Sweet Tooth - My New Favorite Online Time-Wasting Activity

I could sit and read these for hours.
Literally.
Hours.

Teachable Moment - "Recognizing" Humor

I've been researching ways to teach humor to my creative nonfiction students, as this is by far the hardest unit to really pin down, I've found. So, like always, I try to just Google my way to something curious, a way to spark my own inner teaching muse. I like to think if they can find cool stuff on Google, so can I. Why not show them the best of the web, when appropriate.

So after a crystal-ball-type-search of "Why is humor individual?" I came across this astoundingly logic-based blog posting. It reads like one of those really great Newsweek articles that you find wedged between all the horrors of politics and the economy. A spark of something truly, intellectually brilliant, in a shiny-magazine-article-packaging way: humor can be understood as a cognitive act, i.e. we've sorta figured out how the brain recognizes this thing called humor. The first paragraph as an amuse bouche:

"The theory is an evolutionary and cognitive explanation of how and why any individual finds anything funny. Effectively it explains that humour occurs when the brain recognizes a pattern that surprises it, and that recognition of this sort is rewarded with the experience of the humorous response, an element of which is broadcast as laughter."

Humor is based on patterns. When I recognize something (it is now a pattern, having occurred more than once), it makes me laugh as a reward for being observant. I notice something "funny" about my hubby--his fly is unzipped, let's say--I laugh because I recognize that it should be up, not down. The pattern of zipped flies is broken by this oddity; I get a laugh at his expense because, hey, I noticed it first. This type of humor, I can only imagine, strengthens when the actual "oddity experience" becomes a pattern. So, when I notice my hubby's fly unzipped the fourth time this week, it's EXCEPTIONALLY funny, because a) I recognize that it should be up, generally, and b) I recognize that he does this all the time. Double Bonus Humor.

The article does say the humor of patterned content IS debateable though, since "no content can be inherently more or less funny than any other. It's all about the person looking on the scene, since "[t]he individual is of paramount importance in determining what they find amusing, bringing memories, associations, meta-meaning, disposition, their tendency to recognize patterns and their comprehension of similarity to the equation."

What I'm really interested in, though, is trying to push my students to understand this by looking at two humorous essays of completely different styles and subjects. When I have taught these two essays together (in the past), students invariably have one that they like better. Why?, I ask. They usually can't explain, and if I try to do the same it ends up begin more about technique than an actual preference. (Thus the curse of the lit major. We can't just read an essay, we deconstruct it, right?) I'm happy with just figuring out what we like in these, but as we move toward actually writing humorous pieces of their own, I want a stronger arsenal of suggestions.

I'm thinking/hoping to use this article as a springboard to help them deconstruct their favorite scene (after an interim away from the piece) and see what patterns might exist. Then, to move forward, I'll ask them to think about patterning something that the reader can associate with, as a way to better their chances for being humorous. I'll tie this to a freewrite they'll have just done on "life's irritations" or "obsessions & phobias" and I'm hoping, convince them to make these seemingly inconsequential subjects "ring true" in the minds of the readers. It should make them laugh every time, right...at least that's what all the latest research shows. : )

Sweet Tooth - The $8 Chair

Just thought I'd share my most recent steal-of-a-deal. I picked up this super-cute mid-century modern chair at Goodwill for $8 (actually $10 with a 20% off coupon). After a hearty round of Resolve + Febreeze, the upholstery is in decent condition. It does need a little TLC to cover the scratches on the wood legs, but seriously, folks. It was 8 bucks.

I consistently pay more than that for a decent martini in this town. Am I right? Yes. Gotta love furniture that's less than your bar tab!

Two Words (ok Ed, three!) - (You) Read This!

Perusing the web for an article on active and passive voice usage in business communication (for my professional writing students) I stumbled across Ed Barr's really great blog.

My favorite recent posting is entitled "You only need two words."

I think this concept of "concision as emphasis" is fabulous for professional writing students, and in some ways can be a basis for creative writing as well. It's not always about how much detail you can add. It's not the fancy words or the beautifully extended metaphor. Often the most profound messages stand out simply because of their, well, simplicity.

To me, these statements share another commonality, (which I've fixated on since I just prepared a lecture about sentence structure). These two-word sentences only include a subject and a verb. An object is not included, not necessary. These sentences focus on the action of a single entity, and declare a type of singularity. One person, one action, one moment, one impact. These sentences expand emotionally because they define only a single point out there somewhere. It is the reader's responsibility, then, to position herself in regards to the sentence. "How does this change me, now?" she might ask. What has ultimately been accomplished, then, is a sentence that necessarily engages the reader by not dictating how she must relate to that new information. Relationships are made, but they are more profound since the reader is part of the process. She understands.

Teachable Moment - Careers, Lives & the "Big" Decisions

I've been thinking quite a bit lately about careers and how people make a living. As I mentioned before, I'm teaching a few sections of a professional writing course, and this particular course always makes me think about "what else" I should be teaching. I'm not just showing them how to write memos and emails, this class is about making a series of important professional decisions. The first decision is to take the course and improve their writing skills...good choice, I'd say. The second is a unit where we deal with application packets. Let's apply for real jobs, or at least see how close we can get to a decent application.

What I sometimes have to say is "Don't just pick the job you think you have to apply for." What I really want to say is "Imagine yourself at this job for 5 years. Do you think you will like an 8-5 in a cubicle? Do you like the prospect of paying off student loans on 'commission only'? Will this allow you to do all the things you've been doing in college that you love, like hiking or sports or traveling?"

Nobody asked me those questions in college. Nobody even really implied that, hey, one day you'll HAVE TO GET A REAL JOB! How can this be?!? I'd say it was a bit of good karma from my end...so a brief synopsis for those who may not already know...

Luckily, I followed the "traditional professional path" of a literature major / creative writer and went to graduate school. Luckily, I was awarded a teaching associateship. Luckily, I loved teaching. Luckily, I was hired by the same university from which I graduated (i.e. I worked the network and had minimal "application requirements"). Luckily, (after a brief stint in direct mail marketing) I came back a second time to the same university at a higher pay rate and more stability. Luckily, I survived a horrendous economic tsunami that rendered many of my former colleagues job-less and benefit-less. MOST luckily, I still love my job.

I still have a hard time dealing with the fact that I, anal-retentive super-planner me, just went with the flow. Only when I went back to teaching a second time was I truly choosing my career path in all honesty. Why, do you ask? Because I hated working 40 hour weeks in an office. I didn't like being told when to come in and when to leave. I didn't like having to take a full hour for lunch. I didn't like not being allowed to work 40 hours in 4 days to get a three-day weekend every once in a while. I didn't like having to constantly "team-build" during meetings and forced social outings. I didn't like being stuck in job where I was paid, and valued, based on my "direct experience" and not on my "life experience."

Teaching was my out. It was also my passion. It also was flexible enough to make me feel like a whole person every single day. What does that mean? It means I can keep house, walk the dogs, run errands, cook a homemade dinner, spend quality time with my husband, AND make a contribution to the life of a developing writer/professional EACH AND EVERY DAY, all in one day. It's as close to making everyone happy all the time that you can get. I love my life, my students love my teaching (mostly, ha) and accessibility nearly every day of the week, and ultimately the department loves that students write great things about me on course evaluations. Win-Win-Win.

So what can I do to help these fledgling professionals? Reiterate that a career is something you will commute to, sit though, and actually do work for every day, hopefully, for the rest of your life (with some advancement and changes of course); it's a package deal, though, a career...so it's not just about the dream job on paper, it's about the type of work that fits your life, the one you had, well, long before you ever put your nose to the proverbial grindstone.


Where did all this come from? A funny little article the hubby sent, about "overrated industries." For the record, #1 is a dream we dream together, though we're both too rational to ever jump in (knock on wood!)

Julie & Julia, or (more appropriately) Julia & some-random-girl-named Julie

Sunday, I finally convinced the hubby to for the successful new film Julie & Julia.

First Impression: Good (Great? I'm so bad with praise) movie.Why? I absolutely loved Meryl Streep here, her uncanny voice, and addictive awkwardness which (I'm going to have to gather because, frankly, I've never heard the voice of Julia Child, to my memory) must surely be a dead-on impression of the magical woman. In all honesty, Julia, if this IS accurate, reminds me of said hubby, who was being very quirky and fabulously awkward the entire weekend. So it could matter who is sitting next to you (slouched in his seat, fiddling with a pair of Ray-Bans like a baton twirler from Britain's Got Talent. Ok, so maybe not quite like that...I digress.

Verdict: See it. Theater-viewing optional. It's a perfect Saturday afternoon flick to get you motivated to cook something delicious for dinner. Actually, you probably DON'T want to see this movie UNLESS you have time to cook afterward. It's that appetizing (can I even say no pun intended here, is this a pun? Help me Englishy people out there...)

Reservations: My only issue with the film is based off my background. I'm a writer, so books-come-movies always are a difficult genre to, um, swallow. This spring I had, coincidentally, bought off a rack of "$4.99 Bargain Books" the first 2005 edition Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen (which I have to say has the most hideously bland yuppie cover for such a multi-faceted narrative...bad editor, bad, BAD!). I later discovered a book was being made about the film, and vowed to read the book before the movie, in case anything was going to get "spoiled" by the film (how many freakin' food metaphors can I accidentally use here...another post surely). And oh how the film spoiled so so much.

Poor Julie looks like every aspiring writer, aspiring cook, aspiring wife, sometimes even aspiring ADULT. One friend, C., who didn't read the book ask, "What was the whole point of the story, though?" Exactly.

First Words Out of the Theater: "I'd be pissed if this was the movie that they made out of my book. She comes across like such a whiny bitch." Such a departure from the at-times-tear-inducing Julie Powell of the book.

Ultimately my beef is with the marketing of this film. You think, oh, it's a movie version of the book. FALSE. It's a combination of TWO BOOKS, Julie Powell's memoir, and Child's autobiography, My Life in France. So of course Julia steals the show. You can't put a budding NY writer up against the tour de force that was Julia Child. And especially never can you cast Meryl Streep without full knowledge that her character will not be overshadowed by, no offense, a newcomer.

And frighteningly I just made the connection that this isn't even the first time Amy Adams and Meryl Streep have shared a screen (2008's Doubt, also starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, also recommended). That's how much this movie has dazed me!

There's an A.V. Club review that point out the same problem, but I'll take it a step further. Maybe I didn't see the narcissism, since Julie Powell comments on her awareness of blog-as-self-idolatry. It just seems so damnable to criticize someone who already beat you to the punch with self-criticism.

Wishful Revisions: What do I wish the movie really portrayed? Powell's memoir is more than just a cutesy romantic-comedy blog. I was really struck by the metaphor of what's missing. Julie doesn't have the sense of direction all her friends seem to have. The memoir is her finding of inspiration. But Julie works for an organization that deals with the fallout from 9-11, and the conference room looks out over "Ground Zero."

In my eyes, it's a subtle post-9-11 narrative told through the eyes of a woman who may or may not realize that she's being so universal. I wanted to see THAT type of collective literary catharsis, the connection on the screen of food and soul and loss and being lost. I wanted JULIE to shadow Julia, the real triumphing over the mythic. Ephron's film to me is a Bifteck Sauté Bercy that's missing the marrow and the rich, meaty, intensity of a "life, well lived" (Powell's description) that deeply richens the original memoir.

I thought I'd share part of an old poem of mine that seems a fitting close...

I remember after the funeral, playing hide and seek

with my brother, and crawling under the bed finding, alone,

my grandfather’s reading glasses. Surely, they could have only

fallen from his face as he collapsed, here, beside the bed. It was

too much of the past to stomach, like a funeral banquet grander

than any wedding feast because the caterer knows we must

always fill ourselves against a loss: the meal itself, a new story,

the first bite an opening line repeated like a chorus for hours.

from "Doggerel"
© 2009 Lindsey Gosma Donhauser

Teachable Moment - Business Memos

And I thought I knew just about everything, j/k...

I'm teaching 3 sections of a professional writing course this semester, and, as always, the first assignment proves to be a bit of a challenge for my students, i.e. omg wtf do you want me to do?!?

The Assignment: Write a memo evaluating a sales message for effective communication.

The Question: "I don't have my book yet, so I what is 'memo format'?"

The Answer: I'll just google "memo format" and get something easy as a proxy.

The Complication: This article, which I desperately want to share, but seriously, not as the very first thing I show an assignment-overwhelmed student. HA!

The article provides a cogent, near-academic (but somehow SO NOT academic) approach to the science of visual rhetoric, document production, and the ills of worshipping at the altar of Word Defaults. The writer is truly taking the audience-centric "You" attitude I preach, and is considering (on a tab and space and leading level) how we actually SEE a memo and the DECODE that information more or less quickly. It's brilliant, and frightening, and, well, the kind of stuff that just gives me the willies.

I have never so seriously considered my entire writing life with a healthy dose of oh-god-did-I make-the-Example-3-mistake!?! dismay. In some ways it is an epiphany and a radical departure from everything I've ever thought to consider about the banality of business document composition. In other ways, it's the kind of tedious, nit-pickingy type of thing students despise instructors for expecting. Thus the perils of the academy and its academicians perched precariously on the edge of obsessive attention to curricular detail (we so desperately want to teach everything, really, even the crazy, tiny stuff like this).

I'm thinking now that this blog might just be the best thing going for my teaching. I can obsess and digress, they can inquire and be inspired, and we can carry on these fabulous discussions without the formality of the classroom, or the stingy "allotments" of the classroom.

If only I can get them all to read it...at least a little...without me.

Recipe Revision - Layered Eggplant, Zucchini, & Tomato Casserole

So I have to admit I've been saving this one for a "rainy day" though that's a bit of an oddity in Phoenix.

I found this recipe about a month ago in Food & Wine magazine for Layered Eggplant, Zucchini, & Tomato Casserole




The recipe immediately struck my eye, since I've completely changed my work schedule at the cafe for "Farmer's Market Therapy" (as I like to call it), and there's one guy there with the most AMAZING zucchini. I'm talking zucchini bigger than my forearms, some bigger than the hubby's forearms (and he's 6'5"!)! It is the sweetest, fleshy-est goodness and has become a quintessential summer favorite in the Donhauser household.

Needless to say, I buy it religiously and found this to be a great way to showcase the texture and flavor of a beautiful veggie.

The original recipe is good, though I think it's a great "base" for vegetable casseroles that can serve as a light, one-dish summer meal. When I made the original recipe, I found it to be a bit "wet" (unlike some of the other reviewers), probably because of the fabulous squash. I tend to find that store bought squash seem dried out, so I also try to keep what I do buy in the more-humid fruit drawer in my fridge. (Though now that I think about it, I'm probably caught in the age-old vegetable/fruit debate. Anyone? What's a squash, really? Ha.)

Since there's an easy link, I won't repeat the original recipe here, but I'll start with my revision.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing and brushing
1 large zucchini (1 pound), sliced lengthwise 1/4 inch thick
2 long, narrow eggplants (1 1/2 pounds), peeled and sliced lengthwise 1/3 inch thick
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large shallot, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound plum tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice
8 ounces greek yogurt
1/4 cup chopped basil
1 cup panko breadcrumbs

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Oil 2 large rimmed baking sheets. Put the zucchini slices on one sheet and the eggplant on the other. Brush the slices all over with oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the slices on each sheet in a slightly overlapping layer. Bake for 15 minutes, until tender.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the shallot and garlic and cook over moderate heat until softened, 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook over high heat until slightly softened and bubbling, 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Oil a large, shallow baking dish (about 10 by 15 inches). Lay half of the eggplant in the dish and spread one-fourth of the tomatoes on top. Top with one-third of the greek yogurt (in spoonfuls). Sprinkle with one-fourth of the panko and basil. Layer all the zucchini on top, followed by another one-fourth of the tomato and one-third of the panko and basil. Layer with the remaining eggplant. Top with the remaining tomato, greek yogurt, and basil. Mix the remaining panko with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and sprinkle over the casserole. Bake in the upper third of the oven for 20 minutes, until bubbling and crisp. Let stand for 5 minutes, then serve hot or warm.

Ultimately, you can play around with this recipe in innumerable ways. The ingredients above also reflect more eggplant than the way I made the revised recipe originally, as it tends to release less water into the bottom of the casserole (and I love roasted eggplant, period). You could use other squashes, add some chilies for a kick, or even use just a single veggie if your garden is only singularly prolific.

Also, as an end note, the greek yogurt revision was, in all honesty, a last-minute substitution. I spaced on feta, coming home without such a necessary ingredient, and looked for anything remotely dairy and mediterranean lurking in my fridge. I lucked out as the greek yogurt ended up basting the diced tomatoes in a creamy-dreamy goodness that no feta could have ever imagined. I'd also recommend a ricotta substitute (maybe with a bit of nutmeg?), and perhaps also a parmesan-panko mix on top if you like the extra cheese (please!).

All in all, this is a fail-safe, (vegetarian, even) summer dish that reheats amazingly when it's 118 outside and you can't imagine cranking up the oven again!

Marketing Tools - Restaurant Menus

I recently had the opportunity to redesign the entire set of menus for the Coronado Cafe, a restaurant near Downtown Phoenix. I love this place so much, I work here a few days a week. It's a great spot for dinner and cocktails, and the staff is amazingly fun and courteous.

Some of the revised design elements were an integrated lunch/dinner/brunch/drink layout; landscape orientation for a more appealing table-presentation; more modern/retro feel to go with the funky personality of the cafe itself.

I think the final product turned out quite nicely.

If you've got feedback, especially from a customer's point of view, please leave comments, as I'm always up for a critique toward a revision!

Sweet Tooth - Cuisinart Elite Die-Cast Food Processor

So I officially put my order in for the new Cuisinart Elite Die-Cast Food Processor. It involves an unspecified waitlist-wait and an ominous phone call from the local W-S. Who knows how long this will take, and I'm practically foaming at the mouth for this one.





For those of you familiar with the old-school Cuisnarts, this handy guide (which I happen to think is a fabulous marketing tool...it's practically dripping with WIIFM, and it's audience-centered for those who only need to know "why it's BETTER than what I already have") should do all the convincing--8 new features.

Honestly I only need 3 of the new features to shell out $300 for this baby:

1. Three (count 'em 3) Bowl Sizes - I love my little Mini-Prep, but seriously, 24 ounces does not a true "food" processor make. I have a "sauce" processor and a "nut" processor, but nothing that in and of itself resembles a full serving of "food" comes out of my Mini-Prep, at least not in less than a few,messy batches. I've longed to upgrade for several months, and have often borrowed my friend J.'s Prep 11 Plus (a very strategic wedding gift from me to her, haha), but I still like how when I just need a little chop-chop, the smaller bowl on my Mini-Prep is perfect (and fits comfortably on my dishwasher's top-rack). So what's better than having two food processors, in appropriate sizes? Having one that does the work of a mini and a maxi. (Oh, and did I mention they are NESTING BOWLS, so yay for more cabinet/counter space for additionally fabulous small electrics!)

2. Spill-Proof Blending - I like to make saucy things in my food processor. With any older version, you get the "slosh factor," especially when you're pulsing. (Like, how many times in a row can I possibly fling some brightly-colored sauce base all over my kitchen counter? And do remember I have grouted tile countertops.) With a new rubber gasket on the lid, I have no fear of any "slosh factor." Bring it.

3. Cord Storage - Three words: Retractable Power Cord. 'Nuff said. (And for those anal-retentive kitchen-keepers out there, you don't need another reason, period.)

Given that there are 50 reviews on Williams-Sonoma's website (with an average rating of 4.9 stars), I think this is a true cook's tool, with a battery of new "revisions" to make this piece of equipment a beloved staple in a serious kitchen.

Let me know if anyone else has experiences with food processors and/or Cuisinart. Let's share the love!

Infusions - Spicy Globe Basil Vodka

I've been enamored lately with vodka, especially of the "additionally flavored" kind. I've come to discover that many cheaper vodkas contain chemical cocktails that taste like berry/melon/lemon/bubblegum/etc, but often don't contain anything remotely close to the original "flavoring substance." Most of the higher-end liquors don't call themselves flavored, but "infused," a term that implies a gentler, natural process of extracting flavors from organic material.

With a little background research though, I realized that even this naming was a marketing ploy. How much "faux flavor" vodka/soda have I been drinking at the Recovery Room, thinking I'm getting something that's less, how do I say it, "concocted."

I came across instructions for infusing spirits, so I'm trying my hand at a truly infused spirit. I had some leftover Smirnoff in the freezer and a potful of basil in the backyard (variety: spicy globe). I snipped 2 good size springs, filled a "sun-tea" pitcher with about 700 mL of Smirnoff, tossed in the basil and gave it a hearty good shake. I figured this would be a good experiment, since I can't stomach Smirnoff, even with soda, and my article reminds us that

just as during Prohibition, when mixers were born to make bad liquor more tolerable, flavoring makes a cheaper vodka more tolerable.

I'll let you all know how it turns out, 3-5 days from now. If it works, I think I'm going to have on well-stocked, organic-herb-infused-vodka bar.

Out of Sight, but Still Shaping...

Ack! I've been on end-of-semester-grading hiatus and have totally spaced on my blog. Since I'm also about to run out the door yet again, I thought I'd give you all an interesting link. I found another Sales Machine post that just reiterates what I've been teaching in ENG 301 - Writing for the Professions for the past few years. You have to think about your audience--what they know and what they want--and give them a message that's clear, concise, and somehow unique at the same time. In other words, write something that's momentarily evocative, then shut up. Sounds like a good flash fictions piece, doesn't it? Enjoy!

How to Write a Killer Sales Message

Teachable Moment - PowerPoint-ers

Today's lesson involves a much-bemoaned topic among academics and business professionals alike: PowerPoint (and death thereby). It's a technology with so much potential, yet it is used, quite frequently, as a torture device.

Tonight, I am teaching presentation strategies to a group of upper-division writing students. A lecture I did previously involved the most heinous PowerPoint presentation ever. It involved a pink-on-pink color scheme, a swirly, unreadable font, and an inordinate amount of "Animations." The pièce de résistance in the whole affair was my appearance -- no makeup, a ball cap, and some seriously ratty pajama pants. It was dramatic, and tragic, but utterly the most engaging lecture I've ever put together. Freak them out a little, and students will listen to what you have to say, well, for at least 10 minutes or so until Facebook-withdrawal kicks in.

As I was preparing my lecture materials this morning, (more accurately, as I was blog-hopping trying to avoid preparing my lecture materials) I ran across this video as part of a Sales Machine blog posting, a comedy routine by comedian Don McMillan entitled "Life after Death by PowerPoint." I think it's just as convincing, and his delivery is quite nice in the 4 minute skit.

If I can save one room full of potential clients from a near-death experience, I think that's justification for a teaching career, don't you think? Enjoy!

Baked (Not Fried) Cheese Puffs & Product Packaging

Just shopping at Fresh and Easy on 19th and Glendale and I was rendered speechless by the packaging on their new Baked (Not Fried) Cheese Puffs. The bag is the EXACT color of the powdery cheesy goodness that covers your fingers. (See photo, case in point). I could not resist. I came home and ate half the bag. I thought I'd research why this happened to me. I came across the following article that made me feel better:

Food Packaging | Packaging gets psyched | Food Processing Shared via AddThis

And a highlight:

Some marketers contend that of all the visual cues a package incorporates, color is the single most important. Consumers have only seconds to make a purchasing decision in the supermarket, and color registers much faster than text or complex graphics.

Colors are associated with various emotional states and need to convey an appropriate mood for the product and/or brand. In some parts of the grocery store, like the cereal aisle, the colors on the packages “are screaming ‘buy me,’ but not all products want to do that,” says Ed Cristman, design director at Axion Design (www.axiondesign.com), San Anselmo, Calif.

Needless to say I am just another victim of some genius kid-marketer at corporate. I love-hate you, kid!

Sweet Tooth - Writing Spaces

Today's undeniably interesting, delicious tidbit comes from the blogosphere.

I found a great blog posting from one of my former colleagues, and I think you'll enjoy it too. The subject is where writers write, and I've always had a great interest in how people "keep house," so to speak, especially where they feel they are the most creative. In a nod to including a photo of her writing space, I've included a shot of mine too.

(And as perhaps a completely circuitous reference, my colleague is responsible for the collaborative arts project on the wall, top left.)

So let's be bold. I invite you to photograph a space in which you feel creative. Perhaps some day I'll dare to show a shot of my 70s remodel kitchen, but I'm hoping we'll have the funds to remodel long before I ever have to share that cave. LOL.

Recipe Revision - Plum & Port Crostata

This recipe for Plum & Port Crostata is compliments of the "Martha Stewart Living." This gorgeous pastry was featured on the last page of the magazine and was just too tempting to resist. A crostata by definition is an Italian baked dessert tart, traditionally prepared by folding the edges of the dough over the top of the jam-like filling (often cherries, peaches, apricots, or berries) creating a more "rough" look, rather than a uniform, circular shape. It can also be filled with pieces of fruit and pastry cream or ricotta. (Yum!)

As always, I followed the recipe, for the most part, and I have my revisions to the recipe.

Original Recipe
Plum & Port Crostata

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
1 1/2 tsp. coarse salt (I use kosher salt)
1/2 tsp. granulated sugar (I use Baker's Sugar)
4 oz. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 tbs. ice water
1 1/2 cups ruby port (You can find port in the wine section of any decent grocery. I paid $6 for a bottle)
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 Thai chile, seeded & minced (optional. I used 1/2 a large serrano pepper, from the Farmers' Market)
2 lbs. Italian prune plums, halved and pitted (I used overripe black plums from Fresh and Easy)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon (I always double or triple the spices! I also prefer Saigon cinnamon as it's sweetest.)
1 tsp. heavy cream, for brushing
Sanding sugar, for sprinkling (I used Raw Sugar)

1. Pulse flour, 1/2 tsp. salt, and sugar in a food processor. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. With machine running, slowly add ice water until dough comes together. Shape into a disk. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8" thickness. Fit into an 8-inch pie dish, leaving 1-inch overhang. Freeze for up to 30 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Simmer port and 1/2 cup brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Add chile if desired (while hot). Cover, and let cool for 10 minutes.

4. Stir together the remaining 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp. salt, plums, cornstarch, cinnamon, and port syrup. Transfer to pie shell. Fold in overhang to form a "crust"; brush crust with cream; sprinkle crust with sugar. Bake for 30 minutes; reduce over to 375 degrees. Bake until golden and center is bubbling, about 1 1/2 hours more. Let cool. Enjoy!



As it baked, the kitchen had a great aroma, a cinnamon-sweet earthy smell. This is part of my love of cooking, especially pies and tarts. After I let it cool about 30 minutes, I served the slices a la mode with a good-quality vanilla ice cream.

After the first bite I was hooked. The crust was nice and crumbly, and it stayed dry even on the bottom. The filling was really tart (a bit much for the huge slice I cut myself), but the filling had an amazing texture, jam-like and smooth. The hubby, after sneaking a bite, exclaimed "Unglaublich!" (Translation: "Unbelievable!"). All in all, the Plum & Port Crostata was a hit.

A few things to note in the original recipe:

• Make sure you're using an 8-inch pie dish if you want the pretty fold. My standard 9 1/2 inch version just didn't do the form justice. Plus after loving the crust so much, I can't imagine what the underside of that edge must taste like, having soaked up 2 hours worth of bubbling fruit syrup.
  

• The crostata has a dramatic fold-over for the "crust." Your dough will crack if it's too cold, so my advice is to freeze for no more than 15 minutes (not the recipe's 30), then transfer to fridge to keep cool.

• Depending on your stove top, the port reduction can take longer than just 25 minutes. Be prepared (and watch your freezing crust) during this step. The recipe doesn't really alert you to keep multiple timers going.
  

• Plum peels are distinctly tart. I think my variety, the same that most of you could find at the grocery, is particularly tart. In a second version, I'd use cherries and blackberries, as I think they would be sweeter and still maintain the tartness that makes this a crisp summer dessert.

Recipe Revision:
Plum & Port Crostata

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
1 1/2 tsp. coarse salt
3/4 tsp. granulated sugar (I wanted it a bit sweeter.)
4 oz. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 tbs. ice water
1 1/2 cups ruby port
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 Serrano or other pepper, seeded & minced
1 1/5 lb. cherries, pitted
8 oz. blackberries
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. heavy cream, for brushing
Raw sugar, for sprinkling

1. Pulse flour, 1/2 tsp. salt, and sugar in a food processor. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. With machine running, slowly add ice water until dough comes together. Shape into a disk. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8" thickness. Fit into an 8-inch pie dish, leaving 1-inch overhang. Freeze for up to 15 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Simmer port and 1/2 cup brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Add chile if desired (while hot). Cover, and let cool for 10 minutes.

4. Stir together the remaining 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp. salt, plums, cornstarch, cinnamon, and port syrup. Transfer to pie shell. Fold in overhang to form a "crust"; brush crust with cream; sprinkle crust with sugar. Bake for 30 minutes; reduce over to 375 degrees. Bake until golden and center is bubbling, about 1 hour more. Let cool. Serve with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!



I think this recipe a great way to use up any summer fruits that are turning a bit past their prime. All that extra sweetness is transformed into thick, syrup goodness. Here's to recycling fruit that might look past it's prime!