Abebooks.com is one of my favorite on-line sites for… yes… books! Recently I found two books that were amusing. The first book is a look into how and why alcoholic beverages developed around the world and the importance of various berries and grains as well as honey. The author, Patrick McGovern travels the world to see exactly how various civilizations produced beers and wines… “Uncorking the Past” is an excellent buy for those interested in how things all began.
My second book is a simple cookbook from 1908 the Rumford Complete Cookbook by Lily Maxworth Wallace who went on to write through the 1940’s on cookery and etiquette. Rumford — as many know — makes baking powder including the ‘Clabber Girl” brand familiar to those here in California. One can already see the trend towards recipe simplification, cost reduction and minimization of preparation time. However, the book is fun in that it covers a wide variety of subjects not addressed in many cookbooks today… for example, how to properly bone a fowl.
My family does surprise me and I learn about it in interesting ways. For example, they love Lemon Meringue Pies. I should have known that it was the lemons they love because of all the things they like that have lemons in them… lemon drops, lemon squares… but frankly, I thought it was a phase that would pass.
Obviously, lemon has wonderful uses in cooking, however, for me, a little lemon goes a long way.
Here is the basic ingredient list for the FILLING:
1 3/4 cups lemon juice
1 1/2 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons lemon rind
Basic steps to making a lemon pie filling
Here’s how to make the MERINGUE:
a) In a small pan, combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1/3 cup water and 1 tablespoon sugar. The mixture will thicken after several minutes on the stove stirring constantly. Once thick, emove and allow to cool slightly.
b) Beat your 4 egg whites until frothy, add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar and 1/2 cup of sugar… beat until puffy. Add the cornstarch mixture with a blender at high speed until you can make peaks with the meringue.
Bake: 350 degrees for around 20 minutes… check often
I remade the chart above in a monochromatic style as the original set by the CDC was not very clear. One can easily see the progression in increasing obesity rates in America. I haven’t been to Mississippi since ’84, I am sure I would be surprised! There are a lot of Disney ‘Wall-E’ people out there!
Whether the increase in obesity was brought about by an aging population, changes in our diet or additives or by other environmental influences… the time to address this issue is now…. while you are still ambulatory ( while you still can walk). Here are a few suggestions to aid in making a better and lighter life for yourself:
1) follow a plan…
Initially, follow any plan to lose weight and stick to it ( I like Jenny Craig… someone once told me that it was ‘expensive’… but I will remind them that it is a lot less expensive than blood pressure, diabetic medications and the other foo that was given to me… now, I take nothing)
2) do it with a buddy.
According to the map above, the chances are that each of us have a few chubby friends… some of them may like to lighten up. Ask them to join you in losing weight and you can do it together. Talking to someone who understands makes it easier.
3) the secret to a great program is to ‘stroll.’
No expensive gyms, heavy exercise or memberships are needed. You also need not ‘power walk’ as that is not sustainable and boring. I like to walk to a coffee shop every afternoon for a break… and once after dinner… that’s all you need to do…. really!
4) don’t give up the culinary treasures you enjoy.
Just upgrade your culinary treats… but have them less often. Wouldn’t you enjoy your Thanksgiving meal more if you weren’t worried about how you’d feel or look afterward? Our larger meal is lunch and we have our finest on Saturday.
So, here are a few ideas to think about… that is if you want to live a happier, more active and satisfying life… but then, who wants that?
home made filling and meringue make all the difference
Not long ago, I asked a friend what he would like for his birthday. He said a dark chocolate pie with a meringue topping. There are several little minefields in the culinary arts and meringue is one of them. Get some grease on your tools or in your bowl and your done! finished! nada!
Since he — like my daughter Karla — is a bit over the top on dark chocolate, we took that as a hint and started with an Oreo crust…. which is a bit of a departure. The more elegant recipes also add a bit of zing to their pies with berries layered between the pie filling and the meringue… and I like this alternative very much. And since we make our own jams, it makes the pies even more special. I also like to use manufacturers cream ( a heavy whipping cream) rather than milk that appears in most recipes. No time to count calories, my friend!
My recipe here is only a minor variation from what you can find on the net… but I think we made it a bit better. 😉
1) Make your crust and bake it
2) make the filling:
a) beat 4 egg yolks and add 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons cornstarch until well blended
b) gradually add 2 cups of manufacturers whipping cream to the mixture in a frying pan stirring constantly over medium heat.
c) gradually add 6 squares of chocolate ( I like 2 – bitter and 4 semisweet) until well blended
d) add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and pour into cooked pie pan*, cover with plastic and set aside.
3) Make your Meringue
a) In a small pan, combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1/3 cup water and 1 tablespoon sugar. The mixture will thicken after several minutes on the stove stirring constantly. Once thick, emove and allow to cool slightly.
b) Beat your 4 egg whites until frothy, add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar and 1/2 cup of sugar… beat until puffy. Add the cornstarch mixture with a blender at high speed until you can make peaks with the meringue.
4) Assembling your pie
a) heat and spread about 1/4 cup of your favorite berry jam on the bottom of the pie crust*
b) add a small amount 1/2 cup of berries… (I like blueberries) on top of your filling
a) starting at the edge of the pie, add your meringue
5) Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes but keeping checking as not to let the Meringue burn
“TURGOOSEN” –a chicken within a duck within a goose within a turkey
For those who bake, you already know this, but we are in the throes of what is commercially referred to as ‘Baking Season.” Although commercial food product companies gear up and market this time of year, it is actually a proper reflection of what people do between September and January… we bake!
During this ‘season’, families are together more and people prepare those special occasion dishes that are reserved for only the best of times. A Thanksgiving Turkey, a Christmas Ham and a New Year’s Champagne brunch are so ingrained in some families that a lot of things will be dropped from the social calendar before any of these gatherings. I celebrate Japanese New Year with sushi, sashimi and other yummy things. I joke that sushi is my life… and homemade and fresh is best.
What I am starting to gather together are a few things I need for this season’s projects. Our daughters will be arriving in December and have requested a ‘Greek Night’… Dolmades,Tiropetes,Baklava, Honey Pie and Moussaka. Yes, there will be music and then we dance! Laura loves to bake her mushroom cookiesand I will enjoy putting together this year’s Turgoosen! Jenny Craig will just have to be a little understanding.
Oh, I will be making and baking an assortment of other family favorites from Corned Beef Pie( the beef is ‘corning’ away as I write this) to General Washington’s great contribution to Western Civilization…. his incomparable ‘Egg Nog’. I also search and acquire cookbooks from times gone by and not always expensive ones… this time I found a 1908 cookbook by Rumford (Clabber Girl). You don’t have to buy an original ( I have one), but you can buy a nice copy that’ll work just nicely.
So, celebrate this season by making something wonderful for those you love!
