Showing posts with label Gratitude. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gratitude. Show all posts

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Everything's Coming Up Crumble

The irony's not lost on me that, no sooner do I post about body change borne of moderation, I am compelled to bake.

I just had to use up some gorgeous, peaking pears sitting in a bowl on my counter top. Sure, I could have sliced them into a salad but seriously, is that as fun as making pear pistachio crumble?!

I haven't capitalized the recipe name because it's not technically a recipe. It's the outcome of my style of cooking: great ingredients, good materials, a modicum of experience and a pragmatic nature.

To wit:

Here they are, pre-baking... So horrified to show you the world's most beat up cookie sheet. But it still works, so what's an environmentally friendly cook to do?

These tarts are simple. I had 3 pears (each one got its own tart ramekin), sliced them, added some citrus, vanilla extract, a smidge of corn starch (these things are wet!) and coated them with a crumble made of 60 g (ish) of butter, equal parts pistachio, flour and brown sugar (1/2 cup of each in this case). Man, I am so schizo when it comes to units of measurement... Then I put them in a medium hot oven (350 degrees) for 30 minutes. They're baking as I write, so they may need a bit more time.

I don't think we spend enough time - maybe I should just speak for myself? - reveling in beautiful things. The smell of vanilla, butter and pear on a bright November day is a gift. That I can see it, smell it, taste it...That I can create and share it... That I can afford the food and heat to make it... That I will enjoy this after a dinner of beef tenderloin, rice and roasted veggies... Wow. My life is awesome.

Yum: