Tonight is the CWF Christmas dinner and I decided to do a dessert this year (after several years of doing vegetables, and one year when there were very few desserts). This is a buttermilk pie. (Yes, it's supposed to be that brown on the top. It's kind of like a chess pie or a custard pie, just not quite as rich.). I even made the crust from scratch.
I am unduly proud of that. I think this is the first pie crust I've ever tried that actually turned out (as in: I could roll it out and it didn't totally crumble). And yes, I'm proud/cross-grained enough to want to be able to make the crust from scratch instead of buying the already-made kind. (I used them a few times; my biggest complaint is that they are not rolled out thin enough and make a rather heavy crust. I suppose I could roll them thinner but part of the point of buying them is that they are fast and easy...)
The filling is mostly eggs and buttermilk and sugar, with a little flour to thicken it, and some lemon extract. Oh, and butter.
***
We were talking about Santa and Santa-believing on CPAAG - one of the members got a letter from Santa for her daughter. And people were doing the old joking thing about "When you stop believing in Santa, you start getting underwear for Christmas."
And I realized something: I was about 9 when I stopped believing in a literal Santa. That seems very old to me now, but I did have a younger brother (which probably helped me keep up any shaky belief I had). And also, I didn't want to give up on the idea of a literal Santa, I think. It was too beautiful.
And also, I think my parents did an amazing job of shielding my brother and me from some of the uglier things in life when we were children...I've said before the first really big scary news story I remember is the Jonestown massacre, and I was almost 10 at the time...and we found out about it mainly because we were at a relative's house and they had the news on. (I think I remember my dad being irritated at that relative for exposing us to it). So I think a lot of the sweet imaginative stuff of childhood stuck with me longer. That's probably both good and bad...I'm still a somewhat idealistic adult and prone to be disappointed in the uglier aspects of life, but then again, I can still be charmed by simple silly little things. (And I still like fairy tales and things like the really sweet childish sort of cartoons.)
And I said on the post, and I do think it's true: in a way, I still believe, but in a more "metaphysical" sense. If that makes sense. In that there is a spirit of generosity out there, there is something in us that wants the people we love to have at least some of the things their hearts desire (actually, it's probably not good for a person to get absolutely everything their hearts desire).
We did "secret Santas" a few years when I was in grad school and I have to admit I miss that. It was so much fun to find little things for your person, and then sneak them into their mailbox or onto their desk when they weren't looking. One year I had a labmate and I was SURE she knew it was me, but it turned out she never guessed until the final "reveal" at the holiday party. (Getting stuff was fun, too....but for me the real fun was the sneaking around and trying to deliver the stuff without getting caught).
Actually, you know? I never came out to my parents with the big declaration of "I don't believe in Santa." I think part of it was a desire to protect the belief of my brother (or younger cousins who might be around), but I think part of it was that I didn't want to openly say it to myself. (And you know? Both my brother and I still get "Santa" presents - and I am 42 and he is 37, and my sister-in-law gets Santa presents in my family now that she's a part of the family....and we still do stockings.)
2 comments:
BUTTER.
(Sorry, as a butter believer, just had to blurt that out.)
It was easier to shield kids when there were only 3-5 television channels and 1 newspaper that came to your door (and was intercepted by the parents). Now, information is everywhere, accessible 24/7. That's a huge shift in consciousness.
Ah, kitchen chemistry. I wish I had been more of a home ec person in high school; I would have gotten SO MUCH MORE out of math and science.
Best tip for pie crust I ever found was: half vodka and half water, over ice. No, don't drink it! Use it for the pie crust.
The vodka helps dissolve the flour to form gluten chains so you can roll out the crust smooth and nice, but since it's not all water you don't get lots of gluten formed (which makes a tough crust).
All the alcohol evaporates away as the pie bakes.
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