I Still Can't Believe We All Squeezed In!

When I was little I remember going to the circus. Having things going on in three rings was confusing but kinda exciting, too. The animal tricks and acrobats were awesome. I most vividly remember the tiny vehicle that spilled a whole troop of clowns out of the doors and roof and trunk...so many clowns from such a little space.

Yesterday was a bit of a circus here on the ranch. Our house is a fairly small 2 bedroom jobbie but somehow we managed to have a holiday open house party for family and friends that had aspects of a three ringed circus I suppose, but mostly was great good fun. The astonishing thing was that 45 people came and for a good part of the party at least 35 people fit into the downstairs of our home, with a few on the porch. Since it was first cold and then cold and raining our hope that the party could spill outside was thwarted.

Amazingly everyone seemed to have a good time, there were few glitches and plenty of food and drink. My daughter might think nothing of organizing a sit down dinner for 2,000 at work, but I've never thrown a party where 45 people came. Thank heavens she was here to help it all go smoothly!

Since at such a gathering you rarely sit down for more than a few moments, it's also normal (I think) to not eat very much of the food arrayed on the table. I did really enjoy a tasty yellow rice and black bean with pork dish that Sweetie's sister brought. If she gives me the recipe, I'll pass it on with her permission.

I feel just a bit tired now, really. As I write this part of the post it is the day after the party, I'm hungry today, and I've just had a nice lunch of After the Party Soup. I'm sure a different party might lead to a different soup, but this one is composed of things still on the table when the last guest had gone home, plus some chicken broth. It is savory and full flavored. The veggies are just warmed through so they still have some crunch and retain their own flavors...makes each spoonful an adventure. Somehow a soup like this is very appealing after the rich foods and sweets of the days before.

After the Party Soup
serves 2-4 depending on how hungry you are

1 can chicken broth or 2 cups home made chicken stock
1/2 cup White Bean Dip with Garlic (you can find the recipe here ...it makes more)

1 cup cooked rice

1 cup assorted raw veggies, diced in small pieces - I used red pepper, fresh green beans, zucchini and carrots, plus some parsley that had decorated the veggie platter...use what you like to eat

3/4 - 1 cup diced ham

salt and pepper to taste

Stir all the ingredients together and heat through, but don't boil. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust seasonings. Serve hot.

Celebratory Dessert

Clinic finished up tonight with a celebratory dinner. The young chef made a wonderful lemon-mustard-garlic-rosemary chicken dish that is his own creation. If I get his permission, I'll do a post on it later, with recipe. My office partner made a delicious ratatouille with eggplant from the physical therapist's garden. There were lots of veggies, salad, and local bread. My contribution was made in response to a large number of ripe Bartlett pears. When you buy a flat of fruit, they all seem to ripen at once.

The solution was a pear and cranberry crisp. It is a very good dessert for autumn. This one was really nice because it was not too heavy nor overly sweet. The pear flavor really stood out and the contrast of soft silky pear slices, tangy cranberries, zingy orange flavor and a crunchy oat topping was lovely.

Credit for most of this recipe goes to Dorie Greenspan, although I made a few changes. Dorie's book Sweet Times is a wonderful collection of sweet recipes. As usual, the recipe was well written and foolproof. As you can see, we had no trouble in convincing everyone to help themselves.

I think that this is the perfect dish to bring to Peabody's open house. It should travel well and feeds a lot of people, plus it's sweet and baked! See you there on December 8th.

Pear-Cranberry Crisp

based on a recipe by Dorie Greenspan

Topping:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup broken walnut pieces, toasted
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces

Fruit:
6-7 large ripe Bartlett pears (about 3 lbs.) cored and stems removed
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 cup fresh cranberries (if using frozen, do not thaw)
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Topping: Place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the mixture forms large curds, about 1-2 minutes. Alternately, mix everthing but the butter in a bowl, then cut the butter in with a pastry blender or two knives. Set aside.

Fruit: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Quarter the pears and cut each pear quarter lengthwise into 3 slices. Dip the slices in a bowl containing the orange juice. Then arrange the slices in the bottom of a deep dish pie pan or a 2 quart baker. (I left on the peels, which worked out fine.) Repeat with all of the pear quarters, coating the slices in the juice to keep them from darkening. Sprinkle the cranberries evenly over the pears, then sprinkle on the golden raisins.
Evenly sprinkle the brown sugar over the fruit.
Sprinkle the orange juice that you dipped the pears in over all, then sprinkle the topping evenly over the fruit.
Place the crisp on a baking sheed with raised sides and bake 40 -45 minutes, until the top is brown and the fruit juices are bubbling. Remove the crisp from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Let cool at least 20 minutes before serving, but can be served warm, at room temperature, or chilled. Serve vanilla ice cream, heavy cream ot pour, or whipped cream to garnish if desired. Serves 6-8, or more at a buffet.

The photo below was taken in the morning where the fog was burning off right near the clinic building. That is a very old redwood tree on the left.