Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Quest for Quince 2012

Welcome to my first installation of "Sugar Coated".  I'm a mom that moved to Texas from California this summer and find myself home a lot with my children and I'm slowly losing my mind.  I had a lot of longtime friends back in CA and it's hard to start over.  You see, I never invisioned myself as a SAHM (stay at home mom).  I used to be a work-a-holic with a pastry certificate and a business degree now I wipe butts and sing "Wheels on the Bus".  I love my kids and my husband more than words can say, but I firmly believe that one of the greatest gifts you can give your children is showing them that YOU are a person with interests and dreams too so that they have the EXAMPLE and courage to pursue what makes them tick. 
I can do both. 
I can be a bomb-diggedy mom (BDM) and persue my other passions. 
SO here I am.  I've always loved to write.  I'm no Shakespeare or anything but hey, you don't have to read this if you don't want to.  It's a free country.  I love to bake.  I love my kids...so sometimes, I'll let them help.  Won't THAT be interesting!? lol  SO I'm gonna write about the WHOLE MESS OF IT ALL!!  Baking, cooking, mothering, sometimes all at the same time!
So let's get on with my latest project, shall we? 
Hang on to your hats and glasses, folks....

Now, those of you who know me, know that I recently read "Bread and Chocolate: My Food Life In and Around San Francisco" by Fran Gage, a well known baker, writer and foodie in the Bay Area.
http://www.amazon.com/Bread-Chocolate-Food-Around-Francisco/dp/157061153X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1350335154&sr=8-1&keywords=bread+and+chocolate+fran+gage

Her chapter on the illusive quince fruit captivated me. I've had this book for 10 years and finally read it.  I was so curious about the quince tarts Fran made in her old San Francisco (it burned down) bakery, that I wrote her asking for the recipe.  Boy did she deliver!  I was tickled pink!  OMG, did I just say "tickled pink"? *sigh* whatever.  At any rate, I've never EATEN quince (to my  knowledge) nor did I know what it looked like or where to get one, despite my pastry schooling.  So I hit the local stores,ethnic and otherwise and wound up, after quite the calamity, at regular old stupid Kroger.  They had them.  So I bought 8.  Quite a commitment since i only needed three (1 1/2 lbs) for the tart.  If it works out, I'm gonna try my hand at making some marmalade methinks.  I was hung up on the fact that they were pineapple quince which supposedly don't taste as good as the Smyrna variety.  Good friggin' LUCK finding anything THAT exotic in Katy, TX. I was lucky to even find the pineapple ones.  Plus, the fruit is mixed with orange and spices in the filling which are domineering flavors.

SO began the baking process Sunday night.  I read through the recipe...which is TOTALLY unlike me and I used to get BUSTED nonstop in pastry school for not reading the recipe through and scrambling to get my shit together at the last minute.  People can change, right?  Right.
Come to find out that this tart is a SAHM's DREAM!!!! 
This tart can be made in steps that don't require a lot of time or attention!...which is awesomesauce because I have a 3 year old and 14 month old and I can never do any ONE thing for too long as I get pulled in various directions throughout the day!  IT WAS MEANT TO BE, PEOPLE!!! 

SO far, I've made the filling and the dough.  Now I have to motivate to combine the two into a tart and bake it off.  Stay tuned, folks, because I tasted the cooked filling and it is delish! Now I have to figure out how to upload phone pics on this bad boy so as to make this blog more interesting!
To be continued...



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