While visiting my family, I started to think about recipes
that people assume are complicated, but are really as easy as pie. And then
because my brain works in simple ways, I started to think about pie. To be
specific, key lime pie, which is truly one of the greatest simple pies to make.The actual filling of key lime pie has
only three ingredients: egg yolks, key lime juice, and sweetened condensed
milk. The tart sweetness of key limes is amazing and mildly addicting. For this
pie I used fresh key limes, but bottled juice works just as well and comes
without hundreds of pesky seeds.Traditional
key lime pie is not cooked and aficionados will say that it should never be cooked, but I like to cook mine
for about fifteen minutes in order to set it and cook the eggs.
Key Lime Pie
Crust:
Graham cracker
crumbs from 9 full crackers
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter
in a bowl with a fork, then press mixture into 9-inch pie plate. Bake for 12-15 minutes.
Filling:
4 egg yolks
14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup key lime juice
Whisk together condensed milk and egg yolks. Add lime juice and whisk until well combined. Pour into crust and bake for 15 minutes. Cool completely and refrigerate covered for at least five hours.
In Los Alamos, NM there is a huge sense of community. It is
nearly impossible to go grocery shopping without seeing a friend or coworker.
Neighborhood dinners and parties happened often, whether it was Betty’s holiday
party or Mary’s Halloween margarita bash. I am still trying to find a community
like that in Vancouver, but whenever I visit my parents on Salt Spring Island,
I feel right at home.
This past weekend, a wonderful collection of foodie
neighbors got together to celebrate my dad’s birthday. My mom provided the traditional
French cassoulet, which she had labored over for three days, one neighbor
brought a delectable salad with candied pecans and orange slices, a second
treated us to tasty hors d’oeuvres, a third brought fresh home-baked bread that completed
the meal. All things considered, it was a hugely successful meal where the
conversation was as good as the food. It made me realize what I miss from Los
Alamos. Perhaps I should put an ad in the paper along the lines of “Aspiring
chef seeks group of friends to enjoy good food and wine. Big Mac lovers need
not apply.” In the meantime, I will continue to visit my family and enjoy all
the community that Salt Spring has to offer.
One of the troublesome things about the Pacific Northwest is
the crazy amount of rain. Luckily this winter has been fairly dry and the past
week has been absolutely gorgeous and sun-filled. It has been warm and dry and
I have been spending as much time as possible outside in the sun. Unfortunately
this means that my apartment is less than clean, my dishes are stacking up, and
I haven’t baked in a while. All I needed was one rainy day to accomplish all my
indoor goals.
There is nothing homier than the smell of freshly baked
bread. In my family the true bread baker is my dad, and he is always trying new
recipes like blue cheese walnut bread and six-seed loafs. I tend to stay with
more traditional recipes, but I always love to bake with my dad. Today is his
birthday and I thought that I might brighten the weather with a little bread
baking. People always think I am odd when I say that I love to knead. There is
nothing more therapeutic than kneading the dough and punching it down. The
feeling of satisfaction that comes from seeing the finished product is better
than any exercise induced endorphin rush. The warm and yeasty smell that comes
when you cut open a fresh loaf of bread is the best kind of air freshener and
should be bottled and sold as perfume. The frustrations and disappointments of
the past few weeks have completely melted away and I can spend my evening relaxing.
One of my favorite places in Vancouver is the Boulangerie
Cho Pain. It is a small bakery on Davie St. where the service is friendly, the
coffee is delicious, and the pastries are fresh. I first visited Cho Pain the
week I moved to Vancouver. Visiting this bakery was the first time I felt at
home in this new city. Feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the choices, I simply
bought a loaf of sourdough to take home. One loaf of bread and I was hooked.
I have to admit that I do not really like coffee, but the
lattes at Cho Pain are the perfect mix of foam and milk and the espresso is
strong without tasting bitter or burnt. The croissants are tender and flaky and
my personal favorites have warm chocolate running through the middle. They have
lemon tarts, sachertorte, muffins, and more. Today there were over forty
different kinds of freshly baked bread on display with everything from
baguettes to sunflower seed loaves. If you are having a savory lunch craving, they also serve
sandwiches and quiche.
Lately I have had a difficult time relaxing. I always feel
like there is something else I need to do, somewhere else I need to be. Even
watching a movie while I fold my laundry has felt like a guilty indulgence. This
morning I bought my latte and chocolate croissant and was able to sit for over
an hour reading a book without anyone bothering me or demanding my time. It was
almost as therapeutic as a massage. Eventually I gave up my table and bought a
loaf of sourdough to take the relaxation back home with me.
