Saturday, November 10, 2012

A Long Saturday...


 I always need a photograph to start writing. Images some how release the words for me, at least on the blog. I used to write short stories, and I don't believe I ever used a photograph for them. But the blog is sort of like free-writing these days, and today I'm fresh out of ideas. I just had a huge day, and I was out of the house for most of it. A morning kid's event, and later on a birthday party followed by dinner with friends. A great day, but right now I'm exhausted by words.

I used up all my photos in yesterday's posts, and these were the only ones left that I liked. The Flemish Beauty pears up above, are now in jars. I put them up in a light syrup, mostly plain but one or two jars with vanilla and cardamom. Just last night I finished the leftover syrup with a squeeze of lime and some cold water. It was so incredibly good. That's one of the things I love about cooking: these sublime accidents that happen all the time. I guess that's where everything good comes from--a lovely happenstance---hmm, what if I put this delicacy of crushed peanuts with some of this fruit spread I have...a hundred years later you have PB&J.

In the shot below, we have some plum brandy. Autumn Makes and Does inspired this with her damson plum gin. I do believe my plums were Stanleys, but that's up for debate because even the farmer I bought them from was not 100% sure. That's what happens when you take over a very old orchard. I always like to think: who planted this tree? Who started this food source? Or drinking source, in this case. It is so, so lovely, this plum brandy. I stopped making so much fruit-infused boozes, because I really have a shelf full of them. My favorite new application: toddies. I have some crabapple spiced rum, and an ounce of that in a mug with a squidge of lemon juice does exactly the right thing.


2 comments:

  1. those pears... beautiful arrangement, lovely lighting. you're getting too darn good at this!
    and of course the brandy. could use some, for, rather against the cold.
    keep it up, forget about hikes, back to the kitchen...!

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  2. It must be that whiskey you're drinking!

    In the kitchen today: quince cake. mmmm

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