Monday, June 6, 2011

The Baking Odyssey returns...and with pie!

Now that my kitchen is completely unpacked and OCD- organized, the Baking Odyssey can continue. I chose Lemon Meringue pie as the next dish. I've tried meringues before with cream pies and had little success. I'm happy to report my Lemon Meringue turned out terrifically! I love lemon zest and added a bit more than the recipe called for, making the filling a wonderful blend of tangy and sweet. I fully credit my meringues' success to my KitchenAid mixer. Hand mixers, or at least the one I used to use, combined with my easily distracted nature were the source of my prior meringue failures.

I've also been hard at work on improving my decorating skills. Typically I have great vision and poor execution, but with lots of work and experimentation I'm improving. I donated a cake to a church benefit that I was quite proud of (photos below). I also recently re-made Golden Peach Pie with a spiral lattice crust that I'm also incredibly proud of. My new buttercream frosting recipe is the perfect consistency for piping decorations on cakes and treats, and I must thank my friend Christina for that. She gave me a decorating kit that included my new favorite frosting recipe, so I owe my latest success in decorating in part to her.

Alaska has finally gone green-- not in the environmentally conscious sense (we have yet to find recycling here), but in the nature sense. Trees have leaves, grass is green, it's a wonderful thing. I delighted in the green grass by turning cartwheels in it. Sadly our apartment is a new-construction area and apparently the builders decided grass is overrated and gravel is great, so we don't have a lot of grass near us. We do have a hilly field with thousands of saplings trying to grow. Sunny and warm weather draws everyone outside due to it's rareness, so if a few days go by without a new entry, don't fret-- I'm probably just outside instead of in the kitchen.

The fruit based desserts in the Baking Odyssey may take a backseat for awhile as it is difficult and incredibly expensive to find produce here (that golden peach pie cost me $3.50/lb for peaches!). I'll just have to explore the other bits of the desserts-- cookies and candies may be tackled next ;) Now that the Baking Odyssey has returned, expect 1 to 2 new dishes (and posts) a week. Time for me to head back to the kitchen!

1 comment:

  1. I would love some of your lemon meringue pie! It sounds so good. looking forward to more! miss you.

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