Skip to main content

Things Are Not What They ApPEAR to Be

What is this?


If I had a decent camera on my cell phone, this picture would look like below:


.............

Um. Damn.  Google failed me there.  

I couldn't find a really super-duper professional Glamour Shot of the exact poached pear dessert I did for a pasta dinner Friday night.  Which, now that I think about it, makes me happy...that means not many people out there are doing what I do.

Well, they probably are, but they are a.) not taking pictures or b.) are beyond the first couple of pages of Google hits.

So, let me 'splain.  No, there is too much.  Let me sum up.
(One million spacebucks if you can tell me what movie the above three lines come from)

A firm pear, cored and peeled, poached in a bath of really sweet red wine along with a couple of cinnamon sticks and some vanilla.  I only filled the pot halfway up the pear because I wanted the gradual red fade into the natural pear color.  Then, I whipped up a sabayon sauce with egg yolks, a sweet blush wine, along with a little heat and much hand whipping.  Chocolate cookie crumbs on top of the sabayon and a caramel sauce drizzle on top of the pear...and voila!  A classy dessert for 16.

I'll admit, I'm pretty damn proud of how it turned out.  It's one of those times where what I imagined and what actually happened were similar.

Carry on.

Comments

  1. BlueyNovember 4, 2013 at 8:18 AM

    That looks, frankly, delicious. I like how you take food and make it an artistic experience.

    I would comment more, but I've been mostly dead all day.

    PS: I'll take my one million spacebucks in an albino-owned wheelbarrow, thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownNovember 5, 2013 at 1:25 PM

    I'm trying, Bluey, I really am. This all strains me past the compass of my wits sometimes, though.

    Thanks for dropping in.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

(She) Blinded Me With...Citrus

Excuse my attempt at tying today's blog entry with an iconic Thomas Dolby song.  What a terrible pun-ishment. Har har har. So, we're on the backside of Winter Vacation/Christmas Break/Holiday Hiatus here.  The kids return to school tomorrow, the freshman and I start back to our respective colleges next Monday. The clock is ticking and suddenly, I am whipped into frenzy to Get Work Done.  I suspect this phenomenon happens to many, many educators who try to avoid that panic-stricken night before they go back to work. And believe me when I say, I had the deepest, most earnest of intentions to write lesson plans, write quizzes, and generally prepare for the restart of my classes next week.  Like, really. And then...I was distracted by...citrus.  This happened. Okay, so....the lemons on the far right are no big deal.  They're available year-round.  But Meyer lemons...MEYER...I only find around here in the winter.  I first read about them i...
Post a Comment
Read more

Spaghetti Cake

Yes. You read that right.  Keep reading, friends, it's about to get good. Photo by Brent Nelson...who doesn't quite know about shadows and things in photography. Photo by your trusty author, who doesn't quite know about taking knockout food pictures. So, the caboose (Elliot) was in charge of meals this weekend...as part of his requirement for one of his Boy Scout badges.  Even though we'd be eating meals easy for a 12-year-old to put together (usually not healthy), I was totally ready to hand over the reins for the weekend. Saturday night's dinner was supposed to be simple.  Spaghetti.  But then, I remembered I had Justin's Chapple's Mad Tips article for Pasta Bundt Loaf .  I handed that over to the Boy Scout...and things just got awesome. The ingredients here seem to be a cross between those of a lasagna and an alfredo.  One pound of spaghetti noodles is cooked, and to which a bunch of cheese, milk, eggs, and seasonings are added.  All...
Post a Comment
Read more

Booze for Thought

So.  Every now and then, I feel compelled to talk about something else besides food here at TTOSBF. Today, the topic is alcohol. I enjoy it.  Probably more than I really should, if I may lay the truth out there at my dear readers' feet. Sometimes it's a clever craft beer or a comforting gin and tonic.  I've realized lately that I often reach for the bottles in the liquor cabinet when I'm a.) bored b.) stressed c.) in a boozy social situation or d.) feel like I need a little reward for surviving (thus far) this Trump presidency. Huh.  As it turns out, most of my life these days moves within the realm of one or more of these four conditions. So, I was drinking often.  Every day. And here was the big epiphany: once I started drinking, my productivity went in the toilet.  Don't jump to conclusions, I hardly ever drank myself into a stupor...but I'd get the strong buzz going for sure.  Then, I was near useless.  I wanted to eat everything i...
Post a Comment
Read more