kim’s prompt over at dVerse. It is Quadrille Monday Today she delights us with “rich” and all the meanings of the word. I offer a Haibun in the manner of Basho.  a quadrille is a poem of exactly 44 words sans title. A haibun is a true accounting of prose ended with a seasonal haiku.

Haibun: Moon Like Cream
“The stars are brilliant at this time of night
and I wander these streets like a ritual I don’t dare to break
for darling, the times are quite glorious.” Charlotte Ericksson

The overwhelming smell of honeysuckle wrapped around my head. I stared up at the blue flower moon and inhaled deeply. The moon is the colour of rich country cream – double delights on this night.
honeysuckle
dipped in  the rich cream
of the full moon

Simple Sunday Supper – Quiche Lorraine

Tonight for supper is one of the best excuses to cook lots of bacon – Quiche Lorraine. I use turkey bacon but you can also use leftover chopped smoked ham. This recipe is a standby from an Old Betty Crocker cookbook. I like to sprinkle fresh chopped chives on top before putting into the oven. Served with a nice crusty bread, steamed asparagus and a bowl of fresh strawberries, this supper sings Spring!  Leftovers make a good light lunch.  One of my snooty type friends said Lorraine was a region in France without cheese and that this was just bacon and cheese quiche.  Whatever.  It’s good.  A quiche by any other name and all that.

You can make a nice rich pate brisee, use one of those refrigerated pie crusts from the dairy case, or use a thawed, frozen deep dish pie crust. I’m using the latter because it is Simple Sunday Supper.   Bon Appetit, y’all!

Ingredients
1 (9 inch) pastry dough (I use frozen, deep dish thawed and pre-baked)
12 slices bacon, crisply fried and crumbled (I use 6 slices of turkey bacon)
1 cup shredded swiss or cheddar cheese
1/3 cup minced onion
4 eggs
2 cups whipping cream or light cream
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions
Heat oven to 450°F. Saute/caramelize onions. Sprinkle bacon, cheese and onion in pastry-lined pie pan. Whisk eggs slightly, beat in remaining ingredients. Pour mixture into pie pan. Bake for 15 minutes at 450°F. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F. Bake an additional 30 minutes. Quiche is done when knife inserted 1 inch from edge comes out clean. Important–let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

 

 

Apple Pie – for AB

What do we love about apple pie? We love the apples, spices, sweetness, the flaky crust – eating it warm with a glass of cold milk or cold with a cup of hot coffee; a slice of cheese melted on top or not. We love more than one slice and being indulgent pie eaters, we eat another slice with no pangs of conscience.  I mean, it’s fruit, right?

This is a lovely pie.  My papa may be the king of peach cobblers but my mama is the empress of apple pie.  The apple filling is slightly cooked to avoid that gap between fruit and crust. The only change I have made to this pie is to cook the filling a bit and during the last few minutes of baking, to pour in some heavy cream. Oh yeah, we are talking decadence at its best.

Douzo meshiagare,y’all!

 

APPLE PIE

Crust
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I use Saigon cinnamon)
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (freshly ground is best)
1/3 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks – keep chilled
1/3 cup shortening  – chilled
4 to 5 tablespoons iced water

Filling
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
6 medium (6 cups) tart cooking apples, peeled, sliced
1/4-inch
1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 teaspoon sugar

Directions
Heat oven to 400°F. Combine 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon sugar, salt, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg in large bowl; cut in 1/3 cup butter and shortening with pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in enough water just until flour is moistened.

Divide dough in half; shape each half into ball. Flatten slightly. Wrap 1 ball of dough in plastic food wrap; refrigerate. Roll out remaining ball of dough on lightly floured surface into 12-inch circle. Fold into quarters. Place dough into 9-inch pie pan; unfold dough, pressing firmly against bottom and sides. Trim crust to 1/2 inch from edge of pan; set aside.

Combine all filling ingredients except apples, 1 tablespoon butter and 1 teaspoon sugar in large bowl. Add apples; toss lightly to coat. Cook apples in heavy pot for about 10 minutes, just until barely tender. Remove to freezer to cool down.

Spoon apple mixture into prepared crust. Roll remaining ball of dough into 12-inch circle. Fold into quarters. Place dough over filling; unfold. Trim, seal and crimp or flute edge. Cut 5 or 6 large slits in crust. Brush with melted 1 tablespoon butter; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar. Cover edge of crust with 2-inch strip aluminum foil.

Bake 35 minutes; remove aluminum foil. Continue baking 10-20 minutes or until crust is lightly browned and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust. Remove pie from oven when lightly browned and bubbly. Run knife through slits in crust. Pour 1/2 cup whipping cream evenly through all slits. Return to oven 5 minutes to warm whipping cream. Cool pie 30 minutes; serve warm. Store refrigerated.

Memories…Spanish Bar Cake

When I was a young ‘un, it was a treat for my Ninny to bring home from the A&P store, the occasional Spanish Bar cake. It was a rich, dark, spicy bar cake with buttercream icing and a “fork” lined design on top. The extravagant sum of 39 cents was the cost for the cake. I can say, it was worth every penny! The recipe is long – full of spices but no preservatives, artificial flavorings, and things you can’t pronounce. It’s the perfect time of year for something spicy in your tummy. Grab a glass of milk, cup of coffee or tea and sit back with good novel and a piece of this cake.

Spanish Bar Cake with Nutmeg Icing
Makes: 16 to 20 servings

For cake:
4 cups water
2 cups raisins
1 cup shortening
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup chopped walnuts

For icing:
4 cups confectioners’ sugar (sifted)
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 tablespoons heavy cream
2 dashes ground nutmeg

For cake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13×9 inch cake pan.
Cook raisins in the water for 10 minutes over medium heat. Stir in shortening. Stir until shortening is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, spices and salt. Add raisin water shortening mixture. Blend well. Beat eggs lightly and stir into batter. Stir in chopped nuts. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until tester comes out clean. When cake is cool, frost with nutmeg icing.

For icing, combine confectioners sugar, butter, vanilla and heavy cream in a bowl and beat until smooth. Add nutmeg to taste.

Peaches and Cream Pie

 

This may seem like peach cream brûlée in a crust, but it is not.  Instead, it is a rich, sweet, and creamy dessert, just like a true Southern Belle.  The sides caramelize a bit, making it a luxurious experience.  

Of course, this recipe is much better with fresh summer peaches, but all of this hot weather has ‘most folks I know already dreaming of summer:  cold lemonade, days at the beach, home grown ‘mater sammiches, and peaches.  Sweet juicy peaches dribblin’ down your chin as you bite into one.  And no eggs so you don’t have to worry about taking it with you on a picnic or to a covered dish dinner. 

We aren’t there yet with summer, but go ahead and make this pie – and dream. 

Peaches and Cream Pie 

¾ c. granulated white sugar

½ c. all purpose flour

1 unbaked 9 inch pie shell

2 c. peeled and sliced fresh peaches or, frozen peaches, defrosted and room temperature

1 c. heavy cream

Good splash of vanilla added to the cream

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Mix sugar and flour together in bowl.  Sprinkle about one-third into the bottom of the pie shell.  Add peaches and sprinkle with remaining sugar and flour.  Slowly pour heavy cream over fillings.  Gently stir peaches to cover them completely with cream.  Bake until peaches are tender and crust is golden – about 45 minutes.  Let cool on rack until a bit warmer than room temperature.  It will slice better.