Friday, July 6, 2007
I noticed I was so heavily amending the last post...
...that I may as well begin another. I added quite a bit more information on Latchstring Inn, a little of the history of my grandparent's owner and operatorship, in case that subject piqued your interest.
Today's peach pie is out, cooling, and, again, looks like perfection. This is a partially whole wheat crust. It worked up slightly drier than the all white flour crust, but I sprayed some ice cold water on it while working with it to increase it's adherence.
I should mention something to which some of you might salivate: When you make peach pie with unpeeled peaches, the filling turns blood orange as it bakes. Startling eye candy for table presentation! Hmmm...I wonder if that would happen if you used those white peaches they grow around San Luis Obispo, which have a bit of red pigment in the peeling.
When my mother awoke today she said something she hasn't said for a long time, when I asked her how she was "doing", "A hundred per." She wasn't chomping at the bit, or anything, but she felt good and looked like it. She got a little stiff while we bathed her, so I gave her an ibuprofen at breakfast instead of aspirin. Then, she announced, when I asked her if she wanted one piece of toast or two, "I think I'll have pie instead of toast." Funny what the demented remember! I reminded her that I'd be baking another, slightly different pie after breakfast and we'd probably try that tonight. "Then we need to remind ourselves of the competition," she insisted. So, we did. While we were sitting there eating, a vision came to me of farm breakfasts, which usually took place after the first three hours of work and which often included things like fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn on the cob, etc. More a brunch, really, before returning to the field. I asked my mother, since she is the source of my knowledge about these practical and voluminous breakfasts, if she remembers pie being served at breakfast.
"No," she said, shoving a piece of pie into her mouth, "but it's a good idea."
We've discussed possible dinner entrées. With each possibility, including our version of Cobb salad, my mother expressed fear that it might not leave enough room for pie. We finally settled on polishing off the last two ears of corn on the cob, then have pie. I, once again, exacted an agreement that she would taste the unadorned pie before pouring cream on it.
Hmmm...well it looks, from the weathercast, like we're flirting with the monsoon. It felt oppressive today. Overnight, the Dew Point has rendered the evap useless. The overall temperature drops and we've had a nice wind, so fans have helped immensely. I saw a thunderstorm to the south, over someone else. Next week, though, promises to be dry and warm, although about 10 degrees cooler than this week. The possibility of rain, in our near future, is only 30%.
No reading today. I've been distracted by a variety of activities, most notably, the activity that is my mother. I doubt if I'll get any in tonight. The blueberries are telling me it's time to bake them into muffins.
Low key night, I guess. Maybe we'll do some more nun reading and watch a movie. Do her hair. Look for rain.
Later.
Today's peach pie is out, cooling, and, again, looks like perfection. This is a partially whole wheat crust. It worked up slightly drier than the all white flour crust, but I sprayed some ice cold water on it while working with it to increase it's adherence.
I should mention something to which some of you might salivate: When you make peach pie with unpeeled peaches, the filling turns blood orange as it bakes. Startling eye candy for table presentation! Hmmm...I wonder if that would happen if you used those white peaches they grow around San Luis Obispo, which have a bit of red pigment in the peeling.
When my mother awoke today she said something she hasn't said for a long time, when I asked her how she was "doing", "A hundred per." She wasn't chomping at the bit, or anything, but she felt good and looked like it. She got a little stiff while we bathed her, so I gave her an ibuprofen at breakfast instead of aspirin. Then, she announced, when I asked her if she wanted one piece of toast or two, "I think I'll have pie instead of toast." Funny what the demented remember! I reminded her that I'd be baking another, slightly different pie after breakfast and we'd probably try that tonight. "Then we need to remind ourselves of the competition," she insisted. So, we did. While we were sitting there eating, a vision came to me of farm breakfasts, which usually took place after the first three hours of work and which often included things like fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn on the cob, etc. More a brunch, really, before returning to the field. I asked my mother, since she is the source of my knowledge about these practical and voluminous breakfasts, if she remembers pie being served at breakfast.
"No," she said, shoving a piece of pie into her mouth, "but it's a good idea."
We've discussed possible dinner entrées. With each possibility, including our version of Cobb salad, my mother expressed fear that it might not leave enough room for pie. We finally settled on polishing off the last two ears of corn on the cob, then have pie. I, once again, exacted an agreement that she would taste the unadorned pie before pouring cream on it.
Hmmm...well it looks, from the weathercast, like we're flirting with the monsoon. It felt oppressive today. Overnight, the Dew Point has rendered the evap useless. The overall temperature drops and we've had a nice wind, so fans have helped immensely. I saw a thunderstorm to the south, over someone else. Next week, though, promises to be dry and warm, although about 10 degrees cooler than this week. The possibility of rain, in our near future, is only 30%.
No reading today. I've been distracted by a variety of activities, most notably, the activity that is my mother. I doubt if I'll get any in tonight. The blueberries are telling me it's time to bake them into muffins.
Low key night, I guess. Maybe we'll do some more nun reading and watch a movie. Do her hair. Look for rain.
Later.
