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