Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Surgeon, Banana Experiment,

Finally got hold of the surgeon's office yesterday. They told me he was on holiday from next week til the 16th which teed me off. The receptionist/Nurse or whoever said was my condition asymptomatic. I asked what that meant. She told me that it was "did I get strokes and such" which of course I didn't so basically I have to wait until he comes back for an appointment. Then I googled to see just what asymptomatic means, doesn't mean what she said at all. Means you could carry a disease which you pass on although you yourself do not get the disease. What a silly moo. Felt like calling her back to tell her. Anyway, they don't seem to feel it is too serious so neither do I. What does tee me off is that the doctor told me not to drive and Matt has latched onto that. Not that I drive much anyway.

Now, bananas. As you know I was experimenting with wrapping the skins. Tomorrow they will be a
week old. They have got a lot more brown speckled skins than usual, but not black. Also, the inside is pretty soft but not bruised or discoloured. I don't actually like them so soft, but much better than when they are over ripe. So, I guess I will give this hint a thumbs up but not terribly high marks. I guess that to get the type of texture I prefer, I should actually buy bananas a couple of times a week. I am not likely to do that I'm afraid so I will have to put up with soft nanas.

This looked so good I simply had to share it with you. In fact it looks so delicious I could gobble it right up now. Peaches are coming into our stores right now. Not sure how good they are yet.

Peach Raspberry Custard Tart

Anna Olsen at the Food Network

The tart is best served the day it is made, but can be stored chilled for up to a day.
Used in conjunction with Tender Tart Dough recipe.
Note: If your peaches are firmer, then blanch in hot water followed by a shock into a bowl of ice
water and then peel.

Serves 6 - 8

Ingredients

1 recipe Tender Tart Dough, chilled
1 cup 2% milk
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
1 tsp finely grated orange zest
3 large egg yolks
¼ cup sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1 Tbsp orange liqueur or brandy (optional)
2 peaches, peeled and sliced
1 cup fresh raspberries
¼ cup apple jelly

Directions

1. On a lightly floured work surface, gently knead the dough just a little soften, then roll it out to a circle about 12 inches across and ¼-inch thick. Carefully lift this and line a 9-inch removable-bottom fluted tart pan, press it into the bottom and sides and trim away any excess dough. Chill the tart shell for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 325 F.
3. Place the chilled tart shell onto a baking tray and dock the bottom of the pastry with a fork. Bake the tart shell for about 20 minutes, until the edges just begin to brown. Cool the tart shell to room temperature.
4. For the custard filling, bring the all but 2 Tbsp of the milk, the vanilla and the orange zest to just below a simmer over medium heat. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar, cornstarch and remaining 2 Tbsp of milk in a small bowl. Slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture while whisking and then pour the entire mixture back into the pot. Whisk this over medium heat until the custard just comes to a boil, thickens and becomes glossy, about 5 minutes. Have a bowl with butter in it and a strainer on top ready for when the custard has thickened. Remove the pot from the heat and strain the custard into a clean bowl and stir until the butter is melted in. Add the liqueur (if using) and then cover with plastic wrap so that the wrap is directly on the surface of the custard. Cool this to room temperature, then chill for at least 2 hours.
5. To assemble the tart, whisk the custard to soften it and then spread it evenly over the bottom of the cooled tart shell (leave the tart shell in the pan). Arrange the slice peaches and raspberries over the custard.
6. Melt the apple jelly over medium-low heat, whisking until smooth. Brush the peaches and raspberries with the melted apple jelly and chill until ready to serve. Carefully remove the tart from the pan and place on a serving platter before slicing.

Have a great day
 

26 comments:

  1. That is one really long vacation your surgeon is taking.
    We buy organic bananas and find they last much, much longer.

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    1. Well I think he came back - maybe it wasn't a vacation before, who knows?

      That's interesting Alex, Matt is shopping right now but next week maybe we can try organic.

      Delete
  2. Asymptomatic has nothing to do with your condition at all.

    That describes what I have though. I carry, and can pass on to my children, Rubella. Found that out when I got my physical to get a marriage license.

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    1. I felt like phoning her again and telling her or emailing her but thought that would be unwise.

      That 's a pain Diane. Do you have any kids? Never asked you before.

      Delete
  3. I'm glad you've finally got in touch with the surgeon's office. Pity you still have to wait though I assume if they thought it was urgent you'd have been referred on to someone else. The receptionist does sound pretty stupid.

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    1. Seems they feel it's not urgent Helen. I feel OK so..... I was a tad annoyed with her to say the least. Once I had googled I felt like calling her back. Then figured not a good idea.

      Delete
  4. I really think doctors tell us things to scare us into paying them. Did you hear about the doctor in America who was diagnosing peeps with cancer who didn't. He maimed, tortured, and killed quite a lot with unnecessary chemo and radiation.

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    1. Yes I did hear about it Shelly. Frightening. Luckily our doctors don't get paid by us personally.

      Delete
  5. That nurse actually thought asymptomatic meant what she told you? Wow. Just wow. You should probably let the doctor know b/c you can't have someone that uninformed working in a medical office.

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    1. Not sure she was a nurse JoJo, maybe a receptionist, but I still agree she should have known what the word meant.

      Delete
  6. Glad you got a hold of the surgeon's office; sorry it wasn't better news. Asymptomatic would be without symptoms, but still the condition exists. Thanks for the update about the banana experiment; I'll have to remember it if we have bananas that need to be preserved a bit.

    betty

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    1. So I found out Betty. I really felt I should correct the woman when I found out the true meaning.

      I haven't bothered this week, think I will just shove some in the fridge like I normally do.

      Delete
  7. You may want to email the doctor, having it on record that you're concerned and not getting accurate information from those he's trusting to answer questions may be helpful to him. although I've found here, they sometimes go overboard thinking a malpractice suit is in the offing. Here, you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. Love the tart!

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    1. Yeah Yolanda, but that might tee them off and they could put me off for ever. Don't think they get too many malpractice suits here. I could be wrong.

      Looks good doesn't it?

      Delete
  8. We have to believe doctors know best but sadly even these guys drop the ball. I read something, somewhere about Veterans with normal potassium levels vs low potassium levels. It turned out soldiers with less ear damage had at one time eaten bananas! They may not be a cure but they protect the ears!

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    1. Hubby is like that, I am not so convinced. Interesting about protecting the ears Spacerguy.

      Delete
  9. Fancy telling you that. I'm sure her boss would be annoyed if he knew. She probably should have said symptomatic. I love peaches but I haven't seen or eaten one for years. The peaches we get here are small and woody.

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    1. Yeah, stupid woman.

      What a pity Pinky. I love peaches and eat a lot of them during the season. Wish I could send you a few

      Delete
  10. Did you know that if you put a banana in a paper bag with other fruits that need ripening, it will speed the process?

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    1. Yup I knew that one Melissa. Just occurred to me that Matt bought some unripe peaches today so.......

      Delete
  11. That receptionist is remiss in saying this to you when she knows squat. I would let the Dr know about this because if she said this to you-what has she been saying to other patients? It also sounds like she just wanted you off the phone since she has probably received many calls, some irate, about the Dr being gone so long. Mine is back today but he was off since beginning of July. Glad the banana trial seemed to work a little better. This custard dessert sounds so amazing-I am marking this one down!

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    1. I will have to wait til I get to see the doc. It's not her fault the doc is away Birgit, but no doubt other people are not happy about it.

      Got some peaches but still a tad firm.

      Delete
  12. One time I put thme under my baker's dessert glass dome, just to see. The nanners turned liquid. Straight up, rotten banana juice. Pure liquid.

    That lady sounds like a dumb dumb.

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    1. Yukky Ivy. Bet it stank too didn't it?

      I think so.

      Delete
    2. I honestly cannot remember the smell because that was the first time I ever saw manners turn into water. So weird. And gross.

      Delete