Well hi there!!! Long time, no speak. How have you all been? I know I’ve said this before, but I’ve been busy. SOOOOOOO busy. I wish I could say I’ve been busy with blog stuff. Unfortunately (and apparently) the blog has had to take a bit of a back seat this past year while I learned the ropes of this whole physio-ing and adulting thing.
That’s right guys. As of a couple of weeks ago, I officially passed my first year as a physio. I wish I could say the day was marked with lots of pomp and circumstance, but honestly, I only remembered about 2 days after the fact. Lol.
Looking back on my first year as a physio, I can officially say that NOTHING about this past year has been easy. Not a thing. That isn’t necessarily a huge surprise. Does anyone walk into a new career 100% competent at it? No. But, honestly, this year may take the prize for being the hardest year of my life, or at least come in close second. And, unfortunately, I’m not sure when it will get easier. The good news is that I will never be worse off than I was when I began.
It also hasn’t felt like a year. It has felt like three. But when the majority of one’s days are 12-14 (and sometimes 16) hours long, (seemingly) constantly running between 3 different jobs, starting one’s own side-business, training, taking physio and nutrition courses, cooking, (very) occasionally cleaning, (and even more) occasionally spending time with friends/taking time off, as well as all the other things required of being an adult, I figure three years’ worth of stuff can fit into a year. At least. Right?
Unfortunately, as seems to always happens in situations like this, something gives. This year it was blogging. And, if I’m going to be completely honest, in some ways, my friendships. I’m not saying that anything has blown up out of control. I’m still functioning at my regular 90-95% capacity on a daily basis. Lol.
But this past week, it was made patently clear to me that in everything that has gone on in the past year, I had been taking for granted that key components of my support network, and more specifically, my ‘person’ as Christina Yang would say, would always be there. I came very close to being wrong in the worst way imaginable. And for that, I have been feeling unbelievably guilty. BUT I’ve been given a second chance; one I will not let pass me by. Because, at the end of the day, who you have in your corner is ALWAYS more important than what or how much you have. Unfortunately, sometimes we need a drastic jolt to be reminded of that.
And, as tends to happen when regular training just isn’t enough to temper my emotional stress levels, I turn to my creative side; cooking, and taking photos. This time, I decided to take on the défi (or challenge) of creating vegan custard. More specifically, creating TASTY vegan custard with the exact same texture as real custard. Then I put that tasty vegan custard in a pie crust (which is unfortunately not vegan…) with some Red Wine Poached Pears. Then I dressed that pie up in Red Wine Syrup and put it on a plate! But unlike Yzma from The Emperor’s New Groove, I only smashed that pie with a fork. A hammer would just make a mess. lol. (Sorry…I couldn’t resist the Disney reference.)
And all just in time for American Thanksgiving (and the official kicking off of the Holiday Season)!!! Whoop whoop!
This pie is pretty much my favourite pie ever! It’s a pie that has been a feature at ALL of my Thanksgiving dinners for as long as I can remember. At this point, I don’t even bother with Pumpkin Pie. Don’t get me wrong. My Mum pretty much makes the best Pumpkin Pie one can find (so it’s not for lack of exposure to the best of the best that I say the following), but this Poached Pear and Custard Tart with Red Wine Syrup is just so much better! I actually tend to go for a doubly large portion of this pie (with a triple portion of the Red Wine Syrup 😉 )…
Sadly, I didn’t manage to get the recipe ironed out by last Thanksgiving and I definitely didn’t get it done in time for Canadian Thanksgiving this year, but while I wish the circumstances which spurred on this latest creative kick were different, I honestly have to say that the timing couldn’t have been more perfect because I would also like to add an extra note for those Americans celebrating Thanksgiving (and any Canadians taking the opportunity for Turkey Fest 2.0) this weekend. While I know gratitude is implicit in the name of this holiday, sometimes I think it gets overshadowed by the sales, food, and official kicking off of all the magic that is the Holiday Season.
So…while you take advantage of all these gloriously joyful things, I entreat you to take even just five minutes when spending time with your family and friends this Thanksgiving to look at those around you as well as think of those who are not. Be grateful. Take a mental picture. Embrace it. Put it in your mental back pocket. Because it’s those people at that table and in your heart or mind’s eye that make your daily endeavours worth it.
Have an amazing (American) Thanksgiving weekend everyone!
Paleo-ish Poached Pear and ‘Custard’ Tart with Red Wine Syrup
Poached Pear and Custard Tart with Red Wine Syrup. A.k.a Poached pears and delicious vegan custard in a flaky crust! And if that wasn’t enough, the pie is then drizzled in spiced red wine syrup! Thanksgiving Dinner here we come!
- Prep Time: 30-40 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 10-20 mins
- Yield: 8-10 servings 1x
Ingredients
| Pâte Brisée Things |
- 1 cup Arrowroot starch
- 2/3 cup Oat flour
- 1/3 cup Chickpea flour
- 1/2 tsp Xantham gum
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1/4 cup Lard, cut into 4 pieces
- 4 tbsp Nutiva Buttery Coconut Oil, or Coconut oil
- 1/2 cup Ice cold water (I usually put one ice cube in the cup and add water until the 1/2 cup line).
| Poached Pear Pie Things |
- 3–4 firm Bosc pears (i.e. borderline ripe), peeled, cored, and halved lengthwise
- 1 1/2 cups Red wine (I recommend a bold wine such as a Cabernet Sauvignon)
- 1 1/2 cups Water
- 2” Cinnamon stick
- 3 Cloves
- 1/3 plus 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1 tsp gelatin OR 2 tsp Agar Agar powder (for a Vegan version)
- 1 tbsp Egg Replacer (I used Ener-G Egg Replacer) or Arrowroot Starch
- 1 1/2 cups Full-fat canned Coconut milk
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 2–4 drops Orange food dye or 2–3 pinches of Turmeric
Instructions
| Pâte Brisée |
- Follow the instructions to make Pâte Brisée I used in my Paleo-ish Strawberry Thyme Galette Recipe.
- Allow pie dough to chill 30-40 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350° F
- On a lightly floured surface, roll individual galette dough pieces out until ~ 1/8″ thick. If you flour your rolling pin as well as the top of the dough piece, your life will be MILES easier. Also, if you have a marble rolling pin, use it. You can even put it in the fridge when you chill your dough pieces to avoid melting the fat in the dough as you roll it out.
- Using a long cake spatula, bench scraper, or any long flat implement, carefully run it under the dough to separate it from your rolling surface.
- With your 8-10″ pie tin at the ready (beside the rolled dough) use your bench scraper to quickly, yet carefully, fold your dough in half.
- Using your bench scraper again, use it and your other hand to quickly, yet carefully, lift the dough to cover half of your pie tin.
- Unfold dough, and quickly (so that you don’t let it get too warm) press the dough into the folds of the pie tin with your fingers.
- Once pressed into the pie tin, quickly brush your hands in a downward motion along the rim to cut off any overhanging pastry. Save the overhanging pieces.
- Poke the bottom of the pastry a few times with a fork, line with tin foil and place pie pastry in oven for 10-15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, remove tin foil. Continue cooking pastry a further 10 minutes or until pastry is fully cooked. It will look slightly dry.
- Once fully cooked, remove pie shell from oven and set aside to cool. I find that as the pastry cooks, it shrinks a little bit leaving slight cracks in the pie shell. Use the leftover pastry cuttings to rub into and fill these cracks. (Since there is no egg or flour in the pastry, it’s not the end of the world if there are a couple of small places with raw dough!)
- Turn oven off.
| Poached Pear Pie |
- While your pie shell is chilling, bring the wine, water, cinnamon stick and cloves to a boil in a pot large enough to hold your pear halves.
- Add the pears, rounded part down.
- Poach pears at a simmer for 15 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, carefully flip the pears over (to have the flat side down). Cook another 5 minutes.
- Carefully remove pears from pot and place on a plate lined with paper towel to cool.
- Add 1/3 cup of sugar to the red wine, increase the heat to bring mixture to a boil and cook until the red wine mixture has reduced to 1/4 cup.
- While reducing the red wine, place mix the 1/2 cup sugar, gelatin, and Egg Replacer in a medium pot on the stove. Stir in the coconut milk, salt, vanilla, and cinnamon.
- Stirring often, cook mixture on stove until it begins to thicken. (And remember to check your red wine syrup! It can get thick quick!)
- Once thick, add your food dye/turmeric drop/pinch by drop/pinch, stirring in between, until desired ‘Custard’ colour is reached. If using Turmeric, I wouldn’t add more than 4 pinches because it may alter the taste of the custard.
- Set ‘Custard’ mixture aside to cool for 10 minutes. Once Red Wine Syrup has reduced, pour into a small serving dish or Tupperware and store at room temperature. If not serving the pie the same day, put Saran Wrap over the serving dish if using one.
- Arrange pears in pie flat side down, and evenly spaced.
- Pour ‘custard’ around the pears (taking care not to cover them, unless you prefer the look of them covered).
- Place pie on a flat surface in the fridge to cool for 2-3 hours (or until ‘custard’ has set).
- Allow pie to warm for 10 minutes before serving.
- And of course, serve pie with (lots) of red wine syrup drizzled on top.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Poached Pear Pie recipe inspired by Gourmet Magazine October 1989 p. 162.
- Pâte Brisée recipe inspired by Julia Child “The French Chef Cookbook” p. 181. 1998.
| Tender Crust Tips |
- As I mentioned above, the cooler you keep the dough as you work with it, the more tender it will be. That, and making sure the fats don’t get too well blended into the flours before adding the water are the trick to yielding a lovely tender dough. What this means is using a fork or other implement to blend the flour and fats. Some recipes will tell you to use a blender. DON’T…neither my mum, nor I have ever ended up with an equal or better result using a blender.
- If you have a marble work surface as well as a marble rolling pin, then you’re really in business. If you don’t, no worries, just work fast and make sure you really flour your work surface before rolling your dough out.
- IF you accidentally keep the dough in the fridge too long, no worries. Let it sit on the counter for a few mins before rolling it out.
| Allergen Notes |
- Oat flour is technically gluten-free but, as I’ve mentioned before, oats are often grown in fields beside wheat and can become cross-contaminated. SO…people with severe gluten intolerances/allergies may have trouble with regular oat flour if they don’t get certified gluten-free oat flour like Only Oats Pure Whole Grain Oat Flour or Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Whole Grain Oat Flour.
Substitution Notes:
- If you’re a lucky gluten-ivore looking to use regular flour for the crust, simply substitute the arrowroot starch, oat flour, chickpea flour and xantham gum for 2 cups of regular all-purpose flour, and keep all other ingredients and dough-making methods the same.
- Similarly, if you can tolerate dairy, you can use 1/2 cup of chilled butter cut into 1/2″ pieces instead of the lard and Nutiva buttery coconut oil. As with the flour, keep everything else about the recipe the same.
- You can also combine these two substitutions and keep everything else the same!
- Gelatin does a better job of maintaining a custard-ey texture for for all you vegans out there Agar Agar is the best thing ever to get this pie to set up.
And that’s that for this week’s post guys. Per usual, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me by commenting below or shooting me an email.
If you’ll excuse me, I’ll just be on my couch with a queue of Christmas movies I’ve been waiting 11 months to watch again! First up…I actually haven’t decided.
Ciao for now!
