Spring is Sprung, Lots of Books. Bowling Venue.

We have finally been getting some decent weather, boy has it ever taken a long time this year but at long last the trees are sporting young, fresh green leaves, the daffodils are nodding their heads and the forsythia bushes are all displaying their golden flowers. It makes you feel good to see it and gives a lift to the heart. This year it seems to have taken so long. Not only that, the asparagus is beginning to sprout. Having checked with Barrie’s Asparagus Farm they are talking possibly Sunday, cross your fingers for me everyone.

I am feeling a tad overwhelmed by literature at the moment. A friend sent me a copy of his book (excellent) which I am reading and enjoying, another friend lent me a couple of books, then right in the middle of this comes a Robin Hobb book which I have been awaiting from the library for quite a while. Blood of Dragons, volume 4 of the Rain Wild Chronicles. If you haven’t read any of the Rain Wild Chronicles I can highly recommend them, not only that, you won’t have to wait for any of them like I have had to. Great stories. They are so good I think I might do something about acquiring them in Kindle form if they are available. I guess I have been enjoying them for a number of years now, way before Kindles came on the scene.

We have now been given some new tales about the bowling alley, but will, no doubt, hear the full story at our banquet on Monday.

Here’s another dessert, not chocolate this time though. I just thought it looked and sounded really good. I found it on Cooking.com. I would probably cheat with the pastry, I guess if you are using bought pastry you could add grated orange zest to the crust before baking it.

Orange Chiffon Tart

Source: Dessert - The Grand Finale
Serves 10

INGREDIENTS

Pastry
2 cups all-purpose flour
11 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
2 tablespoons sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon cold water
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 egg white, beaten
Orange Filling
6 juice oranges
6 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
Topping
4 oranges
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
Heavy cream, for serving

DIRECTIONS

Pastry:
Combine the flour, butter and sugar in a food processor and process to a coarse meal. Add the egg yolks, water and orange zest (rind) and pulse until the mixture comes together. Remove from the processor and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Roll out the pastry to line a 10-inch tart pan that has a removable base. Place a piece of foil, parchment or waxed (greaseproof) paper over the pastry and scatter with baking weights, dried beans or rice.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Remove the tart shell from the oven and remove the weights and paper. Brush the pastry with a little beaten egg white and return to the oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Orange Filling:
Juice the oranges and strain the juice through a sieve to remove all of the pith. Place in a a nonaluminum saucepan with the eggs and sugar. Whisk together over low heat until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.
Place the mixture in a food processor. With the motor running, add the butter cubes, piece by piece. When all of the butter is worked in, pour the mixture into the pastry shell. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Topping:
Slice the oranges as thinly as possible and remove any seeds. Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and stir over low heat to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a boil and remove from the heat.
Using a pair of tongs, dip each slice of orange in the syrup and place on a wire rack. Allow to cool slightly.
Remove the tart from the refrigerator, remove plastic wrap and arrange the orange slices decoratively over the top. Serve immediately with cream.

Have a great weekend