Medics. Typos, Republican Convention, Poodle Moth.

Went to my internist, she upped one of my meds, I was taking 60 mg. Talking to my pharmacist she said I was only on 30 mg which had been changed in May. Not as far as I knew. No idea what happened there. The result of this confusion is I am now back on 60 mg and I have told the pharmacist to wipe all mention of 30 mg off her computer. Sheesh. Must admit I had never noticed til today that I had somehow been put back on a lower dose. Mind you, Matt was the most awake of all, he was going down to the pharmacy to drop off the prescription and return the 30s – he said surely I could take two 30s a day until they were finished. Obvious, right? Not to the pharmacist or me.

Earlier in the day doing my banking, there was a segment recommending the use of one’s debit card cross border, one of the reasons for this was so you didn’t need to carry “access” cash.  Obviously should have been excess. I phoned and told them this afternoon. Sheesh.

I’m not basically interested in politics generally and the US particularly, but it made me laugh yesterday when I saw the Republican Convention had reached out to women and Latinos. If I were an American woman, I know what I would be telling them to do with their reaching out all the time Aikin was a member of their party. There’s another sheesh.

I’m a bit behind the times, but apparently the Venezuelan Poodle Moth has sparked a lot of interest on line and in scientific breasts. When I first saw the picture I thought it was a hoax, I’m still not sure it isn’t, but I am no botanist or entomologist. The pictures were first captured in 2009 and have only recently sparked interest. People have likened it to a Pokemon character. There has been  nothing to compare its size to either. If it is genuine it is a new find, but what a weird looking critter. Time will tell I suppose, now the world has seen it, there will be entomologists haunting Venezuela to see if they can confirm its existence.

I got this recipe from Cooking.com and thought it sounded delicious. I love Crème Brûlée and many times choose one for dessert although I confess I have never made one. Time I got round to doing so I guess. We’ve had the hand held torch for years.

Tahitian Vanilla Bean and Key Lime Crème Brûlée Recipe

Recipe Courtesy of Cooking.com.

Serves 6

White chocolate enhances the creaminess of the custard and balances the sweet and tart flavors. Due to the high amount of chocolate, if over-baked, the custard will have a denser consistency but remain smooth and luscious.

Ingredients

• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup plus 6 teaspoons sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 7 ounces imported white chocolate, chopped
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
• 7 large egg yolks
• 4 teaspoons minced grated lime peel
• Garnish: lime peel or fresh mint sprigs

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 325ºF.
2. Place cream and 1/4 cup sugar in medium saucepan over medium heat. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring to simmer stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Stir in lime juice. Remove bean.
3. Beat egg yolks and lime peel in medium bowl until smooth. Gradually whisk in hot cream mixture. Divide among six 6-ounce ramekins or soufflé cups. Place cups in large baking pan. Pour in enough hot water to come half way up sides of cups.
4. Bake until just edges are set and 90% of custard jiggles but is not too fluid, about 35 minutes. Remove from water bath and let cool at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight.
5. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar evenly over each custard. Use torch to melt and caramelize sugar, or broil about 2 minutes, watching carefully and rotating cups. Let stand until sugar hardens or chill 15 minutes to 2 hours. Garnish if desired.
6. NOTE: If using heart-shaped molds reduce cooking time to 15 minutes and sprinkle each with 2-3 teaspoons of sugar and caramelize.

Tip: There’s no need to wait for the broiler to heat up. A hand-held culinary torch caramelizes the sugar quickly so the crust is crisp and golden brown and the custard stays cool. The torch can be used on crème brûlée, tarts and meringues.

Have a great day