Here we are, the day after Christmas. And the last, very l-a-s-t thing a lot of us want to even think about is cooking. Anything at all, nothing whatsoever. Not again, not now.
So let’s not. Just don’t. I feel better already, don’t you?
Instead, then, of something to do for dinner today (come on, we can scratch and scramble a little bit, surely get something simple but nonetheless satisfying on the table), let’s give some thought to dessert.
No, not for tonight! For those upcoming post-Christmas weekend parties, or the come-here-go-there gatherings for New Year’s Eve and Day.
Oh, whew. Whatta relief. And, we can even put off worrying about that, because we have two possibilities coming right up. Say you’re a vid viewer from way back, now conditioned to watching DVDs instead. Say you’ve already watched the recently released “Waitress” or, if not, it’s there among your pile of Christmas presents?
Maybe, maybe not. Makes us no never mind, in this particular case. Without giving anything away (I’m not one of the first in any crowd to see a movie or rent or buy a DVD), “Waitress,” I am told, is actually about a “simple diner waitress,” one “whose only solace is baking scrumptious pies.”
Well, we can work with that, can’t we? Not only does main character and waitress Jenna create apparently wondrous, marvelous pies, she names them after her emotions for the day. A far reach, for some of us, if we happen to get asked for the recipe. On the other hand …
The next Forum will appear in Friday’s Time Out section.
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk, not evaporated milk
2/3 cup water
1 package (4-serving size) chocolate cook-before-serving pudding mix (not instant pudding mix)
1 ounce (1 square) unsweetened chocolate
1 pint (2 cups) whipping cream, stiffly whipped
1 (9-inch) pastry shell, baked and cooled
In large saucepan, combine sweetened condensed milk, water and pudding mix; mix well. Add chocolate. Over medium heat, cook and stir rapidly until chocolate melts and mixture thickens. Remove from heat and beat until smooth. Cool, then chill thoroughly. Stir, fold in the whipped cream and turn into prepared pastry shell. Chill 4 hours or until set. Makes one 9-inch pie.
1 cup whole milk
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 (9-inch) baked pie shell
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In saucepan, heat milk in saucepan over medium heat; do not boil. Meanwhile, in mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, cornstarch and egg yolks, mixing well; fold into milk and bring mixture to a slow boil. Cook and stir until mixture thickens, then remove from heat and add shortening, vanilla and, if desired, nuts. Pour mixture into pie shell. In separate mixing bowl, beat egg whites until foamy; add sugar and cream of tartar, mixing thoroughly. Pour mixture over pie and bake 20 to 30 minutes, until topping browns slightly. Makes one 9-inch pie.
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