Timpano At Apple Blossom Time

Timpano Pan

Somehow the spring managed to completely evade me.  So much activity that today I am trying to catch up.  In April, my friend Gary joined us in a "Timpano Challenge".  My husband Irv had stumbled upon a cookbook at a Rummage sale that had the recipe for the Timpano in the movie Big Night - one of Gary's favorite movies.  Since I managed to both find what could be used as a Timpano pan in my attic (but I actually ended up buying a smaller one on Amazon) I thought why not - who best to try to make a Timpano but Gary.  So the challenge!

The outer pasta shell came out divine!  Gary truly is a master pasta maker.   Next came the assembly -- a combination of layers of meatballs, pasta, hard boiled eggs, salami, cheese, rigatoni and sauce.  Finally, the finished product!

Watch the video:  vimeo.com/40561326

Fondue Love

Last Saturday night I threw down a ‘fondue challenge’ to my sister Debbie to put on an entire fondue dinner from start to finish.  We have been talking about this for months, ever since we (she) starting going insane at rummage and yard sales looking for fondue pots large and small.  One of my fondest memories of last year is looking for my sister among the masses at the Trinity Church Rummage Sale in Princeton NJ, only to find her on the floor diving through boxes then rising up like a fish jumping out of the water with both a fondue pot and a Mongolian hot pot – victory!!  I can only say she more than rose to the occasion on Saturday.    The evening started out with my sister setting the table with all of her vintage finds along with yodeling music (my contribution!).    

Ebelskivers, Ebleskivers, Aebleskivers

After visiting one of our local thrift stores, my husband came home with this pan which I immediately recognized as ‘that pan that makes those things that I can’t pronounce’.  He thought it might be for eggs, but thank goodness for the Internet because I never would have recalled that it was an “Ebelskiver” pan for making small Danish pancakes.  Who knew that in some places (for example, Minnesota, California) they have actual Aebleskiver (danish word) Days?

I had to give it a try.  It was not as easy or simple as the cookbooks and several videos make it seem to be.   First off, they should tell you not to spill the batter all over the pan (in every video, everyone is very neat). Second, turning those things isn’t that easy or smooth – I used a bamboo skewer but if you are a bit clumsy they don’t turn over that quickly (I am not that good with regular pancakes, so why did I think that this pan would be a snap).   Third, if you want to put filling in them you have to work FAST – otherwise they burn too quickly before you have time to fill with batter, fill with a filling, then fill with batter again, cook then turn. I am sure if I spent a week at it I might get the hang of it.   In the end, they tasted – well, like pancakes.  I might try to make a savory version (filled with cheese and perhaps a bit of sausage?).  I’ll have to experiment, after all, isn’t that the fun of accidently finding a pan like this? 

I found this video about how to make them the non-clumsy correct way --www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWxISl1dpyI&feature=related

(and the restaurant was featured in the movie "Sideways")

Little Ruby Berries

Lovely Red Currants

While I was in the grocery store last week, I came across some California Red Currants and decided to try and make some red currant jelly.  Let me say I have never made jelly where you cook the fruit and suspend it to extract the juice.  I have been wanting to make currant jelly but here on the East Coast, there is hardly a currant to be found.  Irv and I found some red currant bushes at a local nursery a couple of years ago (very rare).  We planted them and while one promptly died, the other suffers from the high heat and humidity in the summer. The berries, when there are any, are usually anemic looking but tasty enough for the birds to eat as soon as they ripen. Oh well. Unable to grow my own, I thought I would experiment with these (very pricey!) ones from California.

Cooking the Currants

Extracting the Currant Juice

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting

3 Guys, One Pan and a Flan

My Dream Flan Pan

I love signs

I should have stopped for the Scotch Egg.....

Making Marmalade in England

Jam on the Hill, The Smithy, Oakham England