Works in Progress

I've been working on a big post for a couple of weeks, but because work and Other Things are keeping me quite busy at the moment it's blowing out into a project with no clear end in site, so I've decided to put up a little something in the meantime.

Thanksgiving was last Thursday, and I missed you guys a lot. As nice as it is to have it with my family (and not to have to cook two bloody turkeys and my weight in stuffing), it will never be as fun as it is in Sydney. The warm weather, the franticness (franticity?), the running all over Erskineville with half-cooked birds because my oven died in the ass... they were fucking good times.

Anyway, a couple of people e-mailed me saying that at this time of year they missed my pumpkin pie. I figured that this at least is something I could provide from the other side of the world, so long as you-all promise not to miss me any less because you can make it without me. :)


XOXO

Best Pumpkin Pie
(Cook’s Illustrated)

2 cups (16 oz/4.4 kg) butternut pumpkin puree*
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup double cream
2/3 cup milk
4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 400˚F (205˚C). Blind-bake pie crust in pie pan for 5-10 minutes or until just a touch golden.

Process first 7 ingredients in a food processor fitted with steel blade for 1 minute.

Transfer pumpkin mixture to a 3-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan; bring it to a sputtering simmer over medium-high heat. Cook pumpkin, stirring constantly, until thick and shiny, about 5 minutes.

When crust is done, whisk heavy cream and milk into pumpkin and bring to a bare simmer. Process eggs in food processor until whites and yolks are mixed (about 5 seconds). With motor running, slowly pour about half of hot pumpkin mixture through feed tube. Stop machine and scrape in remaining pumpkin. Process 30 seconds longer.

Immediately pour warm filling into hot pie shell. (Ladle any excess filling into pie after it has baked for 5 minutes or so — by this time filling will have settled.) Bake until filling is puffed, dry-looking, and lightly cracked around edges, and center wiggles like gelatin when pie is gently shaken, about 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour, and serve with homemade whipped cream (not ice cream - it doesn't seem to work well).

*To make butternut puree:
Peel and cube fresh butternut. Boil in lightly-salted water until soft but not breaking down. Drain off water, then mash or blend pumpkin until very smooth (it should look like baby food). Do NOT add any additional salt or other ingredients, as that will stuff up the rest of the recipe.

I'll bet he bowls underarm.

You guys? *This* is why they created the Internet. Just try and tell me Mustachioed Derek didn't play for Australia.

XOXO

Masa = love.

Omigod, you guys.

Caitlin took me to Masa for brunch today, and it was THE AWESOMER. The food, the drinks, the service, the everything. All of it, just beyond.

I started with a Citrus Mojito, which, if there's a better way to start a Sunday than with rum and lime, I sure as hell can't think of it. Caitlin had the Latin Bellini, which was so sparkly and light - mango! guava! champers! - that we each had two more of those before the meal was done. Somebody get on the phone to Anise and tell them to start serving liquor, y'all, you don't even know what you've been missing all this time. These were accompanied by fresh, warm cornbread with a selection of sweet and savoury jams and what I think was a maple-walnut-flavoured butter (slightly sweet, slightly salty, altogether perfect).

For an appetizer, I had the Southwestern Spring Roll, which was lovely and cheese-y with a beautiful clean chilli heat to it. (Went really well with the mojito too!) Caitlin had the Breakfast Tacos, which I coveted mightily until I had a taste of my own app and did a Happy Food Dance in my chair.

For my entrée, I had the Santa Fe-style Eggs Benedict (no avocado), which were pushed beyond the usual level of Hollandaise greatness by the use of biscuits (American biscuits, not British/Australian biscuits), which maintained their crunch much better than the standard English muffin. The home fries were a bit bland and not crunchy like I like them, but everything else on the plate - including a transcendent fresh red salsa - was so good that I simply did not care. Caitlin had the chocolate-chip pancakes, and judging by the look on her face she was quite happy with her choice.

Sadly, I'm going to miss out on another Work of Culinary (TM Oscar and Versical) this evening: the Mission Hill Massive's Sunday Dinner is on, and it's the annual St. Patrick's Day Boiled Dinner edition - whether there's a reason it's only done once a year is your call. Unfortunately, I've come over all wicked tired and I feel like the cold I've been fighting off for the last few days is settling in, so I'm going to give this week a miss and stay home with my 'Stupid Stupid Man' DVDs, even though it means skipping my Mom's amazing Irish bread - and no, there wasn't one made for our house. But I need the rest more than the baked goods, I think.

Also, while we're on the topic of 'Stupid Stupid Man': how the bloody hell is Matthew Newton so hot? I *know* he's an asshole. He's even playing an asshole, so it's not like I'm deluding myself about the character. I just... gah. I'm a broken human, and a bad, bad lesbian.

XOXO

Link du jour: Caitlin's photo blog. Go check out what things look like where we live.