I practice living daily with an attitude of gratitude and I truly have countless reasons to be grateful. This year, however, I am made painfully aware of some of my most heartfelt thanks. I am grateful to my grandmother, Romaine.
Grammy, as we called her, passed away this August, about 6 weeks shy of her 100th birthday. (She's the baby in the center of the photo on the left. How much fun is Pappy having??) Like everyone else, I dislike funerals. But if I could eulogize a life well lived with anyone, I was okay celebrating this woman’s life with this branch of my family.
Grammy (on the right, enjoying a party with her BFF) was the type of woman who, on the spur of the moment
, one morning at eight o’clock am, produced homemade fastnachts from a newspaper recipe because her grandkids asked her to. She kept a huge bowl of pie crumbs in the cupboard (for whenever she needed them) and never admonished anyone for taking a quick dip out of the bowl. When you slept over, there were two breakfast choices…cornflakes or Oreo cookies. Guess which one I chose?
She provided a place for us to run free, secure in the notion that after a long day of play, there would be a nice dinner on the table, a warm bath, candy dishes that were perpetually full and lots of hugs and kisses.
Grammy was the type of woman who, after losing her husband of 25 years to Type II diabetes on December 23 insisted on continuing our annual ritual of gathering on Christmas Eve. It was better to celebrate life surrounded by those you love rather than mourn alone, realizing, as in most cases, that our gain really is greater than our loss.
On right: One of the greatest moments of my life, taking Grammy to lunch after her first grandchild graduated from college at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America. I think she deserved a nice lunch after all the meals she prepared.
Grammy, as we called her, passed away this August, about 6 weeks shy of her 100th birthday. (She's the baby in the center of the photo on the left. How much fun is Pappy having??) Like everyone else, I dislike funerals. But if I could eulogize a life well lived with anyone, I was okay celebrating this woman’s life with this branch of my family.
Grammy (on the right, enjoying a party with her BFF) was the type of woman who, on the spur of the moment
, one morning at eight o’clock am, produced homemade fastnachts from a newspaper recipe because her grandkids asked her to. She kept a huge bowl of pie crumbs in the cupboard (for whenever she needed them) and never admonished anyone for taking a quick dip out of the bowl. When you slept over, there were two breakfast choices…cornflakes or Oreo cookies. Guess which one I chose?
She provided a place for us to run free, secure in the notion that after a long day of play, there would be a nice dinner on the table, a warm bath, candy dishes that were perpetually full and lots of hugs and kisses.
Grammy was the type of woman who, after losing her husband of 25 years to Type II diabetes on December 23 insisted on continuing our annual ritual of gathering on Christmas Eve. It was better to celebrate life surrounded by those you love rather than mourn alone, realizing, as in most cases, that our gain really is greater than our loss.
On right: One of the greatest moments of my life, taking Grammy to lunch after her first grandchild graduated from college at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America. I think she deserved a nice lunch after all the meals she prepared.So, this month, I’ll share a pie recipe that perhaps you can enjoy at your table of thanks. I’m sorry to report that it’s not her recipe because she didn’t use any recipes for pie. In a perfect world, you’ll take a bit of quiet time for yourself and while you’re attempting to get the dough the way you want it and the crumbs “just so” you’ll contemplate love, freedom and all the gains that outweigh your losses.
Pear and Hazelnut Crumb Pie
Easy Pie Crust:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup cake flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons (or more) ice water
Blend first 4 ingredients in processor. Add butter and shortening and cut in using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 3 tablespoons ice water and process until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate 1 hour. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated. Soften dough slightly at room temperature before rolling out.)
Roll out dough disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter
Filling :
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 pounds ripe Anjou pears, peeled, cored, cut into 3/4-inch pieces (about 5 cups)
Topping:
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, room temperature
3/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted, husked, coarsely chopped
For filling:
Stir first 6 ingredients in large bowl. Add pears and toss to coat.
For topping
Whisk flour, sugar and cinnamon in medium bowl. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix in nuts.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Spoon pear filling into pie crust. Sprinkle topping evenly over filling. Bake pie 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Continue baking pie until pears are tender and filling is bubbling thickly, covering edges with foil if crust is browning too quickly, about 1 hour 5 minutes longer. Cool pie on rack at least 2 hours. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
Makes 1 (9-inch) pie.
Source: epicurious.com
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