Our raspberries are not as prolific as last year. Maybe it is the cool and wet spring, or maybe it is suppose to be bi-annual, or maybe who knows... I picked about a cup last week and about three cups yesterday. I asked G whether he likes raspberry jam. "Yea". So I found an epicurious recipe for raspberry jam and ended up with a 2:3 ratio - 2 cups of sugar with heaping 3 cups of berries. Easy, tasty .. mmm.
We had a very enjoyable Memorial Day weekend vacation at Paul & Shari's. There was a bit of excitement with Kooler being diagnosed at the vet with a bladder infection and then the front tire blowing on the way home with Eda driving, needless to say I drove the rest of the way home. Oh, this is a pic of Abby practicing her wiles...I pity the fewl that has to resist this look 15 years from now.
Up the hill from where we live
where the fuzzies and I go on walks
neighborhood has perfectly manicured landscapes
there is a section of pavement
where these panises are allow to color outside of the line
*Double yoke egg!
This week was J's and N's birthdays and J & N invited us over for dinner. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! So I had a break from
tasty nom nom. But I gave in to two bread products - brioche and hamburger buns. I have made other rich egg bread like challah and pulla. Although leftovers make very yummy bread pudding, I was never happy with the texture / taste. But G seems to think pulla is suppose to be 'dry' so you can butter (or add jam) and toast. Hmm. Anyways ...
I tried the Basic Brioche Recipe from Rose Levy Beranbaum. It is a sticky buttery eggy rich dough. It came together in the stand mixer just fine and was easy to handle once chilled. I shaped it into loaf and baked. It made an outstanding loaf of brioche and very tasty french toasts.
The hamburger buns recipe is from King Arthur Flour. It is also a very simple recipe and I kneaded it by hand. It makes a good sandwich roll, sturdier than store-bought buns, a little chewy, but not as much as say ciabatta.
Bread. Yum.
... both arrived as expected this year. This one is for J
I used the Hipstamatic camera app on the iPhone. It reminds me of when Photoshop filters first came out ...
Tried my hand at making marmalade / jam again. This time, I grated some blood oranges & a lemon. The taste is wonderful but the mixture was reduced too much. It was setting but the temperature wasn't right. Next time, I will trust the finger-test. This batch is a like jam, with no visible rind. I also made a smaller batch with sliced oranges. The slices did not break down as much as I thought they would. That batch have a chunkier consistency.
My first experiment in making and 'jarring' marmalade. I found a recipe that is simpler than most of the canning recipes I've seen. The process was straight forward, messy, gooey, sticky, and everything I thought it was.
I tasted it last night and it was good. Due to lack of foresight, I don't have bread in the house. Therefore, I have no idea what it taste like on .. toast!
I tried making my first canelés about ten years ago, "BG" - before Glen. It was featured in some magazine ... I went out and bought some molds, not the proper $$$copper$$$ ones, and ended up in disaster. Then a few years later, I tasted my first one at Essential Bakery , along with bostock (a french toast like pastry made with brioche), lady slippers ...
Fast forward to last year, J and I stopped at Honore Artisan Bakery during a trip to the Nordic Heritage Museum... I had another one (along with a lot of different macarons).
This recipe showed up recently ( I think J shared it with me). And I read through entire thread on eG. This attempt was slightly better than my previous one a decade ago, but not quite there yet. I am sure I will be experimenting ... again.
P.S. Envious of these cute molds.
Today is the official start of meteorological spring in Seattle. I spotted this bug on the gates this morning. No clue what it is.
Sunny and 55 today. It is absolutely gorgeous outside. I planted this pussy willow many years ago, 'temporary' at the south side of the house. It is in a terrible spot and needs to be moved.
