Who Is Anastasia?

My photo
New Castle, Indiana Zone 5, United States
When I was 55, I decided to embrace the things I love and hold precious and dear, regardless of anyone else's thoughts and opinion. I am a visual folk artist who loves flowers - my own flowers, grown and/or painted by me. I love good, hearty, exotic foods, and I love to prepare them myself. I love the secret garden situated in my backyard, regardless of how overgrown and wild it gets. No longer able to afford a vacation, this will have to be it for the time being. In the winter months, I still enjoy it. Anyway, here I am sharing my art, favorite recipes, cocktails, gardening tips, and just my usual vents and bantering. After all, I'm old enough to say whatever the heck I want to now ...

JEWELS OF MY SOUL

JEWELS OF MY SOUL
My Book Available on AMAZON

May 24, 2010

A Dessert for the Birthdays

Last summer, my family came to Indiana to celebrate my uncle's big birthday. My Aunt Jeanne made a fabulous rhubarb pie, which I wrote about - several posts below. This year, we are celebrating my uncle's birthday, along with my mother's (4 days apart); she will be 87.

We're having a seafood feast, and I've offered to bring a peach pie ... Here's the thing ... I didn't MEAN to offer to bring a peach pie ... I don't know how that slipped out of my mouth ...

So, I have devised a simple dessert that will be a total experiment, and my family will be guinea pigs ... they're used to that. I will post an update with pictures after Sunday. The recipe will be a Peach Passion Fruit & Raspberry Crostata ... I'm adapting the recipe from Sandra Lee's Grape & Ricotta Crostata.

So, here goes:

Ingredients
1 refrigerated pie crust
1/2 cup of passion fruit preserves
1/2 cup of raspberry preserves or jam
1 1/2 cups of sliced (fresh or frozen) peaches
1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
small box of fresh raspberries
1 egg
Powdered sugar, for dusting

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
Unroll the pie crust and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Spread the passion fruit preserves over the pie crust leaving a 1-inch border around the edges.
Place the sliced peaches on top of the jam.
Randomly place tablespoon-sized dollops of ricotta over the filling. Fold in the edges of pie crust over the filling.
In a small bowl, beat the egg and brush over pie crust.
Randomly place the raspberries onto the crust.
Bake for 20 minutes until crust is golden and filling is puffed slightly.
Remove to a wire rack, cool 10 minutes.
When cool, dust with powdered sugar and cut into slices.

The Backyard --Today's Vacation Spot

The Backyard --Today's Vacation Spot
A simple garden meal in the shade. No, it's not my backyard, but it looks identical to the one I grew up with at our home in Queens. Looking for an original pic of it to post soon!

Old Fashioned Tips