Cookbooks as time capsules and why we collect them. Current title holder for Guinness World Records for largest collection of cookbooks (2,970 as of July 14, 2013) Current (unofficial) total as of February 12, 2019 is 6,567.
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Music – “We Salute You Nelson Mandela” from Global Legends by Bappi Lahiri. Released: 2013
This is a re-post from December 6th, 2013 and I publish it again today to honour Mr. Mandela, who left us on December 5th, 2013. A huge loss.
In light of the death of Nelson Mandela yesterday, I thought it might be appropriate to talk about the cookbook, “Ukutya Kwasekhaya” (home food),”Tastes from Nelson Mandela’s Kitchen”, written by Mr. Mandela’s personal chef for many years, Xoliswa Ndoyiya. Ms. Ndoyiya not only cooked for the Mandela family, but cared for his grandchildren as well and became a beloved member of their family. Ms. Ndoyiya began working for the Mandelas shortly after Mr. Mandela was released from prison in February, 1990.
“Ukutya Kwasekhaya” (home food) – “Tastes from Nelson Mandela’s Kitchen, by Xoliswa Ndoyiya
The recipes are the favourites of members of the Mandela family and the author notes that, “Although he’s the most famous man in the world, Madiba’s tastes are simple and he is happiest with traditional South African food”. Nelson Mandela was born Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, although throughout her book, Ms. Ndoyiya refers to him as “Madiba”, which was his clan name and also a nickname for him.
Nelson Mandela with the family’s chef and author of “Ukutya Kwasekhaya”, Xoliswa Ndoyiya.
Recipes in the cookbook are diverse: Potato Bread, Isophu (sugar bean and white maize soup), Peri-Peri Chicken, Late-Start Starter fish, Peanut Butter and Spinach Soup, Umxhaxha (corn and pumpkin), Citrus Pudding, and many more intriguing dishes. The cookbook is well worth having on one’s cookbook shelf and the Nelson Mandela Foundation facilitated its publication in 2011.
Well, give me an opening and I’ll walk right in. I was recently contacted by Assistant Producer, Andrew Ceco, of the radio talk show “Constant Wonder“, out of Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. The subject was (naturally), cookbooks. Host Rachel Sherman plied me with cookbook questions, most of which (I hope) I answered without sounding like a nerd. You be the judge!
(Right click on the link below and select “open link in new tab”. Click on tab “Episode – BYU Radio” to open the program and move to the 21:59 minute mark to start the interview. Return to the tab “More Talk About Cookbooks” and return to the post to watch the slide show, while listening to me ramble on about cookbooks!)
Music – “What’s Cooking” from What’s Cooking by The Wolfe Gang. Released: 2010
In honour of Thanksgiving later this week, I’m running this earlier 2014 post about the questions posed to the Butterball Turkey Hot Line over the years. Read it and laugh (or weep!)
We’ve all heard experts, teachers and the like say “There’s no such thing as a dumb question”. I’ve said it myself, while teaching a course in Forensic Anthropology to non-science students. One evening, following a brief discussion of how to determine the sex of an individual from the bones of the skeleton, one of my students quipped “It’s easy. All you do is count the number of ribs. If it’s a man, he’ll be missing a rib as he had to give it up to God to create Eve”. Well, I really didn’t know how to respond.
In the world of food and cooking, I find it amusing and sometimes bewildering to read the questions folks write in to various sites for cooking advice. Butterball Turkey has had it’s share of doozies over the year, and other websites geared around cooking usually feature a “Q & A” section, which are tremendously enlightening.
Here is a sampling of some of the questions posed to various websites. I have taken the liberty of addressing the questions with my OWN responses:
Can you microwave a box of wine?(Probably not a good idea, but why would you want 5 litres of hot boxed wine?)
After eating rancid butter, what should one do?(Serve up some moldy bread to go with it?)
My 5 pound turkey has been in the oven 24 hours. Do you think it’s done?(Probably. I suspect that anything that was hazardous to your health is long dead)
Can you thaw a turkey by wrapping it in an electric blanket?(Why not go the extra mile and just cook it in there too?)
The turkey in my freezer is 23 years old. Is it safe to eat?(It depends. How old are you?)
Can I baste my turkey with suntan lotion?(Are you cooking it in a solar oven??)
Music – “Livin’ In the Fridge” from Alapalooza by “Weird Al” Yankovic. Released: 1999
I recently heard that November 15th is “National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day“. Some references suggest that Whirlpool Home Appliances started the promotion, however, this has not been confirmed. An alternate explanation is that someone (turkey breeders? pumpkin growers? cranberry harvesters?) suggested the date in anticipation of all of the room need to accommodate the coming Thanksgiving leftovers. Who knows?
I used to watch the show “Hoarders“and I was both fascinated and repelled by the stuff that people hoard and how MUCH of it. Suffice it to say, while I have never been accused of hoarding cookbooks, some people seem to think that no matter how organized or how much care goes into the selection and curation of a large collection of books, ownership of more than 1,000 books is “hoarding”, or, at least the Compulsive Book Hoarders Group seems to think. Wikipedia describes “bibliomania”, as the collecting of books which have no use to the collector nor any great intrinsic value to a genuine book collector. Well, that certainly lets me off the hook, as my cookbooks have tremendous value and are frequently used. Whatever.
In appreciation of the upcoming “National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day“, I pulled out several of my older “cookbooklets”, which were issued from refrigerator manufacturers back in the day: Frigidaire, General Electric, Servel Electrolux, and International Harvester (I never knew they made refrigerators). This is an example of what a well-maintained refrigerator should look like, according to Servel Electrolux:
The “Servel Electrolux” refrigerator from their brochure, dated 1936. Such slick lines! Such cleanliness!
Or, from the booklet that accompanied the General Electric Refrigerator, for the modern woman of 1927….
1927 – General Electric Refrigerator, all neat and organized inside. No rotting meat here!
The Frigidaire Model AP-7-2, which featured “…enduring Tu-Tone porcelain enamels of gray and white, in lustrous white Duco or in any of five harmonious color combinations of Duco”. Very impressive! From their 1928 “Frigidaire Recipes”.
One of the things that absolutely floored and disgusted me no end about many hoarders was the frequent obsession with retaining everything, including garbage, and even worse, rotting food. For example…(a picture is worth a thousand words)…
One wonders if hoarders actually attempt to eat the rotting remnants in their refrigerators or if there is just a sense of comfort knowing that the fridge is full….
Please tell me that people don’t actually try to eat any of this stuff! (Photo Credit: http://www.istock.com)
These ladies are carefully organizing the refrigerator to ensure freshness. No waste here! (Photo from “101 Refrigerator Helps, published by Frigidaire, 1944)
Perhaps the safest kind of “hoard” in your refrigerator (never rots, doesn’t smell) (Photo Credit: http://www.vanpoolusa.com)
Don’t get me wrong. I’ve located some relics at the rear of many a refrigerator of mine over the years….I recall one particular ghastly and stomach-wrenching episode some years back, which, without going into details, I named “the ugly egg salad incident” (you can read between the lines)
So, please don’t forget that November 15th is NATIONAL CLEAN OUT YOUR REFRIGERATOR DAY! You just never know what you might find….
Music – “Fun Words from Foreign Languages” from Little Turtles by Davy Andrews. Released: 2012
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Some time ago, I wrote about the fascinating experience of attempting to translate several foreign-language cookbooks I have in my collection, using several online website translators. The results, needless to say, were somewhat puzzling and others downright funny. (“Antipooches of heart of beast and of chicken” Huh?) (March 29, 2014)
I was recently given a copy of “Gran Libro de la Cocina Chilena“, by a very good friend, whose wife was Chilean and passed away a few years ago. In attempting to translate some of the recipes and instructions, I ventured, once again, into the nebulous world of translating from one language to another, in this case, Spanish to English.
Now, one might think that Spanish to English would be a pretty straight forward kind of exercise, not fraught with too many issues as it might be if you were trying to translate Kazakh to Afrikaans.
Wow. You can find anything at this restaurant, according to the translations! (Photo Credit: http://www.vaviper.blogspot.com)
I pulled out a few random samples, both in recipe titles and instructions, for your delight and amusement and subjected them to three different online translators.
Don’t bring your kids to this place, if the sign is correct! (Photo Credit: http://www.smosh.com)
For example, “Liebre al Champana” is variously translated as “Hare to the Champagne“, “Hare to the Champana“, and “Hare Al Champagne” (wasn’t Al Champagne a jazz musician in the 1940’s?) The initial instructions indicate that the cook should ” limpie y lave muy bien la liebre. Trocela y envuelva cada presa con una tira de tocino“. Thus, the cook should “Clean and wash very well the hare. Trocela and wrap every prey with a bacon strip“, or “Clean and wash very well the hare. Trocela and wrap every dam(prey) with a strip of bacon“. Alternately, one could “Clean and wash the hare very well. Trocela and wrap each prey with a strip of bacon“. Take your pick.
If you are fond of oysters, you might need to know that the recipe “Ostiones al Estragon” could be either “Large Oysters to the Tarragon“, or “Oysters at Havoc“, which sounds much more fascinating. “Fritos de Arroz” seems pretty mundane, when translated into English: “Rice Fried Food“, “Fried Food of Rice“, or “Fried Rice“.
It’s not clear if this is what the food is or what the outcome will be after you’ve eaten it. (Photo Credit: http://www.kenwoodtravel.co.uk)
I found that the translation for “Acelgas a la Diabla” was rather mysterious. Depending on your preference, it could be translated as “Spinach Beets to the Whore“, “Spinach Beets to the Devil“, or “Chard with the Devil“. I really have no idea what “Peritas Borrachas” is, but according to the translations, it could be “Drunk Experts“, “Expert Leather Wine-Bottles“, or “Adept Drunk“. I prefer the latter translation as it is much more colourful.
This could be an adept drunk or a “Peritas Borrachas”. Is drinking, while riding a bull legal? (Photo Credit: http://www.app.com)
Fancy Goose with Orange? “Ganso al Horno Con Naranja” gives you a few options. You can take your “goose to the stove with orange“, or take your “goose to the oven with orange“, or have your goose baked with orange. If you prefer duck, you might cook “Pato a la Gallega“, which translates as “Duck to the Galician” or “Galician Duck“. I did learn that the Galicians are a “national, cultural and ethnic group whose historic homeland is Galicia, in the north-west of the Iberian Pensula” (www.wikipedia.org)
Now, one of the more fascinating and difficult to understand translations was “Zorzales con Repollitos de Bruselas“, which turns out to be “Thrushes with Bruselas Rechicks“, “Thrushes with Rechicks of Bruselas“, or, more mundane: “Thrushes with Brussels Sprouts“. Likewise, I was unable to determine exactly what “Chupe de Guatitas” is (animal? vegetable? other?). According to the translators, it is “Suck of Guatitas“, or “Guatitas Suck“. Either one sounds slightly obscene. From what I finally determined, “Guatitas” is tripe. Like I said, still sounds obscene.
Lastly, I revisited a recipe I had previously found in a Spanish cookbook, “Anticuchos de Ternera“. Pick your favourite: “Veal Anticuchos“, “Veal Ant Pusses“, or “Antipooches of Veal“. They are all so descriptive that my mouth is just watering to try it (whatever it is)
I’d go for the “chicken”. It’s cheaper than the “real chicken”. (Photo Credit: http://www.pinterest.com)
Music – “Happy Cooking” from Happy Cooking by Eiji Kitamura. Released: 1986
For those not in the know, Octoberfeatures many “national” events, according to popular lore:
National I’m Just Me Because Month
Adopt A Shelter Dog Month
AIDS Awareness Month (President Reagan)
American Cheese Month
Antidepressant Death Awareness Month
Bat Appreciation Month
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
(World) Blindness Awareness Month
Caffeine Addiction Recovery Month
Celebrating The Bilingual Child Month
Children’s Magazine Month
Christmas Seal Campaign
Church Library Month
Church Safety and Security Month
Class Reunion Month
Co-op Awareness Month
Cut Out Dissection Month
Down Syndrome Awareness Month
Dyslexia Awareness Month
Eat Better, Eat Together Month
Emotional Intelligence Awareness Month
Emotional Wellness Month
Employee Ownership Month
Energy Management is a Family Affair-Improve Your Home Month
Financial Planning Month
Feral Hog Month or Hog Out Month
German-American Heritage Month
Global Diversity Awareness Month
Go Hog Wild – Eat Country Ham
Halloween Safety Month
Head Start Awareness Month
Health Literacy Month
Home Eye Safety Month
Italian-American Heritage Month
International Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC) Awareness Month
International Starman Month
International Strategic Planning Month
International Walk To School Month
LGBT History Month
Long Term Care Planning Month
Month of Free Thought
National Animal Safety and Protection Month
National Apple Month
National Applejack Month
National Arts & Humanities Month
National Audiology Awareness Month
National Bake and Decorate Month
National Book Month
National Bullying Prevention Month
National Caramel Month
National Chili Month
National Chiropractic Month
National Cookbook Month
National Cookie Month
National Crime Prevention Month
National Critical Illness Awareness Month
National Cyber Security Awareness Month
National Dental Hygiene Month
National Dessert Month
National Disability Employment Awareness Month
National Depression Education & Awareness Month
National Domestic Violence Awareness Month
National Dropout Prevention Month
National Ergonomics Month
National Fair Trade Month
National Family Sexuality Education Month
National “Gain The Inside Advantage” Month
National Go On A Field Trip Month
National Kitchen & Bath Month
National Learning and Development Month
National Liver Awareness Month
National Medical Librarian Month
National Orthodontic Health Month
National Pasta Month
National Physical Therapy Month
National Pickled Peppers Month
National Pizza Month
National Popcorn Poppin’ Month
National Pork Month
National Pretzel Month
National Principals Month
National Protect Your Hearing Month
National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month
National Reading Group Month
National Roller Skating Month
National RSV Awareness Month
National Sarcastic Awareness Month
National Sausage Month
National Seafood Month
National Sensory Awareness Month
National Spina Bifida Awareness Month
National Stamp Collecting Month
National Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month – October
National Toilet Tank Repair Month
National Window Covering Safety Month
National Work and Family Month
National Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Awareness Month
Organize Your Medical Information Month
Pear and Pineapple Month
Photographer Appreciation Month
Polish American Heritage Month
Positive Attitude Month
Raptor Month
Rett Syndrome Awareness Month
Rhizomes and Persimmons Month
Rhubarb Month
Right Brainers Rule! Month
Self-Promotion Month
Spinach Lovers Month
Squirrel Awareness Month Link
Tackling Hunger Month
Talk About Prescriptions Month
Vegetarian Month
Wishbones for Pets Month
Workplace Politics Awareness Month
World Menopause Month
So, readers might assume that even though I’m a bit biased, my favourite October event is:
National Cookbook Month !
Pick one up and read it today! To borrow from the ad for the Capital One credit card, (“What’s in YOUR wallet?“)
What’s on YOUR cookbook shelf?
Cookbook collecting has even rubbed off on my cats! (Photo of Tux by Sue Jimenez)
Tux and Shadow picking a recipe for dinner (Photo by Sue Jimenez)
“Cooking with Poo” (Photo Credit: http://www.lolriot.com) (Not on my cookbook shelf, yet!)
I hope your cookbook shelf doesn’t look like this! (Photo Credit: http://www.bobvila.com)
“Alright. Time to browse “Joy of Cooking”. I wonder how this thing is CATegorized?” (Photo of Shadow by Sue Jimenez)
Why is it that the cookbook you want the most is always out of reach? (Photo Credit by the author of the author)
There’s a cookbook for everyone! “The Axis of Evil Cookbook” by Gill Partington
Music – “English Birds Sounds” from Healing Water Magic Sounds: Soothing Rain, Beach, Waterfall, River, Calm Down Emotions, Relaxation Meditation Yoga Music by Water Sounds Music Zone. (release date not stated)
I have several “game” cookbooks in my collection, which I inherited as part of a large lot of cookbooks I purchased some time ago, however, I must admit that I don’t really gravitate to them, with their often brutal and lurid descriptions of butchering techniques. One of these is “The Master Book of Poultry & Game” by Henry Smith, published by Spring Books in London. The book is not dated, but research suggests it was published around 1950.
“The Master Book of Poultry & Game” by Henry Smith, ca. 1950
Now, on the frontispiece, Mr. Smith has a number of impressive credentials after his name: F.H.C.I., F.I.B.B., F.A.H.C.I., F.A.C.I and G.C.F.A. Unfortunately, I was unable to locate any explanations for these designations that might coincide with Mr. Smith’s publications. For example, F.A.C.I. could be either Fellow of the American Concrete Institute, or Federal Advisory Committee on Insurance, but I suspect that Mr. Smith was not affiliated with either of these organizations. That is, however, pure speculation on my part.
Mr. Smith, unfortunately, goes on at some length about starving, killing, hanging and how to determine if a bird is “home killed“. Suffice it to say, this book is not high on my list of admirable cookbooks. What startled (not “starling“) me was the incredible list of birds and other game the English were eating at the time the book was published (and, perhaps, still are).
Some of the names were completely unfamiliar to me: I had never heard of a Capercailzie or a Corncrake, nor have I ever discussed the merits of Fig-Birds or Landrails with my colleagues.
Now, if none of these tickles your fancy (that might be a bird, as well!), there is always Roast Thrush, Haunch of Veal, Devilled Woodcock or Ortolan Perigourdine.
Even at the time this book was written, the author has described the Ortolan as “…almost extinct in these islands“. He further points out that they were netted in large numbers in some European countries, “….then kept alive in darkened rooms and fattened on oats and millet”.
The endangered Ortolan. Like many other species, they have suffered a lot of cruelty. (Photo Credit: http://www.en.wikipedia.org)
Current information suggests that although being declared an endangered species for some time now, many individuals continue to capture them and subject them to horrible cruelties before devouring them. Typically, they are drowned in a vat of Armagnac and eaten whole, bones, beak and all. The diner puts a large napkin over his head, allegedly to “…keep in all the aromas of the dish”, but it is more likely to avoid being caught eating the endangered ortolan. This does not sit well with me at all. A pox be on these tormentors!
Music – “Helping in the Kitchen (Family Album / Kitchen and Curate)” from The Pilgrim (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (The Chaplin Revue) by Charlie Chaplin. Released: 2018
One of the more delightful characteristics of older cookbooks is that they open a window to the mood of the people, the prevailing winds of politics at the time, and expectations of and within the family unit. A bonus is that they come filled with recipes!
I recently purchased a reproduction (1983) copy of “The Romanian Cook Book“, originally published by Anisoara Stan, in 1951, touted as “…the first book published in English which tells how to make the dishes for which the Romanians are so famous“.
“The Romanian Cookbook” by Anisoara Stan, first published in 1951.
Stan not only provides 450 Romanian recipes, but also some insights into her life growing up in Romania during World War I, her family, and life in Transylvania (no mention of Dracula anywhere in her book!)
What strikes me about the “narrative” portions of the cookbook, where Stan discusses her life, experiences and expectations of women in Romanian families during the war years, is the gay, almost carefree, nose-to-the-grindstone (with good cheer, mind you) attitude of children concerning their participation in daily rituals and chores. The author extolls their virtues and paints a picture of them as happy, bubbly, do-gooders. For example, she writes about the role of the children after dinner:
“…the Romanian mother gathers her children around her and discusses with them the next day’s meal. If they decide on ciorba (sour soup), every one (sic) gets busy.”
Discussing the next day’s meal, perhaps, so the children can be assigned their chores? (Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com)
“I wish you could watch the little hands of the youngsters, peeling and cutting the vegetables, preparing the meat, bringing in water, getting wood, and do believe me, with singing.”
This doesn’t look like the smiling child working in the fields, as described by the author of “The Romanian Cook Book” (Photo Credit: http://www.libraryofcongress.com)
“We LOVE doing chores, like gathering wood. Don’t all children?” (Photo Credit: http://www.masterfile.com)
“Aren’t we supposed to be singing?” (Photo Credit: http://www.dp.la)
“Once they start to work they concentrate on what they are doing, having pride in their work, and so all their chores which mother or grandmother has delegated to them are done well and speedily, too. As mothers sometimes work in the fields, the grandmother runs the kitchen. She is treated with great respect and love, as befits her years and experience.”
A small child helping grandma in the kitchen in bygone days (when grandmas were respected) (Photo Credit: http://www.alamy.com)
“After the children have completed their tasks, they can go out to play, to visit or work on whatever they love to do. They feel a responsibility to their parents and help them always cheerfully, not with grumbling. The parents, in turn, know how important it is to teach the girls the art of cooking, so that they in time will be fitted to run their own households.
Wow. In this day and age, it is hard to read these passages without thinking, “Really?” It almost sounds akin to a fairy tale, the well-behaved rosy-cheeked children, exuberant in their tasks, which sound more like fun and games. I am in no way disparaging the author or her interpretation of these events, but it just seems too sugar-coated to be believable and I cite this book, only because it was so detailed in the descriptions of a bygone era.
Perhaps I am jaded in my observations of (many, but certainly not all) of today’s youth, self-absorbed, attached as if by some invisible umbilical cord to cellphones, IPods, smart phones, large-screen TV’s (in every room) etc. and have frequently been referred to as “Millennials” or the “entitled generation“. Elders in this country today often lack the respect the author of “The Romanian Cookbook” alludes to during her growing up years in Romania. Today, they are more likely to be ignored, taken advantage of, or even abused. What happened?
Music – “Get Baking / Bakewell Counting / Early Bake / Countryside Air / Final Destination (Get Baking Medley)” from Music Featured in the T.V. Program: The Great American Baking Competition by The London Film Score Orchestra. Released: 2014.
Readers may have seen my post of July 31st, “New Olympic Event? The Pieathalon!” Well, the pie-baking day has arrived, after much putting-off and grumbling. (I am NOT a baker and entered this worthy competition with some trepidation) I was assigned “Walnut Pie” from “The Yul Brynner Cookbook“, published in 1983. The recipe was courtesy of Jenny at Silver Screen Suppers.
I made my pie on August 15th, which, coincidentally happens to be “National Lemon Meringue Pie Day“, according to my book “Eat the Year“. And, shame on me, I was making Walnut Pie! Perhaps I’ve already violated some Pieathalon statute, like doping in the Olympics ? Actually, I don’t even think there are medals awarded (but it doesn’t matter, because my fireplace mantel is too cluttered with my other numerous awards. Right.)
Nevertheless, I proceeded with caution, taking photographs at every opportunity, after continually dusting off flour from the lens of my camera. First, the book and the recipe:
“The Yul Brynner Cookbook” 1983
The recipe for “Walnut Pie” from “The Yul Brynner Cookbook”
I assembled the ingredients for the pastry: flour, butter, a pinch of salt and one egg:
Ingredients for the pastry
Here is the sequence:
Start with the flour
Add the softened butter
Using a pastry cutter
The pastry after mixing
Add one egg
Adding a pinch of salt
The pastry
Now, according to my consulting book “The New High Altitude Cookbook“, I added a tablespoon of water to allow for the drying that often occurs during high altitude baking (don’t I sound like I do this all of the time? Not!)
Adding a bit of water for high-altitude adjustment
After the dough was sufficiently mixed:
Prepped pastry cloth
The pastry ball
Rolling the pastry
Folding the crust
Putting the crust into the pie plate
Semi-finished pastry
I neglected to take a photograph of the fluted edges I gave the pastry, even though no instructions deemed it to have one. In high school, I played the flute in music class and I have made fluted crusts on pies. Unfortunately, I would have to admit that I was never good at either one (which might explain why I forgot to take a photograph!)
Once the pie crust was prepared, it seemed very buttery and soft to me, so I decided to pop it into the refrigerator until the filling was prepared. The filling consists of light corn syrup, dark brown sugar (I had only light, so I hope this is not another infraction!), sour cream, a dash of salt, melted butter, vanilla extract, eggs and walnuts. Together, it seemed extremely rich and rather a lot of filling considering the size of the pie plate. I used Mexican vanilla, which has a richer flavour. I initially forgot to add the melted butter before stirring first, so I added it afterward and stirred again:
“Corn syrup”
“Brown sugar”
“Sour cream”
“A pinch of salt”
Adding vanilla
Stir, stir, stir
Adding the melted butter
Next, it was time to beat the eggs and add to the rest of the mixture. I should point out that my beater was a Sunbeam Mixmaster, which I received as a gift in 1972 and is still going strong!
Guess what? 3 eggs!
Beating 3 eggs for the filling
Adding the beaten eggs to the mixture
Finally, it was ready to pour (I ladled – yet another infraction?) into the prepared pastry and scatter the walnuts over the top. Although the recipe specified “whole shelled walnuts”, my local grocery seemed to be out of whole walnuts and I had to be satisfied with “halves and pieces” (perhaps another Pieathalon incumbent was in my neighbourhood and snatched up the whole pieces!)
After carefully assembling everything, I proceeded cautiously to my awaiting 350 degree oven:
“Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust”
“Scatter the walnuts on top”
Ready to go into the oven
Into the oven at 350 degrees…
Because there seemed to be so much filling and I was afraid it would overflow into a burned, sticky mess in my fairly new oven, I excluded about a half a cup of the filling, which I poured into a small Pyrex dish and sprinkled with walnuts (an extra bonus after the pie is finished!) I also put an aluminum piecrust protector ring on top of the pie, or whatever that gadget is called.
The recipe specified that the pie should bake for “45 minutes, or until filling is completely cooked“. After 45 minutes at 350 degrees, I pulled out the oven rack and the contents of the pie quivered like quicksand, so back in it went.
I reset the timer for another 20 minutes. After checking again, the quicksand had congealed a bit, but was definitely not ready to eat. Another 15 minutes seem to do the trick, so after a total of 80 minutes, the pie was finally done and seemed to have set properly.
Not being a frequent baker (which I have already admitted to), and being at an altitude of about 5,700 feet, I know that weird things happen in the oven and on the stove top, and I think that at least part of the extra time required for the pie to set was a function of this anomaly. When I first moved to Albuquerque, from just outside of Toronto (about 450 feet above sea level), I couldn’t understand why it took me FOREVER to boil potatoes! I would put them in a pot and boil, and boil, and boil. I learned after some trial and error that water boils at 212 degrees at or near sea level, but that due to atmospheric pressure, it boils at about 200 degrees at the elevation of my residence in southeast Albuquerque. The water is boiling away, but the temperature is lower, so it takes much longer. Lesson learned (but not in baking!)
Now, for the ultimate decision about whether or not I am eligible for a Pieathalon medal (if there is one!): the taste test! I admit that I am not a lover of “sweet” things, however, my spouse is. Here is his verdict on the Walnut Pie:
Going…
…going…
…gone!
Pieathlon 5 (photo provided by Emily Brungo)
(all photos, unless otherwise specified, by Sue Jimenez)
